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Monster Slayer Online #1
Goblin King
To earn a second chance at life, Devrim Bains must die and enter a virtual world of monsters and mayhem. Let's just hope one death is all it will take, because he can't afford another.
When Devrim Bains reaches his twenty–first birthday, he's finally punished for a crime that was never his fault–being born. In a world of strict population control, his life's been decided for him, and it's about to end. But a stroke of luck gives him opportunity to have his consciousness uploaded into a simulated-reality game world with the promise of paradise.
Except paradise always comes with a cost.
Monsters of legend and myths of old come to life in Lorian, needing to be slain or tamed for Devrim to have a shot at enjoying freedom. It'd be easy enough if one of the fiends hadn't raised an army hellbent on conquering everything. The Goblin King has his sights set taking the lands of Lorian in his iron grasp, and Devrim Bains' only chance is to quickly learn what it means to be a slayer.
To make sure his new lease on life isn't cut painfully short, he's going to have to embody the greatest rule in Monster Slayer Online:
Hunt or be hunted!
Goblin King is the first novel of the Monster Slayer Online LitRPG/Gamelit series. If you loved The 100, the Monster Hunter game franchise, and Dragon's Dogma, you'll enjoy this fast paced, hard-action monster-slaying novel.
Scroll up and click BUY now or click to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited to subscribers.
Author's note: Goblin King is a LitRPG/GameLit novel featuring game-like progression/skills, and appropriate text/pop-ups in narration. Please keep this in mind whilst reading.
When Devrim Bains reaches his twenty–first birthday, he's finally punished for a crime that was never his fault–being born. In a world of strict population control, his life's been decided for him, and it's about to end. But a stroke of luck gives him opportunity to have his consciousness uploaded into a simulated-reality game world with the promise of paradise.
Except paradise always comes with a cost.
Monsters of legend and myths of old come to life in Lorian, needing to be slain or tamed for Devrim to have a shot at enjoying freedom. It'd be easy enough if one of the fiends hadn't raised an army hellbent on conquering everything. The Goblin King has his sights set taking the lands of Lorian in his iron grasp, and Devrim Bains' only chance is to quickly learn what it means to be a slayer.
To make sure his new lease on life isn't cut painfully short, he's going to have to embody the greatest rule in Monster Slayer Online:
Hunt or be hunted!
Goblin King is the first novel of the Monster Slayer Online LitRPG/Gamelit series. If you loved The 100, the Monster Hunter game franchise, and Dragon's Dogma, you'll enjoy this fast paced, hard-action monster-slaying novel.
Scroll up and click BUY now or click to read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited to subscribers.
Author's note: Goblin King is a LitRPG/GameLit novel featuring game-like progression/skills, and appropriate text/pop-ups in narration. Please keep this in mind whilst reading.
- GenresFantasy
415 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
289 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
R.R. Virdi
26 books767 followersR.R. Virdi is a USA Today Bestselling author, two-time Dragon Award finalist, and a Nebula Award finalist. He is the author of two urban fantasy series, The Grave Report, and The Books of Winter. The author of the LitRPG/portal fantasy series, Monster Slayer Online. And the author of a space western/sci fi series, Shepherd of Light. He has worked in the automotive industry as a mechanic, retail, and in the custom gaming computer world. He's an avid car nut with a special love for American classics.
The hardest challenge for him up to this point has been fooling most of society into believing he's a completely sane member of the general public.
The hardest challenge for him up to this point has been fooling most of society into believing he's a completely sane member of the general public.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
May 16, 2018
Not your standard LitRPG, and that's a good thing!
I'm so happy to find a LitRPG that isn't the same Skyrim/D&D stat system reclone. Goblin King uses its own streamlined stat mechanics (modified by clothing, weapons, gear) in tandem with abilities you have to earn by questing (see hunting) and slaying bad ass monsters. The story starts with a flash forward to the present where the main character screws up, and it's an amazing scene that steals your attention and makes you want to know how he and his friends ended up royally screwed. The build up is worth it.
Great premise and execution of why Devrim (the main character) is sucked into a video game world, why he has to do what he does, and what the burden for playing his class is and will come to be. Great characters, progression, mechanics, and world-building. I felt like I was reading a great fantasy video game with brilliant writing.
* * * * * Five stars would recommend to LitRPG and fantasy readers who want something fresh.
I'm so happy to find a LitRPG that isn't the same Skyrim/D&D stat system reclone. Goblin King uses its own streamlined stat mechanics (modified by clothing, weapons, gear) in tandem with abilities you have to earn by questing (see hunting) and slaying bad ass monsters. The story starts with a flash forward to the present where the main character screws up, and it's an amazing scene that steals your attention and makes you want to know how he and his friends ended up royally screwed. The build up is worth it.
Great premise and execution of why Devrim (the main character) is sucked into a video game world, why he has to do what he does, and what the burden for playing his class is and will come to be. Great characters, progression, mechanics, and world-building. I felt like I was reading a great fantasy video game with brilliant writing.
* * * * * Five stars would recommend to LitRPG and fantasy readers who want something fresh.
June 11, 2018
I've read over 50 LitRPG books in the last year. This is the only I've bothered to review because it's fresh and different. I love the genre, and all the works, especially the founding writes from D. Rus, Vasily, Magic Dome, Luke Chmilenk, Bagwell, and others. But this writing is fast paced, hard hitting, beautiful descriptions almost like Patrick Rothfuss. I love the origin for why the main character ended up in a LitRPG vr world. I like how none of the story didn't drag and moved with the plot and need the get stronger/survive. Yes, it's not a normal escape like a lot of the books in the genre are, but that's why I liked it.
It fit the story and world. And it fit a lot of games out there. Games are escapes for us, but they're not for the characters in them. It was really unique: kind of like Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International in a fantasy world with skillshots!
Cannot wait for book two.
It fit the story and world. And it fit a lot of games out there. Games are escapes for us, but they're not for the characters in them. It was really unique: kind of like Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International in a fantasy world with skillshots!
Cannot wait for book two.
May 18, 2018
Absolutely loved it. Great action, amazing story, more creative mechanics than most of the genre that are reusing the familiar D&D usage. Deep story. I love how Devrim is toeing the line between good guy and almost...anti-hero, edging on dark side fall like Anakin Skywalker. His class carries huge risks, and we get to see some of them in the first book, Goblin King.
The characters are great. Gama is a wonderful addition to the cast bringing in much needed humor at the perfect moments. This is a litrpg novel that doesn't need to allude to other successful series with references and popculture galore. It stands totally on its own.
After this, I went out and read all of Virdi's other works, and he's got a history of great worldbuilding, and amazing writing. I can't wait to read more in the litrpg he's putting out. HURRY UP!
The characters are great. Gama is a wonderful addition to the cast bringing in much needed humor at the perfect moments. This is a litrpg novel that doesn't need to allude to other successful series with references and popculture galore. It stands totally on its own.
After this, I went out and read all of Virdi's other works, and he's got a history of great worldbuilding, and amazing writing. I can't wait to read more in the litrpg he's putting out. HURRY UP!
June 11, 2018
Really fun addition to LitRPG genre. It was interesting seeing a book/story without exp. for leveling and instead using skill acquisition to grow. It was cool to see character pursuing abilites to juggle and manuever cleverly in situations and how to play your character. I loved that Virdi showed other classes and some of how they fuction and their thought process like with Mira, the Ursium warrior who can adopt different roles for combat, but then has to also try to micromanage the abilities they all come with.
It's well done, streamlined, and different for the genre. The story writing is on a great level. It's not full of the normal escapism, because the world is full of war and danger. But, what fantasy world/game isn't?
I loved it.
It's well done, streamlined, and different for the genre. The story writing is on a great level. It's not full of the normal escapism, because the world is full of war and danger. But, what fantasy world/game isn't?
I loved it.
June 1, 2018
Outstanding!
I really enjoyed this story a complete story from start to ending it's exciting and very entertaining the author did great keeping the story moving without explaining thing's Lots of time!
I really enjoyed this story a complete story from start to ending it's exciting and very entertaining the author did great keeping the story moving without explaining thing's Lots of time!
May 16, 2018
Refreshing ideas
I'll confess that litrpg is not my normal genre but this novel was a delightful and refreshing change. Thanks and can we have more please.
I'll confess that litrpg is not my normal genre but this novel was a delightful and refreshing change. Thanks and can we have more please.
August 7, 2019
What an awesome different type of fantasy. Devrum must die to live. Couldn’t put it down.
October 13, 2022
I never thought that I would like this genre but this is the 2nd author in this genre that I have read and I am hooked. There is just something fascinating about it. I loved this book and its characters. The monsters were fun to read about. I can't wait to read book 2.
June 10, 2018
Really enjoyed this weird, almost-like Ready Player One, novel. It's a video game fantasy? It's listed as: LitRPG/GameLit. I'm assuming that's the genre/indicator? I'm not familiar with the term. However, the novel contains prompts and pop-ups like you'd expect from a video game at certain intervals or after events. It was easier than I thought to get used to.
It was a creative read. I loved how we start off in the present moment, right in the heat of what we think is the maximum climax moment, building the tension, then cut off with a cliffhangar (that you will return to in the novel, so you're not left dangling without an explanation), and sent into the past of how it all led up to that moment.
The story is intriguing and the main focus in the game world of Lorian. I felt at first the space station life was a bit brief and not fleshed out because it could have been, but once it becomes clear the focus of the story is supposed to be about Devrim's new digital life and world, it makes sense why the author focused on introing the new world faster rather than piddling around in the station.
Lorian is expansive, and rather than visit over dozen places, we're shown maybe up to five unique locations in the novel, and the author spends more time giving you interactions with the inhabitants. He bothers to go to the mundane, as not everyone you speak with is always important. It adds a little more realism and feel to the world.
I enjoyed it and the story.
It was a creative read. I loved how we start off in the present moment, right in the heat of what we think is the maximum climax moment, building the tension, then cut off with a cliffhangar (that you will return to in the novel, so you're not left dangling without an explanation), and sent into the past of how it all led up to that moment.
The story is intriguing and the main focus in the game world of Lorian. I felt at first the space station life was a bit brief and not fleshed out because it could have been, but once it becomes clear the focus of the story is supposed to be about Devrim's new digital life and world, it makes sense why the author focused on introing the new world faster rather than piddling around in the station.
Lorian is expansive, and rather than visit over dozen places, we're shown maybe up to five unique locations in the novel, and the author spends more time giving you interactions with the inhabitants. He bothers to go to the mundane, as not everyone you speak with is always important. It adds a little more realism and feel to the world.
I enjoyed it and the story.
June 9, 2018
This is a novel!
Fast, frenetic, and my intro to the LitRPG genre. Goblin King is a novel where the main character lives in a world of population control and is forced, with limited choices, to enter a game world of mythology for a second shot at life where no shots exist in the prior world.
But, the story sets the tone at the beginning. It's not a bright and easy world, which is why the technology for this all exists. It's a much needed escape into a new frontier. But no new world is without its dangers--ever. And this one is no exception.
I loved how the game stuff came through in a not overwhemling barrage. You weren't hit over the head every second with things. The story flowed, and the game parts popped up during relevant moments that truly added and never felt fluffy. They were part of the story progression, part of how Devrim Bains had to grow physically, and in some cases, mentally. The game world and its binding rules put him at risk, forcing him to change as a person as it pushed him to be more reckless in his personal pursuit of power at the cost of risking his friends. And in the end, the very last moments, he learns to risk himself to save someone else.
I loved this book and it opened a new genre to me.
Fast, frenetic, and my intro to the LitRPG genre. Goblin King is a novel where the main character lives in a world of population control and is forced, with limited choices, to enter a game world of mythology for a second shot at life where no shots exist in the prior world.
But, the story sets the tone at the beginning. It's not a bright and easy world, which is why the technology for this all exists. It's a much needed escape into a new frontier. But no new world is without its dangers--ever. And this one is no exception.
I loved how the game stuff came through in a not overwhemling barrage. You weren't hit over the head every second with things. The story flowed, and the game parts popped up during relevant moments that truly added and never felt fluffy. They were part of the story progression, part of how Devrim Bains had to grow physically, and in some cases, mentally. The game world and its binding rules put him at risk, forcing him to change as a person as it pushed him to be more reckless in his personal pursuit of power at the cost of risking his friends. And in the end, the very last moments, he learns to risk himself to save someone else.
I loved this book and it opened a new genre to me.
October 9, 2018
The premise just didn’t work for me and the characters ware blend, boring and had little development.
So they live in a world where any excess child can be killed legally. They say they want a different solution so create a virtual world, upload then there and kill them irl. Plot twist, the virtual world has no re-spawns and it was engineered to force players to kill each other.
Why would someone go to the trouble and financial cost of making such a project to kill people, if they can already do it legally, at no cost or effort?
It’s the most retarded thing I ever read in litrpg and that’s saying a lot!
So they live in a world where any excess child can be killed legally. They say they want a different solution so create a virtual world, upload then there and kill them irl. Plot twist, the virtual world has no re-spawns and it was engineered to force players to kill each other.
Why would someone go to the trouble and financial cost of making such a project to kill people, if they can already do it legally, at no cost or effort?
It’s the most retarded thing I ever read in litrpg and that’s saying a lot!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2018
Once again, Virdi doesn't disappoint. I think this is honestly my favorite of his books so far, and it ended up starting a serious GameLit addiction for me. You can really see in this book how Virdi has grown as a writer. His plot has a very smooth flow to it that kept me reading this almost non-stop. Job? What do you mean I have a job? Where am I? What year is it?
The setup at the beginning had a couple stumbles for me, but not enough to detract from my rating. I could have done without the prologue (It seemed like Virdi wrote from start to finish with this book, and while the prologue was fine in the beginning, it almost felt out character and out of touch by the time we came around full circle to see it again.) There were also a couple consistency mistakes in the very beginning. I believe there was something early on about how Dev loves playing old games and such, but later when he's questioned if he's played before, he says something about how ridiculous that is with him being a second rate citizen. It was honestly a tiny detail that didn't even matter, I just remember these sorts of things and end up making faces at books.
All in all though, once you actually get into the game world, everything picks up and it becomes a wonderful feels roller coaster. I wasn't really reading the book for the setup world anyway, so it's not like I truly care about that world being a little rough. The game world however, is wonderful. It's a wonderful mesh of just enough fantasy, Chosen One elements combined with enough gaming elements that it feels like a game, but not so many that I feel like I'm doing math homework.
In addition to all of that, it left off on one of those cliffhangers where you're dying for more while still somehow feeling satisfied at everything being tied off. A tricky maneuver for sure, but it paid off - I can't wait for the next one!
The setup at the beginning had a couple stumbles for me, but not enough to detract from my rating. I could have done without the prologue (It seemed like Virdi wrote from start to finish with this book, and while the prologue was fine in the beginning, it almost felt out character and out of touch by the time we came around full circle to see it again.) There were also a couple consistency mistakes in the very beginning. I believe there was something early on about how Dev loves playing old games and such, but later when he's questioned if he's played before, he says something about how ridiculous that is with him being a second rate citizen. It was honestly a tiny detail that didn't even matter, I just remember these sorts of things and end up making faces at books.
All in all though, once you actually get into the game world, everything picks up and it becomes a wonderful feels roller coaster. I wasn't really reading the book for the setup world anyway, so it's not like I truly care about that world being a little rough. The game world however, is wonderful. It's a wonderful mesh of just enough fantasy, Chosen One elements combined with enough gaming elements that it feels like a game, but not so many that I feel like I'm doing math homework.
In addition to all of that, it left off on one of those cliffhangers where you're dying for more while still somehow feeling satisfied at everything being tied off. A tricky maneuver for sure, but it paid off - I can't wait for the next one!
June 17, 2018
Definitely a good read for open minds. 👍
June 10, 2018
I'm going to just throw out a caveat before I get into my review here. First things first, I had no idea LitRPG/GameLit was a thing until recently. I'm not a gamer, per se, but my husband is and I enjoy watching some games. I've also played a few games with my husband, so I understand a lot of game mechanics. Reading this book was a lot like reading a video game, so while it was a bit meta, I did look into the book because of the premise.
So onto the actual review.
I debated 3 or 4 stars and went with 3.5 overall.
Let's talk about Goblin King, shall we? Goblin King drops the reader into the middle of a video game being played by a human. The human in question, Devrim Bains, is a 21-year-old who lives on a space station after earth has been mostly destroyed by humans. The space station has only so many resources, and therefore there's a limit on how many children a couple can have. Unfortunately for Devrim, his parents chose to bring him into the world illegally, which means that until he is 21, he spends the majority of his days in hard manual labor. At 21, his life expectancy is quite literally up as that is the amount of time any illegal children are given to live.
In Devrim's case, however, he is given a choice: die now or be uploaded to a game world where he can fight for his life against monsters. It sounds like a grim premise because it is, but Devrim jumps right on board with this second chance of life in a game world.
A few things jumped out at me when I started the book. Virdi starts us off in the "present" at which time Devrim is fighting off the main villain of the game, the Goblin King. We're launched into this game world with no backstory about Devrim, the game, or what on earth is happening. I felt a bit disjointed as I read the intro to the story simply because I wasn't expecting to simply be launched into reading a video game in full swing. I think it could have worked better to build up the backstory first before we meet the Goblin King. It threw me off a bit and made it hard for me to figure out what was going on.
Following the jarring intro, we get introduced to the past, starting with a somewhat underdeveloped space station and Devrim's human life on it. I feel that could have been fleshed out a bit more, and perhaps it will be in a sequel down the road, but for the purposes of this book, I wanted a bit more detail and information about the space station, life there, Devrim's family and other families of illegal children. But we didn't get that, and instead we got Devrim's launch into the game.
Devrim jumps into the game and is immediately put into the character selection screen, which I'm familiar with through games like WoW and Final Fantasy. Once he arrived in the game world, we're treated to multiple "pop-ups" throughout his time there in the form of boxes of information. I showed one such box to my husband who laughed and said he always ignores things like that when he's playing a game and that he'd ignore it in the book as well. I, on the other hand, read every box and felt like the way they were presented sometimes dragged me out of the moment and left me a bit lost.
Devrim gets sorted into the race of Slayer, which is apparently something only mythology buffs are able to achieve. Rather than being able to choose his race, the game puts him through some kind of quiz at the end of which it allocates his race as Slayer and spits him out in a prison of sorts where he is immediately left with the advice "Hunt or be hunted."
Thus we have a wild ride from start to finish as Devrim comes into contact with NPCs and real people also stuck in the world of the game. He learns a lot about his role in the world, but Unfortunately the Goblin King isn't going to make that easy on him.
There were a few things that I disliked about the book. I got frustrated with the number of times that Devrim would be talking to a group of his friends and suddenly ignore all but one of them to carry on a private conversation (usually with one of the girls, Keeley or Mira). It felt stilted because it seemed as if the whole conversation was being held in front of the two male friends he made but without actually including them. He also had a habit of just going off into an area with one of the girls without really saying goodbye to the others he was with. To me that was just weird or perhaps a bit of sloppy writing.
Speaking of the girls, Mira was one character that confused me as well. She was the only character he met who immediately jumped on the "let's kill the Goblin King" train and went out with him to prove goblins could be killed. When it came time for the
We didn't get much character development here, but it was a fast-paced gaming environment full of battles. So I guess it's to be expected.
I did notice errors in the text, and since I know Virdi is self-published, I kind of expected to see them. I was pleasantly surprised that there weren't nearly as many as I anticipated, however. In fact, I could easily brush off most of them as similar numbers and types of errors to traditionally published books I've read.
My biggest complaint is probably that one of the major items dropped in the world toward the end of the book isn't described at all. It's simply a dropped item that we assume means something significant and important but won't come into play again until the sequel (most likely). I felt like there could at least have been a pop-up box to give the item's stats and information, but it remains a mystery. And that brings me to my last thought.
The book clearly begs for a sequel. It's a great premise, which is why I'm not docking many points for the things that irritated me. I liked it, and it was fast-paced and well-written. But here's hoping the sequel comes out sometime soon so I can see what happens to the hunters in this virtual world that have been given only one choice: hunt or be hunted.
So onto the actual review.
I debated 3 or 4 stars and went with 3.5 overall.
Let's talk about Goblin King, shall we? Goblin King drops the reader into the middle of a video game being played by a human. The human in question, Devrim Bains, is a 21-year-old who lives on a space station after earth has been mostly destroyed by humans. The space station has only so many resources, and therefore there's a limit on how many children a couple can have. Unfortunately for Devrim, his parents chose to bring him into the world illegally, which means that until he is 21, he spends the majority of his days in hard manual labor. At 21, his life expectancy is quite literally up as that is the amount of time any illegal children are given to live.
In Devrim's case, however, he is given a choice: die now or be uploaded to a game world where he can fight for his life against monsters. It sounds like a grim premise because it is, but Devrim jumps right on board with this second chance of life in a game world.
A few things jumped out at me when I started the book. Virdi starts us off in the "present" at which time Devrim is fighting off the main villain of the game, the Goblin King. We're launched into this game world with no backstory about Devrim, the game, or what on earth is happening. I felt a bit disjointed as I read the intro to the story simply because I wasn't expecting to simply be launched into reading a video game in full swing. I think it could have worked better to build up the backstory first before we meet the Goblin King. It threw me off a bit and made it hard for me to figure out what was going on.
Following the jarring intro, we get introduced to the past, starting with a somewhat underdeveloped space station and Devrim's human life on it. I feel that could have been fleshed out a bit more, and perhaps it will be in a sequel down the road, but for the purposes of this book, I wanted a bit more detail and information about the space station, life there, Devrim's family and other families of illegal children. But we didn't get that, and instead we got Devrim's launch into the game.
Devrim jumps into the game and is immediately put into the character selection screen, which I'm familiar with through games like WoW and Final Fantasy. Once he arrived in the game world, we're treated to multiple "pop-ups" throughout his time there in the form of boxes of information. I showed one such box to my husband who laughed and said he always ignores things like that when he's playing a game and that he'd ignore it in the book as well. I, on the other hand, read every box and felt like the way they were presented sometimes dragged me out of the moment and left me a bit lost.
Devrim gets sorted into the race of Slayer, which is apparently something only mythology buffs are able to achieve. Rather than being able to choose his race, the game puts him through some kind of quiz at the end of which it allocates his race as Slayer and spits him out in a prison of sorts where he is immediately left with the advice "Hunt or be hunted."
Thus we have a wild ride from start to finish as Devrim comes into contact with NPCs and real people also stuck in the world of the game. He learns a lot about his role in the world, but Unfortunately the Goblin King isn't going to make that easy on him.
There were a few things that I disliked about the book. I got frustrated with the number of times that Devrim would be talking to a group of his friends and suddenly ignore all but one of them to carry on a private conversation (usually with one of the girls, Keeley or Mira). It felt stilted because it seemed as if the whole conversation was being held in front of the two male friends he made but without actually including them. He also had a habit of just going off into an area with one of the girls without really saying goodbye to the others he was with. To me that was just weird or perhaps a bit of sloppy writing.
Speaking of the girls, Mira was one character that confused me as well. She was the only character he met who immediately jumped on the "let's kill the Goblin King" train and went out with him to prove goblins could be killed. When it came time for the
We didn't get much character development here, but it was a fast-paced gaming environment full of battles. So I guess it's to be expected.
I did notice errors in the text, and since I know Virdi is self-published, I kind of expected to see them. I was pleasantly surprised that there weren't nearly as many as I anticipated, however. In fact, I could easily brush off most of them as similar numbers and types of errors to traditionally published books I've read.
My biggest complaint is probably that one of the major items dropped in the world toward the end of the book isn't described at all. It's simply a dropped item that we assume means something significant and important but won't come into play again until the sequel (most likely). I felt like there could at least have been a pop-up box to give the item's stats and information, but it remains a mystery. And that brings me to my last thought.
The book clearly begs for a sequel. It's a great premise, which is why I'm not docking many points for the things that irritated me. I liked it, and it was fast-paced and well-written. But here's hoping the sequel comes out sometime soon so I can see what happens to the hunters in this virtual world that have been given only one choice: hunt or be hunted.
June 24, 2018
Book one
I didn't really like this, and it bothers me that I can't explain why.
I leave it up to you to decide for yourself.
I didn't really like this, and it bothers me that I can't explain why.
I leave it up to you to decide for yourself.
August 29, 2018
I normally never leave reviews, but I'm seeing some stupid s**t on the reviews here. The biggest thing seems to be people trolling who haven't read the book complaining about why the game devs didn't just kill the kids. The author made it super clear literally in the beginning of the book this is experimental and to save face for the people on the station. It's the doctors and devs who created this because they literally used to kill the kids and it looked so bad. Now, they pretend to the public to be offering the kids a safe haven but removing the physical population threat. But in reality, they're still sentencing them to death with a chance. Air quotes.
The author explained that in detail and that was something that did bother me because I thought it was obvious, guess not. I would have given it a 4 stars, it's a good book with a bit more edge and seriousness in the genre which is normally wish fulfillment only. But I'm giving it 5 because I'm seeing people whine like kids.
I've read a bunch of other LitRPG that have bigger holes than someone ploughed up the butt by an elephant. I normally never care so long as the story is fun. This one is fun, but explains stuff except what the big threat coming is. And I guess that makes sense given it's the plot for the next book or books from what I'm trying to guess.
Overall, it's a good book with a lot (seriously a lot) of action and fighting. The skill and progression is displayed differently than I'm used to. It's not pictures but like a border box around text. But it's clean and nice. I loved the narrator Jeff Hays since I grabbed the audiobook too. He made the voices come alive. It's got a crazy action rpg style too. Very sword and hack and slash. I'd recommend it for the action and combat if you want a fast paced novel.
The author explained that in detail and that was something that did bother me because I thought it was obvious, guess not. I would have given it a 4 stars, it's a good book with a bit more edge and seriousness in the genre which is normally wish fulfillment only. But I'm giving it 5 because I'm seeing people whine like kids.
I've read a bunch of other LitRPG that have bigger holes than someone ploughed up the butt by an elephant. I normally never care so long as the story is fun. This one is fun, but explains stuff except what the big threat coming is. And I guess that makes sense given it's the plot for the next book or books from what I'm trying to guess.
Overall, it's a good book with a lot (seriously a lot) of action and fighting. The skill and progression is displayed differently than I'm used to. It's not pictures but like a border box around text. But it's clean and nice. I loved the narrator Jeff Hays since I grabbed the audiobook too. He made the voices come alive. It's got a crazy action rpg style too. Very sword and hack and slash. I'd recommend it for the action and combat if you want a fast paced novel.
June 24, 2018
More believable of the LitRPGs I've read recently. Too many follow the archetype of Skyrim, but with a glossy happy veneer. Everything is okay, let's go questing and just level up like slice of life. This story is dark, but it fits the world the author establishes as to why VR game world even exists. It's a dumping ground that acts as a killing field, logically in a world of strict population control and limited room, it makes sense. And, since it's to be a saving face design so the administrators look like heroes for giving kids a second chance, it makes sense they wouldn't automatically delete the players, leaving that for the game world to handle.
Monster Slayer focuses on progressively hunter and developing/earning new skills. I like the storyline in that it follows how many fantasy game worlds actually are: The Witcher is not a bright and happy world, to survive, you have to embrace killing/tracking/hunting. Same in Skyrim, in some regards. The world is plagued by dragons. Fable? You're a traumatized survivor of a bandit raid set on a course to become a hero or villain, but only through more harrowing quests and a dark destiny.
Lorian is a more wild, and in many ways, fairer world. While there is an evil on the horizon (The Goblin King), much of it is more neutral. Monsters do what they do. They hunt and feed, mostly without malice. It's just their nature. It's a fun LitRPG with a new twist on the genre. Less exp. points and picking stats, more doing quests and picking abilities to use in combat instead. I like the lore building done through pop ups for creatures and race lore. It's interesting. Looking forward to book two.
Note: This is really heavy on action and combat, so it's definitely an action oriented RPG style.
Monster Slayer focuses on progressively hunter and developing/earning new skills. I like the storyline in that it follows how many fantasy game worlds actually are: The Witcher is not a bright and happy world, to survive, you have to embrace killing/tracking/hunting. Same in Skyrim, in some regards. The world is plagued by dragons. Fable? You're a traumatized survivor of a bandit raid set on a course to become a hero or villain, but only through more harrowing quests and a dark destiny.
Lorian is a more wild, and in many ways, fairer world. While there is an evil on the horizon (The Goblin King), much of it is more neutral. Monsters do what they do. They hunt and feed, mostly without malice. It's just their nature. It's a fun LitRPG with a new twist on the genre. Less exp. points and picking stats, more doing quests and picking abilities to use in combat instead. I like the lore building done through pop ups for creatures and race lore. It's interesting. Looking forward to book two.
Note: This is really heavy on action and combat, so it's definitely an action oriented RPG style.
July 2, 2018
This made me fall in love with this new genre "LitRPG." I trundled through a ton of books through Kindle Unlimited under the same classification but, Jesus, the writing sucks in so many of those. It's like a group of first time teenage guys decided to write their first book and chunk it out there.
Not with this. The prose is beautiful, descriptive, and deep. There's clearly and underlying story (for the novel, and what's the promise of a series it seems like) rather than the random situational based existence in other novels. Most characters just putz around in the other books I've read. Devrim has a clear set goal despite having the start of his new life dictated for him.
He's given choices, including one to run away and just live free--carelessly and avoid the doom to come. That was a great scene seeing how he had the chance to not be a hero, not risk everything for someone who'd already had it so rough, but he decides to step up because he realizes he could make a permanent change to better everyone's life, including his own.
The story is solid, a bit dark, but there's loads of hope spread through it. The combat is immensely well written. It's gritty, hard, fast, and jaw dropping. The variety of monsters and mythology in the game world Virdi creates is amazing and enthralling. I cannot wait for an audible version of this.
5/5
Not with this. The prose is beautiful, descriptive, and deep. There's clearly and underlying story (for the novel, and what's the promise of a series it seems like) rather than the random situational based existence in other novels. Most characters just putz around in the other books I've read. Devrim has a clear set goal despite having the start of his new life dictated for him.
He's given choices, including one to run away and just live free--carelessly and avoid the doom to come. That was a great scene seeing how he had the chance to not be a hero, not risk everything for someone who'd already had it so rough, but he decides to step up because he realizes he could make a permanent change to better everyone's life, including his own.
The story is solid, a bit dark, but there's loads of hope spread through it. The combat is immensely well written. It's gritty, hard, fast, and jaw dropping. The variety of monsters and mythology in the game world Virdi creates is amazing and enthralling. I cannot wait for an audible version of this.
5/5
July 4, 2018
Genuinely a treat to read a book like this in the genre. I love gaming, but sometimes I'm a bit turned off by the stat bombardment and damage counters. There can be too much input if you're reading a novel. Seeing -10 hp every sentence is dragging and pulls me out of the novel. That's why I loved this so much. It feels like a JRPG mixed with an anime to be honest. I could easily see this animated and airing as a cartoon and it'd be wonderful. Great combat and action. An earnest soul in the main character, who despite having a bad life, makes the hard choice to be a good person because otherwise, he'd be like the horrible people who ruined his life. He decides to step up and rise to a hero status and take on the Goblin King for the promise of a better life, not just for himself, but other hunters/slayers in the world.
The game progression took me a bit to get used to as I caught on you grow by learning new skills/abilities, and not the old RPG system of points and stats. Honestly, it's refreshing. It's like skill juggling that some JRPGs make you do.
The pop-up mythology boxes and item descriptions were wonderful. I loved how instead of the repeated stat counters from other LitRPG books, we got lore and history on the items. It brought them more to life to me.
I can't wait to hear this on Audible. It'll be a treat.
The game progression took me a bit to get used to as I caught on you grow by learning new skills/abilities, and not the old RPG system of points and stats. Honestly, it's refreshing. It's like skill juggling that some JRPGs make you do.
The pop-up mythology boxes and item descriptions were wonderful. I loved how instead of the repeated stat counters from other LitRPG books, we got lore and history on the items. It brought them more to life to me.
I can't wait to hear this on Audible. It'll be a treat.
July 16, 2018
5 star read in the GameLit/LitRPG genre. Just enough stats and progression to be fun and keep me intersted without going on for pages and pages and ruining the story. I like the grimdark violent feel of it. A lot of the genre focuses on stories that are like WoW reskins or any other MMORPG you can just swap out. A few are Skyrim clones (so obviously). This has its own feel. It's dark, gritty, you have to live and survive by the game rules. If you don't hunt in this world, you stay weak, and you're prey. The main character doesn't have much of choice for safety to low-level grind and sit on his ass. He's forced upon entering the beginning village to set out and grow stronger after another player (The Goblin King) has taken it upon himself to start conquering things and setting his goblin horde after anything he wants.
He views the main character, and all the new players coming in, as threats.
Devrim quickly takes up the hunt and goes on quests helping townsfolk and slaying monsters to grow strongers and unlock new abilities. I like the progression mechanic in here in that it's different from the old RPG stat allotment of: Str, dex, int, wis, cha, that we always see. Here it's skillbased oriented. You learn moves to use in combat and have to juggle them properly.
Great read in the genre especially for action rpg fans.
He views the main character, and all the new players coming in, as threats.
Devrim quickly takes up the hunt and goes on quests helping townsfolk and slaying monsters to grow strongers and unlock new abilities. I like the progression mechanic in here in that it's different from the old RPG stat allotment of: Str, dex, int, wis, cha, that we always see. Here it's skillbased oriented. You learn moves to use in combat and have to juggle them properly.
Great read in the genre especially for action rpg fans.
June 28, 2018
I don't normally write reviews, but this LitRPG was fantastic. I'm so glad to find one that's not a fluffy brightfest of pointless grinding and cheeriness when you're stuck in a game world. It's crazy to have your life turned around like that and be trapped, which is what most of the genre is. You get stuck in a world. I grew up playing things like Doom, Diablo, Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and other dark fantasy grim dark stuff. I read Glen Cook. I'm happy to see something darker and a bit more adult in the themes (no sex) and violence.
This is for grownups who understand that maybe a virtual reality mmorpg world won't be nice and great to live in. Maybe it'll be tough with challenges and corrupt people getting in the way. Maybe people will try to take power and subjugate others, and someone will have to risk becoming a monster to stop a larger one. I loved it.
It's heavy on the action, fewer stats, but just enough for me to get what's going on without becoming boring and a drag. The author isn't new, and I realized that reading him because his descriptions are beautiful, I'm glad he took the time to try a new genre like this. I can't wait for book two.
This is for grownups who understand that maybe a virtual reality mmorpg world won't be nice and great to live in. Maybe it'll be tough with challenges and corrupt people getting in the way. Maybe people will try to take power and subjugate others, and someone will have to risk becoming a monster to stop a larger one. I loved it.
It's heavy on the action, fewer stats, but just enough for me to get what's going on without becoming boring and a drag. The author isn't new, and I realized that reading him because his descriptions are beautiful, I'm glad he took the time to try a new genre like this. I can't wait for book two.
December 16, 2018
Great story. Different from many other LitRPGs I've ready. Clearly written by a veteran author because the writing and technique are amazing. The story is very linear and progresses well--clean. There's not a lot of idle wandering and fetch questing which happens in a lot of this genre. It feels written to a clear and tight point. It's a LitRPG, but there's a clear plot and story. It's not plot about puttering around and leveling up. THe leveling serves a purpose to get stronger to survive in the hopes of making a new life in this new world. The progression system is different than what I've seen. Many use the same progress/experience, but just new stats and playstyles. This has a point-earn system that you have to cash in skill points to purchase combat moves/techniques, and passive abilities instead. It seems crafting armor and gear alter your three main stats. It kept me interested while being streamlined enough that I didn't need a calculator to tally endless stats, points, and items. That's the one problem I have in the genre.
August 14, 2018
Fantastically written. A gritty and grim dark LitRPG with real consequences minus the fluffy, oh, everything will be all right garbage you see everywhere. Here, effing up matters. And you pay for it. THe main character has a cool class with a good drawback to keep him from being OP. In fact, pursuing his strength could make him a danger to everyone he cares about, and in turn, means he could end up on everyone's hit list. A really good setback.
But, the story forces him to pursue this danger, hoping that he's trading one misfortune to prevent another. He risks his own sanity and well-being for his class, at least for the moment, to help overcome the goblin king. He has reckless moments which make sense given he's someone thrown into a whole new world of magic and monsters and has to adapt with nothing but skillshots. He's not an expert gamer, not an expert survivalist. He's just a kid who has a vague idea of what to do and what's right. Really well done. 5 stars.
But, the story forces him to pursue this danger, hoping that he's trading one misfortune to prevent another. He risks his own sanity and well-being for his class, at least for the moment, to help overcome the goblin king. He has reckless moments which make sense given he's someone thrown into a whole new world of magic and monsters and has to adapt with nothing but skillshots. He's not an expert gamer, not an expert survivalist. He's just a kid who has a vague idea of what to do and what's right. Really well done. 5 stars.
August 14, 2018
Don't usually write reviews, but I had to for this. Freaking awesome fight scenes and combat. It's nice to get an action RPG story with all the sword fights, badass skills and gory scenes drawn out with great writing. Most of the stuff out there is written by scrubs. This is great. I liked that the character isn't Mr. Perfect and screws up. He's not a champion pro gamer or super genius. He's a slave kid who's executed and is sick of bullies and a*holes. So he takes his gift class and decides to stand up and just do his best for what's right when everyone else just wants to run, hide, avoid the problems at hand. He suffers, does some dumb stuff-but learns. And he's freaking real. He screws up, picks himself back up, and goes on. He throws himself into danger to help others.
He's just a good person, and that's what matters. Cuz he can learn everything else. The writing in here is great. The fight scenes are like something out of an epic anime. Can't wait for book two.
He's just a good person, and that's what matters. Cuz he can learn everything else. The writing in here is great. The fight scenes are like something out of an epic anime. Can't wait for book two.
August 28, 2018
I'll make this short.
I struggled through the cliché dialog, the cheesy setup and the flat predictable characters, hoping, (against hope?) that there was at least a story somewhere ahead.
I was wrong.
The whole plot of the book relies on a flaky (and I'm being polite here) predicament.
The moment you ask yourself the question: why?, the whole book disintegrates. The game is pointless; the drama falls flat; all the verbal exchanges and pretense temper flares just look like ridiculously vapid attempts at putting life where there is none.
And I have no patience with pointless books.
I can't believe they made Jeff Hays waste his precious voice on this stuff.
I struggled through the cliché dialog, the cheesy setup and the flat predictable characters, hoping, (against hope?) that there was at least a story somewhere ahead.
I was wrong.
The whole plot of the book relies on a flaky (and I'm being polite here) predicament.
The moment you ask yourself the question: why?, the whole book disintegrates. The game is pointless; the drama falls flat; all the verbal exchanges and pretense temper flares just look like ridiculously vapid attempts at putting life where there is none.
And I have no patience with pointless books.
I can't believe they made Jeff Hays waste his precious voice on this stuff.
May 29, 2018
Don't normally leave reviews, but I Loved this book. It's face paced with loads of action and game combat. I love the "skillshots" used and how you earn them. I only recently started reading LitRPG, with Viridian Gate Online, and a few others. One thing that bothered me was that so many books in the genre relied solely on stats and number crunching at the expense of the story. Nothing happens in those. People just...grind and wander around. It's like watching a streamer.
This story kept everything tight and flowing in the direction of the plot with necessary progression (skill leveling, not character) by earning points to buy attacks. The plot is clean, well-done, and powerful nonetheless. The GOblin King's presence could rival Darth Vader in the way he's written. I really dug the codex entries that pop up to describe races and moves and monsters as well. 5/5 read.
This story kept everything tight and flowing in the direction of the plot with necessary progression (skill leveling, not character) by earning points to buy attacks. The plot is clean, well-done, and powerful nonetheless. The GOblin King's presence could rival Darth Vader in the way he's written. I really dug the codex entries that pop up to describe races and moves and monsters as well. 5/5 read.
July 16, 2018
I've been diving in and out of the GameLit genre and I'm so happy to find a darker storyline than what most of them are. They're too fluffy and coddling. Many focus a bit too much on the stats at the expense of narration and progressing the story...which is what books are about. Monster Slayer Online is dark-gritty, a hint of grimdark in it. There's no handholding and it's wonderful because of it. It reminds me a touch of the Black Company meets a video game world of hunting to survive. From the moment Devrim enters Lorian, it's hunt and grow strong to be able to fend off the Goblin King, a villain who's been enthralling villages and armies of goblins.
5 * * * * *
If you like fighting and high-action combat games, this will feel familiar. Has a bit of Dynasty Warriors meets Monster Hunter to it. Very JRPG in that. Would make a great anime!
5 * * * * *
If you like fighting and high-action combat games, this will feel familiar. Has a bit of Dynasty Warriors meets Monster Hunter to it. Very JRPG in that. Would make a great anime!
August 14, 2018
luke chmilenko said it was gud.
its gud
so. very. gud.
this book touched me in my naughty spots good.
no, but seriously, it's fun with lots of action. i like the variety of characters and their cool classes and abilities. its different than the norm with a bit more darkness than the usual stuff. that might be why so many people are complaining about it. which i get. a lot of the genre is light and happy and grinding out quests with fun and pop culture jokes. this is gritty, survival based, you have to fight and keep hunting to grow. otherwise you'll get rolled over. this world isnt for the weak, and the characters find that out the hard way. love the slayer class and how it was written. will read more.
its gud
so. very. gud.
this book touched me in my naughty spots good.
no, but seriously, it's fun with lots of action. i like the variety of characters and their cool classes and abilities. its different than the norm with a bit more darkness than the usual stuff. that might be why so many people are complaining about it. which i get. a lot of the genre is light and happy and grinding out quests with fun and pop culture jokes. this is gritty, survival based, you have to fight and keep hunting to grow. otherwise you'll get rolled over. this world isnt for the weak, and the characters find that out the hard way. love the slayer class and how it was written. will read more.
October 9, 2018
I really loved this. It was a creative premise and I enjoyed how you sort of see the reverse of most LitRPGs. Many people pop in from a normal world fully developed and kind of with the same personality making pop culture jokes in the genre. In here, the kids never got to grow up and develop fully and have personalities of their own, so they're sort of slowly--very slowly having to grow inside the game world. It'll be interesting to see how they actually develop. How would anyone grow if their first taste of real freedom was in a fantasy game world instead?
This is definitely more on the pulp action fantasy side. Very fast paced combat. Creative mechanic use with the skillshots instead of farming experience points. Intrigued to see more.
This is definitely more on the pulp action fantasy side. Very fast paced combat. Creative mechanic use with the skillshots instead of farming experience points. Intrigued to see more.
October 10, 2018
Creative plot of a space station with limitless resources except one main one, space for people. So, people are killed normally to make room, until a saving grace. Now people can be uploaded into a digital world to save space and have unlimited of their own. It was interesting to see the effects of people raised as slaves and unable to fully develop as functional people. But, now these physically mature adults have to become actual people in a world where they're nothing more than code.
Normally you have characters you can sympathize and bond with from the beginning. Here it's less of that cuz they feel hollow but you care because you see little bits of personality forming now that they have freedom. I'm interested to see what happens next.
Normally you have characters you can sympathize and bond with from the beginning. Here it's less of that cuz they feel hollow but you care because you see little bits of personality forming now that they have freedom. I'm interested to see what happens next.
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