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Ascend Online #2
Legacy of the Fallen
Fresh off their victory over Graves and his followers, Marcus and his friends have managed to enjoy a few weeks of relative calm and peace as they continue to build Aldford, preparing the town for a new wave of settlers coming from Eberia. But as the days wear on with no new arrivals in sight, they begin to fear the worse, eventually setting out to search for their promised reinforcements and soon realizing that they weren’t as alone on the frontier as they thought they were.
Just managing to rescue a caravan of settlers in the nick of time from a horde of bandits, Marcus and the rest of Virtus barely have a chance to catch their breath before they find themselves thrust into the middle of Eberian politics, revealing a plot that threatens to not only take away their hard-won independence.
But to destroy Aldford completely.
Just managing to rescue a caravan of settlers in the nick of time from a horde of bandits, Marcus and the rest of Virtus barely have a chance to catch their breath before they find themselves thrust into the middle of Eberian politics, revealing a plot that threatens to not only take away their hard-won independence.
But to destroy Aldford completely.
853 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
1491 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Luke Chmilenko
40 books1,568 followersBorn in 1987, Luke Chmilenko grew up in the city of Mississauga, Ontario spending the majority of his life within the city. Always a fan of writing and storytelling, Luke continuously wrote small short stories over the years, but never embarked on writing a full novel until much later in life, thinking it was something beyond his ability.
With his interesting in writing waxing and waning as the years passed, Luke focused on his studies, eventually finding a job in the field of IT Security and working between various jobs for several years. It wasn't until after he was married and with his wife's encouragement that he finally decided to try writing a novel, this time deciding to focus on a new genre that he had just discovered called LitRPG.
Diving into his work, Luke wrote his first book over the course of several months, releasing the book as a web serial chapter by chapter for free online, garnering valuable feedback and confidence from his readers. By the time Luke finished his first book and published it on amazon, he already had a hungry audience waiting for next installation, to which he immediately threw himself into working tirelessly at his newfound passion.
Today, Luke now writes full time with his wife and two cats in their Burlington home, working away on his next issue of his Ascend Online series and a brand new science fiction series named Starfall.
Books of Ascend Online:
Ascend Online (Book 1) (2016)
Ascend Online: Hell to Pay (Book 1.5) (2017)
Ascend Online: Legacy of the Fallen (Book 2) (2018)
Ascend Online: Glory to the Brave (Book 3) (Forthcoming 2019)
Books of Starfall:
Starfall (Book 1) (Forthcoming 2019)
With his interesting in writing waxing and waning as the years passed, Luke focused on his studies, eventually finding a job in the field of IT Security and working between various jobs for several years. It wasn't until after he was married and with his wife's encouragement that he finally decided to try writing a novel, this time deciding to focus on a new genre that he had just discovered called LitRPG.
Diving into his work, Luke wrote his first book over the course of several months, releasing the book as a web serial chapter by chapter for free online, garnering valuable feedback and confidence from his readers. By the time Luke finished his first book and published it on amazon, he already had a hungry audience waiting for next installation, to which he immediately threw himself into working tirelessly at his newfound passion.
Today, Luke now writes full time with his wife and two cats in their Burlington home, working away on his next issue of his Ascend Online series and a brand new science fiction series named Starfall.
Books of Ascend Online:
Ascend Online (Book 1) (2016)
Ascend Online: Hell to Pay (Book 1.5) (2017)
Ascend Online: Legacy of the Fallen (Book 2) (2018)
Ascend Online: Glory to the Brave (Book 3) (Forthcoming 2019)
Books of Starfall:
Starfall (Book 1) (Forthcoming 2019)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
March 3, 2022
"I'm terrified of giant bugs in general."
Legacy of the Fallen follows in the footsteps of original Ascend Online, but this time focusing a lot more on base-building, politics and dungeon hunting aspects. I think Chmilenko has chosen very smartly when it comes to the overall directions of the story, since that normal repetitive feeling we get with LitRPG's not being here at all.
And speaking of the dungeon, it's not the conventional one level to next lower model we always see but an intuitive tiered cavern with an interesting layout. The author is still not omitting those detailed fight sequences, going down to even the smallest of movements, to paint some vivid battles.
With ever increasing population in our small settlement, the politics, and the usual bag of troubles that comes with it, has taken a major part of this book. For me, this was a welcome addition, along with a good amount of base-building put in to the mix.
The group of characters are finally starting to make sense, and it's no longer as overwhelming as it was with the first book. Being a first person narrative, the protagonist obviously have to come in contact with each other for them to appear in the first place, but Chmilenko has gotten better at dividing them up to several parties depending on their builds for easier character development.
Based on the first two books, I expect plenty of great things down the line. The author will hopefully be able to keep them coming at regular intervals.
"When in doubt, add AEther."
Legacy of the Fallen follows in the footsteps of original Ascend Online, but this time focusing a lot more on base-building, politics and dungeon hunting aspects. I think Chmilenko has chosen very smartly when it comes to the overall directions of the story, since that normal repetitive feeling we get with LitRPG's not being here at all.
And speaking of the dungeon, it's not the conventional one level to next lower model we always see but an intuitive tiered cavern with an interesting layout. The author is still not omitting those detailed fight sequences, going down to even the smallest of movements, to paint some vivid battles.
With ever increasing population in our small settlement, the politics, and the usual bag of troubles that comes with it, has taken a major part of this book. For me, this was a welcome addition, along with a good amount of base-building put in to the mix.
The group of characters are finally starting to make sense, and it's no longer as overwhelming as it was with the first book. Being a first person narrative, the protagonist obviously have to come in contact with each other for them to appear in the first place, but Chmilenko has gotten better at dividing them up to several parties depending on their builds for easier character development.
Based on the first two books, I expect plenty of great things down the line. The author will hopefully be able to keep them coming at regular intervals.
"When in doubt, add AEther."
December 30, 2022
Frontier settlement LitRPG goodness. It's not just dealing with other player characters, but resource management, raids, exploration, and couple cataclysmic events waiting in the wings. :)
Solid, enjoyable, and it feels totally like I'm playing Skyrim for pain-loving adults with a little Forgotten Realms in the mix.
No, it's not the best LitRPG I've ever read, but it was still quite fun.
Solid, enjoyable, and it feels totally like I'm playing Skyrim for pain-loving adults with a little Forgotten Realms in the mix.
No, it's not the best LitRPG I've ever read, but it was still quite fun.
May 18, 2018
Ok. This book...
This book is VERY "Ok". The protagonists are all great, fun to hear about and adventure with, and the worlds (Real and Virtual) are both well done and portrayed.
The bad....
Word repetition. Azure - 110 Times. Hesitate - 75 Times. "the Creature" 161 Times. battlemage - 46 Times (IN ONE FIGHT).
Main Character. Constantly freezing up in fights. Happens multiple times in literally every fight except the opening scene.
Is apparently incapable of following basic conversation, as anytime something that is NOT SURPRISING happens he still "freezes (16 times) or is Stunned (22 times) by something someone said.
Villains. We still have the same villains we had in book 1. And at the end of book 3, we are cliffhung that we will still have the same villains going into book 4.
Melodrama. Book 1 had this problem as well, but to a lesser degree where the MC decides to randomly give a "rousing speech" that is genuinely uncomfortable to read because of how much cringe is bleeding off of it.
- I understand what the author wants there, but, with the SOLE exception of the very last sentence the MC says in book 3, they are all forced and immersion breaking. This is compounded by the fact that in this book the MC is portrayed as either 1) So far beyond basically socially inept in any situation that isn't boxers on the couch casual that is worrying about how he grew up OR 2) poorly written as randomly stupid just to force the plot along a path without worrying about how it actually feels to read about MC suddenly and inexplicably becoming a social moron. (and i use that word as a literal). -
Fight Scenes. "wordy" doesn't even come close to describing these. In the audiobook the shortest fight chapter was 28 minutes. The average lenght was like 40 minutes. For EACH FIGHT. That is NOT ok. Got to the point where I was skipping to the end of the chapter just because I honestly didn't care anymore how he went about reaching the fight conclusion, win or lose, because all tension is lost in a fight if you take more time to read about it then it takes to begin learning a new language.
I think that's all. So, 3 stars. Because even with this long list of stuff that was just unpleasant about the book I did enjoy it. I doubt I'll pick up the next in the series until I read a few reviews about it though. If the MC keeps on the path of being.. "social stunted" and a shitty fighter who always wins by sheer luck and his opponents stupidity, I'd rather drop it now than when I give the next book 1 or 2 stars.
This book is VERY "Ok". The protagonists are all great, fun to hear about and adventure with, and the worlds (Real and Virtual) are both well done and portrayed.
The bad....
Word repetition. Azure - 110 Times. Hesitate - 75 Times. "the Creature" 161 Times. battlemage - 46 Times (IN ONE FIGHT).
Main Character. Constantly freezing up in fights. Happens multiple times in literally every fight except the opening scene.
Is apparently incapable of following basic conversation, as anytime something that is NOT SURPRISING happens he still "freezes (16 times) or is Stunned (22 times) by something someone said.
Villains. We still have the same villains we had in book 1. And at the end of book 3, we are cliffhung that we will still have the same villains going into book 4.
Melodrama. Book 1 had this problem as well, but to a lesser degree where the MC decides to randomly give a "rousing speech" that is genuinely uncomfortable to read because of how much cringe is bleeding off of it.
- I understand what the author wants there, but, with the SOLE exception of the very last sentence the MC says in book 3, they are all forced and immersion breaking. This is compounded by the fact that in this book the MC is portrayed as either 1) So far beyond basically socially inept in any situation that isn't boxers on the couch casual that is worrying about how he grew up OR 2) poorly written as randomly stupid just to force the plot along a path without worrying about how it actually feels to read about MC suddenly and inexplicably becoming a social moron. (and i use that word as a literal). -
Fight Scenes. "wordy" doesn't even come close to describing these. In the audiobook the shortest fight chapter was 28 minutes. The average lenght was like 40 minutes. For EACH FIGHT. That is NOT ok. Got to the point where I was skipping to the end of the chapter just because I honestly didn't care anymore how he went about reaching the fight conclusion, win or lose, because all tension is lost in a fight if you take more time to read about it then it takes to begin learning a new language.
I think that's all. So, 3 stars. Because even with this long list of stuff that was just unpleasant about the book I did enjoy it. I doubt I'll pick up the next in the series until I read a few reviews about it though. If the MC keeps on the path of being.. "social stunted" and a shitty fighter who always wins by sheer luck and his opponents stupidity, I'd rather drop it now than when I give the next book 1 or 2 stars.
October 8, 2020
10/08/2020 Notes:
Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
- I decided to re-read the series because I thought I would be starting the latest addition, but I didn't realize the audiobook release is in December. Not today. =P
- Need to decide if I'm going to read the next book or wait for the audio.
- Since I've read this book the first time, I've read a ton of LitRPG books. This is one of the best action & plot driven LitRPG series out there. It would be better if the focus stayed with the core group of players. The little snippets of other POV's do not add enough to the story to make it worth inserting into the story. Most of them are jarring and not a good transition. There are other rough aspects that need a little polish, but I enjoyed the way the author pieced together details within the series.
02/13/2018 Mini-Review:
3.5 Stars
I have mixed feelings about the book. I know some of my reactions to the story are due to being exposed to LitRPG's that are not well written or interesting. Overall, Legacy of the Fallen is a solid sequel in a series. The group of friends that entered Ascend Online together have managed to survive several big events and settled down in an outskirt village of Aldford. The story starts off with a brutal battle against bandits and settles into re-familiarizing the reader to the game mechanics and current status of the group in Ascend Online. Marcus/Lyrian becomes the Adventurer leader of the town and is buried up to his eyeballs in juggling Alford's growth, creating new gear, training new adventurers, being a leader of a guild, leveling up and putting a fraction of time into real life.
There's a decent balance between game stats and story progression. The first half of the book is rather solid and there are interesting developments to the story and Marcus/Lyrian. The last part of the book is rather anticlimactic and I felt ambivalent about the wrap up of the big event. I did not care for the end chapter because of the point of view change. On the upside, it does hint to fun times for the next book, but I felt the placement of it was a jump and not well done.
I am invested in the series and main characters. I definitely want to see where the author will take the gaming group and story. I took off half a star because there was a formatting error that came up consistently in the Kindle book. Now that I read my review on the first book, I'm tempted to strike off another half a star for inconsistencies in the story. Elements that were brought to light in the first book failed to make a showing in this one.
Good Bits:
- Engaging Characters
- Nice Tie-ups to Real World within Story Setting
- Game Mechanics & Leveling are Interesting (Not Quite Standard, Room for Unexpected Effects)
- Good Guys Win but at a Cost
Meh Bits:
- Juggling Pivotal Story Parts & Losing them to Mystery Hole
- Uber Strong Critters: Ok. Got it. Eyes glazing over on reading about the hard to kill targets.
- Face Value: Everything is taken at face value & that leads to characters looking kind of dumb even if they're not.
This series is a no brainer. You're not going to read it because it has special powers and totally unexpected plot. You'll read it because you like Fantasy, RPGs, LitRPG, a solid story that has a mix of good characters and a lot of action.
(I left it at 3.5 Stars. The first half of the book made me pretty happy. It's the tail end that went fuzzy and poofed.)
Rating Raised from 3.5 to 4 Stars
- I decided to re-read the series because I thought I would be starting the latest addition, but I didn't realize the audiobook release is in December. Not today. =P
- Need to decide if I'm going to read the next book or wait for the audio.
- Since I've read this book the first time, I've read a ton of LitRPG books. This is one of the best action & plot driven LitRPG series out there. It would be better if the focus stayed with the core group of players. The little snippets of other POV's do not add enough to the story to make it worth inserting into the story. Most of them are jarring and not a good transition. There are other rough aspects that need a little polish, but I enjoyed the way the author pieced together details within the series.
02/13/2018 Mini-Review:
3.5 Stars
I have mixed feelings about the book. I know some of my reactions to the story are due to being exposed to LitRPG's that are not well written or interesting. Overall, Legacy of the Fallen is a solid sequel in a series. The group of friends that entered Ascend Online together have managed to survive several big events and settled down in an outskirt village of Aldford. The story starts off with a brutal battle against bandits and settles into re-familiarizing the reader to the game mechanics and current status of the group in Ascend Online. Marcus/Lyrian becomes the Adventurer leader of the town and is buried up to his eyeballs in juggling Alford's growth, creating new gear, training new adventurers, being a leader of a guild, leveling up and putting a fraction of time into real life.
There's a decent balance between game stats and story progression. The first half of the book is rather solid and there are interesting developments to the story and Marcus/Lyrian. The last part of the book is rather anticlimactic and I felt ambivalent about the wrap up of the big event. I did not care for the end chapter because of the point of view change. On the upside, it does hint to fun times for the next book, but I felt the placement of it was a jump and not well done.
I am invested in the series and main characters. I definitely want to see where the author will take the gaming group and story. I took off half a star because there was a formatting error that came up consistently in the Kindle book. Now that I read my review on the first book, I'm tempted to strike off another half a star for inconsistencies in the story. Elements that were brought to light in the first book failed to make a showing in this one.
Good Bits:
- Engaging Characters
- Nice Tie-ups to Real World within Story Setting
- Game Mechanics & Leveling are Interesting (Not Quite Standard, Room for Unexpected Effects)
- Good Guys Win but at a Cost
Meh Bits:
- Juggling Pivotal Story Parts & Losing them to Mystery Hole
- Uber Strong Critters: Ok. Got it. Eyes glazing over on reading about the hard to kill targets.
- Face Value: Everything is taken at face value & that leads to characters looking kind of dumb even if they're not.
This series is a no brainer. You're not going to read it because it has special powers and totally unexpected plot. You'll read it because you like Fantasy, RPGs, LitRPG, a solid story that has a mix of good characters and a lot of action.
(I left it at 3.5 Stars. The first half of the book made me pretty happy. It's the tail end that went fuzzy and poofed.)
January 30, 2020
Hmm. This book could have been half as long and still got the same information across. Too much descriptions to everything that is happening and the battles seem to go on forever.
After 30-40% I found myself skipping to dialogue and later I found myself skipping entire sections because you just know what is going to happen. I wouldn’t say it was bad but could have been much better.
I’m glad there isn’t a third book out yet otherwise I might be tempted to read it.
After 30-40% I found myself skipping to dialogue and later I found myself skipping entire sections because you just know what is going to happen. I wouldn’t say it was bad but could have been much better.
I’m glad there isn’t a third book out yet otherwise I might be tempted to read it.
January 17, 2018
This book draaaaaagged. I liked the first one enough to give it 4 stars, but reading this felt like drowning in quicksand - which would probably have been more exciting and entertaining.
It's not badly written but the MC is an idiot and most characters are even more two-dimensional than their avatars. Just like Batman Vs Superman half of this book could have been cut and it would have been twice as much fun.
It's not badly written but the MC is an idiot and most characters are even more two-dimensional than their avatars. Just like Batman Vs Superman half of this book could have been cut and it would have been twice as much fun.
April 1, 2019
This book is F***ing massive. Not sure why, but Chmilenko seems to have squashed about 3 books together to make this one. I mean, each of the 3 books are good, but there really are three complete sets of three act structures in this book. This could be good, the narrative really does progress a lot in this book due to it's essential trilogy length, but, Chmilenko didn't cut back on the standard filler in the process. Had he just stuck to narrative progressing and character development this book would probably be about half the length and be amazing, or if this had been three books spaced out a month apart they would have been very good. But marathoning that much combat description gets tedious, so by the third climax it's really tempting to start skipping ahead.
Anyways, to the plot.
Plot 1 - The first Third of the book is town development and dealing with Carvers raiding. The story here is fine, if a bit dull. There's some good world building outside the game and gives an interesting, realistic view of where we might really be heading.
Plot 2 - The middle third is dealing with the dungeon. The setting is interesting but the constant battling gets really repetitive. He really should have thrown some more puzzle solving and world building into this. What little puzzle solving there was was either as simple as splitting up to touch two switches or happened during combat.
Plot 3 - The Twilight Grove. Hope you're not tired of combat yet because now the gang has to grind up levels to get through the Grove and get to the Layline. While this plot does have a good sense of tension to it, I was jut too burnt out on combat at this point.
Side note:
Chmilenko needs to explain Carver. I'm all for giving villains a power advantage to keep things interesting, but how is he that strong? Every engagement we see him take part in he looses, he sinks a lot of resources into these schemes and looses them, and somehow is still somehow ahead of the main characters who aren't loosing those resources, have a large support network of a town, are picking up several unique bonuses, and have a tailor made area to gets stronger in. The good guys are running themselves ragged to improve as fast as possible with all these advantages, and yet Carver is not only some how keeping up but it still ahead. HOW? O_o
Anyways, to the plot.
Plot 1 - The first Third of the book is town development and dealing with Carvers raiding. The story here is fine, if a bit dull. There's some good world building outside the game and gives an interesting, realistic view of where we might really be heading.
Plot 2 - The middle third is dealing with the dungeon. The setting is interesting but the constant battling gets really repetitive. He really should have thrown some more puzzle solving and world building into this. What little puzzle solving there was was either as simple as splitting up to touch two switches or happened during combat.
Plot 3 - The Twilight Grove. Hope you're not tired of combat yet because now the gang has to grind up levels to get through the Grove and get to the Layline. While this plot does have a good sense of tension to it, I was jut too burnt out on combat at this point.
Side note:
Chmilenko needs to explain Carver. I'm all for giving villains a power advantage to keep things interesting, but how is he that strong? Every engagement we see him take part in he looses, he sinks a lot of resources into these schemes and looses them, and somehow is still somehow ahead of the main characters who aren't loosing those resources, have a large support network of a town, are picking up several unique bonuses, and have a tailor made area to gets stronger in. The good guys are running themselves ragged to improve as fast as possible with all these advantages, and yet Carver is not only some how keeping up but it still ahead. HOW? O_o
January 9, 2018
What an absolute thrill!
This story picks up right from where book one drops off. Fast paced action inside a meaty book could be used by a mafia enforcer to teach someone a lesson, instead of the proverbial phonebook.
The way the Ascend Online Adventures story is seamlessly integrated into the main storyline, whilst also advancing that Arc is done beautifully and sets the future of the series (and it's offshoot) in a great way.
I also am really impressed with how Luke has planned the "time pace" of the story, showing that what's taking place in the story has been thought about in advance, which in turn shows a deep understanding and care for the reader. We aren't left with "Superman" at the end of the book.
Really looking forward to the next ones.
This story picks up right from where book one drops off. Fast paced action inside a meaty book could be used by a mafia enforcer to teach someone a lesson, instead of the proverbial phonebook.
The way the Ascend Online Adventures story is seamlessly integrated into the main storyline, whilst also advancing that Arc is done beautifully and sets the future of the series (and it's offshoot) in a great way.
I also am really impressed with how Luke has planned the "time pace" of the story, showing that what's taking place in the story has been thought about in advance, which in turn shows a deep understanding and care for the reader. We aren't left with "Superman" at the end of the book.
Really looking forward to the next ones.
February 5, 2018
This book weighed in something north of 700 pages. It should have been close to 400-500.
I loved the overall story arc, but found myself often skimming over various parts of the story, wishing things would move along more quickly.
Overall, it was OK, but I’m probably done with the series at this point.
I loved the overall story arc, but found myself often skimming over various parts of the story, wishing things would move along more quickly.
Overall, it was OK, but I’m probably done with the series at this point.
October 28, 2022
Très hâte de lire la suite ! Tout sauf déçu de cette série, l'univers est pationnant et les personnages sont très attachants !
January 30, 2018
Drags a bit
I like the story. I like the charachters. Yet, for some reason this book dragged for me. I usually read books this length in a day, maybe two, but for this one it took a week. I usually can't set books down wanting to know what's next. This one? I was kinda happy when I got to the end of a chapter so I could set it down. I read 3 other books while finishing this during those "breaks". Maybe it's just me...
I like the story. I like the charachters. Yet, for some reason this book dragged for me. I usually read books this length in a day, maybe two, but for this one it took a week. I usually can't set books down wanting to know what's next. This one? I was kinda happy when I got to the end of a chapter so I could set it down. I read 3 other books while finishing this during those "breaks". Maybe it's just me...
January 31, 2018
Well done
And excellently setup for the next book while wrapping things up rather tidily. Loved it. Great editing and plot progression.
This series is a great read! (Read 1.5 before this one!!)
And excellently setup for the next book while wrapping things up rather tidily. Loved it. Great editing and plot progression.
This series is a great read! (Read 1.5 before this one!!)
January 9, 2020
Another great addition to the Ascend Online series. This one goes away from the fast-paced and action-packed second book that was more akin to an action game, and goes back to the more drawn out epic feel like a huge RPG. To me it was kinda jarring at first because I really, really loved the last book, so it took me a little getting back used to the long stretches of having no action. There are some areas that are a bit more drawn out than others that could have probably been edited down, but it doesn't really lessen the enjoyment.
Lyrian has some more growth throughout this one, so that was fun to see some new traits and abilities he was able to get.
I think the only thing I'd like to see more of is the goings-on in the Real World. There's a couple scenes in this one but nothing really in-depth, and one of them kinda leaves you hanging. I understand it's a LitRPG book, but I still think it'd be an interesting and useful worldbuilding and storytelling tool.
Overall I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next one.
Lyrian has some more growth throughout this one, so that was fun to see some new traits and abilities he was able to get.
I think the only thing I'd like to see more of is the goings-on in the Real World. There's a couple scenes in this one but nothing really in-depth, and one of them kinda leaves you hanging. I understand it's a LitRPG book, but I still think it'd be an interesting and useful worldbuilding and storytelling tool.
Overall I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next one.
August 13, 2019
I enjoyed this next installment, but I'm not sure how great I would find it without Luke Daniels' fantastic narration.
However, even the amazing Luke Daniels couldn't altogether hide the repetition in Luke Chmilenko's writing. Sentences along the lines of "They couldn't hide their concern. Furrows of concern creasing their brows." (that wasn't a direct quote as I didn't bookmark them in the audio book - but there were MANY such sentences).
I'd definitely listen to another, as long as Luke Daniels is narrating again, but I'd really appreciate it being a little shorter next time. 24 hours is rather intimidating!!
However, even the amazing Luke Daniels couldn't altogether hide the repetition in Luke Chmilenko's writing. Sentences along the lines of "They couldn't hide their concern. Furrows of concern creasing their brows." (that wasn't a direct quote as I didn't bookmark them in the audio book - but there were MANY such sentences).
I'd definitely listen to another, as long as Luke Daniels is narrating again, but I'd really appreciate it being a little shorter next time. 24 hours is rather intimidating!!
July 3, 2018
Many things to love about this book, even the fact that the ending is not such a cliff-hanger that you are sick about waiting for the next book, but that it does whet your appetite for it! Luke Daniels as narrator is spot on as usual and the game is downright amazing!
November 8, 2018
I just want to say thank you to this author for not stooping his series to overly macho-men, and girls that are literally just breasts. It is so hard to find well written characters these days in books.
Want to read
March 23, 2020🎁 The complete Ascend Online (3 book series) is FREE on Amazon today (3/23/2020)! 🎁
June 24, 2023
I read #1 and #2 of this book series and decided to stop here and end the series with the very rewarding conclusion of #2 instead of moving on to the next book where Chmilenko suddenly decided to just start a new storyline with a completely different protagonist in an entirely different city. Apparently, there is not much progress coming in the following books and it becomes a mere hack-and-slash adventure.
I have been burned before by long series that lose their focus or draw out events and progress because the author is too afraid to give his audience the finale they deserve. What I can say is that the first two books are quite good. But they don't give me any reason to continue reading.
I have been burned before by long series that lose their focus or draw out events and progress because the author is too afraid to give his audience the finale they deserve. What I can say is that the first two books are quite good. But they don't give me any reason to continue reading.
November 29, 2023
This entry into the series continues the progression of our main collection of heroes and the author does present a very thorough approach to character development and leveling model in the game world. As LitRPG's go, this book focuses on the base/town aspect which is a nice change of pace when compared to others I've read that solely focus on individual stat sheets and the like. The enemies from the first book are also present in this story and they are also building a base of operations, which creates some unique interactions and fight scenes.
On the other side of the equation, when battles do take place there is immense focus on specific moves, positioning, tactics and minutiae that honestly takes away from the experience by trying to envision each change so meticulously. The second thing I noticed that is a personal pet peeve is the overuse of similar words, sometimes choosing to repeat a phrase multiple times in the same sentence. Reading about the raid where they attack "the creature" was one scenario that stands out where a few substitutes could have been used.
Aside from some verbiage adjustments to resolve the two concerns I listed, this book definitely delivers in the realm of character and world creation and is relatable enough that anyone who enjoys the roleplaying genre should entertain giving the world of Ascend Online a try.
On the other side of the equation, when battles do take place there is immense focus on specific moves, positioning, tactics and minutiae that honestly takes away from the experience by trying to envision each change so meticulously. The second thing I noticed that is a personal pet peeve is the overuse of similar words, sometimes choosing to repeat a phrase multiple times in the same sentence. Reading about the raid where they attack "the creature" was one scenario that stands out where a few substitutes could have been used.
Aside from some verbiage adjustments to resolve the two concerns I listed, this book definitely delivers in the realm of character and world creation and is relatable enough that anyone who enjoys the roleplaying genre should entertain giving the world of Ascend Online a try.
July 18, 2025
Legacy of the Fallen (Ascend Online #2) by Luke Chmilenko – Review by Kiba Snowpaw
Introduction:
Let’s dig our claws into Legacy of the Fallen, the third book released (but true second mainline) in Luke Chmilenko’s immersive LitRPG saga. Dropped in January 2018 by Ætherworld Productions, this absolute unit of a novel—clocking in at over 850 pages—continues the virtual grind right where book one left off. This isn’t your usual “stuck in a game” trope—here, the stakes are high, but respawns and IRL streaming contracts mix it up. The real hook? The slow-burn, base-building epicness and the gritty, teeth-baring political maneuvering that’d make any alpha sit up and pay attention. Strap in, this ride is long and wild—sometimes *too* wild for its own good.
Plot Summary:
After carving out victory in the wilds, Marcus (Lyrian) and his Virtus crew set about building up Aldford, their new home. It’s a settlement sim, an epic quest, and a guild drama all rolled together—think “Rust” with fewer hackers, more politics, and way more angry orcs. What starts as prepping for a flood of settlers quickly spirals into rescue missions, bandit raids, cutthroat frontier politicking, and an escalating supernatural threat tied to the world’s ley lines. There are dungeons to crawl, armies to battle, and power-hungry rivals both in-game and out. It’s relentless—one crisis solved, another rolls in like a blizzard.
But—and it’s a big but—Chmilenko’s focus on every. single. step. of. every. battle. means the plot can get buried under wave after wave of combat descriptions, character management, and stat-driven introspection. You’re getting a full MMO campaign here, for better or worse.
The Author:
Luke Chmilenko’s story is almost as LitRPG as his books: Canadian IT guy, inspired by his wife, goes all in, serializes his work, and now he’s running the genre’s frontier. He’s not an award machine, but he’s built a massive, loyal following and, by book three, you see some real growth—more complex plots, braver pacing, and slightly more polish (but only *slightly*). The dude knows how to juggle game mechanics, large casts, and big action, though sometimes at the cost of narrative clarity. This book is both proof of his ambition and a howl for a stronger editor.
Characters:
Lyrian (Marcus) is still the “goodest” of good boys, a natural leader torn between responsibility, exhaustion, and imposter syndrome. He’s clever, but often overwhelmed, always reacting, sometimes a little *too* “rookie.” His arc here is less about dramatic change and more about surviving the grind, holding the pack together, and facing every challenge head-on, even if his paws are bleeding.
Supporting cast? Huge. And that’s both a flex and a flaw. You’ve got Virtus mainstays, a mish-mash of NPCs and player-settlers, a sprinkling of new faces, and cameos from previous books (shoutout to Lazarus Cain from #1.5, even if he’s basically background furniture here). Sadly, a lot of the pack blend together—many sub-characters feel more like stat blocks or comic relief than full wolves in their own right. Some—like Freya and Sierra—get solid moments, but overall, the depth is spread thin.
Villains? Carver is still the relentless, plot-armored “bad dog” you can’t quite get rid of, and the book’s main threats are more environmental/political than personal, but it keeps the tension frosty.
Structure:
You want epic? You got it. This thing is a triple-stack burger of narrative arcs—town-building, dungeon crawling, politics, boss fights, and more, stacked on top of each other. The book’s split into massive acts (sometimes *three* distinct arcs), each with its own buildup and climax, but that means it can feel bloated. Chapters swing between action, resource management, and character moments, but the rhythm can be a slog if you’re not ready for some serious grind. Pacing? Let’s just say it’s ambitious, but not always tight—the book drags in places, especially when every fight is described in microscopic detail.
Themes & Analysis:
Legacy of the Fallen is all about community—what it takes to lead, to sacrifice, and to hold a dream together when the world (virtual or not) wants to tear it down. There’s commentary here on teamwork, real-world friendships, streamer culture, and the cost of ambition—Lyrian isn’t just leveling up; he’s bearing the weight of a pack leader.
Chmilenko also digs into political intrigue (sometimes awkwardly), the value of preparation over raw power, and the grind of survival vs. heroics. He’s clearly a gamer at heart—everything here, from stat choices to group tactics, reads like it was playtested in a D&D session. But sometimes the analysis gets lost in the weeds—a million details can smother the heart of the story.
Scenes:
For those hoping for spicy romance, harem shenanigans, or steamy side-quests—sorry, pups, this book’s more about raiding than romancing. There are a couple hints at relationships (especially near the end, with Freya and Lyrian), but it’s barely there, almost like the author realized he had to toss in a bit of heart before the next boss fight. Emotional intimacy is kept on a short leash, and sex is implied, not explicit. The real “action” is in the battles—fights that range from tactical squad maneuvers to epic MMO-scale raid bosses, all lovingly described to the last swing and spell. Depending on your taste, it’s either immersive or overwhelming.
World-Building:
Here’s where the series still howls. Ascend Online’s world feels deep, lived-in, and *almost* as real as the players behind the screens. Aldford is a legit fantasy frontier settlement, and the mechanics—stats, classes, politics, crafting, streaming—tie in seamlessly. The ley lines, dungeons, and magical systems make the world feel alive, but sometimes the forest is lost for the trees. You get *lots* of rules, but not always enough wonder. Still, compared to most LitRPGs, it’s near the top for immersion.
Praise & Critique:
Praise:
- Epic scale, complex and rewarding for those who like to dig in
- World and mechanics are consistently well-integrated, never breaking the fourth wall
- Leadership, community, and responsibility themes handled well
- Audio narration (Luke Daniels) is next-level—he *carries* some of the slower parts
- No “lazy” game tropes—death is handled sensibly, and the game world feels consistent
Critique:
- Bloated pacing; book could be half as long with zero loss of meaning
- Fights are frequent, long, and detailed to the point of tedium—too many pages spent swinging axes and tracking HP bars
- Too many secondary characters, not enough depth for most
- Some repetition and awkward phrasing (words like “azure” and “creature” will haunt your dreams)
- Lyrian sometimes feels “plot-dumb” for the sake of tension
- Major subplots (including Lazarus and politics) introduced and then forgotten for hundreds of pages
- Some technical/editing polish still missing
Comparison:
Compared to Book 1, this is broader but less focused. Book 1.5 (“Hell to Pay”) was a hard tonal shift; this is a return to the core pack, but with way more complexity and ambition. For LitRPG fans, it’s a feast—if you can handle the grind. Against other base-building or game-lit series? The immersion and management sim elements are among the best, but the pacing and character spread can’t quite match the emotional punch of top-tier entries like *The Land* or *Awaken Online*.
Personal Evaluation:
As an ice alpha, I respect the scope, the world-building, and the gnarly attention to teamwork and leadership. I live for tales where survival is earned, not given, and Chmilenko nails that. But even a wolf gets lost if the forest is too thick—by the middle of this audiobook, I felt more confused than connected, and the constant swapping between people and problems meant I was more often tracking the story than feeling it. The audiobook is a slog if you’re not locked in, but Luke Daniels’ performance will at least keep you from biting your own tail in boredom.
Conclusion:
Legacy of the Fallen is a bold, overstuffed, teeth-bared return to the *Ascend Online* pack. If you crave tactical battles, town-building, MMO-style leadership, and an immersive world, you’ll find a lot to chew on. If you want sharp, focused storytelling and tight emotional arcs, expect to dig for those bones. I give it a solid 3.5 out of 5—higher for LitRPG diehards, lower if you can’t stand padding and repetition. Would I recommend it? For the dedicated LitRPG wolves: yes, if you’ve got the stamina. For casuals or anyone with a short attention span? Maybe hunt elsewhere.
Final Howl: Massive, ambitious, sometimes muddled, but the pack spirit is real. Come for the world, stay for the grind—just don’t expect every pawprint to matter.
Introduction:
Let’s dig our claws into Legacy of the Fallen, the third book released (but true second mainline) in Luke Chmilenko’s immersive LitRPG saga. Dropped in January 2018 by Ætherworld Productions, this absolute unit of a novel—clocking in at over 850 pages—continues the virtual grind right where book one left off. This isn’t your usual “stuck in a game” trope—here, the stakes are high, but respawns and IRL streaming contracts mix it up. The real hook? The slow-burn, base-building epicness and the gritty, teeth-baring political maneuvering that’d make any alpha sit up and pay attention. Strap in, this ride is long and wild—sometimes *too* wild for its own good.
Plot Summary:
After carving out victory in the wilds, Marcus (Lyrian) and his Virtus crew set about building up Aldford, their new home. It’s a settlement sim, an epic quest, and a guild drama all rolled together—think “Rust” with fewer hackers, more politics, and way more angry orcs. What starts as prepping for a flood of settlers quickly spirals into rescue missions, bandit raids, cutthroat frontier politicking, and an escalating supernatural threat tied to the world’s ley lines. There are dungeons to crawl, armies to battle, and power-hungry rivals both in-game and out. It’s relentless—one crisis solved, another rolls in like a blizzard.
But—and it’s a big but—Chmilenko’s focus on every. single. step. of. every. battle. means the plot can get buried under wave after wave of combat descriptions, character management, and stat-driven introspection. You’re getting a full MMO campaign here, for better or worse.
The Author:
Luke Chmilenko’s story is almost as LitRPG as his books: Canadian IT guy, inspired by his wife, goes all in, serializes his work, and now he’s running the genre’s frontier. He’s not an award machine, but he’s built a massive, loyal following and, by book three, you see some real growth—more complex plots, braver pacing, and slightly more polish (but only *slightly*). The dude knows how to juggle game mechanics, large casts, and big action, though sometimes at the cost of narrative clarity. This book is both proof of his ambition and a howl for a stronger editor.
Characters:
Lyrian (Marcus) is still the “goodest” of good boys, a natural leader torn between responsibility, exhaustion, and imposter syndrome. He’s clever, but often overwhelmed, always reacting, sometimes a little *too* “rookie.” His arc here is less about dramatic change and more about surviving the grind, holding the pack together, and facing every challenge head-on, even if his paws are bleeding.
Supporting cast? Huge. And that’s both a flex and a flaw. You’ve got Virtus mainstays, a mish-mash of NPCs and player-settlers, a sprinkling of new faces, and cameos from previous books (shoutout to Lazarus Cain from #1.5, even if he’s basically background furniture here). Sadly, a lot of the pack blend together—many sub-characters feel more like stat blocks or comic relief than full wolves in their own right. Some—like Freya and Sierra—get solid moments, but overall, the depth is spread thin.
Villains? Carver is still the relentless, plot-armored “bad dog” you can’t quite get rid of, and the book’s main threats are more environmental/political than personal, but it keeps the tension frosty.
Structure:
You want epic? You got it. This thing is a triple-stack burger of narrative arcs—town-building, dungeon crawling, politics, boss fights, and more, stacked on top of each other. The book’s split into massive acts (sometimes *three* distinct arcs), each with its own buildup and climax, but that means it can feel bloated. Chapters swing between action, resource management, and character moments, but the rhythm can be a slog if you’re not ready for some serious grind. Pacing? Let’s just say it’s ambitious, but not always tight—the book drags in places, especially when every fight is described in microscopic detail.
Themes & Analysis:
Legacy of the Fallen is all about community—what it takes to lead, to sacrifice, and to hold a dream together when the world (virtual or not) wants to tear it down. There’s commentary here on teamwork, real-world friendships, streamer culture, and the cost of ambition—Lyrian isn’t just leveling up; he’s bearing the weight of a pack leader.
Chmilenko also digs into political intrigue (sometimes awkwardly), the value of preparation over raw power, and the grind of survival vs. heroics. He’s clearly a gamer at heart—everything here, from stat choices to group tactics, reads like it was playtested in a D&D session. But sometimes the analysis gets lost in the weeds—a million details can smother the heart of the story.
Scenes:
For those hoping for spicy romance, harem shenanigans, or steamy side-quests—sorry, pups, this book’s more about raiding than romancing. There are a couple hints at relationships (especially near the end, with Freya and Lyrian), but it’s barely there, almost like the author realized he had to toss in a bit of heart before the next boss fight. Emotional intimacy is kept on a short leash, and sex is implied, not explicit. The real “action” is in the battles—fights that range from tactical squad maneuvers to epic MMO-scale raid bosses, all lovingly described to the last swing and spell. Depending on your taste, it’s either immersive or overwhelming.
World-Building:
Here’s where the series still howls. Ascend Online’s world feels deep, lived-in, and *almost* as real as the players behind the screens. Aldford is a legit fantasy frontier settlement, and the mechanics—stats, classes, politics, crafting, streaming—tie in seamlessly. The ley lines, dungeons, and magical systems make the world feel alive, but sometimes the forest is lost for the trees. You get *lots* of rules, but not always enough wonder. Still, compared to most LitRPGs, it’s near the top for immersion.
Praise & Critique:
Praise:
- Epic scale, complex and rewarding for those who like to dig in
- World and mechanics are consistently well-integrated, never breaking the fourth wall
- Leadership, community, and responsibility themes handled well
- Audio narration (Luke Daniels) is next-level—he *carries* some of the slower parts
- No “lazy” game tropes—death is handled sensibly, and the game world feels consistent
Critique:
- Bloated pacing; book could be half as long with zero loss of meaning
- Fights are frequent, long, and detailed to the point of tedium—too many pages spent swinging axes and tracking HP bars
- Too many secondary characters, not enough depth for most
- Some repetition and awkward phrasing (words like “azure” and “creature” will haunt your dreams)
- Lyrian sometimes feels “plot-dumb” for the sake of tension
- Major subplots (including Lazarus and politics) introduced and then forgotten for hundreds of pages
- Some technical/editing polish still missing
Comparison:
Compared to Book 1, this is broader but less focused. Book 1.5 (“Hell to Pay”) was a hard tonal shift; this is a return to the core pack, but with way more complexity and ambition. For LitRPG fans, it’s a feast—if you can handle the grind. Against other base-building or game-lit series? The immersion and management sim elements are among the best, but the pacing and character spread can’t quite match the emotional punch of top-tier entries like *The Land* or *Awaken Online*.
Personal Evaluation:
As an ice alpha, I respect the scope, the world-building, and the gnarly attention to teamwork and leadership. I live for tales where survival is earned, not given, and Chmilenko nails that. But even a wolf gets lost if the forest is too thick—by the middle of this audiobook, I felt more confused than connected, and the constant swapping between people and problems meant I was more often tracking the story than feeling it. The audiobook is a slog if you’re not locked in, but Luke Daniels’ performance will at least keep you from biting your own tail in boredom.
Conclusion:
Legacy of the Fallen is a bold, overstuffed, teeth-bared return to the *Ascend Online* pack. If you crave tactical battles, town-building, MMO-style leadership, and an immersive world, you’ll find a lot to chew on. If you want sharp, focused storytelling and tight emotional arcs, expect to dig for those bones. I give it a solid 3.5 out of 5—higher for LitRPG diehards, lower if you can’t stand padding and repetition. Would I recommend it? For the dedicated LitRPG wolves: yes, if you’ve got the stamina. For casuals or anyone with a short attention span? Maybe hunt elsewhere.
Final Howl: Massive, ambitious, sometimes muddled, but the pack spirit is real. Come for the world, stay for the grind—just don’t expect every pawprint to matter.
September 19, 2020
About 65% through thus far, wanted to jot down a few preliminary thoughts:
MC - still kind of an idiot. Follows the usual LitRPG tropes of not planning ahead and being reactive to everything.
The MC is also suppose to be a hardcore leader of a guild that is good. Better if the authors started making their MC's clueless idiots leading loser guilds because it's quite obvious that the MC plays more like a noob than a hardened gamer. It's always surprising to me that writers are always told 'write what you know' then don't learn anything about how hard core guild leaders think and act - it would be harder to write but more interesting than the vastly overused 'idiot MC reacts to world badly' trope.
Another overused trope followed is that the world seems to mold itself around whatever levels the PC's are - more like a tabletop RPG than an MMO. Everything is within a level or two. Let's hope by the time total immersion is invented someone will come up with something better than levels in a PVP world. Idiocy.
The author also seems to have run out of a lot of combat descriptions. It's always amusing to me when again some weapon 'penetrates to the bone'.
Another very overused trope is way too much time to talk, think and look around during combat. It seems to me that the combat is modeled off of D&D 'one minute combat round' more than 'real life' where you are lucky to get quick snapshots or a general flow if you're any good at it. I recommend interviewing cage fighters to get better at combat descriptions - especially with how many of them are included. IMO the number of words devoted to combat and it's descriptions could be cut by a third or even half without losing the story at all.
Yet another over used descriptor is how fast everything is or 'faster than I thought possible'. After hearing the MC say this as often as he has, I think it could be reworded as 'yet again, I under estimated it's speed because I always do that since I am not learning from things I've experienced'.
The stuff that has kept me going thus far are things which seem to have been pushed more into the background (intrigue, looming war, etc) and I'm hoping the author has researched espionage and unconventional warfare better than guild leaders. Note - by the end of the book this stuff hadn't come up again - almost like it was a passing fancy that hasn't yet been developed.
On the good side, the author has managed to avoid a couple of the dumber 'death tropes' I've seen in other novels that the authors use to try to 'maintain tension' such as 'permanent death' or 'limited number of respawns' (but you don't know how many) or 'not knowing what happens if you die'. These are all super dumb and make me think that it is not a business that wants customers that has made the game. So good job, on that.
Finished the book. Despite the ending 'bad people are doing bad things elsewhere which will eventually affect the PC's' (yeah, we know - it felt tacked on), overall giving the book about a 50% rating so 3/5. While it has the potential to be a good story, the bad things drag it down.
MC - still kind of an idiot. Follows the usual LitRPG tropes of not planning ahead and being reactive to everything.
The MC is also suppose to be a hardcore leader of a guild that is good. Better if the authors started making their MC's clueless idiots leading loser guilds because it's quite obvious that the MC plays more like a noob than a hardened gamer. It's always surprising to me that writers are always told 'write what you know' then don't learn anything about how hard core guild leaders think and act - it would be harder to write but more interesting than the vastly overused 'idiot MC reacts to world badly' trope.
Another overused trope followed is that the world seems to mold itself around whatever levels the PC's are - more like a tabletop RPG than an MMO. Everything is within a level or two. Let's hope by the time total immersion is invented someone will come up with something better than levels in a PVP world. Idiocy.
The author also seems to have run out of a lot of combat descriptions. It's always amusing to me when again some weapon 'penetrates to the bone'.
Another very overused trope is way too much time to talk, think and look around during combat. It seems to me that the combat is modeled off of D&D 'one minute combat round' more than 'real life' where you are lucky to get quick snapshots or a general flow if you're any good at it. I recommend interviewing cage fighters to get better at combat descriptions - especially with how many of them are included. IMO the number of words devoted to combat and it's descriptions could be cut by a third or even half without losing the story at all.
Yet another over used descriptor is how fast everything is or 'faster than I thought possible'. After hearing the MC say this as often as he has, I think it could be reworded as 'yet again, I under estimated it's speed because I always do that since I am not learning from things I've experienced'.
The stuff that has kept me going thus far are things which seem to have been pushed more into the background (intrigue, looming war, etc) and I'm hoping the author has researched espionage and unconventional warfare better than guild leaders. Note - by the end of the book this stuff hadn't come up again - almost like it was a passing fancy that hasn't yet been developed.
On the good side, the author has managed to avoid a couple of the dumber 'death tropes' I've seen in other novels that the authors use to try to 'maintain tension' such as 'permanent death' or 'limited number of respawns' (but you don't know how many) or 'not knowing what happens if you die'. These are all super dumb and make me think that it is not a business that wants customers that has made the game. So good job, on that.
Finished the book. Despite the ending 'bad people are doing bad things elsewhere which will eventually affect the PC's' (yeah, we know - it felt tacked on), overall giving the book about a 50% rating so 3/5. While it has the potential to be a good story, the bad things drag it down.
December 5, 2024
mostly pretty good
It is mostly pretty good, but for a full emersion book it drives me crazy that the adventures go back and forth on feeling like they are in the world and next like a game. Then the main character beating himself up for things he has no control over is just stupid to me
It is mostly pretty good, but for a full emersion book it drives me crazy that the adventures go back and forth on feeling like they are in the world and next like a game. Then the main character beating himself up for things he has no control over is just stupid to me
January 20, 2020
Sweet cover art, story not so great
After the strange decision by the author to make book two about a totally separate character, I had cautious hope about continuing the series. I thought maybe it would all tie together in a grand web of story telling in book three. Have a dynamic, dual evolution of two protagonists as they tackled challenges neither of them could navigate alone. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Despite being portrayed as intelligent and involved, the protagonist Lyrian has become clueless when it is convenient to the plot. Even though he is a veteran gamer, he seems perplexed when encountering gaming trolls. This is a problem, since no one else in the story can act on major issues. In fact, it is like he is playing a single player game and his friends are actually NPCs with limited input scripts. He also tends towards long moments of befuddlement in the midst of combat, presumably so the author can describe a scene in detail. And never mind Lazarus, the protagonist of book two. He is barely more than an NPC now and not integral to the story at all, making book two even more annoying in retrospect.
In addition, the LitRPG mechanics are bare and the system is mediocre at best. What seemed to work in the beginning is showing a lack of finesse and planning as the characters' progress has become painfully slow. Keep in mind, these characters are still at a low/intermediate threshold - they will have to grind full on dragons and demi-gods to ever reach level 30 at this point. That being said, it must be quite a challenge to write a great story AND a great game system from scratch. The story might have benefited on the whole if it wasn't trying to subscribe to the LitRPG writing style.
For me, the biggest issue is the story has lost its flow as compared to book one. As the scope of the settlement and its characters branch out, the author tries to cover more and more of the mundane details. Where progress was once exciting, parts of the story drag out and reading through it is work. Even the author seemed to want to get things over with as he sometimes skips entire days of events and the main character is described as perpetually exhausted. Put simply, the book just wasn't that fun to read.
I think the author is a good writer and I really enjoyed book one. However, I am not sure I can stick with this series any longer. The story, characters, and system just don't seem to be jelling.
After the strange decision by the author to make book two about a totally separate character, I had cautious hope about continuing the series. I thought maybe it would all tie together in a grand web of story telling in book three. Have a dynamic, dual evolution of two protagonists as they tackled challenges neither of them could navigate alone. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Despite being portrayed as intelligent and involved, the protagonist Lyrian has become clueless when it is convenient to the plot. Even though he is a veteran gamer, he seems perplexed when encountering gaming trolls. This is a problem, since no one else in the story can act on major issues. In fact, it is like he is playing a single player game and his friends are actually NPCs with limited input scripts. He also tends towards long moments of befuddlement in the midst of combat, presumably so the author can describe a scene in detail. And never mind Lazarus, the protagonist of book two. He is barely more than an NPC now and not integral to the story at all, making book two even more annoying in retrospect.
In addition, the LitRPG mechanics are bare and the system is mediocre at best. What seemed to work in the beginning is showing a lack of finesse and planning as the characters' progress has become painfully slow. Keep in mind, these characters are still at a low/intermediate threshold - they will have to grind full on dragons and demi-gods to ever reach level 30 at this point. That being said, it must be quite a challenge to write a great story AND a great game system from scratch. The story might have benefited on the whole if it wasn't trying to subscribe to the LitRPG writing style.
For me, the biggest issue is the story has lost its flow as compared to book one. As the scope of the settlement and its characters branch out, the author tries to cover more and more of the mundane details. Where progress was once exciting, parts of the story drag out and reading through it is work. Even the author seemed to want to get things over with as he sometimes skips entire days of events and the main character is described as perpetually exhausted. Put simply, the book just wasn't that fun to read.
I think the author is a good writer and I really enjoyed book one. However, I am not sure I can stick with this series any longer. The story, characters, and system just don't seem to be jelling.
September 28, 2022
An unfortunate second book for the Ascend Online series. Compared to the first book in the series this book contains far more action, to it's detriment. The 852 page book is a slog to read through because the non-stop action is actually very boring. The crew (more focus on an expanded cast than the first book) just moves from large encounter to large encounter with very little development between. The conclusion of each encounter is extremely unsatisfying because the author runs out of ideas quickly after the start of these fights and wraps them up very anticlimactically with a 'we eventually won' type paragraph. A book so focused on action doesn't work well, even if you are R.A. Salvatore (someone well known for writing great battle scenes).
This is a LitRPG book and you would expect some character sheet development... Even though the crew gains a good number of levels and some new class abilities the progression feels very flat compared to book 1. Book 1 saw Marcus (Lyrian) gain new abilities and traits and put them to use. Book two ended with Lyrian feeling like basically the same character minus a trait evolution and class skill at the very end of the book.
Lastly, the world. The world didn't change much and we didn't meet many new characters in this book. There was very little exploration or world building. While they explored an ancient civilizations ruin you still learn next to nothing because the ruin is... well... very ruined.
I might read the next book, but not for a while. This one took far longer than expected to read due to the poor pacing.
This is a LitRPG book and you would expect some character sheet development... Even though the crew gains a good number of levels and some new class abilities the progression feels very flat compared to book 1. Book 1 saw Marcus (Lyrian) gain new abilities and traits and put them to use. Book two ended with Lyrian feeling like basically the same character minus a trait evolution and class skill at the very end of the book.
Lastly, the world. The world didn't change much and we didn't meet many new characters in this book. There was very little exploration or world building. While they explored an ancient civilizations ruin you still learn next to nothing because the ruin is... well... very ruined.
I might read the next book, but not for a while. This one took far longer than expected to read due to the poor pacing.
March 22, 2020
With the nostalgia and novelty factors the series had going for it having worn off by this third book, the shortcomings in the actual writing have become painfully
obvious. The main characters are shallow, and everyone else is so excruciatingly devoid of depth that they may as well be nameless extras (and the character development of the few personalities joining us from the side-jaunt 1.5 book feels almost wholly abandoned). Phrases are over-used again and again, dialogue feels horribly forced, and the awkward banter is rarely entertaining. What’s worse, the pacing is horrendous and the author doesn’t seem to be able to manage to balance his fun of telling the story of playing the game with actual, meaningful progression for what I had hoped were the bigger themes and plot of the overall series. And for this entry, you get to sit through it for twice as long as the previous installments. Really unfortunate, because the concept itself was good and the game ideas developed interesting...there’s just not enough overarching plot movement to be a good book or a good series at this point, and the opportunity is well past to weave those elements in and develop them in any consequential way (i.e. possible ideas of AI sentience, the two sisters, game out of control, real-world element, etc.)
obvious. The main characters are shallow, and everyone else is so excruciatingly devoid of depth that they may as well be nameless extras (and the character development of the few personalities joining us from the side-jaunt 1.5 book feels almost wholly abandoned). Phrases are over-used again and again, dialogue feels horribly forced, and the awkward banter is rarely entertaining. What’s worse, the pacing is horrendous and the author doesn’t seem to be able to manage to balance his fun of telling the story of playing the game with actual, meaningful progression for what I had hoped were the bigger themes and plot of the overall series. And for this entry, you get to sit through it for twice as long as the previous installments. Really unfortunate, because the concept itself was good and the game ideas developed interesting...there’s just not enough overarching plot movement to be a good book or a good series at this point, and the opportunity is well past to weave those elements in and develop them in any consequential way (i.e. possible ideas of AI sentience, the two sisters, game out of control, real-world element, etc.)
December 20, 2018
It's not enough to be a good story teller when using a book as your medium. You also need to be a good writer.
I hate to say it, but I had to push myself to finish this book. I don't know how, but the author's writing was actually worse than in book 1. The word repetition was through the roof. There were several sentence fragments as well as spelling and grammar errors. The dialogue seemed even more forced than the first book.
Legacy of the Fallen does, however, continue to present interesting world events and character development. These two elements kept me reading, although it did feel like a grind to get to the end of the novel.
I skipped book 1.5, and I doubt I'll pick it up now or continue with the rest of the series. I don't want to read about the same villains. I'm tired of the duality of the main protagonist. He's clever enough to succeed in the game as well as IRL, yet he is constantly thick-witted during dialogue and combat. This book had my eyes rolling so hard they nearly feel out of my head.
I hate to say it, but I had to push myself to finish this book. I don't know how, but the author's writing was actually worse than in book 1. The word repetition was through the roof. There were several sentence fragments as well as spelling and grammar errors. The dialogue seemed even more forced than the first book.
Legacy of the Fallen does, however, continue to present interesting world events and character development. These two elements kept me reading, although it did feel like a grind to get to the end of the novel.
I skipped book 1.5, and I doubt I'll pick it up now or continue with the rest of the series. I don't want to read about the same villains. I'm tired of the duality of the main protagonist. He's clever enough to succeed in the game as well as IRL, yet he is constantly thick-witted during dialogue and combat. This book had my eyes rolling so hard they nearly feel out of my head.
December 31, 2021
My favorite book of the series though I am slightly disappointed that it was not dual perspective given the previous two books but hopefully we will more in the next book.
In the back of my mind I knew they weren't going to fail the quest but as complications kept appearing by the end I did have the slightest doubt which is something I love. The relationship that just appeared at the end was slightly strange to me with no hints leading up to them in bed together but maybe it will be expanded upon.
I am excited to see the plans of the gods and what is going on with the King as well as how the lay lines appearance will impact the city. I also look forward on learning more about the ancient civilizations and what will happen in the area now that the layline can be tapped. (I do not think we will see too much of this though). Also did his parents ever end up in the game?
Lots of unanswered questions for a pretty satisfying conclusion. Excited for the next one.
4.5 Stars
In the back of my mind I knew they weren't going to fail the quest but as complications kept appearing by the end I did have the slightest doubt which is something I love. The relationship that just appeared at the end was slightly strange to me with no hints leading up to them in bed together but maybe it will be expanded upon.
I am excited to see the plans of the gods and what is going on with the King as well as how the lay lines appearance will impact the city. I also look forward on learning more about the ancient civilizations and what will happen in the area now that the layline can be tapped. (I do not think we will see too much of this though). Also did his parents ever end up in the game?
Lots of unanswered questions for a pretty satisfying conclusion. Excited for the next one.
4.5 Stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2021
Good story progression, though the fighting scenes are becoming more boring than they used to in book one, when there was a lot of exploration and new experiences. Also, I have a strong feeling that the main character is using only about 20% of his potential... as a spell sword class, with blink step not having any set timer or cooldown, the main hero should be brutally overpowered. Instead, it feels like he just doesn't think strategically and it can get frustrating. With unlimited drain, he should be flitting from one enemy's back to another, doing backstab+drain and then blinkstepping to someone else....instead, he uses blinkstep mostly as a utility spell to get close to someone and then fight like a regular character. The rest of the story is pretty good, but this little detail ruined it for me a bit...
January 6, 2020
My biggest problem with these books is editing. How did no proofreader or editor catch some of the glaring grammatical issues? A few times, he outright uses the wrong word to get his meaning across. More times than I can count, he uses the same word redundantly in the same sentence (I.e. he quickly wiped a hand over his face as a tear ran down his face.)
On the plus side, the story is fun. I listened to the audio books, and Luke Daniels is an engaging reader.
On the plus side, the story is fun. I listened to the audio books, and Luke Daniels is an engaging reader.
January 12, 2018
Even better
Than the first book.
At least this time someone was picking up the loot!
I have to ask though, if the MC crafts a weapon or armor that is of a higher level than he is at, how can he possibly use it before achieving that same level???
Overall I highly recommend this book, with over 700 pages of adventure.
Than the first book.
At least this time someone was picking up the loot!
I have to ask though, if the MC crafts a weapon or armor that is of a higher level than he is at, how can he possibly use it before achieving that same level???
Overall I highly recommend this book, with over 700 pages of adventure.
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