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The Rise of Resurgence #1
Resurgence
Pay to play. Since the beginning of gaming this has been the norm; you pay the company and you can play their game. So, it's no surprise that Alex Stanton was living every gamer's dream. It was the opposite for him. He was getting payed to play.
The latest in virtual reality gaming, in both graphics and hardware, was being beta tested by the largest retailer of online gaming, AltCon. But before they could go live, they wanted serious beta testers. So serious, AltCon was willing to pay and ensure their lives revolved around the Beta, and the Beta only. And the company pulled out all the stops. If there was a heaven for gamers, it would look exactly like this game: Resurgence.
However, odd things start happening that Alex can't explain. But like every hard-core gamer, Alex has no problem ignoring them to focus on the big picture; winning the game. Still, in time, even the littlest of things can add up, and Alex finds himself asking, “What’s really going on in Resurgence?”
The latest in virtual reality gaming, in both graphics and hardware, was being beta tested by the largest retailer of online gaming, AltCon. But before they could go live, they wanted serious beta testers. So serious, AltCon was willing to pay and ensure their lives revolved around the Beta, and the Beta only. And the company pulled out all the stops. If there was a heaven for gamers, it would look exactly like this game: Resurgence.
However, odd things start happening that Alex can't explain. But like every hard-core gamer, Alex has no problem ignoring them to focus on the big picture; winning the game. Still, in time, even the littlest of things can add up, and Alex finds himself asking, “What’s really going on in Resurgence?”
This is a new release of an edition originally published by Joshua W. Nelson.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2016
299 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 3, 2016
A book that left me with mix feelings.
One one hand it's refreshing to read about a character that isn't a loner, who tries to help his group and who is clever. The plot has an ok pace, and while it's a bit obvious what is going on, there is potential and several funny conversations to keep things entertaining.
And yeah, I liked the conversations a lot. They were silly, never deep and not that revealing, but hey they made me smile.
On the other hand: The ENDING. Omg, what happened there? Let's ignore that it was entirely predictable and that for pages we got few new information. No, all this I could have accepted and easily moved on. The problem was that it read as if the author wanted nothing better than to finish the book NOW. No matter what the main character was told (murder, conspiracy, playing a game with an obviously faulty software, programming, out-of-control-AI) there was NO, absolute NO reaction. Oh wait, he sat down. That's it. Dear author, that's not a reaction, that's a polite thing to do when offered usually.
Anyway, and after pages of pure dialogue without anything to be able to even guess an emotional response, the character suddenly becomes angry at a manipulated roll. Yeah. Lol. Because that's the moment to become angry.
The very end neatly rewrote everything so far shown about the character and made him extremely unlikeable. Or showed extremely bad writing. "Ruthless", really? To quote Harry Potter more like he has the "emotional range of a teaspoon". Which is, by the way, so not in accordance with his psychological profile mentioned at the very beginning.
So, dear author, please get an editor / beta / friend who will tell you x is good and y needs added details asap. (Even before the ending there were spots where words were "missing"). You've got talent and it's a good story, but such blunders take a lot away.
Average: 3 stars.
One one hand it's refreshing to read about a character that isn't a loner, who tries to help his group and who is clever. The plot has an ok pace, and while it's a bit obvious what is going on, there is potential and several funny conversations to keep things entertaining.
And yeah, I liked the conversations a lot. They were silly, never deep and not that revealing, but hey they made me smile.
On the other hand: The ENDING. Omg, what happened there? Let's ignore that it was entirely predictable and that for pages we got few new information. No, all this I could have accepted and easily moved on. The problem was that it read as if the author wanted nothing better than to finish the book NOW. No matter what the main character was told (murder, conspiracy, playing a game with an obviously faulty software, programming, out-of-control-AI) there was NO, absolute NO reaction. Oh wait, he sat down. That's it. Dear author, that's not a reaction, that's a polite thing to do when offered usually.
Anyway, and after pages of pure dialogue without anything to be able to even guess an emotional response, the character suddenly becomes angry at a manipulated roll. Yeah. Lol. Because that's the moment to become angry.
The very end neatly rewrote everything so far shown about the character and made him extremely unlikeable. Or showed extremely bad writing. "Ruthless", really? To quote Harry Potter more like he has the "emotional range of a teaspoon". Which is, by the way, so not in accordance with his psychological profile mentioned at the very beginning.
So, dear author, please get an editor / beta / friend who will tell you x is good and y needs added details asap. (Even before the ending there were spots where words were "missing"). You've got talent and it's a good story, but such blunders take a lot away.
Average: 3 stars.
June 28, 2017
Some of the game mechanics are pretty dumb
That's it. I didn't even finish it. I couldn't get passed the fact that this is a fully immersive dive but there was tab targeting. TAB TARGETING. Why? Also players can't actually attack. For example, instead of just walking up to a mob and attacking or using a skill, you target it and say a command that initiates a skill or attack. What's the point if that? It's like playing a VR version of Pokemon except you're the trainer and the Pokemon at the same time, i.e., "Player tells player to use hyperbeam. It wasn't very effective." No bueno. If you're gonna write a LitRPG, at least play a game to see what all the fuss is about first.
That's it. I didn't even finish it. I couldn't get passed the fact that this is a fully immersive dive but there was tab targeting. TAB TARGETING. Why? Also players can't actually attack. For example, instead of just walking up to a mob and attacking or using a skill, you target it and say a command that initiates a skill or attack. What's the point if that? It's like playing a VR version of Pokemon except you're the trainer and the Pokemon at the same time, i.e., "Player tells player to use hyperbeam. It wasn't very effective." No bueno. If you're gonna write a LitRPG, at least play a game to see what all the fuss is about first.
August 29, 2016
Slow start but gets into it
Good read, looking forward to the next one. Interesting new take on the litrpg genre, interested to see where it goes.
Good read, looking forward to the next one. Interesting new take on the litrpg genre, interested to see where it goes.
January 1, 2018
Interesting
This is an interesting take on fantasy. Some people get to test a new virtual reality game in the near future (2040's) but all is not as it seems. A lot of the story takes place in game, so I'm not sure if this is for everyone (ie if you don't like MMORPG's you might find this boring). The story is very f!uid and the plot stays on key making it a smooth read. The characters are fun and the book has some funny, witty dialogue that humanizes the characters very well. The book finished satisfactory, but the story isn't finished yet. I definitely intend to continue the series.
This is an interesting take on fantasy. Some people get to test a new virtual reality game in the near future (2040's) but all is not as it seems. A lot of the story takes place in game, so I'm not sure if this is for everyone (ie if you don't like MMORPG's you might find this boring). The story is very f!uid and the plot stays on key making it a smooth read. The characters are fun and the book has some funny, witty dialogue that humanizes the characters very well. The book finished satisfactory, but the story isn't finished yet. I definitely intend to continue the series.
July 24, 2019
Monotonous...
I put this down after a hundred pages (I should have stopped reading earlier), because it was just more of the same page after page. More than a quarter of the way through the story and the protagonist hasn't had a setback? C'mon. The characters weren't developed, they were one-dimensional and I found myself not caring about them. The premise? Blah.
I put this down after a hundred pages (I should have stopped reading earlier), because it was just more of the same page after page. More than a quarter of the way through the story and the protagonist hasn't had a setback? C'mon. The characters weren't developed, they were one-dimensional and I found myself not caring about them. The premise? Blah.
May 22, 2019
Great LitRPG story. This genre can be a mixed bag, but this is one of the good ones. The characters are believable and the group has good chemistry and balance. The action starts slow and builds up at a good pace. The only issues I have are more with the goals of the antagonist outside of the game. I am hoping that the antagonist's goals are not simply financially motivated and are deeper. There are some hint's to that in the first book, but nothing more concrete. Hopefully that will be fleshed out more in the coming books. Honestly story wise this should get a 4 or 4.5, but I enjoyed the book enough to give it a 5. The performance of the narrator was excellent. I look forward to the next book in the series and will pick it up as soon as the audio-book version is available.
Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
May 22, 2019
An interesting take
This story takes a new look at a usual emerging tech giant with a lot more villainy and a lot more psychology to it. The MC is a hardened gamer and trader but the detail is basically a introductory start to gaming including terms. This does make it a lot more drier than the usual LitRPG offerings. This is offset by a good backstory about the tech company, a nice little twist to the game mechanics and a great character to help the MC. If it wasn't for this then I think this may have less appeal for the serious LitRPG reader
Due to the humour and writing skills then I give this a 4 as this keeps it fresher and more easy reading than charged so may not suit all tastes. The new reader however who is new to this genre will love it as this gives a great intro.
This story takes a new look at a usual emerging tech giant with a lot more villainy and a lot more psychology to it. The MC is a hardened gamer and trader but the detail is basically a introductory start to gaming including terms. This does make it a lot more drier than the usual LitRPG offerings. This is offset by a good backstory about the tech company, a nice little twist to the game mechanics and a great character to help the MC. If it wasn't for this then I think this may have less appeal for the serious LitRPG reader
Due to the humour and writing skills then I give this a 4 as this keeps it fresher and more easy reading than charged so may not suit all tastes. The new reader however who is new to this genre will love it as this gives a great intro.
January 27, 2020
A pretty good first book of the series
I liked the story and characters though some had to grow on me. Like at first I didn't like Dan but by the end I liked him. My main issues are spelling! I don't know why e books are so horrible at proof reading. Also I would imagine one who reads litrpg pretty much know the rules of the game. Having said that, throughout the whole book every little thing about playing gets explained and it really makes the immersion suffer. With so many explainations, I think to have the prelude have a list of them all so it doesn't interrupt the story. And some of them were wrong like what an instanced dungeon is. Also every game I have ever played Constitution is con. Not that it matters but if everything is going to be explained then it should be right.
I liked the story and characters though some had to grow on me. Like at first I didn't like Dan but by the end I liked him. My main issues are spelling! I don't know why e books are so horrible at proof reading. Also I would imagine one who reads litrpg pretty much know the rules of the game. Having said that, throughout the whole book every little thing about playing gets explained and it really makes the immersion suffer. With so many explainations, I think to have the prelude have a list of them all so it doesn't interrupt the story. And some of them were wrong like what an instanced dungeon is. Also every game I have ever played Constitution is con. Not that it matters but if everything is going to be explained then it should be right.
November 23, 2019
Well the over all plot is not too bad but a bit of a stretch. Also, the dialogue is puerile and seemingly very out of character for the type of characters the author seems to be trying for. It seems that in the future the boys will be boys and casual disparagement of others based on social choices has not moved ahead. The lack of the beta testing narrative being more impactful on the story makes this an obvious plot hole.
The actual game mechanics are poorly constructed for a futuristic full immersion technology, it might be considered WoW beta server 1. It is too much of a throwback to PC game mechanics.
I am unsure if I can hope for better from the next books or if I will continue with them. It did pick up a bit at the end.
The actual game mechanics are poorly constructed for a futuristic full immersion technology, it might be considered WoW beta server 1. It is too much of a throwback to PC game mechanics.
I am unsure if I can hope for better from the next books or if I will continue with them. It did pick up a bit at the end.
October 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I am not a gamer so some of this stuff was really foreign to me and I expect that I missed some of the nuances but I didn't have that much trouble following the plot. I liked the characters, the story's pacing and especially the dialogue. It is not a short book but I found it to be a fast, engaging read. The ending seemed a bit abrupt but it did leave me anxious to read the next book in this series.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
June 1, 2018
The game is only the beginning...
While I admit I was skeptical of the LitRPG genre at first, this book won me over with its characters. While I don’t want to spoil it for other readers, let me just say the NPCs (non-player characters) were a special treat. Too often, the secondary characters are merely McGuffins driving the plot along. I found myself wanting to know more about Stan and the dwarves. If you liked Ready Player One, you’ll love Resurgence!
While I admit I was skeptical of the LitRPG genre at first, this book won me over with its characters. While I don’t want to spoil it for other readers, let me just say the NPCs (non-player characters) were a special treat. Too often, the secondary characters are merely McGuffins driving the plot along. I found myself wanting to know more about Stan and the dwarves. If you liked Ready Player One, you’ll love Resurgence!
February 19, 2018
Great story for gamers or curious nerd brains.
There are strong friendships and dangerous adventures in this story. The characters are very believable and the language is real. There are some typing errors that gave an occasional hiccup, but not too many. I will be reading the next book for sure.
There are strong friendships and dangerous adventures in this story. The characters are very believable and the language is real. There are some typing errors that gave an occasional hiccup, but not too many. I will be reading the next book for sure.
March 2, 2018
The book has one great merit: details how MPRPG games work. I was never a fan but enjoyed the insight.
There is an underlying story that isn't being properly told in the main storyline. It needed more detail. I went on to the second book knowing there's something there but not excited to find more detail.
There is an underlying story that isn't being properly told in the main storyline. It needed more detail. I went on to the second book knowing there's something there but not excited to find more detail.
March 25, 2018
First book in a great new series. Only warning is that this is a three book (or more) series and there are only two books and they read fast (very addictive). So I'm now in withdrawals given I burned through those two books. Some surprising depth to the plot and character development and it helped that the protagonist has the same personality type I have. Nicely done!
January 8, 2018
Guilty pleasure!
I’m a gamer. A gamer who now has adult responsibilities and very little time for the hobby. This book takes me right back to my younger days when gaming was not just an afterthought. Love it, and can’t wait to start the next one!!
I’m a gamer. A gamer who now has adult responsibilities and very little time for the hobby. This book takes me right back to my younger days when gaming was not just an afterthought. Love it, and can’t wait to start the next one!!
January 30, 2018
Great read. Humour, ruthlessness great characters
Really enjoyed the book. A change from most lit RPGs. Likeable characters a story that moves at a rapid pace. Also real life involvement is minimally intrusive but adds to the story
Really enjoyed the book. A change from most lit RPGs. Likeable characters a story that moves at a rapid pace. Also real life involvement is minimally intrusive but adds to the story
July 2, 2018
A good read and inventive world.
This book gives the reader the best of both worlds. Science fiction made believable and fantasy that will hold most readers attention for the near possibility to have a game and world like this. Would love to see a movie adaptation of this.
This book gives the reader the best of both worlds. Science fiction made believable and fantasy that will hold most readers attention for the near possibility to have a game and world like this. Would love to see a movie adaptation of this.
February 27, 2021
This is just boring.
The characters are drab, the writing is stilted. The overarching story is dribbled out but never enough to engage the reader. I got just shy of halfway through and was done.
The characters are drab, the writing is stilted. The overarching story is dribbled out but never enough to engage the reader. I got just shy of halfway through and was done.
June 3, 2017
Very Interesting
New take on world-very fun and interesting read. Can't wait until book two release in a couple of weeks :)
New take on world-very fun and interesting read. Can't wait until book two release in a couple of weeks :)
March 27, 2018
This was a surprising good read!
A great deal better than most books. It has an interesting plot and good character development.
A great deal better than most books. It has an interesting plot and good character development.
April 5, 2018
Author makes you feel like you are in the video game. Very interesting.
January 7, 2019
Great story.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very well thought out. I’m a big fan of this series. On to the next book.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Very well thought out. I’m a big fan of this series. On to the next book.
September 2, 2021
Couldn't put it down
So many things in this book kept me reading. As a gamer, I enjoyed all aspects of the game itself as well as the reason behind it
So many things in this book kept me reading. As a gamer, I enjoyed all aspects of the game itself as well as the reason behind it
July 21, 2017
Great read!
I had no idea that there was a LitRPG genre, but it has me totally captivated. I am a gamer, so I find the whole idea of total immersion VR exciting! This series is not all about hit points and looting though. It has a very intriguing plot outside of the game, and the characters are wonderful, crazy, and lol funny!
I had no idea that there was a LitRPG genre, but it has me totally captivated. I am a gamer, so I find the whole idea of total immersion VR exciting! This series is not all about hit points and looting though. It has a very intriguing plot outside of the game, and the characters are wonderful, crazy, and lol funny!
January 20, 2025
This is a pretty good story about a beta test of full immersion VR. The company that develops the VR decides to use it unethically to make money. For example, the company "brainwashes" its beta testers into buying old games. The MC, through a bit of luck and a partially subverted screening process, is immune to the brainwashing but neither does he know about it. Instead the MC is being positioned by an AI with limited access to the VR to discover the company's nefarious plan. Unknown to the MC, the government was clued in early to the company's suspicious behavior and one of the MC's party is working for the government.
This is a well told story with some small twists not revealed here. It does, however, completely lack resolution. This blow is softened by the fact that much of the story comes across almost as the MC's personal history. This means the focus is largely on the day to day experiences of the MC and not on the MC's quest to stop the evil corporation (a quest the MC doesn't even receive in this book).
Probably the worst part of the story is something many people would not be sensitive to: The evil plan is discussed in corporate board meetings. This makes no sense and could have been easily avoided since groundbreaking VR would be profitable without brainwashing. Therefore there was no need to inform the board since presumably they would have largely behaved the same way regardless. Plus, there would be little hope of keeping the brainwashing secret with so many people knowing about it, many of whom would be representing outside interests like financial institutions. The way the author tells the story there would be no reasonable expectation for the bad guys to succeed. The board and upper management all know about the brainwashing so something like 50 to 100 people minimum (given that this is the second "beta" test and someone in HR discovered something questionable was going on, and the programmers would have to know as well, the number of people who have an inkling if not outright knowledge could easily be in the thousands.) So, in short, for this plan to succeed about 1,000 people, most of whom don't directly benefit, have to keep the secret.
Bottom line: An okay book that could have been really good with story resolution and an intelligent bad guy.
This is a well told story with some small twists not revealed here. It does, however, completely lack resolution. This blow is softened by the fact that much of the story comes across almost as the MC's personal history. This means the focus is largely on the day to day experiences of the MC and not on the MC's quest to stop the evil corporation (a quest the MC doesn't even receive in this book).
Probably the worst part of the story is something many people would not be sensitive to: The evil plan is discussed in corporate board meetings. This makes no sense and could have been easily avoided since groundbreaking VR would be profitable without brainwashing. Therefore there was no need to inform the board since presumably they would have largely behaved the same way regardless. Plus, there would be little hope of keeping the brainwashing secret with so many people knowing about it, many of whom would be representing outside interests like financial institutions. The way the author tells the story there would be no reasonable expectation for the bad guys to succeed. The board and upper management all know about the brainwashing so something like 50 to 100 people minimum (given that this is the second "beta" test and someone in HR discovered something questionable was going on, and the programmers would have to know as well, the number of people who have an inkling if not outright knowledge could easily be in the thousands.) So, in short, for this plan to succeed about 1,000 people, most of whom don't directly benefit, have to keep the secret.
Bottom line: An okay book that could have been really good with story resolution and an intelligent bad guy.
August 25, 2016
Pure Awesomeness
To start this is a LitRPG book and follows those guidelines. The story is outstanding. Besides a bit of slowness in the first 20% that is basic foundation for those who aren't familiar with LitRPG or MMORPGS, the book is incredible. For those of us familiar with these subjects the section drags a bit. I would say this is necessary to market to a wider audience, however, and I can't take much away from the rating due to it. The other gripe I have is the way stats are shown to the reader. Most LitRPGs utilize a table system similar to Excel and it works well. I have to say, charts would have helped with the dissemination of character information better than listing them as was done. There were a few grammatical and spelling errors I noted that would probably have been cleared up with an editor or sending out a few EARCs for this purpose. Overall 4/5 stars for an excellent entry novel.
To start this is a LitRPG book and follows those guidelines. The story is outstanding. Besides a bit of slowness in the first 20% that is basic foundation for those who aren't familiar with LitRPG or MMORPGS, the book is incredible. For those of us familiar with these subjects the section drags a bit. I would say this is necessary to market to a wider audience, however, and I can't take much away from the rating due to it. The other gripe I have is the way stats are shown to the reader. Most LitRPGs utilize a table system similar to Excel and it works well. I have to say, charts would have helped with the dissemination of character information better than listing them as was done. There were a few grammatical and spelling errors I noted that would probably have been cleared up with an editor or sending out a few EARCs for this purpose. Overall 4/5 stars for an excellent entry novel.
August 21, 2016
Heroic, humorous, and I'm hooked!!
As a huge MMO fan, this book had me from the start, capturing the very essence of mmo gaming perfectly. From the player interactions to the in-game quests and grinding, I'm reminded of some of the best hours of my gaming life. The build up of the evil lurking in the background is subtle, and often takes a backseat to the gaming aspect of the story, which serves to help you build a stronger bond with the hero and his companions. Easily one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while , including titles like Ready Player One and The Martian. If you enjoyed the nerdiness and sarcastic humor in those books , you'll enjoy Resurgence as well. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
As a huge MMO fan, this book had me from the start, capturing the very essence of mmo gaming perfectly. From the player interactions to the in-game quests and grinding, I'm reminded of some of the best hours of my gaming life. The build up of the evil lurking in the background is subtle, and often takes a backseat to the gaming aspect of the story, which serves to help you build a stronger bond with the hero and his companions. Easily one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while , including titles like Ready Player One and The Martian. If you enjoyed the nerdiness and sarcastic humor in those books , you'll enjoy Resurgence as well. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
August 16, 2016
Real World Thriller + LitRPG Fun!
Awesome new entry into the LitRPG field! A great MC who is as great a tactician as he is a player along with an incredibly well fleshed out team of side characters whose interactions throughout the novel had me laughing out loud many, many times heh.
Pair these great LitRPG elements with the threads of real world sinister happenings and you've got yourself a fantastic new novel in a series that I'm very much looking forward to reading more of!
Highly recommended to all in the LitRPG genre, bring on the next one!
Awesome new entry into the LitRPG field! A great MC who is as great a tactician as he is a player along with an incredibly well fleshed out team of side characters whose interactions throughout the novel had me laughing out loud many, many times heh.
Pair these great LitRPG elements with the threads of real world sinister happenings and you've got yourself a fantastic new novel in a series that I'm very much looking forward to reading more of!
Highly recommended to all in the LitRPG genre, bring on the next one!
October 29, 2016
I'm really enjoying these non-translated series that are popping up in the LitRPG genre.
Much like Ascend Online the main character works with a team, with primary focus on team growth, which is awesome all things considered.
The story flows really well with food character development and world building. The consistency across the board on the magic and levelling system is really nice as well.
Someone already mentioned in the reviews about the ending feeling rushed and I would agree as well. It does detract from that part of the story but I can forgive this over cliffhangers.
Much like Ascend Online the main character works with a team, with primary focus on team growth, which is awesome all things considered.
The story flows really well with food character development and world building. The consistency across the board on the magic and levelling system is really nice as well.
Someone already mentioned in the reviews about the ending feeling rushed and I would agree as well. It does detract from that part of the story but I can forgive this over cliffhangers.
September 5, 2016
Pretty good book. The only downside to me was that for some reason to me the pace in some parts of the book was too slow or all over the place. Could be only me as stated by other readers to too much game mechanics information. Maybe space more the game info dumps?
Still I recommend to read it
Still I recommend to read it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews