Dominic has immersed himself in the world of Risona and has made friends and enemies. With others now relying on him, Dom tries to come up with ways to improve their lives. Those ideas will help his family if his enemies don't make trouble for him. In this second part of his journey, Dom keeps inventing items not known to the world, strives not to give in to societies standards, and learns that his compassion for others will get him into trouble.
Disclaimer: This book is a slice of life novel and will not be for everyone. It has unconventional relationships, cursing, sexual content, and violence. For mature audiences and not rated for anyone under 18.
“The Traveler 2,” an audiobook by Xander Jade published in 2022 and narrated by the dynamic duo Rozelyn Rader and Lewis Alexander, picks up where its predecessor left off, plunging listeners back into the enchanting yet perilous world of Risona. This sequel follows Dominic, the MIT-educated outdoorsman turned interdimensional transplant, as he deepens his roots in a matriarchal society teeming with magic and intrigue. Aimed at mature audiences, and occasional coarse language, this installment amplifies the stakes while showcasing Jade’s knack for blending fantasy with practical innovation.
The narrative thrusts Dominic into a whirlwind of responsibility after his initial survival in Risona. Now surrounded by allies and adversaries, he’s no longer just adapting - he’s inventing. Dominic’s Earth-born intellect shines as he crafts tools and ideas alien to this world, aiming to uplift his newfound “family.” These moments of ingenuity, like forging items that defy Risona’s norms, are a highlight, blending his outsider perspective with a growing sense of belonging. Yet, his compassion becomes a double-edged sword, drawing trouble from enemies who see his influence as a threat. Jade excels at weaving this tension, keeping listeners on edge as Dominic’s good intentions collide with a society resistant to change.
The narration duo elevates the experience. Lewis Alexander’s steady, earnest delivery captures Dominic’s blend of determination and vulnerability, grounding the fantastical elements in a relatable humanity. Rozelyn Rader, meanwhile, brings Risona’s fierce women to life with a commanding yet nuanced performance, her voice embodying their strength and complexity. Their interplay shines in scenes of conflict or camaraderie, adding a cinematic quality to the audiobook. However, the pacing occasionally stumbles - some subplots feel rushed, leaving little room for the world’s rich details to breathe, while certain dialogues lean into exposition over natural flow.
Key highlights include Dominic’s evolving relationships, which push boundaries and explore power dynamics in Risona’s female-dominated culture. These interactions - steeped in mature themes - offer a provocative lens on trust and loyalty. The action sequences, particularly those pitting Dominic against his foes, pulse with energy, showcasing his growth from bewildered newcomer to resourceful leader. Jade’s world-building deepens too, hinting at larger forces at play without fully unveiling them, preserving mystery for future installments.
“The Traveler 2” isn’t flawless. Dominic’s near-superhuman adaptability can strain credulity, and the narrative sometimes prioritizes plot over character depth. Still, its bold ambition and immersive audio execution make it a compelling listen. For those hooked by the first book, this sequel delivers a satisfying escalation - proof that Dominic’s journey is far from ordinary, even if it occasionally races past its own potential.
a change from book 1 This series went from a carbon copy of every single harem series out there, to a direct copy of the Binding Words Series by Daniel Schinhofen. ----------- I'm serious, He's recreated the earth devices that will sell well, is being hailed as a great inventor, has opened the shop, is forming business partnerships with good people who are being squeezed out by the unscrupulous, Is building the bath house, is only marrying non-humans who are social outcasts, is pissing off folks with a stake in maintaining the status quo with the way he is introducing change to this society, and just got in a fight to the death with some arrogant nobility jerks who are used to getting what they want and enjoy pushing other people around. He's even swearing people to secrecy, but only one couple at the end of the book and that's never mentioned again.
...So if you loved Hearthglen & Forged Bonds by Daniel Schinhofen enough that You want to read some one else's cover version of them now is your chance.
Now if you read the first book make sure you know what you’re getting into here. This is slice of life, harem, a bit of action and magic. While I personally would prefer a bit more of the latter two items the seasoning mix of all four is pretty well rounded.
No I do have one concern I don’t mind something being a little on the smit side of things but I always look for practicality if you’re going to talk about sex be realistic with it oh I think the author goes a little overboard here with sex in the book. I don’t take anything away from it but you need to be aware of that. To be honest if a person had sex like this all the time as a guy you’d actually hurt yourself you end up pulling a muscle and be in the hospital and you’d actually end up disabled. Actually happened to a friend of mine. Now this is fiction so that’s OK. The issue I have is smut being used just for the sake of using it. I get the author is trying to portray sex that’s fine but there are some instances where you don’t need to bring it up. I’ll give you an example no spoilers. If the MC is talking about having his hands his fingers in lots of pies out there you know lots of things out there he’s working on no need for the female character to chime in and mention their lower region. A conversation like that while it can be sexual. Should likely be handled tastefully not everything needs to be sex sex sex in the book. I think the author straight away from that a little bit in this book got a little bit too heavy handed with the sexual content. Hoping the third book gets back on the rails a little bit. Like I said overall good book know what you’re getting into first definitely not for children.
4.5 stars. Normally I don't like the slice of life so much, but this one managed to keep my attention. It would have been a full 5 if more actually happened, but, today at least it was the kind of thing I wanted to read. The story is developing, and I look forward to seeing what's next.
The name to this fantasy-isekai (teleported to another world) should be, Dominic's sexual adventures, with a thin layer of copykat-ing/plagiarizing other people's inventions from Earth and placing them to his own name. So a second name could be Made in China, or Bill Gates 2.0 how Dominic economically dominates this other world. If all of the sexual liaisons would be taken out, the story would not be that bad. Although main character is really not going anywhere. Doesn't want to marry his all female retinue-harem (that now is 9-12 women). I feel this second volume needs focus. Needs to go somewhere. The author is all over the place, buying an inn, partnerships with bakery, general foods store, import/export company, etc. etc. etc. The author had the gall to have Dominic make vibrators and Lubricant for all his women. Larry Flint would be proud. Because sex with all the women he meets is the author's priority, the story lacks pace and plot arcs. With all the murders and killings that Dom and his women are committing, maybe his name should be changed to Don Corleone? Making money is fine and dandy but what's up with making it part of organized crime??? Who knows who the lady in the cover is? Maybe Corinne? Maybe the author's neighbor? There are 100+ more pages and 30 chapters in this second volume. But consider it all sizzling sex by the Don...at least he's having fun with all that sex with all those women....
The Felicity and Isabelle part of the story has become very annoying and so has the MC in dealing with them and their daughters. He let Felicity suffer all that time under those people's control to busy baking and he is supposedly a good guy? When making baked goods is more important than saving some one or protecting their children by allowing them into the family it destroys the main characters image as a good guy. The MC going back and forth on allowing the girls to join the family was awful writing. This whole part of the story should have ended in the first book and leaves a bad ending to this book. The author should do a rewrite of this second book and until he fixes his messed up story people should not buy this book period. Hire a editor because you need one to help you manage your ideas because you obviously can't do it yourself.
This is a fresh way of telling the story. The MC is not self consuming but humble and confident. He takes no bs from the locals but yet helps those in need. The characters at times make me giggle.
This book is a good read one you can enjoy. I have read stories that pull on the heart strings evoke to many emotions. This is just a joy to read. The one thing I would ask would be to add more to the story. Now I got to wait to see what happens 5*****
Compared to the first book, there's no real conflict or tension until almost the end of the entire book. Until then, it's boring. The protagonist just goes back and forth between a couple places and has lots of sex.
So after the first book in the series, I was intrigued. The MC is slightly ridiculous, (a double major in development (what is that?) and EE, a Krav Maga person, avid gamer and outdoorsman and spends major time in the kitchen. Really?
Then comes the second book, where the pace doesn't improve, but our MC is now developing a serious vigilante complex. He has no problems with murdering surrendered foes. Instead of moving the plot forward, we get chapter after chapter of his daily life, without really addressing the major issues that have been on tap since book one.
The book devolves into a serious of developing inventions that don't fit with him background and everyone going "wow, he is sooo cool". The examples abound minor spoilers below
1) He tests out his refrigerator by putting in ice. Then he wants to test it again by freezing salt water and then seeing how it melts. Apparently he doesn't know enough chemistry to know that salt water freezzes out pure (ice bergs) and so would melt exactly the same. 2) The culture has developed baking powder (mixture of baking soda and an acid), but hasn't made cakes? The whole reason that baking powder was developed was to make quick breads. 3) Sugar is commonly available, but no one has made syrups or icings? 4) He has a farm in the forest, yet apparently has enough pasturage to graze 4 cows and now about 15 horses. 5) He plants crops that sound like he went to the vegetable isle at the local store, not a list of plants that might grow in a temperate forest zone, and some of which don't really grow well from seeds that you might buy at a medieval feed store. 6) He continually flaunts runes that will destroy society if released, then uses that as an excuse to murder people.
I found the overall story along with the setting to be entertaining. The characters are also well developed as such things go with indie published books. That is about all that is good about this book. It is very far from ready to be marketed and It is my opinion that the author should remove it from amazon and fix the faults before re-publishing the story.
The technical aspects of the writing is where the book just falls apart it’s so bad it harms the story.
There are multiple sentences and paragraphs: -with missing words. -with too many words that combined make for the worst sentence structure possible, while still making sense. -that actually do not make any sense. -where one or more of the words chosen only sounds like the correct one. For example the last one that came to mind for me: In for the long hall. Haul being the correct word and spelling. -where who is saying what and so forth becomes a complete guessing game for the reader. -forms and tenses.. oh gods. I will leave that for someone else to comment on other then to say that there were problems. -.....
There are mistakes where the author obviously forgot things.
I will leave off listing anymore issues because it’s depressing. I will say that commas punctuation and such along with spelling seemed to be correct meaning that there were no non words, as in letters strung together that did not constitute words. That is as far as I can tell the only proper editing done for this.. book.
I will leave off this review at saying that this book was a disappointment.
I liked when the protagonist was making practical stuff, and improvements to already existing equipment. What I don't like is that this author seems keen on this guy "inventing" different types of foods.
I ignored it when it was the mayo and ketchup in the first book, but now he is doing cakes and pizza... and has people going crazy for them. I wanted / expected, practical things.
This is just poor writing that he mentions a word, and the entire room full of strangers go silent. If I go somewhere, and say "they don't have exacto, that's sad". Do you thing the entire shop will stop talking? Wtf?
I like food too, but make with automatic shotguns, and stop with the crepes, coffee with cream, and pizza. The protagonist is the type of people I try to avoid. He can't keep his mouth shut.
I hope the next book gets more serious and stops trying to make pizza the second coming of the messiah.
So the interesting part about this book is there is pretty much no detail of any of the magic system even though it's obviously there.Well that would normally bothered me because I like those details this book is a lot of fun. The story and the characters are all interesting and unique and the adventure that the traveler Dom is having is fun and entertaining. The sex is mostly non detailed but there are some fun sexytime romps that are more granular.All Saturday is basically an adventure Where has a traveler introduces items and adventures from our world into another one. He is obviously there for a reason that was not shared with him as part of some test And more of that part of the story is slowly coming out I look forward to some more details in the next book.
I like indie writers, they try and they have a hard time of it. This series started with an interesting premise, but this book hurts to read. The structure of conversation is rough, the characters are jumbled( for me), and for the length of time the last book places on travel, this one has fast travel and seems to abandon characters outright.
What's honestly terrible are the intimate scenes that are written in a very frat boyish way and the "I'm an Alpha Male" subtext that is pretty awful to read. I finished this book mainly so I could post this review and be fully informed with the degree of bad this reached.
Dominic is growing his harem of sexy intelligent beastkin while creating new and useful items that will change their world. An icebox that he calls a refrigerator or something he calls 'cutlery' that is a set of forks, knives, and spoon. The problem is that men, here, aren't that smart or caring enough to be useful. While Dominic is sexy and super smart, a society like this has it's own internal issues. Most deal with relationships and "relations" amongst all the women...
Lots of fun to read and so much funner the 1st book.
I really enjoyed this book continuation the story is. I like the way the characters develop and I also like pajama and things. I think it might have a little bit too much spicy times in it though I think it takes away a little bit from. And the main character for the smartest he is sometimes makes stupid and dumb mistakes and decisions but I guess that's part of real life we learn from my mistakes is the best part hopefully he. Still I enjoyed the book it's been a lot of fun reading and I'm curious to what happens next.
This is starting to feel like a complete story but there are still some issues.
The main one is a lack of character definition. Several of his "wives" feel interchangeable. Their actions do not seem genuine to an individual character. The story seems to be developing, and the characters need to do the same.
This series called the Traveler. I a really great series. Book two being ( this book) even better than book one. Dominic the protagonist of the series. Is doing a fantastic job. Of handling living in the society. He was placed in, which is dominated by women. Because a plague long ago. Killed of a majority of the men. Can't wait for book three to come out!
Once again, five stars for Xander Jade: all published up to now EXCEPTING GUARDIAN (that deserves 0 to 1 star;will post a review for Guardian in the near future) largely deserve 5 * ! Loved the plot, Loved the characters, will grab Traveler 3 ASAP (understand came out 3 days ago).
In my view, Mr Jade is one of the best 3 "new" authors that came out in 2020-21.
I like this series and this author. There are issues. If someone else told me they hated his books I could picture that. There is just something there that draws me in. There is a more of a day in the life feel to this series. MC protecting his women and coming up with new ideas to market on this new world. I love that type of stuff. Overall I am enjoying the series and am looking forward to the next one.
Dud I don't want to be rude but hurry with the next book PLEASE
Completely love to series can't wait for the next book. Great action seens With a lot of slice of life type style the steamy sections are pretty good too What can I say I really love the book.
This is a good book. You shouldy read it. I like the story. The characters are fun. The book is a good read. i enjoyed it alot.. Download or buy it today. why not?
First and fore most you will be hard pressed to find another book as well written as this author's!!! Exceptional world building, interesting characters and some great adult fantasy action!!! I can't wait to see what cones next!!!
If your looking for a good story with harem elements sexy fun times a great plot and a slice of life then this is the book for you, it has progression women and an op protagonist what more could you want .
I gave this book a 3 because even going into it I new it would have a lot of sex written it. Did not expect so much. For me it detracts from the writers talent to tell a story. I will try one more of his books if it is the same then will stop reading his books
Never heard of stamina like this. Makes 16 year olds jealous. Definitely a fantasy. The author has made it clear that he has no experience dealing with adult females. At least nine of care to know.
Fast paced page turner that I stayed up late to finish the book. I have enjoyed all of the books by this Author and plan to check out some of his other books.