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Eternal Dominion #1
Restart
Year 2286 Alex Bell has put in 20 years of work in the VR game Eternal Dominion a full dive fantasy VRMMO game that accounts for around 20% of the world's economy. He had risen to the top as a vice guild leader and thanks to his work his guild was steps away from truly standing with the other top guilds. Only fate decided to rip it all away at the last moment. After his fall Alex awakens to see his 18 year old self looking back at him in the mirror. It's 2266 and Eternal Dominion is set to launch in a matter of hours, this time things will be different. This time he will succeed in life and make sure his friends and family are along for the ride even if he has to drag them along to do so.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2021
421 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Bern Dean
40 books59 followersAs a child I did not read unless Pokémon cards count. It wasn’t until middle school when my mother played a trick on me, she got me entranced in the Harry Potter books. She would read the first few to me before switching to reading me a chapter and leaving the book out for me to read if I wanted more. Thus started my love of reading, at least in part. I still didn’t go out of my way to find books to read and after high school I could count on one hand how many books I would read each year. Life continued like this for over five years before I was hooked on an anime and searched out its light novel. This led to the phase where I was reading at least a couple books a month to now where I have gone through over 300 books in the last year.
Now I am putting my own work in to the world while following my own mantra. To write for yourself or you will never love what you write. When I first started to put my ideas into words I was surprised to find that those I shared it with loved it. This led me on to the road of putting out my own book for the world to see. Thank you to everyone who has or will help and support me in making this dream a reality.
Now I am putting my own work in to the world while following my own mantra. To write for yourself or you will never love what you write. When I first started to put my ideas into words I was surprised to find that those I shared it with loved it. This led me on to the road of putting out my own book for the world to see. Thank you to everyone who has or will help and support me in making this dream a reality.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
April 12, 2022
Meh... it's a little painful to read. The conversations are so awkward and disjointed. I like that the MC gets a second go around to make things better for himself and others he cares about, and as curious as I am to see their progress I don't think I'll be reading the next book.
September 11, 2022
A standard but good regressor/E-sports story.
Character - 4/10, Plot - 7/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 7/10, Writing - 5/10, Enjoyment 6/10
(Edit after reading Book 3: This story wants to be a harem and will increasingly move in that direction. You've been warned.)
You probably won't read this book for the characters. The MC Alex is a pretty generic 38-year-old blank slate of a character who somehow wakes up as himself 20 years in the past and hopes to do things over again and better in the world of E-sports. It's basically the show King's Avatar, but with memory regression and without the charisma. The supporting cast is introduced in bunches and has no actual difference other than gender, hair color, and eye color - all of which I immediately forgot. I can honestly say that I don't even know the names of the MC's friend group. I only remember that there are 3 guys and 3 girls, but it hasn't affected my capacity to follow the story at all, which shows this definitely isn't a story relying on characterization.
I am a fan of reincarnation plots, regressor plots, and portal/slipstream/isekai fantasy in general, so this story checked most of the boxes necessary to keep me reading. The MC is more capable than the other game players because of his memory knowledge, he rolls in the dough, and he performs feats that are impossible for others because he's evidently kept the muscle memory/mental pathways from 20 years of training.
The game world is also pretty good despite being fairly generic. It compensates for the lack of unique flavor with an abundant quantity of the familiar. I will say that there is more detail regarding player behavior and social politics/practices among players than your standard gamelit. It's pretty standard stuff that comes from playing hundreds of hours of games, but I appreciate that it's here since it's often lacking.
The writing is a weak point for this story. It could use more editing to straighten up the clunky syntax, not to mention many misused words (like to instead of too or fair instead of fare) and missing punctuation. I would be mildly embarrassed if I was the editor and would purchase some writing software like Grammarly or ProWritingAid asap.
Overall, I enjoyed this and it fit pretty firmly in the middle of the gamelit pack. It was flawed, but what I was in the mood for, so it still worked. I feel like there was a lot of table-setting in this book, so I hope part 2 will be more indicative of where the story is headed.
Character - 4/10, Plot - 7/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 7/10, Writing - 5/10, Enjoyment 6/10
(Edit after reading Book 3: This story wants to be a harem and will increasingly move in that direction. You've been warned.)
You probably won't read this book for the characters. The MC Alex is a pretty generic 38-year-old blank slate of a character who somehow wakes up as himself 20 years in the past and hopes to do things over again and better in the world of E-sports. It's basically the show King's Avatar, but with memory regression and without the charisma. The supporting cast is introduced in bunches and has no actual difference other than gender, hair color, and eye color - all of which I immediately forgot. I can honestly say that I don't even know the names of the MC's friend group. I only remember that there are 3 guys and 3 girls, but it hasn't affected my capacity to follow the story at all, which shows this definitely isn't a story relying on characterization.
I am a fan of reincarnation plots, regressor plots, and portal/slipstream/isekai fantasy in general, so this story checked most of the boxes necessary to keep me reading. The MC is more capable than the other game players because of his memory knowledge, he rolls in the dough, and he performs feats that are impossible for others because he's evidently kept the muscle memory/mental pathways from 20 years of training.
The game world is also pretty good despite being fairly generic. It compensates for the lack of unique flavor with an abundant quantity of the familiar. I will say that there is more detail regarding player behavior and social politics/practices among players than your standard gamelit. It's pretty standard stuff that comes from playing hundreds of hours of games, but I appreciate that it's here since it's often lacking.
The writing is a weak point for this story. It could use more editing to straighten up the clunky syntax, not to mention many misused words (like to instead of too or fair instead of fare) and missing punctuation. I would be mildly embarrassed if I was the editor and would purchase some writing software like Grammarly or ProWritingAid asap.
Overall, I enjoyed this and it fit pretty firmly in the middle of the gamelit pack. It was flawed, but what I was in the mood for, so it still worked. I feel like there was a lot of table-setting in this book, so I hope part 2 will be more indicative of where the story is headed.
March 6, 2022
As of this review, I have read the first 4 books. This is a "redo" where the MC goes back in time with his current knowledge. The time travel aspect is never explained, makes zero sense, and is ignored after a single line, but once you get over it, the novel is great. I'm not a fan of it being a harem novel, but it is fade to black, and it is a good novel despite that. I'm definitely reading the rest of the series when it released.
December 31, 2021
Book one
This is almost a direct ripoff of the Chinese web novel The reincarnation of the strongest sword god by lucky old cat which you can find on Kindle unlimited as well. Your own work my foot!
You should be ashamed!
This is almost a direct ripoff of the Chinese web novel The reincarnation of the strongest sword god by lucky old cat which you can find on Kindle unlimited as well. Your own work my foot!
You should be ashamed!
February 4, 2022
3 Free Art Expo Stars
Restart is the first book in the Eternal Dominion series by Bern Dean.
I wish I could rate this at least 4 stars. Alas, the consistency in grammatical errors bars me from doing so. The world building is so verily intriguing. It has much that is reminiscent of Master of None and Legen of the Arch Magus, for me. I truly enjoy the day-to-day preparations playthrough. It's one of my favorite aspects along with the real world investments and interactions, that tie into Alex's character development and the progression for the story.
I can't wait for his family to join ED. They will be wonderful additions, that will not only build up their crafting membership in FAE, but also invite a further reaching induction of members from the family's own friend groups and connections. Along those lines, I'm anticipating the move to Colorado and whether his family might join?
Mostly enticing is his Mark of the Elder Dragon. I wonder where this evolution of his Knighthood class, along with the prince's interest in him will manifest.
As his guild further branches out into the rest of the kingdom, and he stabilizes the foundation for their future endeavors.
Restart is the first book in the Eternal Dominion series by Bern Dean.
I wish I could rate this at least 4 stars. Alas, the consistency in grammatical errors bars me from doing so. The world building is so verily intriguing. It has much that is reminiscent of Master of None and Legen of the Arch Magus, for me. I truly enjoy the day-to-day preparations playthrough. It's one of my favorite aspects along with the real world investments and interactions, that tie into Alex's character development and the progression for the story.
I can't wait for his family to join ED. They will be wonderful additions, that will not only build up their crafting membership in FAE, but also invite a further reaching induction of members from the family's own friend groups and connections. Along those lines, I'm anticipating the move to Colorado and whether his family might join?
Mostly enticing is his Mark of the Elder Dragon. I wonder where this evolution of his Knighthood class, along with the prince's interest in him will manifest.
As his guild further branches out into the rest of the kingdom, and he stabilizes the foundation for their future endeavors.
August 23, 2023
It's not hard to understand why I never heard of this book before randomly seeing it listed on goodreads. It's utter terrible. It's as boring as you might imagine watching someone playing a game on easy mode with cheat codes would be.
Also the dialog is so awkward and stilted I'm fairly sure it was created by an early gen AI.
Lastly I don't know if they were trying to find a niche audience or something but it is grotesquely, offensively feminist. If you're a pathetic simp who enjoys being constantly belittled, distained, humiliated, and directed by women you'll probably love it.
Also the dialog is so awkward and stilted I'm fairly sure it was created by an early gen AI.
Lastly I don't know if they were trying to find a niche audience or something but it is grotesquely, offensively feminist. If you're a pathetic simp who enjoys being constantly belittled, distained, humiliated, and directed by women you'll probably love it.
March 4, 2022
Boring neck beard drivel
It's like Bob from accounting, who put in a dozen hours playing video games twenty years ago, decided to write a litrpg.
As boring as this genre gets, with that distinct neck beard self insert vibe. I also got the impression the author has never played an MMO as they didn't seem to know how it works. Bland world with cliche characters right out of a conservative Midwestern fantasy.
It's like Bob from accounting, who put in a dozen hours playing video games twenty years ago, decided to write a litrpg.
As boring as this genre gets, with that distinct neck beard self insert vibe. I also got the impression the author has never played an MMO as they didn't seem to know how it works. Bland world with cliche characters right out of a conservative Midwestern fantasy.
December 5, 2021
A good start to series
I love the concept of going back to rewrite. And this novel uses it in a good way. I am eager to read next
I love the concept of going back to rewrite. And this novel uses it in a good way. I am eager to read next
January 17, 2022
This is a better written Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God or RSSG ( https://www.amazon.com/Reincarnation-... ), which is a badly translated novel edited from a Chinese web novel of the same name from Lucky Old Cat.
I liked both but where RSSG by LOC (Lucky old cat) had translated pretty badly with long filling for many of the chapters of webnovel being put into book form, ED makes quick work of the literal grinding with sometimes days worth of time skips and glossing over fights for less bulk in chapters. Also as the translation is not great, there are a lot of flaws in RSSG like literal translations (bad because it lacks context to the story), ED doesn't have that issue so it is not a slog to read and is entertaining to boot.
As to whether this is close enough to be called plagiarizing, I think that this is in the same spirit as writing to a genre with niche aspects like Tao Wong and LitRPG Apocalypse. 'Return in time at a pivotal moment for the character to change their past' with a dash of 'chinese eSport god' like King's Avatar.
I liked both but where RSSG by LOC (Lucky old cat) had translated pretty badly with long filling for many of the chapters of webnovel being put into book form, ED makes quick work of the literal grinding with sometimes days worth of time skips and glossing over fights for less bulk in chapters. Also as the translation is not great, there are a lot of flaws in RSSG like literal translations (bad because it lacks context to the story), ED doesn't have that issue so it is not a slog to read and is entertaining to boot.
As to whether this is close enough to be called plagiarizing, I think that this is in the same spirit as writing to a genre with niche aspects like Tao Wong and LitRPG Apocalypse. 'Return in time at a pivotal moment for the character to change their past' with a dash of 'chinese eSport god' like King's Avatar.
March 4, 2022
A fun time travel book, but no explanation given to the actual event.
A good setup for having an OP main character though. Looking forward to the rest of the series and how the author will loop things together and expand on the main idea
A good setup for having an OP main character though. Looking forward to the rest of the series and how the author will loop things together and expand on the main idea
April 10, 2022
This is just boring.
I have never read a story that made a VR game sound so boring. The amount spent on time stamps, the cut up narrative, the focus on levels without any flavor context. This is a game I want nothing to do with.
I have never read a story that made a VR game sound so boring. The amount spent on time stamps, the cut up narrative, the focus on levels without any flavor context. This is a game I want nothing to do with.
January 12, 2022
A mix between a Play and a Novel
Overall I enjoyed the story and will read more.
This is clearly self published KU LITrpg. it's fairly weak on the litrpg parts just really giving us levels when there is so much more. There are a decent number of glaring mistakes grammatically and a few incorrect names, but it's not terrible. overall I'd rate the grammar above average for this type of book.
This book feels very streamlined and fast paced. I enjoyed it and felt that it worked. it definitely doesn't get stuck in the minutiae of writing. One of the best examples to me is that instead of writing Dan said or Dan responded or even Dan shrugged we'll see (Dan) after a quotation.
the characters have depth though even in this short book; because it focuses strongly on character development. We get dynamic fully developed characters with minimal descriptions but lots of dialogue. It most reminds me of reading plays. maybe not Hamlet, but perhaps more of a Merchant of Venice feel.
Now due to some of these stylistic choices that makes the story feel somewhere between a novel and a play, I could see the unappreciative being too offput to enjoy the story. There are a few rough points but overall its a good book to read on kindle unlimited or even to pick up for a few dollars.
Overall I enjoyed the story and will read more.
This is clearly self published KU LITrpg. it's fairly weak on the litrpg parts just really giving us levels when there is so much more. There are a decent number of glaring mistakes grammatically and a few incorrect names, but it's not terrible. overall I'd rate the grammar above average for this type of book.
This book feels very streamlined and fast paced. I enjoyed it and felt that it worked. it definitely doesn't get stuck in the minutiae of writing. One of the best examples to me is that instead of writing Dan said or Dan responded or even Dan shrugged we'll see (Dan) after a quotation.
the characters have depth though even in this short book; because it focuses strongly on character development. We get dynamic fully developed characters with minimal descriptions but lots of dialogue. It most reminds me of reading plays. maybe not Hamlet, but perhaps more of a Merchant of Venice feel.
Now due to some of these stylistic choices that makes the story feel somewhere between a novel and a play, I could see the unappreciative being too offput to enjoy the story. There are a few rough points but overall its a good book to read on kindle unlimited or even to pick up for a few dollars.
January 8, 2022
Great Restart LitRPG!
I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the rest of the series. I won't bother summarizing since others have done that in their reviews.
I will add a description. This is what I call a restart story. Its also LitRPG. Another big feature is guild development. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this is Russian LitRPG. For those who aren't familiar, this means that guild membership will be in the 10’s of thousands. The MC is already or plans to make his living by playing a MMORPG. Character levels in the game reach into the hundreds. Etc.
I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the rest of the series. I won't bother summarizing since others have done that in their reviews.
I will add a description. This is what I call a restart story. Its also LitRPG. Another big feature is guild development. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this is Russian LitRPG. For those who aren't familiar, this means that guild membership will be in the 10’s of thousands. The MC is already or plans to make his living by playing a MMORPG. Character levels in the game reach into the hundreds. Etc.
February 10, 2022
Review on the first 3 books
Good solid read, I enjoyed it , do to the character building over 3 books, nice new twist, world building and story building was well done
Only really issue was a bit of a rough start do to jumping right into him doing game stuff, and not really any take on the him being back in time, tho after the first few chapters I got into the world, but ya that really threw the story right at the beginning, if you every get a chance to do a expanded 1st book or edit first book believe that would really bring that 5th star out
Good solid read, I enjoyed it , do to the character building over 3 books, nice new twist, world building and story building was well done
Only really issue was a bit of a rough start do to jumping right into him doing game stuff, and not really any take on the him being back in time, tho after the first few chapters I got into the world, but ya that really threw the story right at the beginning, if you every get a chance to do a expanded 1st book or edit first book believe that would really bring that 5th star out
March 5, 2022
Brilliant, different but brilliant.
This series has many differences from most litrpg ,there is no deluge of stats , at this point players are just levelling up , the MC Alex/Xeal due to his previous game play has a lot of ideas on how to advance his guild and avoid common mistakes on their development in the game. I really enjoyed the story , it concentrates on developing the guild F.A.E. and there isn't a lot mindless aggro, obviously the MC and his friends are fighting monsters to gain levels but this isn't the major feature, also interesting is the use he makes of his inside knowledge in the "real" world.
This series has many differences from most litrpg ,there is no deluge of stats , at this point players are just levelling up , the MC Alex/Xeal due to his previous game play has a lot of ideas on how to advance his guild and avoid common mistakes on their development in the game. I really enjoyed the story , it concentrates on developing the guild F.A.E. and there isn't a lot mindless aggro, obviously the MC and his friends are fighting monsters to gain levels but this isn't the major feature, also interesting is the use he makes of his inside knowledge in the "real" world.
December 25, 2021
started good, but got real slow
As far as regressor stories go this wasn’t bad. A little short, but not bad. Reminded me of a mix between Zhan Long and Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God.
Started out really interesting, but started to drag a bit at the 59% mark. Instead of unlocking exclusive and hidden achievements, titles, loot, etc. they just did a bunch of boring grinding.
Worth the read, but not as good as the aforementioned series.
As far as regressor stories go this wasn’t bad. A little short, but not bad. Reminded me of a mix between Zhan Long and Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God.
Started out really interesting, but started to drag a bit at the 59% mark. Instead of unlocking exclusive and hidden achievements, titles, loot, etc. they just did a bunch of boring grinding.
Worth the read, but not as good as the aforementioned series.
February 4, 2022
nice slice of life story
Overall, this was a really fun book. I enjoy regressor stories in general and this a nice read. Only two material criticisms.
First, lack of detail in fight scenes, which is why I say this is slice of life.
Second, needs a better copy editor. This is minor, but I thought I’d share.
Overall, well done and I want wait to read book 2.
Overall, this was a really fun book. I enjoy regressor stories in general and this a nice read. Only two material criticisms.
First, lack of detail in fight scenes, which is why I say this is slice of life.
Second, needs a better copy editor. This is minor, but I thought I’d share.
Overall, well done and I want wait to read book 2.
December 14, 2021
Good read
Saw this shared on one of the groups I follow and thought eh might be okay and within the first 2 chapters I was hooked, nearly missed my bus to work because I was that engrossed in it. Can't wait for the next book
Saw this shared on one of the groups I follow and thought eh might be okay and within the first 2 chapters I was hooked, nearly missed my bus to work because I was that engrossed in it. Can't wait for the next book
December 16, 2021
Nice start to a series (I hope more are coming)
Nice premise and well paced with some cool in and out of game interaction. The author uses a unique way to track speakers in dialog that threw me at first but I am glad I stuck with the story. Looking forward to what's next.
Nice premise and well paced with some cool in and out of game interaction. The author uses a unique way to track speakers in dialog that threw me at first but I am glad I stuck with the story. Looking forward to what's next.
December 28, 2021
great book
Read how to become a billionaire in gaming by going back in time and using the info to jumpstart your earnings. While the time travel element is fantasy the hard work is not.
Read how to become a billionaire in gaming by going back in time and using the info to jumpstart your earnings. While the time travel element is fantasy the hard work is not.
December 28, 2021
Great start to a series
Great start, good progression &pacing, pulls you in except where there are weird editing issues.
Interested to see where the time travel comes into play.
Needs a better proofreader & edits, not just spell check.
Great start, good progression &pacing, pulls you in except where there are weird editing issues.
Interested to see where the time travel comes into play.
Needs a better proofreader & edits, not just spell check.
December 29, 2021
excellent reincarnation story
I cannot help but be reminded of a better written and far more concise version of Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God. The story moves along quickly and is interesting though their is little to no description of combat and abilities, though granted that aspect did get a little repetitive in RSSG. Over all a good light read.
I cannot help but be reminded of a better written and far more concise version of Reincarnation of the Strongest Sword God. The story moves along quickly and is interesting though their is little to no description of combat and abilities, though granted that aspect did get a little repetitive in RSSG. Over all a good light read.
January 2, 2022
great first book
This was a great first book! I really liked the fact that the author did not spend pages upon pages going into detail about background settings. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!!!!
This was a great first book! I really liked the fact that the author did not spend pages upon pages going into detail about background settings. Can’t wait for the next book in this series!!!!
January 4, 2022
interesting
Has flaws but is interesting and seems like the story is thought out and planned. The writing style is odd but also interesting so keep that in mind and I finished it in 5-6 hours so I hope the next one comes out soon.
Has flaws but is interesting and seems like the story is thought out and planned. The writing style is odd but also interesting so keep that in mind and I finished it in 5-6 hours so I hope the next one comes out soon.
January 4, 2022
Really good Characters
I loved this book. The first few chapters threw me a little as they seemed a bit rushed, but by the mid point I couldn't put it down and by the end I was just happy to find out the next book is already available.
I loved this book. The first few chapters threw me a little as they seemed a bit rushed, but by the mid point I couldn't put it down and by the end I was just happy to find out the next book is already available.
January 6, 2022
Great first book
If you like stats guild building and a good story then you could do worse than spend a couple of hours reading this, saying that i can't wait to read book two to see what happens next.
If you like stats guild building and a good story then you could do worse than spend a couple of hours reading this, saying that i can't wait to read book two to see what happens next.
December 15, 2021
Interesting
I find the story interesting and would love to read further books.
It reads easily and the MC is developing well.
I find the story interesting and would love to read further books.
It reads easily and the MC is developing well.
December 19, 2021
Good
A good start to the book series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book released.
A good start to the book series, I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book released.
December 19, 2021
Excellent premise
Read a lot of this genre and looking forward to the new books in this series, thank you for creating a new and exciting world to relax by exploring.😀
Read a lot of this genre and looking forward to the new books in this series, thank you for creating a new and exciting world to relax by exploring.😀
December 22, 2021
Good read
This book was a quick and fun read, although it is similar to another book series I have been reading. All n all a good book.
This book was a quick and fun read, although it is similar to another book series I have been reading. All n all a good book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews