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The Sound Shaper Series #1
Project Exodus
Green pastures. Still waters.
Yeah, that was all ruined by the year 2175.
What we did have left were corrupt governments, a scorched planet, and the best entertainment humankind has ever dreamed of.
When humanity realized we were one step away from calamity, Project Exodus was born.
Powered by the most advanced artificial intelligence known to mankind, this global initiative was designed to save us all. That's what they kept telling us, anyways.
Enter Axis Games: a video game company run by my dad. His company has been on the forefront of technological advancements worldwide for over a decade now.
Naturally, once Project Exodus took command of pretty much everything left on earth, Axis and all of its subsidiaries had been immediately requisitioned to build an RPG unlike any other.
The end result: a virtual world made to fit the entire human race while we safely hibernated in cryogenic chambers. While we all took a cold nap, AI-run initiatives would revitalize our planet, bringing it back from the brink of extinction.
It's been four years since I've last seen my dad, and the world has since descended into pandemonium.
My to-do list was pretty short now:
Survive the end of the world
Find my dad
Play a game no one knows anything about.
I wasn't freaking out at all...
Join Codex in a genre-bending, LitRPG focused, adventure with monsters, magic, majesties, and mysteries the likes of which you have never seen before.
Yeah, that was all ruined by the year 2175.
What we did have left were corrupt governments, a scorched planet, and the best entertainment humankind has ever dreamed of.
When humanity realized we were one step away from calamity, Project Exodus was born.
Powered by the most advanced artificial intelligence known to mankind, this global initiative was designed to save us all. That's what they kept telling us, anyways.
Enter Axis Games: a video game company run by my dad. His company has been on the forefront of technological advancements worldwide for over a decade now.
Naturally, once Project Exodus took command of pretty much everything left on earth, Axis and all of its subsidiaries had been immediately requisitioned to build an RPG unlike any other.
The end result: a virtual world made to fit the entire human race while we safely hibernated in cryogenic chambers. While we all took a cold nap, AI-run initiatives would revitalize our planet, bringing it back from the brink of extinction.
It's been four years since I've last seen my dad, and the world has since descended into pandemonium.
My to-do list was pretty short now:
Survive the end of the world
Find my dad
Play a game no one knows anything about.
I wasn't freaking out at all...
Join Codex in a genre-bending, LitRPG focused, adventure with monsters, magic, majesties, and mysteries the likes of which you have never seen before.
Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2022
42 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Jesse Gerlach
5 books8 followersJesse Gerlach is a husband, father, spoken word poet, actor, thespian, swordsman, and lover of Jesus.
He has been writing and creating stories for most of his life, and firmly believes that life can only be understood to its fullest through the lens of story.
From the day when he could swing his first lightsaber, Jesse has been crafting stories in the forms of literature, poems, songs, plays, and many more. Throughout his educational career, he prioritized theatre and literature amongst his many skills and passions, honing them with each debut of his talents.
When Jesse was in college, he was employed both as a writing tutor and later as a professional ghost writer for a plethora of authors and writers. He helped over 100 books comes to life over that time, and eventually decided to begin crafting his own tales.
Jesse is so excited to share his flagship story, The Sound Shaper Series, and is readying many more for years to come!
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 17, 2024
One of my favorite reads of the year. Exquisite world building, strong character development and storytelling that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as this was my first introduction to lit RPG — but it did not disappoint. If you are considering reading this book, the only correct answer is YES. You will be so glad you did. SO excited to read the rest of this series.
December 3, 2022
What an engaging storyline! I’m new to the fantasy genre, and I appreciate how accessible it is! I find myself thinking about myself as Codex trying to find my Dad in a fantasy world! They’re is a sci-fi logic about the whole world that keeps me locked in! I think “I could see how that could play out 100 years into the future”….
It’s like the Matrix meets Halo meets Airbender. I think I’m becoming a fantasy reader and I see the draw of the whole LitRPG genre.
I can’t wait for the next book in June!
It’s like the Matrix meets Halo meets Airbender. I think I’m becoming a fantasy reader and I see the draw of the whole LitRPG genre.
I can’t wait for the next book in June!
February 11, 2023
Project Simp
—SPOILERS!!!—SPOILERS!1!
Mc meets girl that treats him like trash. Verbally abusive and when the mc calls her out on it, she leaves him alone in the middle of a forest while they are supposed to be hunting dangerous creatures. Mc dies to one of those creatures. Then mc runs into her again and he’s all “oh man, she’s so cute. Her body looks so amazing” and proceeds to forget about their past. Then there are people trying to force him to take her on his trip to find someone far away because “she knows the land better than him” and he’s all like “ok” while being all red faced about being alone with her. That’s at 60% that’s also where I dropped.
The fight scenes themselves leave a lot to be desired. The first fight you see is two groups from same nation using…..music. Drums and guitars and stuff. Imagine a more violent “Pitch Perfect” and that’s pretty much how the author describes the fight scenes. Just people singing and making humming noises at each other. Can’t believe I lasted till 60%….
—SPOILERS!!!—SPOILERS!1!
Mc meets girl that treats him like trash. Verbally abusive and when the mc calls her out on it, she leaves him alone in the middle of a forest while they are supposed to be hunting dangerous creatures. Mc dies to one of those creatures. Then mc runs into her again and he’s all “oh man, she’s so cute. Her body looks so amazing” and proceeds to forget about their past. Then there are people trying to force him to take her on his trip to find someone far away because “she knows the land better than him” and he’s all like “ok” while being all red faced about being alone with her. That’s at 60% that’s also where I dropped.
The fight scenes themselves leave a lot to be desired. The first fight you see is two groups from same nation using…..music. Drums and guitars and stuff. Imagine a more violent “Pitch Perfect” and that’s pretty much how the author describes the fight scenes. Just people singing and making humming noises at each other. Can’t believe I lasted till 60%….
December 5, 2022
Coolest Magical Powers I've ever read about - Breathes NEW LIFE into the LitRPG genre
Extremely pleased with my readthrough of Project Exodus. I CANNOT wait for book 2 to come out! Gerlach took the LitRPG genre, flipped it on its head, and divined one of the most creative video game worlds I have ever heard of. Not only that, but there were so many subtle, well-placed pop-culture references, it was like I was reading a book meant for me.
If you like awesome magic weapon battles, soft-system RPGs without all the knitty-gritty boring stuff, and love video game culture, this book will be your next obsession. 1000/10, would recommend.
Extremely pleased with my readthrough of Project Exodus. I CANNOT wait for book 2 to come out! Gerlach took the LitRPG genre, flipped it on its head, and divined one of the most creative video game worlds I have ever heard of. Not only that, but there were so many subtle, well-placed pop-culture references, it was like I was reading a book meant for me.
If you like awesome magic weapon battles, soft-system RPGs without all the knitty-gritty boring stuff, and love video game culture, this book will be your next obsession. 1000/10, would recommend.
December 3, 2022
Fairies, Fights, Fathers and Faith
This tale is a wild romp through a world of magic and countless mysteries. It features all you'd expect to find in any catchy video game; so many new people to meet, mobs to defeat (that feel both familiar and new), and all that glistening loot! It's packed full of shoutouts and callbacks to the stories you already know and love, but is completely its own thing. Had me wishing I could jump in and try my own hand at being a Sound Shaper (definitely the coolest of the classes)!
This tale is a wild romp through a world of magic and countless mysteries. It features all you'd expect to find in any catchy video game; so many new people to meet, mobs to defeat (that feel both familiar and new), and all that glistening loot! It's packed full of shoutouts and callbacks to the stories you already know and love, but is completely its own thing. Had me wishing I could jump in and try my own hand at being a Sound Shaper (definitely the coolest of the classes)!
December 3, 2022
What an enjoyable read! I felt like I was transported back to being seventeen again. I was fighting alongside Codex and his comrades on every page. This story is so imaginative, unique, and in some ways, nostalgic as hell! It deals with the struggles of growing up, and trying to figure out who you are. Along with the difficulties of learning to trust others, and learning to trust yourself. I can’t wait to find out what happens next! This book would also make a perfect gift for the fantasy lover in your life. READ IT!!!!
December 3, 2022
Step Into Exodia! Humanity leaves the real world behind in favor of a virtual one crafted to keep them fulfilled while the planet - allegedly - is made livable again by artificial intelligence. But is it in good hands? A great premise that keeps you guessing "just what really is going on?" This was the first LitRPG I've read and it's piqued my interest in the genre for sure. There's something in here to be enjoyed by any lover of RPGs.
January 9, 2023
A good story and well developed characters
The story is actually fairly well thought out, but the only problem I had was the numerous formatting errors throughout the book. There are missing words, line breaks in the middle of sentences, and other odd formatting issues.
Aside from that, Codex, is a well developed main character. The rest of the characters are well-described and the story is enjoyable.
The story is actually fairly well thought out, but the only problem I had was the numerous formatting errors throughout the book. There are missing words, line breaks in the middle of sentences, and other odd formatting issues.
Aside from that, Codex, is a well developed main character. The rest of the characters are well-described and the story is enjoyable.
March 3, 2023
I tried
I tried. But holy crap does this need a professional edit. Random page breaks. Random returns. Random lack of tabs for new paragraphs, then tabbed in the next. The 17 year old main character talks like someone used a thesaurus for the most obscure words randomly that borderline don't even make sense. 2 of the 4 factions are at least unique. That's about the only reason I can justify 2 stars.
I tried. But holy crap does this need a professional edit. Random page breaks. Random returns. Random lack of tabs for new paragraphs, then tabbed in the next. The 17 year old main character talks like someone used a thesaurus for the most obscure words randomly that borderline don't even make sense. 2 of the 4 factions are at least unique. That's about the only reason I can justify 2 stars.
December 3, 2022
This book is really good. A well written and engaging plot keeps you hooked from start to finish. Characters have well thought stories behind them and still have so much more potential to them. It’s funny and witty yet also serious and harrowing at times. This book instantly made it in my top 5 favorite books. Definitely check this book out. I’m super excited for the rest of the series.
December 3, 2022
Truly an incredible read! The characters are fleshed out well and the story is gripping. It pulls you into another world and honestly has the potential to be like the Witcher series and go from book to game! You can feel the care that Jesse put into the book with each sentence. Don’t hesitate to read this book!
December 3, 2022
What a wonderful piece of work from Gerlach! The book enthralled me from the beginning, and invited me into this fantastic, futuristic, familiar world. I caught myself laughing at inside gamer jokes, and film and tv references, while yearning for the protagonist to make the right decisions. I want a movie, a video game, and book 2!
December 3, 2022
This beautifully crafted story is both exciting and engaging. Tha author draws you in with beautiful imagery and the main character displays depth and complexity as he navigates the unique challenges of his new environment.
December 3, 2022
Very engaging and I love the sense of humor woven throughout this epic RPG adventure! Intense battle sequences, unique world-building, and complex relational dynamics make this novel hard to put down! I fell in love with the main characters and can not WAIT for book two!!!
December 3, 2022
Whimsical, exciting, and enticing. Definitely worth your time. The only reason to avoid this book is if you really, truly despise puns (even so, I'd still try it)
I am excited for the sequel!
I am excited for the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews