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Top Hat Express
Immortality is on the line. So are his foes! Choo-choo, heroes.
Dylan is an average nerdy worker. By day, he works for an architecture firm. When his shift ends, he consumes all manner of superhero fiction; comics, books, or games. When an up-and-coming gaming company, Vert, announces a new superhero game- a game that promises infinite choice- Dylan is immediately ready to dive in. He has the perfect role in mind for himself: the egotistical supervillain from cartoons.
Vert is more ambitious than anyone knew. As launch day for their new MMO World of Supers looms, they announce that if players do something really over-the-top, they can become a permanent raid boss inside the game. Now Dylan’s antics will be pitted against streamers bent on immortalizing themselves in the gaming world.
When everyone else takes the game seriously, it’s only the casuals who have fun.
Dylan is an average nerdy worker. By day, he works for an architecture firm. When his shift ends, he consumes all manner of superhero fiction; comics, books, or games. When an up-and-coming gaming company, Vert, announces a new superhero game- a game that promises infinite choice- Dylan is immediately ready to dive in. He has the perfect role in mind for himself: the egotistical supervillain from cartoons.
Vert is more ambitious than anyone knew. As launch day for their new MMO World of Supers looms, they announce that if players do something really over-the-top, they can become a permanent raid boss inside the game. Now Dylan’s antics will be pitted against streamers bent on immortalizing themselves in the gaming world.
When everyone else takes the game seriously, it’s only the casuals who have fun.
489 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2022
126 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Alex Wolf
3 books5 followersAlex Wolf is a writer, avid reader, and gamer who is always looking to enjoy a good story. Ever since he was a child he checked out book after book from the library, burying himself in worlds of fiction. In college he pursued a degree in Mathematics, and is now using that knowledge combined with his time working in IT using Google Fu to craft intricate worlds to the best of his ability. In his spare time, Alex enjoys video games and dungeons and dragons, finding new inspiration for his stories wherever he can.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 21, 2022
This is a superhero novel, and there isn't nearly as much of this genre as others in science fiction/fantasy or LitRPG. It gets quite a few points for not involving a harem, which, as far as I can see, panders to the masturbatory fantasies of 14 year old boys. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm not interested in reading about it. It is also not about "Romance", which makes me want to vomit.
So, two big plusses immediately. And, it's written reasonably well. Wolf knows what he wants to say and he says it clearly with a minimum of pomposity, even, occasionally, some grace.
However, by the time I had gotten almost through the book, I realised that the book is an apology for a certain kind of MMORPG player, typically called a player-killer. Wolf does not outright say that it's okay to spawn camp a character purely for the joy of making some completely unknown person distressed because, after all, he, as a player, has paid to enjoy the game and it's up to him to find the best way to enjoy that resource. Anyone who cannot deal with this is not an able player, and is therefore consigned to the Hell they deserve.
Much of his story turns on the failure of a superhero to save the brother of the main character, who then goes mental and becomes a supervillain, and so we are invited to be amused by how the main character resolves the situation in a way that he feels is appropriate.
Ultimately, what I felt is that this book is written by a man whose emotional development has been retarded to adolescence. It is hard to identify with the main character, because, ultimately, he's just a bit pathetic.
So, two big plusses immediately. And, it's written reasonably well. Wolf knows what he wants to say and he says it clearly with a minimum of pomposity, even, occasionally, some grace.
However, by the time I had gotten almost through the book, I realised that the book is an apology for a certain kind of MMORPG player, typically called a player-killer. Wolf does not outright say that it's okay to spawn camp a character purely for the joy of making some completely unknown person distressed because, after all, he, as a player, has paid to enjoy the game and it's up to him to find the best way to enjoy that resource. Anyone who cannot deal with this is not an able player, and is therefore consigned to the Hell they deserve.
Much of his story turns on the failure of a superhero to save the brother of the main character, who then goes mental and becomes a supervillain, and so we are invited to be amused by how the main character resolves the situation in a way that he feels is appropriate.
Ultimately, what I felt is that this book is written by a man whose emotional development has been retarded to adolescence. It is hard to identify with the main character, because, ultimately, he's just a bit pathetic.
August 11, 2022
This is my first book by this author.
Top Hat Express is a superhero novel set in a VR MMORPG. Dylan is the MC who decides to go down the villain path by playing it campy, and as the title suggest he wears a top hat and has various minions who (except for the mice) tend to get things wrong and screw up.
Despite this, Dylan has some success. His reputation, which is the primary mechanic in the game, fluctuates until he reaches level C, and then he's off to the races. He picks up some friends in the game, while his friendship with John, who had joined as a hero and was playing the game the way it had been intended falters.
Overall, I enjoyed this. The book is very funny at times, and while it is a tad long for the story it's trying to tell, I had no problems. The editing is very good, and the stats are minimized in favor of story.
The only complaint I would raise is at the very end. It's not a cliffhanger, but I was dumbfounded by what happened. I won't share what this is, but it almost brought the book down a notch.
5/5*
Top Hat Express is a superhero novel set in a VR MMORPG. Dylan is the MC who decides to go down the villain path by playing it campy, and as the title suggest he wears a top hat and has various minions who (except for the mice) tend to get things wrong and screw up.
Despite this, Dylan has some success. His reputation, which is the primary mechanic in the game, fluctuates until he reaches level C, and then he's off to the races. He picks up some friends in the game, while his friendship with John, who had joined as a hero and was playing the game the way it had been intended falters.
Overall, I enjoyed this. The book is very funny at times, and while it is a tad long for the story it's trying to tell, I had no problems. The editing is very good, and the stats are minimized in favor of story.
The only complaint I would raise is at the very end. It's not a cliffhanger, but I was dumbfounded by what happened. I won't share what this is, but it almost brought the book down a notch.
5/5*
June 2, 2022
Top Hat Express
Dylan has been a comic book/gaming guy for his entire life. When the press conference for World of Supers shows the demo, Dylan picks it up immediately. An open sandbox game where you can play as a hero or a villain? Absolutely perfect for Dylan! He decides to play the classic, mustache twirling mad scientist. There is a contest to work for the company, but Dylan would rather just play his character for fun. Dr Zlo will soon conquer the city, then, the world!
This is a really fun series! It’s great to see the different heroes and villains interact and how the game is set to operate. The very nature of the game sets PvP up as a forefront of the story. I am loving this story and really looking forward to book 2!
Content warning: language
Dylan has been a comic book/gaming guy for his entire life. When the press conference for World of Supers shows the demo, Dylan picks it up immediately. An open sandbox game where you can play as a hero or a villain? Absolutely perfect for Dylan! He decides to play the classic, mustache twirling mad scientist. There is a contest to work for the company, but Dylan would rather just play his character for fun. Dr Zlo will soon conquer the city, then, the world!
This is a really fun series! It’s great to see the different heroes and villains interact and how the game is set to operate. The very nature of the game sets PvP up as a forefront of the story. I am loving this story and really looking forward to book 2!
Content warning: language
November 27, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyable
I do know some history in that this started off on Royal Roads. The classic villain idea had me laughing at certain spots and the monologs are just great. It makes you feel like you are watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Other than Dylan, I was skeptical about the characters and there are a lot of them. I was questioning Dream cause the power was really weirdand Surf dude was crazily positive. The story works though and even the parts with John. I admit if Dylan went the stupid PC part it might have stopped me entirely from reading the rest.
The story works and even though the ending is anticlimactic, it serves as a springboard for book 2. Dr. Zlo is just a really fun character and the more we see the roleplaying of him the more I enjoyed it.
I do know some history in that this started off on Royal Roads. The classic villain idea had me laughing at certain spots and the monologs are just great. It makes you feel like you are watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Other than Dylan, I was skeptical about the characters and there are a lot of them. I was questioning Dream cause the power was really weirdand Surf dude was crazily positive. The story works though and even the parts with John. I admit if Dylan went the stupid PC part it might have stopped me entirely from reading the rest.
The story works and even though the ending is anticlimactic, it serves as a springboard for book 2. Dr. Zlo is just a really fun character and the more we see the roleplaying of him the more I enjoyed it.
July 27, 2022
4.5? This book is super fun :) I had a great time reading it, and immediately binge read the second. My brother recommended this and I'm glad he did. The action scenes are really inventive and fun, and exploring the world is fun. The small descriptions of the inventions are also very fun. What really surprised me was all the out of game stuff, which is super interesting and has a lot of interesting commentary, even though it's not a huge part of the book page wise. Excited to keep reading the series!!
August 10, 2022
Good but antagonists tell instead of showing
Love everything, the humor the system all of it. Especially the foreshadowing with the intelligence NPCs. However the PC antagonists feel flat and unrealistic to me. I think I'm told too much about them, like when the book says because of his anger his worse traits came out. I'd honestly prefer to be left wondering like the main character. It breaks me out of my immersion and feels unrealistic.
Love everything, the humor the system all of it. Especially the foreshadowing with the intelligence NPCs. However the PC antagonists feel flat and unrealistic to me. I think I'm told too much about them, like when the book says because of his anger his worse traits came out. I'd honestly prefer to be left wondering like the main character. It breaks me out of my immersion and feels unrealistic.
August 24, 2022
Gosh, this was a fun read. Not deep or anything, but fun. It's nice to see a VR/full immersion gaming novel feature a player who is out to have fun, and not be a top ranker or make money (or revenge, or whatever)
Audio: the narrator as an awesome evil laugh and it's well read. The problem I had was following some of the recipes, stats changes and other bits and bobs. I may switch to written for book 2 whilst I have my KU subscription
Audio: the narrator as an awesome evil laugh and it's well read. The problem I had was following some of the recipes, stats changes and other bits and bobs. I may switch to written for book 2 whilst I have my KU subscription
July 25, 2022
Excellent
This story of a dude playing a over the top villain was a very entertaining fast paced read. The dude doesn’t take the game too serious which infuriates his friend who wants to be a professional gamer. When his plans successfully succeed he gets millions of views and his wannabe pro friends jumps on his coattails.
This story of a dude playing a over the top villain was a very entertaining fast paced read. The dude doesn’t take the game too serious which infuriates his friend who wants to be a professional gamer. When his plans successfully succeed he gets millions of views and his wannabe pro friends jumps on his coattails.
January 11, 2023
Chef’s kiss good
I loved the first third of this. Then more characters were added and it started to feel bloated and like it had lost its way. I’ll admit I lost faith in the author but then he made me a fool. What I thought was bad writing turned out to be genius writing that turned this from a ‘like it’ to ‘love it’ story
I loved the first third of this. Then more characters were added and it started to feel bloated and like it had lost its way. I’ll admit I lost faith in the author but then he made me a fool. What I thought was bad writing turned out to be genius writing that turned this from a ‘like it’ to ‘love it’ story
July 19, 2023
Downright Dastardly Delightful Reading
This series was recommended to me through a writing group and I was hesitant to pick it up at first. But wow am I glad I did. This ticked so many boxes for me. Love superhero novels and I love how over the top and cartoonish Dr. Zlo is. As soon as I submit this review I am starting Book 2. Amazing read.
This series was recommended to me through a writing group and I was hesitant to pick it up at first. But wow am I glad I did. This ticked so many boxes for me. Love superhero novels and I love how over the top and cartoonish Dr. Zlo is. As soon as I submit this review I am starting Book 2. Amazing read.
June 8, 2022
Truly unique
I am a big fan of mountaindale press and once again they did not let me down. This book has great character development and had me laughing quite a few times. Cannot wait for the next book to drop.
I am a big fan of mountaindale press and once again they did not let me down. This book has great character development and had me laughing quite a few times. Cannot wait for the next book to drop.
June 10, 2022
Good campy fun.
Absolutely loved the main character, and his two co villains. The author nailed the whole troll aspect of gaming, and the petty retaliatory mindset of gamers in a lot of ways. Fast paced with lots of funny dialogue. A really good read.
Absolutely loved the main character, and his two co villains. The author nailed the whole troll aspect of gaming, and the petty retaliatory mindset of gamers in a lot of ways. Fast paced with lots of funny dialogue. A really good read.
June 16, 2022
Weirdly interesting
Set in a world somewhat like the movie Free Guy, the story combines various tropes from the super hero genre, mixing in the good and the bad of virtual gaming. Overall, a good first book effort.
Set in a world somewhat like the movie Free Guy, the story combines various tropes from the super hero genre, mixing in the good and the bad of virtual gaming. Overall, a good first book effort.
July 30, 2022
I enjoyed it up until the end
I couldn't put the book down until around 75% where I felt I should finish it because sunk-cost. At 95% I decided I won't be reading any of the later books in the series.
I couldn't put the book down until around 75% where I felt I should finish it because sunk-cost. At 95% I decided I won't be reading any of the later books in the series.
September 19, 2022
A very good read
This book I love, the story is just so good full of fun and the righting spot on and instead of it being short or cut so as to make a book two I now hope to see a sequel
This book I love, the story is just so good full of fun and the righting spot on and instead of it being short or cut so as to make a book two I now hope to see a sequel
September 25, 2022
a unique take on the genre
This book was pure fun start to finish. I laughed aloud many times and generally had a blast. He does a great job playing on the classic tropes of super heroes/villains.
Give it a try and be ready for wacky hijinks galore : )
This book was pure fun start to finish. I laughed aloud many times and generally had a blast. He does a great job playing on the classic tropes of super heroes/villains.
Give it a try and be ready for wacky hijinks galore : )
October 6, 2022
This was an interesting ride. The friend's activities were disappointing and could have been left out at the end. This volume does end on a down note. Dude's having friend troubles and his gaming wnet out of whack at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2022
I was actually giggling during some of Doctor Zlo's antics. Lots of fun.I listened to the audiobook and the narrator's performance really nailed the voices and elevated the humor. The ending was clearly meant to push me into reading the second book, and it worked because I just bought it.
August 24, 2024
The ending makes sense, but it's not a great way to end a book. Overall, the book was enjoyable. The complete disregard in the MC's attitude makes the story kind of meander. The MC doesn't care about the antagonist, so why should I as a reader?
June 5, 2022
Wow.
Really like this book. The first super hero book that I couldn't set down. The world is great and well written. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Really like this book. The first super hero book that I couldn't set down. The world is great and well written. I cannot wait to read the next book.
June 5, 2022
*twirls moustache*
I really love the premise of the book and can't wait for more. It's also really well executed! Can't wait for the next one :)
I really love the premise of the book and can't wait for more. It's also really well executed! Can't wait for the next one :)
July 6, 2022
I would give it 5 stars ifnot for the ending
I would give it 5 stars ifnot for the ending. It was great fun, until the end, but it failed there and left it in a unsatisfying mood.
I would give it 5 stars ifnot for the ending. It was great fun, until the end, but it failed there and left it in a unsatisfying mood.
July 8, 2022
Read it
That's it that's my Review, trust a random on this and read it, I was more than pleasantly surprised, I think you will be too.
That's it that's my Review, trust a random on this and read it, I was more than pleasantly surprised, I think you will be too.
July 21, 2022
As a campy role-playing story, this is five stars.
If a poorly balanced game sets you off, then not so much. The game aspect is not that good, but the overall story is just fun.
If a poorly balanced game sets you off, then not so much. The game aspect is not that good, but the overall story is just fun.
August 7, 2022
A fun, fairly well written story. The plot didn’t feel like it had much direction, but I suppose that’s reasonable for a sandbox type game setting.
October 29, 2022
I listened to the audiobook because a family member recommended it and it did not disappoint. Entertaining and absolutely silly but with a good story arc.
October 31, 2022
Vr superhero from the view of view of a mad scientist power. Enjoyed the comedy of the book.
July 26, 2023
2.25*
December 11, 2024
This was such a fun read! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator really brought the book to life.
August 6, 2022
Never did I root for a villain so much before. Love the unique idea beyond superheroes and games. Dr Slo is the best!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews