The Rise of Chess

Fair Quest #2

by Kit Falbo

Overwhelmed by a shift to a "normal" life Nate is under pressure to make friends. Re-joining the Immersive Fantasy game Fair Quest seems like his best option. But the game has changed, and many players are taking what is going on more personally. Will the return of the Kingmaker winner send shock waves through the game even as he's trying to avoid attention? Find out in The Rise of Chess.

A GameLit coming of age story.
Book Two of Fair Quest

Genres: Fantasy

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2021

Reviews

[Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Everything I liked in first book has been taken away.

The plot felt a bit aimless and without a end game. We get to see things happening without really knowing where the whole book is headed. Characters who were bit part in previous book suddenly become PoVs and it's a bit jarring.

There's very minimal crafting and the PoV has been split three ways. I really couldn't connect with David and Casey as they really felt like a scene setter than a proper character build. They exist just to build up the plot rather than be part of it.

Chess's PoV also felt very diary'esque. We get glimpses as if a book was written from the diary of Chess. Little to no crafting and it's all about his school/parent issues, which I really couldn't care less about.

Author should have left it as standalone rather than make a mess of a trilogy.

[Dominique Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m going to read the next one

This felt like I was getting buffeted with the amount of changes that happened to the MC from the first to second book, I don’t like some of those changes, hoping that in the 3rd book he takes back Control of his life. It felt a bit aimless in comparison to the first book, tooo much Casey/ David, not enough chess.

[Maximiliano Hernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pésimo libro. No hace ningún sentido. no vale la pena leerlo.

[David Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting and thought provoking

Waited so darn long for this book and wasn’t disappointed. Didn’t try and copy the first amazing book, MC and other characters are interesting, complex and realistic. So looking forward to seeing where this goes and hoping Nate’s journey is a good one. Well done Kit!

[Avshalom Guissin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book suffers from the middle-of-the-trilogy affliction of not standing well enough on its own. There's simply not enough happening in it, and it certainly feels open ended. It's not even a tension-building cliff hanger, just a few unfinished threads. I did enjoy the first book quite a bit so I'm hoping the third, when it comes out, will make it worthwhile.

[Julia Chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

intriguing, fun, different

What I love about this story is that it’s not another fighter saving the day. It’s a complex story, that is building through many different characters and perspectives. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out and how each piece (characters story) affects the game.

[Logan Horsford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as tight nor interesting as the first one. It was definitely the 'Matrix 2' of the series. Felt like the author didn't have a great idea of where he was going but muddled along. I'd give it a 2.5 stars.

Yes, if a third book was made (seems to come slow if it comes at all) I'd check it out.

[Algirdas Jankauskas · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book had potential, but the second one took a step back. I agree with most reviews indicating that there were too many seemingly unconnected stories happening at once. Hopefully the third book will take a stel back and continue the feel of the first book.

[Abhishek Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falls flat due to trying out too many things in the plot

Just like the story in the game itself, the plot itself goes completely haywire. This leads to having no clear plan of the story and most of the time we're just going along for the sake of completing the book.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

After the end of the first book, a bunch of unbelievable things happen and then the second book starts. The book starts leaving a sour taste in the mouth and then proceeds to not get any better.

[Manus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read.

I love reading about Chess, his friends and all their adventures. Can’t wait for the next instalment. Get it and read it, I’m sure you’ll love it too

[Juan C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle book syndrome

I like it but it does feel like this is more of a setup for the next book(s). There's some good ideas here hopefully the next book will flush things out.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is just a filler book, its a terrible shame cause the first book was really fun, but all in all nothing really much happens besides setup for the next book.

[David Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story remains interesting, but it still needs and editor.

[Crissy Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank is the worst!

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book but I found this one a bit tedious. I didnt want to leave it unfinished but I just wanted to get to the end of it.

[Dylan Birdsong · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a terrible side quest. Hopefully we get back on track for the 3rd book.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened all the way through, thinking it would get better. It didn't. Stuff happened for no apparent reason, without resolution. It's just a wandering tale of stuff.

[Aaron Eichler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond amazing

This book was awesome, and it has been awhile since I read the first book. So I don’t remember all the characters. What Frank did to Nate’s character Chess was a little underhanded. I am not sure if more will be written, but if they are I look forward to reading them.