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War Aeternus #2

Sacrifices

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Desperate to save as many people as he can from a horrible fate in the cruel game of the gods, Lee and his small group of friends abandon the relative safety of Satterfield for the great city of Kirshtein. Tensions within the city have reached a breaking point after the arrival of an enemy Herald, and Lee is soon caught up in the struggle for power. Captured, imprisoned, and forced to fight for his life on the blood-soaked sands of the Kirshtein arena, Lee has to figure out how to survive long enough to mend the rifts in the broken city before it falls apart completely. Armed with new skills, joined by new allies, and up against his most dangerous enemy yet, Lee's bid for survival in the War of Eternity takes on even higher stakes as he learns the what true leadership requires. Now, with an ominous new threat looming in the distance and an army on the horizon, Lee has to answer one Can he pay the price of victory? This is the second installment of War Aeternus, a popular LitRPG Gamelit book that focuses on the adventures of Lee, a regular office worker stuck in a game-like world.

387 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2018

397 people are currently reading
90 people want to read

About the author

Charles Dean

60 books229 followers

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5 stars
403 (45%)
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343 (38%)
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115 (13%)
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17 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Soo.
2,928 reviews346 followers
July 27, 2021
Mini-Review:

There are currently three books available for the series and I wonder if the story line will wrap up by the third or leave me waiting to see what happens. If I had to bet money, I will probably bet on "waiting to see what happens".

There are worst ways to learn how to become a warrior and leader than being plucked from your world and thrown into another as a God's Herald. Maybe. =P

Thus far, I'm enjoying the fun devices that the author has used to force Lee into getting stronger. While Augustus is definitely pushing Lee to become more experienced as a fighter and leader, Lee is also developing new relationships, finding out what matters to him and becoming a more layered & active man than the slug life he used to live.

Overall story progression was great but I think the tail end did not feel like a true wrap up for this book. More layers to the plot have been revealed and there's a decent chunk of action splattered everywhere. I have the third book setup to roll and plan to start it right away.
Profile Image for DJay.
437 reviews76 followers
June 10, 2018
All I'm going to say about this book is.......description.

This definitely book had me deep in my feelings. And a plot setup that has me over here like

description

There was a lot of character development, especially when you find out why Miller is the way he is. And oh man, is that a doozy of a story. I now get why he's all, "let's go kill stuff!!!!" Also, this book illustrates how naive the MC is in the art of war and how much growing up he has left to do. I also feel bad for Ling. Oh man do I feel bad for her, and the growth of Amber and Lee had me like

description

With that all said, there was a lot of growth for all the characters with a lot of surprising plot twist that I just didn't know were coming. If you liked the first book, you'll love this one.

Profile Image for Julie Winter.
46 reviews
October 26, 2018
Absolute Trash! Stop! Do not waste your time!

3

I am not proud to admit I actually wasted my time to read not only this book and the previous one, but I read all the utter crap the author dumped after the book ended that added ten more percent to the written content. I am angry I wasted part of my life on this lazy writing. It is as if written by someone high or drunk and at first buzz it is way over explained!  Everything with too many details and stupid quips he thinks are humourous, but just leave the reader confused, to after the buzz is gone,  entire new species he does not bother to describe. What do they look like? Where do they come from? I did not know Miller, the MC's bbf, was one of these other species till mid- book 2, I thought he was a regular human heavy-melee-fighter type player!
Here is an example of the writing to be found in these books, the author's definition of an important title of the MC's:

-Cheat Code Fighter: Forget long sequences of directional pad input. The only button-pressing you’ll be doing to get this title is using your creativity, wits and stunted sense of fair play to really drive your enemies up a wall.-

Is it funny? Does it better flesh out the title and enlarge our understanding of his character? No, and No. Yeah, I read two books of that!!!! Why? Well, I was doing busy work when the first audible book  started... It was awful, lazy writing (have I mentioned that?) that made me angry to listen to.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reach the controls to switch it off then ...3 hours later...it got sorta interesting.   ... "Sorta Interesting" ...  This is the best it ever gets during both books. Yet still I read them, listened to the 1st book mostly and read the second book. You know how some books have cult references... But no, no clever wit here.  A few times I got sorta interested however my interest only lead to confusion. Just when I think he is going to explain something as in the, Game Manual, I discover it is instead a "joke" list of characters. Describing the same character but with a different name (like he didn't think we would notice. ) twice or listed characters that were not even in the book!
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!!
Towards the end after the author escapes the jail he writes a jumble of words and sentences, only they dont tell us what the MC is doing, the plot doesn't exsist.
Example: "I am going to stop a messenger going to an army that is marching here next to another one ..one of those may be an ally from somewhere else that will stand by us as long as it is convenient, but the messenger will give a message from someplace for the general to attack. The general does not want to attack and wishes she didn't comand the fate of others, but she is a Flulong (this species is never explained but they hate humans) so she will do her duty! The general and the messenger drink bad wine"
and the stage is set for: ACTION!

That is the plot after he gets out of jail. Hope I didn't spoil it for anyone.

I would like to tell the author, "Dude, you are not funny. Stop trying." Maybe: Don't drink, Write, then hit Publish. I would like to warn everyone else to pass these books by, do not be enticed by sorta interesting like I was. You will regret it so much writing a vague, confused 1000 word review to explain your helpless, angry confusion will seem like a GOOD IDEA!
Profile Image for XR.
1,980 reviews106 followers
January 30, 2023
I like how Lee's abilities are avaialble to him from one world to another. That would be so awesome! I did not like the Amber thing though.
10 reviews
October 14, 2019
First and foremost I’d to congratulate Charles Dean for his work on The series “War Aeternus”. I have finished all 4 books each as captivating and entertaining on its own unique way. A big shout out to the amazing work of Jeff Hays and Annie Ellicott from Soundbooth Theater. This is my 5th book I have finished from Charles Dean ( The Heroic Villain). This was my introduction to litrpg. I’m very pleased on how the scenes were painted to the point of its smallest details( especially battle scenes). Also I’m just going to put this out here, Soundbooth Theater is a masterpiece. I think the combination of both how detailed Charles is and how deep Jeff Hays gets into each character. The scenes are narrated to perfection. Where as in other narrative teams they need to point out certain emotions, Soundbooth theater is able to bring it to life with no description needed. You can feel how each emotion, mood is happening as its played out. There is a difference in describing and acting out the scenes. I’m very pleased with how they operate. I believe its a perfect combination like wine and cheese. So as a reader, I’d rather pay more for quality work to have Soundbooth Theater narratives. It’s such an amazing difference compared to other audiobooks. It can really ruin a good book to be honest, if the narrative team is not as competent and passionate with the work of the author. I seen it happen, and would just like to give authors and readers out there the outlook on both teams. Like I mentioned earlier I’d wait and pay more to have a team like Soundbooth theater work passionately and bring the book to life. I’m not knocking other narrative teams but if anything I want to motivate them to improve and use them as an example. I have waited to finish all 4 books before reviewing. I wanted to have an overall outlook on the series. Each book you become closer and closer to all characters. You can feel the transition and growth of each character throughout the series. I’d love to see maybe War Aeternus 5 one day. There was another post that made a good point, when we want a series to continue, a good way to do that is to promote all previous books. So that others readers are aware and can generate the demand for the author. So if you are a fan, like myself. I’m going to do my best to spread the word and preach War Aeternus ! Follow the God of alcohol and crafts! Bring as many followers as you can! For justice and Glory!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
69 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2018
A masterpiece addition in a great series

I am so glad that I purchased and read this book. This was a true adventure full of harrowing danger, twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat and a plot that pulls you until the book is finished. It will leave you stunned and wishing that the 3rd book was out already.

I absolutely loved the development Lee had in this book. He truly worked to become a better person and a better warrior.


My overall take on this book is read the dam thing, it is amazing. If I could I'd give it more stars due to how enjoyable it was to read and how fast I got through it. I couldn't put it down once I started.

Now there is some spoilers contained below....





Lee defiently took a step up in making himself into a true advocate for agustus in this book. Not only did he further his growth in his powers but as a person he truly embraced his own godhood. The powers displayed in this book were amazing. It was great seeing him time and time again use them in creative ways to solve issues he couldn't have gotten out of without them.

Now for Miller... he became a true paladin warrior in this story and the depth of his character was truly great. I loved the internal conflict that made him strive to be better and stronger. Miller is just Miller once again.

The plot. Ss soon ss I started to read I was sucked straight into the action. There were many points where I was yelling or laughing out loud because I got so into it. Though Charles was cruel by making him be a pansy with women.
48 reviews1 follower
July 6, 2018
This is my favorite new Western LITRPG or very close to the top. The title is so apt which is surprise in itself. So many titles in LITRPG these days have titles that are either generic or non descriptive to the point of being meaningless.

Anyways, this book balances character progression and tension so well. Lee, the main character, is demonstrably stronger, but every fight he chooses or is forced into is a fight for survival for himself and his group and the author doesn't even need to resort to some contrived plot device or mechanic to keep that consistent razor edged tension.

At the start of this novel, Lee is still somewhat in denial in regards to what the War Aeternus World really means for him. He still considers himself just an average joe office worker and that he really doesn't belong to the other foreign world of brutality in part b/c he was forced into it. By the end of the novel, there is no longer any doubt. There is a lot of clever inner monologue and dialogue full of cynicism and wit that aptly detail that progression in a authentic and relatable way so that you can't help but root for Lee. That character progression is what set this series apart from almost every other Western LITRPG I have read.

Mechanics and world building is important in any LITRPG, the concept is based on games after all, but sometimes the LITRPG genre forgets that at the core of any story is the human element. How characters process and react to the world around them.

I really can't wait for the next novel.
Profile Image for Adam Shook.
155 reviews4 followers
May 11, 2018
Damn good work

I'll be the first to admit when book 1 came put on audible I didn't remember the book or know if I read it. But thankfully the audible was so masterfully done that not only did it leave me thinking oh that book it left me hooked. Now we got book 2 like I said it's damn good I started reading it passed out and then woke up reading it. A one day read and worth every moment. The characters are rich and are people you really give a damn bout. Though I think that damn alcoholic monkey is using Lee we won't know for sure until book 3 or 4
Profile Image for Mattias Back.
13 reviews3 followers
July 16, 2023
I bought this book since I follow Jess Hays. His performance in this book is decent, however I did not enjoy his portrayal of Miller, who sounds like a constantly angry Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The characters in the book are inconsistent, and unbelievable. As an example, take Miller (above). His background story is that he came from a world where a deity rules the world and has created an elitist environment. Miller, part of the elite, falls in love with a human. They get engaged, but she is killed by the deity and the elite to avoid mixing bloodlines. His goal is vengeance and he knows about the game - if they kill the herald of the enemy deity, their god will also die.

When Lee encounters Miller in the book, he does not believe in gods, and he requires a lot of convincing to join Lee. He seems unaware of the game.
This makes zero sense. With his background story, he is well aware of Heralds and 'the game'. His aim should be to identify an opposing Herald, and get that faction to target his enemy, but he doesn't. WTF.

Another example. Lee starts dating a Russian girl. During a walk in a park, he gets attacked by a man dressed as a ninja. The ninja turns out to be her father, a Russian mobster or oligark, who wants to check that Lee, as her potential boyfriend - can also double as her bodyguard. Her mom is also there, hidden in the bushes. They force Lee to come have dinner, where they have a mandatory vodka-race and talk Russian leadership. WTF.
23 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2023
The first book was enjoyable, but I couldn't make it past the first few chapters of the second book. Spoilers follow: The MC is told he can go back to his timeline for an unlimited amount of time, won't age, and gets to keep the powers he got in the game world and then...goes back in 1 month! Would any rational adult go back in a month when his life depends on his ability. Like the god who sent him to the game world said, he has "zero intelligence." He meets another herald who calls him "one of us" and the MC totally misses it. He is surrounded by women who want him and is too much of a wimp to do anything about it. The side characters aren't deep either and I just had no interest in them. Sometimes they are downright irritating. I hate characters that are thick and stupid. It is easy to write one rather than an intelligent MC and it's a cop out. This book might be good for young adults but I just can't read anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Johnny.
2,173 reviews82 followers
July 25, 2018
Book two

This book had only a few issues that I found.
The first was right in chapter one, an a that didn't need to be there.
The second was getting s dagger as loot when it wasn't listed as part of the loot. From one of the last enemies killed.
Third, the word is tight-lipped not tight-tipped.
As a personal note, I feel that when writing a series you should always recap from book to book. Especially if there is a decent period between books being published.
I did feel a tad bit lost when I first started this book.
The story was enjoyable and I can recommend this book.
286 reviews4 followers
May 16, 2018
Benemissimo

Wonderful, truly wonderful. This author and Mr. Arand are two authors that sweep in make you fall in love with them and then disappear for months on end leaving you thinking of them wistfully. I loved the plot progression in this story, I loved the characters and the premise and that little dash of mystery concerning the true nature of their world. This was a wonderful read, well worthy of my setting aside a day's worth of plans to read it to completion. Excellent.
Profile Image for GaiusPrimus.
870 reviews97 followers
January 22, 2020
Time made it better

I remember not being a huge fan of the first book, even though I thought the premise was interesting enough to warrant a read.

A couple of years later, I have starts to read the series again and I'm glad that I waited. Firstly, the story is now complete with 5 books total, secondly the biggest issues I had with the first book don't really cause that much of an issue now.

Really well written with enough stakes to keep the reader guessing.
420 reviews7 followers
May 15, 2018
Great follow up

Great follow up! I especially liked the interactions in the real world and his development from talking to that one guy (Vagueness=no spoiler!)

Still really really wanting to know more about Augustus! I have a few personal theories, can’t wait to see how they pan out!
Profile Image for Travis Bryant.
958 reviews8 followers
September 5, 2021
Wow, what an improvement from book 1. Book 1 was fine, but this one was great. It still grates on me a bit writers that have overly violent content, descriptions of blood and intestines spilled, but their characters say, "heck" and "gosh darn". Personal preferences I know, but it's annoying af. 👍🏽👍🏽
Profile Image for Paps.
562 reviews3 followers
October 8, 2021
Good continuation to the series but some plot devices the author used were force feed to us the readers. Some might have liked it but for me it was an actual demerit. Here is a slight loss of cohesion with the story with this direction the author took, hope the next books bring some normalcy to the series.

Profile Image for Cameron.
283 reviews9 followers
May 10, 2018
Great sequel to book one

This story kept me at the edge of my seat, as I didn’t really know what the main character would do - or what would happen / unfurl.

I like the way game elements were applied, and think this was a smart addition to the genre.

Will read next books!
115 reviews2 followers
April 23, 2021
My only complaint ... dude goes over the top too much and comes off as a tool. He'd be more successful if he just did his normal thing and told people he was sent by his God. Saving lives, not being a dick, and actively helping people in a world where life is cheap would be enough.
Profile Image for Grant Merrifield.
701 reviews14 followers
May 10, 2018
My middle name is Lee

Love these books wish I could read the next seven.
Dean you have done it again my friend.
10. 10. MotherF#$%^^ 10.
Profile Image for Owen Mitch.
19 reviews
May 10, 2018
Amazeballs

Just finished it and it gets better and better and we finally see more depth to miller which is nice cannot wait for book 3
210 reviews4 followers
May 11, 2018
Great

A fantastic sequel to the series! I only put this book down once to sleep. This was as good, if not better than the first and I look forward to future books.
698 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2018
Yes it's Good

This story is full of action,violence and intrigued the main character is good but you wonder later what strange Part the other characters will end up doing later On??
Profile Image for Daniyal  Ali.
187 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2018
Amazing story

Things that I liked if this book

1. Great additions to the story.
2. Nice new skills
3. Awesome fight scenes
4. Author making the combat feel so realsitic.
Profile Image for Lukas Lovas.
1,394 reviews64 followers
July 31, 2018
Great. I'm really curious how the story will continue.
Profile Image for M.A. Carlson.
Author 11 books55 followers
September 3, 2018
A good story

I enjoyed reading the story, the twists and turns were sometime jarring but still entertaining. Looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Jonathan.
638 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2018
Awesome

A nice cynical take on religion and LitRPG -Gods against Gods what’s not to like. I highly recommend this book series.
Profile Image for Brian.
207 reviews59 followers
March 27, 2019
i'm liking the series. i was tired listening to the last couple chapters and they kind of wrapped stuff up unsatisfactorily for me but i still like the book enough to give it a 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Freek Brouwer.
18 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2019
A great follow-up, you can realy see the main character grow.
4 reviews
August 15, 2019
Growth

Plenty of growth in this timeline. The sequels will leave toy wanting more from this author in the future guaranteed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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