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The Ripple System #3
Gilded Ghost
The race to claim the Worldbranch Throne has begun.
Now the site of EBO’s first completed Red Cathedral, the Onyx Delta has become the center of the virtual world, and the entire player base is descending on Ned’s city to try their hand at the fearsome new raid and reap the game-changing rewards within.
At the same time, a powerful, menacing guild is running roughshod over the western continents, razing every city in their wake and winning Frank’s obnoxiously loud approval from afar. But Ned knows that it’s only a matter of time before their forces sail east to the delta and attempt to burn down everything he’s built.
There will be blood… again, but more this time.
There will also be substantially more cats.
Now the site of EBO’s first completed Red Cathedral, the Onyx Delta has become the center of the virtual world, and the entire player base is descending on Ned’s city to try their hand at the fearsome new raid and reap the game-changing rewards within.
At the same time, a powerful, menacing guild is running roughshod over the western continents, razing every city in their wake and winning Frank’s obnoxiously loud approval from afar. But Ned knows that it’s only a matter of time before their forces sail east to the delta and attempt to burn down everything he’s built.
There will be blood… again, but more this time.
There will also be substantially more cats.
862 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2022
466 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
October 16, 2022
So it was good. I enjoyed the book. There was a problem though. These books have some very good game mechanics in them, some of the best I have seen. The fight scenes are somewhat realistic, the terminology matches up with MMORPG language, and the author has a handle on game mechanics that exist. The problem is that these books are good because of the comedy, the character interactions and most importantly the world building. The character starts by building this cool city setup where he starts to expand and grow with lots of interesting perks and incentives. Over time he switched to raids and gear quests which is objectively the most boring thing about these books. This book was almost completely about Raids, loot, leader boards, and Frank. Frank is funny in small doses, but this was overkill and it just wasn't as good. Obviously Travis Baldree did the audio for these books and it was of course fantastic, but that only accounts for so much. I would fall asleep listening to the book and then normally I would find the last point I remembered, but in this book if they were in the middle of some massive battle when I fell asleep and they were still in it, I would just pick up there. It was very boring, just going from Raid to Raid, all other types of adventures were just ignored. There was a point where I thought some level of real world interaction might take place, but then the MC just squashes that and the side character is ok with it. I thought that by book 3 some level of overall story would be taking shape, but it litterally is just in game stuff. The only overall story is the one taking place in game. Anyway it was fun and interesting for the most part, but if you are into the world building aspect it will probably disappoint.
August 9, 2022
Ripple system always a good time, although getting a bit too raid heavy
This is my favorite gamelit at the moment. I always know I'm in for an entertaining time between Frank, House, and the whole choices matter theme of the series.
There was a bit too much raid combat which I actually found the least engaging part of the entire series; after the first couple raid fights I just found myself skimming those sections.
Kyle's always been faithful to raiding/competitive gaming in his books, but he's also unintentionally managed to capture the boring parts of raiding :(
Personally would prefer a little more of a personal lens of difficulty than an eagle eye view of combat
This is my favorite gamelit at the moment. I always know I'm in for an entertaining time between Frank, House, and the whole choices matter theme of the series.
There was a bit too much raid combat which I actually found the least engaging part of the entire series; after the first couple raid fights I just found myself skimming those sections.
Kyle's always been faithful to raiding/competitive gaming in his books, but he's also unintentionally managed to capture the boring parts of raiding :(
Personally would prefer a little more of a personal lens of difficulty than an eagle eye view of combat
May 20, 2025
I love the banter that has developed throughout the series and each book keeps getting better than the last.
February 5, 2025
I hope the wait til the next installment isn’t too long. I want some more Frank! I am enjoying this series immensely, although I agree with the sentiment that parts of this installment was a little raid heavy. Still what a very satisfying conclusion of this installment! I am all in at this point! Let’s get Franked!!!
October 31, 2022
What a great book! Listening to the last 4 hours of the book was a complete BLAST! I took some time to think of the final events, and have also reviewed some other reviews to see what people were thinking.
A big concern people had was that their wasn't really any danger to the main character, but ever twist that came up was properly established in previous books or chapters. We were also given the timeline of the events taking place at the end well before they come up, so the pacing does seem fast, but it did fit.
My only hopes for this series, is that some of the background characters get more live time. Some of the members of the guild are well known and come up in conversations, but we really don't get to much developments for them. It would be nice to have more smaller raids showing the behaviors and opinions of characters like Nina, Rock, or Jukes. At least the main raid group members.
All and all, this book is solid, and with Travis Baldree narrating it, their is not a good reason to not pick this one up!
A big concern people had was that their wasn't really any danger to the main character, but ever twist that came up was properly established in previous books or chapters. We were also given the timeline of the events taking place at the end well before they come up, so the pacing does seem fast, but it did fit.
My only hopes for this series, is that some of the background characters get more live time. Some of the members of the guild are well known and come up in conversations, but we really don't get to much developments for them. It would be nice to have more smaller raids showing the behaviors and opinions of characters like Nina, Rock, or Jukes. At least the main raid group members.
All and all, this book is solid, and with Travis Baldree narrating it, their is not a good reason to not pick this one up!
May 11, 2023
I award you 50,000 Frank Points. Loved it, this is a Frankin' great book right there.
April 1, 2024
Chefs kiss
September 30, 2022
The book is alright. I've listened to the audible version of this and the narrator is a joy for the ears. My gripes with the book are that, though the quests and such are enjoyable, it's still just a game. There's no real sense of necessity for anything really... At this point, the mc is just trying to maintain his lead in a game that he had a head start in. He's also rich in real life, so he literally spends every moment of his life in the game (most often with very little sleep that he stays logged in for). It seems that way for some of the guild members he rolls with as well, though they do show more exhaustion than he does at times.
House as a character still doesn't make sense to me. She's the peak of AI, yet has such difficulty learning to act normal even after placing human speech as her number one priority. Klein's NPCs are over here showing deep emotion of love and such while house is jumping off buildings at Frank's wordplay. I enjoy her character, but she shouldn't have been introduced the way she was if this is the way her character is set to go. I also get annoyed with the fact that Ned seems to be an expert at everything he does and is usually caught explaining concepts to House that she should be able to download and understand in far more depth. That is drilled by the fact that Frank, an inferior AI, also knows everything about what Ned is explaining or is able to understand instantly.
Another reviewer commented on the bird's eye approach to battles and I fully agree. This is a battle heavy series and though I enjoy that, the battles are boring at times. There's never any real sense of danger as you're not truly experiencing the same battle hype that the characters are. Not to mention the fact that Ned seems to be a master tactician, giving off commands left and right even though he isn't the guild leader. Darling might as well just rename the guild "Ned's Support Group".
The pacing doesn't quite make sense as such HUGE events are happening not long after the game's launch. I'd hate to be the guy that waits for this game to go on sale.
Frank is a good time. This book is really saved by the witty character interactions. Frank can be much at times, but even when lewd jokes are involved, it flows nicely. There are a number of LitRPGs that annoy me to no end with the amount of pop-culture references / gamer slang they try to hammer into the series. If done right, sure... but many don't. This series does it right.
The path that Ned and the cast are taking in their character customization is also keeping me on this series. I enjoy that his character is not your typical melee / mage / necromancer character. A gun slinging mage is something I've never really seen in a game before. The characters and skills are just really fun to watch level as the level scaling systems across the board seem well thought out and executed.
House as a character still doesn't make sense to me. She's the peak of AI, yet has such difficulty learning to act normal even after placing human speech as her number one priority. Klein's NPCs are over here showing deep emotion of love and such while house is jumping off buildings at Frank's wordplay. I enjoy her character, but she shouldn't have been introduced the way she was if this is the way her character is set to go. I also get annoyed with the fact that Ned seems to be an expert at everything he does and is usually caught explaining concepts to House that she should be able to download and understand in far more depth. That is drilled by the fact that Frank, an inferior AI, also knows everything about what Ned is explaining or is able to understand instantly.
Another reviewer commented on the bird's eye approach to battles and I fully agree. This is a battle heavy series and though I enjoy that, the battles are boring at times. There's never any real sense of danger as you're not truly experiencing the same battle hype that the characters are. Not to mention the fact that Ned seems to be a master tactician, giving off commands left and right even though he isn't the guild leader. Darling might as well just rename the guild "Ned's Support Group".
The pacing doesn't quite make sense as such HUGE events are happening not long after the game's launch. I'd hate to be the guy that waits for this game to go on sale.
Frank is a good time. This book is really saved by the witty character interactions. Frank can be much at times, but even when lewd jokes are involved, it flows nicely. There are a number of LitRPGs that annoy me to no end with the amount of pop-culture references / gamer slang they try to hammer into the series. If done right, sure... but many don't. This series does it right.
The path that Ned and the cast are taking in their character customization is also keeping me on this series. I enjoy that his character is not your typical melee / mage / necromancer character. A gun slinging mage is something I've never really seen in a game before. The characters and skills are just really fun to watch level as the level scaling systems across the board seem well thought out and executed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
Excellent new addition to this great series
I like that the progress and the action remain fast paced, and that we aren’t getting bogged down. I also like that Omen and Ned aren’t always choosing the perfectly correct strategy to OP the game, even though they have Frank.
I have to wonder though, does Sleep or Tyrran know that Francis is Ned? It seems a bit suspicious that Francis got a system-wide notification, and Ned went up a renown rank at the same time. And Francis isn’t likely to know about a raid boss unless he spins it that he’s also an information dealer.
What will happen with the Possibility King? Can he be defeated? And does being conquered mean death? Or simply absorption into his empire? What happens to EBO if the Possibility King does win?
I like that the progress and the action remain fast paced, and that we aren’t getting bogged down. I also like that Omen and Ned aren’t always choosing the perfectly correct strategy to OP the game, even though they have Frank.
I have to wonder though, does Sleep or Tyrran know that Francis is Ned? It seems a bit suspicious that Francis got a system-wide notification, and Ned went up a renown rank at the same time. And Francis isn’t likely to know about a raid boss unless he spins it that he’s also an information dealer.
What will happen with the Possibility King? Can he be defeated? And does being conquered mean death? Or simply absorption into his empire? What happens to EBO if the Possibility King does win?
January 26, 2025
Continues to give me my RPG "number go up" fix. I continue to get disproportionally excited about fictional loot drops and new abilities. I like that most abilities have multiple options when granted, so I can try to guess the best one before the character picks.
I appreciated meeting some other characters that had personalities other than "I hate you for buying all the head start slots". The main characters also gradually get less annoying as the series goes on.
I think I had hoped that the Renown stat would end up as something other than just another leaderboard/experience counter. The fact that it's usually granted at the same time as experience makes them feel very similar. More of an effort could have been made to separate these mechanics. Maybe a low level high renown player.
I appreciated meeting some other characters that had personalities other than "I hate you for buying all the head start slots". The main characters also gradually get less annoying as the series goes on.
I think I had hoped that the Renown stat would end up as something other than just another leaderboard/experience counter. The fact that it's usually granted at the same time as experience makes them feel very similar. More of an effort could have been made to separate these mechanics. Maybe a low level high renown player.
August 14, 2022
The best one yet!
I have to say that Mr. Kirran certainly knocked it out of the park with this one! Much better pacing than previous books, great character interactions, amusing references and jokes, and he even knocked some of the edge off of Frank(no pun intended). I feel like House really stole the show this time around as well. She’s really coming into her own, and it’s hilarious! Loved the rising stakes, and the clever ploys to win victory. The tension for the big final battle was real also! And will book 4 bring on some Ned x Darling romance? It’s been semi-brewing for awhile now, and there’s some stuff hinting at more in this one. Can’t wait for book 4!
I have to say that Mr. Kirran certainly knocked it out of the park with this one! Much better pacing than previous books, great character interactions, amusing references and jokes, and he even knocked some of the edge off of Frank(no pun intended). I feel like House really stole the show this time around as well. She’s really coming into her own, and it’s hilarious! Loved the rising stakes, and the clever ploys to win victory. The tension for the big final battle was real also! And will book 4 bring on some Ned x Darling romance? It’s been semi-brewing for awhile now, and there’s some stuff hinting at more in this one. Can’t wait for book 4!
August 17, 2022
While I have loved the whole series this is better than both of the previous two books combined and I enjoyed them immensely. This book was absolutely a pleasure to listen to maily due to the fact that there's never a dull moment in this entire book you will literally not want to put this book down. With great pleasure I found it hard to pick out what I loveed most about this book, the characters are absolutely phenomenal in a lot of ways even better then they have been and the other two books and it makes them in the running for what I love most though I would say the same to the overall consistency and evolution of the story. So over all this is a must get book you won't regret it.
September 29, 2022
3.5/5
This series is weird to rate/review.
First you have a story that is based on a guy playing a videogame which is ok at best and there is this awkward notion of time where 3 books have gone by and maybe a week passed in the story. These two points alone would be enough for me to either drop this series or rate it very low, but on the other hand you have FANTASTIC characters and interactions between them.
Frank and House are the reason I keep returning for more. Frank is a boss and the banter usually makes me laugh out loud, something that few other books are capable of.
Last but not least, Travis' performance on the audiobook is OUTSTANDING.
This series is weird to rate/review.
First you have a story that is based on a guy playing a videogame which is ok at best and there is this awkward notion of time where 3 books have gone by and maybe a week passed in the story. These two points alone would be enough for me to either drop this series or rate it very low, but on the other hand you have FANTASTIC characters and interactions between them.
Frank and House are the reason I keep returning for more. Frank is a boss and the banter usually makes me laugh out loud, something that few other books are capable of.
Last but not least, Travis' performance on the audiobook is OUTSTANDING.
June 30, 2023
The first book was excellent. I couldn't put it down. however, it did go downhill from there. Nothing crazy, but I did get tired of the increasingly ridiculous dialogue with Frank, enough that I started skipping pages while they were talking. Also while the litRPG elements were great in the first book, and even the 2nd, it felt that towards the 3rd and 4th book, it became a soft magic system, which i dont enjoy personally. The new abilities and stats just didnt really change much.
Overall the story and the character growth were great and fun, I did read all 4 books, but I will not be reading any more.
Overall the story and the character growth were great and fun, I did read all 4 books, but I will not be reading any more.
December 14, 2022
Enjoyed the book quite a bit sentence structure and grammar areas messed some parts up
The two issues I had were that the characters didn’t get enough personality or backstory and there were several errors where someone usually Frank would interject, but I wouldn’t know who it was and have to reread that page. On occasion the wrong pronoun was used and I wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening, I had to reread that page about 6 times. Other than that a very interesting book finished in 7 days, so I was pretty happy with it.
The two issues I had were that the characters didn’t get enough personality or backstory and there were several errors where someone usually Frank would interject, but I wouldn’t know who it was and have to reread that page. On occasion the wrong pronoun was used and I wouldn’t be able to tell what was happening, I had to reread that page about 6 times. Other than that a very interesting book finished in 7 days, so I was pretty happy with it.
September 23, 2023
The book is too raid oriented for my taste. Ned is becoming more and more an all knowing, permanently domineering Gary Stue. The permanent banter between Ned, Frank and House is often really annoying.
The character of Ersatz (German for substitute/replacement) is really over the top. The interactions are mostly funny but it i found it hard to believe that his counter build armor would be a) doable and b) where he would have all the current informations about Ned´s abilities from...
I loved the bonus story! I found it hillarious and soothing for my soul.. ;-)
The character of Ersatz (German for substitute/replacement) is really over the top. The interactions are mostly funny but it i found it hard to believe that his counter build armor would be a) doable and b) where he would have all the current informations about Ned´s abilities from...
I loved the bonus story! I found it hillarious and soothing for my soul.. ;-)
August 21, 2022
I think I figured out why I love this series so much. It's nostalgic of the glory days of MMOs. The unknown before add-ons of quest markers, the wikis that give you all the info on how to beat a boss, and just the feeling of being in a new world with your friends. As a father of two, I haven't been able to touch an MMO in years - too much time commitment. But Kyle Kirrin, thank you for letting me be a part of one more launch guild. I really love it
November 10, 2022
No complaints. Many wants
Okay people, by now you know the drill with this series--we've got killer dialog, superb characters, and many, many, but not quite enough, cats.
Sleepy and his Goons was one of the best bits I've ever read. I was cackling when he ordered a squad of mages to fight each other to the death for Frank's amusement, but without...uh, you know, you'll just have to see for yourself. I only wish we get to see more of them.
Okay people, by now you know the drill with this series--we've got killer dialog, superb characters, and many, many, but not quite enough, cats.
Sleepy and his Goons was one of the best bits I've ever read. I was cackling when he ordered a squad of mages to fight each other to the death for Frank's amusement, but without...uh, you know, you'll just have to see for yourself. I only wish we get to see more of them.
September 16, 2023
This book continued Ned’s journey and while it was a fun ride, it was like 75% raiding/combat. With this particular type of story, VRMMORPG, that features respawning it’s hard to build any real tension and the constant battles became boring as hell. The banter between Frank and House continued to be great, but the overall story would’ve benefited from more progression leveling our base building or something other than redundant combat.
September 16, 2022
Kyle Kirrin does it again!
I don’t have much to say besides: the writing, progression, world building and character development are fantastic!
Are you a fan of fantasy, books you can lose yourself in, love finding friends within pages or through fantastic narration? STOP reading these reviews and take the dive already! The only person who wouldn’t enjoy these books would be Mr. Moon 😁
I don’t have much to say besides: the writing, progression, world building and character development are fantastic!
Are you a fan of fantasy, books you can lose yourself in, love finding friends within pages or through fantastic narration? STOP reading these reviews and take the dive already! The only person who wouldn’t enjoy these books would be Mr. Moon 😁
September 2, 2025
This series just continues to get better. The story has a perfect pace. And the characters and world continue to grow and change in such interesting ways. I also appreciate the minimal status updates. So we as readers can view the changes the Main character is going through, but not every second chapter.
August 9, 2022
Solid addition
First part was bit weaker plot wise I feel and there wasn't as much progress of in character power, but that is to be expected since they are slowly hitting mid game and it was somewhat supplemented by the gear unlocks. Raids and battles fantastic as always.
First part was bit weaker plot wise I feel and there wasn't as much progress of in character power, but that is to be expected since they are slowly hitting mid game and it was somewhat supplemented by the gear unlocks. Raids and battles fantastic as always.
August 14, 2022
Let down
Compare to the previous book (Blacksands Barron), I felt this book was a bit of a letdown. This is due to it being just another litrpg book All political elements are almost completely ignored and book mainly focuses on raids with little backstory.
Compare to the previous book (Blacksands Barron), I felt this book was a bit of a letdown. This is due to it being just another litrpg book All political elements are almost completely ignored and book mainly focuses on raids with little backstory.
August 15, 2022
I absolutely loved the interactions between Ned, Frank and House. I can't wait to get the next book and read more about Frarling, Fred, and Project Lunar!
This was hilarious, action packed, with great loot, great adventures and just a ton of fun!
This was hilarious, action packed, with great loot, great adventures and just a ton of fun!
August 15, 2022
It's ok,writing is good. My main issue with the series is that there's very little in the way of stakes. Frank is basically plot armour and deus ex machina all rolled into one. It's really only held up by the really good character writing.
October 19, 2022
Ehhh..?
Pretty boring. Gets credit for some interesting things but overall it's barely 3. Camaraderie could have been better. Doubt I will read another unless it gets bone dry again.
Pretty boring. Gets credit for some interesting things but overall it's barely 3. Camaraderie could have been better. Doubt I will read another unless it gets bone dry again.
December 15, 2022
Another excellent entry in this series
More good stuff in this book, it has a good balance allowing the MC and crew to not win every time.
Some interesting turn of events and unexpected characters make for fun reading.
Looking forward to more.
More good stuff in this book, it has a good balance allowing the MC and crew to not win every time.
Some interesting turn of events and unexpected characters make for fun reading.
Looking forward to more.
January 19, 2023
Great book
Cannot say how much I like this series and this book in particular. Love the fact that multiple major things happen in the book. It is not the typical each book is a single quest.
Cannot say how much I like this series and this book in particular. Love the fact that multiple major things happen in the book. It is not the typical each book is a single quest.
April 30, 2023
Great ongoing world building and story
The story stays fun, Frank keeps Franking. Solid continuation on the previous books.
The character development is an ongoing, slow and steady thing. All things in time.
The story stays fun, Frank keeps Franking. Solid continuation on the previous books.
The character development is an ongoing, slow and steady thing. All things in time.
June 11, 2023
While it takes a bit to get going into the next part of the plot this is overall as good as the first and second books. Definitely recommend it if you enjoyed the first two but there’s not much to say that I haven’t already said about the previous books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews