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Zapraszamy do wirtualnego świata Barliony! Tak doskonałego, że nie dałoby się go odróżnić od rzeczywistości, gdyby nie to, że jest istną krainą marzeń: czeka tu na ciebie nie tylko zatrzęsienie niesamowitych przygód, ale także szansa bardzo przyzwoitego zarobku.

Zajmij więc miejsce w podtrzymującej życie kapsule, pozwól, by kontrolę nad funkcjami życiowymi twojego ciała przejął system, i zanurz się w fantastycznym świecie o wiele lepszym niż ten, od którego robisz sobie przerwę. Poczujesz prawdziwą wolność… pod warunkiem że nie odsiadujesz tu kary. Bo więźniowie zesłani do Barliony mają gorzej niż dobrowolni gracze. I to o wiele gorzej.

Dmitrij Machan, owiany legendą Szaman ze świata Barliony, odsiedział już swój wyrok w wirtualnej rzeczywistości. Przeżył jedenaście miesięcy niesamowitych przygód i potyczek – to chyba lepiej niż osiem lat ciężkiego więzienia?

Tymczasem Barliona nie chce łatwo wypuścić Szamana i ma na to sposób: granica między dwiema rzeczywistościami, w których przebywa Machan, zaciera się… Wygląda na to, że wyjście z kapsuły nie jest takie proste – zanim to nastąpi, trzeba ukończyć Drogę.

428 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2017

558 people are currently reading
547 people want to read

About the author

Vasily Mahanenko

76 books1,088 followers
Be the first to know when Vasily Mahanenko’s next book is available! Follow him at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/v-mah... to get an alert whenever he has a new release, preorder, or discount!

Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.

Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.

The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.

Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.

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5 stars
1,903 (48%)
4 stars
1,361 (34%)
3 stars
545 (13%)
2 stars
109 (2%)
1 star
32 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
Profile Image for Soo.
2,928 reviews343 followers
October 17, 2017
4 Stars for Cool Ideas, 3 Stars for Overall Effect = 3.5 Stars

The end to The Karmadont Chess Set was a doozy and left me rather eager to see how things turn out in the next book. When I got email update that the Shaman's Revenge was available, I hopped to and got it.

The overall idea of what is revealed in this book is pretty great. The ideas alone deserve a four star rating. What transpires isn't what I expected but it wasn't a complete shock to the system either.
Profile Image for Kuba ✌.
430 reviews86 followers
April 30, 2022
3.75⭐
nie jestem fanem zakończenia. mam wrażenie, że zepsuło mi ono trochę postrzegania tej książki. mimo wszystko dobrze się bawiłem przez większość tej części.
Profile Image for Ints.
842 reviews86 followers
July 23, 2025
Literārais RPG ir žanrs, no kura es cenšos turēties pa gabalu. Ne jau tādēļ, ka viņa man nepatiktu, bet tādēļ, ka man tās ir kā narkotikas. Esmu no tiem cilvēkiem, kas ir ne tikai pats gatavs spēlēt RPG spēles, bet labprāt skatos, kā to dara citi. Šis žanrs ir veids, kā ļaut lasītājam skatīties spēli izdomātā pasaulē. Te ir unikālas pasaules, episki uzdevumi un pats galvenais - interesants centrālais tēls. Ja ne kā personība, tad vismaz pēc viņa varoņa statusa punktiem. Uz ciklu Путь Шамана uzdūros pavisam nejauši, sāku skatīties, kas labs iznācis šajā jomā Krievijā, un atradu šo pērli. Tā kā ciklā bija vien sešas grāmatas, tad izlasīju tās 2400 lapaspuses vienā rāvienā. Tā kā visa sērija ir uzskatāma par vienu grāmatu, tad arī apskats būs par visām sešām uzreiz.

Barliona ir virtuālā pasaule, kas ļauj katram cilvēkam izvērsties pilnībā. Te ir piedzīvojumi, cīņas un monstri, un citi spēlētāji. Te var labi izklaidēties, te var arī nopelnīt. Cilvēks var darīt, ko grib, ir tikai viens noteikums – spēlētājs nejūt sāpes. Taču katram noteikumam ir izņēmumi, un daļai no spēlētājiem Barliona ir īstā elle. Šie spēlētāji ir noziedznieki, kas savu ieslodzījuma laiku pavada virtuālajā pasaulē. Tā vietā, lai viņus ietupinātu reālā cietumā, noziedzniekus tagad iebāž virtuālās realitātes kapsulā un nosūta uz virtuālajām raktuvēm. Vāc rūdu, pelni resursus un gaidi, kad beigsies ieslodzījuma termiņš.

Pirmajā sērijas grāmatā Барлиона galvenais varonis, kurš spēlē pazīstams kā šamanis Mahans nonāk tieši šādās raktuvēs, par kādas pilsētas kanalizācijas sistēmas uzhakošanu. Nevienu neinteresē, ka viņu uzmeta un iegāza. Sods ir sods, Mahanam ir piespriesti 8 gadi vai arī 100’000’000 spēles naudiņas, lai izkļūtu brīvībā. Naudas Mahanam nav, nākas vien strādāt ar cērti. Vispār jau varonis ir sanācis labs, viņam nudien var just līdzi tāds labticīgs vientiesis, kuram ļoti veicas. Kā jau tas pienākas, šajā grāmatā mēs uzzinām spēles pamatus, galvenā varoņa klasi un īpašību aprakstus. Izlasās vienā rāvienā.

Otrā grāmata Гамбит Картоса – Mahans ir ticis uz augšu, izpildījis nosacījumus un nonāk nometinājumā. Tagad viņš ir gandrīz vai īsts spēlētājs, viņam dod uzdevumus, viņš var pelnīt pieredzi. Ak jā, Mahans ir arī juvelieris, un daži no viņa veidojumiem ir unikāli visā spēles pasaulē. Tas noteiktiem spēlētāju klaniem izraisa interesi. Taču pagaidām Mahans sēž nomaļas provinces nomaļā vietā. Tagad lasītājam var sākties problēmas, jo Mahanam ārprātīgi veicas, tautas valodā runājot viņš no sūdiem var izspiest zeltu. Ja notiek kas globāls, tad Mahans ir centrā, ja neviens nezina, ko darīt, tad Mahans zina. Nu un vēl autors atraisa Mahanam rokas, kas it kā izskaidrotu visas šīs sagadīšanās, šamaņiem, izrādās, ir jušana, kas ļauj atšķirt pareizo no nepareizā. Nu ar tādu komplektu var kalnus gāzt! Varonis aug gan līmeņos kā tēls, un lasās labi.

Trešā grāmata Тайна Темного леса – lielākoties ir veltīta tam, lai saduļķotu pīļu dīķi, ja visu laiku Barlionas pasaulē ir bijuši divi spēki Labie un ļaunie, tad tagad tiek ieviests trešais spēks megaļaunie. Tos vada kāds pustraks šamanis. Tas nozīmē daudz papildus uzdevumu, daudz laupījuma un veselu kaudzi ar citiem bonusiem. Mahans nodibina klanu un sāk raust naudu, iepazīstas ar spēles varenajiem, un, skat, drīz varēs sākt uzdzīvot. Pats lielais meža noslēpums ir visnotaļ standarta lieta, un Mahans pārsit iepriekšējo grāmatu rekordu, joprojām nepieņemot kļūdainus lēmumus. Tas sāk kaitināt aizvien vairāk, nu nevar būt tāds ļoti nekļūdīgs varonis! Te es pret Mahanu sāku atsalt, neskatoties uz viņa šamanisma sasniegumiem, pieradināto drakonu un juveliera panākumiem. Ak jā, viņš nocopē arī vissmukāko spēles meitieti, bet tas jau bija sagaidāms. Otrā līmeņa varoņiem Anastarijai un Plinto, kuri pārstāv spēles visuzkačātākos kadrus, mani diez ko nepārliecināja. Sākumā šie savā starpā plēšas kā kaķi maisā, bet pēc pāris rindkopām viss pēkšņi normalizējas, un abi kļūst racionāli. Tas viss pēc daudzu gadu kašķa.

Ceturtā grāmata Призрачный замок – ja jau ir klans un visforšākā meiča, tad vajag atrast arī mājvietu. Mahanam atkal noveicas. Imperators viņam uzdāvina veselu pili un grāfa titulu, ir tikai viens bet. Pili ir apsēduši spoki, un to līmenis ir milzīgs. Negribas atkārtoties, bet Mahanam atkal veicas. Nu jau viņš ar top klaniem ir uz tu. Reizēm ienaidnieks, reizēm sabiedrotais. Viņam šķiet ka nu jau viss būs kārtībā, nauda nāk draugi sevi attaisno, un vēl tā lielā mīlestība. Vispār jau lasīt otro lapaspušu tūkstoti un redzēt, ka varonis nekad neaplaužas, lika man lamāt autoru pēdējiem vārdiem. Varētu padomāt, ka priekš cietumniekiem te ir godmode ieslēgts!

Piektā grāmata Шахматы Кармадонта - Mahans paralēli uzdevumu pildīšanai, drakona trenēšanai un kniebieniem ar Anastasiju nodarbojas arī ar daiļamatniecību. Jau no pirmās grāmatas viņš cenšas izgatavot leģendāro Karmadonta šahu. Noteikts figūriņu daudzums dos iespēju tikt pie paša pasaules radītāja kapa. Un skaidrs, ka tur atrodams būs tikai mega episks laupījums! Ja grāmatas deviņas desmitdaļas mani ne ar ko nepārsteidza, tad pēdējās lapaspuses nudien pēkšņi parādīja visu iepriekšējo grāmatu notikumus no citas perspektīvas. Biju tikpat šokēts kā Mahans. Nudien bija vērts tik tālu lasīt, nenoliegšu, man bija ļauns prieks par Mahana neveiksmi.

Sestā grāmata Все только начинается - nudien nav viegli piebeigt grāmatu sēriju, kurā viss ir ne tā kā šķitis. Bet autors nudien pacenšas. Mahanam pēkšņi parādās interesantas personības tendences un var teikt, ka varonis ir kā no jauna piedzimis. Viņu tagad vada atriebība, viņš sāk loģiski domāt un pieņemt kļūdainus lēmumus. Visdinamiskākā un jēgpilnākā no visām sērijas grāmatām. Autors nudien pacenties izskaidrot visu un tas pat zināmā mērā ir sakarīgs izskaidrojums.

Grāmatu sērija ir izcils litRPG žanra pārstāvis un noteikti virs vidējā. Lieku 8 no 10 ballēm. Iespējams no sākuma nedaudz satrauks pārliekā varoņa veiksme, bet kuram tad RPG spēlēs neveicas? Autors lielākoties ir sižetu pārdomājis un nodrošina izklaidi daudzas stundas. Notikumi ir pietiekoši spraigi, lai dzītu lasītāju uz priekšu caur grāmatām, un beigās viss tiek salikts pa plauktiņiem. Ja vēlies pamēģināt litRPG žanru, droši vari sākt ar šo sēriju.
Profile Image for Justin.
59 reviews6 followers
September 13, 2017
I liked it, but it wasn't great. Probably between a three and a four, and while there were some plot twists thrown in, most of them could be seen by everybody but the main character which was a bit frustrating. Overall a good book and a decent ending to the series, I just wanted a bit more out of it. There were lots of good elements and characters introduced in this series, with potential plots, and stories that were never mentioned again.
Profile Image for Zofia Stopa.
29 reviews
July 25, 2024
Czy ja muszę za każdym razem pisać, że kocham tę serię?
Ten tom był troszkę inny od poprzednich, ale wciąż trzymał poziom. Zakończenie było emocjonalnym rollercoasterem i aż brakuje mi słów, żeby opisać moje uczucia. Po prostu za je bis te! Nie mogę się doczekać co przyniesie zakończenie serii i jednocześnie chce mi się płakać, że został tylko jeden tom
Profile Image for ElaF.
852 reviews7 followers
June 12, 2025
audiobook
naprawdę nie wiem kiedy przesłuchałam to wszystko. nie mogę się oderwać i jest mi bardzo smutno, że została mi ostatnia część
Profile Image for Tobi.
26 reviews3 followers
January 23, 2018
That was on conspiracy theorie rollercoaster up to end.
All in all the book was really good. A few missing words or spaces between words, but nothing really bad.

It continoues where the last one left off and thats where the conspiracy theories start and basically persist till the end of the book. I, for my part, wasn´t sure till the end, what was true and what wasn´t.
Profile Image for whiteorblack_book.
30 reviews24 followers
May 14, 2023
Nie minęła nawet doba od skończenia poprzedniego tomu. To chyba wystarczająca rekomendacja, gdy w ciągu doby zaczynam 3 książkę z serii 😎
Profile Image for Nanne.
210 reviews29 followers
August 22, 2017
Damn what a rollercoaster ride again. Plots within plots within plots and yet in the end everything sort of came together to make a modicum of sense. This to me was probably the greatest achievement in this book, repairing the damage from the previous book while still retaining they qualities from our main character that everyone knows and loves.

It's a fast paced story, bouncing from adventure to adventure and yet what stood out most for me were the emotional developments made in this book. For me this book was more about battling an all-encompassing conspiracy than it was about a VRMMORPG. It seemed to me to be going beyond what most litRPG try to do. The reason that I didnt give it 5 stars though was because the ending felt somewhat rushed and also because at times the story seemed to skip a few steps.

Am not sure where the author will plan on taking this series in a 7th book which had been announced but I will be sure to pick it up
Profile Image for Paulo.
129 reviews
December 3, 2017
Enthertaning book but too heavy on the conspiracy theories. Through the series it’s clear to see the author discovered gold with the success of the 1st book, then made things up as he went along. If you read the series back to back you’ll see how much he tries to link things up with previous books and provide explanations, that most of the time are inconsistent. It’s a good series but it had the potential be a lot better
Profile Image for Mike Goodman.
1,541 reviews11 followers
August 21, 2017
Total Rollercoaster

You start this book with feeling good just because of the name of the title. That girl will get what she deserves, but I am scared because I didn't read the short story. As you read this story the pace goes faster and faster. You feel almost overwhelmed, you can't tell what is what. Then he cleans it up, and kisses the girl.
26 reviews1 follower
August 23, 2017
All is forgiven

My faith was shaken after the previous book. This is one of my favorite series and I just didn't see where the author was taking us. But - he did it (you did it)! He managed to wrap up Shaman with a somewhat abrupt and a but confusing but still satisfying end. Good!
Profile Image for Lindsey.
238 reviews
August 25, 2017
It was just ok. It felt completely different to me from the previous 5. I'll still read #7.
219 reviews6 followers
February 11, 2019
Feels way to different from the rest of the series Mahan was obviously being manipulated and all I could think was "HEY, DUMMY! WHY ARE YOU TRUSTING THESE PEOPLE!"
Profile Image for Koko_przedstawia.
148 reviews
February 20, 2025
Po prostu kocham tą serię całym sercem i zarazem chcę mi się płakać, bo to przedostatni tom tej wspaniałej serii. Ja się nie pozbieram po 7 tomie 😐
182 reviews3 followers
October 31, 2021
Na szóstym tom cyklu „Droga Szamana” czekałem najbardziej ze wszystkich części. A to wszystko za sprawą finału „Szachów Karamdonta”, jednak nie będę Wam spoilerował poprzednich książek. Czekałem, czekałem, w końcu się doczekałem i się nie zawiodłem! Kolejne przygody Machana są równie świetne jak jego wcześniejsze przeżycia. Tym razem jednak, autor bardziej skupia się na zawiłych intrygach, niż na wypełnianiu misji, rozwoju klanu i walkach w Barlionie. Jest to coś nowego w tej serii LitRPG, dzięki czemu nie mamy poczucia powtarzalności, a jednocześnie cykl nie traci na jakości.

Ponownie wielkim plusem książki są jej bohaterowie, na czele których dumnie kroczy Machan. Doświadczony przez życie i Barlionę, wie że może liczyć tylko na siebie i nie zawaha się walczyć z tymi, którzy chcą go zniszczyć. Inne postaci również nie są gorsze, a relacje między głównym bohaterem, a resztą są świetne.

Fabuła jest naprawdę ciekawa i w wielu momentach zaskakująca. Spodziewałem się co prawda, czegoś innego, ale nadal jestem bardzo zadowolony. Droga obrana przez autora jest subtelniejsza, a jednocześnie prowadzi do takiego samego finału. Trochę zaskoczyła mnie końcówka książki i szybkie przejście do zakończenia. Mam wrażenie, że niektóre wątki zakończyły się zbyt szybko i przydałoby się im obszerniejsze rozwinięcie. Samo zakończenie mi się podobało, a jednocześnie ciekawi mnie, co wydarzy się w następnej części, której już nie mogę się doczekać.
Profile Image for Henry Eyrich.
233 reviews9 followers
November 24, 2020
I am very frustrated with this book. The first 95% of this book was terrible. I did not enjoy it. The quality of the writing and the plot declined when compared to the 5th installment in this series. I hated reading the conversations between Stacey and Mahan and how they were "ok" at hating each other but still wanted to talk to each other at the same time. BUT the last 5% was stellar writing of top quality i thought, where the author some how pulls everything together and ties all the plot lines in. I never expected for a second that Mahan wasn't free and released in reality but then the evil guys did the old switch-er-roo and boom he has been trapped in VR this entire time. Like WHAT..... that came out of no where. But i feel like the author could have made the first 95% percent of the book better and still maintaining the plot structure. thats why im a frustrated with the book. with so much of it being bad but then the end almost makes up for it.....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Patiopea.
353 reviews44 followers
October 6, 2021
"Droga Szamana" to taka seria, która rozwija się stopniowo. Pierwsze kilka tomów to było bardziej wprowadzenie, skupienie się na fabule gry (Berliny) w której przebywa Machan, natomiast piąty i szósty tom wypełniony jest większą ilością plot-twistów i intryg. Po zakończeniu etapu piątego zamykałam książkę z zaskoczeniem i niepewnością, jak autor może rozwinąć jeszcze historię, ale teraz po przeczytaniu "Nowego początku" jestem naprawdę zadowolona i w zasadzie takie mogloby być zakończenie. Oczywiście będę wyczekiwać kolejnego, finałowego tomu, ale już teraz jestem usatysfakcjonowana przygodą, którą zapewnił mi Wasilij Machanienko pod postacią drogi, którą przeszedł Dmitrij Machan, główny bohater "Drogi Szamana".
Profile Image for Kasia (kasikowykurz).
2,402 reviews59 followers
June 11, 2023
Niedługo premiera najnowszej serii autora, więc to dobry moment, żeby nadrobić zaległe tomy i o matulu, nie zawiodłam się! Już dawno temu zastanawiałam się, co to za nowy początek i czy będziemy mieli powtórkę z rozrywki, ale na szczęście to nie było nic, co przewidziałam. Ba, tu się dzieją takie rzeczy, że zamiast spać, siedziałam na łóżku w nocy ze słuchawkami w uszach i rozdziawionymi ustami, a potem jeszcze długo nie mogłam zasnąć z emocji. I nie wiem, czy póki co nie był to najlepszy tom ze wszystkich, a mi pozostaje tylko chylić nisko czoła dla geniuszu autora i zastanawiać się, czy planował to od samego początku. Jeśli tak, to naprawdę podziwiam samozaparcie, bo intryga była przednia.
Profile Image for GaiusPrimus.
850 reviews98 followers
August 22, 2017
If it looks like pandering and it smells like pandering, it probably is pandering.

There were a lot of WTF moments in the story...

Also, there's no mention of the Vicchi, who apparently are the villains from the Hour of Pain short story.

Whatever...
Profile Image for David Howey.
13 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2017
So great

After the end of the last book, once I started reading this one, I could not put it down. I simply had to know what was going to happen next. The entire series has been well told but this one was overwhelmingly the best. In end, I read through it all in less than twenty-four hours.
4 reviews
May 15, 2021
Disappointing

This was a terrrible ending to a great series..
The whole mystery behind the MC is overly complex and boring..
This doesn’t even feel like a litrpg any more the interesting game world takes a back seat..
122 reviews2 followers
August 21, 2017
Wow just wow

Amazing conclusion of the series. Totally did not see the plot twists coming. Will be reading it a few note times. Can't wait for the author's next series
Profile Image for Lt. H. Hornblower.
348 reviews
August 7, 2023
Shaman’s Revenge
The Way of the Shaman, Book 6
By Vasily Mahanenko

Daniel, I like you very much as a person. You have something that people in today’s day and age tend to lack—a faith in other people. First you believe in a person, then in everything good and kind about them and finally you’re disappointed when they betray you. This is a very unique quality for a grown man—in fact, it’s more common to children.

~Player known as Clutzer: Deputy head of the internal security service of the Barliona Corporation—Major General Alex Hermann.


Overview:
Mahan is back in Barliona a week after the SNAFU that occurred at the end of book 5. He’s been released from his prison capsule, has somehow managed to rehabilitate within 3 days (despite his initial game dependence level rating as Black, which would’ve taken ~3 months of rehab), and has managed to keep his character. His seething desire for revenge is in full force, no longer the pushover sop to be taken advantage of… well, at least intellectually.

One of the first things Mahan gets himself into is a dastardly conniving plot with some mysterious old man/rogue organization to take down Anastasia and give a crippling blow to Phoenix (exactly what the events of “Hour of Pain” book 5.5 describe Anastaria of trying to prevent with Mahan). As the book unfolds, however, Mahan begins to see the strings that his unknown puppet masters are pulling on him, and he takes steps of his own to turn the tables in his favor. But will he succeed???

“Shaman’s Revenge” was even better than “The Karmadont Chess Set” for me. From the get-go, Mahan makes an in-game to-do list of all the things he needs to get done (a plot element I’m really beginning to appreciate by the author, as it makes it clear what the book is going to be about). Plus there are all these gray areas Mahan is trying to figure out: who the puppet masters actually are, will he go through with his revenge, will he uncover what is really going on? Mahan finally meets up with Marina the saboteur from book 1 and also begins analyzing events as Anastaria would want him to, too. He is also still in love with Anastaria and gets hints throughout book 6 that she might be as well with him. And maybe, just perhaps, she’s had his best interests in mind all along!

The Good:
1. Mahan commuted 8 years of not-quite-false imprisonment for 11 months, thanks to being paid out for all his officers’ premature departures from his clan at the end of book 5. (One has to wonder about his officers’ true intentions with their ploy…?)
2. THANK YOU author for giving Mahan the chance to recoup some of his losses (namely, the key to the Tomb of the Creator)!
3. Mahan gets Harbinger rank, finally! His rank up privileges make him a bit too OP in my opinion (ahem, Blink to anywhere in 3D space and transport up to 5 other players??) but another feather in his cap at least.
4. I appreciated how Clutzer and Eric tried to reconcile with Mahan by staying in the clan and rebuilding while Mahan was gone. It was a mistake they made back at the beginning of book 2 and they said they had huge regrets.
5. Finally, Mahan partners with Kalatea with something other than a conversation.
6. Finally, more exploration of the Crafting stat, and Plinto of all players hinting at its combat uses.
7. Despite everything, it was really heart-warming to see Mahan and Anastaria talk cordially from time to time, especially when they reminisced about their past relationship.
8. The real world high security transfer process of Mahan was quite impressively written, akin to the process in “Ready Player One”. And the server breaches due to hacking were pretty suspenseful.
9. The second encounter with James the scenario guru was amazing and hilarious.
10. FINALLY resolution to life, the universe, and everything! And was Anastaria acting on Mahan’s best interests all along???


The Meh:
1. How does Barsina qualify as being eligible to receive the key in place of Mahan? The author doesn’t explain…very irritating.
2. The same trust issues that shunted Mahan straight to prison and then royally fleeced by Anastaria emerge once again with the “old man” and others in this novel (such as Gnum). I would’ve insisted to know his identify, for starters. Yet Mahan makes a devil’s bargain with him with utterly no scrutiny whatsoever. (At least he recognizes this fact this time around, but can he outwit him?)
3. Discovering that Evolett is a Social Worker for orphans irl was a bit unbelievable for me. He runs the largest clan in Kartoss, has always presented himself regally and diplomatically, his brother is among the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen in the world, and HE’S a Social Worker??!! It just doesn’t add up.
4. Kalatea offers her clan as an alliance to Mahan’s clan without explaining the conditions of what it entails. Mahan declines as he doesn’t know the rules of what he’s getting into. Kalatea responds by saying “It’s as I’ve heard, your faith in people has been crushed.” Blind faith??? So irritating that everyone seeks to take advantage of Mahan. I guess in the author’s eyes, it’s a dog eat dog world.
5. Karmadont was said to the a Warrior in book 5 but now he’s a Hunter in book 6.
6. Despite starting to see his experiences in the past 11 months as intentional on someone else’s part, and that maybe Anastaria is on his side after all, Mahan still wants to go through with the conniving plans first BEFORE he speaks with Anastaria.
7. Where did Mahan procure a Spirit of Mass Destruction again? Out of his ass? Oh right.
8. Sad about Marina’s ultimate fate, though I suppose what goes around comes around.


Plot:
An old man (probably from the secret organization that wants to destroy Phoenix revealed in book 5.5) meets Mahan irl and propositions him with an elaborate plan to destroy Phoenix. This plan would be of mutual benefit since the old man claims he had a similar experience of grand theft and betrayal with Anastaria’s mom, Barsina.

The old man’s plan for Mahan is as follows:
1. Retrieve 2 items by completing 2 event dungeons. The items are (once again) a shadow dagger of Geranika’s consisting of the hilt and blade that he stabs into a golden dragon’s egg at the end of one of the dungeons. (The egg that will eventually be Geranika’s Dragon of Shadow.)
2. The 2 items combine to create a portal directly to the center of Geranika’s castle.
3. At the castle’s center contain 4 crystals similar to Rogzar’s Crystal (the one that imprisoned Eluna’s angel in Altameda from book 4). These crystals (called the Tears of Harrashess) will effectively cripple and maim any character who possesses it, no matter their character level.
4. Mahan will transfer all 4 Tears to the inventories of the top 4 players in Phoenix (one of whom is Anastaria) if he possesses a Crastil and another item that will be acquired in one of the dungeons.
5. There is a jewel-crafting recipe called the Salva (that can only be crafted by a Shaman) in which Mahan is to acquire from the Tomb of the Creator. Only the one who possesses the key to the tomb can receive it. The Salva is the only item in the game that can remove a Tear from someone’s inventory.
6. The old man will then parlay with Phoenix to force them to pay 2 billion gold to allow Mahan to remove the Tears from the players’ inventories using the Salva.
7. The plan gets upgraded later in the book in which somehow there will be 30 Tears given to Phoenix players, and the initial properties of each Tear is that it doubles a players stats. Only once they’re activated by Geranika’s magics do they essentially destroy a character.

The Plot Thickens:
Towards the end, all the conspirators are brought to light. Apparently the plan had always been to find a scapegoat who would access the Tomb of the Creator via crafting the Karmadont Chess Set and to gain access to the Salva. (Though how the brain trust knew there would be game items like the Tears of Harrashess or even that someone like Geranika would exist is beyond me. Harrashess was first mentioned in book 4 and Geranika didn’t come about until book 2.)

Donotpunnik from the Azure Dragons was/is the master mind that recruited Marina to find and setup Mahan for his prison sentence from book 1 (and apparently she had setup 9 other players in like fashion to the Dolma Mines prior to Mahan’s indentured servitude). Along with the duplicitous Marina, Donotpunnik also recruited Mahan’s mentor, Dr. Samuel Provo (the one who took all the credit from the hacking contest and abandoned Mahan), who apparently became a chief security analyst for the corporation after the contest. Finally, they used Hellfire for high-level counter-espionage in Phoenix itself.

Each player/pawn was assigned the Shaman class and Jewel-crafting profession in hopes that he would begin using the Shaman’s innate Premonition abilities as well as Jewel-crafting in a synergistically unique way to begin crafting the chess set. The previous 9 players didn’t make the cut; only when Mahan crafted the first chess piece were Donotpunnik’s ultimate plans set in motion.

According to book 5.5, that was also when Anastaria—having known about Donotpunnik’s plans all along—chose to put everything on the line for this lucky convict SOB (Mahan), befriend him, keep him from joining Phoenix, and begin telling all of Donotpunnik’s informants about her ulterior motives to rob Mahan blind (which was a cover story for their benefit). Apparently she also had a Premonition that Mahan could not only be Phoenix’s savior in this evil scheme, but also her one true love in life. ❤️ 💜 ❤️ But she needs to keep up the charade of intentionally backstabbing Mahan until Donotpunnik’s master stroke is played, to which she can finally foil his plans and come clean with Mahan.


Critique:
The more that’s revealed in book 6, the more that the yarn that Anastaria related in book 5.5 seems believable. If she’s known about Donotpunnik’s operation all along, then she’s merely carrying out a predetermined script throughout books 2-5 to throw off Donotpunnik’s informants, to protect Mahan’s ultimate interests, and also to safeguard her father’s company/clan. By the end it is clear of the monumental conspiracy that was afoot all pending on whether Mahan could be successfully manipulated, and then eliminated.


Conclusion:
By far the best book in the series. It explains the why behind every ? not least the ending of book 5. And yes it had a very happy ending.

5 ⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3 reviews
August 24, 2017
I'm sad it's over 😢

Its been a crazy ride and I hope for more!
I have read the series a couple times and will continue trying to get others to experience this amazing series
Profile Image for Abhijith.
30 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2017
Awesome ending for this book. The whole book was some kind of mind bending conspiracy. Now cant wait to read the next book. One thing that was disappointing was we didnt get to know the final lvl of the MC.
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