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Level Up #3

The Final Trial

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Phil Panfilov's tribulations seem to have run their course. He's quite prepared to quit the alien game installed in his brain. In fact, Phil looks forward to a normal existence: both he and his company are in excellent shape. Still, the timing seems to be badly wrong.

Humanity's enemies are stronger than ever. Despite all his new abilities, Phil has never been so close to defeat. But there's too much at stake this time, his interface included. Without it, all his hopes for a better future will be thwarted.

Phil can't afford that to happen. He has to face his enemies and defeat them, otherwise all his work has been for nothing.

Can he really confront a force which is infinitely more powerful than he can ever hope to become? A force which will stop at nothing to achieve its ends...

610 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2019

326 people are currently reading
134 people want to read

About the author

Dan Sugralinov

67 books264 followers
Dan Sugralinov grew up in a small working-class town on the Russian border with Kazakhstan. It’s a miracle he survived his childhood games of hide-and-seek in the surrounding building sites complete with perilous rebar structures and flooded foundation pits.

Ever since he learned to read at the age of five, he couldn’t put a book down. Reluctant to earn himself the name of a conceited nerd, he concentrated on playing soccer which allowed him to become friends with the town’s toughest kids.

In 1995, he graduated with honors, entering the St Petersburg Academy of Engineering and Economics where he studied business creation. He must have done something right because in the years that followed, he first worked on TV and radio just to get the taste of it, then opened his first successful business followed by several more. In between, he started writing and playing video games, winning the St Petersburg Mortal Kombat championship and becoming runner-up for Starcraft and Warcraft 3. He is a 14-times champion in Quake, Quake 2 and Quake 3 as well as the world’s ex-#1 in the World of Warcraft.

In 2004, he wrote his first motivational novella The Bricks which to date has garnered him over 3,000,000 readers online alone.

In 2014, Russia’s leading publishers of business literature Mann, Ivanov & Ferber published a revised and extended edition of his book, The Bricks 2.0.

In 2015, Dan discovered the existence of LitRPG. He devoured everything that had been written in that genre until he finally decided he too could write similar books.

In summer 2017, he published his first book in the subgenre of realRPG: Level Up.

Dan Sugralinov is a consummate gamer, a multiple MMORPG champion and the world’s ex-#1 in the World of Warcraft. He is also a successful businessman and author of books on marketing and business organization. His first LitRPG series Level Up took Russia by storm in 2017. Its English translation is about to be released on Amazon.

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5 stars
590 (51%)
4 stars
370 (32%)
3 stars
134 (11%)
2 stars
33 (2%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
790 reviews7 followers
March 28, 2019
Gamify my life Plus monsters

Very satisfying finish to this part of Phil's story. The trial section was very exciting. I've really enjoyed this series. The writing is a nice mix of current LitRPG with a smidge of classic sci fi with a good dose of Russian flair and pragmatism.
4 reviews
March 25, 2019
Really Awesome Series. It is a very unique Social Responsibility themed LitRPG series and I really adored it. It is very inspiring and will cause you to think rather than just mindlessly consume entertainment even though it is entertaining as well. Must Read.
Profile Image for Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads).
1,629 reviews48 followers
November 19, 2020
Overall this series is fun without trying to be great literature, and most of this book lived up to my expectations from the first part of the series. There were some elements of the ending I really didn't like though, both in choices made by the character, and in how the Interface got elevated to god-like status in becoming the ultimate source of authority and knowledge. (The character claimed to know definitively that 'God is inside us', but since this supposedly irrefutable knowledge came through the interface, it's clear where he truly put his faith.)

Content is pretty similar to the first two books, with some references to adult topics, and few personal anatomical references, but nothing graphic.
Profile Image for Kaleb.
30 reviews
March 28, 2019
Level Up Series

This series is fantastic! I have loved every single book that's been translated so far. The latest I finished in a single day, just so I could see what happened. I will reread these books over and over. Can't wait for the next one!
Profile Image for Dumitru Toma.
19 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2019
5 out of 5

What a book !! What a rollercoaster. Amazing ! If it's going to be a next one in the series I will buy it instantly.
impressive storyline, well defined characters
Unique type of LitRpg
8 reviews
March 27, 2019
Awesome book!

Another great book in the series! Loved the world building and seeing how Phil has come so far yet still has problems to overcome. Sugralinov is by far one of my favorite authors
Profile Image for Cliff Bocian.
11 reviews1 follower
March 28, 2019
Level up to a five star book

Love the last book in the three book series. It really hit the spot for litrpg in the real world.
Looking forward to the next books with this MC
Profile Image for Wilhelm Eyrich.
366 reviews28 followers
October 2, 2020
This last book was very fun to read and completed our the trilogy quite nicely. This review score is mainly for my overall feelings towards the whole trilogy too.

At first I wasn't sure I could enjoy a book about such an old trope as a final trial. I was eager to get back to "real world" chapters at first but eventually I started becoming engrossed in both stories and becoming almost annoying when it switch back, only to get engrossed again... and on it went.

There were some scenes and skills that seemed a bit over the top to me but nothing that totally upset me about the series. The quotes at the beginning of chapters were weird and out of place sometimes but I smiled at most of them.

I also very much liked the final chapter in how it completed everything and brought everything to a close. If the series ended here I would be fine with that but also eagerly await the next installment. His rise is one of great betterment, to himself and the world around him, and a it will be great seeing what he can do in the future.
Profile Image for Tony Hinde.
2,153 reviews78 followers
March 30, 2019
I must admit, a short way into this novel I despaired. The "trial" seemed to be bog standard LitRPG fair; not what I was wanting. The first two books were great because they took RPG mechanics and applied them to real-life. I didn't want this feature watered down by cliched LitRPG rehashing. I was wrong.

At first, I was quickly reading through the Trial sections eager to return to the main story. It wasn't long, however, before I was enjoying the Trial as much as the rest of Phil's split life. The Trial was portrayed more like a game show than classic fantasy. A brutal game show; where torture, enslavement, and murder were accepted tactics. The question became, could a good-guy succeed against an overwhelming majority of ruthless opponents?

The ending was very satisfying, so much so that I'm not sure we need more books in this series. A beautiful Jenga tower has been built. I'm worried that any further tampering will topple it. I suppose time will tell.
Profile Image for Johnny.
2,179 reviews82 followers
April 1, 2019
Mistakes: I found a few scattered throughout the book. Kennedy's the y stays, isn't changed to an i. Things like that.
Plot:The plot is split in two, as we follow the MC in two different locations through most of the book. One location is the real world. The other is that of the challenge world. Both are well done and tie together nicely. The challenge world was fun, with a capture the base theme.
Characters: For the most part I liked the MC, but he has a real problem with looking down on people that he views as weaker then himself.
8/10 My review is based off of an advance copy that I received and enjoyed so much that I wanted to tell you about it.
Profile Image for Travis.
2,905 reviews49 followers
May 8, 2019
Excellent ending to the initial trilogy.
Some interesting developments in this one, especially the ending, which was certainly interesting, and I'd have to say, unexpected, though it certainly opens things up for more books in the series (did you have any doubts?). If you read the other books in this series and liked them, this one will answer many questions, and likely will leave you wanting more as well. Highly recommended.
585 reviews
October 24, 2024
Interesting split story to end the trilogy

Enjoyed this book, it’s a bit of a split personality storyline as Phil tries to level up in two places at once. Battling the trial and its participants as well as dealing with the “real” world at the same time. He seems to need more lives than a cat to win this one. Good action, interesting story and setting up for more stories in this universe.
Profile Image for Dee.
513 reviews11 followers
April 3, 2019
Love the series up until this point. The story was very silted and not enjoyable.
Profile Image for Sydney.
1,339 reviews67 followers
April 19, 2022
5 I Hope They Remember You Stars

The Final Trial is third book in the Level Up series by Dan Sugralinov.

What an experience! A veritable roller coaster of emotions. I enjoyed this work immensely. While initially I may have been thrown off by the constant every-other chapter switch between Phil's perspectives, the way this story played was sublime.

I love the attention to detail the author put in. The amount of dedication alone towards, as he said, tracking even the XP gains in admirable. But I mostly appreciated the side notes detailing every day Russian commonalities for me.

I want to experience where both his future on Mars takes us, and his groundwork for his Clan members and preparations for the overall advancement of the human race. I'm excited to see just where this author will take us next in his journey. I hope we see more of Martha, or I will be sad for her loss. She's one feisty AI, so I have a feeling that there is a possibility she'll show herself later yet.

I don't trust the Commonwealth much anymore. Given the fact that Nick and Ilindi had to basically reverse the moral code of the system governing their improvement leads me to believe he is stepping into a veritable minefield of assholes in this upcoming 'Selection'.
Profile Image for John.
174 reviews6 followers
July 22, 2022
Great Trilogy

An excellent end to Phil's trilogy. I look forward to seeing what comes next for our protagonist.

SPOILERS BELOW
**********************************

Phil's life splits in 2 for this book. Part of him goes to the selection trial on a distant planet where he and 168 other candidates vie for victory on a grid of hexagons. The real Phil stays on Earth and continues to move forward.

Replica Phil and Real Phil find a backdoor method of communication through Martha, his AI.
After many toils and snares, Replica Phil wins the selection process, allowing him to keep his interface and memory. Everyone else loses theirs and has a partial memory wipe.
Replica and Real merge and he is given a single use artifact to make himself the best (Level 99) of any one skill. Back to that in a bit...

Real Phil runs into another interface user who is working at his old office, Ultrapak. This guy is trouble and puts a curse on Phil, giving him a week left to live. He also kills Phil's cat, Boris, and steals anything of value from his apartment before heading to Las Vegas.
Phil eventually comes to and decides to meet up with the Americans who have been wanting to talk with him about the tip he previously gave out for a terrorist. They help him get to Las Vegas and start grilling him, but we find he is not the first interface user they have dealt with. They know he is on a clock and so they get him all the info they can and he works through a massive amount of their criminal lists, sending all the money to his sister to set up his future foundation plans.
He meets the bad guy again, and uninstalls his interface, which doesn't end his curse. Fortunately he is able to acquire the Heroic Skill Regeneration, which cleanses the curse.
Along the way, he levels up several times and finds out that his handlers are not as good as he thought. One is connected to a terrorist he was about to locate, while the other works for a faction that wants to dissect his brain to harvest the tech. Right as the latter captures him, he is abducted because his replica finished the trial!

After receiving his prize, he asks if he can be transported home, instead of where he was. They agree and everything works out, except that he has until the end of the next trial before he will be abducted to the FUTURE!

He quickly fills in his sister, Kira, on his plans. He activates his artifact for Creative Writing and creates a book that inspires Humanity.
He gained the ability to install the interface for others and goes about giving it to his cofounders at Great Job, his sister, and some old friends. The latter involves him going on a world tour to meet some of the candidates from the trial, including his love interest. He manages to impregnate her before he is abducted again and the story ends. His grandson will create the interface he now has.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Danae.
615 reviews6 followers
April 13, 2023
Level Up +3 from Dan Sugranilov is a very good book and definitely a step up again from the second one.
While the first book was just great, the second was a step down searching for the direction it wants to go to and the third one finally gets you clear and straight forward.
The author had a clear vision for his story and that works well and offers a good pace without too much distracting side lines.
Without telling too much there are two story arcs that let you follow the trial combats and the events on earth at the same time.
It is less "optimizing your day to day life" as the first book showed but toward a full blown portal action litrpg in the trials as well as a nice a bit less combat oriented storyline on earth.
As in all books of this series the characters are well drawn.
I also want to point out that this is really the end of a three book story arc. I am personally not a friend of series that keep going forever and never close the storylines so I was positivly surprised with that.
Even if we see more from Phil in the future it will be no doubt a new and mostly independent story.
4 from 5 stars from me.
47 reviews
April 7, 2019
Great Trilogy

*Spoilers*










I really love the way this book was written regarding the POV of Phil #1 and Phil #2. As the story progressed I would be completely lost in the story consumed and entertained only to have the POV switched to the other version of Phil. I really love the way that worked. It kept the story interesting because In the back of my mind I’m thinking about the other version of Phil and how he’s going to get out of this situation.

The new friends Phil #2 made during the trial were all interesting characters and I was excited to see them receive their own interfaces. As well as Phil #1 original group receiving their own along with his sister. Phil defeated all of his enemies and overcame unbelievable odds.

The addition of Mike Hagen from the knockout series was well done as well. I hope to see more potential crossovers from the two stories in the future.

Yet it’s is all bittersweet knowing Phil will have to go to the future and possibly never return. I am very excited for what the future brings in book four and the next trilogy.
Profile Image for Magila.
1,328 reviews16 followers
February 4, 2020
4.5

It's hard to say how much of The Final Trial is predictable and how much is surprising. If you paid attention to the first two books, a lot of the plot was telegraphed. However, there were some interesting new elements.

To be fair, if you're reading this for literature, it's probably a 3 or 3.5, as a GameLIT book, it's 4 or so, but considering how many series seem to degrade with the author phoning in additional installments, this one does stand out. Moreover, I hope that Sugralinov comes back to these characters in the future because I'd really like to see "what's next."

Now getting sucked into his universe a bit more, it would be especially interesting if the author somehow managed to bring many of his protagonists back in a cosmic "next level" series. Time will tell...
Profile Image for Vamsi Balakrishnan.
11 reviews
May 2, 2021
Books 1-3; read sequentially in 2 days

I read all three books in two days. It started amazing in a way that I didn't really expect, that is LitRPG in a normal world and kept getting better and better.

The MC does have plot armor in that you know he'll win, but it is all reasonable.
The ending, as in the heroic skill that he would take to help him was predictable but still was great. I didn't expect the final skill he chooses to be what he did.

The last few chapters were more or less an epilogue but I usually like those. It is like an authors last chance to answer all questions left.

The authors final section does hint at how MC might survive into Book 4. I can't wait to read it!!!
Profile Image for Jay Collins.
1,630 reviews15 followers
July 7, 2019
3.5 to almost 4 stars. I did have some small issues with this one but it is better than the first two books. I am thinking more of a 3.75. The first two book have more real world stuff that fantasy/Rpg. This one has more fantasy and rpg making it a better book for me as that is why I read these type of book. The action is better and all a round just better. I did enjoy this book for the most part and if you liked the first two than I think this one is a easy one to recommend to you as this one is better.
8 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2019
The headline covers it. For the third book, it lived up to the previous maybe even surpassed them. The flow of the story had me caught up in the worlds a couple of times I cursed out loud at the stupid decisions of the MC but that just means I was into the story. The story had a more than satisfying end and makes me look forward to the next book.
49 reviews
March 29, 2019
Partial Spoilers

Phil’s timeline in split in two. One fighting for his survival, the other fighting for his company and personal life. I was at the edge of my seat, and at some points crying. Worth the time and money
Profile Image for C H.
125 reviews
April 24, 2019
Hey! This is a really great series!

Aside from a small number of ‘lost in translation’ bits, this has been a very interesting take on the litrpg scene! Seriously loving your style and I will continue to be an avid reader of your stories.
116 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2019
Another Great One

Well done Dan. Another great book with a fantastic ending. I like how the author ties the story lines together, puts a bow on them, and then creates something at the end that draws you to the next book.
Profile Image for Topher.
1,603 reviews
January 4, 2020
The conclusion of the trilogy - though there are related books, and the endnote mentions a possible follow-on series - wraps things up fairly well. Phil has a bit of a split personality in this one, as we follow two different story lines.
Profile Image for Rickie Brown.
53 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2020
Mind bending!

The way the author writes is superb. When his MC does things, it’s doesn’t feel like he was shoe horning things into the story, it flows really well. Really a must read.
51 reviews
April 17, 2022
Inspirational LitRPG. Our lives can change when we treat our lives like a game - getting out of our own way, and taking the same bold decisions we might make in an RPG game. Fantastic and enjoyable series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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