Death March

Euphoria Online #1

by Phil Tucker

I sacrificed everything for my family. It wasn't enough. I lost my mother, and now I'm about to lose my brother.

I've got only one thing left to gamble: my life. Which is why I'm willing to play Euphoria Online in Death March mode.

If I survive six months in-game against a lethal array of wyverns, ogres, necromancers, and more, I'll earn my brother a pardon.

If I lose?

Well. I'm done with losing.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Dragons, Fiction

250 pages, Unknown Binding

First published August 7, 2018

About the author

Thanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.

Reviews

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of Death March in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Phil Tucker for the opportunity.

Death March, the first entry in the LitRPG Euphoria Online trilogy was my first time reading Tucker's work although I am familiar with him from the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off. I am also pretty new to this blossoming and booming subgenre of computer game RPG inspired fantasy. Having recently enjoyed Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic and the fact that I'm currently replaying The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim it seemed only right that I leapt at the chance to review this story early and carry on with those vibes.

The main character Chris is a college lecturer and an ex-professional gamer who resides in the not too distant future in approximately 2050 A.D. Advancements to our current technology and existence are realistically presented and projected in this almost sci-fi environment. Chris has quite a few things haunting his mind at the moment most notably caused by the fact his brother could be facing the death penalty and also that he and his girlfriend have recently split up. Surprisingly, after weeks of radio silence, his ex-girlfriend offers him a ticket to the new computer game experience everyone is talking about. Euphoria Online, where you don't just play or see the gaming environment, you live it. Chris accepts the chance and decides to play it on the hardest mode, Death March, and if he survives 6-months in-game play then his brother could be granted a pardon. The only issue is that during this most difficult of settings if he dies in the game then it is game over in real life too!

At 70,000 words Death March was an extremely enjoyable, fast, and exciting journey and Chris was a protagonist worth rooting for due to the extremities placed on his scenario and fate. This novel features sections where the main character explains leveling up, new skills, statistics upgrades, the in-game world, local environments, and the monsters lurking throughout as he learns it himself for the first time which creates great affinity. Unfortunately, Chris soon finds himself seriously underpowered in a very difficult area which is haunted by Ogres, Goblins, Wraiths, Dread Lords and even a Wyvern. Every choice he makes could mean life or death which is familiar to the Fighting Fantasy novels I used to read yet there is no cheating and turning back to the last page here. Death March also includes puzzle rooms, boss battles, and confrontations with certain characters whose loyalties are uncertain.

Initially, I thought we might spend the whole narrative just following Chris solo throughout his hardships, however, I'm pleased to announce that there is an eclectic and colourful mix of supporting characters here to root for too. In this advanced gaming world, a few standout individuals were non-player characters such as an enthusiastic goblin that's lovingly named Dribbler. Character development was surprisingly deep and believable for a relatively short novel.

Death March is gripping, with intense action segments, believable characters, and a detailed magic and perks system. I don't know how complex this is compared to other entries in the LitRPG genre but to me, it seemed well thought out and interesting and I'd say even someone new to LitRPG could start here and be rewarded. We don't visit too vast an amount of the world throughout this narrative but for what we witness I can confirm that the world-building is smooth, clear, precise and colourful. The ending offers a rollercoaster of adrenaline and wraps things up nicely. Although there are unanswered issues and I was left wondering what may follow next, this does work perfectly as a self-contained novel. Death March is exciting, engaging, but more importantly, it's great fun. All the books in this series have been completed so there shouldn't be too long a wait between the release dates either.

[Phil Tucker]

Link to the Kickstarter

Those who are familiar with me know I don't review my own books, but I do use this space as of a kind of a placeholder to let people keep up to date on it's status.

You can mark Death March as 'to read' here.

8/4/18

Three days till Death March drops! If you're curious to learn more about the novel, you can check out the first three chapters here.

8/2/18

Five days till Death March drops! I can't wait to share this story with you guys - I think you're going to love it.

If you want in on the fun, you can join the GoodReads giveaway here.

And you can also join the GoodReads launch party here.

Cheers!

7/23/18

We're two weeks out from the official Death March release, and I'm starting to enter that nervous/excited phase that always precedes a publication. ARCs have just gone out to my readers, and here are a few blogger quotes that I've been rereading to help calm my nerves:

"Highly addictive, imaginative, and entertaining, this series is level 50 awesome." - Fantasy Book Review

"I loved this book. It was engaging. It was addictive. It was fun. Death March is one of the best page-turners I’ve read this year." The Fantasy Inn

"I would definitely recommend this – it’s has good pacing, characters that you will become attached to, the world is great and it feels like there are so many possibilities yet to be explored." - Lynn's Books

"Five stars." - The Weatherwax Report

Thanks to all the bloggers who took the time to give the book a read ;)

5/22/18

We did it! This morning my Kickstarter snuck past the 4th Stretch Goal and funded with a grand total of 385 backers who pledged $13,671. Thank you everyone!

5/15/18

We've unlocked Stretch Goal #3! Every physical copy of Death March will now include a custom made bookmark, the design of which was voted for by you guys :)

Here's Stretch Goal #4:



A $25+ ebook bundle of six first-in-series from some of the best fantasy authors writing today:

Dyrk Ashton
AC Cobble
David Estes
Davis Ashura
Jeramy Gobles
Ben Galley

This will be added to everyone in the $8/$10 tier and higher. Please share with your fantasy/RPG friends to help us get there!

5/2/18

Incredible - we blew past the 100% funding mark in a little over 12 hours, and this morning have already cruised past the first Stretch Goal. Thank you everyone who's supporting this project!

Quick update on how the Kickstarter's doing:

* We're now the most popular publishing project on Earth.
* We're also the most backed live fiction project in the world
* We're also the the most funded live fiction project in the world

Surreal!

5/1/18

The kickstarter is LIVE! Thank you for everyone's support right out the gate, and if you want to check out the early bird specials before they're gone, you can see them here.

4/30/18



One day till the Kickstarter launches!

Just for fun, here's a sneak peak of the reward tiers I'm going to make available:



You can see a larger version here.

4/27/18

Four days till the Kickstarter launches!



Its purpose is to raise money to commission gorgeous interior artwork for the first novel in my upcoming fantasy trilogy, as well as produce a hardcover version.

The entire trilogy has already been written, Audible has secured the audiobook rights, and the ebook, trade paperback and audiobook are set to be released this August.

As such, whether or not this Kickstarter funds, I'm happy to say this story will be published and made available to my readers. With your help, however, the Euphoria Online trilogy could become so much more.

Click here to read the first few chapters to get a sense of what a LitRPG book is like and whether you'd have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

If you like these chapters chances are you'll enjoy the entire trilogy.

The Kickstarter is launching on May 1, and there will be a limited number Early Bird Specials for the ebooks, signed trade paperbacks, and hardcovers. See you there!

[Benedict Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to beta read this book, and it grabbed me by the collar and yanked me out of the reading slump I was in.
My only experience with LitRPG before this was Sufficiently Advanced Magic, which also caught my attention for the same reason this one did. Great fun seeing a fun, believable character advance in power through this world.
Afterwards, part of me wanted nothing more than to try to remember how to log into my old WoW account. Good thing I can just jump into Book 2 instead - mwa ha ha!
LitRPG readers are going to love Phil’s description and nail-biting scenarios. Readers who are already fans of the author’s work are going to enjoy seeing one of their favourite authors having far too much fun in this world of levelling up and pop culture references.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

LitRPG is a genre that's just about to explode. Big publishers seem to overlook the growing popularity of the genre. They'll probably catch up once it skyrockets. At the moment, though, LitRPG is a genre in which indie authors can excel.

It's also a genre I have trouble with. I'm not a gamer. I don't like video games. I don't play them. I have zero interest in them. I prefer sport and reading books.

Despite this, I enjoyed newest Phil Tucker's book and devoured it in one day. It's well written, quick to read and entertaining.

The premise is simple: humanity has failed to fix the problems we've created. The world is in terrible shape, and things seem to go downhill. To salvage humankind, the brightest minds created the first real artificial intelligence. Surprisingly, instead of solving climate and social problems, the AI called Albertus Magnus created an incredibly immersive virtual world called Euphoria Online.

It's not cheap to enter the world. But once you enter, it's unlike anything you've ever played. The most controversial aspect of Euphoria is the inclusion of Death March playing mode. Anybody who survives six months in-game while playing at that difficulty level can ask a favor from AI and get whatever he wants. The tricky part is that when you die in a game, you also die in real life.

Story's protagonist, Chris, is an experienced player who happens to get a chance to play Euphoria. His brother is at risk of being condemned to death, and Chris is prepared to do anything to save him. That includes playing at Death March difficulty level. In order to survive, he'll need to level up fast and become apex predator in this virtual world.

The story is simple and straightforward. Chris needs to level up fast. After each achievement (killing some creature, making friends, athletic feats like running for your life) he unlocks new skills and gains XP "points" that allow him to buy new goodies (skills, weapons, and alike). He examines his character chart multiple times. Along the road, he meets two other players and they form a team. We get a look at other characters stats and follow their adventures.

Regarding plot, it's not particularly complicated novel. They need to run from stronger creatures, grind up their levels, fight stronger monsters, survive, get some points, gain and/or buy new skills and then fight some more and endure some more.

Happily, there's much more to the story than that. There's a meta thread that tries to answer the question why Albertus needed Euphoria to salvage humanity. There's also a sort of cliffhanger that suggests that Albertus isn't the only entity with an agenda.

The characters are wonderful. It's easy and natural to like Chris and his new friends. I found them relatable and nice. They're guys I wouldn't mind getting to know in real life. I understand their motivations and wish them well. Apart from humans, there's also a group of goblins who bring a lot of comic relief to the story. These guys rock.

The LitRPG elements and statistics are present throughout the story. At times I felt tired of the stats and Chris telling which skills he's using at the moment to survive. On the other hand, everything was presented simply and was easy to follow.

I enjoyed this book. It won't work as a standalone. Nothing is resolved, and it should be approached as an introduction to Phil's imaginative world of Euphoria. While I'll never become LitRPG hardcore fan, I plan to read the rest of the series. Mainly for the characters that are easily relatable. But also in the hope of discovering Albertus' master plan.

Death March is the second book I read as part of the TBRind - An Indie Author and Reviewer Matching Service created and maintained by The Weatherwax Report.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read a beta version of this trilogy, so thank you to Phil Tucker for providing me with early access.

This was first foray into the LitRPG (literary role-playing-game) subgenre, and I'm glad I waited. Phil's books are a pleasure to read because they're written in a "blockbuster" style: they're very cinematic, they move at a wonderful pace, the characters are fun to root for and against, and the battle scenes are creative and engaging. All these elements are on display in full force throughout “Death March,” and it led to one of the most addictive trilogies I've read in quite some time.

Exploring the world of Euphoria through the protagonist Chris is like experiencing a shiny and massive open world video game. Whenever I started playing games like The Witcher or World of Warcraft, all I wanted to do was sink dozens of hours into it, level up, discover new secrets, play with new weapons, and gain awesome powers on my quest. That feeling of excitement and discovery is captured perfectly in this story, with an added tension of knowing that Chris only has one life to live in the game: his own. Game Over is permanent. Phil does an admirable job explaining why Chris chooses which classes and abilities will help keep him alive the longest, and I kept nodding my head at the strategies employed. It made me think of what I'd do in the situation: how differently would I approach a game if I couldn't die even once?

The LitRPG elements and statistics are present throughout the story, but they're presented in a simple manner, so it never felt like I was getting bogged down with too many rules or things to remember. Even if you're not a fan of video games or RPGs, the system that Phil created is very straightforward and easy to follow. If you do happen to enjoy fantasy-based gaming, then you’ll have plenty of easter eggs and references to sift through.

The motivations, quests, and characters that Chris interacts with along the way help to flesh out an impressive and engaging world-building experience, both inside and outside of the game. There's a good balance of action and mystery, a bit of humor and perhaps a bit of romance. It all meshes together so well that the pages just flew by. The gaming world is made up of the usual classical fantasy races: goblins, ogres, undead, and the like. But Phil puts his own twist on these tropes to create fun and fresh ideas.

There’s also an overarching plot thread that revolves around Alberto, the AI that has created and maintains the Euphoria game system. The present state of near-future Earth in the book has crumbling economies, environment disasters, and toppling governments. Alberto was designed to help usher in a solution for the human race, and somehow Euphoria is the key. There are tantalizing hints of something larger at play as the story develops beyond Chris’ Death March journey…

If you're a fan of Phil's previous works, The Chronicles of the Black Gate series, of the in-progress Godsblood trilogy, then reading this new series is a no-brainer. If you're on the fence, then I encourage you to check out this fast-emerging LitRPG fantasy subgenre that seems to have exploded over the past couple of years. Highly addictive, imaginative, and entertaining, this series is level 50 awesome.

[Hiu Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the chance came to read an ARC of Death March, I jumped at it.

This is a LitRPG novel which has been generating a tonne of buzz lately. Not only is it written by Phil Tucker — SPFBO 2016 runner-up, and knocker-outter of Senlin Ascends — but it is the first book in a trilogy soon to be narrated by the fantastic Vikas Adam.

On top of that, the ongoing kickstarter campaign to fund the hardcover editions of this trilogy was recently the most backed fiction project in the world.

To me, it all just seemed like the perfect storm. We have one of the most “bingeable” writers I’ve ever had the pleasure to read, and he’s writing in a genre which is itself known for being bingeable and… well… fun.

And holy shit this book is fun.

We follow a protagonist called Chris, a gamer/schoolteacher who has found himself in a fantasy video-game world on the hardest difficulty there is: Death March mode.

Put simply, this means that if Chris dies in the video-game, he will also die in real life.

Why, then, would he choose this difficulty? Well… If Chris can survive six months in Euphoria Online then he can ask a boon of the AI that currently runs the planet. Chris plans to use this boon to save his little brother from death row.

Chris himself is a likeable fellow. He’s kind, intelligent, thoughtful, competent… all of those words that you’d usually find on the protagonist checklist. He’s played a lot of video-games before (though not Eurphoria Online specifically) and it’s really cool to read his thought processes as he ponders which skills and spells to purchase with his XP.

The setting, though, is where this book really shines.

The world of Euphoria Online is very vivid. From the castles and villages, to the ogres and wyverns, to the experience and levels system… it all just feels very engaging and intuitive. The world is alive, it’s breathing, it’s almost a character in its own right. You want to explore it almost as much as Chris does.

It’s common in LitRPGs for the setting to overshadow the characters and the plot. It’s the nature of the genre. There’s only so many reasons for a character to spend the majority of a novel in a video-game, and many authors put so much effort into building their world that the characters themselves fall flat.

Luckily, Death March doesn’t have those problems. The characterisation maybe isn’t on a Hobb or a Guy Gavriel Kay level, but you care for the people in these pages. Where other novels are more convoluted, the plot here is simple: survive.

That old-fashioned simplicity is refreshing. It allows for you to relate to the story from the beginning, and then become more engaged as the complexity of the plot organically grows. There are hints of something bigger, things that will maybe come into play later in the trilogy, but that primal need to survive is powerful and relatable enough to drive the story in the meantime.

I loved this book.

It was engaging. It was addictive. It was fun .

Death March is one of the best page-turners I’ve read this year. It’s an action-packed story with enough emotion to make you care, characters to root for, and a plot you can relate to.

My only real complaint is that I now have to wait for the sequel.

[Timandra Whitecastle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up way too late reading this, and have done nothing at all but continue reading this morning. My house looks a mess from last night when I didn’t clear the dishes because I started reading this book. I hope you’re proud of yourself, Phil Tucker, this is all your fault!

I haven’t read much GameLit/LitRPG but this is easily the best XP I had since Ready Player One, only actually it’s better because I didn’t much appreciate the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-ness of Cline‘s novel.

This is a well thought out, awesomely paced, fantastically written book which will leave you crumpled with insomnia and a messy house/crap day at the job because of manic reading ... un-put-downable? Is that a word? Am I too sleep-deprived or am I making sense?

Read it!

[Laura Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death March is a fast-paced and hugely entertaining intro to the world of Euphoria Online - a VR fantasy setting where you can literally live as the rogue, mage or fighter you always dreamed of becoming... for a price. Epic fantasy author Phil Tucker's first foray into writing LitRPG is a resounding success, and fans of Sword Art Online are guaranteed to love this series.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was released yesterday and I’m a little late in doing my review, my apologies, Phil! I love LitRPG and I’m also a fan of the author’s other series, Black Gate Chronicles so I was very eager to see what this book had to offer.

Chris is down on his luck at the start of the book, he’s recently broken up with his insane and manipulative ex-girlfriend, he doesn’t have much money, he’s lost his optimism for teaching, and his brother is facing serious criminal charges that could result in the death penalty. This is a world where an AI has taken over parts of the government, the entity known as Albertus has it’s ‘hands’ in basically everything. Some of the laws are rather draconic and since his brother was caught looting an abandoned area on the coast, he’s now facing capital punishment, it’s an extreme response even in their society and Chris is determined to help his brother, Justin.

There’s a game known as Euphoria and it’s been designed by Albertus, it’s supposed to be one of the greatest shows of his capabilities and it offers a hyper-realistic version of gaming. Instead of using a VR headset this game links to your neural system and creates a very intense experience. There’s a unique option with this game as well, there’s a mode called Death March and if you survive in the game for six months on this difficulty setting you’re able to ask Albertus for a favor. It could be a visa, it could be lots of money, a house, basically you can ask for whatever you want. Chris wants to play on Death March mode so he can ask for a pardon for his brother, it’s one of his only options left. The catch here is that on Death March you die for real, no respawns. However, since the game costs 3,000 dollars Chris doesn’t know how he’s going to get the money to afford the game in the first place. He gets a text from his ex-girlfriend offering to pay for his game entry which immediately sent up red flags. His ex, Brianna, is manipulative, somewhat sociopathic, and just plain toxic, he’s sworn her off for good with sound reasoning. She swears the offer is genuine, she’s not trying to get back together with him – she insists it’s because she knows he’s good at gaming and that her clan needs some help clearing dungeons and what not. Reluctantly, he agrees to take her up on her offer and finally gets a chance to play on Death March.

Brianna seems to have had alternative motives when she asked Chris to start playing again because Chris is forced into gameplay without being able to access tutorials to teach him how the game works, and he also spawns and in the middle of nowhere at level 1 surrounded by significantly higher-level mobs. Where she said to spawn and the clan she sent him to was clearly a ruse, because the clan was abandoned and unused. He runs into someone named Lutharia and together they start to clear out the monsters and help Chris level up. Along the way, they team up with several goblins and Barfo was just a superb side character. I’ve listened to the audio already and Vikas Adams makes this character sound so sweet and innocent, I loved him to pieces.

Chris was an easy character to like, he has an honorable goal and overall he’s a good person – if a little jaded. Often times in Litrpg the world building takes center stage, and the characters are a bit flat – this is definitely not like that and I was invested in Chris’s well being and success. I also liked Lutharia quite a bit, she had an interesting background and the two of them together had a nice lighter romance subplot.

The world building here was well thought out, there were many intricacies and nuances that made things more believable. I liked the fact that there are mountains of paperwork you have to go through to sign up for Death March mode, it’s not something you can just click “okay” and start playing. One of the more amusing parts of the game is that your “charisma” points really matter, and if you have a low level of charisma you’re bound to say something incredibly rude or embarrassing without being able to help yourself. There are two sets of world-building in this since the real world is as important as the in-game world. I felt like that really tied things together and made my interest in the characters well being and the outcome of the game more tangible.

The pace was very quick, this isn’t a long book and most of it was filled with some kind of tension, whether it was packs of rats, the undead, goblins, ogres, wyverns etc there was always something posing a threat. There were stats in this book, but I wouldn’t call it stat heavy. If you’ve read the Dungeon Born series that’s what I would consider heavy stats, comparatively there’s significantly less page time devoted to stats in this one.

This was a really fun book, it reads really quickly and is paired with an amazing audiobook – if you like Litrpg you should absolutely pick this one up!

Audience:

Litrpg
fast paced stories
lots of action
undead, goblins, wraiths, ogres
light romance
future urban fantasy
awesome audiobooks


Ratings:

Plot: 12.5/15
Characters: 12.5/15
World Building: 12.5/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 13/15
Originality: 13/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9/10


Final Rating: 84.5/100

[David Estes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death March by Phil Tucker has all the best qualities of Ready Player One and Sufficiently Advanced Magic rolled into one awesome book that is the start to the next hot LitRPG series you absolutely cannot miss. Tucker expertly builds his unique gaming system block by block for the reader without ever inundating the reader with too much information. Death March nails all the best genre tropes, providing a likable hero you want to root for, who must overcome overwhelming obstacles en route to leveling up. Every new ability, magic, or item obtained by the hero must be implemented at the perfect time in order to survive the battle to come. Simply put: read this book, you won't be disappointed.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review is here, on my blog!~

Well then. I finally got some time to sit down and listen to this badboy, and while it’s only 9 hours or so long, it still took me a while because of so, so many other things happening in my life. I hate when that happens, but c’est la vie!

However this is one of those books that you just fall into for a while and you don’t realize how much time has passed since you started. I had an afternoon at work just fly by here, and before I knew it it was time to go home. That’s always good!

This is the story of Chris, who is a teacher and sometimes-pro-gamer, and in a rather untenable position. All he has left of family in the world is his brother, and his brother is in prison. He was caught scavenging off the coast of Florida, which in this world is partially flooded, and scavenging is a big no-no. There’s word that he’s going to be given the death penalty as an example to others as well, so Chris is scrambling to find out how to help him.

Suddenly and in seemingly the nick of time, Chris’ ex-girlfriend calls and says she has a free weekend pass for Euphoria Online, and would he like to have a go at the newest, most awesome game in the universe? Well, yes he does, because he has a brilliant idea!

Euphoria Online is a game that brings you right into the world. Your brain is hooked right into it, so it’s a much more real experience than any of these VR games that are all the rage. But, as such, it costs several thousand dollars for a weekend in the game. Good news though! One weekend in the real world feels like 6 months in the game. So at least you feel like you’re getting your moneys worth. There’s also a hardcore mode, like in Diablo for example, which in this game is called Death March. You get to die one time. Period.

Of course, with your brain all hooked in there and stuff, Death March is going to really for realsies kill you too, so there’s that. :D

But! If you manage 6 months in game in Death March mode without dying horribly, Albertus, the AI master of this game will grant you pretty much anything you ask. Money, houses, cars, visas…. or pardons. So, Chris is going to survive 6 months in Death March mode to get a pardon for his brother.

Of course, that’s not going to be as easy at it sounds.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked Chris as a character and I really wanted him to succeed in his quest. I liked that his character, while being suitably badass enough to… yanno, not die immediately, was still fallible at times. He makes poor decisions at times, and he pays the price for doing so. It was quite fast-paced and the adventure was hair-raising when it needed to be, and took a bit of a break when needed as well. The addition of another character that he runs into, Lutharia, was neat. There was a bit of a romantic subplot here, which was actually really cleverly done, since charisma checks will often subvert a chance to be flirtatious in a way that doesn’t sound cringeworthy. Other characters Chris meets on the way are also fun. I especially liked the goblins.

Many books in this genre focus on stats a little too much for my liking, but this isn’t one of them – it seems to focus more on abilities than stats for many things. While the constant repetitive nature of some of the details of character sheets and what have you doesn’t always translate into audio well, it didn’t bother me overmuch here. This one is certainly repetitive when it’s time to look at stats, but I find that I could listen to Vikas Adam repeat things several million times and not really get sick of it, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice. ^_^

Guys, honestly, finding a narrator you really enjoy listening to and then getting *super* excited when you learn that they are narrating things by your favorite authors is one of those things that makes life worth living. :D

I am admittedly rather hesitant to jump into most of the LitRPGs I see (and there are very, very many to choose from at this point), since I had some real not-great experiences with a few of the first ones I ever listened to. I have been trying to choose far more carefully than I did a couple of years back. Thankfully, this is one that I never worried about not liking. Phil Tucker has never disappointed me thusfar, and so I was quite glad to hear that his kickstarter was a success.

This one gets 5/5 stars from me. I would play the shit out of Euphoria Online. But not on hardcore mode. Man, that never goes well for me… my deeds of valor have absolutely been forgotten forever. :D

I can’t wait for the next audiobook in this series. ^_^

[kartik narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review at Digital Amrit

We had the opportunity to read the advance reader copies of the three books in the series – Death March, Nightmare Keep & Killer Dungeon – and here’s our almost spoiler free review of it.

Now, we are huge fans of Phil Tucker ever since we read his ‘Chronicles of the Black Gate’. On a side-note, you should check that series out if you like epic fantasy which explores some complex themes. Phil’s books tend to be action heavy with great characters and world building while delving into weighty topics.

And Euphoria Online, his new trilogy, is no exception.

At its core, the story revolves around Chris Meadows who must literally put his life on the line by playing Euphoria Online to save his brother from death. Euphoria Online is a fantasy MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) like World of Warcraft or Ultima Online except that it has been created by the first sentient AI for reasons unknown. Oh, and the fact that there is a literal Death Match mode which is called Death March, where you die in real life if you die online. Any player who manages to spend 6 months in game time on the ‘Death March’ mode gets a boon from this all-powerful AI. Chris, who is a savvy video gamer caught in a dead-end job, wants to use this boon to save his little brother from being sentenced to death for reasons that are not really important to the story. Of course, life is not just that simple. In addition to fighting for his life, Chris has to deal with other complicating factors like a conniving ex-girlfriend and a potential world-changing conspiracy which gets murkier the more he plays the game.

Euphoria Online is part of a genre called LitRPG where the conventions of a MMORPG are mixed with novels. In addition, there is a clear demarcation between the game world & real life with characters in both settings and being aware of the differences. Tron, while not a LitRPG, is pretty close to being one. The other examples that come to mind are Tad Williams’ four-part series -'Otherland' as well as the now popular 'Ready Player One'. So, if you ever played a MMORPG (or single player RPGs like we have) and love fantasy, this genre provides a perfect blend of both. Books like Will Wight’s Cradle series or Andrew Rowe’s Arcane Ascension, while good on their own, are not LitRPG even though they have complex magic systems with levels because the characters are not aware of their reality.

Read the full review at Digital Amrit

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I flew through this lighthearted and fun LitRPG. This book really evokes the best feelings of old school DnD adventures and gaming. Tucker's passion for the subject is very contagious. The main characters felt relatable and compelling, and the story was founded upon an interesting premise. I found the side characters amusing and surprising, and the thrills really satisfied that younger kid within me, bringing back memories of online gaming from bygone days.

The closest thing I’ve read to this is is Will Wight’s Unsouled, and I imagine fans of that book and Andrew Rowe’s Sufficiently Advanced Magic (which I haven't read yet) will also enjoy this one.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really excited by this new series from Phil Tucker - I devoured the first book in just two days and it was fun and exciting throughout. The voice, full of modern vernacular and references to video games, is very relatable and fits the story well. (Ok, you may wonder why they’re still referencing Starcraft in 2070 but I’ll give it a pass as I like both the setting and the references)

I’ll be waiting for the second book release in September with all the fancy art inside and looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

[J.P. Ashman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow...

[Ryan Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Tucker's epic fantasy, I was excited to try this out. I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. This was full of action and kept me interested throughout. Tucker also succeeded in making me quickly care about the main character. I also like the way the LitRPG elements were handled. I'm not the biggest fan of huge sections of stats, and this one didn't have that for the most part.

Overall, this was a very good read, and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Rating: 9/10

[Wol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review below. Review plus custom cocktail at The Tome & Tankard Inn.

This is the second book I have read by Phil Tucker, the first being the excellent The Path of Flames from his Chronicles of the Black Gate series. Recently LitRPG seems to have really blown up as a subgenre, so I was very intrigued to see what Tucker had to offer. As it turns out, Death March might be one of the most fun books I have read all year, sort of like the book equivalent of an addictive Netflix series – I binged the first book in an afternoon and immediately purchased the second, which I binged in its entirety the following day. As a huge fan of the MMOs of the late 90s/early 00s, this book felt tailored to please me. Set in a vast and evolving videogame world with an incredibly advanced AI, it’s a gamer’s dream.

Chris, our protagonist, is having a pretty shit time of it lately. He hasn’t yet come to terms with the death of his mother, and his manipulative ex (with whom he had a deeply unhealthy relationship) keeps trying to win him back. On top of this, thanks to a series of poor decisions, his little brother Justin is in prison. Chris has left his settled life in Seattle behind to help his brother and is struggling to earn enough at his teaching job to keep the lawyers paid, when the news comes that the government (now partly controlled by an AI known as Albertus) has decided to make an example of Justin. He faces execution.

Then out of the blue Chris is given a once in a lifetime opportunity by his ex, Brianna – to join the world of Euphoria Online, a highly advanced gaming world that he wouldn’t be able to afford on his own. Chris is rightly suspicious of Brianna’s motives, but she assures him that this isn’t about their relationship. There’s a lot of money to be made in Euphoria and Chris is a former pro gamer – his skills would be highly valuable to her. However, Chris has other ideas. One of the difficulty settings in the game, Death March, allows you to make a single request of the government, guaranteed to be granted (handy if you have a brother on death row) if you can last for 6 months of game time without dying. The downside? If you die in the game, you die in real life.

Everything about Euphoria is fascinating – its setup is similar to The Matrix in that Chris is in a full body suit and no longer conscious of the real world. All of his senses are hooked into the game world, and there’s a nice sense of being on the journey with him. The first hiccup comes when, on entering the world, he discovers things aren’t as they’re supposed to be. Brianna has told him to join the Cruel Winter guild and that she’ll join him there to help him level up quickly, but instead of finding a bustling guild hall filled with allies, he finds the place razed to the ground and deserted, the area brimming with high level enemies – Brianna herself is nowhere to be found. And things just go downhill from there.

Tucker has done an immense job of capturing the exhilaration of exploring a new game world, in everything from the character sheets to the dynamic creatures who have a surprising amount of personality. He also doesn’t shy away from asking some interesting questions about human nature – how would we behave in a videogame world in which the creatures are ultra realistic and imbued with their own independent thoughts and feelings? What choices would we make knowing that we could die for real? I found myself fascinated with the choices Chris made regarding his class abilities (logical given his situation) and his attitude to killing digital creatures (emotional, due to their extreme realism). One encounter with a group of Goblins really drove home that Chris has excellent instincts, and that even in a game world our choices define who we are. A person lacking in empathy is perhaps the greatest threat in a world like Euphoria.

The gaming elements of the world are very well thought out and simply presented – a non-gamer shouldn’t have any trouble following along, though I’m not sure how much they would get out of it comparatively speaking. That said, there are plenty of non-gaming elements to enjoy. The characters are excellent, and the supporting cast are hugely entertaining (this is especially true of the audiobook, in which Vikas Adam gives a sparkling performance), Barfo in particular was absolutely hilarious and had me in tears laughing a couple of times. The dialogue was great fun, each character received plenty of development, and there are tons of enjoyable references. Chris is a likeable protagonist you can really get behind, and the friends he makes on his journey are adorable. This was one of the most addictive reads I’ve had this year, and if you’re looking for something to get you out of a book slump or brighten up your day, I’d highly recommend it.

My only complaint is that book 3 isn’t out yet.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A jaded teacher residing in Florida, Chris goes through the motions of every day life in order to remain close to his brother, who has found himself being charged with a crime he didn't commit. Several weeks after their breakup, Chris receives an invitation from his ex-girlfriend to play Euphoria Online, a fully immersive VR world where players are neurally linked to the environment. With the expensive price tag of one play session, Chris is weary of the offer, but decides to accept in an attempt to save his brother’s life. You see, surviving for six months in Euphoria on Death March mode will grant the player any favor from Albertus Magnus, the world's AI overlord, including pardons for convicted criminals. The only problem: if you die in Euphoria Online while playing Death March, you also die in the real world. Throwing caution to the wind, Chris quickly embarks on the journey, only to be dumped into a decimated stronghold filled with dangers he has no hope of surviving.

Death March is my initiation into the LitRPG genre, and what an introduction it has been! After briefly establishing the who and the why, we're quickly transported into an immersive world, where the tension is unceasing, and action gets progressively more intense. Without knowing what to really expect, this book has been a real treat for me, a gamer at heart. The battles are carefully crafted, the tactical planning intelligent, the leveling and strategizing feel realistic - as realistic as it can get while delving into a world literally filled to the brim with magic. There's an air of mystery as to what has happened to the Cruel Winter stronghold, now battered, broken, and filled with undead. Where a lively and influential player mage once resided, the Dread Lord, a highly intelligent and powerful entity, now rules over the area, but its intentions remain unclear.

Euphoria is a medieval-based world, filled with magic and all manner of monsters and mayhem. Feldgrau, the Winter Castle (and its grounds), as well as the surrounding meadows and forests are handsomely described in such a vivid way, whether painting the mysteriously beautiful landscape, shattered abodes, or soaring towers, you're completely absorbed into the world Tucker has created. The setting itself is littered with all sorts of interesting arcane happenings and traps, not to mention some high level, terrifying enemies. Throughout the chapters, readers are rewarded with beautiful illustrations that bring the world to life even more, showcasing some of the baddies Chris, Lotharia, and Falkon face. I can't reiterate this enough…these are gorgeous! I also found it really interesting how the world genuinely reacts to how the players conduct themselves. Witnessing the benefits and drawbacks of diplomacy versus fighting kept the story compelling, and downright hilarious at times! Lookin' at you, Barfo!

The characters are interesting with subtle cues that there is always more than meets the eye. The scheming and execution of plans are both curious and engaging. The danger feels undeniably authentic. The final battle is epic, leaving you on the edge of your seat, keeping the pages practically flying by. We're left at one hell of a cliffhanger, but luckily the whole trilogy is published and readily available. I'm really excited to jump into book two, Nightmare Keep, to continue my quest through Euphoria with Chris and the gang. Whether you're a seasoned reader of the genre or just looking to finally dip your toes in like me, Death March will surely leave you happily wanting more. I highly recommend.

[Wither · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Amber Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this trilogy early through the KickStarter. Disclaimer: Phil Tucker hasn't written anything I haven't liked, but I still think these books are objectively likeable, fun easy-reading.

Highly recommended if your reading has been a bit heavy lately (mine had been) and you want laughs and action or you're reading for the sheer pleasure of it and want to blast through a book with some very good feels.

I'm not much of a gamer these days but I've played enough over the years to enjoy the way Tucker has captured the sense of possibility in a new game world.

I would read this whole series again (and I'm not a re-reader) just for the final boss fight, which is truly epic - and hilarious.

Bring on the sequel trilogy!

P.S. If you want this style without the LitRPG go get a copy of Tucker's Empire of the Dead.

[Russell Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was very disappointing for me. The prose was ok with decent structure and minimal typos, but unfortunately littered with extremely generic similes and metaphors. Prepare for things to hit other things 'like a runaway train' and cut things like a 'knife through butter'.

I thought that the character was a pretty hollow and generic spot-filler since he seemed to only have circumstances rather than an actual personality. One of which is doing a Death March (die in the game you die for realz) to obtain a pardon for his brother facing the death penalty in prison. The other is that he is supposedly a skilled gamer with multiple tournament wins. It doesn't take long for the pro gamer thing to vanish like a puff of smoke (see what I did there) as the character proceeds to be a straight idiot in all the ways that a skilled player wouldn't. From basic decision-making, to failing to stay aware of his cooldowns, to attacking an undead with a skill that doesn't do damage to an undead.

Something else that was a bit of a problem for me was that this story fell squarely within the DnD ruleset. As an aside, the book's cover is very reminiscent to the cover art of the Player Handbook, which I found quite nice. DnD by itself isn't a problem since I have a bit of nostalgia for that sort of thing, but it's nothing new or exciting for me. That's where the problem comes in because I was desperately looking for something interesting to latch onto in the absence of decent content and characterization. When I find some goblins in the story to be the most interesting personalities, then you know there are probably some issues.

The overwhelming majority of the story is just the character receiving xp gifts for running away with very little action happening. Just run from this, sit and chat for awhile, make plans to run away from something else.

The enemies are also very generic goblins, ogres, a dragon (wyvern), and some various undead.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has read many litrpg or gamelit stories since there is nothing new here. Everything about this story is very generic and forgettable. I envy the 5 star reviewers if they truly managed to be entertained. If you are brand new to the genre then this might get rated a bit higher, but good luck with everything else being generic.

[Ari B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a non-spoiler review. Anything specific that is mentioned in the review appears within the first three chapters.

So, what is this book? It’s a LitRPG for one, which for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a fantasy genre whose books are heavily associated with game-esque worlds. The average “LitRPG novel” tends to fall into numerous pitfalls, as a result of these books generally being self-published and lacking an editor. Phil Tucker’s book *Death March* succeeds in circumventing these tropes that are exceedingly common within the genre - the main protagonist or the main cast isn’t overpowered, the book doesn’t bog you with the game characters’ stats at every possible moment, and (thankfully) there are no harems.

But saying that you should read a book by virtue of there being something worse somewhere out there is a pretty dumb review. So instead of talking about what the book thankfully doesn’t include, let’s talk about what it *does* have.

The main character, Chris gets into a lucky situation, depending on your idea of luck. On the one hand, his brother is very likely going to end up on death row. On the other hand, he may have just gotten a possible ticket to free him - If he risks his life and enters a virtual game-world, and succeeds in surviving for an entire six months on the highest game-difficulty, (where death in the game means death in real life), he can ask any boon of his desire of the games’ creator, who is rather capable. Not willing to let this chance escape, he jumps into this literal game-world.

Overall, I found the reading enjoyable - it contained entertaining fight scenes, that relied and took into account the surrounding environment. The main character is rather tactical, which makes up for his lack of strength in an interesting way. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it would fit the “rational fantasy” genre, but the magic system and characters tend to be logical, at least to the point of feeling completely natural. The magic system isn’t a “thousands of skills and stats that mean nothing” that appear often in the LitRPG genre - each stat point is very important, and they can affect more than just your strength or speed. I can’t go into further details because of spoilers, but the magic system feels dynamic, realistic (in the sense that I could completely imagine living in that game world, assuming I don’t die horribly), and natural.

In fact, the writing, worldbuilding, and characters were fantastic…. I can’t stay much for the plot, however.
Death March is the first of three books - all of which have already been written, and will be released one month apart from each other. If you expect a book with a “beginning, middle, end,” this… doesn’t really have that. The book has a beginning and middle, but it doesn’t really feel like an end. A certain character who seems rather important appeared twice in the book, then was never mentioned again - not even foreshadowing, as far as I could tell. This person’s actions were rather immense on the plot of the book, which makes their absence glaring through the rest of the book.

Furthermore, the protagonist's’ goal is to ‘survive for six months.’ Aside from getting stronger for the sake of survival, this is a rather passive goal. As such, the “plot” in the book is more passive, with the occasional preemptive action to overcome an inevitable obstacle. Rather than the book having a plot, I would say that the trilogy as a whole has an overarcing plot, whereas the first book was just a set of mini-arcs of the main character developing. An introduction to the rest of the series (which I haven’t yet read), rather than a book that stands on its own.

In conclusion, although I was put out by this, after finishing the book I can say that as a whole, the book is entertaining and well-made. Readers would be advised to know before getting into the first book, to not expect a plot arc that solely encompasses the first book. If you are interested in the LitRPG genre, I would definitely recommend this book as an example of how to write the magic system in an entertaining fashion - the way skills and characteristics affect the world feels natural, and never bugged me once (something that is common in books in the genre that make the mistake of pushing all the stats and all the acquired skills in your face at every single opportunity - which this book thankfully avoids while still giving you a clear picture).

I hate rating books. But if I had to rate it, with 10/10 being a masterpiece, and 0/10 being akin to the feeling of stepping in fresh dog excrement on the day you bought your new pair of shoes, I would rate it 7/10.

[Dayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good LitRPG

This is the first book by Phil Tucker that I have read, and I was impressed. Not only did he write an engaging story with a fast-moving plot, his take on the litRPG genre was better than most others that I have read. The best compliment I can give an author is to say that I cannot wait to read the next book... and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

[Asharial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely thrilling and totally gripping.

Being a fan of Phil Tucker's previous series, Chronicles of the Black Gate, I just had to try this book. It made me realize one thing I really appreciate about Phil's writing style is that he treats his audience like adults. Something I often find lacking in current media. Characters act in their own self-interest, and are logically consistent. Their emotions feel real, and you never find yourself thinking "kiss the girl already, she's obviously into you!".

In terms of the action that happens, I have to say it's always believable but often unexpected also. Wild twists and turns that are subtly foreshadowed. You can sometimes see it, but you really have to be paying attention. There's a pleasant lack of 'dues ex machina' as well. There's a sense of having to go just one more page, until you're staying up too late.

All these things that I love about Phil Tucker's books are turned up to 11 in Death March!


The only potentially bad thing I can say about Death March is that you might end having to look up words you don't know like "sangfroid" and "vertiginous".

[Giovanni Peralto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine living an RPG

Phil Tucker adds some science fiction logic by creating a futuristic version of our world where VR has advanced tremendously. To boot, an omniscient AI creates a VR fantasy game. There's just one catch. There's a mode called "Death March" where death is a real consequence for dying in-game.

Our protagonist somehow finds himself in the predicament known as "Death March" where his life is on the line. The stakes are high, which makes each accomplishment by him more satisfying. Although we assume he has plot armor, the author takes us for a thrill ride by pushing the boundaries of how close to death one can go.

Although this was a fun read, a criticism I'd have for this installment of the Euphoria Online series is the excess of dialogue and in-game immersion. The characters continually talk, almost comically, which is what you can expect from an Xbox Live chatroom but not what I desire from a novel. The author also deeply elaborates on the myriad of permutations of skills the protagonist has the opportunity to learn; a hard thing to explain to a reader while trying to keep their attention.

Short of those concerns, the artwork is fascinating and the world is immense. I'm a huge Phil Tucker fan, and finished reading the Chronicles of Blackgate Series prior to the release of this book. I've already pre-ordered the second.

[Reading Hag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Excellent Read

Wow, Phil has done it again. I’m new to the LitRPG books. Although I do read a ton of Fantasy fiction. After his Chronicles of the Black gate series I was impressed with this author. I have been impatiently waiting for this next book series and it does not disappoint. Once again he draws you in, this futuristic world in which gaming is like no experience you can imagine. Our main character finds himself in the quite the predicament. Engaging characters, entertaining conversations, a fast paced storyline, plenty of action, and just plain good writing make this story worth the read. I know nothing about gaming. Phil does a great job explaining just enough to keep you up to pace yet he doesn’t over do it with the details. I couldn’t put this book down!

[Barry Rucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great beginning

Really enjoyable read and fun development path for the main char. I like the whole 'die in game, die in real life' plot device. And, liked the gobs fun personalities

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier litrpg! I got this early due to becoming it on Kickstarter, and have no regrets. Can't wait for the next one!

[Lazybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent litrpg novel.

[Oy Geeringh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Phil Tucker did it again! I couldn't put the book down. What a wild ride, blood pumping exciting thrill. Love It! Can't wait for the next one.