Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Wild Wastes #3

Southern Storm

Rate this book
[Spoiler for the faint hearted at the bottom of the blurb. Please read all the way through.]

Before world war two could reach its conclusion, the world suffered what could only be defined as a cataclysm.
Now, Yosemite city stands as the gateway between two worlds, and an equal power in the continent. Unfortunately it’s surrounded on all sides by those who would love to see them fail.

The empire in the west, a king to the east, and the Tri-lliance of the wastes to the south.

Standing at the top of Yosemite is the warrior king Vince, a Ranger turned city state ruler. Supporting him in his endeavors is his inner circle.

With a firm grasp on Yosemite Vince has solidified his borders. He’s gotten the army trained to an elite status. He’s given his people a peaceful lifestyle with an economy that grows year over year.

Yosemite is well and truly prospering.

There is a delicate balance between nations in military and trade, however. One that is going to be upended with a skirmish in the lands of southern Yosemite.

The bulls-eye Vince had worked so hard to remove, is back. Bigger than ever.

All anyone can do now, is prepare for the storm.

Warning: This novel contains adult themes and moral ambiguities. The main character is written as a real person in an apocalypse and will not make choices that line up with society and cultural norms.

This story contains a harem and is an Adult Fantasy novel.

414 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2018

689 people are currently reading
252 people want to read

About the author

Randi Darren

25 books974 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,353 (55%)
4 stars
695 (28%)
3 stars
293 (12%)
2 stars
57 (2%)
1 star
22 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Steve Naylor.
2,486 reviews127 followers
June 9, 2019
Rating 3.0 stars

Just okay. He had some of the same problems from the first 2 books that I thought were kind of annoying. Mainly complaining about not wanting any more wives or kids until at some point he decides to go ahead and marry everyone and get them pregnant anyway. That is exactly what happened in the last book, so it was kind of annoying to go through that again. I thought I was going to hate the crossover with Super Sales on SuperHeroes but I didn't mind it that much. I did feel like it wasn't needed though. There could have been so much more to explore in this world without bringing in Felix's world. I kind of feel this will be the last book in the series. At this point he has so many wives and adding so many more it is hard to keep track. I kind of hope it ends here. I liked the series but I might not like it as much if it continues and there are more and more changes like the ones that happened in this book.
Profile Image for Donny.
279 reviews
July 24, 2020
Not sure how I'm feeling about this one.

Having such a big crossover with Super Sales and confirming it is part of the Otherlife virtual word was a disappointment. I was hoping the crossover with Super Sales would not go beyond the small bit in books 2 of each series.

And I would rather these be actual worlds instead of virtual ones. Awakened or not.

I now find myself looking forward to Super Sales 3 less. And from what I read of his Dungeon and Faust series, they are probably part of the Otherlife worlds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for C.W. Ashley.
Author 2 books42 followers
April 8, 2019
I had to refrain form giving this a one star. It's closer to a one and a half.

First off the bat I have to state that the first Wild Wastes is my favourite Harem book and the reason why I got KU and signed up to Goodreads, but this series is out of control now. Vince now has too many wives to keep count of, and if you have a favourite then prepare for the fact they will get almost zero 'page time' because they have to share the book with countless other along with a boring plot about an overpowered army fighting other armies.

The epic has become too epic. This is no longer a charming contained story about a loner finding love with a group of monster women and deciding to take a stance against slavery. It's an over the top power-fever dream about an invicible fuck-machine who just goes to war and has babies.


Not everything needs sequels. This book taught me that.
Profile Image for Iori.
593 reviews4 followers
Read
June 8, 2018
This book is a amelioration from the last one where Vince was just rolling with the situation (and his wives), but still I felt that he was a victim of the situation. This book felt also more like a cross over! And Felix from Super Sales for Superheroes appear and save Vince hide and vice versa. Can't wait to read the side of Felix story to see what Vince helped to save!
Profile Image for Mahesh.
473 reviews41 followers
December 3, 2018
EPIC,

Wildly entertaing, Highly engaging and an emotional rollercoaster ride.
Just loved this one, completely and purely!. This has become my all time favourite book.

I don't wanna brag about it, but let me just say, I have literally cried when one of the characters died and jumped in happiness at the return of that character. This shows how well author made me connected to the characters.

Love you Randi Darren!
Profile Image for Jay Collins.
1,630 reviews15 followers
September 12, 2018
3.5 Stars, again this type of book is not for everyone as for the adult situations but I do enjoy these type of books for the world building, magic, War, and general entertainment.
39 reviews
June 24, 2018
Great series, must read the series by William D Arand to get the whole story

I love the series I think that this author has done a very good job in making the world believable characters. I wish I would've known that this corresponded with the book and characters written by William D Arand, Super Sale on Super Heros, but luckily I already read those books and was able to put two and two together.
Profile Image for Paps.
562 reviews3 followers
October 22, 2022
Wonderfull book, a great continuation of the series wonderfull way the author incorporated it into the other series of his.
Profile Image for Wanyae.
1 review1 follower
July 15, 2018
AWESOME!! Read OtherLife Trilogy Before You Read Wild Wastes Trilogy. BLEW MY MIND!!
Honestly, when i found out it was one of the viritual worlds from OtherLife created by Norwood, i lost it. In a good and bad way. Good because i didnt expect the connection, but bad because it means Vince's is just a viritual creation in OtherLife. Still awesome though.
Profile Image for Josh.
57 reviews1 follower
July 2, 2018
I don't usually leave reviews for books. I never have anything to say that I feel other people would find interesting. That may be the case this time as well, however I felt an overwhelming need to share my thoughts. I very much enjoyed the first 2 books in this series and was fully expecting to enjoy this one too. I did not expect to be emotionally drop-kicked.

Mild spoiler warning:

I won't go into too much detail but the scene with the letter absolutely crushed me. Hearing what happened and then reading the letter....I actually started crying reading it. The only other book that ever effected me like that was "Changes" by Jim Butcher. It takes a very talented author to be able to create characters and stories that can create so much love and empathy on the part of the reader. I have no higher praise to give. This was an amazing book and I strongly encourage everyone to read this series. Thank you Randi Darren.
90 reviews8 followers
June 15, 2018
The story itself was quite okay, it was a nice continuation of the first two books. A lot more drama and in a way darker than the previous books. The ending felt a bit, open for what was supposed to be a trilogy. The reason I'm giving this a tentative 1 Star where prior it would've gotten a solid 4 is a bit complicated.

This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Tory.
221 reviews7 followers
April 3, 2019
The third (and final?) book in the Wild Waste series is a step up from the previous two enough to say that I actually liked it. There is a lot less sex (Still boring for the most part) although his harem still continues to grow and a lot more story advancement. The story finally reaches it's peak of crossover wit the Super Sales on Super Heroes trilogy although some of the characters seemed to be used in a way that they were pointless to even be a part of the story. There are plot points that are never explored and you are left with a lot of questions that will probably never be answered but are designed to get you to read other tie in stories. The author seems to excel at writing emotional death scenes making you feel for characters you didn't even care about. The narrator of the audio book version once again did an alright job as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
241 reviews1 follower
June 11, 2018
Did not see that coming...whoo! Best sequel yet!

This instalment of wild wastes started out a bit confusing; however, it quickly coalesced into a wild action-filled rollercoaster ride. There were some very well-written emotional moments that did result in some tearing, but made the story that much more fulfilling. Although Vince is still searching for his parents, he does meet Felix who plays an essential part in helping him stand strong in the Tri-alliance war. Hope to hear more about the Ratkin emigrants to Vegas. Did not expect the multiverse tie-in and am now waiting with bated breath on seeing how it will next develop. Editing was much improved and only a few errors were found.
Profile Image for Heath.
521 reviews4 followers
January 4, 2019
Good Read.

Harem elements with adults situations in the story. The continuing story of Yosemite City and the leader behind it as it becomes a factor in the post apocalyptic world. There is cross over of the author’s two other books. I enjoyed the story and look forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Austin Youngblood.
83 reviews4 followers
June 9, 2018
Read it. Read it now.

Seriously. Stop everything you’re doing and read this. Driving to work? Pull over. Feeding your baby? It’ll live. Work meeting? Even better, now you’ve got a projector and can show true leadership by making them read this, too.
Profile Image for Kyo.
42 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2018
What we hoped for

This had everything ya hoped for more love loss sacrifice discovery and the bomb that only fans who read both pen name's series knew was coming(shout out to John van stryvant).but then out I had to remove the 5 out of ten stars because of the end
Profile Image for Scott.
131 reviews15 followers
March 29, 2019
Wild wastes 3.

This book opens up with something that greatly annoyed me. A five year time skip. Some books handle these well, allowing for no great events to pass as things are sort of going with the flow. This book unfortunately did not, immediately referencing relationships that had started or flourished over that five year period. Fortunately, after this one gripe, I didn't really have any other complaints with the rest of the book!

The cast is still good with many varied and unique characters, with a few groups like the dryads and elves blending together.

The story is still believable with the main character having to go through many trials to protect his land and people, though the enemy group in this book seemed to somehow be always present and more powerful despite appearing to be a small group in the beginning.

The ever present powers of the cast and main character grow at what feels like a natural rate. Sure the main character is somehow always more powerful than those around him but he has his weaknesses, and even the powers of the supporting cast aren't always enough to tackle the task at hand.

I don't often mention names in my reviews but I was happy to see the characters of Red and Pietra getting a lot more screen time. These two more than any other are really fleshed out in this book and without spoiling anything, both of their rocky plot lines were some of my favourite parts, with Pietra's ending as one of the best I've read in a while.

The prevalence of dragons this time around was a fun expansion in many ways, from powers, to characters, to even plot lines, they really added a great deal to the story!

The adult content has fallen a bit behind this time around, taking a backseat to the far more important plot and character development which was a great decision in my opinion.

Most important of all, the crossover events throughout this story were some of my favourite moments. As I've said in previous reviews, I've picked this book up finding out another series I really enjoy occurs in the same universe. It was great to see some of the crossovers from this group's perspective and I loved seeing old characters get a new life once more. There was even once character who swapped books which I didn't even realize was from this book when I read the other series.

Lastly, the ending of the book was quite enjoyable. Bigger weapons, an important final engagement, and a meeting between powerful figures led to a somewhat deus ex machina ending, though the fact that some characters even reference this softens the blow.

In the end, this book is a great one in the series and still manages to be enjoyable despite nearly collapsing under the weight of plot and physics! I can't wait to read more from this author.
59 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2019
This isn't necessarily a review, but more of my general thoughts and brain dump on this book.

Here we are at the end of a trilogy and I find myself realizing that a few great moments can change your entire view on an entire series. truthfully, the quality of this story has neither increased nor decrease, it all just remained about the same throughout. But, due to a few emotionally heart wrenching scenes I find myself more invested and curious to check out the rest of Arand/Darren's work.

Like the previous books there is still an endless addition of new D&D fetish material and even less time spent with any of them. Hell, by then end of the book Vince has about 18 "Wives" (with another being prepped Once he grows her to a size where their parts match, that is), over 100 Dryads and now a harem of dragons. It's more then a little ridiculous at this point, at least to me. Darren did add Taylor a Black Dragon to the cast of under utilized characters which was another character that I want to see spend more time with Vince and evolve there relationship beyond procreation.

The real reason that I liked this story so much, even though all the aspects that make me annoyed are still there, was they he did the one thing I never thought I would do while reading a erotic male power fantasy... He made me cry. When Petra dies off screen and Vince received a letter written in her final moments it just reminded me how much I like Petra and loved her relationship with Vince.

So yeah, this isn't the best series ever written and it isn't even all that original in the RPGlit genre that is popping up these days, yet I still liked it. I can't recommend this series to anyone, but if you are a fan of anime/manga harem stories and have a pervy mind like my own then you may find that this series is worth your time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
209 reviews
June 12, 2018
Things I liked:
1) Vince felt overworked and constrained by having 10+ wives and 50+ dryads. That's something that bothered me last book, because (even for this level of fantasy) it's unrealistic.
2) It was awesome that It was kind of funny and anticlimactic that they instantly got along, but it was nice how they could solve each other's problems. Although its a bit strange how some characters progressed and others didn't. For example,

I can't think of too much that I didn't like, except maybe the whole Although he technically doesn't have to sleep with all of them, that's another unknown (but at least a dozen) women who are under him. Wasn't he just complaining about having too many women to handle?
Also, characterization of new characters feels weak and rushed. Maybe that's just cuz Vince doesn't care, but still. Try making the story a little more character driven than plot driven. Although I guess he does focus on (the way too many) established characters.

P.S. The end of the book says "Thanks for reading Fostering Faust". Is that a typo or a joke?
Profile Image for Kody.
71 reviews3 followers
September 7, 2019
Very few things about this series stood out.

It was a real chore to get through this series. There are two reasons that got me to the end. 1) I read super sales for super heroes first. 2) The audio book propelled me forward whether i wanted to read the rest or not.

Nothing about this series stood out. I've read sexier monster harem stories (heartstone saga). I've read monster harem stories with way more interesting main characters (mask of the template). I've read harem stories are just plain more interesting (super sales for super heroes). This series was just weak. The sex scenes were numerous but boring. There was literally one sex scene worth a damn in the entire series (book 2 with mouth, fes, and vince). Outside the sex scenes the story and why the readers should good give a shit was flimsy at best. Every problem was solved by vince using his hulk powers or his dick. Furthermore there were so many "wives" that i honestly stoped caring who the main character was sleeping with.

My main concern is that this series is going to be someones introduction to the harem genre. It has the potential to turn people away from it if they think all harem series are even 30% this bad. If your reading this and liked this series, please read one of my 3 earlier suggestions (particularly mask of the template) and then tell me how good this series is when compared.
Profile Image for Valdemar Cavazos.
314 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2023
Was very impressed at the start when a handful of Vince’s wives were killed and his 1st Wife seriously maimed but by the end they either all came back to life or were in the process of coming back to life already. Nothing changed.

Vince himself is far too OP that the story makes me want to root for the bad guys especially when Vince goes genocidal. Events work out in his favor at every step and nothing gives him an actual challenge. On top of that the guy becomes a literal war criminal and Fat Man and Little Boy’s several cities with magical McGuffins since Randi didn’t know how to write himself out of the Tri-Alliance arc. Nothing challenges him and he continues being an asshole. At one point he even meets a Goddess and she shrinks in fear of his power. Booooring! I know this is male power fantasy but come on at least make the protagonist likable and give him a loss every now and then or at least a bad guy that he doesn’t easily carve like a cake. Don’t think I’ll continue the series.

However if you are looking for a voice actress you NEED to hire Andrea Parsneau. She gives excellent life to what is a bland story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Andrew Notohamiprodjo.
7 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2018
The universe comes apart as it comes together

For all would be readers, if you came here after Wild Wastes 1 and 2, I highly suggest you read all of Randi Darren and William Arand’s other novels (yes they’re the same person, and yes he needed two separate pen names). It doesn’t change the excellent quality of the novel, but it definitely makes it more satisfying. I feel that this book marks a big change in the universe of novels as of this point, and I’m looking forward to the future of the series.

***INCOMING SPOILER/RANT TO THE AUTHOR DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT FINISHED THE BOOK***







Thanks Randi/William for basically responding to my review of the OLD omnibus in the writing of this book. You know the one. That being said, you’re still a jerk. It’s not very nice of you to keep pulling my heartstrings with the statue reference :( Bring her back already. What if I said I’ll owe you a favor? ;P
Profile Image for RJ.
2,044 reviews13 followers
January 14, 2020
Four years later…Vince is engulfed in the political duties of the Yosemite Empire and he is getting tired of it. Vince, the Ranger, misses traipsing through the forest, monitoring the environment and animals in his charge. Since Varric capitulated and Vegas succumbed, Vince finds himself away from home much too much for meetings of one sort or another. When he is home in Yosemite, his Lordly duties to service the ever-expanding Dryad community consumes much of his time. As in any war, there are casualties. Vince experiences his own share of casualties, and the depth of emotion conveyed in the story is amazing. The Tri-lliance to the south, as in South America, is the major thorn in everyone’s butt. The Tri-lliance has dragons in its service. The Emperor to the west is treacherous but the Tri-lliance wants it all. Prepare for the coming epic battle! Truly an excellent fantasy tale; the prudes should have known better to venture forth.
186 reviews
August 27, 2023
Content warnings: Adult themes, Pervasive explicit sexual content, Violence, Gore, Language, Death of a loved one

Southern Storm closes out the Wild Wastes trilogy nicely while leaving room for the later titles. The series continues the trend of scaling up to increasingly unmanageable size until both the author the protagonist appear to be losing their minds. The character roster is difficult to follow and so are the battle plans. I had a hard time figuring out whether this was the story he wanted to write or just the story he felt he had to write to move the plot forward.

Despite all these negatives, Darren still delivers on a roster of familiar characters, new conquests, and interesting (though disjointed) action.

Note: for audio listeners, this is the last title with the phenomenal Andrea Parsnau as narrator. I cannot imagine learning new voices for this massive cast, no matter how good the new narrator is.
Profile Image for Roberto.
270 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2020
POwer trip reached the heavens... does not find a ceiling' then keeps going to the infinity and beyond!? I don't mind a million wifes, not unlimited power, nor infinite magic dicking, But what I do need is a story! heck I wanted the elf princess to try to kill the rest of the wives and children so there is no one else to dispute her own child claim to the throne or something? some drama! some character grow, there is nothing.

this author really drop the ball with every 3 book he makes doesn't he? the same happened with "Super Sales on Super Heroes" Excellent first book, barely decent second book, third WTF book. No' I retract my self "The Selfless Hero Trilogy" has a decent ending, I think? I could be wrong 4 year is a long time.

I by the way I have enjoyed your stories so It felt bad giving you 1 star even if I feel it what this deserve.
275 reviews7 followers
June 10, 2018
**Mind Blown** Fantastic!!!!

O don't usually spend the time to really write a review, usually just rate it and move on unless it's just that good. With that said This book is just as good of not better than the first 2 awesome books. The progression and various action and sex scenes are well done. Not at all repetitive. You can tell that Randi spent time in all aspects of the book, just as s/he always has. And the little teasers in the previous books come to fruition and Randi gives a nice teaser at the end as well as the answer to a big question too. You don't want to miss this opportunity.
388 reviews
July 1, 2018
Smirkalicious...

Glad I didn't give up after Book 2. The author rather adroitly maneuvered around the things that came close to being deal breakers. Made me happy 'coz I really like this author regardless of whatever name he's using.

I caught the crossover mentions in the reviews and couldn't imagine how Arand could possibly link the two books. Well... he did it and with rock solid tie ins. And then, at the end, he links in to a third series. Seville? Hmmm... Talk about ultimate in jokes. Face palm and chortle worthy. Gotta see where he takes these stories. No small feat if he holds it together and pulls it off?
Profile Image for Johnny.
2,171 reviews80 followers
August 17, 2018
Book four

Mistakes: none found
Characters: there are a lot of them. The author does a decent job of bringing them to life. He'd do better to focus on just a handful and really making them shine.
Plot: has connections to other series the author has written. Without having read those you might feel a but lost at times.
The sex is overly graphic and brings very little to the story. He'd be better served doing a fade to black and letting the readers imagination run wild for most sex scenes.
I rate this 7/10 As for recommendation goes, if this is to your taste then grab it and enjoy.
Profile Image for Kevin.
1,710 reviews30 followers
September 21, 2018
I'm not enjoying this as I did the first two. There is too much "Randiness" going on.

This protagonist (Wild Wastes) seems to be merging with other protagonist from the author's other books (Dungeon Deposed, Super Sales 2), at least when it comes to aggression.
I don't know why everybody is angry for so long.

This book would have been better without all the crotch-plotlines. Too many things are dependent on our protagonist's, and the women he meets, privates.

2.5/5 Stars
Profile Image for Christopher Conatser.
32 reviews
July 24, 2018
Dude

That is a well crafted and put together awesome book I can not wait to read the next book in this. To Randi I will say dude I love what you are doing and would love to comment about all that I read . however I will just have to claim ignorance to keep any and all spoilers from the fans not familiar with the other writer that is attached to the characters. But I will be buying super sale on super hero's 3 and if their is another other life instalment. I have decided to get the dungeons books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.