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The Immortal Great Souls #1
Bastion
Scorio will rise from the ashes to conquer the ten layers of hell.
Reborn without memories, Scorio learns that he is a Great Soul, a legendary defender of the ancient city of Bastion. That within the hallowed halls of the Academy and under the stern eyes of the underworld’s greatest instructors he will enjoy enormous privilege, rediscover unique and wondrous powers, and one day return to the millennium-old battle against their infernal foes.
Until he is betrayed. Singled out and sentenced to die for crimes he can't remember, Scorio is hurled to his doom—and forgotten.
But from even the dimmest spark an inferno may one day rage.
Clawing his way back from oblivion, Scorio vows to return to the Academy at any cost. To emerge from the ruins and within those golden walls defeat his elite classmates in a quest to ascend the ranks and change the course of history. For only then will he learn about his forgotten past, and why his enemies have rightly feared him since the day he was reborn.
Reborn without memories, Scorio learns that he is a Great Soul, a legendary defender of the ancient city of Bastion. That within the hallowed halls of the Academy and under the stern eyes of the underworld’s greatest instructors he will enjoy enormous privilege, rediscover unique and wondrous powers, and one day return to the millennium-old battle against their infernal foes.
Until he is betrayed. Singled out and sentenced to die for crimes he can't remember, Scorio is hurled to his doom—and forgotten.
But from even the dimmest spark an inferno may one day rage.
Clawing his way back from oblivion, Scorio vows to return to the Academy at any cost. To emerge from the ruins and within those golden walls defeat his elite classmates in a quest to ascend the ranks and change the course of history. For only then will he learn about his forgotten past, and why his enemies have rightly feared him since the day he was reborn.
829 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2021
1909 people are currently reading
6893 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
49 books1,283 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 614 reviews
August 13, 2024
Watch my video review by clicking here.
If you are like me and enjoy progression fantasy, this is quite literally a perfect book.
If you are like me and enjoy progression fantasy, this is quite literally a perfect book.
November 20, 2025
Can be found on littafi.com
1st Edit: Read II - 2025
Preamble:
This has been one of the best fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading in my life. Not a book with the most interesting concepts regarding metaphysics, or philosophy; neither the prose nor lyrical and flowery writing.
Not the most Epic of, but one of the most of GrimDark fantasy worlds; a Progression GrimDark Epic Fantasy that imbues the best of all the above and has been built from an imagination both fecund with raw talent and boundless ideas. I'm thinking Kian Ardalan's Elenth Cycle meshed with a unique world and mind-blowing plotlines and thought proving magic system having a baby with his Dawn of the Void trilogy which was an exceptional and exceedingly captivating LitRPG apocalypse Alien invasion progression Fantasy!
It's not a book with the best humor or plot... But it's got a little bit of the best among these too. Oh, and lots of amazing battle scenes the likes of which I'm bound to reread over and over and over again, most certainly.
Synopsis:
Enter Scorio, an Immortal Great Soul, part of a people that have dedicated their souls to reincarnate for countless centuries in a city called Bastion (made up of a mile wide cylinder that rotates perpendicular relative to the rest of the landscape with a thin strip of a glowing filament analogous to the sun). Lying on the furthest edges of the greatest pit in Hell, fighting and dying in order to defeat and conquer the abhorrent nightmares that infest and crawl upon this planet by ascending to the fabled Imperator that can utilize the Noumenon so that their portal back home, the planet Ettera, can finally be opened and centuries of torment, pain, bloodshed and anguish can come to a brutal and bloody end. Enough said...Read the book.
Thoughts:
The world-building is unique, sparse and intricate, weaving sci-fi speculations and progression/portal fantasy with absolute expertise; wondrous and immersive beyond measure. The writing is fast paced and relentless; absolutely gripping and spellbinding. The creatures depicted are fantastically alien and weird like eldritch monsters from the Cthulhu mythos while the magic system is a fusion of progression/portal fantasy with elements of LitRPG.
The dramatis personae are painted so vivid that you'll be lost trying to distinguish between where Phil Tucker's imagination ends and yours begin; three dimensional and all too human in an alternate portal planet depicting Hell as has never been conceived before with elements of Dante's ten levels of hell playing a structural backdrop.
Conclusion:
My first read of 2024 and I'm already positive that no other fantasy offering will match this. I'm now off to the second installment. I absolutely love and highly recommend the series!
Immortal Great Souls #2 Review
1st Edit: Read II - 2025
Preamble:
This has been one of the best fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading in my life. Not a book with the most interesting concepts regarding metaphysics, or philosophy; neither the prose nor lyrical and flowery writing.
Not the most Epic of, but one of the most of GrimDark fantasy worlds; a Progression GrimDark Epic Fantasy that imbues the best of all the above and has been built from an imagination both fecund with raw talent and boundless ideas. I'm thinking Kian Ardalan's Elenth Cycle meshed with a unique world and mind-blowing plotlines and thought proving magic system having a baby with his Dawn of the Void trilogy which was an exceptional and exceedingly captivating LitRPG apocalypse Alien invasion progression Fantasy!
It's not a book with the best humor or plot... But it's got a little bit of the best among these too. Oh, and lots of amazing battle scenes the likes of which I'm bound to reread over and over and over again, most certainly.
Synopsis:
Enter Scorio, an Immortal Great Soul, part of a people that have dedicated their souls to reincarnate for countless centuries in a city called Bastion (made up of a mile wide cylinder that rotates perpendicular relative to the rest of the landscape with a thin strip of a glowing filament analogous to the sun). Lying on the furthest edges of the greatest pit in Hell, fighting and dying in order to defeat and conquer the abhorrent nightmares that infest and crawl upon this planet by ascending to the fabled Imperator that can utilize the Noumenon so that their portal back home, the planet Ettera, can finally be opened and centuries of torment, pain, bloodshed and anguish can come to a brutal and bloody end. Enough said...Read the book.
Thoughts:
The world-building is unique, sparse and intricate, weaving sci-fi speculations and progression/portal fantasy with absolute expertise; wondrous and immersive beyond measure. The writing is fast paced and relentless; absolutely gripping and spellbinding. The creatures depicted are fantastically alien and weird like eldritch monsters from the Cthulhu mythos while the magic system is a fusion of progression/portal fantasy with elements of LitRPG.
The dramatis personae are painted so vivid that you'll be lost trying to distinguish between where Phil Tucker's imagination ends and yours begin; three dimensional and all too human in an alternate portal planet depicting Hell as has never been conceived before with elements of Dante's ten levels of hell playing a structural backdrop.
Conclusion:
My first read of 2024 and I'm already positive that no other fantasy offering will match this. I'm now off to the second installment. I absolutely love and highly recommend the series!
Immortal Great Souls #2 Review
March 19, 2025
How come this book isn't everywhere? I guess it's a mix of being indie published, and absolutely HUGE😅
This was GREAT! Even though this was over 800 pages long, there was literally not a dull moment! This has probably one of the best opening scenes in a book where you literally cannot help but get locked in!
The plot was fun, mysterious and engaging. The worldbuilding was also very well done with easily digestible language. Sometimes, you can feel like you're drowning trying to wrap your head around how a fantasy world works, but I didn't experience this here. I found it to be easy to understand and not just condensed in the beginning of the book, but kind of interspersed here and there in a logical way.. at least to me😅
The book really shined here with the character work! I love love loveddddd the characters, from Scorio and Naomi to Leonis, Lianshi and Jova Spike💖 Their banter and found family was EVERYTHING I LOVED THEM SM 💖
Scorio was such an interesting character to read about. He was annoyingly charming and intelligent, stubborn and loyal to a fault. His character arc was seriously so well done! How this clueless and powerless man learns and grows till he ends up like the cover of this book was INCREDIBLE! His journey was rough with SO MANY ups and downs.
Leonis and Lianshi are incredible. No notes. Two of the best side characters ever!
NAOMI I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART YOU MEAN BADASS WITH A SOFT GOOEY CENTER💕💕
It's hard to review the plot of this because you really only need the blurb and nothing more. Just enjoy the ride.
Jumping straight into book 2!
Damn ok Scorio, I didn't know you looked like THAT. 🧎♂️ I mean I liked him before, BUT NOW?? 🤰
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am TERRIFIED. This is book is HUGE😭 The premise sounds so interesting though🤞
This was GREAT! Even though this was over 800 pages long, there was literally not a dull moment! This has probably one of the best opening scenes in a book where you literally cannot help but get locked in!
The plot was fun, mysterious and engaging. The worldbuilding was also very well done with easily digestible language. Sometimes, you can feel like you're drowning trying to wrap your head around how a fantasy world works, but I didn't experience this here. I found it to be easy to understand and not just condensed in the beginning of the book, but kind of interspersed here and there in a logical way.. at least to me😅
The book really shined here with the character work! I love love loveddddd the characters, from Scorio and Naomi to Leonis, Lianshi and Jova Spike💖 Their banter and found family was EVERYTHING I LOVED THEM SM 💖
Scorio was such an interesting character to read about. He was annoyingly charming and intelligent, stubborn and loyal to a fault. His character arc was seriously so well done! How this clueless and powerless man learns and grows till he ends up like the cover of this book was INCREDIBLE! His journey was rough with SO MANY ups and downs.
Leonis and Lianshi are incredible. No notes. Two of the best side characters ever!
NAOMI I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART YOU MEAN BADASS WITH A SOFT GOOEY CENTER💕💕
It's hard to review the plot of this because you really only need the blurb and nothing more. Just enjoy the ride.
Jumping straight into book 2!
Damn ok Scorio, I didn't know you looked like THAT. 🧎♂️ I mean I liked him before, BUT NOW?? 🤰
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am TERRIFIED. This is book is HUGE😭 The premise sounds so interesting though🤞
January 3, 2022
4 Stars
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
February 26, 2025
Easiest five stars
December 10, 2021
Lost in over description
I feel like Phil, like many authors with a good story that self publish to Amazon lately, are more worried about being regarded as intelligent, descriptive and witty than actually keeping the story consistent, less painfully predictable, and apparently holding their most prized possession as the write, a thesaurus to find ever larger and more obscure words to dazzle and amaze their readers.
Phil struggles to find the balance between describing the characters inner narrative to us and the surrounding areas, incoherently throwing random order presentation to events making the majority of the book a slog and chore to get through. So many pages were wasted on pointless erudite descriptions that totally lose the suspense and the scene for our mind's eye. Not allowing us to craft the diorama for ourselves.
And the last third for the obstacle being met was just so painfully obvious as an inevitability that it was just dumb deus ex machina, coming across as utterly contrived rather than having actually been a possibility given everything leading up to it, but hey, the miracle happens that was completely impossible at just the right moment that REALLY needed some plant and payoff in the weeks just described as having passed...
I could continue, but don't wish to give spoilers. But at least a 3rd of the book is nonsense over description that harmed the delivery rather than helped, and the ending would have been well served by dropping the description and finding more consistent tie ins to the rules he designed to allow the occurrences. Nevermind the considerable context within the academy that was given almosy no attention in the 2nd half, and the utterly inconsistent limits Scorio kept dealing with from room to room, encounter to encounter.
I feel like Phil, like many authors with a good story that self publish to Amazon lately, are more worried about being regarded as intelligent, descriptive and witty than actually keeping the story consistent, less painfully predictable, and apparently holding their most prized possession as the write, a thesaurus to find ever larger and more obscure words to dazzle and amaze their readers.
Phil struggles to find the balance between describing the characters inner narrative to us and the surrounding areas, incoherently throwing random order presentation to events making the majority of the book a slog and chore to get through. So many pages were wasted on pointless erudite descriptions that totally lose the suspense and the scene for our mind's eye. Not allowing us to craft the diorama for ourselves.
And the last third for the obstacle being met was just so painfully obvious as an inevitability that it was just dumb deus ex machina, coming across as utterly contrived rather than having actually been a possibility given everything leading up to it, but hey, the miracle happens that was completely impossible at just the right moment that REALLY needed some plant and payoff in the weeks just described as having passed...
I could continue, but don't wish to give spoilers. But at least a 3rd of the book is nonsense over description that harmed the delivery rather than helped, and the ending would have been well served by dropping the description and finding more consistent tie ins to the rules he designed to allow the occurrences. Nevermind the considerable context within the academy that was given almosy no attention in the 2nd half, and the utterly inconsistent limits Scorio kept dealing with from room to room, encounter to encounter.
October 28, 2021
More than two long years have passed since Phil Tucker’s last fantasy offering, and what does he have to show for it? A massive, massively entertaining cannonball splash into the progression fantasy genre. ‘Bastion’ is unlike other progression fantasies where the MC levels up and powers run wild. Tucker takes his time with developing his main character Scorio, as we focus much of the early going on his past, his role in current society, and his inviolable thirst for power.
Bastion is a city in hell where mana-wielding Great Souls are endlessly reincarnated to fight fiends in the Pit until a prophesized leader breaks the cycle and brings everyone back to their home planet. (You may want to take a minute to absorb that before we move on.) The city is an oddly-shaped cylinder, lying sideways. The light source is a wick that runs through the center, end to end. There are boroughs that run the full 360 degrees around the inside of the circumference of the tube, and gravity pushes everything outward toward the floor, so you can walk radially or diametrically in any direction and not fall into the sky/ground/wall. The city is bordered by ever-encroaching ruins, seeping with mana pockets and hellspawned fiends. Yet in the city proper, there lies the great Academy, where Great Souls are reborn to train hard to learn how to control their mana and ascending abilities. And if you train hard enough, you just might be spoonfed some memories of your past lives. It’s all a big bag of ‘what the hell is really going on??’ and that’s all part of the fun, as it’s clear that Tucker has put quite a bit of thought into developing this world and its occupants.
Things don’t start well for Scorio, and they quickly go from bad to worse very early in the story. It’s only when he starts to bond with other outliers and outcasts does he see a potential future for himself – something that could break the chains he was born unto. But overcoming these mental hardships may even be more challenging than the physical act of daily survival in this unkind world.
The worldbuilding is a treat. I must state again that it is easy to see how much thought and effort Tucker has poured into this story, and it yields impressive results. Scorio is a multi-faceted character who is so driven that it often ends up being his downfall. The supporting cast each have distinct, affecting personalities. And the action scenes are cleverly designed and well executed – a staple of any of Tucker’s previous novels.
This 350,000+ word, 1,700 page tome is only volume one of a planned ongoing series, which Tucker is aiming to publish at one per year. He can do it, too. His story collection is as prolific as it is expedited. And although this would be considered ‘progression fantasy’, it is so much more than training and powering up and new abilities. All these factors are indeed present, but they are weaved into an impressively epic tapestry that can proudly hang amongst Tucker’s best.
Five stars with an extra star caveat for answering the question, ‘how far along in book two are you?’
Bastion is a city in hell where mana-wielding Great Souls are endlessly reincarnated to fight fiends in the Pit until a prophesized leader breaks the cycle and brings everyone back to their home planet. (You may want to take a minute to absorb that before we move on.) The city is an oddly-shaped cylinder, lying sideways. The light source is a wick that runs through the center, end to end. There are boroughs that run the full 360 degrees around the inside of the circumference of the tube, and gravity pushes everything outward toward the floor, so you can walk radially or diametrically in any direction and not fall into the sky/ground/wall. The city is bordered by ever-encroaching ruins, seeping with mana pockets and hellspawned fiends. Yet in the city proper, there lies the great Academy, where Great Souls are reborn to train hard to learn how to control their mana and ascending abilities. And if you train hard enough, you just might be spoonfed some memories of your past lives. It’s all a big bag of ‘what the hell is really going on??’ and that’s all part of the fun, as it’s clear that Tucker has put quite a bit of thought into developing this world and its occupants.
Things don’t start well for Scorio, and they quickly go from bad to worse very early in the story. It’s only when he starts to bond with other outliers and outcasts does he see a potential future for himself – something that could break the chains he was born unto. But overcoming these mental hardships may even be more challenging than the physical act of daily survival in this unkind world.
The worldbuilding is a treat. I must state again that it is easy to see how much thought and effort Tucker has poured into this story, and it yields impressive results. Scorio is a multi-faceted character who is so driven that it often ends up being his downfall. The supporting cast each have distinct, affecting personalities. And the action scenes are cleverly designed and well executed – a staple of any of Tucker’s previous novels.
This 350,000+ word, 1,700 page tome is only volume one of a planned ongoing series, which Tucker is aiming to publish at one per year. He can do it, too. His story collection is as prolific as it is expedited. And although this would be considered ‘progression fantasy’, it is so much more than training and powering up and new abilities. All these factors are indeed present, but they are weaved into an impressively epic tapestry that can proudly hang amongst Tucker’s best.
Five stars with an extra star caveat for answering the question, ‘how far along in book two are you?’
March 15, 2024
Academy Scandal! Red Lister Invents Chocolate Flavoured Mana! (Puts down scrapped clean tub) "Well, Scowio is a wascally webel, always flouting our wules and wegulations. When I finally catch up with him, I'm going to tweat him vewy woughly! Vewy woughly, indeed!" - Praximar - The Academy Autocrat Autodiktat
A brilliant story with lots and lots of pages between the covers. My goodness this was long and took ages to read through, although ... it was truly awesome.
The world building was amazing, except for the buttered bread, it's little details like this given the total absence of dairy cows, and dairys, that can trip up the reader and throw them out of immersion. That said, the world building was so incredible good that I'm going to entirely overlook this little nit.
The characterisation is fantastic. I loved all the important characters and totally invested in their lives. While the very nature of the story, an academy progressing students through a series of trials, tribulations, and progressive stages lends itself to character development - it still has to be done in a believable way - and it was.
Not just believable, but also evocative of wise personal development. Bravo. Well done.
In addition. I loved the secondary character of Nox, who provided a number of laugh-out loud moments of humor. Very clever.
All in all, a wonderful story and I'm sure I'll read more by Phil Tucker.
Strongly Recommended. 5 'Persistence Wins Through,' stars
A big h/t to Michael Palin and his Pontius Pilate scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian. For some reason, Praximar, Bastion's Autocrat of the Academy ended up reminding me of someone who couldn't pronounce the letter 'R.'
REF: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clYE6...
A brilliant story with lots and lots of pages between the covers. My goodness this was long and took ages to read through, although ... it was truly awesome.
The world building was amazing, except for the buttered bread, it's little details like this given the total absence of dairy cows, and dairys, that can trip up the reader and throw them out of immersion. That said, the world building was so incredible good that I'm going to entirely overlook this little nit.
The characterisation is fantastic. I loved all the important characters and totally invested in their lives. While the very nature of the story, an academy progressing students through a series of trials, tribulations, and progressive stages lends itself to character development - it still has to be done in a believable way - and it was.
Not just believable, but also evocative of wise personal development. Bravo. Well done.
In addition. I loved the secondary character of Nox, who provided a number of laugh-out loud moments of humor. Very clever.
All in all, a wonderful story and I'm sure I'll read more by Phil Tucker.
Strongly Recommended. 5 'Persistence Wins Through,' stars
A big h/t to Michael Palin and his Pontius Pilate scene in Monty Python's Life of Brian. For some reason, Praximar, Bastion's Autocrat of the Academy ended up reminding me of someone who couldn't pronounce the letter 'R.'
REF: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clYE6...
January 17, 2024
Bastion just wore me out. There are obvious shenanigans by the guys in charge and the manipulation of their population is so heavy-handed I had a hard time getting past it. And then our boy Scorio falls into some anathema category and gets punted for no reason.
The author makes the mistake of making me almost care about the three others Scorio woke with (though I'm not happy with Asha being all diva about failing first) only to have those relationships not really matter. And they're fresh enough that I can't imagine how they'd survive even if Scorio somehow engineers a return to the pathetic society that rejected him.
Once I realized I didn't have anything to look forward to, I fell out of the story and just couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.
The author makes the mistake of making me almost care about the three others Scorio woke with (though I'm not happy with Asha being all diva about failing first) only to have those relationships not really matter. And they're fresh enough that I can't imagine how they'd survive even if Scorio somehow engineers a return to the pathetic society that rejected him.
Once I realized I didn't have anything to look forward to, I fell out of the story and just couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.
November 10, 2022
4.5 / 5
Intriguing start that dragged down in the middle but the ending more than made up for it.
A solid Progression fantasy. Eagerly looking forward to the sequel...
Intriguing start that dragged down in the middle but the ending more than made up for it.
A solid Progression fantasy. Eagerly looking forward to the sequel...
December 17, 2021
Amazing first book.
A fantastic first look at an amazing new cultivation setting. I can't wait to read more. This is one of the best books I've read in ages.
A fantastic first look at an amazing new cultivation setting. I can't wait to read more. This is one of the best books I've read in ages.
October 24, 2021
First up front - I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is my first time as an ARC reader! Regardless, I would have bought this book based on my previous enjoyment of Phil Tucker’s works.
Phil Tucker carefully points out this is a progression fantasy, but I think that pigeonholes it too much. I would say it is not too dissimilar from other epic magical fantasy where characters grow into new powers.
The story starts off strong, with the main character Scorio awaking from death. It’s in the first line, so I don’t think that is too much of a spoiler. We get to experience the first part just as confused as he is. He meets others, teams up, and there is a little bit of escape room type puzzle solving(very dangerous puzzle solving). It reminded me a bit of Andrew Rowe’s Arcane ascension, and with the progression fantasy thing in the back of my head I was worried that the book would become maybe a bit repetitive.
Now what I really liked about this first part was that Phil jumped right into the action of the story. No brooding and asking “why me?” and being sad and all that kind of melancholy that can saturate fantasy works. I also liked how the characters interacted and puzzled things out.
From here the story took a wild turn and I thought this would be a wizard academy type book, with everyone leveling up as they competed with classmates. Wrong again! Scorio finds himself alone and must literally figure out everything while trying to stay alive. He has no memory, powers, real fighting skills, or possessions.
Scorio eventually earns all those things, driven by an intense need to succeed and become powerful. The journey there is quite enjoyable and he is no Gary Stu - he gets everything though effort and will. The way he gets there doesn’t leave him unharmed. And then the book ends with a future, a mission of sorts that will make you want to read the next in the series when it comes out.
Some other things I really liked - the characters are largely genuine - there isn’t the best friend backstabbing Scorio. Friends care about each other and don’t get upset at each other’s success. The “bad guys” are pretty obvious. Game of Thrones style “everyone is a wretched person who could stab you in the back at any moment” have their place, but it was nice to not deal with betrayal all the time.
Characters have simple to remember names - no multi-hyphenated impossible to pronounce names here. Characters speak using modern English rather than trying to throw some antiquated parlance around. Once again, some books require this (see “The Red Knight”) and it can be a beautiful thing but the way this was written makes the story fly by.
I really am intrigued by the world here as well - I think there are many ways Phil can go with revealing its backstory and environments. This book takes place in a relatively small part of his overall world after all.
So all and all a very enjoyable and entertaining read, I highly recommend, especially if you have enjoyed other Phil Tucker books. My star ratings are fairly generous - if the book entertained me, had intriguing ideas and characters, and made me not want to put it down, it gets a 5 star. If a book feels like a slog but still has good characters and story, I often rate it a 4. If the book actively makes me want to stop reading it, if I finish it, it gets a three. I generally don’t even start reading a book with community review average less than 3.8 so I bypass books that would rate a 1 or 2.
This book was a 5 star for me.
Phil Tucker carefully points out this is a progression fantasy, but I think that pigeonholes it too much. I would say it is not too dissimilar from other epic magical fantasy where characters grow into new powers.
The story starts off strong, with the main character Scorio awaking from death. It’s in the first line, so I don’t think that is too much of a spoiler. We get to experience the first part just as confused as he is. He meets others, teams up, and there is a little bit of escape room type puzzle solving(very dangerous puzzle solving). It reminded me a bit of Andrew Rowe’s Arcane ascension, and with the progression fantasy thing in the back of my head I was worried that the book would become maybe a bit repetitive.
Now what I really liked about this first part was that Phil jumped right into the action of the story. No brooding and asking “why me?” and being sad and all that kind of melancholy that can saturate fantasy works. I also liked how the characters interacted and puzzled things out.
From here the story took a wild turn and I thought this would be a wizard academy type book, with everyone leveling up as they competed with classmates. Wrong again! Scorio finds himself alone and must literally figure out everything while trying to stay alive. He has no memory, powers, real fighting skills, or possessions.
Scorio eventually earns all those things, driven by an intense need to succeed and become powerful. The journey there is quite enjoyable and he is no Gary Stu - he gets everything though effort and will. The way he gets there doesn’t leave him unharmed. And then the book ends with a future, a mission of sorts that will make you want to read the next in the series when it comes out.
Some other things I really liked - the characters are largely genuine - there isn’t the best friend backstabbing Scorio. Friends care about each other and don’t get upset at each other’s success. The “bad guys” are pretty obvious. Game of Thrones style “everyone is a wretched person who could stab you in the back at any moment” have their place, but it was nice to not deal with betrayal all the time.
Characters have simple to remember names - no multi-hyphenated impossible to pronounce names here. Characters speak using modern English rather than trying to throw some antiquated parlance around. Once again, some books require this (see “The Red Knight”) and it can be a beautiful thing but the way this was written makes the story fly by.
I really am intrigued by the world here as well - I think there are many ways Phil can go with revealing its backstory and environments. This book takes place in a relatively small part of his overall world after all.
So all and all a very enjoyable and entertaining read, I highly recommend, especially if you have enjoyed other Phil Tucker books. My star ratings are fairly generous - if the book entertained me, had intriguing ideas and characters, and made me not want to put it down, it gets a 5 star. If a book feels like a slog but still has good characters and story, I often rate it a 4. If the book actively makes me want to stop reading it, if I finish it, it gets a three. I generally don’t even start reading a book with community review average less than 3.8 so I bypass books that would rate a 1 or 2.
This book was a 5 star for me.
November 11, 2021
I’m giving this 3 stars cause I just couldn’t get into it until the end. The last few chapters were really good and I must say that I’m looking forward to the second book because of the new friendships and where they are going from here. Other than that, I read hundreds of pages that felt so slow. I am definitely the minority cause the reviews for this book is amazing. It just didn’t do it for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2022
Well, despite the number of 5-star reviews this book has accumulated, I have to call things as I see them. In this case, it's summed up mostly as a spectacle without stakes.
Compared to many self-published books, especially within the gamelit and progressive fantasy space, the writing was pretty clean and the mistakes were few and far enough between to avoid distraction. I did find myself skimming pages often though as the author has a tendency to get overly descriptive in bland ways for things that don't matter. Combined with the idiocy of the main character, it made for slow pacing.
While some people might say that there were dozens of battles, fights, and training sequences that were entertaining, I found myself bored during many since there were no real stakes involved and many of the major plot movements relied on the MC making poor decisions and/or deus ex machina. The final 30% of the book in particular was very predictable and I can understand why many people lost interest around this point.
I feel like there were some interesting ideas in this book that never really got off the ground. Despite the 800+ page count, this was really more of a setup to a story than an actual story itself, which I found a bit disappointing.
Compared to many self-published books, especially within the gamelit and progressive fantasy space, the writing was pretty clean and the mistakes were few and far enough between to avoid distraction. I did find myself skimming pages often though as the author has a tendency to get overly descriptive in bland ways for things that don't matter. Combined with the idiocy of the main character, it made for slow pacing.
While some people might say that there were dozens of battles, fights, and training sequences that were entertaining, I found myself bored during many since there were no real stakes involved and many of the major plot movements relied on the MC making poor decisions and/or deus ex machina. The final 30% of the book in particular was very predictable and I can understand why many people lost interest around this point.
I feel like there were some interesting ideas in this book that never really got off the ground. Despite the 800+ page count, this was really more of a setup to a story than an actual story itself, which I found a bit disappointing.
September 10, 2025
👉🏼 new favourite series alert‼️
If you’re thinking about picking this series up or looking for something to think up then stop thinking… just do!
Was going to try compare this to other books I’ve read but honestly it’s so unique I can’t, the only thing I can say is it gives ‘rage of dragons’ & ‘red rising’ RAGE.
This review is cheating because I’ve now read all the books, I wanted to write a review straight after reading this but for the life of me I couldn’t and ended up starting the second book and once I started I couldn’t stop
So here goes, this was an amazing read, from the very start it was incredible and I was hooked. Soo much mystery, lore, and a totally different type of story to so many of the fantasy books out there.
The characters and their relationships to each other and all of our favourite friend just made me want to keep reading and discovering more about what was going on.
My one caveat is that this book was missing… something, but even I couldn’t define what it was. It just felt a bit too nice for a book set in hell, but it honestly was only the tiniest little feeling I was having. This is where my cheating comes in, after reading the second book i know what was missing and that was DELIVERED.
An incredible read and one I imagine I’m going to be recommending to people from here on out
If you’re thinking about picking this series up or looking for something to think up then stop thinking… just do!
Was going to try compare this to other books I’ve read but honestly it’s so unique I can’t, the only thing I can say is it gives ‘rage of dragons’ & ‘red rising’ RAGE.
This review is cheating because I’ve now read all the books, I wanted to write a review straight after reading this but for the life of me I couldn’t and ended up starting the second book and once I started I couldn’t stop
So here goes, this was an amazing read, from the very start it was incredible and I was hooked. Soo much mystery, lore, and a totally different type of story to so many of the fantasy books out there.
The characters and their relationships to each other and all of our favourite friend just made me want to keep reading and discovering more about what was going on.
My one caveat is that this book was missing… something, but even I couldn’t define what it was. It just felt a bit too nice for a book set in hell, but it honestly was only the tiniest little feeling I was having. This is where my cheating comes in, after reading the second book i know what was missing and that was DELIVERED.
An incredible read and one I imagine I’m going to be recommending to people from here on out
November 8, 2021
It has been a while since Phil Tucker finished his last series - about three years. So it came to me as a pleasant surprise when he sent me the ARC of his latest book - Bastion. As can be expected, I dropped everything else and read the book from front to back on the same day. And it is fantastic.
Phil Tucker's trademarks of excellent world-building as well as brilliant characterisation are, once again the standout features of this book. I am not going to get into the story (or even run the minor risk of spoilers), since the reader would be best served discovering it for themselves. What I love, in addition, about this book is how Phil Tucker has once again challenged himself, by picking another sub-genre of fantasy for his story-telling. The progression fantasy elements of the book are great, but the characters also stand out so well. This is what determines whether a book is like a dry statistic textbook or if it is a story where we get to experience what the characters go through.
I highly recommend this book for Phil Tucker fans, Progression Fantasy readers, people looking for a their next fantasy fix, or for someone just looking for an entertaining story.
Phil Tucker's trademarks of excellent world-building as well as brilliant characterisation are, once again the standout features of this book. I am not going to get into the story (or even run the minor risk of spoilers), since the reader would be best served discovering it for themselves. What I love, in addition, about this book is how Phil Tucker has once again challenged himself, by picking another sub-genre of fantasy for his story-telling. The progression fantasy elements of the book are great, but the characters also stand out so well. This is what determines whether a book is like a dry statistic textbook or if it is a story where we get to experience what the characters go through.
I highly recommend this book for Phil Tucker fans, Progression Fantasy readers, people looking for a their next fantasy fix, or for someone just looking for an entertaining story.
November 24, 2021
Tried to finish
Couldn't do it. The start was interesting, but then it slowed to a crawl and I just did not like the characters. This book has an interesting storyline, but appears to be created for some cheesy live adaptation TV show than for the sake of getting an interesting story out. It was so slow and ponderous, in the words of my old freshman comp professor, show, don't tell. It was well written and edited, but so boring I couldn't finish, only got to 46%. Two and a half stars for effort I guess. Not rounding up, didn't make it to 50%.
Couldn't do it. The start was interesting, but then it slowed to a crawl and I just did not like the characters. This book has an interesting storyline, but appears to be created for some cheesy live adaptation TV show than for the sake of getting an interesting story out. It was so slow and ponderous, in the words of my old freshman comp professor, show, don't tell. It was well written and edited, but so boring I couldn't finish, only got to 46%. Two and a half stars for effort I guess. Not rounding up, didn't make it to 50%.
did-not-finish
August 6, 2024DNF 315 I want to give the strangest DNF review you’ve ever seen.
This is a very good book with very good writing, characters, and world building. I was originally really liking it a lot and even when I DNF’d I still think it’s pretty good and I’m sure will be much better.
My issues besides the fact that it’s an extremely slow read is that it’s just not fitting my taste. I like more grit in my books and although I don’t necessarily need gore, sex, and hard language to have a good read, I do on the other hand want a more ominous feel and a sense of mortality. I want to wonder if the characters are going to die or be severely damaged to the point it will significantly change their personalities. This one is so chipper and sarcastic the whole time that i never really worried, pair that with the fact that the characters will reincarnate after death, the only thing you have to worry about is that they’ll come back without their previous memories.
I think if you really enjoy long reads that are of the style of Will Wight’s writing then absolutely read this one.
This is a very good book with very good writing, characters, and world building. I was originally really liking it a lot and even when I DNF’d I still think it’s pretty good and I’m sure will be much better.
My issues besides the fact that it’s an extremely slow read is that it’s just not fitting my taste. I like more grit in my books and although I don’t necessarily need gore, sex, and hard language to have a good read, I do on the other hand want a more ominous feel and a sense of mortality. I want to wonder if the characters are going to die or be severely damaged to the point it will significantly change their personalities. This one is so chipper and sarcastic the whole time that i never really worried, pair that with the fact that the characters will reincarnate after death, the only thing you have to worry about is that they’ll come back without their previous memories.
I think if you really enjoy long reads that are of the style of Will Wight’s writing then absolutely read this one.
April 21, 2022
DNF 75%.
Poorly written. Information is mostly given by exposition, basically nothing is shown. Character motivation isn't well established and they act against their character to suit the plot. Friendship seems forced and the MC is often a bad friend. MC makes classic poor decisions constantly, but ultimately none of his decisions matter as everything is solved by deus ex machina or by not having any other option.
Premise is fine and setting and powers are interesting. It's mainly just let down by execution.
Poorly written. Information is mostly given by exposition, basically nothing is shown. Character motivation isn't well established and they act against their character to suit the plot. Friendship seems forced and the MC is often a bad friend. MC makes classic poor decisions constantly, but ultimately none of his decisions matter as everything is solved by deus ex machina or by not having any other option.
Premise is fine and setting and powers are interesting. It's mainly just let down by execution.
May 21, 2022
What an idiotic, insufferable MC. It was painful to finish, as half the book consists of him moping internally about the same things ad nauseam. On top of that, he forgets major events, doesn't reveal things that would get him out of huge binds, and has some of the thickest plot armor I've ever seen to protect him from his constant state of Idiocracy. It almost deserves 2 stars.
November 8, 2021
Huge scope, vivid & imaginative worldbuilding, breath-taking action, and enough heart to carry you through it all! It's billed as progression fantasy, and is sure to be a bit with that crowd, but epic fantasy fans are going to love this one too.
November 20, 2022
Overall okay book!
I had some issues with the pacing (the book really starts 400 pages in hahah) but the story itself was interesting and I will read the next one!
IF there are the same pacing issues however as in the first one I will stop reading it
2.5-3 Stars
I had some issues with the pacing (the book really starts 400 pages in hahah) but the story itself was interesting and I will read the next one!
IF there are the same pacing issues however as in the first one I will stop reading it
2.5-3 Stars
December 21, 2021
DNF - seemed like a solid premise. I was semi interested, but man this is a slog. Like 30 pages when 9 were needed. I started skimming then gave up entirely when I didn’t find the MC very likable. But like I said. Interesting premise. Maybe I’ll try again when the series is complete.
Want to read
December 22, 2024🧷 All 3 books are currently FREE! Dec 22-26 2024 🧷
November 10, 2021
The Good:
There is some fantastic writing, character development, and world building in this book. Though we are primarily given the perspective of Scorio there are a couple of “interludes” that give some glimpses into the minds of other key characters. Through Scorio’s eyes, the whole world is new and largely unknown–even frightening at times. He makes an excellent character for introducing the readers to the world of pit fiends and mana leveling. Scorio also is introduced without knowing anything about himself or his past. This allows the readers to learn more about his character as he does, making for fewer exposition moments in which characters tell us their characteristics but do not demonstrate them at all. The mana leveling system is explained in a way that doesn’t feel out of place but a natural progression of the training Scorio undertakes. Side characters are fleshed out for the most part, and despite the multiple false climaxes throughout the action in the book the final climax is a genuinely satisfying one. Altogether, you can tell that this book was a labor of love for the fantasy genre and an excellent demonstration of writing skills.
The Meh:
My only real issue with the book is how unnecessarily purple prose-y it can get. The first ten to twelve chapters are full of overly long descriptions utilizing twice as many words as necessary. As someone who’s written fantasy myself, I know how tempting it can be to throw in all those extra words especially when establishing the tone and setting for the story. But don’t let those first few chapters stop you from making it to the meatier parts–the extra wordiness doesn’t entirely disappear but gets a lot more streamlined as the novel progresses.
Final Thoughts:
This is a fantasy novel that I whole heartedly recommend to the fellow fantasy readers who’re a little tired of reading the same progression of tropes and plot points over and over again. The first few chapters can be a bit difficult to chew through, since both reader and characters are largely unsure of what’s going on, but as the story progresses the characters become far more interesting, the world developed, and the magic system reveals itself in very cool ways. In a few scenes, the next plot point reveals itself a bit too early, but despite this it’s still intriguing to see how the situation will play out and what the reaction will be. Scorio is unpredictable, both as a character and as a narrator, and often makes choices that surprise reader and side characters alike. There are several climactic moments in the book leading up to the final challenge, and though one of those action packed sequences seems the most daunting of them all it doesn’t entirely stand out against the real plot of the story. It pokes its head up, makes itself known, and then sinks back down so the readers can reenter the main story. All in all, a fascinating read with a clear progression of power, well rounded characters, and some seriously great scenes for character development and action alike.
For a more in depth review, click here to read it on my book blog!
There is some fantastic writing, character development, and world building in this book. Though we are primarily given the perspective of Scorio there are a couple of “interludes” that give some glimpses into the minds of other key characters. Through Scorio’s eyes, the whole world is new and largely unknown–even frightening at times. He makes an excellent character for introducing the readers to the world of pit fiends and mana leveling. Scorio also is introduced without knowing anything about himself or his past. This allows the readers to learn more about his character as he does, making for fewer exposition moments in which characters tell us their characteristics but do not demonstrate them at all. The mana leveling system is explained in a way that doesn’t feel out of place but a natural progression of the training Scorio undertakes. Side characters are fleshed out for the most part, and despite the multiple false climaxes throughout the action in the book the final climax is a genuinely satisfying one. Altogether, you can tell that this book was a labor of love for the fantasy genre and an excellent demonstration of writing skills.
The Meh:
My only real issue with the book is how unnecessarily purple prose-y it can get. The first ten to twelve chapters are full of overly long descriptions utilizing twice as many words as necessary. As someone who’s written fantasy myself, I know how tempting it can be to throw in all those extra words especially when establishing the tone and setting for the story. But don’t let those first few chapters stop you from making it to the meatier parts–the extra wordiness doesn’t entirely disappear but gets a lot more streamlined as the novel progresses.
Final Thoughts:
This is a fantasy novel that I whole heartedly recommend to the fellow fantasy readers who’re a little tired of reading the same progression of tropes and plot points over and over again. The first few chapters can be a bit difficult to chew through, since both reader and characters are largely unsure of what’s going on, but as the story progresses the characters become far more interesting, the world developed, and the magic system reveals itself in very cool ways. In a few scenes, the next plot point reveals itself a bit too early, but despite this it’s still intriguing to see how the situation will play out and what the reaction will be. Scorio is unpredictable, both as a character and as a narrator, and often makes choices that surprise reader and side characters alike. There are several climactic moments in the book leading up to the final challenge, and though one of those action packed sequences seems the most daunting of them all it doesn’t entirely stand out against the real plot of the story. It pokes its head up, makes itself known, and then sinks back down so the readers can reenter the main story. All in all, a fascinating read with a clear progression of power, well rounded characters, and some seriously great scenes for character development and action alike.
For a more in depth review, click here to read it on my book blog!
October 8, 2025
This was my first foray into progression fantasy and I wasn't quite sure if I would like it or not but this is a fantastic read. If you are a fan of trials/academy setting/coming of age/found family type tropes set in a fantasy world, I think you would like this one. The beginning does skip around a bit and you are kind of left not knowing what is going on, but that is the intention and all will be revealed in time.
There are plenty of characters (some loveable, some not so much) and the character progression by Scorio is great. I can't wait to see where the author takes Scorio (and others) in the next book(s) in this series. I also want to applaud the author for letting the female characters shine and let them be badass because it makes it seem so much more relatable when it's not just the basic human guy getting all the glory. But, make no mistake, Scorio isn't your basic human guy either and again, I applaud the author's creativity. Scorio will have you pulling your hair out one minute and then loving him by the end.
Well told story, a bit lengthy but full of action and a great setup for the next book in the series.
There are plenty of characters (some loveable, some not so much) and the character progression by Scorio is great. I can't wait to see where the author takes Scorio (and others) in the next book(s) in this series. I also want to applaud the author for letting the female characters shine and let them be badass because it makes it seem so much more relatable when it's not just the basic human guy getting all the glory. But, make no mistake, Scorio isn't your basic human guy either and again, I applaud the author's creativity. Scorio will have you pulling your hair out one minute and then loving him by the end.
Well told story, a bit lengthy but full of action and a great setup for the next book in the series.
July 19, 2025
Don’t be put of by the cover in thinking it might be a bit cringe, it’s not and it’s good!
I didn’t even know what progression fantasy was but all of a sudden it’s all I’m reading lol
I didn’t even know what progression fantasy was but all of a sudden it’s all I’m reading lol
May 24, 2022
I had great hopes for this book, looking at the many positive reviews. I loved the start of the book, but it took a turn for the worse for me after the first 33% or so. What I don't like about this story is the perpetual smacking down of the MC. The moment the MC has stuff looking up, something happens and he is slapped down so he has to partly start over. I just get annoyed by how often this happens, and I dislike that some things are hardly explained. One of the main storypoints are souls and their past. The book starts with something related to the souls, and this keeps coming back.
Annoying and not a book I want to read again.
Annoying and not a book I want to read again.
April 1, 2024
Phil has this talent of using a chapter to tell you a paragraph's worth of story while simultaneously abusing his thesaurus. In an odd way, I was happy with the pacing. He didn't reveal too much too early and didn't artificially keep our MC from learning about his past. I've learned my lesson and I will only read every third page of the next book.
November 27, 2021
A doorstopper of a power progression fantasy novel - and a darned good one at that! I powered through this and stayed up way too late to do it, and that's one hell of a recommendation.
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