Catalyst

Godslayer Rising #1

by J.D.L. Rosell

The gods are at war. The game is their chessboard.
But Sean Marrow is no pawn.

The Everlands, the first immersive reality game, has just launched into open beta, and gamers everywhere are paying out the nose to get in. But though Sean Marrow is frothing at the bit for his own chance, there's one small problem: only those 21 and older are allowed in, and he's just 17.

But Marrow doesn't take no for an answer. Risking a lifelong ban, he sneaks into a gaming parlor and, with no one the wiser, logs in.

The Everlands is everything he'd imagined and more, and he's immediately embroiled in the politics of the world. But as he plunges in deeper, heedless of the real world consequences, he finds he's not the master of his fate - for the gods of the game have their own plans for him.

Marrow has never taken a blow lying down, and he doesn't intend to start now. So though the powers-that-be strive to make him a pawn in a greater game, he'll become the catalyst that overturns the order of the Everlands and forges a new one...

Previously published as Absalom's Fate, Book 1 of The Everlands.

READERS' PRAISE FOR CATALYST

★★★★★ "An amazing book. Very fun and easy to read well worth a couple hours of reading by litrpg fans both new and old."

★★★★★ "A great fast paced LitRPG that struck all the right notes for me."

★★★★★ "A bit litRPG and a little Percy Jackson."

Genres: Fantasy

266 pages, ebook

Published April 10, 2018

About the author

***ANNOUNCEMENT: Shadow of Legends, Book 1 in the Dragonforged Saga, is funding now on Kickstarter! Look it up to read more about your favorite characters from Legend of Tal.***

J.D.L. Rosell was swept away on a journey when he stepped foot outside his door and into The Hobbit. He hasn't stopped wandering since.

In his writing, he tries to recapture the wonder, adventure, and poignancy that captivated him as a child. His explorations have taken him to worlds set in over twenty novels and six series, which include Dragonforged, Ranger of the Titan Wilds, Legend of Tal, The Runewar Saga, and The Famine Cycle.

When he's not off on a quest, Rosell enjoys his newfound hobby of archery and older pastimes of hiking and landscape photography. But every hobbit returns home, and if you step softly and mind the potatoes, you may glimpse him curled up with his wife and two cats, Zelda and Abenthy, reading a good book or replaying his favorite video games.

* * * * *

Books by J.D.L. Rosell:

DRAGONFORGED
1. Shadow of Legends (Late 2026 release)

RANGER OF THE TITAN WILDS
1. The Last Ranger
2. The First Ancestor
3. The Hidden Guardian
4. The Wilds Exile
5. The Titan Revenant (March 2026 release)

LEGEND OF TAL
1. A King's Bargain
2. A Queen's Command
3. An Emperor's Gamble
4. A God's Plea
A Battle Between Blood (Novella)

THE RUNEWAR SAGA
1. The Throne of Ice & Ash
2. The Crown of Fire & Fury
3. The Stone of Iron & Omen
Book 4 TBA

THE FAMINE CYCLE - Available as a complete box set
1. Whispers of Ruin
2. Echoes of Chaos
3. Requiem of Silence
Secret Seller (Prequel)
The Phantom Heist (Novella)

GODSLAYER RISING - Available as a complete box set
1. Catalyst
2. Champion
3. Heretic

Reviews

[Cr Rider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs more depth and detail

Underage MC sneaks into online world and becomes stuck as well as an unwitting pawn in A gardening gods. Book begins when a tech receives a request from a player who is stuck in the game and cannot logout. The manner that this is introduced intimates that there will be ongoing interaction betwixt player and tech, especially when illicit assistance is requested. However, excepting that blurb, no other mention is made of it a side from receiving error messages when Marrow attempts to send in reports. Too much to go into right now, but world-building, characters and backstory need more. Minor editing errors. Decent start.

[H.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good (spoilers)

I liked it. I liked how the main character was willing to work with the evil options and still try to be good, which isn’t something I have really seen before. I liked how he became stuck at the end, and I wonder if the next books will be him trying to get free of the sentient AI.

[Ian Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit different

A new take on the stuck in the game story. Interesting characters, a couple layered quests, stats and skills that aren't overwhelming and seem to fit. A bit litRPG and a little Percy Jackson. By the end it fit together well into an enjoyable adventure.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expected less and was rewarded.

Opening into this genre wasn't soemthing I expected to enjoy.

Was plesently surprised at how good it was. Growing pains expected since you're basically turning a visual into a novel, but the author did well.

Worth the time read and it's cost.

[Gary Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

I liked the book a lot. I like how aspects of rpg games are tied into the plot. I am looking forward to the next book.

[robert vig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

An amazing book. Very fun and easy to read well worth a couple hours of reading by litrpg fans both new and old.

[Brad Theado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Looking forward to book 2

[Raymond Malgra · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be or not a catalyst

To have the belief of gaming. Very good. Nice having the stats sheet to look at. Makes it all the more real.

[OldBird · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a really quick and accessible kind of read. I'd been wanting something easy on the brain, YAish, adventurous, with a protagonist who was relatable rather than always ready with the perfect snarky comeback or a complete and utter n00b. To be fair, this LitRPG has all those elements, and it's for that reason I found it quite enjoyable up to a point. That point being roughly half way through when a female character jumps into bed with our main guy.

I had such high hopes that this was not one of those kind of LitRPGs - after all, there's very little in the way of character descriptions so while I didn't really know much about who looked like what, there had been no excess of chain mail bikinis or drooling male comments. I don't know if I'd have minded if there had been more development, emotional or otherwise, in the relationship between the two, but felt there was nothing outside of one offhand comment about how the girl was "pretty". Sorry to be That Person, but it really upset me to see another case of female characters being easily won like trophies by a guy who has no idea. Even when he screws up badly they're unbelievably quick to forgive him, and all he ever does for their relationship is check their stat sheet. It kinda broke my heart when I thought I'd found a LitRPG guy I could actually like even if he could be naive, but his lack of emotional capacity was just... Off. To be clear, he isn't vile and degrading like so many guyish books of the genre I've tried, and nothing is ever explicit. It's more like he doesn't really notice other characters much, male or female, and I think that's what was lacking for me. Just something to take him out of his inner monologue a bit and show us what kind of person he could be with others.

He didn't even seem curious about things when characters made unexplainable cryptic comments about his destiny, just shrugging them off as if it's the kind of thing people say every day. How did Sheika know people were "watching" when she's trapped too? How did she discover Absalom and the Gods' "game"? How was it a game when the Gods don't even really know what they're doing if they're unaware of the "real" world? I thought it was Absalom who trapped the players, so what role do the other Gods even have? How does even the MC know things about the world, like name checking the Pantheon early on, when he's said details about the game mechanics are so tight there's hardly any knowledge out there?

I did get a little bored by action sequences (you know, the LitRPG staple of "I swung my sword/I cast x spell"), but if you're into that sort of thing there are enough jumpy moments for our guy to get his ass handed to him. Stat sheets and skill point turn up too, not too heavily but enough to remind you it's all a game (though some might query his scattering of them around the place, but who knows if the Everlands works like a real wish-fulfilment RPG where you could make a character however you darn well liked and still be awesome!)

Maybe it's just me. Maybe if you're looking for a straight out boyish kinda book where the .hack//sign/Legend of the Twilight vibes are strong, the relationships are uncomplicated, and the main story is about a guy gradually getting stronger in a game world. Honestly, the writing flowed really nicely and our guy isn't the usual unlikeable type who only thinks about swords and boobs. I'd have been a lot more invested if the characters had some depth to go with the whizzy plot. I'll put it down to this one being just not for me, but probably being a fun read for the right audience.

[Joshua (ithildins) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I slogged through this book so you don't have to.

TSTL MC who accesses the game when he shouldn't? Yes.
Does a minor get it on with an NPC? Yes.
AI has way too much power? Yes.
VR immersion? Yes, though done so that everyone else can log off
Poor grammar and wrong word usage? Yes.
Game mechanics forgotten in favour of deus ex machina? SO MANY BLOODY TIMES!

Willpower doesn't save your character in video games! When your character is stabbed, they immediately lose health - the bar doesn't decrease point by point to give you a final fighting chance! And the battle never mentioned that the party shared experiences for each other's kills, so how exactly did he gain a level when he was bashed to the floor with a sword in his gut?

The game is still in beta testing, the trapped players not being able to log off for a WEEK or longer? Medical equipment would have to be hooked up to maintain hydration levels, proper nutrition, waste disposal, hygiene, and that's if everyone playing were healthy - if someone had a medical condition, it would further complicate things - that is a PR nightmare for the first VR game, the devs can't fix the issue and even get stuck in the game themselves? Yeah, I'm sorry, but this game is getting shut down and the servers wiped - that's the reality. So whatever happened that is going to keep the MC's consciousness in the game forever, better be reversible. Because someone dying due to technical issues? HAH!

If these tropes don't bother you, I hope you can ignore the fact that an editor needed to take a digital red pen to this mess and enjoy the story. From now on - any VR LitRPG books, I'm just going to DNF. Either they are video game characters, or they're not - no AI/NPC characters to fall in love with or go full immersion for - I'm done. And this was the book that was the (pun intended) catalyst.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Everlands had a way of drawing you in, of making you let go of the concerns of the real world..." Marrow is deep into a video game, but the game is not all that it seems to be. He has actually become part of the game.

If you like video games, you will easily detect that the author does also. Ride along with Marrow as he discovers the game and what is behind it.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor sentence structure, exposition dump in chapter 1.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and poorly written

I've left notes all through what parts of the book i actually bothered to read- which is about 30%. Can find most of my complaints there.

[Toby Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of fantasy

I chose this rating because I went on to purchase book two. I think readers that enjoyed ready player one will also enjoy this.