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Vainqueur the Dragon #1
Vainqueur the Dragon
Vainqueur Knightsbane is your average a giant, fire-breathing lizard who loves to take naps on his golden hoard, kidnap princesses for fun, and make the life of adventurers miserable. Vainqueur's only pleasure in life is to watch his treasure get bigger, one coin at a time. So when a would-be thief turned unwilling minion tells him about "classes," "levels," and "quests," Vainqueur wonders if maybe, just maybe, he should consider a career change. After all, why bother hunting monsters for free when you can get paid for it?
515 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2019
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1160 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
December 9, 2019
Hilarious and very hard to put down. A masterful telling, LitRPG style, of a dragon that learns about leveling and getting paid for destroying the things he was previously fighting for free. I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. The misunderstandings and sheer stubborn superiority from the dragon made for an awesome adventure. Great supporting cast of characters and although a decent sized book, I wished for more at the end. Highly recommended and definitely a story worth spending your hard earned money on.
May 18, 2024
Escenas:
*Vainqueur comiendo la comida envenenada, ganando inmunidad gracias a esta y exigiendo más.
El Conde Gilbert, apropiadamente atemorizado: maldita sea, ¿por qué el cabrón no muere ya?
*Vainqueur, intentando hacer su entrada dramática en el templo de Haudemer: maa, ese pobre templo…
*El sacrificio —su oro— que hace Vainqueur: progreso, gente. Progreso.
*la línea de cría: dioses, gracioso.
Dice así: hace años Vainqueur Knightsbane, Primero de su Nombre y Great Calamity de su época se despertó, hizo compras (es decir, saqueó) tuvo un encuentro desagradable, secuestró una princesa, asistió al primer Bragging Day de su sobrina, se emborrachó comiendo enanos, arrasó y quemó, despertó al día siguiente sin recordar nada y, una vez que muchos de sus recuerdos volvieron, decidió que las Albain Mountains eran un buen lugar para mudarse… y que no volvería a comer enanos. Nunca.
Y luego durmió. Durante mucho, mucho tiempo.
Cuando Victor Dalton —un tipo que murió en la Tierra y acabó en un mundo de fantasía— acepta recuperar un estoque de plata, lo hace únicamente con la esperanza de aumentar sus estadísticas, subir niveles y todo eso. Él no espera, definitivamente no espera, terminar encontrando a un dragón que se daba por muerto, informar a dicho dragón sobre las clases, beneficios y esas cosas y ser convertido en el secuaz de Vainqueur.
Se pone mejor: una vez que este último ve las recompensas que un aventurero puede ganar, decide convertirse en uno… lo cual Victor había sugerido a modo de broma, en realidad.
Y es así como se crea la compañía de aventureros V&V, que definitivamente no tiene un miembro inusual, otro que terminará con un iPad muy codiciado en su poder y que no irá desatando el caos y provocando destrucción allá por donde vaya, no…
Ahora, algo que es… bueno, algo:
"—¿Tienes pociones de amor?
El bicho la miró con lo que Chocolatine tomó por desaprobación.
—Ya no vendemos pociones de amor. No son éticos y equivalen a darle un empujón a alguien. Respetamos el libre albedrío de nuestros clientes, que es la piedra angular de nuestros resultados.
Chocolatine hizo un puchero.
—¡Pero tú vienes del infierno! ¿No deberías ofrecer ese tipo de solución?
—Ya no nos llamamos Infierno —respondió Malfy—. Después de décadas de estudios comparativos, nuestros Corporate Overlords identificaron que el nombre ya no era políticamente correcto. Ahora hemos sido rebautizados como Happyland."
No, ¿qué carajo en serio?
*Vainqueur comiendo la comida envenenada, ganando inmunidad gracias a esta y exigiendo más.
El Conde Gilbert, apropiadamente atemorizado: maldita sea, ¿por qué el cabrón no muere ya?
*Vainqueur, intentando hacer su entrada dramática en el templo de Haudemer: maa, ese pobre templo…
*El sacrificio —su oro— que hace Vainqueur: progreso, gente. Progreso.
*la línea de cría: dioses, gracioso.
Dice así: hace años Vainqueur Knightsbane, Primero de su Nombre y Great Calamity de su época se despertó, hizo compras (es decir, saqueó) tuvo un encuentro desagradable, secuestró una princesa, asistió al primer Bragging Day de su sobrina, se emborrachó comiendo enanos, arrasó y quemó, despertó al día siguiente sin recordar nada y, una vez que muchos de sus recuerdos volvieron, decidió que las Albain Mountains eran un buen lugar para mudarse… y que no volvería a comer enanos. Nunca.
Y luego durmió. Durante mucho, mucho tiempo.
Cuando Victor Dalton —un tipo que murió en la Tierra y acabó en un mundo de fantasía— acepta recuperar un estoque de plata, lo hace únicamente con la esperanza de aumentar sus estadísticas, subir niveles y todo eso. Él no espera, definitivamente no espera, terminar encontrando a un dragón que se daba por muerto, informar a dicho dragón sobre las clases, beneficios y esas cosas y ser convertido en el secuaz de Vainqueur.
Se pone mejor: una vez que este último ve las recompensas que un aventurero puede ganar, decide convertirse en uno… lo cual Victor había sugerido a modo de broma, en realidad.
Y es así como se crea la compañía de aventureros V&V, que definitivamente no tiene un miembro inusual, otro que terminará con un iPad muy codiciado en su poder y que no irá desatando el caos y provocando destrucción allá por donde vaya, no…
Ahora, algo que es… bueno, algo:
"—¿Tienes pociones de amor?
El bicho la miró con lo que Chocolatine tomó por desaprobación.
—Ya no vendemos pociones de amor. No son éticos y equivalen a darle un empujón a alguien. Respetamos el libre albedrío de nuestros clientes, que es la piedra angular de nuestros resultados.
Chocolatine hizo un puchero.
—¡Pero tú vienes del infierno! ¿No deberías ofrecer ese tipo de solución?
—Ya no nos llamamos Infierno —respondió Malfy—. Después de décadas de estudios comparativos, nuestros Corporate Overlords identificaron que el nombre ya no era políticamente correcto. Ahora hemos sido rebautizados como Happyland."
No, ¿qué carajo en serio?
February 11, 2020
Alert
I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.
So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Now, since I have to keep explaining myself to people who don't like my reviews, I guess some clarification is in order.
1. I am 100% against criticism for works of art. Art is subjective, meaning reviews are irrelevant. The observer's opinion is only relevant to the observer. It is my belief that regardless of what others might say, I have to experience the art for myself.
2. I read upwards of 20 books a month. The $10/month I spend on Kindle Unlimited, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 50 books a month if I were to purchase them directly, all I can offer is a positive review. That leads us to the final point.
3. If I get to the end of a book, then it was worth my time. I give those books 5 stars because it helps the author get exposure on Amazon. That is the only reason I write reviews at all.
I understand that people are people and they are going to do what they do regardless of my stance. I know the way that I review books upsets some people. I am sorry they feel that way but as many have said, they will just ignore my review going forward. In fact, if you made it this far through my review, you should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews here. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
Cheers
I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.
So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Now, since I have to keep explaining myself to people who don't like my reviews, I guess some clarification is in order.
1. I am 100% against criticism for works of art. Art is subjective, meaning reviews are irrelevant. The observer's opinion is only relevant to the observer. It is my belief that regardless of what others might say, I have to experience the art for myself.
2. I read upwards of 20 books a month. The $10/month I spend on Kindle Unlimited, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 50 books a month if I were to purchase them directly, all I can offer is a positive review. That leads us to the final point.
3. If I get to the end of a book, then it was worth my time. I give those books 5 stars because it helps the author get exposure on Amazon. That is the only reason I write reviews at all.
I understand that people are people and they are going to do what they do regardless of my stance. I know the way that I review books upsets some people. I am sorry they feel that way but as many have said, they will just ignore my review going forward. In fact, if you made it this far through my review, you should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews here. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
Cheers
December 23, 2023
Хората имаме някаква неизменна вътрешна склонност да се прекланяме пред неща по-висши от нас. Даже бих казал че е не само склонност, ами даже въпиюща нужда. През цялата ни история сме се прехласвали по богове и сме приписвали богоподобни качества на императори, фараони, пророци и шамани.
А в момента, в който убихме боговете (тоест спряхме да вярваме в тях) побързахме да си намерим нови религии и да си издигнем нови богоподобни пророци, били те Майката Земя, Социалната справедливост или Сталин. Такива сме си хората, просто. Много ни се иска да не е така, но не можем да избягаме от себе си.
Затова неизмеримо самовлюбеният, безсрамно алчният и неправдоподобно самоувереният дракон Вейнкър ни е не само истерично забавен, но и някак странно привлекателен. Да, той е абсурден в самолюбието си, но нещо дълбоко в нас ни подсказва, че това е образът на истинското величие, стига цялото това самочувствие да е подплатено.
Естествената реакция на повечето хора при среща с такова величие е или да въстанат срещу него, или да се преклонят и всячески да се опитат да живеят в блясъка му. И нашият главен герой избира (с "известно" колебание) второто, защото първото би означавало да стане на секундата драконска закуска.
Това го въвлича в известни приключения, които продължават около 1500 страници, всяка една от които е задъхващо забавна, особено ако си падате по игри тип RPG. Книгата е писана в интернет и все още може да се намери там.
А в момента, в който убихме боговете (тоест спряхме да вярваме в тях) побързахме да си намерим нови религии и да си издигнем нови богоподобни пророци, били те Майката Земя, Социалната справедливост или Сталин. Такива сме си хората, просто. Много ни се иска да не е така, но не можем да избягаме от себе си.
Затова неизмеримо самовлюбеният, безсрамно алчният и неправдоподобно самоувереният дракон Вейнкър ни е не само истерично забавен, но и някак странно привлекателен. Да, той е абсурден в самолюбието си, но нещо дълбоко в нас ни подсказва, че това е образът на истинското величие, стига цялото това самочувствие да е подплатено.
Естествената реакция на повечето хора при среща с такова величие е или да въстанат срещу него, или да се преклонят и всячески да се опитат да живеят в блясъка му. И нашият главен герой избира (с "известно" колебание) второто, защото първото би означавало да стане на секундата драконска закуска.
Това го въвлича в известни приключения, които продължават около 1500 страници, всяка една от които е задъхващо забавна, особено ако си падате по игри тип RPG. Книгата е писана в интернет и все още може да се намери там.
July 9, 2020
This was a delight. So different from the usual books in this genre and it delivered with improvements chapter after chapter.
At first I was very annoyed by Vainqueur, with Victor tiding me over every other chapter. The dragon grows on you steadily and by the end of the book I was very much in his corner. Even the annoyance at the bugging wasn’t that bad, and I couldn’t even be angry because it’s exactly how I imagined a dragon would probably act.
The humor was spot on and I was laughing frequently. The other POV chapters, which I usually hate, proved otherwise and I even found myself looking forward to them.
Every character introduced had something going for them and I rooted for them all. I really wish more books were like this. Thankfully I can keep reading more of this on RoyalRoad!!
Masterpiece
At first I was very annoyed by Vainqueur, with Victor tiding me over every other chapter. The dragon grows on you steadily and by the end of the book I was very much in his corner. Even the annoyance at the bugging wasn’t that bad, and I couldn’t even be angry because it’s exactly how I imagined a dragon would probably act.
The humor was spot on and I was laughing frequently. The other POV chapters, which I usually hate, proved otherwise and I even found myself looking forward to them.
Every character introduced had something going for them and I rooted for them all. I really wish more books were like this. Thankfully I can keep reading more of this on RoyalRoad!!
Masterpiece
July 18, 2020
Oh my god. Este libro... este libro fue risa de comienzo a fin.
Vainqueur the dragon es el libro de comedia mas absurdo y comico que he leido hasta la fecha, el humor, las referencias, las parodias, no hay nada sagrado en el libro, todo esta dispuesto en este mundo para hacerte reir.
En serio, si no lo has leido, pues ahora en estos tiempos de cuarentena tienes la oportunidad de reirte un poco con Vainqueur.
Vainquer best dragon! Vainqueur best dragon! xD
Nota: Este libro solo relata un arco de la historia. Vainqueur originalmente es una webnovel, y si quieres leer el resto de la historia puedes hacerlo desde su pagina web.
Vainqueur the dragon es el libro de comedia mas absurdo y comico que he leido hasta la fecha, el humor, las referencias, las parodias, no hay nada sagrado en el libro, todo esta dispuesto en este mundo para hacerte reir.
En serio, si no lo has leido, pues ahora en estos tiempos de cuarentena tienes la oportunidad de reirte un poco con Vainqueur.
Vainquer best dragon! Vainqueur best dragon! xD
Nota: Este libro solo relata un arco de la historia. Vainqueur originalmente es una webnovel, y si quieres leer el resto de la historia puedes hacerlo desde su pagina web.
August 31, 2021
Well I'll be damned.
I've been snubbing this book for a while now, convinced that with such a title, it had to be corny and childlike. I could not have been more wrong.
This is my first 5 stars of the year.
And they are totally deserved.
This book found its track and just rode the hell out of it in a masterful way.
I LOVED every minute of it.
Narration tone was absolutely brilliant, even if it got a bit hard to understand at times.
The story was fun and funny. I've been listening non-stop since yesterday. I laughed out loud so many times, and I'm still sporting a grin right now.
A good book is a book that manages to make all its flaws inconsequential.
THIS is an excellent book because I don't even want to bother looking for any.
I think "Do the Thing" is my new motto.
To be absolutely frank, I am not sure I'll go for book 2 right now.
I want to keep the glow of this one alive for a while yet.
So yeah.
5 stars.
I've been snubbing this book for a while now, convinced that with such a title, it had to be corny and childlike. I could not have been more wrong.
This is my first 5 stars of the year.
And they are totally deserved.
This book found its track and just rode the hell out of it in a masterful way.
I LOVED every minute of it.
Narration tone was absolutely brilliant, even if it got a bit hard to understand at times.
The story was fun and funny. I've been listening non-stop since yesterday. I laughed out loud so many times, and I'm still sporting a grin right now.
A good book is a book that manages to make all its flaws inconsequential.
THIS is an excellent book because I don't even want to bother looking for any.
I think "Do the Thing" is my new motto.
To be absolutely frank, I am not sure I'll go for book 2 right now.
I want to keep the glow of this one alive for a while yet.
So yeah.
5 stars.
October 25, 2023
I've never read a LitRPG book before, and this story was a wonderful introduction to the genre. I didn't know what to expect going into this, but now that I've finished it, I was beyond happy and satisfied with what I read.
The best thing about this book for me was the humor. All the jokes kept landing, the zaney plot and dialogue between characters was really funny, and I ended up making more highlights in this book than I did in any other. The characters were also great, and I especially loved Vainqueur. He was such a charming yet utterly egomaniacal character that I couldn't help but fall in love with him.
This is far from your typical dragon book, but the author clearly put in a lot of effort to make sure the dragon is very central to the plot, and not just some side character that is in the book simply because he's a dragon. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves dragons and loves utterly whacky fantasy stories set in a game-like world.
The best thing about this book for me was the humor. All the jokes kept landing, the zaney plot and dialogue between characters was really funny, and I ended up making more highlights in this book than I did in any other. The characters were also great, and I especially loved Vainqueur. He was such a charming yet utterly egomaniacal character that I couldn't help but fall in love with him.
This is far from your typical dragon book, but the author clearly put in a lot of effort to make sure the dragon is very central to the plot, and not just some side character that is in the book simply because he's a dragon. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves dragons and loves utterly whacky fantasy stories set in a game-like world.
August 6, 2020
I listened to an audio version of this book from NetGalley. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator for this book; he did a fantastic job with keeping enough change with the voices of characters that you always knew who was speaking. However, the story itself left me a bit unsatisfied. The premise is intriguing- a dragon awakes from a 50 year nap to find a thief attempting to steal a sword from his horde. The thief tells the dragon about "levels" and "perks" and the dragon doesn't kill the 'manling' but instead makes him a minion. There are amusing spots where the dragon is being subtly maneuvered by the manling, but all in all I felt the story did not live up to the possibilities.
March 27, 2021
Great book! Starts off with a bang and just keeps going. A lot of subtle (or not so subtle) and sarcastic humor too.
January 23, 2023
Odd, for me, I started the year reading books by authors I'd read before. And then I randomly acquired this one and read it by an author I'd not read before. I was cleaning shelves. This was on one of my maybe shelves, started reading sample and ended up buying and reading.
Book is about a dragon, and from, mostly, the dragon's point of view. Story tends to alternate between the dragon, Vainqueur, and a human with a few moments here or there, oddly and weirdly, from some random other human.
Book opens with a dragon waking up from a short nap of 50 years to find someone trying to steal something from his hoard. He is, naturally, annoyed. The human accidentally revealed a particular layer to the reality of that world that the dragon hadn't previously been aware of: levels and leveling. Characters can advance and get "levels" and "clases" and "perks" and . . . stuff. It's a litrpg book. A gaming book. Just by being made aware of this level thingie, the dragon gains a class. And when he learned why the human was there, not for the dragon's gold, but to complete a quest - get a sword, then get paid gold, the dragon is very interested. Someone would pay him gold? To do stuff? Pay him to eat stuff? He's an immortal dragon! The greatest and stuff!
And, so, the dragon doesn't eat the human but makes him a minion so he can learn more, and get quests, and stuff.
Dragon becomes adventurer. Goes on quests. Fights might battles.
Was interesting book somewhat marred by how I didn't really like the other main POV - that human mentioned above. He was . . . not fun to read.
This is part of a series but I believe I've gotten what I wanted (so saying, maybe I'll suddenly devour the next book in the series next (not immediately, I've already acquired and read another different book)).
Rating: 3.65
January 23 2023
Book is about a dragon, and from, mostly, the dragon's point of view. Story tends to alternate between the dragon, Vainqueur, and a human with a few moments here or there, oddly and weirdly, from some random other human.
Book opens with a dragon waking up from a short nap of 50 years to find someone trying to steal something from his hoard. He is, naturally, annoyed. The human accidentally revealed a particular layer to the reality of that world that the dragon hadn't previously been aware of: levels and leveling. Characters can advance and get "levels" and "clases" and "perks" and . . . stuff. It's a litrpg book. A gaming book. Just by being made aware of this level thingie, the dragon gains a class. And when he learned why the human was there, not for the dragon's gold, but to complete a quest - get a sword, then get paid gold, the dragon is very interested. Someone would pay him gold? To do stuff? Pay him to eat stuff? He's an immortal dragon! The greatest and stuff!
And, so, the dragon doesn't eat the human but makes him a minion so he can learn more, and get quests, and stuff.
Dragon becomes adventurer. Goes on quests. Fights might battles.
Was interesting book somewhat marred by how I didn't really like the other main POV - that human mentioned above. He was . . . not fun to read.
This is part of a series but I believe I've gotten what I wanted (so saying, maybe I'll suddenly devour the next book in the series next (not immediately, I've already acquired and read another different book)).
Rating: 3.65
January 23 2023
January 6, 2021
While decent, this books feels more like short stories strung together to make an entire book. Overall crude humor is used semi successfully but the premise is a very different take on the typical LItRPG an may be worth a read just for the unique perspective.
January 22, 2022
Book one
Mistakes: While I did find some, I didn't list most because they could just be the way that characters speak.
Plot: I found this on Royalroad. I enjoyed it so much that I went and bought all three books at chapter sixteen.
Characters: It's the characters that make this work.
8/10
Mistakes: While I did find some, I didn't list most because they could just be the way that characters speak.
Plot: I found this on Royalroad. I enjoyed it so much that I went and bought all three books at chapter sixteen.
Characters: It's the characters that make this work.
8/10
November 3, 2020
Generally I try to steer clear of litrpg, but audible keeps recommending them to me anyway!
I decided to give this one a try, and it was OK.
Which puts it heads and shoulders above most LITRPG.
The voice acting was pretty on-point. There's a lot of comedy, and a tiny bit of romance.
I decided to give this one a try, and it was OK.
Which puts it heads and shoulders above most LITRPG.
The voice acting was pretty on-point. There's a lot of comedy, and a tiny bit of romance.
September 5, 2021
I started this book because I liked the writing style of Maxime J. Durand from his other book, Perfect Run, and the premise of a dragon becoming an adventurer intrigued me. Once I started reading this book, I enjoyed it quite a bit initially as the dragon has his own sensibilities, him and Victor have an interesting dynamic, and it was fun to learn more about the world. However, I started to lose interest somewhere around the 30-40% mark because the book started to look like a bunch of short stories just loosely tied together by the premise rather than a single cohesive story. Fortunately, things picked up around the 50% mark and as the world started to come alive and a larger plot started to form. By the end, I was very much involved in the story and I look forward to the next book.
June 8, 2020
I found this book as a trailer on reddit of all places. I'm glad I did.
When I think of comedy fantasy, I think of The Color of Magic and Another Fine Myth and now I am going to think about this book.
I loved the humor. It is really witty.
When I think of comedy fantasy, I think of The Color of Magic and Another Fine Myth and now I am going to think about this book.
I loved the humor. It is really witty.
May 16, 2020
This was... AWESOME!!
I've really stopped posting reviews because most LitRPG is so meh lately. THIS though was anything but. It was something new in this genre and I loved every minute of it. Everything from the concept to the story to the characters just checked every box for me and I await a (hopefully) book 2.
I've really stopped posting reviews because most LitRPG is so meh lately. THIS though was anything but. It was something new in this genre and I loved every minute of it. Everything from the concept to the story to the characters just checked every box for me and I await a (hopefully) book 2.
January 18, 2026
Initial thoughts: This was a fun book. So many misunderstandings between dragon and human cultures creating some funny situations. I never thought I'd ever say this but the kobolds are adorable. A dragon discovering adventuring classes is probably the most dangerous thing this world has seen in a long time.
June 3, 2022
I laughed out loud a bunch of times! Maybe not as funny for people that don't play D&D or other role playing games, but it's got snark and good characters.
I recommend listening to the audio of you can :)
I recommend listening to the audio of you can :)
February 27, 2022
This entire series is a light, amusing read. I would peg the overall score somewhere around 3.7 stars or so, in my opinion. There are some quite amusing jokes and fun being poked at various stereotypes every second page with over the top events piling on and on. Character and world building is kind of fast and loose (as is the overall plot), but I suppose it really comes with the genre, or at least in as far as I've read on it thus far. I would certainly recommend the series for anyone looking for a relaxing read on a beach.
Dragon(s) play an important role in the story and have a surprising character to them, albeit with a crazy spin on things, as with everything else in here.
Dragon(s) play an important role in the story and have a surprising character to them, albeit with a crazy spin on things, as with everything else in here.
September 17, 2024
(after completing all 4 audiobooks in series)
One of those I can recommend for cheap laugh if you can get them for cheap & dont have better options. It checked off some boxes for me that I have not seen elsewhere but wanted to:
-. MC being the sidekick not the main badass of the story.
-. Dragon POV.
Overall, im hard to amuse, but this one did it a few times. Mostly in form of self absorbed protag dialogue (ALA Skippy/Donut from ExForce/DCC) or just absurd situations like deamons being semi-good guys in the story. Alas it was only that, amusing with little substance. The character's had shallow if any motivation. Can be argued that Vainqueur had great character growth, but it was un-earned IMO so I wont be on that bandwagon.
On the plus side (the little substance) is the way story IMO weaved the 'world building' details nicely... IE deamons being good guys, dragons' pov: luv of gold & princesses, etc. It was novel & fun, rather than relying on one gimick.
But at any point in the books, if you think to yourself: "I get the gist, that enough for me. / Will it get better?" just drop it at that point.
One of those I can recommend for cheap laugh if you can get them for cheap & dont have better options. It checked off some boxes for me that I have not seen elsewhere but wanted to:
-. MC being the sidekick not the main badass of the story.
-. Dragon POV.
Overall, im hard to amuse, but this one did it a few times. Mostly in form of self absorbed protag dialogue (ALA Skippy/Donut from ExForce/DCC) or just absurd situations like deamons being semi-good guys in the story. Alas it was only that, amusing with little substance. The character's had shallow if any motivation. Can be argued that Vainqueur had great character growth, but it was un-earned IMO so I wont be on that bandwagon.
On the plus side (the little substance) is the way story IMO weaved the 'world building' details nicely... IE deamons being good guys, dragons' pov: luv of gold & princesses, etc. It was novel & fun, rather than relying on one gimick.
But at any point in the books, if you think to yourself: "I get the gist, that enough for me. / Will it get better?" just drop it at that point.
August 2, 2023
1.08.23 Y tho. Y did I read this again. It is the junk food of litrpgs.
Edit: What is the moral here? Is there a moral? Because it seems to be 'embrace your instinct to be venal despite being presented with other options'. Or maybe it's 'simp for billionaires who would otherwise murder you and gradually come to love them and their way of life'. It's a shitty argument for monarchy, capitalism, slaughter, and self-indulgence, and it makes me a little nauseated ngl. And yeah there are shit depictions of fae but tbh who does them properly beyond the creator (gnu) and maybe Holly Black, ... uh... Brom? Idk.
Maybe there's not supposed to be a moral and it's just a story. Which is fairly sad, if it's just wish-fulfilment on the part of the author.
Edit: What is the moral here? Is there a moral? Because it seems to be 'embrace your instinct to be venal despite being presented with other options'. Or maybe it's 'simp for billionaires who would otherwise murder you and gradually come to love them and their way of life'. It's a shitty argument for monarchy, capitalism, slaughter, and self-indulgence, and it makes me a little nauseated ngl. And yeah there are shit depictions of fae but tbh who does them properly beyond the creator (gnu) and maybe Holly Black, ... uh... Brom? Idk.
Maybe there's not supposed to be a moral and it's just a story. Which is fairly sad, if it's just wish-fulfilment on the part of the author.
December 2, 2021
I started this book because I wanted more works with Blue mages. It has a blue mage, but the way it is written especially the dragon is making me feel it is for a younger audience (kiddie).
Maybe it's my current frame of mind, but the jokes and content feels highly immature. I'm actually wishing for the book to end.
Maybe it's because I don't like the fantasy's crowd obsession with dragons, and how they try to hype it up.
I'm not continuing the series. I don't think I would like how it goes.
2/5 Stars
Maybe it's my current frame of mind, but the jokes and content feels highly immature. I'm actually wishing for the book to end.
Maybe it's because I don't like the fantasy's crowd obsession with dragons, and how they try to hype it up.
I'm not continuing the series. I don't think I would like how it goes.
2/5 Stars
December 1, 2021
The narrator for the audiobook did a fantastic job. He really got into the characters which made the book fun. However, I didn’t finish listening to it. I didn’t find it that intriguing - didn’t seem like there was character growth or much depth to the plot.
May 30, 2023
Could be better
So this was pretty well written and had some good humour. However I found most of the female characters poorly written and the whole breeding thing was really juvenile. The kobolds were great though.
So this was pretty well written and had some good humour. However I found most of the female characters poorly written and the whole breeding thing was really juvenile. The kobolds were great though.
March 29, 2021
Interesting and sometimes funny. I generally don’t enjoy absurdity or 'laughing at idiots' humor but this was pretty good. The protagonist is also getting smarter so there is hope for that too.
May 20, 2021
The joke wore thin rather quickly. Oh well.
June 19, 2021
Silly and Funny light reading in between heavier titles. Amusing and scratches some RPG fancy but not much more.
May 31, 2023
Thin writing style
The book has some interesting concepts, but the ideas are presented in a shallow way. There is no real depth to the characters or the story.
The book has some interesting concepts, but the ideas are presented in a shallow way. There is no real depth to the characters or the story.
February 4, 2022
The book had a fun premise, but I lost steam as I progressed.
Character 6/10, Plot 7/10, Setting-Game Mechanics 6/10, Writing 4/10, Enjoyment 4/10
The strongest point of the story was Vainqueur the dragon, but the glamor faded quickly and I wished the story was in Victor the thief-turned-minion's point of view instead. While the dragon perspective lent itself to humor, the repeated gags got old and, at the end of the day, Vainqueur is an idiot.
The plot started with a strong premise, but it was barely enough to keep me reading after the first arc finished and there was no tension to be had.
The setting was pretty generic fantasy stuff, even with recycled naming conventions that some people might call homage, but I can't help but call lazy writing. Ok, werewolves in a forest named Gevaudan, a place called Prydain... I prefer people make up their own names for things or at least hide the Easter eggs a little better for the fans to feel a sense of achievement for noticing them.
The game mechanics were a saving grace. While the story mostly glossed over the classes, perks, levels, and stats, it did technically use them to drive the plot and many of the character behaviors. So I wouldn't say anything was wrong so much as it wasn't really for me. Like most D&D-inspired stories, fights and comedy relied on buffoonery to progress, which just got old for me.
The writing was the weakest part of this story. It seemed like a complete lack of editing more than a lack of writing talent. There were mistakes everywhere. Not just standard poor grammar, but tons of typos and other proofreading problems. Also, the author doesn't seem to have any idea how to use the word whom, even using it to refer to objects instead of people. Like semicolons, there's no real reason to use whom in fiction unless it makes sense for a specific character. But either way, when you misuse it, it's even more obvious since the word sticks out like a sore thumb.
I came close to dropping this around the 25% mark, but this has been a busy week and I didn't feel like switching to something that I wouldn't be able to put down.
Character 6/10, Plot 7/10, Setting-Game Mechanics 6/10, Writing 4/10, Enjoyment 4/10
The strongest point of the story was Vainqueur the dragon, but the glamor faded quickly and I wished the story was in Victor the thief-turned-minion's point of view instead. While the dragon perspective lent itself to humor, the repeated gags got old and, at the end of the day, Vainqueur is an idiot.
The plot started with a strong premise, but it was barely enough to keep me reading after the first arc finished and there was no tension to be had.
The setting was pretty generic fantasy stuff, even with recycled naming conventions that some people might call homage, but I can't help but call lazy writing. Ok, werewolves in a forest named Gevaudan, a place called Prydain... I prefer people make up their own names for things or at least hide the Easter eggs a little better for the fans to feel a sense of achievement for noticing them.
The game mechanics were a saving grace. While the story mostly glossed over the classes, perks, levels, and stats, it did technically use them to drive the plot and many of the character behaviors. So I wouldn't say anything was wrong so much as it wasn't really for me. Like most D&D-inspired stories, fights and comedy relied on buffoonery to progress, which just got old for me.
The writing was the weakest part of this story. It seemed like a complete lack of editing more than a lack of writing talent. There were mistakes everywhere. Not just standard poor grammar, but tons of typos and other proofreading problems. Also, the author doesn't seem to have any idea how to use the word whom, even using it to refer to objects instead of people. Like semicolons, there's no real reason to use whom in fiction unless it makes sense for a specific character. But either way, when you misuse it, it's even more obvious since the word sticks out like a sore thumb.
I came close to dropping this around the 25% mark, but this has been a busy week and I didn't feel like switching to something that I wouldn't be able to put down.
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