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The Alchemist #4
Isr Kale's Journal
These were dark times for Tailyn Vlashich, the twelve-year-old alchemist. He’d been banished from the empire. The academy had summarily dismissed him. A deadly killer had been dispatched to hunt him. He’d been dropped all the way down to level one. But while there weren't many adults who would have been able to cope with the litany of problems Tailyn was facing, they weren’t him. And he had help—two mentors, his girl, and a friend. Not only that, but there was an ancient journal hidden somewhere in the academy dean’s office that held the secret to the location of the dragon’s blood. It was time to drop by and get their hands on it. All they had to do was clear one small hurdle: how were they going to get into the planet’s most heavily guarded building?
586 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2020
About the author
Vasily Mahanenko
104 books1,114 followersBe the first to know when Vasily Mahanenko’s next book is available! Follow him at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/v-mah... to get an alert whenever he has a new release, preorder, or discount!
Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.
Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.
The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.
Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.
Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.
Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.
The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.
Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 17, 2022
Wild worldbuilding twists going on here. The last thing we knew, the god/system had to nerf our YA hero because he was exposing way too many flaws in the world/game.
Fortunately, the god rewards the faithful and the white-hat hackers with new, potentially extra-OP quests and the founding of a whole new city. No problem, right? Well, there's still that other little exploit, and too many other people have been comfortable in their little (or massive) fiefdoms.
Muahahahahaha
This is still one of the most balanced, unbalanced LitRPGs I've read. The quality of the characters and story match the worldbuilding and the fights. :)
Fortunately, the god rewards the faithful and the white-hat hackers with new, potentially extra-OP quests and the founding of a whole new city. No problem, right? Well, there's still that other little exploit, and too many other people have been comfortable in their little (or massive) fiefdoms.
Muahahahahaha
This is still one of the most balanced, unbalanced LitRPGs I've read. The quality of the characters and story match the worldbuilding and the fights. :)
June 21, 2021
A Key to the Ancient Past; Find the Door
This series keeps getting better and better. This entire book was a nail biter from open to close.
A 12 year old boy turns the known world upside down. The world is run like a game because it's a game world, but the inhabitants don't know that only the emperor and a few other high ranking officials. He learns to break the system and rebuild it, but constantly having to fight for his life.
Amazing story & can't wait for more!
Read in 3 days
This series keeps getting better and better. This entire book was a nail biter from open to close.
A 12 year old boy turns the known world upside down. The world is run like a game because it's a game world, but the inhabitants don't know that only the emperor and a few other high ranking officials. He learns to break the system and rebuild it, but constantly having to fight for his life.
Amazing story & can't wait for more!
Read in 3 days
November 30, 2020
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
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
December 9, 2020
Great LitRPG
I’ve enjoyed every book so far, including re-reading the earlier books after every new release. I debated giving it 5 stars and I guess I would say it is 4.5 for me. Of course, nothing is perfect. The young MC is smarter and more capable than most any adult.
The MC is not quite OP. The author does a good job to balance this against the story by finding reasonable ways to reset things when he gets too overpowered.
Lots of action, no harem, or any sex really. Unlike a lot of stories where a world suddenly becomes game-like, this is set thousands of years after the world is forced to act like a game.
(My Star Rating System: 1=Avoid, 2=Flawed, 3=Good, 4=Great, 5=Amazing)
I’ve enjoyed every book so far, including re-reading the earlier books after every new release. I debated giving it 5 stars and I guess I would say it is 4.5 for me. Of course, nothing is perfect. The young MC is smarter and more capable than most any adult.
The MC is not quite OP. The author does a good job to balance this against the story by finding reasonable ways to reset things when he gets too overpowered.
Lots of action, no harem, or any sex really. Unlike a lot of stories where a world suddenly becomes game-like, this is set thousands of years after the world is forced to act like a game.
(My Star Rating System: 1=Avoid, 2=Flawed, 3=Good, 4=Great, 5=Amazing)
January 7, 2021
I received a review copy of this book.
I also can't find the review I could swear I wrote back in November.
It's been long enough now that I remember liking the story, and thinking the next book would be extremely
interesting if there is one, but I can't recall the details of what I thought I wrote in the review
Sorry folks, just know this one did the storyline proud, and if you're a fan, go get it, if you're not a fan,
then you probably won't get much out of this one, since you'll not grasp most of the goings on in this
installment having missed the previous books in the series.
I also can't find the review I could swear I wrote back in November.
It's been long enough now that I remember liking the story, and thinking the next book would be extremely
interesting if there is one, but I can't recall the details of what I thought I wrote in the review
Sorry folks, just know this one did the storyline proud, and if you're a fan, go get it, if you're not a fan,
then you probably won't get much out of this one, since you'll not grasp most of the goings on in this
installment having missed the previous books in the series.
June 14, 2022
Everything is bonkers
Oh no, where can we find 129378621038 coins to pay for that building we need?
*MC yawns*
You are the first player to yawn this morning, the system gives you a big reword, you get 9494847923489732497023740873 coins, bazillion points, all the levels, Note: every damn person in the world knows you got the reword and is mad because they are jealous
At some point I stopped to keep track on the numbers… the MC gets all he needs and more a second later, so who cares?
As I said before, at this point I have the next book and going with the motion because it's an ok book. But not really recommending it.
3/5
Oh no, where can we find 129378621038 coins to pay for that building we need?
*MC yawns*
You are the first player to yawn this morning, the system gives you a big reword, you get 9494847923489732497023740873 coins, bazillion points, all the levels, Note: every damn person in the world knows you got the reword and is mad because they are jealous
At some point I stopped to keep track on the numbers… the MC gets all he needs and more a second later, so who cares?
As I said before, at this point I have the next book and going with the motion because it's an ok book. But not really recommending it.
3/5
February 3, 2021
Solid but kind of arbitrary
I’m really enjoying this series. I would give this book five stars but the author tends to arbitrarily rewrite the game rules 2-3 times per book. It’s quite annoying. Also there’s an ongoing plot device where the game automatically informs the MCs enemies of his actions in real time. This makes no sense. It’s a very clumsy way to move the plot forward.
I’m really enjoying this series. I would give this book five stars but the author tends to arbitrarily rewrite the game rules 2-3 times per book. It’s quite annoying. Also there’s an ongoing plot device where the game automatically informs the MCs enemies of his actions in real time. This makes no sense. It’s a very clumsy way to move the plot forward.
November 17, 2020
I’m not sure how to rate this
The author spends a lot of time redistributing character points of the protagonist. The nerfing that happens is frustrating to read as much as a real game it would be.
I root for the main character and I really want to understand what’s going on but it’s getting tough.
The author spends a lot of time redistributing character points of the protagonist. The nerfing that happens is frustrating to read as much as a real game it would be.
I root for the main character and I really want to understand what’s going on but it’s getting tough.
February 7, 2023
Book 4 of the Alchemist series. Yet some more unbelievable escapes and ways that Tailyn escapes when put into all kinds of terrible spaces. This is a super fun read. I recommend to anyone that likes the RPGLit genera to read books by Vasily Mahanenko as he does a great job creating believable worlds. Highly recommended read.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.Josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.Josephmcknight.com
November 11, 2020
Excellent read
Fine addition to the series. Plenty of action. Just enough discussion of leveling and the author deals with the mc being overpowered in the typical fashion only adding to the stories interest. Will definitely be reading the next in series.
Fine addition to the series. Plenty of action. Just enough discussion of leveling and the author deals with the mc being overpowered in the typical fashion only adding to the stories interest. Will definitely be reading the next in series.
November 11, 2020
Everything turned up to 10
A moderate pace in the beginning to lull the reader into thinking we will have a steady growth of the character and his budding faction, only to have everything race ahead with epic escalations in the narrative. Fantastic story.
A moderate pace in the beginning to lull the reader into thinking we will have a steady growth of the character and his budding faction, only to have everything race ahead with epic escalations in the narrative. Fantastic story.
November 17, 2020
Book four
I had to redownload this book in order to rate it because I keep getting an error message when I tried the day before.
This is a fun series that I have enjoyed following. I think that you will enjoy it as well.
8/10
I had to redownload this book in order to rate it because I keep getting an error message when I tried the day before.
This is a fun series that I have enjoyed following. I think that you will enjoy it as well.
8/10
August 16, 2021
I really enjoyed all 5 books in this series, I love the continuation of the original series "World of the Changed" It was very interesting to see what the world would become many years after the Game left a planet. Loved it. Thanks.
November 12, 2020
Quick read
Read this in a day. Not sure if it was because it was such a good book or it was short. Nonetheless would recommend highly.
Can’t believe the MC is only 12.
Read this in a day. Not sure if it was because it was such a good book or it was short. Nonetheless would recommend highly.
Can’t believe the MC is only 12.
November 17, 2020
Great read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it highly to anyone that like litRPG type of books
I enjoyed reading this book very much and would recommend it highly to anyone that like litRPG type of books
December 9, 2020
Good
A good entry into the book series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book released.
A good entry into the book series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book released.
January 12, 2021
I've enjoyed this series, and look forward to the next book!
January 27, 2021
Vasily just keeps them coming
The way of the shaman was my 1st intro to lit rpg. I have been a huge Vasily fan since then. All his books are worth the read.
The way of the shaman was my 1st intro to lit rpg. I have been a huge Vasily fan since then. All his books are worth the read.
February 2, 2021
Meh
The author’s books seem to lack consistency and more. Don’t think I’ll be reading anymore. If food, it would be gas station food that left you nauseous.
The author’s books seem to lack consistency and more. Don’t think I’ll be reading anymore. If food, it would be gas station food that left you nauseous.
April 9, 2021
Good
Lots of surprising twists snd turns that make for a great story that is just enthralling and addictive!
Great series!
Lots of surprising twists snd turns that make for a great story that is just enthralling and addictive!
Great series!
April 23, 2021
Bad translation
Names are often misspelled. Relationships are confused (grandson/nephew). The story itself was just disappointing. Maybe I am just tired of the genre though.
Names are often misspelled. Relationships are confused (grandson/nephew). The story itself was just disappointing. Maybe I am just tired of the genre though.
July 15, 2021
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first few. The author also seems to have gotten a little stats happy in this one.
I don't know if I will continue the series.
2/5 Stars
I don't know if I will continue the series.
2/5 Stars
August 10, 2023
Isr Kale’s Journal
This book is not as entertaining as the first 3 books. The action is good, but I just was not as involved as with the first 3 books.
This book is not as entertaining as the first 3 books. The action is good, but I just was not as involved as with the first 3 books.
December 2, 2020
I received a review copy of this book.
This book is a bit different from the others in the series, in that the main character certainly still causes lots of trouble, and forces the system to adapt to his quirky behavior, but in this one, the main character forces such a huge change in the system, that it affects hundreds if not thousands of other users and items. This bodes well for future volumes, since the chaotic effect of the new changes will no doubt wreak havoc on the mindset of most (if not all) of those users. We also learn something rather interesting, (though not until the end of the book), that just might shift the whole perspective of the narrative from here on. Needless to say, if you're a fan of this series, you most certainly do not want to miss this installment of the story, there's nothing better than seeing almost an entire world being turned upside down from a character doing their best to survive, and incidentally causing major changes in the environment. Great fun to speculate on where it all leads next.
This book is a bit different from the others in the series, in that the main character certainly still causes lots of trouble, and forces the system to adapt to his quirky behavior, but in this one, the main character forces such a huge change in the system, that it affects hundreds if not thousands of other users and items. This bodes well for future volumes, since the chaotic effect of the new changes will no doubt wreak havoc on the mindset of most (if not all) of those users. We also learn something rather interesting, (though not until the end of the book), that just might shift the whole perspective of the narrative from here on. Needless to say, if you're a fan of this series, you most certainly do not want to miss this installment of the story, there's nothing better than seeing almost an entire world being turned upside down from a character doing their best to survive, and incidentally causing major changes in the environment. Great fun to speculate on where it all leads next.
November 9, 2022
Bál som sa, že s príchodom akadémie sa z toho stane Harry Potter...a ono sa to takmer stalo. Našťastie sa v pravú chvíľu dej presunul inam. Ale platí recenzia tretieho dielu, že má autor naporúdzi vždy rýchle a trefné riešenie každého problému, ktorí je, bohužiaľ, až príliš rýchle a príliš supermanovské. Škoda, uniká tomu potom to, čo robí knihu knihou - príbeh. Päťku dočítam, chcem vedieť, ako s nimi vy...vymydlí, ale dúfam, že šestka už nasilu nebude.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews