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Alpha World #5
Fractured Spirit
Fresh from the success of capturing Gwain’s Keep, Alpha Company is in high spirits. Flush with coin, everyone is eager to get better gear and see what new zones they can go fight in.
Not everything is roses though, as the first testing phase is about to come to an end. A number of those who ventured forth with the guild are about to return to their regular lives, and the next wave of testers brings even more players to embrace Alpha World as their new reality, if only for a limited time.
Alburet has new complications to deal with, but he doesn’t have to face them alone. Two other loving women whom he has accepted the love of, Fluffball and Karen, will be at his side as the revelation of his past comes out.
Will Alburet be able to handle what he has hidden from himself, with the love of the trio of women beside him? Or will he break and fail, leaving his Spirit Fractured?
Not everything is roses though, as the first testing phase is about to come to an end. A number of those who ventured forth with the guild are about to return to their regular lives, and the next wave of testers brings even more players to embrace Alpha World as their new reality, if only for a limited time.
Alburet has new complications to deal with, but he doesn’t have to face them alone. Two other loving women whom he has accepted the love of, Fluffball and Karen, will be at his side as the revelation of his past comes out.
Will Alburet be able to handle what he has hidden from himself, with the love of the trio of women beside him? Or will he break and fail, leaving his Spirit Fractured?
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2018
About the author
Daniel Schinhofen
77 books1,345 followersDaniel James Schinhofen is a self-published author in the burgeoning genre of LitRPG/Gamelit. He published his first book, Last Horizon: Beta, in October of 2016, and has recently published his fifteenth book. A best-selling author on Amazon multiple times, his four series have achieved name recognition in the genre. When not slavishly typing away at the next book, Daniel tries to unwind with video games, playing with his dog Sugar, or going for walks around his neighborhood. His books can be found easily via his website http://schinhofenbooks.com/. Daniel can be found via Twitter using the handle @DJSchinhofen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 3, 2018
I tried to enjoy it but I give up on this series
I was a big fan of this series when it first came out. The first two books were intriguing and the gameplay mechanics made me wanting more. As this series progresses though it feels like I’m reading more of a boring drama harem story than I am a gamelit/litrpg book. I like harem stories but this one is a little to mushy with everyone whining about their feelings. I don’t mind introspection of a character but to have it constantly repeated that oh I don’t feel good enough I need reassurance is frankly boring. It could have been done differently. I got 16% through this book and could return to finish it at a later date. Mayhap I will finish and change my review, mostly though I’ll just wait for apocalypse gates 2. That was a way better book.
I was a big fan of this series when it first came out. The first two books were intriguing and the gameplay mechanics made me wanting more. As this series progresses though it feels like I’m reading more of a boring drama harem story than I am a gamelit/litrpg book. I like harem stories but this one is a little to mushy with everyone whining about their feelings. I don’t mind introspection of a character but to have it constantly repeated that oh I don’t feel good enough I need reassurance is frankly boring. It could have been done differently. I got 16% through this book and could return to finish it at a later date. Mayhap I will finish and change my review, mostly though I’ll just wait for apocalypse gates 2. That was a way better book.
May 8, 2018
More story please, less soap opera
Much like book four, this fifth book continues the “memory” / “mind probing” of the main character but perhaps that is all at an end now. We finally have all the back story of the terrible things that happened to Julia, Karen, and Seamus. Plus we know who Victoria is now (but we don’t know why she seems to love Seamus or needs him in her game) so please no more drama. No more redundant / repeating conversations among st the four lovers where they go on and on about love and insecurity and acceptance. And if you’re not going to show them making love then stop giving the reader so many lead ups to a romantic scene and then claiming that hours later they were finally satisfied. I know this is fantasy, but the repeating scenes of washing and worrying and reassuring and washing and worrying and reassuring followed by more washing and worrying and reassuring is boring. At a certain point you’re just trying to advertise polyamory by repetition. Plus, it comes out of nowhere that Alburet wants to step down as guild leader - but is later justified by the quest he gets from the Overlord. I am hoping the next book returns to the people playing the game and being a great comedic commentary on MMO gaming. Let’s play the game! Because the drama and the PG-13 porn followed by worrying and reassuring and more washing ... oh and did I mention more worrying and reassuring and washing? ... that stuff, it’s just boring. Let the characters quest. Let the characters quest.
Much like book four, this fifth book continues the “memory” / “mind probing” of the main character but perhaps that is all at an end now. We finally have all the back story of the terrible things that happened to Julia, Karen, and Seamus. Plus we know who Victoria is now (but we don’t know why she seems to love Seamus or needs him in her game) so please no more drama. No more redundant / repeating conversations among st the four lovers where they go on and on about love and insecurity and acceptance. And if you’re not going to show them making love then stop giving the reader so many lead ups to a romantic scene and then claiming that hours later they were finally satisfied. I know this is fantasy, but the repeating scenes of washing and worrying and reassuring and washing and worrying and reassuring followed by more washing and worrying and reassuring is boring. At a certain point you’re just trying to advertise polyamory by repetition. Plus, it comes out of nowhere that Alburet wants to step down as guild leader - but is later justified by the quest he gets from the Overlord. I am hoping the next book returns to the people playing the game and being a great comedic commentary on MMO gaming. Let’s play the game! Because the drama and the PG-13 porn followed by worrying and reassuring and more washing ... oh and did I mention more worrying and reassuring and washing? ... that stuff, it’s just boring. Let the characters quest. Let the characters quest.
August 20, 2018
This is a good example of a series gone bad. I absolutely loved book 1 and 2 as the premise was very interesting and the MC was engaging. The writing was a little stilted and bland but LitRPG is not known for its Shakesperean prose so whatever. The fact is that as an escapism story 1 and 2 nailed it. Starting with 3 and culminating in this horrible installment, I finally give up.
The sad part is that the overall story is still very innovative and I would love to care where it goes but the strange relationships, unrealistic reactions and HORRIBLE dialogue is too much to get through. I found myself skipping whole sections and rolling my eyes more than enjoying the story.
I get the whole erotic harem thing and I enjoy stories like this if they are either very graphic or skip the graphic scenes mostly in favor of alluding to what has gone on. This rides that middle ground of CONSTANTLY mentioning sex with no payoff like watching a porno up until the clothes start coming off and then switching over to Dr. Phil and his new episode about how we are feeling in our relationships. Then watching that on a loop for 3 hours. The shear amount of double entendres is absolutely maddening. The Karen character can't get through more than 2 sentences without making some strange sexual connection to an otherwise normal comment. We get it. You are horny. Take it to the bathroom dummy.
Anyway, this is much longer than I intended. Do not read this garbage.
The sad part is that the overall story is still very innovative and I would love to care where it goes but the strange relationships, unrealistic reactions and HORRIBLE dialogue is too much to get through. I found myself skipping whole sections and rolling my eyes more than enjoying the story.
I get the whole erotic harem thing and I enjoy stories like this if they are either very graphic or skip the graphic scenes mostly in favor of alluding to what has gone on. This rides that middle ground of CONSTANTLY mentioning sex with no payoff like watching a porno up until the clothes start coming off and then switching over to Dr. Phil and his new episode about how we are feeling in our relationships. Then watching that on a loop for 3 hours. The shear amount of double entendres is absolutely maddening. The Karen character can't get through more than 2 sentences without making some strange sexual connection to an otherwise normal comment. We get it. You are horny. Take it to the bathroom dummy.
Anyway, this is much longer than I intended. Do not read this garbage.
April 14, 2020
Rating 3.5 stars
A good addition to the series. The author still has his problems, most of which revolve around being repetitive. In previous books the sex talk was pretty repetitive. Kitten was used so much in the 2nd book I thought I was going to lose my mind. Alburet breaking down and crying was what was most repetitive in this book. Every single memory he had that he got back made him break down and cry. This caused all the women in his life to surround him and show him how much they loved him. At least it wasn't as bad as the "kitten" thing. I did enjoy the emotion the author brought to his writing in the last 2 books. And of course if I had to read something repetitive, I would rather it be a something I liked about the book instead of what I didn't like.
A good addition to the series. The author still has his problems, most of which revolve around being repetitive. In previous books the sex talk was pretty repetitive. Kitten was used so much in the 2nd book I thought I was going to lose my mind. Alburet breaking down and crying was what was most repetitive in this book. Every single memory he had that he got back made him break down and cry. This caused all the women in his life to surround him and show him how much they loved him. At least it wasn't as bad as the "kitten" thing. I did enjoy the emotion the author brought to his writing in the last 2 books. And of course if I had to read something repetitive, I would rather it be a something I liked about the book instead of what I didn't like.
December 19, 2018
I skipped on writing reviews for the other books in the series and decided to do it here since I usually go for the last book in the series to see what people think of the whole thing. In short, don't bother with Alpha World. Read on if you're interested in why.
The first book started with an interesting enough premise, and the game elements looked decent, but that was just in the beginning. Later it became mired in Alburet's (MC from now on) inept attempts with social encounters. I'd go for 3/5 for the book on its own.
The second book throws all of the interesting things that the first one set up out of the window. You wondered what the people outside think about the MCs adventures? Ha! Use your imagination. Have an interest in what the game company that's developing Alpha World's scheming? Go fuck yourself, nobody wants to see that. Want to see how the others would react to the MC disappearing for days on end and no one knowing why while he's pulled out of the digital world for some shenanigans? Better keep dreaming, that would be interesting storytelling and we can't do interesting here.
The wedding and subsequent family matters that came with it took so much time and were so stupid that my brain almost bled through my ears. The parents of the year that whore their daughters in their inn for cheap coin are suddenly on the MCs ass over every little thing and he's starting to bitch out of his previously established rough character.
I would give it a score of 2/5 just because I had some hopes for the guild angle and wars between guilds.
By the time book 3 came along I lost all hope. Remember that unimportant thing where the MC would be testing out long-term immersion to see if it's safe? Yeah, fuck that. Get a bunch of willing participants and keep the MC around just for kicks without once informing him about what's going on in the real world or what they're using him for.
The guild interactions were so forced and bland that I kept rolling my eyes throughout the book. And don't get me started (I'll get to it later) on the relationships between the MC and his harem. The gaming elements are all but gone and all that's left is occasional zone clearings and the SAME spells just getting a bit stronger and the MC not using them.
If anyone decided to read up to here then they should stop, because this book and all of the rest get a 1/5 from me. If I could give lower scores on this site I would.
Book 4 gets sooooooooooooooooooo repetitive and boring with the trip through the desert and the constant emotional instability from the MC and his harem that I almost gave up on it a hundred times, but I gritted my teeth and decided to push through just because I like to finish all the books that I start.
3/4 of the book go exactly like this: get up, some foreplay with four emotional wrecks and breakfast, boring lvl grind that the author uses just so he doesn't have to bother with writing interesting quests, dinner and some kind of show (btw, what kind of gamers do classical plays? at best they would go with some TV show or movie and do stuff from that, the author really showed his age there), and then some kind of sexy time with a good bit of emotional bullshit.
The last part with the raid is decent, but it can't save the 3/4 where nothing happens.
Then we get to book 5, where out of nowhere the MC drops the guild lead and goes fucking around with his harem for most of the book. We continue with the constant, ever-present, inescapable, insecurities and unrealistic emotional crap from book 4. The main AI of the game starts doing things for no reason except for that she for some reason likes the MC by the end and it's all so boring and unimaginative.
I don't know why book 6 isn't listed here on Goodreads, but I read it and can say that it sucks just as much as the previous few, if not more.
Nothing actually happens, there's a part with the assassin guild, but they solve it mainly offscreen and just forget about it. In the beginning, you might think that the questing party from the previous books might fall apart, but nope. They mention it for a while and then the author apparently forgets about it.
The book even ends with nothing happening. They start off on an important quest for the suddenly active main AI and then it just ends in the middle of the desert. I think that the author decided to milk the story for just a bit more instead of writing a slightly longer book than usual.
For the vast majority of the book, the author finally remembers that they're in a game world and that they should go out and have some adventures, but they're all repetitive and nonimportant. All the while the relationship between the MC and his harem becomes more and more insufferable.
OK, those are my opinions on the books, now I'll talk about the main characters and some things that annoyed me.
Alburet - in the first book I thought that he's a decent but a bit dark guy and liked him, but the more I saw of him the more I realized that he's just an unintelligent simp with occasional anger issues. I can even understand the mental shattering thing since it would be hard to accept that the decision to take revenge on the murderer of someone dear to you would lead to the unintentional death of everyone else you loved. But the way he's portrayed throughout the story lost all the sympathy I had for him. By now he's a pussywhipped bitch that can't say no to anything his masters (wives) want from him.
Stacia - I think she's the person I hate almost as much as the most hated person from this series (Karen). At the start of the series, I thought that the way she and the MC get together was decent, but ever since they got married I started to dislike her more and more. She has a leash around the MC's balls and won't let up for even a second while manipulating everything around him and he lets her because he's a bitch that can't stand up for himself. Also, the constant sexual innuendos got boring real quick.
Karen - oh Karen, she is the one character I really want to die a final death. I like nothing about her. I don't want to write more because I think I would use too many curses.
Fluffball - she was a decent character but got annoying after a time. The constant dickteasing and then reassurance she got from the MC ground any pity I had for her into apathy. The author built up her and the MC banging for 6 God damned books, and then they just rushed it in a few sentences at the end of the 6th book. From the three wives, I like her the most, but that's not saying much.
Gerald - I started off the series disliking him, but came to sympathize with him. He's the only normal person in a world that's filled with morons and broken people. The few quirks that he does have aren't realistic at all, but I can look them over.
Marysue - annoying and stuck up. Even the few attempts that the author had in which he tries to make her more appealing didn't work. I just didn't care about anything she did.
The other characters are one-dimensional and boring. I don't think I liked any of them. The MC's minions were funny in the first book but got boring after Bob got married. Also, why did everyone in the series get married after just a couple of weeks knowing each other? I think that's the most unrealistic thing in this litRPG book about monsters and other worlds.
In the first couple of books, I found the constant callouts to things from the real world in names of places and NPCs jarring, and they got worse with every book on. I think that the "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" thing was the worst.
Also, the food porn almost made me barf. The author wasted pages and pages on describing meals and how some wine complimented a meal. Who the fuck cares about that shit in a litRPG novel?
The thing that disappointed me the most was the potential that was flushed down the drain. All the exciting story threads seemed to get dumped while the constant focus on emotions and the MCs relationship just drowned out all the rest.
And that's another thing. The poor fucker didn't have a moment to his own since the day he bound his succubus (end of book 1). He's constantly surrounded by at least one of them. For months! At what point do you just snap and demand some alone time before you twist someone's head off? Or is it just me?
Anyway, that's it. I could go on about a bunch of other things I disliked but I think that this is enough for anyone interested in Alpha World.
I hope I helped, or at least amused someone with reading this.
Cya.
The first book started with an interesting enough premise, and the game elements looked decent, but that was just in the beginning. Later it became mired in Alburet's (MC from now on) inept attempts with social encounters. I'd go for 3/5 for the book on its own.
The second book throws all of the interesting things that the first one set up out of the window. You wondered what the people outside think about the MCs adventures? Ha! Use your imagination. Have an interest in what the game company that's developing Alpha World's scheming? Go fuck yourself, nobody wants to see that. Want to see how the others would react to the MC disappearing for days on end and no one knowing why while he's pulled out of the digital world for some shenanigans? Better keep dreaming, that would be interesting storytelling and we can't do interesting here.
The wedding and subsequent family matters that came with it took so much time and were so stupid that my brain almost bled through my ears. The parents of the year that whore their daughters in their inn for cheap coin are suddenly on the MCs ass over every little thing and he's starting to bitch out of his previously established rough character.
I would give it a score of 2/5 just because I had some hopes for the guild angle and wars between guilds.
By the time book 3 came along I lost all hope. Remember that unimportant thing where the MC would be testing out long-term immersion to see if it's safe? Yeah, fuck that. Get a bunch of willing participants and keep the MC around just for kicks without once informing him about what's going on in the real world or what they're using him for.
The guild interactions were so forced and bland that I kept rolling my eyes throughout the book. And don't get me started (I'll get to it later) on the relationships between the MC and his harem. The gaming elements are all but gone and all that's left is occasional zone clearings and the SAME spells just getting a bit stronger and the MC not using them.
If anyone decided to read up to here then they should stop, because this book and all of the rest get a 1/5 from me. If I could give lower scores on this site I would.
Book 4 gets sooooooooooooooooooo repetitive and boring with the trip through the desert and the constant emotional instability from the MC and his harem that I almost gave up on it a hundred times, but I gritted my teeth and decided to push through just because I like to finish all the books that I start.
3/4 of the book go exactly like this: get up, some foreplay with four emotional wrecks and breakfast, boring lvl grind that the author uses just so he doesn't have to bother with writing interesting quests, dinner and some kind of show (btw, what kind of gamers do classical plays? at best they would go with some TV show or movie and do stuff from that, the author really showed his age there), and then some kind of sexy time with a good bit of emotional bullshit.
The last part with the raid is decent, but it can't save the 3/4 where nothing happens.
Then we get to book 5, where out of nowhere the MC drops the guild lead and goes fucking around with his harem for most of the book. We continue with the constant, ever-present, inescapable, insecurities and unrealistic emotional crap from book 4. The main AI of the game starts doing things for no reason except for that she for some reason likes the MC by the end and it's all so boring and unimaginative.
I don't know why book 6 isn't listed here on Goodreads, but I read it and can say that it sucks just as much as the previous few, if not more.
Nothing actually happens, there's a part with the assassin guild, but they solve it mainly offscreen and just forget about it. In the beginning, you might think that the questing party from the previous books might fall apart, but nope. They mention it for a while and then the author apparently forgets about it.
The book even ends with nothing happening. They start off on an important quest for the suddenly active main AI and then it just ends in the middle of the desert. I think that the author decided to milk the story for just a bit more instead of writing a slightly longer book than usual.
For the vast majority of the book, the author finally remembers that they're in a game world and that they should go out and have some adventures, but they're all repetitive and nonimportant. All the while the relationship between the MC and his harem becomes more and more insufferable.
OK, those are my opinions on the books, now I'll talk about the main characters and some things that annoyed me.
Alburet - in the first book I thought that he's a decent but a bit dark guy and liked him, but the more I saw of him the more I realized that he's just an unintelligent simp with occasional anger issues. I can even understand the mental shattering thing since it would be hard to accept that the decision to take revenge on the murderer of someone dear to you would lead to the unintentional death of everyone else you loved. But the way he's portrayed throughout the story lost all the sympathy I had for him. By now he's a pussywhipped bitch that can't say no to anything his masters (wives) want from him.
Stacia - I think she's the person I hate almost as much as the most hated person from this series (Karen). At the start of the series, I thought that the way she and the MC get together was decent, but ever since they got married I started to dislike her more and more. She has a leash around the MC's balls and won't let up for even a second while manipulating everything around him and he lets her because he's a bitch that can't stand up for himself. Also, the constant sexual innuendos got boring real quick.
Karen - oh Karen, she is the one character I really want to die a final death. I like nothing about her. I don't want to write more because I think I would use too many curses.
Fluffball - she was a decent character but got annoying after a time. The constant dickteasing and then reassurance she got from the MC ground any pity I had for her into apathy. The author built up her and the MC banging for 6 God damned books, and then they just rushed it in a few sentences at the end of the 6th book. From the three wives, I like her the most, but that's not saying much.
Gerald - I started off the series disliking him, but came to sympathize with him. He's the only normal person in a world that's filled with morons and broken people. The few quirks that he does have aren't realistic at all, but I can look them over.
Marysue - annoying and stuck up. Even the few attempts that the author had in which he tries to make her more appealing didn't work. I just didn't care about anything she did.
The other characters are one-dimensional and boring. I don't think I liked any of them. The MC's minions were funny in the first book but got boring after Bob got married. Also, why did everyone in the series get married after just a couple of weeks knowing each other? I think that's the most unrealistic thing in this litRPG book about monsters and other worlds.
In the first couple of books, I found the constant callouts to things from the real world in names of places and NPCs jarring, and they got worse with every book on. I think that the "Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?" thing was the worst.
Also, the food porn almost made me barf. The author wasted pages and pages on describing meals and how some wine complimented a meal. Who the fuck cares about that shit in a litRPG novel?
The thing that disappointed me the most was the potential that was flushed down the drain. All the exciting story threads seemed to get dumped while the constant focus on emotions and the MCs relationship just drowned out all the rest.
And that's another thing. The poor fucker didn't have a moment to his own since the day he bound his succubus (end of book 1). He's constantly surrounded by at least one of them. For months! At what point do you just snap and demand some alone time before you twist someone's head off? Or is it just me?
Anyway, that's it. I could go on about a bunch of other things I disliked but I think that this is enough for anyone interested in Alpha World.
I hope I helped, or at least amused someone with reading this.
Cya.
May 30, 2018
Good god. Enough with the crying, and the ridiculous overly emotional protagonist. Every other sentence has the characters asking each other if everything is ok and how they love each other and are so happy that they "accept" one another.
If you remove every sentence regarding the interpersonal relationships between the protagonist and his female companions, you would have a 1000% better book.
There are some good things in there - mainly, the LITRPG elements. Other than that, be prepared to skip ahead. Also the whole nonsense of his 'fractured memory' from killing a rapist is a bit annoying. Just get on with the dungeon diving already.
If you remove every sentence regarding the interpersonal relationships between the protagonist and his female companions, you would have a 1000% better book.
There are some good things in there - mainly, the LITRPG elements. Other than that, be prepared to skip ahead. Also the whole nonsense of his 'fractured memory' from killing a rapist is a bit annoying. Just get on with the dungeon diving already.
May 16, 2018
We get it already
Alburet and Fluffs interactions are so repetitive.
Sure there is an underlying message. But so boring and repetitive.
This series has gone from a fun LitRPG romp with some interesting sideline ideas about using an immersive game environment for therapy to one big therapy session with a few jaunts into gaming that feel like an afterthought.
Yes nice to revisit Karen, Stacia, Alburet, Fluff and the minions but overall fun way down.
Alburet and Fluffs interactions are so repetitive.
Sure there is an underlying message. But so boring and repetitive.
This series has gone from a fun LitRPG romp with some interesting sideline ideas about using an immersive game environment for therapy to one big therapy session with a few jaunts into gaming that feel like an afterthought.
Yes nice to revisit Karen, Stacia, Alburet, Fluff and the minions but overall fun way down.
July 22, 2018
Another great instalment
Another great instalment in this thoroughly enjoyable story. The main story is not moved on significantly, but the background of the main character is finally detailed and done in such a way that I found myself unexpectedly moved - totally surprising me in a great way.
Another great instalment in this thoroughly enjoyable story. The main story is not moved on significantly, but the background of the main character is finally detailed and done in such a way that I found myself unexpectedly moved - totally surprising me in a great way.
May 19, 2018
I really wish the series would get away from the characters apologizing to each other. Way over done. Wish there was more game to the story.
May 5, 2018
👏💖👏💖👏💖👏💖👏💖 BRAVO!!!! 👏💖👏💖👏💖👏💖👏💖
Kindle Unlimited - Thank you!
First half has the memory reveals. Incredible! Kept stopping along the way to appreciate the quality of what I was reading. Can't imagine how it could have been done, or written, any better. Victoria? You go girl! And ... we're left with the impression that there are even more layers to be discovered. Loved the Mother, Dark Lord, family, and guild stuff. Infernal worm is a spice?!? Oh my!
The second half gets back to fun adventuring. Yay! Something's up with Mary? Hmmmm....
I was kind of bummed by the "open season" turn of events at the end. Kind of spoiled my happy buzz from the rest of the book. 😿 Unfettered, nasty, mean spirited PKP as acceptable "game play" is high on my list of least favorite tropes. When a series goes there, I tend to go elsewhere. But... I'm going to wait and see where the author takes it. Something, anything, that shuts it down in no uncertain terms. The king could step in, Victoria could step up, the community could react, there's an outstanding Dark Lord boon, or Alpha Company Guild could go super OP. Hopeful enough not to knock off that 5th star.
Kindle Unlimited - Thank you!
First half has the memory reveals. Incredible! Kept stopping along the way to appreciate the quality of what I was reading. Can't imagine how it could have been done, or written, any better. Victoria? You go girl! And ... we're left with the impression that there are even more layers to be discovered. Loved the Mother, Dark Lord, family, and guild stuff. Infernal worm is a spice?!? Oh my!
The second half gets back to fun adventuring. Yay! Something's up with Mary? Hmmmm....
I was kind of bummed by the "open season" turn of events at the end. Kind of spoiled my happy buzz from the rest of the book. 😿 Unfettered, nasty, mean spirited PKP as acceptable "game play" is high on my list of least favorite tropes. When a series goes there, I tend to go elsewhere. But... I'm going to wait and see where the author takes it. Something, anything, that shuts it down in no uncertain terms. The king could step in, Victoria could step up, the community could react, there's an outstanding Dark Lord boon, or Alpha Company Guild could go super OP. Hopeful enough not to knock off that 5th star.
September 18, 2018
Pacing. Pacing. Pacing. I am enjoying the whole AW series but this book was a bit of a low point. It spends most of the time with the MC falling apart because of his real world losses that messed with his mind. Then the poly amours love fest is a bit over the top and too much time is focused on the happy quartet. Finally at the end the pace picks up as the story goes back to its LitRPG roots and the in-game drama. Overall it took me a while to read but I will continue when the next book hits Audible.
May 23, 2018
Very Harem
This book as a drink:
Three cups of beautiful women ( 3 parts vodka or rum).
A cup of awkward dialogue (1 part frozen lemonade).
Mix liberally with affirmations (3 parts citrus soda, stir).
Garnish with a twist of lime and a salty rim.
Enjoyable as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.
This book as a drink:
Three cups of beautiful women ( 3 parts vodka or rum).
A cup of awkward dialogue (1 part frozen lemonade).
Mix liberally with affirmations (3 parts citrus soda, stir).
Garnish with a twist of lime and a salty rim.
Enjoyable as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.
May 24, 2019
The author did a good job in telling his story in a new way.
I enjoyed this book and really enjoyed how the author worked in how the succubus are able too help a person get better emotionally and mentally.The story is upbeat and fun to read and the characters are continuing to grow and develop into unique people who are interesting to read about.
I enjoyed this book and really enjoyed how the author worked in how the succubus are able too help a person get better emotionally and mentally.The story is upbeat and fun to read and the characters are continuing to grow and develop into unique people who are interesting to read about.
February 4, 2019
a lot less sex, and more psychology
I'm so invested in this story, and in love with the characters that I don't mind at all that it's morphed into a different style. In fact I approve.
I'm so invested in this story, and in love with the characters that I don't mind at all that it's morphed into a different style. In fact I approve.
May 3, 2018
Book 5
I honestly didn't like this book that much.
To me this one had to much of the emotional stuff and not enough action.
It was well written though, which gets it 4 stars.
I honestly didn't like this book that much.
To me this one had to much of the emotional stuff and not enough action.
It was well written though, which gets it 4 stars.
September 26, 2023
Final Rating: 3.39/5.00
Starting score: 2.50
+0.45 for the consequential resolution of the central memory mystery.
+0.35 for grief given space, practical care, and a place within the new family.
+0.25 for Fluff's growing agency, art, and friendship beyond the harem.
+0.16 for distinct romantic dynamics and patient, emotionally specific physical intimacy.
+0.17 for the community's independent lives and competing responsibilities.
+0.22 for political changes with tangible benefits for excluded people.
+0.25 for meaningful ability choices, limitations, and later mechanical payoffs.
+0.20 for the danger, atmosphere, and teamwork of the later undead encounters.
+0.06 for cultural references that add playfulness and sometimes reinforce the themes.
-0.40 for repetitive reassurance, domestic routines, and logistical conversations.
-0.28 for insufficient scrutiny of control within healing relationships.
-0.18 for sexual buildup followed by abbreviated encounters.
-0.22 for an abrupt ending that postpones the new external conflicts.
-0.09 for lengthy attention to early battles with little meaningful uncertainty.
-0.05 for identifiable copy-editing and sentence-construction errors.
Calculated final score: 2.50 + 2.11 - 1.22 = 3.39/5.00
The buried hurt finally breaks through the ice here, and that gives this story a weight I have been waiting for it to carry. This installment gives the missing memories consequences, then spends considerable time inside the household that must live with them. There is also a great deal of sexual conversation, nudity, bathing, teasing, and intimacy throughout, with some explicitly developed physical scenes and other encounters reduced to brief summaries. The shape of this audiobook is deeply domestic before the later questing gathers force. I am drawn to the warmth of that den and to damaged people actively building a family that allows them tenderness and desire. My frustration comes from how often the storytelling circles its strongest ideas after already making them clear.
The central memory arc earns the largest part of my respect because it finally changes the meaning of what came before. Seamus's recollections have carried gaps and evasions for long enough that another vague promise of future explanation would have worn my patience thin. Here, the concealed history becomes something he must confront, and the answers reorganise his guilt, his isolation, and his reasons for accepting this new life. The darkness has consequences beyond supplying a tragic introduction for a powerful protagonist. His past can still disrupt a peaceful morning or send anger surging back when someone else is threatened, giving the recovery continuing difficulties. The language used to explain his fractured mind is heavily simplified, with the dream of separate versions of himself making the mechanism almost diagrammatic. The emotional reckoning carries more conviction for me when he can speak and struggle without everything becoming a lesson about love.
The care surrounding that reckoning matters just as much. There are moments when his wives give him room, ask what he needs, organise remembrance, or help him hold onto a past that his new happiness cannot replace. Fluff's portraits are especially valuable because they give those feelings a physical form. An image can remain in the room after the comforting conversation has ended. Karen helping to put that work in place and Stacia handling ordinary care make affection tangible. After caring for my father for five years and losing him, I recognise the importance of allowing memory to remain part of a life that continues. That is where the frost under this Ice Wolf's fur softens. There is room beside the hearth for the living and the dead. I want that generosity from a story about building another family. Some of the remembered lives receive disappointingly compressed treatment, with hours of recollection summarised while routine household exchanges expand. Remembrance gives the grief an enduring presence in this household.
Fluff has the most satisfying growth for me because her contribution becomes visible outside the repeated declarations that she is beautiful and loved. Her art comforts someone else. She can offer something that the others need, and later she recognises Marysue's loneliness well enough to reach towards her as a friend. That movement gives her a place in the world beyond being protected by stronger people. I also appreciate the smaller bodily details: armour that accommodates her ears and tail, the instinctive grooming when she is anxious, and the gradual negotiation of how she wants to be touched. Her Lunari form belongs to her daily experience. The furry part of me responds to that practical attention as much as to any affectionate ear rub. She still hesitates and carries old expectations into safe situations, including after she gains a new way of understanding the people around her. Her progress has setbacks. The strongest scenes let her choose, provide care, or express a limit. Each act puts more weight beneath her own paws.
The relationships also have more shape than a collection of women waiting for Alburet's attention. Karen and Fluff have their own attachment, Stacia takes pleasure in the family's closeness, and affection moves between the women independently of the man. Karen's assertiveness, Stacia's willing submission, and Fluff's tentative exploration create different expectations within intimate scenes. Alburet can be the person who needs reassurance as well as the person giving it. I value the moments when he stops at Fluff's boundary, accepts that her readiness with one partner does not establish readiness with another, and lets a quiet encounter remain incomplete. There is tenderness in her recognising his exhaustion without turning it into rejection. Some of the extended washing and exploration scenes allow uncertainty, desire, patience, and pleasure to occupy the same space. That is the kind of specificity I want in a harem relationship: each person changes the encounter because of who they are and what they want from it.
I also want the erotic writing to follow through. I want a good book and good porn, and both deserve actual scene development. There is enough explicit touching and foreplay here that calling the whole thing closed-door would misrepresent it. The problem is the uneven treatment of the encounters themselves. A scene can spend considerable time arranging who will be with whom, promising intensity, and discussing particular preferences, then jump ahead to everyone being satisfied. The prolonged encounters after the celebrations are a clear example: substantial stretches of sex become a few sentences about how demanding or fulfilling they were. Meanwhile, other scenes linger over the approach and the washing around it. For my taste, that allocation leaves important erotic payoffs half-written. Telling me how extraordinary an encounter was does less than developing the characters' experience of it. I am happy to remain in the bedroom when the writing is alive there. Repeated anticipation followed by a summary makes the buildup feel more generous than the delivery, and the detailed passages elsewhere show how much more involving the intimacy can be.
My ears pin back harder at the emotional manipulation that accompanies some of this care. Physical boundaries are respected in several important scenes, yet fear is also deliberately suppressed and soothing love pushed into another person's emotions. That becomes particularly uncomfortable when the people altering those feelings are also the people who want romantic closeness. The memory work raises a related problem. Seamus agrees to some of it and asks for breaks, but his wish to postpone is overridden elsewhere, and promises of safety exceed what Stacia privately knows. She does become frightened, question her judgment, and seek help. What troubles me is how readily the eventual explanation validates the intervention and allows the relationship to settle around the result. My pack deserves a choice even when I am certain I know the way home. I want the uncertainty of those decisions to remain part of the trust between them. An ability that makes love perceptible offers a compelling fantasy of security; used to quiet fear or certify the rightness of a course of action, it can also relieve the characters of difficult conversations they still owe each other.
That question of freedom grows larger around Victoria and the future hanging over the family. Access to this world, to answers, and potentially to one another depends on powers they cannot meet as equals. The possibility of separation puts my hackles up and gives the later quest a personal urgency that equipment rewards could never supply. The help he has received also carries hints of motives he does not yet understand. His brief anger at feeling managed deserves a longer examination of what he has agreed to and what has been arranged around him. Instead, the argument returns quickly to the good that has resulted. That leaves me uneasy about the power to determine someone else's recovery in a story so invested in safety and belonging.
The largest problem across the listening experience is repetition. Meals, washing, getting dressed, reassurance, flirtation, and preparations for another appointment form a cycle that returns with limited variation. Several conversations arrive at a conclusion the family has already reached, then invite each participant to affirm it again. The repeated praise of food is a small example of a larger habit: an anxious person prepares something, the others approve, and the approval becomes another explanation of how loving the household is. An individual instance can be warm and necessary; across many, the same emotional movement loses force. Formal shopping, invitations, travel arrangements, and recapped conversations add their own weight. As an audiobook, this gives the story stretches where the next exchange is easy to anticipate before it arrives. I want to stay with these people through quiet days, but I want their quiet days to reveal different things. The portraits, friendship with Marysue, and guild departures show what these quieter scenes can accomplish.
The wider community is one reason I still care about the time spent away from battle. Gerald taking over the guild has practical reasons: he has the aptitude, Alburet has reasons to avoid prominence, and Marysue has hopes bound up in Gerald proving himself. The transfer then costs them something. Administrative responsibilities compete with adventuring, while Marysue fears losing friends she has only recently found. Fluff understands that fear without dismissing the urgency facing her own family. The end of a testing period provides an even sharper reminder that these people have lives elsewhere. A room full of guildmates suddenly becomes emptier when those returning to jobs and other obligations disappear. That image gives the virtual world's social bonds a particular fragility. Stewart's changing future and the established affection among the older supporting characters also help the community feel capable of continuing beyond Alburet's immediate needs. There are lives here worth following even when they provide him with no new reward.
The political changes have substance, too. The royal recognition comes with obligations involving guards, upkeep, taxation, and authority. A guild holding land must do more than admire its achievement. More personally satisfying is the effort to change the treatment of summoned companions inside Stormguard. The result reaches into ordinary life: people can stand beside companions they previously had to keep absent, and a celebration becomes more inclusive in a way the participants visibly feel. Bob's excitement makes that change immediate. The following walk through the city then shows that a decree has not removed everyone's fear. Social acceptance will take longer. Ivonna being offered a place where her ancestry need not bar her from adventuring works on the same principle at a smaller scale. If I call someone pack, the city gate should open for them beside me. That is where my loyalty finds ground here. The guild's enforcement of its rules when recruits mistreat native women likewise gives its stated respect for the world's inhabitants an actual consequence.
The progression systems remain relevant, and I appreciate the early investment in deciding how Alburet's build should work. His banked choices involve roles, tradeoffs, cooldowns, and the interaction between himself and his minions. A second Copy slot changes what combinations he can field. Extra protection and control for Tiny serve a different purpose from giving Stacia a healing option, while retaining friendly fire preserves a use he has already discovered for it. Those decisions give the build an identity. Bob's flight also changes his usefulness for reconnaissance, with personality attached to the freedom it gives him. The later fighting tests choices made much earlier, which makes the initial explanations worthwhile. There is relatively little movement in Alburet's numerical level across the book, but his available options and the circumstances around him do change. I want a reason to remember an ability beyond its impressive description, and several earn one here.
The Forest of Laments supplies the strongest action because the group has to adapt under pressure. Enemy stuns disrupt the protection around the healer; positioning changes after the first unpleasant surprise; possession turns a friend's abilities against the party. That last element is particularly effective in a story already concerned with losing control of oneself. The ruined settlement, fading light, and remains waiting to be put to rest give the encounter an atmosphere beyond a kill counter. Resource pressure and escalating enemies make cooperation matter, and the supporting roles have room to contribute. My claws find something solid to grip in those fights. The earlier return to badly outlevelled enemies offers much less uncertainty. Gathering useful loot for others and revisiting unfinished content make sense as character decisions, but the detailed account of a foregone victory still uses time without generating equivalent tension. The later enemies can also fall into familiar class patterns. When even the characters remark on the repetition, I want the encounters to find another source of surprise. The best undead sequence shows that the system can support it.
The cultural references add some welcome playfulness. The Jenkins family jokes and the question about charging into danger point me towards Leeroy Jenkins, while Granite Dwayneson's cooking routine reworks The Rock's wrestling catchphrase. Ioaniss Jones insisting on a museum is an unmistakable Indiana Jones wink. These fit a world populated by people carrying familiar entertainment into their adventures. The quieter reference I find more interesting is the description of watching a prospective partner sleep for three nights, which echoes the Minbari courtship custom in Babylon 5. Its concern with seeing someone's unguarded self belongs naturally beside this family's desire to know what lies under fear, bravado, and self-protection. The references earn their small contribution through those connections and moments of levity. They do not need an extended explanation every time a character recognises the joke.
The prose also needs a cleaner editing pass. The construction “Alburet, Karen and Stacia the group bantered” contains two competing starts left in one sentence. Elsewhere there is a duplicated “that,” and a combat list names Karen twice. These lapses warrant a modest deduction for the writing, separate from any judgment about spoken delivery. More broadly, feelings are frequently explained after a gesture or exchange has already made them apparent. With emotion-sensing characters, that habit becomes especially easy: a line is spoken, its emotional meaning is identified, and someone confirms it. The result leaves less room for implication. I find the writing most persuasive when a portrait, a practical kindness, or a changed decision is allowed to carry what the surrounding explanations keep spelling out.
The ending leaves me with two different levels of satisfaction. The memory mystery has delivered something substantial, and the family reaches a changed understanding of itself. The external story, however, closes just as a fresh threat to the guild becomes clear, while the major quest tied to the family's future remains ahead. The stopping point opens the next movement, leaving the earlier emotional resolution to carry this volume's sense of completion. My attachment is strongest where love becomes a particular act: making art, holding a boundary, helping a friend, or changing a rule that has kept someone outside. Those moments bring warmth into HowlStrom. Repetition, conveniently validated interventions, abbreviated erotic payoffs, and the abrupt final handoff keep the book below its potential. I care about this pack, and I want the storytelling to trust their actions enough to let them speak.
Starting score: 2.50
+0.45 for the consequential resolution of the central memory mystery.
+0.35 for grief given space, practical care, and a place within the new family.
+0.25 for Fluff's growing agency, art, and friendship beyond the harem.
+0.16 for distinct romantic dynamics and patient, emotionally specific physical intimacy.
+0.17 for the community's independent lives and competing responsibilities.
+0.22 for political changes with tangible benefits for excluded people.
+0.25 for meaningful ability choices, limitations, and later mechanical payoffs.
+0.20 for the danger, atmosphere, and teamwork of the later undead encounters.
+0.06 for cultural references that add playfulness and sometimes reinforce the themes.
-0.40 for repetitive reassurance, domestic routines, and logistical conversations.
-0.28 for insufficient scrutiny of control within healing relationships.
-0.18 for sexual buildup followed by abbreviated encounters.
-0.22 for an abrupt ending that postpones the new external conflicts.
-0.09 for lengthy attention to early battles with little meaningful uncertainty.
-0.05 for identifiable copy-editing and sentence-construction errors.
Calculated final score: 2.50 + 2.11 - 1.22 = 3.39/5.00
The buried hurt finally breaks through the ice here, and that gives this story a weight I have been waiting for it to carry. This installment gives the missing memories consequences, then spends considerable time inside the household that must live with them. There is also a great deal of sexual conversation, nudity, bathing, teasing, and intimacy throughout, with some explicitly developed physical scenes and other encounters reduced to brief summaries. The shape of this audiobook is deeply domestic before the later questing gathers force. I am drawn to the warmth of that den and to damaged people actively building a family that allows them tenderness and desire. My frustration comes from how often the storytelling circles its strongest ideas after already making them clear.
The central memory arc earns the largest part of my respect because it finally changes the meaning of what came before. Seamus's recollections have carried gaps and evasions for long enough that another vague promise of future explanation would have worn my patience thin. Here, the concealed history becomes something he must confront, and the answers reorganise his guilt, his isolation, and his reasons for accepting this new life. The darkness has consequences beyond supplying a tragic introduction for a powerful protagonist. His past can still disrupt a peaceful morning or send anger surging back when someone else is threatened, giving the recovery continuing difficulties. The language used to explain his fractured mind is heavily simplified, with the dream of separate versions of himself making the mechanism almost diagrammatic. The emotional reckoning carries more conviction for me when he can speak and struggle without everything becoming a lesson about love.
The care surrounding that reckoning matters just as much. There are moments when his wives give him room, ask what he needs, organise remembrance, or help him hold onto a past that his new happiness cannot replace. Fluff's portraits are especially valuable because they give those feelings a physical form. An image can remain in the room after the comforting conversation has ended. Karen helping to put that work in place and Stacia handling ordinary care make affection tangible. After caring for my father for five years and losing him, I recognise the importance of allowing memory to remain part of a life that continues. That is where the frost under this Ice Wolf's fur softens. There is room beside the hearth for the living and the dead. I want that generosity from a story about building another family. Some of the remembered lives receive disappointingly compressed treatment, with hours of recollection summarised while routine household exchanges expand. Remembrance gives the grief an enduring presence in this household.
Fluff has the most satisfying growth for me because her contribution becomes visible outside the repeated declarations that she is beautiful and loved. Her art comforts someone else. She can offer something that the others need, and later she recognises Marysue's loneliness well enough to reach towards her as a friend. That movement gives her a place in the world beyond being protected by stronger people. I also appreciate the smaller bodily details: armour that accommodates her ears and tail, the instinctive grooming when she is anxious, and the gradual negotiation of how she wants to be touched. Her Lunari form belongs to her daily experience. The furry part of me responds to that practical attention as much as to any affectionate ear rub. She still hesitates and carries old expectations into safe situations, including after she gains a new way of understanding the people around her. Her progress has setbacks. The strongest scenes let her choose, provide care, or express a limit. Each act puts more weight beneath her own paws.
The relationships also have more shape than a collection of women waiting for Alburet's attention. Karen and Fluff have their own attachment, Stacia takes pleasure in the family's closeness, and affection moves between the women independently of the man. Karen's assertiveness, Stacia's willing submission, and Fluff's tentative exploration create different expectations within intimate scenes. Alburet can be the person who needs reassurance as well as the person giving it. I value the moments when he stops at Fluff's boundary, accepts that her readiness with one partner does not establish readiness with another, and lets a quiet encounter remain incomplete. There is tenderness in her recognising his exhaustion without turning it into rejection. Some of the extended washing and exploration scenes allow uncertainty, desire, patience, and pleasure to occupy the same space. That is the kind of specificity I want in a harem relationship: each person changes the encounter because of who they are and what they want from it.
I also want the erotic writing to follow through. I want a good book and good porn, and both deserve actual scene development. There is enough explicit touching and foreplay here that calling the whole thing closed-door would misrepresent it. The problem is the uneven treatment of the encounters themselves. A scene can spend considerable time arranging who will be with whom, promising intensity, and discussing particular preferences, then jump ahead to everyone being satisfied. The prolonged encounters after the celebrations are a clear example: substantial stretches of sex become a few sentences about how demanding or fulfilling they were. Meanwhile, other scenes linger over the approach and the washing around it. For my taste, that allocation leaves important erotic payoffs half-written. Telling me how extraordinary an encounter was does less than developing the characters' experience of it. I am happy to remain in the bedroom when the writing is alive there. Repeated anticipation followed by a summary makes the buildup feel more generous than the delivery, and the detailed passages elsewhere show how much more involving the intimacy can be.
My ears pin back harder at the emotional manipulation that accompanies some of this care. Physical boundaries are respected in several important scenes, yet fear is also deliberately suppressed and soothing love pushed into another person's emotions. That becomes particularly uncomfortable when the people altering those feelings are also the people who want romantic closeness. The memory work raises a related problem. Seamus agrees to some of it and asks for breaks, but his wish to postpone is overridden elsewhere, and promises of safety exceed what Stacia privately knows. She does become frightened, question her judgment, and seek help. What troubles me is how readily the eventual explanation validates the intervention and allows the relationship to settle around the result. My pack deserves a choice even when I am certain I know the way home. I want the uncertainty of those decisions to remain part of the trust between them. An ability that makes love perceptible offers a compelling fantasy of security; used to quiet fear or certify the rightness of a course of action, it can also relieve the characters of difficult conversations they still owe each other.
That question of freedom grows larger around Victoria and the future hanging over the family. Access to this world, to answers, and potentially to one another depends on powers they cannot meet as equals. The possibility of separation puts my hackles up and gives the later quest a personal urgency that equipment rewards could never supply. The help he has received also carries hints of motives he does not yet understand. His brief anger at feeling managed deserves a longer examination of what he has agreed to and what has been arranged around him. Instead, the argument returns quickly to the good that has resulted. That leaves me uneasy about the power to determine someone else's recovery in a story so invested in safety and belonging.
The largest problem across the listening experience is repetition. Meals, washing, getting dressed, reassurance, flirtation, and preparations for another appointment form a cycle that returns with limited variation. Several conversations arrive at a conclusion the family has already reached, then invite each participant to affirm it again. The repeated praise of food is a small example of a larger habit: an anxious person prepares something, the others approve, and the approval becomes another explanation of how loving the household is. An individual instance can be warm and necessary; across many, the same emotional movement loses force. Formal shopping, invitations, travel arrangements, and recapped conversations add their own weight. As an audiobook, this gives the story stretches where the next exchange is easy to anticipate before it arrives. I want to stay with these people through quiet days, but I want their quiet days to reveal different things. The portraits, friendship with Marysue, and guild departures show what these quieter scenes can accomplish.
The wider community is one reason I still care about the time spent away from battle. Gerald taking over the guild has practical reasons: he has the aptitude, Alburet has reasons to avoid prominence, and Marysue has hopes bound up in Gerald proving himself. The transfer then costs them something. Administrative responsibilities compete with adventuring, while Marysue fears losing friends she has only recently found. Fluff understands that fear without dismissing the urgency facing her own family. The end of a testing period provides an even sharper reminder that these people have lives elsewhere. A room full of guildmates suddenly becomes emptier when those returning to jobs and other obligations disappear. That image gives the virtual world's social bonds a particular fragility. Stewart's changing future and the established affection among the older supporting characters also help the community feel capable of continuing beyond Alburet's immediate needs. There are lives here worth following even when they provide him with no new reward.
The political changes have substance, too. The royal recognition comes with obligations involving guards, upkeep, taxation, and authority. A guild holding land must do more than admire its achievement. More personally satisfying is the effort to change the treatment of summoned companions inside Stormguard. The result reaches into ordinary life: people can stand beside companions they previously had to keep absent, and a celebration becomes more inclusive in a way the participants visibly feel. Bob's excitement makes that change immediate. The following walk through the city then shows that a decree has not removed everyone's fear. Social acceptance will take longer. Ivonna being offered a place where her ancestry need not bar her from adventuring works on the same principle at a smaller scale. If I call someone pack, the city gate should open for them beside me. That is where my loyalty finds ground here. The guild's enforcement of its rules when recruits mistreat native women likewise gives its stated respect for the world's inhabitants an actual consequence.
The progression systems remain relevant, and I appreciate the early investment in deciding how Alburet's build should work. His banked choices involve roles, tradeoffs, cooldowns, and the interaction between himself and his minions. A second Copy slot changes what combinations he can field. Extra protection and control for Tiny serve a different purpose from giving Stacia a healing option, while retaining friendly fire preserves a use he has already discovered for it. Those decisions give the build an identity. Bob's flight also changes his usefulness for reconnaissance, with personality attached to the freedom it gives him. The later fighting tests choices made much earlier, which makes the initial explanations worthwhile. There is relatively little movement in Alburet's numerical level across the book, but his available options and the circumstances around him do change. I want a reason to remember an ability beyond its impressive description, and several earn one here.
The Forest of Laments supplies the strongest action because the group has to adapt under pressure. Enemy stuns disrupt the protection around the healer; positioning changes after the first unpleasant surprise; possession turns a friend's abilities against the party. That last element is particularly effective in a story already concerned with losing control of oneself. The ruined settlement, fading light, and remains waiting to be put to rest give the encounter an atmosphere beyond a kill counter. Resource pressure and escalating enemies make cooperation matter, and the supporting roles have room to contribute. My claws find something solid to grip in those fights. The earlier return to badly outlevelled enemies offers much less uncertainty. Gathering useful loot for others and revisiting unfinished content make sense as character decisions, but the detailed account of a foregone victory still uses time without generating equivalent tension. The later enemies can also fall into familiar class patterns. When even the characters remark on the repetition, I want the encounters to find another source of surprise. The best undead sequence shows that the system can support it.
The cultural references add some welcome playfulness. The Jenkins family jokes and the question about charging into danger point me towards Leeroy Jenkins, while Granite Dwayneson's cooking routine reworks The Rock's wrestling catchphrase. Ioaniss Jones insisting on a museum is an unmistakable Indiana Jones wink. These fit a world populated by people carrying familiar entertainment into their adventures. The quieter reference I find more interesting is the description of watching a prospective partner sleep for three nights, which echoes the Minbari courtship custom in Babylon 5. Its concern with seeing someone's unguarded self belongs naturally beside this family's desire to know what lies under fear, bravado, and self-protection. The references earn their small contribution through those connections and moments of levity. They do not need an extended explanation every time a character recognises the joke.
The prose also needs a cleaner editing pass. The construction “Alburet, Karen and Stacia the group bantered” contains two competing starts left in one sentence. Elsewhere there is a duplicated “that,” and a combat list names Karen twice. These lapses warrant a modest deduction for the writing, separate from any judgment about spoken delivery. More broadly, feelings are frequently explained after a gesture or exchange has already made them apparent. With emotion-sensing characters, that habit becomes especially easy: a line is spoken, its emotional meaning is identified, and someone confirms it. The result leaves less room for implication. I find the writing most persuasive when a portrait, a practical kindness, or a changed decision is allowed to carry what the surrounding explanations keep spelling out.
The ending leaves me with two different levels of satisfaction. The memory mystery has delivered something substantial, and the family reaches a changed understanding of itself. The external story, however, closes just as a fresh threat to the guild becomes clear, while the major quest tied to the family's future remains ahead. The stopping point opens the next movement, leaving the earlier emotional resolution to carry this volume's sense of completion. My attachment is strongest where love becomes a particular act: making art, holding a boundary, helping a friend, or changing a rule that has kept someone outside. Those moments bring warmth into HowlStrom. Repetition, conveniently validated interventions, abbreviated erotic payoffs, and the abrupt final handoff keep the book below its potential. I care about this pack, and I want the storytelling to trust their actions enough to let them speak.
November 1, 2019
Review for complete series Books 1 - 8
Mr. Schinhofen's Alpha world series is an epic tale of pain, suffering, discrimination, and the healing through love and support. . A word of warning though the earlier books contain a moderate to extreme, depending on your view points, amount of erotica in them. This tapers off near the end of the story and I recommend readers not to judge harshly. I found the scenes to fit within the flow of the story and within scope of the personality of the characters involved.
It is my recommendation that these scenes be simply skimmed over by readers who might be put off by them. The series contains so much more than erotica that readers would miss out on. Mr. Schinhofen's series delves into the darker side of human nature and the traumatic wounds of the mind that we not only inflict upon others, but ourselves as well. I applaud Mr. Schinhofen for showing such trauma and how with help such conditions can be mitigated.
Mr. Schinhofen borrows heavily from World of Warcraft for his class system and for some points of his story. I believe he is a great author regardless and look forward to additional works he might create.
Very Respectfully,
Shea
Mr. Schinhofen's Alpha world series is an epic tale of pain, suffering, discrimination, and the healing through love and support. . A word of warning though the earlier books contain a moderate to extreme, depending on your view points, amount of erotica in them. This tapers off near the end of the story and I recommend readers not to judge harshly. I found the scenes to fit within the flow of the story and within scope of the personality of the characters involved.
It is my recommendation that these scenes be simply skimmed over by readers who might be put off by them. The series contains so much more than erotica that readers would miss out on. Mr. Schinhofen's series delves into the darker side of human nature and the traumatic wounds of the mind that we not only inflict upon others, but ourselves as well. I applaud Mr. Schinhofen for showing such trauma and how with help such conditions can be mitigated.
Mr. Schinhofen borrows heavily from World of Warcraft for his class system and for some points of his story. I believe he is a great author regardless and look forward to additional works he might create.
Very Respectfully,
Shea
April 26, 2024
The book 4 of this series felt like the author lost a bet and had to fit the phrases "We love you" and "We will be there for you" at least 1k times into a book as punishment. As much as everyone including me appreciates good character development, this was way too much. Too much of all the same again and again, chapter after chapter, it eventually got so annoying that I almost gave up on finishing that book - the last 25% of the book was great Litrpg though, that saved it for me and gave me hope for further installments.
Now, with this book, the hope is lost. It is back to the annoying stuff that has nothing to do with Litrpg. Basically, the book goes with "I am not good enough" - "Yes, you are, we love you" - "Really?" - "Sure, and no matter what happens, we will be there for you" with some seemingly random story filler that has little to do with Litrpg in between. Sorry, made it to about 40% of the book, but I can´t take it no more, im done with the series.
Now, with this book, the hope is lost. It is back to the annoying stuff that has nothing to do with Litrpg. Basically, the book goes with "I am not good enough" - "Yes, you are, we love you" - "Really?" - "Sure, and no matter what happens, we will be there for you" with some seemingly random story filler that has little to do with Litrpg in between. Sorry, made it to about 40% of the book, but I can´t take it no more, im done with the series.
May 7, 2018
Dramatic Action
Aside from normal LitRPG action the Alpha Company books try to present a (literally) more dramatic story line and deeper characters because of it. This book easily surpasses the others in its level of “feelz”, but it does so in a good way, as we finally see into the darker corners of our protagonist, and (mostly) why he was chosen for Alpha World. This helps round out all of the main characters nicely, as we see their love for each other expand and deepen. Their other character changes only heighten this interaction. This leaves us with more investment in the given foreshadowing, as both we and the team wonder what will happen next. I’m guessing the next book will have a lot more action in it that answers that question. Recommended.
Aside from normal LitRPG action the Alpha Company books try to present a (literally) more dramatic story line and deeper characters because of it. This book easily surpasses the others in its level of “feelz”, but it does so in a good way, as we finally see into the darker corners of our protagonist, and (mostly) why he was chosen for Alpha World. This helps round out all of the main characters nicely, as we see their love for each other expand and deepen. Their other character changes only heighten this interaction. This leaves us with more investment in the given foreshadowing, as both we and the team wonder what will happen next. I’m guessing the next book will have a lot more action in it that answers that question. Recommended.
May 12, 2018
Back to the fun
This book is very much a step back up from the last one. Instead of using pointlessly mindnumbing trekking across the wastes to fill the days while advancing the characters at night, we're back to good old-fashioned questing during the day and character growth in the downtime.
One quibble I have is that it seems as though the MCs constantly forget about previous conversations...almost instantly. They plan out things to do then go off and do something else instead for no discernable reason at times. Also, there is a major wierdness and disjointed feeling between the two scenes with Victoria...not sure if that is intentional or not, so I won't speculate further than to say that if it isn't, then those could use some smoothing.
This book is very much a step back up from the last one. Instead of using pointlessly mindnumbing trekking across the wastes to fill the days while advancing the characters at night, we're back to good old-fashioned questing during the day and character growth in the downtime.
One quibble I have is that it seems as though the MCs constantly forget about previous conversations...almost instantly. They plan out things to do then go off and do something else instead for no discernable reason at times. Also, there is a major wierdness and disjointed feeling between the two scenes with Victoria...not sure if that is intentional or not, so I won't speculate further than to say that if it isn't, then those could use some smoothing.
July 4, 2018
Lots of 'action', but not much action.
This book is readable, and interesting, and further develops the characters of the previous books. But apart from a lot of sex, not much else happens. Even the fighting that does occur isn't very exciting: It's mostly a lot of description about who does the tank role, who does the damage, who does the heals.
What this book (and series) does have going for it is a very interesting backstory, and a unique setup. I'm curious to learn more about Victoria. I'm curious what will happen IRL, especially once Mary Sue gets involved. I'm also curious about the long term outcome of the main character. And to be perfectly honest, I find it interesting when a book challenges cultural norms. Polygamy is an interesting subject.
This book is readable, and interesting, and further develops the characters of the previous books. But apart from a lot of sex, not much else happens. Even the fighting that does occur isn't very exciting: It's mostly a lot of description about who does the tank role, who does the damage, who does the heals.
What this book (and series) does have going for it is a very interesting backstory, and a unique setup. I'm curious to learn more about Victoria. I'm curious what will happen IRL, especially once Mary Sue gets involved. I'm also curious about the long term outcome of the main character. And to be perfectly honest, I find it interesting when a book challenges cultural norms. Polygamy is an interesting subject.
February 10, 2019
Note: I listened to the audio book but am placing this review under the Kindle edition since the audio book isn't currently listed.
Apparently essentially telling a story in book 4 of this series grated on the author because he makes up for it in spades in this book. This book ends with the MCs at the very start of both a quest and an investigation. This book is nothing but and introduction to what comes next and is so far from telling an actual story that it makes me want to go back and downgrade all my reviews for this series adding a note saying "book 5 in this series is so bad that none of the books in it should be read".
Bottom line: It is complete BS for authors to treat introductions as stand alone books and your only chance to enjoy this book is if you don't agree with that.
Apparently essentially telling a story in book 4 of this series grated on the author because he makes up for it in spades in this book. This book ends with the MCs at the very start of both a quest and an investigation. This book is nothing but and introduction to what comes next and is so far from telling an actual story that it makes me want to go back and downgrade all my reviews for this series adding a note saying "book 5 in this series is so bad that none of the books in it should be read".
Bottom line: It is complete BS for authors to treat introductions as stand alone books and your only chance to enjoy this book is if you don't agree with that.
June 4, 2023
Moving Along, still drags a bit with "issues"
I like this saga & this group but I'm still not so into the minutiae re skills & power upgrades - gets in the way of the action - but then I'm not a gamer so maybe good for those that are I guess lol. Also, for a bunch of savage, committed, voracious killers they sure are a bunch of "sensitive", woke fragile wimps when it ucomes to dealing with their "issues" lol. Guess that comes from that American thing I.e slaughterin' & killin' - that ain't so bad - good actually. But having wild & exotic sex with beautiful, strong, insatiable women who are eager & willing ...Well my Dad & others might not be ok with that lol - Sooo Conflicted!!😄😉
I like this saga & this group but I'm still not so into the minutiae re skills & power upgrades - gets in the way of the action - but then I'm not a gamer so maybe good for those that are I guess lol. Also, for a bunch of savage, committed, voracious killers they sure are a bunch of "sensitive", woke fragile wimps when it ucomes to dealing with their "issues" lol. Guess that comes from that American thing I.e slaughterin' & killin' - that ain't so bad - good actually. But having wild & exotic sex with beautiful, strong, insatiable women who are eager & willing ...Well my Dad & others might not be ok with that lol - Sooo Conflicted!!😄😉
June 16, 2018
A Dip in the Series
The first two books of this series was very enjoyable, the next two books got a little too touchy-feely, now book five read like a romance novel. There’s still good stuff in this installment, but the first eight chapters were just a rehashing of everyone’s undying love for each other. Come on, three wives all living under one roof and everyone gets along perfectly! And I got a little tired of Fluff being broken, there’s nothing new there.
I think there is still good potential and possibilities in this series, I just may wait some before I jump into book six.
The first two books of this series was very enjoyable, the next two books got a little too touchy-feely, now book five read like a romance novel. There’s still good stuff in this installment, but the first eight chapters were just a rehashing of everyone’s undying love for each other. Come on, three wives all living under one roof and everyone gets along perfectly! And I got a little tired of Fluff being broken, there’s nothing new there.
I think there is still good potential and possibilities in this series, I just may wait some before I jump into book six.
June 18, 2018
This book should've been called "Cuddles, Hugs & Kisses"
I have loved the Alpha World series since the start, but this one really made it hard to like. I wondered many times as I was skimming through pages if this was an attempt to make a foray into romance novels. The first half of this book is about an overly emotional harem, who feel the need to hug, kiss and cuddle each other in excruciating detail, while dealing with Seamus' backstory.
Obviously LitRPG is in its infancy still and we'll see many interpretations thereof but this LitRPG romance novel was hard to stomach.
I have loved the Alpha World series since the start, but this one really made it hard to like. I wondered many times as I was skimming through pages if this was an attempt to make a foray into romance novels. The first half of this book is about an overly emotional harem, who feel the need to hug, kiss and cuddle each other in excruciating detail, while dealing with Seamus' backstory.
Obviously LitRPG is in its infancy still and we'll see many interpretations thereof but this LitRPG romance novel was hard to stomach.
May 4, 2020
Epic story continues!
Definitely a good read. Daniel Schinhofen is rapidly becoming one of the top writers for this genre. The action is well written and each major event is well written. This being said, the books do have a lot of relationship development, almost half the book. While I don’t really like reading about everyone’s feelings constantly (constant reassuring isn’t needed so much IMO), the rest of the story makes up for it. This is just my preference, and the feelings talks do contribute to character development, just feels like the plot stagnates while the MC and his women constantly tell each other they still like them. A good read though!
Definitely a good read. Daniel Schinhofen is rapidly becoming one of the top writers for this genre. The action is well written and each major event is well written. This being said, the books do have a lot of relationship development, almost half the book. While I don’t really like reading about everyone’s feelings constantly (constant reassuring isn’t needed so much IMO), the rest of the story makes up for it. This is just my preference, and the feelings talks do contribute to character development, just feels like the plot stagnates while the MC and his women constantly tell each other they still like them. A good read though!
May 3, 2018
Good read
I enjoyed that it had a little bit more action than was previously used in some other of the books. I like the character development of the main character and his harem. One thing I did not really take to was that I believe the set he wore for his Summoner class is complete now and he has yet to gain his other Boon from it. Also it's about time for someone to murder the living s*** out of Skippy. I mean can we please just make this assholes death particularly bloody scream filled pain and all the good stuff?
I enjoyed that it had a little bit more action than was previously used in some other of the books. I like the character development of the main character and his harem. One thing I did not really take to was that I believe the set he wore for his Summoner class is complete now and he has yet to gain his other Boon from it. Also it's about time for someone to murder the living s*** out of Skippy. I mean can we please just make this assholes death particularly bloody scream filled pain and all the good stuff?
May 13, 2018
Good sequel. Keep 'em coming
I do enjoy this series. It's not "war and peace", but in the LitRPG genre its in the top 5 for sure. If I had one complaint, it would be the persistant issue of the character dialogue feeling too artifical and scripted. They sound like a first year psych student who read a book on emotional communication and ran with it - characters sometimes overly communicate things that would best infered or described. Ironically this issue only crops up with the MC and human characters. All in all a good read and worth trying.
I do enjoy this series. It's not "war and peace", but in the LitRPG genre its in the top 5 for sure. If I had one complaint, it would be the persistant issue of the character dialogue feeling too artifical and scripted. They sound like a first year psych student who read a book on emotional communication and ran with it - characters sometimes overly communicate things that would best infered or described. Ironically this issue only crops up with the MC and human characters. All in all a good read and worth trying.
May 23, 2018
Uber repetitive
This book handles some very adult themes. I wouldn't have a problem with them except they are brought up virtually every other scene. I understand that the author is attempting to show that a polyamorous relationship can work and work well but there is a difference between consent and suffocation. And it happens SO MANY TIMES. I was hopeful that eventually there would be an unspoken understanding but I never found it. 3 people telling one person they will never leave repetitively is what this book is. Not what it is about but what it is.
This book handles some very adult themes. I wouldn't have a problem with them except they are brought up virtually every other scene. I understand that the author is attempting to show that a polyamorous relationship can work and work well but there is a difference between consent and suffocation. And it happens SO MANY TIMES. I was hopeful that eventually there would be an unspoken understanding but I never found it. 3 people telling one person they will never leave repetitively is what this book is. Not what it is about but what it is.
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