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Puatera Online #1-3
The Desert Sequence
CONTAINS ALL 3 BOOKS of The Desert Sequence: Desert Runner, Desert Born, and Desert Storm.
Follow NPC Maddie on her journey of self-discovery. Through the deadly desert plains to the inner programming that makes her who she is.
Follow NPC Maddie on her journey of self-discovery. Through the deadly desert plains to the inner programming that makes her who she is.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2018
57 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Dawn Chapman
60 books178 followersDawn Chapman has been creating sci-fi and fantasy stories for thirty years. In 2005, her life and attention turned to scripts, and she started work on The Secret King (TSK), a 13-episode science fiction television series, with great passion for this medium.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She has been working with Coach EJ Runyon, who has encouraged her away from fast-paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
This year, her experience of working with producers/directors from the United States and Australia has expanded. From drama and science fiction to action, Dawn has built a portfolio of writing, consulting, and publishing.
In 2010, Dawn returned to her first love of prose. She has been working with Coach EJ Runyon, who has encouraged her away from fast-paced script writing, to revel in the world of TSK and Letháo as an epic prose space journey.
This year, her experience of working with producers/directors from the United States and Australia has expanded. From drama and science fiction to action, Dawn has built a portfolio of writing, consulting, and publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 8, 2019
2.5, round up to 3
The first thing I want to establish is that I would not call this a series. I would call it a serial. I know Goodreads/Amazon/etc doesn't give authors and publishers an easy, clear way to make this distinction. But as a reader, it's a big one for me, as serials don't necessarily wrap up at the end of a 'book.' Think movie vs episode of a TV show.
That's the case here with Puatera Online. Each book runs one into the other, with the breaks between being fairly random. Each book contains three or so quests and at the end of one the author breaks for the next. The next picking up with the remainder of the ongoing quests and adding new ones ad infinito. If this was not a serial, my comment would be that all three of these ~100 page volumes should have been one novel. No question in my mind.
Here's the thing, I was annoyed to discover this is a serial, not a series (at least by my estimation). But I can't really fault it for being what it is, instead of what I expected. So, my 2.5 rating isn't based on that. I just thought it was important to let future readers know what to expect. Additionally, the cover image says "the complete trilogy," but the story doesn't wrap up at the end of book three and there are 8 books as of the time of me writing this review. So, don't go in expecting something complete. Again, just worth noting. But no, my 2.5 star rating is based on the fact that it's sloppy.
Let me pause and add that the book is entertaining and the two main characters are likable. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy several aspects of it. But that fact remains that there are editorial inconsistencies (like the sisters being mentioned before before their quest was actually introduced, someone being said by an entity that can see the code to be an NPC and then being a player (this may have been authorial misdirection, but it felt more like she changed her mind midway through writing)). There are too many characters introduced in too short a time, some of them basically being dropped again very shortly there after. Chapman never even attempts to define the limits of the game/world (or even tell readers what kind of game it is), which I think is 100% necessary in a LitRPG book. Not all role playing games are the same. The timeline is a mess and this is complicated by some of it being programing and not real. But apparently some of it is? See, I'm not even sure. Some things are said to have happened a 1000 years ago for vaguely non-NPC characters, some players have played for 10+ years, but the game is still in alpha testing, etc. I have no idea of the timeline. Chapman doesn't even attempt to explain how characters cross from the digital to the real world and the human players have nowhere near enough reaction (practically none at all) when this happens. This story just kind of sprawls all over the place.
Honestly, I think Chapman has the bones of a good story here. It just feels too broken into pieces. The narrator did an excellent job with it though.
The first thing I want to establish is that I would not call this a series. I would call it a serial. I know Goodreads/Amazon/etc doesn't give authors and publishers an easy, clear way to make this distinction. But as a reader, it's a big one for me, as serials don't necessarily wrap up at the end of a 'book.' Think movie vs episode of a TV show.
That's the case here with Puatera Online. Each book runs one into the other, with the breaks between being fairly random. Each book contains three or so quests and at the end of one the author breaks for the next. The next picking up with the remainder of the ongoing quests and adding new ones ad infinito. If this was not a serial, my comment would be that all three of these ~100 page volumes should have been one novel. No question in my mind.
Here's the thing, I was annoyed to discover this is a serial, not a series (at least by my estimation). But I can't really fault it for being what it is, instead of what I expected. So, my 2.5 rating isn't based on that. I just thought it was important to let future readers know what to expect. Additionally, the cover image says "the complete trilogy," but the story doesn't wrap up at the end of book three and there are 8 books as of the time of me writing this review. So, don't go in expecting something complete. Again, just worth noting. But no, my 2.5 star rating is based on the fact that it's sloppy.
Let me pause and add that the book is entertaining and the two main characters are likable. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy several aspects of it. But that fact remains that there are editorial inconsistencies (like the sisters being mentioned before before their quest was actually introduced, someone being said by an entity that can see the code to be an NPC and then being a player (this may have been authorial misdirection, but it felt more like she changed her mind midway through writing)). There are too many characters introduced in too short a time, some of them basically being dropped again very shortly there after. Chapman never even attempts to define the limits of the game/world (or even tell readers what kind of game it is), which I think is 100% necessary in a LitRPG book. Not all role playing games are the same. The timeline is a mess and this is complicated by some of it being programing and not real. But apparently some of it is? See, I'm not even sure. Some things are said to have happened a 1000 years ago for vaguely non-NPC characters, some players have played for 10+ years, but the game is still in alpha testing, etc. I have no idea of the timeline. Chapman doesn't even attempt to explain how characters cross from the digital to the real world and the human players have nowhere near enough reaction (practically none at all) when this happens. This story just kind of sprawls all over the place.
Honestly, I think Chapman has the bones of a good story here. It just feels too broken into pieces. The narrator did an excellent job with it though.
May 11, 2019
With this being listed as a collection of the first 3 books I went into it expecting it to be much longer than it was. First let me get this out of the way, the narration was fantastic and probably the main thing that kept me listening. Now I'm not saying the books are bad, far from it in fact they are easily 3.5's which to me means it was enjoyable enough that I liked it. The problem is they aren't written like books they are written more like episodes to a tv series or episodic audio dramas and its reflected in the pacing. It goes from slow start up to periods of talking to fast build up and finish throughout each book very much like a TV episode trying to cover everything but not having the time to do it. There is a good amount of world building more than you would typically get from books this short and a lot of character development for the main and some of the secondary characters. I personally didn't find the main character relatable on any level but she was still an interesting and unique read though she did repeat herself a lot and would say things like "That happened so long ago" when it was in fact less than 5 minutes ago to the reader. The further you get into the book the more it suffers from fast travel without notice as well. Some of the story did have me get a little emotional a few times so it has that going for it, and the world / universe building being done promises to be impressive. Overall it's a very good story but I feel like it could have been a very great story if it was longer giving it the pacing and development it deserved. If you want a different experience with a unique main character give this one a shot.
May 23, 2019
The story starts off strong. Promises of an unforgiving world requiring a careful balancing of limited resources. Promises of secrets and loot to uncover, long lost under the desert. Promised the struggle of an NPC who is on the verge of becoming much more than her simple programming despite how it limits her still. A world harsh and gritty.
And we are delivered something far different. Every few pages it seems we are handed 'twists' that ultimately detract from this world and drastically change the frame of the story. They don't make sense and do not fit with the original vision we were given. We end with a convoluted mess, that was half gibberish at its best and incomprehensibly stupid at its worst.
I have no idea wtf book these other people read to have rated it highly, but it cannot have been this one I did. Be warned.
And we are delivered something far different. Every few pages it seems we are handed 'twists' that ultimately detract from this world and drastically change the frame of the story. They don't make sense and do not fit with the original vision we were given. We end with a convoluted mess, that was half gibberish at its best and incomprehensibly stupid at its worst.
I have no idea wtf book these other people read to have rated it highly, but it cannot have been this one I did. Be warned.
November 16, 2020
Audible. The entire 8 book series is available on KU, as is this trilogy. As of this review all the titles (including "box sets") are available to whispersync at a discount. This is my first time listening to this author and narrator.
Starting with narrator, Andrea Parsneau. She is terrific. She does an excellent job with giving each character ~ even secondary, tertiary, and minute ones ~ their own unique voice/accent/cadence. I never had any issues figuring out who was talking at any given time. Parsneau is able to evoke a myriad of emotions and I will actually seek out her other works in the future.
This is my first experience with litRPG. As a competent gamer (mostly with my kids, but I'm familiar with and have played RPG/MMORPGs on a variety of platforms as well as having gamer fluency) and as an avid reader/listener of books in a lot of genres ~ I thought this would be really interesting. It is. The concept is really neat and some parts of pulled off incredibly well. I was sucked into the world fairly quickly and mostly enjoyed this trilogy. Maddie's POV as a sentient NPC is an intriguing concept and I enjoyed getting to know her as well as following along on her adventures. It's sort of like Mad Max meets Lara Croft.
I did have some issues:
* World-Building. Being in a game, there's a vast world here but it's rules/parameters/expectations weren't consistently applied, or explained at all. In some respects, I thought it was the author relying on generic RPG concepts ~ but they were often violated and no real reason was given. At times, it felt like a sci-fi/fantasy novel that someone dropped bits of gaming lingo in to.
* The world isn't described well. Some beings are described okay and I feel like I know what they look like ~ but others are almost completely nondescript. Like the "Hog". I kept waiting to get an understanding of what this vehicle looks like and most of the info is about undefined modifications that Maddie made to it. With the exception of hair color - almost none of the characters are physically described.
* The Complete Trilogy. This makes it sound like it's three books. The whole thing is about 9.5 hours long. The way it's written is as a serial of 3 novellas or a single book broken into 3 parts.
Overall, I enjoyed it ~ but it didn't wow me and it isn't really something I'd listen to repeatedly. It's also likely the the narrator made the book more enjoyable than if I'd just tried to read it myself.
I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Starting with narrator, Andrea Parsneau. She is terrific. She does an excellent job with giving each character ~ even secondary, tertiary, and minute ones ~ their own unique voice/accent/cadence. I never had any issues figuring out who was talking at any given time. Parsneau is able to evoke a myriad of emotions and I will actually seek out her other works in the future.
This is my first experience with litRPG. As a competent gamer (mostly with my kids, but I'm familiar with and have played RPG/MMORPGs on a variety of platforms as well as having gamer fluency) and as an avid reader/listener of books in a lot of genres ~ I thought this would be really interesting. It is. The concept is really neat and some parts of pulled off incredibly well. I was sucked into the world fairly quickly and mostly enjoyed this trilogy. Maddie's POV as a sentient NPC is an intriguing concept and I enjoyed getting to know her as well as following along on her adventures. It's sort of like Mad Max meets Lara Croft.
I did have some issues:
* World-Building. Being in a game, there's a vast world here but it's rules/parameters/expectations weren't consistently applied, or explained at all. In some respects, I thought it was the author relying on generic RPG concepts ~ but they were often violated and no real reason was given. At times, it felt like a sci-fi/fantasy novel that someone dropped bits of gaming lingo in to.
* The world isn't described well. Some beings are described okay and I feel like I know what they look like ~ but others are almost completely nondescript. Like the "Hog". I kept waiting to get an understanding of what this vehicle looks like and most of the info is about undefined modifications that Maddie made to it. With the exception of hair color - almost none of the characters are physically described.
* The Complete Trilogy. This makes it sound like it's three books. The whole thing is about 9.5 hours long. The way it's written is as a serial of 3 novellas or a single book broken into 3 parts.
Overall, I enjoyed it ~ but it didn't wow me and it isn't really something I'd listen to repeatedly. It's also likely the the narrator made the book more enjoyable than if I'd just tried to read it myself.
I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 27, 2018
If you love books like Ready Player One, Push Start to Play, or Soda Pop Soldier, then you'll want, no, you'll need to read Puatera Online... because it is simply fabulous! The fact that this story is told through the POV of a self-aware NPC is both wonderful, and unique!
Andrea Parsneau's narration captures NPC Maddie's character perfectly...
Maddie hates the label NPC, but what can a girl do? It's what gamers call her, and she constantly struggles against that label, and against her programming... There are times when all she can do is accept a dangerous quest (against her better judgement of course) because she really needs the money for her day-to-day expenditures as well as the potions that keep her chronic pain at bay... The quests/jobs are normally simple package deliveries, but it's summer time, which happens to be the breeding season of the Very Monstrous, Very Hungry, and VERY Dangerous Tromal!
To further complicate matters, this time the package is a Gamer...
You'll definitely want to get the boxed set because, A) it's gonna save you some dough and, B) you're going to want to read straight through without interruption! As we learn that Maddie is so much more than her programming, we also find out that other NPC's aren't what they seem... So you'll definitely want to start beta testing Puatera Online yourself to find out how it all plays out! ...
Oh and if you're like me and can't wait for the next audible release, books 4 and 5 are both available as ebooks on Amazon...
Andrea Parsneau's narration captures NPC Maddie's character perfectly...
Maddie hates the label NPC, but what can a girl do? It's what gamers call her, and she constantly struggles against that label, and against her programming... There are times when all she can do is accept a dangerous quest (against her better judgement of course) because she really needs the money for her day-to-day expenditures as well as the potions that keep her chronic pain at bay... The quests/jobs are normally simple package deliveries, but it's summer time, which happens to be the breeding season of the Very Monstrous, Very Hungry, and VERY Dangerous Tromal!
To further complicate matters, this time the package is a Gamer...
You'll definitely want to get the boxed set because, A) it's gonna save you some dough and, B) you're going to want to read straight through without interruption! As we learn that Maddie is so much more than her programming, we also find out that other NPC's aren't what they seem... So you'll definitely want to start beta testing Puatera Online yourself to find out how it all plays out! ...
Oh and if you're like me and can't wait for the next audible release, books 4 and 5 are both available as ebooks on Amazon...
March 19, 2019
This boxset release of the first three books in the series makes perfect sense, none of them are very long by usual audiobook expectations and they do not really feel like distinct entities either, the transition feels more than going to a new chapter but not by much.
This series of books focuses on the adventures of an 'NPC' character in a game and it skirts the line between being a regular scifi/fantasy novel and the lighter end of the litrpg genre, there are some mentions of healthbars etc but not to much in the way of stats interrupting the actual story that escalates quite rapidly from this starting point. Even with Maddie (the npc in question) being very much slotted into the chosen one style of main character, it doesn't feel too forced and the character remains likeable and the story engaging.
The narrator gives a strong performance, a good tone for the main character and keeping the supporting cast sufficiently distinctive from each other to enhance the flow of the overall story.
Overall, this boxset is an entertaining introduction to this series and I anticipate enjoying further instalments in the series too.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
This series of books focuses on the adventures of an 'NPC' character in a game and it skirts the line between being a regular scifi/fantasy novel and the lighter end of the litrpg genre, there are some mentions of healthbars etc but not to much in the way of stats interrupting the actual story that escalates quite rapidly from this starting point. Even with Maddie (the npc in question) being very much slotted into the chosen one style of main character, it doesn't feel too forced and the character remains likeable and the story engaging.
The narrator gives a strong performance, a good tone for the main character and keeping the supporting cast sufficiently distinctive from each other to enhance the flow of the overall story.
Overall, this boxset is an entertaining introduction to this series and I anticipate enjoying further instalments in the series too.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
July 18, 2019
Hooked from the first page...
I actually cheated and listened to these books first. Andrea Parsneau is one of my all time favorite narrators. That being said, I picked these up in ebook form and I knew I would eventually read them, because I loved them.
These are relatively short books but they are a great start to an awesome overall series.
Maddie, the MC, is amazing and Chapman does such a great job of making you connect with her. (Do not call her an NPC)
If you like fast paced action with gamelit aspects (stats, but not overwhelmingly so), and a strong lead female MC, then this series could be for you.
I’d at least recommend giving the first book a shot. It may not be for you, but I bet you end up reading the second, and if you do that, I’d bet you read the entire series.
I actually cheated and listened to these books first. Andrea Parsneau is one of my all time favorite narrators. That being said, I picked these up in ebook form and I knew I would eventually read them, because I loved them.
These are relatively short books but they are a great start to an awesome overall series.
Maddie, the MC, is amazing and Chapman does such a great job of making you connect with her. (Do not call her an NPC)
If you like fast paced action with gamelit aspects (stats, but not overwhelmingly so), and a strong lead female MC, then this series could be for you.
I’d at least recommend giving the first book a shot. It may not be for you, but I bet you end up reading the second, and if you do that, I’d bet you read the entire series.
August 26, 2018
I'm reviewing the Box Set (Books 1-3) (as a whole).
I'm very new to this genre, so I can't necessarily comment or review that aspect of the story, but as an audiobook loved the story, very well done and I loved the narration, really liked it! I loved the virtual reality world created, and it was super fascinating. I think any fan of the genre would love this. Lots of action, I was interested from beginning to end :)
I thought this was very well done, and now I"m on to listen to #4!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I'm very new to this genre, so I can't necessarily comment or review that aspect of the story, but as an audiobook loved the story, very well done and I loved the narration, really liked it! I loved the virtual reality world created, and it was super fascinating. I think any fan of the genre would love this. Lots of action, I was interested from beginning to end :)
I thought this was very well done, and now I"m on to listen to #4!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
March 15, 2018
Book 1 - 4 STARS ****
Book 2 - 3.5 to 4 STARS ****
Book 3 - 5 STARS *****
Book 2 - 3.5 to 4 STARS ****
Book 3 - 5 STARS *****
September 18, 2023
Puatara forever!
Another beautifully crafted world that draws you in and helps you see and believe in a new horizon. Read it!
Another beautifully crafted world that draws you in and helps you see and believe in a new horizon. Read it!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews