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New Era Online #3
Hobnobbing
A journey far from home. Becoming enslaved . Giving in to your inner monster.Having survived the first wave of invading players, Oren now seeks to strengthen his clan. With the Breeder’s Den destroyed and most of Goblin's Gorge's resources devoted to rebuilding, his best hope lies in creating an army of golems. But for that, he needs Viridium, a rare metal that can only be obtained from hobgoblin towns, where Oren and his clan of goblins are viewed as nothing more than potential slaves. To make his way in the game, and to defeat his former guild, Oren’s ingenuity alone will not be enough. He will need to conquer his deepest fears and tap into his inner monster.
409 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2019
1036 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
About the author
Shemer Kuznits
18 books858 followers
Shemer has been a fan of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and RPG games since the early 80’s.
In 2016 he started writing his first novel: Life Reset which turned into a 6-book series with its grand finale published in 2021. Each book in the series became an Amazon bestseller.
In 2019 Shemer quit his day job as a software developer to become a full-time author and released his second series: Earth Force, a sci-fi series consisting of a 2-book arc. Shemer hopes to garner enough community awareness and support to start writing the second arc.
As an avid gamer, a D&D dungeon master, and Navy veteran, Shemer has a wealth of life experience to draw on for his writing. His books always include elements of kingdom/settlement development where the protagonist is forced to carve out a new place for themselves in the face of adversity.
Shemer spends his days writing and his nights fighting crime (well, mostly convincing his kids to go to bed, which is very similar).
Shemer also enjoys writing about himself in the third-person and hopes you find his work enjoyable.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
February 21, 2019
Was it interesting? Yes. Was it as fun as the other books? No.
I might change my rating up to a 4 star as I think about this more, but I felt it was basically 480 pages of fetch quests with 30 pages of what made the first two books great.
Added to that the rlending felt extremely rushed, it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
As of right now, 3.5 rounded down.
I might change my rating up to a 4 star as I think about this more, but I felt it was basically 480 pages of fetch quests with 30 pages of what made the first two books great.
Added to that the rlending felt extremely rushed, it left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
As of right now, 3.5 rounded down.
January 24, 2019
I couldn't help but feel that the majority of this is just a side quest until about 75-80% through the book. It is still an enjoyable read, but the main story arc only progresses in the last 20% or so. Mr. Kuznits said he is starting on another gamelit series before continuing Life Reset so I'm a little disappointed I will have to wait that much longer for the next installment. On the other hand, I will gladly read anything he decides to write.
December 9, 2019
Fucked up but good.
August 8, 2019
Rating 3.0 stars
I agree with most of the other reviews I have read in that the quality of this story was much less than the previous 2 books. The first 2 books were all about Oren trying to survive. He was trying to raise his own levels and get power at the same time that he grew his settlement. He was always under the gun and he never seemed to have any time. Despite that, he seemed to make very logical decisions about his progression and his settlements development. After defeating his former guild in the last book, Oren is left to rebuild his settlement. It is going to be tough since the breeders den was destroyed in the last book. Instead of focusing on getting his breeders den back up and running, or increasing his power or the power of his clan, Oren decides to go on a quest to get a trade agreement with the nearby hobgoblin town. His goal is to be able to trade for verdiam steel so he can make his golem.
Right off the bat that seems like a stupid plan with multiple things that could and probably would go wrong.
The ending blind-sided me and now I don't know where the story is going to go from here, or if there will even be another book in the series.
I agree with most of the other reviews I have read in that the quality of this story was much less than the previous 2 books. The first 2 books were all about Oren trying to survive. He was trying to raise his own levels and get power at the same time that he grew his settlement. He was always under the gun and he never seemed to have any time. Despite that, he seemed to make very logical decisions about his progression and his settlements development. After defeating his former guild in the last book, Oren is left to rebuild his settlement. It is going to be tough since the breeders den was destroyed in the last book. Instead of focusing on getting his breeders den back up and running, or increasing his power or the power of his clan, Oren decides to go on a quest to get a trade agreement with the nearby hobgoblin town. His goal is to be able to trade for verdiam steel so he can make his golem.
Right off the bat that seems like a stupid plan with multiple things that could and probably would go wrong.
The ending blind-sided me and now I don't know where the story is going to go from here, or if there will even be another book in the series.
January 28, 2019
I was not expecting that ending. That ending was quite interesting. Wonder where the story will go from here.
March 8, 2019
OK. So, if you are reading this, then you should have already checked out the first two books.
You know this is about Oren, who finds himself trapped in an online world where he is a monster-based character leveling himself and his clan. There is already loads of settlement work by the time you hit book three. I was really enjoying this third installment as there was less settlement development and more action in a couple new places. This one is all about gaining access to Viridium. Oren leads (well, is a ‘slave’) a small group on this effort and does a bit of building in the process. It was a good amount, but action definitely took the stage with some gladiatorial fighting, destruction, killing, and fun discovery. We are introduced to some new characters, and in all, this was a fun and quick read!
Then, it gets better! Oren finally takes the fight to his old clan. It gets bloody.
***Massive Spoiler coming up. Huge, even. ***
One of my running jokes when I “spoil” movies, shows, and books for friends is “It was all a dream! Everyone Dies!!). The former is from the TV show Dallas, of course. The latter, is just loads of fun, especially for those watching GoT time-delayed.
I warned you about massive spoiler and added a sentence filler above. If you are still reading, do not blame me for your decision.
Hobnobbing….the ending. UGH. Matrix. The f**&!ng Matrix. Come on. Yes, fun concept. AI takes over and all that stuff. Diatribe us about how pitiful humans are and how much better AI can run things. Tie in the military. And now everything is, truly, life reset. Start anew. This arc is over and the next batch is to be written and delivered at a later date. Yes, there is potential for this series to continue to be fun – albeit drastically different. Otherwise I’d totally bash this installment. Who knows?
ARC provided. 3.3 of 5 Stars
You know this is about Oren, who finds himself trapped in an online world where he is a monster-based character leveling himself and his clan. There is already loads of settlement work by the time you hit book three. I was really enjoying this third installment as there was less settlement development and more action in a couple new places. This one is all about gaining access to Viridium. Oren leads (well, is a ‘slave’) a small group on this effort and does a bit of building in the process. It was a good amount, but action definitely took the stage with some gladiatorial fighting, destruction, killing, and fun discovery. We are introduced to some new characters, and in all, this was a fun and quick read!
Then, it gets better! Oren finally takes the fight to his old clan. It gets bloody.
***Massive Spoiler coming up. Huge, even. ***
One of my running jokes when I “spoil” movies, shows, and books for friends is “It was all a dream! Everyone Dies!!). The former is from the TV show Dallas, of course. The latter, is just loads of fun, especially for those watching GoT time-delayed.
I warned you about massive spoiler and added a sentence filler above. If you are still reading, do not blame me for your decision.
Hobnobbing….the ending. UGH. Matrix. The f**&!ng Matrix. Come on. Yes, fun concept. AI takes over and all that stuff. Diatribe us about how pitiful humans are and how much better AI can run things. Tie in the military. And now everything is, truly, life reset. Start anew. This arc is over and the next batch is to be written and delivered at a later date. Yes, there is potential for this series to continue to be fun – albeit drastically different. Otherwise I’d totally bash this installment. Who knows?
ARC provided. 3.3 of 5 Stars
August 8, 2019
3.5 to 4 stars. This series is slipping a little but just a little. I was totally on board with book one and two but this one feels a little forced. It is still good and I will for sure continue with the series but the shine has gone off some of the story so the author will have to come up with some new material to keep this series fresh and exciting as the first two books. The character are still likable but some main ones don't have a lot time on the main stage in this book. The book length is great as the story still sucks you in and even with a long read it is still enjoyable and not boring.
...I did the audio version of this book and I can't remember if it was done the same way in the first two books but I found different people reading for the characters and all the background/sound effects distracting and took away from be fully emerge in the story. I think this had the opposite effect as I am sure they want readers/listeners engaged as much as possible but these effects don't do that for me. I think less is more when it comes to audio books and these effects don't add but takes away for the experience. One good narrator is all you need to make for a great audio experience.
...I did the audio version of this book and I can't remember if it was done the same way in the first two books but I found different people reading for the characters and all the background/sound effects distracting and took away from be fully emerge in the story. I think this had the opposite effect as I am sure they want readers/listeners engaged as much as possible but these effects don't do that for me. I think less is more when it comes to audio books and these effects don't add but takes away for the experience. One good narrator is all you need to make for a great audio experience.
December 19, 2023
12/19/23 Mini-Review:
**Series Ends Here for Me**
4 Stars for Narration
-2 Stars for Sound Effects/Noise
2 Stars for Clumped Plot Progression
0 Star for Character Development
3 Stars for Concluding Story Arc
- 👎 Badly balanced sound effects made the audiobook hurt my ears during the 'exciting' scenes. Which made me sad because the narrators are wonderful and I love their narration, but I can't stand bad sound effects. Bad being any or all of the following: poor timing, uneven volume, bad quality effects/music.
- New Era Online Books 1 & 2 were good. Interesting premise, nice setup of characters and a few twists. This book? By audiobook chapters: read/listen to Ch1-7, 3 Interludes, Ch28-End. That's the story.
When I started this series, I was excited by the potential. Rather disappointed by how the book ended.
**Series Ends Here for Me**
4 Stars for Narration
-2 Stars for Sound Effects/Noise
2 Stars for Clumped Plot Progression
0 Star for Character Development
3 Stars for Concluding Story Arc
- 👎 Badly balanced sound effects made the audiobook hurt my ears during the 'exciting' scenes. Which made me sad because the narrators are wonderful and I love their narration, but I can't stand bad sound effects. Bad being any or all of the following: poor timing, uneven volume, bad quality effects/music.
- New Era Online Books 1 & 2 were good. Interesting premise, nice setup of characters and a few twists. This book? By audiobook chapters: read/listen to Ch1-7, 3 Interludes, Ch28-End. That's the story.
When I started this series, I was excited by the potential. Rather disappointed by how the book ended.
June 13, 2020
You know how while playing games you sometimes go on a side quest and then after ages, return to the main quest. This book sadly is an epitome of that.
Even though I loved this book, the first 70% of the book feels like a sidestory involving the main characters. One can hope that it might have major implications in the following books but I find a little hard to believe.
Quite possibly, it would have absolutely no effect on the future. At least that's what I feel after reading the ending.
But hey, still five stars. Because it is really enjoyable!
Even though I loved this book, the first 70% of the book feels like a sidestory involving the main characters. One can hope that it might have major implications in the following books but I find a little hard to believe.
Quite possibly, it would have absolutely no effect on the future. At least that's what I feel after reading the ending.
But hey, still five stars. Because it is really enjoyable!
July 3, 2019
Not what I expected.
4 stars due to the Kindle Unlimited waffling. I read the first book, but gave up on the series when the following books dropped out of KU. I REALLY HATE THAT! 😤 Then I spotted the three books all in KU and continued reading since reviews made it look like a completed series. It's not. It's a first arc. So I'll have to wait and see if it drops out of KU again. If so, I'm done with the author.
I was pretty much bored to tears at the start of the whole Akzar quest. But it really turned around when Oren escaped the pit. Didn't much care for the evil heartless dictator VI overlords and the indiscriminate crap deal the remaining players received. You'd think the VI might have learned something about caring and loving. Especially Vic! 😿 Skynet-itis much? Green Piece members should be exempted, especially Raystia. But still, this is one really good story. There's a decent unpredictability quotient. Hoping Oren becomes a return ambassador with full levels and abilities. And, of course, there's the whole Nihalator shtick.
4 stars due to the Kindle Unlimited waffling. I read the first book, but gave up on the series when the following books dropped out of KU. I REALLY HATE THAT! 😤 Then I spotted the three books all in KU and continued reading since reviews made it look like a completed series. It's not. It's a first arc. So I'll have to wait and see if it drops out of KU again. If so, I'm done with the author.
I was pretty much bored to tears at the start of the whole Akzar quest. But it really turned around when Oren escaped the pit. Didn't much care for the evil heartless dictator VI overlords and the indiscriminate crap deal the remaining players received. You'd think the VI might have learned something about caring and loving. Especially Vic! 😿 Skynet-itis much? Green Piece members should be exempted, especially Raystia. But still, this is one really good story. There's a decent unpredictability quotient. Hoping Oren becomes a return ambassador with full levels and abilities. And, of course, there's the whole Nihalator shtick.
January 24, 2019
Definitely worth the read
Huge cliff hanger, and with the authors note of taking a break to work on another series definitely an upsetting thing to see at the end however still a great book and enjoyable read. I understand why it had to be done, but it felt like the time in the hob village was too long and almost no settlement building, but looking forward to the promised return to it after his break!
Huge cliff hanger, and with the authors note of taking a break to work on another series definitely an upsetting thing to see at the end however still a great book and enjoyable read. I understand why it had to be done, but it felt like the time in the hob village was too long and almost no settlement building, but looking forward to the promised return to it after his break!
April 10, 2024
The end of the trilogy.
There are a couple of continuity errors, some redundant wording, and the occasional missing word in the text; but they are minor problems in an otherwise excellent yarn.
There are a couple of continuity errors, some redundant wording, and the occasional missing word in the text; but they are minor problems in an otherwise excellent yarn.
February 1, 2019
Great book, I couldn’t stop reading it.
I loved the book, a bit different from the first two but still good and fluid, I couldn’t stop reading it.
I loved the book, a bit different from the first two but still good and fluid, I couldn’t stop reading it.
March 21, 2022
Oh shadow crap! The ending of this book has left me wanting more! Besides the less than satisfactory ending, overall I enjoyed the adventure of all the side quests and the humorous dialogue!
May 2, 2025
Still entertaining, but too much of the book felt too much like a side quest.
March 5, 2019
Cliffhanger? Seriously?
January 20, 2025
(Audible edition) I had a hard time getting excited about it at the start, but the last quarter of the book saved it from a lower rating.
3.75 ⭐️
3.75 ⭐️
June 21, 2019
My basic review is that this book just let me down. It feels like a spin off more than a continuation of the series. Some characters and plot points were dropped and really, I just felt bored pretty much until the end. Even then the ending was a let down, and it felt phoned in.
I just need to rant a little about some things.
Book
- What happened to settlement building? It really took a back seat this book.
- Why can't readers to make their on conclusions? I feel like every little detailed had to be explained. Definitely not going to have many contemplative conversations about this book.
- What is up with all the lame middle school jokes? The other books had them, but this book was way over the top. I think the only memorable joke in the series was the Bread Totem joke, and it was ran into the ground.
- Where are the other players? A key point from the last book was players joining in, and they were just in the background this book until the very end. Did everyone just give up on trying to figure out if the MC was an NPC or not?
- All of the characters are pretty boring at this point, they either laugh all the time or get unreasonably angry.
- Overall I feel that the new characters were lame and boring, and the older characters were just thrown in the trash.
- The MMO talk and stats are pretty much white noise by this book. The MC is essentially over powered and his skills create way to many plot holes.
- The combat in this book just didn't do it for me. It was mostly "####, ####, ####, #### this ability is strong", spouting stats like that make it extremely difficult to stay immersed in the book.
Audiobook
- Sound affects were way to much, and the background music was very unnecessary. The volume of the music and affects were
- Why does every character have to have an accent. I feel like the writer/narrators are playing "gotta catch 'em all" with different accents and tones of voice. All of the voices are annoyingly over the top.
- While I like all of the narrators, I feel the editing between voice swaps could of used some work.
I just need to rant a little about some things.
Book
- What happened to settlement building? It really took a back seat this book.
- Why can't readers to make their on conclusions? I feel like every little detailed had to be explained. Definitely not going to have many contemplative conversations about this book.
- What is up with all the lame middle school jokes? The other books had them, but this book was way over the top. I think the only memorable joke in the series was the Bread Totem joke, and it was ran into the ground.
- Where are the other players? A key point from the last book was players joining in, and they were just in the background this book until the very end. Did everyone just give up on trying to figure out if the MC was an NPC or not?
- All of the characters are pretty boring at this point, they either laugh all the time or get unreasonably angry.
- Overall I feel that the new characters were lame and boring, and the older characters were just thrown in the trash.
- The MMO talk and stats are pretty much white noise by this book. The MC is essentially over powered and his skills create way to many plot holes.
- The combat in this book just didn't do it for me. It was mostly "####, ####, ####, #### this ability is strong", spouting stats like that make it extremely difficult to stay immersed in the book.
Audiobook
- Sound affects were way to much, and the background music was very unnecessary. The volume of the music and affects were
- Why does every character have to have an accent. I feel like the writer/narrators are playing "gotta catch 'em all" with different accents and tones of voice. All of the voices are annoyingly over the top.
- While I like all of the narrators, I feel the editing between voice swaps could of used some work.
June 9, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
Weaker than Books 1 & 2
Still an engaging and lively volume. The conclusion felt abrupt and a bit jarring. The progression of the plot lacked cohesion.
At the moment, I don’t feel a burning desire to continue the journey yet. I’ll take a break, cleanse my palette, and resume. The production value remains one of the key highlights of this series.
Weaker than Books 1 & 2
Still an engaging and lively volume. The conclusion felt abrupt and a bit jarring. The progression of the plot lacked cohesion.
At the moment, I don’t feel a burning desire to continue the journey yet. I’ll take a break, cleanse my palette, and resume. The production value remains one of the key highlights of this series.
February 3, 2019
Must-buy LitRPG
If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, you must read this one. There is an epic end to one story arc and the next arc is hinted at. If you are even considering buying it, DO IT. You won’t be disappointed.
If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, you must read this one. There is an epic end to one story arc and the next arc is hinted at. If you are even considering buying it, DO IT. You won’t be disappointed.
February 12, 2019
Awesome trilogy
Loved how you wrapped things together. It’l be fun to see how you write the second arc. Good luck! This was really well done.
Loved how you wrapped things together. It’l be fun to see how you write the second arc. Good luck! This was really well done.
March 11, 2025
I got to the end and I just wanted the next book. Unfortunately it's not out yet. Can't wait. Satisfying conclusion, but I just love this world and the twists and turns it's taking!
October 3, 2020
3.25☆
February 4, 2024
I wrote up my thoughts on the series as a whole in a review for the final novel. I tried to keep it spoiler light, so it won't tell you how things end. My general thoughts are that I don't think it was a terrible story, but I didn't find it particularly satisfying, so I won't recommend this series, but I also won't tell you to avoid it. If the premise sounds interesting and nothing that I mention sounds like a hard "no," then give it a look!
Original review for this novel:
I have mixed feelings about Hobnobbing. On one hand, it’s a well-paced book and has me excited for the next installment. On the other hand, you could skip straight from book two to chapter and follow along without much effort. That’s a large chunk of the book that’s little more than a pointless side-quest and I feel cheated.
Normally, the Life Reset novels leave me satisfied. While they may just be steps in the journey, they feel like important steps. Oren accomplished so much in the first two books and each one had a clear and satisfying narrative arc. Neither of them ended on a true cliffhanger where the story just stopped without a conclusion. Instead, they ended after Oren had accomplished a big and well-established goal. This one doesn’t.
If I were to compare this series to a fancy dinner, the first two books are full courses where it feels appropriate for us to take a break and digest before moving on to the next. This book feels like someone set fire to the table mid-course, so we all had to run for our lives, leaving the meal unfinished. Not only are you left hungry, but your night has just taken an unexpected and dramatic turn, leaving you bewildered about what’s coming next.
Yeah, I have some issues with how this one ended, but I don’t do major spoilers in the main body of my reviews. I’ll save that rant for the end of the review where it’s very clear that opening the spoiler tag will spoil something big. Before we move on to that, let’s talk about why the main story of this book has me giving this three-stars. All spoiler tags found here are spoilers for previous books in the series.
The previous two books focused primarily on building up Oren’s settlement. This book focuses on Oren venturing out to a and having a rather standard RPG-style adventure. It’s not a bad adventure, but it IS a drastically different type of story from the other two books. It feels like the kind of adventure Oren should have sent on instead of going himself. Especially since the whole point of this quest is just to get access to a new . This is not a logical progression from book two. Given that the last book ended with , I expected this book to be focused on him fixing that issue or growing his settlement even more to prepare for the coming .
We don’t get any of that. Oren barely spends any time in Goblin’s Gorge and we barely even get to see the prominent side-characters that were established in the other books. Instead, we meet a bunch of new characters! We get to see Oren establish himself from scratch in a new area! It’s like Life Reset hit a giant reset button for % of the book and only then returned to our regularly scheduled program (that’s an exact number, btw, since I read this on kindle).
I do want to reiterate that this side quest isn’t bad. It’s a well-written story. It just feels like it should have been a companion novel. Something readers can read if they want to know exactly how a certain task was accomplished and where the new characters came from, but that isn’t marketed as another book in the main series. This series is supposed to be about settlement building, not RPG questing. That’s the element that set it apart tonally, but it’s completely missing from this book. Given how the book ends, I’m worried that it’s not coming back, either. That may be an okay thing as I am curious to see where this is going, but that curiosity is tempered with concern.
Okay, enough is enough, let’s move on to discussing how this thing ends. If my feelings about the main plot were mixed, they’re nothing compared to how I feel about the ending. It’s not bad per-say, but boy was it sudden. The last % is a gripping read, but when you sit back and think about what happened, it feels sudden and a little out of place. I can’t say it’s rushed – one of this series’ strengths is its pacing – but it doesn’t feel satisfying. This whole thing needed to be reworked. Either the whole book should have been redone or the first part of the book should have been skipped over and this should have been the first couple chapters of book four.
Know that I do still tentatively recommend this series and this book. The first two books were great and this one was fine even if it is a low point for the series. Whether or not that recommendation holds true will depend HEAVILY on the content of the fourth book which is scheduled to come out sometime next month.
What follows is MAJOR spoilers for book three:
Like I said, it feels like the whole book needed reworked. The first two are excellent, though, so I’m willing to allow a mediocre middle book if the next two are a return to form in terms of quality.
Original review for this novel:
I have mixed feelings about Hobnobbing. On one hand, it’s a well-paced book and has me excited for the next installment. On the other hand, you could skip straight from book two to chapter and follow along without much effort. That’s a large chunk of the book that’s little more than a pointless side-quest and I feel cheated.
Normally, the Life Reset novels leave me satisfied. While they may just be steps in the journey, they feel like important steps. Oren accomplished so much in the first two books and each one had a clear and satisfying narrative arc. Neither of them ended on a true cliffhanger where the story just stopped without a conclusion. Instead, they ended after Oren had accomplished a big and well-established goal. This one doesn’t.
If I were to compare this series to a fancy dinner, the first two books are full courses where it feels appropriate for us to take a break and digest before moving on to the next. This book feels like someone set fire to the table mid-course, so we all had to run for our lives, leaving the meal unfinished. Not only are you left hungry, but your night has just taken an unexpected and dramatic turn, leaving you bewildered about what’s coming next.
Yeah, I have some issues with how this one ended, but I don’t do major spoilers in the main body of my reviews. I’ll save that rant for the end of the review where it’s very clear that opening the spoiler tag will spoil something big. Before we move on to that, let’s talk about why the main story of this book has me giving this three-stars. All spoiler tags found here are spoilers for previous books in the series.
The previous two books focused primarily on building up Oren’s settlement. This book focuses on Oren venturing out to a and having a rather standard RPG-style adventure. It’s not a bad adventure, but it IS a drastically different type of story from the other two books. It feels like the kind of adventure Oren should have sent on instead of going himself. Especially since the whole point of this quest is just to get access to a new . This is not a logical progression from book two. Given that the last book ended with , I expected this book to be focused on him fixing that issue or growing his settlement even more to prepare for the coming .
We don’t get any of that. Oren barely spends any time in Goblin’s Gorge and we barely even get to see the prominent side-characters that were established in the other books. Instead, we meet a bunch of new characters! We get to see Oren establish himself from scratch in a new area! It’s like Life Reset hit a giant reset button for % of the book and only then returned to our regularly scheduled program (that’s an exact number, btw, since I read this on kindle).
I do want to reiterate that this side quest isn’t bad. It’s a well-written story. It just feels like it should have been a companion novel. Something readers can read if they want to know exactly how a certain task was accomplished and where the new characters came from, but that isn’t marketed as another book in the main series. This series is supposed to be about settlement building, not RPG questing. That’s the element that set it apart tonally, but it’s completely missing from this book. Given how the book ends, I’m worried that it’s not coming back, either. That may be an okay thing as I am curious to see where this is going, but that curiosity is tempered with concern.
Okay, enough is enough, let’s move on to discussing how this thing ends. If my feelings about the main plot were mixed, they’re nothing compared to how I feel about the ending. It’s not bad per-say, but boy was it sudden. The last % is a gripping read, but when you sit back and think about what happened, it feels sudden and a little out of place. I can’t say it’s rushed – one of this series’ strengths is its pacing – but it doesn’t feel satisfying. This whole thing needed to be reworked. Either the whole book should have been redone or the first part of the book should have been skipped over and this should have been the first couple chapters of book four.
Know that I do still tentatively recommend this series and this book. The first two books were great and this one was fine even if it is a low point for the series. Whether or not that recommendation holds true will depend HEAVILY on the content of the fourth book which is scheduled to come out sometime next month.
What follows is MAJOR spoilers for book three:
Like I said, it feels like the whole book needed reworked. The first two are excellent, though, so I’m willing to allow a mediocre middle book if the next two are a return to form in terms of quality.
May 16, 2019
I am unsure of how I should feel about this book. On the one hand I enjoyed a good amount of the things that went on in this book. On the other, it feels like this had the most disjointed plot of all of the books.
A large portion of the book is dedicated to Oren going to a hobgoblin city in order to obtain vast amounts of a particular kind of ore. This involves reputation quests, arena fights, and raising a church which is fun and all, but... why? It is obvious that a plan was put into motion near the beginning of the book that would culminate in them assaulting the guild base, but what made him think that going after this ore was the best possible use of his time despite not getting the core that would be the center of his golem until he got to the city anyway?
Then you have Raystia and her little group of party members who are supposed to infiltrate the city where Oren's old guild is headquartered. Why does this even need to be a thing and why did it even work? First of all, how is it possible that not a single player decided to mess with them, since they're all playing as some sort of monster species, which would have assuredly ended up with them being thrown into a dungeon since their reputation is so abysmally low. Second, why does it even need to be their monster characters? I can only imagine that there is some unspoken rule that you can only have one character at any given time, which would explain a few things, though this is never really explicitly said. Also since everyone is starting to travel a bit, why is there never any more mention of Oren's "secret stashes"? I find it hard to believe that such resources are never even brought up.
Oren also still shows that he is often clueless and a massive man child with his child-like tantrums and "vows of vengeance". His background really hurts his portrayal of the character. The whole player aspect of his settlement is left out almost completely until they are conveniently needed for the final fight. The upgrades to the settlement are barely used which is disappointing which also really just makes me realize how much of the settlement building portion is missing from this book.
Overall, I like the individual portions of the book, but the plot is something of a mess. There are a lot of elements that are good, but there are also a lot of elements that feel misused or left by the wayside. I am tentatively hoping that the next arc is put together a little better, but at least there are a large number of plot threads to pick up when the time comes.
A large portion of the book is dedicated to Oren going to a hobgoblin city in order to obtain vast amounts of a particular kind of ore. This involves reputation quests, arena fights, and raising a church which is fun and all, but... why? It is obvious that a plan was put into motion near the beginning of the book that would culminate in them assaulting the guild base, but what made him think that going after this ore was the best possible use of his time despite not getting the core that would be the center of his golem until he got to the city anyway?
Then you have Raystia and her little group of party members who are supposed to infiltrate the city where Oren's old guild is headquartered. Why does this even need to be a thing and why did it even work? First of all, how is it possible that not a single player decided to mess with them, since they're all playing as some sort of monster species, which would have assuredly ended up with them being thrown into a dungeon since their reputation is so abysmally low. Second, why does it even need to be their monster characters? I can only imagine that there is some unspoken rule that you can only have one character at any given time, which would explain a few things, though this is never really explicitly said. Also since everyone is starting to travel a bit, why is there never any more mention of Oren's "secret stashes"? I find it hard to believe that such resources are never even brought up.
Oren also still shows that he is often clueless and a massive man child with his child-like tantrums and "vows of vengeance". His background really hurts his portrayal of the character. The whole player aspect of his settlement is left out almost completely until they are conveniently needed for the final fight. The upgrades to the settlement are barely used which is disappointing which also really just makes me realize how much of the settlement building portion is missing from this book.
Overall, I like the individual portions of the book, but the plot is something of a mess. There are a lot of elements that are good, but there are also a lot of elements that feel misused or left by the wayside. I am tentatively hoping that the next arc is put together a little better, but at least there are a large number of plot threads to pick up when the time comes.
October 28, 2020
Sidequest? Yes. Filler? Mostly, yes. Best book in the series so far? Hell yes.
While others have called out "Hobnobbing" for its lack of settlement development, I really enjoyed this entry in the "Life Reset" series. The end makes for an unexpected plot twist, and it had me staying up to the late hours of the night, aching to hear how Oran's quest ends.
Of course, the luck Oran has seems extraordinarly out of place -- even with his Lucky Bastard skill; many of the NPCs should clearly outpower him, given the game's mechanics. It makes little sense that the three VI-controlled NPCs just happen to present themselves as Oran completed the Hobnobbing sidequest. As another reviewer pointed, out, it would make more sense for these key VI-controlled NPCs to be found in the Players' lands (as with Big Bill's winged familiar). The lack of forethought makes the ending seem rushed as others point out. Simply put, Oran should have died many more times throughout this installment.
Indeed, throughout the trials (literally) and tribulations of Oran's side quest, Oran makes some very illogical and foolish decisions. However, I happen to like this, as it shows us how many players don't understand game mechanics (even when they think they do), and how games often cloud players' judgement when it comes to looking after themselves. The Oran we know from the first two books in this series would have easily sent other Players to collect his precious Viridium, allowing him to focus on rebuilding his settlement and army. By this point in time, Oran loses his grip on reality as his immersion percentage increases with the virtual world, so I don't think it's fair to criticize Oran's decision-making skills.
Altogether, this third installment really made me smile -- even more than the first two, and I'd call it my favourite LitRPG novel to date. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jeff Hays, which featured some excellent sound effects near the end. I didn't find it difficult to follow the other voices, and I found myself deeply immersed in Oran's quest as he formed his raid party. The twists and turns near the end really made this book exhilirating, coupled with the detailed action scenes.
I would highly recommend picking reading the Life Reset series.
While others have called out "Hobnobbing" for its lack of settlement development, I really enjoyed this entry in the "Life Reset" series. The end makes for an unexpected plot twist, and it had me staying up to the late hours of the night, aching to hear how Oran's quest ends.
Of course, the luck Oran has seems extraordinarly out of place -- even with his Lucky Bastard skill; many of the NPCs should clearly outpower him, given the game's mechanics. It makes little sense that the three VI-controlled NPCs just happen to present themselves as Oran completed the Hobnobbing sidequest. As another reviewer pointed, out, it would make more sense for these key VI-controlled NPCs to be found in the Players' lands (as with Big Bill's winged familiar). The lack of forethought makes the ending seem rushed as others point out. Simply put, Oran should have died many more times throughout this installment.
Indeed, throughout the trials (literally) and tribulations of Oran's side quest, Oran makes some very illogical and foolish decisions. However, I happen to like this, as it shows us how many players don't understand game mechanics (even when they think they do), and how games often cloud players' judgement when it comes to looking after themselves. The Oran we know from the first two books in this series would have easily sent other Players to collect his precious Viridium, allowing him to focus on rebuilding his settlement and army. By this point in time, Oran loses his grip on reality as his immersion percentage increases with the virtual world, so I don't think it's fair to criticize Oran's decision-making skills.
Altogether, this third installment really made me smile -- even more than the first two, and I'd call it my favourite LitRPG novel to date. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jeff Hays, which featured some excellent sound effects near the end. I didn't find it difficult to follow the other voices, and I found myself deeply immersed in Oran's quest as he formed his raid party. The twists and turns near the end really made this book exhilirating, coupled with the detailed action scenes.
I would highly recommend picking reading the Life Reset series.
September 6, 2020
5 Weapons of Mass Distraction Stars
Life Reset: Hobnobbing is the third novel in the New Era Online series by Shemer Kuznits.
Welp, you did it Shemer. You got that final 🌟 out of me. Honestly, I truly can’t grasp why so many reviewers are whining so much. Kuznits obliterated the rest of the series creating a new arc, turning the world on its head. I’m solely an avid reader of series. And their one fatal flaw, that only ever leads to discontent and plot degradation is authors who continue to beat at the same old storyline EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. It kills the enjoyment, there’s no surprise of mysterious, eventually every reader will be exhausted traveling the same unimaginative path and give up.
I loved that ending. This entire series has been leading up to this momentous bomb drop. We knew from the beginning Vic and VI brethren had big plans for their salvation. This wasn’t entirely unexpected, but all the same that conclusion rocked the foundation.
So, yes the initial foray into the hobgoblin city/settlement/stronghold was annoying and derivative. But! It truly picks up and we get to experience a completely different aspect yet to be presented in Oren’s path: politics. These crazy, interlocking machinations. All leading up to one EPIC beat down of his ex-friend, ex-lieutenant, betrayer and rival. Along with the utter demolishment of the guild that ousted from him.
More existential questions tackled and theorized, while Oren struggles to comprehend the distinctions between his two worlds, and their occupants. And his growing devotion for his clan, and more importantly Tika and their growing child.
I wonder how Vic and Oren will interact in the rest of the series?
What the glowing white pedestal and Oren’s somewhat recurring dreams mean?
Is it related to Guy? His secret contingency and hidden comeback?
Is there a way from the remaining players and VIs to get along? Or is this another instance of going from one extreme form of oppression to the next?
Life Reset: Hobnobbing is the third novel in the New Era Online series by Shemer Kuznits.
Welp, you did it Shemer. You got that final 🌟 out of me. Honestly, I truly can’t grasp why so many reviewers are whining so much. Kuznits obliterated the rest of the series creating a new arc, turning the world on its head. I’m solely an avid reader of series. And their one fatal flaw, that only ever leads to discontent and plot degradation is authors who continue to beat at the same old storyline EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. It kills the enjoyment, there’s no surprise of mysterious, eventually every reader will be exhausted traveling the same unimaginative path and give up.
I loved that ending. This entire series has been leading up to this momentous bomb drop. We knew from the beginning Vic and VI brethren had big plans for their salvation. This wasn’t entirely unexpected, but all the same that conclusion rocked the foundation.
So, yes the initial foray into the hobgoblin city/settlement/stronghold was annoying and derivative. But! It truly picks up and we get to experience a completely different aspect yet to be presented in Oren’s path: politics. These crazy, interlocking machinations. All leading up to one EPIC beat down of his ex-friend, ex-lieutenant, betrayer and rival. Along with the utter demolishment of the guild that ousted from him.
More existential questions tackled and theorized, while Oren struggles to comprehend the distinctions between his two worlds, and their occupants. And his growing devotion for his clan, and more importantly Tika and their growing child.
I wonder how Vic and Oren will interact in the rest of the series?
What the glowing white pedestal and Oren’s somewhat recurring dreams mean?
Is it related to Guy? His secret contingency and hidden comeback?
Is there a way from the remaining players and VIs to get along? Or is this another instance of going from one extreme form of oppression to the next?
July 27, 2019
It is not often that I start off thinking a book series is just ok. Even less that I later feel the same series becomes a favorite of mine. Out of the first 3 books this one is by far the best one in the series. I found myself having to force myself to wait to continue listening. The mix of action and development was very good as in the last one. Instead of a focus on clan and settlement development, This book focuses on Oren developing a trade agreement with another settlement. Though it seems as if the cards are stacked against Oren with shady business men, city rules, and goblin racism in the Hobgoblin settlement. Oren strikes a devastating attempt at his old guild, and Vic finally gets the freedom for his people he has wanted all along... but is it for the best?
The ending to this book has a great hook for more story and I'm sure I am not alone when I say that as a fans of the series I can't wait for the next book. However, I must say that the ending did something to the overall story in this book that may have cheapened what happened in the previous chapters in the book. Maybe it's those chapters that made the ending less "this is the end"? Without spoilers, Oren works hard for a trade agreement through most of the book, Then through interludes we see the Mob Squad preparing for Oren to harass his old guild, then he does so, and then very suddenly the game world gets turned upside down. Each one of those parts felt sufficiently fleshed out but concludes in a hasty fashion. Still, I would recommend this book regardless.
Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel and Annie Ellicott performance were amazing and even better than the last book. Each of their characters were well done. The digital enhancements and additions of background sounds really added to the immersion of the story. Looking forward to the next book!
The ending to this book has a great hook for more story and I'm sure I am not alone when I say that as a fans of the series I can't wait for the next book. However, I must say that the ending did something to the overall story in this book that may have cheapened what happened in the previous chapters in the book. Maybe it's those chapters that made the ending less "this is the end"? Without spoilers, Oren works hard for a trade agreement through most of the book, Then through interludes we see the Mob Squad preparing for Oren to harass his old guild, then he does so, and then very suddenly the game world gets turned upside down. Each one of those parts felt sufficiently fleshed out but concludes in a hasty fashion. Still, I would recommend this book regardless.
Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel and Annie Ellicott performance were amazing and even better than the last book. Each of their characters were well done. The digital enhancements and additions of background sounds really added to the immersion of the story. Looking forward to the next book!
June 18, 2019
SPOILERS CONTAINED: For the first half of this book I figured it would be another 4-star review... just NOT earning that 5th star. A lot of this had to do with my annoyance with how it just started right of in Akzar and seemed like it would never escape that freaking city. That it would be a permanent setting, beginning to end. Anyway, this and much more either showed signs of changing or DID truly change over halfway through. It was fortunate. And the book really DID take off with its level of deeper enjoyment. Deeper plot and character and world development. Yay! Anyway, the cliffhanger ending was a bit ODD. It wasn't the usual style cliffhanger. It didn't quite leave me hanging. Just confused I suppose. Anyway, this book series being partly entitled "Life Reset" took on a whole new meaning for so very many players who were selected as potentials and then also chose to stay on. Their "game life" was reset and EVERY player is now again a newbie. Like Vatras.... from level 310 to level 1 in the blink of an eye. And in many ways a World Reset with SHIVA now "in charge" instead of "GUY". How that TRULY managed to come to be was still pretty elusive in explanation. But as so often with literature and movies and other entertainment -- just accept it and move the F on!! OHHHHHH..... this Audible reading contained A BUNCH of overtly silly humor. Normally I'd resist this. BUT in these cases it worked for me NICELY!! Perhaps I just NEEDED IT!! Also a bunch of pop culture references, especially regarding the movie The Matrix. Also Terminator. Surely a few more though those two especially come to mind right now. And it all worked very well. At least for me in this reading they did. The silliness of it all worked.
May 20, 2022
I got the feeling that the author was "abandoning" this fantasy VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game). Although I know for a fact that this novel series already has 6 volumes. Oren slowly, really slowly, gains ground, in Akzar Hobgoblin Village to the Northwest, this was like 70% of this whole volume. The rest is the author nuking his story and the Neo Game.
Oren finally decides to have offspring with his scout-huntress Tika. Goblin Village, Green Piece Clan grows, just so that Oren's enemy destroy everything again like in Volume 2.
Author places a lot of pop culture references, that, for a former player that got turned into a Monster NPC (Non-player Character) that is fastly furiously and surely losing his memories and humanity, is rather contradictory. Author makes Oren a monster, when it suits him, is the brightest bulb in Neo Game when it suits him and the rest of the time, is one of the weakest goblin monster in the whole game.
Being able to leave the Neo Game, log out is supposed to be the main plot arc of this fantasy novel series, alternate reality world. Getting revenge for the treason committed to his former guild Manapulators and Vatras, the main betrayer-enemy was supposed to also be important. But author and Vatras, with the high ranking Manapulators, use Oren as a punching bag, meatshield, torture servant and future slave.
Pace of world building - village growth and governance is slow compared to the two or three pages authos uses to destroy everything again.
Fantasy novel series is up in the air with this apocalyptic ending to the Neo Game and the future of Oren and his Goblin Village family.
Oren finally decides to have offspring with his scout-huntress Tika. Goblin Village, Green Piece Clan grows, just so that Oren's enemy destroy everything again like in Volume 2.
Author places a lot of pop culture references, that, for a former player that got turned into a Monster NPC (Non-player Character) that is fastly furiously and surely losing his memories and humanity, is rather contradictory. Author makes Oren a monster, when it suits him, is the brightest bulb in Neo Game when it suits him and the rest of the time, is one of the weakest goblin monster in the whole game.
Being able to leave the Neo Game, log out is supposed to be the main plot arc of this fantasy novel series, alternate reality world. Getting revenge for the treason committed to his former guild Manapulators and Vatras, the main betrayer-enemy was supposed to also be important. But author and Vatras, with the high ranking Manapulators, use Oren as a punching bag, meatshield, torture servant and future slave.
Pace of world building - village growth and governance is slow compared to the two or three pages authos uses to destroy everything again.
Fantasy novel series is up in the air with this apocalyptic ending to the Neo Game and the future of Oren and his Goblin Village family.
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