Pandora’s Box has been opened. The Pantheon of Emerilia has gone through tremendous changes the event of Myths and Legends suppressed.
Warships now move in the stars, made of soul gem constructs, built by mages and engineers, crewed by those that lived on Emerilia or within Earth’s Simulation.
The Deq’ual system stands with Emerilia, their brothers and sisters, their family and fellow human descendants.
The Jukal Empire will not let Emerilia rise peacefully. As Empires grow, so too can they be toppled. Only one can remain, in their biggest gamble yet, they must pass through the fires of war, Empire against Empire.
Michael Chatfield is a Canadian Army veteran and international bestselling author who writes the kind of books he always wanted to read—character-driven, gritty, tactical, and grounded in reality.
He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).
And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.
With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.
Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.
You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!
Finally it's over, this series went downhill after the 3rd book and the last half was simply awful, but I had to finish it as I did start it and now I'm happy I can walk away. If you've come this far then you probably will want to read this book regardless of what I write, but if you haven't started this series then I would highly recommend you stay away. With writing such as "the creatures, some in the shape of humanoids, some in the shape of creatures" - wtf does this even mean? Battle scenes that reach their peak when people suddenly start fighting harder than before are drawn out and copy/pasted from previous battle scenes with only the characters names changing makes this series painful to read.
I have rarely felt the deep sense of relief and satisfaction in finishing a book series as I did with this series. If I could load all 11 books into a text editor and search for:
"Seems
(Open quotation mark immediately followed by the word seems.)
I would probably find that every single character has started some dialog with the word seems. All dialog mannerisms appear to be the same between all of the characters, whether an Earth-born "gamer" dwarf or an Emerilia-born Elf, a previously exiled Demon lord, or a member of the race controlling the game of Emerilia, the dialog and mannerisms are pretty much identical.
I must also add a true statement and say that the word true is overused. Does this mean that all other such statements or feeling are false? I realize he's going for emphasis, but the fact that the emphasis is always the same approach became tiresome.
I am relieved and satisfied because I can finally move on to other books.
Three ways this series could be improved:
1. Give characters individual mannerisms (beyond their sexual preference). Steve is about the only one that stands out.
2. Fix dialog so different people speak in different ways. (I could swear when we first met Alkao, he had a more stiff and formal way of talking. I treasured that because it was different. Maybe it was a different character. That was about 8 or 9 books ago, so I don't recall for sure if it was him.)
3. Can they lose a battle of some kind? I mean, that very first big battle way back in book 2 or so I think was about the only time they lost but they still kind of one. I get that it was rough to loose characters back then, but our heroes literally out-powered every single opponent eventually even if you built about the antagonist to the point we were sure it was going to be bad for our heroes, but they won anyway.
oh dear, this series, while i thoroughly enjoyed it, i had to knock this book down to 4 stars. It would have been 5's across the board, if the entire battle that i had been looking forward to, that all the past 3 books had been building up for, lasted what felt like half a chapter.
Maybe if he had gone into more detail about the battle just like he did with the past 3 books about all the damn gems, and runes, and portals, and building this an that, an power oh the power. All of that was laid out in great detail over 3 books. The battle should have been the same.
+10 to truthful reviews +10 to honesty Gained class - Truthful reviewer
Although the further i went along the story the less i liked it, am still glad i have finished. The space is not my thing and it was a space story In the last few books and less litrpg-ish... still, the end was good.. but who dahell is Mike?
At the end of this series and I am pleased to say that on the whole I really enjoyed it. More than this, it is one of the most consistent series of books I have ever read. By that, I don't mean that it was consistently good, more that what was good was always good, and what was bad was always bad. Let me explain...
The world-building of this series is what has kept me coming back time and again. I loved spending time with Dave as he is putting that big brain of his to good use and inventing his way towards victory. That inventiveness and focus on intellect over muscle was what made this series fresh for me and was never boring no matter how much I read of it.
The action on the other hand has always been a major let down. The problem is that I have never cared. We established fairly early on that the main threat was the Jukal empire and therefore anything not dealing what that felt like pointless time-wasting as it didn't ever really lead anywhere...
In fact, that perfectly summarises my feelings for this series. I have loved every moment of it that makes meaningful steps towards the eventual goal of overthrowing the Jukal, as this is the point of the story in the first place. It feels like everything else was just shoved in there because the author was afraid that invention and world-building weren't interesting enough to carry the story on its own. All I say to that is that I wish this author had more trust in the characters he created, the world he was building, and his readers to not be brainless idiots who just needed to see things chopped up with a sword.
Does this mean there shouldn't have been any action? Of course not. Using magic and fighting is one of the exciting elements of this series whenever it was used correctly. However, fighting for the sake of fighting is, and always will be, boring to the extreme.
I feel like I'm going on a rant here and I really don't mean to. I really enjoyed these books. They were great easy reads/listens that ate up the hours of some long-distance Christmas driving. I enjoyed my time reading them and for the most part, I can highly recommend this series. Yes, the action gets tedious from time to time, but everything else makes up for it.
Overall, it's a 4-star series and I look forward to other books this author produces in the future.
To fans of the series - this is the best book yet (technically). To newcomers - go enjoy the other books, hopefully second editions will come out that make the books a bit 'easier' to read. To the author - I knew you could do it! Keep up the good work and perhaps release edition 2.0 of the past novels!?
Onwards to the review: I'll start stating that this is the last book in the series (apparently). The author does a great job of wrapping the story up in a bow and even delivers on an aspect at the end that the romantics have been waiting for. The best thing about this book and what makes it the best in the series to me is that the book is finished. As in edited, gone over, put together, no repeated paragraphs or unfinished sentences. Basically, the author took the time, got an editor to go over it a few times for him and finally fixed what the other books were infamous for: being version 1.0/1.5 and not a truly finished draft.
Because of that this is my favorite. While I actually enjoy the content of some of the other books more, the fact that this one is a finished draft really settles it for me. The battle parts are still good, the science is still fun (although I was sad to see that there is less as everything wraps up) and you even get to find out who that snarky AI is. *nope, not telling, read*
All in all this is a great LitRPG series. It has a fantastic answer to the question of why the 'game' exists - because you're "real life" is a simulation and you've been raised to be a gamer and fight as the galaxies greatest gladiators. Not to mention the magic is great. The fighting is cool, the science while loopy makes sense and those are some of the funniest parts to read. And there is romance as well. Only sad that Malasour didn't find a romantic partner... but then, he is a king - and a dragon.
I really enjoyed this series, though the power creep became a little crazy at times and some battles a little tedious, overall it was very good and enjoyable. Not to mention that it is actually complete, and resolved.
I initially was a little weary of this book, partly because I listened to it right after the previous book which tends to burn cause me to burn out on series for a while but it came to a satisfying conclusion and I enjoyed it.
The bad: I didn't care for the battles, I felt I knew what was going to happen and just wanted to move the story along. That said, I tried to think of ways to write the book without them and I couldn't, plus some of these epic battles are the payoffs that people have been expecting for most of the series. So not my cup of tea but not terrible on a whole. This book probably could have been edited down a little but so could most books.
The good: The resolutions, I feel were very good, everything got wrapped up nicely enough, the characters good a good send off without the author having to resort to hand waving away the problems. The very last bit really convinced me to write this review because I like it so much, that last paragraph or so (probably, I don't know, I listened to it).
I don't know if I'll read more of Michael Chatfield, I have a lot I'm currently reading, but I won't rule it out.
I'm glad I read Emerilia, I'm glad I met Dave and got to go along on this adventure with him and his friends. Thank you Michael Chatfield
This book was a great end to the series. I had a really good time reading through the series. The characters were interesting and likable as long as they weren't in the role of a villain. This book reminded me a bit of military scifi with hints of LitRPG more than just your average LitRPG book. The series really distinguished itself from other books in the series the more the series went on, but it even started out unique.
Although the story for this series is over, I feel like there could easily be a series that takes place in the same universe. Either something could happen with one of the known alien species after the events of this book, or a new alien species could be encountered that leads to new stories. Mostly though, I just enjoyed this series so much that I want more story in this universe despite having already read 11 books. I wish Michael Chatfield the best of luck with whatever he writes next though.
After reading some of Michael's other series I started to read Emerilia book 1. That was a mistake because I have had to read them all. Loved ever minute of the each book. The character growth and the humour, the blend of fantasy and science every thing was great.
You may ask why did you only give it 4 stars, well the last few books had minor spelling issues, some small inconsistencies that I only noticed because I had read them close together . I will get around to making a list and send it to the author.
I suggest that you all read the whole series buy the books and buy them for your friends as well.
While I enjoyed the escapism of this story through eleven books, I got more and more frustrated with the crummy editing (how many ways can one overuse “different” and its various and multiple relatives?). I was also a little surprised or disappointed that this shifted from the crunchy litRPG stuff into jumping past the crunch and just pausing once in a while to talk about levels and character stats. Maybe that’s just a personal preference, but if you are going to talk the numbers, then there should be obvious progression and calculable numbers.
love child of I shall seal the heavens and reality benders.
Yikes, and wow… that was a lot. Great story, good plot, and I hope you like obscure cultural references and hidden dwarf puns. That said, there are major issues. Entire sections of chapters in the series are unfinished, double-typed, unprocessed, unedited, and formatted incorrectly. Some issues with plot vs previously given information. Reads like an action thriller, because it is. Good series, hope for more editing before you release a book in the future, Mr. Chatfield.
Glad to have finished the series. This last book was just cleanup, but it does finish the series quite handily, and that's a good thing. Not as many typos and errors in this one, so that's good too. Not sad that the series is done, it ended before it could get drawn out anymore, and that too is a good thing. Overall, I enjoyed the series, and would recommend it to others, just with the proviso that it could be better with more editing, but it is worth the read.
I truly, truly enjoyed this series. I had not thought that I would enjoy a rpg series so much, but I did. There some distractions, such as typographical errors and other editing issues, so four stars. I was sad that Malsour and Jung Lee did not find partners, but that is a minor matter. Would have also liked to have some more information regarding some of the other characters, but overall good job.
This book, and series is one of the few that you wish you were able to rate higher than 5 stars because it was just so fantastic. A masterful blend of scifi, fantasy, magic, tech, amazing characters, a storyline that ranks as one of the best I've come across, all combine into a series that I'll be judging all future books against.
This book it great, this whole entire series was amazing with a greaplot and characters. If recently finished book 8 I think of the 10 realms and I've come to realize that this series isnt the only good thing the author had written. I've come to realize that this author it great and if this standard of writing continues, everything this author write will be great.
A 3.5 and finally done. I admit it was a slog after the first few books, but as others have noted, I felt compelled to finish it. This really should have been 5 or 6 books, as they are VERY full of excessive drawn-out battle scenes and descriptions of tech and production processes. If you like that sort of thing you'll enjoy this. Likewise, if you made it this far you may as well finish the series.
Yeh, I think, in the end, I really enjoyed this series. I absolutely loved the premise Chatfield came up with, and think he definitely drew this to a very nice conclusion.
The battles were epic and character development was great. I also appreciate that he didn't draw this thing out longer than it needed to be. Excellent conclusion to a wonderful series.
I have read the complete series. It was captivating. I loved how the characters showed real progression and growth. I also loved how he didnt leave loose ends and tied up all the story. Definitely on my reread list. Enjoyed just sitting and reading. Thanks Mike!
This last book in the series had a lot of action a lot of fighting and battles and it had a lot of excitement and I even had a little bit of romance and a little bit and humor here and there. All in all for me it was a great series and I'm sorry to see it and but I had a good time.
As someone new to LitRPG, I was pleasantly surprised with how fun it can be when you have the right author. I loved the action, fun and humor that filled every story in this series. Best of all were the many well- rounded characters, their relationships and growth all went through. Thank you so much Mike. Can't wait to read more.
I have totally enjoyed this series. I love the flow of the story and characters. I felt immersed in this universe. I envisioned the people and places and watched their lives unfold!
I will definitely be looking for more by Michael Chatfield. He is a masterful spinner of tales!
All I can say is wow. This was one of the most well written and amazing closes to a series I have ever read. It is on par with to wet jordan in my books.
My hat's off to michael in this thrilling close to a epic series. It is definitely a must read
This title felt non stop action and conflict. It was a good end to a fun series and I enjoyed every moment of every book. I was drawn into this series by the first audiobook and had to keep going.
A fitting finish to the series. I did run across some errors in the book, more than you normally get from a book in this series. I did enjoy the series overall and can recommend the entire thing to others that enjoy a good scify or fantasy book.
Eleven books and one wild ride. With a Matrix setting, a solid litrpg series. Started solidly Fantasy and ended on the sci-fi. A true pleasure. Thanks for the many hours of entertainment.
Once again I was enthralled with the Emerillia universe. The writing is great and Chatfield is a great storyteller. I am just saddened to see the conclusion to this saga.
A exciting and fun way to wrap up one of my favorite series, funny, action packed with excellent characters and no unnecessary plot. A pleasure to read.
The end of this series couldn't have been better done. Highly recommend to anyone else who wants to laugh, cry, and generally fall in love with a world and it's characters!
I liked this series. Sometimes the jokes were cheery, or the characters were over emotional, and there wasn't much in the way of deep character drama. But the story was engaging and had the perfect mix of science fiction and fantasy.