Defiance of the Fall 7

Defiance of the Fall #7

by TheFirstDefier, J.F. Brink

The Dimensional Seed is about to mature. The battle for it will decide Earth's fate.

Urged on by the System itself, Zac has set his sights on the heart of the Mystic Realm. That's where the Dominators are heading, and it might be where the answers to his bloodline can be found.

However, the followers of the Great Redeemer are not the only ones Zac and his companions have to worry about. The trapped factions of the Realm itself have plans of their own. Even eldritch horrors are flocking to the Mystic Realm, attracted by the powerful treasure in its center.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Magic, Post Apocalyptic

798 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2022

Reviews

[Russell Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll just go ahead and say it: I don't think this series is good anymore. I picked up this book in the hopes that it might pivot and revitalize the plot in some fashion, but it didn't happen. The writing is still clunky and over-explaining everything. The characters are still undeveloped and I feel nothing when they interact with one another. The plot is basically on standby as we slowly sink into the quagmire of random side quests. I went 30% on my Kindle before calling it quits.

Usually, as a series progresses, the average score for each book will increase even if the quality remains the same. This is because your average indifferent reader will fall off the series, leaving the enthusiastic ones to steadily inflate the ratings. I can't help but notice that the average scores for this series have been on a downward trend, and at Book 7, that should be a large red flag for the author to really do some soul-searching.

I had hoped that this series was just having a Saggy Middle episode and would bounce back as He Who Fights With Monsters has done, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I think I am done with this series, which is a very sad thing considering it originally ranked as one of my top picks for the genre.

[m1245 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less is more! Story is too complex and convoluted. MCs mother is a super high technocrat, sister is a genius technocrat and father is unknown but also some super human. Whole family is hated by the system. MC is superfamous, and can’t adventure or connect to people(removes the most fun parts). It’s started so well with just one guy with some luck. Now everything is connected, to me in the most boring way. It’s a prophesy! It’s destiny. It’s already starting to get plot armored too the teeth. It’s not a story about a guy, but a world steering a guy without free will. So no world or character progression. Story would be better without all technocrat things.

Less is more! Mc is learning magic to fast. Learn all thing in big jumps by plot armored events or eating things. Magic system is so fractured. There is no downtime and slow grind. Magic progress is boring.



Less is more! MC jumps between so many co-character they are not fleshed out and are starting to get one dimensional and the funny cool guy is starting to be a whiny, negative and depressed person I just don’t care about anymore.

Arcs are too long. The tower and every subspace and all fighting just drags on and on. In this book it just started to get interesting in the end when the MC goes to another world, but then the book end.

So authors choice is too just use fillers and give a bit of a cliffhanger to sell books. Quality is just dropping. Not sure if I will go on as the development of everything is just painted into a corner that will just go nowhere!

[Roberto Flores · Rating 1 out of 5]

So the main issue with rather long cultivation series is . . .

They are boring. The power curve is exponential so further books lack any tension in the conflict. The search for power, via treasures or herbs and fruits, grows repetitious. The betrayal and fair weather friends are just more of the same. Mystic realm, magical tower, fighting tournament, whatever it is winds up just all being the same story told ad nauseam. Character development is forgone, it is just new replacing old in a turnstile of repetition.

[Richard Sampson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Banal character development

All I can say at this point is that luckily the book is free with Amazon unlimited so I don't have to live with the regret of spending money on the series.

The overall story is decent but character development feels very stiff at this point.

Zac's motivations continue to be all over the place while managing to be extremely bland at the same time. He cycles between timid and bold and then protective and uncaring with no purpose.

The introduction of Thea as a romantic interest at the end of the last tile was bad enough but she continues to be the most boring thing in the book. Their relationship feels like randomly included wish fulfillment write-in on the authors part. Either that or they have a SO that wanted to be written into the story. Especially after the lengths the author went to in order to kill off Alea and make her just another tool in Zac's toolbox. Just kill her off and be done with it so we can all move on to reading something more interesting.

Hopefully the author gets it in gear at some point but it definitely wasn't this book.

[Trevor · Rating 1 out of 5]

lost its way

Enjoyed this story up until now. Good world building, interesting characters and coherent storyline.
This book has lost me completely. Mired in useless and confusing detail and losing the narrative totally.
A very poor and disappointing inclusion in an otherwise worthy series.
I have read several thousand books in my lifetime. This is one of the very, very few I have chosen not to finish. It is also one of the very few books I have ever formally reviewed, such is my disappointment.

[Steve Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.0 stars

I wasn't really liking this book for the first 60%. I couldn't visualize the world. It was just too complex. The was no advancement. It was the same thing over again. Zak would come up against a faction that had set a trap that has way more people than him and he would be attacked. This got annoying after a while. I thought the whole purpose of the ruthless heavens was to push people. Why is Zak the only one pushed? Everyone else has a huge advantage. It doesn't matter if Zak wins in the end it is still an annoying story point. Things change at the 60% mark. Things that fundamentally change where the story is going. Billy and Agros are lost. It is 3 years later and he and Thea are a couple. His sister is about to try to advance when his mother shows up and it isn't the happy reunion that they hoped for. Zak is more alone than ever but now he has an opportunity to go into the galaxy and get more powerful. Earth is too small for him now. Overall I am glad how it ended, it was just a slog to get through the first half of the book.

[Sensei_cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me mosqueó mucho en torno al 70% cuando hay un cambio en la historia que podría usarse perfecto para cerrar un arco (de hecho hay un salto de "tres años después"). ¡Qué le costaba poner ese punto al final de un libro, pedazo de *****nazo! Así que nada, al terminar el 30% restante te vuelve a dejar con la intriga y un final que no es un final sino un cambio de capítulo más...

Aparte de esta queja, todo muy bien, momentos muy top y otros menos pero en general mantiene la línea y el enganche.

[Amber Kluttz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre.

First half of the book was dreadfully boring. Even after that, an extremely large portion of the book was made up of talking about skills, titles, and other crap like the make up of political systems and schemes in each area.

I. Don't. Care.

I purchased the book to read about Zak, and to see how the story unfolds. Unfortunately the entire book felt like filler, and not very good filler either. This is supposed to be a progression fantasy novel, readers want to see real progression, both in character growth and the actual story. Instead we got some good story for about 10% of the book, and the rest was useless garbage.

To rub salt in the wound was the wait for the book to actually come out, and now we have to wait for another sequel that will likely be more crap.

Seriously, get your crap together with this story. Stop padding the pages.

[William Howe · Rating 5 out of 5]

lather, rinse, repeat

Some humorous events (chapter 33).

As always, I am glad to pay the author for hours of entertainment. And I am looking forward to the next book. The Twilight Chasm will be a lot of fun.

[Danny Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. It is super long. The biggest problem is that it is too long. It could be more plot driven. It is an entertaining ride though.

[Aubria L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, I finished this installment, the first half of the book took some effort to get through, it was quite convoluted. It barely kept my interest—-but then the last third of the book was good and I remembered why I enjoyed this series so much! 3.5 stars rounded up for old times sake!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

TLDR: A Mixed Bag with a Strong Finish

Just finished "Defiance of the Fall #7" and here's my take: it's a bit of a rollercoaster. We're talking 550 pages of ups and downs, with a start that's honestly a bit of a slog. The first 40%? Slow as molasses. But hang in there! The middle and end? Totally worth it. We get this juicy cliffhanger where Zac bumps into someone from his past, and that's where things really start to get spicy.

But let's chat about the not-so-great stuff. I jumped into this one after a 10-month break since book 6, and boy, was I lost in the sauce. There's zero catch-up material. Stats, items, skills – all thrown at you with no recap. For a LitRPG book, where all these elements are usually the main dish, it felt like I was trying to read a menu in a foreign language. I mean, you get the gist eventually, especially when Zac gets his fight on, but it's like piecing together a puzzle with half the pieces missing.

Also, there's this weird imbalance in the detail. The first half? It's like the author's documenting every minute and hour. But then, bam! The second half hits you with a 3-year time leap, and suddenly it's all about summaries. Oh, and Zac's crew? They're pretty much MIA for most of this part.

So, where does that leave us? I'd say a solid 2.5 out of 5. The story's got its moments, but it's like trying to enjoy a movie when you've missed the first half-hour. You can piece it together, but it's just not the same. If you're up for a bit of a memory challenge and a slow start, give it a go. Otherwise, maybe skim through the previous books before diving into this one!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mystic realms are a true danger and an opportunity

And as Zac is trapped there with everyone else he can only see the Zhix mission as complimentary to his as there are still enemies waiting for them inside, including the final battle with the Dominators. Meanwhile those trapped in the mystic realm work to escape as it all comes crashing down when the dimensional seed matures and the mystic realms rules change. Now survival is only found by moving forward through the realm towards the mountain that holds the seed. All the survivors have another goal as well as to leave the mystic realm everyone needs a seal. They aren’t endless but can be found around the mountain or by slaying someone with a seal.
And to make things even crazier, there are greater powers and creatures trying to get the dimensional seed. The Collector being one of the worst…

Zac’s mother returns to upset his and Kenzie’s lives in pursuit of her own goals. Zac will learn some more unpleasant truths before he returns to his pursuit of power and strength so that he won’t be helpless again. A goal for eternity as constant growth is the way of all cultivators to grow, if they can afford the exorbitant costs of treasures.
Zac finally leaves his home world to complete his limited titles, grow his Dao, skills and knowledge as he works to keep his momentum!

[Joe Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was aware that DotF had a big dip at some point, and I think I found it. This book finished off the storyline in the Mystic Zone dealing with the Techno-crats base before returning to Earth. In truth, I didn't find this storyline interesting, and the finale to it didn't hit despite the stakes. In truth, after the 3 year time jump, I'm not much interested to see what happens next

At the end of the Mystic Zone delve, both Billy and Ogras get sucked into some Chaos Realm, though Zack believes them dead. We then get a 3 year time jump, where we find out Thea and Zack are together, the clan is growing but Earth is essentially stable for the next century. Then Zack and Kenzie's mom arrives, kills Thea (not really - it's revealed that she brings Thea to a different realm and away from her son, as she'd hold him back). Kenzie goes with her mom - something to do with their bloodline or Jeeves. This leaves Zack alone, so he decides to progress himself by going to evolve his Draugr form by going to an Undead metropolis

[Levia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some frustration

The events in the mystic realm were exciting sometimes, and at others had me laughing. The trouble Ibtep caused had me cackling. After the mystic realm there's a time skip. Then bad crap happens that had me screaming, "what?!" I'm not sure what to think of a couple characters now. I will say that Zac started to become boring, and ended determined to set his path. I'm very curious what will happen next.

[Ali Haji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Binged this basically all day to finish it.

-Leandra finally came in and fooked everything up like jeez
-Leandra killing Thea like that was messed up
-Leandra treating Zac like this was also messed up
-The wealth that Kenzie accumulated was absuuuurd
-Kenzie is gone, which honestly a part of me is glad for cuz I didn’t like the technology stuff much
-Our boy has finally dealt with Void’s Disciple Adkarkas himself
-What a journey to finally be rid of the Great Redeemer and the dominator threat
-Thank god Ogras isn’t dead, I think he will be busted after escaping the dimensional seed after a decade
-The timeskip was well done, and made me feel hopeless a bit for Zac due to how SLOW the progress was
-Our boy now has a much stronger soul
-He is finally out of earth less goooooo
-Excited to see him for a Dao Branch in the next book, hopefully? Or maybe it’s a bit early
-I am expecting him to reach D grade by the end of Book 9

[Jameson · Rating 2 out of 5]

two halves of two different books

The pacing of this book is extremely off. It starts by finishing off the previous books story, which was the end of 6 book arc, then jumps into a new story arc that barely kicks off at all. It really feels like its what should have been the end of book 6, mashed up with the start of book 7. It would have been better off with ending the arc in one book and starting the new arc in the next book. Its really strange. Im not sure how this passed and editors desk.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Also slow in parts.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book finally finished off the arc about the first year of integration of Earth in the system, but I wasn't a very big fan of how a lot of the supporting cast was handled story-wise and the big jump in time to start the next plot arc for Zac. I've admittedly started skimming some of the battle scenes and Dao inspiration flashbacks since they were on the wordy and descriptive side and not really that important to Zac's character growth.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc transition

Another overall excellent book in an incredible series. This one tied of a number of loose ends while not tying most of them up. Then opened entire new arcs that I look forward to reading. This is an essential jump in series, but so many things happened that too many of them felt shallow for me to give five stars this time. Still a fabulous series, very much look forward to seeing what comes next.

[Fate's Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fact that these books have reasonable arcs and start/end points but that those points are randomly mid book is starting to actually get to me. I literally forget what happened in the first half of this because "three years pass, then suddenly a big baddie appears" is such a natural point to begin this arc that my brain just refuses to think about anything before it as part of the same book. Then it just ends mid quest. Again. I'm close to over it, especially with how repetitive it's starting to feel.

[Horia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally we're back with the good stuff. My faith in this series is restored! I'm a believer :)

With this said, the book needs editing, in fact the whole series needs editing. Just randomly splitting the web publish chapters into books really doesn't cut it.

The first 60 chapters are used to conclude the space-station mystic realm side quest. And with that the whole arch of the first 6 books ends (though it ended relatively OK by the end of book 4 as well). On top of that the arch of the last 2 books ends as well. Major characters are taken out of the equation, major powers are completely obliterated some reshuffled. Proper closure, nice crescendo to the most epic scenes so far. Loved the ending (not the last 2 books, they sucked, just the last 5 chapters of this second arch).

And then chapter 61 kicks in like nothing happened and picks up the action from nowhere (because closure, see above) and starts building new story arches.

I've had to mentally stop, and continue reading like it was a whole new book, from a new series in the Zecia Atwood universe. And it made soooo much sense. I highly recommend doing this.

With new vigor and faith, I await book 8 (or the next 80 so chapters).

[Rocco Sgabellone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everything lost, and nothing gained

This is the first entry I did not care for at all. The entire story of the book felt pointless this time. The whole mystic realm was essentially chocked up to a new setting that would end with a big battle. No power was gained through the struggles and death that occurred. Ogras and billy are essentially removed until a future entry. Then out of nowhere Zacs mom shows and and takes kenzie and dumps thea onto an in-integrated planet to die essentially. I get the reason why and the whole premise of this series is struggle, unfairness, and death, and that zac needed the freedom to leave and the side characters need time of their own to grow. But come on, it completely soured the book the way it was handled for me. Especially since I had just read through the entire mystic realm arc of the story for literally not a single climactic reward at the end of it. Just a series of smaller upgrades for zac along the way which is normal.

[Andi Buchanan · Rating 2 out of 5]

MC is a catalyst not a protagonist

By that I mean he accomplishes nothing this book. Everything that matters happens around the "main character" not as something he accomplished. The big fights of the book are way beyond his power and he is just standing there watching. Even the things that are traumatic are not real.

I want main characters to be the actual impetus of the story not bystanders. And honestly that is all he is. It even talks about how other humans are surpassing him in levels. Excuses are made because it is "harder" for him to level.

The writing is still OK, but I seriously lost count of the number of times an attack was so powerful it "split space itself".

I really hope the series turns back around. Honestly quite disappointing.

[Abidaymi Agidee-A · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was going OK till it removed all the characters one cares about and became one long soliloquy after another
It was like going back to the first few chapters of book 1 on a loop

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape from the Mystic Realm, Settling Down, and then More Upheaval!

This volume finds our hero finishing up his time in the Mystic Realm, and more, but that's below the spoiler tags.

SPOILERS BELOW

Zac finishes the Mystic Realm and ultimately fails the 9th step in his system training (on purpose) by choosing to save Kenzie instead of using his Creation Mark (the pink flash) on the Dimensional Seed. He and we later learn that Ogras and Billy were trapped inside there, but it isn't all bad as it should be an Ancient Level Cultivation Paradise for those 2.
Most everyone else makes it out and gets to settle down on Earth (aka the Atwood Empire Home world)

3 Years pass. Zac and Thea have been together for awhile, but there doesn't seem to be any love there.
Kenzie has been making herself (and the Thayer Consortium) some money by blackmailing various Array masters/sects and flooding the market with array breakers for any who push back. With this funding she has procured 300 different Dao attuned treasures that she will use to evolve Jeeves. She and Zac go to a remote island to make it happen. As Jeeves gets upgraded craziness ensues. Lots of tribulation lighting is headed for them, and a cyborg Leandra (aka mom) shows up and erects a massive barrier, then disappears before actual Leandra shows up and starts doing nastiness.
First she grabs Thea who had been hiding nearby and appears to throw her out into the tribulation lightning as a sacrifice. We (but no one else) later learn that she stored her in a personal space. Zac and Kenzie assume that mom just killed Zac's girlfriend.
Leandra explains that Kenzie was no where near ready for an upgrade and so she is taking Kenzie out of here. Kenzie asks for help with Ogras and Billy; mom knows everything apparently, so she tells them that they are near the Million Gates Territory, but it will be a decade or two before they are accessible again.
She gives Zac an array to make his duplicity core look like a normal one (that is, one that doesn't have 2 classes). Then shoves a bunch (1 million D-Grade!) of Nexus Coins at him before running off with Kenzie.
When Kenzie reawakens in Leandra's Inner World, Jeeves controls her features so that Leandra doesn't know anything is wrong, and replays the memories that were blocked from her. She now knows that Zac was right about their mom and that she will have to get stronger to overcome her.

Later in the book Leandra talks with Thea, who she did NOT actually kill, though everyone believes her to be dead, even the Tool Spirit Brazla, who has released the heritage for another to claim. Leandra points out that neither Zac nor Thea were honest to each other, nor did they actually seem to care that much for one another. Thea was just holding Zac back. So Leandra leaves Thea on a dangerous world so Thea can get stronger, and see if she still wants to be with Zac. Thea seems happy with her new found freedom.

Zac tells the rest of the world that an off world cultivator came looking for the dimensional seed and took out their frustrations on Zac, Thea, and Kenzie. Only Zac survived, and those who knew them mourn their loss.
Zac decides to go fill out his limited title slots.
He gets membership to the Big Axe Consortium, but it will be 10 years before he is allowed to buy things from their fancy stocks (unless an elder sponsors him).

After he gets back to earth, he decides to reinvest some of the money (3000 D-Grade + 500 D-Grade as a reward/bribe for Calrin) he got from his mom in buying a controlling interest in the Thayer Consortium.

He has secretly been raising some revenants using the corpses he has collected over the last several books. He finally shares this with Joanna (the head valkyrie). Then he and Vilari (his most successful revenant) head to Twilight Harbor to go further their Undead potential.
Zac meets back up with Catheya at an incense house. She is expecting "Zac Piker", but he is "Arcaz Black". She decides he will do and invites him to join her in the upcoming quest/hunt, the Twilight Ascent. He manages to get a few concessions out of her:
1. She provides his basic amenities for his stay in Twilight Harbor
2. He gets access to the skill repository of the Eldritch Archivals. He can select 3 skills in total, but only 1 from the inner sanctum which are all single-use inheritance crystals
3. She will take him to some "top-tier auctions"

After this is all agreed upon, we see some accounts from other characters including the Eveningtide Asura (whom Zac et al assumed was dead). They are moving pieces into place for the coming Twilight Ascent.


Can't wait for Volume 8!

[Parad0x · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 64%

At the beginning of this series I didn't find too much in the way of plot armour (or at least not to a bothersome degree). The last few books though there have been noticeable instances of it, and it's worse than ever in this book. There are multiple fights Zac should not have survived even based on rank explanations elsewhere in the book. There's also the fact that where previously he'd take a few days to a week to heal from a bad battle, suddenly he's back to peak fighting condition in a few hours. The difference is way too large and sudden to be explained away by stat or skill gains.

I'm also finding the battles are dragging on more and more. In fact the entire mystic realm dragged on way too long. Worse, the arc has finally completed but it was as about as unsatisfying as it could have been.

I admit I have been curious as to how things would work when Zac started leaving Earth, but between how unsatisfied this arc has been and all the plot armour I'm just not enjoying it anymore. I may pick it up again in the future but for now I'm finished.

[Thai · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of Defiance of the Fall 7 was honestly a slog. It felt like the story meandered without much payoff, and I found myself wondering why I was still reading. For a good 50%, it seemed like nothing truly important was happening with Zac, and I could’ve skipped chunks without missing much. The pacing dragged, and the writing didn’t feel as tight or compelling as in earlier installments.

That said, I’m glad I stuck with it, because the second half picked up and delivered some solid emotional punches. The loss of Zac’s girlfriend, the kidnapping of his sister by their own mother, and his deepening connection with Catheya finally gave the narrative some much-needed weight. These moments reminded me why I’d invested so much time in the series to begin with.

While it almost turned into a DNF, the ending redeemed it enough for me to feel okay giving it a 3/5. Here's hoping the next book finds its footing sooner.

[Brandon Sommer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Book of the Series

Apart from a couple scenes, this book dragged on and on with little to no progress. I get that Zac can’t cultivate, but just skip through the tedious parts. This book should not have been published. There are so many intriguing possibilities but that mystic realm seemed to have drained everything from the author. I get that the author is tired of writing about zac’s fights. Yeah, they’re tedious, but the relationships with the other characters are there to push the story forward. Yet they come in for comic relief or are discarded because they stumble upon a family meeting. Surely the author knows where this story is going. If not, have an editor help bring some sense to the story so that you don’t lose your readers. While I’d like to know what happens, I can’t chance another book like this. Ugh! So frustrating!

[Sydney Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I need to start this review by saying that I need to know if other reviewers realize that this is an extensively long web novel that has been successful for a couple years now. I understand not liking it but I would take the extensive detail criticism and such with a grain of salt because there is just so much more.

Now, for the review, I really enjoyed this installment especially because Kenzie is finally getting the emotional smack she needed because her arrogance and refusal to listen to Zac got on my nerves.

I was glad to finally get through the mystic realm and finally getting a move on to expand the universe and seeing more movement now that a lot of the details are set in place.

I can't wait for more.