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The Heavenly Throne #1
Force Cultivation
Learn the true nature of the Force. It's more complicated than you think.
He was the champion of underground fighting in his world. He was young, handsome, and rich. Recognized world champions were no match for him. He had her, the love of his life...
He lived for her and for battle...
However, in a moment, it was all gone.
He lost his life and his name. His dreams were taken away from him. The one he had been in love with since childhood had betrayed him and plunged a knife into his heart...
In another world, very different and distant, a boy lying in a muddy ditch suddenly opens his eyes. A new life has been awakened in his empty body.
What will he do with an offer for a second chance at life?
What path will Kai follow in a world where power and skill reign supreme?
In a world where your worth is determined by your martial arts.
Rebirth. Ascension. Revenge.
As one of the hit novels of the new wave of Russian LitRPG novels, Heavenly Throne follows one of the greatest underground fighters of the 2010s, who has found himself in a world much different than his own. He had thought that he had nothing more to lose, but fate is a fickle and cruel mistress.
Now, he must fight for his place in this new world as he advances on the path of martial arts and force cultivation.
The winner of the Russian National Wuxia Contest, Heavenly Throne provides readers with a refreshing take on cultivation stories.
He was the champion of underground fighting in his world. He was young, handsome, and rich. Recognized world champions were no match for him. He had her, the love of his life...
He lived for her and for battle...
However, in a moment, it was all gone.
He lost his life and his name. His dreams were taken away from him. The one he had been in love with since childhood had betrayed him and plunged a knife into his heart...
In another world, very different and distant, a boy lying in a muddy ditch suddenly opens his eyes. A new life has been awakened in his empty body.
What will he do with an offer for a second chance at life?
What path will Kai follow in a world where power and skill reign supreme?
In a world where your worth is determined by your martial arts.
Rebirth. Ascension. Revenge.
As one of the hit novels of the new wave of Russian LitRPG novels, Heavenly Throne follows one of the greatest underground fighters of the 2010s, who has found himself in a world much different than his own. He had thought that he had nothing more to lose, but fate is a fickle and cruel mistress.
Now, he must fight for his place in this new world as he advances on the path of martial arts and force cultivation.
The winner of the Russian National Wuxia Contest, Heavenly Throne provides readers with a refreshing take on cultivation stories.
260 pages, ebook
Published May 5, 2020
1368 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
May 20, 2020
Wuxia gone wrong
I am sorry but this is not it. As another reviewer put it this book emphasizes all the defaults of Wuxia without any of the redeeming qualities. We have got: gratuitous violence, protagonists obsessed with power and gaining more of it, classist people.
There is no notion of honor in this book and the MC is so dislikable that by the middle of the book I did not care wether he died or not and sometimes I wished someone would come and whoop his a** thoroughly.
The world is not well established, we are given the impression that the world is vast but without any comparison to it. There is no map. There are some consistencies issues. The MC is obsessed with vengeance to the exclusivity of nothing else and he is really not that smarts. He gets in way over his head and 9 out of 10 a deus ex machina gets him out of it.
It was awful I would not read the next book and would strongly advise against reading it.
I am sorry but this is not it. As another reviewer put it this book emphasizes all the defaults of Wuxia without any of the redeeming qualities. We have got: gratuitous violence, protagonists obsessed with power and gaining more of it, classist people.
There is no notion of honor in this book and the MC is so dislikable that by the middle of the book I did not care wether he died or not and sometimes I wished someone would come and whoop his a** thoroughly.
The world is not well established, we are given the impression that the world is vast but without any comparison to it. There is no map. There are some consistencies issues. The MC is obsessed with vengeance to the exclusivity of nothing else and he is really not that smarts. He gets in way over his head and 9 out of 10 a deus ex machina gets him out of it.
It was awful I would not read the next book and would strongly advise against reading it.
May 19, 2020
What happens when the worst part of a genre is highlighted… This book
Looking at the reviews I guess I’m in the minority here… However I did not find this novel redeemable in pretty much any fashion… The characters are planned the story was not great and the translation was C rated at the best
Looking at the reviews I guess I’m in the minority here… However I did not find this novel redeemable in pretty much any fashion… The characters are planned the story was not great and the translation was C rated at the best
August 7, 2021
I don't know if it's a translation issue or what, but the story just didn't flow. It was painful to read. To top it off, the main character's a twat and I wish Julie (the sweet and kind sister) was the main character.
July 19, 2020
Clumsy
I don’t know if it’s a translation issue, but this reads real bad. Omniscient Wandering First/Third Person, also known as seeing internal monologue from different characters without a clear transition from viewpoint to viewpoint. Infodumps (not a terrible problem) of world building that’s not really relevant (oh, there’s the problem) to the current scene. MC has ‘amnesia’ but another character’s name suddenly becomes part of the text without basis.
Meanwhile, the LitRPG elements and wuxia elements are dropped into the narrative like fish guts. They just splat and start to smell bad.
The fact there are readers who rated this 5 stars makes me wonder...
DNF
I don’t know if it’s a translation issue, but this reads real bad. Omniscient Wandering First/Third Person, also known as seeing internal monologue from different characters without a clear transition from viewpoint to viewpoint. Infodumps (not a terrible problem) of world building that’s not really relevant (oh, there’s the problem) to the current scene. MC has ‘amnesia’ but another character’s name suddenly becomes part of the text without basis.
Meanwhile, the LitRPG elements and wuxia elements are dropped into the narrative like fish guts. They just splat and start to smell bad.
The fact there are readers who rated this 5 stars makes me wonder...
DNF
September 4, 2020
Light spoilers ahead.
This first entry falls short in many ways. To put it simply, the pace is off for both the story and power progression, it uses the same plot points as almost every other wuxia, and the authors version of cultivation feels... off somehow.
The MC goes from normal to OP within about 1 page and then a year passes before you even wrap your head around what is happening. There is literally a point where the book is like "I'm special oh and I have photographic memory..." Like.. what? The photographic memory part comes out of nowhere and I can't help but feel its only there to justify the character not struggling during the early points in the book.
Beyond that, I found myself struggling to understand the power structure. I know that there are multiple stages of cultivation but I had no idea if people were stronger or weaker than the MC because he is "special." The MC nonchalantly beats up supposedly strong people like they are peasants and then suddenly almost dies...
Lastly, the plot itself. I actually found myself sighing out loud in disappointment at one point because of how generic one of the plot points were. (When he faces the patriarch) There is almost no detail about cultivation or what the character goes through. Its more - "I trained for a year and now I can do this.." I like this when its done well but the result was a confusing rate of progress that was hard to keep up with. Further, I couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of the MC's family. When the MC was found, they should of just moved to avoid issues but instead they just say "be careful" and let the MC do whatever he wants. This is ultimately what leads to the major conflict and it felt entirely avoidable.
While the criticism I just gave is harsh, I will say that its not a horrible book. If you are new to the Wuxia genre, then you most likely wont find many issues with it. Just know that there are many better examples out there that you should read after this one.
This first entry falls short in many ways. To put it simply, the pace is off for both the story and power progression, it uses the same plot points as almost every other wuxia, and the authors version of cultivation feels... off somehow.
The MC goes from normal to OP within about 1 page and then a year passes before you even wrap your head around what is happening. There is literally a point where the book is like "I'm special oh and I have photographic memory..." Like.. what? The photographic memory part comes out of nowhere and I can't help but feel its only there to justify the character not struggling during the early points in the book.
Beyond that, I found myself struggling to understand the power structure. I know that there are multiple stages of cultivation but I had no idea if people were stronger or weaker than the MC because he is "special." The MC nonchalantly beats up supposedly strong people like they are peasants and then suddenly almost dies...
Lastly, the plot itself. I actually found myself sighing out loud in disappointment at one point because of how generic one of the plot points were. (When he faces the patriarch) There is almost no detail about cultivation or what the character goes through. Its more - "I trained for a year and now I can do this.." I like this when its done well but the result was a confusing rate of progress that was hard to keep up with. Further, I couldn't help but laugh at the stupidity of the MC's family. When the MC was found, they should of just moved to avoid issues but instead they just say "be careful" and let the MC do whatever he wants. This is ultimately what leads to the major conflict and it felt entirely avoidable.
While the criticism I just gave is harsh, I will say that its not a horrible book. If you are new to the Wuxia genre, then you most likely wont find many issues with it. Just know that there are many better examples out there that you should read after this one.
June 4, 2020
The story is a bit different from some of the other books I have read in the genre. However, it is engaging and it kept my attention. Overall it is a good book with good translation and editing. Other reviews that give it one star and which cite violence and misplaced motivations of the main character are not fair -- most books of this genre do have a main character who at some point seeks revenge for injustice and a past wrong -- and the bad guys in this first book are the very definition of injustice. Another review I read made an issue of how the main character gains access to skills, abilities, and processes that "fix" his problems -- that is also true of practically every main character in this genre. They are all special, or have some sort of attribute or ability that sets them apart from others, and which gives them an advantage. In most cases, this advantage is needed, because the main character is usually the victim of injustice. This is true in this story as well. I gave this story five stars, because I think it is a good start for the first book of a series -- the author could spend a bit more time on world development and even perhaps character development. I am looking forward to the next book.
September 17, 2023
Note: I listened to an audiobook but as that edition is not currently listed on Goodreads.com I am placing my review here. Note also that I listened to a “publishers pack” of books 1 & 2 so, of course, books 1 & 2 are getting the exact same review.
So, for the most part this was a pretty good book but the author makes some incredibly stupid story choices along the way that went a long way toward making this book not worth the time. I am focusing on the negative so, if you are not a critical reader, you may wish to skip this review as you may very likely be able to enjoy this book otherwise.
Note, also, that I will not be calling out spoilers so read at your own risk.
So MC gets put into the body of a recently deceased 15 year old on a cultivation planet. The 15 year old had been beaten to death for stealing from a noble. While this doesn’t become clear quickly, as the MC doesn’t have immediate contact with the bad guys, this does bring me to my first criticism, namely that the author doesn’t think about his bad guys. Every single bad guy is a vicious egomaniac who is just strong enough to challenge the MC. Also the author doesn’t actually think of his world as a world or the MC would have to face more bad guys than the 4 members of one small noble family he faces. This becomes really obvious when MC’s sister (Julie) heads off to the capital to get away only to be kidnapped by the fourth member of this family (“Greenrow” or at least that was what it sounded like to me). Did Greenrow kidnap Julie on purpose? No, IT WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM, as was how the MC found out about it. So, the author completely relies on coincidence rather than thinking about his characters and providing motivation for them to act.
Coincidence and stupidity are the soul methods the author uses to move his story forward. MC goes about the city with a false face spell out of concern the bad guys who killed his 15 year old body will find him and kill him again. After about a year of this the false face spell runs out one day when MC is heading for home. Rather than recast it the MC keeps going and runs into one of about 3 people IN THE ENTIRE CITY who might recognize him. (I’ll call the guy MC runs into “Brute” since he is one of the guys that beat MC’s body to death.) Why was Brute at that place at that time? No reason, just chance. Does Brute even take a second to recognize the kid he saw once a year earlier and thought dead? No, Brute immediately recognizes MC. Does author even stop to consider how many people Brute has likely killed since MC? Apparently not. Does author even consider how bad human memory actually is, particularly in times of stress like committing murder? No. The author does tell us the city MC is living is very large. It should also be noted that the MC uses this false face spell constantly, and yet this is the only place a time limit for this spell is mention. Given all the foregoing this must be something like a one in trillion chance meeting, but, hey, it brings the MC back to the attention of one of the bad guys, a middle son of a local noble family.
“Middle” (as I’m going to call the middle son) at least takes a while to remember the street rat who stole a silver from him causing Middle to have street rat beaten to death. How the incredibly wealthy Middle noticed the missing silver, traced it to MC and found MC for Brute and co. to beat to death we aren’t told, but it must have been significant for the conceited Middle to recall it a year later. I mean SERIOUSLY, take a minute to think of a face you saw once a year ago. I came up with an example from my own life (used a new dry cleaner one time) and I am certain that person could walk up and punch me in the face and I would have no idea who they were. But the author doesn’t think about things like this. Stuff just happens in his stories.
So, MC, is now being actively hunted by a noble family. What does the MC do? Of course the MC enters a tournament being run by that same family. MC uses his false face spell and a fake name to enter BUT GIVES HIS REAL ADDRESS???????? This is so stupid I had to go read another book before I could stomach picking this story back up. Of course bad guys find MC but higher power intervenes so MC’s grandfather is killed instead of MC while MC is banished and has his cultivation power capped.
MC’s banishment lands MC in a town in need of a hero and MC fights off monsters for the town. The author constructed an entire backstory with call backs to things that happened to MC earlier. Why? MC is a good guy, he would have helped the town without the big back story. Contrast this with no backstory for the trillion to one encounter with Brute and it seems clear this author really needs to work on his craft. That said it should be pointed out this author shows promise. As noteworthy as these issues are, this was a pretty long book and they are the exceptions, not the rule. This author strung together entire chapters of enjoyable reading, he just really needs to study up on character motivation.
While fighting monsters for the town the spirit of an ancient master attempts to possess MC. (Ancient master’s name sounded like “Rune Don” so that is what I am going with.) Attempt fails but MC lets Rune Don live so now MC has an onboard wise man to advise him. The author clearly had an agenda for Rune Don as MC doesn’t effectively negotiate with him or use Rune Don’s knowledge. Really the whole point of the Rune Don story line appears to be a way to allow the MC to remove the power cap placed on him (eventually).
After the attempted possession MC is trapped in an underground city because a very powerful monster awaits him at the exit. MC trains for a year, defeats monster and returns to his home city. Does MC seek out his sister who has been on her own for a year thanks to MC’s stupidity? No. MC frees monsters all over the city to cover killing Middle and Middle’s older brother. Only after everyone in the city is looking for MC (and, common sense would say his sister as well, although the author just ignores that little complication) does the MC bother to attempt to locate her. Fortunately the one place MC knows to look is able to tell MC sister left for capital.
MC leaves for capital and meets up with a young female noble (Lily) whose carriage is under attack by wolves. MC saves day and is convinced to join forces as all are traveling to the capital. Lily aids MC in search for sister, to no avail. MC aids Lily in rooting out and destroying the villains trying to kill her to great success. A long the way MC learns of martial arts sect Lily is going to join so he joins too. At the sect MC meets Greenrow and, AT THAT FIRST MEETING BECAUSE NOTHING TAKES TIME OR EFFORT IN THIS WORLD, discovers Julie drugged and enslaved.
MC, again with no effort on his part, is contacted by the person trying to free Greenrow’s slaves. MC pretty much immediately comes up with a plan which succeeds. As MC is walking away from freeing the slaves he is approached by a sect elder who informs MC that the elder will take over MC’s training. MC trains for a while but then is sent on a special mission involving all the younger sect members, including Greenrow. The mission becomes trapped in what is essentially a dungeon and Greenrow reveals he has contrived an alliance that basically puts him in charge. Bad stuff happens, MC gets separated from the group, figures out the mystery of the dungeon, “levels up” and comes back and fights Greenrow. MC barely wins but the damage done by the fight allows the few survivors to escape the dungeon, leaving Greenrow behind to die.
Upon returning to the capital it is discovered that a much more powerful cultivator came to punish the emperor for a theft. As a result the empire’s most powerful cultivators were all killed and other outside cultivators have shown up in the wake of this decapitation to recruit. MC and co. leave with one such recruiter on a flying ship. The end.
I don’t clearly remember where book 1 stopped but I do remember thinking it lacked resolution. The publishers pack is much better in that regard, with one exception. The author apparently felt it would be too much work to create a new villain so he has Greenrow survive and even get a power-up thanks to a previously unknown power of Greenrow’s to control spirits.
Bottom line: While I was able to mostly enjoy this book the author has serious problems with character motivations and could use some better guidance on plotting.
So, for the most part this was a pretty good book but the author makes some incredibly stupid story choices along the way that went a long way toward making this book not worth the time. I am focusing on the negative so, if you are not a critical reader, you may wish to skip this review as you may very likely be able to enjoy this book otherwise.
Note, also, that I will not be calling out spoilers so read at your own risk.
So MC gets put into the body of a recently deceased 15 year old on a cultivation planet. The 15 year old had been beaten to death for stealing from a noble. While this doesn’t become clear quickly, as the MC doesn’t have immediate contact with the bad guys, this does bring me to my first criticism, namely that the author doesn’t think about his bad guys. Every single bad guy is a vicious egomaniac who is just strong enough to challenge the MC. Also the author doesn’t actually think of his world as a world or the MC would have to face more bad guys than the 4 members of one small noble family he faces. This becomes really obvious when MC’s sister (Julie) heads off to the capital to get away only to be kidnapped by the fourth member of this family (“Greenrow” or at least that was what it sounded like to me). Did Greenrow kidnap Julie on purpose? No, IT WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM, as was how the MC found out about it. So, the author completely relies on coincidence rather than thinking about his characters and providing motivation for them to act.
Coincidence and stupidity are the soul methods the author uses to move his story forward. MC goes about the city with a false face spell out of concern the bad guys who killed his 15 year old body will find him and kill him again. After about a year of this the false face spell runs out one day when MC is heading for home. Rather than recast it the MC keeps going and runs into one of about 3 people IN THE ENTIRE CITY who might recognize him. (I’ll call the guy MC runs into “Brute” since he is one of the guys that beat MC’s body to death.) Why was Brute at that place at that time? No reason, just chance. Does Brute even take a second to recognize the kid he saw once a year earlier and thought dead? No, Brute immediately recognizes MC. Does author even stop to consider how many people Brute has likely killed since MC? Apparently not. Does author even consider how bad human memory actually is, particularly in times of stress like committing murder? No. The author does tell us the city MC is living is very large. It should also be noted that the MC uses this false face spell constantly, and yet this is the only place a time limit for this spell is mention. Given all the foregoing this must be something like a one in trillion chance meeting, but, hey, it brings the MC back to the attention of one of the bad guys, a middle son of a local noble family.
“Middle” (as I’m going to call the middle son) at least takes a while to remember the street rat who stole a silver from him causing Middle to have street rat beaten to death. How the incredibly wealthy Middle noticed the missing silver, traced it to MC and found MC for Brute and co. to beat to death we aren’t told, but it must have been significant for the conceited Middle to recall it a year later. I mean SERIOUSLY, take a minute to think of a face you saw once a year ago. I came up with an example from my own life (used a new dry cleaner one time) and I am certain that person could walk up and punch me in the face and I would have no idea who they were. But the author doesn’t think about things like this. Stuff just happens in his stories.
So, MC, is now being actively hunted by a noble family. What does the MC do? Of course the MC enters a tournament being run by that same family. MC uses his false face spell and a fake name to enter BUT GIVES HIS REAL ADDRESS???????? This is so stupid I had to go read another book before I could stomach picking this story back up. Of course bad guys find MC but higher power intervenes so MC’s grandfather is killed instead of MC while MC is banished and has his cultivation power capped.
MC’s banishment lands MC in a town in need of a hero and MC fights off monsters for the town. The author constructed an entire backstory with call backs to things that happened to MC earlier. Why? MC is a good guy, he would have helped the town without the big back story. Contrast this with no backstory for the trillion to one encounter with Brute and it seems clear this author really needs to work on his craft. That said it should be pointed out this author shows promise. As noteworthy as these issues are, this was a pretty long book and they are the exceptions, not the rule. This author strung together entire chapters of enjoyable reading, he just really needs to study up on character motivation.
While fighting monsters for the town the spirit of an ancient master attempts to possess MC. (Ancient master’s name sounded like “Rune Don” so that is what I am going with.) Attempt fails but MC lets Rune Don live so now MC has an onboard wise man to advise him. The author clearly had an agenda for Rune Don as MC doesn’t effectively negotiate with him or use Rune Don’s knowledge. Really the whole point of the Rune Don story line appears to be a way to allow the MC to remove the power cap placed on him (eventually).
After the attempted possession MC is trapped in an underground city because a very powerful monster awaits him at the exit. MC trains for a year, defeats monster and returns to his home city. Does MC seek out his sister who has been on her own for a year thanks to MC’s stupidity? No. MC frees monsters all over the city to cover killing Middle and Middle’s older brother. Only after everyone in the city is looking for MC (and, common sense would say his sister as well, although the author just ignores that little complication) does the MC bother to attempt to locate her. Fortunately the one place MC knows to look is able to tell MC sister left for capital.
MC leaves for capital and meets up with a young female noble (Lily) whose carriage is under attack by wolves. MC saves day and is convinced to join forces as all are traveling to the capital. Lily aids MC in search for sister, to no avail. MC aids Lily in rooting out and destroying the villains trying to kill her to great success. A long the way MC learns of martial arts sect Lily is going to join so he joins too. At the sect MC meets Greenrow and, AT THAT FIRST MEETING BECAUSE NOTHING TAKES TIME OR EFFORT IN THIS WORLD, discovers Julie drugged and enslaved.
MC, again with no effort on his part, is contacted by the person trying to free Greenrow’s slaves. MC pretty much immediately comes up with a plan which succeeds. As MC is walking away from freeing the slaves he is approached by a sect elder who informs MC that the elder will take over MC’s training. MC trains for a while but then is sent on a special mission involving all the younger sect members, including Greenrow. The mission becomes trapped in what is essentially a dungeon and Greenrow reveals he has contrived an alliance that basically puts him in charge. Bad stuff happens, MC gets separated from the group, figures out the mystery of the dungeon, “levels up” and comes back and fights Greenrow. MC barely wins but the damage done by the fight allows the few survivors to escape the dungeon, leaving Greenrow behind to die.
Upon returning to the capital it is discovered that a much more powerful cultivator came to punish the emperor for a theft. As a result the empire’s most powerful cultivators were all killed and other outside cultivators have shown up in the wake of this decapitation to recruit. MC and co. leave with one such recruiter on a flying ship. The end.
I don’t clearly remember where book 1 stopped but I do remember thinking it lacked resolution. The publishers pack is much better in that regard, with one exception. The author apparently felt it would be too much work to create a new villain so he has Greenrow survive and even get a power-up thanks to a previously unknown power of Greenrow’s to control spirits.
Bottom line: While I was able to mostly enjoy this book the author has serious problems with character motivations and could use some better guidance on plotting.
October 12, 2020
Alert
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
Second, I am not a bot...at least I don’t think I am. Yes this is copy pasta (just learned that term, so fun!) simply because I feel like any book I read deserves acknowledgement but at the same time my feelings on reviews conflict with the normal review process.
I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. If you are a potential reader, just stop reading now and take the above as all you need to know. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
If you are a member of the IAK Guild (thanks, Jason) or part of the review police, feel free to criticize me and challenge my philosophy on reviewing art. I think we all love a good debate. The forums are open and I welcome your comments. I was wrong in my previous request to get you to stop. Your blatant disregard for that request has led to some fun discussions. Growth is important for us all.
Cheers
April 18, 2021
Ruined by overpowered character
Premise was cool, but the MC and story aren't worthwhile because the author doesn't follow the natural laws of his world and doesn't understand that a good story requires a character working, struggling, and even losing sometimes. A low level character shouldn't be easily thrashing people who are much higher in cultivation, and the rationale for it is shallow enough that it's kind of like a five year old beating his dad in wrestling - except the author claims that the five year old wins without skill or needing to overcome any real challenges.
Premise was cool, but the MC and story aren't worthwhile because the author doesn't follow the natural laws of his world and doesn't understand that a good story requires a character working, struggling, and even losing sometimes. A low level character shouldn't be easily thrashing people who are much higher in cultivation, and the rationale for it is shallow enough that it's kind of like a five year old beating his dad in wrestling - except the author claims that the five year old wins without skill or needing to overcome any real challenges.
May 24, 2024
I really really enjoyed this book! It was always fun no matter what was happening. The beginning is kinda crazy so your instantly interested in where it’s going. The writing style was fast paced so I was never bored. So that was nice
Kai wakes up reincarnated in a different body that’s beat very badly. He remembers his previous life and starts to have memories of the boy of the body he woke up in, as well as the faces of the people who killed the boy. So they pretty much had me at that part (right away) . He then seems to be special when it comes to martial arts and the advantages of the world he’s now existing in. It’s a story of discipline, perseverance and revenge. Two thumbs up!
I love how they set up the next book at the end. Makes me wanna start it right now, but don’t want to get burnt out cause there’s 16 of these in the series or something like that. 😳 I’ll read them over time when I start to miss this world and wanna know the next part of Kai’s adventure.
Hopefully eventually the author will explain why the MC is special when it comes to martial arts because it’s super rare almost unheard of in this world. I’m sure they will. I also want them to explain how the hell he got to this world in the first place but I’m not sure if that one will happen. I think that might just be a LitRPG thing that you just kinda roll with. Not sure. Oh well! I’m enjoying this genre and experiencing more of it. Fun little adventure. Check it peeps…if you feel like it✌️
Kai wakes up reincarnated in a different body that’s beat very badly. He remembers his previous life and starts to have memories of the boy of the body he woke up in, as well as the faces of the people who killed the boy. So they pretty much had me at that part (right away) . He then seems to be special when it comes to martial arts and the advantages of the world he’s now existing in. It’s a story of discipline, perseverance and revenge. Two thumbs up!
I love how they set up the next book at the end. Makes me wanna start it right now, but don’t want to get burnt out cause there’s 16 of these in the series or something like that. 😳 I’ll read them over time when I start to miss this world and wanna know the next part of Kai’s adventure.
Hopefully eventually the author will explain why the MC is special when it comes to martial arts because it’s super rare almost unheard of in this world. I’m sure they will. I also want them to explain how the hell he got to this world in the first place but I’m not sure if that one will happen. I think that might just be a LitRPG thing that you just kinda roll with. Not sure. Oh well! I’m enjoying this genre and experiencing more of it. Fun little adventure. Check it peeps…if you feel like it✌️
August 13, 2020
A standard Xianxia book: a person is reborn in a cultivation world, gains power, looks for revenge.
But it is written in a western style, which means it lacks the padding and waste that are common in such stories. It is more direct and easier to read.
Translation is good and there are almost no typos or misused words.
But it is written in a western style, which means it lacks the padding and waste that are common in such stories. It is more direct and easier to read.
Translation is good and there are almost no typos or misused words.
June 11, 2020
Really enjoyed this
I couldn't stop reading this one. There are a few editorial issues and there were a couple of times the story seemed to jump, which took a minute to figure out what happened, but all in all, an excellent read. Very much looking forward to devouring this series.
I couldn't stop reading this one. There are a few editorial issues and there were a couple of times the story seemed to jump, which took a minute to figure out what happened, but all in all, an excellent read. Very much looking forward to devouring this series.
September 4, 2020
IMAGINATIVE AND INVIGORATING
Only 100 books into this genre ... And I find a book that combines pieces of nearly everyone I have read.
Fate? The universal call to brothers lost? Or just really great luck?
Fantastic Characterization.
Well built characters.
Multiple story lines all feeding to a split theme. ... Well written.
I want more of this.
Only 100 books into this genre ... And I find a book that combines pieces of nearly everyone I have read.
Fate? The universal call to brothers lost? Or just really great luck?
Fantastic Characterization.
Well built characters.
Multiple story lines all feeding to a split theme. ... Well written.
I want more of this.
May 29, 2020
Great story!
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The translation and editing are top notch, I did not see any glaring errors like I usually do when books have been translated. The story was easy to follow and understand. I'm looking forward to book 2.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The translation and editing are top notch, I did not see any glaring errors like I usually do when books have been translated. The story was easy to follow and understand. I'm looking forward to book 2.
May 20, 2020
This is a pleasant surprise
This book is way better wuxia then I expected. It still need more details to complete the whole wuxia levels and stuff but the system is still fresh and refreshing.
This book is way better wuxia then I expected. It still need more details to complete the whole wuxia levels and stuff but the system is still fresh and refreshing.
July 11, 2020
While some parts were a little forced, I enjoyed the world building and a lot of the mechanics and characters in this story. I really hope the remaining books will be translated into English as well!
June 17, 2020
A good read
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were a couple points that I found myself a little bored. But they were also points where I couldn’t put it down and read for six hours at a time. Overall just a good read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There were a couple points that I found myself a little bored. But they were also points where I couldn’t put it down and read for six hours at a time. Overall just a good read.
May 22, 2020
Good read
Good book with a good translation.
Downside to short. much like my review.
Look forward to the next three books getting translated.
Good book with a good translation.
Downside to short. much like my review.
Look forward to the next three books getting translated.
May 24, 2020
Good start
Force Cultivation was a good 1st book in a series. The main character was engaging and while he had some special abilities was not over powered.
Force Cultivation was a good 1st book in a series. The main character was engaging and while he had some special abilities was not over powered.
June 12, 2020
Third time I have read this book.
It holds up good story .
I like the world.
I like the characters.
You should read this book.
Great...
It holds up good story .
I like the world.
I like the characters.
You should read this book.
Great...
June 24, 2020
Great Wuxia book
Great book and interesting story. The storyline is great and the character built up is great. Looking forward to the next series
Great book and interesting story. The storyline is great and the character built up is great. Looking forward to the next series
March 12, 2022
A cultivation/litrpg book that ould have used better editing/proofing/translation, regardless it mostly lost a star due to an early turn of plot that depended on things being the exact opposite of what happened before.
Still I'm giving the rest of the series a chance, here's hoping the MC will develop more depth of character and for more vibrant and feeling characters overall.
Still I'm giving the rest of the series a chance, here's hoping the MC will develop more depth of character and for more vibrant and feeling characters overall.
May 24, 2021
3.5 Stars, some issues, mostly because it is a little weird at times. I think it is the East type of story telling. I think it has to do with conflict and why people fight and dislike each other. The way someone can take offense and the amount of offense does not always translate well from eastern culture and western culture. I think that is one of the main issues I have with these type of books from the east. All in all it was enjoyable if you can get past some of the weirdness. Sometimes the rules change as well and it is always expanding the world and skills of how to fight. I usually like world expanding and skills but sometimes in this series the explanation of the way things work is again strange. I will continue with the series...
June 27, 2020
Great cultivation
I really enjoyed reading this book .I’m
Excited to read the next installment in the series . Give this series a read you won’t be disappointed.
I really enjoyed reading this book .I’m
Excited to read the next installment in the series . Give this series a read you won’t be disappointed.
May 18, 2021
3.5 Stars
Force Cultivation is the first book in The Heavenly Throne series by Yuri Ajin.
Honestly don’t get many opportunities to read Wuxia novels. More so, I encounter similar tales within manga than actual books. I liked the story enough, but the plot was rather shaky, and maybe it was a translation because in some places the dialogue was rushed or of a lesser degree.
But Kai/Ushar is such an interesting character. And I was glad to find some isekai similarities within literature. Felt like melding two my favorite past times: reading and watching anime.
There was definitely a pace issue with how the story developed. Flashing forward, without clear outlines between timespans, in a rather jarring way. Especially between the attack on the Yoni servant, and the tournament.
Most of the major disconnects or confusions within the story came after Kai encountered Rune’Tan. With how the story simply skips over Rimus and family escaping, the weirdness of Osharr and his reincarnating army, and the after when it transitions from the mine/cave to returning to Caltea.
I do wonder what became Isvim and if we’ll encounter him again in the future. If not, his amount of representation within Ushan’s experiences through the tournaments events would seem to be a waste.
I also think the story could have done with a little humor, imo.
Force Cultivation is the first book in The Heavenly Throne series by Yuri Ajin.
Honestly don’t get many opportunities to read Wuxia novels. More so, I encounter similar tales within manga than actual books. I liked the story enough, but the plot was rather shaky, and maybe it was a translation because in some places the dialogue was rushed or of a lesser degree.
But Kai/Ushar is such an interesting character. And I was glad to find some isekai similarities within literature. Felt like melding two my favorite past times: reading and watching anime.
There was definitely a pace issue with how the story developed. Flashing forward, without clear outlines between timespans, in a rather jarring way. Especially between the attack on the Yoni servant, and the tournament.
Most of the major disconnects or confusions within the story came after Kai encountered Rune’Tan. With how the story simply skips over Rimus and family escaping, the weirdness of Osharr and his reincarnating army, and the after when it transitions from the mine/cave to returning to Caltea.
I do wonder what became Isvim and if we’ll encounter him again in the future. If not, his amount of representation within Ushan’s experiences through the tournaments events would seem to be a waste.
I also think the story could have done with a little humor, imo.
January 26, 2022
What a complete waste of time there is 0 interesting things happening. There is no real world building no real action. The writing is some of the most boring I've listened too.
May 30, 2021
Interesting but not great
The story is a little convoluted but at the same time simplistic. Why is it convoluted, well because it takes a lot of turns and a reader can get confused. The protagonist gets beat up and exiled, though he quickly returns to take revenge. That’s why it’s simplistic. Boy is good at fighting. Kills a bad guy, bad guy has friends. Those friends want revenge. They get revenge not before ‘uncle Ben’ dies saving idiot boy. Then boy finds hidden power gets strong and then seeks revenge. End of book one.
Character development is slow and the ties between characters are lacking. I still finished because the story was still moderately interesting.
Update - the series gets worse from here 3 stars was generous because retrospectively I would give it 1-2.
The story is a little convoluted but at the same time simplistic. Why is it convoluted, well because it takes a lot of turns and a reader can get confused. The protagonist gets beat up and exiled, though he quickly returns to take revenge. That’s why it’s simplistic. Boy is good at fighting. Kills a bad guy, bad guy has friends. Those friends want revenge. They get revenge not before ‘uncle Ben’ dies saving idiot boy. Then boy finds hidden power gets strong and then seeks revenge. End of book one.
Character development is slow and the ties between characters are lacking. I still finished because the story was still moderately interesting.
Update - the series gets worse from here 3 stars was generous because retrospectively I would give it 1-2.
July 16, 2022
This review is for book 1 through book 9. This is a litrpg/cultivation series written by a Russian author and translated. The translation is excellent and you can't even tell the author is Russian.
The series is very similar to Dragon Heart, another litrpg/cultivation series written by a Russian author. However, the plot and characters are different enough that zero copying is done. It is just a similar concept.
It is also of the same quality as Dragon Heart.
I will be picking up this series and rereading it when new books come out.
The series is very similar to Dragon Heart, another litrpg/cultivation series written by a Russian author. However, the plot and characters are different enough that zero copying is done. It is just a similar concept.
It is also of the same quality as Dragon Heart.
I will be picking up this series and rereading it when new books come out.
July 17, 2020
Very good
I thought this book was really well translated and didn’t even realise I’d had been translated until the final comment by the translators. It had a good story line and I’m exciting rad the next instalment
I thought this book was really well translated and didn’t even realise I’d had been translated until the final comment by the translators. It had a good story line and I’m exciting rad the next instalment
September 8, 2020
its a good story, but very short, its very similar to chines web novels... i enjoyed it.. but again it was very short... i finished the book in 2h... they should have maybe just translated all the 4books and put them into one.. if they are this short...
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