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Black Rain #1
Black Rain: An Isekai LitRPG Adventure
The black rain is coming. After a millennium of slumber, the old Gods have awakened.
Lucas Wheelhouse, intrepid archeologist, is hurled into a world completely unlike his own.
Monsters roam the streets and divine powers fall into mortal hands. Lucas will have to seize this power if he hopes to ascend to the celestial throne. From steamy jungles to barren deserts, he'll traverse the length and breadth of a dimension beyond our understanding.
Building his alongside his skills, he might just have a chance at overcoming the mad Gods' game. But if he fails, the black rain will come, washing away humanity and extinguishing all hope.
Lucas Wheelhouse, intrepid archeologist, is hurled into a world completely unlike his own.
Monsters roam the streets and divine powers fall into mortal hands. Lucas will have to seize this power if he hopes to ascend to the celestial throne. From steamy jungles to barren deserts, he'll traverse the length and breadth of a dimension beyond our understanding.
Building his alongside his skills, he might just have a chance at overcoming the mad Gods' game. But if he fails, the black rain will come, washing away humanity and extinguishing all hope.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2022
72 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 8, 2022
Black Rain by Roland Carlsson, narrated by Erin Bateman, is 5* of hilarious fun with terrific narration!
I swear (often), Erin Bateman gets more entertaining to listen to with every book she narrates. While there are plenty of monsters to battle on their mission to save the earth, this is a very lighthearted book with lots and lots of humor. Just a few examples: a “mischief monkey” steals Lucy the now-foxgirl’s top; Lucy offers 1 gold coin and 3 dirty dishrags for a battle ax; and, perhaps my favorite, the MC describes his expertise with a weapon, noting that unfortunately, a poorly communicated cross country event put an end to his IM javelin throwing team at college. Oh, and….no, you’ll need to read/listen to the book for more!
The plot is pretty straightforward: 40ish professor and his hot 23yo redheaded grad student are transported to a realm where they must ascend nine levels to prevent the earth from being destroyed by “black rain”. She likes his transformed rippling muscles, and he likes her new fluffy foxgirl tail. Along the way, they meet lots of interesting characters, some of whom are happy to join our MCs with some fun relaxation techniques.
The book ends as they complete level 3, so I assume this is the first of three books for Black Rain. I look forward to the sequels!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Receiving a review copy did not influence my rating or my review.
I swear (often), Erin Bateman gets more entertaining to listen to with every book she narrates. While there are plenty of monsters to battle on their mission to save the earth, this is a very lighthearted book with lots and lots of humor. Just a few examples: a “mischief monkey” steals Lucy the now-foxgirl’s top; Lucy offers 1 gold coin and 3 dirty dishrags for a battle ax; and, perhaps my favorite, the MC describes his expertise with a weapon, noting that unfortunately, a poorly communicated cross country event put an end to his IM javelin throwing team at college. Oh, and….no, you’ll need to read/listen to the book for more!
The plot is pretty straightforward: 40ish professor and his hot 23yo redheaded grad student are transported to a realm where they must ascend nine levels to prevent the earth from being destroyed by “black rain”. She likes his transformed rippling muscles, and he likes her new fluffy foxgirl tail. Along the way, they meet lots of interesting characters, some of whom are happy to join our MCs with some fun relaxation techniques.
The book ends as they complete level 3, so I assume this is the first of three books for Black Rain. I look forward to the sequels!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Receiving a review copy did not influence my rating or my review.
May 24, 2022
Things i liked:
- Well thought-out RPG/magic system
- Fun and understandable worldbuilding
- An attempt at an overarching story is made.
Sadly i did not stick around for the end of this story.
What i didn't like:
- I couldn't read two sentences without stumbling over a description of how beautiful and slim and voluptuous and smart and perfect any of the female companions are. They are all so perfect and that fact is stated so often it gets quite boring very quickly
- Like many isekai, this work has an overpowered protagonist. That's fine really. What i couldn't wrap my head around is that every 20-something pretty woman in a 300 mile radius absolutely fawned over this, what, 40 year old guy?
- Then there's the fact that he's 40 in the first place. He doesn't act 40. He doesn't reason like he's 40. He could easily be 20 or 30 and the story would not change at all. This kind of feels like an author self-insert if I'm honest
All in all i think i just missed the mark in picking up this book.
- Well thought-out RPG/magic system
- Fun and understandable worldbuilding
- An attempt at an overarching story is made.
Sadly i did not stick around for the end of this story.
What i didn't like:
- I couldn't read two sentences without stumbling over a description of how beautiful and slim and voluptuous and smart and perfect any of the female companions are. They are all so perfect and that fact is stated so often it gets quite boring very quickly
- Like many isekai, this work has an overpowered protagonist. That's fine really. What i couldn't wrap my head around is that every 20-something pretty woman in a 300 mile radius absolutely fawned over this, what, 40 year old guy?
- Then there's the fact that he's 40 in the first place. He doesn't act 40. He doesn't reason like he's 40. He could easily be 20 or 30 and the story would not change at all. This kind of feels like an author self-insert if I'm honest
All in all i think i just missed the mark in picking up this book.
September 28, 2022
I HATE Dense MCs
The story *could* be good, but the MC is so cringe that I could not possibly continue this series in good conscience. It's the first book I've ever read where the MC actually REGRESSED. He was good, smart and competent in the beginning, and by the end became a seething mass of idiocy. As the book went further, his unbelievable White Knight Hero Complex got so out of control that I actually started yelling at the book. Characters are supposed to progress, but the further it went, the worse it got.
The harem elements are ok, if a bit generic, and I did like that the book spent more time on plot progression than sex, but I just can't get over the MC being a complete idiot.
The story *could* be good, but the MC is so cringe that I could not possibly continue this series in good conscience. It's the first book I've ever read where the MC actually REGRESSED. He was good, smart and competent in the beginning, and by the end became a seething mass of idiocy. As the book went further, his unbelievable White Knight Hero Complex got so out of control that I actually started yelling at the book. Characters are supposed to progress, but the further it went, the worse it got.
The harem elements are ok, if a bit generic, and I did like that the book spent more time on plot progression than sex, but I just can't get over the MC being a complete idiot.
February 20, 2022
A fast paced beginning
This has some serious potential to become a good series. World building needs to be a little more in-depth and the mechanics are a little clumsy at times. All and all though it is an interesting enjoyable story.
This has some serious potential to become a good series. World building needs to be a little more in-depth and the mechanics are a little clumsy at times. All and all though it is an interesting enjoyable story.
October 5, 2022
Didn't realise this was basically a VRMMORPG, here's why I don't read them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews