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Realm of Arkon #1
Patch 17
A new update arrives to the ultra-popular online game, Realm of Arkon. With Patch 17, the level of immersion experienced by players in their gaming capsules has made virtual reality indistinguishable from the real world. But every gamer's dream becomes a nightmare for Roman Kozhevnikov after he gets confined to Arkon against his will. And not just to Arkon, but to its deadliest zone--Demon Grounds. Playing, or rather living as his character Krian, it's not just about survival for Roman. He longs to exact revenge for his banishment to the virtual world where the sensation of pain has reached one hundred percent...
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2015
641 people are currently reading
830 people want to read
About the author
G. Akella
28 books191 followersGeorgy Smorodinsky.
44 years old, live in Moscow, married with three daughters. Akella has been my game nickname for almost 17 years. My love affair with the MMORPG genre began with Ultima Online, and I played WoW from its release date. My main classes are Warrior, Rogue and Death Knight. Back in vanilla WoW I made Grand Marshall with my warrior, for those who still remember what that is. Throughout WoW’s existence I was present for the slaying of roughly 70-80% of raid bosses; in those encounters, I was the main tank about half the time. In vanilla, I was the guild master of Shadow Angels on the Executus server. The guild had approximately 250 members, with an average of 80 people online every day. Sometimes I led raids to MC and BWL (for those who remember, in vanilla raid groups maxed out at 40). I also spent some time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Presently I’m playing Black Desert.
Patch 17 is my first book. I had never written anything before it. I was inspired to start writing after reading D. Rus, A. Vasilev, R. Mikhaylov and V. Mahanenko. I wanted to create a world that lived by the game’s rules, to write a book that even gamers would enjoy reading. The same gamers who killed skeletons at the Vesper graveyard, stormed castles in Lineage 2, battled in Alterac Valley, and spent months chipping away at Nefarian and the Lich King.
Of utmost importance to me are: the logic of the game world, the immersion factor (for readers to feel as if they’re part of this world), and logical behavior of the book’s characters. So far so good, it would seem. Five of the books in the series are finished. Book three is in the process of being published. The first two books have sold out their initial print run, and more are being printed. The reviews from critics and fan feedback grow better with each new book. I sincerely hope that you will get to read book two of the series, The Cursed Princedom, in February.
Oh, and one day I dream of visiting San Francisco, the city where Patch 17 begins. Thank you, everyone, and happy reading.
Georgy Smorodinsky (Akella)
44 years old, live in Moscow, married with three daughters. Akella has been my game nickname for almost 17 years. My love affair with the MMORPG genre began with Ultima Online, and I played WoW from its release date. My main classes are Warrior, Rogue and Death Knight. Back in vanilla WoW I made Grand Marshall with my warrior, for those who still remember what that is. Throughout WoW’s existence I was present for the slaying of roughly 70-80% of raid bosses; in those encounters, I was the main tank about half the time. In vanilla, I was the guild master of Shadow Angels on the Executus server. The guild had approximately 250 members, with an average of 80 people online every day. Sometimes I led raids to MC and BWL (for those who remember, in vanilla raid groups maxed out at 40). I also spent some time playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Presently I’m playing Black Desert.
Patch 17 is my first book. I had never written anything before it. I was inspired to start writing after reading D. Rus, A. Vasilev, R. Mikhaylov and V. Mahanenko. I wanted to create a world that lived by the game’s rules, to write a book that even gamers would enjoy reading. The same gamers who killed skeletons at the Vesper graveyard, stormed castles in Lineage 2, battled in Alterac Valley, and spent months chipping away at Nefarian and the Lich King.
Of utmost importance to me are: the logic of the game world, the immersion factor (for readers to feel as if they’re part of this world), and logical behavior of the book’s characters. So far so good, it would seem. Five of the books in the series are finished. Book three is in the process of being published. The first two books have sold out their initial print run, and more are being printed. The reviews from critics and fan feedback grow better with each new book. I sincerely hope that you will get to read book two of the series, The Cursed Princedom, in February.
Oh, and one day I dream of visiting San Francisco, the city where Patch 17 begins. Thank you, everyone, and happy reading.
Georgy Smorodinsky (Akella)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
November 27, 2015
Flashbacks within flashbacks, plus a sudden right turn
I'm not a fan of flashbacks. They break the continuity of a story. There are numerous ways to present the same information and maintain the flow of the story.
This book not only utilizes a number of flashbacks, it begins with one. Presumably it's to move some action to the front, so the reader won't just quit after the true "beginning" of the story.
The main character seems to be poorly thought out for this genre of book. He dislikes gamers and gaming. Seems odd to have the main character get belligerent toward your target audience.
He also isn't very consistent. He's written as an artist that draws fantasy landscapes, but he dislikes viewing the scenery in the game because "it looks fake and lacks substance". Yet once he's stuck in the game, the same scenery starts being described in great (tediously long) detail. Additionally he's initially portrayed as a serious womanizer, forgoing most activities in his search for his next "conquest", yet once he's in the game, suddenly he's almost chaste with his activities.
Finally the story itself is rather lackluster. Way too many quests involve a sudden, discombobulating chapter of a backstory that could have been condensed in to a couple paragraphs. Most of the conflicts he faces are random encounters that result in one-sided windfall victories through no real effort on his part. The first true challenge he comes across is suddenly put on hold. Then the last 15% of the book is all completely unrelated to the main character. Instead it's all the start of an old school buddy of the main character in another section of the game.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
I'm not a fan of flashbacks. They break the continuity of a story. There are numerous ways to present the same information and maintain the flow of the story.
This book not only utilizes a number of flashbacks, it begins with one. Presumably it's to move some action to the front, so the reader won't just quit after the true "beginning" of the story.
The main character seems to be poorly thought out for this genre of book. He dislikes gamers and gaming. Seems odd to have the main character get belligerent toward your target audience.
He also isn't very consistent. He's written as an artist that draws fantasy landscapes, but he dislikes viewing the scenery in the game because "it looks fake and lacks substance". Yet once he's stuck in the game, the same scenery starts being described in great (tediously long) detail. Additionally he's initially portrayed as a serious womanizer, forgoing most activities in his search for his next "conquest", yet once he's in the game, suddenly he's almost chaste with his activities.
Finally the story itself is rather lackluster. Way too many quests involve a sudden, discombobulating chapter of a backstory that could have been condensed in to a couple paragraphs. Most of the conflicts he faces are random encounters that result in one-sided windfall victories through no real effort on his part. The first true challenge he comes across is suddenly put on hold. Then the last 15% of the book is all completely unrelated to the main character. Instead it's all the start of an old school buddy of the main character in another section of the game.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
June 24, 2017
Note: I am rating the audiobook version of this book. Sometimes inde titles undergo significant revisions before audio production.
After binge reading a number of dreadful LitRPGs back to back Patch 17 was a delightful surprise. The world is solid, the protagonist doesn't automatically forget that he is a real person, and the pacing is just right so as not to feel rushed or as if the story is stalling.
I was skeptical about the book after reading so many 1-2 star reviews, which is why I have come to believe that this title has undergone significant revisions. I'm glad I read it anyway. The flashbacks are minimal and the fact that the protagonist isn't a proper gamer doesn't bother me. He's trapped in a virtual world against his will, he doesn't spend all his time complaining about other gamers, in fact has the only PC in his area, he doesn't even encounter other PCs in the first novel.
The Good:
- Awesome world - I like the way that they've included individual reputations for specific NPCs, different types of quests, etc.
- The character still resembles an actual person rather than a hack and slash terminator combat monkey every other page.
- The writing is engaging - Seriously... So many books in this genre feel like a chore to read due to the low quality of writing. I don't get that feeling here. There are scenes that "Make me miss my bus stop" so to speak.
- The pacing is good
- Thank God for a LitRPG where every female character isn't presented as a sex toy.
The Meh:
- Seems like the protagonist gets a lot of powerful bonuses and items with fairly little effort.
(Note: This isn't considered bad because at the end of the book we come to realize that he's unique in this respect and it is set up so that I feel confident that there is a good reason why.)
- Some of the translation from Russian is a little off, but it doesn't kill the story. The only one I noticed repeatedly was the use of the word "fang" when the correct word would have been tusk for the situation.
- After the protagonist is in the game world we don't have much information about the people who forced him into it. Yes he occasionally vents his hatred for the people who did this to him, but their motivations are still kind of a mystery.
- I don't get why they decide to shift PoV for the last 10% of the novel, except to demonstrate that the protagonist's experience isn't typical of all players. Personally, I'd rather shift back and fourth throughout the story as events happen chronologically so I don't feel like one novel ended, and now I'm reading a short story about different people. The author does this in the second book too.
The Bad:
- I don't like Dungeons and Dragons terms and races ported into LitRPGs. Teiflings? Really? You couldn't come up with another name for a standard race character with demonic heritage? Also I'm not sure what's up with having Drow and Dark Elves as two different races. Honestly, "Drow" is never mentioned except within the context of listing all the other races, so I don't understand why they are even included. In any case I don't like it, but it didn't kill the book.
- Relying too heavily on World of Warcraft as a model for game mechanics, terms, etc. People who haven't played WoW probably wouldn't notice this.
After binge reading a number of dreadful LitRPGs back to back Patch 17 was a delightful surprise. The world is solid, the protagonist doesn't automatically forget that he is a real person, and the pacing is just right so as not to feel rushed or as if the story is stalling.
I was skeptical about the book after reading so many 1-2 star reviews, which is why I have come to believe that this title has undergone significant revisions. I'm glad I read it anyway. The flashbacks are minimal and the fact that the protagonist isn't a proper gamer doesn't bother me. He's trapped in a virtual world against his will, he doesn't spend all his time complaining about other gamers, in fact has the only PC in his area, he doesn't even encounter other PCs in the first novel.
The Good:
- Awesome world - I like the way that they've included individual reputations for specific NPCs, different types of quests, etc.
- The character still resembles an actual person rather than a hack and slash terminator combat monkey every other page.
- The writing is engaging - Seriously... So many books in this genre feel like a chore to read due to the low quality of writing. I don't get that feeling here. There are scenes that "Make me miss my bus stop" so to speak.
- The pacing is good
- Thank God for a LitRPG where every female character isn't presented as a sex toy.
The Meh:
- Seems like the protagonist gets a lot of powerful bonuses and items with fairly little effort.
(Note: This isn't considered bad because at the end of the book we come to realize that he's unique in this respect and it is set up so that I feel confident that there is a good reason why.)
- Some of the translation from Russian is a little off, but it doesn't kill the story. The only one I noticed repeatedly was the use of the word "fang" when the correct word would have been tusk for the situation.
- After the protagonist is in the game world we don't have much information about the people who forced him into it. Yes he occasionally vents his hatred for the people who did this to him, but their motivations are still kind of a mystery.
- I don't get why they decide to shift PoV for the last 10% of the novel, except to demonstrate that the protagonist's experience isn't typical of all players. Personally, I'd rather shift back and fourth throughout the story as events happen chronologically so I don't feel like one novel ended, and now I'm reading a short story about different people. The author does this in the second book too.
The Bad:
- I don't like Dungeons and Dragons terms and races ported into LitRPGs. Teiflings? Really? You couldn't come up with another name for a standard race character with demonic heritage? Also I'm not sure what's up with having Drow and Dark Elves as two different races. Honestly, "Drow" is never mentioned except within the context of listing all the other races, so I don't understand why they are even included. In any case I don't like it, but it didn't kill the book.
- Relying too heavily on World of Warcraft as a model for game mechanics, terms, etc. People who haven't played WoW probably wouldn't notice this.
May 4, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait until the next one!
It shows stats and everything! So cool!
I have played RPGs and this seemed even better than that!
Enjoy!
It shows stats and everything! So cool!
I have played RPGs and this seemed even better than that!
Enjoy!
September 4, 2017
Good start to a series
Having become a big fan of the litrpg genre in the past year, this series was on my read list and I finally got to the first one. This book had one of the more interesting intro to a series that I have read, however as others have said, it suffers from some very abrupt cuts to cut scene like moments that confused me who perspective one was reading from. The other issue I had with the book was the last part of the book that focused on a different character then the MC.
Overall I recommend the book of your a fan of the the litrpg genre and can get past some disconnects.
Having become a big fan of the litrpg genre in the past year, this series was on my read list and I finally got to the first one. This book had one of the more interesting intro to a series that I have read, however as others have said, it suffers from some very abrupt cuts to cut scene like moments that confused me who perspective one was reading from. The other issue I had with the book was the last part of the book that focused on a different character then the MC.
Overall I recommend the book of your a fan of the the litrpg genre and can get past some disconnects.
September 3, 2017
This is a weird one to review, its like playing a fantasy RPG skyrim or the witcher series without visuals. the conversation was spot-on and experience upgrades was well explain. I really struggled with the flashbacks within a flashback. I'm really interested to know what happens to Roman in book two, but I'm the only one that preferred Max and Luffy's story more Roman's.
January 8, 2017
Pretty meh.
Has a gross bit at the start where our protagonist saves someone from being raped and of course she immediately spends the weekend having sex with them. *vomit*
Other than that the story is confusing and disjointed, there's loads of flashbacks which seem like a cheap way of explaining what's going on in the world to me. The character doesn't seem cogent as a character and I didn't really relate to them, and the stats characters have seemed to be basically totally irrelevant to anything.
It wasn't great.
Has a gross bit at the start where our protagonist saves someone from being raped and of course she immediately spends the weekend having sex with them. *vomit*
Other than that the story is confusing and disjointed, there's loads of flashbacks which seem like a cheap way of explaining what's going on in the world to me. The character doesn't seem cogent as a character and I didn't really relate to them, and the stats characters have seemed to be basically totally irrelevant to anything.
It wasn't great.
July 11, 2016
I found this book really annoying. In the very begging the main guy gets a quest, and then there is like 50 pages of unnecessary information about the background story of the quest. It was frustrating, so in the end I even skipped that part and red what happened next. Plus, it felt very unrealistic how the character develops, all the leveling and frebies. Also, book is poorly written and i found it quite sexist and homophobic at times. Really disappointing.
November 2, 2017
Note to self: I had to stop listening when the main character didn't victim blame a person who just escaped being raped. Oh, he thought she was responsible, but didn't want to ruin his own chances with her. He wasn't a very likeable character even before that. Maybe this book is all about his personal growth and he'll turn out to be a great anti-hero, but I won't be finding out. Thank you Audible for your return policy!
May 30, 2017
Excellent read!
A VERY good addition to the litrpg shelves, I can honestly say it was in actual print. I would love to have this grace the shelves of my collection. My only complaint is that it switches characters 3/4 of the way through; though I may honestly like the char Max better than the main protagonist. Looking foreword to the rest of the series
A VERY good addition to the litrpg shelves, I can honestly say it was in actual print. I would love to have this grace the shelves of my collection. My only complaint is that it switches characters 3/4 of the way through; though I may honestly like the char Max better than the main protagonist. Looking foreword to the rest of the series
July 24, 2018
It was kinda ok for a litrpg book. I mean it used a lot of the common tropes you are used to and the story progression was also common enough.
My problem with this book was that I did not like the hero. and by extension the writer..
His views of women really irritated me, his views (projected not stated) about gaming and gamers irked me.
Not recommended.
My problem with this book was that I did not like the hero. and by extension the writer..
His views of women really irritated me, his views (projected not stated) about gaming and gamers irked me.
Not recommended.
December 9, 2016
The MC didn't seem to have anything interesting as far as personality.
The game - not much talked about.
Then they lost me in a huge, long and seemingly pointless flashback.
And then I stopped caring then stopped reading.
Which is a pity - I wanted a new LitRPG series!
The game - not much talked about.
Then they lost me in a huge, long and seemingly pointless flashback.
And then I stopped caring then stopped reading.
Which is a pity - I wanted a new LitRPG series!
July 30, 2017
another good litrpg book. a few good twists and leaves me wanting to read the next in the series.
as most of you know i dont break down the book and tell you the pros and cons. i look for an adventure and a good story. this has both. i listened to the audiobook and it is a good listen.
as most of you know i dont break down the book and tell you the pros and cons. i look for an adventure and a good story. this has both. i listened to the audiobook and it is a good listen.
November 16, 2018
This reads like a book from somebody who hadn't play MMORPG in his life. The sheer scale of the game (100 billion) to the population (55 million) that doesn't allow to change the character, play a different sex, need to create a transaction directly from bank to bank just to access this options, that it's being bought by the US military and that the guy is a game hater, womanizer manly man that got accepted as an artist in this multi-billionaire game with no recommendation and not knowledge of how to use computer tools for his arts
It was just bad.
Honestly just bad.
It was just bad.
Honestly just bad.
May 21, 2017
👍🏽
As you read this remember this is translated to
English from Russian, and the author said he paid to have it translated out of pocket. That being said, it is quite an enjoyable read.
As you read this remember this is translated to
English from Russian, and the author said he paid to have it translated out of pocket. That being said, it is quite an enjoyable read.
August 3, 2017
Couldn't put this book down!
August 11, 2018
To be honest, I never heard of the LitRPG genre until a couple of months ago when a friend told me about it. For those that don’t know, Lit RPG features stories told about people who are not only in a game, but are aware of it. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
Of course, as a fan of RPGs from table top to PBP (Play By Post) and PBEM (Play By Email) games, I fell in love with the concept behind the genre and searched for my first book, which happened to be this one.
As introductions go, this was perfect one to grab (It was free, too. You can’t ask for more than that to try something new). The writing is fast paced ad engaging. I was surprised at how well the backstory led from the real world to the game world and found myself unable to put it down. The author did a perfect job of mixing in an enormous amount of detail of the game world while keeping the story flowing and engaging.
As I’ve come to expect for this genre now, there is a brief pause or slow down period when the character picks up an item or experience points, those are listed as they would in an actual game. While this could be distracting normally, I thought they were placed perfectly to slow the story down and give me a breather.
The characters are well done and relatable, as well as complex. As we follow the main character, he gives us a combination of seriousness and comedic take on the fictional world around him. I seriously loved the part where he first entered the world and the “little assassin.” I would explain it in greater detail, but I have a zero spoiler policy. Sorry. 🙂
Thanks to this author, I’ve found a new favorite genre and can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series.
Of course, as a fan of RPGs from table top to PBP (Play By Post) and PBEM (Play By Email) games, I fell in love with the concept behind the genre and searched for my first book, which happened to be this one.
As introductions go, this was perfect one to grab (It was free, too. You can’t ask for more than that to try something new). The writing is fast paced ad engaging. I was surprised at how well the backstory led from the real world to the game world and found myself unable to put it down. The author did a perfect job of mixing in an enormous amount of detail of the game world while keeping the story flowing and engaging.
As I’ve come to expect for this genre now, there is a brief pause or slow down period when the character picks up an item or experience points, those are listed as they would in an actual game. While this could be distracting normally, I thought they were placed perfectly to slow the story down and give me a breather.
The characters are well done and relatable, as well as complex. As we follow the main character, he gives us a combination of seriousness and comedic take on the fictional world around him. I seriously loved the part where he first entered the world and the “little assassin.” I would explain it in greater detail, but I have a zero spoiler policy. Sorry. 🙂
Thanks to this author, I’ve found a new favorite genre and can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series.
June 5, 2017
My second Russian LitRPG I've read lately. For Vasily Mahanenko I had no idea it was Russian and then translated to English until looking him up after the fact, G. Akella made it very clear right off the bat. The different perspective to the world is a bit interesting, but largely I wouldn't have known if not for the references to Russia, Moscow, ext. Who ever is doing these translations is doing a great job.
G. Akella's game world and set up are all very well done. You can believe this is kind of an evolution of WoW with the mechanics, and skill acquisition all making sense. The Realm of Arkon book could have been 4 or 5 stars simply by cutting parts out. There are several sections where Akella goes into protracted flashbacks of game lore that totally breaks the flow of the book and just isn't terribly interesting.
Also, sometimes I start wondering 'why does any of this matter?'. This can be an issue with LitRPG's. If it's all just in a game, then there's always the sector of it being irrelevant. Most LitRPG's I've read so far have done a good job of giving it all a reason to matter but the reason for this book is rather weak as it all just seems to be centered on revenge.
I'll continue with the series, In hopes Akella manages to give more meaning to these characters progressing through the game world.
G. Akella's game world and set up are all very well done. You can believe this is kind of an evolution of WoW with the mechanics, and skill acquisition all making sense. The Realm of Arkon book could have been 4 or 5 stars simply by cutting parts out. There are several sections where Akella goes into protracted flashbacks of game lore that totally breaks the flow of the book and just isn't terribly interesting.
Also, sometimes I start wondering 'why does any of this matter?'. This can be an issue with LitRPG's. If it's all just in a game, then there's always the sector of it being irrelevant. Most LitRPG's I've read so far have done a good job of giving it all a reason to matter but the reason for this book is rather weak as it all just seems to be centered on revenge.
I'll continue with the series, In hopes Akella manages to give more meaning to these characters progressing through the game world.
February 26, 2017
ill have some kind of review up soon here and my blog. But the short and sweet is Other than how it is so much like Alterworld by D. Russ I really liked it. Some things Alterworld did better and some this one did. But both are good in their own ways. I listened to the Audiobook and it was very well read.
May 26, 2017
This is a great book overall. The translation is a little rough but, what Roman achieves is impressive, the fights are thrilling and he is my favorite. Max and his crew are also mighty entertaining, they always seem to keep things fun and light hearted. Read this book and you really won't regret it, the author has a keen eye for plots of epic proportion.
November 7, 2020
Great story, long exposition
I liked the story arcs and all, what was sad to see was the multiple chapter long exposition dumps. I understand the need to give motivation for the characters, I just think shorter dream sequences would be better.
I liked the story arcs and all, what was sad to see was the multiple chapter long exposition dumps. I understand the need to give motivation for the characters, I just think shorter dream sequences would be better.
January 12, 2017
Great audio book with Zach Villa at the helm. This is a good start to a new LitRPG book series. Georgy should tone the flash backs down a bit, but other than that its a good listen.
April 14, 2018
I picked up Patch 17 when it was free on Kindle. Overall, I enjoyed it, but if it’s your first foray into LitRPG, I’ll warn you that it does get a bit more detailed on the mechanics, and at times the story’s plot is hard to follow.
I very much enjoyed the “real world” aspects of the story, and hope to see how that continues to affect the in-game aspects. The politics driving the antagonist and the implications of could definitely be interesting to see.
The best part about this book was the descriptions. They were vivid and fascinating, and easily brought you into this world. The setting alone is worth reading the story for. The downside of the description was the occasional flashbacks, which were sort of like mini story arcs in themselves. They were interesting, but hard to follow since they aren’t explained until later in the book. Still, they have the advantage of making the world feel larger and the history more detailed. But it takes a bit of work on the reader’s part to understand what’s going on.
The thing I liked least about the book was that I personally felt like any time there was an adult female character, except for the main character’s sister, they were either there to be eye candy (“comely” was used many times in this novel), or there to be protected. If this bothers you, you may want to pass on this one. At times, the main character, Roman, is certainly not a saint (although he is almost always protective of women). The story is gritty. But he seems good at heart, and interesting, and you can root for him when he gives one of the jerks in the story what’s coming to them (and thus starts the main events of the story).
The other downside is that the main story does not have a satisfying end. It leaves the main arc on a cliffhanger. Patch 17 manages to mitigate this slightly by having a sort-of-complete mini-story at the end following one of the MC’s friends, but it does feel oddly placed when we don’t see the main character again for the rest of the novel.
Overall, this was enjoyable. If you like LitRPG and GameLit, this is worth reading.
I very much enjoyed the “real world” aspects of the story, and hope to see how that continues to affect the in-game aspects. The politics driving the antagonist and the implications of could definitely be interesting to see.
The best part about this book was the descriptions. They were vivid and fascinating, and easily brought you into this world. The setting alone is worth reading the story for. The downside of the description was the occasional flashbacks, which were sort of like mini story arcs in themselves. They were interesting, but hard to follow since they aren’t explained until later in the book. Still, they have the advantage of making the world feel larger and the history more detailed. But it takes a bit of work on the reader’s part to understand what’s going on.
The thing I liked least about the book was that I personally felt like any time there was an adult female character, except for the main character’s sister, they were either there to be eye candy (“comely” was used many times in this novel), or there to be protected. If this bothers you, you may want to pass on this one. At times, the main character, Roman, is certainly not a saint (although he is almost always protective of women). The story is gritty. But he seems good at heart, and interesting, and you can root for him when he gives one of the jerks in the story what’s coming to them (and thus starts the main events of the story).
The other downside is that the main story does not have a satisfying end. It leaves the main arc on a cliffhanger. Patch 17 manages to mitigate this slightly by having a sort-of-complete mini-story at the end following one of the MC’s friends, but it does feel oddly placed when we don’t see the main character again for the rest of the novel.
Overall, this was enjoyable. If you like LitRPG and GameLit, this is worth reading.
August 14, 2017
Picked this one up to try out this "litrpg" genre i've seen trending all over the place. Not sure if this is a bad example, or if i'm just not the target audience. It wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. The stats and quest explanatiosn which I understand are features of the genre were a bit of a novelty. On the whole though, for me, books like this are competing with books like "Otherland" by Tad Williams or "Dream Park" by Niven and Barnes, and this book, interesting though it is, is no where near that league.
The world is interesting and I may end up going on to the second book to see where we go with the further implications of the Patch which appears to have given sentience to some NPCs amongst other things, however the book was strong on pointless exposition unrelated to the main plot or character (yeah, that's how games work, but in a book it was boring and hard to follow), the main character was unlikable, he didn't seem to have much agency - much of what he achieves he achieves by luck, it's more stuff happens to him rather than him doing anything.
Then the last few chapters switch without warning to a completely different character, in a completely different situation, doing his own thing. And to be honest, I think I enjoyed that part more than the rest of the book - taken as a whole it is a bit of a disjointed mess.
Still, it had some entertainment value, and I may be back for the second to see how it turns out at some point. Not right away though. I wont be judging the whole LitRPG genre on the basis of one book either, but i'm hoping this isn't as good as it gets.
The world is interesting and I may end up going on to the second book to see where we go with the further implications of the Patch which appears to have given sentience to some NPCs amongst other things, however the book was strong on pointless exposition unrelated to the main plot or character (yeah, that's how games work, but in a book it was boring and hard to follow), the main character was unlikable, he didn't seem to have much agency - much of what he achieves he achieves by luck, it's more stuff happens to him rather than him doing anything.
Then the last few chapters switch without warning to a completely different character, in a completely different situation, doing his own thing. And to be honest, I think I enjoyed that part more than the rest of the book - taken as a whole it is a bit of a disjointed mess.
Still, it had some entertainment value, and I may be back for the second to see how it turns out at some point. Not right away though. I wont be judging the whole LitRPG genre on the basis of one book either, but i'm hoping this isn't as good as it gets.
March 29, 2019
A first?
A Russian author offering a true Kindle Unlimited Series, not just a first book feint? As far as I'm concerned, that merits 5-stars, even if it's mediocre. Happily, it's truly a 5-star work and the translator(s) deserve well earned kudos. The extra good news bonus is that this is a completed series.
At times, it did take me a bit to follow the transitions in storyline, time, and geography. The characters cultural norms were also a bit unsettling but it made them much more distinctive and "true". One thing that I found incredibly impressive was the Americanized personality of the MC. It was written as a true blending of a native Russian adult having lived and worked in San Francisco's distinctive culture. As an American, I was frequently reminded of how "untravelled" most of us are.
I found a lot of innovation in the traditional LitRPG tropes. Murder by upload to a VR world where your victims suffer gruesome multiple deaths before they die? Almost Hannibal Lechter quality stuff. This part is very limited in number of examples and graphic description, so I managed to hang in there to get to the storyline which follows only one of the victims. He gets mad, stays mad, and gets even. We don't get any info on the others.
Past that, the MC and other characters are intriguing and/or just fun to experience. I'm no gamer, but do read a lot of LitRPG. Excellent world building. Levels and XP numbers are pretty daunting. I read the entire series straight through. I'm retired. I get to do that. I will likely do a re-read.
A Russian author offering a true Kindle Unlimited Series, not just a first book feint? As far as I'm concerned, that merits 5-stars, even if it's mediocre. Happily, it's truly a 5-star work and the translator(s) deserve well earned kudos. The extra good news bonus is that this is a completed series.
At times, it did take me a bit to follow the transitions in storyline, time, and geography. The characters cultural norms were also a bit unsettling but it made them much more distinctive and "true". One thing that I found incredibly impressive was the Americanized personality of the MC. It was written as a true blending of a native Russian adult having lived and worked in San Francisco's distinctive culture. As an American, I was frequently reminded of how "untravelled" most of us are.
I found a lot of innovation in the traditional LitRPG tropes. Murder by upload to a VR world where your victims suffer gruesome multiple deaths before they die? Almost Hannibal Lechter quality stuff. This part is very limited in number of examples and graphic description, so I managed to hang in there to get to the storyline which follows only one of the victims. He gets mad, stays mad, and gets even. We don't get any info on the others.
Past that, the MC and other characters are intriguing and/or just fun to experience. I'm no gamer, but do read a lot of LitRPG. Excellent world building. Levels and XP numbers are pretty daunting. I read the entire series straight through. I'm retired. I get to do that. I will likely do a re-read.
September 6, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but . . .
After some consideration, I have given the book 4 stars. This is mainly because I have enjoyed reading it, in spite of my issues with it. To me, this means that the author is a good storyteller. I plan to read more of his books.
The editing and proofreading is rough. The last couple of chapters, about 15% of the book I believe, is a separate story, with new protagonists. Small typos are scattered throughout the book. There are some things that don't seem to make sense to me in some of the dialogue, which I believe are lost in translation. The book was written by a native Russian speaker, I gather, and there must be some things that just don't translate.
One other thing, early in the book, the main character pontificates about women at one point in a very degrading way. He blames the woman for being a victim. This is rape culture. Fortunately, although there is a great deal of objectification of women throughout the book, it never again approaches this level of misogyny.
So as you can see, I struggled to decide whether to give three stars or four, but in the end I feel this author has promise and I want to read more.
After some consideration, I have given the book 4 stars. This is mainly because I have enjoyed reading it, in spite of my issues with it. To me, this means that the author is a good storyteller. I plan to read more of his books.
The editing and proofreading is rough. The last couple of chapters, about 15% of the book I believe, is a separate story, with new protagonists. Small typos are scattered throughout the book. There are some things that don't seem to make sense to me in some of the dialogue, which I believe are lost in translation. The book was written by a native Russian speaker, I gather, and there must be some things that just don't translate.
One other thing, early in the book, the main character pontificates about women at one point in a very degrading way. He blames the woman for being a victim. This is rape culture. Fortunately, although there is a great deal of objectification of women throughout the book, it never again approaches this level of misogyny.
So as you can see, I struggled to decide whether to give three stars or four, but in the end I feel this author has promise and I want to read more.
August 31, 2019
A little choppy, but fun read
Patch 17 by G Akella is the fantasy tale of Roman/Krian. A young man who is forced into a Virtual Reality game by the sadistic cofounder of the company who developed the game. Not given a choice of his race, class, or even distribution of the character's attributes, Krian must not only survive, he must learn how best to use the character to the best of its abilities, find his sister in this VR world, AND find the person who put him here! Shortly after being forced into the game, a new patch is uploaded which removes any chance of leaving the game add the changes in NPC behavior and you have an interesting story with quite a bit of action, a lot of introspection, and some fun to boot.
There are a few editorial issues, but not enough to ruin this LitRPG journey. I think, for me, the ambiguities in the translation from Russian to English distracted from the story and made it feel a little disjointed. However, Patch 17 is still a fun and enjoyable romp through a fantasy world with likeable characters. I whole-heartedly recommend this story to readers of all ages.
Patch 17 by G Akella is the fantasy tale of Roman/Krian. A young man who is forced into a Virtual Reality game by the sadistic cofounder of the company who developed the game. Not given a choice of his race, class, or even distribution of the character's attributes, Krian must not only survive, he must learn how best to use the character to the best of its abilities, find his sister in this VR world, AND find the person who put him here! Shortly after being forced into the game, a new patch is uploaded which removes any chance of leaving the game add the changes in NPC behavior and you have an interesting story with quite a bit of action, a lot of introspection, and some fun to boot.
There are a few editorial issues, but not enough to ruin this LitRPG journey. I think, for me, the ambiguities in the translation from Russian to English distracted from the story and made it feel a little disjointed. However, Patch 17 is still a fun and enjoyable romp through a fantasy world with likeable characters. I whole-heartedly recommend this story to readers of all ages.
April 24, 2018
I rather liked this. It's one of those trapped in the video game one's again where the main character died, but his soul is stuck inside the Machine. Apparently there's a patch that came out that's causing people to die as soon as they are logged in. The MC in this game is a nice guy who did the right thing and ended up getting screwed. I'll be honest. He does make a lot of rookie mistakes in his leveling, but he's also crazy smart. (totally do not agree with his load out, but to each their own.) With that said, he's also currently looking for his sister who is also trapped in the game and his best friend. The MC starts off waaaaaaaaay under level in an area that's rated for players 200+ and he's only a level 1. As the story progresses, the MC finds himself in one crazy situation after the other. The thing that I didn't like too much was at the end of the book it switches from the MC to his best friend abruptly. I was quite comfortable with the MC and felt it was kinda jarring. Other than that, this was a fun read and I would highly suggest this book.
January 8, 2023
I will try to keep this short.
The author’s love for MMORPG is obvious to anyone who picks up this title both for good and ill.
The book had me engaged for the first few chapters and that’s no small feat for someone who has read many titles with a similar concept under the genre.
But unfortunately I DNF the book.
There was too much unnecessary information which I feel takes away from a good storytelling. It was so frustrating I had to start skimming and skipping.
So many quests that it’s hard to keep track of. That’s what happens during actual MMORPG gameplay BUT this is a book, thus using the same approach without tact makes it information overload.
And what’s with those spontaneous and overly lengthy quest visions? Nice concept but poorly executed. It starts without warning like a switched POV and introduces so many new characters we don’t know or care for at that point. Keep it short and give the reader a subtle heads up before.
I hope the storytelling approach improved with the subsequent books because this one was terrible.
The author’s love for MMORPG is obvious to anyone who picks up this title both for good and ill.
The book had me engaged for the first few chapters and that’s no small feat for someone who has read many titles with a similar concept under the genre.
But unfortunately I DNF the book.
There was too much unnecessary information which I feel takes away from a good storytelling. It was so frustrating I had to start skimming and skipping.
So many quests that it’s hard to keep track of. That’s what happens during actual MMORPG gameplay BUT this is a book, thus using the same approach without tact makes it information overload.
And what’s with those spontaneous and overly lengthy quest visions? Nice concept but poorly executed. It starts without warning like a switched POV and introduces so many new characters we don’t know or care for at that point. Keep it short and give the reader a subtle heads up before.
I hope the storytelling approach improved with the subsequent books because this one was terrible.
January 24, 2019
Good Read
I enjoyed reading this book an I am starting the second one now. I enjoyed how this book is different then the others litrpg books that I've read. In other books the main character is already a gamer who is good at video games. They usually choose to go into the game, or they are chosen by someone because of a skill that they have to save something. This book however went a different route by selecting a character who is not a gamer, an is not out to save the world. He is sent into the game becouse he was kidnapped. His motives is revenge, so his play style is very different from others. That's what made the book really good. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the last chapter, it should have just ended before that chapter. That whole section should have been a side story or even another book. I'm glad we know what is going on, on with his friend, but that shouldn't have been the next chapter
I enjoyed reading this book an I am starting the second one now. I enjoyed how this book is different then the others litrpg books that I've read. In other books the main character is already a gamer who is good at video games. They usually choose to go into the game, or they are chosen by someone because of a skill that they have to save something. This book however went a different route by selecting a character who is not a gamer, an is not out to save the world. He is sent into the game becouse he was kidnapped. His motives is revenge, so his play style is very different from others. That's what made the book really good. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the last chapter, it should have just ended before that chapter. That whole section should have been a side story or even another book. I'm glad we know what is going on, on with his friend, but that shouldn't have been the next chapter
July 16, 2019
One of the most boring LitRPG books I've read, I made it almost to the end, like 95% when I realized I just didn't care what happened. Mostly because of how many tropes there are, uninteresting characters, and un-unique setting. I mean, Ive played MMO's, I don't need it all explained to me and that is what most of this book is. Most of this book is blocks of text explaining background, stats and general knowledge that is mind numbing. It felt like I was reading an instruction manual for a video game or my D&D handbook than an actual knowledge. Honestly, I don't think a majority of players read full dialogue boxes when they play a game to begin with. This guy writ a book that is 50% dialogue boxes.
The only reason I decided on 2 stars is that I can see the appeal, if someone is just starting with the LitRPG genre and hasn't played a lot of MMo's or Roleplaying games, then you might actually find this interesting.
The only reason I decided on 2 stars is that I can see the appeal, if someone is just starting with the LitRPG genre and hasn't played a lot of MMo's or Roleplaying games, then you might actually find this interesting.
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