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Chronicles of the Core #1
Core Punk
Discover the dark cost of survival in a post-apocalyptic world ...
After months in a frozen virtual wasteland, Scout still has no answers about how she got trapped in the sick and twisted simulation. While most inhabitants believe their world and the underground shelters that keep them alive are real, Scout knows the truth. As one of only a few who remembers, she'll do whatever it takes to get answers.
With no clues about her situation and no way to escape the game, she has only one option; build a better world inside the game for herself and her new found friend, Missy. When rumors about a mysterious broken beacon lead Scout deep into Shelter 12's black market, she sees an opportunity to advance. Harrison is just the man to help her.
The shrewd smuggler is anxious to unload the strange device as his ticket to a better life, and he needs all the help he can get. Scout assists him, but she has plans of her own. Once she achieves enough power, she will turn her attention to how and why everyone is trapped. Nothing will stop her from the learning the truth. Or so she thinks.
Fallout meets RimWorld and Frostpunk in this post-apoc, Sci-Fi LitRPG. One-Click today!
After months in a frozen virtual wasteland, Scout still has no answers about how she got trapped in the sick and twisted simulation. While most inhabitants believe their world and the underground shelters that keep them alive are real, Scout knows the truth. As one of only a few who remembers, she'll do whatever it takes to get answers.
With no clues about her situation and no way to escape the game, she has only one option; build a better world inside the game for herself and her new found friend, Missy. When rumors about a mysterious broken beacon lead Scout deep into Shelter 12's black market, she sees an opportunity to advance. Harrison is just the man to help her.
The shrewd smuggler is anxious to unload the strange device as his ticket to a better life, and he needs all the help he can get. Scout assists him, but she has plans of her own. Once she achieves enough power, she will turn her attention to how and why everyone is trapped. Nothing will stop her from the learning the truth. Or so she thinks.
Fallout meets RimWorld and Frostpunk in this post-apoc, Sci-Fi LitRPG. One-Click today!
- GenresScience Fiction
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2019
137 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 28, 2019
Just awful. Skips around, simplistic writing, wooden characters, inconsistent narrative, you name it. Badly needs an editor to fix inconsistencies and dialogue. Also not lit rpg at all.
Really, I rarely bother with bad reviews, but this had enough obvious plant 5stars that I felt the need. Anyone saying it grabs your attention at the start is lying. It opens mildly interesting, but then poorly segues into the main narrative and timeskips, leaving things loose and utterly disconnected to whatever got the attention at the start. While at first it tries to build a story, any threads you find will either be quickly cut or vanish in the middle of a paragraph. This honestly reads like a first draft with notes half left in. There's a good idea here, but no one has edited or checked it.
Really, I rarely bother with bad reviews, but this had enough obvious plant 5stars that I felt the need. Anyone saying it grabs your attention at the start is lying. It opens mildly interesting, but then poorly segues into the main narrative and timeskips, leaving things loose and utterly disconnected to whatever got the attention at the start. While at first it tries to build a story, any threads you find will either be quickly cut or vanish in the middle of a paragraph. This honestly reads like a first draft with notes half left in. There's a good idea here, but no one has edited or checked it.
April 27, 2019
An interesting yet familiar world, maybe that's just the too many years of gaming on my part though. The main character of this book is an interesting and entertaining one though I feel like she flip flops her mind a lot especially throughout the first half of the book. The supporting characters aren't really as interesting probably because we don't really get any of the motivations of why they are the way they are especially Missy even when the chance for that arose. It feels like there may be a few small contradictions in the book as well but it doesn't impact the overall enjoyably of the story. The universe created in this one is very Frostpunk-esque with some Fallout tossed into the mix. The book starts off a little slow and with a time skip but there is a decent enough amount of drama, and conflict in the book with a small amount of action. The story finishes with another much larger time skip which honestly feels like some of those events would have been interesting to read about maybe in the form of a short entry time line journal. It's really hard not to spoil this book with a review so I will finish with this: I enjoyed the book, quality wise its probably a 3.6 or so out of 5 but it does have some pacing issues in several areas that made me lose attention and go do something else before continuing so my personal score is a 3 out of 5. If you want something different from standard litrpg with the promise of lots of excitement and world building to come I definitely recommend you check this one out.
March 2, 2019
I’ve enjoyed other LitRPG novels by Paul Bellow but Core Punk (Chronicles of the Core Book 1) is a totally original and wildly imaginative flip out. I’m not going to say too much as I don’t want to even hint at something that might spoil things. Go read the publisher’s blurb. All I will add is that Scout is great leading character and if you like that blurb you’ll love this book. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
March 9, 2019
A poor attempt
This reads more like a very rough draft than a finished product. The world is interesting, but it is almost unreadable.
This reads more like a very rough draft than a finished product. The world is interesting, but it is almost unreadable.
March 15, 2019
Paul Bellow is a very talented writer. His Tower of Gates series is a go to for Dungeons and Dragons style LitRPG and now he has crossed into more post-apocalyptic style storytelling with Core Punk. Fallout meets Snowpiercer this book gave me the same vibe I had reading Wool for the first time. Scout is one of the most engaging characters I’ve come across in the genre and she is backed by two other strong leads and supporting characters. The world building, base building, social aspects are fantastic. The integration of how the game system works is sprinkled until a little more than halfway and the creature design is above average. I don’t want to give too much away but I will say that this is the great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read more.
April 15, 2019
This book is different from most other LitRPG tales I've read. There's some similarities with one other series I can't remember the name of at the moment, but that one is related to prisoners competing for ratings with their playtime.
If you're an LitRPG fan, you'll probably enjoy this one, though if you're a purist, this one may not appeal to you, since stats and levels are a part of the narrative, but not an integral piece. Plus, I think levels were a bit off at one point, since Scout obtained level 7, then later obtained level 5, but it's possible I just got characters wrong. In any case, it's an interesting start to a new series, and I'm interested in seeing how this story unfolds in future series installments.
If you're an LitRPG fan, you'll probably enjoy this one, though if you're a purist, this one may not appeal to you, since stats and levels are a part of the narrative, but not an integral piece. Plus, I think levels were a bit off at one point, since Scout obtained level 7, then later obtained level 5, but it's possible I just got characters wrong. In any case, it's an interesting start to a new series, and I'm interested in seeing how this story unfolds in future series installments.
June 8, 2019
Ok litrpg but with shallow characters.
I liked the premise of the book and had high hopes of seeing town / shelter / societal building aspects. This book offered some of those but depicted them in more of an glance than what I personally prefer. I also found the MC to be a caricature of a person, and thus hard to personalize with.
Book does progress nicely with good pace, although occasionally I felt it was bit rushed.
I liked the premise of the book and had high hopes of seeing town / shelter / societal building aspects. This book offered some of those but depicted them in more of an glance than what I personally prefer. I also found the MC to be a caricature of a person, and thus hard to personalize with.
Book does progress nicely with good pace, although occasionally I felt it was bit rushed.
January 11, 2024
This story was pretty enjoyable and some of the characters have been given a bit of depth, but at times it felt very rushed to me and the the story felt superficially "lived". I did find the story interesting enough that I might read the next story in the series.
For me a 4 star rating means I might consider reading the book again, which requires a much more polished character and plot progress.
For me a 4 star rating means I might consider reading the book again, which requires a much more polished character and plot progress.
March 5, 2019
Very interesting if you are into community building
This novel delivered for me. I was expecting something quite different but it won me over nonetheless. LitRPG Elements are sprinkled along the way up until about the 70% mark then the increase is exponential. I can’t wait for book 2.
This novel delivered for me. I was expecting something quite different but it won me over nonetheless. LitRPG Elements are sprinkled along the way up until about the 70% mark then the increase is exponential. I can’t wait for book 2.
March 10, 2019
Fantastic story with a neat base-building element and definitely a wonderful change-up from Paul Bellow's usual fare.
The shorter length for the genre (about 250 pages) means there isn't any fluff either.
As far as series starters go, Core Punk is a solid entrance and hopefully things keep getting better.
The shorter length for the genre (about 250 pages) means there isn't any fluff either.
As far as series starters go, Core Punk is a solid entrance and hopefully things keep getting better.
June 1, 2019
The characters are rigid, the time jumps are large, it feels like a lot of deus ex machina occurs, and there are spelling/grammar/story issues. It reads like a first or second draft. The concept for the story is neat, but it lacks the polish it needed to make me care about the characters or want to read the next book in the series.
March 1, 2019
Strange but good
Hard to pick a comparable. Some base building. Some social networking, and some rpg elements. A bit dreamlike with the snatched off to a different game bit. Decent reading. Going to read the next one when it comes out.
Hard to pick a comparable. Some base building. Some social networking, and some rpg elements. A bit dreamlike with the snatched off to a different game bit. Decent reading. Going to read the next one when it comes out.
June 8, 2019
Stilted
Very stilted dialog with minimal character development and a lack of scene description. Likely won't read any follow on novels unless the reviews indicate major improvement.
Very stilted dialog with minimal character development and a lack of scene description. Likely won't read any follow on novels unless the reviews indicate major improvement.
March 2, 2019
Holy crow! This book is Amazing! Not only does it grab your attention right at the start, the action is non-stop all the way through! I can't wait for more!
March 23, 2019
Great book
A mystery to unravel, a series of linked worlds to conquer, this is going to be fun! Looking forward to the next one!
A mystery to unravel, a series of linked worlds to conquer, this is going to be fun! Looking forward to the next one!
January 3, 2026
Decent enough sci-fi, I won't be hunting down any more of the series
March 4, 2020
I’ve enjoyed other LitRPG novels by Paul Bellow but Snow Punk is a totally original and wildly imaginative flip out. I’m not going to say too much as I don’t want to even hint at something that might spoil things. Go read the publisher’s blurb. All I will add is that Scout is great leading character and if you like that blurb you’ll love this book. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
February 27, 2020
I was given an ARC in return for a fair review.
This was a fun book and a quick read. I enjoyed the setting and the action sequences, however, it left me wanting in the character development department. The lack of characterisation is somewhat understandable, given a parricular plot device that is used in this book, but I would have liked to have more development of the interpersonal relationships, rather than just the surface level we were given.
Overall, if you enjoy post-apocalyptic-leaning books or LitRPGs, this is worth checking out!
This was a fun book and a quick read. I enjoyed the setting and the action sequences, however, it left me wanting in the character development department. The lack of characterisation is somewhat understandable, given a parricular plot device that is used in this book, but I would have liked to have more development of the interpersonal relationships, rather than just the surface level we were given.
Overall, if you enjoy post-apocalyptic-leaning books or LitRPGs, this is worth checking out!
April 2, 2020
The descriptions and dialogue is poor, the characters are badly written, and it's just a mess.
On multiple occasions, characters stab and/or shoot friendly characters (on accident or because they're "crazy) and it's just glossed over. Oops, my bad. And move on.
Basically things just happen, and generally they don't make sense.
This was the 60th book I've read so far in 2020 and most of them have been LitRPG. This was by far the worst.
Just skip this book and series. I wish I had.
On multiple occasions, characters stab and/or shoot friendly characters (on accident or because they're "crazy) and it's just glossed over. Oops, my bad. And move on.
Basically things just happen, and generally they don't make sense.
This was the 60th book I've read so far in 2020 and most of them have been LitRPG. This was by far the worst.
Just skip this book and series. I wish I had.
May 18, 2022
I remember that
A good combination of RPG and how did I get stuck in here. Sticking to one's ideas and helping those who need it. Take charge when you have to and find friends from the strangest places. And take back the world.
A good combination of RPG and how did I get stuck in here. Sticking to one's ideas and helping those who need it. Take charge when you have to and find friends from the strangest places. And take back the world.
March 2, 2020
Portly written couldn’t finish
Gave up after trying to push through the awful writing and disjointed grammar. Don’t bother you’ll get more and more frustrated as you go
Gave up after trying to push through the awful writing and disjointed grammar. Don’t bother you’ll get more and more frustrated as you go
May 20, 2020
Good ideas, a bit light on the Lit RPG element, more of gamelit book.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews