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The Neuro #2
The Curse of Rion Castle
Rion Castle! Alex and Enea are facing a serious test of courage if they want to keep this unique citadel built by the lost civilization of the Founder Gods. Abounding with mystery and powerful artifacts, its dungeons are a complex maze of tunnels swarming with creatures of Inferno. What's even worse, Alex's "impulse buy" risks to trigger the first clan war in the Crystal Sphere. And they don't yet know that the donjon's dark bowels harbor a nightmare about to become the new curse of Rion Castle. In the meantime, Infosystems Corporation begins an aggressive marketing campaign pushing its state-of-the-art neuroimplants onto unsuspecting gamers. A new era of reckless destruction is looming over the real world...
505 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2017
104 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Andrei Livadny
89 books135 followersAndrei Livadny is a popular Russian science fiction author. Born on May 27 1969 in the city of Pskov, he was an avid reader from an early age. But it was the Russian translation of Robert A. Heinlein's The Orphans of the Sky that decided his choice of future occupation. The story has become a pivotal moment in the boy's life, leaving a lasting impression on him.
Andrei wrote his first book at the age of eight. Since then, he's never stopped working on new books. His passion for science fiction has gradually become his career.
In 1998, Andrei debuted in Russia's leading publishing house EKSMO with his novella The Island of Hope. Since then, he has penned over 90 books that have enjoyed a total of 153 editions.
Andrei has created several unique worlds, each unlike the previous. He wrote A History of Our Galaxy with humanity itself as a protagonist. This sixty-book series creates a history of our future civilization and its contacts with alien races, forming a convincing and logical picture of humanity's development for two millennia from now.
Andrei's recent involvement with the bestselling genre of LitRPG - books set in online roleplaying games - inspired him to create his most intriguing series to date, Phantom Server. Merging virtual reality with hard science fiction and space exploration, the two first books of the series, Edge of Reality (Phantom Server Book #1) and The Outlaw (Phantom Server Book #2) are now available on Amazon, prompting a reviewer to call Andrei "one of the best new authors in American Sci Fi translated from Russian".
Besides hard science fiction, Andrei Livadny also works in cyberpunk genres which allow him to focus on human relationships and raise questions about artificial intelligence and identity uploading, describing cyberspace as humanity's future environment.
The English translation of A History of Our Galaxy will be available shortly. Check the author's Russian-language site for updates.
Andrei wrote his first book at the age of eight. Since then, he's never stopped working on new books. His passion for science fiction has gradually become his career.
In 1998, Andrei debuted in Russia's leading publishing house EKSMO with his novella The Island of Hope. Since then, he has penned over 90 books that have enjoyed a total of 153 editions.
Andrei has created several unique worlds, each unlike the previous. He wrote A History of Our Galaxy with humanity itself as a protagonist. This sixty-book series creates a history of our future civilization and its contacts with alien races, forming a convincing and logical picture of humanity's development for two millennia from now.
Andrei's recent involvement with the bestselling genre of LitRPG - books set in online roleplaying games - inspired him to create his most intriguing series to date, Phantom Server. Merging virtual reality with hard science fiction and space exploration, the two first books of the series, Edge of Reality (Phantom Server Book #1) and The Outlaw (Phantom Server Book #2) are now available on Amazon, prompting a reviewer to call Andrei "one of the best new authors in American Sci Fi translated from Russian".
Besides hard science fiction, Andrei Livadny also works in cyberpunk genres which allow him to focus on human relationships and raise questions about artificial intelligence and identity uploading, describing cyberspace as humanity's future environment.
The English translation of A History of Our Galaxy will be available shortly. Check the author's Russian-language site for updates.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 7, 2018
Phantoms in the Castle
*Beware spoilers ahead! (Includes establishing information from "The Crystal Sphere" https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Sphere... and items to hook you into this title)*
Welcome back to the world of Crystal Sphere! Where we left our protagonist at the conclusion of "The Crystal Sphere," Alex was on an urgent quest for loot to fulfill a promise made by Dimian, our favorite NPC trader. Unable to procure the goods through normal channels, Alex enlisted the help of first player friend, the Dwarf Togien, his Combat Wizard friend, Enea, a mad scientist turned in-game mad Alchemist, Platinus, and a small party of mercenaries to power them through a quest. This quest lead them to the titular cursed Rion Castle, where long before any players walked the world, the final followers of the Founders faced off against their foes of Light and Dark. If all things go according to plan, the newly minted clan, "the Black Mantises," will have a home base and source of income within the castle. Unfortunately for our heroes, not all of their difficulties were computer generated, as Alex's female former friend, Christa, has managed to follow Alex to the Castle on a quest of her own.
The world has recognized the clan's claim to the castle, but their claim means nothing until the lingering curse upon it is cleansed. Remnants of the Dark lurk within, enjoying the fruits of their victory over the Founders' followers, and that is just the quest mandated threat. What else hides within the fabric of Crystal Sphere?
"The Curse of Rion Castle" is an interesting follow-up to "The Crystal Sphere." In the previous title, Alex was in the shoes of a brand new player, tentatively exploring the world. While his mercenary acquaintances will make it easier to take on the role of a more experienced player, both in points and in actual experience, there are still many challenges to face. Some games may be happy to outsource player suffering to other players, but not Crystal Sphere! The game world provides a system of organized Chaos that delivers action, worldbuilding, hints of romance, and a bit of mystery to the characters and readers alike. Infosystems is in a hurry to make sure that the neuroimplant will be out of beta soon. What has them in such a rush?
*Beware spoilers ahead! (Includes establishing information from "The Crystal Sphere" https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Sphere... and items to hook you into this title)*
Welcome back to the world of Crystal Sphere! Where we left our protagonist at the conclusion of "The Crystal Sphere," Alex was on an urgent quest for loot to fulfill a promise made by Dimian, our favorite NPC trader. Unable to procure the goods through normal channels, Alex enlisted the help of first player friend, the Dwarf Togien, his Combat Wizard friend, Enea, a mad scientist turned in-game mad Alchemist, Platinus, and a small party of mercenaries to power them through a quest. This quest lead them to the titular cursed Rion Castle, where long before any players walked the world, the final followers of the Founders faced off against their foes of Light and Dark. If all things go according to plan, the newly minted clan, "the Black Mantises," will have a home base and source of income within the castle. Unfortunately for our heroes, not all of their difficulties were computer generated, as Alex's female former friend, Christa, has managed to follow Alex to the Castle on a quest of her own.
The world has recognized the clan's claim to the castle, but their claim means nothing until the lingering curse upon it is cleansed. Remnants of the Dark lurk within, enjoying the fruits of their victory over the Founders' followers, and that is just the quest mandated threat. What else hides within the fabric of Crystal Sphere?
"The Curse of Rion Castle" is an interesting follow-up to "The Crystal Sphere." In the previous title, Alex was in the shoes of a brand new player, tentatively exploring the world. While his mercenary acquaintances will make it easier to take on the role of a more experienced player, both in points and in actual experience, there are still many challenges to face. Some games may be happy to outsource player suffering to other players, but not Crystal Sphere! The game world provides a system of organized Chaos that delivers action, worldbuilding, hints of romance, and a bit of mystery to the characters and readers alike. Infosystems is in a hurry to make sure that the neuroimplant will be out of beta soon. What has them in such a rush?
July 15, 2017
i enjoyed the world building.
December 30, 2018
Negative two stars actually. This book was so bad I'm not even going on to the next book in the series even though it is available for free through my library. Also I'm not going to worry about spoilers since it is essentially impossible to spoil a book this bad.
So, in book one, the MC "transferred" to a VR fantasy game world via an experimental brain implant. He makes friends, enemies, levels up buys a castle and gets about 1/4 of the way through securing the castle when the book just stops. So in book two the MC will at least finish securing the castle, right? NO. That would be too much like telling a story for this writer (he is not an author). No, the MC is only about 90% done securing his castle when an entirely new mystery takes center stage. The writer ends the book shortly after introducing the mystery. Zero story resolution and frankly very little tension- the MC is the sole focus everything that happens so there is no possibility of him dying or even being more than temporarily inconvenienced.
Bottom line: There has to be something better than this for you to read.
So, in book one, the MC "transferred" to a VR fantasy game world via an experimental brain implant. He makes friends, enemies, levels up buys a castle and gets about 1/4 of the way through securing the castle when the book just stops. So in book two the MC will at least finish securing the castle, right? NO. That would be too much like telling a story for this writer (he is not an author). No, the MC is only about 90% done securing his castle when an entirely new mystery takes center stage. The writer ends the book shortly after introducing the mystery. Zero story resolution and frankly very little tension- the MC is the sole focus everything that happens so there is no possibility of him dying or even being more than temporarily inconvenienced.
Bottom line: There has to be something better than this for you to read.
March 26, 2019
Still decent
I don't know if I've gotten used to the genre but this story doesn't quite resonate. While the writing is still good, the story is good, and the main character isn't over powered there still is a problem with the continuity tracking where in one paragraph one thing will be stated and the next paragraph it'll change. While the story has some original elements it isn't the most original of stories. Even with all of this I'll still keep reading the series as I'm having fun and I still recommend for others to read.
I don't know if I've gotten used to the genre but this story doesn't quite resonate. While the writing is still good, the story is good, and the main character isn't over powered there still is a problem with the continuity tracking where in one paragraph one thing will be stated and the next paragraph it'll change. While the story has some original elements it isn't the most original of stories. Even with all of this I'll still keep reading the series as I'm having fun and I still recommend for others to read.
July 7, 2017
To much to fast
Everything felt really rushed in this book.
Castle, lots of stupidly powerful loot for low level characters, a never ending supply of gold. The seeming ability to beat any enemy no matter how strong they are. To top it all off you get a sudden three year time jump.
I honestly don't want to recommended this book to anybody. I won't be getting book three.
Everything felt really rushed in this book.
Castle, lots of stupidly powerful loot for low level characters, a never ending supply of gold. The seeming ability to beat any enemy no matter how strong they are. To top it all off you get a sudden three year time jump.
I honestly don't want to recommended this book to anybody. I won't be getting book three.
April 2, 2019
I found this a decent enough sequel, though the story itself wasn't anything spectacular, it was decent enough to move the story along, and it did hold together as a whole, although there were parts I wasn't sure fit well with the rest of the story. But in any case, I will be reading the next one in the series, if for no other purpose than to complete the trilogy.
May 14, 2019
Fantastic
This is a great addition to the litrpg genre. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cant wait to read the next book!
This is a great addition to the litrpg genre. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cant wait to read the next book!
February 24, 2024
It was good.
October 22, 2024
The "thirty-then-some years old" protagonist is really dating a "now grown up" woman who throws herself at him to basically become his vastly overqualified secretary.
Yuck
Yuck
January 16, 2018
A continuation right where the previous story left off and continues that story line without missing a beat. Really, it feels like the first two books could have been easily combined to form a single large one rather easily.
One of the things I really appreciate about Livadny's writing, is the people actually feel like people. In several other Russian translated stories I've read, only the main character feels real, with everyone around him being some Machiavellian figure waiting for their moment to stab him in the back. Aside from spoilers (and this book has some big plot points), most of the book is better than average LitRPG fair.
There were some interesting translations errors in this one. It had one normal one I caught, oxidized being used instead of rusted. These are 'google translate' style errors and fairly common in other books too, since the meaning is essentially the same thing. This one, though, had a couple of the non 'google translate' ones, for example: Cannibal being used instead of carnivore, or avant-garde instead of advanced guard. Errors of a translator who has English as their second language and got close to the word they wanted. There were only two errors like this that I caught and they were so close to sounding like the right word that I almost missed them, my brain filling in the write word on it's own.
One of the things I really appreciate about Livadny's writing, is the people actually feel like people. In several other Russian translated stories I've read, only the main character feels real, with everyone around him being some Machiavellian figure waiting for their moment to stab him in the back. Aside from spoilers (and this book has some big plot points), most of the book is better than average LitRPG fair.
There were some interesting translations errors in this one. It had one normal one I caught, oxidized being used instead of rusted. These are 'google translate' style errors and fairly common in other books too, since the meaning is essentially the same thing. This one, though, had a couple of the non 'google translate' ones, for example: Cannibal being used instead of carnivore, or avant-garde instead of advanced guard. Errors of a translator who has English as their second language and got close to the word they wanted. There were only two errors like this that I caught and they were so close to sounding like the right word that I almost missed them, my brain filling in the write word on it's own.
October 9, 2017
Ok, this was an awesome book. There are some definitely interesting things going on. Things get a little weird at the end. It may be because of some of the things that have been background material up to this point are moving to the forefront.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.
January 16, 2018
Good follow up on the previous book. This book expand in the already introduced premise. The plot focuses on lifting the curse of the castle owned by our dear neuro and his clan. Concentrates on clan development rather than character development.
The book is fun to read.
The book is fun to read.
February 19, 2018
Good read again, loving those LitRPG books.
Figures out a bit more about his "class" and makes some friends and enemies allong the way.
Basicly starts figuring shit out for the better.
Also, the ending.. did not see that coming.
On to the next!
Figures out a bit more about his "class" and makes some friends and enemies allong the way.
Basicly starts figuring shit out for the better.
Also, the ending.. did not see that coming.
On to the next!
November 28, 2017
I enjoyed this way more than book 1 of and that twist at the end...
January 14, 2018
Don't know how I feel about this series now given how it ends but all in all this is a solid LitRPG offering that might be a good book to try while waiting for the amazing Awaken Online.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews