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The Bathrobe Knight #2
The Bathrobe Knight: Volume II
Having gone from a simple video game addict to the leader of a band of refugees, Darwin continues to cut his way across the world of Tiqpa searching for a home. Be it his home in real life, or one for his people in the game, the sleepless warrior presses forward. Unfortunately for him, each step he makes changes the fate of Tiqpa, a fact that is not welcomed by those who inhabit the lands.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2015
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116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 11, 2015
Charles Dean
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one. The author grew as much or more than the characters themselves and that was reflected not only in the writing, but in the actions the characters took and the thoughts they espoused. Watching Darwin coming to terms with his bloodlust, while at the same time realizing that it's a powerful tool in the growth and protection of his faction was understandable. Kass' part of the story reflected well how a student just out of college with no clear picture of the future might act, and while some of her actions were questionable, they perfectly showcased how sheltered she seems to be from other social contact.
By far, the best new addition to Book 2 was Kitchens and Minx the Lynx. With his quiet wisdom and her irrepressible love for life, fun, and all that is FLUFFY! it was a joy to read about them.
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one. The author grew as much or more than the characters themselves and that was reflected not only in the writing, but in the actions the characters took and the thoughts they espoused. Watching Darwin coming to terms with his bloodlust, while at the same time realizing that it's a powerful tool in the growth and protection of his faction was understandable. Kass' part of the story reflected well how a student just out of college with no clear picture of the future might act, and while some of her actions were questionable, they perfectly showcased how sheltered she seems to be from other social contact.
By far, the best new addition to Book 2 was Kitchens and Minx the Lynx. With his quiet wisdom and her irrepressible love for life, fun, and all that is FLUFFY! it was a joy to read about them.
June 24, 2020
I listened to an audio book but as that isn't listed on Goodreads.com I am placing my review here.
Note: I summarize the stories in books 1 and 2 which likely contain spoilers so read at your own risk.
So this is the third book by Charles Dean I've read and he is one of the better authors working in the litRPG genre. I read books 1 and 2 together so I will review them both simultaneously. Book 2 was a significant drop off in enjoyment for due to story choices. In both books the author does an admirable job of focusing on the characters. As a result, when book 1 ended with many matters still in progress I did not feel a lack of resolution. Book 2, while still doing an excellent job of focusing on the characters, demeans some of those characters and brings the manipulations of couple of characters to the forefront. Since we are never told what the purpose of the manipulations is, the second book left me feeling like it was pretty much filler between books 1 and 3.
So, the book 1 story: The MC, Darwin, is a good guy who games and has no idea where his glowing red eyes or superhero type body comes from. Somehow the Darwin is transported directly into a VR game and, as far as he knows, he is trapped there. As a result the MC begins to befriend the NPCs, after all, their wold is now his world. Darwin also meets Kass, a gamer, who sees Darwin as an experience mine and whose father, Robert, is the lead programmer for the game.
While on a quest Darwin meets Eve, a "sister" he never knew he had, which is where the big unexplained mystery that largely ruined book 2 begins. We aren't told how Darwin has a sister or anything that actually confirms sibling status. Eve does, however, give Darwin a powerful sword and tell him where to find a super powerful treasure.
Upon returning to the town Darwin has started to call home he finds it ruins and is made town leader by the dying captain of the guard. Darwin leads the town people to the mine where he met Eve since it is not too far away and immediately defensible. Upon leveling up Darwin's race was revealed to be demon and Darwin also got the ability to raise his kills so Darwin secures the mine using zombie monsters.
Cass finds Darwin at the mine still re-settling villagers. Cass and Darwin go after the big treasure and discover Stephanie, a medusa, guarding it. Stephanie wants Darwin to get the treasure and hits on Darwin since he is immune to her "stone stare". The treasure, it turns out, allows Darwin to start his own demon faction and, upon use, will even transform all of his followers to demons.
Darwin returns to the mine lays out the options for the villagers, all of whom follow Darwin and are therefore turned into demons. All of this happens, however, on an island starting area and Darwin and Cass are nearing the level where they will have to leave for "the mainland". As a result the entire village marches to the sea to find transport en masse to the mainland.
Meanwhile the three factions on Darwin's island have been fighting for control. Eve manages to enter the confidence of the human king right as he is victorious. Eve aids the king in bringing the 3 armies together to oppose an invasion from an adjoining beginner island where one of the factions is a flying bird-person race. Although Darwin hasn't communicated with Eve since their initial meeting Darwin & co. arrive at the beach just in time to see the start of the battle. The defenders are greatly outnumbered but Darwin & co. are able to attack the invaders from behind and turn the tide, thanks in large part to Stephanie turning a large number of invaders to stone. This leaves the vast majority of the invaders' ships available for looting which, in turn, means Darwin and co. have their rides to the mainland. Also, three of the bird-person players revolted against their faction and aided Darwin in the fight. As a result they join Darwin's faction at the end of the book 1.
In a "bonus chapter" at the end of book 1 we see Eve and Stephanie carrying an infant Darwin through a battle zone to a "giant blue portal" in a game-like world. I forget when it is revealed but by this time the reader knows Stephanie was only pretending to be a medusa. In banter during the shootout it is revealed that Darwin "is the future of the Red Eye clan" (whatever that means). Stephanie betrays and shoots Eve when they reach the portal while claiming that Eve should understand what is happening and that is all a part of "an overworked plot". Stephanie takes Darwin and leaves through a portal. Eve, dying, collapses through the portal and ends up in our world. Eve is found by a scientist (Charles) who saw the blue portal and came to investigate. Charles nurses Eve back to health. The end. Note how all of this just raises more questions than it answers: How do Eve and Stephanie get back to the game world? Why did Stephanie betray Eve?
Those are just the two most obvious ones but I could list about 100 more without trying.
Book 2 starts with a surprise visit to the VR company by its billionaire owner, Charles. The author goes out of his way to make Charles seem sinister. This whole treatment of the Charles character was irritating- it was as if the author didn't think his story was good enough so he added artificial drama in the form of making Charles overtly creepy/evil when there was no REVEALED reason for him to be so. But the lack of of reveals is book 2 biggest problem anyhow.
In the game world, Eve has talked the human king, who is also a powerful warrior, into going adventuring with her. They are sailing to the mainland behind Darwin & co. Somethings happen on the boats, but nothing major so eventually Darwin & co. arrive at the part of the Mainland primarily run by beast-kin and ruled over by the Panda King. Darwin explores the city on his own and is immediately roped into a tournament with two new companions. Darwin & co. win and are given a quest by the Panda King to clear out bandits. Darwin discovers that the "bandits" are actually human rebels. The panda king has discriminated against humans for years and so a rebellion formed.
Darwin recruits the rebels to his cause but Darwin's villagers are still in the Panda King's city so Darwin heads back to fool the Panda King into thinking Darwin completed the quest and to get the villagers to safety.
Messengers are sent to all the other rebel groups and everyone congregates in a cave which they fortify while Darwin trains a phalanx. Stephanie is working in the bowels of the cave to create an inter-world portal through which, or so she tells Darwin, everyone, villagers and all (except players) will be able to escape. Darwin just has to hold off the Panda King's army for long enough.
Eve, hoping to separate Darwin from the evil Stephanie, helps the Panda King but it irritates the human king to help the Panda King kill humans. Darwin's defense virtually decimates the Panda King's army, but with losses. During the fighting the human king finally has enough and stabs Eve to prevent her from killing all the humans, after which the human king and Panda King essentially kill each other fighting. However, in his last moments of life the human king see Eve has healed from the wounds he gave her. Eve comes over and claims the human king just cost many more lives than he saved, although given the complete lack of explanation as to why Eve believes this the value of this statement is unclear.
After the battle Darwin goes to check on Stephanie. Stephanie pulls Darwin through the portal where Darwin finds Charles waiting for him. The end.
Bottom line: Although generally well written, book 2 felt like a waste of time due to the author's failure to communicate just where the story is going. There is a reason articles have headlines, without knowing the direction of the story the reader has no way of knowing if he/she should continue reading. For this reason I will be dropping this series.
Note: I summarize the stories in books 1 and 2 which likely contain spoilers so read at your own risk.
So this is the third book by Charles Dean I've read and he is one of the better authors working in the litRPG genre. I read books 1 and 2 together so I will review them both simultaneously. Book 2 was a significant drop off in enjoyment for due to story choices. In both books the author does an admirable job of focusing on the characters. As a result, when book 1 ended with many matters still in progress I did not feel a lack of resolution. Book 2, while still doing an excellent job of focusing on the characters, demeans some of those characters and brings the manipulations of couple of characters to the forefront. Since we are never told what the purpose of the manipulations is, the second book left me feeling like it was pretty much filler between books 1 and 3.
So, the book 1 story: The MC, Darwin, is a good guy who games and has no idea where his glowing red eyes or superhero type body comes from. Somehow the Darwin is transported directly into a VR game and, as far as he knows, he is trapped there. As a result the MC begins to befriend the NPCs, after all, their wold is now his world. Darwin also meets Kass, a gamer, who sees Darwin as an experience mine and whose father, Robert, is the lead programmer for the game.
While on a quest Darwin meets Eve, a "sister" he never knew he had, which is where the big unexplained mystery that largely ruined book 2 begins. We aren't told how Darwin has a sister or anything that actually confirms sibling status. Eve does, however, give Darwin a powerful sword and tell him where to find a super powerful treasure.
Upon returning to the town Darwin has started to call home he finds it ruins and is made town leader by the dying captain of the guard. Darwin leads the town people to the mine where he met Eve since it is not too far away and immediately defensible. Upon leveling up Darwin's race was revealed to be demon and Darwin also got the ability to raise his kills so Darwin secures the mine using zombie monsters.
Cass finds Darwin at the mine still re-settling villagers. Cass and Darwin go after the big treasure and discover Stephanie, a medusa, guarding it. Stephanie wants Darwin to get the treasure and hits on Darwin since he is immune to her "stone stare". The treasure, it turns out, allows Darwin to start his own demon faction and, upon use, will even transform all of his followers to demons.
Darwin returns to the mine lays out the options for the villagers, all of whom follow Darwin and are therefore turned into demons. All of this happens, however, on an island starting area and Darwin and Cass are nearing the level where they will have to leave for "the mainland". As a result the entire village marches to the sea to find transport en masse to the mainland.
Meanwhile the three factions on Darwin's island have been fighting for control. Eve manages to enter the confidence of the human king right as he is victorious. Eve aids the king in bringing the 3 armies together to oppose an invasion from an adjoining beginner island where one of the factions is a flying bird-person race. Although Darwin hasn't communicated with Eve since their initial meeting Darwin & co. arrive at the beach just in time to see the start of the battle. The defenders are greatly outnumbered but Darwin & co. are able to attack the invaders from behind and turn the tide, thanks in large part to Stephanie turning a large number of invaders to stone. This leaves the vast majority of the invaders' ships available for looting which, in turn, means Darwin and co. have their rides to the mainland. Also, three of the bird-person players revolted against their faction and aided Darwin in the fight. As a result they join Darwin's faction at the end of the book 1.
In a "bonus chapter" at the end of book 1 we see Eve and Stephanie carrying an infant Darwin through a battle zone to a "giant blue portal" in a game-like world. I forget when it is revealed but by this time the reader knows Stephanie was only pretending to be a medusa. In banter during the shootout it is revealed that Darwin "is the future of the Red Eye clan" (whatever that means). Stephanie betrays and shoots Eve when they reach the portal while claiming that Eve should understand what is happening and that is all a part of "an overworked plot". Stephanie takes Darwin and leaves through a portal. Eve, dying, collapses through the portal and ends up in our world. Eve is found by a scientist (Charles) who saw the blue portal and came to investigate. Charles nurses Eve back to health. The end. Note how all of this just raises more questions than it answers: How do Eve and Stephanie get back to the game world? Why did Stephanie betray Eve?
Those are just the two most obvious ones but I could list about 100 more without trying.
Book 2 starts with a surprise visit to the VR company by its billionaire owner, Charles. The author goes out of his way to make Charles seem sinister. This whole treatment of the Charles character was irritating- it was as if the author didn't think his story was good enough so he added artificial drama in the form of making Charles overtly creepy/evil when there was no REVEALED reason for him to be so. But the lack of of reveals is book 2 biggest problem anyhow.
In the game world, Eve has talked the human king, who is also a powerful warrior, into going adventuring with her. They are sailing to the mainland behind Darwin & co. Somethings happen on the boats, but nothing major so eventually Darwin & co. arrive at the part of the Mainland primarily run by beast-kin and ruled over by the Panda King. Darwin explores the city on his own and is immediately roped into a tournament with two new companions. Darwin & co. win and are given a quest by the Panda King to clear out bandits. Darwin discovers that the "bandits" are actually human rebels. The panda king has discriminated against humans for years and so a rebellion formed.
Darwin recruits the rebels to his cause but Darwin's villagers are still in the Panda King's city so Darwin heads back to fool the Panda King into thinking Darwin completed the quest and to get the villagers to safety.
Messengers are sent to all the other rebel groups and everyone congregates in a cave which they fortify while Darwin trains a phalanx. Stephanie is working in the bowels of the cave to create an inter-world portal through which, or so she tells Darwin, everyone, villagers and all (except players) will be able to escape. Darwin just has to hold off the Panda King's army for long enough.
Eve, hoping to separate Darwin from the evil Stephanie, helps the Panda King but it irritates the human king to help the Panda King kill humans. Darwin's defense virtually decimates the Panda King's army, but with losses. During the fighting the human king finally has enough and stabs Eve to prevent her from killing all the humans, after which the human king and Panda King essentially kill each other fighting. However, in his last moments of life the human king see Eve has healed from the wounds he gave her. Eve comes over and claims the human king just cost many more lives than he saved, although given the complete lack of explanation as to why Eve believes this the value of this statement is unclear.
After the battle Darwin goes to check on Stephanie. Stephanie pulls Darwin through the portal where Darwin finds Charles waiting for him. The end.
Bottom line: Although generally well written, book 2 felt like a waste of time due to the author's failure to communicate just where the story is going. There is a reason articles have headlines, without knowing the direction of the story the reader has no way of knowing if he/she should continue reading. For this reason I will be dropping this series.
November 29, 2021
This one has lost that spark of creativity that made the first book so enjoyable.
The convoluted plot makes the character actions inconsequential. This whole book feels like a battle between Stephanie and Eve where no one else matters. It makes it boring to read, and you stop caring about any other characters.
The convoluted plot makes the character actions inconsequential. This whole book feels like a battle between Stephanie and Eve where no one else matters. It makes it boring to read, and you stop caring about any other characters.
August 1, 2022
Story gets bogged down in pointless juvenile prattling from the cat girl and other bits of dialogue so pointless that I can't see it as anything other than page-count padding.
Unfortunate, as I find the overall story moderately interesting, but moving into book three I'm not sure I'll be able to go the 5-book distance for this series unless things improve.
Unfortunate, as I find the overall story moderately interesting, but moving into book three I'm not sure I'll be able to go the 5-book distance for this series unless things improve.
June 26, 2023
A very energetic, exciting and entertaining book!!
The second book of this series was as captivating as the first one! So many questions were answered, yet so many new ones popped up. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Can't wait to read the next book! Recommend!!
The second book of this series was as captivating as the first one! So many questions were answered, yet so many new ones popped up. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Can't wait to read the next book! Recommend!!
January 23, 2018
I'm just as lost as everyone else and happy about it. I have no idea who's really good or bad right now, but all I know is this, I'm in a RUSH to start book 3.
February 19, 2020
Better than the first.
December 11, 2023
Did not finish. This felt like a slog and was extremely dull to read. Using two pages to describe the trip to a house to visit a billionaire was the final straw for me.
August 8, 2020
Fun sequel. The action is pretty awesome. There is a deeper plot that is starting to be revealed which is pretty intriguing. The perspectives have been condensed from the first book which helps move the plot along.
September 19, 2015
Long winded and terribly paced
The good: characters are mostly interesting and developed. The big plot is intricate-ish. Glossary of terms to help comprehension.
The bad: long winded and awkward descriptions of everything. Most of the mysteries come from ignorance; like trying to understand field theory without taking physics courses. The metaphysics is ... bad is the only word - relying upon speculation and ignorance to explain the underlying magic of the premise. The text is about three times as long as it needs to be, and only half as interesting.
The conclusion: avoid. Do not buy or read. No good shall come of doing so.
The good: characters are mostly interesting and developed. The big plot is intricate-ish. Glossary of terms to help comprehension.
The bad: long winded and awkward descriptions of everything. Most of the mysteries come from ignorance; like trying to understand field theory without taking physics courses. The metaphysics is ... bad is the only word - relying upon speculation and ignorance to explain the underlying magic of the premise. The text is about three times as long as it needs to be, and only half as interesting.
The conclusion: avoid. Do not buy or read. No good shall come of doing so.
September 7, 2016
This is better than the first book, but it's rounded down from a 3.5 star because of the cliffhanger. Also what happened with Maddock and his guild? If the game is a month old how do they have player owned property being sold for large amounts of money in the mainland if it seemed that the protagonists are some of the highest players in the game (as per Kass checking the level ranks on the Tiqba website?)
This is the kind of inconsistencies that can detract from the genre. The author should really be writing with word and have excel open in the background to keep track of all the numbers involved and the editor should've caught this as well, unless I missed an explanation somewhere.
This is the kind of inconsistencies that can detract from the genre. The author should really be writing with word and have excel open in the background to keep track of all the numbers involved and the editor should've caught this as well, unless I missed an explanation somewhere.
February 13, 2016
So freakishly annoying...
...that i cannot read the next one right now! I have so many questions, that i dont even know where to start... beside this frustrating thing i feel amazed how good the author writes and i cannot give better example, who is going to read something in-gametrapped-book.
...that i cannot read the next one right now! I have so many questions, that i dont even know where to start... beside this frustrating thing i feel amazed how good the author writes and i cannot give better example, who is going to read something in-gametrapped-book.
September 19, 2015
Much more fun to read that the first. The author seems to have come to terms with his objectives in writing the series, learned from mistakes, and shows definite progress in his style. It's definitely fun watching these characters grow and progress through a world that is fun and games to some and deadly to others.
September 21, 2015
The second volume is a step up from the first. It features more characters, improved characterization and an interesting storyline in the real world. The main character is also less overwhelming than before. However, this 'book' is absolutely ruined by the cliffhanger ending.
September 19, 2015
First book: Great.
Second book: Amazing.
Language was a lot more precise, and it's clear they definitely did a much better job editing the book. I also felt like the book brought back some more of the humor I was desperately missing near the end of book 1.
Book 3! Don't ruin the trilogy!
Second book: Amazing.
Language was a lot more precise, and it's clear they definitely did a much better job editing the book. I also felt like the book brought back some more of the humor I was desperately missing near the end of book 1.
Book 3! Don't ruin the trilogy!
October 15, 2015
Not as good as the first one
But certainly good enough to keep me interested and hoping for a volume 3. Unfortunately there isn't as much battle as I would have hoped for. But the new characters are awesome!!!!!
But certainly good enough to keep me interested and hoping for a volume 3. Unfortunately there isn't as much battle as I would have hoped for. But the new characters are awesome!!!!!
January 14, 2017
I couldn't finish this book. Something about just doesn't work for me. I've read alot of the LITRPG books lately this one just rubs me the wrong way i guess. I really can't place my figure on it. The first was ok. Nothing spectacular
October 29, 2015
Great sequel! Looking forward to Vol. 3!
May 13, 2016
Read it, did hit me. Didn't jump or excite me, even the fighting scenes or cliff hangers...just didn't jump
Wont read the next.
Wont read the next.
January 19, 2017
Pretty good story.
April 8, 2018
This book is awesome! Loved how Darwin pretty much begins setting up his own kingdom. At least the foundation for it. Poor Qasim. Poor guy... Eve is a real bitch... Charles I so don't trust you... Some one so slick can't be a good guy. We shall see....
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