Deadline

Afterlife Online #4

by Domino Finn

Black knights. Dastardly pirates. Bloodthirsty rebels.
And those are the good guys.

War is coming to the Midlands. Like a kettle ready to bubble over, cities teeter at the brink of boiling, all while a spymaster fans the flames.

Witness the rise of the Violet Order.

It was always coming to this. Freedom isn't given, it's wrenched from the choking grips of those who would stifle, contain, and control. Legends are rife with noble heroes standing over vanquished enemies, but reality is more grisly. Peace is hard-won with blood and sacrifice, and sometimes the good guys pay the ultimate price.

Thus Talon, Izzy, Kyle, and the Black Hats are tasked with raising an army, storming a fortress, and fighting a war on multiple fronts, all on an impossible deadline. In three days, Haven's beta test ends, and in three days, so too might their entire world.

Genres: Fantasy

730 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2019

About the author

Domino Finn is an entertainment industry veteran, a contributor to award-winning video games, and the grizzled Urban Fantasy author of the best-selling Black Magic Outlaw series. His stories are equal parts spit, beer, and blood, and are notable for treating weighty issues with a supernatural veneer. If Domino has one rallying cry for the world, it's that fantasy is serious business.

Take up arms at DominoFinn.com

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always very sad when a book series comes to an end, as is probably most readers. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a big fan of LitRPG-type books, but this series was wonderful: great characters, fascinating plot, and I even liked the RPG aspects. As an aside, no, the aspects aren’t overwhelming or in your face; they are used as a complement to the story. The end for these characters were sometimes sad and sometimes happy, but it was a great end full love laughter, action, and a few tears. I can’t image a better end than the one the author gave us. I adored this series, and I think you will too. Give it a try! Highly recommend this book, and I received a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Clint Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 K U, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 20 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. 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

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book did close the series, and tie up loose ends, the mechanisms used were subpar. Many plot points appeared contrived specifically to push the story along, instead of allowing the story to flow on its own. There was even one point when the author did something that had been specifically stated as impossible earlier in the book, just to bring additional pressure to bear. This was completely unnecessary, and (in my opinion) went a long way to ruining the story. It's nice that the story arc is done, and I'm glad I read this part of the story, but this portion of the story was more forced than previous books, and made it feel as if the author was writing it to complete the story, and not because he wanted to tell a story. Subtle difference, but often times it's the difference between a great story, and a mediocre one, and in this case, it definitely made for a mediocre tale, much to my dismay. I'd really liked this series up to this point, but this ending just disappointed me. It's likely others won't have the same hangups I do, and will thoroughly enjoy this final installment in the series, but it just didn't do the trick for me.

[Sandra Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kind of short summary of the series.
The characters are fun and some of the game mechanics are interesting. But the world itself seems very limited (even for a beta). It also seems as if people who has been there for close to a year haven't even explored much beyond the main city (no time in the history of MMO's have a game existed for even a fraction of that time, resets or not, without someone pushing the edges of the map).
A lot of issues with how the world is programmed and how it is possible to cheese it also exists. I get that it is for the excitement of the story, but in the end one is left with the feeling of a patchwork barely held together world which I for one wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life (or eternity) in. Which IMHO is the very point of not only MMO's but also the litrpg genre.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am totally hooked on Domino Finn’s Afterlife Online series. It’s epic LitRPG adventure at its best. (It’s also a pretty fabulous series for those who have no idea that LitRPG is putting Role Playing Games into literary form by some means or other). Now, in Deadline (Book 4), things are coming to a head for Talon, Izzy, Kyle, and the Black Hats. They have a tough deadline indeed: three days or goodbye to their entire world. No pressure here. Nope. Well, maybe a bit - but the result is guaranteed pure enjoyment for readers. Best to start this series at book 1, but the book alone is fantastic and both book and series are highly recommended.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I've been waiting ages to read. Deadline was a fitting end to the Afterlife Online series, even though I hated to see it end. There was laughter, a few poignant moments that made me almost tear up, and plenty of edge-of-my-seat action. Once again, Mister Finn pulls off a great tale.

[GaiusPrimus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it wasn't over

The title says it enough. A fully versed and developed story, with a ton of good.

I just say that the time between book 3 and 4 made the start a little fuzzy, but what a great an entertaining read once the ball was rolling again.

I hope we get to revisit this in the future.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent finish

A very satisfying ending, or possibly beginning of a new story if you read till the very end. This book moves around a bit more in terms of point of view but everyone ends up together.

[Clinton Stanturf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series has been an absolute pleasure to listen to, and this book was no exception it managed to tied everything together perfectly with no unanswered questions or Cliffhangers simply phenomenal absolutely satisfying.

[Shane Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to see it end please send more

excellent choice for a good read
Great series could not stop reading a must have for litrpg fans check it out

[Ronald Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not... The end!?

I hope this series continues. Kinda of left us hanging with more DLC but no confirmation there’s more coming. We’ll see. Love this series so far!