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Beastborne Chronicles #2
Exiled Lands
A journey through exiled lands to build and fight for a Sanctum’s survival. And a Beastborne that must transcend the boundaries of his monstrous abilities and rise above his primal nature, or else lose it all.
To claim his powers as Founder and secure their freedom, Hal and his cohort fight to build a Sanctum where no other living kingdom dares to tread.
The search for a Manaseed to serve as the Sanctum’s heart will take Hal and his caravan to distant, strange lands, and force them to weather vicious beasts and Manastorms alike.
To survive the trials ahead, Hal crafts weapons enchanted with rare loot and sates his appetite for monster essences. All while struggling to balance the price of his corrupting, otherworldly powers and securing a foothold in an unforgiving land.
Settlement building won’t be easy with only days to prepare for a siege they aren’t remotely ready for. Hal must challenge his limits as a Beastborne and juggle the needs of his burgeoning settlement.
From constructing fortifications to maintaining morale and generating food, there isn’t a moment’s rest for Hal if he’s to be the first Founder to successfully stake a claim in the Shiverglades.
Can Hal find strength in an unlikely ally of the distant stars while managing the defenses of his settlement, or will the tidal wave of bloodthirsty monsters destroy them all?
Continue your epic LitRPG today and dive into another 1,000 pages of Beastborne!
To claim his powers as Founder and secure their freedom, Hal and his cohort fight to build a Sanctum where no other living kingdom dares to tread.
The search for a Manaseed to serve as the Sanctum’s heart will take Hal and his caravan to distant, strange lands, and force them to weather vicious beasts and Manastorms alike.
To survive the trials ahead, Hal crafts weapons enchanted with rare loot and sates his appetite for monster essences. All while struggling to balance the price of his corrupting, otherworldly powers and securing a foothold in an unforgiving land.
Settlement building won’t be easy with only days to prepare for a siege they aren’t remotely ready for. Hal must challenge his limits as a Beastborne and juggle the needs of his burgeoning settlement.
From constructing fortifications to maintaining morale and generating food, there isn’t a moment’s rest for Hal if he’s to be the first Founder to successfully stake a claim in the Shiverglades.
Can Hal find strength in an unlikely ally of the distant stars while managing the defenses of his settlement, or will the tidal wave of bloodthirsty monsters destroy them all?
Continue your epic LitRPG today and dive into another 1,000 pages of Beastborne!
1270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2020
942 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
James T. Callum
21 books223 followersMy name is James T. Callum and I’m not going to talk to you in the third person or make it seem like I’ve got some publisher or editor who has a bio on me.
I'm always available to talk, connect with readers, fellow authors, and lovable book nerds:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JamesTCallum
Website: https://www.jamestcallum.com
Twitter: @JamesTCallum
This is just me, talking to you, the reader. I’m no different than you, I love reading and gaming just the same as everybody else.
In fact, I’ve loved reading for as long as I could remember. From the very first fantasy book I read, The Wizard of Earthsea, I was hooked.
For just as long I’ve also been an avid gamer and DND player (as well as other tabletop RPGs). Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Illusion of Gaia, and on through the years as stories and graphics became better and better.
You’ll be able to find hints of inspiration from all sorts of RPGs and video games in my works. From the Final Fantasy series to Warcraft, Age of Empires to Anno, and games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Because who doesn’t love a little cosmic horror thrown in for fun?
These games (and countless others) have inspired me ever since I was a kid, and they continue to serve as my muse now that I’m much older.
Writing has always been my greatest aspiration and with your help, I hope to make it a full-time job. At the time of this writing, I still work a day job like most people. It is only thanks to Patreon that I was able to dedicate some of my spare time to writing.
So, if you’d like to provide direct support and help me achieve my goal of writing full-time (so I can write even more stories for you awesome people!) you can hop on over to my Patreon page where you’ll find tons of content.
Patrons get access to advanced chapters of upcoming books, special discord roles and discussion channels, early releases of books before anyone else, maps, cover reveals, voting, and a lot more.
And if you spot a typo or error, shoot me an email at: typos@jamestcallum.com, and I will get it fixed and re-uploaded ASAP. I aim to provide the best possible reading experience and as soon as I find an error I fix it. Once it’s fixed and updated, your reading device should update automatically with the improved version.
I'm always available to talk, connect with readers, fellow authors, and lovable book nerds:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/JamesTCallum
Website: https://www.jamestcallum.com
Twitter: @JamesTCallum
This is just me, talking to you, the reader. I’m no different than you, I love reading and gaming just the same as everybody else.
In fact, I’ve loved reading for as long as I could remember. From the very first fantasy book I read, The Wizard of Earthsea, I was hooked.
For just as long I’ve also been an avid gamer and DND player (as well as other tabletop RPGs). Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Illusion of Gaia, and on through the years as stories and graphics became better and better.
You’ll be able to find hints of inspiration from all sorts of RPGs and video games in my works. From the Final Fantasy series to Warcraft, Age of Empires to Anno, and games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Because who doesn’t love a little cosmic horror thrown in for fun?
These games (and countless others) have inspired me ever since I was a kid, and they continue to serve as my muse now that I’m much older.
Writing has always been my greatest aspiration and with your help, I hope to make it a full-time job. At the time of this writing, I still work a day job like most people. It is only thanks to Patreon that I was able to dedicate some of my spare time to writing.
So, if you’d like to provide direct support and help me achieve my goal of writing full-time (so I can write even more stories for you awesome people!) you can hop on over to my Patreon page where you’ll find tons of content.
Patrons get access to advanced chapters of upcoming books, special discord roles and discussion channels, early releases of books before anyone else, maps, cover reveals, voting, and a lot more.
And if you spot a typo or error, shoot me an email at: typos@jamestcallum.com, and I will get it fixed and re-uploaded ASAP. I aim to provide the best possible reading experience and as soon as I find an error I fix it. Once it’s fixed and updated, your reading device should update automatically with the improved version.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
May 5, 2022
While I disliked the book I still want more of this story. So at some level it was okay?
The book suffers greatly from inconsistencies in power level. The protagonist has a built in enrage mode which increases his powerlevel tremendously at the supposed drawback of him losing control. This is in actuality a non-issue he either faints or gets swatted with a newspaper like a "bad doggie" and he's back to his cuddly angsty self. While I normally overlook the standard "isekai" trope of deadbeat without the willpower to put on trousers turns out to have the best willpower in the universe as soon as they get a change in scenery. This tends to be a staple when it comes to "isekai"s but with the rest of the books flaws it feels like an extra prickly thorn in my proverbial side.
Plus don't even get me started on the shoehorned love subplot with the kidnapping victim of the protagonist. The poor ancient reaper entity suffers from a major case of Stockholm syndrome.
Upon actually putting my thoughts to text I've realised that I actually don't want more of this world and originally I planned on giving this book 2 stars, now 1 star feels more appropriate.
The book suffers greatly from inconsistencies in power level. The protagonist has a built in enrage mode which increases his powerlevel tremendously at the supposed drawback of him losing control. This is in actuality a non-issue he either faints or gets swatted with a newspaper like a "bad doggie" and he's back to his cuddly angsty self. While I normally overlook the standard "isekai" trope of deadbeat without the willpower to put on trousers turns out to have the best willpower in the universe as soon as they get a change in scenery. This tends to be a staple when it comes to "isekai"s but with the rest of the books flaws it feels like an extra prickly thorn in my proverbial side.
Plus don't even get me started on the shoehorned love subplot with the kidnapping victim of the protagonist. The poor ancient reaper entity suffers from a major case of Stockholm syndrome.
Upon actually putting my thoughts to text I've realised that I actually don't want more of this world and originally I planned on giving this book 2 stars, now 1 star feels more appropriate.
March 15, 2021
A little stat heavy and dry in the middle but still a really good book. I'm just sad that it's part of a bigger series and the next one isn't written yet.
December 3, 2020
It's pretty good.
I enjoyed this book and I liked the world building but I really thought that the author was using way to many words describing something that he would describe in full detail again in the next chapter.
I enjoyed this book and I liked the world building but I really thought that the author was using way to many words describing something that he would describe in full detail again in the next chapter.
September 10, 2023
Beastborne: Exiled Lands (Volume 2 of Beastborne series).
This second volume has about 15-20% more pages than the first volume and it has 176 chapters, which is about 6 pages a chapter and this usually means little to medium character/world development and continuity per chapter. More pages means also that at the end of this book, the author included 50+ pages of other Pyresouls novel series.
No map included with 2nd. book
This second volume does not have a map of this Aldren Fantasy-Isekai imagined world. Usually in Fantasy novel series a map is required because authors like to move the characters from place to place, and the more geographical movement, the more this movement confuses the readers. With a map, the understanding improves, because a map is visual and kinesthetic (hands-on), so it makes what the author is writing easier to assimilate. Without the map, the author doesn’t make much sense and lacks unity in what he or she writes and the movements their characters make. Of course, this is when there is a lot of geographical movement of the characters (wars, diplomacy, travel, or back and forth communications).
With the printing costs taken out of today’s ebooks and audiobooks, at least on the ebooks, the inclusion of illustrations, photos, diagrams, maps, do not add to the cost of the books and make these books so much better (multimedia). Of course, the author has additional costs of producing the multimedia content, but a multimedia book, with audios, videos, diagrams, charts, maps, photos, and links is a complete package, compared to the “old just-textbooks” of two millenia (book binding was invented by Gaius Julius Caesar (an avid reader and Emperor at the end of the Roman Republic). Even books from Julius Caesar’s age had illustrations, data, graphs, and maps. Most fantasy-isekai-fictional books just bother with having their covers done. This is just lazy and sloppy.
Author originally called his made up isekai-fantasy world Aldren, but at the prologue of this second volume changes the name to Aldim. Or maybe he changes the world’s name later to Aldren, the thing is the world has several names…
Actions speak louder than words…
On the second volume of Beastborne, the author over-explains way too much. It is always better to use action rather than words…like when Ashera loses her ability to heal, or any other circumstance where the author stubbornly repeats things, the reader already knows. It’s great that the over 200+ koblins do not know that Ashera can’t heal, otherwise the author would probably name them all, so as to repeat ad infinitum, this over and over again…
Story has little or no focus…
It’s all over the place, as if the author suffers from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or something similar. So second volume, past, the 30% is just battling monster hordes, questing for recipes for the familiars, creating weapons from combining bone parts, deciding to use a mana core helping out Karak travelers they find on the road, a road that is really not going anywhere. It took them maybe two to three days to travel from the Goblin Cave to Murkmire, which is about 50% of the entire diameter of the Aldim/Aldren continent/island/territory. But the story has gone on for weeks and they are still nowhere.
Hal used a mana seed he struggled to capture and then used it to create a mobile guild? Aren’t guilds supposed to be buildings in towns? What are they gypsies? So they created a moving guild, because they have yet to settle down in a territory? Who does that? Why are they taking so long to get where they are going? Didn’t they leave all of the slow moving Koblins at Murkmire, just so that they would reach their own territory faster and then create a Sanctuary to be able to have everybody live there, safely??
So where is the priority for this fantasy-isekai novel series? Where is the author going with everything? Wasn’t it important to have a mana seed to be able to create the foundation for the new Sanctuary? Where are they going to come up with a new mana seed?? Isn’t creating the Sanctuary territory more important than making a “Bravers”Guild? Until Chapter 68, they reached a valley where they could use the “mana seed” that supposedly they had already used to create the Guild?? Hal and his retinue should have created a Perimeter Wall, and basic infrastructure, before they planted the seed, so as to have more time to prepare the defenses of this “possible future Sanctuary.”
One would “rediscover” Bonecrafting, not discover it, if it was lost in this world for some time. Hal has never ever, not even once, received sword classes, sword abilities or skills. Author is actually making the main character, a person that has absolutely no martial arts training. Has weapons but uses them like a broom beating a piñata. His “goldfinger” /system of learning everything is overpowered (OP), but still, Hal never trained, never practices, is the weakest Founder of all the 14 weak founders (that use the same cheat-skills to conquer a world, that has no practice, no training, no real cultivation.
Hal, as the Founder of his settlement, decides to go out and instead of defending his settlement, at the dates they were to be attacked, decides to finish personal quests to see if he can get more abilities. If they would have just waited with the “planting” of the “mana seed”, and actually constructed defenses, there would not have been such a desperate survival, if they took weeks to get to the valley, then why the hurry to plant the seed and have the settlement destroyed without any defenses?
Things like these and many more make up the second volume of this isekai-fantasy novel series. Without a map, without clear plot arcs and movement towards them, this story in its second volume is quite lacking…
This second volume has about 15-20% more pages than the first volume and it has 176 chapters, which is about 6 pages a chapter and this usually means little to medium character/world development and continuity per chapter. More pages means also that at the end of this book, the author included 50+ pages of other Pyresouls novel series.
No map included with 2nd. book
This second volume does not have a map of this Aldren Fantasy-Isekai imagined world. Usually in Fantasy novel series a map is required because authors like to move the characters from place to place, and the more geographical movement, the more this movement confuses the readers. With a map, the understanding improves, because a map is visual and kinesthetic (hands-on), so it makes what the author is writing easier to assimilate. Without the map, the author doesn’t make much sense and lacks unity in what he or she writes and the movements their characters make. Of course, this is when there is a lot of geographical movement of the characters (wars, diplomacy, travel, or back and forth communications).
With the printing costs taken out of today’s ebooks and audiobooks, at least on the ebooks, the inclusion of illustrations, photos, diagrams, maps, do not add to the cost of the books and make these books so much better (multimedia). Of course, the author has additional costs of producing the multimedia content, but a multimedia book, with audios, videos, diagrams, charts, maps, photos, and links is a complete package, compared to the “old just-textbooks” of two millenia (book binding was invented by Gaius Julius Caesar (an avid reader and Emperor at the end of the Roman Republic). Even books from Julius Caesar’s age had illustrations, data, graphs, and maps. Most fantasy-isekai-fictional books just bother with having their covers done. This is just lazy and sloppy.
Author originally called his made up isekai-fantasy world Aldren, but at the prologue of this second volume changes the name to Aldim. Or maybe he changes the world’s name later to Aldren, the thing is the world has several names…
Actions speak louder than words…
On the second volume of Beastborne, the author over-explains way too much. It is always better to use action rather than words…like when Ashera loses her ability to heal, or any other circumstance where the author stubbornly repeats things, the reader already knows. It’s great that the over 200+ koblins do not know that Ashera can’t heal, otherwise the author would probably name them all, so as to repeat ad infinitum, this over and over again…
Story has little or no focus…
It’s all over the place, as if the author suffers from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or something similar. So second volume, past, the 30% is just battling monster hordes, questing for recipes for the familiars, creating weapons from combining bone parts, deciding to use a mana core helping out Karak travelers they find on the road, a road that is really not going anywhere. It took them maybe two to three days to travel from the Goblin Cave to Murkmire, which is about 50% of the entire diameter of the Aldim/Aldren continent/island/territory. But the story has gone on for weeks and they are still nowhere.
Hal used a mana seed he struggled to capture and then used it to create a mobile guild? Aren’t guilds supposed to be buildings in towns? What are they gypsies? So they created a moving guild, because they have yet to settle down in a territory? Who does that? Why are they taking so long to get where they are going? Didn’t they leave all of the slow moving Koblins at Murkmire, just so that they would reach their own territory faster and then create a Sanctuary to be able to have everybody live there, safely??
So where is the priority for this fantasy-isekai novel series? Where is the author going with everything? Wasn’t it important to have a mana seed to be able to create the foundation for the new Sanctuary? Where are they going to come up with a new mana seed?? Isn’t creating the Sanctuary territory more important than making a “Bravers”Guild? Until Chapter 68, they reached a valley where they could use the “mana seed” that supposedly they had already used to create the Guild?? Hal and his retinue should have created a Perimeter Wall, and basic infrastructure, before they planted the seed, so as to have more time to prepare the defenses of this “possible future Sanctuary.”
One would “rediscover” Bonecrafting, not discover it, if it was lost in this world for some time. Hal has never ever, not even once, received sword classes, sword abilities or skills. Author is actually making the main character, a person that has absolutely no martial arts training. Has weapons but uses them like a broom beating a piñata. His “goldfinger” /system of learning everything is overpowered (OP), but still, Hal never trained, never practices, is the weakest Founder of all the 14 weak founders (that use the same cheat-skills to conquer a world, that has no practice, no training, no real cultivation.
Hal, as the Founder of his settlement, decides to go out and instead of defending his settlement, at the dates they were to be attacked, decides to finish personal quests to see if he can get more abilities. If they would have just waited with the “planting” of the “mana seed”, and actually constructed defenses, there would not have been such a desperate survival, if they took weeks to get to the valley, then why the hurry to plant the seed and have the settlement destroyed without any defenses?
Things like these and many more make up the second volume of this isekai-fantasy novel series. Without a map, without clear plot arcs and movement towards them, this story in its second volume is quite lacking…
December 3, 2020
Fantastic sequel!
Great sequel! As good or better than the first! Lots of action and all sorts of great content and worldbuilding. Give it a read!
Great sequel! As good or better than the first! Lots of action and all sorts of great content and worldbuilding. Give it a read!
April 18, 2021
This have everything
This is a great book! It kept me hooked for the entire time. And the length makes it all the better. Other authors would have split this into 3 books.
This is a great book! It kept me hooked for the entire time. And the length makes it all the better. Other authors would have split this into 3 books.
December 29, 2020
Another great read!
Enjoyed this as much as the first, if not more. Really good writing and you don't even have to be a gamer to enjoy it. The increasing stats are interesting, but unless you play these games, entirely unnecessary. Looking forward to the next one!
Enjoyed this as much as the first, if not more. Really good writing and you don't even have to be a gamer to enjoy it. The increasing stats are interesting, but unless you play these games, entirely unnecessary. Looking forward to the next one!
December 5, 2020
KABOOM
Holy crap. Just Holy Crap... I haven’t been hooked on a series like this since I was back in 5th grade, reading the entire Percy Jackson series over and over again because I loved it so much! This gives off some of the same vibes as the beginning after the end series, though the main character isn’t a child. The action scenes are so vivid, and the feelings described in the book so surreal that when the chapter POV changes, your caught almost unaware, like you just woke up from sleeping to that weird feeling you get when you have zero obligations to fulfill. Not gonna lie, I may have skipped several chapters just to get back to the addictive goodness that is everything happening with Hal. The magic systems are amazing, though for some of the younger teen readers, this book, and the first one, will probably confuse you. A lot. But it’s totally worth reading several times, not to mention the shear length that is just perfection. The author has done such an amazing thing with how the endings work, that you don’t get the feeling of an ending, which can be prescribed to the web novel aspect of it, which as a reader of many of them, I can almost fully appreciate. I cannot explain my gratitude that there is very little fan service or romanticizing in this book, that it can hook you using cool aspects of plot and action instead of certain other things. But all said, you should totally read this. I mean the book... why are you still reading this, leave! Go Git!
Holy crap. Just Holy Crap... I haven’t been hooked on a series like this since I was back in 5th grade, reading the entire Percy Jackson series over and over again because I loved it so much! This gives off some of the same vibes as the beginning after the end series, though the main character isn’t a child. The action scenes are so vivid, and the feelings described in the book so surreal that when the chapter POV changes, your caught almost unaware, like you just woke up from sleeping to that weird feeling you get when you have zero obligations to fulfill. Not gonna lie, I may have skipped several chapters just to get back to the addictive goodness that is everything happening with Hal. The magic systems are amazing, though for some of the younger teen readers, this book, and the first one, will probably confuse you. A lot. But it’s totally worth reading several times, not to mention the shear length that is just perfection. The author has done such an amazing thing with how the endings work, that you don’t get the feeling of an ending, which can be prescribed to the web novel aspect of it, which as a reader of many of them, I can almost fully appreciate. I cannot explain my gratitude that there is very little fan service or romanticizing in this book, that it can hook you using cool aspects of plot and action instead of certain other things. But all said, you should totally read this. I mean the book... why are you still reading this, leave! Go Git!
January 13, 2021
Good sequel
I found the story entertaining and overall good. It was a decent follow up from the first with only some items I found lacking. I felt there was some fill that felt like was said over and over or unnecessary to the story and caused me to skim some. Also felt that the original characters from the first story were either not hardly in it or mentioned in passing. I found this unfortunate since I came to enjoy as all of them were used in first installment and found too many new characters added (which is fine) but would have liked more of original characters in play especially one I was hoping was more of an romantic interest for MC along with wanted more of her in story but that is more my personal opinion. Overall I thought was good follow up.
I found the story entertaining and overall good. It was a decent follow up from the first with only some items I found lacking. I felt there was some fill that felt like was said over and over or unnecessary to the story and caused me to skim some. Also felt that the original characters from the first story were either not hardly in it or mentioned in passing. I found this unfortunate since I came to enjoy as all of them were used in first installment and found too many new characters added (which is fine) but would have liked more of original characters in play especially one I was hoping was more of an romantic interest for MC along with wanted more of her in story but that is more my personal opinion. Overall I thought was good follow up.
November 11, 2020
A worthwhile read
This second book in this series is worth taking the time to relax and enjoy. My only thought is that an oath should have been made when Hal made a promise at the end of this book. Looking forward to the next book and to the growth of Hal and his group.
This second book in this series is worth taking the time to relax and enjoy. My only thought is that an oath should have been made when Hal made a promise at the end of this book. Looking forward to the next book and to the growth of Hal and his group.
November 10, 2020
I enjoyed this book
This is a long book with a lot of action. It gets a little confusing with the action jumping from one part of the story to another but it was still a good read.
This is a long book with a lot of action. It gets a little confusing with the action jumping from one part of the story to another but it was still a good read.
June 1, 2025
Wow! Soooooooo friggintastic! Again Exiled Land bk2 of the Beastborne Chronicles was amazing and one of my top favorite reads of the year! I'm always impressed when the second book is as good if not even better than the first book. Of course, you know me I'm ready to dive right back into the next action-packed litRPG adventure! And yeah, I admit it's really crunchy, stat heavy, but that can be negated by either skimming or skipping it... Yeah, Hal is leveling up fast with both his and his Beastborne abilities. Plus his allies are leveling, getting stronger too! In this story Hal and friends have reached Murkmire and with a quest to find a sanctuary where the Koblins and the human refugees, all rescued in the first book can be safe, while Hal and his allies follow the dangerous quest chain, and his heart. Inorder to find a home where everyone is accepted on equal footing even some of the Monsters too! Yes, I said Monsters!!! And you better believe that Vorax, the mimic, and the Treants are really necessary for their survival!
So yeah go grab the book, better yet get the audiobook 'cause Eric Michael Summerer voice performance is stellar!
Here's some quotes:
"Storytelling was never a strong skill of his and writing was “not a viable career path,” as his parents used to tell him."
"No child looked at the great works of writers, moviemakers, game creators, and thought to themselves, “yes, I would like to be an accountant instead.”
“You having brain-fruit for His Magnificent Squariness?” Buffrix asked Lurklox, mittens on his tiny hips. “Havior - Kobbieglory to Hal"
“Yeah, we already tried that. You’re slower than my grandma. And she’s dead."
So yeah go grab the book, better yet get the audiobook 'cause Eric Michael Summerer voice performance is stellar!
Here's some quotes:
"Storytelling was never a strong skill of his and writing was “not a viable career path,” as his parents used to tell him."
"No child looked at the great works of writers, moviemakers, game creators, and thought to themselves, “yes, I would like to be an accountant instead.”
“You having brain-fruit for His Magnificent Squariness?” Buffrix asked Lurklox, mittens on his tiny hips. “Havior - Kobbieglory to Hal"
“Yeah, we already tried that. You’re slower than my grandma. And she’s dead."
November 24, 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
March 12, 2021
Great continuation of the story
Good new first.
I'm completely hooked and can't wait for more! Had been waiting for the next in the series for a while and didn't know this was out (my own fault, easily fixed). Imagine my utter geeky squeals when I saw it was about 1k pages (give or take with some of the extra content). I love this world building so far and can't wait for more again.
Bad news next
Bit of a personal gripe, pedantic critique. I think a few things could be edited a bit more, and its most likely due to the "collected from a serial" format.
Some things I felt that really didn't need it, get repeated/reiterated a bit too much over consecutive chapters, or else just a very short span of reading time, which slows the pacing a bit dramatically, especially in such a large book. Conversely, some things which could have benefited from a recap, more so at the start of the book, get a bit glossed over which made it take a while to really catch up on previous events and really get into everything without diving back into book one.
That being said, more good news.
There is a lot of just fun and mystery and... hype. I really can't think of a different way to describe it; its not the same as tension. The events in this book have a way of building you up on these rolling levels of pure hype for what is about to hapen next, and then crashing into you with amazing twists and action, while sneaking in new world lore and future plot threads and all sorts. A completely exhilarating read.
Good new first.
I'm completely hooked and can't wait for more! Had been waiting for the next in the series for a while and didn't know this was out (my own fault, easily fixed). Imagine my utter geeky squeals when I saw it was about 1k pages (give or take with some of the extra content). I love this world building so far and can't wait for more again.
Bad news next
Bit of a personal gripe, pedantic critique. I think a few things could be edited a bit more, and its most likely due to the "collected from a serial" format.
Some things I felt that really didn't need it, get repeated/reiterated a bit too much over consecutive chapters, or else just a very short span of reading time, which slows the pacing a bit dramatically, especially in such a large book. Conversely, some things which could have benefited from a recap, more so at the start of the book, get a bit glossed over which made it take a while to really catch up on previous events and really get into everything without diving back into book one.
That being said, more good news.
There is a lot of just fun and mystery and... hype. I really can't think of a different way to describe it; its not the same as tension. The events in this book have a way of building you up on these rolling levels of pure hype for what is about to hapen next, and then crashing into you with amazing twists and action, while sneaking in new world lore and future plot threads and all sorts. A completely exhilarating read.
June 4, 2024
Ok storytelling. Gets convoluted quickly.
There's a group of characters that you can consider the main characters. However the one main character Hal, is quite clueless and learning as he goes. The book should have been broken up into two if not three books. The supporting cast take turns as the main character but they aren't developed enough to care or show any interest into their game Dynamics. The over explaining every single event, the convoluted game mechanics that after a while just kill the pacing because you stop caring, the story gets convoluted and plot holes start to develop, however the biggest issue I had was taking the supporting characters and making chapters where they were the main character. This happened with some new introduced characters, and there just wasn't enough interest or background for the reader to care about these characters. The pacing was just awful because of the over explaining. This book might have felt a little fresher broken up into two if not three books with better editing. A disappointment as a second book to the series... In truth there's really no surprises or thrills because you just assume the main character is going to continue on.
A book that's kind of forgettable as I would probably never read the series twice. Just drags put with little plot movement. A good example is a mean fight sequence that lasts 4oo or 500 pages at the end of the book.
There's a group of characters that you can consider the main characters. However the one main character Hal, is quite clueless and learning as he goes. The book should have been broken up into two if not three books. The supporting cast take turns as the main character but they aren't developed enough to care or show any interest into their game Dynamics. The over explaining every single event, the convoluted game mechanics that after a while just kill the pacing because you stop caring, the story gets convoluted and plot holes start to develop, however the biggest issue I had was taking the supporting characters and making chapters where they were the main character. This happened with some new introduced characters, and there just wasn't enough interest or background for the reader to care about these characters. The pacing was just awful because of the over explaining. This book might have felt a little fresher broken up into two if not three books with better editing. A disappointment as a second book to the series... In truth there's really no surprises or thrills because you just assume the main character is going to continue on.
A book that's kind of forgettable as I would probably never read the series twice. Just drags put with little plot movement. A good example is a mean fight sequence that lasts 4oo or 500 pages at the end of the book.
November 21, 2020
It’s litRPG through and through
The book is great, it does litRPG justice and if you don’t like then genre you will find something to complain about. I enjoy the MC not being OP against everything or being needed to fix everything. Some of the descriptions for spells/abilities are a little long and sometimes it’s a no brainer what skills to pick, I never understand why anyone would chose a inferior choice so why add them like it was even an option?
It’s a web series at heart and it’s easy to see that. Having a web series book/comic/show is always going to be a long winded affair. I’ve read web comics that take a year to finish a battle scene and that’s updating 5 times a week, I’ve read web series that take two months of strategizing/conversing with a new chapter a week.
Anyone who doesn’t understand these two things is going to be disappointed. Considering it explains this to you when you start the book any bad reviews because of these “problems” is not fair. I know I don’t like Kpop so I don’t buy a song then give it a bad rating because I don’t like Kpop...
The book is great, it does litRPG justice and if you don’t like then genre you will find something to complain about. I enjoy the MC not being OP against everything or being needed to fix everything. Some of the descriptions for spells/abilities are a little long and sometimes it’s a no brainer what skills to pick, I never understand why anyone would chose a inferior choice so why add them like it was even an option?
It’s a web series at heart and it’s easy to see that. Having a web series book/comic/show is always going to be a long winded affair. I’ve read web comics that take a year to finish a battle scene and that’s updating 5 times a week, I’ve read web series that take two months of strategizing/conversing with a new chapter a week.
Anyone who doesn’t understand these two things is going to be disappointed. Considering it explains this to you when you start the book any bad reviews because of these “problems” is not fair. I know I don’t like Kpop so I don’t buy a song then give it a bad rating because I don’t like Kpop...
November 23, 2020
What an amazing pop culture reference.
I am emotional as I write this. The word love is used far too often to describe things we like. We throw it everywhere and it loses meaning. I LOVE this series. I am obsessed with this series. I am conducting the hype train for these books.
Finally a litrpg series that comes along and pours more than 200 or 300 pages of itself into the world.
I said it before with the last book and I'll probably say it again for the next book, this reads like a Sanderson or a Rothfuss novel. I feel like I'm reading the sword of truth or the wheel of time except in a litrpg format.
This book resonates within me and the vibrations make me excitable. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for more.
I am emotional as I write this. The word love is used far too often to describe things we like. We throw it everywhere and it loses meaning. I LOVE this series. I am obsessed with this series. I am conducting the hype train for these books.
Finally a litrpg series that comes along and pours more than 200 or 300 pages of itself into the world.
I said it before with the last book and I'll probably say it again for the next book, this reads like a Sanderson or a Rothfuss novel. I feel like I'm reading the sword of truth or the wheel of time except in a litrpg format.
This book resonates within me and the vibrations make me excitable. I couldn't put it down and can't wait for more.
September 2, 2021
Character development & one liners that will give you goosebumps.
I have been reading a lot of litrpg the last couple of years and while it may not be the best of the genre. For me it's pretty darn close. The first book was great but this one is incredible. The character development from both the MC and Besal but also most side character is not only interesting but truly makes me want to grow in the same direction as a person.
The author spits out quotable one liners like an old Asian man with a majestic beard on a park bench. Never got so many goosebumps from a book.
I definitely should write more reviews on all the books I read, sorry authors...
But this book just made it feel like the natural thing to do, thank you James T. Callum, you are awesome!
I have been reading a lot of litrpg the last couple of years and while it may not be the best of the genre. For me it's pretty darn close. The first book was great but this one is incredible. The character development from both the MC and Besal but also most side character is not only interesting but truly makes me want to grow in the same direction as a person.
The author spits out quotable one liners like an old Asian man with a majestic beard on a park bench. Never got so many goosebumps from a book.
I definitely should write more reviews on all the books I read, sorry authors...
But this book just made it feel like the natural thing to do, thank you James T. Callum, you are awesome!
November 11, 2020
I don't write many reviews, but I wanted to show Mr. Callum just how much I enjoyed his book. It starts out with a little blink in time from the first book, but unlike the meandering exposition of the first book it dives right into some action. Callum introduces many new mechanics throughout, explains some questions I had from the first book, and gives the reader a romance that actually seems plausible by his writing. I'm excited for the third book, and happy for Mr. Callum who recently shifted from a full-time gig to part-time so he could work on his writing. Read this series! It's only getting better.
November 21, 2020
One of the best
There are so many aspects of this book that I appreciate and enjoy that I'm not sure where to start. I have been reading LITRPG for quite a while. Many authors use stats as the core of their writing, which, in my opinion, results in a very one dimensional story. Stats play a supportive role in the Beastborne storyline, and they are presented in different forms at different times. This, along with the relationships gives the MC depth of character. The MC, and other characters, swear, with humorous results.
Well done. Well done. Well done.
Thank you, James, for sharing your stories with the rest of us.
There are so many aspects of this book that I appreciate and enjoy that I'm not sure where to start. I have been reading LITRPG for quite a while. Many authors use stats as the core of their writing, which, in my opinion, results in a very one dimensional story. Stats play a supportive role in the Beastborne storyline, and they are presented in different forms at different times. This, along with the relationships gives the MC depth of character. The MC, and other characters, swear, with humorous results.
Well done. Well done. Well done.
Thank you, James, for sharing your stories with the rest of us.
January 11, 2021
Still a great read
Overall, I did thoroughly enjoyed this book for the same reasons as the first. The reasons why I went to only 4stars was due to a few places where my interest waned, especially at the end where the sequence went on for too long. Personally, I like my fantasy a little more standard, and it seemed this book had more real world type fragments thrown in than the first. I hope the core of Beastborne gets a little more clear, it seemed to move to fast with the author wanting to get to where he needed to go with that part of the story. I will still be reading the 3rd book as soon as it comes out.
Overall, I did thoroughly enjoyed this book for the same reasons as the first. The reasons why I went to only 4stars was due to a few places where my interest waned, especially at the end where the sequence went on for too long. Personally, I like my fantasy a little more standard, and it seemed this book had more real world type fragments thrown in than the first. I hope the core of Beastborne gets a little more clear, it seemed to move to fast with the author wanting to get to where he needed to go with that part of the story. I will still be reading the 3rd book as soon as it comes out.
March 21, 2021
Soooooo Good
This series is so good! Doesnt read like a web serial reads exactly like a novel, well done on converting it to a Novel. I love this book and the cuteness mixed in with the dark. I tell my girlfriend about parts of it as I am reading these books, like about Vorax and his pet. The Koblins and their cuteness etc. Found very few errors so editing quality is quite high for the genre which is nice :). Action packed while also dealing with inner demons sometimes quite literally lol. Can't recommend this series enough especially against other books with a similar name in the genre *cough cough*
This series is so good! Doesnt read like a web serial reads exactly like a novel, well done on converting it to a Novel. I love this book and the cuteness mixed in with the dark. I tell my girlfriend about parts of it as I am reading these books, like about Vorax and his pet. The Koblins and their cuteness etc. Found very few errors so editing quality is quite high for the genre which is nice :). Action packed while also dealing with inner demons sometimes quite literally lol. Can't recommend this series enough especially against other books with a similar name in the genre *cough cough*
February 5, 2021
Phenomenal in every way
The first book had already firmly cemented the author in first place out of my top 3, but now that hardly seems to do him justice. This book was an amazing read, the series is my all time favorite, and I couldn't put it down for a second. The best thing aside from the incredible writing, is the length, unlike 90% of books in this genre, you cannot finish it in a day, or even two... I can't explain how refreshing that is. From start to finish 10/10. Thank you for your exceptional work.
The first book had already firmly cemented the author in first place out of my top 3, but now that hardly seems to do him justice. This book was an amazing read, the series is my all time favorite, and I couldn't put it down for a second. The best thing aside from the incredible writing, is the length, unlike 90% of books in this genre, you cannot finish it in a day, or even two... I can't explain how refreshing that is. From start to finish 10/10. Thank you for your exceptional work.
September 11, 2023
Over-complex but still enjoyable
A lot of complex LitRPG stats, overly complicated spell system and the mix of ideas thrown into this book makes it more difficult to read. The story itself is good, the action is great and I am enjoying the progression, but him always finding a way to do that little bit more which helps him win against an opponent he is way underpowered for is somewhat annoying for some reason,but it’s to be expected as every battle is to the death. I would probably give the story 4.5 stars if it was possible.
A lot of complex LitRPG stats, overly complicated spell system and the mix of ideas thrown into this book makes it more difficult to read. The story itself is good, the action is great and I am enjoying the progression, but him always finding a way to do that little bit more which helps him win against an opponent he is way underpowered for is somewhat annoying for some reason,but it’s to be expected as every battle is to the death. I would probably give the story 4.5 stars if it was possible.
November 16, 2020
Really solid sequel to the first book. Sometimes it gets a little too wordy, and the system is not the most robust, but its a fun read. My only problem so far is how unstable the game system is, with solutions and new mechanics coming from anywhere whenever the characters need help.
It has a little too much of everything, would love for it to be a little more streamlined and the system better constructed.
It has a little too much of everything, would love for it to be a little more streamlined and the system better constructed.
December 13, 2020
Excellent
Lit rpg can be hit or Miss, but sometimes, you find a diamond in the rough. That is not the case with this series. This is a cut gem, lovingly polished by the author. The first book, I was on the fence. A lot of the growing pains all authors go through were evident in that book. However, this book was a slam dunk for me. A representation of the authors growth and hard work. I look forward to what’s next
Lit rpg can be hit or Miss, but sometimes, you find a diamond in the rough. That is not the case with this series. This is a cut gem, lovingly polished by the author. The first book, I was on the fence. A lot of the growing pains all authors go through were evident in that book. However, this book was a slam dunk for me. A representation of the authors growth and hard work. I look forward to what’s next
January 1, 2021
On Par with Piers Anthony
James T. Callum writes as the authors of old. His stories remain engrossing. He takes a story and weaves intellectual interest, emotional impact, and tickles the reader’s desire to know more.
I could not put this digital book down! Seldom anymore do I get that from LITRPG writers.
Mr. Callum has created a book series that should be selling off the charts.
James T. Callum writes as the authors of old. His stories remain engrossing. He takes a story and weaves intellectual interest, emotional impact, and tickles the reader’s desire to know more.
I could not put this digital book down! Seldom anymore do I get that from LITRPG writers.
Mr. Callum has created a book series that should be selling off the charts.
June 23, 2021
Great series
Fantastic series I have few complaints wonderful world building and interesting story line my major complaint is and I will still be reading the third book it’s just that by staying in the 13-18 category it doesn’t fully have the feel of those teen shaped books but it is borderline if that makes sense and these books lose something when placed in boxes . Just my opinion
Fantastic series I have few complaints wonderful world building and interesting story line my major complaint is and I will still be reading the third book it’s just that by staying in the 13-18 category it doesn’t fully have the feel of those teen shaped books but it is borderline if that makes sense and these books lose something when placed in boxes . Just my opinion
November 18, 2020
Enjoyed But
Is there some kind of messed up rule about starting books in a series with a off character? I usually have read hundreds of books in between series and would be very grateful if you wordsmiths could start your books with the Main Character and with this series his stats.
Anyway this story is absolutely fantastic.
Is there some kind of messed up rule about starting books in a series with a off character? I usually have read hundreds of books in between series and would be very grateful if you wordsmiths could start your books with the Main Character and with this series his stats.
Anyway this story is absolutely fantastic.
November 23, 2020
A little overmuch at times..
It was a good enthralling read that lead to interesting happenings. Some of the exposition of the situations and mental discourses went on a little long and I had a hard time not speed reading through them, but overall a good well written story. Better then the first book.
It was a good enthralling read that lead to interesting happenings. Some of the exposition of the situations and mental discourses went on a little long and I had a hard time not speed reading through them, but overall a good well written story. Better then the first book.
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