The Third Realm

Ten Realms #3

by Michael Chatfield

With the third realm new challenges arise.

Erik searches for Old Hei while Rugrat deals with his broken mana system. For both, their path takes them towards the alchemist association's trial.

They didn't mean to get into trouble, they swear, but in the ten realms trouble is not far behind the duo. They'll have to fight across the third realm to complete the alchemist association's trial.

All isn't peaceful in the first realm as Alva and Vermire will face one of their greatest challenges yet.

Chaos or creation, there's no knowing what might happen in the ten realms.

Genres: Litrpg, Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic, Science Fiction, Adventure, Military Fiction

575 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2018

About the author

Michael Chatfield is a Canadian Army veteran and international bestselling author who writes the kind of books he always wanted to read—character-driven, gritty, tactical, and grounded in reality.

He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).

And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.

With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.

Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.

You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authormichael...
Website: http://michaelchatfield.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormichael...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormicha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichae...
Facebook Group: The Chatfield Connection - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37693...

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an isekai/LitRPG that follows closely from each book to the next. Read them in order.

You know what this is going to be. I was glad to see Chatfield expand his plot repertoire this time and to interesting effect. Plus it was fun to see Erik tear it up in the Alchemy trials and bend them to his own purposes (have a magical space where you can try recipes endlessly and practice with no-cost ingredients and see what works during a test with no time limit? Heeellllooo three-week test completion).

I'm still torn on Rugrat's issue with his ripped-up mana channels that started at the end of the last book. It takes a long time to get those straightened out and he's kind of a brooding bastard about it. But totally in a Marine, tough-guy way. It's very in character, but I found his behavior frustrating at times. So it was fitting. And even interesting. But it was also a periodic downer and interfered in the power fantasy.

I also liked Alva Dungeon flexing in the first realm. Someone want to take your healers to use for their own purposes and goes to war to capture them? Well, how about we engineer the downfall of your entire country you barbarian prats! Oh, and also kill off everyone who delivered a threat while we're at it? Brutal but made the point on all the important levels.

I'm still liking this series. The books are getting longer, I think, but that's an inevitable part of the structure of taking on ten realms with each book dedicated to a separate realm. I see that in a couple of books, we get a Realm X pt. 1 and that totally makes sense as each has increasing difficulty and complexity. I am okay with this. Five stars of okay.

A note about Chaste: There's still no on-page shenanigans, though I liked what we see of a couple of people finding their person.

[Lyndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Fun with Rugrat & Erik

I didn't realize how involved I was in Rugrat & Eriks storyline until I realized I was skipping chapters having to do with Alva Dungeon. Had to force myself to go back and read them even if I didn't want to. Which was good, because one of the best battles was in those chapters. I enjoyed the third realm but the preparations for the fourth have me giddy with excitement for the next book. The wait will kill me.

[Tucker Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but flawed

Fun reads, but these books and the emerilia series feel like they have the same flaws– and I stopped reading those after the third. It’s hard for me to pinpoint but it feels like their progressions aren’t logical sometimes. It feels like they go from one thing to the next and things just work out and there’s not a whole lot of logic or reasoning behind why they do-they just do. Again, I liked the book, enjoyed reading it, but until these issues are addressed I can’t give more than 3 stars

[XR · Rating 4 out of 5]

My besties, Erik and Rugrat, just keep getting better! It's so satisfying to see people underestimate them and then BAM! Bitches go down!!

There's such a great focus on leveling up in LitRPG that it gets a tad tedious 'cause I just want to get to the story, but then it wouldn't be LitRPG without it.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth waiting for!

This is an excellent series. The development of everyone characters, not just the MCs', is brilliant. But it has one big problem - now I have to wait for the next book in the series, lol!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 F*ck Squids, F*ck Tentacles, F*ck Ink Stars

The Third Realm is the third book in The Ten Realms LitRPG series by Michael Chatfield.

So much continued to happen in each of these books, and subsequent realms. Erik and Rugrat keep building up alliances an laying their marks down on the different areas. Building their knowledge, power and influence. Alva Dungeon and it’s different components, professions, and people keep growing by astronomical means. I can’t wait until they reach the pinnacle of the Ten Realms, to see what they can truly accomplish and widespread Alva’s reach will be when this time comes. It’s interesting to see how much stronger their foundation as a group or governing, and learning, body is when compared to the more widely supported opinion of strength and competition within sects. Thereby creating less cohesive togetherness within their individual ranks. I think by this basis alone they will rival all they come up against since there will be less infighting within. It’s honestly one of my fears; that they will let the wrong person into their ranks and that this person will strive to use Alva’s power for their own gains selfishly. I can only hope all works out well for this cast of people I have come to care for.

I am glad to have finally met another Earth native within the Ten Realms. And that the first encounter was with some of good character. Especially when the odds of finding an Earth native with an evil disposition, based on the randomly generated two week curse’s summons, is fairly high.

The Fourth Realm is going to transition into an entirely different experience. And I’m worried over the numbers that we will come to lose given the raise in difficulty and ferocious atmosphere. Given that Alva’s main goals fall in taking over the most sought after resources: The Dungeons prominent on this Realm.

I’m still somewhat boggled by of the info-dumping. And I mainly instantly dismiss the majority of it after reading. There have such leaps in knowledge and understanding. Especially when it comes to the Mana Cultivation and Body Cultivation pathways. Outside of this the new and unique ways that individual professions look to improve their crafts show such superiority over the rote and commonly known techniques already present. Ugh! The more I read, the more I want to digest of these great goals and discoveries. There’s so much more they have to accomplish and offer, and I just want to stand beside them as they mount these obstacles and overcome their own limitations.

————————————
Re-read:
Honestly? I had forgotten how intense and intriguing the Alchemy Association trial was for Erik. With them finally reaching the Third Realm, the pinnacle of Alchemy and all that this field of study entails. Seeing Old Man Hei again after all the trials and tribulations Rugrat and Erik have conquered. Meeting Matt, finding George, and saving Domonos.

Then there’s the saddening way in which Rugrat spends the entire book lamenting against his own mistakes with his destruction of his mana channels. Having to fight through his melancholy over being so weak since his build was so mana focused. It’s so entirely obvious that Chatfield capitalized on furthering developing and evolving Rugrat as a character, with shifting and allowing Erik and Alchemy more of focus in the realm dedicated to this field, Allowing the story to truly give him the limelight.

I’m still mostly present in this mindset, but I can see how a lot of Alva’s trust in their leaders and cohesiveness is unrealistic, whereas before I was so primarily focused in my little Erik and Rugrat cheerleader world that I just let all the discrepancies slide. I still love this storyline, and it promotes positive more evolved ways for a society to function and build each other up. Which given the world we live in, I can definitely get behind. But it’s a nice dichotomy to recognize the benefit this type of viewpoint can have, the minute chance of it ever succeeding in reality, and still appreciating it for the even fictional success it offers.

It’s entirely too enjoyable to see these characters grow and manifest into their badass selves again. I missed you Alva, and I’m glad to be back.

[Melissa Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am impressed with the overall growth from not only the MC's, but Alva Dungeon too. The bisecting story lines from the various characters is well written and very entertaining. For me, who normally despises LitRPG, I am loving this series and anxious for the next book. High recommendation for the entire series.

[Garrison Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictively good.

I got hooked after the first 20 pages of the first book in the series and haven't been able to stop reading since. This is a fantastic series and I'm anxious to get the next.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inconsistent throws off the pace

The story is well told but inconsistencies continue to plague his writing. Wish he could figure it out. Needs some editing.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world of Alchemist. Perfect place for Eric.

The book continues the city building in Alva and the adventure for Eric and Rugrats.
Nothing sets it apart from the previous two.
Enjoyable though.

[Moira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great one in the series

litRPG with military aspects? There is no way I wouldn’t love it. Added the fact it’s written by Chatfield who delivers well-thought and creative stories and I’m sold. Just... the wait for sequel will be another long one.

[Jonathan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 Stars

[Brad Theado · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of meat to this book. At times it gets bogged down in details but overall the story is a good one.

[aggums · Rating 3 out of 5]

3. 9. 27. 9999999999999.

[Kiba Snowpaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆ — THE THIRD REALM: THIS IS WHERE THE TEN REALMS STARTED LOSING ME

Audiobook review by Kiba Snowpaw — Alpha Ice Wolf of HowlStrom

Essential

The Third Realm by Michael Chatfield is the point where The Ten Realms begins going downhill for me. I do not mean that everything suddenly becomes bad, because there are still pieces I enjoy: Erik and Rugrat remain characters I care about, the Alchemy Association trial gives Erik something substantial to do, the world continues expanding, Alva is becoming a real power rather than just a rescued settlement, and there are still moments where the old military-brother energy comes roaring back. But Book 3 is where I started feeling that the series was no longer naturally growing from what made Book 1 so strong. Instead, it increasingly feels as though ideas are being added because they sound dramatic, symmetrical or cool on paper. The biggest example for me is Rugrat's broken mana system and the way it creates an almost deliberate role reversal with Erik. In Book 1 Erik was the catastrophically injured one, physically broken before entering the Ten Realms and mentally staring into a future he could barely imagine, while Rugrat was the brother who refused to leave him there. Now Rugrat becomes the damaged one, his mana channels destroyed and much of the book spent brooding over his weakness while Erik becomes the one trying to help him rebuild. I understand exactly what the story is attempting, and in theory the symmetry could have been powerful. For me, however, I could almost see the author's hand moving the pieces into position, and once I start seeing the writer arranging the drama instead of simply feeling the characters live through it, emotional impact drops fast.

Hook and Thesis

The problem is not that Rugrat breaks. Strong people can break, soldiers can break, funny people can become depressed, and somebody who normally keeps moving can absolutely hit a wall when the thing he built his identity around is suddenly taken away. I know that far too well to dismiss the idea. I have spent much of my own life dealing with depression, anxiety, isolation and a mind that can keep running even when I desperately want silence. I know what it is like when something inside you stops cooperating and the version of yourself you thought you understood suddenly does not work the same way anymore. So when Rugrat loses the mana system his build depended on and starts spiralling, the concept should hit me hard. My issue is the construction around it. Book 1 already gave us Erik at his lowest point, with Rugrat becoming the stubborn force beside him that basically says, we are still here, so we keep moving. Book 3 turns that around so neatly that instead of thinking, God, now Rugrat finally understands what Erik went through, part of me thought, Ah. We are doing the reverse version now. That is the thesis of my review: The Third Realm still has good material, but too much of it feels designed rather than discovered. The banter becomes more exaggerated, the recurring confrontations become easier to predict, the supporting cast takes more space, cultivation and crafting explanations increasingly behave like lectures, and the series starts replacing the raw personality of its beginning with mechanisms that I can see working underneath the floorboards.

Basic Plot Summary

Book 3 brings Erik and Rugrat into the Third Realm, a place strongly associated with alchemy and therefore a natural stage for Erik's development. Erik is searching for Old Hei while Rugrat is dealing with the consequences of destroying his own mana channels, leaving one of the pair dramatically weakened in a world where personal power determines status, security and opportunity. Their path becomes tied to the Alchemist Association's trial, giving Erik the chance to push his healing and alchemical knowledge far beyond what he could do in the earlier realms, while Rugrat has to confront a problem that cannot simply be solved by shooting harder. At the same time, the book continues cutting back to Alva and Vermire, where the community Erik and Rugrat helped build is becoming increasingly organised, militarised and influential. That side of the story demonstrates the consequences of their ideas even when they are not physically present, including Alva responding aggressively when outsiders threaten its people. There are also new allies, returning characters, profession development, cultivation theory, battles and the continuing pattern of Erik and Rugrat walking into an established power structure, being underestimated and eventually forcing people to reconsider what they thought they knew. On paper, Book 3 should therefore be a strong evolution: Erik gets a realm perfectly suited to his profession, Rugrat receives a personal crisis that temporarily removes the safety of constant upward progression, and Alva begins proving it can stand without its founders. The ingredients are not the problem. My frustration comes from how frequently the execution makes those ingredients feel stretched, repeated or arranged for effect instead of flowing with the immediacy of the first book.

Praise and Critique

Erik's alchemy material is probably my favourite major part because it connects directly to the character rather than feeling like progression for progression's sake. Erik began as a combat medic, so every time his healing and alchemy grow, it feels like the Ten Realms are giving him supernatural tools for something he already cared about before magic existed. The Alchemist Association trial therefore makes sense as a place for him to shine, and I like watching his Earth knowledge collide with a culture that has centuries of magical tradition but can still become trapped inside its own assumptions. This is the kind of progression I wanted more of: not simply another number going upward, but an old identity evolving inside a new world. Alva also has some genuinely satisfying moments because it is no longer just a village waiting for Erik and Rugrat to come home and save everyone. Their people are learning, organising and developing their own strength. When Alva is threatened, the response demonstrates how far the community has come, and there is something satisfying about watching the military and cooperative thinking Erik and Rugrat introduced turn into an institution that can defend itself. As someone who loves methodical RTS play, that part of my brain appreciates the logic: train people, build infrastructure, improve supply, create redundancy and make sure the base does not collapse just because the heroes are on another map. The problem is that I enjoy Alva most when its growth feels like a consequence of Erik and Rugrat's choices; when the book stays away from the main pair too long, I start feeling the same problem that appeared in Book 2, only stronger.

Rugrat's damaged mana system is more complicated for me because I actually think there is a very good character story buried inside it. Rugrat has spent two books being loud, capable, dangerous and often the guy who can laugh in situations where a normal person would probably need therapy. Removing a central part of his power should force him to ask who he is when competence is no longer automatic. That is good material. His anger, melancholy and frustration are believable in broad terms because losing an ability that has become part of your identity can feel like losing a piece of yourself. I understand the instinct to retreat into your own head and become angry at yourself for not being able to simply force your way back to normal. Where it loses me is how long the story leans on that mood and how obviously it mirrors Erik's earlier suffering. Rugrat even drifts into behaviour that pushes the arc toward melodrama for me rather than deeper psychological realism. Depression is not invalid just because a possible solution exists; I know personally that knowing what might help and being mentally able to do it are two completely different things. But fiction still needs emotional progression. Rugrat can be miserable, angry and ashamed, yet I need the story to keep revealing new layers rather than repeatedly pressing the same bruise.

Criticism

This is also where the humour starts becoming more cringy for me. Erik and Rugrat were never elegant philosophers, and their rough military banter was part of what I liked about Book 1 because it felt like two men with years of shared history using stupidity and profanity as pressure relief. By Book 3, however, that voice increasingly leaks outward into the world. More characters start sounding like versions of the same personality, Earth-style jokes and expressions spread through Alva, and the distinction between “these two veterans have their own bizarre way of talking” and “this is simply how the author writes funny dialogue” becomes thinner. Once everybody begins carrying pieces of the protagonists' speech patterns, the original banter loses some of its identity. The same happens with the arrogant-local pattern. Different realm, new powerful organisation, somebody sees Erik and Rugrat and assumes they are insignificant, confrontation happens, our heroes reveal that they are much more dangerous than expected. I still enjoy the payoff because there is a primal furry satisfaction in watching somebody poke what they think is a harmless pile of snow and discover a 193-centimetre Alpha Ice Wolf underneath it, but even a good meal becomes boring if you serve me the same plate every night. By Book 3 I want the Ten Realms to surprise Erik and Rugrat rather than constantly allowing Erik and Rugrat to surprise the Ten Realms.

The growing amount of exposition is another major weakness. I like systems. I am a gamer; explain a skill tree to me and some part of my brain will happily start min-maxing a character that does not even exist. But the system must remain in service of the story. Book 3 increasingly has characters explaining cultivation, formations, mana, body development, crafting and professional theory in long stretches that feel more like lectures than lived discovery. The issue is not complexity but presentation. I want to understand why Rugrat's mana channels matter because I am watching him struggle to use them, not because somebody gives me a dissertation on magical plumbing. I want to understand alchemy because Erik fails, adjusts and succeeds, not because every knowledgeable character suddenly becomes a professor. In audio this can become especially heavy because I cannot visually skim a page of mechanics and jump back into the action; every explanation has to pass through my ears at full speed. The large cast makes the problem worse. The perspective keeps moving between Erik, Rugrat, Alva and additional characters, and there are enough names and functions that emotional attachment does not always keep pace with informational importance. Several of the side characters may matter enormously to Alva, but when I hear their perspective my first thought should not repeatedly be, Can we go back to Erik and Rugrat now?

Evaluation

The reason the forced role reversal bothers me more than it might bother another listener is that I do connect with the mental idea underneath it. I have had years where parts of myself felt damaged and where improvement did not happen because somebody gave a motivational speech. I know the difference between physical recovery and mental recovery. A wound can close while the mind continues replaying what happened; a person can return to work, laugh, game, cook, take photographs or talk normally while still carrying something heavy in the background. That is why I do not need Rugrat to “man up,” instantly fix himself or stop feeling sorry for himself. What I need is authenticity. When depression or loss of identity appears in a story, I want it to change how somebody understands himself, not merely temporarily swap the emotional jobs of two protagonists. Erik's Book 1 crisis worked for me because it was attached to the beginning of the entire story: his old future had been physically destroyed before the Ten Realms offered another path. Rugrat's Book 3 crisis feels more like the story deliberately breaking one brother so Erik can now demonstrate the loyalty Rugrat demonstrated first. There is poetic symmetry there, and I understand why other readers may love it, but to me the symmetry is too clean. Real life rarely gives you matching scars at narratively convenient times.

HowlStrom is the easiest way for me to explain the emotional difference. Imagine two Ice Wolves crossing a frozen mountain pass. In the first journey one wolf's leg is shattered, the storm is closing in and his brother physically refuses to abandon him. That moment matters because nothing about the mountain was created to teach them a lesson; the mountain simply hurt them, and loyalty is revealed by the response. Now imagine that two winters later they cross another pass and, almost on cue, the other wolf breaks in exactly the kind of way required to reverse their positions. The second rescue can still be emotional, but part of me sees the pattern. I can hear the storyteller saying, Now it is your turn. That is how Rugrat's arc feels. I still care about him. I still want Erik to pull him back toward himself. I still believe their brotherhood is the strongest relationship in the series. But instead of disappearing fully into their pain, I remain one step outside it analysing the construction. Once that happens, even good drama starts feeling less like life and more like a scene.

Conclusion

For me, The Third Realm is where The Ten Realms stops being a series whose flaws I happily ignore and becomes a series where the flaws increasingly compete with the things I love. Erik and Rugrat are still good protagonists. Their loyalty still matters to me. Erik's alchemy development is genuinely satisfying, Rugrat's damaged mana system has a strong psychological idea underneath it, and Alva becoming capable of acting independently proves that the first books actually changed the world instead of simply moving two heroes through disposable locations. There are still battles, progression and those moments where Erik and Rugrat work together so naturally that I remember immediately why Book 1 hooked me. But around those strengths I now see repetition, too many perspectives, lecture-like explanations, increasingly interchangeable dialogue, predictable arrogant enemies and drama that sometimes feels engineered to create symmetry. The series is becoming bigger while the core story I care about is becoming harder to reach, and that is not the direction I wanted.

Standing at the gates of HowlStrom, I imagine Erik and Rugrat arriving after the Third Realm. Rugrat's mana is damaged, his confidence has cracks in it, and Erik is now the one holding his brother upright. I understand the image. I even like what it is trying to say: brotherhood is not one man permanently saving another; eventually the strong one falls too, and loyalty means the hand reaches back in the opposite direction. That is a message I believe in. My problem is that I can see the author arranging the snowfall, placing the broken wolf in exactly the right spot and making sure the other one is standing where the emotional mirror requires him. Book 1 made me forget there was an author. Book 3 keeps reminding me. That is the difference. I am still walking through the Ten Realms, but for the first time I am looking toward the trail behind me and thinking the footprints were stronger back where we started.

Final Rating: ★★★☆☆

Story: ★★★☆☆ | Erik: ★★★★½ | Rugrat: ★★★★☆ | Brotherhood: ★★★★½ | Alchemy: ★★★★½ | Rugrat's Mana Arc: ★★★☆☆ | Alva: ★★★½☆ | Worldbuilding: ★★★★☆ | Side Characters: ★★★☆☆ | Humour: ★★½☆☆ | Pacing: ★★★☆☆ | Emotional Impact: ★★★½☆ | Compared with Book 1: ★★½☆☆

Final thought: The Third Realm is not where I stopped caring about Erik and Rugrat. It is where I started caring less about everything being built around them. The first book felt like two brothers surviving a world. The third increasingly feels like a writer building situations for two characters because the situations would look cool in the outline. There is still enough fire here to keep this Ice Wolf walking forward, but the snow is getting deeper, the path is getting noisier, and I can already feel the howl that pulled me into Book 1 becoming harder to hear.

[John #Audible · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the audio side of the house. It's good, you will not be disappointed. Todd did another great job with the VA work, even though he was slacking ( cough ) :-) in getting this one out the door.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just horrible. And much too feminist

I read the first 3 books but they were teeth grinding the entire time, I can't stand them anymore. These are some of the worst books I've ever read, and I've read at least a thousand. I really hoped these were better.

Where to start... I'm not getting into it all, there's far too many aggravations.
The writing is still atrocious, even though it improved ever so slightly each book. There are far too many inconsistencies, errors, unexplained or poorly explained, and so much that makes no or little sense. Descriptive writing is sorely lacking. Dialogue gets ridiculous.
And sorry but I'm constantly thinking how stupid the author and main characters are. Get better editors to shore up glaring weakness.

And what is with the much overly done feminism? It's like the author's feminist wife is breathing down his neck with a whip ready if he doesn't make all the females the smartest people in the realms, the top in their crafts and department heads, the leaders of Alva and other places, with all the bad people being male, and males just being portrayed as mediocre compared to all females. What is this crap?! I don't want to read feminist books in my spare time! It's already taken over every media outlet, get it out of fiction books and let us just enjoy our favorite past-time instead of having to deal feminist conditioning here too. Leave this out of fantasy books, its not enjoyable. The predominant audience for litrpg is male, no need to tailor to females here, its already done everywhere else. Boys need empowering too ya-know. We can't keep making boys feel inadequate and only constantly empower girls.

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same old Chatfield: really interesting world/story, bad non-main character dialogue and exposition.

Chatfield is really good at making interesting stories, but it's let down by his poor writing ability. I really want to read his series but they're just too poorly written.

It come down to show, don't tell. Which he is apparently incapable of doing. Apart from the main character perspectives, all the characters have all of their thoughts and feelings given as exposition. Instead of showing that someone has an emotion, he'll just say that a whole group feels a particular way (and people change their minds and feelings waaaay too readily). Combat against multiple opponents just ends up being very generic, with all of the enemies just described as another [creature]. It's as though he is writing a description of what he wants to write in more detail.

I really wish that he'd collaborate with another author to combine his world-building ability with a more detailed and less summary like writing style.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three

Mistakes: I found only two. This was done much better than book two.
Plot: while there are many different plot threads in this book, they are well thought out and well written. I didn't get that rushed feeling while reading and could really sink into the story.
Characters: to me this is where all the side characters start to shine and become people in their own right interested of just place holders.
8/10

[Cr Rider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

This series has been enjoyable thus far as the adventures of Rugrat and Eric continue. However, it would be good to have some details filled in. What is the backstory for Erik and Rugrat? How did they meet? What is Matt's backstory? Love the community building, but not a lot of depth to ancillary characters nor world-building. However, the rapport between the main characters is good.

[Taylor-Leigh Derchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
I enjoyed the story but there were way too many info dumps that it was distracting. There are also too many new characters that it was hard to keep track of it and made it hard to follow. There was a strange bit where Rugrat had a strange stint of alcoholism even knowing when there was a cure for his issue.

I will keep reading the next book. I am still interested in what antics Erik and Rugrat will get up to.

[Joshua · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really want to like these books. But the writing feels so juvenile. Very bloated. I love the world he’s building. But the prose is just so hard to work through. And there’s very little plot. Far too much of the book is “and then they spent an insane amount of time working really hard to get stronger.”

There’s some interesting stuff being done here, but not enough. I doubt I’ll read book 4.

[Christopher M Glasby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it and yet...

I loved reading Erik and rugrats newest adventures the only thing I found myself doing was skipping everything. Still a good read but the switching of perspectives got old after awhile

[Logan Horsford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what I enjoyed most in past books (the special bond the two adventurers share and the plot) seems to be less in this book.

It's still OK but it felt more like the author was showcasing aspects of a game *we will never get to play*.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

The book was interesting but it just did not grab my attention like the first 2 books. It was entertaining and fun to read but it seemed forced in some parts.

[Anthony Corrado · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible

This is being just a boots military jerk off fantasy. The author is almost certainly the head mascot of /r/justbootthings

[Timothy Nugent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really a review of the author's writing style itself. I read this author's other series Emerilia, a couple of years ago, and lost interest about 4 books in. The series started off strong, but over time I slowly lost interest. That put me off reading this newer series, "Ten Realms" as I was afraid of the same thing happening.

This series starts off pretty strong in the first book, I rate it 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The first book is about survival and learning about the world. It is a great book and I loved it. Book 2 wasn't as good, yet I still enjoyed it. It took me longer again to get through book 3 as it kept getting bogged down by supporting characters, and Book 4, I stopped reading midway.

This author has two major issues with his books:

1. Too many side characters. I'm sorry, but I just don't care about random people. I want to read about Eric and Rugrat. You can occasionally throw in another POV, but when over half the book takes place from side characters' point of views, I get bored. This makes the pacing of the book too slow as we have lots of plot lines that most people don't care about. I found myself skimming the book way too much. I read fast, a 300 page book in 4 hours, and I love long books if the pacing is good, but this felt too slow.

2. There is no point to the series. This series has the exact same issue as the last. Why should I care? This author writes "slice of life" style books. There is no bad guy to be defeated, there is no overarching reason to grow strong. They literally just want to get to max level to see if they can because they think it'll be cool to be like gods. They are work-aholics that don't sleep and do nothing but grind their skills to make them go up, not because they have to in order to save family or friends, not in order to live or defeat pure evil. Just cause. They endure pure torture of pain to get stronger, even though there is no threat to them and they are rich enough to live like kings in their new world for the rest of their lives, which can be as long as they want since they have a potion they can make that can keep them forever young WHICH THEY HAVE NOT USED ON THEMSELVES EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE MIDDLEAGED!


Overall, the series isn't bad at all, I just found myself coming up with reasons to not read it. Some people may like slice of life books, I do not.

[Jose Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The transition between books is still seamless. I still enjoy the military jargon present and it is great to hear the residence of the village take some notes from Erik and Rugrat as far as friendly bickering goes. In fact some of the villagers are starting to use some of the MC's idioms, which is cool to see.

In this book we see our MC's entering into the third realm, and find Erik an alchemy contest to be a part of. A contest that finds Erik and Rugrat trouble for simply succeeding at all on part of said contest. This contest takes them through a large part of the realm, which is an adventure on its own. The MC's make new friends during their adventure in the third realm and even meet some old ones. The camaraderie between Erik and Rugrat is still a big selling point for me. Some of my favorite moments are when they work as a team, and they don't hold back when the other is in danger.

Something I am still enjoying about the story is seeing how the dungeon-town is doing and what some of the teams sent to other realms are doing. Michael Chatfield still makes it feel like small story arcs inside larger ones, which I really like. Each arcs seem episodic but makes enough of an impact to the reader/listener. However, the dual-story can also be an issue in that the villagers get about 50% time in the story, 35% is filled with Erik and Rugrat explaining how crafting or cultivation work, and the last 15% is good old adventuring. Don't get me wrong, there are some very exciting moments but not as much as I would like.

I was excited to get into this book after taken time away from the series. The reason for the break is that this series really is better when read book to book. Yes, the series is that good but another strong reason is the keeping track of the large cast of characters. With all the Chinese names to remember it is easy to lose track of who is who, especially because the story goes back and forth between Alva dungeon and the MC's much more then in the last book.

Todd Menesses as the narrating still does a great job in this book too. Todd does a great job with all the characters, including females and children, which I usually find male narrators falter on.

[Christopher M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sigh....still hoping that as I go through these books, the author will develop their prose. The setting is not bad if you like the litRPG thing - though I do wonder why so many of the books even by widely different authors are SOOO similar. Is there a guide they all read?

The main characters are sometimes insightful and sometimes caricatures of american military memes - which can be a mixed bag of traits at best, and the individual reader will have a lot of milage-variation depending on how they feel about that sort of thing. At many times infantile, and at some times reasonably strategic, and occasionally honorable.

The side characters and dungeon "town" are honestly the most interesting parts of the series, and I do wish they had more development.

I never like the tendancy some of these books have to fall into the trope of: "Oh, we have come into a cool new fantasy land, with neat new rules - let's make it as much like Earth as we can, as quickly as we can, but handwave away all the things that are rather important to keep such societies running (like laws)." I understand the temptation, but it has a lot of the "let's bring civilization to these poor uncivilized folks" air, as well as feeling lazy from the reader perspective.

Finally, the largest reason why I cannot enjoy these books: the prose. I love the creativity and thought that writers, especially newer ones, put into their work. And that creativity shows here! But, hamfistedness with the written word masks it, and takes a reader right out of the immersion. Repeating the same word multiple times within the same short paragraph. Using vague subjects (when there are two "cores" the author repeatedly says "the core", counting on the reader to interpret which is meant, even when switching between them - doable, but not smooth). Relatively poor sentence structure quite often..... It just needs a lot of work, and I was hoping that would come. Many readers will not care about that, and that is totally fine - I have simply never been able to deal with large amounts of it, which is one reason I have such a tough time with fan-fiction. If it doesn't bother you, fair enough!

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

MCs still have almost nothing interesting about them other than they tease each other once a chapter, and are super nice until they get mean.. that’s it.
Third book in a row where the first conflict of the story is with a spoiled teenager, definitely needs some new material.
Multiple instances where actions are written twice ( ex: MC rolls to his feet, next paragraph, MC gets to his feet)
Very difficult to follow with the story just jumping from one character to another without any context. MCs always know what to do in every situation just because “they were in the military”… it’s a fantasy world they’ve never experienced before, but they just know how to do everything perfectly.
Worst section of the book by a mile is when the MCs meet a talking statue in a dungeon, and when asked what it is, it’s answer is just,“I am a talking statue. I will answer any and all questions asked me about this dungeon.”
… Literally any lore at all would be better than just a two sentence answer. The talking statue has no context for being there, then proceeds to just give them every single answer to every single question about the dungeon, all the enemies, all their abilities, and weaknesses. Then they leave.. so that was the entire purpose of the statue?? I had to reread the section twice to understand anything that was happening because it was just word vomit.
There are a few fights where the MCs will fight how their builds are supposed to work. However, it’s mostly “MCs learn how to many ammo for their guns then just shoot everything.”
Sometimes just a random MC will talk and there’s no punctuation or clue as to who exactly is talking.
Whole series so far could be very engaging, but is a let down.