Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains

Underdog #1

by Alexey Osadchuk

Eric was born in a world governed by the Great System, in the family of Aren Bergman, a respected miner from Orchus. But the joy of gaining a son was overshadowed by the newborn’s terrible affliction. Eric was completely nulled – level zero and no characteristics points. The only things keeping him from dying were his tiny base supplies of “life” and “energy.”

The medicine woman who delivered Eric believes this to be the work of the evil spirit Bug. Due to the peculiar laws of the Great System, Eric cannot use experience essences or characteristics tablets, so he risks having to spend his whole life confined to a bed. But his father finds a solution. He takes out a large bank loan and goes to the capital where he buys a few artifacts of the Ancients on the black market, which have no level restriction.

Despite having the artifacts, Eric is still very feeble and everyone in town thinks him a freak. But at least he can move on his own and that gives the Bergmans hope. But alas, it isn’t for long. On Eric’s fourteenth birthday, his father and mother die in a mining accident. The bank takes their house, and Eric is left with no choice but to work off the remaining debt in the Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains.

And so begins the story of a nulled boy’s struggle to survive…

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Young Adult, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy, Dystopia, Adventure

569 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

Alexey Osadchuk was born in 1979 in the Ukraine. In the late 1990s his family moved to the south of Spain where they still live today.

Alexey was an avid reader from an early age, devouring adventure novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jack London and Arthur Conan Doyle. In 2010 he wrote his first fantasy novel which was immediately accepted for publication.

He also used to be a passionate online gamer which prompted him to write the story of a man who joins an MMORPG game hoping to raise money for his daughter’s heart surgery. The first book of Mirror World was published In 2013. The English translation of the series is now available on Amazon in its entirety, prompting a reviewer to call Alexey “one of the best LitRPG authors to date”.

Reviews

[GaiusPrimus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Alexey's other series .

It took an interesting premise and turned it into a really entertaining read. We see the same thing with this series, although we switch from a VR setting to a slice-of-life one. The story starts fairly dark, which seems to be a thing for the author, but there is quick redemption against his "oppressors" before the development of some interesting perspectives.

While this theme is fairly prevalent in the Russian translated books in the genre, it wasn't enough that you end up the book feeling tired under the yoke of the proletariat. :|

Really well put together and great narration.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one

Mistakes: I found five. Mostly misspelled words along with one missing word.
Plot: A young man born a lvl 0 is sold into debt slavery after the death of his parents. He will find evil and goodness in the people he meets. When he is trapped and abandoned underground he will find true friendship and the power to change his fate.
Characters: I like the MC and want to follow his adventures.
I actually had an advanced copy of this book, but wanted to wait on my review till close to book two being released because I wanted to reread the book and help the author out.
8/10

[Sensei_cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salvo por el toque litRPG, sin el cual no hubiera tocado esta historia, es una historia de fantasía oscura clásica que recuerda muchísimo a la saga de "El Elfo Oscuro" entre otros.
Le falta un toque de humor o algo que lo diferencie porque el protagonista no va sobrado de carisma, pero aparte de eso es razonablemente entretenido, todo el rato pasan cosas.

Y una cosa mala es la traducción (o falta de revisión), ya que hay bastantes frases mal escritas.
Bien en general, se lee agradable si no tenemos en cuenta la traducción, pero tampoco me ha atrapado lo suficiente como para seguir con el resto de la saga.

3,5/4 que redondeo abajo por lo ya mencionado. Si no fuera así es posible que el redondeo fuera hacia arriba.

Ah! Una cosa buena es que está "gratis" en Kindle Unlimited... :)

[Стася · Rating 3 out of 5]

хотела перестать читать подобную литературу, но случайно прочитала все восемь книг 😭

[Evk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rychlá odpočinková četba, ale zároveň mi to přišlo i nápadité a byla jsem pořád zvědavá, jak se to bude vyvíjet. Pro někoho může být druhá půlka lehce jednotvárná, protože je tam stéle se opakující jeden motiv.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Of The Ancients Stars

Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains is the first book in the Undersog series by Alexey Osadchuk.

Where to even start? This magic system is a facsimile of something I've seen in another LitRPG style series. In fact, this style of magic honestly makes sense to me. Probably topping my favorites chart, right up there with the ones leaning more towards equations. How terribly unfortunate, and yet uniquely lucky that our young Mc was not granted even one measly level at the time of his birth.

Now The System in this book is yet a mystery. Given that there are apparently whole swaths of land and infamous people erased by time, while misguidedly the whole of today's civilation remember a few terrible melodies of false heroes as their true ancestral saviors. I honestly hope that our little null finds the time in his distant adventures to eradicate this misconception from common knowledge. Three murderers should not be heralded so kindly.

There is yet so much unknown of the Monster Hunters. I don't think the Mc is wrong in believing that there are bound to be other hidden portals and strongholds against the otherworldly invaders. I don't remember if it was mentioned whether he shared their existence, and his connection to this cause, with Jay... I'm going to assume no, at this time.

And finally, is there any point in him leveling? With how much loot the system gives him, it seems awfully balanced between pros and cons. While that means he can't level and advance normally, he's more likely to receive loot that allows him to advance in his own unique way. I think eventually he will find a way to grow, but I also believe a lot of the intrigue in reading this book is in uncovering how he faces such odds without doing so. But that's before you even consider the benefit that leveling would have to any of his Ancient items....

[Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars | Kindle Unlimited bait & switch.

I enjoyed this story, despite its problems. I was even looking forward to reading book 2. The I found out that only book one is available from Kindle Unlimited. While disappointing, I can see the author wanting to get more money on each book sale rather than whatever it is that they get for Kindle Unlimited reads. The problem, as I see it, is that I am willing to put up with a lack of editing and awkward English translations in a Kindle Unlimited book. I am NOT willing to pay $6.99 each for books 2-8, for the same lack of editing and awkward English translation.

I’ve added book 2 to my wishlist. If it ever becomes available on Kindle Unlimited, or goes on sale for less than $3 (the absolute most I would spend on an unedited book) then I will likely read it.

[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.”

Cheers

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pass this up

In one way the author was good. The story was about a child and reading this, it felt like a child wrote the story.

In several other ways this story was too horrible for me to finish. I think the blame lies solely with the translator. Made up words, sentences that were missing words or just made no sense.

The worst part was the constant change from past tense to present tense and back again.

i.e. Dad gave me a present. I open the gift. It was great. I love it.

[Charles Courson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good book. The story line stays within the framework of lit-rpg, while offering a unique scenario. The main character suffers from a huge penalty, but manages to survive and thrive where more capable bodies have fallen. I've read all of Osadchuk's work. This book is a step up from his previous works. It seems better thought out, and the characters are more interesting. I like it and can't wait for the next work in the series to be released.

[Mahesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to get into first but becomes very good in the end chapters

This is unique in way, there are many books where hero has disadvantages but gains a unique ability after an accident and becomes super awesome. This follows the same concept but it is very much realistic. It follows the MC's struggles and how he overcomes his zero level. Hard to get into because in early chapters you feel the pity and helplessness of the MC but it gets better after chapter 15

[Ian Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent beginning of a series

Definitely one of my favorite LitRPG authors. I like the game breaking mechanic. Good story. Striking cover. This was a wonderful read that was hard to put down late into the night.

[Micha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*
Die Grundidee hat mir gefallen und der Aufbau der Geschichte ist logisch nachvollziehbar.
Leider ist der Hauptcharakter sehr emotionsarm und empfindet kaum Empathie. Es fällt mir schwer für ihn Mitgefühl zu entwickeln und meine Motivation mehr über seine Abenteuer zu erfahren ist während des lesens stark gesunken.

[Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent

This book was quite statistics heavy but liked it overall as the main character was interesting enough and writing style easy to read. One thing which was a bit jarring is that the MC's good fortune and luck is pretty extreme and unbelievable. Also I did skim read the bits that were too much info about the loot received.

Other than this overall it was a pleasant read as the MC is well defined, especially in terms of emotional depth and holds interest. Will probably continue to book 2.

[Leather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good LitRPG, very enjoyable to read, with a likeable and unique protagonist.
It's light, fast-paced, and never boring.

[Vroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains (Book 1 of "Underdog") is warm comfort-food LitRPG that you'll read, enjoy, and eventually forget but as comfort-food goes, it's a little more substantial than many competing titles. It has more crunch to its numbers and a clever progression for its MC. I liked it and I am looking forward to Book 2, which should arrive mid-December.

It hits some of the same beats as The Weirdest Noob: it's about a level zero making his way in the world but instead of a person playing a game, all the characters live inside the game. This full-on game world has its own RNGesus gifting children at birth with distributable stat points. And in this world, experience and stat points are tangible goods, making the weak and poor easy victims for those who wish to exploit them.

In some ways, the book attempts to explore societal injustices using an RPG system as a metaphor but these deliberations are light as a feather. For the most part, it's a society without social contract and pretty much everyone is an asshole. Individuals take advantage of each other as power and opportunity permits. They care for each other only when the bonds of tribe and family are strongest. And in typical garystuitude, the village children are especially mean to the hero, who is disabled but eventually realizes he is special.

Don't let those bits turn you away from reading. The fun of this book is seeing how a level zero who cannot equip any equipment and cannot level manages to progress and empower himself, complete with fun stats. I refuse to ruin the surprise on how that is done but I promise you he remains level zero all the way to the end.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would probably get four stars from me except for two things.
1. The English translation is poor. There's only so many times you can read "in all honesty" or "to be frank" before you start wincing. That limit is surpassed in the first two chapters.
2. I don't like betrayal as a trope. This is a personal preference, so your mileage may vary.

As a LitRPG it's good. The main character has a gimmick that sets him apart and makes an interesting story, which is necessary for those of us overly familiar with the genre. It reminded me of the glitch in Elder Scrolls Oblivion: if you never slept than you didn't level-up (so the game never leveled) but your skills kept going up. In this story, Eric stumbles into a similar bug and eventually learns to milk it properly.

It's a short introduction to the series, so you can think of it as a sampler... and I can recommend it as such.

[Murphies_law · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is truly a mixed bag.

On the one hand i loved the story how the weakest of the weak struggles against impossible seeming odds, some twists and would give the series 4,5 stars. On the other a truly horrible translator with only rudimentary knowledge of English (permanently mixed times, half sentences, made up phrases that ruined my reading experience throughout the ENTIRE series) and a too trusting and often stupidly generous MC. Given the shortness of the books the price of the single books is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!

Therefore only 2 stars.

[Karla Schneider · Rating 1 out of 5]

The young adult tag should raise some alarms right away, but alas, to the book. Yeah, no. Written by a true easterner: "No, I will not burst into tears on the spot."(because I am a strong, beautiful independent effeminate young boy... who needs no man!). The wordiness can be ignored, but stupidity cannot, I'm out.

[Akshay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains is the first book in the Underdog series by Alexey Osadchuk, a Russian author known for his work in the LitRPG genre. The novel offers a solid entry into the world of role-playing game mechanics fused with traditional fantasy storytelling. While the story isn't groundbreaking, it is highly engaging and does an excellent job of drawing readers into its universe.

Plot Overview:

Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains follows Eric Berg, a young man who comes from a poor village with dreams of becoming strong and powerful in a world where strength is determined by one's ability to level up. The story unfolds in a game-like universe where experience points, skills, levels, and stats define one’s success. Eric has a significant disadvantage—his ability to level up is severely limited, making him an underdog. His only hope to overcome this is to venture into the dangerous Crooked Mountains, where countless dangers and treasures await.

The central premise revolves around Eric's struggle to survive and thrive in a world that is stacked against him. He is not destined to be the strongest, and the challenges he faces are immense. The tension builds as the story progresses, and the author successfully taps into the appeal of rooting for the underdog.

Writing Style:

Alexey Osadchuk’s writing is fast-paced, filled with action, and easy to follow, which is exactly what one would expect from a LitRPG novel. The detailed descriptions of battles, skills, and game mechanics are sure to satisfy fans of the genre. However, there are moments where the pacing feels rushed, especially when Eric gains certain skills or overcomes challenges that could have used more depth. This doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment but may leave readers craving more in terms of character development and world-building.

Character Development:

Eric Berg is a likable protagonist with a well-defined arc. His transformation from a struggling young man into a more capable adventurer is believable, but at times predictable. The supporting characters, however, feel a little underdeveloped. While they play their roles effectively, they are often overshadowed by the game-like mechanics and action sequences.

One of the strongest aspects of the character development is how Eric’s weaknesses define him. Instead of being the typical overpowered protagonist, his limitations force him to be clever and resourceful. This gives the story a fresh and grounded feeling, despite the fantasy setting.

Game Mechanics:

For readers who enjoy LitRPG, Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains does a fantastic job of incorporating game-like elements such as leveling, skills, and stats. Osadchuk pays meticulous attention to the details of this system. For example, Eric’s slow leveling is a core plot point, and the progression feels earned rather than handed to him.

However, if you’re not a fan of detailed skill trees, ability points, and stat progressions, the constant reminders of these mechanics might feel overwhelming or repetitive. At times, it feels more like reading a game manual than a novel, which may not appeal to everyone.

World-Building:

The world of the Crooked Mountains is filled with mystery, danger, and intrigue. Osadchuk does a commendable job of painting a world that feels lived-in, though he could have provided more depth in certain areas. For instance, while we get glimpses of the political and social structure of this world, these elements take a backseat to the action.

The dungeon environments and the various creatures Eric encounters are vividly described, which helps make the setting come alive. You can almost feel the tension and danger that the protagonist faces as he explores deeper into the mountains.

Overall Experience:

Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains is an enjoyable LitRPG adventure with an appealing underdog story at its heart. The game mechanics are intricately woven into the narrative, and Eric's character arc, though predictable, is satisfying. However, the book could benefit from deeper character development and more world-building outside the dungeon-crawling action.

While there are no huge plot twists, the ending sets up an exciting sequel, leaving readers curious to see how Eric's journey continues.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Pacing: Fast-paced, but occasionally rushed.
Character Development: Solid for Eric, but supporting characters lack depth.
World-Building: Engaging but could use more detail beyond the dungeon setting.
Game Mechanics: Well-done for LitRPG fans, but might overwhelm newcomers.
Enjoyment: Highly enjoyable for LitRPG enthusiasts who love underdog stories.

If you're a fan of LitRPG or underdog protagonists in a gritty fantasy world, Dungeons of the Crooked Mountains is definitely worth your time!

[Mike Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Zero to Hero Story

This story of a null boy who gets sold to pay off his dead parents debt is very good. It’s a really entertaining fast paced action packed read. Can’t wait for the next book.

[Haakon Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Interesting storyline, likable character, and well-paced plot. Plenty of groundwork laid for the future as well, both in the story and the world building. Worth the time and looking forward to the next!

[Stuart Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t slow down!

The first book in the Underdog series really doesn’t disappoint!! The litRPG elements aren’t an overwhelming mass, and the story seriously just gets better the more you read. Ten thumbs up!

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Book, interesting concept

I enjoyed this story, and would read book 2. Additionally, I would like to say that I enjoyed the main character’s actions and how it should shape future books.

[Tryptophan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reactive storytelling

Subpar dialogue coupled with a purely reactive protagonist makes this story a slog to read. It’s further brought down by poor editing and stupid charter verbal tics.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liking this new series

I enjoyed this series starter quite a bit. It felt very genuine to me. Looking forward to next book! Good litrpg starter too.

[Scott Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

The adventures of a level 0 are rather exciting. I was surprised that the main characters lack of abilities could actually be so exciting

[NiteHaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely clever

[Koffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad and weak mc that is enslaved, manages to escape only to be imprisoned by someone else. He has to relay upon a pet because he can't even lvl up. Really bad Russian Litrpg at it's worst.

[perseus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for the series as a whole. There will be spoilers for not just for book one but the rest also. I do not mention events in specific but I will be talking in general about how events work out for the protagonist. I marked the more specific/significant spoilers.

This is the best litrpg series I have read in a while. I actually like books two through four more than the rest. I rated those 5/5, while the others are 4/5. I just finished book 6 and plan to read this series until the end.

I love the characters and the worldbuilding is superb. It is evident that the author planed this series out.

The plot: Eric, the protagonist, is born into a whole governed by the usual litrpg "system" as a level zero. So everyone starts out as a level one and then are able to level as you would expect from a rpg. Eric, being a level zero, is stuck that way and is unable to benefit from various aspect of the system. Eric soon finds out there are certain benefits of this bug and uses them to his advantage.

I have a few problems with the series: the protagonist's age, his power-level in the later books, and his familiars and pets.

Eric is approximately 14 years old when the series start. So at this point the age works for the story. Eric is made basically an indentured servant, a "peon", and is taken from his home. This is the first time he is experiencing the wider whole. His naivety shows. Over the course of the series, Eric grows and becomes more experienced. I thought this progression was pretty well done. It felt a little rushed at the end, around books five through six. I'll get more into that when I talk about his power-level next.

The series only takes place over the course of a year or so. By the end of it, he is the leader, or at least highly respected by the leadership, equals if you will, of multiple organization/groups. Eric is only 15 years old though. It really made it seem unrealistic to me. I thought it would be better if there was some time skips along the way. I think this would make his power progression more believable also.

So onto the topic of power. Eric starts out as basically powerless. He is level zero so he has very low stats and no abilities. So then he discovered every time he does something worth a reward or loots something he gets greatest possible reward. I guess the reasoning is hes level zero so if he accomplished something that's impressive and therefore he should be well rewarded. I thought Eric's power-progression was well done up until book four or five or so. In that time, Eric discovers various ways to gain power and most importantly gain magic. Okay, I'm all good with that. But then he becomes the Supreme Magister of the Order of Monster Hunters and everyone is falling over themselves to follow his orders. This is an exaggeration but not by much. So not only does Eric possess extreme magical abilities, he is also the leader of expert fighters. The order is in its infancy but still. At the end of book six, he single-handedly takes out multiple experienced mages.

All this happens in only a year. He goes from no powered to overpowered in that time. I think it would be more believable to at least add in some time skips, some training montages as it were.

And finally, Eric's familiars and pets. So first Eric gets a pet harn, basically a scaled cat thing (who also becomes very powerful later on). Then a gremlin familiar. Okay cool, now Eric has a friend. I thought both of these were well done and I liked them both. Then in, I think, book five, Eric gets two foxfolk woman familiars. They were basically given to him. I do not like how this was handled at all. The author mostly refers to them in the third-person as "the foxmaidens". It was multiple chapters and in story multiple weeks before they even had a real conversation. To me, it doesn't feel like they're actual people or that Eric has a real relationship with them. With the gremlin, Mee, it felt they were actual friends and brothers. This is not the case with the foxmaidens. Now, at the end of book six, Eric just got two more pets. Two snakes, I think they are going to be massively overpowered but to be fair all that has happened so far is Eric named them and then the book ended.

In the end, I would highly recommend the first four books. They are amazing. For me, the story definitely got better at book two but still book one was very good. Book five and onward kinda feel like they are not as well planned (that is where most of my problems start). The author is just making the protagonist and his companions stronger and stronger to the point of ridiculously. But I am still going to keep reading because the story as a whole is still very good.