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Alterlife #1
Alterlife: A Suspenseful VR Thriller
The Chance of A Lifetime...To Live In A Thrilling World of Adventure...One with Endless Possibilities.***Down on his luck and with his back against a wall, John Crussel would do anything to provide for his family.Even rob a bank out of desperation.But when he hears of how he can make money in a virtual reality video game called Alterlife, he walks away from the robbery and decides to give it a shot.Couldn't be harder than robbing a bank, could it?John's world is about to change as he finds that Alterlife is easier than it seems.But being a hotshot new guy that seems to have all the luck draws the attention of some dangerous people in Alterlife - ones that want what he has and are willing to do anything for it.Through a series of unfortunate events, John becomes the first to contract a deadly virus.Now he only has ten days to live.He soon finds himself tied to a sinister plot and realizes that his misfortune may not be a coincidence.The virus was designed to kill players outside of the game. And John was targeted to be a carrier.Can he rid himself of the virus before time runs out?All John Crussel wanted was to make some easy money.He thought Alterlife was just a game...This high stakes novel depicts John's struggle both in and out of virtual reality. Fans of Otherland by Tad Williams, Ready Player One, and Skyrim will feel right at home in Alterlife."Complex, fast paced and filled with lots of intrigue, it's a page turner from start to finish." - William B.ABOUT ALTERLIFEAlterlife is the first book of the Alterlife series. It was largely influenced by my experience with Ultima Online - one of the earliest MMORPG's. I still remember the anticipation I had at the sound of my dial-up internet connection.SELECTED PRAISE FOR MATT MOSS"I'm happy to say that this book just further cements Matt as an author to really watch in the genre and he continues to make a significant mark with his books." - on The Legend of the Soul Stones."This book was entertaining enough to me that I sat down and read it all the way through in one sitting!" - on The Farm"Could NOT put this book down!" - on this novel is available in print paperback as well as an eBook on Kindle Fire and Kindle eReader. It is also available in Kindle Unlimited where subscribers can read for free. The audiobook is currently in production.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2019
200 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 10, 2019
4.5 stars
I'm a huge fan of books where the characters are somehow injected into a video game or virtual reality situation. It all started with the Otherland series by my favorite author of all-time Tad Williams. I was simply blown away when I first read that series because I had never read a plot that incorporated that type of virtual reality storyline before. The fact that Tad did it so brilliantly didn't hurt. Recently books like Ready Player One have also served to reinforced my appreciation for this kind of theme. So when I first came across ALTERLIFE by Matt Moss and saw a blurb describing it as Breaking Bad meets Ready Player One, well let's just say that I absolutely had to read it. It was upon reading it though that I found out that it was much much more than that sensational description could ever do justice. Yes, this is a fantasy book with some incredibly fun and break-neck action, but at its heart it is a book about a man who loves his wife and kids so much that he would do absolutely anything for them. Before I give away too much though, let me talk a little bit more about the plot of ALTERLIFE.
In the opening chapter of ALTERLIFE we meet John Crussel. John appears to be a man at the end of his rope as he sits in his car outside of a bank holding a gun and deliberating with himself whether he should go in and rob it or not. John is a decent man who is trying to do right by his family, but just always seems to run into financial bad luck at every turn. He wants more than anything to provide a better life for his wife and two small children than they currently have. His family is barely getting by living paycheck to paycheck (which isn't very much) and John has finally had enough. As he's waiting in line at the bank to commit his illegal deed, he overhears two men talking about a video game and how the one man made an easy $5,000 playing it the previous night. The game is called ALTERLIFE and there is quick money to be made if you are a good enough player to earn it. John has a change of heart at the last minute and decides to explore this whole potentially lucrative scenario, after all, John was a pretty good gamer back in the day before adulthood forced him to focus on a more serious path in life. John immediately borrows some money to purchase the game and the necessary VR equipment he needs, takes a week off from his current meager-paying job, and settles down at a friend's house to start trying to make the fast cash that he hopes will turn his family's fortunes around. As he logs into the game, he is immediately approached by a few shady characters who may or may not be on the up and up. ALTERLIFE is basically an epic fantasy-like setting and there are taverns, keeps, and various guilds that battle for prominence. If you defeat a character or a monster from the game, you earn skill points and virtual money, which can be transferred into your actual real life bank account. John (who goes by the name Ace in the game) experiences instant success and is even appointed the battle leader of one of the most famous guilds in ALTERLIFE, the Black Knights. Things all seem to finally be coming together for John and he truly believes that this is the answer to his prayers and financial woes. At long last he will be the provider that he has always wanted to be for his children and a husband that his wife can be proud of. John absolutely expects to be able to quit his job and make big money playing ALTERLIFE full time. But someone in the game doesn't especially care for this cocky newcomer's absurdly quick stardom and in an act of treachery, John is poisoned awakening to find all of the monetary gains he made in the game have been wiped clean. A devastated John is now left with two choices, give up and go back to his daily mundane struggle to make ends meet, or start all over, find out who sabotaged him, and climb the ladder again in his attempt to be the master of not just the game but his own destiny. It won't be easy though, because whoever wants him dead is still somewhere inside ALTERLIFE waiting should he decide to venture back into its dark and ruthless environs.
We all know someone like John Crussel. In fact, some of us may even BE John Crussel. A person who feels like a failure in life, wants to do the right thing, but consistently makes misguided or rash choices in doing so that just seem to dig the hole deeper. John's character was one that I felt such sympathy for immediately because he is perpetually a conflicted soul. He loves his family above all else and is at heart a good guy, but he also feels the need to lie to those same beloved family members in an effort to conquer the game of ALTERLIFE and make enough money to give them the life that they deserve. So he's almost a self-loathing person who at once both hates the situation he is in and blames his own inadequacies for putting he and his family there. There is one scene in the book where he and his wife are looking at their children asleep in their beds and John's wife says, "Look at those miracles. We made those, you and I." Being the father of two little miracles myself, this particular quote really moved me and it is also the perfect encapsulation of the type of person that John Crussel is at his core. It's this dichotomy of the loving family man who often pushes the envelope to give his family a better life that really drives the story. This is where my earlier statement of this review comes from. To call this book simply a fantasy story or a story about a video game is not at all sufficient. The emotional struggles of John are present throughout the entire story and motivate every single one of his actions. Oh and by the way, the action and fantasy parts are great too don't get me wrong. The only thing that kept me from giving ALTERLIFE five stars is that I wish the setting of the game was fleshed out a little more. And that is coming from a place of me yearning for more of ALTERLIFE the world-building part. It's actually a compliment because I thought that the brief descriptions that we did get of the setting itself were amazing and I wanted to know much more than what was provided. So in closing I would just like to make the point that Matt Moss has done something here that should really make people stand up and take notice. He's written a magical fantasy story that is also deeply rooted in its real life humanity. If you want to know how I feel about ALTERLIFE all you really need to know is that I read the entire book in only four days. That's how damn good it was. So preorder this one as soon as you can because it has a planned release date of early 2019. Books like these don't come around very often, so make sure that you check out ALTERLIFE. It's a ride that will thrill you and move you at the same time.
I'm a huge fan of books where the characters are somehow injected into a video game or virtual reality situation. It all started with the Otherland series by my favorite author of all-time Tad Williams. I was simply blown away when I first read that series because I had never read a plot that incorporated that type of virtual reality storyline before. The fact that Tad did it so brilliantly didn't hurt. Recently books like Ready Player One have also served to reinforced my appreciation for this kind of theme. So when I first came across ALTERLIFE by Matt Moss and saw a blurb describing it as Breaking Bad meets Ready Player One, well let's just say that I absolutely had to read it. It was upon reading it though that I found out that it was much much more than that sensational description could ever do justice. Yes, this is a fantasy book with some incredibly fun and break-neck action, but at its heart it is a book about a man who loves his wife and kids so much that he would do absolutely anything for them. Before I give away too much though, let me talk a little bit more about the plot of ALTERLIFE.
In the opening chapter of ALTERLIFE we meet John Crussel. John appears to be a man at the end of his rope as he sits in his car outside of a bank holding a gun and deliberating with himself whether he should go in and rob it or not. John is a decent man who is trying to do right by his family, but just always seems to run into financial bad luck at every turn. He wants more than anything to provide a better life for his wife and two small children than they currently have. His family is barely getting by living paycheck to paycheck (which isn't very much) and John has finally had enough. As he's waiting in line at the bank to commit his illegal deed, he overhears two men talking about a video game and how the one man made an easy $5,000 playing it the previous night. The game is called ALTERLIFE and there is quick money to be made if you are a good enough player to earn it. John has a change of heart at the last minute and decides to explore this whole potentially lucrative scenario, after all, John was a pretty good gamer back in the day before adulthood forced him to focus on a more serious path in life. John immediately borrows some money to purchase the game and the necessary VR equipment he needs, takes a week off from his current meager-paying job, and settles down at a friend's house to start trying to make the fast cash that he hopes will turn his family's fortunes around. As he logs into the game, he is immediately approached by a few shady characters who may or may not be on the up and up. ALTERLIFE is basically an epic fantasy-like setting and there are taverns, keeps, and various guilds that battle for prominence. If you defeat a character or a monster from the game, you earn skill points and virtual money, which can be transferred into your actual real life bank account. John (who goes by the name Ace in the game) experiences instant success and is even appointed the battle leader of one of the most famous guilds in ALTERLIFE, the Black Knights. Things all seem to finally be coming together for John and he truly believes that this is the answer to his prayers and financial woes. At long last he will be the provider that he has always wanted to be for his children and a husband that his wife can be proud of. John absolutely expects to be able to quit his job and make big money playing ALTERLIFE full time. But someone in the game doesn't especially care for this cocky newcomer's absurdly quick stardom and in an act of treachery, John is poisoned awakening to find all of the monetary gains he made in the game have been wiped clean. A devastated John is now left with two choices, give up and go back to his daily mundane struggle to make ends meet, or start all over, find out who sabotaged him, and climb the ladder again in his attempt to be the master of not just the game but his own destiny. It won't be easy though, because whoever wants him dead is still somewhere inside ALTERLIFE waiting should he decide to venture back into its dark and ruthless environs.
We all know someone like John Crussel. In fact, some of us may even BE John Crussel. A person who feels like a failure in life, wants to do the right thing, but consistently makes misguided or rash choices in doing so that just seem to dig the hole deeper. John's character was one that I felt such sympathy for immediately because he is perpetually a conflicted soul. He loves his family above all else and is at heart a good guy, but he also feels the need to lie to those same beloved family members in an effort to conquer the game of ALTERLIFE and make enough money to give them the life that they deserve. So he's almost a self-loathing person who at once both hates the situation he is in and blames his own inadequacies for putting he and his family there. There is one scene in the book where he and his wife are looking at their children asleep in their beds and John's wife says, "Look at those miracles. We made those, you and I." Being the father of two little miracles myself, this particular quote really moved me and it is also the perfect encapsulation of the type of person that John Crussel is at his core. It's this dichotomy of the loving family man who often pushes the envelope to give his family a better life that really drives the story. This is where my earlier statement of this review comes from. To call this book simply a fantasy story or a story about a video game is not at all sufficient. The emotional struggles of John are present throughout the entire story and motivate every single one of his actions. Oh and by the way, the action and fantasy parts are great too don't get me wrong. The only thing that kept me from giving ALTERLIFE five stars is that I wish the setting of the game was fleshed out a little more. And that is coming from a place of me yearning for more of ALTERLIFE the world-building part. It's actually a compliment because I thought that the brief descriptions that we did get of the setting itself were amazing and I wanted to know much more than what was provided. So in closing I would just like to make the point that Matt Moss has done something here that should really make people stand up and take notice. He's written a magical fantasy story that is also deeply rooted in its real life humanity. If you want to know how I feel about ALTERLIFE all you really need to know is that I read the entire book in only four days. That's how damn good it was. So preorder this one as soon as you can because it has a planned release date of early 2019. Books like these don't come around very often, so make sure that you check out ALTERLIFE. It's a ride that will thrill you and move you at the same time.
September 12, 2022
John is a hard working family man, who has found himself at the end of his rope. About to attempt to rob a bank, at the last minute he backs out upon hearing some bystanders discussing the financial opportunities in Alterlife. Of course, the game is sold out and he doesn't have the money to get a copy anyway, but as always John can find himself a solution, and finds his way into the virtual reality MMORPG by the end of the week. Fully delivering on it's title, it alters his life forever.
Right off the writing is extremely polished, which is on it's own a bit of a selling point in LitRPG. It skips the stat dumps and streams of achievements for a bit more immersive experience. The premise following an older family man who has settled down with a wife and kids is also an interesting turn, and of course something those of us who grew up with an NES/SNES can connect to.
However, that's where the empathy stops, John is a pretty full on unlikable protagonist if that is your thing definitely grab this one - if he weren't married he would probably be a red piller. John at the same time believes the whole world is keeping him down, while also thinking he is smarter and better than everyone, that he can overcome anything. In real life, he seems to think the measure of his success is being a provider, but in his pursuit of that he actually becomes a terrible husband and father - neglecting, ignoring, and lying to his wife and kids to accomplish what he thinks is his obligation to them. He lucks into immediate and major success (while accrediting it to his brilliance of course), so it's very satisfying as a reader when karma strikes back (karma PUNCH!). We see definite moments of self-awareness coming around, but I'm on the fence to see how character growth goes in future volumes in the series, given the short length it does a good job setting that up as a probability even if it doesn't much start down the path of him changing his ways. Will be an interesting one to follow.
Right off the writing is extremely polished, which is on it's own a bit of a selling point in LitRPG. It skips the stat dumps and streams of achievements for a bit more immersive experience. The premise following an older family man who has settled down with a wife and kids is also an interesting turn, and of course something those of us who grew up with an NES/SNES can connect to.
However, that's where the empathy stops, John is a pretty full on unlikable protagonist if that is your thing definitely grab this one - if he weren't married he would probably be a red piller. John at the same time believes the whole world is keeping him down, while also thinking he is smarter and better than everyone, that he can overcome anything. In real life, he seems to think the measure of his success is being a provider, but in his pursuit of that he actually becomes a terrible husband and father - neglecting, ignoring, and lying to his wife and kids to accomplish what he thinks is his obligation to them. He lucks into immediate and major success (while accrediting it to his brilliance of course), so it's very satisfying as a reader when karma strikes back (karma PUNCH!). We see definite moments of self-awareness coming around, but I'm on the fence to see how character growth goes in future volumes in the series, given the short length it does a good job setting that up as a probability even if it doesn't much start down the path of him changing his ways. Will be an interesting one to follow.
March 13, 2019
Ready Player One meets Breaking Bad. ALTERLIFE is the start of a dark LitRPG series about the lengths a person will go to in order to protect their family... and what happens when VR becomes more than just a game.
Read
April 11, 2019Now available.
For fans of Breaking Bad and Ready Player One.
For fans of Breaking Bad and Ready Player One.
November 15, 2018
Alterlife: Alterlife Book 1
By Matt Moss
Genre - Fiction
Category - Gaming/Virtual Reality/Fantasy/Adventure
Pages -
Publication Info - Independently Published (Due for release early 2019)
Format - ARC - Digital
Rating - 📙📙📙📙📙
In his upcoming release, due sometime in the beginning of 2019, Alterlife: Alterlife, Book 1 by Matt Moss is a bit of a departure from his first three books and his usual fare. While there is still an element of the fantasy/adventure it is only in a virtual reality that this takes place. The protagonist/antagonist (because he really is his own worst enemy, and has a dual existence) lives his life in two different realities. One in a contemporary setting with his wife and 2 children where he would do, or at least has convinced himself that he would do anything to provide a better life for them. But then he enters a virtual reality game where he starts to spend almost all of his time and in essence deprives his family of the one thing they really want, his time and interaction with them. I’m conflicted with how I feel about this character, and I think that’s the point really. I feel sorry for him, but at the same time I want to knock him upside the head and say “hey buddy, you have a wonderful life and family, pay attention to them”. He is a bit damaged and dealing with some inner demons and thinks that money is going to be the answer to all his problems. The two worlds soon begin to intertwine and he has a difficult time differentiating the two. Matt does a wonderful job once again of creating a brilliant and imaginative fantasy world. Complex, fast paced and filled with lots of intrigue, it’s a page turner from start to finish. I very much enjoyed this new look for Matt. I love his Epic Fantasy, but really appreciate the effort to move on to something a bit different and show us another side of his creative and imaginative vision. I so enjoyed this read and the journey of all the characters along the way. It’s almost like two stories are taking place within the same book. A great read, and I look forward to the next installment.
Publisher description: A man's quest for freedom. A world of limitless possibilities.
John Crussel would do anything to provide for his family. Even rob a bank out of desperation.
But when he hears of how he can make money in a virtual reality video game called Alterlife, he walks away from the robbery and decides to give it a shot.
Couldn't be harder than robbing a bank, could it?
John's world is about to change.
Alterlife is in the vein of Breaking Bad and Ready Player One.
About the Author: Matt Moss is an older millennial who found a love for reading in his mid-twenties. After three years of devouring fantasy and historical fiction novels, he decided to try his own hand at writing. The Path of Man was written by hand during his breaks while working construction. He currently lives with his wife and three toddlers in the mountains of North Carolina and writes around the edges of the day.
Other Books by Matt Moss: The Path of Man (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 1), The Shepherd of Fire (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 2) & The End of Days (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 3).
By Matt Moss
Genre - Fiction
Category - Gaming/Virtual Reality/Fantasy/Adventure
Pages -
Publication Info - Independently Published (Due for release early 2019)
Format - ARC - Digital
Rating - 📙📙📙📙📙
In his upcoming release, due sometime in the beginning of 2019, Alterlife: Alterlife, Book 1 by Matt Moss is a bit of a departure from his first three books and his usual fare. While there is still an element of the fantasy/adventure it is only in a virtual reality that this takes place. The protagonist/antagonist (because he really is his own worst enemy, and has a dual existence) lives his life in two different realities. One in a contemporary setting with his wife and 2 children where he would do, or at least has convinced himself that he would do anything to provide a better life for them. But then he enters a virtual reality game where he starts to spend almost all of his time and in essence deprives his family of the one thing they really want, his time and interaction with them. I’m conflicted with how I feel about this character, and I think that’s the point really. I feel sorry for him, but at the same time I want to knock him upside the head and say “hey buddy, you have a wonderful life and family, pay attention to them”. He is a bit damaged and dealing with some inner demons and thinks that money is going to be the answer to all his problems. The two worlds soon begin to intertwine and he has a difficult time differentiating the two. Matt does a wonderful job once again of creating a brilliant and imaginative fantasy world. Complex, fast paced and filled with lots of intrigue, it’s a page turner from start to finish. I very much enjoyed this new look for Matt. I love his Epic Fantasy, but really appreciate the effort to move on to something a bit different and show us another side of his creative and imaginative vision. I so enjoyed this read and the journey of all the characters along the way. It’s almost like two stories are taking place within the same book. A great read, and I look forward to the next installment.
Publisher description: A man's quest for freedom. A world of limitless possibilities.
John Crussel would do anything to provide for his family. Even rob a bank out of desperation.
But when he hears of how he can make money in a virtual reality video game called Alterlife, he walks away from the robbery and decides to give it a shot.
Couldn't be harder than robbing a bank, could it?
John's world is about to change.
Alterlife is in the vein of Breaking Bad and Ready Player One.
About the Author: Matt Moss is an older millennial who found a love for reading in his mid-twenties. After three years of devouring fantasy and historical fiction novels, he decided to try his own hand at writing. The Path of Man was written by hand during his breaks while working construction. He currently lives with his wife and three toddlers in the mountains of North Carolina and writes around the edges of the day.
Other Books by Matt Moss: The Path of Man (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 1), The Shepherd of Fire (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 2) & The End of Days (The Soul Stone Trilogy, Book 3).
July 12, 2019
Moss’s short piece (under 250 pages) is one of the best Weekend Reads I could hope for. I liked so much about it: the politics of the guild, the pure drama of the fight scenes, and the way Moss creates tension between John in the real and the gaming world. This is a quick read, but far from a shallow replay of a video game. John represents what many people feel: the pressure to do it all, to make the money/ provide for a family in need, to get some distance from those mounting bills.
Pick this one up for an exciting escape, but also a little truth about our rat race existence.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/07/06/af...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
Pick this one up for an exciting escape, but also a little truth about our rat race existence.
For my full review: https://paulspicks.blog/2019/07/06/af...
For all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
October 4, 2019
A virtual world.
I can’t give this book any less than five stars because it is good! There is certainly action and plenty of suspense that keeps you glued to it. I personally couldn’t put it down. On the other hand I found it very frustrating and somewhat depressing. The story is very different. I should imagine that anyone who is into gaming would find it fascinating. If it was written with the idea of outlining the dangers of losing yourself in a virtual world then it does a superb job and also reminds us to never believe your own advertising.
I can’t give this book any less than five stars because it is good! There is certainly action and plenty of suspense that keeps you glued to it. I personally couldn’t put it down. On the other hand I found it very frustrating and somewhat depressing. The story is very different. I should imagine that anyone who is into gaming would find it fascinating. If it was written with the idea of outlining the dangers of losing yourself in a virtual world then it does a superb job and also reminds us to never believe your own advertising.
June 24, 2021
If you’re interested in the LitRPG genre this is a good starting point as it’s light on the game elements like character stats and other in-game info that can sometimes get cumbersome.
The writing style is easy to follow and makes the pages just fly by (took me less than two days and I’m usually a very slow reader).
One thing I really enjoyed about this was the protagonist was not the norm from what I’ve read of the genre. John is nearing forty, has a wife and kids, and is struggling to make ends meet which leads to a state of uneasiness, fear, and depression at not being able to provide and care for his family.
The story starts with John on the verge of robbing a bank because he’s so desperate for money. He bails on that plan and overhears someone talking about how much money they made from playing Alterlife, a new VRMMORPG. That seems easy enough, so he plans on looking into that.
John acquires the game and becomes addicted to just how easy it is to be someone special, something more, and of course the money.
But it doesn’t take long for things to get complicated, and those things begin spilling over into his real life.
There is a beginnings of godliness scenario later in the book, which I’m not crazy about, but so far it isn’t bad.
The only real critique I have is the money system. You can transfer money you earn in the game to your bank in the real world. One gold equals one dollar, so if you kill a creature and it drops a thousand gold you just made a grand... That seems way too easy, and there’s no talk of how it’s actually done, like how does the company pay out all of this? Is there a recurring fee users have to pay to play so the company is constantly earning money to be able to pay users...but that still wouldn’t make much sense... So yeah, that was something I couldn’t stop thinking about, and it’s a major part of the story.
But overall I enjoyed the story and a protagonist who was easy to associate with, and I’ll be trying out the sequel.
The writing style is easy to follow and makes the pages just fly by (took me less than two days and I’m usually a very slow reader).
One thing I really enjoyed about this was the protagonist was not the norm from what I’ve read of the genre. John is nearing forty, has a wife and kids, and is struggling to make ends meet which leads to a state of uneasiness, fear, and depression at not being able to provide and care for his family.
The story starts with John on the verge of robbing a bank because he’s so desperate for money. He bails on that plan and overhears someone talking about how much money they made from playing Alterlife, a new VRMMORPG. That seems easy enough, so he plans on looking into that.
John acquires the game and becomes addicted to just how easy it is to be someone special, something more, and of course the money.
But it doesn’t take long for things to get complicated, and those things begin spilling over into his real life.
There is a beginnings of godliness scenario later in the book, which I’m not crazy about, but so far it isn’t bad.
The only real critique I have is the money system. You can transfer money you earn in the game to your bank in the real world. One gold equals one dollar, so if you kill a creature and it drops a thousand gold you just made a grand... That seems way too easy, and there’s no talk of how it’s actually done, like how does the company pay out all of this? Is there a recurring fee users have to pay to play so the company is constantly earning money to be able to pay users...but that still wouldn’t make much sense... So yeah, that was something I couldn’t stop thinking about, and it’s a major part of the story.
But overall I enjoyed the story and a protagonist who was easy to associate with, and I’ll be trying out the sequel.
December 17, 2018
This book was just a really fun read. The realism of the VR world and the attention to detail is impressive. It’s not unrealistic in today’s world. We are venturing into VR where his could easily happen. The layers of why and how and when went together seamlessly. It’s even better if you like your drink with a twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2020
LitRPG books are often mediocre, and this series (well, books 1 and 2, before I gave up) fails to live up to even that standard. It has all of the standard problems of the genre, along with all sorts of exciting new ones and plenty of misogyny. In some LitRPG books, the main character is handed powerful magical items and rare quests with little justification. In this one, he literally is immediately handed the most powerful artefacts in the game for no reason. In some books, characters with few skills can apparently earn a living from their performance in the game in question. In this one, the main character immediately becomes a millionaire.
The main character (and let's face it, the only one who matters) makes a wide range of stupid decisions, from the initial one - being in a dire financial situation, he overhears people talking about making money in an MMO, so begs a thousand dollar loan from his boss and buys a bootleg copy in the hope that this is his ticket to success and fortune - through to him constantly neglecting his real life family in favour of the game (though of course he constantly chastises himself for this).
LitRPGs are expected to be power fantasies, but this one is particularly blatant. The main character does what he feels like, secure in the knowledge that he's a badass and that he's invulnerable.
There are some repugnant politics on display - the main character has a wife who he assures us that he loves very much... but her place is very definitely in the kitchen. He goes on about how a man should provide for and protect his family... and decides to sneak into his bedroom while his wife is asleep to test what she would do in the case of a home intruder. Of course, the wife's sole place in the plot is to alternately reassure him that she loves him no matter what and is there for him, and to castigate him for his focus on the game. The main character also forces her to learn to shoot a gun for self defense, brushing away her objections, and of course a few paragraphs later she's loving it. The main character assumes that his teenage son is sexually harassing their nanny, and doesn't even consider it worthy enough of note to give it a "boys will be boys" justification or anything else. The author even works in the slogan "Make America great again", apparently seriously.
The actual plot was a reasonable page-turner. There were plenty of nonsensicalities and one major plot point that appeared out of nowhere (in the sense that the book suddenly started talking about it as though it had been previously introduced), but it was just mediocre, not bad.
The main character (and let's face it, the only one who matters) makes a wide range of stupid decisions, from the initial one - being in a dire financial situation, he overhears people talking about making money in an MMO, so begs a thousand dollar loan from his boss and buys a bootleg copy in the hope that this is his ticket to success and fortune - through to him constantly neglecting his real life family in favour of the game (though of course he constantly chastises himself for this).
LitRPGs are expected to be power fantasies, but this one is particularly blatant. The main character does what he feels like, secure in the knowledge that he's a badass and that he's invulnerable.
There are some repugnant politics on display - the main character has a wife who he assures us that he loves very much... but her place is very definitely in the kitchen. He goes on about how a man should provide for and protect his family... and decides to sneak into his bedroom while his wife is asleep to test what she would do in the case of a home intruder. Of course, the wife's sole place in the plot is to alternately reassure him that she loves him no matter what and is there for him, and to castigate him for his focus on the game. The main character also forces her to learn to shoot a gun for self defense, brushing away her objections, and of course a few paragraphs later she's loving it. The main character assumes that his teenage son is sexually harassing their nanny, and doesn't even consider it worthy enough of note to give it a "boys will be boys" justification or anything else. The author even works in the slogan "Make America great again", apparently seriously.
The actual plot was a reasonable page-turner. There were plenty of nonsensicalities and one major plot point that appeared out of nowhere (in the sense that the book suddenly started talking about it as though it had been previously introduced), but it was just mediocre, not bad.
May 30, 2019
Odd but interesting book.
This one has some unique pieces such as the advancement dynamics in the story. No player levels, only skills and stats increase. I tend to like those kinds of stories, because it's not focused on strictly player advancement, but player improvement, which isn't always the same thing.
The story isn't as good as it perhaps could be, but it's certainly good enough to entertain, and that's the whole point. I expect most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one, even with it's nonstandard progression. For the most part, the book is clean and professional as relates to grammar, though there are a few errors here and there, they didn't bother me all that much, so I suspect most people won't even be bothered by them either.
This one has some unique pieces such as the advancement dynamics in the story. No player levels, only skills and stats increase. I tend to like those kinds of stories, because it's not focused on strictly player advancement, but player improvement, which isn't always the same thing.
The story isn't as good as it perhaps could be, but it's certainly good enough to entertain, and that's the whole point. I expect most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one, even with it's nonstandard progression. For the most part, the book is clean and professional as relates to grammar, though there are a few errors here and there, they didn't bother me all that much, so I suspect most people won't even be bothered by them either.
December 11, 2020
The story appeared quite appealing so i was curious and requested this one and although a bit of a struggle to get theough in the initial few chapters as the backstory was set this picks up quite nicely. Jon although a bit too good and nice takes a gamble where he sees a dream an the choices heid forced to make become morally dubious even if this isn't the real world. This becomes the usual how would we react to things in a game world compares to real life and how his would make us in the real world so it does have stamina on this theme. A little too fast and a little too OP so soon and it comes his way far too quick but i would follow this story further as the characters become quite engaging so i have decided to leave my thoughts on this for everyone.
January 5, 2020
Book one
Mistakes: Very well edited.
Plot: A man upset with his lot in life plays a game to make money.
Characters: I Don’t like the Mc at all. He is a liar, thief, and murder.
Started playing the game and the next thing you know he goes from never having done drugs, alcohol, or smoking, to doing all three.
But it’s okay because he does it all for his family. That’s his excuse.
5/10
Mistakes: Very well edited.
Plot: A man upset with his lot in life plays a game to make money.
Characters: I Don’t like the Mc at all. He is a liar, thief, and murder.
Started playing the game and the next thing you know he goes from never having done drugs, alcohol, or smoking, to doing all three.
But it’s okay because he does it all for his family. That’s his excuse.
5/10
April 28, 2020
This was not a well-written book. The story, itself, was interesting, but the writing itself was just not up to snuff. The story would take huge twists and turns that are described in a sentence or two, making them totally unbelievable. Key plot elements are hand-waived away and addressed perfunctorily.
The story arc itself has promise, but I won’t be continuing with the series due to the poor writing quality.
The story arc itself has promise, but I won’t be continuing with the series due to the poor writing quality.
May 13, 2020
So I enjoy this book it did have a little bit of thrown Together plot line just to make the book make sense not a bad thing just a bit unbelievable that a series of events would happen like they did in this book I would have liked to see it a bit more flushed out, for me the unrealistic nature of the plot line broke immersion a little bit. However all of that being said still a very good book and it was a very enjoyable to listen to and I'm looking forward to the next book coming out.
July 1, 2019
Overly brief
Lots of action but things progress too quickly and the main character is totally op. In fairness, there was enough here to keep me reading to the end but I will leave this series here.
Lots of action but things progress too quickly and the main character is totally op. In fairness, there was enough here to keep me reading to the end but I will leave this series here.
December 29, 2019
Not bad, but the main character was not very convincing and his boss kept giving him time off for no reason. The ending seemed rushed.
April 19, 2020
Nothing special
Nothing here to build on. The main character is unlikable, blames everyone else for his failings. The world is unbelievable. The story in mediocre at best.
Nothing here to build on. The main character is unlikable, blames everyone else for his failings. The world is unbelievable. The story in mediocre at best.
April 27, 2020
fast paced and shallow characters with a non so interesting story.
July 18, 2020
A little over explained in some areas, a little too jump cut-y in others, but overall really good.
October 7, 2020
Read this as a change of genre and it starts off ok but after buying the following books it gets a bit blah
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2021
Very good read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend it to anyone who likes LitRPG and character development with some other decisions that are life altering.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend it to anyone who likes LitRPG and character development with some other decisions that are life altering.
March 25, 2022
3.5/5
Five things:
- VR video game
- Fantasy world simulation
- Get rich quick schemes
- Thin line between in game and IRL
- Lying to family
Five things:
- VR video game
- Fantasy world simulation
- Get rich quick schemes
- Thin line between in game and IRL
- Lying to family
January 1, 2020
Not a bad first book
My main issue with the book is th MC gets handed everything. He loses a legendary item and conveniently get another?
My main issue with the book is th MC gets handed everything. He loses a legendary item and conveniently get another?
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