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Dragon Kings of the New World #1
The Star Dragon
When the real world is threatened, it’s up to the players in a virtual one to save it.
Van Vanyushin doesn’t see the point in ever leaving the beautiful digital world of the game he loves—and for good reason. In the industrial wasteland he calls home, it is often the only way people can experience life’s simplest pleasures. But his allegiance to the game is tested when an ambitious CIA agent named Sang Ngo calls upon him to help as she goes undercover in the game to investigate Draco—the corporation responsible for creating the massively popular role-playing game Dragon Kings of the New World.
Sang is a gifted hacker who feels nothing but contempt for those who waste their lives in what she sees as a false reality…but when people start dying in the game, she must find out why. Van, a talented gamer, is her guide to navigate the world, level up their newbie characters fast and get into some of the most dangerous areas of the game. He dreams of becoming a pro gamer sponsored by Draco one day, but his partnership with Sang threatens to expose secrets from his past that could jeopardize those plans.
Now, they will have to put aside their differences to discover whatever—or whoever—is killing players, but the truth they find is darker than either of them imagined….
Van Vanyushin doesn’t see the point in ever leaving the beautiful digital world of the game he loves—and for good reason. In the industrial wasteland he calls home, it is often the only way people can experience life’s simplest pleasures. But his allegiance to the game is tested when an ambitious CIA agent named Sang Ngo calls upon him to help as she goes undercover in the game to investigate Draco—the corporation responsible for creating the massively popular role-playing game Dragon Kings of the New World.
Sang is a gifted hacker who feels nothing but contempt for those who waste their lives in what she sees as a false reality…but when people start dying in the game, she must find out why. Van, a talented gamer, is her guide to navigate the world, level up their newbie characters fast and get into some of the most dangerous areas of the game. He dreams of becoming a pro gamer sponsored by Draco one day, but his partnership with Sang threatens to expose secrets from his past that could jeopardize those plans.
Now, they will have to put aside their differences to discover whatever—or whoever—is killing players, but the truth they find is darker than either of them imagined….
406 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2017
167 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Dante Doom
7 books5 followersDante Doom—A Relay Publishing Creation.
Dante Doom didn’t touch a videogame or fantasy book until his 23rd year on Earth. He started working at an old-school arcade—hired primarily, he was told, because of his “badass ridiculous name”—and from then his education began.
They started him on the classics, a strict diet of Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Street Fighter, and Rampage.
Freakish proficiency. Beginners luck, they said.
He was given dog-eared copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern.
Devoured in days.
Finally, he was invited up to the arcade owner’s private gaming room: Battletoads, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), and Ghosts ‘n Goblins followed.
Defeated, at last... maybe he wasn’t such a wunderkid, after all. But he didn’t give up. And that earned him a seat at the group’s D&D table. Many a happy day has passed since—he even beat TMNT’s Dam level and its health-draining pink seaweed.
Then a year ago, that same group introduced him to the new Fantasy-LitRPG genre—what Dante saw as the final stage in his education. Because, for him, it doesn’t get any better than LitRPG. The combination of an immersive fantasy world, gaming objectives and levelled progression makes for a fascinating storytelling experience.
Inspired, he took two weeks holiday from the arcade, sat down and wrote the Dragon Kings of the New World series.
Website: www.DanteDoom.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanteDoomBooks/
Dante Doom didn’t touch a videogame or fantasy book until his 23rd year on Earth. He started working at an old-school arcade—hired primarily, he was told, because of his “badass ridiculous name”—and from then his education began.
They started him on the classics, a strict diet of Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Street Fighter, and Rampage.
Freakish proficiency. Beginners luck, they said.
He was given dog-eared copies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern.
Devoured in days.
Finally, he was invited up to the arcade owner’s private gaming room: Battletoads, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), and Ghosts ‘n Goblins followed.
Defeated, at last... maybe he wasn’t such a wunderkid, after all. But he didn’t give up. And that earned him a seat at the group’s D&D table. Many a happy day has passed since—he even beat TMNT’s Dam level and its health-draining pink seaweed.
Then a year ago, that same group introduced him to the new Fantasy-LitRPG genre—what Dante saw as the final stage in his education. Because, for him, it doesn’t get any better than LitRPG. The combination of an immersive fantasy world, gaming objectives and levelled progression makes for a fascinating storytelling experience.
Inspired, he took two weeks holiday from the arcade, sat down and wrote the Dragon Kings of the New World series.
Website: www.DanteDoom.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanteDoomBooks/
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 4, 2018
The world is interesting but that’s were the book ends to be any good. It feels like the author has no idea what a pro-gamer is or how power leveling even works, confusing gamers with reenactment groups.
Anyone with a bit of gaming experience in any RPG or MMORPG will find their behavior idiot or outright offensive at the best of times.
Van screws up his character because he is a childish idiot but instead of restarting the instant he realizes his mistake he keeps on playing a character he knows nothing about with stats that make no sense. What a pro.
Sang hates video games but she is more pro-gamer than Van will ever be. She constantly tries to exploit the game and bends the rules as much as possible, and picks up everything for that little extra loot and exp. That’s what every pro-gamer does and I don’t mean the hacking part, that was just plain stupid.
Talk about undercover mission. The only thing they didn’t do was send a general message in the hub telling everyone that they were up to something and the GM should better keep an eye on them.
Another point about pro-gamers. The game has no guides or all guides are fake as if any pro-gamer wouldn't spend hours writing their own guides and share among others they trust or buy them from pro-gamers that specialize in doing just that.
I could go on but if you’re not convinced to take up another LitRPG by now just read the damn book and suffer through it yourself.
Anyone with a bit of gaming experience in any RPG or MMORPG will find their behavior idiot or outright offensive at the best of times.
Van screws up his character because he is a childish idiot but instead of restarting the instant he realizes his mistake he keeps on playing a character he knows nothing about with stats that make no sense. What a pro.
Sang hates video games but she is more pro-gamer than Van will ever be. She constantly tries to exploit the game and bends the rules as much as possible, and picks up everything for that little extra loot and exp. That’s what every pro-gamer does and I don’t mean the hacking part, that was just plain stupid.
Talk about undercover mission. The only thing they didn’t do was send a general message in the hub telling everyone that they were up to something and the GM should better keep an eye on them.
Another point about pro-gamers. The game has no guides or all guides are fake as if any pro-gamer wouldn't spend hours writing their own guides and share among others they trust or buy them from pro-gamers that specialize in doing just that.
I could go on but if you’re not convinced to take up another LitRPG by now just read the damn book and suffer through it yourself.
March 27, 2018
Quite possibly the worst LitRPG book I've tried so far. Normally, I screen the stuff I read against Goodreads ratings, so I don't end up wasting my time on bad books. I have no idea how this one slipped through....but I do regret the hours spent on it. The characters have very low intelligence (not points, mind you) and the plot is weak at best.
October 10, 2017
Sci-fi and Fantasy?
This book brings both sci- fi and medieval fantasy fiction together in one. I really like the main characters Van and Sang. I love the humor and banter that is between them. Good story!
This book brings both sci- fi and medieval fantasy fiction together in one. I really like the main characters Van and Sang. I love the humor and banter that is between them. Good story!
October 20, 2017
Van is a dedicated gamer, spending every spare moment in his favorite virtual reality MMORPG, Dragon Kings of the New World. He dreams of being picked as a pro gamer, sponsored by Draco and paid to play the game he loves. That all ends when he's blackmailed by the CIA to assist their agent, Sang. She's trying to discover the reason behind the recent rash of player deaths and mysterious game glitches. What starts as an in game escort mission becomes a partnership between the gamer and the hacker with life or death on the line.
This was a solid LitRPG that went in an interesting direction! It was a great listen that kept me hooked through the entire book. I liked the contrast between Van and Sang, an ambitious gamer who lives to game, and an aggressive agent who thinks it's a waste of time. They were both likable and their banter cracked me up. I could really relate to Sang as she experienced the game for the first time, and was struck by its beauty. I loved that the female main character was the one who got to kick so much butt!
You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy this book. There were a few stats, but the focus of the story wasn't just the game, it had an interesting plot beyond that. If you do read for the game, the game mechanics were consistent, and Van was definitely not overpowered! Although the world itself was interesting, the setting didn't get too much focus. I did miss the world building you get with fantasy, but there's plenty of room for that later if we get backstories on the two opposing forces. The action kept things moving, and it really felt like actually playing the game.
The narration was well done, Nik Magill did a great job bringing the story to life without overacting. He pulled me right into the story. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. This book is definitely worth a listen, and I'm really looking forward to the sequels.
This was a solid LitRPG that went in an interesting direction! It was a great listen that kept me hooked through the entire book. I liked the contrast between Van and Sang, an ambitious gamer who lives to game, and an aggressive agent who thinks it's a waste of time. They were both likable and their banter cracked me up. I could really relate to Sang as she experienced the game for the first time, and was struck by its beauty. I loved that the female main character was the one who got to kick so much butt!
You don't have to be a gamer to enjoy this book. There were a few stats, but the focus of the story wasn't just the game, it had an interesting plot beyond that. If you do read for the game, the game mechanics were consistent, and Van was definitely not overpowered! Although the world itself was interesting, the setting didn't get too much focus. I did miss the world building you get with fantasy, but there's plenty of room for that later if we get backstories on the two opposing forces. The action kept things moving, and it really felt like actually playing the game.
The narration was well done, Nik Magill did a great job bringing the story to life without overacting. He pulled me right into the story. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. This book is definitely worth a listen, and I'm really looking forward to the sequels.
November 8, 2017
The story is interesting, but the book has a few things that drop the review as low as this.
1. At the beginning, we're told that they aren't allowed to discuss the mission because Draco could be spying on them through their character, and the first thing they do is talk about the mission in game.
2. A character's address is given twice within a couple of chapters and each time it's different.
3. The female main character is internally inconsistent. I don't mean in the sense that her growth from start to finish doesn't make sense, because it did. But actions between the moments of growth don't make sense.
4. The character development (game wise) makes no sense. It seems like every time they need something, they either have the item or skill and that's it.
All of these things could've been relatively easy to catch if an editor (decent one) had been used.
1. At the beginning, we're told that they aren't allowed to discuss the mission because Draco could be spying on them through their character, and the first thing they do is talk about the mission in game.
2. A character's address is given twice within a couple of chapters and each time it's different.
3. The female main character is internally inconsistent. I don't mean in the sense that her growth from start to finish doesn't make sense, because it did. But actions between the moments of growth don't make sense.
4. The character development (game wise) makes no sense. It seems like every time they need something, they either have the item or skill and that's it.
All of these things could've been relatively easy to catch if an editor (decent one) had been used.
October 20, 2017
ITS SO BORING!
December 23, 2017
A bit cheesy at times but a fun, light read all the same. Technically well written, with an interesting storyline.
received as a gift
received as a gift
December 24, 2017
Boring.
Why did he not just reroll the bard? Why was the sherrif a dragon? Ugh. I got to about 20% and gave up. I simply don't care what happens next.
Why did he not just reroll the bard? Why was the sherrif a dragon? Ugh. I got to about 20% and gave up. I simply don't care what happens next.
January 4, 2019
I received an ARC of this story through Hidden Gems and this is my honest and voluntary review.
This was my first LitRPG story and I am glad it was. Being a gamer myself and really into the Sword Art Online series as well, the blurb about this book REALLY caught my eye and I decided that I HAD to read it. I was not disappointed in the least. Sang and Van have an entertaining relationship to say the least with Sang openly deriding gamers (and Van) constantly and Van just trying to find a common ground with her and maybe open her eyes a bit all while they carry out this somewhat unsanctioned CIA investigation into the weird "glitches" in the VR game. I was very surprised by the direction this story took and am definitely going to read further in this series!
This was my first LitRPG story and I am glad it was. Being a gamer myself and really into the Sword Art Online series as well, the blurb about this book REALLY caught my eye and I decided that I HAD to read it. I was not disappointed in the least. Sang and Van have an entertaining relationship to say the least with Sang openly deriding gamers (and Van) constantly and Van just trying to find a common ground with her and maybe open her eyes a bit all while they carry out this somewhat unsanctioned CIA investigation into the weird "glitches" in the VR game. I was very surprised by the direction this story took and am definitely going to read further in this series!
October 28, 2017
3.5 I found some of it rough and forced like Van and Sang arguing when nothing in the past indicates the argument is ahead. About 3 instances of that that are very clear like in one Sang's frustration at Van for not shutting up. I just didn't see him talk a ton nor did Sang complain before. Of course, I could have just missed it. Honestly that was the only frustrating aspect of the book and it could have been on me. The gaming was alright and had interesting mechanics. The game has a focus on teamwork so PvP has negative side effects. I am genuinely curious though about the future of this series. I have my fingers crossed for alien dragons =).
October 1, 2017
What a fantastic blend of elements. First, there is the fantasy world, so richly described. What this author does is then go a layer up in the narrative sediment (maybe layer would be a more complimentary word), and we get a modern approach that takes on the world of video games. I loved the way the author aligned these two worlds. Recommended!
October 28, 2017
Give it a go
I have mixed feelings about this book which is well written and had an potentially interesting premise but it was slow starting, the characters not very likeable and the story quite confusing. This gets much better as the book goes on although the story is still struggling a bit. I will definitely be reading the next in the series to see what happens.
I have mixed feelings about this book which is well written and had an potentially interesting premise but it was slow starting, the characters not very likeable and the story quite confusing. This gets much better as the book goes on although the story is still struggling a bit. I will definitely be reading the next in the series to see what happens.
February 12, 2018
Interesting and fun
I’m a fan of MMORPGs and role playing games. This was an interesting twist on the future of those games but with a dark twist. Players end up dead and no one quite knows why. They take an agent given a last chance and a pro gamer hopeful together to try to figure it out.
I’m a fan of MMORPGs and role playing games. This was an interesting twist on the future of those games but with a dark twist. Players end up dead and no one quite knows why. They take an agent given a last chance and a pro gamer hopeful together to try to figure it out.
April 6, 2018
I felt the story was a bit drawn out...loved the whole premise though. I was a little put off by Sang at first and it took a while to really warm up to her, but once you understand her, you accept the character. The story is awesome, well written, and exciting! A bit predictable at times, but what good story isn't? Can't wait to read book 2!
October 8, 2017
When you get past the eyerollingly bad "one character 'hates' gamers" and "one character will be a dick but somehow a nice guy that proves gamers are okay" trope, it's a good story with an interesting world. Not very level focused but skills seem to be in there.
Yeah. Sort of fine I guess.
Yeah. Sort of fine I guess.
July 28, 2018
I thought it was a surprisingly fun read. It scratched the itch one might have to play an actual game, and Mr. Doom's humor had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I will definitely check out books two and three.
May 4, 2018
GamePlay. Not litRPG
Other than the classification it seems it good be a good story. Amazon, stop with the effing word count in the reviews already!
Other than the classification it seems it good be a good story. Amazon, stop with the effing word count in the reviews already!
December 24, 2018
Not a bad story overall, It has some interesting twists I've rarely seen elsewhere, but it didn't really mesh with my scifi fan as well as I would have expected. It's a cool story though, and if you're a fan of aliens, this might be a good one to pick up and read.
June 7, 2019
Story made absolutely no sense whatsoever...
May 28, 2020
To defeat a Dragon use a Dragon
Is a big fan of LitRPG. If it is written well. This series starts out very good. Want to continue reading more.
Is a big fan of LitRPG. If it is written well. This series starts out very good. Want to continue reading more.
March 19, 2018
Boring. Lame characters. Lame game.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews