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Deepest Dungeon #1
Dungeons of Strata
When Martin's raiding guild join the latest virtual reality MMO, they discover a challenge like no other. Strata Online is a hundred floor mega-dungeon, filled with an ever-shifting ecosystem of monsters.
Martin's team soon find themselves in a race against the world’s strongest guilds, all competing to be the first to reach the unbeatable game's lowest depths. Stranger still, they must now contend with Sin, a twisted morality meter which can transform a players’ class into its dark counterpart.
With eternal fame and prizes on the line, Martin risks playing as a rarely chosen race; a Murovan rat-man, combined with the unusual exorcist class.
But unlike other games, he will need as much courage as skill to progress. Because the deeper he goes, the darker Strata gets.
Martin's team soon find themselves in a race against the world’s strongest guilds, all competing to be the first to reach the unbeatable game's lowest depths. Stranger still, they must now contend with Sin, a twisted morality meter which can transform a players’ class into its dark counterpart.
With eternal fame and prizes on the line, Martin risks playing as a rarely chosen race; a Murovan rat-man, combined with the unusual exorcist class.
But unlike other games, he will need as much courage as skill to progress. Because the deeper he goes, the darker Strata gets.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2020
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404 people want to read
About the author
G.D. Penman
31 books82 followersG. D. Penman is a critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling fantasy author, and the ghostwriter of over 200 books across various genres. Prior to his literary career he worked as a bookseller, game designer, literary critic and editor. He lives in Dundee, Scotland with his partner, children and a vast menagerie of animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
February 25, 2020
The MC ends one online game but can't afford the equipment to move on to the next level of gaming due to his crappy job. The author spends a lot of time describing the MC's crappy job but, frankly, I'm uncertain as to why. It doesn't really add anything to the story. The female leading the MC's guild buys the equipment for the MC and talks the MC into keeping it. There are a lot of hints that the female guild leader likes the MC romantically but, at times the MC is written like he is "on the spectrum" including analyzing people in a way that makes him unaware of any possible romance.
The new game only gives limited race possibility: rat-people, bird-people, snake-people and wolf-people. The MC is the annalist for his team so, when starting the game he plays the rat-person since his analysis indicates it should be the best for this game. (The MC has heard the game is all about one large dungeon and so figures the smaller size of the rat-person character will work well in enclosed spaces as opposed to a 7 foot tall wolf-person.)
The MC starts having weird experiences in-game leading vaguely to the conclusion that the game is somehow real. This culminates in the MC hearing about the real-world death of a player he encounters post-death in game.
Basically, the story is well told but the author spends so much time hiding things he wants to surprise the reader with it was unclear where he is going with the story. There is virtually no story resolution, the book basically ends with the MC simultaneously coming to the conclusion that the game is real and receiving a financial windfall that allows him to quit his job.
Bottom line: For litRPG this is a good book: above average writing with no major stupid story choices. However the litRPG community seems to not care about story resolution at all which is just bizarre. What is the point of a book without an ending? (To sell more books obviously, but it is beyond my power to rectify such stupidity.) Not grading on a litRPG curve this book would have gotten one star because good writing is pointless without story resolution.
The new game only gives limited race possibility: rat-people, bird-people, snake-people and wolf-people. The MC is the annalist for his team so, when starting the game he plays the rat-person since his analysis indicates it should be the best for this game. (The MC has heard the game is all about one large dungeon and so figures the smaller size of the rat-person character will work well in enclosed spaces as opposed to a 7 foot tall wolf-person.)
The MC starts having weird experiences in-game leading vaguely to the conclusion that the game is somehow real. This culminates in the MC hearing about the real-world death of a player he encounters post-death in game.
Basically, the story is well told but the author spends so much time hiding things he wants to surprise the reader with it was unclear where he is going with the story. There is virtually no story resolution, the book basically ends with the MC simultaneously coming to the conclusion that the game is real and receiving a financial windfall that allows him to quit his job.
Bottom line: For litRPG this is a good book: above average writing with no major stupid story choices. However the litRPG community seems to not care about story resolution at all which is just bizarre. What is the point of a book without an ending? (To sell more books obviously, but it is beyond my power to rectify such stupidity.) Not grading on a litRPG curve this book would have gotten one star because good writing is pointless without story resolution.
January 22, 2020
If you're looking for a LitRPG tale that's a bit (a lot) darker than the norm, look no further than Dungeons of Strata. A brilliant mix of horror, humour and brutal violence, it's set in a fantasy realm that's entirely underground, where the aim of the game is to find and unlock the gates and delve to the deepest floors in order to purge the evil that's trapping the forces of light below ground.
For me, by far the best thing about Strata is that it feels wholly original. With unique character classes, seldom-seen fantasy races, and protagonists you can root for - not to mention an ever-shifting environment more deadly than the Lovecraftian bosses and beasts it harbours - it's also the ultimate PvE story. The growing sense of threat and creeping dread the further the characters progress - along with the many unsettling hints that the dungeon and its inhabitants are more than they seem - has me genuinely unsure about who's going to emerge victorious in the end, and I can't wait for book two so I can find out!
For me, by far the best thing about Strata is that it feels wholly original. With unique character classes, seldom-seen fantasy races, and protagonists you can root for - not to mention an ever-shifting environment more deadly than the Lovecraftian bosses and beasts it harbours - it's also the ultimate PvE story. The growing sense of threat and creeping dread the further the characters progress - along with the many unsettling hints that the dungeon and its inhabitants are more than they seem - has me genuinely unsure about who's going to emerge victorious in the end, and I can't wait for book two so I can find out!
April 7, 2020
I don’t like leaving bad reviews, especially when there is a lot to like. The writing is good, few noticeable errors. The world concept is interesting. Unfortunately I had a very hard time wrapping my head around character motivation. I didn’t root for them, I didn’t bond with them, I didn’t really like them. I also felt like there were things that pulled me out of the book and ask myself wtf? I made it about 3/4 through when POSSIBLE SPOILER they downed the 2nd boss through gimmicks while under leveled and under geared. Players who were much further along in the game are asking them how? I just... what? It didn’t make any sense to me. There were quite a few inconsistencies imho, and for me I couldn’t deal with it. So while I liked the dungeon idea, It’s time for me to move on.
February 15, 2020
If you want to see someone play WoW you can just go to Twitch
I probably would have thought this was readable when I was 15... Maybe if was the first time I read someone narrate his WoW play through.
I won't talk about excessive exposition and other generally poor writing that gets a pass.
The real problem is there's no story here.
Nothing is being accomplished. There's no one to love or hate. No world's to explore (if you've already played an MMO)
There's simply nothing here.
I probably would have thought this was readable when I was 15... Maybe if was the first time I read someone narrate his WoW play through.
I won't talk about excessive exposition and other generally poor writing that gets a pass.
The real problem is there's no story here.
Nothing is being accomplished. There's no one to love or hate. No world's to explore (if you've already played an MMO)
There's simply nothing here.
December 31, 2020
Dungeons of Strata is the first book of G.D. Penman’s Deepest Dungeon trilogy. While I’ve read quite a bit of LitRPG stories online, this was my first time reading a paperback LitRPG and I thought the novel struck a good balance between the story and the game mechanics. Overall, I enjoyed the novel, though I wish it did focus a little more on the protagonist’s character development.
Dungeons of Strata primarily follows Martin and his guild as they explore a virtual reality MMO, Strata Online, and race to become the first guild to complete the game. I enjoyed the world building of the game, its grimdark environment and Martin’s continual unearthing of lore and information about the world. In a lot of ways, Strata Online reminded me of the Darkest Dungeon video game, and I wonder if that was an inspiration at all for this.
The story is told in third-person limited, following Martin and his thoughts. I found it a slightly frustrating how little was revealed about Martin, his past, and how he got to where he was on life. I do hope the sequels do explore this more, and maybe the lack of background beyond a veiled hint or two is meant to underscore how consumed Martin is by gaming. Martin’s job was also a little weird – beyond his interactions with Gillian, there is little detail about the job. I don’t think the book even says what his job actually is, to be honest, and I wish the novel at least built up the façade of Martin’s non-gaming life, even though what all the readers are here for anyways is the LitRPG aspect of the book. I also couldn’t understand why Martin is so cash strapped if he’s working a steady white-collar 8-5 job every day, but what can you do. I wish the book also did probe more the gaming addiction that Martin develops in regards to Strata Online, and I do anticipate that becoming more of a plot point in the sequel.
This book, while enjoyable, did feel like a lot of setup for the sequels. I know it’s a common trope in LitRPG to have the protagonist involved in a quest or game that involves scaling a X floor tower, or Y level dungeon, and the problem is following the protagonist through each individual level of the game either results in a monstrously long book or liberal use of time skips. In this book, there was the discovery of a gate that launched the players from level 3 straight into the level 10 boss fight, so I will be curious how the series addresses this in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed Dungeons of Strata, the worldbuilding, the meshing of an interesting story with the LitRPG mechanics, as well as the potential psychological ramifications of addiction in gaming. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.
Dungeons of Strata primarily follows Martin and his guild as they explore a virtual reality MMO, Strata Online, and race to become the first guild to complete the game. I enjoyed the world building of the game, its grimdark environment and Martin’s continual unearthing of lore and information about the world. In a lot of ways, Strata Online reminded me of the Darkest Dungeon video game, and I wonder if that was an inspiration at all for this.
The story is told in third-person limited, following Martin and his thoughts. I found it a slightly frustrating how little was revealed about Martin, his past, and how he got to where he was on life. I do hope the sequels do explore this more, and maybe the lack of background beyond a veiled hint or two is meant to underscore how consumed Martin is by gaming. Martin’s job was also a little weird – beyond his interactions with Gillian, there is little detail about the job. I don’t think the book even says what his job actually is, to be honest, and I wish the novel at least built up the façade of Martin’s non-gaming life, even though what all the readers are here for anyways is the LitRPG aspect of the book. I also couldn’t understand why Martin is so cash strapped if he’s working a steady white-collar 8-5 job every day, but what can you do. I wish the book also did probe more the gaming addiction that Martin develops in regards to Strata Online, and I do anticipate that becoming more of a plot point in the sequel.
This book, while enjoyable, did feel like a lot of setup for the sequels. I know it’s a common trope in LitRPG to have the protagonist involved in a quest or game that involves scaling a X floor tower, or Y level dungeon, and the problem is following the protagonist through each individual level of the game either results in a monstrously long book or liberal use of time skips. In this book, there was the discovery of a gate that launched the players from level 3 straight into the level 10 boss fight, so I will be curious how the series addresses this in the future.
Overall, I enjoyed Dungeons of Strata, the worldbuilding, the meshing of an interesting story with the LitRPG mechanics, as well as the potential psychological ramifications of addiction in gaming. I look forward to reading the sequel when it comes out.
February 1, 2020
This was a very fun book, as many people have been mentioning.
It reminds me a lot of Matthew Schmidt's City and Dungeon, but a bit darker.
The premise is quite interesting and there's a lot of room for growth.
My only concern is that the book ends with saying it's going to be completed in the next book, and I don't think I'm ready for the series to be done that quickly.
It reminds me a lot of Matthew Schmidt's City and Dungeon, but a bit darker.
The premise is quite interesting and there's a lot of room for growth.
My only concern is that the book ends with saying it's going to be completed in the next book, and I don't think I'm ready for the series to be done that quickly.
July 17, 2022
This was very entertaining. I've been enjoying some litRPG lately and this one was a great one. It has a great plot, fun characters and a interesting game. I can't wait to read the conclusion.
December 17, 2019
Absolutely amazing. The world is dark and gritty, but in a way that felt felt fresh and full of life. The writing was well paced, and kept everything moving perfectly. The hints and little info pockets scattered throughout the story gave everything a deeper meaning.
Top contender for my top of genre list this year.
Top contender for my top of genre list this year.
December 8, 2019
Very enjoyable read, i was very intrigued by the world blending as well as with the character interaction in "real life" vs the game.
As anyone who is an avid gamer there where times when you felt more connected to a group of strangers you merely gamed with then people you actually interacted with.
I'm waiting for the future releases, can't wait to to continue the adventure. IRON RIOT!!
As anyone who is an avid gamer there where times when you felt more connected to a group of strangers you merely gamed with then people you actually interacted with.
I'm waiting for the future releases, can't wait to to continue the adventure. IRON RIOT!!
January 14, 2022
Can't understand any rating above 2 stars
MC is a genius, everyone else is stupid.
No one! else in the entire world thought to gear up before going deep into this dungeon.
The "guild leader" isn't known for her attention span is something we are told repeatedly in the book. She gets sidetracked by shiny objects all the time, has no patience, plans out nothing, but we are supposed to believe she successfully ran the best guild ever.
But this book hits all the buzzwords required of books today. Racism, sexism, the word 'literally' used multiple times when it shouldn't have been used once, endless debating over what choices to make, picking the character race no one else will because everyone else is too stupid and MC is a genius, etc...
It is like this author found a list of current trends in LitRPG writing and checked them off one by one. This is a low effort book.
MC is a genius, everyone else is stupid.
No one! else in the entire world thought to gear up before going deep into this dungeon.
The "guild leader" isn't known for her attention span is something we are told repeatedly in the book. She gets sidetracked by shiny objects all the time, has no patience, plans out nothing, but we are supposed to believe she successfully ran the best guild ever.
But this book hits all the buzzwords required of books today. Racism, sexism, the word 'literally' used multiple times when it shouldn't have been used once, endless debating over what choices to make, picking the character race no one else will because everyone else is too stupid and MC is a genius, etc...
It is like this author found a list of current trends in LitRPG writing and checked them off one by one. This is a low effort book.
January 20, 2020
Enjoyable.
Martin is interesting enough, and his team mates all have a little life to them. There is no real antagonist yet (outside of the master), though I can see the path for this to be different in the next book.
The setting is nice, it's got a vibe of its own, and the layered world should allow for a good amount of diversity. It's VR, so the stakes naturally feel lower, but there is a mystery building that is fighting against this.
The one major thing that stopping me from giving it 5 stars is that the world feels pretty empty of other players for an MMO. While this may change as they continue to dive, from a new reader's perspective, he's the first to choose a rat, the first to choose an exorcist, the first to be nice to NPC/Monsters. It's hard to guage their performance without anything to measure it against.
I'm looking forward to the next part of the story.
Martin is interesting enough, and his team mates all have a little life to them. There is no real antagonist yet (outside of the master), though I can see the path for this to be different in the next book.
The setting is nice, it's got a vibe of its own, and the layered world should allow for a good amount of diversity. It's VR, so the stakes naturally feel lower, but there is a mystery building that is fighting against this.
The one major thing that stopping me from giving it 5 stars is that the world feels pretty empty of other players for an MMO. While this may change as they continue to dive, from a new reader's perspective, he's the first to choose a rat, the first to choose an exorcist, the first to be nice to NPC/Monsters. It's hard to guage their performance without anything to measure it against.
I'm looking forward to the next part of the story.
January 15, 2020
Hands down my favorite book of 2019 (I received an early ARC).
This is everything I want in a LitRPG! It has an unraveling mystery, dark dungeons with interesting traps, puzzles, and monsters, intriguing classes, unique playable races, and absolutely lovable characters. Humor is persistent throughout but it feels genuine and adds to the story rather than distracting from it. By the end of the book I felt like I'd made friends with the main characters. I'd love to sit down and game with them. The stats aren't too involved, but it's clear the author has them all figured out and is choosing not to clutter up the page with all the details.
All of that, and then there's the incredible story. Not to mention the ever-present underground world of Strata Online. It's a fascinating setting that I want more of. Cannot wait for book 2. This has been my favorite book of the last few years. It's gonna be tough for anything to dethrone this.
This is everything I want in a LitRPG! It has an unraveling mystery, dark dungeons with interesting traps, puzzles, and monsters, intriguing classes, unique playable races, and absolutely lovable characters. Humor is persistent throughout but it feels genuine and adds to the story rather than distracting from it. By the end of the book I felt like I'd made friends with the main characters. I'd love to sit down and game with them. The stats aren't too involved, but it's clear the author has them all figured out and is choosing not to clutter up the page with all the details.
All of that, and then there's the incredible story. Not to mention the ever-present underground world of Strata Online. It's a fascinating setting that I want more of. Cannot wait for book 2. This has been my favorite book of the last few years. It's gonna be tough for anything to dethrone this.
June 5, 2020
Starting a book series which only has one book is a gamble.
It could be that the book has a cliffhanger ending and you are stuck for quite some time.
But sometimes you hit a jackpot and you find Dungeons of Strata.
The world is dark. A bit literally as most of the story is underground. But that aside, it hit a bit close to home. Playing games just to drown the monotony of life and feeling alive because of games, not many books explore this narrative.
Regardless of the dark theme, it was a really fun read
It could be that the book has a cliffhanger ending and you are stuck for quite some time.
But sometimes you hit a jackpot and you find Dungeons of Strata.
The world is dark. A bit literally as most of the story is underground. But that aside, it hit a bit close to home. Playing games just to drown the monotony of life and feeling alive because of games, not many books explore this narrative.
Regardless of the dark theme, it was a really fun read
February 27, 2020
Finished this in one day and one night. I was floored by how much I loved it.
This is a darker, fantasy-themed "Ready Player One" that actually takes itself seriously. I loved this book so much more than RPO.
You will especially love this if you've ever sunk too much time into an MMO.
This is a darker, fantasy-themed "Ready Player One" that actually takes itself seriously. I loved this book so much more than RPO.
You will especially love this if you've ever sunk too much time into an MMO.
May 1, 2021
Great idea, great writing, but I found myself hating the main character and rooting for anything that got in his way.
September 22, 2022
There is no main plot theme in this book 1 of the Dungeons of Strata a VRMMORPG book. The main character, Martin, finishes a multi-year game that has already announced that it is closing down, so the guild master invites, later than the other members of the guild, the main character, Martin, to play Strata, a mysterious new game, that is not available to play yet for regular players.
The main character hates his job, hates his life and loves to play online games. According to the author, the main character is overly-capable at his "crappy-computer-related-job" but does not move a finger to find alternate incomes (even from playing games), or other jobs. The main character is supposedly an excellent strategist and analyst and yet, does nothing in his life except for "being" in a bad-low-income-job that forces him to live in a crappy-apartment, eat crappy food, and live a terrible-crappy life. The author should write intensive therapy for the main character. But then again, this book is so shallow, that the characters have no families, no friends, no co-workers, no real lives.
The leader of the guild before was Lindsay, a mentally challenged, with extremely low emotional intelligence, girl that apparently has very deep pockets, but the author does not reveal anything more about her, or the other characters.
So what is the point of playing a game all of the time, if it doesn't make any of the players any money? There are no standings/rankings, no awards/world announcements, no social media updates, so players don't even receive positive feedback/bragging rights/fame from playing this Strata game. The best guild from the other game apparently only has 4 players (jericho, Julia, Lindsay and Martin). There is no guild building, no guild quests, no real-life guild building or any professional players payed and financed by the "best guild from the other game". The game is basically a time-killer. There is no real purpose to play this game, to play this game with the team/guild that the main characters play in, no purpose to the Strata game either. This book 1 is totally shallow, the 4 guild members that have been playing together have never even met in real life nor in social media. How can they even be called team-mates if they have no out of game contact? How can they be in a guild if they have no administrative, contracts, other players, quests, support players, etc.?????????
This book has no story, nothing positive.
There is no social media explanations, no real news about the game, no professional players or real guilds in these games, no reselling of the weapons, equipment or artifacts. The author might write like a printer prints, or other people breathe, but this first book lacks a real story. What is the point of playing a new game? Apparently for these "die-hard" gamers it is to finish it. But no one but the game company makes money, so what is the point of this story?
Is it because this is another one of those $. 0.00 Amazon books that lack a story, lack character development, lack world development and really don't make any sense?
It's like opening an encyclopedia at random and reading out loud. It's like channel surfing on the television and not finding anything good to watch.
Why on God's Earth would the main character play for a "team-guild" that does not value him? Why would the main character waste his time in a game that makes him no money, and makes him continue to live in extreme poverty? This is a total waste of time to read, with tons of plot holes, and main characters that lack common sense, logic and basic intelligence...
The main character hates his job, hates his life and loves to play online games. According to the author, the main character is overly-capable at his "crappy-computer-related-job" but does not move a finger to find alternate incomes (even from playing games), or other jobs. The main character is supposedly an excellent strategist and analyst and yet, does nothing in his life except for "being" in a bad-low-income-job that forces him to live in a crappy-apartment, eat crappy food, and live a terrible-crappy life. The author should write intensive therapy for the main character. But then again, this book is so shallow, that the characters have no families, no friends, no co-workers, no real lives.
The leader of the guild before was Lindsay, a mentally challenged, with extremely low emotional intelligence, girl that apparently has very deep pockets, but the author does not reveal anything more about her, or the other characters.
So what is the point of playing a game all of the time, if it doesn't make any of the players any money? There are no standings/rankings, no awards/world announcements, no social media updates, so players don't even receive positive feedback/bragging rights/fame from playing this Strata game. The best guild from the other game apparently only has 4 players (jericho, Julia, Lindsay and Martin). There is no guild building, no guild quests, no real-life guild building or any professional players payed and financed by the "best guild from the other game". The game is basically a time-killer. There is no real purpose to play this game, to play this game with the team/guild that the main characters play in, no purpose to the Strata game either. This book 1 is totally shallow, the 4 guild members that have been playing together have never even met in real life nor in social media. How can they even be called team-mates if they have no out of game contact? How can they be in a guild if they have no administrative, contracts, other players, quests, support players, etc.?????????
This book has no story, nothing positive.
There is no social media explanations, no real news about the game, no professional players or real guilds in these games, no reselling of the weapons, equipment or artifacts. The author might write like a printer prints, or other people breathe, but this first book lacks a real story. What is the point of playing a new game? Apparently for these "die-hard" gamers it is to finish it. But no one but the game company makes money, so what is the point of this story?
Is it because this is another one of those $. 0.00 Amazon books that lack a story, lack character development, lack world development and really don't make any sense?
It's like opening an encyclopedia at random and reading out loud. It's like channel surfing on the television and not finding anything good to watch.
Why on God's Earth would the main character play for a "team-guild" that does not value him? Why would the main character waste his time in a game that makes him no money, and makes him continue to live in extreme poverty? This is a total waste of time to read, with tons of plot holes, and main characters that lack common sense, logic and basic intelligence...
June 5, 2020
Okay characters, interesting setting/backstory.
It's a VRMMO story, which are always hard to take for me, as the distinction of stakes that cross between the virtual and real world are always hard, which means that most stories end up with two distinct characters who are the same person. Here the stakes are hidden and only hinted, in a way that make them intriguing rather than obvious. This seems to work well enough.
The book remain relatively classic for the tropes, save for its focus on non-human characters. It's a rare litrpg story that has ratmen as its races, let alone the race that the MC chooses.
The two elements together make this a story that bear following.
It's a VRMMO story, which are always hard to take for me, as the distinction of stakes that cross between the virtual and real world are always hard, which means that most stories end up with two distinct characters who are the same person. Here the stakes are hidden and only hinted, in a way that make them intriguing rather than obvious. This seems to work well enough.
The book remain relatively classic for the tropes, save for its focus on non-human characters. It's a rare litrpg story that has ratmen as its races, let alone the race that the MC chooses.
The two elements together make this a story that bear following.
March 1, 2020
Book one
Mistakes: I didn’t find any mistakes in this book.
Plot: A new dungeon game sparks a race between the top guilds from other games to be the first to reach the bottom.
Characters: Mc is a likable person in game, but a bit of a tool as well. The guild leader is a nut, but funny. Other members are kind of forgettable.
9/10
Mistakes: I didn’t find any mistakes in this book.
Plot: A new dungeon game sparks a race between the top guilds from other games to be the first to reach the bottom.
Characters: Mc is a likable person in game, but a bit of a tool as well. The guild leader is a nut, but funny. Other members are kind of forgettable.
9/10
January 31, 2020
I liked lit
Anyone who like SAO probably will like this book
Wish the next book was out
I like a deviation from normal humans elf...etc...
G.D. Penman please write the next books fairly fast
Anyone who like SAO probably will like this book
Wish the next book was out
I like a deviation from normal humans elf...etc...
G.D. Penman please write the next books fairly fast
February 8, 2020
Littered with inconsistencies and trying to hard.
Characters reasoning is flawed. Actions are inconsistent and writing feels forced to amp up the dramatic tension. Direction of plot is obvious and played out.
Characters reasoning is flawed. Actions are inconsistent and writing feels forced to amp up the dramatic tension. Direction of plot is obvious and played out.
January 12, 2021
MC that is focused on stats and member of number 1 guild in previous game doesnt just beat bosses by gimmecks and thats pretty much all of the major fights. Question of what is real reality is non too suddely hammer into the reader. Other then that book is solid.
April 7, 2020
A competent enough LitRPG, but one that I struggled to maintain my suspension of disbelief while reading it. Not my personal cup of tea but I can see the appeal it would have for others.
March 10, 2022
"Dude that is a creepy thought. What if someone broke in while you were playing to rob you and found you all zombied out with the headband on."
"They could draw soooooo many dicks on your face."
Setting:
Being a litRPG this novel had a split setting between the real world (essentially indistinguishable from the modern world) and the game world.
The game in question is Strata Online. The entire game world is a massive underground dungeon divided into 100 floors and packed to the brim with deadly monsters. Players can choose between a handful of classes and four different anthropomorphized animals as playable races.
Characters:
Martin: Martin doesn't have much going for him in life. He's great at his job but it's mistreated and underpaid there. He has no romantic partner and a crappy apartment he barely affords. The one thing he's really good at is analysis and problem solving. This leads to him being highly tactical in the videogames he loves so much.
Lindsay: Lindsay is Martian's best friend and the head of the gaming group. She tends to solve problems by running directly at them without an ounce of subtlety.
Plot:
After finishing up everything to do in their current game Martin and Lindsay, along with a couple others from their group, move to the recently released Strata Online game. It's all the rage these days and it comes with it's own fancy new technology. The entire game is a race to see which group of players can beat it first by killing the boss at the bottom of the 100 floor dungeon. Martin and company are a bit behind since they started late. They hope to catch up then pass everyone and claim the win by beating the entire dungeon first. The game has a lot of highly intricate systems the players have to learn including one that can change that can change their entire class into a dark version.
My Thoughts:
I am by no means a connoisseur of litRPG. In fact I generally tend to avoid the subgenre so bear that in mind for this review.
The first thing worth noting is that the game world we have here is not a friendly place. This is a dark and dangerous dungeon full of awful monsters that can and will kill, sometimes with spectacular violence.
In terms of the game world versus real world split we're looking at 80-20 maybe 90-10 split. A common complaint I have with this genre is if so much of the story is in the game why bother with these real life interludes? Penman answers this question by making a mystery around where this game and the new VR technology it requires came from. As far as everyone is aware this headset and game basically just showed up on the market one day and became an instant hit. Generally companies would want to take responsibility for that sort of thing but nobody is and that's very odd. Martin does his best to dig into this in most of the snippets we get of him not being a magic ratman. The mystery of where the game comes from is a nice background plotline.
I need to take a moment to talk about the subgenre here, using this book as an example. From my admittedly small sample size, I am starting to notice a trend in the litRPG genre. To write a story like this it is necessary to have the character spend large amounts of time in the game. There seem to be three main ways of going about justifying this. One: it's a sci-Fi world and this individual is dead but their consciousness has been digitized and they now "live" in this game full time. Two: the character is somehow trapped in this game world until some condition is met (see Sword Art Online). Three: the character has a largely unenviable life that they hate and they escape it by spending all day playing video games. Penman opts for the third option as do many other litRPG writers. While this is not explicitly stated, there is the hard to ignore notion that if Martin didn't hate his life he might not spend so much time playing games. It seems strange to me that litRPG books, which are almost certainly aimed at gamers, would have this idea in them. To be very clear, this is just my personal interpretation based on what I've seen in the subgenre. I am not trying to say or even suggest that Penman (or any other author of this subgenre) thinks or is attempting to say anything negative about people who play video games either in moderation or in excess. I am certain that some authors of the subgenre play video games themselves and hold a deep love for video games. It is just a fact that what is likely the target audience of these books is often portrayed in a somewhat unenviable light.
Let's move to a more fun topic. The relationship between Martian and Lindsay is very well portrayed. They really do feel like great friends. They poke and jab in fun ways but very clearly like having each other around. Martian knows the things that upset Lindsay even if she pretends not to be bothered. It's an excellently realized relationship and is one of the strongest aspects of the book.
The book is fairly fast paced and keeps the reader engaged all the way though. It was almost hard to put down. It's a very enjoyable story and if you're interested in litRPG works this is definitely worth checking out.
"They could draw soooooo many dicks on your face."
Setting:
Being a litRPG this novel had a split setting between the real world (essentially indistinguishable from the modern world) and the game world.
The game in question is Strata Online. The entire game world is a massive underground dungeon divided into 100 floors and packed to the brim with deadly monsters. Players can choose between a handful of classes and four different anthropomorphized animals as playable races.
Characters:
Martin: Martin doesn't have much going for him in life. He's great at his job but it's mistreated and underpaid there. He has no romantic partner and a crappy apartment he barely affords. The one thing he's really good at is analysis and problem solving. This leads to him being highly tactical in the videogames he loves so much.
Lindsay: Lindsay is Martian's best friend and the head of the gaming group. She tends to solve problems by running directly at them without an ounce of subtlety.
Plot:
After finishing up everything to do in their current game Martin and Lindsay, along with a couple others from their group, move to the recently released Strata Online game. It's all the rage these days and it comes with it's own fancy new technology. The entire game is a race to see which group of players can beat it first by killing the boss at the bottom of the 100 floor dungeon. Martin and company are a bit behind since they started late. They hope to catch up then pass everyone and claim the win by beating the entire dungeon first. The game has a lot of highly intricate systems the players have to learn including one that can change that can change their entire class into a dark version.
My Thoughts:
I am by no means a connoisseur of litRPG. In fact I generally tend to avoid the subgenre so bear that in mind for this review.
The first thing worth noting is that the game world we have here is not a friendly place. This is a dark and dangerous dungeon full of awful monsters that can and will kill, sometimes with spectacular violence.
In terms of the game world versus real world split we're looking at 80-20 maybe 90-10 split. A common complaint I have with this genre is if so much of the story is in the game why bother with these real life interludes? Penman answers this question by making a mystery around where this game and the new VR technology it requires came from. As far as everyone is aware this headset and game basically just showed up on the market one day and became an instant hit. Generally companies would want to take responsibility for that sort of thing but nobody is and that's very odd. Martin does his best to dig into this in most of the snippets we get of him not being a magic ratman. The mystery of where the game comes from is a nice background plotline.
I need to take a moment to talk about the subgenre here, using this book as an example. From my admittedly small sample size, I am starting to notice a trend in the litRPG genre. To write a story like this it is necessary to have the character spend large amounts of time in the game. There seem to be three main ways of going about justifying this. One: it's a sci-Fi world and this individual is dead but their consciousness has been digitized and they now "live" in this game full time. Two: the character is somehow trapped in this game world until some condition is met (see Sword Art Online). Three: the character has a largely unenviable life that they hate and they escape it by spending all day playing video games. Penman opts for the third option as do many other litRPG writers. While this is not explicitly stated, there is the hard to ignore notion that if Martin didn't hate his life he might not spend so much time playing games. It seems strange to me that litRPG books, which are almost certainly aimed at gamers, would have this idea in them. To be very clear, this is just my personal interpretation based on what I've seen in the subgenre. I am not trying to say or even suggest that Penman (or any other author of this subgenre) thinks or is attempting to say anything negative about people who play video games either in moderation or in excess. I am certain that some authors of the subgenre play video games themselves and hold a deep love for video games. It is just a fact that what is likely the target audience of these books is often portrayed in a somewhat unenviable light.
Let's move to a more fun topic. The relationship between Martian and Lindsay is very well portrayed. They really do feel like great friends. They poke and jab in fun ways but very clearly like having each other around. Martian knows the things that upset Lindsay even if she pretends not to be bothered. It's an excellently realized relationship and is one of the strongest aspects of the book.
The book is fairly fast paced and keeps the reader engaged all the way though. It was almost hard to put down. It's a very enjoyable story and if you're interested in litRPG works this is definitely worth checking out.
February 14, 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 Kindle Unlimited, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 50 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 on Amazon. 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 Kindle Unlimited, feels like I am cheating the authors. But since I can't afford 50 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 on Amazon. 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
June 29, 2025
The audacity of this book taking a turn for the worse right after I told my friend that I’d finally found a new LitRPG that I liked. 😤
I did enjoy reading the book, but I have to say it delivers surprisingly little as a LitRPG. The dark fantasy game setting is intriguing and Martin is a clever, calculating protagonist, who is interesting to follow. However, all the side characters are insufferable, and by the end of the book, I just couldn’t buy that they are an experienced group of players, who are supposedly also friends. Lindsay, Jericho and Julia have to be herded around like kindergarteners most of the time. And while I like that this is a relatively short LitRPG book, I feel that the pacing is imbalanced due to the author setting impossible expectations in terms of where the characters are supposed to end up by the end of the book and the trilogy as a whole. For context, there are a 100 levels in the dungeon, and the books are about 300 pages each; for comparison, the dungeon in Dungeon Crawler Carl has 18 levels, and there are already 7 books in the series, all of them 400+ pages long with the exception of the second book (granted, there is other stuff going on besides the dungeon crawling, but that is still the main focus). The characters in Dungeons of Strata are expected to pass levels very quickly, which leads to skipping levels and beating bosses with basically sheer luck. The leveling-up parts are ultimately pretty surface-level and unimaginative as the characters don’t bother developing additional skills.
After finishing the book, I was already feeling iffy about the lackluster execution of the game elements and the direction of the mystery about who created Strata Online. I skimmed the first few chapters of the sequel and, yeah, I’m discontinuing the series unfortunately. 🙃
I did enjoy reading the book, but I have to say it delivers surprisingly little as a LitRPG. The dark fantasy game setting is intriguing and Martin is a clever, calculating protagonist, who is interesting to follow. However, all the side characters are insufferable, and by the end of the book, I just couldn’t buy that they are an experienced group of players, who are supposedly also friends. Lindsay, Jericho and Julia have to be herded around like kindergarteners most of the time. And while I like that this is a relatively short LitRPG book, I feel that the pacing is imbalanced due to the author setting impossible expectations in terms of where the characters are supposed to end up by the end of the book and the trilogy as a whole. For context, there are a 100 levels in the dungeon, and the books are about 300 pages each; for comparison, the dungeon in Dungeon Crawler Carl has 18 levels, and there are already 7 books in the series, all of them 400+ pages long with the exception of the second book (granted, there is other stuff going on besides the dungeon crawling, but that is still the main focus). The characters in Dungeons of Strata are expected to pass levels very quickly, which leads to skipping levels and beating bosses with basically sheer luck. The leveling-up parts are ultimately pretty surface-level and unimaginative as the characters don’t bother developing additional skills.
After finishing the book, I was already feeling iffy about the lackluster execution of the game elements and the direction of the mystery about who created Strata Online. I skimmed the first few chapters of the sequel and, yeah, I’m discontinuing the series unfortunately. 🙃
January 12, 2021
Do you ever watch other people playing games on Youtube? Is that too fast for you and you would rather read about all the statistics, new abilities, damage dealt, etc? This is a book for you I guess.
I've read only couple of books where the actual hero is in virtual reality/game so can't say if this is above the average in its genre. What I can say, I've read Lukyanenko's book (sadly wasn't translated to English), where the main character was playing a game in virtual reality (similar to Doom) - and comparing this to the Dungeons of Strata is like comparing the best steak you've ever eaten to a rotten banana.
The book is easy to read and it took me only couple of hours to go through, but there are many annoying things - description of abilities, new spells, damage dealt to enemy etc. which didn't help me to immerse into story, which pretends to be something like "this might be more than a game, this is alternate reality" while spewing on you game characteristics every other page. Make a decision already. If you're into reading about a game, that doesn't exist, go for it.
From the gaming perspective, if this was the best game team ever and main character best player, it means gaming is just hoping for random luck, because that's how it feels like. Obstacles overcomed with last minute deus ex machina saving idea.
Also there's no backstory to the whole game and no one seems to be bothered by it. They just have to go to the lowest level of dungeon, that's it.
There's also about 4 chapters of character being in his dead end job which serve no purpose.
Could be entertaining, but too much of gamelike descriptions for me
I've read only couple of books where the actual hero is in virtual reality/game so can't say if this is above the average in its genre. What I can say, I've read Lukyanenko's book (sadly wasn't translated to English), where the main character was playing a game in virtual reality (similar to Doom) - and comparing this to the Dungeons of Strata is like comparing the best steak you've ever eaten to a rotten banana.
The book is easy to read and it took me only couple of hours to go through, but there are many annoying things - description of abilities, new spells, damage dealt to enemy etc. which didn't help me to immerse into story, which pretends to be something like "this might be more than a game, this is alternate reality" while spewing on you game characteristics every other page. Make a decision already. If you're into reading about a game, that doesn't exist, go for it.
From the gaming perspective, if this was the best game team ever and main character best player, it means gaming is just hoping for random luck, because that's how it feels like. Obstacles overcomed with last minute deus ex machina saving idea.
Also there's no backstory to the whole game and no one seems to be bothered by it. They just have to go to the lowest level of dungeon, that's it.
There's also about 4 chapters of character being in his dead end job which serve no purpose.
Could be entertaining, but too much of gamelike descriptions for me
March 2, 2020
Redwall meets Dark Soul.
Anthropomorphic litrpg novels are rare, but this one shines above them. I really like the game world where the players roleplay as animals, mostly rodent types; rats, birds, wolves, snakes, and lizards. There are also frogs, except they are NPCs. The entire story focus on the main character navigating a dungeon with his friends. Heavily game driven, but it has strange mysteries that make the MC question the game. The characters are relatable and the creatures are interesting. What kept me reading is learning about the strangness of the game world. Is it a real fantasy world, or is it only a game? And who are the mysterious game developers? What I don't like is Lindsay, who is part of the MC's party. She behaves very childish and I don't understand her age. It is mentioned she is a woman, but she acts like a teenage. The ending is also fine, but it doesn't give me the answers I wanted. It only leaves one more strange mystery, which will probably be answered in the next book. I guess I have to wait till then. But the novel is very addictive for those who like dungeon crawls and mysteries. I highly recommend it.
Anthropomorphic litrpg novels are rare, but this one shines above them. I really like the game world where the players roleplay as animals, mostly rodent types; rats, birds, wolves, snakes, and lizards. There are also frogs, except they are NPCs. The entire story focus on the main character navigating a dungeon with his friends. Heavily game driven, but it has strange mysteries that make the MC question the game. The characters are relatable and the creatures are interesting. What kept me reading is learning about the strangness of the game world. Is it a real fantasy world, or is it only a game? And who are the mysterious game developers? What I don't like is Lindsay, who is part of the MC's party. She behaves very childish and I don't understand her age. It is mentioned she is a woman, but she acts like a teenage. The ending is also fine, but it doesn't give me the answers I wanted. It only leaves one more strange mystery, which will probably be answered in the next book. I guess I have to wait till then. But the novel is very addictive for those who like dungeon crawls and mysteries. I highly recommend it.
September 18, 2021
Although I've read literally dozens of other books with the same underlying premise, 'Dungeons of Strata' managed to be a uniquely memorable experience, in unexpected ways. I just finished the second book in the series and while thinking of how to describe the first one, 'Fight Club' and 'The Matrix' came to mind.
I'm honestly still having trouble describing it, as it made me start feeling mentally unhinged. This was due to the relatable/realistic eccentricities represented of those in top tier progression guilds (having raided 5 nights/week myself in the past), alongside how these characters interact throughout the story. It was extremely refreshing compared to the idiotically unrealistic characters found in most LitRPGs.
I felt like I'd watched 'Event Horizon' for the first time again by the end, not based on plot similarities, but for how it made me feel genuinely disturbed/broken. Very few books/movies have had this effect on me, so props to the author for breaking my psyche this week!
I'm honestly still having trouble describing it, as it made me start feeling mentally unhinged. This was due to the relatable/realistic eccentricities represented of those in top tier progression guilds (having raided 5 nights/week myself in the past), alongside how these characters interact throughout the story. It was extremely refreshing compared to the idiotically unrealistic characters found in most LitRPGs.
I felt like I'd watched 'Event Horizon' for the first time again by the end, not based on plot similarities, but for how it made me feel genuinely disturbed/broken. Very few books/movies have had this effect on me, so props to the author for breaking my psyche this week!
September 22, 2020
There was an amazon review that questioned whether the author even played MMOs (which, honestly, felt a bit "Do you even lift, bro?") but after finishing I can understand that question a bit. These people are, at best, dysfunctional. Martin seems to have a life he hates, may be the strategist for a guild, but seems to tell everyone what to do because he knows best. Lindsay has no impulse control. Jericho seems to have anger management issues. Julia is... not fully fleshed out, really.
It's not clear that any of these people are enjoying this thing that is supposed to be a game.
I was prepared to stop here and move on except for the very very conclusion of the book - "To be concluded in Masters of Strata". I'm curious enough to see how this is all secretly portal fantasy and/or the dungeon is the real world to read one more book. So, I'll put in the list to look for.
It's not clear that any of these people are enjoying this thing that is supposed to be a game.
I was prepared to stop here and move on except for the very very conclusion of the book - "To be concluded in Masters of Strata". I'm curious enough to see how this is all secretly portal fantasy and/or the dungeon is the real world to read one more book. So, I'll put in the list to look for.
December 22, 2020
I've delved a ways into the litrpg genre, and there's no other book I can think of that does the VRMMO genre as well. The way our main character becomes so immersed in his new body, and the general convincingness of the entire setting and characters put this book a step above others in the genre. There are similar themes from other books in the genre, but everything is handled so well it was quite refreshing.
Can't wait for more!
Can't wait for more!
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