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Silver Fox & The Western Hero #1
Warrior Reborn
Cheating Death
Alex was was willing to do whatever it took to beat the tumors overwhelming his body.
Even if it meant being frozen alive.
And if his cortex got uploaded into a digital universe filled with countless worlds to explore until a cure could be found for his cancer, all the better.
The last thing he expected was to wake up naked and alone in the bowels of an ancient ship filled with raiders carrying enough poison to kill an entire city!
The choices he makes from that moment on will have profound consequences not only for his own fate, but for an entire realm as he faces down bloodthirsty pirates, ruthless cultivators, and fearsome demigods while taking his first steps along a path of power that might one day forge him into a cultivator strong enough to challenge the very heavens themselves!
Eager for a fast-paced Wuxia/LitRPG adventure filled with deadly adversaries, exotic adventures, and mighty cultivators fighting for the power to topple kingdoms? Then read on!
Alex was was willing to do whatever it took to beat the tumors overwhelming his body.
Even if it meant being frozen alive.
And if his cortex got uploaded into a digital universe filled with countless worlds to explore until a cure could be found for his cancer, all the better.
The last thing he expected was to wake up naked and alone in the bowels of an ancient ship filled with raiders carrying enough poison to kill an entire city!
The choices he makes from that moment on will have profound consequences not only for his own fate, but for an entire realm as he faces down bloodthirsty pirates, ruthless cultivators, and fearsome demigods while taking his first steps along a path of power that might one day forge him into a cultivator strong enough to challenge the very heavens themselves!
Eager for a fast-paced Wuxia/LitRPG adventure filled with deadly adversaries, exotic adventures, and mighty cultivators fighting for the power to topple kingdoms? Then read on!
490 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 29, 2019
1719 people are currently reading
753 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
April 3, 2022
Not bad enough for 1 star but 2 is still an issue
The author gets you into the series with this book. It’s a tad confusing at first but it gets interesting enough that you stay invested. It was cool reading about an OP character and his growth with a master & a love interest.
At first the Author manages the OP of the main character well with some decent plot checks. However by the end the repetition gets exhausting. How many times can the author introduce some over the top skill for the protagonist but then tell the reader he should never be able to use it. Once or twice sure but the 3rd and 4th time is just sloppy writing.
Why am I giving this book a 2 star rating because the second book is worse by far on sloppy writing. Why should you care, because the second book is based on the ending of this book. I can’t separate the two. Why read the first if the second book drops you hard.
How many times can a character die or be close to death before it’s an over used plot device. Lazy writing. The same plot twists with different names. So dodge this book series.
The author gets you into the series with this book. It’s a tad confusing at first but it gets interesting enough that you stay invested. It was cool reading about an OP character and his growth with a master & a love interest.
At first the Author manages the OP of the main character well with some decent plot checks. However by the end the repetition gets exhausting. How many times can the author introduce some over the top skill for the protagonist but then tell the reader he should never be able to use it. Once or twice sure but the 3rd and 4th time is just sloppy writing.
Why am I giving this book a 2 star rating because the second book is worse by far on sloppy writing. Why should you care, because the second book is based on the ending of this book. I can’t separate the two. Why read the first if the second book drops you hard.
How many times can a character die or be close to death before it’s an over used plot device. Lazy writing. The same plot twists with different names. So dodge this book series.
February 5, 2023
This is an isekai/LitRPG story with an interesting fantasy-Oriental setting. It does a fairly good job making its own background/fantasy and the worldbuilding is fascinating in its own right. Plus, Alex is a good protagonist to hang out with. He's purposeful and thoughtful and careful and yet able to act decisively when he needs to.
Unfortunately, two things are making me go with a dnf. Both of them are me borrowing trouble from things that haven’t happened yet. The first is the book’s fault. This is all heading to Alex trying to enter the Dragon Academy to get the training he “needs”. The problem with that is we already know that this academy is corrupt to the bone and run by racist monkeybutts. I’ve hated every one of those we have seen and we also know that they’ve persecuted the noble Lui family that has taken Alex in and treated him so well. And we even know that their treatment of the Luis is due to their Kitsune ties.
Which brings us to the second problem. Lui Li is lovely in every way. She’s kind, fierce, and loyal. That anyone would denigrate her for her fox heritage is nothing but angering me. And to where I am, Alex has thoroughly, and legitimately, lost his heart to her. It’s a very tender romance and the author has made the mistake of investing me in a romance they have no interest in culminating. And I hate that.
Now, I suspected both of these things enough to disturb me, so I checked blurbs of future volumes. And there’s just no way I’m not right about this. And that makes me unutterably sad. I went back and forth on whether to rate it or not because I know this is a highly personal take. The writing is lovely. The worldbuilding outstanding. Alex is a great guy and one I’ve enjoyed spending time with. But I just can’t go on knowing what I know.
So I’m going to rate this one star because dangit, Johnson put a lot of skill into a romance I’m now invested in while knowing it wouldn’t pan out. And that’s a personal pain I can lay at their door. But I’m going to be fair-enough to acknowledge that the book is good, maybe even outstanding. So take my rating with some grace.
Unfortunately, two things are making me go with a dnf. Both of them are me borrowing trouble from things that haven’t happened yet. The first is the book’s fault. This is all heading to Alex trying to enter the Dragon Academy to get the training he “needs”. The problem with that is we already know that this academy is corrupt to the bone and run by racist monkeybutts. I’ve hated every one of those we have seen and we also know that they’ve persecuted the noble Lui family that has taken Alex in and treated him so well. And we even know that their treatment of the Luis is due to their Kitsune ties.
Which brings us to the second problem. Lui Li is lovely in every way. She’s kind, fierce, and loyal. That anyone would denigrate her for her fox heritage is nothing but angering me. And to where I am, Alex has thoroughly, and legitimately, lost his heart to her. It’s a very tender romance and the author has made the mistake of investing me in a romance they have no interest in culminating. And I hate that.
Now, I suspected both of these things enough to disturb me, so I checked blurbs of future volumes. And there’s just no way I’m not right about this. And that makes me unutterably sad. I went back and forth on whether to rate it or not because I know this is a highly personal take. The writing is lovely. The worldbuilding outstanding. Alex is a great guy and one I’ve enjoyed spending time with. But I just can’t go on knowing what I know.
So I’m going to rate this one star because dangit, Johnson put a lot of skill into a romance I’m now invested in while knowing it wouldn’t pan out. And that’s a personal pain I can lay at their door. But I’m going to be fair-enough to acknowledge that the book is good, maybe even outstanding. So take my rating with some grace.
July 1, 2020
*currently at 47%*
I'm finding this book quite annoying it starts with him learning everything way too easy...
"You licked a flower, you're immune to everything"
"You farted, you have learned wind magic"
"You glanced at a god, you learnt his magical ways"
Then it turns into tedium with repetitive dialogue, his two new friends being incredibly negative. It's all just a bit too annoying and lacking depth.
I'm finding this book quite annoying it starts with him learning everything way too easy...
"You licked a flower, you're immune to everything"
"You farted, you have learned wind magic"
"You glanced at a god, you learnt his magical ways"
Then it turns into tedium with repetitive dialogue, his two new friends being incredibly negative. It's all just a bit too annoying and lacking depth.
September 16, 2020
Okay, I dislike litrpg. Honestly in my opinion its nearly ALWAYS garbage lazy writing. But... I've been having terrible luck finding books that interest me. So... I gave this a try anyway. And... the litrpg aspects were as bad.. maybe worse than Im used to seeing. Repeating the same immersion breaking crap over and over... And in the audiobook I was listening too it changed to an annoying gameshow voice... For no reason I caught. But that is not why I rated this book so poorly. I went in knowing that was likely. And if that was all that eventually drove me off the book may have rated better. But this writer did something I dislike even more. He told more than showed on a level I have NEVER seen in a novel before. Three hours in and there had been less than a half hour of dialog... Most of it was just inner monologue and telling you things that happened.. And listing the same litrpg shit over and over... and over...
Note to self. Never read anything by this author again. It is NOT for you.
Note to self. Never read anything by this author again. It is NOT for you.
January 2, 2020
I wanted to like it, I really did
I hate to say it, but it started out strong with the mapping to an AI and then hey interesting start. Then it frankly turned into how many ways can I torture the MC. How many ways can I make sure that there is nothing enjoyable in the “life in a game”. I wanted to like it, but I don’t see reading the next book to find out how much worse his life will be, would be enjoyable personally.
I hate to say it, but it started out strong with the mapping to an AI and then hey interesting start. Then it frankly turned into how many ways can I torture the MC. How many ways can I make sure that there is nothing enjoyable in the “life in a game”. I wanted to like it, but I don’t see reading the next book to find out how much worse his life will be, would be enjoyable personally.
October 12, 2021
I will always wish for an exceptional author to write a WLW as a main character. In saying that, this is a very hetero story with a whole lot of potential.
I look forward to seeing what Alex gets up to next.
I look forward to seeing what Alex gets up to next.
July 8, 2020
Yea, its just another Wuxia.
You have the author pulling out the cancer card, to make you feel bad for the 17 year old MC. You have your typical racism that is just covered up by calling ANY foreigner a piece of garbage, bow to me before your better etc etc, Then you have your MC always getting his butt kicked with another terrible damn ending OH and the 50% of the book being inner monologue.
That is just another Wuxia.
You have the author pulling out the cancer card, to make you feel bad for the 17 year old MC. You have your typical racism that is just covered up by calling ANY foreigner a piece of garbage, bow to me before your better etc etc, Then you have your MC always getting his butt kicked with another terrible damn ending OH and the 50% of the book being inner monologue.
That is just another Wuxia.
June 25, 2020
Lovely book
Lovely book
Binge worthy
Different type of litrpg
Great storyline and characters.
Good ending
Looking forward to the next book.
Lovely book
Binge worthy
Different type of litrpg
Great storyline and characters.
Good ending
Looking forward to the next book.
November 20, 2020
I'll be honest, I only read a tenth of the book, but already the amount of improbable situations occuring in the book are too much too fathom and the mc too much of a mary sue. Plenty of unnintelligent decisions are made by the mc and the starting antagonists, and the mc is actually rewarded for some of these. For reference, the mc is placed in an next to impossible situation surrounded by mages in the bowels of a ship in an entirely new world. The mages have supposedly a much better understanding of the world mechanics and of magic, however, after waking up disoriented and lost the mc manages to kill more than a dozen of them using some silly method surely the people should have a defense against, as well as thwarting the evil plans of the ship's sailors. No one in the dozens of men present on the ship could apparently kill a confused non-mage, with no knowledge of the world and below average physical attributes. And its not just that, the mc makes greedy decisions to not hamper his stats in the long run even though he says he is treating it like he cannot respawn. In any realistic situation would have died there. In the end he comes out better than when he left with a shiny new potential class. But he's not done because he has to completely stop the evil plan of the sailors apparently even though he has no power of his own. So he swims ashore a town and within seconds of arriving absorbs a dying man's memories to conveniently learn the town's language. At this point I just gave up. Why place all these unnecessary obstacles in the mc's way if you're just going to ignore them. For example why make the inhabitants have a different language for the mc (which would be crippling in any scenario) if you're just going to give it to him within seconds of interacting with the language? Why place the mc in a basically impossible situation only to have hi resolve it with silly methods and no consequences? It just breaks immersion and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Anyway, the only reason i don't give it one star is because I only read a few pages, and so cannot comment on the rest. But if a few pages are all I need to make such a rant, this should be warning enough for the rest of you.
May 22, 2020
Great book, such a waste.
Really great book, if you don't read the last chapter. Taking a story that has a conclusion and a decent ending, then throw in an extra chapter. Make it so the MC ends up in a hopeless situation, getting abused and degraded. All so you can leave people wanting to read the next book? Before that last chapter I would have definitely bought the next book, eager for it even, now, never will touch it. Such a waste of a great book.
Really great book, if you don't read the last chapter. Taking a story that has a conclusion and a decent ending, then throw in an extra chapter. Make it so the MC ends up in a hopeless situation, getting abused and degraded. All so you can leave people wanting to read the next book? Before that last chapter I would have definitely bought the next book, eager for it even, now, never will touch it. Such a waste of a great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2020
Awesome
Loved this book from start to end. I am hoping book two is as engaging as this one was. Never trust a fox.
Loved this book from start to end. I am hoping book two is as engaging as this one was. Never trust a fox.
June 25, 2020
Much more Wuxia than LitRPG, although I had enough to ride one over. It had a lot of nods to the Wuxia genre as well as many of the cliches. I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of the direction the story took but enjoyed most of it, despising some. This could turn out to be a great adventure, although I hope not as long as most Wuxia tend to be.
Enjoyable if you’re a fan of Wuxia
Enjoyable if you’re a fan of Wuxia
Read
August 1, 2021What is happening in the book is beyond my comprehension. Absolute chaos where author is throwing cultivation and litrpg elements everywhere in the hopes of making a story and it is NOT working.
And the audiobook narrator is bad. Very bad.
And the audiobook narrator is bad. Very bad.
August 2, 2020
Putting this on the litrpg shelf, but it's really a cultivation novel - though it certainly starts off as if it were going to be litrpg.
In this case, we meet Alex who has a few issues on Earth and then ends up someplace else... where he sleeps for a very very long time.
There are some things that I find a little confusing still - but it's unclear whether those were elements that were dropped, that the author plans on resolving later in the series, or that the author was satisfied with how they have been left- things such as the AI, where Alex is, etc. As I read more, I'm sure I'll learn more.
There's a lot in the cultivation novels that I find fun - but there's at least an order of magnitude more that confuses me. Some of it are tropes within the field... but I find myself wondering where those tropes came from. I was thinking about that a fair amount as I read this as the author is clearly having fun with the tropes, at least some of the time. As an example, early on Alex is left confused as to why he had started referring to himself in the 3rd person. So - where do these come from? Are they cultural? Are the left over from the badly dubbed kungfu movies on UHF on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid? Something else entirely?
Regardless, I'm looking forward to book 2 next.
In this case, we meet Alex who has a few issues on Earth and then ends up someplace else... where he sleeps for a very very long time.
There are some things that I find a little confusing still - but it's unclear whether those were elements that were dropped, that the author plans on resolving later in the series, or that the author was satisfied with how they have been left- things such as the AI, where Alex is, etc. As I read more, I'm sure I'll learn more.
There's a lot in the cultivation novels that I find fun - but there's at least an order of magnitude more that confuses me. Some of it are tropes within the field... but I find myself wondering where those tropes came from. I was thinking about that a fair amount as I read this as the author is clearly having fun with the tropes, at least some of the time. As an example, early on Alex is left confused as to why he had started referring to himself in the 3rd person. So - where do these come from? Are they cultural? Are the left over from the badly dubbed kungfu movies on UHF on Saturday afternoons when I was a kid? Something else entirely?
Regardless, I'm looking forward to book 2 next.
July 23, 2022
would not recommend this book
Ok so this book essentially has a good story inconsistent writing ie one moment the main character can wipe out enemies levels above him and the next someone at the same level as him grazes him and he then has a broken shoulder or in one paragraph he is withstanding soul crushing pain or being tortured by the traps of gods and the next fight he is in HE GETS HIT, MOANING ON THE GROUND BY A SINGULAR ATTACK! That’s all if you look on the surface but if you notice there is blatant racism to an entire race of people in this story and they are killed for it (dicey I know) anyways there are also a lot of racist Chinese undertones moving on to a different topic the descriptions get very repetitive or they will describe a room 3 different times or such like that the main character is nice enough and does lots of good things like stopping bad guys that want to destroy entire cities or kill millions but why would we want them to be saved when almost every character background or not except the people the same as the main character or the side main characters are evil arseholes
Ok so this book essentially has a good story inconsistent writing ie one moment the main character can wipe out enemies levels above him and the next someone at the same level as him grazes him and he then has a broken shoulder or in one paragraph he is withstanding soul crushing pain or being tortured by the traps of gods and the next fight he is in HE GETS HIT, MOANING ON THE GROUND BY A SINGULAR ATTACK! That’s all if you look on the surface but if you notice there is blatant racism to an entire race of people in this story and they are killed for it (dicey I know) anyways there are also a lot of racist Chinese undertones moving on to a different topic the descriptions get very repetitive or they will describe a room 3 different times or such like that the main character is nice enough and does lots of good things like stopping bad guys that want to destroy entire cities or kill millions but why would we want them to be saved when almost every character background or not except the people the same as the main character or the side main characters are evil arseholes
July 3, 2020
Story is interesting, but the author doesn't seem to be able to write well. The sentence structure is more apt for a technical document rather than a work of fiction. Sentences are often compound which is painful to listen to in an audiobook and entirely unbelievable as dialogue. People just don't talk like that.
Read the blurb on the GR page and notice that that the blocks of text are just single sentences. I'm guessing that was written by the author.
The narrator struggles to say such long sentences, and they're so convoluted that they're difficult to follow.
This is one of those amateur writing things that I really hope the author can improve. Break up the sentences into something that's normal for conversation. I think that it wouldn't be as bad in written form but it just kills the audiobook experience almost as much as a narrator that mispronounces a frequent word.
DNF at 15% of audiobook. Just couldn't get past the painfully long sentences.
Read the blurb on the GR page and notice that that the blocks of text are just single sentences. I'm guessing that was written by the author.
The narrator struggles to say such long sentences, and they're so convoluted that they're difficult to follow.
This is one of those amateur writing things that I really hope the author can improve. Break up the sentences into something that's normal for conversation. I think that it wouldn't be as bad in written form but it just kills the audiobook experience almost as much as a narrator that mispronounces a frequent word.
DNF at 15% of audiobook. Just couldn't get past the painfully long sentences.
January 27, 2021
Pretty good; some might find it slow.
First off, the drinking game:
For a buzz, drink when you read "fecund"
For a good time, drink when you read ”bemused"
To die, drink when you read "for all that"
I noticed a few repeat phrases and words, so much so that I thought it'd make an interesting drinking game.
It didn't take long for the story to get going and the imagery was fantastic. Many times I felt I was reading fantastic cutscenes and it put the most interesting images in my head. Sometimes things were hard to follow, but it all worked out to make for a very enjoyable experience.
First off, the drinking game:
For a buzz, drink when you read "fecund"
For a good time, drink when you read ”bemused"
To die, drink when you read "for all that"
I noticed a few repeat phrases and words, so much so that I thought it'd make an interesting drinking game.
It didn't take long for the story to get going and the imagery was fantastic. Many times I felt I was reading fantastic cutscenes and it put the most interesting images in my head. Sometimes things were hard to follow, but it all worked out to make for a very enjoyable experience.
December 6, 2019
I really tried to like this book
The hero who had cancer put in cryogenic AI who had to learn cultivation in a unbelievable cruel world... and it got stranger and so goofy I started making bets on what next demons... lol yep. Sorry , I won't read book 2.
The hero who had cancer put in cryogenic AI who had to learn cultivation in a unbelievable cruel world... and it got stranger and so goofy I started making bets on what next demons... lol yep. Sorry , I won't read book 2.
September 10, 2020
Couldn’t get into it
April 20, 2023
After reading the first 7 books i am ready for the verdict.
The plot could have been good but totally derailed later in my opinion.
The story started okay enough with a young man who got cryptogenically frozen and awakes in a game-like Wuxia world. He awakes in a barrel filled with poison, develops immunity against all poisons he comes in contact with super fast and kills his way through dozens of magicians thanks to plot armor. By just touching a corpse he learns an entire language.
The society where he ends up is higly xenophobic, corrupt and lives according to the law of the strongest. The protagonist helps saving the city from invaders but gets drawn into the affairs of most moronic family of "gods" immaginable. In the first book those gods act more like strong cultivators and act directly but still need the help of a mortal. Later on, after what we learn to have been thousands years of incarnations, three gods are totally obsessed with the protagonist for some reason, and try everything to kill him and ethnically cleanse the lands they rule indirectly the most idiotic and drastic ways possible. The "gods" keep acting like spoilt bullies in a sand box
The MC is a typical Gary Stu, who learns super fast, gets OP boons and skill (which he mostly doesn´t use for "reasons", constantly keeps winning against impossible odds and all the time gets saved from death by plot armor/miracles. The MC seems to be addicted to be distracted in every single important fight and keeps almost dying due to his stupidity.
He and everybody else around him are totally addicted to listening endlessly to their own voices especially at the most stupid/inopportune times imaginable. Actually, about 60 percent of the story is made of neverending repetitive statements ( in the last book one statement was made at least three times on the same f*cking page alone!), mostly irrelevant dialogues and inner monologues.
I was no fan of the MC´s love life either as it was very repetitive. If the author would have cut about 90 percent of these dull page fillers the books would have been WAY BETTER.
The story misses clear structure as the MC keeps wasting time when on a time limit only to be stressed shortly before the end. As the story progressed i more and more got fed up with the complaceny of the MC. He leaves deadly enemies alive for too long and let them go on killing while totally destroying people who were bullied by gods to act as their pawns repeatedly. Book 7 was horrible in this aspect as the MC gets hundreds of people killed due to his incompetence, thoughtlessness and complacency as the author wants to increase the drama. Unfortunately, this only made me despise the MC.
The plot could have been good but totally derailed later in my opinion.
The story started okay enough with a young man who got cryptogenically frozen and awakes in a game-like Wuxia world. He awakes in a barrel filled with poison, develops immunity against all poisons he comes in contact with super fast and kills his way through dozens of magicians thanks to plot armor. By just touching a corpse he learns an entire language.
The society where he ends up is higly xenophobic, corrupt and lives according to the law of the strongest. The protagonist helps saving the city from invaders but gets drawn into the affairs of most moronic family of "gods" immaginable. In the first book those gods act more like strong cultivators and act directly but still need the help of a mortal. Later on, after what we learn to have been thousands years of incarnations, three gods are totally obsessed with the protagonist for some reason, and try everything to kill him and ethnically cleanse the lands they rule indirectly the most idiotic and drastic ways possible. The "gods" keep acting like spoilt bullies in a sand box
The MC is a typical Gary Stu, who learns super fast, gets OP boons and skill (which he mostly doesn´t use for "reasons", constantly keeps winning against impossible odds and all the time gets saved from death by plot armor/miracles. The MC seems to be addicted to be distracted in every single important fight and keeps almost dying due to his stupidity.
He and everybody else around him are totally addicted to listening endlessly to their own voices especially at the most stupid/inopportune times imaginable. Actually, about 60 percent of the story is made of neverending repetitive statements ( in the last book one statement was made at least three times on the same f*cking page alone!), mostly irrelevant dialogues and inner monologues.
I was no fan of the MC´s love life either as it was very repetitive. If the author would have cut about 90 percent of these dull page fillers the books would have been WAY BETTER.
The story misses clear structure as the MC keeps wasting time when on a time limit only to be stressed shortly before the end. As the story progressed i more and more got fed up with the complaceny of the MC. He leaves deadly enemies alive for too long and let them go on killing while totally destroying people who were bullied by gods to act as their pawns repeatedly. Book 7 was horrible in this aspect as the MC gets hundreds of people killed due to his incompetence, thoughtlessness and complacency as the author wants to increase the drama. Unfortunately, this only made me despise the MC.
February 16, 2025
A decent KU read but repeative seires at times
A decent KU read and audible listen
This series is a royal road series that does have all see hallmarks of a run on story that keeps you interested nonetheless. I have read the 7 released book and the 8th completed work and while I do not regret it I did find tthe story and series frustrating as much as I found it entertaining. As a chapter by chapter release story, there is plenty of filler chapters wear, naval gazing, and pondering upon. The philosophy of whatever move is being developed, takes the entire chapter.
I will say that the audible version is very good, except for the parts. When the narrator is reading for the a parts at least in the second book of the series on it is annoyingly loud and not matching with the rest of the audible version. Having intense action or somber moments interuptted by a sudden arena annoucer saying something akin to CONGRATULATIONS will completel break the story.
There are many interesting concepts within the school of cultivation and magic. About those who have reached a height of cultivation considered god's and purposely interfere with the lower realms of power. The latter concepts. You don't really see until the later books in the series.
The frustrating part of this series is repetitive nature of the antagonist. Almost every antagonist goes along the lines of saying. How dare you look at me you “insert worlds racism,’ I will kill you, how dare you strike back at me you worm, I will kill you. The few antagonist that are motivated by greed and power are still over the top and how they speak and act towards the main protagonist. It doesn't really make sense in how people would treat each other. Even a world where people have power and magical abilities.
Thus, the story is both entertaining and frustrating because it repeats itself narratively, while adding a little bit more to the mystery and worldbuilding throughout each book as more is revealed.
A decent KU read and audible listen
This series is a royal road series that does have all see hallmarks of a run on story that keeps you interested nonetheless. I have read the 7 released book and the 8th completed work and while I do not regret it I did find tthe story and series frustrating as much as I found it entertaining. As a chapter by chapter release story, there is plenty of filler chapters wear, naval gazing, and pondering upon. The philosophy of whatever move is being developed, takes the entire chapter.
I will say that the audible version is very good, except for the parts. When the narrator is reading for the a parts at least in the second book of the series on it is annoyingly loud and not matching with the rest of the audible version. Having intense action or somber moments interuptted by a sudden arena annoucer saying something akin to CONGRATULATIONS will completel break the story.
There are many interesting concepts within the school of cultivation and magic. About those who have reached a height of cultivation considered god's and purposely interfere with the lower realms of power. The latter concepts. You don't really see until the later books in the series.
The frustrating part of this series is repetitive nature of the antagonist. Almost every antagonist goes along the lines of saying. How dare you look at me you “insert worlds racism,’ I will kill you, how dare you strike back at me you worm, I will kill you. The few antagonist that are motivated by greed and power are still over the top and how they speak and act towards the main protagonist. It doesn't really make sense in how people would treat each other. Even a world where people have power and magical abilities.
Thus, the story is both entertaining and frustrating because it repeats itself narratively, while adding a little bit more to the mystery and worldbuilding throughout each book as more is revealed.
June 9, 2024
Starts interesting... goes down to confusing 1 star crap... then gets really good easily a 5 star book after the first bit until the final chapters... where the entire plot shifts. Deus ex machina brings combined with a totally different plot, forcing the story to go a completely different and nonsensical direction.
The author even completely changes one of the main characters and also has the mc do some utterly stupid things that even a "White knight" myself can't get behind. The beginning and end are both sloppy and seemingly random... the entire story blew up. Felt like a totally different story and even author. Id only give 1-2 stars to the lazy work at the end that is just not at all interesting and just undoes all the great work he did in the beginning.
I can feel how little effort the author put into this rushed ending.
I wrote this as I listened to the last of the book... and it just got so much worse seeing the lazy way he's building up to the second book.
I was not going to read it because I was worried he'd be lazy in his writing again, but now that I see what is going to be about I'm even less inclined... and that alone killed the 2 stars I was trying to give him.
He's totally undone anything good he did in this book all on his own.
I'm not going to read anything from this author again... unless this is his first book and he gets some practice. With some effort he can write pretty well but the problem is his inconsistencies.
I'll be skipping this series now. I am so disappointed.
The author even completely changes one of the main characters and also has the mc do some utterly stupid things that even a "White knight" myself can't get behind. The beginning and end are both sloppy and seemingly random... the entire story blew up. Felt like a totally different story and even author. Id only give 1-2 stars to the lazy work at the end that is just not at all interesting and just undoes all the great work he did in the beginning.
I can feel how little effort the author put into this rushed ending.
I wrote this as I listened to the last of the book... and it just got so much worse seeing the lazy way he's building up to the second book.
I was not going to read it because I was worried he'd be lazy in his writing again, but now that I see what is going to be about I'm even less inclined... and that alone killed the 2 stars I was trying to give him.
He's totally undone anything good he did in this book all on his own.
I'm not going to read anything from this author again... unless this is his first book and he gets some practice. With some effort he can write pretty well but the problem is his inconsistencies.
I'll be skipping this series now. I am so disappointed.
December 17, 2019
It's pretty good 3.5/5
This book is a good one to turn your brain off and just enjoy - to not think too much. There are a lot of things that are incorporated and then never spoken of again or only brought back in a random moment several chapters later and then never touched on again. There are sometimes periods of massive info dumping, where I'm not feeling Alex exploring something for the first time, but instead just having his master just randomly spew information that wasn't really asked for and not used later. There was a good chunk of time where they had first entered the forest where I was skipping paragraphs at a time because there would be paragraphs of superfluous text between someone asking a question and receiving a response.
Despite all this, the plot itself is actually interesting to the point where I'm flying through the book. Living under a trickster deity, what counts as "reasonable" for suspension of believe is actually quite late, I found myself wanting things to be even more random and wild but somehow always working out in the end. This isn't the best thing written but it's actually pretty good.
This book is a good one to turn your brain off and just enjoy - to not think too much. There are a lot of things that are incorporated and then never spoken of again or only brought back in a random moment several chapters later and then never touched on again. There are sometimes periods of massive info dumping, where I'm not feeling Alex exploring something for the first time, but instead just having his master just randomly spew information that wasn't really asked for and not used later. There was a good chunk of time where they had first entered the forest where I was skipping paragraphs at a time because there would be paragraphs of superfluous text between someone asking a question and receiving a response.
Despite all this, the plot itself is actually interesting to the point where I'm flying through the book. Living under a trickster deity, what counts as "reasonable" for suspension of believe is actually quite late, I found myself wanting things to be even more random and wild but somehow always working out in the end. This isn't the best thing written but it's actually pretty good.
December 18, 2019
Mostly above average cultivation story. You won't find anything new if you're familiar with the genre. A recommended read if you're into this sort of thing, but I doubt newcomers will like it. I'm looking forward to the next one.
At times I found myself completely lost, particularly in what amounts to the prologue where both the grammar and clarity of the storytelling could use a little bit of editing. Once things get moving it resolves into a relatively standard plotline. The characters and character development are okay though quite predictable.
The cultivation "system" feels a little ad-hoc and isn't really all that well presented—the MC is basically allowed to make stuff up but no one else seems to be able to and it's not clear that there's some underlying truth. The actual cultivation and skill development could use a higher level of detail in the writing.
The ending feels abrupt and it doesn't really seem like it's the same story—we have a bunch of new plotlines dropped on us, some new skills and kinds of antagonists appear without enough foreshadowing. I was left wondering where it all came from.
At times I found myself completely lost, particularly in what amounts to the prologue where both the grammar and clarity of the storytelling could use a little bit of editing. Once things get moving it resolves into a relatively standard plotline. The characters and character development are okay though quite predictable.
The cultivation "system" feels a little ad-hoc and isn't really all that well presented—the MC is basically allowed to make stuff up but no one else seems to be able to and it's not clear that there's some underlying truth. The actual cultivation and skill development could use a higher level of detail in the writing.
The ending feels abrupt and it doesn't really seem like it's the same story—we have a bunch of new plotlines dropped on us, some new skills and kinds of antagonists appear without enough foreshadowing. I was left wondering where it all came from.
September 1, 2021
Quite good, just not for everyone.
I've seen multiple reviews complaining about stereotypes and racism in this series, however it is there for a reason. Much the same way there is such blatant racism in "Blazing Saddles", to teach to show the absurdity of it. Also reviews have complained about those in power being corrupt. Yes they are, due to certain plot points that become revealed later in the series.
The only real problems I have with series is that the author tends to rehash things they've already told us about and the fact that the story may get a little hard to follow for some readers due to the fact parts of it may or may not be actually happening.
These things being said it's a wonderful story filled with both the wondrous and mundane exactly the way all good stories are. The only difference for so many is that this one is laden with so many pseudo Asian themes. It's something we don't see to much due us being more familiar with European themes.
So sit back, relax and become lost in a story that may or may not be actually taking place. That's part of the fun.
I've seen multiple reviews complaining about stereotypes and racism in this series, however it is there for a reason. Much the same way there is such blatant racism in "Blazing Saddles", to teach to show the absurdity of it. Also reviews have complained about those in power being corrupt. Yes they are, due to certain plot points that become revealed later in the series.
The only real problems I have with series is that the author tends to rehash things they've already told us about and the fact that the story may get a little hard to follow for some readers due to the fact parts of it may or may not be actually happening.
These things being said it's a wonderful story filled with both the wondrous and mundane exactly the way all good stories are. The only difference for so many is that this one is laden with so many pseudo Asian themes. It's something we don't see to much due us being more familiar with European themes.
So sit back, relax and become lost in a story that may or may not be actually taking place. That's part of the fun.
Read
October 19, 2021Greatest of Plot Armors
Interesting enough story and fast paced enough to keep you interested but damn if the plot armor in this book isn’t thick AF. Main character will be pulled through any challenge with his unbreakable will and the every hack the author needs him to have. It’s a total Gary Stu story, which isn’t always bad imho but I hope the author can keep it down enough going forward to actually allow some drama.
But maybe the most annoying part of the story being the descriptions of how the MC is able to be so good at everything without trying here is one example..
“Save for mathematics, Alex had found so many classes an endless drag. But geometry, angles, architecture, all that had fascinated him. So, for him, it was second nature to triangulate how best to strike the fire-wielding nemesis who had sought to set him ablaze.”
And there are plenty more of these quips if you read the story.
I plan to tentatively read further in the series but really hope it gets better as it goes along. Wish me luck!!
Interesting enough story and fast paced enough to keep you interested but damn if the plot armor in this book isn’t thick AF. Main character will be pulled through any challenge with his unbreakable will and the every hack the author needs him to have. It’s a total Gary Stu story, which isn’t always bad imho but I hope the author can keep it down enough going forward to actually allow some drama.
But maybe the most annoying part of the story being the descriptions of how the MC is able to be so good at everything without trying here is one example..
“Save for mathematics, Alex had found so many classes an endless drag. But geometry, angles, architecture, all that had fascinated him. So, for him, it was second nature to triangulate how best to strike the fire-wielding nemesis who had sought to set him ablaze.”
And there are plenty more of these quips if you read the story.
I plan to tentatively read further in the series but really hope it gets better as it goes along. Wish me luck!!
January 8, 2024
We all have our faults and weaknesses, and this book clearly falls into one of mine. We're in a Wuxia (95%)/LitRPG(5%) and this last part is superfluous and shouldn't be mentioned, I think.
In a way, everything was predictable and phoned-in, but some of the initial elements gave it enough originality to make it interesting.
The relationship between... gods... and the humans who live in their city. The relationship between the "Asian" world and the "Western" world represented by the hero. A whole range of elements that quickly fade into the background in favor of fighting, fighting, fighting.
I gave it a 4+ fairly easily, but from the 2nd book onwards, I had a PERMANENT feeling of déjà vu, as if I'd already read this exact story, but with a much less interesting ending than expected. Indeed, I tried to anticipate the story to find out whether this déjà vu feeling was a mental effect or a reality, and each time the result was worse than my imagination/memory.
It's a shame. 3+ for volumes 1-3.
In a way, everything was predictable and phoned-in, but some of the initial elements gave it enough originality to make it interesting.
The relationship between... gods... and the humans who live in their city. The relationship between the "Asian" world and the "Western" world represented by the hero. A whole range of elements that quickly fade into the background in favor of fighting, fighting, fighting.
I gave it a 4+ fairly easily, but from the 2nd book onwards, I had a PERMANENT feeling of déjà vu, as if I'd already read this exact story, but with a much less interesting ending than expected. Indeed, I tried to anticipate the story to find out whether this déjà vu feeling was a mental effect or a reality, and each time the result was worse than my imagination/memory.
It's a shame. 3+ for volumes 1-3.
October 19, 2021
start of something good
I was hesitant to start this series after reading a few harsh reviews , but I decided to give it a shot anyways and I am very happy I did. The book is not perfect by any means but it caters to what I look for in a book. It did a solid job of laying a foundation for an impressive series with great depth and potential. Some of the “issues” with this book being a training montage are founded but I personally didn’t find that it subtracted from the over arching story of the book. It helped lend to the struggle of theMC. I found it a good balance with the main character being given amazing gifts but his path is not easy. I could ramble on about highs and lows of the book, but instead I’ll just say give it a read. I’m looking forward to devouring the rest of this series. Gnomes rule!!!
I was hesitant to start this series after reading a few harsh reviews , but I decided to give it a shot anyways and I am very happy I did. The book is not perfect by any means but it caters to what I look for in a book. It did a solid job of laying a foundation for an impressive series with great depth and potential. Some of the “issues” with this book being a training montage are founded but I personally didn’t find that it subtracted from the over arching story of the book. It helped lend to the struggle of theMC. I found it a good balance with the main character being given amazing gifts but his path is not easy. I could ramble on about highs and lows of the book, but instead I’ll just say give it a read. I’m looking forward to devouring the rest of this series. Gnomes rule!!!
February 10, 2022
Excellent start to the series, I have been listening to the the audiobooks, completed the first five and just waiting for the book 6 to be released.
This books is non stop action, I felt nearly drained after listening to it. The world building is exceptional. The main character has plenty of substance (not just a 1 dimension good guy, has plenty of flaws) as do the secondary characters. You can also feel the ruthlessness and vileness of all the antagonists.
The cultivation system is explained in a way that it is relatively easy to get your head around.
So, if you like cultivation novels and an underdog who is nearly thwarted at every turn by cultists, gods and cultivators, then try this series!
This books is non stop action, I felt nearly drained after listening to it. The world building is exceptional. The main character has plenty of substance (not just a 1 dimension good guy, has plenty of flaws) as do the secondary characters. You can also feel the ruthlessness and vileness of all the antagonists.
The cultivation system is explained in a way that it is relatively easy to get your head around.
So, if you like cultivation novels and an underdog who is nearly thwarted at every turn by cultists, gods and cultivators, then try this series!
October 9, 2023
interesting mechanics but plot has issues
I liked the mechanics of the cultivation and most of the story. The issue I had was the at times confusing plot with time skips not initially explained properly and big secrets that don’t make much sense. Think authors desire to create drivers and big reveals later made the story very confusing with the actual reveals not feeling worth all the confusion. The ending was also not very gratifying with the story going from a decent character build up to basically a restart which I didn’t like very much. Having an MC who is OP but constantly failing in big moments seems unnecessary and him winning and losing at the end again like the story started really felt forced.
I liked the mechanics of the cultivation and most of the story. The issue I had was the at times confusing plot with time skips not initially explained properly and big secrets that don’t make much sense. Think authors desire to create drivers and big reveals later made the story very confusing with the actual reveals not feeling worth all the confusion. The ending was also not very gratifying with the story going from a decent character build up to basically a restart which I didn’t like very much. Having an MC who is OP but constantly failing in big moments seems unnecessary and him winning and losing at the end again like the story started really felt forced.
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