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World of the Changed #2
Pearl of the South
Earth was never the same after World of the Changed. Humanity was reduced to two camps: monsters thirsting to kill, and players doing everything they could to survive. The squabbles people had spent their time on before? Gone. If you wanted to live to see another sunrise, you had to work with everyone you could, from other players to game functions.
Mark Derwin, the most advanced player through the initial period of the game, knew all too well that his level was no advantage. Far from it—the game owner didn’t tolerate anyone who got too far ahead. The only thing the owner wanted was for Earthlings to disappear without a trace, giving up their resources to be extracted. But not everyone was willing to bend the knee before alien intelligence. In fact, some had begun to fight back against the game.
Mark Derwin, the most advanced player through the initial period of the game, knew all too well that his level was no advantage. Far from it—the game owner didn’t tolerate anyone who got too far ahead. The only thing the owner wanted was for Earthlings to disappear without a trace, giving up their resources to be extracted. But not everyone was willing to bend the knee before alien intelligence. In fact, some had begun to fight back against the game.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2020
213 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Vasily Mahanenko
98 books1,095 followersBe the first to know when Vasily Mahanenko’s next book is available! Follow him at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/v-mah... to get an alert whenever he has a new release, preorder, or discount!
Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.
Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.
The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.
Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.
Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.
Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.
The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.
Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 28, 2020
Too much happenstance and too many plotholes
I love the other work of this author and thoroughly recommend his earlier/other work.
This book has an interesting premise, but loses too much in trying to keep all complications in line. Premise is that everything is under foreign control and MC is thrown one curveball after another. These difficulties are most of the time resolved outside of the control of MC (luck aka plotarmor) or by convenient inconsistencies.
I will stop here for this series, but will keep the hope up that Vasily will return to his strength of writing where the character of the MC drives the plot. And not like in a Netflix series, where constantly new stuff is introduced as a surprise, not as a consequence of the previous plot. Cheers
I love the other work of this author and thoroughly recommend his earlier/other work.
This book has an interesting premise, but loses too much in trying to keep all complications in line. Premise is that everything is under foreign control and MC is thrown one curveball after another. These difficulties are most of the time resolved outside of the control of MC (luck aka plotarmor) or by convenient inconsistencies.
I will stop here for this series, but will keep the hope up that Vasily will return to his strength of writing where the character of the MC drives the plot. And not like in a Netflix series, where constantly new stuff is introduced as a surprise, not as a consequence of the previous plot. Cheers
June 20, 2024
Wasilij Machanienko
Świat przeistoczonych tom 2
Perła południa
No no ... Więc tak ...
Zginąć, żeby ożyć, żeby znowu zginąć.
Akcja, dywersja i tak w kolo 😁
Machanienko nigdy nie zawodzi 😶🌫️
Odnaleźć Wiewiórkę - cel numer 1
Przetrwać - cel numer 2
Pokrzyżowć plany Władcy i Generała - cel numer 3
Krótka lista do wykonania.Plan prosty, gorzej i trudniej z realizacją.
W 4 tyg Mark dokonał niemożliwego stał się obrońcą Ziemi (chociaż nie taki był cel). Odkrył, choć calkiem przypadkiem jak przywrócić ludziom wczesniejszą postać, a calkiem specjalnie zaszedł za skórę potomkom Generała oraz oddziałowi Carter. Ze zwykłego studenta stał sie głównym wrogiem całej gry, i nawet własna rasa gotowa jest wydać go w ręce wroga .. Wszystko po to by odnaleźć Perłę południa - jedyną w tej wersji gry
Świat przeistoczonych tom 2
Perła południa
No no ... Więc tak ...
Zginąć, żeby ożyć, żeby znowu zginąć.
Akcja, dywersja i tak w kolo 😁
Machanienko nigdy nie zawodzi 😶🌫️
Odnaleźć Wiewiórkę - cel numer 1
Przetrwać - cel numer 2
Pokrzyżowć plany Władcy i Generała - cel numer 3
Krótka lista do wykonania.Plan prosty, gorzej i trudniej z realizacją.
W 4 tyg Mark dokonał niemożliwego stał się obrońcą Ziemi (chociaż nie taki był cel). Odkrył, choć calkiem przypadkiem jak przywrócić ludziom wczesniejszą postać, a calkiem specjalnie zaszedł za skórę potomkom Generała oraz oddziałowi Carter. Ze zwykłego studenta stał sie głównym wrogiem całej gry, i nawet własna rasa gotowa jest wydać go w ręce wroga .. Wszystko po to by odnaleźć Perłę południa - jedyną w tej wersji gry
October 6, 2024
LitRPG to zdecydowanie mój ulubiony gatunek
December 20, 2024
drugi tom dużo bardziej mi się podobał niż pierwszy
January 3, 2025
Audiobook
March 1, 2020
Alert
I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.
So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Now, since I have to keep explaining myself to people who don't like my reviews, I guess some clarification is in order.
1. I am 100% against criticism for works of art. Art is subjective, meaning reviews are irrelevant. The observer's opinion is only relevant to the observer. It is my belief that regardless of what others might say, I have to experience the art for myself.
2. I read upwards of 20 books a month. The $10/month I spend on 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
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
July 21, 2024
Brak jakiekolwiek wątku przewodniego, odgrzewane powtarzalne schematy, szary główny bohater wszystko bazujące na bezsensownym oderwanym od logiki power scalingu, przynajmniej się pośmiać czasem można z dialogów które porównać można do historyjek z klockami LEGO z mojego dzieciństwa ale to chyba też za wysoka poprzeczka
August 30, 2024
Seria, póki co, jest wciągająca i podoba mi się. Jest kilka mankamentów, w szczególności, jeśli przyrównam do "Drogi Szamana" tego samego autora, ale "da się to wytrzymać".
Uważam, że pierwszy tom pozostawił bardzo wdzięczny wątek do rozwinięcia - ratunek siostry Marka. Problem w tym, że drugi tom, niewiele popchnął go do przodu. Wydarzenia tego tomu, o ile mnie pamięć nie myli, zamknęły się w ok. 10 dniach, a miało się wrażenie, że główny bohater zdążył przeżyć trzy pokolenia, umrzeć cztery razy, a do tego jeszcze przebył setki, jeśli nie tysiące kilometrów. Nie byłoby w tym nic złego, gdyby nie fakt, że większość wydarzeń uważam, za słabe fillery, a nie wartościowe wątki, które kleją się w całość i dodają do fabuły. Oby w trzecim tomie wszystko się wyjaśniło i zostało zatarte to złe wrażenie.
Jeśli chodzi o epickość poczynań Marka Dervine'a, to mamy tutaj do czynienia z tomem siódmym "Drogi Szamana" razy jakieś kilkanaście. Wydarzenia absurdalne; skutki często mało logiczne; zasady gry trochę jakby dopisywane na kolanie podczas wydarzeń ("wiesz, jest taka jedna zasada, o której nie powiedziałem na początku, ale..."). Mimo to, jednak cholernie wciąga! Chce się więcej, bo nie masz absolutnie pojęcia co może się wydarzyć i do czego doprowadzi kolejny niekonwencjonalny zwrot akcji. Taki science-fiction, gdzie fiction zdecydowanie wzięło górę.
All in all, czytałem z przyjemnością i czekam na kolejny tom serii. Obym się nie zawiódł.
Uważam, że pierwszy tom pozostawił bardzo wdzięczny wątek do rozwinięcia - ratunek siostry Marka. Problem w tym, że drugi tom, niewiele popchnął go do przodu. Wydarzenia tego tomu, o ile mnie pamięć nie myli, zamknęły się w ok. 10 dniach, a miało się wrażenie, że główny bohater zdążył przeżyć trzy pokolenia, umrzeć cztery razy, a do tego jeszcze przebył setki, jeśli nie tysiące kilometrów. Nie byłoby w tym nic złego, gdyby nie fakt, że większość wydarzeń uważam, za słabe fillery, a nie wartościowe wątki, które kleją się w całość i dodają do fabuły. Oby w trzecim tomie wszystko się wyjaśniło i zostało zatarte to złe wrażenie.
Jeśli chodzi o epickość poczynań Marka Dervine'a, to mamy tutaj do czynienia z tomem siódmym "Drogi Szamana" razy jakieś kilkanaście. Wydarzenia absurdalne; skutki często mało logiczne; zasady gry trochę jakby dopisywane na kolanie podczas wydarzeń ("wiesz, jest taka jedna zasada, o której nie powiedziałem na początku, ale..."). Mimo to, jednak cholernie wciąga! Chce się więcej, bo nie masz absolutnie pojęcia co może się wydarzyć i do czego doprowadzi kolejny niekonwencjonalny zwrot akcji. Taki science-fiction, gdzie fiction zdecydowanie wzięło górę.
All in all, czytałem z przyjemnością i czekam na kolejny tom serii. Obym się nie zawiódł.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2022
While I'm still giving this 4 stars this book was largely a step down from the first as even most of the game mechanics moot. A bit of the larger picture painted in the first book has been revealed but the main character still hasn't done what he set out to do at the beginning of the first book. If you're here I am going to make the leap that you've finished the first book so I can safely say the following. The view of females remains unchanged from the first book, helpless, slaves, mindless bodies for breeding, and the first semi competent female he meets is still helpess and basically worthless. Combat and action in this book has become run, hide, wait, push single button. The story and plot advances decently and while I finished it I'm on the fence about recommending it. If you liked the first one you will probably like this one, if you're on the fence after finishing the first one feel free to skip this. The narrator does a fantastic job but even that didn't stop me from falling asleep and having to rewind 3 times. I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next book but if I can't find something else to start in the next few hours I probably will give it a chance.
June 3, 2024
Very repetitive
This is a rating of the entire series
The plot is okay but all the characters are two dimensional. The sister plot is getting more and more annoying throughout the series. The protagonist seems to be rather learning resistant and only seeks to become stronger while all his enemies get stronger as well. Some side characters only seem to exist to save the protagonist´s ass once the author wrote himself into a corner -AGAIN.
I was no fan of the whole "super realistic and absolutely fantasy game playable on your phone" concept and found it hilarious that he supposedly uses his phone to use drones etc throughout the books.
I wonder if the author has some trauma with women in real life as their despiction in the books is very negative in general besides some misogynistic remarks. The story sees them mostly end up either raped and/or becoming insane/braindead monster incubators..
This is a rating of the entire series
The plot is okay but all the characters are two dimensional. The sister plot is getting more and more annoying throughout the series. The protagonist seems to be rather learning resistant and only seeks to become stronger while all his enemies get stronger as well. Some side characters only seem to exist to save the protagonist´s ass once the author wrote himself into a corner -AGAIN.
I was no fan of the whole "super realistic and absolutely fantasy game playable on your phone" concept and found it hilarious that he supposedly uses his phone to use drones etc throughout the books.
I wonder if the author has some trauma with women in real life as their despiction in the books is very negative in general besides some misogynistic remarks. The story sees them mostly end up either raped and/or becoming insane/braindead monster incubators..
January 14, 2025
4/5
Definitely better than first book. It is packed with action but also plot holes… and sometimes it feels like author was coming up with some things very randomly and on the spot but truth be told - I don’t mind. Maybe this is what I expect from this genre? In the end that’s usually how games go - you play and encounter new things the world has to offer. Gamers will not be disappointed (I’m not).
Zdecydowanie lepsza od pierwszej książki. Jest napakowana akcją, ale też dziurami w fabule… i czasami miałam odczucie, że autor wymyślał niektóre rzeczy bardzo przypadkowo i na bieżąco, ale szczerze mówiąc - nie przeszkadzało mi to jakoś bardzo. Może to właśnie tego oczekuje od tego rodzaju książek? W końcu to tak z reguły działają gry - grasz i napotykasz nowe rzeczy, które dany świat ma do zaoferowania. Gracze nie będą rozczarowani (ja nie jestem).
Definitely better than first book. It is packed with action but also plot holes… and sometimes it feels like author was coming up with some things very randomly and on the spot but truth be told - I don’t mind. Maybe this is what I expect from this genre? In the end that’s usually how games go - you play and encounter new things the world has to offer. Gamers will not be disappointed (I’m not).
Zdecydowanie lepsza od pierwszej książki. Jest napakowana akcją, ale też dziurami w fabule… i czasami miałam odczucie, że autor wymyślał niektóre rzeczy bardzo przypadkowo i na bieżąco, ale szczerze mówiąc - nie przeszkadzało mi to jakoś bardzo. Może to właśnie tego oczekuje od tego rodzaju książek? W końcu to tak z reguły działają gry - grasz i napotykasz nowe rzeczy, które dany świat ma do zaoferowania. Gracze nie będą rozczarowani (ja nie jestem).
October 26, 2024
Drugi tom imo dowiózł to co zapowiadał pierwszy - a przynajmniej takie mam wrażenie biorąc pod uwagę styl pisarski autora który mocno rozlewa akcję by potem sporadycznie przyspieszyć. Dla fanów pisarstwa Mahanenki książka idealna.
Dla osób nieprzepadającymi za nagłymi zmianami tępa akcji lub za stylem pisania Mahanienki ocena imo byłaby 3+/5.
Jeśli ktoś nielubi LiTRPG to nwm co on tutaj robi więc oceny na taki przypadek nie zostawiam.
Dla osób nieprzepadającymi za nagłymi zmianami tępa akcji lub za stylem pisania Mahanienki ocena imo byłaby 3+/5.
Jeśli ktoś nielubi LiTRPG to nwm co on tutaj robi więc oceny na taki przypadek nie zostawiam.
November 7, 2025
Search for the rainbow pearl
Book 2 of the World of Change series. This book takes us through several ups and downs along with several restarts. I have loved the difference in this one. The fun addition of hacking is a fun way to take what would normally be a negative and turn it to a positive. Overall this is a strong mid series novel which builds strongly to the finale in the next and final novel in this series.
Book 2 of the World of Change series. This book takes us through several ups and downs along with several restarts. I have loved the difference in this one. The fun addition of hacking is a fun way to take what would normally be a negative and turn it to a positive. Overall this is a strong mid series novel which builds strongly to the finale in the next and final novel in this series.
February 17, 2020
Hell on earth
Well written. Mark Derwin continues his quest to save his sister. I like all the problem solving in the story as Mark moves from one tough situation to another. It had a really great action movie vibe for me. One of the more intense books I've read recently.
Score: 8.1 out of 10
Well written. Mark Derwin continues his quest to save his sister. I like all the problem solving in the story as Mark moves from one tough situation to another. It had a really great action movie vibe for me. One of the more intense books I've read recently.
Score: 8.1 out of 10
December 15, 2024
Ile tu się dzieje! Gdy myślisz, że już wiesz jak działa gra to ona wali cię mocno po głowie, mówi że jesteś debilem i każe nauczyć się jak się gra poprawnie XD Mark na szczęście szybko się uczy. Miewa wzloty i upadki (bardzo często i na zmianę XD) ale wyciąga wnioski i się adaptuje. Uwielbiam takie cechy w postaciach.
Teraz tylko pozostaje czekać na trzeci tom. A już chce go już!
Teraz tylko pozostaje czekać na trzeci tom. A już chce go już!
March 28, 2025
Kolejna część też wypadła dobrze. Świat został bardziej rozbudowany, fabuła w pewnym sensie rozpoczęła się tym samym i zakończyła tym samym; mam odczucia takie, że jak pierwsza część mnie pochłonęła, tak druga też to zrobiła ale już nie tak jak pierwsza, ale nadal dobrze się ją czytało.
4.0⭐
PS. Kochajmy miny, tak szybko odchodzą...
4.0⭐
PS. Kochajmy miny, tak szybko odchodzą...
February 18, 2020
Another great book by vasily
I'm a huge fan of this author and got the expected result from another of his books. In the 1st book the mc was a bit OP, but this book kinda brought him back down and showed he wasn't a god, but a mere mortal who has to fight his way to the top.
I'm a huge fan of this author and got the expected result from another of his books. In the 1st book the mc was a bit OP, but this book kinda brought him back down and showed he wasn't a god, but a mere mortal who has to fight his way to the top.
March 8, 2020
Awesome sci-fi LitRPG addition
I really enjoyed this book. I love how much the characters stats and build affect the storyline. Right up there with Reality Benders for me in my favorite sci-fi LitRPG.
I really enjoyed this book. I love how much the characters stats and build affect the storyline. Right up there with Reality Benders for me in my favorite sci-fi LitRPG.
September 12, 2020
Not bad, but not great
I read the mage series first so a lot of this is partially covered, however for it being a paid book and not kindle unlimited I felt let down, so I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 like I normally do for books I like but don't love on kindle unlimited
I read the mage series first so a lot of this is partially covered, however for it being a paid book and not kindle unlimited I felt let down, so I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 like I normally do for books I like but don't love on kindle unlimited
August 16, 2021
I loved this book series, the rules of the "system" were very unique and rather interesting. I enjoyed the way the character constantly got 1 step ahead and 2 steps back, it was a great book series and I enjoyed all 3 parts of it. Thanks.
June 28, 2024
Dużo się dzieje. Akcja goni akcję. Koniec, końców sam nie wiem, czy to dobrze, czy to źle. Czasami zastanawiam się, czy fabuła nie jest na zbyt naciągana, a główny bohater na prawdę może mieć, aż tyle szczęścia...
February 29, 2020
Enjoying this series
I am really enjoying this series and look forward to the next book to see what the MC does as he is starting to get a little cornered at this point
I am really enjoying this series and look forward to the next book to see what the MC does as he is starting to get a little cornered at this point
Read
July 1, 2020Just buy it
Worthy sequel to book one. Vastly is a very skilled author and keeps the action flowing smoothly. Ready now for book 3 !
Worthy sequel to book one. Vastly is a very skilled author and keeps the action flowing smoothly. Ready now for book 3 !
July 4, 2020
When will there be a fourth
November 2, 2020
Great read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it highly to anyone that like litRPG type of books.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it highly to anyone that like litRPG type of books.
April 12, 2021
Great book!
Nice 2nd book that nicely builds on the book 1 arc of system apocalypse LitRPG trope. Enthralling, and hard to put down.
Nice 2nd book that nicely builds on the book 1 arc of system apocalypse LitRPG trope. Enthralling, and hard to put down.
July 4, 2024
Jestem fanką takiej tematyki!:) polecam
October 1, 2024
Może nie odpowiada mi literatura z tego nurtu, może jej nie rozumie ale ciężko mi się czyta książkę która od samego początku idzie według scenariusza przychylnemu głównemu bohaterowi.
March 19, 2025
Now THIS is fast-paced 😎
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews