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The Grand Game #1
The Grand Game
One man. Assassin. Caster. A new world. And a Game that is as brutal as it is complex.
Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself.
Dropped into a dungeon of monsters, and strange magics, would you survive in a Game where to lose means death?
Alone, and with little more than his wits to aid him, Michael must advance as a player, slay his foes, and gain experience. All while navigating the intrigues around him and discovering his purpose.
A world of Powers, Forces, and mysterious factions. A Game with endless opportunities for advancement and power.
Join Michael on his epic adventure as he deals with the Game’s challenges, the machinations of the Powers, and the ambitions of his fellow players.
The start of an exciting new portal fantasy epic!
Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself.
Dropped into a dungeon of monsters, and strange magics, would you survive in a Game where to lose means death?
Alone, and with little more than his wits to aid him, Michael must advance as a player, slay his foes, and gain experience. All while navigating the intrigues around him and discovering his purpose.
A world of Powers, Forces, and mysterious factions. A Game with endless opportunities for advancement and power.
Join Michael on his epic adventure as he deals with the Game’s challenges, the machinations of the Powers, and the ambitions of his fellow players.
The start of an exciting new portal fantasy epic!
547 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2021
2007 people are currently reading
3167 people want to read
About the author
Tom Elliot
21 books338 followers"Tom Elliot's writing is like his hero: it never quits." - Ilona Andrews, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Daniels series.
Wander through epic worlds of dungeons, dragons, and magic created by fantasy author, Tom Elliot.
Reader. Gamer. Writer. That’s me :).
I enjoy creating worlds for readers to explore, and of course, amazing magic for my characters to wield!
In June 2021, I released my debut novel, The Grand Game. It follows the adventures of Michael, an assassin with a ‘wolven’ heritage and is told from the first-person perspective. Step by step, we watch as Michael grows from a lowly level 1 noob to… well, you’ll see soon enough.
Between my day job and family, I indulge in my passion for writing, reading and gaming. I favour CRPGs and turn-based strategy games, and epic fantasy novels.
You can support my writing on: PATREON, and follow me on social media through: Goodreads, Facebook, or Twitter.
Still writing,
Tom.
Wander through epic worlds of dungeons, dragons, and magic created by fantasy author, Tom Elliot.
Reader. Gamer. Writer. That’s me :).
I enjoy creating worlds for readers to explore, and of course, amazing magic for my characters to wield!
In June 2021, I released my debut novel, The Grand Game. It follows the adventures of Michael, an assassin with a ‘wolven’ heritage and is told from the first-person perspective. Step by step, we watch as Michael grows from a lowly level 1 noob to… well, you’ll see soon enough.
Between my day job and family, I indulge in my passion for writing, reading and gaming. I favour CRPGs and turn-based strategy games, and epic fantasy novels.
You can support my writing on: PATREON, and follow me on social media through: Goodreads, Facebook, or Twitter.
Still writing,
Tom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 314 reviews
September 22, 2024
A very well made LitRPG offering that stays interesting, fast paced and fun. Nice game mechanics, good characterisations and a good plot. Recommended.
August 29, 2021
This is another one of those books that has a surprising amount of high ratings despite being a bit generic and having sub-par writing. I do evidently get in the mood to read books like this when they are litrpg though, so what can you do.
Character 3/10, Plot 7/10, Game/Mechanics 5/10, Writing 3/10, Enjoyment 5/10 (Yes, for those of you eyeballing the math, I rounded up to that 3rd star)
While you can be a bit lenient with characters who have no memories, unfortunately, it's still not an excuse to have no actual personality either. Things picked up a bit maybe 40% into things once some other characters were on the scene, but a significant early portion of the book leaves the reader stuck with the MC as he goes solo through a dungeon. The MC is also not very smart or capable (despite other characters acting otherwise). When I read a character who isn't very competent like this who doesn't get called out for it, I can't help but question the author's motives. It is what it is, I guess.
The plot is probably the strongest aspect of the story. People awaken in a new game-like world with no memories and, in this case, must prove themselves to a powerful entity that has corralled them all into a dungeon. It's a premise that is familiar (Underworld by Apollos Thorne), but not overdone. I feel like most amnesiacs waking up to a gameworld find themselves in a starter village or something.
The game mechanics could have used some more attention and depth. While there were character screens littering the text periodically, it felt like lip-service more than real game mechanics. The experience, skill, and level gain seemed to happen for plot convenience rather than by any rules that were easily visualized. Especially early, the MC seemed to level up and gain skills with each thing he did.
The writing is probably the weakest element of the book along with the characters. There are grammar issues all over the place along with just plain poor writing. Way too many adverbs and poor word choice made it seem like the author was trying too hard to use words to sound fancy rather than just using the clearest options. It seemed like the author relied solely on Microsoft Word's spellchecker rather than any actual editing software. There was also sooooo much repetition and overwriting. If I was editing this book, I could have easily cut the word count by 60% without losing any of the story.
For all writers out there, litrpg especially, just spend a few bucks and get some editing software like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. You will immediately start improving.
I'll probably check out the 2nd book in the series. This seems to be the author's first book, so I can only hope that things will improve as we go. I've definitely seen worse book 1's for series that ended up being pretty good.
Character 3/10, Plot 7/10, Game/Mechanics 5/10, Writing 3/10, Enjoyment 5/10 (Yes, for those of you eyeballing the math, I rounded up to that 3rd star)
While you can be a bit lenient with characters who have no memories, unfortunately, it's still not an excuse to have no actual personality either. Things picked up a bit maybe 40% into things once some other characters were on the scene, but a significant early portion of the book leaves the reader stuck with the MC as he goes solo through a dungeon. The MC is also not very smart or capable (despite other characters acting otherwise). When I read a character who isn't very competent like this who doesn't get called out for it, I can't help but question the author's motives. It is what it is, I guess.
The plot is probably the strongest aspect of the story. People awaken in a new game-like world with no memories and, in this case, must prove themselves to a powerful entity that has corralled them all into a dungeon. It's a premise that is familiar (Underworld by Apollos Thorne), but not overdone. I feel like most amnesiacs waking up to a gameworld find themselves in a starter village or something.
The game mechanics could have used some more attention and depth. While there were character screens littering the text periodically, it felt like lip-service more than real game mechanics. The experience, skill, and level gain seemed to happen for plot convenience rather than by any rules that were easily visualized. Especially early, the MC seemed to level up and gain skills with each thing he did.
The writing is probably the weakest element of the book along with the characters. There are grammar issues all over the place along with just plain poor writing. Way too many adverbs and poor word choice made it seem like the author was trying too hard to use words to sound fancy rather than just using the clearest options. It seemed like the author relied solely on Microsoft Word's spellchecker rather than any actual editing software. There was also sooooo much repetition and overwriting. If I was editing this book, I could have easily cut the word count by 60% without losing any of the story.
For all writers out there, litrpg especially, just spend a few bucks and get some editing software like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. You will immediately start improving.
I'll probably check out the 2nd book in the series. This seems to be the author's first book, so I can only hope that things will improve as we go. I've definitely seen worse book 1's for series that ended up being pretty good.
April 22, 2023
Michael comes to himself knowing only his name. And that a very persistent jerk is in charge of the game he supposedly signed up for. Having little choice, he joins the other "players" to enter a dungeon and do his best to survive. This pseudo-isekai is more overtly game-like than others, including having multiple "lives" in addition to classes and skills. And it worked very well under that premise.
I liked Michael from the start, and even liked him trying to figure out his moral compass. Being told that you are evil and deserve the pitiless circumstances thrust upon you is one thing, but living down to those expectations is still a choice and I liked seeing Michael come to terms with that milieu.
He's on his own for much of the story for reasons that hold together very well. I liked getting to know him better during his time figuring things out and the loner pattern worked well for him. But I also liked his interactions with the other players once he got to a position where he caught up to them. I particularly liked finding others rejecting the "you are evil" paradigm; and it was interesting to see how it played out when trust and kindness were rare commodities and greed and betrayal the norm.
Anyway, the plot and pace were great and the power fantasy as engaging as ever. So I'm going to call this five stars and I'm definitely interested in the next in the series now that the scope of the game has broadened.
A note about Chaste: There's no room for intimacy in this story and Michael is definitely a loner. So there's no steam whatsoever and that makes this very chaste.
I liked Michael from the start, and even liked him trying to figure out his moral compass. Being told that you are evil and deserve the pitiless circumstances thrust upon you is one thing, but living down to those expectations is still a choice and I liked seeing Michael come to terms with that milieu.
He's on his own for much of the story for reasons that hold together very well. I liked getting to know him better during his time figuring things out and the loner pattern worked well for him. But I also liked his interactions with the other players once he got to a position where he caught up to them. I particularly liked finding others rejecting the "you are evil" paradigm; and it was interesting to see how it played out when trust and kindness were rare commodities and greed and betrayal the norm.
Anyway, the plot and pace were great and the power fantasy as engaging as ever. So I'm going to call this five stars and I'm definitely interested in the next in the series now that the scope of the game has broadened.
A note about Chaste: There's no room for intimacy in this story and Michael is definitely a loner. So there's no steam whatsoever and that makes this very chaste.
May 17, 2022
4.5/5
A slightly different litRPG from my usual reads and quite interesting too.
Fast paced with plenty of actions and progression.
Lack of intresting secondary characters and a less intresting first 50 pages are the drawbacks for this one.
On to the sequel.
A slightly different litRPG from my usual reads and quite interesting too.
Fast paced with plenty of actions and progression.
Lack of intresting secondary characters and a less intresting first 50 pages are the drawbacks for this one.
On to the sequel.
August 15, 2021
Good fun
Interesting portal litrpg. Well-paced and the start of a new series. Curious to see where it goes in book 2
Interesting portal litrpg. Well-paced and the start of a new series. Curious to see where it goes in book 2
August 22, 2021
Reasonably well done story. I'm not a fan of necromancers, which there isn't a whole lot of that here, there's strong hints that the main bad guy aspires to being nothing but a necromancer ruling the world. Not my cup of tea. On the other hand, the main character is one who does his thing, and damn the consequences. Makes for interesting reading, especially when the main character cares not for the world's equivalent of gods (of which the main bad guy belongs to), but still carries on how they see fit. Gotta respect nerve like that. It's a reasonable read, and I suspect many LitRPG fans will find it likeable enough. I have no issues with the story or the writing, it's just that overall, though I liked the characters, and was ok with the story, it just didn't grab me like so many other LitRPG tales do. Still, I'd have no issue reading more in the series, since the dynamics of the world should change now the starter area is done.
April 14, 2023
As always I feel the need to leave a disclaimer with a five star review for a LitRPG. If you are not a fan of LitRPG, or of the MMO or Dungeons and Dragons community, that is 100% okay but this book is NOT for you. What I love about LitRPGs is that their authors write exclusively for that niche audience because they know how hard we’ll squeal each time a mob is felled and we get to read about how points are allocated during the subsequent level gain. If you are a fan of LitRPGs, this book is delicious!
July 16, 2021
I really enjoyed this adventure.
This is the first time I've ever read anything in this genre and I'm sad I hadn't found it sooner. I felt like I was watching a video game be played for the first time by an excellent Strategist. I was engaged in the story from start to finish. It ticked all the boxes for me, adventure, magic, danger and a relatable character. I'm ready for the next part of the story.
This is the first time I've ever read anything in this genre and I'm sad I hadn't found it sooner. I felt like I was watching a video game be played for the first time by an excellent Strategist. I was engaged in the story from start to finish. It ticked all the boxes for me, adventure, magic, danger and a relatable character. I'm ready for the next part of the story.
July 12, 2021
Great first book. I get a similar vibe to the underworld series. Great action, great storyline and I honestly binge read it, start to end. If you are looking for a new author or just a good read I highly recommend this one. Looking forward to the next one
July 25, 2023
I am satisfied... Mostly.
The Good
A well-balanced, mature tale. The author doesn't rush to OPness. For once a MC blank slate status has been relevant to the plot, and leaves an opening for later reveals that can deepen characterisation. Well done.
The Less Good
Social interactions were not very credible. The tale is stronger when the MC is soloing.
While "mostly" convincing (see below), the fights were generally a bit underwhelming.
The Bad
The game system is probably the weakest link in this book. It consistently failed to make sense.
- Health was a pointless device, as it was never used consistently.
- Passive leveling is a cheap concept, IMO.
- Skill timers, and battle time in general were anime-level ridiculous. Characters manage to have discussions in one second.
The Conclusion
Bad game mechanics notwithstanding, the tale is very engaging. A worthy entry in the subgenre. I approve!
The Good
A well-balanced, mature tale. The author doesn't rush to OPness. For once a MC blank slate status has been relevant to the plot, and leaves an opening for later reveals that can deepen characterisation. Well done.
The Less Good
Social interactions were not very credible. The tale is stronger when the MC is soloing.
While "mostly" convincing (see below), the fights were generally a bit underwhelming.
The Bad
The game system is probably the weakest link in this book. It consistently failed to make sense.
- Health was a pointless device, as it was never used consistently.
- Passive leveling is a cheap concept, IMO.
- Skill timers, and battle time in general were anime-level ridiculous. Characters manage to have discussions in one second.
The Conclusion
Bad game mechanics notwithstanding, the tale is very engaging. A worthy entry in the subgenre. I approve!
May 13, 2022
3 1/2 stars. This is heavy on the dungeon diving aspect of LitRPG. Most of the book takes place in a dungeon and struggling to survive. I liked the main character. He wasn't the strongest player and he made mistakes. I don't know if you can say he stayed true to himself because he isn't sure what who exactly he is. He does forge his own path. He is willing to help some and doesn't feel bad about double-crossing others.
There is plenty of action, mystery and surprises along the way. Enough to keep me interested and I went ahead and bought the next book in the series.
There is plenty of action, mystery and surprises along the way. Enough to keep me interested and I went ahead and bought the next book in the series.
March 23, 2024
Book one
I found this story on Royalroadl by way of someone posting their favorites list. I binged some seventy plus chapters in one sitting.
I then bought the book so I didn't have to wait for the rest of the chapters to be posted.
10/10 Looking forward to reading book two!
I found this story on Royalroadl by way of someone posting their favorites list. I binged some seventy plus chapters in one sitting.
I then bought the book so I didn't have to wait for the rest of the chapters to be posted.
10/10 Looking forward to reading book two!
July 11, 2025
baby's first dnd
there's an undead bat character and the narrator voiced him exactly like the undead bat from Anastasia so +1 star
there's an undead bat character and the narrator voiced him exactly like the undead bat from Anastasia so +1 star
July 24, 2022
I really enjoyed the opening book in this new LitRPG series... surprisingly.
I say surprisingly because on the surface this isn't the sort of story I normally enjoy. Whilst some of my favourite books of recent years have been in the LitRPG genre, books set in a dungeon-style environment get a bit monotonous for my tastes, and the hook of an isekai protagonist with amnesia is one that I've come across a few too many times to feel fresh. However, this book managed to convert my lack of interest in both of these subjects, and I ended up really enjoying them.
The key way the book managed this is by setting some real-world stakes that make sense to me as a reader. Normally I see dungeon runs as little more than someone risking their life for power and glory, and that's not a motivation that I identify with so I lose interest. Here, however, there are good reasons for the main character to be in the dungeon, and it's not being run for the sake of it. It made it much easier to identify with the main character's motivations and get involved in his story.
Now that I was hooked in this way, the easy reading writing style, well-written characters, and well-paced plot progression added up to make a highly enjoyable story that kept me hooked right until the end of the book. I finished this story excited to get started on the next book, and it's hard not to award 5-stars to a book like that.
There was one element that was standing in the way of a full five stars though. Unfortunately, the protagonist has an incredibly annoying self-destructive trait, something that bugs the hell out of me whenever I come across it. By this, I mean that this is a protagonist who will get a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong, but he will continue on blindly despite this bad feeling. It's something that drives me mad because, while sometimes it is the right move to continue on despite misgivings, it is never the right move to do so without pausing to analyse the situation and seeing if you can mitigate the potential danger. If you suspect a trap but do nothing about it, then you deserve to get yourself killed.
Each time this happened, it pulls me out of the story as I know that this is the plot fighting the main character, and the author forcing the character to go against his nature in order to make something happen. On each occasion, there was probably a way for the author to take a breath and figure an alternate route to make that plot point happen more naturally, but this was a path that was never taken and was something that drove me to distraction.
However, that being said, do I think it's fair to remove a full star from this review for that alone? No. If I had more stars to play with then I just might, but as things stand, I enjoyed more than 90% of what I read here and that means I must round up to 5-stars.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book that I have pencilled into my reading schedule for first thing in the morning. I'm excited to see what happens next.
I say surprisingly because on the surface this isn't the sort of story I normally enjoy. Whilst some of my favourite books of recent years have been in the LitRPG genre, books set in a dungeon-style environment get a bit monotonous for my tastes, and the hook of an isekai protagonist with amnesia is one that I've come across a few too many times to feel fresh. However, this book managed to convert my lack of interest in both of these subjects, and I ended up really enjoying them.
The key way the book managed this is by setting some real-world stakes that make sense to me as a reader. Normally I see dungeon runs as little more than someone risking their life for power and glory, and that's not a motivation that I identify with so I lose interest. Here, however, there are good reasons for the main character to be in the dungeon, and it's not being run for the sake of it. It made it much easier to identify with the main character's motivations and get involved in his story.
Now that I was hooked in this way, the easy reading writing style, well-written characters, and well-paced plot progression added up to make a highly enjoyable story that kept me hooked right until the end of the book. I finished this story excited to get started on the next book, and it's hard not to award 5-stars to a book like that.
There was one element that was standing in the way of a full five stars though. Unfortunately, the protagonist has an incredibly annoying self-destructive trait, something that bugs the hell out of me whenever I come across it. By this, I mean that this is a protagonist who will get a bad feeling that something is going to go wrong, but he will continue on blindly despite this bad feeling. It's something that drives me mad because, while sometimes it is the right move to continue on despite misgivings, it is never the right move to do so without pausing to analyse the situation and seeing if you can mitigate the potential danger. If you suspect a trap but do nothing about it, then you deserve to get yourself killed.
Each time this happened, it pulls me out of the story as I know that this is the plot fighting the main character, and the author forcing the character to go against his nature in order to make something happen. On each occasion, there was probably a way for the author to take a breath and figure an alternate route to make that plot point happen more naturally, but this was a path that was never taken and was something that drove me to distraction.
However, that being said, do I think it's fair to remove a full star from this review for that alone? No. If I had more stars to play with then I just might, but as things stand, I enjoyed more than 90% of what I read here and that means I must round up to 5-stars.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book that I have pencilled into my reading schedule for first thing in the morning. I'm excited to see what happens next.
January 19, 2023
Wow just wow
I only review books that I really like. It will be hard to write a good review without spoilers but I will try, and I must say I hope there is a second book. It does say book one of a series, so let's hope everyone else enjoys the book like I did. Michael wakes up with no memory of who he is. All he knows that he must play the Grand Game. This takes a familiar story and makes it fresh again. There is no harem, no relentless internal dialogue of why must he kill? No gosh why can't we all get along and sing kumbayas, and weave baskets together? He decides what needs to be done talks to himself a little about it and does it. The internal dialogue he does have is very realistic. If you've ever been an a life threatening situation and know you have to do something, you've had the conversation he has had one time. He's a stranger in a strange land and is given a helper. There's no sarcastic level up messages from the adjudicator, and wow the level up messages don't get in the way of the player. His main question is, if you don't know who you were, without your memory, will you be true to yourself? The book is filled with intrigue, and betrayals, and comes together in a ‘wow that's an awesome last chapter’! Characters include Elementary Forces of the universe, to Powers that be, and factions! Given a chance to advance, with EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING set against him, can Michael be successful? Oh and don't make Micheal vengeful, you won't like him when he's vengeful! I did not notice grammatical mistakes or spelling errors, that break you out of your reading mindset, so Excellent book Tom Elliot!
I only review books that I really like. It will be hard to write a good review without spoilers but I will try, and I must say I hope there is a second book. It does say book one of a series, so let's hope everyone else enjoys the book like I did. Michael wakes up with no memory of who he is. All he knows that he must play the Grand Game. This takes a familiar story and makes it fresh again. There is no harem, no relentless internal dialogue of why must he kill? No gosh why can't we all get along and sing kumbayas, and weave baskets together? He decides what needs to be done talks to himself a little about it and does it. The internal dialogue he does have is very realistic. If you've ever been an a life threatening situation and know you have to do something, you've had the conversation he has had one time. He's a stranger in a strange land and is given a helper. There's no sarcastic level up messages from the adjudicator, and wow the level up messages don't get in the way of the player. His main question is, if you don't know who you were, without your memory, will you be true to yourself? The book is filled with intrigue, and betrayals, and comes together in a ‘wow that's an awesome last chapter’! Characters include Elementary Forces of the universe, to Powers that be, and factions! Given a chance to advance, with EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING set against him, can Michael be successful? Oh and don't make Micheal vengeful, you won't like him when he's vengeful! I did not notice grammatical mistakes or spelling errors, that break you out of your reading mindset, so Excellent book Tom Elliot!
July 17, 2021
Alert
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. As always, I am open to debates and arguments, but also vain enough to seek acknowledgement, so feel free to roast me or applaud my efforts. Either is acceptable, because if you are paying attention to me then you are at least considering the book. And THAT my friends is exactly why you see my comments here.
Cheers
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. As always, I am open to debates and arguments, but also vain enough to seek acknowledgement, so feel free to roast me or applaud my efforts. Either is acceptable, because if you are paying attention to me then you are at least considering the book. And THAT my friends is exactly why you see my comments here.
Cheers
October 4, 2021
Not sold on a person who completely lost his memories having such a distinct and normal personality from the get go. If he's such a clean slate, how does he know whats good and bad? How does he know whats the norm and whats out of norm? Heck, how does he know when someone's acting as an "asshat" when he has no experience to call upon? You could argue that his memories were lost but his feelings and instinctual reactions to things weren't, but that should only make the character feel more confused as he'll basically have certain emotions without knowing why he's having them. Losing memory, even partial memory loss is a very powerful thing. Don't just casually use it as grease to get the story sliding.
October 25, 2021
Oh oh oh you can do magic in this world! That is so awesome! The MC picks a boring thief class and begins his boring life as a slave to the master.. #2 At the start, The familiar said the master did not make the dungeon or control it, two chapters in and the familiar tells MC that the Master configures the dungeon to because harder. So which is it?
August 15, 2021
A good read
This is super good. It's a little rough at the beginning and has that weirdness alot of fantasy type stuff has with weird names for characters but the mc is pretty cool.
This is super good. It's a little rough at the beginning and has that weirdness alot of fantasy type stuff has with weird names for characters but the mc is pretty cool.
July 13, 2021
Irritating MC, boring dungeon
Smug gamer goes through a (very) basic dungeon crawl.
First third of the book reads like a d&d level 1 solo adventure, couldn't continue.
Smug gamer goes through a (very) basic dungeon crawl.
First third of the book reads like a d&d level 1 solo adventure, couldn't continue.
June 6, 2025
I have a weakness for sneaky protagonist and Michael does a lot of sneaking and assassination without becoming a loner or overly dramatic. The first person perspective is not my favourite but I got used to it rather quickly. Elliot is very good at writing plans and how they are resolved. I was never sure if the next goal will be executed without problems, completely fail or something in between. The only critic I have is that in later books plot points are derailed and then Michael comes back to them, I sometimes have trouble remembering some information.
I would give this Series 4,5. It is super fun to read :).
I would give this Series 4,5. It is super fun to read :).
June 15, 2023
This was ok, but it would have been significantly better if it wasn't so much stats & grind. WAY too much stats & grind. It was good enough that I listened to the first four, but I was constantly rolling my eyes at the "reading of the profile page." It was over. the. fucking. top.
April 7, 2024
TITLE: THE GRAND GAME
AUTHOR: TOM ELLIOT
SYNOPSIS: One man. Assassin. Caster. A new world. And a Game that is as brutal as it is complex. Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself.
THOUGHTS: I had the opportunity to read an epic portal fantasy and a new genre to me - LitRPG which combines the conventions of a computer role-playing game with scifi fantasy novels. The story begins as our protagonist Michael drops into a world unknown to him and to live is to survive the dungeon in this new world of monsters with magic and powers. I found this a fast paced read and enjoyed the cunningness and wit to survive. I’m so ready to read the rest of the series.
AUTHOR: TOM ELLIOT
SYNOPSIS: One man. Assassin. Caster. A new world. And a Game that is as brutal as it is complex. Michael finds himself in the realm of the Forever Kingdom, with no memory of how he got there and who he is. Even so, he must participate in the Grand Game and forge a new destiny for himself.
THOUGHTS: I had the opportunity to read an epic portal fantasy and a new genre to me - LitRPG which combines the conventions of a computer role-playing game with scifi fantasy novels. The story begins as our protagonist Michael drops into a world unknown to him and to live is to survive the dungeon in this new world of monsters with magic and powers. I found this a fast paced read and enjoyed the cunningness and wit to survive. I’m so ready to read the rest of the series.
May 31, 2025
Without saying too much, LitRPG books have become the genre I love to seek out in between the others I constantly read. That being said, this book was a nice and happy and intriguing find. kept my interest and made me anticipate more.
May 17, 2024
4.25 stars. Good start to this series.
Read
October 11, 2024DNF it at 20%. Just not for me, a non-gamer. Didn’t caught my interest at all.
June 13, 2025
pleasantly surprised
4.5 ⭐️ My first litRPG and I enjoyed it! Perhaps a bit slow to start but I understand the reasons for it. The pacing picked up as the stakes were raised. I found myself cheering Michael on at every turn - I liked how his choices were often the lesser of two evils and always motivated by loyalty and principle. I will likely continue the series.
4.5 ⭐️ My first litRPG and I enjoyed it! Perhaps a bit slow to start but I understand the reasons for it. The pacing picked up as the stakes were raised. I found myself cheering Michael on at every turn - I liked how his choices were often the lesser of two evils and always motivated by loyalty and principle. I will likely continue the series.
August 28, 2025
very good litRPG
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