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The Selfless Hero Trilogy #1
Otherlife Dreams
Runner has a problem. He and 499,000 men and women of the military are trapped in a game. Runner is the only person in the IT department in game, the only one with administrative access rights. And he doesn't remember his password. When their brains were synched with the game, it scrambled most of their memories.
The problem is that whoever loaded their minds into the game, loaded them completely. If they die, their brain dies.
Now it's time for Runner to flex his skills as a power gaming min maxer and see what he can do. Because every time he levels, he might just gain the memory of the password. Time to go Hardcore.
The problem is that whoever loaded their minds into the game, loaded them completely. If they die, their brain dies.
Now it's time for Runner to flex his skills as a power gaming min maxer and see what he can do. Because every time he levels, he might just gain the memory of the password. Time to go Hardcore.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 21, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
July 5, 2019
Otherlife Dreams was the first book in William D. Arand's Selfless Hero Trilogy. It was typical LitRPG with a classic Sword Art Online set up. It was actually pretty hardcore on the RPG aspect and elements of the story even for a LitRPG book! What is had going for it was that despite going heavy on the RPG nature of the VR world the hero found himself trapped in this was not one of those LitRPG books that got bogged down in endless streams of mindless, repetitive, stats. It had some stats for sure, as one might expect, but I did not feel they ever overwhelmed the actual story. The story was a mix of action and adventure with some small harem elements.
I think the premise in this story was good. There was the real world and the VR world. The VR world was a fairly typical fantasy realm. The "real" world was actually a far flung sci-fi future where space travel and VR tech is common place. Our hero, Runner, along with the rest of the crew on his spaceship are living in a fully immersive VR world as their bodies lie in cryosleep for their space journey. Things go awry when someone manages to trap nearly half a million players into the game! To make matters worse death in the game results in the players falling into a coma none awake from in the real world. As an added complication the AI running the game has received a sudden, unexplained, massive power boost and upgrade so the NPC characters and the VR elements of the game have all got a lot more realistic. Runner was a lieutenant and VR tech manager so he would have the power to log the trapped players out of the game if only his memories had not been so scrambled that he has forgotten his password. He rushes to level up before too many players start dying as levelling up also seems to release a few of his forgotten memories.
It was actually a fun idea that never quite translated into quite as an exciting story as it had the potential to be. For once the main character, Runner, was not the issue. Despite the fact that he gathered up a harem of ladies to help him on his quest he proved a decent enough guy and was easy to like. The secondary characters were a bit so so but they did have their own distinctive personalities and were OK. I think this ended up seeming a bit slow as Runner basically just plodded around the VR world with no other goal except to level up. I'm usually OK with stories that move at a sedate pace and focus on the character interaction so I'm not sure why I did not enjoy this one more. It could be because I'm just coming off reading two big regular fantasy authors in Terry Goodkind and Mark Lawrence and this self-published LitRPG is suffering a bit by comparison.
As with a lot of the LitPRG I've read this one was not an overly female friendly story. Not because it was particularly offensive but because it was a flat up male wish fulfilment fantasy story. Runner was an average sort of guy but soon found himself surrounded by his harem of adoring NPC females. The only other male characters ended up being villains of various sorts. Then there is the fact that this was another of those LitRPG harem stories. I swear the LitRPG genre has developed into the male equivalent of the romance genre! The harem/romance elements of this story were pretty inoffensive compared to most as Arrand took the slow build approach. I actually like that as it at least gives the feeling that the relationships that develop are based on more than just lust. Still, Runner only ever surrounds himself with hot females so this story does go hard on the teenage male fantasy dream side of things.
I did not enjoy Otherlife as much as I enjoyed Super Sale on Superheroes, the other book by William D. Arand I've read. The two books had a lot of similarities but I feel like SSoS was a much better version of this story! The setting was more defined in SSoS and both the characters and story were more interesting. I actually picked this series up because I read somewhere that all of Arand's series are loosely connected and I have a compulsive need to read all series in the correct order lol!
All in all this turned out to be a fairly average read. I'll read the second book in the series because I know Arand can do better and because I want to learn how this world ties into the SSoS world. There was also a fun twist at the end of this one so I'm interested to see how that will change things going forward with the story.
Rating 2.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 3 stars but mostly because I have fond memories of Arand's Super Sales on Superheroes book and the building blocks that make up that series were present in a less polished fashion in this book.
Audio Note: Jeff Hays did a good job with the audio for this book. The only annoying flaw he has is his tendency to give so many of the female characters weird Irish accents!
I think the premise in this story was good. There was the real world and the VR world. The VR world was a fairly typical fantasy realm. The "real" world was actually a far flung sci-fi future where space travel and VR tech is common place. Our hero, Runner, along with the rest of the crew on his spaceship are living in a fully immersive VR world as their bodies lie in cryosleep for their space journey. Things go awry when someone manages to trap nearly half a million players into the game! To make matters worse death in the game results in the players falling into a coma none awake from in the real world. As an added complication the AI running the game has received a sudden, unexplained, massive power boost and upgrade so the NPC characters and the VR elements of the game have all got a lot more realistic. Runner was a lieutenant and VR tech manager so he would have the power to log the trapped players out of the game if only his memories had not been so scrambled that he has forgotten his password. He rushes to level up before too many players start dying as levelling up also seems to release a few of his forgotten memories.
It was actually a fun idea that never quite translated into quite as an exciting story as it had the potential to be. For once the main character, Runner, was not the issue. Despite the fact that he gathered up a harem of ladies to help him on his quest he proved a decent enough guy and was easy to like. The secondary characters were a bit so so but they did have their own distinctive personalities and were OK. I think this ended up seeming a bit slow as Runner basically just plodded around the VR world with no other goal except to level up. I'm usually OK with stories that move at a sedate pace and focus on the character interaction so I'm not sure why I did not enjoy this one more. It could be because I'm just coming off reading two big regular fantasy authors in Terry Goodkind and Mark Lawrence and this self-published LitRPG is suffering a bit by comparison.
As with a lot of the LitPRG I've read this one was not an overly female friendly story. Not because it was particularly offensive but because it was a flat up male wish fulfilment fantasy story. Runner was an average sort of guy but soon found himself surrounded by his harem of adoring NPC females. The only other male characters ended up being villains of various sorts. Then there is the fact that this was another of those LitRPG harem stories. I swear the LitRPG genre has developed into the male equivalent of the romance genre! The harem/romance elements of this story were pretty inoffensive compared to most as Arrand took the slow build approach. I actually like that as it at least gives the feeling that the relationships that develop are based on more than just lust. Still, Runner only ever surrounds himself with hot females so this story does go hard on the teenage male fantasy dream side of things.
I did not enjoy Otherlife as much as I enjoyed Super Sale on Superheroes, the other book by William D. Arand I've read. The two books had a lot of similarities but I feel like SSoS was a much better version of this story! The setting was more defined in SSoS and both the characters and story were more interesting. I actually picked this series up because I read somewhere that all of Arand's series are loosely connected and I have a compulsive need to read all series in the correct order lol!
All in all this turned out to be a fairly average read. I'll read the second book in the series because I know Arand can do better and because I want to learn how this world ties into the SSoS world. There was also a fun twist at the end of this one so I'm interested to see how that will change things going forward with the story.
Rating 2.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 3 stars but mostly because I have fond memories of Arand's Super Sales on Superheroes book and the building blocks that make up that series were present in a less polished fashion in this book.
Audio Note: Jeff Hays did a good job with the audio for this book. The only annoying flaw he has is his tendency to give so many of the female characters weird Irish accents!
June 7, 2016
"This one's for the guys."
I think this book has a very specific audience; RPG players who are male. I've played many RPGs and enjoy virtual reality stories but, being female, don't really fit the target audience. Why does it seem like it's for guys only? Because every female character description includes her bust size. And they are all gaga over the main character. All..of...them. And all the secondary characters ARE female. Yeah. Other things I found annoying that you may not include a character that stutters (this almost always kills an audiobook for me just because I feel the struggle as I listen and that isn't enjoyable) and a character in a sword and leather scenario using present day curse words (not the main character, which would make better sense). Pros for the book include an interesting story if you can disregard the silly guy bits, and an excellent narrator. In an audiobook, the narrator is so important and this one is a really good match for the book. Except for the character that stuttered, listening was enjoyable. Female voices weren't ridiculous as they often are with male narrators. I didn't care for the way the book just stopped instead of having any kind of conclusion, and Audible does not have the next in the trilogy. Not sure if I'll bother with it when they get it, but maybe. I do think young guys will appreciate this one more than I did.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."
I think this book has a very specific audience; RPG players who are male. I've played many RPGs and enjoy virtual reality stories but, being female, don't really fit the target audience. Why does it seem like it's for guys only? Because every female character description includes her bust size. And they are all gaga over the main character. All..of...them. And all the secondary characters ARE female. Yeah. Other things I found annoying that you may not include a character that stutters (this almost always kills an audiobook for me just because I feel the struggle as I listen and that isn't enjoyable) and a character in a sword and leather scenario using present day curse words (not the main character, which would make better sense). Pros for the book include an interesting story if you can disregard the silly guy bits, and an excellent narrator. In an audiobook, the narrator is so important and this one is a really good match for the book. Except for the character that stuttered, listening was enjoyable. Female voices weren't ridiculous as they often are with male narrators. I didn't care for the way the book just stopped instead of having any kind of conclusion, and Audible does not have the next in the trilogy. Not sure if I'll bother with it when they get it, but maybe. I do think young guys will appreciate this one more than I did.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."
October 12, 2017
The initial concept was fun: Thousands stuck in game, game glitched, main character is special because of the breadth of his skills rather than having one special thing. Then the main character met a few other people (all beautiful girls) and the wheels came off. I found my eyes skipping over entire paragraphs just to get past the truly wretched dialogue and the description that surrounds it. Why comment on every girl's appearance every time you talk to them? Why leer CONSTANTLY and tell the reader about it? Why can't the character just have a normal conversation with anyone without trying to be "smooth" and flirtatious?
The sad thing is, this is the second book I've read from this author. I gave "Super Sale on Super Heroes" three stars because I enjoyed the premise, even if it became an insufferable banter-fest for the final third. And... it was the same crap. The ONLY characters other than the male main character were all beautiful females. I know because the main character was constantly casually commenting on the fact, and they were constantly blushing deeply.
I understand wish fulfillment in books, I really do. Just, why does it have to be so blatant, so awkward, and so consistent?
The sad thing is, this is the second book I've read from this author. I gave "Super Sale on Super Heroes" three stars because I enjoyed the premise, even if it became an insufferable banter-fest for the final third. And... it was the same crap. The ONLY characters other than the male main character were all beautiful females. I know because the main character was constantly casually commenting on the fact, and they were constantly blushing deeply.
I understand wish fulfillment in books, I really do. Just, why does it have to be so blatant, so awkward, and so consistent?
January 29, 2020
Rating 3.0 stars
I did this backwards. I read all the other William D. Arand books first and now I am reading this. With other peoples reviews it seemed like all the other books in some way tied into this one. So far, this is one of the weaker books this author has written. It started off pretty well. The main character Runner had a goal in mind. He was leveling up, he built his group up with sexy unique women and then..... pretty much nothing. Nothing really happened in the second half of the book. Nothing happened with the four women runner was with. He stopped leveling up. Maybe it was because this is one of the author's first books in this universe? It seemed ... bland. I will probably finish the series just so I can see if this series ties into all his other series, but so far I am not impressed.
I did this backwards. I read all the other William D. Arand books first and now I am reading this. With other peoples reviews it seemed like all the other books in some way tied into this one. So far, this is one of the weaker books this author has written. It started off pretty well. The main character Runner had a goal in mind. He was leveling up, he built his group up with sexy unique women and then..... pretty much nothing. Nothing really happened in the second half of the book. Nothing happened with the four women runner was with. He stopped leveling up. Maybe it was because this is one of the author's first books in this universe? It seemed ... bland. I will probably finish the series just so I can see if this series ties into all his other series, but so far I am not impressed.
July 4, 2016
The idea of a character being launched into and stuck inside an MMO is becoming a regular genre these days but William Arand manages to separate himself from the pack. Most protagonists usually benefit from their status in the form of unique buffs etc. However at the star of this story, Runner the main character is actually disadvantaged and bravo to the writer for starting at this point.
Unfortunately that's about it, great idea but the dialogue was cringe worthy, if Runner isn't preaching to someone or being condescending, he is going into sudden rages. In fairness the author attempts to explain this by emphasising the extreme responsibility the MC has on his shoulders and that cracks are beginning to show. Sadly it's not enough to make me dislike the character any less, nor does it explain the merchants constant stammering text or Hannah or 'Hanners' swearing every time she opens her mouths (don't have a problem with swearing, but its literally 90% of her dialogue.
Its was a good and genuine attempt and while i'm sure some people will enjoy this one, especially fans of the genre I'd definitely say better luck next time.
Unfortunately that's about it, great idea but the dialogue was cringe worthy, if Runner isn't preaching to someone or being condescending, he is going into sudden rages. In fairness the author attempts to explain this by emphasising the extreme responsibility the MC has on his shoulders and that cracks are beginning to show. Sadly it's not enough to make me dislike the character any less, nor does it explain the merchants constant stammering text or Hannah or 'Hanners' swearing every time she opens her mouths (don't have a problem with swearing, but its literally 90% of her dialogue.
Its was a good and genuine attempt and while i'm sure some people will enjoy this one, especially fans of the genre I'd definitely say better luck next time.
December 5, 2018
Mini-Review:
4 Stars for Narration by Jeff Hays
3 Stars for Story
Pros:
- At 2x speed, the story didn't take long.
- Jeff Hays' narration gave the story more personality.
- Simple plot and cookie-cutter characters.
- Writing was okay.
Cons:
- Vague setting for both virtual & real worlds.
- God Mode
- Uninteresting Harem Setup
- Conflicting plot line vs actual events within the book.
- Stuff just happens but not in a manner that makes me more curious about the event or idea. Refer back to God Mode.
- If the VR world & NPC characters are set up well, I have no issues with a morality thread about killing "made up" people vs real. That's fine. My problem with this story is that the main character constantly talks about regaining memories in order to save people and always ends up doing negative interactions with other players. He's more polite to a program than he is to other "living" people. That makes no sense. It's clean cut animosity towards other players & it's written in at a gut level.
4 Stars for Narration by Jeff Hays
3 Stars for Story
Pros:
- At 2x speed, the story didn't take long.
- Jeff Hays' narration gave the story more personality.
- Simple plot and cookie-cutter characters.
- Writing was okay.
Cons:
- Vague setting for both virtual & real worlds.
- God Mode
- Uninteresting Harem Setup
- Conflicting plot line vs actual events within the book.
- Stuff just happens but not in a manner that makes me more curious about the event or idea. Refer back to God Mode.
- If the VR world & NPC characters are set up well, I have no issues with a morality thread about killing "made up" people vs real. That's fine. My problem with this story is that the main character constantly talks about regaining memories in order to save people and always ends up doing negative interactions with other players. He's more polite to a program than he is to other "living" people. That makes no sense. It's clean cut animosity towards other players & it's written in at a gut level.
February 1, 2016
Solid
This is a good fun read and I await the second book.
Does have some editing problems, but I didn't find many.
This is a good fun read and I await the second book.
Does have some editing problems, but I didn't find many.
August 6, 2020
The book is about Runner, a Military ship computer system analyst, who, at the start of the book, wakes up with no real memories, and a computer prompting him to enter name and password to access his system. He finds he cant remember the password, but a prompt shows him that if he enters the game he is logged into, he will be able to level up and regain his memories, with the caveat that if he dies in game, he will be brain dead in real life. He then tries to set up a game character, but it glitches and he can only set up 1 Characteristic. He maxes it out, and then enters the game. Upon checking his stats, he finds that they are all 1, with the exception of Charisma, which is 64. Well, being an avid gamer, Runner feels he can make it work. Well, does he ever. He goes about increasing his level and stat bonuses, assembling a party that includes 4 female NPCs that become Player characters due to his strange influence. They include a rougue, a barbarian Warrior, a non human sorceress, and a merchant turned archer. After a wild series of adventures, which includes Runner teaching them to access the ships wiki, they manage to get through the basic area, and are ready to continue their quest to level up and find out what really happened to the ship, and why the crew is trapped in it. I heard this called litRPG, and it fits. The plot is fast paced, with interesting characters you really care about. the book delves into deeper issues about the nature of reality, friendship and love, as well as bigotry and acceptance, but in an organic way, not a preachy, sanctimonious way. There is lots of action, and some truly funny dialogue. As far as the narration, all I can say is this is the best work of Jeff Hays yet! Vibrant, funny, touching, snarky, he brings the story to life in a spectacular way. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the narrator in exchange for an honest review through Audiobook boom.
I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the narrator in exchange for an honest review through Audiobook boom.
November 2, 2016
A really interesting entry into the LitRPG genre.
More realistic to a certain extent than some of the other books I've read in the genre, with an interesting twist/explanation to the skills of the main character. The "gaming system" is a bit all over the place, and you can see that the author didn't put a ton of time into it but it's not a detriment to the story.
My biggest issue with the book is the way the "party" comes about. I don't want to sound like a SJW but when the guy only meets women, and continually "seduces" them at every interaction, it just looks weird. Much like in Game of Thrones - where all the blond people are bad guys, and all the good guys are brunettes, all the bad guys in Otherlife Dreams are dudes.
Nonetheless, I've started it on the second book. I wouldn't recommend this as a start into the LitRPG genre, but if you are needing something to read and you like that flavour, go for it.
More realistic to a certain extent than some of the other books I've read in the genre, with an interesting twist/explanation to the skills of the main character. The "gaming system" is a bit all over the place, and you can see that the author didn't put a ton of time into it but it's not a detriment to the story.
My biggest issue with the book is the way the "party" comes about. I don't want to sound like a SJW but when the guy only meets women, and continually "seduces" them at every interaction, it just looks weird. Much like in Game of Thrones - where all the blond people are bad guys, and all the good guys are brunettes, all the bad guys in Otherlife Dreams are dudes.
Nonetheless, I've started it on the second book. I wouldn't recommend this as a start into the LitRPG genre, but if you are needing something to read and you like that flavour, go for it.
zzz-books-not-for-me
September 16, 2016DNF: 50%
This book is not meant for me... Kittens. Everyone else appears to like it though, so probably it's just me.
Read in September, 2016
This book is not meant for me... Kittens. Everyone else appears to like it though, so probably it's just me.
Read in September, 2016
August 19, 2019
This was actually a re-read of this series, as it'd been long enough that the last installment of Fostering Faust had Runner elements in it that were foggy for me.
The setting and premise are interesting and provide essentially unlimited potential for world-building or just settings for books. That's convenient, as that's exactly what the author[s] do with other tie-in book series.
All that said, this is one of the weaker books in that constellation. I can't really put my finger on it, but it just doesn't flow like the later books in this series do. Runner as a MC is one who requires a great deal of "building" and this book starts that process. I mention that as I think he is what puts me off somewhat.
The trope of the catnip MC who can't figure out what to do with all of the women he attracts is not my favourite, but that's Runner through most of this series. If the potential both for the character and the world wasn't there I'd have likely not continued reading, that's how much indecisive density and tsundere stuff annoys me.
Despite its weaknesses, this is an essential book for the greater Arand/Darren book system. You could start at book two and get most of it, but this is still worth the time.
The setting and premise are interesting and provide essentially unlimited potential for world-building or just settings for books. That's convenient, as that's exactly what the author[s] do with other tie-in book series.
All that said, this is one of the weaker books in that constellation. I can't really put my finger on it, but it just doesn't flow like the later books in this series do. Runner as a MC is one who requires a great deal of "building" and this book starts that process. I mention that as I think he is what puts me off somewhat.
The trope of the catnip MC who can't figure out what to do with all of the women he attracts is not my favourite, but that's Runner through most of this series. If the potential both for the character and the world wasn't there I'd have likely not continued reading, that's how much indecisive density and tsundere stuff annoys me.
Despite its weaknesses, this is an essential book for the greater Arand/Darren book system. You could start at book two and get most of it, but this is still worth the time.
December 3, 2018
pretty good, wacky premise, a little dumb
Yes this is a harem, but with no sex. (like Star Justice by Michael-Scott Earle)
Pretty sure this is the first book by William D. Arand and everything you love about Super Sale on Super Heroes is here. you've got your cocky hero who cracks jokes about indiscriminate killing, and then is guilt ridden over killing rapists and murderers. once again a strong cast of fiery independent women who take no guff from the cocky hero. add an interesting plot twist or two and some potty humor. this book is mostly better than the cover art would suggest.
Yes this is a harem, but with no sex. (like Star Justice by Michael-Scott Earle)
Pretty sure this is the first book by William D. Arand and everything you love about Super Sale on Super Heroes is here. you've got your cocky hero who cracks jokes about indiscriminate killing, and then is guilt ridden over killing rapists and murderers. once again a strong cast of fiery independent women who take no guff from the cocky hero. add an interesting plot twist or two and some potty humor. this book is mostly better than the cover art would suggest.
June 13, 2021
Good, but a few issues
Would be a fantastic book is it wasn't for the MC. The humor is good, but he is far too emotional and prudish in his actions."oh no, an npc is attracted to me, inner turmoil" blah blah blah. This trope is just ridiculous in every way. It makes the otherwise likeable mc come off as an immature sheltered teenager. People don't go from confident murder hobo to sobbing insecure betas.... It just doesn't work and it's waaaaay overdone in this genre. I am a huge fan of most series by this author, but the beta crybaby mc thing is sooo annoying. It's even worse in the swing shift series.
Would be a fantastic book is it wasn't for the MC. The humor is good, but he is far too emotional and prudish in his actions."oh no, an npc is attracted to me, inner turmoil" blah blah blah. This trope is just ridiculous in every way. It makes the otherwise likeable mc come off as an immature sheltered teenager. People don't go from confident murder hobo to sobbing insecure betas.... It just doesn't work and it's waaaaay overdone in this genre. I am a huge fan of most series by this author, but the beta crybaby mc thing is sooo annoying. It's even worse in the swing shift series.
June 8, 2016
Americanized version of Manga/Anime Fantasy & Video Game sub-genre - Trapped in Fantasy MMORPG (with additional Harem, sub-genre, with the honest shy guy variant rather than pervy lead). Follows typical and prominant examples of the genre closely in content, plot, characters, ideas and style. Some minor variations, mostly negligable, and somewhat Westernized.
Watch the original Sword Art Online, and you're there (though it is better than this book).
Watch the original Sword Art Online, and you're there (though it is better than this book).
November 20, 2017
This is definitely a great series. In a way it reminds me of a few different books like way of the shaman and the gam3 kind of mixed together in a good way. I love the idea of converting NPCs and that the main protagonist is basically the Super novice class, which is rare and innovative.
I would say more, but I have read the entire series and I'm afraid I would accidentally throw out a spoiler.
But I am a fan of this author and all his work.
I would say more, but I have read the entire series and I'm afraid I would accidentally throw out a spoiler.
But I am a fan of this author and all his work.
August 9, 2020
Ok i'm not gonna lie to you, half the thing that got me to read this book was the cover.
I'll tell you what Collin, it was a bit slow in the first half but they really picked it up after halftime. Went from zone coverage to man to man and they really brought the fight back in the last quarter. But was it enough to get us through to the semi-finals? We can't be sure. I've got shiny book syndrome...ohh look a book about space.....
I'll tell you what Collin, it was a bit slow in the first half but they really picked it up after halftime. Went from zone coverage to man to man and they really brought the fight back in the last quarter. But was it enough to get us through to the semi-finals? We can't be sure. I've got shiny book syndrome...ohh look a book about space.....
March 21, 2018
These type books are not my favorite but I must say I did like this one and have no issue giving it 3.5 stars. Great story and likable characters. I will continue with the series. Hmm maybe 3.75 Stars is better for this book and I will mark it as 4 and keep it at that if the series proves to be as good as the first book.
March 18, 2019
Interesting
Very different than most of the genre, the main story here isa dependent on the surrounding story. It's an interesting change of pace.
The characters are excellent and detailed. I want to know more about the game world though, and those details are sparse and slow in coming. That's the only reason this book didn't get 5 stars.
Very different than most of the genre, the main story here isa dependent on the surrounding story. It's an interesting change of pace.
The characters are excellent and detailed. I want to know more about the game world though, and those details are sparse and slow in coming. That's the only reason this book didn't get 5 stars.
June 30, 2019
A little confusing but a very good story
This was quite different from the other books of author. This is kind of like more SciFi than fantasy and I loved that. Sometimes it was confusing but at the end all my doubts cleared with all the context provided. Will definitely jump to next one!
This was quite different from the other books of author. This is kind of like more SciFi than fantasy and I loved that. Sometimes it was confusing but at the end all my doubts cleared with all the context provided. Will definitely jump to next one!
March 25, 2016
excellent story
one of the best treatments of gaming literature that I have found. The story is entertaining, the premise is cohesive, and I really wish the next installment was available.
one of the best treatments of gaming literature that I have found. The story is entertaining, the premise is cohesive, and I really wish the next installment was available.
February 13, 2016
Dang good book
A very solid book. Well thought out, and unique in it's components. If you can get passed the miscellaneous spelling and grammar errors (missing commas and periods, not always following the same capitalization rules, etc.) You will love this book.
A very solid book. Well thought out, and unique in it's components. If you can get passed the miscellaneous spelling and grammar errors (missing commas and periods, not always following the same capitalization rules, etc.) You will love this book.
March 9, 2016
A very solid book in the genre. The unique ideas couple well with the written time frame, and seem to create plot twists on their own. Can't wait to see how the end of Otherlife Dreams is continued on in Otherlife Nightmares. Well done.
February 8, 2016
A few minor editing glitches that didn't noticeably bug me in no way detract from a great read; well-written story leads to great open-ended finish with promise of brilliance ahead ;)
May 21, 2017
Awesome Read
The action and humor were fun and prevelent. There was never a dull moment. Scott and Linda welcome you :-)
The action and humor were fun and prevelent. There was never a dull moment. Scott and Linda welcome you :-)
July 26, 2017
A very good series. I would recommend this to almost anyone.
A word though. Definitely a Guys book.
A word though. Definitely a Guys book.
September 3, 2018
The first book is slow to engage but in the end, it gets exciting and the characters are varied. I was hesitant about this story but things get really interesting from book 2. Hope there was more.
June 29, 2018
This is a review for the entire Otherlife trilogy (Dreams, Nightmares, Awakening).
The first book was what I'd come to expect from Arand. A fun and enjoyable read, but not the kind of thing I'd recommend to my friends. Arand's prose hiccups in a few places and can be a bit generic if nothing interesting is going on. Fortunately, Otherlife: Dreams is full of interesting things. Runner is constantly trying to figure out what's happened and find a solution, a mystery that kept me reading due to its interesting framing.
Runner has to figure out what's happened to his ship and the crew, but is only able to do so through menus available to him inside the game. In essence, he has to solve a puzzle that he can't see, and is only described to him in vague terms.
Unfortunately, that part of the story resolves by the end of Book 1, and the other two books see this plot relegated to the background so that Runner can do other things. Other things meaning dick around in an RPG.
From this point, the story loses both focus and tension at an exponential rate.
Runner's power creep begins to cause problems around the midpoint of Book 2. Arand will spend several chapters (or most of the book) on dramatic buildup to a situation that practically resolves itself.
I would go so far as to say that all of Book 3's arcs were buildup to brief and unsatisfying conclusions. Combined, and including the final battle, they make up 10% or less of the book, with the other 90% being dramatic buildup and harem subplots. Not to mention that a large amount of Otherlife's worldbuilding is dropped at the end of Book 3, when there's nowhere to go with it.
I only read Otherlife when someone told me all of Arand's novels (including the ones written under the pseudonym Randi Darren) are set in the same universe, and that post-Otherlife Runner is an important part of that universe's greater mythology. I had hoped to find some details in Otherlife that would help me spot connections in the other books, but the one (singular) I found wasn't exactly new and exciting information.
If you want to read Otherlife but this review is giving you second thoughts, I would recommend you read Book 1, which is actually pretty good. Even if you don't keep reading, you'll know enough about Runner and Arand's universe if it ever comes up in his other books. Don't worry about finishing the series if you don't want to. The ending was super predictable and you could probably fart out a better one after eating some Taco Bell.
The first book was what I'd come to expect from Arand. A fun and enjoyable read, but not the kind of thing I'd recommend to my friends. Arand's prose hiccups in a few places and can be a bit generic if nothing interesting is going on. Fortunately, Otherlife: Dreams is full of interesting things. Runner is constantly trying to figure out what's happened and find a solution, a mystery that kept me reading due to its interesting framing.
Runner has to figure out what's happened to his ship and the crew, but is only able to do so through menus available to him inside the game. In essence, he has to solve a puzzle that he can't see, and is only described to him in vague terms.
Unfortunately, that part of the story resolves by the end of Book 1, and the other two books see this plot relegated to the background so that Runner can do other things. Other things meaning dick around in an RPG.
From this point, the story loses both focus and tension at an exponential rate.
Runner's power creep begins to cause problems around the midpoint of Book 2. Arand will spend several chapters (or most of the book) on dramatic buildup to a situation that practically resolves itself.
I would go so far as to say that all of Book 3's arcs were buildup to brief and unsatisfying conclusions. Combined, and including the final battle, they make up 10% or less of the book, with the other 90% being dramatic buildup and harem subplots. Not to mention that a large amount of Otherlife's worldbuilding is dropped at the end of Book 3, when there's nowhere to go with it.
I only read Otherlife when someone told me all of Arand's novels (including the ones written under the pseudonym Randi Darren) are set in the same universe, and that post-Otherlife Runner is an important part of that universe's greater mythology. I had hoped to find some details in Otherlife that would help me spot connections in the other books, but the one (singular) I found wasn't exactly new and exciting information.
If you want to read Otherlife but this review is giving you second thoughts, I would recommend you read Book 1, which is actually pretty good. Even if you don't keep reading, you'll know enough about Runner and Arand's universe if it ever comes up in his other books. Don't worry about finishing the series if you don't want to. The ending was super predictable and you could probably fart out a better one after eating some Taco Bell.
December 28, 2017
Cool story
The editing needs work--the author and editor both need to revisit comma and -ly usage among other issues--but the genre's tropes are used well and the story is developing well so far.
The editing needs work--the author and editor both need to revisit comma and -ly usage among other issues--but the genre's tropes are used well and the story is developing well so far.
July 23, 2016
gave up. couldn't hold me interest
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