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Reality Benders #3
Game Changer
Our galaxy is at war! Great alien races have just clashed in desperate combat and its aftershocks are echoing even in our backwater. The Geckho - protectors and overlords of planet Earth - join the global conflict too. Is it a good thing for humanity? Hard to say. On one hand, the Geckho are too busy to defend our planet which doesn’t sound too good. On the other, it might be our chance to finally show what we're worth and claim our rightful place in big interstellar politics.
In the meantime, Gnat the Listener and his Shiamiru crewmates are fighting at the front line, throwing themselves into the very thick of this formidable space war...
In the meantime, Gnat the Listener and his Shiamiru crewmates are fighting at the front line, throwing themselves into the very thick of this formidable space war...
520 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2018
300 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Michael Atamanov
57 books555 followersMichael Atamanov was born in 1975 in Grozny, Chechnia. He excelled at school, winning numerous national science and writing competitions. Having graduated with honors, he entered Moscow University to study material engineering. Soon, however, he had no home to return to: their house was destroyed during the first Chechen campaign. Michael's family fled the war, taking shelter with some relatives in Stavropol Territory in the South of Russia.
Having graduated from the University, Michael was forced to accept whatever work was available. He moonlighted in chemical labs, loaded trucks, translated technical articles, worked as a software installer as well as scene shifter for local artists and events. At the same time he never stopped writing, even when squatting in some seedy Moscow hostels. Writing became an urgent need for Michael, driving him to submit articles to science publications, news fillers for a variety of web sites and a plethora of technical and copywriting gigs.
Then one day unexpectedly for himself he started writing fairy tales and science fiction novels. For several years, his audience consisted of only one person: Michael's elder son. Then, at the end of 2014 he decided to upload one of his manuscripts to a free online writers resource. Readers liked it and demanded a sequel. Michael uploaded another book, and yet another, his audience growing as did his list. It was his readers who helped Michael hone his writing style. He finally had the breakthrough he deserved when the Moscow-based EKSMO - the biggest publishing house in Europe - offered him a contract for his first and consequent books.
Having graduated from the University, Michael was forced to accept whatever work was available. He moonlighted in chemical labs, loaded trucks, translated technical articles, worked as a software installer as well as scene shifter for local artists and events. At the same time he never stopped writing, even when squatting in some seedy Moscow hostels. Writing became an urgent need for Michael, driving him to submit articles to science publications, news fillers for a variety of web sites and a plethora of technical and copywriting gigs.
Then one day unexpectedly for himself he started writing fairy tales and science fiction novels. For several years, his audience consisted of only one person: Michael's elder son. Then, at the end of 2014 he decided to upload one of his manuscripts to a free online writers resource. Readers liked it and demanded a sequel. Michael uploaded another book, and yet another, his audience growing as did his list. It was his readers who helped Michael hone his writing style. He finally had the breakthrough he deserved when the Moscow-based EKSMO - the biggest publishing house in Europe - offered him a contract for his first and consequent books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
October 14, 2018
Boring. I’m out. Too much faction politics and not enough adventuring, treasure finding ( loot ), leveling, etc... 70% into the book and still no traveling through space looking for exotic treasures. Certain things catch your interest, but they are nowhere to be seen. Like the relict armor. It has no advanced abilities that are active. And the drone. Where the hell is it? Lots of promise but nothing really ever happens.
July 6, 2018
Thats the wrong cover for book 3, it has in addiction a second woman in white
This Book is amazing.
How great does a book have to be, to be still amazing as google-translation?
This Book is amazing.
How great does a book have to be, to be still amazing as google-translation?
April 20, 2019
Awesome series.
If you have read the rest then.. what are you waiting for get it. It’s just as good as the first two.
Now the review as it is great litrpg book awesome series and now here’s some pros and cons.
Pros the action and twists and charter development is great and better then the second in my opinion about or Close to the first.
Cons however main story line is getting a little pulled apart that hurts this one the most I think setting up to much not enough focus of plot ( Now this is not terrible but can drop you hard at the end. So while can feel drag out the story is quite fun overall. ) In world characters are becoming less involved in story and feel that is hurting the story a bit. ( again don’t think this is that bad, but it’s noticeable and even is used as story plot. So needs to hopefully come back around I think)
That’s it really on the book compared to his work and my enjoyment. Only other notes is book still has a few errors in smoothing out Russian to English not grammar wise just not how one would talked in common English. Hope my thoughts help a you and hope some of the reviews get sent to the author because he’s awesome and love to see more.
If you have read the rest then.. what are you waiting for get it. It’s just as good as the first two.
Now the review as it is great litrpg book awesome series and now here’s some pros and cons.
Pros the action and twists and charter development is great and better then the second in my opinion about or Close to the first.
Cons however main story line is getting a little pulled apart that hurts this one the most I think setting up to much not enough focus of plot ( Now this is not terrible but can drop you hard at the end. So while can feel drag out the story is quite fun overall. ) In world characters are becoming less involved in story and feel that is hurting the story a bit. ( again don’t think this is that bad, but it’s noticeable and even is used as story plot. So needs to hopefully come back around I think)
That’s it really on the book compared to his work and my enjoyment. Only other notes is book still has a few errors in smoothing out Russian to English not grammar wise just not how one would talked in common English. Hope my thoughts help a you and hope some of the reviews get sent to the author because he’s awesome and love to see more.
September 24, 2018
My copy was a PDF file!!! Letter length pages!!!! This book states 234 pages. The story is only 223 pages though.
I classify this as a novella. My personal benchmark for a book is a minimum of 250 pages. This is just me though. Also my copy is a PDF, so your book should run to almost 475 pages. (That is decent book length.)
I did find a few errors,but I expect that in translated books.
I enjoyed the story and characters.
I give this a 6.5/10 mainly because I got it free. I know I wouldn't have been happy to have spent money and found 11 pages not used for an already short, (to me) book. Again book page count is different for my pdf book! Your copy won t have letter length pages so it will be longer.
I'll let you decide. Just remember translating a book is a costly and time consuming process.
I classify this as a novella. My personal benchmark for a book is a minimum of 250 pages. This is just me though. Also my copy is a PDF, so your book should run to almost 475 pages. (That is decent book length.)
I did find a few errors,but I expect that in translated books.
I enjoyed the story and characters.
I give this a 6.5/10 mainly because I got it free. I know I wouldn't have been happy to have spent money and found 11 pages not used for an already short, (to me) book. Again book page count is different for my pdf book! Your copy won t have letter length pages so it will be longer.
I'll let you decide. Just remember translating a book is a costly and time consuming process.
July 28, 2019
I've read a fair amount of LitRPG now and it all seems to hit a wall... sooner or later. The game-mechanics of leveling a character give the reader a concrete sense of progress and a vicarious feeling of achievement. But past a certain point, if nothing else is added to keep things fresh, it starts to slump into a pointless slog.
In this case, for me, book three hits the wall. The main conflict, from book one, is still unexplained. Why is humanity from one reality forced to compete against another? Who set the rules of the game and why. What does the finish line look like? Not only are these questions not answered but, unforgivably, none of the characters seem to care either.
It's not bad, just not good enough.
In this case, for me, book three hits the wall. The main conflict, from book one, is still unexplained. Why is humanity from one reality forced to compete against another? Who set the rules of the game and why. What does the finish line look like? Not only are these questions not answered but, unforgivably, none of the characters seem to care either.
It's not bad, just not good enough.
August 16, 2021
This series has some interesting world-building, especially for a Litrpg, and that is what keeps drawing me back to this series. What keeps pushing me away is the misogynistic mentality of the main character even though a fair number of the stronger characters around him are female plus the main character has an "I know better than everyone else" mentality. Considering this is all very new to him and his real-life record this self-confidence seems bizarre and unrealistic.
The other thing is that problems are so easily solved and levels seem so easy to get. How is that not working for other players in the game?
Basically, if you don't like chauvinistic, know-it-all characters this probably is not the book for you
The other thing is that problems are so easily solved and levels seem so easy to get. How is that not working for other players in the game?
Basically, if you don't like chauvinistic, know-it-all characters this probably is not the book for you
September 8, 2023
This third book is no longer logical, rational, or has common sense. Main character, Gnat, moves around without any purpose, Russians in H3 headquarters ask for miracles, but do not really define anything. Gnat accepts to play with casino owner, loses and is forced to become a worse space pirate in exchange for nothing.
Authors fills this part of the story with corruption, forced quests/requests and nonsensical thoughts from the author and main character.
Story lacks main theme advancement. In the beginning it was about survival of H3 lands in this game-like place, this main theme is forgotten in this third book and replaced with filler content that does not make any sense.
I do not recommend this third book of the series.
Authors fills this part of the story with corruption, forced quests/requests and nonsensical thoughts from the author and main character.
Story lacks main theme advancement. In the beginning it was about survival of H3 lands in this game-like place, this main theme is forgotten in this third book and replaced with filler content that does not make any sense.
I do not recommend this third book of the series.
September 23, 2025
This third book was a disappointment compared to the start of the series. The pacing dragged, and too much of the story felt like filler rather than real progression. The game mechanics that were once exciting now feel repetitive and more like a gimmick.
The skill progress also stopped making much sense, and the main character is gaining levels way too fast, catching up to alien races that have supposedly been in the game for ages. The characters have not grown much, and too often the women were written more like superficial accessories than actual people. The humor that once kept things lively has also started to wear thin.
There were a few moments I liked, but overall this book felt more frustrating than fun.
The skill progress also stopped making much sense, and the main character is gaining levels way too fast, catching up to alien races that have supposedly been in the game for ages. The characters have not grown much, and too often the women were written more like superficial accessories than actual people. The humor that once kept things lively has also started to wear thin.
There were a few moments I liked, but overall this book felt more frustrating than fun.
July 4, 2021
Overall, fascinated by the world building. The disparity between what is often described in detail and what isn't when it comes to decisions, actions and reactions is not as consistent as it was in the first two books. I'll be honest it feels like the author is writing from the hip in this series compared to when relatively logically flowing series of events in relation to character decisions. Plus, way too much off world story for a book 3 in my opinion of a series that is still about a "fight for earth". Would rather see that arc stomped and move on to a new one..... either way I still love it. *shrug*
November 3, 2023
I just finished listening to Game Changer and I find myself soooooooo not ready to stop listening now... Not quite cliffhangery exactly. But no, now that I think about it I feel like Michael Atamanov just dumped me into the middle of the story ARC. So yeah it really is a cliffhanger after all. As Gnat is finally ready to fight the war with the dark faction with his kinda dirty tricks.
Surprisingly the first 4 audiobooks are available for free as an Amazon-plus customer. So yeah you can grab the Audible books without any cost to you. And Rudy Sanda is an awesome voice actor... Please excuse me now, because I have a date with Web of Worlds the forth book in this fantastic series!
Surprisingly the first 4 audiobooks are available for free as an Amazon-plus customer. So yeah you can grab the Audible books without any cost to you. And Rudy Sanda is an awesome voice actor... Please excuse me now, because I have a date with Web of Worlds the forth book in this fantastic series!
September 26, 2018
Im just stoked. I love this series.
What to say.. the story's great, a good pace that had me reading through the night, interesting dialogue issues that impressed me, fight scenes done to my (IMO) high standards, and just more of the Galaxy and game that feel original and just make me want way more. And I'm so glad the author ended with a carrot and not some horrible cliffhanger. Just felt good.(in the "must need next book Now kind of way) Really enjoying this series and the next one can't come soon enough. 7.8/10
What to say.. the story's great, a good pace that had me reading through the night, interesting dialogue issues that impressed me, fight scenes done to my (IMO) high standards, and just more of the Galaxy and game that feel original and just make me want way more. And I'm so glad the author ended with a carrot and not some horrible cliffhanger. Just felt good.(in the "must need next book Now kind of way) Really enjoying this series and the next one can't come soon enough. 7.8/10
November 11, 2018
Not bad
Enjoyed the book. Great story. The world has a lot of potential. There is a whole lot of potential story to be told here. Hope he writes more in this series. I find the story seemingly hops from earth politics to space happenings. While I enjoy this from the current characters point of view, I think these jumps in story telling could be done by telling the earth points of view from the girl on the planet. There’s lots of potential but I’m finding the jump of trying to tell two separate stories kinda jarring to the books flow.
Enjoyed the book. Great story. The world has a lot of potential. There is a whole lot of potential story to be told here. Hope he writes more in this series. I find the story seemingly hops from earth politics to space happenings. While I enjoy this from the current characters point of view, I think these jumps in story telling could be done by telling the earth points of view from the girl on the planet. There’s lots of potential but I’m finding the jump of trying to tell two separate stories kinda jarring to the books flow.
August 15, 2023
3,5 stars bumped up to 4 for the Way of the Shaman nod.
I've started to understand the bigger plot here and Gnat will definitely be an important player in the game that bends reality. There are some good moments, some slow periods, some shifts in writing style (it seems to push the pace).
Guesses
Gnat will become the leader of both Earth and the Dark world. He will fight off a potential invasion, gather some allies and start freeing humanity. And he will win in the end by slowly becoming of the Relic race/Faction.
I've started to understand the bigger plot here and Gnat will definitely be an important player in the game that bends reality. There are some good moments, some slow periods, some shifts in writing style (it seems to push the pace).
Guesses
Gnat will become the leader of both Earth and the Dark world. He will fight off a potential invasion, gather some allies and start freeing humanity. And he will win in the end by slowly becoming of the Relic race/Faction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2025
Gnat je ukázkou toho, jak by asi mělo vypadat hraní v této hře. Žádné předem nastudované informace ale jednoduché „zkusím to a uvidíme co se stane“. Jasně že to může přinést spoustu problémů, ale také nemalé dobré věci, které frakce potřebuje. Vypadalo to, že to vedení pochopilo, ale asi ne na dlouho.
Gnat je silnější a silnější, což sebou přináší překvapivé problémy a je otázkou jak je vyřeší a pro co se rozhodne. Vypadá to že nás čeká pořádná plavba vesmírem a spousta tajemství k odhalování. A v neposlední řadě i záchrana Země. Tak uvidíme jak si s tím Gnat a všichni kolem poradí.
Gnat je silnější a silnější, což sebou přináší překvapivé problémy a je otázkou jak je vyřeší a pro co se rozhodne. Vypadá to že nás čeká pořádná plavba vesmírem a spousta tajemství k odhalování. A v neposlední řadě i záchrana Země. Tak uvidíme jak si s tím Gnat a všichni kolem poradí.
September 25, 2018
Fantastic series
I don’t read a lot of LitRPG, but this series is great and I cannot get enough. I was so excited to have my forgotten preorder show up today that I sat down and read it straight through. Now I am disappointed to have to wait for the next book! This series is enthralling! No spoilers, just get it. Interesting characters, situations, universe building and adventure.
I don’t read a lot of LitRPG, but this series is great and I cannot get enough. I was so excited to have my forgotten preorder show up today that I sat down and read it straight through. Now I am disappointed to have to wait for the next book! This series is enthralling! No spoilers, just get it. Interesting characters, situations, universe building and adventure.
October 30, 2018
Atamanov's series continues in a good way.
There's relatively little "new" concepts introduced in this third volume. You keep the same cast of characters, get them a handful of levels, and go on. I am only slightly disappointed that some arcs (inter-Gerd romance, notably) don't get much, if any, development, and the ending is not the big cliffhanger-like event of the second book. But it remains a very solid litrpg from a very strong russian author.
There's relatively little "new" concepts introduced in this third volume. You keep the same cast of characters, get them a handful of levels, and go on. I am only slightly disappointed that some arcs (inter-Gerd romance, notably) don't get much, if any, development, and the ending is not the big cliffhanger-like event of the second book. But it remains a very solid litrpg from a very strong russian author.
March 27, 2021
SPACE WAR ALERT!!
After rescuing the human faction in the previous book, our hero jumps straight into a space war. His alien tech , luck, gaming intuition and magic help navigate the complexities of alien politics.
Unwittingly getting pulled into an assassination, the MC needs to figure out a way to get tech back to earth and hopefully score a spaceship at the end .
Love is also in the air as the MC climbs ranks in the game.
After rescuing the human faction in the previous book, our hero jumps straight into a space war. His alien tech , luck, gaming intuition and magic help navigate the complexities of alien politics.
Unwittingly getting pulled into an assassination, the MC needs to figure out a way to get tech back to earth and hopefully score a spaceship at the end .
Love is also in the air as the MC climbs ranks in the game.
October 1, 2018
Couldn't put it down!!
Michael delivered once again with this third installment! I seriously couldn't put the book down and read every spare second I could. The large scale space adventures and masterfully woven together and my only regret is that I only go to live in the universe for less that 24 hours :( I really hope book four comes out soon!!! Keep up the amazing work.
Michael delivered once again with this third installment! I seriously couldn't put the book down and read every spare second I could. The large scale space adventures and masterfully woven together and my only regret is that I only go to live in the universe for less that 24 hours :( I really hope book four comes out soon!!! Keep up the amazing work.
February 4, 2019
I hate that book 4 is not yet out.
I am so angry that I reached the end of this book.
This book has it all
Alien politics
Incredible culture talk
Cool action scenes
Lots of interesting sci fi battles
So many nice sub plots.
Game is getting even more higher stacked than ever before.
And humanity may just need a lucky Pirate.
I am so angry that I reached the end of this book.
This book has it all
Alien politics
Incredible culture talk
Cool action scenes
Lots of interesting sci fi battles
So many nice sub plots.
Game is getting even more higher stacked than ever before.
And humanity may just need a lucky Pirate.
February 7, 2019
Good series although the translation from Russian to English has some issues. The book is a little more political and less leveling and loot. I love the space battles, the realities of life the MC is having to be aware of and kind of enjoyed his Class change to Listener and all of the problems that entailed. Hehe.
June 14, 2019
The Saga Continues
Gnat levels up, gains power and skills. I like the smooth flow of the story with the twists. He discovers that he has some strange choices. Which choices are the best? I like the action, humor, romance, and strategy. I am stopping at this point so that I can get started on the next book.
Gnat levels up, gains power and skills. I like the smooth flow of the story with the twists. He discovers that he has some strange choices. Which choices are the best? I like the action, humor, romance, and strategy. I am stopping at this point so that I can get started on the next book.
February 19, 2020
If you liked book 1, Book 2 is just as amazing. The book is full of intrigue and just really wild shit. I don't know if this series is top 5 but very much top 10 LIT RPG. Other books I enjoyed more was Ascend Online, Mastermind, Life Reset, Eden Online, Awaken Online. This is right up there though. Definitely worth the money and a heck of a read
March 18, 2021
I received a review copy of this book.
The action continues in this book in the series, and I have to say, I'm hooked. I can't wait to read the next one, and the ending was just perfect. It hints at some solutions for our main character that hadn't looked possible, and that always makes for good storytelling.
I'm loving this series.
The action continues in this book in the series, and I have to say, I'm hooked. I can't wait to read the next one, and the ending was just perfect. It hints at some solutions for our main character that hadn't looked possible, and that always makes for good storytelling.
I'm loving this series.
September 30, 2018
Struggled to put the book down and go to work
As always an amazing read and characters with great depth, intrigue, romance, adventure, personal growth. I highly recommend this book and all books by Michael Atamanov
As always an amazing read and characters with great depth, intrigue, romance, adventure, personal growth. I highly recommend this book and all books by Michael Atamanov
November 1, 2018
Excellent!!
I have read all the books in this series one after the other, couldn't stop. The story is great, the characters develope and interact well, and the game mechanics mesh well with the story and add to it.
I have read all the books in this series one after the other, couldn't stop. The story is great, the characters develope and interact well, and the game mechanics mesh well with the story and add to it.
January 30, 2019
Audiobook.
Great narration...a little bit of a slow start to this one, but I enjoyed seeing the plot develop, and it became very compelling. Can't wait for Atamanov's next book, regardless of which series!
Great narration...a little bit of a slow start to this one, but I enjoyed seeing the plot develop, and it became very compelling. Can't wait for Atamanov's next book, regardless of which series!
April 23, 2019
Amazing book
I love this series, it has everything you can ask for, action, adventure, romance, drama, and of course litrpg.
I can recommend this book to anyone who loves litrpg and I think almost everyone will enjoy it.
I love this series, it has everything you can ask for, action, adventure, romance, drama, and of course litrpg.
I can recommend this book to anyone who loves litrpg and I think almost everyone will enjoy it.
May 17, 2019
3 stars, not as strong as the first book but I still liked it and I have liked a lot of books by this Author. Still worth the read and if you liked the first book, I am sure you will enjoy this one as well.
January 20, 2020
Better and better
Once again this story is just getting g better and better. After the second book I thought it would take something exceptional to be better than that, but this one was.
Once again this story is just getting g better and better. After the second book I thought it would take something exceptional to be better than that, but this one was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews