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Remnant #1
Remnant
Steve doesn’t know who he is.Or who he was.He doesn’t know anything, actually.Not even where he is.Other than a vast open field of dirt.All Steve knows is that he’s apparently supposed to build a farm. At least that’s his only workable assumption. Given the number of farm-tools left to him. That and the massive number of sacks full of seeds.Unfortunately, this isn’t even the strangest part of this new life.Hidden inside the farm tools, Steve finds messages. Messages that appear in floating windows in front of him.Messages from his past self, telling him that he’d already failed once.But he has no idea what he actually failed at. Or how he can succeed this time.Beyond all this, and unfortunately for Steve, the world just underwent a radical change. A change that’s going to have Steve fighting the undead, bandits, nature, and even himself. All while the world falls down around him.And the only weapon he has is an axe.Warning and minor This novel contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/harem, unconventional opinions/beliefs, and a hero who is as tactful as a dog at a cat show. Read at your own risk.This story is an Adult Fantasy novel.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2019
1057 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
November 22, 2019
I don't know why I bothered
One of the premises of this book is that the main character lost his memory. Apparently, losing your memory will turn you into a violent sociopath, since you forget that treating people like insects is bad. And not even a coherent sociopath, either. This was just all over the place. I lack words to describe.
If you like developed characters, read something else.
One of the premises of this book is that the main character lost his memory. Apparently, losing your memory will turn you into a violent sociopath, since you forget that treating people like insects is bad. And not even a coherent sociopath, either. This was just all over the place. I lack words to describe.
If you like developed characters, read something else.
April 29, 2021
Started out well enough, young man waking up on a strange planet with nothing other than an axe, a scythe and a watering can with no previous memories. No place to live, no food and feral beings including zombies. Turns out the above impliments are magical and Steve meets a 'goat woman' who is native to the planet and offers her help.
I need to be more discerning in my 'special kindle offers' as it turned into a harem book, lots of women of various species for 'Steve' and they all seem to share large breasts as an attribute. Survival with benefits.
Gave up the ghost at 40%, but it did start out promising. Not recommended unless you actually like this sort of book.
I need to be more discerning in my 'special kindle offers' as it turned into a harem book, lots of women of various species for 'Steve' and they all seem to share large breasts as an attribute. Survival with benefits.
Gave up the ghost at 40%, but it did start out promising. Not recommended unless you actually like this sort of book.
June 4, 2019
Rating 4.0 stars
I do like Randy Darren books. They are all pretty much the same but there are subtle differences that make it very interesting. The main characters are all the same: They are blunt, no-nonsense, powerful characters (who usually don't really know how powerful they really are) who end up being surrounded by beautiful, smart, capable women of one species or another. They build up their life, their power, and their family and fight off anyone who tries to take away what they have. That is basically what every Randi Darren book comes down to being. If you don't like stuff like that, than this is not the author for you.
Now for specifics of this story. The main character, Steve, wakes up in a field and is surrounded by farming tools. He has no memory of who he is, where he is or what is going on. While looking at the farm equipment he gets a pop up in his vision (sort of like one would get in a video game - but of course he has not memory so he doesn't know that). The popup is a message from himself saying that he needs to build a farm and that his former self sold his memories to get him his enchanted tools, so he could build up the farm.
While doing that, he comes across a faun and neirad and they start working together. Of course since it is a Randy Darren story, they start having sex. However, there is a stigma associated with humans who mate with non humans and vice versa in this world. Once he does the deed, when people look at his "character profile" they know he has lain with someone that is not of his own species, and in this land it is apparently a crime. Good thing he is on a farm far away from civilization and won't have a problem right? Wrong. He ends up having a problem with his neighbor city, and then after that he has a problem with the local government. There is also this malevolent energy in this land called the creep that infects the land. Walls have kept it out but now there is a breach in one of the walls and the creep is coming into the land, so now the land is quarantined. This creep turns people into zombies.
Overall a very enjoyable story and I am looking forward to the next one.
I do like Randy Darren books. They are all pretty much the same but there are subtle differences that make it very interesting. The main characters are all the same: They are blunt, no-nonsense, powerful characters (who usually don't really know how powerful they really are) who end up being surrounded by beautiful, smart, capable women of one species or another. They build up their life, their power, and their family and fight off anyone who tries to take away what they have. That is basically what every Randi Darren book comes down to being. If you don't like stuff like that, than this is not the author for you.
Now for specifics of this story. The main character, Steve, wakes up in a field and is surrounded by farming tools. He has no memory of who he is, where he is or what is going on. While looking at the farm equipment he gets a pop up in his vision (sort of like one would get in a video game - but of course he has not memory so he doesn't know that). The popup is a message from himself saying that he needs to build a farm and that his former self sold his memories to get him his enchanted tools, so he could build up the farm.
While doing that, he comes across a faun and neirad and they start working together. Of course since it is a Randy Darren story, they start having sex. However, there is a stigma associated with humans who mate with non humans and vice versa in this world. Once he does the deed, when people look at his "character profile" they know he has lain with someone that is not of his own species, and in this land it is apparently a crime. Good thing he is on a farm far away from civilization and won't have a problem right? Wrong. He ends up having a problem with his neighbor city, and then after that he has a problem with the local government. There is also this malevolent energy in this land called the creep that infects the land. Walls have kept it out but now there is a breach in one of the walls and the creep is coming into the land, so now the land is quarantined. This creep turns people into zombies.
Overall a very enjoyable story and I am looking forward to the next one.
April 7, 2019
Poor Steve. He has no memories to his name, wakes up on empty farmland, and finds a message from his former self that is impossibly frustrating. That, however, is where feeling bad for Steve starts to fade away – because that’s precisely when he starts building a harem of a dozen+ beautiful and talented women from a diverse array of races.
Lamia, Faun, Cyclops, Elf, Fae, Kobold, and many other species of human, part-human, and non-human women enter Steve’s orbit, all willing and able to provide their expertise and companionship as he builds his farm into a village fortress to protect against bandits, brigands, and political enemies – as well as a supernatural force called the Creep, which turns people into zombies hell-bent on attacking their growing commune.
The harem in this story is ambitious. That’s a whole lot of women for one man to relate to in the scope of a single book. Yet, the author pulls it off. (The author has a proven track record of pulling this off, so there’s no surprise there).
Throughout the course of the book, the MC works to understand the specific motivations of each woman that joins him, taking a stern approach to life on his farm and the roles of any who live there, while also showing some degree of sensitivity and restraint when his women aren’t ready to move their individual relationships forward.
At the start, Steve is not exactly noble gentleman. He’s surly at times, quick to threaten others, and a mite selfish. He never becomes a soft and cuddly hero – preferring to split skulls with an axe rather than let people will ill intentions prattle on about their own desires – but he does change throughout the course of the book. His women help him grow into a better leader, both of his budding village and of his harem.
By the end of the book, we are treated to a series of explicit sex scenes where many of the relationships are consummated, each in a way that makes specific sense to the MC and that woman. His wives are more than just helpful farmhands though; many have cool abilities that help with offense, defense, or tactics. The village building, political negotiation, and resource management issues are a prime focus of this book, with plenty of action scenes in between.
Also woven throughout the world building is an unusual, perhaps unfair, treatment of men in a society ravaged by war and subject to expectations placed on the male gender by overarching political realities. Without spoiling anything there, it does lead to some tense interactions between the MC and the local power structure – with whom he’s not inclined to play nicely.
There are also hints of religious zealots and various gods, leaving doors open to further expanding the world and the conflicts in it with future installments of the series.
Perhaps we’ll also see an explanation of the video-game style menu screens that pop up from time to time. They mostly represent character sheet data at this point, without numeric stats. There is no indication that any game-like mechanics are at work – so far the status screens are explained as deriving from the gods. As such, I can’t really call this LitRPG or Gamelit yet, just a kickass fantasy harem book with unexplained status screens. Perhaps we’ll learn more later on.
Meanwhile, while Steve has lost his memories, the book maintains a good sense of humor about it – often starting down the foggy mental road of a reference we’ll love as the audience, but losing track of his lost thoughts before they finish. Parts of the book are dark, violent, and heavy, while others are light and fun. It’s a great mix, and a very fun read overall.
Lamia, Faun, Cyclops, Elf, Fae, Kobold, and many other species of human, part-human, and non-human women enter Steve’s orbit, all willing and able to provide their expertise and companionship as he builds his farm into a village fortress to protect against bandits, brigands, and political enemies – as well as a supernatural force called the Creep, which turns people into zombies hell-bent on attacking their growing commune.
The harem in this story is ambitious. That’s a whole lot of women for one man to relate to in the scope of a single book. Yet, the author pulls it off. (The author has a proven track record of pulling this off, so there’s no surprise there).
Throughout the course of the book, the MC works to understand the specific motivations of each woman that joins him, taking a stern approach to life on his farm and the roles of any who live there, while also showing some degree of sensitivity and restraint when his women aren’t ready to move their individual relationships forward.
At the start, Steve is not exactly noble gentleman. He’s surly at times, quick to threaten others, and a mite selfish. He never becomes a soft and cuddly hero – preferring to split skulls with an axe rather than let people will ill intentions prattle on about their own desires – but he does change throughout the course of the book. His women help him grow into a better leader, both of his budding village and of his harem.
By the end of the book, we are treated to a series of explicit sex scenes where many of the relationships are consummated, each in a way that makes specific sense to the MC and that woman. His wives are more than just helpful farmhands though; many have cool abilities that help with offense, defense, or tactics. The village building, political negotiation, and resource management issues are a prime focus of this book, with plenty of action scenes in between.
Also woven throughout the world building is an unusual, perhaps unfair, treatment of men in a society ravaged by war and subject to expectations placed on the male gender by overarching political realities. Without spoiling anything there, it does lead to some tense interactions between the MC and the local power structure – with whom he’s not inclined to play nicely.
There are also hints of religious zealots and various gods, leaving doors open to further expanding the world and the conflicts in it with future installments of the series.
Perhaps we’ll also see an explanation of the video-game style menu screens that pop up from time to time. They mostly represent character sheet data at this point, without numeric stats. There is no indication that any game-like mechanics are at work – so far the status screens are explained as deriving from the gods. As such, I can’t really call this LitRPG or Gamelit yet, just a kickass fantasy harem book with unexplained status screens. Perhaps we’ll learn more later on.
Meanwhile, while Steve has lost his memories, the book maintains a good sense of humor about it – often starting down the foggy mental road of a reference we’ll love as the audience, but losing track of his lost thoughts before they finish. Parts of the book are dark, violent, and heavy, while others are light and fun. It’s a great mix, and a very fun read overall.
June 4, 2019
A couple issues here:
1. That cover is a poor representation of the FMC. The author specifically stated that she's a goat lady or fawn with the horizontal slits as pupils.
2. Is this the extent of Randi Darren? William D Aran is still "improving", as in shifting away from a very shallow erotica or book with sex scenes to a story with substance. While Fostering Faust is an erotica, it's something different and more or less interesting. This had potential to be much better. But, instead, it's flooded with cookie cutter sex scenes/erotica dialogues. I always thought he was trying to separate the more erotic and the less erotic stories between Randi Darren and William D Aran, but I'm confused after listening through Dungeon Deposed and Remnants. Steve and Ryker are very similar. Steve is not as coldhearted/ruthless as Ryker but they got similar personalities.
3. Is this also the extent of Andrea Parsneau? She performed many of Randi Darren/William D Aran's books and her performance seems to be have peaked off. As in, Steve sounds exactly like Ryker. While you can't expect narrators to have a zillion different voices/accents and you can expect narrators to have a go-to narration voice, Andrea Parsneau had like zero variation between Wild Wastes, Dungeon Deposed and Remnants. This makes all three protagonist blend into one and other, making them more similar than they are.
Putting it altogether, it's like mixing Vince with Ryker, taking Vince's good sides to mix it with Ryker's ruthlessness, and you'll get Steve, who is ruthless but also nice. It simply makes Remnant much worse than it is. I like the farm idea. I like the mysterious Shitty Steve. But, no. Randi Darren decided to spend the time blabbering about his cookie cutter erotic scenes and stuff related to it. Steve had the exact same, "I should just kill them" Ryker moments.
1. That cover is a poor representation of the FMC. The author specifically stated that she's a goat lady or fawn with the horizontal slits as pupils.
2. Is this the extent of Randi Darren? William D Aran is still "improving", as in shifting away from a very shallow erotica or book with sex scenes to a story with substance. While Fostering Faust is an erotica, it's something different and more or less interesting. This had potential to be much better. But, instead, it's flooded with cookie cutter sex scenes/erotica dialogues. I always thought he was trying to separate the more erotic and the less erotic stories between Randi Darren and William D Aran, but I'm confused after listening through Dungeon Deposed and Remnants. Steve and Ryker are very similar. Steve is not as coldhearted/ruthless as Ryker but they got similar personalities.
3. Is this also the extent of Andrea Parsneau? She performed many of Randi Darren/William D Aran's books and her performance seems to be have peaked off. As in, Steve sounds exactly like Ryker. While you can't expect narrators to have a zillion different voices/accents and you can expect narrators to have a go-to narration voice, Andrea Parsneau had like zero variation between Wild Wastes, Dungeon Deposed and Remnants. This makes all three protagonist blend into one and other, making them more similar than they are.
Putting it altogether, it's like mixing Vince with Ryker, taking Vince's good sides to mix it with Ryker's ruthlessness, and you'll get Steve, who is ruthless but also nice. It simply makes Remnant much worse than it is. I like the farm idea. I like the mysterious Shitty Steve. But, no. Randi Darren decided to spend the time blabbering about his cookie cutter erotic scenes and stuff related to it. Steve had the exact same, "I should just kill them" Ryker moments.
January 25, 2021
Okay so 2.5 to 3 stars but I can see how someone could not be into the MC. The MC is hard to like at times and is an asshole at other times. I usually like these type of books and like parts of this one for sure but had some issues with the MC and inconsistent world the author has created. Man are suppose to be property but all the women let the man pick who he wants to be with? The MC picks his women and they are surprised when he picks them, He should no have a say and they should be surprised that he is even getting a say not that he picked them. The world and some of the things the author is trying to create are inconsistent with the way the character act and what they say in a world where man are a little more than just property. If it was just one character acting inconsistent that would be fine but all his woman act wrong if they are living in a world with woman on top of society. I do like other books by this author really liked them but this one is not his best work and has some very big plot and world building holes.
April 27, 2019
Sad
This story is just a poor excuse for an unrealistic harem fantasy by a horrible lover. Randi obviously has no real experience with an actual harem or of what it means to be considered a legendary lover. The MC is a typically dumb jock who thinks he's God's gift to women while letting women rule over him.
The actual plot line was the only redeeming factor but only marginally so.
This story is just a poor excuse for an unrealistic harem fantasy by a horrible lover. Randi obviously has no real experience with an actual harem or of what it means to be considered a legendary lover. The MC is a typically dumb jock who thinks he's God's gift to women while letting women rule over him.
The actual plot line was the only redeeming factor but only marginally so.
June 4, 2019
Seriously this man can write amazing
I love Randi Darren, Yes more than William and wild wastes is one of the best series I have ever read.
How can he formulate this kind of great ideas? The world building is super fantastic and great even though it's a little bizarre (not really, LOL).
Absolutely loved every character especially Kass the snake.
Now, I am dying for the next book!
I love Randi Darren, Yes more than William and wild wastes is one of the best series I have ever read.
How can he formulate this kind of great ideas? The world building is super fantastic and great even though it's a little bizarre (not really, LOL).
Absolutely loved every character especially Kass the snake.
Now, I am dying for the next book!
April 8, 2019
Once again a wonderful book.
The author has done a wonderful job in telling the story in such a way that it drew me into the story. The characters are interesting and fun to read about. The pacing of the book is excellent and the world building is very interesting and enjoyable.
The author has done a wonderful job in telling the story in such a way that it drew me into the story. The characters are interesting and fun to read about. The pacing of the book is excellent and the world building is very interesting and enjoyable.
April 7, 2019
It’s going to be a great series.
I feel like it’s going be a a really good series and I can’t wait to know where exactly is it placed in the universe created by Randi/William. The only thing I will complain about is the cute tiger girl and 2 of 3 sisters, I don’t understand that decision but it’s not in my power to change it.
I feel like it’s going be a a really good series and I can’t wait to know where exactly is it placed in the universe created by Randi/William. The only thing I will complain about is the cute tiger girl and 2 of 3 sisters, I don’t understand that decision but it’s not in my power to change it.
May 30, 2019
So quick and short, I am a fan of a lot of the WDA/RD but this one is just all bones and no meat. It took forever for the stories hook to finally show up. Randi really didn't spend any time setting up the girls "emotionally" and Steve is really unlikable. Out of all of his harem books I feel like this one spent the least amount of time setting up any kind of romance between the girls and the mc.
Rant section read at own peril:
Steve is a creep and an asshole, which really makes it hard to care about him or his position in the story. He starts ogling all the girls from chapter 1 and naturally the girls just fall for him with no build up. Also, Steve needs to toughen the fuck up and quit his bitching. He has no vocabulary and just repeats himself constantly, "your beautiful" is like his main pickup line and "f**k past Steve" is his go to swear phrase. Finally, I just feel the pacing is a little funky, like at the start you keep waiting for the story to take off but its mostly the girls yapping and banging.
Also, I've been going through it again since the audio-book came out and I used to like Andrea Parsneau but really her voice for Steve makes him sound like a more of a creep and that stupid high pitched voice for Nicky gets so annoying. I don't know why she chose that voice but it grates on me during long conversations. Also, why is Andrea giving a Greek mythical creature named Misty, a Jamaican accent?
Rant section read at own peril:
Steve is a creep and an asshole, which really makes it hard to care about him or his position in the story. He starts ogling all the girls from chapter 1 and naturally the girls just fall for him with no build up. Also, Steve needs to toughen the fuck up and quit his bitching. He has no vocabulary and just repeats himself constantly, "your beautiful" is like his main pickup line and "f**k past Steve" is his go to swear phrase. Finally, I just feel the pacing is a little funky, like at the start you keep waiting for the story to take off but its mostly the girls yapping and banging.
Also, I've been going through it again since the audio-book came out and I used to like Andrea Parsneau but really her voice for Steve makes him sound like a more of a creep and that stupid high pitched voice for Nicky gets so annoying. I don't know why she chose that voice but it grates on me during long conversations. Also, why is Andrea giving a Greek mythical creature named Misty, a Jamaican accent?
April 8, 2019
Um sure, okay... I guess.
The book was okay I guess. Definitely not the best by this author. Where it started with promise it quickly became repetitive. Work the farm, bang a chick, kill one or two people and then bang another chick. Rinse and repeat. I honestly skipped like every single sex scene and realized it was like 60% of the entire book. There was very little plot. Any hint of plot progression ended with the mc banging another chick. I found that boring. The violence, and political tensions in the book was well written but at the same time there was precious little of it. The main character was not flushed out at all. The reason is because he lost his memory ( which I'm okay with) but it's never explained why. Or how he got his abilities. Or why people have status screens. Nothing interesting in the least. I doubt I pick up the next one unless I'm bored, I guess.
The book was okay I guess. Definitely not the best by this author. Where it started with promise it quickly became repetitive. Work the farm, bang a chick, kill one or two people and then bang another chick. Rinse and repeat. I honestly skipped like every single sex scene and realized it was like 60% of the entire book. There was very little plot. Any hint of plot progression ended with the mc banging another chick. I found that boring. The violence, and political tensions in the book was well written but at the same time there was precious little of it. The main character was not flushed out at all. The reason is because he lost his memory ( which I'm okay with) but it's never explained why. Or how he got his abilities. Or why people have status screens. Nothing interesting in the least. I doubt I pick up the next one unless I'm bored, I guess.
July 31, 2020
Yikes!
Fantasy book in every way...but I don’t share the author’s fantasies. If you are into furry erotica maybe you will like it better than me... but even then the writing is pretty poor. I question the reading choices I have made that led Amazon’s data mining to suggest this book. Would not recommend to anyone.
Fantasy book in every way...but I don’t share the author’s fantasies. If you are into furry erotica maybe you will like it better than me... but even then the writing is pretty poor. I question the reading choices I have made that led Amazon’s data mining to suggest this book. Would not recommend to anyone.
November 6, 2019
There a lot of good aspects of this book, but also quite a bit that drags it down.
The Good:
1. The Setting. This was the first LitRPG I've come across that seems to be focused on farming as it's central point. The sacrifice of Memories for gear is also interesting, giving a cool mystery aspect to the setting as well as explaining his amazing starting gear. The whole watering can and creep plot is also quite good and cleaver.
2. Steve's relationship with Nia. I think Darren does a great job of writing a child character and making her likable. On top of that Steve's interactions with her is adorable and seems to have deeper plot implications.
3. The antagonists.
The Bad:
1. Steve himself. Too often he just comes across as a psychopath. Despite having overwhelming power he's really quick to violence with little to no emotional reaction to killing.
2. Consistency.
3. I personally wasn't into the S*x scenes. Most of them weren't bad, but there were just too many of them.
I do want to see where this goes though.
The Good:
1. The Setting. This was the first LitRPG I've come across that seems to be focused on farming as it's central point. The sacrifice of Memories for gear is also interesting, giving a cool mystery aspect to the setting as well as explaining his amazing starting gear. The whole watering can and creep plot is also quite good and cleaver.
2. Steve's relationship with Nia. I think Darren does a great job of writing a child character and making her likable. On top of that Steve's interactions with her is adorable and seems to have deeper plot implications.
3. The antagonists.
The Bad:
1. Steve himself. Too often he just comes across as a psychopath. Despite having overwhelming power he's really quick to violence with little to no emotional reaction to killing.
2. Consistency.
3. I personally wasn't into the S*x scenes. Most of them weren't bad, but there were just too many of them.
I do want to see where this goes though.
April 15, 2019
Another book I waited a few days to write the review for this time because I wanted to talk to a friend about the book before writing it. First off lets start with the good news, the book is fantastic. The author successfully builds an entertaining game like world and while there is very little background or world building it fit the story well especially with the main characters unknown past though I have theories. That's one of the most enjoyable parts about this book especially if you have read other works from the author or books that probably take place in the same multiverse type setup is the amount of speculating you do without thinking about it trying to form connections to the universe at large and who the main character may be. The story advances nicely and is satisfying for the most part, and it's a one or two sittings read. I will place a warning while this is LitRPG / GameLit this is also Harem and there are a decent amount of sex scenes though not as many as some of the authors previous works, so if you aren't into that I would avoid it, if you are or can over look it than go for it the story is great. Now for the bad news if I can even call it that, and this is the part I wanted a friends opinion on as they are much more into the genre than me, the sex scenes are boring, I wanted outside input on it from someone who reads a lot of them and writes their own (not professionally) because I know I'm just not the target audience for it. The most interesting one in the book was the first one as it had the most species specific detail, like visit a petting zoo and commit a crime detail but even it wasn't particularly good. You will get species / races you may or may not have read about before and some details on their appearance but sex wise it's all the same generic vanilla sex you've read about however many times you've read about it before. However do not let that deter you from reading it as I said the story is fantastic and sex is the last reason to be reading it as you can get that anywhere so it's just a bonus if that's what you want in a story.
December 30, 2019
“Remnant (Remnant #1)” is a very creative and bizarre story with absolutely wonderful narration!
This is not lesfic; MC Steve develops quite the harem of various women; some human….some not so much.
Steve awakens with no memories, and finds himself tasked with building a farm and defending his home and his friends from “the creep” - a mysterious cloud that produces zombies. Steve isn’t a bad person, but he’s happy to kill whenever it will make a situation easier. He’s also happy to enjoy sex with anyone who wants it; happily he never forces himself on anyone who doesn’t want it.
I can’t remember why I decided to listen to this book; probably because of the narrator. As strange as the story is, I’ve actually listened to it several times, so I must bump it up to 5*
This is not lesfic; MC Steve develops quite the harem of various women; some human….some not so much.
Steve awakens with no memories, and finds himself tasked with building a farm and defending his home and his friends from “the creep” - a mysterious cloud that produces zombies. Steve isn’t a bad person, but he’s happy to kill whenever it will make a situation easier. He’s also happy to enjoy sex with anyone who wants it; happily he never forces himself on anyone who doesn’t want it.
I can’t remember why I decided to listen to this book; probably because of the narrator. As strange as the story is, I’ve actually listened to it several times, so I must bump it up to 5*
April 7, 2019
Amazing story
Love this book so much!!! The only short coming is that there weren’t more fruit and nut trees!! Come on people need their protein!! I honestly can’t recommend this story or this author highly enough!
Love this book so much!!! The only short coming is that there weren’t more fruit and nut trees!! Come on people need their protein!! I honestly can’t recommend this story or this author highly enough!
May 7, 2019
Fantastic
A wonderfull balance of world building, action and ‘romance’.
I look forward to reading more of this world and its challenges, and how Steve and his group face them.
A wonderfull balance of world building, action and ‘romance’.
I look forward to reading more of this world and its challenges, and how Steve and his group face them.
September 15, 2019
I have bought several books from this author and can say for certain there must be something hideously wrong about me because I keep buying his stuff. I can never finish his books. I get half way through them before I stop reading them. Immediately after that I then look at the guy's previous work and go “Oh.”
The first thing is that the guy is a decent author. While I have never finished his books I have appreciated the lore and the world building. That said, his male characters are complete and utter pieces of human garbage while the female characters are little better then points on a check list.
It is also clear that LitRPG genre of the book is just for sales. Besides a few pop-up windows there is hardly any game related elements. This could have easily have been a typical fantasy harem with soft-core porn scenes.
Plot: Steve is in an obvious computer game with the main point of the game to be building a harem and town building. Half way through the book that's all I got.
Characters:
Steve: I can imagine Steve being one of those trolls who lives under bridges asking themselves why they are lonely. Just like most of the author's other main characters the guy is a massive jerk. And it grows ever increasingly clear to me the further I read that there is a reason that he is playing the game where the main goal is to boink ten women. It's that a woman who would find him attractive would have to be mentally unstable. Violent, zero disregard for human life, doesn't hesitate to kill, and relies too heavily on his tools. I'm pretty sure that the guy is a sociopath.
What I like: A good setting.
What I don't like: Main character and lack of game elements.
The first thing is that the guy is a decent author. While I have never finished his books I have appreciated the lore and the world building. That said, his male characters are complete and utter pieces of human garbage while the female characters are little better then points on a check list.
It is also clear that LitRPG genre of the book is just for sales. Besides a few pop-up windows there is hardly any game related elements. This could have easily have been a typical fantasy harem with soft-core porn scenes.
Plot: Steve is in an obvious computer game with the main point of the game to be building a harem and town building. Half way through the book that's all I got.
Characters:
Steve: I can imagine Steve being one of those trolls who lives under bridges asking themselves why they are lonely. Just like most of the author's other main characters the guy is a massive jerk. And it grows ever increasingly clear to me the further I read that there is a reason that he is playing the game where the main goal is to boink ten women. It's that a woman who would find him attractive would have to be mentally unstable. Violent, zero disregard for human life, doesn't hesitate to kill, and relies too heavily on his tools. I'm pretty sure that the guy is a sociopath.
What I like: A good setting.
What I don't like: Main character and lack of game elements.
June 10, 2020
I actually couldn't finish this one which is a bit of a pity.
The idea at the beginning was quite good - he starts off in a fantasy kingdom but his memory has been wiped by himself (we don't know why) and all he has are some magic tools to start building a farm/village. Nothing wrong with that I think you'd agree?
What ticked me off though were the harem elements of the book. If you've read any of the books by Daniel Schinhofen you'll know what I'm talking about. His books are chock full of those types of things especially his Gamer for Life. However, what worked for Daniel has not worked nearly as well here.
There is no gradual understanding of the environment or the characters, there is no real challenge (I got 1/2 way through so if something momentous appears in the latter 1/2 I apologize) that the character has to work there way through ... its just find one girl/beastkin after another and have them become part of his group.
In some ways it reminds me of Tamer: King of Dinosaurs, but I really think that story was better. There was more risk to the character and his challenges actually seemed noteworthy.
The idea at the beginning was quite good - he starts off in a fantasy kingdom but his memory has been wiped by himself (we don't know why) and all he has are some magic tools to start building a farm/village. Nothing wrong with that I think you'd agree?
What ticked me off though were the harem elements of the book. If you've read any of the books by Daniel Schinhofen you'll know what I'm talking about. His books are chock full of those types of things especially his Gamer for Life. However, what worked for Daniel has not worked nearly as well here.
There is no gradual understanding of the environment or the characters, there is no real challenge (I got 1/2 way through so if something momentous appears in the latter 1/2 I apologize) that the character has to work there way through ... its just find one girl/beastkin after another and have them become part of his group.
In some ways it reminds me of Tamer: King of Dinosaurs, but I really think that story was better. There was more risk to the character and his challenges actually seemed noteworthy.
April 24, 2020
First free book on prime. Has good reviews, so thought it would be better. Really missed that boat.
Main character is a dolt, unlikable, and a misogynist at that. This read so much as a videogame/minecraft/teenage literotica fantasy from the author. I read through it to see if it got any better, as there was glimpses of it getting more interesting, only to fall prey to poorly written scenes of MC literally objectifying women and then awfully written sex scenes, to end with plenty of unresolved plotlines.
But then there are gems like these, and what probably kept me going:
"Rolling end over end, Steve slid across the grass in a tumbling ball of angry axe-wielding Human."
"Steve looked at the two zombies. One was female, or so he judged by her massive rack, but Steve couldn’t identify the species"
"Steve found Nikki walking over to him. She really can hop quite far."
"... Gave him a magnificent view of her extremely well-endowed chest tumbling around in her blouse"
"Steve thought on that. Thought hard."
"Her strange hopping gait made her jiggle wonderfully."
"He needed to tumble both women, make them happy, and then pump them for information. Probably after pumping them with seed."
"Yep, baggage. Lots of boob space to store things on top of. You’d make a great shelf. Maybe a spice rack”
Main character is a dolt, unlikable, and a misogynist at that. This read so much as a videogame/minecraft/teenage literotica fantasy from the author. I read through it to see if it got any better, as there was glimpses of it getting more interesting, only to fall prey to poorly written scenes of MC literally objectifying women and then awfully written sex scenes, to end with plenty of unresolved plotlines.
But then there are gems like these, and what probably kept me going:
"Rolling end over end, Steve slid across the grass in a tumbling ball of angry axe-wielding Human."
"Steve looked at the two zombies. One was female, or so he judged by her massive rack, but Steve couldn’t identify the species"
"Steve found Nikki walking over to him. She really can hop quite far."
"... Gave him a magnificent view of her extremely well-endowed chest tumbling around in her blouse"
"Steve thought on that. Thought hard."
"Her strange hopping gait made her jiggle wonderfully."
"He needed to tumble both women, make them happy, and then pump them for information. Probably after pumping them with seed."
"Yep, baggage. Lots of boob space to store things on top of. You’d make a great shelf. Maybe a spice rack”
September 1, 2019
I think I might have followed Audible recommendations one book too far.
There is a lot to say about this book, which starts off in a promising fashion (hinting at a story with parallels from world building sandbox games), but quickly devolves into a reality show of the most... suggestive sort (my fault for not reading the summary beforehand). But even though focusing on the interesting parts, it lacks any proper story and character development. But perhaps most disappointing is the fact the the protagonist, Steve, is dropped into a bronze age society with semi-coherent knowledge of modern technology (think agriculture, animal husbandry, irrigation, smithing, and so on) and only briefly mentions it... and then nothing come out of it... at all.
In the end, despite the all the magical tools in Steves possession, I can't help but think the biggest tool is Steve himself.
There is a lot to say about this book, which starts off in a promising fashion (hinting at a story with parallels from world building sandbox games), but quickly devolves into a reality show of the most... suggestive sort (my fault for not reading the summary beforehand). But even though focusing on the interesting parts, it lacks any proper story and character development. But perhaps most disappointing is the fact the the protagonist, Steve, is dropped into a bronze age society with semi-coherent knowledge of modern technology (think agriculture, animal husbandry, irrigation, smithing, and so on) and only briefly mentions it... and then nothing come out of it... at all.
In the end, despite the all the magical tools in Steves possession, I can't help but think the biggest tool is Steve himself.
April 13, 2019
Interesting
I enjoy his books a lot. There is a primal aspect to his writing that makes them more than they might otherwise be and viable in such a human way that it connects with the reader. His heroes are human, put into impossible situations, and then asked what they would do. So their answers are logical, practical, and dosed with tragic and humble outcomes and a dash of success.
This book was a clear winner for me and a laudable addition to this multiverse.
I enjoy his books a lot. There is a primal aspect to his writing that makes them more than they might otherwise be and viable in such a human way that it connects with the reader. His heroes are human, put into impossible situations, and then asked what they would do. So their answers are logical, practical, and dosed with tragic and humble outcomes and a dash of success.
This book was a clear winner for me and a laudable addition to this multiverse.
May 12, 2019
Mr Lagree Walker
I have really enjoyed reading this book I was hoping the second one was out already. It’s a shame I’m going to have to wait this is an excellent book can’t wait for the 2nd one.
I have really enjoyed reading this book I was hoping the second one was out already. It’s a shame I’m going to have to wait this is an excellent book can’t wait for the 2nd one.
November 20, 2019
Not sure about this series. Story progression seemed to be an issue. There is tragedy off screen. We only find out by popup message.
June 30, 2020
Has a great premise
I thought this was pretty good, the setting’s interesting, the characters are interesting to read about and the story has a lot going for it in terms of growth and expansion. Steve is kind’ve unlikable throughout the book. While he does show signs of development in the course of the story there were moments where I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his slick mouth and actions. Some of his actions while understandable are still questionable such as when he killed a woman who tried to rile everyone up who arrived on his farm in an attempt to take it over.
The women he takes in and beds are interesting. Nikki’s loyal and spunky. Hats off to her for putting up with Steve and his grumpiness. Misty’s pretty fun to read about too. It’s strange though that she refers to herself as “Your Misty” and Steve as “My Steve”. Most of the women are as they have something new to offer. Kassandra’s a Lamia, Xiven’s an elf and Lucia’s a fairy or fae. My only gripe is that some of them offered themselves to him so quickly like the three daughters of the mayor he killed (though it was understandable). Not only that the way they talk about how the men are used solely for breeding is eerie. I guess it’s a form of commentary on sexism in that regard.
There’re some really nice moments such as when he expresses his appreciation for his women (or wives) and when he bonds with a little siren named Nia. She’s so adorable and I love it when she always wants him to hold her. One scene I thought was funny was when Steve was renaming and labeling Leene after she tried to go back on her word after he won two of her challenges with ease. He labeled an “oath breaker” then a kidnapper and so on before she finally backed down.
All in all I thought this was a good book, hopefully Steve will be less of a jerk in the sequel. I find it funny how he belittles himself at times internally. He seems to have a lot of emotional baggage not that I’m judging him it’s just he always has a lot on his mind (to be fair it’s usually for good reason). I’d you like fantasy, magical girls and harems I’d say check it out.
I thought this was pretty good, the setting’s interesting, the characters are interesting to read about and the story has a lot going for it in terms of growth and expansion. Steve is kind’ve unlikable throughout the book. While he does show signs of development in the course of the story there were moments where I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his slick mouth and actions. Some of his actions while understandable are still questionable such as when he killed a woman who tried to rile everyone up who arrived on his farm in an attempt to take it over.
The women he takes in and beds are interesting. Nikki’s loyal and spunky. Hats off to her for putting up with Steve and his grumpiness. Misty’s pretty fun to read about too. It’s strange though that she refers to herself as “Your Misty” and Steve as “My Steve”. Most of the women are as they have something new to offer. Kassandra’s a Lamia, Xiven’s an elf and Lucia’s a fairy or fae. My only gripe is that some of them offered themselves to him so quickly like the three daughters of the mayor he killed (though it was understandable). Not only that the way they talk about how the men are used solely for breeding is eerie. I guess it’s a form of commentary on sexism in that regard.
There’re some really nice moments such as when he expresses his appreciation for his women (or wives) and when he bonds with a little siren named Nia. She’s so adorable and I love it when she always wants him to hold her. One scene I thought was funny was when Steve was renaming and labeling Leene after she tried to go back on her word after he won two of her challenges with ease. He labeled an “oath breaker” then a kidnapper and so on before she finally backed down.
All in all I thought this was a good book, hopefully Steve will be less of a jerk in the sequel. I find it funny how he belittles himself at times internally. He seems to have a lot of emotional baggage not that I’m judging him it’s just he always has a lot on his mind (to be fair it’s usually for good reason). I’d you like fantasy, magical girls and harems I’d say check it out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2019
I just started and this seems like a farming simulator.
Hmm.
This book is the usual Randi Darren fare. It's entertaining and has a great plot and story to tell... then the author inserts his harem fetish and whatever mind magic he is using to allow multiple women to not only share a man without stabbing each other in the back, but also willingly helping out each other for the betterment of all. In this case, men are cattle that women size up and purchase.
While reading this book I kept remembering some film I saw as a child, where a group of women were standing around something and the man sneaking into the building was caught, and one of the women screams out thirstily/amorously "It's a MAN!!!", and all the other women started screaming too and getting excited.
Another thing that I noticed, is that in all these books the protagonist "gases" his women up with compliments. One of the women called him out in this book for it, and I agree with her. They sound fake and insincere as hell.
With all that said and done, I did enjoy it (once I ignored certain parts), and will read the next book when it comes out. I was hesitant to pick this up, but once you ignore the unrealistic harem, it was quite enjoyable.
I honestly thought the author's harem fetish got away from him, and he was going to do necrophilia in here.
3/5 Stars
Hmm.
This book is the usual Randi Darren fare. It's entertaining and has a great plot and story to tell... then the author inserts his harem fetish and whatever mind magic he is using to allow multiple women to not only share a man without stabbing each other in the back, but also willingly helping out each other for the betterment of all. In this case, men are cattle that women size up and purchase.
While reading this book I kept remembering some film I saw as a child, where a group of women were standing around something and the man sneaking into the building was caught, and one of the women screams out thirstily/amorously "It's a MAN!!!", and all the other women started screaming too and getting excited.
Another thing that I noticed, is that in all these books the protagonist "gases" his women up with compliments. One of the women called him out in this book for it, and I agree with her. They sound fake and insincere as hell.
With all that said and done, I did enjoy it (once I ignored certain parts), and will read the next book when it comes out. I was hesitant to pick this up, but once you ignore the unrealistic harem, it was quite enjoyable.
I honestly thought the author's harem fetish got away from him, and he was going to do necrophilia in here.
3/5 Stars
October 26, 2021
The Author of this book is a sociopath, if not a full-blown psychopath.
Because I can not imagine how anyone who is NOT one could ever write such a revolting, absolutely disgusting sociopathic/psychopathic main character like Steve, and then portray him as the "hero" of the story.
The things the author made the main character Steve do and say and think are revolting, the character seems to have no morals whatsoever, constantly threatens to slaughter people and eat them, thinks about ripping the guts out of women through their assholes, is absolutely uncaring about the feelings and plights of others, does what he wants when he wants while 100% uncaring about how it impacts and influences other characters, and shows no hesitation whatsoever to MURDER IN COLD BLOOD and not even be bothered by it AT ALL. He murders like it's nothing at all to him. He doesn't even reason for it, or weighs options, if he's pissed he goes straight to murder like it's a completely logical, rational thing to do.
Steve is, without joking here, THE most reprehensible, disgusting, unlikable and horrible "hero" I have ever had the misfortune of reading about.
I made it through ~20% of the book. I thought to call it quits at around only ~10% because this MC is just so fucking awful, but powered through it a little longer because I held the slight hope that it would improve, as some books do. It did not. It just got worse.
Because I can not imagine how anyone who is NOT one could ever write such a revolting, absolutely disgusting sociopathic/psychopathic main character like Steve, and then portray him as the "hero" of the story.
The things the author made the main character Steve do and say and think are revolting, the character seems to have no morals whatsoever, constantly threatens to slaughter people and eat them, thinks about ripping the guts out of women through their assholes, is absolutely uncaring about the feelings and plights of others, does what he wants when he wants while 100% uncaring about how it impacts and influences other characters, and shows no hesitation whatsoever to MURDER IN COLD BLOOD and not even be bothered by it AT ALL. He murders like it's nothing at all to him. He doesn't even reason for it, or weighs options, if he's pissed he goes straight to murder like it's a completely logical, rational thing to do.
Steve is, without joking here, THE most reprehensible, disgusting, unlikable and horrible "hero" I have ever had the misfortune of reading about.
I made it through ~20% of the book. I thought to call it quits at around only ~10% because this MC is just so fucking awful, but powered through it a little longer because I held the slight hope that it would improve, as some books do. It did not. It just got worse.
August 23, 2022
TL;DR: Wow. Just wow, and not in a good way. I usually have a thick skin and am used to getting over some level of bad stuff like misogyny and the like, especially in a fantasy harem setting, but even for me this is a bit too much.
Setting: interesting, it's what drew me in the first place
World building: extremely limited
Fantasy elements: same old, and even that barely even explored
Characters: bland and poorly developed
Main character: asshole, designed to be a self-insert but damn, I'd just feel dirty.
Sex scenes: like bad descriptions of porn scenes: had to cringe and skip whenever they came up (and I read Anita Blake)
Overall: bad even by the low standards I set for this kind of stuff
Thoughts:
This reads like the fantasy of the lazy asshole construction worker on the corner of the street that is catcalling underage girls while leaving his buddies to do all the work.
The entire world, and especially the women within it, are designed specifically to cater to exactly that kind of mindset: it is the women's duty to bed men and bring about their heirs. The main character's personality and vocabulary is limited to what you'd expect from an idiot catcalling underage girls on the street and expecting them to not only like it, but find it attractive. What's worse, when the MC basically does it in the book of course the women fall over each other to get to his... thing. It's like the author never spoke to a woman.
Sorry, but it's just... bad.
Setting: interesting, it's what drew me in the first place
World building: extremely limited
Fantasy elements: same old, and even that barely even explored
Characters: bland and poorly developed
Main character: asshole, designed to be a self-insert but damn, I'd just feel dirty.
Sex scenes: like bad descriptions of porn scenes: had to cringe and skip whenever they came up (and I read Anita Blake)
Overall: bad even by the low standards I set for this kind of stuff
Thoughts:
This reads like the fantasy of the lazy asshole construction worker on the corner of the street that is catcalling underage girls while leaving his buddies to do all the work.
The entire world, and especially the women within it, are designed specifically to cater to exactly that kind of mindset: it is the women's duty to bed men and bring about their heirs. The main character's personality and vocabulary is limited to what you'd expect from an idiot catcalling underage girls on the street and expecting them to not only like it, but find it attractive. What's worse, when the MC basically does it in the book of course the women fall over each other to get to his... thing. It's like the author never spoke to a woman.
Sorry, but it's just... bad.
December 28, 2021
I'm an idiot.
Why do I keep reading these? Every main (male) character is exactly the same as all the others in this shared universe: a huge asshole that specifically says things like, "Don't care. Someone else figure it out" repeatedly...yet basically does whatever he wants anyway. Every supporting (female) character is exactly the same as some other female character in one of the other books.
Only the premise changes. Since this one was sort of like a Civ or Rimworld type setting, and the previous one was a dungeon-core setting, I thought perhaps things would be changed up enough to keep it interesting in my hunger for some good litrpg. Nope. Literally all the same character archetypes just thrown into a slightly different start, but seemingly all headed to similar conclusions. Unless they are these Randi Darren penname books, then you get the added bonus of being able to skip several pages at a time (all the "juicy" parts--hah!) throughout the book (unless you're a teenage boy I suppose).
If it weren't for all the potential tie-ins with Runner along the way (who was also a huge asshole), I can't think of a single good reason to keep reading these. Yet I still do; thus, I'm an idiot.
Why do I keep reading these? Every main (male) character is exactly the same as all the others in this shared universe: a huge asshole that specifically says things like, "Don't care. Someone else figure it out" repeatedly...yet basically does whatever he wants anyway. Every supporting (female) character is exactly the same as some other female character in one of the other books.
Only the premise changes. Since this one was sort of like a Civ or Rimworld type setting, and the previous one was a dungeon-core setting, I thought perhaps things would be changed up enough to keep it interesting in my hunger for some good litrpg. Nope. Literally all the same character archetypes just thrown into a slightly different start, but seemingly all headed to similar conclusions. Unless they are these Randi Darren penname books, then you get the added bonus of being able to skip several pages at a time (all the "juicy" parts--hah!) throughout the book (unless you're a teenage boy I suppose).
If it weren't for all the potential tie-ins with Runner along the way (who was also a huge asshole), I can't think of a single good reason to keep reading these. Yet I still do; thus, I'm an idiot.
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