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Otherworld #0.5
Dreadknights
When former Doomsmack member Christine Johannsen gets the chance to play her Ogress Bloodskull for the Dreadknights in Guild Wars, she's finally has a chance at fame and glory. Unfortunately, her real life seems to be getting in the way. Not to mention the Golden Gears, Neverdeath, and oh yeah, her old Doomsmack guild. There's no love lost between the Dreads and the Dooms, no lie.
- GenresFantasy
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2015
1 person is currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Tony Breeden
15 books41 followersTony Breeden is an author, speaker, and artist from West Virginia. He got the writing bug as a child when his late aunt Sharon helped him make his very first book about dinosaurs, vigorously illustrated in crayon.
Johnny Came Home, published September 28, 2012, is his first book.
Luckbane, the first title in the Øtherworld series, was published on September 13 of '13.
He is currently writing Volume Two of Gray Barker's Book of Monsters.
Read excerpts of his books at http://wattpad.com/TonyBreeden
Johnny Came Home, published September 28, 2012, is his first book.
Luckbane, the first title in the Øtherworld series, was published on September 13 of '13.
He is currently writing Volume Two of Gray Barker's Book of Monsters.
Read excerpts of his books at http://wattpad.com/TonyBreeden
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 31, 2016
tl;dr version
Tony Breeden's book articulates his online realm convincingly though seemingly without any overarching message. This is purely about the joy of online gaming and vying to be the best. Admittedly, and regrettably, this is a topic I find hard to get excited about.
--------—
Let’s get right to it. The cover art on this book is fabulous. It looks like a banner your legion would carry into a fight and plant at the peak of a heap of defeated enemies. It's a perfect lead-in to the story that hints at the topic without giving anything away. More importantly, it doesn't depict a scene from the book or show a main character glancing smokily at the reader over one shoulder, because that cover is painfully overdone.
... or is it?
Initially, I thought the story revolved around a fantasy about competitive sports akin to Blood Bowl. I hoped the book took place in a fantasy realm populated by various species who participated in violent Olympic contests. My expectations as a result were for a humorous romp. Maybe a Kevin Costner sports film, but with Ogres and other monsters of fantasy.
If you build it, they will come… TO DESTROY YOU!!!
I discovered instead a book took on the topic of online gaming involving a crossover between what seemed to be World of Warcraft and the Battle Room from Ender's Game, though battles didn't serve the same purpose as they did in Card's novel (a different virtual reality game trained people for off-world colonization). Players joined Guilds (colloquially: "Teams") and these teams fought one another in a dungeon for supremacy. It's possible I missed something somewhere.
What Breeden does, he does well. He puts the reader in the game very convincingly and in the mind of the main character/player. If that's your cup of Jolt, then this is for you. In-game action comprises the vast majority of the story.
Breeden does a great job describing predicaments. He does a great job with dialogue (though in my experience with online dialogue, it is never so calculated or civil). However, while I appreciate action, the last thing I want to do is watch someone else play a video game. Correction: the last thing I want to do is read about watching someone else play a video game.
Online gaming welcomes a variety of interesting story routes, some of which Dreadknights touch upon, including the politics of cooperative online gaming and, briefly, the perils of addiction. Thus far, Sword Art Online has had the most interesting take, trapping its users in its virtual realm and permitting them to escape only through defeating the game--however, in-game death results in real-world death.
At one point I thought we might get a parallel to the dangers of live-action sports with regard to concussions, how they endangered players, how risk was part of the allure, and maybe how simulated games removed the danger of physical hazards while imposing new and unexpected ones. Breeden does venture slightly off the beaten path by making his protagonist female, fulfilling half the requirements for a successful Bechdel Test right off the bat. As I went along, I wondered if the story might address the role of female gamers (a growing demographic) and their experiences, perhaps touching upon elements of the horrific GamerGate episode.
Alas.
The story offers several opportunities for exploration, but focuses so tightly on the in-game experience that it misses out on them--but to his credit, if Breeden wanted to explore something else he would have written about it.
The story certainly has stakes. The winners get a special opportunity. The losers... don't. So there's prestige and a unique chance to do something, without spoiling, ... unconventional. But mostly it seems to be about bragging rights and the opportunity to continue playing the game in a different setting. That seems to be evident in the final lines of the story.
More than once I've had people brag to me about their online exploits and each time, though I've tried to appear attentive, my eyes involuntarily glaze. Granted, this is usually the response I have to braggadocio in all its forms.
There are people who enjoy sharing their experiences of gaming derring do, and others who enjoy hearing about it, but I am not that person. Unfortunately for me, that is the heart of the book. The vast majority of the story is spent in the virtual reality of the game, watching the main character win, and occasionally deal with the inevitable and infuriating interruptions of adults (I played more games when I was younger, and there was nothing more rage inducing than someone walking in front of you and shutting your platform off... and this was in an era long before the omnipresent save feature, if they existed at all).
Even in the real world the main character found herself training using virtual reality in another game-like setting. I can't speak for others, but gaming fatigue is a real thing for me. I understand the vast uses of convincing virtual reality, it IS an extremely valuable and moreover safe training tool, but by this point I would be suffering from an intense eye-strain headache.
For my part, I would have preferred to utterly remove the gaming aspect and watched the exploits of Bloodskull the Ogre/Athlete. But that would make the story fantasy rather than science fiction and, more importantly, that's not my decision.
Without a doubt there is a fanbase for these stories.
Professional gamers exist.
Gaming contests exist.
They are all very popular. I think Breeden can find an audience for this work. Unfortunately, I'm not a part of it.
Tony Breeden's book articulates his online realm convincingly though seemingly without any overarching message. This is purely about the joy of online gaming and vying to be the best. Admittedly, and regrettably, this is a topic I find hard to get excited about.
--------—
Let’s get right to it. The cover art on this book is fabulous. It looks like a banner your legion would carry into a fight and plant at the peak of a heap of defeated enemies. It's a perfect lead-in to the story that hints at the topic without giving anything away. More importantly, it doesn't depict a scene from the book or show a main character glancing smokily at the reader over one shoulder, because that cover is painfully overdone.
... or is it?
Initially, I thought the story revolved around a fantasy about competitive sports akin to Blood Bowl. I hoped the book took place in a fantasy realm populated by various species who participated in violent Olympic contests. My expectations as a result were for a humorous romp. Maybe a Kevin Costner sports film, but with Ogres and other monsters of fantasy.
If you build it, they will come… TO DESTROY YOU!!!
I discovered instead a book took on the topic of online gaming involving a crossover between what seemed to be World of Warcraft and the Battle Room from Ender's Game, though battles didn't serve the same purpose as they did in Card's novel (a different virtual reality game trained people for off-world colonization). Players joined Guilds (colloquially: "Teams") and these teams fought one another in a dungeon for supremacy. It's possible I missed something somewhere.
What Breeden does, he does well. He puts the reader in the game very convincingly and in the mind of the main character/player. If that's your cup of Jolt, then this is for you. In-game action comprises the vast majority of the story.
Breeden does a great job describing predicaments. He does a great job with dialogue (though in my experience with online dialogue, it is never so calculated or civil). However, while I appreciate action, the last thing I want to do is watch someone else play a video game. Correction: the last thing I want to do is read about watching someone else play a video game.
Online gaming welcomes a variety of interesting story routes, some of which Dreadknights touch upon, including the politics of cooperative online gaming and, briefly, the perils of addiction. Thus far, Sword Art Online has had the most interesting take, trapping its users in its virtual realm and permitting them to escape only through defeating the game--however, in-game death results in real-world death.
At one point I thought we might get a parallel to the dangers of live-action sports with regard to concussions, how they endangered players, how risk was part of the allure, and maybe how simulated games removed the danger of physical hazards while imposing new and unexpected ones. Breeden does venture slightly off the beaten path by making his protagonist female, fulfilling half the requirements for a successful Bechdel Test right off the bat. As I went along, I wondered if the story might address the role of female gamers (a growing demographic) and their experiences, perhaps touching upon elements of the horrific GamerGate episode.
Alas.
The story offers several opportunities for exploration, but focuses so tightly on the in-game experience that it misses out on them--but to his credit, if Breeden wanted to explore something else he would have written about it.
The story certainly has stakes. The winners get a special opportunity. The losers... don't. So there's prestige and a unique chance to do something, without spoiling, ... unconventional. But mostly it seems to be about bragging rights and the opportunity to continue playing the game in a different setting. That seems to be evident in the final lines of the story.
More than once I've had people brag to me about their online exploits and each time, though I've tried to appear attentive, my eyes involuntarily glaze. Granted, this is usually the response I have to braggadocio in all its forms.
There are people who enjoy sharing their experiences of gaming derring do, and others who enjoy hearing about it, but I am not that person. Unfortunately for me, that is the heart of the book. The vast majority of the story is spent in the virtual reality of the game, watching the main character win, and occasionally deal with the inevitable and infuriating interruptions of adults (I played more games when I was younger, and there was nothing more rage inducing than someone walking in front of you and shutting your platform off... and this was in an era long before the omnipresent save feature, if they existed at all).
Even in the real world the main character found herself training using virtual reality in another game-like setting. I can't speak for others, but gaming fatigue is a real thing for me. I understand the vast uses of convincing virtual reality, it IS an extremely valuable and moreover safe training tool, but by this point I would be suffering from an intense eye-strain headache.
For my part, I would have preferred to utterly remove the gaming aspect and watched the exploits of Bloodskull the Ogre/Athlete. But that would make the story fantasy rather than science fiction and, more importantly, that's not my decision.
Without a doubt there is a fanbase for these stories.
Professional gamers exist.
Gaming contests exist.
They are all very popular. I think Breeden can find an audience for this work. Unfortunately, I'm not a part of it.
March 29, 2016
Tony Breeden explores an interesting world in Dreadknights.
Initially I struggled with the set-up, I think mainly because I’m not a gamer and I think this is what held the book back for me – I couldn’t fully invest in something where I knew the world wasn’t real. Again, this is probably more of a non-gamer issue as I don’t fully appreciate the stakes. However, I think I could have come on board with it more if the reveal that it was a game-world came later and there was some more in-game world building. I think then I would have felt that part of the book to be as real as Christine does. I wanted then to feel the bleak contrast between the game and the real world so I could instantly understand the appeal of the Guild Wars.
Most of the book is set in the game and I would have liked to get a better understanding of who Christine is rather than Bloodskull. What drives her so that she has to game? I know that her family needs the money but it seems like it’s more than that and I think exploration of her life in the real world would have really helped build a better idea of her motivation as a character. I wanted to see her working in her mundane job sampling plants and to get a feeling for her need to escape into a virtual world.
The gamer names were really good – EvilWeevil and MikeMonkeyMike, for me that demonstrated the truer side of gaming, where people have ridiculous names but take it very seriously. I liked that about it.
Honestly, I often felt confused and I think this was in part to being told about things instead of shown. For instance, I’d love to have found out about the Mutant Wars through an encounter Christine has with a mutant, instead of an explanation that didn’t really clarify things for me because it felt too far removed from the event itself. And I really struggled with the sections on Tarak, or not on Tarak as she visits it virtually. This may be down to me being a bit dumb and a non-gamer though.
The romance came in very quickly an unexpectedly and the characters are suddenly very much in love and that’s it. It didn’t ring true to me, I like a build-up.
If you love gaming then you’ll probably enjoy Dreadknights as the gaming scenes are fun but unfortunately it didn’t quite work for me personally.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Initially I struggled with the set-up, I think mainly because I’m not a gamer and I think this is what held the book back for me – I couldn’t fully invest in something where I knew the world wasn’t real. Again, this is probably more of a non-gamer issue as I don’t fully appreciate the stakes. However, I think I could have come on board with it more if the reveal that it was a game-world came later and there was some more in-game world building. I think then I would have felt that part of the book to be as real as Christine does. I wanted then to feel the bleak contrast between the game and the real world so I could instantly understand the appeal of the Guild Wars.
Most of the book is set in the game and I would have liked to get a better understanding of who Christine is rather than Bloodskull. What drives her so that she has to game? I know that her family needs the money but it seems like it’s more than that and I think exploration of her life in the real world would have really helped build a better idea of her motivation as a character. I wanted to see her working in her mundane job sampling plants and to get a feeling for her need to escape into a virtual world.
The gamer names were really good – EvilWeevil and MikeMonkeyMike, for me that demonstrated the truer side of gaming, where people have ridiculous names but take it very seriously. I liked that about it.
Honestly, I often felt confused and I think this was in part to being told about things instead of shown. For instance, I’d love to have found out about the Mutant Wars through an encounter Christine has with a mutant, instead of an explanation that didn’t really clarify things for me because it felt too far removed from the event itself. And I really struggled with the sections on Tarak, or not on Tarak as she visits it virtually. This may be down to me being a bit dumb and a non-gamer though.
The romance came in very quickly an unexpectedly and the characters are suddenly very much in love and that’s it. It didn’t ring true to me, I like a build-up.
If you love gaming then you’ll probably enjoy Dreadknights as the gaming scenes are fun but unfortunately it didn’t quite work for me personally.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
March 27, 2016
There were things to like in this novel. The fact that we have a capable female character in what could be assumed to be a male world (virtual reality gaming) is one. The action scenes are well written, even though there is a tendency to take time to describe each character as s/he enters the arena which slows the action down. Also I was grateful that the author quickly let the reader know that we were in a virtual reality world, rather than string me along.
I must admit that gaming is not one of my interests, and it is virtual reality gaming which drives the storyline. However, I will happily read a wide range of books so long as the character captures my interest. Sadly, in this book, none of the characters were drawn well enough to make me really care. There is no character arc, the main character simply fights her way (literally and metaphorically) to enter the top levels of the gaming world. Her family members are there to block her, and the romantic interest seems to suddenly emerge and then, just as suddenly, to depart.
If you like to read about fantasy battles and explore the possible uses of virtual reality in the future, then this book would be for you.
I must admit that gaming is not one of my interests, and it is virtual reality gaming which drives the storyline. However, I will happily read a wide range of books so long as the character captures my interest. Sadly, in this book, none of the characters were drawn well enough to make me really care. There is no character arc, the main character simply fights her way (literally and metaphorically) to enter the top levels of the gaming world. Her family members are there to block her, and the romantic interest seems to suddenly emerge and then, just as suddenly, to depart.
If you like to read about fantasy battles and explore the possible uses of virtual reality in the future, then this book would be for you.
July 20, 2016
Life on earth isn't much fun for seventeen-year-old Christine, living on an ocean sea farm with her mother, aunt and two bolshie cousins. Her escape and her passion is online, fully immersive, gaming as the ogress Bloodskull.
The book opens with a 'capture the flag' game, and the information and action comes thick and fast. To be honest, its rather overwhelming with character names, abilities, back-story, fantastical setting and action coming thick and fast. The author spends time introducing and describing characters in detail only to have them killed and disappear forever a few paragraphs later. It does calm down later on, for which I was grateful.
The side plot of a virtual reality test to choose colonists for another planet mix with gaming intrigues to win a tournament with the prize being (I think) immediate promotion to the list of future colonists.
The 'insta love' between Christine and her test guide didn't ring true, and together with the confusing start, lost this one a star for me. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read, and I'd read the next in the series.
The book opens with a 'capture the flag' game, and the information and action comes thick and fast. To be honest, its rather overwhelming with character names, abilities, back-story, fantastical setting and action coming thick and fast. The author spends time introducing and describing characters in detail only to have them killed and disappear forever a few paragraphs later. It does calm down later on, for which I was grateful.
The side plot of a virtual reality test to choose colonists for another planet mix with gaming intrigues to win a tournament with the prize being (I think) immediate promotion to the list of future colonists.
The 'insta love' between Christine and her test guide didn't ring true, and together with the confusing start, lost this one a star for me. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read, and I'd read the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews