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Emerilia #3
For The Guild
After four months of training, Party Zero is ready to join up with the Stone Raiders and test out their newfound power.
Forces have their eyes on the Stone Raiders for their own reasons. The Stone Raiders and Party Zero will be vital to the plans of higher powers and the future of Emerilia. They just have to survive long enough to make it there.
A series of events are set into motion that will change the world, and just maybe the Universe.
Forces have their eyes on the Stone Raiders for their own reasons. The Stone Raiders and Party Zero will be vital to the plans of higher powers and the future of Emerilia. They just have to survive long enough to make it there.
A series of events are set into motion that will change the world, and just maybe the Universe.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2017
793 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Michael Chatfield
69 books1,387 followersMichael Chatfield is a Canadian Army veteran and international bestselling author who writes the kind of books he always wanted to read—character-driven, gritty, tactical, and grounded in reality.
He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).
And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.
With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.
Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.
You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authormichael...
Website: http://michaelchatfield.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormichael...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormicha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichae...
Facebook Group: The Chatfield Connection - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37693...
He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).
And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.
With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.
Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.
You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authormichael...
Website: http://michaelchatfield.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormichael...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormicha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichae...
Facebook Group: The Chatfield Connection - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37693...
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 13, 2018
Rating 4.5 stars
This continues to be a great series. There is much more fighting in this book which has lead to less crafting from Dave which is a little bit of a disappointment for me as that is my favorite part of the book . Though it is still very well written and the story is starting to expand a bit more. On to the next book in the series!
This continues to be a great series. There is much more fighting in this book which has lead to less crafting from Dave which is a little bit of a disappointment for me as that is my favorite part of the book . Though it is still very well written and the story is starting to expand a bit more. On to the next book in the series!
June 15, 2017
Suzie is awesome!!! The author know how to raise the stakes.
March 29, 2019
3.75☆
February 27, 2018
Great when the plot is moving...
... but there is a lot of time spent doing fetch quests that seem to have little bearing on the overall story. I’m also sad that the focus has gone from Dave’s crafting onto the multitude of ‘main characters’, few of whom have their own personalities... everyone seems to speak like a millennial - even those characters who have been alive for hundreds of years.
This one felt like a slog. I’ll be back for #4 though as the overriding story is phenomenal and does shine though in patches here.
... but there is a lot of time spent doing fetch quests that seem to have little bearing on the overall story. I’m also sad that the focus has gone from Dave’s crafting onto the multitude of ‘main characters’, few of whom have their own personalities... everyone seems to speak like a millennial - even those characters who have been alive for hundreds of years.
This one felt like a slog. I’ll be back for #4 though as the overriding story is phenomenal and does shine though in patches here.
February 3, 2018
2.75 Stars
Not as good as the first 2 books, more of the same really. It was okay but I will continue with the series, it was good enough to continue with it.
Not as good as the first 2 books, more of the same really. It was okay but I will continue with the series, it was good enough to continue with it.
December 24, 2020
This is the second series by this author that I have started, the first being his newer series, The Ten Realms. Already in the first 2 books I think that this is the superior series. it is a little more focused than the Ten Realms book and seems to have a direction in mind. It also isn’t swamped down with too many characters and objectives to keep track of... at least it’s not quite as bad as that other series.
However, for all that this series is better, the same issues that made me stop reading that other series are starting to slip in here as well. The first, as I already mentioned, is the abundance of characters that take away from the main character and make the story harder to follow. I have always held the opinion that authors should pick as small a number of focus characters as possible and tell the story through them rather than making the cast of POV characters too large. As we jump around from character to character here, I remember why. You never get to spend enough time with any one character to really get into their story.
That isn’t my biggest gripe though (even if it was what made me give up on the 10 realms series). My biggest issue here is the action. This series so far has 3 interesting elements that really shine through when they are the focus points:
1 - The World Building - I have really enjoyed getting to know Emerilia and the lore behind it. I think it is a rich and interesting world and I love finding out more about it.
2 - Leveling up Dave’s non-martial skills - Dave is a rare protagonist in this genre in that he is most interesting when he isn’t fighting. The fact that he is a builder, an inventor and in love with magic is what makes him interesting. I couldn’t care less about the action when that becomes his focus as his other interests are far more useful to the story and interesting enough to carry the book.
3 - The relationships - I like the friendships that have formed throughout this book as it helps flesh out the characters for me and gets me invested in their struggles.
Notice that none of these points that I like have anything to do with action. That is because even though the action in these books isn’t bad, it’s unnecessary. Any time there’s action in these books it’s a side quest of sorts that feels like the author added it in because he felt like he had to have some action in there, not because it was important to the story. The trouble is that with the rest of the series the author has already proved that he doesn’t need action to keep these books interesting, so I’d rather not see it happen.
The lack of impact in the action means that every fight feels the same and it doesn’t really mean much to me when I’m reading about it.
I really hope this series doesn’t focus too much on this. For right now it is still interesting enough that I will keep reading, but if there is anything that will put me off this series it is probably this.
Overall this is a 3-star read and I have my fingers crossed that the future books are a little better.
However, for all that this series is better, the same issues that made me stop reading that other series are starting to slip in here as well. The first, as I already mentioned, is the abundance of characters that take away from the main character and make the story harder to follow. I have always held the opinion that authors should pick as small a number of focus characters as possible and tell the story through them rather than making the cast of POV characters too large. As we jump around from character to character here, I remember why. You never get to spend enough time with any one character to really get into their story.
That isn’t my biggest gripe though (even if it was what made me give up on the 10 realms series). My biggest issue here is the action. This series so far has 3 interesting elements that really shine through when they are the focus points:
1 - The World Building - I have really enjoyed getting to know Emerilia and the lore behind it. I think it is a rich and interesting world and I love finding out more about it.
2 - Leveling up Dave’s non-martial skills - Dave is a rare protagonist in this genre in that he is most interesting when he isn’t fighting. The fact that he is a builder, an inventor and in love with magic is what makes him interesting. I couldn’t care less about the action when that becomes his focus as his other interests are far more useful to the story and interesting enough to carry the book.
3 - The relationships - I like the friendships that have formed throughout this book as it helps flesh out the characters for me and gets me invested in their struggles.
Notice that none of these points that I like have anything to do with action. That is because even though the action in these books isn’t bad, it’s unnecessary. Any time there’s action in these books it’s a side quest of sorts that feels like the author added it in because he felt like he had to have some action in there, not because it was important to the story. The trouble is that with the rest of the series the author has already proved that he doesn’t need action to keep these books interesting, so I’d rather not see it happen.
The lack of impact in the action means that every fight feels the same and it doesn’t really mean much to me when I’m reading about it.
I really hope this series doesn’t focus too much on this. For right now it is still interesting enough that I will keep reading, but if there is anything that will put me off this series it is probably this.
Overall this is a 3-star read and I have my fingers crossed that the future books are a little better.
December 9, 2017
Overall, a decent story, but the shear repetativeness of the author was irritating, coupled with the continuity errors, and I have to wonder if the editor is just a fan, or an actual editor. A good editor is supposed to catch those things. But, I can only read "and a smile spread across his face" so many times. You could try saying he smiled broadly, or he lit up with a smile, or he was overjoyed and smiled hugely, or any number of things, but seriously, after the fifth or sixth time I read the whole smile spreading thing, I was ready to throw the book., which would have been a feat to be sure, since I was reading it on the kendle app, so it certainly wouldn't have done my Iphone any good.
One continuity error was something like:
he slashed his spear, killing two, then swinging back the other way, and taking down three more, then stabbed a fifth one through the heart.
Really? after taking out 2 plus 3 you already have the fifth one. There were loads of this kind of thing in the book, which means somebody didn't do their post production work properly.
It would have been ok if it happened once or twice, but this sort of thing was a repeat performance throughout the whole thing. Consistency wasn't in great supply here.
Other than the madening errors, and the repeating phrases, this was otherwise an excellent book, and I would recommend it to others without reservation, just don't get hung up on phrasing, or you might go mad before the book is done.
One continuity error was something like:
he slashed his spear, killing two, then swinging back the other way, and taking down three more, then stabbed a fifth one through the heart.
Really? after taking out 2 plus 3 you already have the fifth one. There were loads of this kind of thing in the book, which means somebody didn't do their post production work properly.
It would have been ok if it happened once or twice, but this sort of thing was a repeat performance throughout the whole thing. Consistency wasn't in great supply here.
Other than the madening errors, and the repeating phrases, this was otherwise an excellent book, and I would recommend it to others without reservation, just don't get hung up on phrasing, or you might go mad before the book is done.
April 29, 2018
The second book in the series was a little lighter on action than the first one with the focus having been predominantly on Dave's progression as a character more than the overall story arcs, but that is not the case in the 3rd installment of the series as the story picks up pace on both Emerilia and the larger universe of these books.
Dave and the rest of party zero continue to develop their skills as characters and their party has to put those to the test against both the challenges the planet has to offer and also against a dark-aligned player killing guild who has the Stone Raiders guild in their sights.
The narrator again does a good job and at times seems to relish some of the humour in the story such as many of the comments from Suzie's Golem Steve and he continues to ensure that other characters have distinctive enough voices that the expanding cast do not get confusing.
In summary, this series continues to be an enjoyable one and I am looking forward to listening to the next one when I get the chance.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
Dave and the rest of party zero continue to develop their skills as characters and their party has to put those to the test against both the challenges the planet has to offer and also against a dark-aligned player killing guild who has the Stone Raiders guild in their sights.
The narrator again does a good job and at times seems to relish some of the humour in the story such as many of the comments from Suzie's Golem Steve and he continues to ensure that other characters have distinctive enough voices that the expanding cast do not get confusing.
In summary, this series continues to be an enjoyable one and I am looking forward to listening to the next one when I get the chance.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
August 17, 2018
What the hell?
Did this turn into an anime? Why is everyone all of a sudden calling out their attacks?
I really wonder if this author feels that cussing profusely would make his work seem more mature. Also the immature behavior and puns of some of the POVs are making me cringe.
Reading all this unwarranted cussing makes me imagine the author as a 15 year old trying to be taken seriously. As the saying goes, cussing just shows a lack of vocabulary.
What is going on? From random cussing to a mech that jokes and makes puns, WHEN IT IS NO WHERE NEAR IT'S MASTER? I thought it had some range thing going on?
Did I jump into this book too fast because I enjoyed the last one? We are already halfway though the book and he hasn't built anything. If this continues with the snarky pop culture Robot I'm dropping this series. This book already feels like filler.
This is what happens when an author who writes popcorn flicks try to be deep and funny and the same time.
The last quarter of the book was more interesting than the first three quarters. I'll read the next book because I'm intrigued.
2/5 Stars
Did this turn into an anime? Why is everyone all of a sudden calling out their attacks?
I really wonder if this author feels that cussing profusely would make his work seem more mature. Also the immature behavior and puns of some of the POVs are making me cringe.
Reading all this unwarranted cussing makes me imagine the author as a 15 year old trying to be taken seriously. As the saying goes, cussing just shows a lack of vocabulary.
What is going on? From random cussing to a mech that jokes and makes puns, WHEN IT IS NO WHERE NEAR IT'S MASTER? I thought it had some range thing going on?
Did I jump into this book too fast because I enjoyed the last one? We are already halfway though the book and he hasn't built anything. If this continues with the snarky pop culture Robot I'm dropping this series. This book already feels like filler.
This is what happens when an author who writes popcorn flicks try to be deep and funny and the same time.
The last quarter of the book was more interesting than the first three quarters. I'll read the next book because I'm intrigued.
2/5 Stars
February 28, 2022
Needs a proper villain
I enjoyed this week enough as a sequel, but it feels somewhat insubstantial, if that makes any sense. Dave & Co are exploring and prepping for a fight against most of the Pantheon, but that's a very far away and insubstantial threat. It really needs the personal, driving threat of an antagonist on their level to ground things, in my opinion.
There is one character who seems like a good candidate, but he's thwarted in their first encounter, and pretty well neutered in their second. He still seems like he's a part of the story, so maybe he'll turn it around. If so this doesn't seem to be a good way to build up the tension that sort of character should deliver.
Pretty good showing overall, but if the third book doesn't shift gears a bit then I think it will drop my opinion of both books. We'll see.
I enjoyed this week enough as a sequel, but it feels somewhat insubstantial, if that makes any sense. Dave & Co are exploring and prepping for a fight against most of the Pantheon, but that's a very far away and insubstantial threat. It really needs the personal, driving threat of an antagonist on their level to ground things, in my opinion.
There is one character who seems like a good candidate, but he's thwarted in their first encounter, and pretty well neutered in their second. He still seems like he's a part of the story, so maybe he'll turn it around. If so this doesn't seem to be a good way to build up the tension that sort of character should deliver.
Pretty good showing overall, but if the third book doesn't shift gears a bit then I think it will drop my opinion of both books. We'll see.
May 4, 2018
I had requested and received audiobook version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
My complaint with the last book (book 2 of this series) was that that book had ended abruptly. Thankfully I got to read this book 3 soon afterwards and wasn't left hanging for long. This book continues from where 2 had ended. And it is equally good or I can say even better than that. The characters are still on their improvement arc and they keep growing intellectually. The story too keeps developing nicely, moving along at a comfortable pace. Just a few passages seemed to have dragged slowly.
Can't wait to listen to rest of the books in this series.
My complaint with the last book (book 2 of this series) was that that book had ended abruptly. Thankfully I got to read this book 3 soon afterwards and wasn't left hanging for long. This book continues from where 2 had ended. And it is equally good or I can say even better than that. The characters are still on their improvement arc and they keep growing intellectually. The story too keeps developing nicely, moving along at a comfortable pace. Just a few passages seemed to have dragged slowly.
Can't wait to listen to rest of the books in this series.
November 19, 2018
Well so far this series has been really solid, I am loving it. I like the characters growth and even more the fact that this book has more of an Martial aproach. It migth be because I am to used to the game dinamics in JP, CN and KR LN or WN that I feel some dissonance with this here. Even so great book, the scope keeps guetting better, and even though it was just at the ending, Dave finally aproached a subject that its really integgral from Emerilians and players future. How mutch control over them does the Juk'al have and how to shake it. Hope Dave beguins to seriously consider how to eliminate the nanites that put them in the grasp of the Empire.
June 8, 2018
I had started this one back in January. I stopped listening to it because of repeated use of the phrase "Touch of the land" which was repetitive to the point where it put me off. However pretty much after the first quarter, it stopped and sped through to the end. I do wish however there was less of the internal thought process I guess on paper it is okay but in audio form, it just feels off.
July 29, 2019
Guild wars and player growth
My son is several books ahead of me and not spoiling it, but holy cow these characters are getting strong. There are all sorts of moving parts from medieval-style gaming to what I suspect will be future / sci-fi adventure.
Still a lot of editing problems that take me out of the immersion.
My son is several books ahead of me and not spoiling it, but holy cow these characters are getting strong. There are all sorts of moving parts from medieval-style gaming to what I suspect will be future / sci-fi adventure.
Still a lot of editing problems that take me out of the immersion.
December 19, 2019
I'm really enjoying this series.
There are a lot of moving pieces in this book and like many good authors Mr. Chatfield knows how to tie it all together. This is a series you can tell was written with a specific end goal in mind and I guess I'll have to read it all to see what happens.
There are a lot of moving pieces in this book and like many good authors Mr. Chatfield knows how to tie it all together. This is a series you can tell was written with a specific end goal in mind and I guess I'll have to read it all to see what happens.
May 9, 2020
The writing has slowly been getting worse. Love the idea of the book but as it progresses it from feels like a new writer that can't make up his mind. Conflicting points within 3 or 4 paragraphs and why bring in romance if you can't do it right don't do it at all. The romance takes away from the story for me at least.
August 12, 2025
The game is changing...
Yeh, this is an interesting step in the series because I see some steps being taken to free humanity, which means things are starting to change some. For the most part this was just Chatfield setting up things that will pay off later. But I'm really curious to see where he takes things. Can't wait to read the next book!
Yeh, this is an interesting step in the series because I see some steps being taken to free humanity, which means things are starting to change some. For the most part this was just Chatfield setting up things that will pay off later. But I'm really curious to see where he takes things. Can't wait to read the next book!
August 29, 2018
Cannot stop reading!
The serious is amazing! The characters feel real and you cannot help getting caught up in their adventures. I highly recommend this to fans of pen and paper or MMORPG games.
The serious is amazing! The characters feel real and you cannot help getting caught up in their adventures. I highly recommend this to fans of pen and paper or MMORPG games.
March 20, 2020
Nice and crawly.
This book was like a little testament to an old dungeon crawler. Our heroes take up a quest to clear out old overrun caverns and hubs from an ancient civilization. Very fun to read.
This book was like a little testament to an old dungeon crawler. Our heroes take up a quest to clear out old overrun caverns and hubs from an ancient civilization. Very fun to read.
March 30, 2020
Just keeps getting better
Still fun, and the plot keeps moving along. The way the different groups are starting to appear and the interactions that they have is adding a new layer to the story that makes it even better.
Still fun, and the plot keeps moving along. The way the different groups are starting to appear and the interactions that they have is adding a new layer to the story that makes it even better.
July 1, 2020
Wow, another amazing book
Continuing to raise the bar with amazing world building, great characters and plot, and humor mixed throughout, I cant wait to see where this journey takes us but I'm Sure it's going to be an awesome ride.
Continuing to raise the bar with amazing world building, great characters and plot, and humor mixed throughout, I cant wait to see where this journey takes us but I'm Sure it's going to be an awesome ride.
September 30, 2020
Getting unoriginal.
The character groups are becoming more and more stereotypical, and it makes the whole story a bit boring. Add in the original characters feel left out and its losing its appeal.
The character groups are becoming more and more stereotypical, and it makes the whole story a bit boring. Add in the original characters feel left out and its losing its appeal.
March 4, 2021
Such a good series!
I love how this story is evolving! Dave and his friends continue to grow and Emerilia keeps being revealed to us. I'm glad I discovered this series when I did - I don't have to wait for the next book!
I love how this story is evolving! Dave and his friends continue to grow and Emerilia keeps being revealed to us. I'm glad I discovered this series when I did - I don't have to wait for the next book!
February 5, 2022
It went from 0 to 100 too quickly, the powercreep of the MMO is gonna kill it fast. And the content is starting to drag. There needs to be a turning point idea before season 4 or they're gonna have to fire some of the main cast.
June 23, 2017
Cause it wasn't meta before
Dave et company may have figured out real vs virtual. But now they challenge the brainwashing assumptions left right and sideways.
Dave et company may have figured out real vs virtual. But now they challenge the brainwashing assumptions left right and sideways.
July 9, 2017
Well thought out series.
Can not wait to read the next one in this series! So far has proven to be a good mix of fantasy and science fiction.
Can not wait to read the next one in this series! So far has proven to be a good mix of fantasy and science fiction.
July 15, 2017
More awesomeness
I don't know how I ever heard of this sort of story. It's my life in a weird way. Game and fantasy combined. Yet it is.
I don't know how I ever heard of this sort of story. It's my life in a weird way. Game and fantasy combined. Yet it is.
July 19, 2017
Good book
August 13, 2017
More action
Unlike the last book this one has more action. Stone raider v pkp. Guild v guild was awesome. Fighting horde of undead and other monsters too.
Unlike the last book this one has more action. Stone raider v pkp. Guild v guild was awesome. Fighting horde of undead and other monsters too.
September 23, 2017
As addicting as the first
Kept me hooked and interested. Looking forward to reading the next book and continuing the series. Great read and alot of fun.
Kept me hooked and interested. Looking forward to reading the next book and continuing the series. Great read and alot of fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews