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Fayroll #2
The Road East
The much-anticipated second novel in the bestselling Fayroll series. Get ready for more epic battles, legendary artifacts, and incredible quests… As Harriton’s Fayroll articles spark interest and his real world career seems to pick up, he remains a low-level noob in the challenging virtual world of Fayroll. Although he is an incredibly lucky noob. Without breaking a sweat, Harry – a.k.a. Hagen the Warrior – stumbles across one of the most coveted “hidden” quests. He is to save the four Dryad sisters starting with Ogina in the East. As he haphazardly sets out on The Long Road East…
He manages to come out unscathed of many perils; happily swimming between two worlds; making new friends when necessary and facing foes along the way. It is at this stage, when Harry is forced to pursue a real-life mission within the world of the game, that the thin line between the two worlds appears to be much thinner. It is only a matter of time before he is bound to start asking himself the hard questions. Like what if his admirable luck runs out? Or, more importantly; is he playing his own game or just being manipulated right off the hop?
After Andrey Vasiliev’s More Than a Game became an instant success with readers in Russia and worldwide alike, the author could not but continue developing the Fayroll theme. By many readers’ admission, The Road East, Vasiliev’s second LitRPG fantasy novel, is every bit as gripping as his first, if not more so.
Yet again, Harriton is out to strike a balance between the real world and that of sword and sorcery, where Kif the journo turns into none other than Hagen the Warrior always prepared to win a fight or have the circumstances do it for him.
This time, Hagen’s gaming path is leading eastward, unfolding the complexity of the Orient before him. He’s going to find the abandoned temple, visit the cursed village, fight the serpent king of the nagas and deal with epic monsters, all of which is accompanied by clashes of blades on shields and clashes between clans. Action and adventure seem to be hiding around every corner, just waiting to be awakened.
The Road East not only expands greatly on the virtual reality of Fayroll but also develops the real world of the story to a much fuller extent than the first novel does. It’s not just about a new assignment or new employers or a new girlfriend. The depiction of the offline reality of the second novel is now on a par with that of the gaming world – a rare find for a LitRPG book.
Vasiliev is certainly growing as a writer. His characters are becoming more and more round, dynamic and versatile – and even psychologically convincing. The author also manages to maintain his attention to detail and sharpness of focus with a nearly cinematic clarity. The Road East is a concentration of dialogue and action, coupled with a characteristic sense of humor comprised of self-irony and mild mockery, never going too far but adding color and flavor to the story.
The book is a fine example of the LitRPG genre and, as is the case with More Than A Game, is a life-affirming experience, well worth reading by gamers and fantasy lovers alike.
Andrey Vasiliev started writing in his late thirties, because, by his own admission, “he ran out of things to read”. However, after his first two books gained nearly instant critical acclaim, he had to give serious thought to giving up his banking career and went on to become one of the top authors in the relatively new, yet insanely popular, LitRPG genre that brings together cyberpunk, classic sci-fi, and fantasy.
He manages to come out unscathed of many perils; happily swimming between two worlds; making new friends when necessary and facing foes along the way. It is at this stage, when Harry is forced to pursue a real-life mission within the world of the game, that the thin line between the two worlds appears to be much thinner. It is only a matter of time before he is bound to start asking himself the hard questions. Like what if his admirable luck runs out? Or, more importantly; is he playing his own game or just being manipulated right off the hop?
After Andrey Vasiliev’s More Than a Game became an instant success with readers in Russia and worldwide alike, the author could not but continue developing the Fayroll theme. By many readers’ admission, The Road East, Vasiliev’s second LitRPG fantasy novel, is every bit as gripping as his first, if not more so.
Yet again, Harriton is out to strike a balance between the real world and that of sword and sorcery, where Kif the journo turns into none other than Hagen the Warrior always prepared to win a fight or have the circumstances do it for him.
This time, Hagen’s gaming path is leading eastward, unfolding the complexity of the Orient before him. He’s going to find the abandoned temple, visit the cursed village, fight the serpent king of the nagas and deal with epic monsters, all of which is accompanied by clashes of blades on shields and clashes between clans. Action and adventure seem to be hiding around every corner, just waiting to be awakened.
The Road East not only expands greatly on the virtual reality of Fayroll but also develops the real world of the story to a much fuller extent than the first novel does. It’s not just about a new assignment or new employers or a new girlfriend. The depiction of the offline reality of the second novel is now on a par with that of the gaming world – a rare find for a LitRPG book.
Vasiliev is certainly growing as a writer. His characters are becoming more and more round, dynamic and versatile – and even psychologically convincing. The author also manages to maintain his attention to detail and sharpness of focus with a nearly cinematic clarity. The Road East is a concentration of dialogue and action, coupled with a characteristic sense of humor comprised of self-irony and mild mockery, never going too far but adding color and flavor to the story.
The book is a fine example of the LitRPG genre and, as is the case with More Than A Game, is a life-affirming experience, well worth reading by gamers and fantasy lovers alike.
Andrey Vasiliev started writing in his late thirties, because, by his own admission, “he ran out of things to read”. However, after his first two books gained nearly instant critical acclaim, he had to give serious thought to giving up his banking career and went on to become one of the top authors in the relatively new, yet insanely popular, LitRPG genre that brings together cyberpunk, classic sci-fi, and fantasy.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
325 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Andrey Vasilyev
61 books145 followersAt times, I feel I was meant to be an innkeeper someplace on the outskirts of Bree in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. However, in real life, I am a much-celebrated Moscow-based author, as well as one of the originators of the relatively new, yet insanely popular, LitRPG genre that blends cyberpunk, classic sci-fi, and fantasy.
I started writing in my late 30’s and only “because there was nothing handy to read,” but after my first two books gained nearly instant acclaim, I had to give serious thought to changing my current banking career to that of a professional writer. Fortunately for my readers, who had voted his debut novel More Than a Game (link) the “Best Book of the Year 2014,” I never looked back after that.
Over the next few years, I continued work on the now-bestselling Fayroll series, maintained a blog, and participated in various multiple-author projects. I am also the author of The Raven’s Flock and The Arch series, which will soon be available in English.
I started writing in my late 30’s and only “because there was nothing handy to read,” but after my first two books gained nearly instant acclaim, I had to give serious thought to changing my current banking career to that of a professional writer. Fortunately for my readers, who had voted his debut novel More Than a Game (link) the “Best Book of the Year 2014,” I never looked back after that.
Over the next few years, I continued work on the now-bestselling Fayroll series, maintained a blog, and participated in various multiple-author projects. I am also the author of The Raven’s Flock and The Arch series, which will soon be available in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 13, 2018
Love the Book!
I am loving the series, to my surprise as I'm being drawn into the story more and more. I have seen the titles in my recommended list a few times and finely took it for a ride and I'm glad I did. Keep up the good work!
I am loving the series, to my surprise as I'm being drawn into the story more and more. I have seen the titles in my recommended list a few times and finely took it for a ride and I'm glad I did. Keep up the good work!
September 17, 2017
Really liked it
March 26, 2019
Rating: 4
December 1, 2017
Good book
Over all it is a good book. One of the reasons I like reading the Russian novels is they give a bit of insight into Russian life.
Over all it is a good book. One of the reasons I like reading the Russian novels is they give a bit of insight into Russian life.
August 19, 2017
This one i liked less than the one before, i wont be reading the series anymore, the game elements were the same, i honestly got bored about midway into the book, then i did not like how random and kind of forced the mC's relationships happened and here i am dropping this.
March 21, 2018
I'm starting to get an interesting picture of the Russian power fantasy.
Western stories tend to start off an underdog character who, either start out strong against an even more powerful system/enemy or becomes strong. In the end they succeed primarily through personal effort and with help of the friends they've made along the way. Winning tends to either cause a seismic change in the system if it's bad, or a strengthened/improved system if was good.
Russian stories also start off with an underdog character, but they all seem to stay relatively week compared to their allies and succeed more through what kind of connections they've managed to make and favors they have to call in. It should be noted, these are almost never 'friends' they are people indebted to them, people who need them, people using them/being used by them for their goals, or strategic allies. A lot of these Russian books, this one included, will have the main character sit off to the side while stronger characters do all the hard work for them. They tend to succeed through cheating the system, or the corruption of their opponent being discovered by a higher authority, or gaining an ally strong enough to win. No matter what they do, however, the over arching system is never effected. It's kind of sad, stagnant and cynical for a power fantasy.
Anyways, Harry/Hagen is back in the game, promoted to his own section of the paper, and given underlings to help him with writing. The owners of the game now directly control the paper now too so he's basically working for them. This gives him undue in game power that he has no problem wielding like it's only his due. The rest of it is pretty standard LitRPG stuff again, leveling, fighting a raid boss, clan battles, ext. At least he's doing a little more with the journalist stuff in this one.
Western stories tend to start off an underdog character who, either start out strong against an even more powerful system/enemy or becomes strong. In the end they succeed primarily through personal effort and with help of the friends they've made along the way. Winning tends to either cause a seismic change in the system if it's bad, or a strengthened/improved system if was good.
Russian stories also start off with an underdog character, but they all seem to stay relatively week compared to their allies and succeed more through what kind of connections they've managed to make and favors they have to call in. It should be noted, these are almost never 'friends' they are people indebted to them, people who need them, people using them/being used by them for their goals, or strategic allies. A lot of these Russian books, this one included, will have the main character sit off to the side while stronger characters do all the hard work for them. They tend to succeed through cheating the system, or the corruption of their opponent being discovered by a higher authority, or gaining an ally strong enough to win. No matter what they do, however, the over arching system is never effected. It's kind of sad, stagnant and cynical for a power fantasy.
Anyways, Harry/Hagen is back in the game, promoted to his own section of the paper, and given underlings to help him with writing. The owners of the game now directly control the paper now too so he's basically working for them. This gives him undue in game power that he has no problem wielding like it's only his due. The rest of it is pretty standard LitRPG stuff again, leveling, fighting a raid boss, clan battles, ext. At least he's doing a little more with the journalist stuff in this one.
May 31, 2019
This book was pretty enjoyable. I should mention though that the main character likes to stereotype women and occasionally makes homophobic comments. Perhaps this is common in Russia, which is where the character is from, but it may upset some readers. It wasn't super bad though. He mostly just made comments that he really didn't want to be mistaken for gay, and he will occassionally make comments about how he thinks women are, usually when he is interacting with women. Although I disagree with the character's views, I still found the book enjoyable and an interesting look into what may be a common Russian male mindset nowadays. I would recommend this book if you want to find another LitRPG book to read, especially if you want something that is somewhat different from an American LitRPG or are into Russian LitRPGs.
November 26, 2020
As I continue to read the Fayroll series I must admit that Vasilyev really does a great job mixing in the LitRPG genre into a great story. If you have not read about Fayroll I would really recommend it as one of the best of the LitRPG genre.
Harrinton's character Hagen continues to grow and his laid back attitude continues to mystify fellow players. But he has new backers. The Fayroll corporation. His article on Fayroll has driven up demand of the game. His new backers go out and hire him to create the Fayroll Times. Its great to see how good the community takes it to have a site that caters exclusively to players and the groups inside the game. Mix in there a lot of good story inside the game and you get a really good LitRPG book. This series is really worth reading to get into the genre.
Harrinton's character Hagen continues to grow and his laid back attitude continues to mystify fellow players. But he has new backers. The Fayroll corporation. His article on Fayroll has driven up demand of the game. His new backers go out and hire him to create the Fayroll Times. Its great to see how good the community takes it to have a site that caters exclusively to players and the groups inside the game. Mix in there a lot of good story inside the game and you get a really good LitRPG book. This series is really worth reading to get into the genre.
August 3, 2019
The story doesn't feel as rushed as the first book, however the scenes do at times, if that makes sense. I think the landscape, emotions, and internal thoughts of characters could be explained more, which may slow things down a bit.
I enjoyed this book more than the first (not that the first was bad in any way). Even though it feels rushed at times the story is progressing and I love the direction.
I appreciare the humor of the MC, especially when referring to women in general. Stereotypical yes, but still funny (gimme a break & don't take this personally/seriously). I revel in the slight humor that authors can fit into books (great example is Chaos Seeds series by Aleron Kong). While the humor isnt overwhelming or in abundance, it was well placed.
I enjoyed this book more than the first (not that the first was bad in any way). Even though it feels rushed at times the story is progressing and I love the direction.
I appreciare the humor of the MC, especially when referring to women in general. Stereotypical yes, but still funny (gimme a break & don't take this personally/seriously). I revel in the slight humor that authors can fit into books (great example is Chaos Seeds series by Aleron Kong). While the humor isnt overwhelming or in abundance, it was well placed.
January 19, 2023
Book 2 of Fayroll. This was a great second novel. A lot of setup hooks and preparation for the rest of the series. This book feels like a lot of ground work, but it surprises me that there are 12 books in the series right now. Although at least this book slowed down the insanely fast leveling. I don’t feel like the story has hit its stride yet but I think we are close. I expect that to happen in the next book. Still a high recommend that can easily extend to the YA community. if you’re looking for a RPGLit book to read. This would be a great one to pick up.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.con
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.con
January 29, 2019
And I give up.
So my review for the first one said he was a little bit sexist and homophobic. Well for book two, our main character slams on the gas and heads straight for misogyny. Then in the preview for book three he becomes a wannabe gangster. I officially dislike the main character now and hope that bad things happen to him. So I'm going to stop reading now. I was liking the VR game world, even if it wasn't very well defined and kind of random. It was interesting. But I have no desire to see this main character succeed in it any longer.
So my review for the first one said he was a little bit sexist and homophobic. Well for book two, our main character slams on the gas and heads straight for misogyny. Then in the preview for book three he becomes a wannabe gangster. I officially dislike the main character now and hope that bad things happen to him. So I'm going to stop reading now. I was liking the VR game world, even if it wasn't very well defined and kind of random. It was interesting. But I have no desire to see this main character succeed in it any longer.
January 30, 2018
Excellent quality work here. I haven't seen a russian LitRPG book with this level of editing, until now, my thanks goes out to the editor and publisher on this one, it made the book a pleasure to read. I will definitely be reading more of this series. The world is rich, the characters are well rounded and our main character is just full of surprises, and there several amusing parts as well, what's not to like?
March 4, 2019
Gamelit, litrpg; I am all over those areas? Genres? and this is an outstanding example. Written by a Russian, and I have a fondness for the Russian attitude that leaks out through the pages of the books. The Grammar and syntax, maybe the rythym of the book reminds me of my Russian friends from work and places I've lived - Alpharetta, Georgia mainly. But the book is engrossing, the series didn't lose steam, and I enjoyed it immensely.
May 21, 2017
I really enjoy this series!
For me this is a really fun read. The mc is likable and intelligent. There is a good dose of humor and the translation is well done with no noticeable errors. I love the Russian flavor in the book makes me want to vacation there some day. I am a big litrpg fan and it's book such as this one that got me hooked on the genre.
For me this is a really fun read. The mc is likable and intelligent. There is a good dose of humor and the translation is well done with no noticeable errors. I love the Russian flavor in the book makes me want to vacation there some day. I am a big litrpg fan and it's book such as this one that got me hooked on the genre.
May 27, 2017
The MC is still not that kind of person what you are used to. He doesn't really care about the game at all, it is just something that he makes a living of. So he is not rushed to do the epic quests, get the epic loot or anything and that makes him more human.
Decent writing, a good story, and i wonder how much of my paranoid thoughts are ganna be correct.
Decent writing, a good story, and i wonder how much of my paranoid thoughts are ganna be correct.
July 24, 2018
Stroll in the park and free gifts for the mc
Fun and light read when no other options are available. Continues where the last book in the series left off. Lots of more foreshadowing that the series will take a turn to the grittier side with lots of angst and hard choices. Looking forward to reading his future novels.
Fun and light read when no other options are available. Continues where the last book in the series left off. Lots of more foreshadowing that the series will take a turn to the grittier side with lots of angst and hard choices. Looking forward to reading his future novels.
May 26, 2017
Better than the first
Better than the first I was not sure about purchasing the second based on the price. But I'm glad I did it is better written than the first. Better translation, more plots and twists looking forward to the next one. Glad he keeps it clean.
Better than the first I was not sure about purchasing the second based on the price. But I'm glad I did it is better written than the first. Better translation, more plots and twists looking forward to the next one. Glad he keeps it clean.
May 26, 2017
I love Fayroll! The book is written in a very suitable style and language, with an interesting development of events and, importantly, the boundless flight of the reader's fantasy, which conducts associations with his favorite games.
June 10, 2017
A great sequel
Fayroll 2 continues everything I enjoyed about the first book. The real world intrigue draws the reader in much more than I've seen most other LitRPG books even attempt to.
Fayroll 2 continues everything I enjoyed about the first book. The real world intrigue draws the reader in much more than I've seen most other LitRPG books even attempt to.
March 5, 2018
Great book for everyone that likes fantasy genre. I personally enjoyed reading it even though I am not a gamer. I like the consistency with the first book. In my opinion this one is even slightly better.
June 12, 2018
Book two
Another enjoyable experience.
Still loving the links in the book that give explanations to Russian sayings and places.
I did find a few spots where the wrong word was used. I chalk it up to translation error.
I can easily recommend this book.
I'm off to read book three.
Another enjoyable experience.
Still loving the links in the book that give explanations to Russian sayings and places.
I did find a few spots where the wrong word was used. I chalk it up to translation error.
I can easily recommend this book.
I'm off to read book three.
June 16, 2018
Very Interesting series?
This is a very good entertaining series it's realistic following the main character adventures in game and in real life but it's in Russia and what unknown dangers await our Hero???
This is a very good entertaining series it's realistic following the main character adventures in game and in real life but it's in Russia and what unknown dangers await our Hero???
January 30, 2019
It's decent, but looking ahead at reviews from the rest of the series (so far), it appears that there's more fluff and filler than I want to pay for. The series currently is at 13+ books and not worth the cost for something that seems to be never-ending. I'll go ahead and stop here.
March 3, 2019
An EPIC saga about sportsmanship wizardry and talent
A continuation of the storyline about a meek man who chances upon a new way to play a game and continue to advance in life and work, with love and responsibility to others in life and the game peop
Le he meets along the way
A continuation of the storyline about a meek man who chances upon a new way to play a game and continue to advance in life and work, with love and responsibility to others in life and the game peop
Le he meets along the way
October 16, 2017
Excellent
Enjoyed every line, can't wait for more. It's even better than the previous part
I miss Tatar girlfriend though, I got there will be more of her in the sequel :)
Enjoyed every line, can't wait for more. It's even better than the previous part
I miss Tatar girlfriend though, I got there will be more of her in the sequel :)
August 20, 2018
Woot
Another awesome entry. I'm looking forward to the next one. If you havent read this series then hit it up.
Another awesome entry. I'm looking forward to the next one. If you havent read this series then hit it up.
April 6, 2020
This one was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it so much that I finished it the same day as the first. What a marathon... and so worth it.
July 28, 2021
Was too short; I want moorree
June 19, 2019
I am not much of a bookworm, I barely read 2 books per year. I accidentally bought this book 2 weeks ago and I've decided to give it a try. I have finished Fayroll book 1 & 2 within 2 weeks! And I'm already on Book 3! I can't seem to put it down!
A few things I didn't enjoy much is the real life part. I guess it's almost a bit over the top? Like game execs act like mobsters... I guess that's a thing in the other side of the world that when you're rich, you're a mobster somehow? But it does add a bit of interesting dynamics to tell a story of his real life instead of lame daily routines.
I certainly enjoy the game plot more than the real life parts.
A few things I didn't enjoy much is the real life part. I guess it's almost a bit over the top? Like game execs act like mobsters... I guess that's a thing in the other side of the world that when you're rich, you're a mobster somehow? But it does add a bit of interesting dynamics to tell a story of his real life instead of lame daily routines.
I certainly enjoy the game plot more than the real life parts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews