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The Pen is Mightier #1
The Pen is Mightier
What if anything you wrote became true?
When an angry midget at a traveling carnival promises Roger something that could change his life, he never thought it would come in the form of a magic pen.
Now, anything the introverted college student writes becomes true, and with its power, he'll finally be able to take revenge on the bullies who have tormented him over the years.
There's just one problem. A group of assassins will do anything to get the pen, he accidentally made a entire squad of dancers into slaves, and his best friend somehow got an all-powerful mech.
Maybe that's three problems, but either way, Roger might just find out that the pen is mightier.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A GRAPHIC STORY FEATURING HOT SEX, A DUDE WHO HAS A MAGIC PEN, AWESOME WEAPONS, VIOLENCE, NON-VIOLENCE, MORE SEX, A HAREM, CHEERLEADERS, STRIPPERS, NINJAS, ASSASSINS, MURDER, MORE SEX, GAMBLING, HELICOPTER EXPLOSIONS, A BITCHY BOSS, MECHS, A BULLY WHO GETS WHAT IS COMING TO HIM, AND AN MC WHO STRUGGLES WITH TRYING TO BE A GOOD PERSON WHILE HAVING ULTIMATE POWER. DO THE MATH, PLEASE.
When an angry midget at a traveling carnival promises Roger something that could change his life, he never thought it would come in the form of a magic pen.
Now, anything the introverted college student writes becomes true, and with its power, he'll finally be able to take revenge on the bullies who have tormented him over the years.
There's just one problem. A group of assassins will do anything to get the pen, he accidentally made a entire squad of dancers into slaves, and his best friend somehow got an all-powerful mech.
Maybe that's three problems, but either way, Roger might just find out that the pen is mightier.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A GRAPHIC STORY FEATURING HOT SEX, A DUDE WHO HAS A MAGIC PEN, AWESOME WEAPONS, VIOLENCE, NON-VIOLENCE, MORE SEX, A HAREM, CHEERLEADERS, STRIPPERS, NINJAS, ASSASSINS, MURDER, MORE SEX, GAMBLING, HELICOPTER EXPLOSIONS, A BITCHY BOSS, MECHS, A BULLY WHO GETS WHAT IS COMING TO HIM, AND AN MC WHO STRUGGLES WITH TRYING TO BE A GOOD PERSON WHILE HAVING ULTIMATE POWER. DO THE MATH, PLEASE.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2017
406 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
J.A. Cipriano
92 books585 followersWhen New York Times Bestselling author, J. A. Cipriano was in second grade, his teacher gave everyone in class a journal to write down whatever they wanted. Their first subject was to write about something they didn’t like. J. A. chose to write about why he didn’t like writing. His reasoning was simple. He had bad handwriting. Even then, he was destined to be an engineer due to his messy scrawl.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
Unfortunately, he found through the course of this little adventure that he actually liked writing. That year was sort of the high point for his writing career because he won a writing contest for the state. He got to go to a big dinner and his teacher was all dressed up.
He kept writing little stories, year after year, and in sixth grade, won another contest. In seventh grade, he broke his arm and got the cast signed by both Dean Koontz and Stan Lee. It is, by far, the coolest cast he’s owned. That was about the time he found video games and anime. His writing turned mostly toward fanfiction until about ninth grade when he wrote his first novel, a small book about twenty thousand words called Revelations. In sophomore year, he wrote two more books to complete the trilogy because he saw Star Wars that year and learned trilogies were the cool thing to do.
He rewrote Revelations during his senior year, and his wife swears it is the best thing he’s written. J.A. is not so sure. Every time he reads it, he cringes, but then again, he hates everything he writes, so there is that.
It was about that time, he got heavily involved in a fanfiction writing group, but that isn’t one hundred percent accurate. It was a world based on a popular anime but everything was created especially for this world. It made it so that every story someone wrote was unique.
Imagine writing a Star Wars novel set 1,000 years after A New Hope, where everything that happened was a distant memory and you get the idea. You have the force, some distant memories of the past, and that’s pretty much it.
He wrote about a million words (863K to be exact) for them before he decided to do his own thing. He wrote another novel. He put it in a drawer. He wrote another one that eventually became the basis for The Hatter is Mad. His next novel was Kill It With Magic, his first real novel. It’s not bad, but it’s bumpy. This is unfortunate because the books get loads better as the series progresses.
Since then, he’s written six more novels, four of which are in the Lillim Callina Series, and one in the Abby Banks series. The other is stuck in a drawer for time undetermined. He’s writing his next book now which is about werewolves fighting mummies in Ancient Egypt. After that, he will move onto Abby Banks 2. The Spy Within will come out in June or July.
J.A. also has three chinchillas. Two of them are grey, and because of this, they are named Slate and Cadmium. The third is named Jet because he’s black, and Jet is old English for black. See, creative. He also has a cat named Turtle. This does pose problems for his two-year-old from time to time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 15, 2018
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
My thoughts are pretty mixed on this book. I decided to give it a try because the premise sounded really entertaining and I am a huge fan of the narrator. It was a pretty easy listen that seemed to move pretty quickly. It ended up being an okay book for me.
Roger starts off the book having a rather bad day. I actually liked down on his luck Roger that seemed to be doing his best just to get by on a daily basis. He is given the task to delivering a sandwich to the carnival and leaves with a magic pen. I love the idea of a magic pen. You can write something down and it (usually) comes true. Just think about what you could do with that. Need a couple of zeroes added to your paycheck? Or maybe just write your own winning lottery ticket? You get the idea how great this could be and watching Roger try to figure out what he could do with it was fun at first.
I started to have some issues with the story when the pen started causing women to fall all over themselves to be with Roger. I don't consider myself to be a prude and I don't mind sex in books. In fact, I usually like it when it is done well. The sex in this book caused me to do some major eye rolling. I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters and it didn't strengthen any relationships. It was more on the ridiculous side of things. There was also the little issue that none of the sex would have happened without the pen. I can't say that Roger controlled the women because he did not write that they would have sex with him but there was a real fine line.
Luke Daniels did an awesome job with this book. Honestly, I am not completely sure that I would have finished the book without his voice encouraging me to keep going. He handled a lot of different characters and some crazy scenes with ease and really kept the book fun.
I thought that the concept and exploring the limits of the pen were incredibly interesting and fun at times. I think that maybe I am not the right audience for this book. I think that this book may work a lot better for other readers so you may want to give it a try if it sounds interesting to you. I don't think that I will be continuing with the series myself.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author via Audiobook Boom.
Initial Thoughts
The narration was wonderful and the concept of the story was interesting. I did think that the magic pen always being the key to sex got old quickly. I don't mind sex in books. In fact, I like it but something about how it was used in this story felt off to me. I did spend a whole lot of time wondering what I would choices I would make with a magic pen. This was an okay listen but I don't think I will be continuing with the series.
My thoughts are pretty mixed on this book. I decided to give it a try because the premise sounded really entertaining and I am a huge fan of the narrator. It was a pretty easy listen that seemed to move pretty quickly. It ended up being an okay book for me.
Roger starts off the book having a rather bad day. I actually liked down on his luck Roger that seemed to be doing his best just to get by on a daily basis. He is given the task to delivering a sandwich to the carnival and leaves with a magic pen. I love the idea of a magic pen. You can write something down and it (usually) comes true. Just think about what you could do with that. Need a couple of zeroes added to your paycheck? Or maybe just write your own winning lottery ticket? You get the idea how great this could be and watching Roger try to figure out what he could do with it was fun at first.
I started to have some issues with the story when the pen started causing women to fall all over themselves to be with Roger. I don't consider myself to be a prude and I don't mind sex in books. In fact, I usually like it when it is done well. The sex in this book caused me to do some major eye rolling. I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters and it didn't strengthen any relationships. It was more on the ridiculous side of things. There was also the little issue that none of the sex would have happened without the pen. I can't say that Roger controlled the women because he did not write that they would have sex with him but there was a real fine line.
Luke Daniels did an awesome job with this book. Honestly, I am not completely sure that I would have finished the book without his voice encouraging me to keep going. He handled a lot of different characters and some crazy scenes with ease and really kept the book fun.
I thought that the concept and exploring the limits of the pen were incredibly interesting and fun at times. I think that maybe I am not the right audience for this book. I think that this book may work a lot better for other readers so you may want to give it a try if it sounds interesting to you. I don't think that I will be continuing with the series myself.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author via Audiobook Boom.
Initial Thoughts
The narration was wonderful and the concept of the story was interesting. I did think that the magic pen always being the key to sex got old quickly. I don't mind sex in books. In fact, I like it but something about how it was used in this story felt off to me. I did spend a whole lot of time wondering what I would choices I would make with a magic pen. This was an okay listen but I don't think I will be continuing with the series.
February 9, 2018
The Pen Is Mightier
By: J. A. Cipriano
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a fun book where a college guy with a low paying job, barely making bills or his grades, and seems life is dumping on him at every step. Then he ends up with a magic pen. Every thing he writes with it, most things anyway, it happens. Next thing he knows he is in deep trouble from too much of a good thing and some one is after his pen. It is a fun read and you just never know what he is going to ask for! The narrator is wonderful and keeps the flow of the book going perfect. The voices are perfect! Men, women, emotions, timing, it is all wonderfully done! Great job!!!
By: J. A. Cipriano
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This is a fun book where a college guy with a low paying job, barely making bills or his grades, and seems life is dumping on him at every step. Then he ends up with a magic pen. Every thing he writes with it, most things anyway, it happens. Next thing he knows he is in deep trouble from too much of a good thing and some one is after his pen. It is a fun read and you just never know what he is going to ask for! The narrator is wonderful and keeps the flow of the book going perfect. The voices are perfect! Men, women, emotions, timing, it is all wonderfully done! Great job!!!
November 5, 2023
This book was a whim purchase because I found the premise intriguing. What would you do if you had a pen that brought to reality anything you could write with it? The most obvious thing to come to mind is, “My lottery ticket wins the jackpot.” But just winning the lottery would not make for a very interesting story so I was glad to see that Cipriano took the concept and ran with it. I was also glad to see that his hero had morals that kept him from simply becoming a self-serving jerk. So yes, he makes himself great in bed, and super attractive to women, but he also pays off peoples’ student loans and makes cancer treatments more effective. (Apparently there are limits to the pen and simply curing cancer was beyond them.) There’s a lot of action in this novel, and watching the hero find creative ways to get out of trouble kept my attention, but ultimately, it was him dealing with the ethical dilemmas that came with his power that were the most interesting aspect of the novel.
December 7, 2017
This is the first book in a new series. Roger is a very poor college student, and he doesn’t know how he is going to continue making ends meet. Making a late-night delivery to a carnival, he’s involved in an explosion that changes his life. He comes into possession of a magic pen, a pen that makes wishes come true, and his problems seem to be solved. But he isn’t the only one that knows about his magic pen, and soon he’s being pursued. Will he find out what’s going on before it’s too late and he loses his new pen and his life? First off, I am a huge fan of Mr. Cipriano, and this book just exemplifies why: this book was fun and full of action! I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Was it a little cheesy? Yes, it was. Was it a little sophomoric? Yes, it was. But, you know what? It was a great deal of fun! The book was well-written, had some great action, and had some really great characters, especially the protagonist. If you like light, fun, urban fantasy, give this one a try; I can’t recommend it enough! Thanks to the author for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
February 12, 2018
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER was a book I picked up because it was consistently recommended alongside my books and I was interested in picking it up as a result. It's basically a very enjoyable sex comedy where a goofball acquires a magic pen that grants him whatever he writes with it. Soon, he's banging his boss, his guidance counselor, and a cheerleader down the road. The questionable consent of the pen's power is innate to the story, though the author states he's not making the women fall for him via mind control but just making himself irresistibly sexy. Splitting hairs perhaps but at least some acknowledgement of the issue. Which, fine, no problems there--I knew what I was getting into when I picked up the book.
The book hits a speed bump when it suddenly becomes about him acquiring a harem of Las Vegas hookers and being attacked by an army under an evil pen user that requires him to write his way into being Jason Bourne. Honestly, I think the story would have been more interesting if they'd kept it grounded and the problem is our protagonist's "best friend" (who is a real piece of work) encourages him to exploit the pen with far less tact. Weirdly, despite being there primarily to be male fantasies, I also liked the characters of the first three love interests. They're sexier because they have personalities versus being pure scoring system fodder.
Sadly, that gets tossed out when he becomes a Bond villain. Mind you, I do like the book's first three quarters and the idea of a "sexy Deathnote."
The book hits a speed bump when it suddenly becomes about him acquiring a harem of Las Vegas hookers and being attacked by an army under an evil pen user that requires him to write his way into being Jason Bourne. Honestly, I think the story would have been more interesting if they'd kept it grounded and the problem is our protagonist's "best friend" (who is a real piece of work) encourages him to exploit the pen with far less tact. Weirdly, despite being there primarily to be male fantasies, I also liked the characters of the first three love interests. They're sexier because they have personalities versus being pure scoring system fodder.
Sadly, that gets tossed out when he becomes a Bond villain. Mind you, I do like the book's first three quarters and the idea of a "sexy Deathnote."
January 13, 2018
I only got a few pages into this book, and honestly didn't even get to the part where he gets the pen.
The main character seems to be a bitter, 'woe-is-me' stereotype, who is apparently gifted with incredible control over his life because the universe recognises his inherent awesomeness.
I'll be avoiding this author in the future.
The main character seems to be a bitter, 'woe-is-me' stereotype, who is apparently gifted with incredible control over his life because the universe recognises his inherent awesomeness.
I'll be avoiding this author in the future.
May 5, 2018
This was my first book by the author. It was an interesting read with a great plot line. It is a genre normally out of what I read but I enjoyed it. Would read more books by the author
February 14, 2018
Overall, this book felt like a teenage boy living out his fantasies from cover to cover; plenty of somewhat uninformed sex scenes, grandiose purchases, and hormones - it was a quick, wily little read, but that's about it.
February 10, 2018
Started out like most books by this author and those like him, who usually write Litrpgs. Sad young man, bad with girls, gets lucky. In this case he find a pen that warps reality to a point. It also comes with the same problems.
For the first 3/4 of the book its reality OK story, with some questionable actions by MC. Like when he gets revenge on his boss by sending in a camera crew to catch him with his pants down when he is getting a blowjob by one of his employees after dramatically quitting his job; the problem; the problem with this is that it was just mentioned before that the girl is horrible at her job and only kept it because of her relationship with boss, while professional questionable wrong her felling were not considered it was even mentioned that she was comfortable and consenting to this; what does she do.
I may be thinking to hard on this one off event, this is not a serious tale at all.
Another problem it carries from other litrpg is asshole MCs, even when they are in the right. He started expressing feeling of deep rage at every slight, his lovers are gungho with murder and torture.
Another problem is the enemy is said to be a century old and has people who killed several Pen holders before him, yet he easily wins. He talking all macho like "you know I'm going to kill you right" and "I'm going to kill everyone in this room"; knowing that he is facing a penbearer who is trying to set a trap for and has hostages. He has been at this for less that a week.
Oh and there are mechsuits and the girls become special forces ninja and such.
This book could have been 4/5 if did not feel the need, like all such books, to become some epic tale. The seeds were there, it started with him getting amazing powers, using it to get girls to like him, then to do right thing by healing the sick and paying of peoples debt, he wondered about the morality of what he was doing and testing the limits of his power. Most importantly he realized he was getting bored, he could achieve almost anything without effort. The girls were interesting as lovers; but they turned into the usual 'battle babe'. 'Battle babes' feels like caution by authors with very sexual stories; yeah MC has a harem, but its them who are demanding a harem, and the can kick ass! See!
For the first 3/4 of the book its reality OK story, with some questionable actions by MC. Like when he gets revenge on his boss by sending in a camera crew to catch him with his pants down when he is getting a blowjob by one of his employees after dramatically quitting his job; the problem; the problem with this is that it was just mentioned before that the girl is horrible at her job and only kept it because of her relationship with boss, while professional questionable wrong her felling were not considered it was even mentioned that she was comfortable and consenting to this; what does she do.
I may be thinking to hard on this one off event, this is not a serious tale at all.
Another problem it carries from other litrpg is asshole MCs, even when they are in the right. He started expressing feeling of deep rage at every slight, his lovers are gungho with murder and torture.
Another problem is the enemy is said to be a century old and has people who killed several Pen holders before him, yet he easily wins. He talking all macho like "you know I'm going to kill you right" and "I'm going to kill everyone in this room"; knowing that he is facing a penbearer who is trying to set a trap for and has hostages. He has been at this for less that a week.
Oh and there are mechsuits and the girls become special forces ninja and such.
This book could have been 4/5 if did not feel the need, like all such books, to become some epic tale. The seeds were there, it started with him getting amazing powers, using it to get girls to like him, then to do right thing by healing the sick and paying of peoples debt, he wondered about the morality of what he was doing and testing the limits of his power. Most importantly he realized he was getting bored, he could achieve almost anything without effort. The girls were interesting as lovers; but they turned into the usual 'battle babe'. 'Battle babes' feels like caution by authors with very sexual stories; yeah MC has a harem, but its them who are demanding a harem, and the can kick ass! See!
March 11, 2018
The Pen is Mightier than the sword is a fun little book that doesn't take itself too seriously. However, I just couldn't quite gel with this book for a couple of reasons.
The first is that it felt a little clumsy. The way things happen always feels like they have missed out a few steps, always going to the most convenient situation in order to tell the story. It was like the story was jumping from point to point in as quick a way possible without setting anything up properly, which felt a little jarring.
The second reason is a personal preference and the main reason I couldn't click with this book; the rape.
Now, the author goes quite out of his way at one point to try and explain how what the protagonist is doing isn't actually rape... only... it is. If you have a magic anything that will make people who didn't want to sleep with you before suddenly start acting like a cross between a porn star and a teenager's wet-dream, then it just feels like rape. Whichever way you write it, you are making someone who didn't want to sleep with you sleep with you against their will. It's just an image I couldn't get out of my mind and it made me quite uncomfortable reading this book and the reason I couldn't get past the halfway mark.
So overall it is 2 stars for me, though I am sure there are a lot of people out there who will have more fun with it than I did.
The first is that it felt a little clumsy. The way things happen always feels like they have missed out a few steps, always going to the most convenient situation in order to tell the story. It was like the story was jumping from point to point in as quick a way possible without setting anything up properly, which felt a little jarring.
The second reason is a personal preference and the main reason I couldn't click with this book; the rape.
Now, the author goes quite out of his way at one point to try and explain how what the protagonist is doing isn't actually rape... only... it is. If you have a magic anything that will make people who didn't want to sleep with you before suddenly start acting like a cross between a porn star and a teenager's wet-dream, then it just feels like rape. Whichever way you write it, you are making someone who didn't want to sleep with you sleep with you against their will. It's just an image I couldn't get out of my mind and it made me quite uncomfortable reading this book and the reason I couldn't get past the halfway mark.
So overall it is 2 stars for me, though I am sure there are a lot of people out there who will have more fun with it than I did.
January 11, 2018
So this was pretty interesting. I liked the way this rolled out. Dude who's a zero get's an awesome power and has to figure out what he's going to do with it. I like the way that he learned really quickly about the whole "with great power" thingy. He literally had an Uncle Ben moment in this book. Now that's not to say that he's Spider-man wholesome. He has his own demons, but he is two things, hard working and kind at heart. I think that's what makes it a good story. He's the type of person who really could rule the world, but stops and thinks about what he's doing and the potential side effects it could have. I DO like the fact that he can think on his feet. If you look at my highlight's you'll see what I mean. I liked this book a lot and look forward to the next one in the series once it comes out!
December 15, 2017
Creepy
Spoilers here!!!
First thing he did was rewire his boss’s brain so he could have sex with her. It was a super creepy thing to do. Felt more like date rape than consensual since she wasn’t in control any more. The ladies old personality got wiped for the new version. It was such a huge change i nearly got whiplash. He dialed back the personality adjustments after that but it was still a common go to method for the mc.
Spoilers here!!!
First thing he did was rewire his boss’s brain so he could have sex with her. It was a super creepy thing to do. Felt more like date rape than consensual since she wasn’t in control any more. The ladies old personality got wiped for the new version. It was such a huge change i nearly got whiplash. He dialed back the personality adjustments after that but it was still a common go to method for the mc.
March 3, 2018
Horrid waste of time
If you enjoy bad teenage boy fapfiction this book is for you. If not, find something better to do with your time, like scrubbing your eyes with lye and steel wool.
If you enjoy bad teenage boy fapfiction this book is for you. If not, find something better to do with your time, like scrubbing your eyes with lye and steel wool.
February 27, 2018
Stupid fun, a little too heavy on the stupid towards the end.
March 13, 2018
When a college boy gets everything he wants (an audio review)
This book is…
Unique?
Unusual?
Certainly different than anything I have ever read. That being said, I’m always up for something new. If you’ll bear with me, I’m going to start with the things I didn’t like.
First of all, I wasn’t surprised to discover the book was written by a man. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that women were there for anything other than titillation. 6-inch heels are impossible to walk in. Do they sound sexy? Of course. Possible to walk in? No.
Then there are the phrases “huge tits”, “You’re so big. I don’t even know if this is going to fit”, and then “huge tits” again. In fact, until the ultimate showdown, women are hardly wearing any clothes. It’s a young man’s wet dream, but awfully disrespectful of women. And don’t even get me started on the Japanese School Girl outfit. At least the wearer of said clothes was legal.
So why go on about this? Yes, I’m a feminist, but it’s more than that. The gaming culture is very misogynistic and derogatory – often disparaging women and dressing them in skimpy outfits. What game designers, and some writers, forget, is that women make up 50% of the population and are massive consumers of literature of all kinds – including fantasy.
Which brings me back to the plot. It is an interesting premise with, at times, brilliant execution. At other times, I was just rolling my eyes. I wanted to like the book, and I did enjoy the last couple of scenes as well as some in the middle.
Roger, the ‘hero,’ is not a bad guy. His interactions with Gail at the cancer hospital prove that. But then it’s back to being a ‘guy’ and objectifying her. Or what the author believes a ‘guy’ should be. In the end, though, Gail is attracted to him for who he aspires to be.
There were times when that aspiration worked. Moments when Roger showed depth, a caring for others, and the person he could become if he is able to get over his obsession with sex. (And don’t even get me started about the horndog roommate, Marty. He is respectful of Lisa, but still continues to chase tail?!?)
In the action sequence (that bordered on absurd and went on too long), Roger allows the women to prove they are more than pretty faces. At times, I felt like I was in a video game, and I think that will pull in some readers.
I’ll admit I’m fascinated by the character Skye. She is intelligent, thoughtful, able to read people – especially Roger – and quick on her feet. She is autonomous and wants nothing from a man. I am hoping her character will become more fully formed.
The concept of the magic pen is creative and I’m always appreciative of novel concepts. The door has definitely been left open for more books. If Roger uses his power wisely and the women continue to play an important role in this new world order, I will be pleased.
I adore Luke Daniels and his narration was well-done. I will keep listening to him with a smile on my face, and if it’s a J.A. book, while rolling my eyes and snickering all the way.
This book is…
Unique?
Unusual?
Certainly different than anything I have ever read. That being said, I’m always up for something new. If you’ll bear with me, I’m going to start with the things I didn’t like.
First of all, I wasn’t surprised to discover the book was written by a man. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the book that women were there for anything other than titillation. 6-inch heels are impossible to walk in. Do they sound sexy? Of course. Possible to walk in? No.
Then there are the phrases “huge tits”, “You’re so big. I don’t even know if this is going to fit”, and then “huge tits” again. In fact, until the ultimate showdown, women are hardly wearing any clothes. It’s a young man’s wet dream, but awfully disrespectful of women. And don’t even get me started on the Japanese School Girl outfit. At least the wearer of said clothes was legal.
So why go on about this? Yes, I’m a feminist, but it’s more than that. The gaming culture is very misogynistic and derogatory – often disparaging women and dressing them in skimpy outfits. What game designers, and some writers, forget, is that women make up 50% of the population and are massive consumers of literature of all kinds – including fantasy.
Which brings me back to the plot. It is an interesting premise with, at times, brilliant execution. At other times, I was just rolling my eyes. I wanted to like the book, and I did enjoy the last couple of scenes as well as some in the middle.
Roger, the ‘hero,’ is not a bad guy. His interactions with Gail at the cancer hospital prove that. But then it’s back to being a ‘guy’ and objectifying her. Or what the author believes a ‘guy’ should be. In the end, though, Gail is attracted to him for who he aspires to be.
There were times when that aspiration worked. Moments when Roger showed depth, a caring for others, and the person he could become if he is able to get over his obsession with sex. (And don’t even get me started about the horndog roommate, Marty. He is respectful of Lisa, but still continues to chase tail?!?)
In the action sequence (that bordered on absurd and went on too long), Roger allows the women to prove they are more than pretty faces. At times, I felt like I was in a video game, and I think that will pull in some readers.
I’ll admit I’m fascinated by the character Skye. She is intelligent, thoughtful, able to read people – especially Roger – and quick on her feet. She is autonomous and wants nothing from a man. I am hoping her character will become more fully formed.
The concept of the magic pen is creative and I’m always appreciative of novel concepts. The door has definitely been left open for more books. If Roger uses his power wisely and the women continue to play an important role in this new world order, I will be pleased.
I adore Luke Daniels and his narration was well-done. I will keep listening to him with a smile on my face, and if it’s a J.A. book, while rolling my eyes and snickering all the way.
March 26, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book, on one hand it reads like a teenage boys fantasy and on the other hand it is quite funny. If you're prepared to embrace the ridiculous then this book is quite a lot of fun, but if you're looking for logic then this would be a pass.
I was a bit disturbed about the use of the pen on his boss, what he wrote means the sex between them lacks concent by my standard, thankfully he didn't do this with the other women, but the sex didn't really advance anything in the story, it didn't build relationships etc. it was just there to be there.
I know the book is supposed to be over the top and that this is part of what makes it humorous, but for me it went too far, and it didn't feel like there was a purpose behind anything that was happening.
The narrator did a great job with the material, I really liked how he did the character voices and I thought he did a good job of making the book interesting to listen to.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
I was a bit disturbed about the use of the pen on his boss, what he wrote means the sex between them lacks concent by my standard, thankfully he didn't do this with the other women, but the sex didn't really advance anything in the story, it didn't build relationships etc. it was just there to be there.
I know the book is supposed to be over the top and that this is part of what makes it humorous, but for me it went too far, and it didn't feel like there was a purpose behind anything that was happening.
The narrator did a great job with the material, I really liked how he did the character voices and I thought he did a good job of making the book interesting to listen to.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
June 25, 2021
Not my cup of tea.
The book starts off decent enough and was somewhat enjoyable, but as the book continued a decision was made that made me want to drop the book then and there. Nothing that was written here is bad though, it's just that decision made me very angry and I didn't want to read anymore. I don't have a problem with characters that make morally gray decisions or even dark ones, but I do have a problem when the dude becomes a dick. I can get being overly confident and being egotistical after receiving a power like what Roger got, but I didn't like the fact he went from dude who mostly did nice things even when he shouldn't to someone who follows bad ideas because someone tells you too. Jeezus H Mice.
This is the first time where I am dropping a book because I didn't like what the Mc does. It just rubbed me the wrong way, and I hate when people make decisions like that. Nothing against the author, just didn't like the decision.
The book starts off decent enough and was somewhat enjoyable, but as the book continued a decision was made that made me want to drop the book then and there. Nothing that was written here is bad though, it's just that decision made me very angry and I didn't want to read anymore. I don't have a problem with characters that make morally gray decisions or even dark ones, but I do have a problem when the dude becomes a dick. I can get being overly confident and being egotistical after receiving a power like what Roger got, but I didn't like the fact he went from dude who mostly did nice things even when he shouldn't to someone who follows bad ideas because someone tells you too. Jeezus H Mice.
This is the first time where I am dropping a book because I didn't like what the Mc does. It just rubbed me the wrong way, and I hate when people make decisions like that. Nothing against the author, just didn't like the decision.
December 21, 2017
Worth a read... But only just.
Honestly, it wasn't well crafted, or very creative, or very good. The analogy I'll use is that it's like that cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn. If you are looking for a meal, you'll be very disappointed. If you are looking for fresh-popped corn with real butter, you'll be very disappointed. But if all you want is cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn, it serves that need.
Today, I wanted some cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn, so I read this.
Honestly, it wasn't well crafted, or very creative, or very good. The analogy I'll use is that it's like that cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn. If you are looking for a meal, you'll be very disappointed. If you are looking for fresh-popped corn with real butter, you'll be very disappointed. But if all you want is cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn, it serves that need.
Today, I wanted some cheap plastic-packaged cheese popcorn, so I read this.
February 13, 2018
My review is based on the Audiobook. This is a fun story about a young man who possesses a magic pen that grants his almost every wish. I was literally laughing out loud numerous times through out this story. It is very superficial, there is not much back story or character development but it was extremely enjoyable as an easy no think read. The narrator is awesome! His inflections and different voices really brought the story to life. I look forward to seeing where this story goes.
April 13, 2018
Awful
This was recommended to me by Amazon...maybe because I read "Ready Player One"? I dunno, but this is embarrassingly bad to the point that I almost stopped reading it multiple times. U!ultimately it is a childish power fantasy and it's pretty harmless but I think the target audience is lonely high school dudes. I already had a DNF this month so I soldiered on. dumb move for a dumb book.
This was recommended to me by Amazon...maybe because I read "Ready Player One"? I dunno, but this is embarrassingly bad to the point that I almost stopped reading it multiple times. U!ultimately it is a childish power fantasy and it's pretty harmless but I think the target audience is lonely high school dudes. I already had a DNF this month so I soldiered on. dumb move for a dumb book.
April 4, 2019
The Pen is Mightier was a great read by J.A. Cipriano. Roger finds an angry dwarf at a traveling carnival that promises to give him something that will change his life. He gives him a magic pen that will make anything he writes come true. He begins to use this power to take revenge on the people who bullied him. But the power starts to go to his head. There is also a group of assassins that will do anything in order to get the pen. This was a good read by J.A. Cipriano.
December 7, 2017
A great super villain/ hero story!
When you could get almost all that you can imagine, would you only do good things?
Skills to collect, things to see and do, the options are almost endless.
But what if you get bored?
And what are the downsides? Is everything worth it?
I received an advanced reader copy and this is my honest and voluntary review
When you could get almost all that you can imagine, would you only do good things?
Skills to collect, things to see and do, the options are almost endless.
But what if you get bored?
And what are the downsides? Is everything worth it?
I received an advanced reader copy and this is my honest and voluntary review
December 8, 2017
The pen is mightier then the sword or whatever else that can be thrown at it. Roger got a magic pen from a midget and it gained him money, women, cars and many other things plus someone is trying to get the pen back. Good storytelling - what would you do with a magic pen? Fun book to read. I received a complimentary copy of this book.
December 31, 2017
Reads fast
The story moves pretty fast and the characters don’t develop very far. But I think this story was better than the Builder series. There isn’t much explanation about the pens, so I guess there is potential for the storylines to develop but that will have to wait for a sequel.
The story moves pretty fast and the characters don’t develop very far. But I think this story was better than the Builder series. There isn’t much explanation about the pens, so I guess there is potential for the storylines to develop but that will have to wait for a sequel.
January 9, 2018
I liked the story especially the concept. Who does not want a magic pen. I thought what Roger did with the pen was funny. There was a few sex scenes but not nasty ones. They really made me roll my eyes and think MEN. I did like the absurd that randomly showed up too. I thought it was a quick read that entertained me and made me giggle.
January 11, 2018
A fun quick read
Just signed up for Kindle unlimited and got this book pretty much randomly.
An interesting premise, with a lot of fun for twists. A lot of adult situations.
If you were the kind of person that reads time travel books and is annoyed by paradoxes, this is not the book for you. If you’re willing to go along and ride it’s pretty entertaining.
Just signed up for Kindle unlimited and got this book pretty much randomly.
An interesting premise, with a lot of fun for twists. A lot of adult situations.
If you were the kind of person that reads time travel books and is annoyed by paradoxes, this is not the book for you. If you’re willing to go along and ride it’s pretty entertaining.
January 18, 2018
Marginally entertaining
Very much a wish fulfillment story. It has some interesting possibilities but none really get developed in this book and a lot of the action is overdone and relatively juvenile. More could have been done both with plot and character development. An ok read if you have kindle unlimited and read it for free, otherwise it is not worth spending money on.
Very much a wish fulfillment story. It has some interesting possibilities but none really get developed in this book and a lot of the action is overdone and relatively juvenile. More could have been done both with plot and character development. An ok read if you have kindle unlimited and read it for free, otherwise it is not worth spending money on.
February 14, 2018
The Pen is Mightier is a hilarious male fantasy story in which a college geek is able to make his wildest fantasies come true. The book was perhaps a bit to guy oriented for me, but it was still lots of fun. I particularity enjoyed the ending of the story. The narrator of the audiobook is perfect for the story.
Contains language, sexual content, and violence.
Contains language, sexual content, and violence.
March 28, 2018
Ok, this is just a a “quickie” review. Unfortunately, I’m in a hospital and asked my husband to post this since I don’t have the time to do better - even though the book definitely deserves it.
Bottom line: five stars. This was one wonderfully fun novel and definitely recommended. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters.
Bottom line: five stars. This was one wonderfully fun novel and definitely recommended. It had just what I wanted and was well written and with a great plot and great cast of characters.
April 22, 2018
Good as expected. Needs editing
J is a good author, I've learned that from reading many of his books over the past couple of weeks. This one is just as good as I expected, but it suffers from terrible editing. It's not the worst I've ever seen, but there are enough screwed up sentences, typos, and other errors to drive you a bit crazy.
J is a good author, I've learned that from reading many of his books over the past couple of weeks. This one is just as good as I expected, but it suffers from terrible editing. It's not the worst I've ever seen, but there are enough screwed up sentences, typos, and other errors to drive you a bit crazy.
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