The False Ascendant

The Menocht Loop #2

by Lorne Ryburn

Ian Dunai reaches the final loop layer and steps into the abyss...returning to reality.

But the emergence of a new arch-decemancer threatens the stability of the West, placing Ian in the crosshairs of conflict. After reuniting with an ally from the loop, Ian prepares for his international debut at the Fassari Summit, a tournament where nations send their most powerful practitioners to fight for dominance.

Little does Ian know, calamity looms overhead—a continent-shattering trial that only he can stop.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Unfinished, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic, Fiction

426 pages, ebook

First published February 7, 2022

About the author

Lorne (also known online as caerulex) is an avid reader who strives to write the kinds of stories she would like to read. Besides web serials, her favorite series tend toward grimdark fantasy, such as The Broken Empire Trilogy by Mark Lawrence and The Acts of Caine by Matthew Woodring Stover. The Menocht Loop is her second book series, which she began after publishing Apex Predator as an online web serial.

When she isn’t writing, Lorne enjoys time spent with loved ones and traveling the world. She spends her days as an AI/machine learning software engineer.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is second in a fantasy series that builds strongly on the first. I recommend reading in order.

I lost interest around two-thirds in when I realized that I didn't care about the rising stakes and couldn't figure out Eury's motivation or character. Also, Ian turns out to be a ditherer who doesn't want to face the reality of the people gunning for him. I can only take so many chapters of people telling him "no really, bad guys want you dead, maybe you should do something about it" and him being all "but I don't wanna hurt folks".

And it isn't helping that the coming war is motivated by say-so and with no possibility of doing anything except preemptive strikes. I mean, I buy Eury's reasoning that it's true. I just don't like that the author has set up these huge events that put Ian's back against the wall. A protagonist with no choice is nearly as bad as one who refuses to make obvious choices. Together, it's a bad combination.

I'm going to add a second star because I still like the worldbuilding and the writing is solid with an excellent sense of place. I just wish I were engaged at all with the characters or plot. Since I'm not, it's time to part ways.

[Ash · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually went through almost 80% of the book.
The second book turned out to be a slog with potential Male to Male romance, with the MC Ian having lost his ability to think and progress on his own.

And the way the prince is portrayed in 2nd book is almost like the author wanted to describe a female character and named him a guy. Like "tucking his hair behind his ear", you'll know when you read the book. And there is lot of sexual tension between him and Ian, it doesn't straight up say gay romance but everything else is described as such.

Instead it has turned into a cheap romance between him and the prince, I am saying this with the expectations after finishing the first book which is totally different.

The book has not much substance in it wasn't expecting this after reading first book, has become a drag to finish it, there is no adventure, character growth for other. MC just downgraded from going through a crucible tough guy persona to someone who has very little screentime on his own growth anymore, just being described in the presence of "Prince"

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just isn't compelling enough for me to continue reading. The 'powerful idiot protagonist' trope is so much worse in stories like this.

The time loop is over. The passive protagonist escaped someone so he wouldn't be used as a tool, now he is someone else's tool and is happy with it. Protag doesn't enjoy thinking so he has others think for him and plan out his every step. I think the biggest issue is that the pov we are reading from isn't interested in himself or the world, so everything is severely lacking in engagement and depth.

Even if there was any interesting world building, characters, or plot it would be difficult for me to enjoy this sort of protagonist. Without it I just can't maintain interest.

-Dropped Ch 57

[Aleksandra Janusz]

This one is definitely more lit than rpg and I like it. The protagonist is thoroughly human and after gaining his superpowers, does not engage in wanton cruelty that lots of isekais are guilty of - after a harrowing experience in the virtual reality he would like a peaceful life, thank you very much. Obviously, being a protagonist and obtaining superpowers, he does not get that luxury.
Awaiting the third installment.
Interesting how the actions of the protagonist in the world with no consequences and in the world with consequences compare and contrast.

Addendum: After coming in to Goodreads I see many comments, positive or negative, on how there is a queer subplot in there. I can't fathom how homphobic the commenters might be to lose their mind over such a trifle. Anyway, no romance - which is good or bad, depending on what you're looking for. There is a slight suggestion that one of the characters is attracted to the protagonist and that's it, a part of worldbuilding/character building. Which, overall, is a strong suite of this novel, people are complex and morally grey, the protagonist sill loves his undeniably toxic mother; the scheming prince, although friendly, is still scheming, the antagonist is a powerful politician and has her own understandable reasons. The protagonist, meanwhile, must come to grips with the fact that he's going to be a weapon in the coming war - and like it or not, use the less savory aspects of his power.
I've also liked the technology present in the world - we get the idea that it's similar to our own world's tech, but done differently, most likely with magic. Visually, it's near-future with flying cars and all present electronics.
While the book has a noticeable "middle book syndrome", mostly due to the setup for the upcoming third installment, it is worth reading.

And here I gave so much attention and a full review for a novel that is essentially one of my guilty pleasures - a fantasy adventure with superpowers, albeit pleasant and well done.

[Miles · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25

[Michael Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book

What can i say if your reading this go buy the first book and enjoy a different take on the normal zero to hero story, this book has more twists and turns revelations fights etc and leaves you wanting to read book three straight away grrrrr.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the story was immersive and captivating. It has a interesting world and characters in it. I personally would enjoy if it went more Into the magic side of the world but the author did an excellent job of exploring the consequences of sudden power and the ramifications it would bring.

[Adam Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting introspective into sudden gain of power.

After the last book left us hanging as the Loop ended, I was curious how this one would start. I have to say I was a little surprised, but not disappointed in how the first few chapters went. Throughout the book we get to see Ian coming to grips with his power in the real world, and trying to figure out how he will interact with people now. It’s also interesting to see him get a lesson on power and politics, and how he can’t really escape from certain things now. There were also some interesting lore introductions which will have a definite impact on book 3, that should be very exciting to see born out. The dash of a bit of potential romance or attraction was a nice touch, and the ending was definitely a touching moment.

[Ubik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, even though the story was a bit meandering at times. For some reason the stakes never really feel high with the protagonist being too overpowered from the beginning.

The hinted at queer angle is a nice touch, it's unfortunately all too rare to have any non straight characters in this genre.

You can kinda see why looking at the homophobic review here, for some reason bigots are attracted to progression fantasy.

I just hope the prince is not later revealed to actually be a girl as was hinted at, that would really suck.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourites, I can't wait for the next book on audio. I really want the Prince and The main character to be to be together 😉😍
There's so much interesting things going on with this book and I really can't wait for more.

[Koffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am still a fan of the series and I don't think this book the deserves the low rating it has on GR. That said I'm ngl this book has some issues and deviated a lot from the first. While that's not bad in an of itself, the fact is it went from a mysterious time loop that was very intriguing too a book not about the time loop. Instead it went the way of a bit of Wuxia. I can see if some people had issues with the book because of that. Although I disagree we all have the right to our own opinions. The only reason this didn't get a 5 star from me is the following. This book was just way way too short and the cliffhanger ending lacks any real justification. It felt like a real shitty move by the author. Am I still interested in the series and the next installment? Yes I am without a doubt going to listen to the next one in the series when it arrives.

[♥Xeni♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a follow up to The Menocht Loop, this book is vastly different. If the first one was about life inside a time loop, this one is life outside that time loop.

For the first 50% of the story I didn't even want to trust the author that the protagonist was really outside of the loop now. We've seen that revelation a few too many times in book one for it to be trustworthy here. But eventually I realized, no, this is really the story now, this is really the real world now.

This book wasn't as great as the first. There's a charm to time loop stories; there's interesting parts of the human psyche you can explore and delve into in time loops. And while I don't think this is a shining example, it was a fun example. But once you leave the loop what's left? It felt a bit boring, a bit safe, a bit at a loss of what is coming next. The ascendent story line was interesting, but that never actually happens in this book which felt like a cop out. This book felt like "middle book syndrome" of a story that isn't even done yet.

[Shane Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong continuation of an entertaining story. The story arcs of this book are a little less serious and allow the characters (especially the protagonist) the chance to breathe and expand some more. As the protagonist's importance in the world grows and events outside his control lead him into conflict, the author focused a lot on the difficulty of making decisions with imperfect information. This isn't the sort of story where there is a threat of the protagonist dying in a fight, so having other sorts of conflict and sources of tension was a really great move.

I am still very strong on this series and excited to see how it develops.

[yo · Rating 1 out of 5]

He's into guys if you're into that...

If you're looking for gay romance, this is the book for you. If you're looking for a good book, then keep moving.

[Gareth Otton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is where me and this series part ways.

I identified a problem in my review of the first book where it was almost completely plot-driven, leaving other story elements to fall behind, most notably the character work. Without that character work, it felt a lot like reading a descriptive list of events rather than an engaging story. However, the plot was intriguing enough that I wanted to see what happened next.

This book did put a bit more emphasis on building characters and relationships, though it continues to be a weak point of this writing, and this is still a highly plot-driven story. However, now that Ian is out of the loop and the mystery of why he was there has been resolved, the compulsion the plot had over me fell away and sadly it wasn't replaced with anything all that interesting.

It's not that the story is bad, but rather that it's something I've read time and again before. It is also something of an anti-climax considering where the last story ended. That story felt like it was building to something more than what we eventually got, and ultimately this story left me disappointed.

I think the biggest issue of this series continues to be a lack of emersion into the story that would have been achieved with better character work to get us invested. Also, more work on showing rather than telling would go a long way towards helping this feel more like a story. Often emotions, thoughts and motivations are outright stated in this book rather than shown through character actions, and as a result this book still feels more like a descriptive list of events rather than an engaging novel.

Ultimately I think this book is about 2.5-stars that I have rounded up because at the least it kept me listening to the end of the book, and also I liked the work put into the Prince's powers which was something that felt unique. Sadly, it wasn't quite enough though as I'm just not compelled to keep reading.

[bookworm594 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadows of Darkness to Come

It was really cool to get to see what actually happened after Ian exited the loop. It was intriguing to see his relationship with the Crowned Prime develop and neat to get to see more of what Ian was able to do with his talents.
Unfortunately, just as we are getting into the good stuff, we get dribbles of revelation that a magical practitioner who becomes too powerful becomes an "ascendant," a process that does significance damage to the world around them. Worse, we find out that Ian, being completely self-taught, doesn't know what he needs to in order to survive, much less contain the process and protect those he loves. Worst of all, Ian is contacted by what appears to be a powerful, potentially malevolent being which informs him that: 1) The Infinity Loop was doing really harm, beyond the harm done to Ian. 2) The being wants to make a deal. 3) The being shows Ian how his ascension will go if nothing changes. 4) in exchange for helping the being try to kill another powerful being, this being will grant Ian a fighting chance...
What hope is there if Ian refuses? But making a deal with the devil never ends well, no matter how well intentioned.
There is enough of a sense of foreboding that things could go downhill fast in the next book. Or, the author might pull off a miracle, keeping Ian squarely as a good guy while somehow managing to save the world... I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Leonhard Nolte · Rating 3 out of 5]

far too much dillydallying around

The first book was great, the second started running hot, but then disappeared in an endless bog of indecisiveness….for me more than half of the book could be compressed into a few sentences….MC behaving once again as if the four years of the first book with all their impact on his soul did not happen. *****spoiler alert******After four years of partially gruelling torture, simply to switch back to old behaviour, as if that did not happen is unworthy of the author. Suddenly turning MC into a wimp caught certainly me by surprise. Mainly as I failed to see any sense in the options open to him: Become a massmurderer by (apparently successfully) being able to oppress a whole country, or run away and be caught for certain (and again why can MC destroy a country, but must be afraid of some guys following him of that same country?) or last option, commit more or less suicide. This logic is really warped, but then MC keeps running around for half a book without making any choice, allowing the choice to make itself…..thats what caught me by surprise. Please dear Author, you have plenty of talent, do not try write, if you are not convinced yourselves of your own writing (at least to me it felt like the author did not know where to go and ended up soulsearching with the MC, before having decided where to go).
Cheers Leo.

[Austin Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay but I think this is where I drop off from the series. MASSIVE let down, I understand why some others were thrown off by the sudden unrequited love displayed by Prime Eury, however, the romantic subplot between the MC and a woman who is 20 years older than him was MUCH more uncalled for.

The fight scenes were sparse but cool when they happened, especially during the summit. I can tell this book is suffering from middle book syndrome and it’s very noticeable. Based on other reviews for later installments, this doesn’t get better until the last 2 books. Until then, it only gets worse.

I had hope that romance would be left out or at least left to a withering subplot but it seems the further you go the more the romantic relationship between MC and Cougar lady becomes more prevalent. Therefore, this doesn’t really appeal to me as a reader. I can see how others may enjoy this series. It has an interesting magic system, likeable side characters and amazing world building. The MC just kinda feels like he has no idea what’s going on at any point in time. Won’t be finishing the rest of the series. The first book could’ve been a one and done at this point.

[Alesay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.85 stars. I enjoyed this book overall and especially liked the Crown Prince, though I worry he may not play as large a role later in the series.

My main frustration was with the MC’s mindset. He often dismisses warnings and explanations from more experienced figures, clinging to his own assumptions instead of adapting. His tendency to view situations with naive optimism keeps him focused on the immediate moment rather than the bigger picture, leading to short-sighted choices. While he does show some growth, it often feels as though he changes only because circumstances force him to rather than out of his own initiative. The overall random romance felt unnecessary and added little to the story. On the plus side, I enjoyed the MC’s fighting, which was fun and interesting to read.

I will probably continue with the next book, but it might be a while before I get to it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly Great

So I really liked book 1 and was looking forward to enjoying book 2. Which I did, for the most part. However, I had noticed early on that the author kept describing one of the male central characters in an attractive female way. Inevitably, this lead to a scene where the aforementioned male character and the male MC are in an intimate position and a kiss is contemplated.
I really don't like woke agendas and while I'm not saying this is exactly woke, it still was not appreciated. I read litrpg for the progression and game like experience, not for the socially acceptable relationships.
Overall this was still a good book, but that male on male scene really distracted from the enjoyment of the book for me.

[Paula McCullough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just started book three. Read the first two several years ago and decided to reread them now that there are six. Really, really enjoyable reads. I'm "reading" them as audio books, and have become attached to Ian through Joe Hempel. The series is intriguing, immediately pulling you in while simultaneously throwing you into unfamiliar territory, forcing you to figure it out as you go, not at all unlike our protagonist who is himself thrown into a world that comes without much instruction. Now that I've finished The False Ascendant, I'm hoping to eventually figure out what the differences are between "ascendant," "half-step ascendant," and "false ascendant." I do think "false" refers to a failure to ascend, but "half-step" is still a mystery.

[Daniyal Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onward to Book 3

This book was good and I was surprised how quick and well done the whole tournament was done.

While we spend a quite bit of time with Ian dealing with the ramifications of the infinity loop experiment and his concerns of actually harming people by the end of the book, Ian gets his act together and decides to pursue power at earnest for the sake of safety of his family and the world.

The real world is a crazy place and I believe the loop is more dangerous than we thought back in book 1

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy this series as much as I have, the characters have all generally been intriguing, and the magic is excellent (remorse magic is such an interesting magic man). This book was fairly different to the first installation but it manages to succeed in expanding the world and creating tidbits for the next installation that do not feel forced.

The narrator continues to be good and I am pleased to read the following installations. Not much else to say...

[David U.]

DNF

This is actually a sad review. I don’t know if I was dense but the book suddenly having a gay scene in chapter 25 with the MC and the prince was a complete turnoff. It felt like it was completely surprise to me, and I had to unfortunately put this one down. I enjoyed the magic system and some of the world building aspects. To each their own, but I’m just not into reading about that kind of stuff.

[Roberto Flores · Rating 1 out of 5]

This took the best parts of book one and just completely left them out.

The main character is just pathetic. When lacking the forced direction of the loop, he defaults to sheep. He lacks an opinion or a backbone. The entire book felt formless. No narrative direction. No character growth, the opposite really. This was incredibly disappointing as a sequel.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one. It felt like this book was mostly people flapping their lips instead of taking action.

I will read the sequel, but I'm not holding my breath or rushing out to get it when released.

I hope the author takes out the extra lip flapping next book.

3/5 Stars

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunate second outing. The protagonist is now a "half-ascendant" whatever that means, and then 80% of the book is about that incredibly hoary trope of a arena combat tournament. I'm so done with tournaments. They are rarely more than a mere bunch of fights with the majority of fighters being characters we never see before or after.

[Chris Durston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't mind this book, but after the excitement of its predecessor this one sort of felt as if there wasn't very much to it. It happened and I had an OK time reading it, and at some point I might carry on with the series, but unfortunately it fell a little flat to me compared to the first in the series.

[gordon musgrave · Rating 1 out of 5]

To weird

Ok the first book was ok so thought I would try out the second .The MC turned into a wimp ,the writer thought it would be interesting to have his horrible mother and aunt along? It wasn't!!

[Ray Ritchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic

Amazing world building, politics, and an interesting unique story that stands bout from the usual fantasy tropes. A very enjoyable read.