What do you think?
Rate this book
Territoria #1
Immortality Experiment
A Virtual Reality Thriller
Immigrant. Criminal. Genius.
Abandoned as a child and fostered around a foreign city, Nikolay Somov had little hope of a successful life. Then he was wrongly convicted of a heinous crime and all hope was dashed.
Imprisoned and awaiting execution, Nikolay receives an offer: Go on a mission inside the secret, government-controlled virtual world known as Territoria or die.
Within the virtual world, Nikolay enrolls in the mysterious Ravenscroft Academy alongside humans, ogres, faeries and gargoyles. As he continues to explore his new home, Nikolay discovers a conspiracy wrought with inhumane actions, driven by his captors’ boundless lust for power.
What he thought was a school for the gifted turns out to be something else altogether. Surrounded by avatars, under constant surveillance, and fearing his mind has been infiltrated, Nikolay must escape or never see the real world again.
This is the second edition of "Ravenscroft Conspiracy", revised and rewritten with the input from readers.
Immigrant. Criminal. Genius.
Abandoned as a child and fostered around a foreign city, Nikolay Somov had little hope of a successful life. Then he was wrongly convicted of a heinous crime and all hope was dashed.
Imprisoned and awaiting execution, Nikolay receives an offer: Go on a mission inside the secret, government-controlled virtual world known as Territoria or die.
Within the virtual world, Nikolay enrolls in the mysterious Ravenscroft Academy alongside humans, ogres, faeries and gargoyles. As he continues to explore his new home, Nikolay discovers a conspiracy wrought with inhumane actions, driven by his captors’ boundless lust for power.
What he thought was a school for the gifted turns out to be something else altogether. Surrounded by avatars, under constant surveillance, and fearing his mind has been infiltrated, Nikolay must escape or never see the real world again.
This is the second edition of "Ravenscroft Conspiracy", revised and rewritten with the input from readers.
- GenresScience Fiction
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 21, 2017
74 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 13, 2017
This was a very interesting take on the virtual reality premise. Nick is given an offer he can't refuse to be inserted into a virtual reality. For reasons that move from hidden to murky and suspicious his handlers are very interested to see how this works out for him, and also for murky reasons Nick seems to be especially suited to the task.
The people he meets inside the virtual reality seem unaware this is not the real world, although there are game stat displays, and non-human avatars. While Nick is brought to an in-world school, this isn't the typical narrative of schooling often seen in Sci Fi/Fantasy, as we come to the Academy while classes have not yet started for the next session.
Nick is a loner, one that likely doesn't completely deserve the trouble maker reputation he's been burdened with, although one he's resigned himself to. He comes to the Academy to figure out the world, what's going on, and what are the true motivations of those who sent him here.
As he gets to know some of the students some of the walls he's built around himself soften and he comes to feel at least some loyalty and trust for his new friends.
All is not good or safe at the school, and Nick and his friends learn they're in danger, and not everyone there is to be trusted.
But what is going on, and why?
I enjoyed this story, although I was disappointed it ended without even a cliff hanger type ending, but got to a point and then ended, with more clearly to come. I'm eager to read the next book and learn about what is going on, how Nick fits into it, and how he and his friends will get out of the mess.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.
The people he meets inside the virtual reality seem unaware this is not the real world, although there are game stat displays, and non-human avatars. While Nick is brought to an in-world school, this isn't the typical narrative of schooling often seen in Sci Fi/Fantasy, as we come to the Academy while classes have not yet started for the next session.
Nick is a loner, one that likely doesn't completely deserve the trouble maker reputation he's been burdened with, although one he's resigned himself to. He comes to the Academy to figure out the world, what's going on, and what are the true motivations of those who sent him here.
As he gets to know some of the students some of the walls he's built around himself soften and he comes to feel at least some loyalty and trust for his new friends.
All is not good or safe at the school, and Nick and his friends learn they're in danger, and not everyone there is to be trusted.
But what is going on, and why?
I enjoyed this story, although I was disappointed it ended without even a cliff hanger type ending, but got to a point and then ended, with more clearly to come. I'm eager to read the next book and learn about what is going on, how Nick fits into it, and how he and his friends will get out of the mess.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.
March 21, 2017
I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I made it through 25% of this book before quitting.
The premise of the story is interesting: Kid falsely convicted of his own parents' murders escapes death row when recruited to help test virtual world, virtual world also full of consipracies. This is the kind of fiction I like. I'm often pretty forgiving about what I'll read.
The execution of the story was unbearable. The main character Nico is obnoxious and obnoxiously written. He's smart (genius level IQ....), tall, strong, has a perfect memory, religious, blah blah blah snooze snooze snooze. The book did a lot of telling, but not showing. Descriptions of other characters are uninteresting and one-dimensional. I rolled my eyes just about once per page. I had to stop reading or I was going to hurt myself.
The plot plods along. A quarter of the way through the book and he finally gets into the virtual world. This is essentially the third scene. It takes a quarter of the book to reach the third scene. Zzzz.
I wanted to like it, but unfortunately Ravenscroft Conspiracy just isn't for me.
I made it through 25% of this book before quitting.
The premise of the story is interesting: Kid falsely convicted of his own parents' murders escapes death row when recruited to help test virtual world, virtual world also full of consipracies. This is the kind of fiction I like. I'm often pretty forgiving about what I'll read.
The execution of the story was unbearable. The main character Nico is obnoxious and obnoxiously written. He's smart (genius level IQ....), tall, strong, has a perfect memory, religious, blah blah blah snooze snooze snooze. The book did a lot of telling, but not showing. Descriptions of other characters are uninteresting and one-dimensional. I rolled my eyes just about once per page. I had to stop reading or I was going to hurt myself.
The plot plods along. A quarter of the way through the book and he finally gets into the virtual world. This is essentially the third scene. It takes a quarter of the book to reach the third scene. Zzzz.
I wanted to like it, but unfortunately Ravenscroft Conspiracy just isn't for me.
May 21, 2017
I liked the second half of this book a lot more than I liked the first half. Nico was a fairly bland character, I didn't really root for him until he got to Ravenscroft and befriended Chunk. When he made friends and started to work on the conspiracy, he got a whole lot more interesting than the genius delinquent that we saw at the beginning of the book. None of the characters were that great to me, they were all fairly one-note at first and when we started to get some more substance from them, the book ended. I wished we could have seen more of Nico and his friends before the plot started to move along and force them apart, I think that could have made the book much more interesting to me. And I think in the case of Mrs Banks, the book spent so much of its time trying to convince me she did as much as she could do under the circumstances, that didn't change the fact that for me, she was ineffectual at best.
The plot was okay. I liked the idea of the video game and the school conspiracy but I really wish that they had been kept separate from each other. The two of them would have been really impressive plots on their own, I really don't think they needed to be combined in this way. There was one plot twist I did like and one plot twist I thought was ridiculous (what Nico is ridiculously paranoid up until the point where it does actually matter?) and I did like how the bad guys were developed.
The first half of this book dragged but I did like the second half and if the sequel comes up on NetGalley, I probably would request it to see what happens. But I probably wouldn't recommend this book.
*I received a free copy from NetGalley*
The plot was okay. I liked the idea of the video game and the school conspiracy but I really wish that they had been kept separate from each other. The two of them would have been really impressive plots on their own, I really don't think they needed to be combined in this way. There was one plot twist I did like and one plot twist I thought was ridiculous (what Nico is ridiculously paranoid up until the point where it does actually matter?) and I did like how the bad guys were developed.
The first half of this book dragged but I did like the second half and if the sequel comes up on NetGalley, I probably would request it to see what happens. But I probably wouldn't recommend this book.
*I received a free copy from NetGalley*
December 7, 2017
Ahh, another excellent volume in the LitRPG genre. Well done, and certainly engrossing. This makes yet another series I'll need to add to my plan to continue reading the series list (If I actually had such a list). Without being a LitRPG book, this would have been a mediocre book, but it would still warant at least checking out the second book in the series, to see where it was going, but I am just loving this whole LitRPG genre, and I'm hoping I find many more books I can read, and if they are excellent stories, that's a huge plus. I have had to abandon a series or two for being too rediculus, but this isn't one of them. It's a decent story if not a spectacular one, but it does keep the interest high enough to continue, there's no doubt there. There wasn't quite as much character development as I would have liked, and one or two of the characters never progress at all during the story, but overall, it's a pretty good concept, even if it isn't a new one, so it's well worth the read, and I like where the series seems to be going, so I will be keeping my eye on it to see how things turn out.
July 17, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.
Niko is a seemingly normal 18-year old who was on death row for a crime that he didn't commit. As he was about to be executed, he was given a choice of participating in a mission within a secret virtual world known as Territoria or die. This virtual world is more mysterious and full of surprises as Niko learns how to play the game. Under constant supervision, will he ever be able to escape? What is the true purpose of Niko's mission? Why is he the person who needs to complete this mission?
This is a slightly different than what I normally read. I have played one MMORPG in my life so I can't say that I'm an expert on gaming or LitRPG but I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. It made me think of when I started playing my first RPG. I would be open to reading more of this type of story.
Niko is a seemingly normal 18-year old who was on death row for a crime that he didn't commit. As he was about to be executed, he was given a choice of participating in a mission within a secret virtual world known as Territoria or die. This virtual world is more mysterious and full of surprises as Niko learns how to play the game. Under constant supervision, will he ever be able to escape? What is the true purpose of Niko's mission? Why is he the person who needs to complete this mission?
This is a slightly different than what I normally read. I have played one MMORPG in my life so I can't say that I'm an expert on gaming or LitRPG but I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. It made me think of when I started playing my first RPG. I would be open to reading more of this type of story.
May 23, 2017
Received from NetGalley
Wow, I was so surprised by this book. It is so amazing. Once I started it, I could not stop.
It is story of Nicolay, who is wrongfully convicted of murdering his parents. Whilst on death row, he gets an offer to test a secret virtual world. But all is not as it seems
Nicolay is genius, with IQ levels off the charts. He can come across crude and cold, but deep inside has a kind soul. His life was really hard. His character is really easy to relate to.
The book is really fast paced and full of action. You don't know what is really going on.
One of my favourites for sure. Only complaint- I wish it was longer. :) I would really love to read more about this place.
Review also on: http://diaryofawannabewriter.blogspot...
Wow, I was so surprised by this book. It is so amazing. Once I started it, I could not stop.
It is story of Nicolay, who is wrongfully convicted of murdering his parents. Whilst on death row, he gets an offer to test a secret virtual world. But all is not as it seems
Nicolay is genius, with IQ levels off the charts. He can come across crude and cold, but deep inside has a kind soul. His life was really hard. His character is really easy to relate to.
The book is really fast paced and full of action. You don't know what is really going on.
One of my favourites for sure. Only complaint- I wish it was longer. :) I would really love to read more about this place.
Review also on: http://diaryofawannabewriter.blogspot...
July 16, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This is really only a Part 1 for the series, with a to be continued ending. I will say I wouldn't have picked up this book if I had known the ending was such a cliff-hanger (at least not without a publish date for the second book).
The setup of Niko being on death row was more than a little unbelievable. It was clearly just a plot device, and could have used a bit more thought (and setup). I thought the world of Territoria was certainly interesting, but this book is clearly meant to be an introduction (both for the readers and for Niko). It does have a very interesting premise, but not enough real movement in the story for the length of the book.
This is really only a Part 1 for the series, with a to be continued ending. I will say I wouldn't have picked up this book if I had known the ending was such a cliff-hanger (at least not without a publish date for the second book).
The setup of Niko being on death row was more than a little unbelievable. It was clearly just a plot device, and could have used a bit more thought (and setup). I thought the world of Territoria was certainly interesting, but this book is clearly meant to be an introduction (both for the readers and for Niko). It does have a very interesting premise, but not enough real movement in the story for the length of the book.
May 27, 2017
Kind of Interesting Story Setup
But overall not really my cup of LitRPG tea, only made it through maybe 60% before losing interest. The RPG/gaming elements were very sparse as well as a little confusing and hard to follow. Not a whole lot of character progression.
Probably the biggest issue which caused me to lose interest was the MC himself. I just didn't like him much or get very attached to him and want to see him succeed. There were also what seemed like random POV changes which I found jarring rather than smooth transitions between them and the MC POV.
Good luck to the author, I hope he finds this feedback helpful
But overall not really my cup of LitRPG tea, only made it through maybe 60% before losing interest. The RPG/gaming elements were very sparse as well as a little confusing and hard to follow. Not a whole lot of character progression.
Probably the biggest issue which caused me to lose interest was the MC himself. I just didn't like him much or get very attached to him and want to see him succeed. There were also what seemed like random POV changes which I found jarring rather than smooth transitions between them and the MC POV.
Good luck to the author, I hope he finds this feedback helpful
May 30, 2017
Decent story but very YA
It's difficult to find a LitRPG story that has a decent back story that reads true enough that a reader can suspend disbelief. This story works well enough on that level. Though I did scoff at the concept that the State of Oregon would sentence a 15 yr old to the death penalty , especially without bodies. And the time period, 2 1/2 years after his trial he is to be executed. Real life would be 15 years with continued appeals. Also, he would have had to be tried as an adult and would not have been in a juvenile detention center. This story was interesting enough that I'm willing to read a sequel.
It's difficult to find a LitRPG story that has a decent back story that reads true enough that a reader can suspend disbelief. This story works well enough on that level. Though I did scoff at the concept that the State of Oregon would sentence a 15 yr old to the death penalty , especially without bodies. And the time period, 2 1/2 years after his trial he is to be executed. Real life would be 15 years with continued appeals. Also, he would have had to be tried as an adult and would not have been in a juvenile detention center. This story was interesting enough that I'm willing to read a sequel.
August 10, 2017
Fantastic!!!,
This book has excitement, dangerous situations, and an alternate reality. Niko and his new friends set on finding out the truth regarding Niko's parents. The writing was gripping and makes you want more. The book ends with a cliffhanger, I cannot wait for the next installment. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
This book has excitement, dangerous situations, and an alternate reality. Niko and his new friends set on finding out the truth regarding Niko's parents. The writing was gripping and makes you want more. The book ends with a cliffhanger, I cannot wait for the next installment. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
June 19, 2017
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
Although I am not a teen this was a interesting story and a good start to a series.
The characters were all very different if not likeable.
Although I am not a teen this was a interesting story and a good start to a series.
The characters were all very different if not likeable.
July 22, 2017
Something off
Not a bad premise, but something is a bit off with this one.
Would not call it a thriller, and reminds me of some young adult books I have come across.
I could have missed its flag for young adult, and in that case it would be 4 stars.
Not a bad premise, but something is a bit off with this one.
Would not call it a thriller, and reminds me of some young adult books I have come across.
I could have missed its flag for young adult, and in that case it would be 4 stars.
May 5, 2019
Slow start but finishes well
Took awhile for the plot to get going but was enjoyable once things were moving. Some descriptions went beyond what was needed and slowed pacing down a lot as well. Overall enjoyable read.
Took awhile for the plot to get going but was enjoyable once things were moving. Some descriptions went beyond what was needed and slowed pacing down a lot as well. Overall enjoyable read.
September 7, 2017
OMG
What a rollercoaster of a story! Had me hooked from the first chapter....need the second one now!!!!!
Just loved it 😁
What a rollercoaster of a story! Had me hooked from the first chapter....need the second one now!!!!!
Just loved it 😁
July 3, 2017
Intrigue is truly the name of the game, the twist confused me as well but the intrigue is awesome. Were they in a simulation game or was it one of those hidden labs they kidnapped kids to experiment on, that is the question.
I love the characters Niko and Jefferson, these guys give the story its ultimate high, Niko had brass, not like Jefferson who only talked tough, nope he was the real deal. The storyline is awesome, I was so hooked that when I reached the end I kept looking for more, I couldn’t believe I was left hanging but guess what, it was a good high to be left on, Love this book.
I love the characters Niko and Jefferson, these guys give the story its ultimate high, Niko had brass, not like Jefferson who only talked tough, nope he was the real deal. The storyline is awesome, I was so hooked that when I reached the end I kept looking for more, I couldn’t believe I was left hanging but guess what, it was a good high to be left on, Love this book.
April 5, 2017
Really great concept, the delivery was lacking. The authors voice was not my style. There was a lot of "telling" versus "showing". The virtual world and it's characters were flat, and not terribly interesting to me.
April 10, 2017
I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honnest opinion about it.
First, let me say that the premise is very interesting. A young man named Nikolay who is offered the oportunity to experience life inside a virtual world, Territoria, instead of getting the leathal injection for the supposed muder of his parents he hasn't seen since his sixth birthday. Such a story has a lot of potential, given not only the fact that it's about traveling to another dimension, but there is also a mystery around Nikolay's origins and the disapearance of his parents.
Unfortunatly, during the book's first half, the feel of the story is somewhat lost in a flow pf description, first of the characters and then of Ravenscroft itself. I felt as if the story was slow to start and that maybe the other didn't have that much to say, and had to fill the missing part with descriptions in order to achieve the required lenght.
The main character, Niko, also take some time to get accostumed to. Since he's been on his own for so long, he doesn't trust anybody and doesn't care about making friends for most of the, which makes it harder to really to connect with him. The other characters are somewhat more approachable, and I thought the author made a good job giving each of them an interesting background explaining their presence in Territoria.
However, when (if) you get to the book's second half, the story unfolds pretty quickly and becomes way more interesting. I had trouble putting the book down from that point on and can't wait for the next book to come out in order to find out what will happen. It is only a shame that the whole book lacks constance, since it appears as if the first half was written to fill in so luch so the author was afraid he wouldn't have time to tell the whole story in the required lenght and had to rush towards the end. None the less, I would probably recommend this book to my friends.
First, let me say that the premise is very interesting. A young man named Nikolay who is offered the oportunity to experience life inside a virtual world, Territoria, instead of getting the leathal injection for the supposed muder of his parents he hasn't seen since his sixth birthday. Such a story has a lot of potential, given not only the fact that it's about traveling to another dimension, but there is also a mystery around Nikolay's origins and the disapearance of his parents.
Unfortunatly, during the book's first half, the feel of the story is somewhat lost in a flow pf description, first of the characters and then of Ravenscroft itself. I felt as if the story was slow to start and that maybe the other didn't have that much to say, and had to fill the missing part with descriptions in order to achieve the required lenght.
The main character, Niko, also take some time to get accostumed to. Since he's been on his own for so long, he doesn't trust anybody and doesn't care about making friends for most of the, which makes it harder to really to connect with him. The other characters are somewhat more approachable, and I thought the author made a good job giving each of them an interesting background explaining their presence in Territoria.
However, when (if) you get to the book's second half, the story unfolds pretty quickly and becomes way more interesting. I had trouble putting the book down from that point on and can't wait for the next book to come out in order to find out what will happen. It is only a shame that the whole book lacks constance, since it appears as if the first half was written to fill in so luch so the author was afraid he wouldn't have time to tell the whole story in the required lenght and had to rush towards the end. None the less, I would probably recommend this book to my friends.
April 11, 2017
Different
In the ever expanding genre of Litrpg the author manages to make it interesting. I look forward to reading the sequel and not just moving on to the next one! Keep up the good work!
In the ever expanding genre of Litrpg the author manages to make it interesting. I look forward to reading the sequel and not just moving on to the next one! Keep up the good work!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews