What do you think?
Rate this book
The Good Guys #1
One More Last Time
'A ruined life. A broken heart. He thought it was the end, and his gun sat ready to make sure. But an oddball offer from his last friend comes at the literal last second. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he finds himself sucked into iNcarn8, a game claiming to be a whole new life. Now, as Montana, the larger-than-life tank warrior, he has one more last time to get his life right.' to 'Ein ruiniertes Leben. Ein gebrochenes Herz. Er dachte, es sei das Ende, und seine Waffe war bereit, um dies sicherzustellen. Aber ein merkwürdiges Angebot seines einzigen Freundes kommt in buchstäblich letzter Sekunde. Die Neugier holt ihn ein, und er findet sich in iNcarn8 wieder, ein Spiel, das behauptet, ein ganz neues Leben zu sein. Als Montana, der überlebensgroße Krieger, hat er nun noch ein letztes Mal Gelegenheit, sein Leben in Ordnung zu bringen.'
324 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2018
1445 people are currently reading
2803 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews
July 12, 2019
A seasoned RPG player is transferred into some sort of interuniversal RPG. I didn't get far enough, but I think this is an AR world with ultra-high technology. The RPG world sounded pretty awesome and the dynamics between the rest of the universe and the players also carried a lot of potential.
[THE TERRIBLE SHIT]
- After talking about his vast RPG experience, the guy starts out with THE SWORD OF THE GODS and SHIELD OF THE GODS legendaries! THEN HE FUCKING LOSES THEM IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES.
- RATHER, THEY'RE NOT LOST, HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE, BUT AFTER HE RESPAWNS, HE JUST ABANDONS THEM WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT. What was his replacement weapon? A fucking wood axe and a mining pick.
- Is he just trying to get stronger so he can recover the weapons without any problems? Hell no. He's going to run as far away as he possibly can from them, while continuously making idiotic game-related mistakes.
- This guy's goal is to live alone and fish. Rather, that's what he tells us. In reality, the guy's goal is to do every single activity other than love alone and fish.
- Sarcasm is funny. Snark is funny. Continuously using "you know," for every single thing, is not funny at all. "Oh, look, things aren't as they should be instead of, YOU KNOW, BeInG as ThEy ShOuLD Be." I read a little over 40% of this book, and the use of this kind of sarcastic comment format ran into the double digits. I fucking know, Montana! Everybody fucking knows.
- The relationship between the village NPCs and the protagonist is confusing. They're grateful for all the life saving Montana has done, but they're also going to exploit the hell out of him, which, is apparently exactly what Montana wanted!
[THE TERRIBLE SHIT]
- After talking about his vast RPG experience, the guy starts out with THE SWORD OF THE GODS and SHIELD OF THE GODS legendaries! THEN HE FUCKING LOSES THEM IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES.
- RATHER, THEY'RE NOT LOST, HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE, BUT AFTER HE RESPAWNS, HE JUST ABANDONS THEM WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT. What was his replacement weapon? A fucking wood axe and a mining pick.
- Is he just trying to get stronger so he can recover the weapons without any problems? Hell no. He's going to run as far away as he possibly can from them, while continuously making idiotic game-related mistakes.
- This guy's goal is to live alone and fish. Rather, that's what he tells us. In reality, the guy's goal is to do every single activity other than love alone and fish.
- Sarcasm is funny. Snark is funny. Continuously using "you know," for every single thing, is not funny at all. "Oh, look, things aren't as they should be instead of, YOU KNOW, BeInG as ThEy ShOuLD Be." I read a little over 40% of this book, and the use of this kind of sarcastic comment format ran into the double digits. I fucking know, Montana! Everybody fucking knows.
- The relationship between the village NPCs and the protagonist is confusing. They're grateful for all the life saving Montana has done, but they're also going to exploit the hell out of him, which, is apparently exactly what Montana wanted!
June 1, 2022
I’ve read the full series so far. 1-9
For anyone thinking about reading this series here is my take. 1-2 aren’t good. They are a beginning with a bunch of issues that just frustrates the hell out of me. Books 3-7 are decent and do get better but don’t fix everything. 8-9 are real books. The plot actually starts to take shape and they are better than decent reads.
So from this perspective you will notice an uphill trajectory. However there are some caveats to the progress that are pervasive from book 1 to 9 that still bother me.
The protagonist whines a lot and doesn’t really learn from his mistakes. You’ll read many pages of him saying how he needs to change but he never actually changes. Yes he does change course a few times but he fundamentally doesn’t change his behavior. The author visits this a few times and the dialogue was good from the characters he used but it never amounts to much. It’s predictable and frustrating as a reader.
The author doesn’t keep track of anything he has given his characters. He tried to fix this issue with a few awful examples from the first book but overall just expect the Protagonist to have what ever tool he needs when he needs it. Don’t read into things called out (like items gear or abilities) the author may not loop them back in for four or five books. Case in point the protagonist gets metal ingots in book 1 you don’t hear about those until book 9. In one case you can say he does remember them it just isn’t important in the book your reading. So my question is why bring it up 5 books before it matters, or at the very least give us some type of closure on it so we don’t sit there wondering why it never came back up.
The author doesn’t move from one plot thread to another very well with characters. You’ll be on this quest and character A is important but you hear nothing about them for two books and all of a sudden they are back in the dialogue. Same with his companions. So characters are treated a lot like items and materials.
Timeline, the entire series (9 books so far) only takes up 7-8 months of protagonist time. The author does not slow down nor does he help you with time markers. This gets really frustrating because you know logically it doesn’t work, but somehow when needed the protagonist has enough hours in the day.
A lot of Campy humor and pop culture references that are out of place. This can be fun but it can also be annoying. He also tends to fall back on the f-word as a description for everything. A lot of times it’s his answer for dialogue between characters. 🤮 There is a ton of circular dialogue as well that can also be funny. However by book 9 it’s just sad. Think later Adam Sandler movies.
Lastly the author cheapens the story by the escalating bloody fights due to the protagonist’s short timeline going from crap to bad ass. This goes with the litrpg elements because the protagonist gets what he needs when he needs it, but it makes the litrpg stats useless latter on. So really the litrpg aspects of the book aren’t necessary to the story.
If you can get through 1-3 👍 because they aren’t good. You may like 4-9.
For anyone thinking about reading this series here is my take. 1-2 aren’t good. They are a beginning with a bunch of issues that just frustrates the hell out of me. Books 3-7 are decent and do get better but don’t fix everything. 8-9 are real books. The plot actually starts to take shape and they are better than decent reads.
So from this perspective you will notice an uphill trajectory. However there are some caveats to the progress that are pervasive from book 1 to 9 that still bother me.
The protagonist whines a lot and doesn’t really learn from his mistakes. You’ll read many pages of him saying how he needs to change but he never actually changes. Yes he does change course a few times but he fundamentally doesn’t change his behavior. The author visits this a few times and the dialogue was good from the characters he used but it never amounts to much. It’s predictable and frustrating as a reader.
The author doesn’t keep track of anything he has given his characters. He tried to fix this issue with a few awful examples from the first book but overall just expect the Protagonist to have what ever tool he needs when he needs it. Don’t read into things called out (like items gear or abilities) the author may not loop them back in for four or five books. Case in point the protagonist gets metal ingots in book 1 you don’t hear about those until book 9. In one case you can say he does remember them it just isn’t important in the book your reading. So my question is why bring it up 5 books before it matters, or at the very least give us some type of closure on it so we don’t sit there wondering why it never came back up.
The author doesn’t move from one plot thread to another very well with characters. You’ll be on this quest and character A is important but you hear nothing about them for two books and all of a sudden they are back in the dialogue. Same with his companions. So characters are treated a lot like items and materials.
Timeline, the entire series (9 books so far) only takes up 7-8 months of protagonist time. The author does not slow down nor does he help you with time markers. This gets really frustrating because you know logically it doesn’t work, but somehow when needed the protagonist has enough hours in the day.
A lot of Campy humor and pop culture references that are out of place. This can be fun but it can also be annoying. He also tends to fall back on the f-word as a description for everything. A lot of times it’s his answer for dialogue between characters. 🤮 There is a ton of circular dialogue as well that can also be funny. However by book 9 it’s just sad. Think later Adam Sandler movies.
Lastly the author cheapens the story by the escalating bloody fights due to the protagonist’s short timeline going from crap to bad ass. This goes with the litrpg elements because the protagonist gets what he needs when he needs it, but it makes the litrpg stats useless latter on. So really the litrpg aspects of the book aren’t necessary to the story.
If you can get through 1-3 👍 because they aren’t good. You may like 4-9.
February 12, 2020
4 stars
I’d heard lots of good things about this series, so I decided to dive in and see what I thought for myself. I love a good redemption story and this one worked very well, as the less then nice Montana, drug dealer, loan shark and thug decides I loved the RPG mechanics and stats but the thing that impressed me most was the humor not being forced or juvenile. I’m looking forward to starting book 2 in the series.
I’d heard lots of good things about this series, so I decided to dive in and see what I thought for myself. I love a good redemption story and this one worked very well, as the less then nice Montana, drug dealer, loan shark and thug decides I loved the RPG mechanics and stats but the thing that impressed me most was the humor not being forced or juvenile. I’m looking forward to starting book 2 in the series.
May 13, 2022
Are you a MMORPG gamer? A isekai addict? Do you get happy hormones tingling through your body when your character levels up? Is your gaming computer ruined and your to broke to buy a new one?
Well look no further, now you can get all those weapon hoarding happy feels by reading a book, or listening to a audiobook like i've done.
Now, i've been looking for a LitRPG book series that I like for a while, I reckon it's not easy writing a video game in a compelling way. Getting all those stats listed up, quest seem video game-esque but still fitting for a novel. But Eric Ugland here accomplishes that with great humor and enough nerdy numbers to be satisfying.
Shield Snow Sledding Points
Well look no further, now you can get all those weapon hoarding happy feels by reading a book, or listening to a audiobook like i've done.
Now, i've been looking for a LitRPG book series that I like for a while, I reckon it's not easy writing a video game in a compelling way. Getting all those stats listed up, quest seem video game-esque but still fitting for a novel. But Eric Ugland here accomplishes that with great humor and enough nerdy numbers to be satisfying.
Shield Snow Sledding Points
July 28, 2021
Notes:
Decent start to a series, a little heavy on game stats but interesting enough plot to keep me engaged. I am waiting for the MC to grow up a little.
Decent start to a series, a little heavy on game stats but interesting enough plot to keep me engaged. I am waiting for the MC to grow up a little.
November 29, 2018
This is, hands down, of the best LitRPG books I've read. A main character who isn't a walking wish fulfillment fantasy surrounded by women. A world that actually seems to have some real depth and history to it and doesn't exist only to serve the story. Dialogue that's not only clever and funny, but believable.
Unlike most LitRPG protagonists, Montana isn't a gamer eager to level up and conquer the world. In fact, he spends a lot of time ignoring his character sheet entirely and doing whatever feels right in the moment. He's not the kind of guy who will agonize over a choice between two perks or how much grinding he has to do to level his favorite skills. It's refreshing.
Ugland's world building, while not the best I've ever seen, has obviously had a lot of thought put into it. For example, different nations have different currency. I can't remember the last LitRPG where that actually mattered. There are threads and hints of stories and conflicts to come that feel light and organic, and I'm legitimately excited to see more from this series.
Unlike most LitRPG protagonists, Montana isn't a gamer eager to level up and conquer the world. In fact, he spends a lot of time ignoring his character sheet entirely and doing whatever feels right in the moment. He's not the kind of guy who will agonize over a choice between two perks or how much grinding he has to do to level his favorite skills. It's refreshing.
Ugland's world building, while not the best I've ever seen, has obviously had a lot of thought put into it. For example, different nations have different currency. I can't remember the last LitRPG where that actually mattered. There are threads and hints of stories and conflicts to come that feel light and organic, and I'm legitimately excited to see more from this series.
September 15, 2020
Rating 4.0 stars
This was a good read. I wasn't too sure in the beginning. The MC made some stupid mistakes. Most of the characters in these stories either end up being magic users or deal with agility/dexterity as their main stat. This is one of the few times that strength was used as the biggest stat. The MC is a person who has had a tough life. He has done some bad things and now bad people are after him. One of his only friends left has given him a present. A chance at a new life. He only has minutes before he dies so he fills out all the online paperwork as quick as possible and right before he is about to die, his application is submitted and he finds himself in another place. Due to some luck he gets a little bit of bonuses when he comes to this place and since there is a time crunch, he allows his interviewer to pick a couple of things for him, like his species and his starting location. As I mentioned, he makes some bonehead moves and just seems to stumble through the world for a little while. A little bit of a warning. There is a lot of cursing in this one. There must have been at least 100 F bombs throughout. It was a tad excessive. Still, I am interested to see where this story goes.
This was a good read. I wasn't too sure in the beginning. The MC made some stupid mistakes. Most of the characters in these stories either end up being magic users or deal with agility/dexterity as their main stat. This is one of the few times that strength was used as the biggest stat. The MC is a person who has had a tough life. He has done some bad things and now bad people are after him. One of his only friends left has given him a present. A chance at a new life. He only has minutes before he dies so he fills out all the online paperwork as quick as possible and right before he is about to die, his application is submitted and he finds himself in another place. Due to some luck he gets a little bit of bonuses when he comes to this place and since there is a time crunch, he allows his interviewer to pick a couple of things for him, like his species and his starting location. As I mentioned, he makes some bonehead moves and just seems to stumble through the world for a little while. A little bit of a warning. There is a lot of cursing in this one. There must have been at least 100 F bombs throughout. It was a tad excessive. Still, I am interested to see where this story goes.
October 28, 2018
A fast and fun romp
Leave your pre-conceptions at the door.
While some tropes of the genre are present, the author does a very good job of bucking at the more irksome and ultimately delivering an entertaining and engaging story.
Looking forward to the next.
Leave your pre-conceptions at the door.
While some tropes of the genre are present, the author does a very good job of bucking at the more irksome and ultimately delivering an entertaining and engaging story.
Looking forward to the next.
January 13, 2025
3.5 stars
One of my goals for this new year is to read more LitRPG, (I had this goal last year, and I loved it, so I decided to keep it! But I will talk more about my goals for 2025 in a dedicated post) so I decided to start this series, that I had on my TBR. And it was a breeze!
The premises of this book are pretty simple (and pretty similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl, if you are familiar with that series): our MC is teleported in a sort of game/alternate reality (for reasons) and he has to create a new life for himself in this new world, that works like your classical RPG world from videogames. And the whole thing is funded thanks to spectators who watch (and probably can interact, with limits, in the story). This is the part that is really similar to DCC, but it is not really developed, at least in this first book. It is just something we know is there, but in this first book it’s not relevant.
Anyway, this is pretty standard LitRPG, we have our character who is thrown into this completely new world and he has to try and survive, possibly creating a better life for himself. He is like a giant-sized toddler, in some ways, and even if he is maybe not the smartest out there he does a decent job in surviving and getting around. And he keeps leveling up and acquiring new skills. The system is pretty snarky, and it is a lot of fun.
And Montana is a good character to follow around.
This is a really quick read, but it was so immersive! I finished it in no time, and I want more! (And yes, in part it’s because the book ends with a cliff-hanger, damn it!).
I seriously think that DDC is a really overhyped series. I enjoyed it, mind me, but still, I don’t think it is a masterpiece. And I think that this one can be on par with that famous series. So if you want to try a LitRPG book but you are a bit scared by all the hype, I think this one will be a good entry point. It is light, it is quick and it is fun! It’s everything you can ask from a book by this genre, and I had a blast with it!
One of my goals for this new year is to read more LitRPG, (I had this goal last year, and I loved it, so I decided to keep it! But I will talk more about my goals for 2025 in a dedicated post) so I decided to start this series, that I had on my TBR. And it was a breeze!
The premises of this book are pretty simple (and pretty similar to Dungeon Crawler Carl, if you are familiar with that series): our MC is teleported in a sort of game/alternate reality (for reasons) and he has to create a new life for himself in this new world, that works like your classical RPG world from videogames. And the whole thing is funded thanks to spectators who watch (and probably can interact, with limits, in the story). This is the part that is really similar to DCC, but it is not really developed, at least in this first book. It is just something we know is there, but in this first book it’s not relevant.
Anyway, this is pretty standard LitRPG, we have our character who is thrown into this completely new world and he has to try and survive, possibly creating a better life for himself. He is like a giant-sized toddler, in some ways, and even if he is maybe not the smartest out there he does a decent job in surviving and getting around. And he keeps leveling up and acquiring new skills. The system is pretty snarky, and it is a lot of fun.
And Montana is a good character to follow around.
This is a really quick read, but it was so immersive! I finished it in no time, and I want more! (And yes, in part it’s because the book ends with a cliff-hanger, damn it!).
I seriously think that DDC is a really overhyped series. I enjoyed it, mind me, but still, I don’t think it is a masterpiece. And I think that this one can be on par with that famous series. So if you want to try a LitRPG book but you are a bit scared by all the hype, I think this one will be a good entry point. It is light, it is quick and it is fun! It’s everything you can ask from a book by this genre, and I had a blast with it!
September 10, 2019
First things first: I'm not the target audience for this book. I don't play RPG video games, and this seems to be the kind of book for those players. The only reason I read it is because one of the prompts on this year's Popsugar Reading Challenge was to read a LitRPG novel. I didn't even know those existed until I saw it, and I found this on Kindle Unlimited.
That being said, this book is terrible. It's ridden with typos and missing articles and double words and wrong words and "led" and "lead" being used interchangably that it doesn't appear to have been copy-edited. Beyond that, the main character is insufferable, not enough attention is paid to the main character before he wound up in the RPG world, and the author tries too hard to be irreverent, to the point that the narrative comes across as immature. And, oh, the cliches. Lordy. Here are some choice examples of all that:
"It's, I mean, it is what I, it is a way out." (an ACTUAL LINE OF DIALOGUE)
"As they say, any fork in a storm." (before using a fork as a weapon)
"Blood poured out of my flabby abdomen. Flabdomen."
"I could feel the hot rush of blood from his ruined schnozzola soaking my neck."
(Those are all from the FIRST CHAPTER. This is how Ugland introduces us to his story.)
"I dug my thumbs [into his eyes] as hard as I could, and felt the pliant orbs give way."
"Red folded like a cheap suit."
The violence is ultra, and there are more uses of the word "fuck" in this book than there were in The Last Boy Scout. Between that and the tone, the book comes across as having been written by a thirteen-year-old.
RPGs are fun because they're interactive. Reading a book about an RPG is just reading a book. The RPG elements just get in the way, especially when so much of the text is spent on level up announcements, many of which use the same phrasing. I don't understand the point of reading a book like this.
The one intriguing element of the book to me was the use of a real-world person going into an RPG, especially given the crime-riddled nature of his life before he went in, but that's not covered. At least, it's not covered in this book, because of course this is the first in a series, and Ugland is going to draw that out. Beyond the first chapter and a handful of asides the come up, we don't get much development into the character, and we never understand why someone who would deal drugs, hurt people, and murder people suddenly becomes a kind-hearted barbarian. I sure can't sit through another book like this to find out, so if you don't want to, either, skip this one all together and find something better to read.
That being said, this book is terrible. It's ridden with typos and missing articles and double words and wrong words and "led" and "lead" being used interchangably that it doesn't appear to have been copy-edited. Beyond that, the main character is insufferable, not enough attention is paid to the main character before he wound up in the RPG world, and the author tries too hard to be irreverent, to the point that the narrative comes across as immature. And, oh, the cliches. Lordy. Here are some choice examples of all that:
"It's, I mean, it is what I, it is a way out." (an ACTUAL LINE OF DIALOGUE)
"As they say, any fork in a storm." (before using a fork as a weapon)
"Blood poured out of my flabby abdomen. Flabdomen."
"I could feel the hot rush of blood from his ruined schnozzola soaking my neck."
(Those are all from the FIRST CHAPTER. This is how Ugland introduces us to his story.)
"I dug my thumbs [into his eyes] as hard as I could, and felt the pliant orbs give way."
"Red folded like a cheap suit."
The violence is ultra, and there are more uses of the word "fuck" in this book than there were in The Last Boy Scout. Between that and the tone, the book comes across as having been written by a thirteen-year-old.
RPGs are fun because they're interactive. Reading a book about an RPG is just reading a book. The RPG elements just get in the way, especially when so much of the text is spent on level up announcements, many of which use the same phrasing. I don't understand the point of reading a book like this.
The one intriguing element of the book to me was the use of a real-world person going into an RPG, especially given the crime-riddled nature of his life before he went in, but that's not covered. At least, it's not covered in this book, because of course this is the first in a series, and Ugland is going to draw that out. Beyond the first chapter and a handful of asides the come up, we don't get much development into the character, and we never understand why someone who would deal drugs, hurt people, and murder people suddenly becomes a kind-hearted barbarian. I sure can't sit through another book like this to find out, so if you don't want to, either, skip this one all together and find something better to read.
April 20, 2019
Good foundation..great even...so 5 stars
flaws too big to overlook, cuz they made me angry and pulled me out of the story i.e broke my suspension of disbelief. so - 2 stars
items on him when he died ; boots...fur cloak...tools...bag...legendary sword and shield, etc.
none of them are soulbound...cuz that concept doesn't exist in that world.
when he respawn...he still got 18 of his 20 items.
why...either its 0 or it's 20.
why would the legendary items be the only ones that get dropped.
why doesn't he go back for them (he's too weak to fight the monster..maybe)
but he could kill something...drop it at one end of the fissure/cave for distraction..stealth his way to his weapons...or hire a group of adventurers to kill the monster for him.
why doesn't he make a 1 year plan to come back...or a 5 year plan.
why doesn't he stay close by, while getting stronger to get his weapon back faster.
his legendary sword and shield are equivalent to a brand new private jet to someone working at a fast food joint. would YOU just forget about it ? brain dead
even a SAINT wouldn't forget about them...if only to sell them...and get lots of money to feed the homeless.
MC is anti-relatable...which would only happen if he was an alien...motivations that Humans just can't understand.
so maybe you should sell your book somewhere else ? like on a different planet...?
and if your beta readers didn't catch that flaw...replace them.
otherwise...great book...good writting..good flow...great action...
would be 5 stars for an alien audience.
flaws too big to overlook, cuz they made me angry and pulled me out of the story i.e broke my suspension of disbelief. so - 2 stars
items on him when he died ; boots...fur cloak...tools...bag...legendary sword and shield, etc.
none of them are soulbound...cuz that concept doesn't exist in that world.
when he respawn...he still got 18 of his 20 items.
why...either its 0 or it's 20.
why would the legendary items be the only ones that get dropped.
why doesn't he go back for them (he's too weak to fight the monster..maybe)
but he could kill something...drop it at one end of the fissure/cave for distraction..stealth his way to his weapons...or hire a group of adventurers to kill the monster for him.
why doesn't he make a 1 year plan to come back...or a 5 year plan.
why doesn't he stay close by, while getting stronger to get his weapon back faster.
his legendary sword and shield are equivalent to a brand new private jet to someone working at a fast food joint. would YOU just forget about it ? brain dead
even a SAINT wouldn't forget about them...if only to sell them...and get lots of money to feed the homeless.
MC is anti-relatable...which would only happen if he was an alien...motivations that Humans just can't understand.
so maybe you should sell your book somewhere else ? like on a different planet...?
and if your beta readers didn't catch that flaw...replace them.
otherwise...great book...good writting..good flow...great action...
would be 5 stars for an alien audience.
December 26, 2024
This was my first LitRPG novel, and I loved it. It was really funny and had me laughing out loud so many times. It really made me want to get back into RPGs. The only downside as an audiobook listener was the constant leveling-up stats, which got a little tedious, but overall, it was such a fun read!
April 18, 2021
This was a very disappointing experience for me since there were a few things that the story did well to get my hopes up, but then I was never able to get along with it.
The biggest problem was that the personality of the story never came across as genuine. Initially, I was pleased to see personality infused into the prose from page one. Bland characters are very common in litrpg. Unfortunately, here it quickly lost its novelty and felt like the author was trying too hard.
Additionally, the main character never transitioned from a concept into a real person for me. He supposedly had a history of being a gun runner and yet called a gun's magazine a clip. He was supposedly a fighter/enforcer with a history of studying martial arts, but during the various action scenes the character never resembled someone who knew how to fight.
I usually try to keep my comments solely on the content of the book and not on the author, but it is a blurry line here since a lot of these issues come down to the author making mistakes that prevent my immersion.
There were also lots of typos and misused words that ranged from homophone problems (using tail instead of tale) to using the word gullet to refer to something in the middle of a person's torso when they were stabbed there.
Combine the multitude of errors with the nonstop annoying snark and idiocy of the main character, it was really hard to care much about anything that happened. This story also fell headfirst into a common pitfall of Dungeons & Dragons inspired storytelling - having dumb shit happen just for the sake of dumb shit happening during an action encounter. It seems like every D&D story I read turns on the circus music at some point during a fight. I get that critical fails happen in a game with dice, but it would be great to show these things in a way other than buffoonery.
I honestly didn't enjoy this story, mostly because the MC was an annoying idiot, but also because of the way everything was written. Even the in-game messages were snarky and seemed to be trying too hard. I don't plan to read more of this series.
The biggest problem was that the personality of the story never came across as genuine. Initially, I was pleased to see personality infused into the prose from page one. Bland characters are very common in litrpg. Unfortunately, here it quickly lost its novelty and felt like the author was trying too hard.
Additionally, the main character never transitioned from a concept into a real person for me. He supposedly had a history of being a gun runner and yet called a gun's magazine a clip. He was supposedly a fighter/enforcer with a history of studying martial arts, but during the various action scenes the character never resembled someone who knew how to fight.
I usually try to keep my comments solely on the content of the book and not on the author, but it is a blurry line here since a lot of these issues come down to the author making mistakes that prevent my immersion.
There were also lots of typos and misused words that ranged from homophone problems (using tail instead of tale) to using the word gullet to refer to something in the middle of a person's torso when they were stabbed there.
Combine the multitude of errors with the nonstop annoying snark and idiocy of the main character, it was really hard to care much about anything that happened. This story also fell headfirst into a common pitfall of Dungeons & Dragons inspired storytelling - having dumb shit happen just for the sake of dumb shit happening during an action encounter. It seems like every D&D story I read turns on the circus music at some point during a fight. I get that critical fails happen in a game with dice, but it would be great to show these things in a way other than buffoonery.
I honestly didn't enjoy this story, mostly because the MC was an annoying idiot, but also because of the way everything was written. Even the in-game messages were snarky and seemed to be trying too hard. I don't plan to read more of this series.
July 13, 2025
the first in the series and always incredible
I’ve read this a half dozen times over the years. Love the series, if you’ve not yet tried it then you’ve missed out.
I’ve read this a half dozen times over the years. Love the series, if you’ve not yet tried it then you’ve missed out.
November 24, 2019
To use the level of communication this book would use... This book is s*!#. I don't expect every person I talk to in the world to have a decent command of the English language but I do expect that from writers. I'm guessing from the ratings the story has merit. Personally though, I expect the use of expletives to be used as a tool to differentiate between characters and create personality. Not as a lazy excuse for a lack of ability to write a good story or create a unique character. If you haven't read many books that have decent world building and character building I am guessing from the ratings that this would be a good book. Otherwise you can move on from this series.
November 17, 2019
ABSOLUTE UNEXPECTED GEM! I think many people are use to building characters to game with, to sit propped behind a controller detached but still playing the RPG.
But what would happen if you had only minutes to throw points at stats and then actually be IN the game?
One More Last Time was the hilarious tale of exactly that!
But what would happen if you had only minutes to throw points at stats and then actually be IN the game?
One More Last Time was the hilarious tale of exactly that!
February 23, 2019
Don't judge the book by the cover
This is a really good story. If you judge books by their cover you would ignore this because it's a horrible cover. However I really really liked the story. It's unique.
This is a really good story. If you judge books by their cover you would ignore this because it's a horrible cover. However I really really liked the story. It's unique.
January 7, 2022
Tora, I know you're judging me for this one, but leave me alone. I just needed an easy audiobook to listen to while cleaning. You're not perfect either. And you know exactly what I'm talking about.
I do not know who allowed that atrocious cover though. Who looked at that and went "yes this is exactly what I want". If I read this in public I would be ashamed. Ashamed!
And it wasn't that good but who am I kidding I'll probably read the entire series.
edit: I have thought about it and I am in fact not going to read any more of these books. They are not well-written, with lots of repetition and typos. The plot dragged and we won't even talk about the ending. That shit was anti-climatic as fuck, with no tension. I liked his other series because I was invested in the characters, but not even the characters are good in this one. They're all flat, and the main character is annoyingly stupid. Also, all of the earthlings are from America (America-centric much?) and there's basically no female characters. So it's a no from me. I did also find a lot of fun stuff on Storytel so I will not be needing this trash anymore. It's readable but bearly.
I do not know who allowed that atrocious cover though. Who looked at that and went "yes this is exactly what I want". If I read this in public I would be ashamed. Ashamed!
And it wasn't that good but who am I kidding I'll probably read the entire series.
edit: I have thought about it and I am in fact not going to read any more of these books. They are not well-written, with lots of repetition and typos. The plot dragged and we won't even talk about the ending. That shit was anti-climatic as fuck, with no tension. I liked his other series because I was invested in the characters, but not even the characters are good in this one. They're all flat, and the main character is annoyingly stupid. Also, all of the earthlings are from America (America-centric much?) and there's basically no female characters. So it's a no from me. I did also find a lot of fun stuff on Storytel so I will not be needing this trash anymore. It's readable but bearly.
July 30, 2025
I didn't like the MC. I didn't like the game explanations. I didn't like the saracstic game messages. Don't get me wrong, I like my fair share of sarcasm but this here not so much. Honestly this was not my thing. I will not continue with the series.
January 6, 2020
I liked this book and can see a lot of potential here. The main character, Montana, is in a bind in the "real" world and is about to have a group of hitmen take him out in his own home. Luckly, a friend calls him to offer him a way out through a video game experience. Confused and pressed for time, Montana accepts without ready the fine print... or any of the print for that matter. I'll put it this way: Montana read so little of the game that he almost goes into the game as some type of rock lobster. Fortunately for Montana, mistakenly bringing 2 of the hitmen with him by mistake causes an issue and is allowed to take more time in game to make an actual character. He gets some extra boons and some amazing blessed weapons by the gods... which he wastes no time in losing and not caring about since they don't fit into his goals of a simple life fishing away from civilization. Also, Montana's Luck stat seems to be working against him most times, to which he responds by putting more points into hoping for better results.
The book is entertaining for the first half, but this is when the flow starts to be inconsistent. The book is bogged down by long winded descriptions of non-eventful walking and traveling. Oh, and the constant reading of his character sheet makes for 2-3 minute distraction that even the narrator sounds like he is trying to rush through. Then there are the moments that the book goes on about the environment or everyday tasks for to long. When Montana is doing things the book is interesting and usually he is clever. Montana is actually not as stupid as he thinks he is, He just does not have experience with this world. However, almost every time he asks someone about how things work the people are silent and sometimes completely mean and mad about him even asking any questions at all. It really gets old quick. Montana also doesn't make any lasting relationships either, likely due to him disregarding people after he receives his rewards he doesn't actually want.
The true gem of this audiobook is Neil Hellegers' narration. He reminds me of one of my favored voice actors, Ray Porter, mixed with Tom Hanks. The range of male voices is varied and the female ones are not to bad either
Note after I've read book two: Both this and the second book feel like they should have been combined. They are far too short seperate and work much better together as a single story arc. As Eric Ugland releases one of these books every 2-3 months I feel that this one arc was split in order to make 2 books out of it.
The book is entertaining for the first half, but this is when the flow starts to be inconsistent. The book is bogged down by long winded descriptions of non-eventful walking and traveling. Oh, and the constant reading of his character sheet makes for 2-3 minute distraction that even the narrator sounds like he is trying to rush through. Then there are the moments that the book goes on about the environment or everyday tasks for to long. When Montana is doing things the book is interesting and usually he is clever. Montana is actually not as stupid as he thinks he is, He just does not have experience with this world. However, almost every time he asks someone about how things work the people are silent and sometimes completely mean and mad about him even asking any questions at all. It really gets old quick. Montana also doesn't make any lasting relationships either, likely due to him disregarding people after he receives his rewards he doesn't actually want.
The true gem of this audiobook is Neil Hellegers' narration. He reminds me of one of my favored voice actors, Ray Porter, mixed with Tom Hanks. The range of male voices is varied and the female ones are not to bad either
Note after I've read book two: Both this and the second book feel like they should have been combined. They are far too short seperate and work much better together as a single story arc. As Eric Ugland releases one of these books every 2-3 months I feel that this one arc was split in order to make 2 books out of it.
March 19, 2021
Sorry guys...I read this years ago and forgot to rate/review it. Thus I started it again and realized (as noted) I'd read it.
Pretty good litrpg. This is a genre which was a really good idea that (as tends to happen) a few good ones caught on and made a splash. Then dozens to hundreds of mediocre to loathsome works showed up in it. Too bad.
This one is one of the readable and pretty good ones.
Pretty good litrpg. This is a genre which was a really good idea that (as tends to happen) a few good ones caught on and made a splash. Then dozens to hundreds of mediocre to loathsome works showed up in it. Too bad.
This one is one of the readable and pretty good ones.
September 30, 2018
Extremely entertaining. Relatively fast paced. Humorous without trying to be a comedy. Finished it in a sitting and wishing I could read the next book right away!
March 23, 2021
Ролевите игри са направени, за да може играчът да се вдъхнови, да се потопи в техния свят и не да "управлява" героя си, а да се идентифицира с него, самият той да стане герой и да действа и решава от своя гледна точка в измисления свят, сякаш наистина живее там.
В действителност, особено в компютърните такива игри, се получава нещо по средата - наистина човек до известна степен се идентифицира с героя си, но това си остава игра и той не действа като истинска личност в игровия свят, а като "външен елемент" в него - което довежда до някои странности и особености на действието.
Именно тези странности и особености на действието описва в литературна форма Ерик Угланд в серията си за Добрите - всъщност само за един добър, който, както подобава на жанра LitRPG, "попада" в игрови свят, подчинен на игрова логика... но и той действа в него като външен играч, а не като негов жител или (слава богу) типичен герой от фентъзи книги.
Действията му са точно толкова нелогични и водят до точно същите резултати, каквито наблюдаваме у себе си, докато играем RPG игри:
Героят ни много бързо става прекалено силен, следва по-скоро инцидентно, отколкото съзнателно сюжетната линия, която създателите на играта са сложили за основна, разпилява усилията си по странични куестове, не чете съобщенията и хелп-файловете на играта, така че често му се налага да взема решения без да има идея от ситуацията...
Също така, въпреки, че в играта е двуметров мускулест и брадат войн, че и владетел после, играчът си остава смачкан смотаняк по душа, какъвто е авторът всъщност и действа и говори по съответния начин (сигурен съм, че авторът не го е планирал това, но така се е получило, понеже никой не може да избяга от себе си).
Резултатът от всичко това е доста забавен.
В действителност, особено в компютърните такива игри, се получава нещо по средата - наистина човек до известна степен се идентифицира с героя си, но това си остава игра и той не действа като истинска личност в игровия свят, а като "външен елемент" в него - което довежда до някои странности и особености на действието.
Именно тези странности и особености на действието описва в литературна форма Ерик Угланд в серията си за Добрите - всъщност само за един добър, който, както подобава на жанра LitRPG, "попада" в игрови свят, подчинен на игрова логика... но и той действа в него като външен играч, а не като негов жител или (слава богу) типичен герой от фентъзи книги.
Действията му са точно толкова нелогични и водят до точно същите резултати, каквито наблюдаваме у себе си, докато играем RPG игри:
Героят ни много бързо става прекалено силен, следва по-скоро инцидентно, отколкото съзнателно сюжетната линия, която създателите на играта са сложили за основна, разпилява усилията си по странични куестове, не чете съобщенията и хелп-файловете на играта, така че често му се налага да взема решения без да има идея от ситуацията...
Също така, въпреки, че в играта е двуметров мускулест и брадат войн, че и владетел после, играчът си остава смачкан смотаняк по душа, какъвто е авторът всъщност и действа и говори по съответния начин (сигурен съм, че авторът не го е планирал това, но така се е получило, понеже никой не може да избяга от себе си).
Резултатът от всичко това е доста забавен.
September 16, 2021
Reviewing through book 7/12(so far).
4 stars from 1-5, 3 stars for book 6, and 1.5 stars for book 7.
This is a well-put-together litRPG story, with interesting characters and an immersive story. However, it becomes clear as you move along that the main character is permanently an idiot, and the story also begins to bog down with more and more filler side quests centered around meaninglessly slaying monsters.
Style: solid writing
Characters: 3/5 liked
World: 2.5/5 slightly liked
Story: 3/5 liked
Characters:
The characters are relatively interesting, for litRPG. The side characters want their own things, and some of them will even tell the main character off for being a jerk or an idiot. The main character eventually becomes a problem though. The main character is dumb. He runs a city but randomly gets into conflicts, goes fighting solo even when he has a party, and is generally not at all good at anything except killing monsters. I put up with this for 14 whole hours of solid reading, but in the end I cannot stand it anymore and I am quitting the series. I originally thought that this was an issue that the character would grow out of, but he is instead getting worse as the story goes along, getting his settlement into ever more problems as he takes side quests that branch into infinitely more side quests. Idiocy should not be a quirky personality trait.
World:
Solid. Not the focus. The book started with interesting political intrigue, exploration, and settlement building and management. It soon devolved into monster combat chronicles + bad-choices braindead village management.
Story:
It starts out very solid. It somehow managed to make hours of fight scenes interesting to me, a person who hates all long fight scenes. I think it might have done that by tying each fight into an interesting new conflict along with new world-building, but I'm not sure. Everything flowed so well I wasn't paying attention. The settlement building starts off very interesting and what we see of the side characters adds color to the story.
The problems start around the book 7. The story gets more aimless and the mc gets bogged down in more and more sidequests and acts more and more rashly. He brings thousands on monsters he just met to live in his encampment of 1000 people, he entrusts his whole aleeping party of friends (though idk why they still like him) to killer spiders he just met. It's just dumb.
14 hours
4 stars from 1-5, 3 stars for book 6, and 1.5 stars for book 7.
This is a well-put-together litRPG story, with interesting characters and an immersive story. However, it becomes clear as you move along that the main character is permanently an idiot, and the story also begins to bog down with more and more filler side quests centered around meaninglessly slaying monsters.
Style: solid writing
Characters: 3/5 liked
World: 2.5/5 slightly liked
Story: 3/5 liked
Characters:
The characters are relatively interesting, for litRPG. The side characters want their own things, and some of them will even tell the main character off for being a jerk or an idiot. The main character eventually becomes a problem though. The main character is dumb. He runs a city but randomly gets into conflicts, goes fighting solo even when he has a party, and is generally not at all good at anything except killing monsters. I put up with this for 14 whole hours of solid reading, but in the end I cannot stand it anymore and I am quitting the series. I originally thought that this was an issue that the character would grow out of, but he is instead getting worse as the story goes along, getting his settlement into ever more problems as he takes side quests that branch into infinitely more side quests. Idiocy should not be a quirky personality trait.
World:
Solid. Not the focus. The book started with interesting political intrigue, exploration, and settlement building and management. It soon devolved into monster combat chronicles + bad-choices braindead village management.
Story:
It starts out very solid. It somehow managed to make hours of fight scenes interesting to me, a person who hates all long fight scenes. I think it might have done that by tying each fight into an interesting new conflict along with new world-building, but I'm not sure. Everything flowed so well I wasn't paying attention. The settlement building starts off very interesting and what we see of the side characters adds color to the story.
The problems start around the book 7. The story gets more aimless and the mc gets bogged down in more and more sidequests and acts more and more rashly. He brings thousands on monsters he just met to live in his encampment of 1000 people, he entrusts his whole aleeping party of friends (though idk why they still like him) to killer spiders he just met. It's just dumb.
14 hours
May 4, 2023
A Step in the Right Direction
Lack of VR/Corporate espionage? Check
Actual humour and not annoying jackass? Check
Quests/Loot? Check
Mix of adventure and crunchy stats? Check
Whilst the main character was under pressure to get to the isekai moment, there wasn't a lot of choice he had in his new "character build". Like choosing your starting character in a game, down to the details and psychological profile, and then becoming that character through isekai - it was interesting.
What was more interesting was that at the onset, the character did forget most of what he was told in that the video game sort of runs like Planet Kill in that the player characters are being streamed and viewers fund the place and can have favourites they patron in a way.
The main character was a gamer when he was younger but after a hard life hadn't done much. Still, he's not a dumbass putting everything into Charisma. He's got a lot of Strength and Constitution bonuses through his actions and is a bit of draft horse, plus he has the knowledge of his past life to help him improvise plans and ways to succeed.
But instead of making stupid decisions with all of his points, he's willing to ask some people what the best way to allocate them is, so he doesn't turn into some Thor/Conan crossbreed. Here's hoping book 2 means he starts to balance his stats until he's chosen his profession.
Lack of VR/Corporate espionage? Check
Actual humour and not annoying jackass? Check
Quests/Loot? Check
Mix of adventure and crunchy stats? Check
Whilst the main character was under pressure to get to the isekai moment, there wasn't a lot of choice he had in his new "character build". Like choosing your starting character in a game, down to the details and psychological profile, and then becoming that character through isekai - it was interesting.
What was more interesting was that at the onset, the character did forget most of what he was told in that the video game sort of runs like Planet Kill in that the player characters are being streamed and viewers fund the place and can have favourites they patron in a way.
The main character was a gamer when he was younger but after a hard life hadn't done much. Still, he's not a dumbass putting everything into Charisma. He's got a lot of Strength and Constitution bonuses through his actions and is a bit of draft horse, plus he has the knowledge of his past life to help him improvise plans and ways to succeed.
But instead of making stupid decisions with all of his points, he's willing to ask some people what the best way to allocate them is, so he doesn't turn into some Thor/Conan crossbreed. Here's hoping book 2 means he starts to balance his stats until he's chosen his profession.
September 1, 2021
Hehe This book made me laugh. Many times.
Def worth the read if your into litRPG books.
Edit.. Update after binge reading all the books up to the last one available (book 12)
So.. How do i say this without sounding like i am both a fan boy and also a hater at the same time.
I really enjoyed the books.. Hence why i read them nonstop over the last few days. Even started reading this authors other series based in the same world (The bad guys).
All that said... I do have to point out a few ..WTF moments and thoughts.
Will hide this behind a spoiler tag. Really don't click the spoiler tag unless you want to read my little rant.
Def worth the read if your into litRPG books.
Edit.. Update after binge reading all the books up to the last one available (book 12)
So.. How do i say this without sounding like i am both a fan boy and also a hater at the same time.
I really enjoyed the books.. Hence why i read them nonstop over the last few days. Even started reading this authors other series based in the same world (The bad guys).
All that said... I do have to point out a few ..WTF moments and thoughts.
Will hide this behind a spoiler tag. Really don't click the spoiler tag unless you want to read my little rant.
December 1, 2024
3.20/5.00
I had a couple of gripes with the way this was written, compared to the awesome DCC I've read before. Too many times when we had to get the full dump of the character sheet (which was 2 pages long!!!!) without actually getting much out of it. A few points in STR and LUCK, it absolutely didn't warrant the excessive repetition.
It probably didn't help that I I'm not resonating much with Montana; at this point I'm not entirely sure if I wanna continue with the series.
Maybe once I finish what's out of DCC I'll circle back and see how I feel.
I had a couple of gripes with the way this was written, compared to the awesome DCC I've read before. Too many times when we had to get the full dump of the character sheet (which was 2 pages long!!!!) without actually getting much out of it. A few points in STR and LUCK, it absolutely didn't warrant the excessive repetition.
It probably didn't help that I I'm not resonating much with Montana; at this point I'm not entirely sure if I wanna continue with the series.
Maybe once I finish what's out of DCC I'll circle back and see how I feel.
July 30, 2025
4 Stars - Enjoyable easy going read. Perfect for a breather between big traditional fantasy novels. This book had it's flaws, mainly that the main character didn't feel like a real person. His reactions/interactions to the world just didn't feel genuine. That being said, it was a ton of fun, had great fight scenes and a good sense of humour. I have high hopes for the direction this series will take moving forwards.
September 9, 2019
Solid Litrpg story that was well-written with great dialog and pacing. The author didn't waste a lot of time setting up the world and getting to the action yet the world-building was nicely done. Interested to see where the series goes because it ended on a nice note.
December 17, 2020
This book was ok. I listened to the audio version and the reader did a pretty good job. But the story/main character is extremely underdeveloped. Nothing more complex then "I was a bad guy in my past life but not anymore." That's about the extent of the character development. It was a quick and easy listen which was nice but if you're looking for something profound, you wont find it here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews