What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Blade #1
Varnoth: The Black Blade
What would you do if you awoke without memory, crucified, and on the brink of death? Varnoth, a shadow panther, must struggle to survive in the cruel world of Albattara. He must use his natural-born skills in this fantasy LitRPG to explore the land, complete quests, conquer dungeons, craft potions, destroy terrifying monsters, and find answers to his questions: Who is he? Why was he crucified?
- GenresFantasy
344 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2019
100 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 7, 2019
I received an audible download code from the author on reddit in exchange for an honest review.
When the story started, I got a very Skyrim feel, which was a huge bonus in my book, and drew me right in. I love the "adventurer just doing their own thing" slice of life story, but unfortunately, it doesn't last long. Aside from a certain reveal in the final 10% of the book, we get no backstory, so we don't know if this is a VR game someone is playing, or an entirely different world with game like interactions (similar to Wandering Inn).
The story is incredibly gory, which caught me by surprise, and is honestly not my cup of tea. But for some reason, there is a lot of childish language throughout, so it's very uneven. Describing how a disemboweled corpse smells to a character, and then using the terms "cat man" or "kitty cat" is very jarring, and ultimately took away from my enjoyment.
While I dont think I would recommend this book to anyone personally, if none of the above deters you, give it a shot. I do think the author has a worthwhile story he wants to tell, and many of these issues can be resolved in future books. He just needs to decide if this is a story for adults, and cut out the silly language, or a story for teens, and tone down the overt violence by a few notches.
When the story started, I got a very Skyrim feel, which was a huge bonus in my book, and drew me right in. I love the "adventurer just doing their own thing" slice of life story, but unfortunately, it doesn't last long. Aside from a certain reveal in the final 10% of the book, we get no backstory, so we don't know if this is a VR game someone is playing, or an entirely different world with game like interactions (similar to Wandering Inn).
The story is incredibly gory, which caught me by surprise, and is honestly not my cup of tea. But for some reason, there is a lot of childish language throughout, so it's very uneven. Describing how a disemboweled corpse smells to a character, and then using the terms "cat man" or "kitty cat" is very jarring, and ultimately took away from my enjoyment.
While I dont think I would recommend this book to anyone personally, if none of the above deters you, give it a shot. I do think the author has a worthwhile story he wants to tell, and many of these issues can be resolved in future books. He just needs to decide if this is a story for adults, and cut out the silly language, or a story for teens, and tone down the overt violence by a few notches.
October 2, 2019
Starts off enjoyable and then quickly dives I to a very descriptive gorefest
October 31, 2019
One of those "please let this finally be a decent read" books that wasn't.
April 13, 2023
At the beginning it reads like a standard computer RPG game. The MC is of a shadow panther race. He wakes up in a bad position, not knowing who he is, saved by a wizard and then saving two girls from a cave...
I like the game system, the quests and how the story goes forward.
What i totally dislike is all the gore the author describes - a lot of the violence is totally over the top and most of the time without reason. I don't mind violence if is crucial for the story development but here it just seems to be something the author enjoys to describe.
Minus one star for that.
I like the game system, the quests and how the story goes forward.
What i totally dislike is all the gore the author describes - a lot of the violence is totally over the top and most of the time without reason. I don't mind violence if is crucial for the story development but here it just seems to be something the author enjoys to describe.
Minus one star for that.
January 6, 2020
Brilliant and fast paced
From the get go this has everything you want from a litrpg. An enticing story line and a few brilliant twists. A great read!
From the get go this has everything you want from a litrpg. An enticing story line and a few brilliant twists. A great read!
March 24, 2021
Don't get the Cat mad at you
A panther as the hero hmmm. Like the advancement. And how the hero reacts to bullies. Honor is a Lost art.
A panther as the hero hmmm. Like the advancement. And how the hero reacts to bullies. Honor is a Lost art.
November 27, 2019
At times, this book tends towards the darker end of the fantasy spectrum, with the author seeming to want to take the grittier feel of that end while maintaining a reasonable amount of hopefulness and it mostly works out quite well, although a lighter touch on the random escalations would probably improve subsequent books in the series.
This book is more overt than some in the genre when it comes to acknowledging the quest progression structure within the game world with the main character literally asking people for quests rather than always ending up on one in a more organic fashion, it is an interesting choice that works well. Another notable thing with this book is that it feels more like a single-player game than an mmo, there's little indication of anyone else in the game is levelling or progressing like the main character, who also seems to be a little on the overpowered side for his level for much of the book.
The narrator's performance was a good one, dramatic tones serving to enhance the story and cast quite nicely.
Overall, an interesting start to this series, it will be interesting to see where the author takes it next.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
This book is more overt than some in the genre when it comes to acknowledging the quest progression structure within the game world with the main character literally asking people for quests rather than always ending up on one in a more organic fashion, it is an interesting choice that works well. Another notable thing with this book is that it feels more like a single-player game than an mmo, there's little indication of anyone else in the game is levelling or progressing like the main character, who also seems to be a little on the overpowered side for his level for much of the book.
The narrator's performance was a good one, dramatic tones serving to enhance the story and cast quite nicely.
Overall, an interesting start to this series, it will be interesting to see where the author takes it next.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
August 23, 2019
Brought me back to my good ol’ MMORPG days
1. I love MMORPGs. Sadly I do not have the time that I once did to play them (thanks a lot children) This book brought me back to my WoW days of questing and beating things up so I’d like to thank the author for that!
2. There is a serious lack of Black Panther MC Gamelit/LitRPG books out there. This book filled that hole I didn’t know I had in my life.
3. This books has all the good stuff- stats, crafting, quests, and Varnoth has all of it. I did notice that the stats/level progressions could be tightened up a bit and have more of an impact, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.
4. The author does a good job of jumping into the action. I do hope for a bit more character development in book two as I fee the foundation for a great story has been laid out. Varnoth is a little OP but again, what MMO have you played where you don’t blast through a few boar and thieves during the early levels.
5. I found myself getting a little distracted throughout the story and certain parts lost me a little. I’m glad I kept coming back though since the story was very entertaining.
6. Overall I really enjoyed this book. For a first time author it was very well written. A few wording things could probably be changed to keep the reader engaged instead of always describing what he is doing. (The good ol’ showing vs telling) I do feel that will get better as the author gains more experience with his writing.
7. Pick this one up and give it a try. If for nothing else it is a refreshing take on LitRPG and a fun read. I think this author has a bright future ahead of himself. If I had to give it an actual score out of ten I’d probably give it a solid 7.5. I will definitely pick up the second book when it comes out.
1. I love MMORPGs. Sadly I do not have the time that I once did to play them (thanks a lot children) This book brought me back to my WoW days of questing and beating things up so I’d like to thank the author for that!
2. There is a serious lack of Black Panther MC Gamelit/LitRPG books out there. This book filled that hole I didn’t know I had in my life.
3. This books has all the good stuff- stats, crafting, quests, and Varnoth has all of it. I did notice that the stats/level progressions could be tightened up a bit and have more of an impact, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.
4. The author does a good job of jumping into the action. I do hope for a bit more character development in book two as I fee the foundation for a great story has been laid out. Varnoth is a little OP but again, what MMO have you played where you don’t blast through a few boar and thieves during the early levels.
5. I found myself getting a little distracted throughout the story and certain parts lost me a little. I’m glad I kept coming back though since the story was very entertaining.
6. Overall I really enjoyed this book. For a first time author it was very well written. A few wording things could probably be changed to keep the reader engaged instead of always describing what he is doing. (The good ol’ showing vs telling) I do feel that will get better as the author gains more experience with his writing.
7. Pick this one up and give it a try. If for nothing else it is a refreshing take on LitRPG and a fun read. I think this author has a bright future ahead of himself. If I had to give it an actual score out of ten I’d probably give it a solid 7.5. I will definitely pick up the second book when it comes out.
October 30, 2019
This book needs some serious help, it was an actual effort for me to end it actually. First let’s take a look at the positive, the author had a good idea in creating a unique MC. And that’s it the rest of the book is… Well, the dialogue it feels like the MC is interacting with NPC instead of actual people, the plot is lacking, and we are never given an actual background to work from. There is never any clarification if he is in a VR game or an actual world, because if it’s the second then the characters interaction, interference system, level up system and others are really messed up. If it was a game there would be some actual logic for it, but if it isn’t then it needs a serious clarification and overhaul. There is a serious lacking of attention to details as well, so all in all this book needs serious help to show any improvement.
August 28, 2019
A good story that gets overly graphic.
The story is a good but the author gets too discriptive with violence, gore and some the bad things that happen in the book. Now I understand that the author wants to show just how bad the villians in the story are. But you can get the point across of how evil someone is without making it so graphic
Additionally there is profanity in the story. Swearing only distracts you from the creativity of the author.
The story is a good but the author gets too discriptive with violence, gore and some the bad things that happen in the book. Now I understand that the author wants to show just how bad the villians in the story are. But you can get the point across of how evil someone is without making it so graphic
Additionally there is profanity in the story. Swearing only distracts you from the creativity of the author.
September 30, 2019
First thing I have to say I love the John Wick feel to this MC. There is no way around it he is an anti-hero which is great this book has a perfect blend of stats action and an overall presence of story that keeps you wanting to know more. an absolutely fantastic book all the way around and the narrator for this book is amazing. Do yourself a favor and listen to this book!
August 5, 2019
I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and always a fan of non-human MCs. This book didn’t disappoint! I enjoyed all the emotional tugs and the surprising twists spread throughout the book. Excited for book 2!
August 3, 2019
Excellent read
I first read this on Royal Road. It’s a good story with both a unique race and class. It’s worth reading so go for it.
I first read this on Royal Road. It’s a good story with both a unique race and class. It’s worth reading so go for it.
October 5, 2019
I enjoyed the read, but I almost dropped it at the John Wick puppy-ish scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2019
Not bad
The dialog is a bit choppy, doesn't flow like it should. Decent story overall, author definitely needs to work on making conversations more natural.
The dialog is a bit choppy, doesn't flow like it should. Decent story overall, author definitely needs to work on making conversations more natural.
November 2, 2019
Great book
A solid first entry from Lavelle Jackson! Lots of action and adventure, leveling and some neat skills. Looking forward to the next one.
A solid first entry from Lavelle Jackson! Lots of action and adventure, leveling and some neat skills. Looking forward to the next one.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews