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Dragon Core Chronicles #1

Master of the Hoard

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A new world of magic and violence. One crazy starting bonus. Major downside: No thumbs!

Carl was a regular construction foreman. Not the worst, not the best, and definitely not the thinnest. Even so, he didn't deserve that heart attack! He really didn't deserve being reborn into a magic-filled, dog-eat-dog world as a dragon.

To be fair, it’s nice to be at the top of the food chain. Now Carl just needs to learn how magic works, which monsters are safe to eat, and why his hoard is so important to him. Dealing with everything changing is hard enough, but he has enemy dragons incoming, hostile environments, and foes constantly trying to get bragging rights by taking down a dragon.

At the end of the day, Carl needs to learn how to build a life worth living in a world where might makes right.

471 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 6, 2022

613 people are currently reading
270 people want to read

About the author

Lars Machmüller

52 books84 followers

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5 stars
404 (49%)
4 stars
251 (30%)
3 stars
105 (12%)
2 stars
37 (4%)
1 star
16 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
2,529 reviews72 followers
May 20, 2022
This has found a way to make dragons boring.

The characters are uninspired and bland. The building is tedious. The interactions are just unbelievable. There is no point that you feel immersed in the story, it is just a boring slog forward trying to reach the end.
Profile Image for Johnny.
2,173 reviews81 followers
April 21, 2022
book one

Mistakes: Anything I found is listed on Goodreads.

Plot: This is a reborn in another world book. The deference is you are a dragon and born in a mountain were every day is a fight for survival. You do have some rather vague base building as well.

Characters: Why do authors keep choosing shadow powers? Doesn’t anyone have some creativity left? Give me some actual challenge. No matter how you try to drag out the fight it just isn’t that interesting when you have all the power to end it quickly. Dragging it out makes your mc just seem dumb. I came up with three different ways to end the last fight a lot quicker.

5/10
Profile Image for William.
450 reviews1 follower
May 12, 2022
meh

Okay read if you are out of better options. Poor litrpg system, okay story, 1 dimensional characters. If food, it’d be gas station food.
34 reviews4 followers
May 6, 2022
Basically Dwarf Fortress in a Book

All the base building, defense developing, troop training, and food farming instantly remind me of my Dwarf Fortress sessions. It's refreshing to read a book where it's not all about offensive conflicts but also defensive. The protagonist's lair is thoroughly described and expanded upon with new construction options gained as he levels. Knowing how the lair has been setup, seeing it work out brought a certain satisfaction when the plot led to a defensive battle in the lair.

I did pick out this book, however, because of a specific element: Dragon PoV. Unfortunately, between all the lair planning and conversations with the minions, the protagonist doesn't quite get enough time to himself to be and act like a dragon. That is, outside of the few fights, of course. I realized halfway into the book that the non-human-ness isn't the main focus (and the protagonist does lament his loss of human hands all the time), but it has still been an entertaining read nonetheless.

I'd recommend this book for strategy and defense planning fans. Although it's LitRPG, I think the base building aspect far outweighs the stats and skills. And if you're here for the dragon protagonist, expectations may need to be toned down.
Profile Image for Rion Briar.
8 reviews5 followers
April 6, 2022
This is a new author and VA for me and that always has me feeling skeptical. Especially for the first few chapters. This one surprised me. It definitely has the typical Isekai feel and some good Dungeon Core elements. It tries to subvert some of the clichés but falls into others. Despite those clichés it is a fun story and a good first entry to a series.

I look forward to see how the rest of the world builds out and how some of these characters continue to grow. I'll definitely be picking up Book 2 when it comes out.
Author 56 books386 followers
April 30, 2022
fantastic

Absolutely brilliant, and as the saying goes; ‘monstrous fun’. Basically the MC is a dragon, and it’s a great escape, the characters are believable and the action enjoyable. Really looking forward to book 2!
2,202 reviews7 followers
March 24, 2024
Very good read

I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.
Profile Image for Olivia Ganzenmuller.
429 reviews
May 27, 2023
Master of The Hoard by Lars Machmüller: Adult LitRPG Resurrection Adventure Fantasy. Dragons. Progression. Alliances. Single Third Person POV. Self-sustainability. Friendships. Protecting those under you. Leadership. Action. Monster fights. Monsters and creatures.

Slow-paced and easy to read, Master of The Hoard is a satisfying resurrection LitRPG adventure with progression elements, strong secondary characters, a strategic and likeable protagonist, learning and discovery tropes, monsters and creatures, and a plot filled with constant quests, and ambush and attack scenes. It has compelling and likeable characters and the relationships the are subtle but strong as Onyx slowly wins over his Talapi tribe. There is no romance.

Carl was a foreman in his past life, now he's a dragon and to survive long-term he needs allies. Going from a world with almost no violence to where kill-or-be-killed is a rule everyone accepts to survive passed childhood, Carl can't help but wish to change the lives of his allies and friends for the better. So that maybe one day, they can have a home and live without fear, but there's a shit ton of monsters in-between where they are and where he wants to lead them.

The story focuses on Carl who renames himself Onyx. The first people he allies with are the Talapi, who are a tribe of teddy-bear-like people, Onyx thinks of as cute. There are lots of cultural difference between Onyx and them, but I really enjoyed the conversations where the Talpi, who are at the bottom of the food chain, had to explain how the world works to a dragon. I enjoyed how the book contains Onyx's backstory on earth and how he talks about people he left behind and unfinished business he had. One of the main reasons why I enjoyed this is that I like protagonists who think through planned and are smart, strategists, or good at people management which Onyx was. The action and adventure scenes picked up the pacing, and there are a few interesting magical elements I'm looking forward to learning about more in future books.

In concept the world is a bit dark, because its kill or be killed and you have sentient creature eating each other, but the writing is black and white (enemies or ally), and quite light in tone if a bit gory. Machmüller skips the worst which I appreciated. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to see what Onyx and his allies tackle next.

How Much I liked it? 4 Stars
Ideas - World Building: 5 Stars
Ideas - Plots: 4.5 Stars
Character Depth: 4 Stars
Character interaction: Extensive
Animal Characterisation: Minimal
Non-human body language: Minimal
Warnings: Graphic Violence. Mentions of cannibalism.
Execution (proofreading): 4.8 Stars (2 misplaced " quotation marks)
2,348 reviews
April 8, 2025
Wow! FannnFriggenTastic! Getting this book was really a no brainer! 'Cause I've loved every book that I've picked up. And in my book Lars Machműller is golden! This is Carl's story after dying from a heart attack, he finds himself reborn/hatched(?) ... and in the form of a dragon. Discarding his human name he changes it to Onyx. Onyx takes over a tribe of Talpi. Where he's able to not only level but also level and strengthen the whole tribe as well, much to their surprise. Because in their opinion Onyx is the most un-dragon like dragon they've ever heard of! Hahaha ya think.
So yeah grab Master of the Hoard 'cause it's a must for everyone's library! And 'cause Dragons! 🐉 Dah! You'll love it. Guaranteed! So go ahead read some other books by Lars Machműller like World of Chains, or for something different Theft of Decks... And if you're smitten by the idea of waking up "other" go for rinoZ's book Chrysalis!

Here's a few quotes that amused me:

We’ll nail your next project, because nobody wants a screw up!

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” – Leonard Bernstein

"You know, I liked you better when I thought you were to be our next meal."

"I'm pretty sure there is a saying about not surprising dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup..."
Profile Image for Omri Dallal.
420 reviews3 followers
June 26, 2023
Nice light read

Ever wonder what will happen if a construction manager will be reborn as a dragon?

The story has a really fast pace and apparently can justify everything working to the MC because he has experience in construction. Sounds funny, but it's a base building story with competition on who will use his minions better to completely overtake the land.

The MC is very optimistic and cheerful which is weird at some points of the story but hey, if it gets things done it's getting them done, you can't argue with that.

The world building is interesting, the story has lots of potential but it's not the best execution. All in all it's a fun light read and can be a great book to tackle between long series or heavy materials.

If you like dragons, base building and dad jokes this one's for you.

4/5
Profile Image for Andy Murphy.
317 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2022
Master of the Hoard

Carl had not kept the healthiest lifestyle and clenching pain in his chest ended his construction career and allowed him to wake up in a new world. Not as himself, but as a newly hatched dragon! The problem is that the rule of the mountain he finds himself in is eat or be eaten. Even a dragon can be someone’s next meal.

While this is obviously a dragon book, the heart and soul of this book is a base builder. The primary focus becomes to build up a lair with traps, minions, and all the resource management that brings. This has one of the best explanations for a dragon hoard that I have seen before. I’m interested to see where the next book goes!

Content warning: Language
2 reviews
May 9, 2022
Not an over-the-top power fantasy, but a more measured re-incarnation (light) lit-rpg with some dungeon building elements.

Main character used to be a middle age-ish construction foremen, giving this a more grounded, practical based view on the re-incarnation genre.

I really enjoyed that, an MC that uses experiences from his working life (rather than a VR or gaming background).

The world building is also decent, with none-standard setting, races, magic and abilities.

The only problems I had were some small omitted details of how some systems worked or if they were unique to the main character (e.g. do rivals have the same map functionality, range and detail of telepathy) and some cases I felt the MC forgot to used some of his abilities.
66 reviews2 followers
June 16, 2022
Nice work

Take a man set in his ways and place him in a magical world, where survival of the fittest is rewarded with ever-increasing growth fueled by magic from a goddess. And make him a Dragon.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and look forward to a continuation. Carl is aware of his issues, but sometimes cannot help himself, and having the primal instincts of a dragon does not help. He immediately allies himself with a tribe of intelligent monsters on the edge of extinction and finds them to be a perfect complement to his skills. The author, Lars M, does a great job creating a cast of characters the reader can enjoy and can overcome their differences to create a group that cares for each other through their toils.
515 reviews5 followers
April 22, 2022
Something new under the sun. Quirky good due to the vastly different perspective and unusual nature of the protagonist. Normally I would say it could have been better written but given the unusual nature of the character I'm sure it was far more difficult to write than any 'normal' book.
Time spent on LitRPG advancement points and feats was still a bit much and detracted from the flow at places, but then that is a problem I have with the entire genre so far even though I'm a DnD veteran player and gamemaster for 50 years. Gaming mechanics can be fun but they often detract from story telling which is the point of fiction novel.
Profile Image for Chance.
1,107 reviews21 followers
May 9, 2022
A story published by a mountain set in a mountain

I had high hopes for this book of Dungeon/Strategy building/Dragon book fusion, but sadly it fell short.

The story was great up till the 40% has it became repative with explore -> kill boss -> gain minions. It was enjoyable after that it becomes a chore to finish the book but I did just to see if anything great but has I figured no the story was lost it’s luster.

You can find the author did great in chacther dynamics do he was completely dry on additional POV has we only get what a chacther say are does in front the MC not what they did way from him.
Profile Image for Christian Jeffress.
475 reviews2 followers
July 2, 2022
enjoyable overall

Overall, I enjoyed the story that had a rather fun premise, and executed it rather well. The main character was also enjoyable to read about, and how he went about things. Two things that I didn’t disagree with in the story, was firstly the species of dragon he decided to become, since I felt it didn’t really suit his combat style. And secondly, when he led his impatience and emotions get the better of him when he had to wait for information. He let his people, home, and horde be unprotected because his emotions got the better of him, while also putting himself in almost suicidal danger. Though overall, still an enjoyable story.
Profile Image for Brian Layman.
451 reviews6 followers
June 18, 2022
I'm really enjoying this series and having read the first two books, I can say they both grow and mature consistently with no major shifts after book one. So unlike many other series, if you latched onto something you liked in this book, you don't risk the author taking it away from you or twisting it into being something unrelated because the pressure was off for subsequent books.
This book is good and the series stays good - at least through book 2. Book three just dropped so I'm out of here to go read!
Profile Image for Jonathan.
638 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2022
fun

Yay! It’s dragons!
Carl is reincarnated as a dragon and thrust into a world of survival of the fittest and might make right. He adopts a clan, subdues a domain, and starts a hoard. He finds he must defeat other dragons to maintain his oasis of peace, and his peace overtures are returned in blood. So he defeats those problems.
It’s well told and has a good pace. Interesting world building. Neat characters. I liked it. Enjoy.
Profile Image for Chris Evans.
903 reviews43 followers
June 16, 2022
I have to give the author props right away for having a non-human main character, a very non-human character at that. On top of that, at no point did he find a way to turn his non-human main character into a human, or even suggest that's something he wants to do.

Everything else is pretty standard. I was expecting some kind of core mechanic given the books name but that really isn't a thing. Over all not bad but not super exciting either.
Profile Image for John-Torleif  Harris.
2,725 reviews12 followers
October 27, 2022
I wasn’t wowed

I found myself getting impatient and skimming through parts of this book. Why did the Talpi only take the one egg? Why doesn’t Carl figure out a way to create, or build something with the powers/abilities that he now has rather than just pining for hands? Wouldn’t the desire to conquer the mountain necessitate them moving their lair up? Thus making all of this effort ultimately wasted?
42 reviews
April 11, 2022
Dragons

Been looking for a series where the mc is a dragon and now i have it…someone in the litrpg facebook group posted about this so i thought itd be a good way to pass the time…then i get to the end hoping the next book was already released, but oh well time to wait and hope the next book is as good
Profile Image for misspinkeye.
201 reviews
April 17, 2022
This book! I LOVED everything about it! The story's very well-written. It's also action-packed, witty, funny, clever, and heartfelt. The characters were all interesting and lovable! I adored the Talpi.

Steve Campbell did it again! His narration was simply outstanding! It definitely made my listening experience truly enjoyable.

Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Kevin Sinclair.
Author 26 books45 followers
April 26, 2022
Marvellous MC of The Hoard

There's not enough Construction workers in novels of you ask me. We're underrepresented!
Loved the take of a monster MC, too. A nice change from standard classes and the core concepts of how the Hoard works was masterfully done. Awesome book. Would recommend!
Profile Image for Paul.
118 reviews2 followers
May 3, 2022
Guy dies, and is reincarnated as a Dragon hatch-ling. Add a bit of Dungeon Keeper (A game where you build your own dungeon to keep the paladin and their ilk out of the heart of your dungeon) elements . His clutch of hatchlings has 6 in number, and the book takes care of 2 of those. A Green and a Red dragon
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jerome’s Cat.
107 reviews
June 16, 2022
Fun world building

I get very bored with save the world books, so a man reincarnated as a dragon trying to make a better world was a fun surprise. When his egg is stolen by hungry Tulsa’s Carl has to hatch and start fighting immediately- but his background in construction means he will change what being a dragon means.
85 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2022
Cool ideal

I really enjoyed the character Carl being a man used to construction and building using his gifts and training in the new world he finds himself in. Especially since he uses it in new and unexpected directions. The fights are neat as well as the other characters. And the "leveling system" is quite neat. Recommend this book
Profile Image for Horia.
371 reviews2 followers
December 20, 2022
Average, flat, dull and lacklustered litRPG about a dragon battle royale inside some caves.

Note! I gave it 3 stars, and even if other books better than it had the same rating, by the end, I feel I still enjoyed some of Onyx's mediocrity.

I have a recommendation for any dragon litRPG fans: read the "Vainqueur The Dragon" series.

I won't say more. I'll simply stop continue reading the series.
Profile Image for Scott.
1,484 reviews12 followers
April 16, 2023
A good start

The writing is very good and perhaps 4.5 stars worthy, although I found the exact reasons of why he was reborn as a dragon and some of the finer points within the story missing. Perhaps this will be in the 2nd or maybe 3rd books. However, the story and action were enjoyable with good character development.
103 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2024
A Compassionate Dragon?

Wow! I finished this book Waaaaay to soon! Carl is awesome as a dragon. Poor ex husband, and less so as a father, yet he has become Lord and father figure to a tribe of Tolipi. He is protecting them, feeding them, nurturing them, helping them to grow in magic.
Next installment.please!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews

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