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He Who Fights with Monsters #4
He Who Fights with Monsters 4
In the wake of an unexpected homecoming, Jason questions if there is still a place for him in the world he left behind.
Forced to confront what he has become in his time away, he feels more alien than ever. But his old world is hiding secrets that he never knew.
As he starts to unravel what has been hidden from him his entire life, he discovers that not only might he fit in better than ever, but he may be exactly what the world needs.
Forced to confront what he has become in his time away, he feels more alien than ever. But his old world is hiding secrets that he never knew.
As he starts to unravel what has been hidden from him his entire life, he discovers that not only might he fit in better than ever, but he may be exactly what the world needs.
828 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 974 reviews
February 16, 2025
I am so glad this book is over, because I am tired of long books, I'll start one of the smallest books in my library after this lol
This is the best well written book in HWFWM, most of my issues with the series that I talked about over and over in past books are less than 5% of the book here, and I am very happy with that.
The repetitiveness isn't there anymore either. There was the bit about the killing but luckily it happened once only. There was the fact that Jason kept explaining magic to everyone he deemed worthy, which is kind of repetitive, but it was repetitiveness that I didn't mind.
Crazy thing is, this is the least book when it comes to adventure and magic, it was mostly social interactions.
Travis wasn't really smart about his final pages in this book. It ends without a cliffhanger, which will hurt people's desire to jump into another 800 pages book right after when this one was mostly so mundane, even if well written.
But, I have to admit, he might be setting himself up for an interesting start to book 5, if Jason really wanders around and helps other branches, or it could be the biggest failure in the series ever. If we instead fall into a whirlwind of introducing new characters that won't stick around for long, and how they react to Jason's eccentric character! There is so many countries after all and judging by this book, it could very well be what's waiting for us next.
If that happens, I'll probably give next book 2 stars, so we will wait and see, but honestly we might end up waiting a long time, or me rather wait a long time, because why would you wait for my opinion on the next book lol
So glad Farrah is alive again, even if it was spoiled for me long ago.
Emi is adorable, but I don't think she will ever fight with Jason, by the time she becomes of age to receive essences, he will be silver rank and she will be iron rank, like no way in hell they adventure together.
Maybe if in the sense that they fight a big army of builder cultists and he is fighting a gold rank guy, and she is fighting bronze rank grunts.
Erika is amazing too, and her husband is a sweetheart, he is one of the good guys for sure.
Jason's mother might be the worst of all, way more bad than his brother despite what he did, or his ex girlfriend.
I don't think it's wise to give her essences, bitch will soon just join the cultists because her head is so far upside her ass, she can't see anything but shit.
Is it a metaphor?!
This is the best well written book in HWFWM, most of my issues with the series that I talked about over and over in past books are less than 5% of the book here, and I am very happy with that.
The repetitiveness isn't there anymore either. There was the bit about the killing but luckily it happened once only. There was the fact that Jason kept explaining magic to everyone he deemed worthy, which is kind of repetitive, but it was repetitiveness that I didn't mind.
Crazy thing is, this is the least book when it comes to adventure and magic, it was mostly social interactions.
Travis wasn't really smart about his final pages in this book. It ends without a cliffhanger, which will hurt people's desire to jump into another 800 pages book right after when this one was mostly so mundane, even if well written.
But, I have to admit, he might be setting himself up for an interesting start to book 5, if Jason really wanders around and helps other branches, or it could be the biggest failure in the series ever. If we instead fall into a whirlwind of introducing new characters that won't stick around for long, and how they react to Jason's eccentric character! There is so many countries after all and judging by this book, it could very well be what's waiting for us next.
If that happens, I'll probably give next book 2 stars, so we will wait and see, but honestly we might end up waiting a long time, or me rather wait a long time, because why would you wait for my opinion on the next book lol
So glad Farrah is alive again, even if it was spoiled for me long ago.
Emi is adorable, but I don't think she will ever fight with Jason, by the time she becomes of age to receive essences, he will be silver rank and she will be iron rank, like no way in hell they adventure together.
Maybe if in the sense that they fight a big army of builder cultists and he is fighting a gold rank guy, and she is fighting bronze rank grunts.
Erika is amazing too, and her husband is a sweetheart, he is one of the good guys for sure.
Jason's mother might be the worst of all, way more bad than his brother despite what he did, or his ex girlfriend.
I don't think it's wise to give her essences, bitch will soon just join the cultists because her head is so far upside her ass, she can't see anything but shit.
Is it a metaphor?!
January 3, 2022
This book is so dead!
This book was genuinely one of the most boring books I have read in a while. Lately I have been reading books I didn't like but at the end of it all, I wasn't bored listening to those books, but this book was a chore. This stems from this book being about like 60% family drama filler, 25% random useless filler, 5% action and 10% actually worth a damn, furthering the story or just genuinely interesting.
I loved the world that the author made from the first three books. I came to like most of the characters in Pallimustus (including Sophie), the plot is interesting to follow, and the interactions with all these characters are more or less enjoyable to read. One of the problems I had at the end of book three however, was Jason's personality. His persona in this series has always been a point of contention for me. To me he seemed like an odd mix of a goth person who is always self loathing and just wants everything to suffer, as well as being 'that clingy best friend' who constantly NEEDS emotional reassurance 24/7. And secondly, despite the fact that the author says that Jason cherishes friendship, the only person that I felt Jason truly considered a friend was Clive and maybe Farrah. But despite friendships/relationships being so prominent in this series, I felt as if these were by far the worst things in this series and brings down the series for me and this book only serves to fortify my thoughts.
God damn did the family drama lose interest real quick. I really couldn't find it in myself to give a flying fuck about Jason's family. Literally, I forced myself to listen to this book. I even went on royal road found where I was currently at and started to read while listening, to try to be more active while listening to the book. (I saw this as a technique to be more invested on YouTube.) Yet trying this technique, I still couldn't give a fuck about the family. All that we learned about Jason's family previously and the expected interactions when he came back are mostly just so anti-climatic. Somewhat resolved situation with the dad, Big sis is annoying, and the brother, Jason just somewhat forgave him. So fucking peachy. Emmy however, fucking mint. Little children can basically do no wrong.
What drew me to this series, was the fanciful nature of the story. Almost everything the author wrote was appealing and interesting, I just wanted to learn more and more and more and more, up until this book. Gone are the different monsters that roamed around the world, gone are the unique culture and unique people of the other world and most importantly gone is the magic in the series. Despite talking a lot about magic, there is barely any in this book. Gone are the ways of throwing magic at a problem, instead it is replaced with earth politics, earth corruption, earth family drama and the mundane of it all. It felt so played out.
Then we come to moral ambiguity. HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT is this really dragging down this book. Yes Jason could look back and reflect on his decisions, nothing is wrong with that. I don't care if he has regrets or doesn't, it is up to him to make that decision. But when Tom, Dick, Harry, Janet, Mary, John, and Suzan wants to butt in and play the moral high ground, and say that you cant do this, that is wrong to do, or blah blah blah because it doesn't fit your ideals, that is where you lose me.
This book made me very disinterested in continuing the story. This series which was once built upon the mystery and allure of the other world has just literally become a CW family drama, with a good dose of liberal bullshit thrown in. I am not sure about you, but when I pick up a LitRPG fantasy book, I generally don't want to read about pointless family bullshit.
(I see most people loving this book and now I am questioning my opinion. Is it only me who disliked the whole family thing? Was I the only one annoyed how pushy and unwelcomed Erica was? Was I the only one who dislike the fact that Jason can turn into an emotional teenage girl on her period at times? And was I the only one who didn't want the family to join Jason on his adventure [except Emmy]? And most importantly, am I the only one shipping Jason and Farrah? Please don't tell me that I am the only one on this boat.)
This book was genuinely one of the most boring books I have read in a while. Lately I have been reading books I didn't like but at the end of it all, I wasn't bored listening to those books, but this book was a chore. This stems from this book being about like 60% family drama filler, 25% random useless filler, 5% action and 10% actually worth a damn, furthering the story or just genuinely interesting.
I loved the world that the author made from the first three books. I came to like most of the characters in Pallimustus (including Sophie), the plot is interesting to follow, and the interactions with all these characters are more or less enjoyable to read. One of the problems I had at the end of book three however, was Jason's personality. His persona in this series has always been a point of contention for me. To me he seemed like an odd mix of a goth person who is always self loathing and just wants everything to suffer, as well as being 'that clingy best friend' who constantly NEEDS emotional reassurance 24/7. And secondly, despite the fact that the author says that Jason cherishes friendship, the only person that I felt Jason truly considered a friend was Clive and maybe Farrah. But despite friendships/relationships being so prominent in this series, I felt as if these were by far the worst things in this series and brings down the series for me and this book only serves to fortify my thoughts.
God damn did the family drama lose interest real quick. I really couldn't find it in myself to give a flying fuck about Jason's family. Literally, I forced myself to listen to this book. I even went on royal road found where I was currently at and started to read while listening, to try to be more active while listening to the book. (I saw this as a technique to be more invested on YouTube.) Yet trying this technique, I still couldn't give a fuck about the family. All that we learned about Jason's family previously and the expected interactions when he came back are mostly just so anti-climatic. Somewhat resolved situation with the dad, Big sis is annoying, and the brother, Jason just somewhat forgave him. So fucking peachy. Emmy however, fucking mint. Little children can basically do no wrong.
What drew me to this series, was the fanciful nature of the story. Almost everything the author wrote was appealing and interesting, I just wanted to learn more and more and more and more, up until this book. Gone are the different monsters that roamed around the world, gone are the unique culture and unique people of the other world and most importantly gone is the magic in the series. Despite talking a lot about magic, there is barely any in this book. Gone are the ways of throwing magic at a problem, instead it is replaced with earth politics, earth corruption, earth family drama and the mundane of it all. It felt so played out.
Then we come to moral ambiguity. HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT is this really dragging down this book. Yes Jason could look back and reflect on his decisions, nothing is wrong with that. I don't care if he has regrets or doesn't, it is up to him to make that decision. But when Tom, Dick, Harry, Janet, Mary, John, and Suzan wants to butt in and play the moral high ground, and say that you cant do this, that is wrong to do, or blah blah blah because it doesn't fit your ideals, that is where you lose me.
This book made me very disinterested in continuing the story. This series which was once built upon the mystery and allure of the other world has just literally become a CW family drama, with a good dose of liberal bullshit thrown in. I am not sure about you, but when I pick up a LitRPG fantasy book, I generally don't want to read about pointless family bullshit.
(I see most people loving this book and now I am questioning my opinion. Is it only me who disliked the whole family thing? Was I the only one annoyed how pushy and unwelcomed Erica was? Was I the only one who dislike the fact that Jason can turn into an emotional teenage girl on her period at times? And was I the only one who didn't want the family to join Jason on his adventure [except Emmy]? And most importantly, am I the only one shipping Jason and Farrah? Please don't tell me that I am the only one on this boat.)
December 29, 2021
Ummm book 5 now pls
January 7, 2022
Anti American
It is fine to have opinions. But that doesn't make them appreciated by all nor needed in a book written for the intent of enjoyment. Go debate liberal arts all day I am done reading your crap.
It is fine to have opinions. But that doesn't make them appreciated by all nor needed in a book written for the intent of enjoyment. Go debate liberal arts all day I am done reading your crap.
January 2, 2022
The first 3 books were average. The second gave me hope that they would improve but alas that has not been the case. As others have noted, the author has a heavy hand when pontificating about religion and authority figures, but this last book is ramped that up to new levels. There are simply too many blatantly racist, anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-gun, and other virtue signaling comments to ignore. Rarely do I not finish a book, especially when I have read previous books in the series, but I gave up on this one half way through.
February 23, 2023
This LitRPG series builds the plot over time and you should read in order.
The end of the last book has Jason returning to Earth. This picks up with him landing "home" only to find that magic exists here, just at a really low saturation. And there are magical societies and creatures and now he gets to terrorize more people who have no idea how to take him.
So you have no idea what to expect from prior books and I'm willing to bet that threw some fans. Personally, I liked the change in venue and Jason's family was all win. By which I mean that the conflicts were well-fleshed-out and diverse and had lots of emotional depth. Which gives us lots of background for where Jason was at the start of the series as kind of a loser with untapped potential.
Two things I didn't like that stacked up: One is the endless ethical moralizing that creates lines I disagree with. Jason kills people, yes. But never frivolously and never without a ton of cause. The author wants to make him a monster for his choices but is missing depth in the ethical analysis and that bugs me more than a little. Slavers and rapists aren't objects of mercy, certainly not when the only reason they have stopped is because they got a case of the Jasons. The whole "I don't even know how many sand pirates I killed" doesn't carry any weight against "they were carrying slaves and all their women in cages". That's a batch of people needing some killing. And I'm getting a little tired of him knowing this in the moment and not hesitating to end bad guys but then agonizing over it, over and over, after the fact. Dude, so far they were all bad.
The second problem is blurb abuse. We know who the other outworlder is. It's in the blurb. It's two-thirds of the story before that comes out. So the whole time we see Jason putzing around with family, we know (because we know the character/author) that he's going to beat the crap out of himself that he left her languishing in a very bad place. So I call blurb abuse.
The two together pull this down to four stars, and it's that high only because I think the author did such a fantastic job with the family things. And because I just roll with the awful editing.
A note about Chaste: There's nothing sexual or any shenanigans. And despite references to "torture" it doesn't seem to have had any sexual aspects. Which I don't buy, but hey, I'm just as glad it wasn't there. So this is pretty chaste, I think.
The end of the last book has Jason returning to Earth. This picks up with him landing "home" only to find that magic exists here, just at a really low saturation. And there are magical societies and creatures and now he gets to terrorize more people who have no idea how to take him.
So you have no idea what to expect from prior books and I'm willing to bet that threw some fans. Personally, I liked the change in venue and Jason's family was all win. By which I mean that the conflicts were well-fleshed-out and diverse and had lots of emotional depth. Which gives us lots of background for where Jason was at the start of the series as kind of a loser with untapped potential.
Two things I didn't like that stacked up: One is the endless ethical moralizing that creates lines I disagree with. Jason kills people, yes. But never frivolously and never without a ton of cause. The author wants to make him a monster for his choices but is missing depth in the ethical analysis and that bugs me more than a little. Slavers and rapists aren't objects of mercy, certainly not when the only reason they have stopped is because they got a case of the Jasons. The whole "I don't even know how many sand pirates I killed" doesn't carry any weight against "they were carrying slaves and all their women in cages". That's a batch of people needing some killing. And I'm getting a little tired of him knowing this in the moment and not hesitating to end bad guys but then agonizing over it, over and over, after the fact. Dude, so far they were all bad.
The second problem is blurb abuse. We know who the other outworlder is. It's in the blurb. It's two-thirds of the story before that comes out. So the whole time we see Jason putzing around with family, we know (because we know the character/author) that he's going to beat the crap out of himself that he left her languishing in a very bad place. So I call blurb abuse.
The two together pull this down to four stars, and it's that high only because I think the author did such a fantastic job with the family things. And because I just roll with the awful editing.
A note about Chaste: There's nothing sexual or any shenanigans. And despite references to "torture" it doesn't seem to have had any sexual aspects. Which I don't buy, but hey, I'm just as glad it wasn't there. So this is pretty chaste, I think.
November 18, 2023
I loved and rated the first three books in this series at 5 stars. Those books have some redundancy and some proselytizing, but overall are fantastic adventure stories with a wide array of interesting and complete characters, not the least of which is the main protagonist, Jason.
In this book, Jason returns to our world. This made me skeptical as I generally do not like fantasy elements mixed with our present-day reality - just not my thing - but the author did a surprisingly good job of using our world as a magical setting.
Then there is the blatantly anti-American, anti-Capitalism, anti-a lot of things commentary. I was not offended by these, albeit rather one-sided, overused, and ill-placed. The only real problems I had were that they took me out of the story and created a genuine dislike for someone who was my favorite hero.
Why? Not because Jason expresses any of these opinions but because he is is a walking embodiment of those views he purports to hate. He is more-or-less a rich, morally corrupt d-bag who chides himself about some of his failings but never really changes them or grows despite significant events strong enough to scar his soul. He is often petty, always self-involved, and always so far up on his high horse, forcing his heavy handed views on just about everyone he meets.
This, in addition to making him more and more dislikable, makes the story boring. This book had far less action than the predecessors and a whole lot more family drama, repetitive intros to magic for family members and friends, and endless Jason on his soapbox for maybe 80-90% of the book.
But he got silver eyes. I guess I will get off my soapbox, and this book does not take away from the fact that the author wrote three of the best fantasy adventure books I have read. Will I continue with the series? Probably. But I did four books straight and need a break. I am now more interested in the characters Jason left behind and hope we return to them soon. Other than perhaps his niece (maybe), i don't care what happens to any of the other characters introduced in this book.
In this book, Jason returns to our world. This made me skeptical as I generally do not like fantasy elements mixed with our present-day reality - just not my thing - but the author did a surprisingly good job of using our world as a magical setting.
Then there is the blatantly anti-American, anti-Capitalism, anti-a lot of things commentary. I was not offended by these, albeit rather one-sided, overused, and ill-placed. The only real problems I had were that they took me out of the story and created a genuine dislike for someone who was my favorite hero.
Why? Not because Jason expresses any of these opinions but because he is is a walking embodiment of those views he purports to hate. He is more-or-less a rich, morally corrupt d-bag who chides himself about some of his failings but never really changes them or grows despite significant events strong enough to scar his soul. He is often petty, always self-involved, and always so far up on his high horse, forcing his heavy handed views on just about everyone he meets.
This, in addition to making him more and more dislikable, makes the story boring. This book had far less action than the predecessors and a whole lot more family drama, repetitive intros to magic for family members and friends, and endless Jason on his soapbox for maybe 80-90% of the book.
But he got silver eyes. I guess I will get off my soapbox, and this book does not take away from the fact that the author wrote three of the best fantasy adventure books I have read. Will I continue with the series? Probably. But I did four books straight and need a break. I am now more interested in the characters Jason left behind and hope we return to them soon. Other than perhaps his niece (maybe), i don't care what happens to any of the other characters introduced in this book.
December 30, 2021
Notes:
Totally didn't expect the plot turn that this book had taken and that's good, because I was pleasantly surprised by the character development arc in this volume. =)
Almost tempted to check out the next part on Royal Road. Most likely, I'll wait until the audiobook comes out and listen to that instead.
Audio Production: There were a few swallowing noises and stuff, but I've gotten used to Heath Miller's narration and enjoy his take on He Who Fights with Monsters.
Totally didn't expect the plot turn that this book had taken and that's good, because I was pleasantly surprised by the character development arc in this volume. =)
Almost tempted to check out the next part on Royal Road. Most likely, I'll wait until the audiobook comes out and listen to that instead.
Audio Production: There were a few swallowing noises and stuff, but I've gotten used to Heath Miller's narration and enjoy his take on He Who Fights with Monsters.
January 3, 2022
Great concept. I can't remember another cultivation story that returned to Earth (one of them) after being immersed in the traditional tropes for so long. It reminded me of the joy I felt as a kid when the Battlestar Galactica found Earth, (don't rewatch. It hasn't aged well.)
This addition to the series had more heart than the rest. Jason gets to reconnect with an old and important friend - and it's satisfying. He has a chance to confront members of his family that hurt him in his previous life. Thankfully the author doesn't take the easy way out. Jason isn't petty, (for long), but he's no saint either. It felt real.
I'm re-energized for the next book. Bring it on!
This addition to the series had more heart than the rest. Jason gets to reconnect with an old and important friend - and it's satisfying. He has a chance to confront members of his family that hurt him in his previous life. Thankfully the author doesn't take the easy way out. Jason isn't petty, (for long), but he's no saint either. It felt real.
I'm re-energized for the next book. Bring it on!
November 4, 2021
Technically this does not come out until December but I have already read well past it on royalroad.com. If you can believe it, online the series is well past Book 4--being at chapter 543 currently. And I am still hooked!
MILD SPOILER (though also on jacket copy). One of the master strokes for Shirtaloon to keep the story engaging is to take Jason, who was snatched from Earth and transferred to a parallel but magical world where he ranked up and met many interesting and compelling people (Books 1-3), to now return to Earth and his family, where we meet a new group of fascinating characters and where Jason has to play a more central role in saving the day. Much fun.
MILD SPOILER (though also on jacket copy). One of the master strokes for Shirtaloon to keep the story engaging is to take Jason, who was snatched from Earth and transferred to a parallel but magical world where he ranked up and met many interesting and compelling people (Books 1-3), to now return to Earth and his family, where we meet a new group of fascinating characters and where Jason has to play a more central role in saving the day. Much fun.
November 9, 2022
This is one of the rare 1-star books that I actually finished reading, but it was a close call.
The book has a great premise - what if magic leaks into modern civilization - and also starts strong.
But then ... simply nothing interesting happens. For a series named "He who fights with monsters" there's very little monster fighting happening
The book throws out all the elements that made the series interesting so far - monster fights, advancement, magic theory, new wonders, some escalating drama. Instead it keeps the elements that were weak and boring already.
There's a strong focus on Jason, a boring 1-dimensional, unlikable protagonist. On earth he's overpowered and he lets everybody know it, but not in a good way. He lectures everyone, kills random people, interrupts every conversation and is simply super annoying. ("Hi I'm Gordon, nice to me-" "I shall call you Other Gordon")
All other characters are similarly flat, stereotyped and uninteresting. Any scene that Jason is not in the characters have nothing to talk about but Jason ("his aura is so strong"). Any scene that Jason is part of he dominates and disrupts ("look how strong my aura is").
And that's not even the worst part.
What pushes the book from 2 into 1 star category is the weird way the plot is paced. Much of it reads like filler content that does not advance the story at all.
Jason introduces magic and the wonders he saw in the other universe (you know, the things you, the reader read about in the 3 previous books) to Every. Single. Family. Member.
Not once, that would be ok. No, he has to tell everyone again and again the same thing, and you have to read the same summary of what happened. His uncle. His niece. His sister. His father. His mother. Every time essentially the same summary. ("Magic is real" "No!" "It is, mate!")
And when the plot advances by a few centimeters, he tells them again about what just happened!
I will not continue with the series, this was a waste of time.
The book has a great premise - what if magic leaks into modern civilization - and also starts strong.
But then ... simply nothing interesting happens. For a series named "He who fights with monsters" there's very little monster fighting happening
The book throws out all the elements that made the series interesting so far - monster fights, advancement, magic theory, new wonders, some escalating drama. Instead it keeps the elements that were weak and boring already.
There's a strong focus on Jason, a boring 1-dimensional, unlikable protagonist. On earth he's overpowered and he lets everybody know it, but not in a good way. He lectures everyone, kills random people, interrupts every conversation and is simply super annoying. ("Hi I'm Gordon, nice to me-" "I shall call you Other Gordon")
All other characters are similarly flat, stereotyped and uninteresting. Any scene that Jason is not in the characters have nothing to talk about but Jason ("his aura is so strong"). Any scene that Jason is part of he dominates and disrupts ("look how strong my aura is").
And that's not even the worst part.
What pushes the book from 2 into 1 star category is the weird way the plot is paced. Much of it reads like filler content that does not advance the story at all.
Jason introduces magic and the wonders he saw in the other universe (you know, the things you, the reader read about in the 3 previous books) to Every. Single. Family. Member.
Not once, that would be ok. No, he has to tell everyone again and again the same thing, and you have to read the same summary of what happened. His uncle. His niece. His sister. His father. His mother. Every time essentially the same summary. ("Magic is real" "No!" "It is, mate!")
And when the plot advances by a few centimeters, he tells them again about what just happened!
I will not continue with the series, this was a waste of time.
January 9, 2022
Good... its really went downhill. I think the greatest problem is that the books are not edited nor changed from Royal Road to this professional work. Nothing was learned, nothing grew and man, you would think that the most hated arc would bring some changes but no...
Jason really became this impossible asshole and pretentious twat, and man for a man who "burned his bridges", he doesn't have to apologize to nobody, heal relationship because everybody loves him, he still has a woman pinning for him for over 10 years and now he can mock all the governments of the world and decide who lives and who dies in the apocalypse.
What a terrible character and what a terrible book.
Jason really became this impossible asshole and pretentious twat, and man for a man who "burned his bridges", he doesn't have to apologize to nobody, heal relationship because everybody loves him, he still has a woman pinning for him for over 10 years and now he can mock all the governments of the world and decide who lives and who dies in the apocalypse.
What a terrible character and what a terrible book.
June 30, 2026
Тут почалася арка якої я не очікував поюачити так швидко в серії, але вона була реалізована краще ніж те, чого я боявся. Слабіша ніж 3, але все ще непогана
July 17, 2022
Cool premise, underwhelming protagonist
I was really hoping that the protagonist was going to have some development and growth. But Jason still sucks. His family mostly sucks. The characters are attempting to be human, are almost relatable. Unfortunately they are stuck in uncanny valley with references to some decent television.
The return to Earth story arc is a good concept to attempt closure but execution is not quite there.
I’m 4 books in and I still dislike the protagonist. Caricature of an edgelord .
I don’t think I got in me to get to finish this series.
Magic world was fun and I miss it.
I was really hoping that the protagonist was going to have some development and growth. But Jason still sucks. His family mostly sucks. The characters are attempting to be human, are almost relatable. Unfortunately they are stuck in uncanny valley with references to some decent television.
The return to Earth story arc is a good concept to attempt closure but execution is not quite there.
I’m 4 books in and I still dislike the protagonist. Caricature of an edgelord .
I don’t think I got in me to get to finish this series.
Magic world was fun and I miss it.
December 29, 2021
It was awesome like always. However it felt like the author really spent too much time on the family angle in this one. There wasn't very much action and fighting in this one, compared to the others. The fights where also shorter and less interesting. But the story is progressing at a steady pace that I am enjoying. This time there wasn't a stupid cliffhanger either so it's a solid 5 stars book. I really enjoyed the introspection of Jason in this book. I loved some of the family as well as some of the other new characters. Vermilion is in the top 5 of people on earth that I enjoyed.
May 12, 2022
4.75/5
The story did not went the way I thought it would go. Definitely better than Book 3. The only problem I had with this book was how much time they spent with the family aspects instead of Progression since it's a progression fantasy. Otherwise it's an enjoyable read. Light on action but good nonetheless. On to book 5
The story did not went the way I thought it would go. Definitely better than Book 3. The only problem I had with this book was how much time they spent with the family aspects instead of Progression since it's a progression fantasy. Otherwise it's an enjoyable read. Light on action but good nonetheless. On to book 5
March 22, 2024
Pēc iegūtās pieredzes un dažādu prasmu līmeņu uzlabošanas Reaper Trials laikā iepriekšējās sērijas grāmatas ietvaros, pienācis laiks kā zemietim Džeisonam, tā viņa fantāzijas pasaulē (par Pallimustus sauktu) iegūtajiem draugiem un komandas biedriem jauniegūto konsolidēt un treniņu periodā apgūt gan personīgi jaunās spējas, burvestības, gan krietni uzlabot komandas sinerģiju, lai no pusvārda, no pirmās kustības zinātu, ko grib darīt komandasbiedrs, lai neatstātu nevienu vājo vietu, kuru stiprākam pretiniekam vai briesmonim izmantot savā labā.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
June 30, 2025
Visvājākā sērijā, vismaz pagaidām. 800 lapaspuses, kuras mierīgi varēja satilpināt 200. Īsumā Jāsons atgriežas uz Zemes, kura tehnikiski ir nemaģijas planēta, bet izrādās, ka te visādas slepenas kabalas ir vairāk nekā suņam blusu un maģiskā dzīve sit augstu vilni.
Lieku 6 no 10 ballēm, ir gana aizraujoša, lai liekvārdība netraucētu, bet vairāk izskatās pēc sižeta iestiepšanas.
Lieku 6 no 10 ballēm, ir gana aizraujoša, lai liekvārdība netraucētu, bet vairāk izskatās pēc sižeta iestiepšanas.
June 12, 2026
I almost dropped the book when Jason left the fantasy world for our own, but I'm glad I stuck around. It's a fun urban fantasy in the vein of World of Darkness, and it was great to finally get Farrah after so much chasing. The plot neatly wraps up Jason’s family drama while setting the stage for the next books.
That said, the editing is atrocious. We're talking a relentless barrage of grammatical errors, and repetitions. But hey, clearly it's doing something right—because I'm still reading!
That said, the editing is atrocious. We're talking a relentless barrage of grammatical errors, and repetitions. But hey, clearly it's doing something right—because I'm still reading!
December 29, 2021
The earth arc isn't great, and for some reason shirtaloon decided to cut it in half, meaning that this first book in that arc has no real conflict other than the obvious one. What's worse is that in this book, Jason plays the diplomat, meeting constant aggression from the established forces of earth with sarcasm and a smile. That's fine when balanced against the er... More assertive Jason from what will be books 5 and 6, but without it, it's just a lot of exposition and posturing strung together.
Not that some of that exposition isn't a long time coming, but still, you need conflict beyond " I'm mad you didn't pick up a phone while you were learning to be a warlock ninja in an alternate universe" and "don't kidnap my 13 year old daughter and teach her to fly in a hydro jetpack" and such. In this book, Jason allows himself to be chastised for bad behavior like healing a hospital full of sick people and not allowing his uncle to be murdered in front of him by a swarm of biker-vampires in blood withdrawal with little to no pushback. Yeah, my bad. Next time I'll just let the (pseudo) vampires open fire into a crowd. Totally my fault. I understand completely why that makes ME untrustworthy... (meanwhile nobody in the NWG seems even a little arsed about "the law." "The law" is for everyone else. Realistic, sure, but aggravating to read.
The closest thing to a plot twist is the moment Jason decides to rescue someone "no matter who stands in his way" fortunately things work out so that the blowback is minimal and the situation is handled in barely a chapter. Then everything is back to normal and Jason just chalks it up like it's a bad day at the office.
Would probably be a 5 star book, definitely a 4 star +, if it was combined with book 5 & 6, but its not. The star rating is adjusted accordingly.
Not that some of that exposition isn't a long time coming, but still, you need conflict beyond " I'm mad you didn't pick up a phone while you were learning to be a warlock ninja in an alternate universe" and "don't kidnap my 13 year old daughter and teach her to fly in a hydro jetpack" and such. In this book, Jason allows himself to be chastised for bad behavior like healing a hospital full of sick people and not allowing his uncle to be murdered in front of him by a swarm of biker-vampires in blood withdrawal with little to no pushback. Yeah, my bad. Next time I'll just let the (pseudo) vampires open fire into a crowd. Totally my fault. I understand completely why that makes ME untrustworthy... (meanwhile nobody in the NWG seems even a little arsed about "the law." "The law" is for everyone else. Realistic, sure, but aggravating to read.
The closest thing to a plot twist is the moment Jason decides to rescue someone "no matter who stands in his way" fortunately things work out so that the blowback is minimal and the situation is handled in barely a chapter. Then everything is back to normal and Jason just chalks it up like it's a bad day at the office.
Would probably be a 5 star book, definitely a 4 star +, if it was combined with book 5 & 6, but its not. The star rating is adjusted accordingly.
May 31, 2022
this series is bad. still, i read up to here. maybe it's not as bad as i remember. who doesn't love an interdimensional-boy-learns-magic-fights-bad-guys story?
anyway... this was the one that made me say enough is enough.
in case you're reading this series and it's a guilty, if not entirely good, pleasure... i'll maybe spare you some time by telling you what happens in this book. it's like 3 things.
1) hero goes to earth for some reason, which has little magic and hero ... Jason is his name... has no real trouble with because he's a genius.
2) Jason's soul is so good. His control is so good. Except when it isn't. But it's great.
3) Jason teaches earth how to fight back against evil. His magic is so good and Earth's isn't.
4) Jason reconciles his family except for his idiot brother and sister-in-law who he grudgingly grants nigh immortality to then tells them they're shitty people.
Jason is kind of a dick in this one.
The only thing he didn't do was fix his parent's broken marriage.
Maybe that's book 5.
I'll never know.
Hope you're enjoying more than I did.
anyway... this was the one that made me say enough is enough.
in case you're reading this series and it's a guilty, if not entirely good, pleasure... i'll maybe spare you some time by telling you what happens in this book. it's like 3 things.
1) hero goes to earth for some reason, which has little magic and hero ... Jason is his name... has no real trouble with because he's a genius.
2) Jason's soul is so good. His control is so good. Except when it isn't. But it's great.
3) Jason teaches earth how to fight back against evil. His magic is so good and Earth's isn't.
4) Jason reconciles his family except for his idiot brother and sister-in-law who he grudgingly grants nigh immortality to then tells them they're shitty people.
Jason is kind of a dick in this one.
The only thing he didn't do was fix his parent's broken marriage.
Maybe that's book 5.
I'll never know.
Hope you're enjoying more than I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2022
Review of books 1-4:
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-he-who...
One of the best series, I’ve ever read irrespective of genre! And one of my most re-read series too! I simply cannot wax eloquent anymore regarding this series. It’s simply brilliance in bound words!
Note: Though this book is advertised as LitRPG and has “some” game elements, I believe this leans more towards Progression Fantasy. The game elements are kept to bare minimum and specific to it’s purpose and we are not subject to detailed and repeated descriptions of random skills and spells that MC rarely/never uses.
Jason gets magically transported into a magical realm with magic and monsters for reasons he can’t ascertain. How he adapts and preservers bringing his own style and views to a new society that isn’t as accepting while trying to finding a way back (and trying to reconcile with himself on whether he wants to go back) makes the plot. Along the way he finds out he was (and still is) a pawn in a game played at level he can’t even see far less understand throws a spanner in his plans.
it just is such a fun book to read. The plot starts off a bit slow and slightly trope-y, but within couple dozen pages, it sets itself apart. From then on it along at a brisk pace, there’s lots of humour and enough action to keep fans entertained. The plot just broadens in scope organically as we move from a villa owned by cannibalistic cabal to cities, linked dimensions and entire worlds. The sheer potential to the scope if just breathtaking. The plot is quite intriguing too. Though we follow Jason mostly, we get the see the different threads built up nicely and tied up well at the end, whilst leaving enough to keep me hooked to the next book. The world is rich and diverse and so interesting, that I won’t mind being transported there magically myself.
Jason is such a awesome character, equal parts funny and annoying. It certainly is a pleasure to see him face off against ridiculous odds with a mix of humour, sarcasm, false bravado and true grit. It’s amazing how often I alternated between cheering him on and wanting to rub his smug persona into the dirt! The supporting cast is stellar too. Even those who do not play a major part (yet) still make a impression.
Now this is a true “epic” LitRPG in truest sense as we get a bit of everything. There’s PvP battles, magic schools and training montages, political manipulations, good old fashioned mysteries all rolled into one. What makes everything come together is a blend of humour and satire and some absolutely superb writing that kept me hooked for 4 books back-to-back and still left me screaming for the next one.
There’s a bit of liberal anti-authoritarian message the MC Jason cascades often when he rails against societal structure, religion etc. Now, I found this fascinating though a (very) slightly heavy handed, but still fitting within the theme and not detrimental to the plot.
And after reading first 3 books, the moment I assumed I had a handle on the plot direction, author just uproots everything and sent me in a direction that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Overall this is something I really enjoyed and am eagerly awaiting the next installment!
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-he-who...
One of the best series, I’ve ever read irrespective of genre! And one of my most re-read series too! I simply cannot wax eloquent anymore regarding this series. It’s simply brilliance in bound words!
Note: Though this book is advertised as LitRPG and has “some” game elements, I believe this leans more towards Progression Fantasy. The game elements are kept to bare minimum and specific to it’s purpose and we are not subject to detailed and repeated descriptions of random skills and spells that MC rarely/never uses.
Jason gets magically transported into a magical realm with magic and monsters for reasons he can’t ascertain. How he adapts and preservers bringing his own style and views to a new society that isn’t as accepting while trying to finding a way back (and trying to reconcile with himself on whether he wants to go back) makes the plot. Along the way he finds out he was (and still is) a pawn in a game played at level he can’t even see far less understand throws a spanner in his plans.
it just is such a fun book to read. The plot starts off a bit slow and slightly trope-y, but within couple dozen pages, it sets itself apart. From then on it along at a brisk pace, there’s lots of humour and enough action to keep fans entertained. The plot just broadens in scope organically as we move from a villa owned by cannibalistic cabal to cities, linked dimensions and entire worlds. The sheer potential to the scope if just breathtaking. The plot is quite intriguing too. Though we follow Jason mostly, we get the see the different threads built up nicely and tied up well at the end, whilst leaving enough to keep me hooked to the next book. The world is rich and diverse and so interesting, that I won’t mind being transported there magically myself.
Jason is such a awesome character, equal parts funny and annoying. It certainly is a pleasure to see him face off against ridiculous odds with a mix of humour, sarcasm, false bravado and true grit. It’s amazing how often I alternated between cheering him on and wanting to rub his smug persona into the dirt! The supporting cast is stellar too. Even those who do not play a major part (yet) still make a impression.
Now this is a true “epic” LitRPG in truest sense as we get a bit of everything. There’s PvP battles, magic schools and training montages, political manipulations, good old fashioned mysteries all rolled into one. What makes everything come together is a blend of humour and satire and some absolutely superb writing that kept me hooked for 4 books back-to-back and still left me screaming for the next one.
There’s a bit of liberal anti-authoritarian message the MC Jason cascades often when he rails against societal structure, religion etc. Now, I found this fascinating though a (very) slightly heavy handed, but still fitting within the theme and not detrimental to the plot.
And after reading first 3 books, the moment I assumed I had a handle on the plot direction, author just uproots everything and sent me in a direction that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Overall this is something I really enjoyed and am eagerly awaiting the next installment!
February 26, 2022
Much better than book 3
Fantasy magic LitRPG
MC Jason Asano, having kept his special feather token from the World-Phoenix, awakens in the now abandoned hospital where he had been born -- back on Earth in his native Australia. Interestingly, all of his possessions went into his inventory, so he has access to everything he had stored when he died at the end of book 3.
I won't say any more because of spoilers. What I *do* want to say is that this 800-plus page novel is much better edited, and instead of pages of repeated *complete* skills sheets every time one or two skills advance, we get a lot more story. Indeed, the style changes from LitRPG to LitRPG-light. That means there is a lot more story in this book. Another change is "system messages" are not in boldface type, but are in bulleted paragraphs and are set off by four blank lines between each paragraph. Fortunately, these "system messages" are quite rare.
Much of my criticisms of book 3 remain, but have been addressed here. There is a lot less focus of grinding to level up, at least much of the first half of the story. After all, he's been gone from home for nearly two years and his apartment was pretty much destroyed in the summoning process, and his family want answers. More so, while ambient mana exists, it's much reduced, and there are people dedicated to keeping magic a secret from the rest of the world. Make that -- deadly serious about keeping it a secret.
So, while the story format changes again, it fits the new circumstances. My only concern is Jason's very restrained reaction to the presence of the EOA, one of the three magic groups; it's almost as if his resurrection messed with some of his memories from book 3. The EOA are explained in this book.
The story definitely continues, and I want to read book 5. Recommended.
Fantasy magic LitRPG
MC Jason Asano, having kept his special feather token from the World-Phoenix, awakens in the now abandoned hospital where he had been born -- back on Earth in his native Australia. Interestingly, all of his possessions went into his inventory, so he has access to everything he had stored when he died at the end of book 3.
I won't say any more because of spoilers. What I *do* want to say is that this 800-plus page novel is much better edited, and instead of pages of repeated *complete* skills sheets every time one or two skills advance, we get a lot more story. Indeed, the style changes from LitRPG to LitRPG-light. That means there is a lot more story in this book. Another change is "system messages" are not in boldface type, but are in bulleted paragraphs and are set off by four blank lines between each paragraph. Fortunately, these "system messages" are quite rare.
Much of my criticisms of book 3 remain, but have been addressed here. There is a lot less focus of grinding to level up, at least much of the first half of the story. After all, he's been gone from home for nearly two years and his apartment was pretty much destroyed in the summoning process, and his family want answers. More so, while ambient mana exists, it's much reduced, and there are people dedicated to keeping magic a secret from the rest of the world. Make that -- deadly serious about keeping it a secret.
So, while the story format changes again, it fits the new circumstances. My only concern is Jason's very restrained reaction to the presence of the EOA, one of the three magic groups; it's almost as if his resurrection messed with some of his memories from book 3. The EOA are explained in this book.
The story definitely continues, and I want to read book 5. Recommended.
January 8, 2022
Couldn't put it down. Got in trouble by the wife a couple of times for staying up too late and reading!
April 9, 2026
The series continues to be awesome as Jason finds himself back on Earth with another Outworlder. As Jason struggles with his experiences from the magic world, he's now back bigger and better. Like I said, another great edition to the series as the goals become clearer, if not any easier. Ok then time to continue with the book 5 already and then let's Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me why I read. Simply put, I love reading, so I have made it my motto to Forever Keep on Reading. I love reading everything except for self-help books, even occasionally. I read almost all the genres, but YA, Fantasy, and Biographies are the most read. My favorite series is Harry Potter, but then there are many more books I adore. I have bookcases filled with books that are waiting to be read, so I can't stay and spend more time on this review. Remember, I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and then just Keep on Reading.
People who don't read generally ask me why I read. Simply put, I love reading, so I have made it my motto to Forever Keep on Reading. I love reading everything except for self-help books, even occasionally. I read almost all the genres, but YA, Fantasy, and Biographies are the most read. My favorite series is Harry Potter, but then there are many more books I adore. I have bookcases filled with books that are waiting to be read, so I can't stay and spend more time on this review. Remember, I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and then just Keep on Reading.
May 31, 2026
In this book, something happens that I knew was coming, but I was convinced it would have happened way later along the series, and, to be completely honest, I was hoping for that not to happen at all. I mean, there were strong hints that, sooner ot later, this thing was happening, but still, there was hope, and I thought that I was safe for now.
But... it happened, and... I loved it??
I was shocked, but Jason's homecoming worked brilliantly. I couldn't put down the book, and I was sooooo there for it! And it was epic, in pure Jason Asano's style!
This book was so much fun, and it was as hard to put down as the others and I loved it.
It's also, stylistically speaking, the better one so far. I don't know if more editing went into it or what, but I think that it was the best one, editing-wise.
But this is just a minor thing. I loved this one to pieces, and obviously, I need more!!
But... it happened, and... I loved it??
I was shocked, but Jason's homecoming worked brilliantly. I couldn't put down the book, and I was sooooo there for it! And it was epic, in pure Jason Asano's style!
This book was so much fun, and it was as hard to put down as the others and I loved it.
It's also, stylistically speaking, the better one so far. I don't know if more editing went into it or what, but I think that it was the best one, editing-wise.
But this is just a minor thing. I loved this one to pieces, and obviously, I need more!!
April 12, 2026
The best book in the series so far for me and I have no complaints! Yes its the longers but I found it so freaking cool that Jason made it back home. I love how the author mixed both worlds together and how our world had magic but on a much lower level. Jason over the last 3 books has grown so much and has made me love him even more! There were so many good moments especially with his family! Best one yet
August 10, 2022
Definitely the most boring of the series so far. Lots of important character development, and many necessary conversations between characters that were long awaited... But still felt very tiring to get through. Every character is as witty as Jason is, just perhaps less manic and easy to side track, and the same types of conversations and dialogue made it an eye roll to listen to. Also, WAY too many characters were introduced too quickly. It was exhausting to remember and track them all!
I like the way the plot is being taken, but this book felt especially drawn out. Half of this book likely could've been condensed down and we wouldn't have lost substance. High word counts arent mandatory to publish a book 😭
I like the way the plot is being taken, but this book felt especially drawn out. Half of this book likely could've been condensed down and we wouldn't have lost substance. High word counts arent mandatory to publish a book 😭
August 25, 2026
Solid
April 1, 2022
PR nightmare, man about town, ghetto Asano’s are about to jump into a new league
I am really enjoying this story and the characters that join or star in it. Finally back on Earth, Jason has discovered that he didn’t arrive alone nor unnoticed. And neither did another outworlder who arrived on the same day as he did.
Reunion ahead?
It is a changed world that he returns to, which is fitting for the changed man he is… if only he knew who he was and who he wanted to be. But no time to figure that out as there are bad guys and monsters to deal with and oh Vampires do exist and aren’t all savage blood drinking monsters, they are sophisticated like some literature portrays them.
Earth has so many more secrets than Jason ever imagine but magic has been here and hidden for a very long time. Worldwide organizations and committees rule through political moves and agreements or kidnapping. He’s just going to bulldoze in and see what he can do, if they stop trying to kidnap or kill him, manipulate or threaten, then he can hoped share his knowledge from the other world to help protect his!
I am really enjoying this story and the characters that join or star in it. Finally back on Earth, Jason has discovered that he didn’t arrive alone nor unnoticed. And neither did another outworlder who arrived on the same day as he did.
Reunion ahead?
It is a changed world that he returns to, which is fitting for the changed man he is… if only he knew who he was and who he wanted to be. But no time to figure that out as there are bad guys and monsters to deal with and oh Vampires do exist and aren’t all savage blood drinking monsters, they are sophisticated like some literature portrays them.
Earth has so many more secrets than Jason ever imagine but magic has been here and hidden for a very long time. Worldwide organizations and committees rule through political moves and agreements or kidnapping. He’s just going to bulldoze in and see what he can do, if they stop trying to kidnap or kill him, manipulate or threaten, then he can hoped share his knowledge from the other world to help protect his!
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