He was born anew in a world where martial arts were indistinguishable from magic. He’d only received a neuronet and meaningless desires from his past life. What lies ahead? He’d dreamed of adventure and freedom, but those dreams were taken away from him. The same way his mother, father, and sister had been taken away. They took his Kingdom, they even took his destiny. But he is willing to wage a war, against the whole world if need be, to bring everything back. Even if a whole army opposes him, his sword won’t waver. Even if the Emperor sends entire legions against him, his step won’t falter. Even if demons and gods, heroes and villains alike, unite against him, he won’t bend to their will. His own will is iron itself, unstoppable. His name is Hadjar and he heeds the call of the dragon heart within him.
Putting aside huge freaking plot holes, Like for example a 6 million troop battle, the logistics in moving / feeding such forces is on a scale that the author does not understand at all. Trying to sneak into enemy ranks of up to 4 million and thinking sabotaging food stocks is going to do anything is a down right joke in both cases.
Then you have 60% of the book is Exposition and Bragging going on to a point it becomes mind numbing.
Look I get the fact the author does the stereo typical thing of setting up the MC and then tear him down in some story arch, but doing it over and over again does not help move the plot along, which in this case I don't see any except revenge on a King he is serving,
But I dont care if you ARE reincarnated with full memories plus a computer grafted onto your soul. TWO YEAR OLDS CANT PHYSICALLY TRAIN, MUCH LESS WITH A SWORD!!!!
As of 5/19/2020 I’ve read to book 5 and I have to change my review. The first book was good but I don’t recommend investing more time into this series. It gets very one dimensional and repetitive. It’s not a strong litrpg or wuxia series. It has No dialogue and every book has a tragic ending to one character or another by the end. Not that it couldn’t be turned into something good, but the author in my opinion doesn’t grow the protagonist well from his losses. He wants you to feel the loss but doesn’t balance out the bitter with some sweetness. I was so pissed off by the outcome of book 5, I don’t want to recommend any book in this series to anyone. (See my earlier review below)
My issues with the book are minor. First and foremost the book is not LITRPG. It has some elements of the genre but only uses it sparingly, it’s mainly a Wuxia novel. Though not great at that either. If I don’t have an issue with that, why do I bring it up? The neural Net that allows the protagonist to be more than just ordinary guy in this world, is the LITRPG element. For me it doesn’t help the story in my mind. So don’t start reading and wonder why there isn’t a lot of common similarities with other LITRPG books.
Some of what the author writes gets confusing. I don’t know if this is due to translation or what but some paragraphs seem to contradict each other. I’ll let it go because I liked the story so much it didn’t bother me. These issues mostly occur when he is describing time or the vastness of the world.
Last issue was really petty on my part. This is a fantasy book so I should just let it slide. However some of the authors descriptions of major events make no logical sense. Again this is minor and you would need some familiarity with a real world correlation or history to notice it. Example you ask, sure, crows would not circle a battle field while the action is happening. They wait until the end to get their meal. So to say they were in the air while arrows and cannon fire were going off is a stretch.
What I liked is the build up of the protagonist early on in the book. The author builds him measured and does not rush these moments. You as the reader can buy into his story because of how the author builds up his story. The introduction and end (death) of some side characters stories are done well. Deaths of characters seem to always be honored and each death appears to have meaning to the story. Some authors don’t do death of their side characters well.
I enjoyed the fact he made a friend / companion in the story and was not alone wolf type of character the whole time.
Though overpowered the protagonist still can’t go crazy and win every fight with ease. He often has to rely on his wits to survive. Such as sneaking through the enemy’s camp at the end. He could have slit everyones throat but the author didn’t make it that easy.
Overall a good read. Give it a try. I liked the book so much I’m willing to pay for it outside of kindle unlimited.
The book wasn't all bad, I enjoyed it, but it's so riddled with issues that it's hard to point at any good parts. The writing is pretty bad, but I didn't come here for good writing so that's excusable. What's a bigger problem is how the author treats the reader, so much information is repeated that a goldfish would remember it. The author also doesn't think anything through before he writes anything. Women and men are fully equal(mentioned about a hundred times), yet the same social norms we know are still there, the brother wants to protect his sister, whorehouses seem to be mostly women, etc. In fact the only thing that shows that women are equal and can be just as strong as men is like one woman general. common soldiers are mere ants to a strong person, yet there are armies of four million(That'sone big number) common soldiers that are there just to be slaughtered by a couple strong people.
Then there are the unnecessary plot points that should've been trimmed, why have one litrpg-like interface for the main character? So the author could hava an excuse for the main character to remember stuff better, that's it!
Then there is the story itself, we start with a unnecessary flash forward to MC being killed by a dragon. Then we have an unnecessary segment of him being a crippled orphan before dying and being reborn where that's irrelevant except some character motivation that probably could've been given in a smoother way. He's given everything, he's adopted by a rich dude, Reborn as a prince, just falls into a dragon that gives him power, etc. And the fact that a lot of bad shit also happens doesn't really fix the issue. It's hard to sympathize with someone who brags about how hard they're working when that work wouldn't mean shit if not for blind luck.
Don't read this book if you like good literature, but if you can turn off your brain and not think of all the problems with a work, go ahead.
I love Hadjar. He's lived such different lives, and I mean more than one. From the many experiences he's had he's more compassionate to those around him who respect him and treat him well too. I just love the character. I'm excited about the Dragon Heart series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I'm currently reading this as a lite novel on Royal Road, and I look forward to every chapter! The premise of the story is unique - a dragon and a man, both bent on getting their revenge, both trapped by something in life and unable to achieve that revenge - and the main character Hadjar is a well-written and easy to root for character. I normally have a hard time reading any story where the main drive of a character is revenge, but this one feels different from the others and is actually enjoyable.
One side note: this story is being translated by the author from Russian into English. It is a good translation, but there are times when the grammar feels off or the tense seems to shift randomly. This does nothing to hurt the story, but I know some readers might have an issue with it and thought that if they knew the reason behind it they'd be more willing to overlook the slight writing issues.
Seriously though, if you enjoy LitRPG type stories you should definitely read this! You won't be disappointed.
i really didn't expect to like this book, but here i am, five stars later.....
it's not that i don't have any grievances with this book, but honestly it was so enjoyable that overall all the other details were forgivable.
this book also caught me at the right time, because i'd been searching for something greek tragedy-esque. one of the main things i love is that hadjar STRUGGLES. the author really doesn't want to give him an easy way out at any point, and i really like that. we don't have to deal with a gary sue - there's tons of characters who are smarter and stronger and better than him, but hadjar gets down and dirty and works for everything he is.
the prose wasn't anything crazy but it had this simplicity that made it really easy to digest and also the imagery was phenomenal, which also went hand in hand with the great world building. without realizing it, i had an entire world pictured in my head, along with details of what the characters looked like and the clothes and food and buildings
i like the characterizations of everyone, and they were all pretty consistent with very subtle character building.
a couple of things i didn't like is that i don't think the martial arts is explained that well, which, considering it's a huge part of the book, is a downer. every time they explain a concept, they bring in two more in the next chapter and eventually it all gets muddled up. the exposition is also so, SO long - which, if that's your thing, then awesome. but if not, you're gonna be really struggling. it really is the definition of a slow burn.
overall, if you like that ~grunge medieval fantasy~ game of thones/witcher/skyrim-esque world, and wanna pair it with a slow burn, a lion king/hamlet plot, and LOTS of suffering, this is The book for you.
I stopped reading at the beginning of the first chapter. The prologue and first few paragraphs of the first chapter we too terrible to even consider reading the whole thing.
Endless rapids, but they did end and he got through them.
Hale fell from the sky. No dude, hail falls from the sky.
Unbearable pain, but not only did he bear it, he continued the action causing the pain.
As a new born baby he was literally bed ridden. How many new born are actually mobile?
I will just mention the cheats the MC has at 2/3rd of the book: 1. He has an interface 2. He is transmigrated 3. Transmigrated as a prince of a kingdom 4. Lucky encounter with a dragon who ho gives MC his heart 5. Lucky encounter with a very OP dying tiger who give MC her newborn kitten and dies so that MC would have a massive loot
At the 5th point I just dropped it. Why not make him an omnipotent God so that he can do whatever he wants. We would not even need the story. Just a paragraph and bam. End of story.
First off, I really liked the interior illustrations. I found the beginning a bit odd but once the story got really going I found it read like a martial arts buddy flick with a lit of over the top action. Very enjoyable with a great translation. A very different feel from asian Wuxia but I liked that difference. Very glad to hear that there are many volumes in the pipeline. Great read.
Phenomenal book! This is a book that I really did not want to end and luckily there is a lot more on its way. This was my introduction to wuxia and has intrigued me about the genre to the point to further delving in the genre. There is great character development. The plot is super compelling. So much so that I am dusting off my Russian skills to get a sneak peak of what lies ahead. This is truly the "Count of Monte Cristo" of litRPG.
This book was a good read with a lot of thought out into the different aspects of the characters and the novel. The first half of the book is basically just set up for the rest of the series. The characters are interesting and the pace in the last half of the book is good. Overall it was a interesting read.
Who knew that a Russian would write EXCELLANT wuxia? Because that is what Dragon Heart is. A little litrpg alotta wuxia, and a bunch of fun to read. Looking forward to the sequels translations.
Kas gan varētu mēroties labsajūtas un prieka pieredzē kā dzimšanas diena esot mazam princim troņmantiniekam, sagaidīt visvisādus viesus no tuvas un tālas apkārtnes, priecāties kopā ar vecākiem un jaunāko māsu (vēl zīdainis), kā arī tēva Havera brāli Primusu. Tomēr gan karalistes Laidasas un tās iedzīvotāju, gan paša galvenā varoņa Hadžara dzīve sagriežas kājām gaisā uz neatgriešanos, kad Primuss īsteno apvērsumu un gāž brāli no troņa ar visām no tā izrietošajām sekām.
This is one of those books that makes it hard to be the type of reader I am. As much as I am able I try to put myself in the MCs place. For most of the first 3 hours listening to this book I was in an emotional hell. My wife even noticed the change in mood. She is right. When I read a book I really like I am in a happy mood. When I am reading a book with negative emotions, I get a little depressed. For the first 3 hours of this book I was kind of down. The MC had so many bad things happen to him that I didn't know if I would be able to keep reading. Luckily things started to improve from that point.
The story follows a main character who spent 18 years on earth as a cripple who could only move his right hand. During a procedure to give him a neuro construct, he died. He ended up being reborn on a new world as the prince of a small land. Somehow the neuronet came with him. This is a world of cultivation. There are 2 parts of a person's potential in this world. Their cultivation level and their talent. The MC has only average cultivation but he has a great talent with the sword. This is on top of the help his neuro net gives him. For the first 7 years of his life the MC was happy. He trained hard and thought he had a bright future ahead of him. Then his uncle killed his parents and stole the throne. Overall this was a good read even though the first 3 hours were emotional hell for me. I am a little worried that the next books will be like a normal cultivation novel where the MC is only getting stronger and there isn't much else to the story. A great book needs a little of everything. Despair and hope. Setbacks and advancement. Sadness and happiness. Cultivation novels tend to lose me after the first couple of books IMO so I am hoping the next one doesn't go down this path.
I was more interested in this book for it's representation of the wuxia genre than LitRPG, but I believe the LitRPG elements end up in a more supportive narrative role. So if you're put off by heavy usage of such mechanics I wouldn't discount this book it off hand In general, and to avoid too many spoilers, I'll just say that this book grabbed my attention; I was immersed in the story and unveiling to put it down. It managed to tell an engrossing story without relying heavily on clichés.
Great reading. Great series. Inspire of the amount of chapters and the speed of writing (12 books in one and a half year), the plot is full of unpredictable cliffhangers and alive personages. The book is really worth reading. It's not the pure LitRPG or Wixia novel, it's something extraordinary new and delicious.
Good luck, buddy! Sure, your book will cause quite a stir.
This was my first Wuxia style book and I loved it, I couldn’t devour it fast enough. The MC was likable, the action was a lot of fun, and I felt the pacing and tension building before and during action was well done.
Who’dathunk cultivating novels could be written like that. Cant wait for the next 19 books! Not being sarcastic, seriously can’t wait. Totes worth it. This single book is like 2 or 3 short ones in length.
Good: Protagonist is a likeable character Concept was interesting (for half the book)
Bad: Mediocre writing - short sentences, choppy paragraphs, repetitive phrases, errors. Reading became a chore.
Misogynistic and prejudiced - all female characters were either old cones or sex bombs. The Protagonist describes a group of people as savages that have the facial characteristics of Polynesians. Completely inconsistent with his background.
Predictable and became boring. Book became ridiculous with overpowered entities appearing every couple chapters and absurd world dynamics such as massive population. No detail ever given as to how to feed a medieval army of 2 million.
All characters except the protagonist are transparent and shallow.
I fail to understand how this is getting such high reviews. If you want to read a good series in this genre try Bushido Online by Nikita Thurn.
The book is full of clashes and plot holes. The story is so naive and boring. The readers bullshit meter is constantly activated by the author ridiculousness.
For example: We have a reincarnated MC in a cultivation world. Making a gugu-gaga sound one time leads to a teacher saying "this baby wanted to ask a question" and proceeding testing a one year old baby, that cannot speak in math, coping a map by memory and so on. This could be kind of ok if other babies in this word could do such thing, but no - our MC is the the only one like that in the world. And the most important part -> no-one cares much about it. After that 2 year old baby starts training with a sword and in the first day of training accomplishes the impossible, by NO REASON(no super power, no reincarnated ability, or whatever) at all! The author have no idea what he is writing, like most Russian litrpg writers. If you have even a few brain cells - DO NOT READ THIS BOOK - save them.
The book is a little slow in the beginning and kinda picks up, just not as fast as your normal eastern fantasy, still a good story that looks like it has many layers to it to get to in later books. I would have liked for the mc to have some kind of op ability or other advantage but he doesn't he has a near useless neronet and below average abilities even after he has a fortuitous encounter with a dragon, so that could be better, but I still want to see what happens in the next book now with everything against the mc except hos 2 friends.
Absolutely fantastic; it greatly tones down the tropes that make most cultivation series nauseating, while still providing the storytelling level of 'Fantasy Epics' on par with 'The Riftwar Saga'. It's basically an mature version of the 'Cradle' series (with better storytelling), without the corny inter-Sect snobbery nor the ad nauseam five-minute-long stat readouts authors seemingly rely on via macros for writer's block.
A part of me wishes I'd read this series sooner, while another acknowledges that I might be experiencing it precisely when I needed it the most.
I personally felt that this was a fantastic book. It may have started on the slower side, but it was all building up to the rest of this first cluster of chapters. The pace continued like an unstoppable steamroller. It just kept me turning the pages as fast as I could absorb the words.
So looking forward to the next cluster of chapters. Pretty sure I'll be chomping at the bit. Great work and strongly recommended.