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All Trades #2
Business as Usual
A wise man once said that, as one increased their wealth, so too would they increase their problems. Well, it was something like that.
Alex, AKA Jack Alltrades, just wanted to play a game and make some money for himself and his family. After a string of incredible luck and a few wise decisions, he finds himself responsible for an entire company based in the game! It's not all rainbows and gold coins, though. Real life threats, angry NPC merchants, and shady deals with the elves and dwarves are giving Jack a massive headache.
Can he keep All Trades, Inc out of the red?
Will his past catch up to him or can he buy his way into a new life?
How many golems does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Come join the continuing high-margin adventures of Jack Alltrades and find the answers to these questions and more in Business as Usual!
Alex, AKA Jack Alltrades, just wanted to play a game and make some money for himself and his family. After a string of incredible luck and a few wise decisions, he finds himself responsible for an entire company based in the game! It's not all rainbows and gold coins, though. Real life threats, angry NPC merchants, and shady deals with the elves and dwarves are giving Jack a massive headache.
Can he keep All Trades, Inc out of the red?
Will his past catch up to him or can he buy his way into a new life?
How many golems does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Come join the continuing high-margin adventures of Jack Alltrades and find the answers to these questions and more in Business as Usual!
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2020
298 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 22, 2020
Worse than the first. We've lost the sense of newness that made the first somewhat interesting, but haven't really gained anything. Also the author seems to be in a rush and doesn't let anything really develop, sometimes cleaning up potentially interesting conflict without almost any effort. There's a little twist at the end which doesn't really make any sense and is clearly just thrown in there to try and add a little soul to an otherwise soulless enterprise. It's free on KU, so I might continue to read them, but I'm not looking forward to it.
not-finished
March 6, 2020I just couldn't finish this, there was no challenge, or real suspense. Everything comes easy, he has a problem where he needs more money so he just thinks really hard about it and comes up with a plan and it's in place two days later and he's raking in tons of money. Also, he naive plan to defeat the bad guy in the real world. Please. That would be one pretty lame criminal if that plan is all it takes (unless something happens in the back half of the book to make it harder, but judging from the rest of the problems in this book I would be really surprised.
March 1, 2020
Mostly the same concerns as my review on the first book.
Also will add that he accomplishes his challenges much too easily. Gordon was barely an afterthought, the Demon wasn’t easy but still finished within a chapter. The robberies at the end were very easy as well. He needs to at least try a little harder. There were some fun ideas with the auction house and adventurers guild which added something. Best part was the last chapter with some hope for a dope Job in the next book.
5/10
Also will add that he accomplishes his challenges much too easily. Gordon was barely an afterthought, the Demon wasn’t easy but still finished within a chapter. The robberies at the end were very easy as well. He needs to at least try a little harder. There were some fun ideas with the auction house and adventurers guild which added something. Best part was the last chapter with some hope for a dope Job in the next book.
5/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2020
There's one thing that bothers me above everything else when it comes to the books I read, and that's internal consistency.
Book 1 of this series had the setup that the issues taking place in the world would only be solved once the "immortal Adventurers" were to arrive to help them. They had some thieves die and drop items and mention of respawn was made.
Book 2, all of a sudden, players don't respawn anymore and there's not even an understanding of what that means (although if you are an animal companion, you do). Once that piece of info was dropped in the middle of the book, for no better reason than to artificially drive up the crisis, the book lost me.
I will most likely not be further reading this series.
Book 1 of this series had the setup that the issues taking place in the world would only be solved once the "immortal Adventurers" were to arrive to help them. They had some thieves die and drop items and mention of respawn was made.
Book 2, all of a sudden, players don't respawn anymore and there's not even an understanding of what that means (although if you are an animal companion, you do). Once that piece of info was dropped in the middle of the book, for no better reason than to artificially drive up the crisis, the book lost me.
I will most likely not be further reading this series.
March 2, 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
August 7, 2020
5 Those With Stars
Business as Usual is the second novel in the LitRPG series by Shane Walker.
How dare you make me cry my own tears!?!?
Honestly, I may not be in the best frame of mind to write this review at the moment. So, we’ll see how this goes? All my feels are discombobulated after that ending.
Jack Alltrades’ story continues in these pages following Gordon’s blackmail and threat to his family. A flurry of activity follows, primarily resulting in him creating All Trades, LLC in reality and incorporating and legalizing his in game companies. Thus making it easier to not only earn a real wage himself, but pay one to his employees as well. This facilitated his purchase of many of Gordon’s properties around town, that he then converted into outreach programs for at risk kids in his area. Gifting them a better chance at life, one would have been grateful when he was growing up.
All of that isn’t even taking into account all of the in game activities. Faced with his mine in Gnometheran’s ore drying up he must find new avenues of revenue if he intends to keep paying his employees. Being the upstanding manager he is, this is in fact one of his highest concerns. Along with the conditions his family would face and Gordon’s endeavors against him.
There are so many more dungeons, Magic, fighting, skills, cool new characters and info dumping encompassed within these pages. Dr. Hyzen, the creator of The Realms VRMMO, plays a bigger part in this novel as well.
Then there’s Rowan. By far my favorite character from this novel. He’s such a core component this time around. He’s practically a main character himself. He’s honestly a badass. His departure from this series is probably the worst thing I could’ve imagined.
Also, who frack is Marty??
Business as Usual is the second novel in the LitRPG series by Shane Walker.
How dare you make me cry my own tears!?!?
Honestly, I may not be in the best frame of mind to write this review at the moment. So, we’ll see how this goes? All my feels are discombobulated after that ending.
Jack Alltrades’ story continues in these pages following Gordon’s blackmail and threat to his family. A flurry of activity follows, primarily resulting in him creating All Trades, LLC in reality and incorporating and legalizing his in game companies. Thus making it easier to not only earn a real wage himself, but pay one to his employees as well. This facilitated his purchase of many of Gordon’s properties around town, that he then converted into outreach programs for at risk kids in his area. Gifting them a better chance at life, one would have been grateful when he was growing up.
All of that isn’t even taking into account all of the in game activities. Faced with his mine in Gnometheran’s ore drying up he must find new avenues of revenue if he intends to keep paying his employees. Being the upstanding manager he is, this is in fact one of his highest concerns. Along with the conditions his family would face and Gordon’s endeavors against him.
There are so many more dungeons, Magic, fighting, skills, cool new characters and info dumping encompassed within these pages. Dr. Hyzen, the creator of The Realms VRMMO, plays a bigger part in this novel as well.
Then there’s Rowan. By far my favorite character from this novel. He’s such a core component this time around. He’s practically a main character himself. He’s honestly a badass. His departure from this series is probably the worst thing I could’ve imagined.
Also, who frack is Marty??
April 25, 2022
This was a good story, but I have a few quibbles.
First, it's been a while for me. I'd love a quick reminder of things. This was especially apparent when Jack is grabbing weapons and saying where they are on his body, by name. If I don't remember the name of your bodyguard, I really don't remember the name of your weapons.
I was baffled to read editor comments in the KU version - e.g. ""May not want to repeat 'early' in quick succession" or "Pronouns are confusing here...". This was especially confusing as the last one, concerning a lack of appendix, followed immediately by an appendix implies that the comments were being fixed.
A comment on Amazon made a lot of sense as well - Jack seems to gather resources and then find the hard way to do things anyhow. It seems hard for other characters in the book to have crowning moments of awesome - to the point where the bodyguard's moment of killing an antagonist (that she should have easily handled w/o Jack's involvement at all) turned out to be a memory issue, and it was him, of course, that did it...
Cheating and looking on kindle, I see book 3 came out in Aug of 2020. I think I'm going to stop here. The unfinished editing was distracting, and 18 mo since book 3 may imply there isn't more (given that book 1 - book 3 were 13 mo apart).
First, it's been a while for me. I'd love a quick reminder of things. This was especially apparent when Jack is grabbing weapons and saying where they are on his body, by name. If I don't remember the name of your bodyguard, I really don't remember the name of your weapons.
I was baffled to read editor comments in the KU version - e.g. ""May not want to repeat 'early' in quick succession" or "Pronouns are confusing here...". This was especially confusing as the last one, concerning a lack of appendix, followed immediately by an appendix implies that the comments were being fixed.
A comment on Amazon made a lot of sense as well - Jack seems to gather resources and then find the hard way to do things anyhow. It seems hard for other characters in the book to have crowning moments of awesome - to the point where the bodyguard's moment of killing an antagonist (that she should have easily handled w/o Jack's involvement at all) turned out to be a memory issue, and it was him, of course, that did it...
Cheating and looking on kindle, I see book 3 came out in Aug of 2020. I think I'm going to stop here. The unfinished editing was distracting, and 18 mo since book 3 may imply there isn't more (given that book 1 - book 3 were 13 mo apart).
October 4, 2021
Pretty huge plot hole with this one, the whole world mechanics makes no sense. If this existed the entire game would last 2 days tops, players would kill all the NPC's, loot everything, then start killing each other; there would be nothing left.
Feel like Walker has made a stupid decision trying to force the story into a badly conceived outline. The writing and flow is still good, the man can write he should just have spent more time on the research and planning stage and developed a world that would actually work.
Feel like Walker has made a stupid decision trying to force the story into a badly conceived outline. The writing and flow is still good, the man can write he should just have spent more time on the research and planning stage and developed a world that would actually work.
February 17, 2020
Book two
Mistakes: I found three, but I also found notes left in from the editing.
Plot: Things go a lot easier for the Mc as he can literally throw money at problems. Good story that needs a little cleaning to be a solid four star book.
Characters: The Mc has some decent growing and I found his loss of a friend to be a good thing for his future developing.
6/10
Mistakes: I found three, but I also found notes left in from the editing.
Plot: Things go a lot easier for the Mc as he can literally throw money at problems. Good story that needs a little cleaning to be a solid four star book.
Characters: The Mc has some decent growing and I found his loss of a friend to be a good thing for his future developing.
6/10
April 7, 2020
Great Series
I think I enjoyed this second book more than the first. Still great characters and just the right amount of action and him running his company and making money. Not going to give anything away but a part this time brought a tear (What! I'm not crying your crying!) Two thumbs for this book and can't wait for the next book. 😊
I think I enjoyed this second book more than the first. Still great characters and just the right amount of action and him running his company and making money. Not going to give anything away but a part this time brought a tear (What! I'm not crying your crying!) Two thumbs for this book and can't wait for the next book. 😊
April 23, 2020
Excellent
This book was just so much more enjoyable and engaging than the first one. Not that the first book was bad by any stretch of the imagination, this one just had me smiling, laughing, crying, looking forward to see what happens next and even re-reading sections because I enjoyed them so much.
This book was just so much more enjoyable and engaging than the first one. Not that the first book was bad by any stretch of the imagination, this one just had me smiling, laughing, crying, looking forward to see what happens next and even re-reading sections because I enjoyed them so much.
May 4, 2020
Always nice to see the good guys actually get a leg up, even if it's their own actions doing the work. I liked this story, and while I suspect some LitRPG fans won't care for this one much, if you like inventivnes, the will to buck the system, and some good old fashioned stubbornness, then you'll porobably enjoy this offering.s
June 24, 2020
Good midpoint or ending
In this book Jack dives deeper into the problems of his new online persona and faces the possible undoing of all he has done. He must find ways to overcome the hard knocks of life and keep his budding mercantile empire afloat. Solid story, looking forward to more!
In this book Jack dives deeper into the problems of his new online persona and faces the possible undoing of all he has done. He must find ways to overcome the hard knocks of life and keep his budding mercantile empire afloat. Solid story, looking forward to more!
January 21, 2021
Its the characters
Shane you sell yourself short. Its the depth and feeling and life you give your characters that make this story... well... aside from a fantastic plot and good solid storytelling. Jumping into book 3 right away. Thanks for writing this. Loving every minute of it.
Shane you sell yourself short. Its the depth and feeling and life you give your characters that make this story... well... aside from a fantastic plot and good solid storytelling. Jumping into book 3 right away. Thanks for writing this. Loving every minute of it.
November 10, 2022
fun ride
Nice mix of a slice of life and adventure. Dialogue is well done and the pacing doesn’t drag as much a most slice of life books do. It still drags a bit in places but it’s well worth the read. This is one of my favorite genres to kill time with and this series is a good example of how to write one. Buy it and enjoy.
Nice mix of a slice of life and adventure. Dialogue is well done and the pacing doesn’t drag as much a most slice of life books do. It still drags a bit in places but it’s well worth the read. This is one of my favorite genres to kill time with and this series is a good example of how to write one. Buy it and enjoy.
February 21, 2020
Cool game world
Lots of character and world building in this book. The MC’s ‘jobs’ expand and his business grows. There is some action with the underlying story but it is not the main focus
Lots of character and world building in this book. The MC’s ‘jobs’ expand and his business grows. There is some action with the underlying story but it is not the main focus
March 2, 2020
Really a 3.5, I enjoyed this overall, but some internal inconsistencies have been noted in other reviews and they did detract from an otherwise well-written book.
Some elements of the plot were a bit off, specifically the MC seemed somewhat OP, but not to the extent that he didn't need help. I did appreciate that the irl problems with semi-organized crime were resolved, but I'd really like to know were he's buying multiple commercial properties for $250K. It seemed that real-life problems were handled in a rather facile fashion, but it served the terms of the narrative.
Some elements of the plot were a bit off, specifically the MC seemed somewhat OP, but not to the extent that he didn't need help. I did appreciate that the irl problems with semi-organized crime were resolved, but I'd really like to know were he's buying multiple commercial properties for $250K. It seemed that real-life problems were handled in a rather facile fashion, but it served the terms of the narrative.
March 13, 2020
Absolutely Craft tastic
This story of a conman going into a game to make some crypto is awesome. This guy gets the master of none class and craft his buttocks off to make a life for several people. Great story
This story of a conman going into a game to make some crypto is awesome. This guy gets the master of none class and craft his buttocks off to make a life for several people. Great story
March 21, 2020
Great business ideas in a fantasy setting
A different take on the AI v human take on fantasy worlds inflicting both the physical world and the virtual through commerce, a most enjoyable read a slow grower at the beginning but worth it
A different take on the AI v human take on fantasy worlds inflicting both the physical world and the virtual through commerce, a most enjoyable read a slow grower at the beginning but worth it
April 19, 2020
It was a lot more then I expected.
It was a really good read. It brings a twist to a normal book of this type. I for one really loved it and it will be going in to my favorites list
It was a really good read. It brings a twist to a normal book of this type. I for one really loved it and it will be going in to my favorites list
May 14, 2020
Puns😊
I enjoyed the chapter titles, the story was also good. Been a bit of time since I read the first book so my memory of it was fuzzy but the story was good at helping me with that.
I enjoyed the chapter titles, the story was also good. Been a bit of time since I read the first book so my memory of it was fuzzy but the story was good at helping me with that.
July 15, 2020
Loved it so much!I really enjoyed reading this book.I have already recommended this series to my little bro and some of my friends. Thank you for writing this.
(P.S Still pissed at you for Rowan,I already miss him.He was a real King.)
(P.S Still pissed at you for Rowan,I already miss him.He was a real King.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2020
This is an awesome continuation of the series. I can't help but wonder what will happen with the next story. The mention of the class Freelancer seems like an awesome class. I wonder what will happen with it.
July 31, 2020
Fantastic!
Great series. The concept meets so many of our desires...be good at everything yet “expert” at none. Limited yet able to do so much. The main character is fun, troubled, lovable, and evidences a life turned around.
Well done Mr. Walker.
Great series. The concept meets so many of our desires...be good at everything yet “expert” at none. Limited yet able to do so much. The main character is fun, troubled, lovable, and evidences a life turned around.
Well done Mr. Walker.
August 26, 2020
Great series bro
On this book not to make soilers but i would say if you read and love the characters in a book would have brought down hell at then end long live Rowen great series for people that read alot and enjoy feeling the highs and lows of a good story
On this book not to make soilers but i would say if you read and love the characters in a book would have brought down hell at then end long live Rowen great series for people that read alot and enjoy feeling the highs and lows of a good story
September 1, 2020
Footnotes
Somebody forgot to remove editing notes. Even ones that were corrected.
A bit MarySue, even with the injury. Still not a lot of development in the main secondary characters.
Still gonna keep reading. It’s an interesting world.
Somebody forgot to remove editing notes. Even ones that were corrected.
A bit MarySue, even with the injury. Still not a lot of development in the main secondary characters.
Still gonna keep reading. It’s an interesting world.
September 4, 2020
Good Business
Shane Walker keeps the pace steady with his second book in box All Trades series, Business as Usual. Good second book that keeps the storyline interesting and the characters more and more likeable.
Shane Walker keeps the pace steady with his second book in box All Trades series, Business as Usual. Good second book that keeps the storyline interesting and the characters more and more likeable.
November 29, 2020
Bueno liviano y rápido
Buen libro liviano y rápido, los personajes se desarrollan un poco más, pero da la impresión de terminar algunas líneas argumentales de manera media forzada, aunque es en post de avanzar y mostrar más el mundo, así que se le perdona.
Buen libro liviano y rápido, los personajes se desarrollan un poco más, pero da la impresión de terminar algunas líneas argumentales de manera media forzada, aunque es en post de avanzar y mostrar más el mundo, así que se le perdona.
March 8, 2021
Great Book and beautiful sequel.
A great book. It’s funny and has great characters that interact well. I laugh at the other reviews, master of none has nothing to do with not being able to master anything.... it’s a class. Wow great job Shane Walker.
A great book. It’s funny and has great characters that interact well. I laugh at the other reviews, master of none has nothing to do with not being able to master anything.... it’s a class. Wow great job Shane Walker.
February 2, 2020
All Good
Could not out down. Crafting, merchant, fighting, dungeon crawling and characters that feel like real people. This is a must read!
Could not out down. Crafting, merchant, fighting, dungeon crawling and characters that feel like real people. This is a must read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews