What do you think?
Rate this book
Bridge Quest #1
Bridge Quest
Karl is worse than a noob. He doesn’t even like role playing games. Still, they did give him a choice: totally immerse or die.
Now Karl is on his very first adventure into the gaming world of Bridge Quest. It’s a world so real that it’s hard to tell the difference between NPCs and the players; where tastes, smells, sounds and experiences are so vivid you forget you’re in an artificial world. Except for those pesky popups and stats charts, Karl discovers he’s having more fun than in real life. He even gets to kill orcs, gnolls, trolls, and goblins and then hang out with gorgeous women. And the best part is that he’ll never die… at least that’s what they told him.
Unfortunately, there is one significant drawback – there’s no coffee.
Now Karl is on his very first adventure into the gaming world of Bridge Quest. It’s a world so real that it’s hard to tell the difference between NPCs and the players; where tastes, smells, sounds and experiences are so vivid you forget you’re in an artificial world. Except for those pesky popups and stats charts, Karl discovers he’s having more fun than in real life. He even gets to kill orcs, gnolls, trolls, and goblins and then hang out with gorgeous women. And the best part is that he’ll never die… at least that’s what they told him.
Unfortunately, there is one significant drawback – there’s no coffee.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 21, 2019
98 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
pdmac
56 books20 followerspdmac spent a career in the US Army before transitioning to education as a university Academic Dean. He transitioned again and now writes fulltime. He has a MA in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Theology. He is a member of the Blue Ridge Writers Guild, the Steampunk Writers and Artists Guild, and the Georgia Writers Association. A diverse author, writer, and editor, he has also edited a Literature anthology, served as managing editor of an archaeology magazine, ghost-written an autobiography, and has had poems, short stories, articles, and editorials published in various literary journals, magazines and newspapers. His most recent short stories appear in the Short Story America anthologies III and IV, Poets in Hell, The Mulberry Fork Review, and the Fantasy Anthology Chronicles of Mirstone. He has also sung back-up for Broadway plays, provided voice for radio plays, and acted and directed theater stage productions. In his off time, he and his wife enjoy cycling, kayaking, and occasionally backpacking sections of the Appalachian Trail. Additionally, he and his wife love to travel, their favorite place so far being Crete, Greece.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 9, 2020
Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
With so many LitRPG books on my radar, I was drawn to this one due to the idea that the protagonist is a n00b and knows nothing about video games, which I think is something I've not seen before. Aside from this, the whole 'terminal disease' angle to explain his situation is a little common now but, with the success of the LitRPG genre, original ideas are becoming a rare thing indeed.
The story itself is pretty original. While science attempts to find cures for the players' cryogenically frozen bodies, the players are logged into a fantasy world consisting of islands, all of which are separated by bridges which require certain measures to cross to the next island.
Our protagonist, Karl, is ex-military and as such is a no-nonsense, serious kinda chap and this does lead to his character being pretty unlikeable. Not due to anything he does but purely because he's just a little boring. A lot of the fun of LitRPGs is in the players excitement and wonder over what they're seeing but Karl seems to treat it like just another day on the farm and lacks any real sense of adventure in his demeanor.
Through this, his initial adventure across the starting island, Karl and his fellow players (all of whom have terminal illnesses) join forces with Karl assuming a leader role due to his military history and what follows is a pretty mediocre journey journey across the island, with pretty repetitious battles and a severe lack of fun throughout.There is some light harem thrown in but this feels very much like 'ticking a box' in the story planning.
The Narrator, Marc Szewcyzk, does a good job or reading the tale and instills as much excitement as the book allows but both a lack of variety and a sub-standard recording makes the whole experience very flat.
Being just 11-chapters long, and ending on a pseudo-cliffhanger, I was happy I read the book as there were a few 'real-world' moments that caught my interest but overall it was a very mediocre tale with an average performance which really did very little to impress.
With so many LitRPG books on my radar, I was drawn to this one due to the idea that the protagonist is a n00b and knows nothing about video games, which I think is something I've not seen before. Aside from this, the whole 'terminal disease' angle to explain his situation is a little common now but, with the success of the LitRPG genre, original ideas are becoming a rare thing indeed.
The story itself is pretty original. While science attempts to find cures for the players' cryogenically frozen bodies, the players are logged into a fantasy world consisting of islands, all of which are separated by bridges which require certain measures to cross to the next island.
Our protagonist, Karl, is ex-military and as such is a no-nonsense, serious kinda chap and this does lead to his character being pretty unlikeable. Not due to anything he does but purely because he's just a little boring. A lot of the fun of LitRPGs is in the players excitement and wonder over what they're seeing but Karl seems to treat it like just another day on the farm and lacks any real sense of adventure in his demeanor.
Through this, his initial adventure across the starting island, Karl and his fellow players (all of whom have terminal illnesses) join forces with Karl assuming a leader role due to his military history and what follows is a pretty mediocre journey journey across the island, with pretty repetitious battles and a severe lack of fun throughout.There is some light harem thrown in but this feels very much like 'ticking a box' in the story planning.
The Narrator, Marc Szewcyzk, does a good job or reading the tale and instills as much excitement as the book allows but both a lack of variety and a sub-standard recording makes the whole experience very flat.
Being just 11-chapters long, and ending on a pseudo-cliffhanger, I was happy I read the book as there were a few 'real-world' moments that caught my interest but overall it was a very mediocre tale with an average performance which really did very little to impress.
March 26, 2020
Outstanding book.
I loved this book. It reminded me of when I played D and D when I was a kid. I never played the Viking character, but now, I may have to back and pay it again. Thanks PDMac for a great book.
I loved this book. It reminded me of when I played D and D when I was a kid. I never played the Viking character, but now, I may have to back and pay it again. Thanks PDMac for a great book.
October 18, 2020
This is one of the role playing books that you can really get absorbed in. Karl is a natural leader. I love all the scenarios the game designers have put in his way. And what is the reason for the game itself? We will see in future books in this series. I hope.
July 20, 2022
A great book to read.
You are taken on a journey that will leave you wondering how will it work out. You taken into a game as a person part of a game. The author did a good job with the book.
You are taken on a journey that will leave you wondering how will it work out. You taken into a game as a person part of a game. The author did a good job with the book.
August 27, 2024
Book 1
Book 1 was an okay read. The plot and characters are developed well. The plot is a bit predictable, but that goes with the genre of the book. The characters had many flaws and some of the NPCs were annoying too. Not sure if I will continue with the series.
Book 1 was an okay read. The plot and characters are developed well. The plot is a bit predictable, but that goes with the genre of the book. The characters had many flaws and some of the NPCs were annoying too. Not sure if I will continue with the series.
October 7, 2019
Pretty good story. A different approach and well written. Enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews