What do you think?
Rate this book
Wizard's Tower #1
Wizard's Tower: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy Series
The humans call me Nemon Fargus. They call me wizard, and [Elementalist] and [Enchanter]. They call me teacher. They call me adventurer.
But I don't care. Not anymore.
For more than 150 years I've served the Kingdom of Sena. Through four Kings and a Queen. Two wars and a rebellion. I've founded and taught at a magic school. I've fought against beast waves and dungeon breaks.
But now? Now, the one close friend I had left has passed. So, I'm done with their politics and their economics. The short and busy lives of humans are more burden than benefit on the weary soul of this half-elf.
Now, I'm looking for a refuge, a place that can well and truly be my own. Away from the growing cities and the bustling markets, away from the pointless wars, away from the eager students and the arrogant adventurers.
I'm seeking the peaceful life of a wizard in his tower, studying magic to advance my spellcraft...We'll see if that happens.
But I don't care. Not anymore.
For more than 150 years I've served the Kingdom of Sena. Through four Kings and a Queen. Two wars and a rebellion. I've founded and taught at a magic school. I've fought against beast waves and dungeon breaks.
But now? Now, the one close friend I had left has passed. So, I'm done with their politics and their economics. The short and busy lives of humans are more burden than benefit on the weary soul of this half-elf.
Now, I'm looking for a refuge, a place that can well and truly be my own. Away from the growing cities and the bustling markets, away from the pointless wars, away from the eager students and the arrogant adventurers.
I'm seeking the peaceful life of a wizard in his tower, studying magic to advance my spellcraft...We'll see if that happens.
398 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2022
656 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
June 2, 2022
This is one of those books that needs a little longer in the oven before being offered to the world for consumption. The base idea is alright and there is the potential here for a good story, but the actual execution of this book leaves a lot to be desired.
Descriptions were rare, then flat and unmemorable when they were provided. This led to a large part of this novel happening in a kind of featureless void in my mind.
The dialogue was hammy and childlike, especially in one young character who I would have sworn was a 5-6 year old before being told that she was actually 16. That's a big problem as a 16-year-old should be talking with nearly the fluidity and vocabulary of an adult, with just word choice and mannerisms setting them apart. In no way should a reader be able to confuse that character with a young child. Granted, this might be a problem exacerbated by the overacting of the audiobook narrators, but it remains a problem regardless.
My biggest issue with this story was that it told you direct facts rather than showed you through characters, setting and plot how the story was unfolding. This book read more like a list of actions rather than a story, a problem made worse by the linear problem-solving method where a problem appears and then is instantly solved. This book has no arcs, just straight lines from point A to B. This created a rhythm in this book that (specifics of a situation aside) made the story of the protagonist sound something like this:
Something has happened. I feel this way about that thing which makes me want to do this. I take that action until something new happens and I start this process over again.
It creates a monotone type of story that I only continued reading because I was listening to it on audiobook and it was preferable to the silence of not having it on. Ultimately, this was a book that has an interesting premise (1-star) and enough about it that I wasn't compelled to turn it off (2nd star), but I think more work is needed before I could rate it any higher.
Descriptions were rare, then flat and unmemorable when they were provided. This led to a large part of this novel happening in a kind of featureless void in my mind.
The dialogue was hammy and childlike, especially in one young character who I would have sworn was a 5-6 year old before being told that she was actually 16. That's a big problem as a 16-year-old should be talking with nearly the fluidity and vocabulary of an adult, with just word choice and mannerisms setting them apart. In no way should a reader be able to confuse that character with a young child. Granted, this might be a problem exacerbated by the overacting of the audiobook narrators, but it remains a problem regardless.
My biggest issue with this story was that it told you direct facts rather than showed you through characters, setting and plot how the story was unfolding. This book read more like a list of actions rather than a story, a problem made worse by the linear problem-solving method where a problem appears and then is instantly solved. This book has no arcs, just straight lines from point A to B. This created a rhythm in this book that (specifics of a situation aside) made the story of the protagonist sound something like this:
Something has happened. I feel this way about that thing which makes me want to do this. I take that action until something new happens and I start this process over again.
It creates a monotone type of story that I only continued reading because I was listening to it on audiobook and it was preferable to the silence of not having it on. Ultimately, this was a book that has an interesting premise (1-star) and enough about it that I wasn't compelled to turn it off (2nd star), but I think more work is needed before I could rate it any higher.
May 7, 2022
This is my first book by this author.
At first, I was confused by some of the negative reviews I saw for the book. The further I read, the more confused I got because I was really enjoying it.
No, there aren't any big action scenes or dungeon delves, but it's still enjoyable in its own way.
Nemon worked at a battlemage for two hundred years keeping the Kingdom of Sera safe. He's just lost a good friend putting down a beast, and he wants to retire. So he leaves the magical academy he built, the orphanage he established, and heads out to find the tower he grew up in as a child.
His dream of spending decades in isolation working on a spell that's eluding him doesn't go the way he thought it would. The local baroness needs help, the roads are muddy paths, a former student who lives nearby despises him, and a necromancer who works for another nearby baron is at his wits end.
All these characters and more come to the Wizard's half finished tower (Nemon ran out of stones, so the tower is only three stories high) for help, advice, spying, or any number of different reasons.
I really enjoyed this, as I mentioned before. It's quirky, laugh out loud funny at times, and in general a glimpse into a wizard's life after he's sick and tired of fighting. He discovers secrets the king would surely like him to keep to himself, and...
Nope. I'll stop there. The editing is solid, and while there aren't any tables or stat sheets, there's enough meat on the bones to qualify it as LitRPG. When the story is this good, i don't really care too much either way.
Recommended. 5/5* I'm already looking forward to book 2.
At first, I was confused by some of the negative reviews I saw for the book. The further I read, the more confused I got because I was really enjoying it.
No, there aren't any big action scenes or dungeon delves, but it's still enjoyable in its own way.
Nemon worked at a battlemage for two hundred years keeping the Kingdom of Sera safe. He's just lost a good friend putting down a beast, and he wants to retire. So he leaves the magical academy he built, the orphanage he established, and heads out to find the tower he grew up in as a child.
His dream of spending decades in isolation working on a spell that's eluding him doesn't go the way he thought it would. The local baroness needs help, the roads are muddy paths, a former student who lives nearby despises him, and a necromancer who works for another nearby baron is at his wits end.
All these characters and more come to the Wizard's half finished tower (Nemon ran out of stones, so the tower is only three stories high) for help, advice, spying, or any number of different reasons.
I really enjoyed this, as I mentioned before. It's quirky, laugh out loud funny at times, and in general a glimpse into a wizard's life after he's sick and tired of fighting. He discovers secrets the king would surely like him to keep to himself, and...
Nope. I'll stop there. The editing is solid, and while there aren't any tables or stat sheets, there's enough meat on the bones to qualify it as LitRPG. When the story is this good, i don't really care too much either way.
Recommended. 5/5* I'm already looking forward to book 2.
May 23, 2022
Another reviewer summed up is great, but I will add a little to this. He is pretending to be a old man, but based on his race. He's is only in his 30's and to other races like full elves, he is a teenager and has zero rights to be the way he is. He is NOT the big dog in the land, the author already pointed out other Gold adventurers that are HUMAN and doing the same job at a 10th of the time this lazy jerk has.
He is truly selfish and he does fall truly in the Gary Stew category.
""Old crotchety “get off my lawn!” wizard retires from adventuring to live in a wizard tower he builds away from government and people. This is the story of his retirement, from landscaping, to enslaving bandits to do the heavy lifting, to teaching two uninteresting pupils, and on and on, but you don’t actually care about any of them. At hour 7, there are no stakes…no suspense…no backstory…no reason to care at all. If somebody comes to disturb his retirement, then what? He’s lived for 200+ years and he forgets to turn off runes or defensive arrays that nuke people’s heads entering/leaving the property? Oops. Should probably fix that. ""
He is truly selfish and he does fall truly in the Gary Stew category.
""Old crotchety “get off my lawn!” wizard retires from adventuring to live in a wizard tower he builds away from government and people. This is the story of his retirement, from landscaping, to enslaving bandits to do the heavy lifting, to teaching two uninteresting pupils, and on and on, but you don’t actually care about any of them. At hour 7, there are no stakes…no suspense…no backstory…no reason to care at all. If somebody comes to disturb his retirement, then what? He’s lived for 200+ years and he forgets to turn off runes or defensive arrays that nuke people’s heads entering/leaving the property? Oops. Should probably fix that. ""
May 29, 2022
Very boring book
This book was extremely slow. It packed RPG elements. Role Playing are key descriptors in games or books. It’s the act of having a role and doing something with it. The MC doesn’t do a ton of building or magic in itself is limited. The MC is so inside is head, even the author honors it by letting stupid crap go on around his tower. Yet you afford use readers so much time to sit in the head as well. It made this book drag, I look to events and actions to help with moving along with the plot. Building and the magic exploration would have been perfect. You didn’t choose a wandering role. So that what have been a great plot driver and monotony break up. Alas this wasn’t done effectively and this my rating. I do not know if I will read the next book.
This book was extremely slow. It packed RPG elements. Role Playing are key descriptors in games or books. It’s the act of having a role and doing something with it. The MC doesn’t do a ton of building or magic in itself is limited. The MC is so inside is head, even the author honors it by letting stupid crap go on around his tower. Yet you afford use readers so much time to sit in the head as well. It made this book drag, I look to events and actions to help with moving along with the plot. Building and the magic exploration would have been perfect. You didn’t choose a wandering role. So that what have been a great plot driver and monotony break up. Alas this wasn’t done effectively and this my rating. I do not know if I will read the next book.
May 9, 2022
The main character is supposed to be this old(seemingly several hundred years) experienced and powerful.. magic user or something.. the author cant make up his mind which, but MC does not seem so in any way to me.
Instead he comes off as an old impotent raging chump who lets himself be denigrated over and over and nearly always swallows. So while seemingly billed as otherwise in the book blurb he comes across as an utterly spineless pathetic looser. Oh and a fool.. yeah that also.
Just 15 minutes into the audiobook I would gladly have beaten the MC bloody if I could, same goes for the first time I came across this same story, it must have been on Royal Road or something.
It just didn't trigger for me what book this was from listening to the audible audio sample, even though the MC is rather pathetic in that in hindsight, sadly he just comes of as overly patient for anyone listening to it.
I am not into that kind of super depressing main character/story. So even if the story possibly traverses into something else later on,.. well its already been ruined imo.
I will likely not finish this story due to this "anti hook" which rather saddens me since the audiobook is performed by some of my favourite narrators.
*EDIT*
Okay so I managed to stay with it and get to the end.
The later parts of the story are not much better than the start. Its not as "on the nose" with the MC's defectiveness, which is somewhat ameliorated by other character additions, but its still an issue and more, it gets expounded upon in other ways.
A partial sop, tangential at best, is given (late in the story) as to why his behaviour is that way for certain situations but nothing that really excuses the premise and the mc's contemptible limp noodle self which I found so repulsive.
I guess if one is looking for a story with a flawed (cracked) main character who also is a relative Gary Stu well this is probably a good melding of that.
Now to other parts of this work.. I got to feeling that it didn't/doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up.. It is rather all over the place with a gambit of seriousness, attempts at comedy/satire, cutesy stuff and dark.. all variably successful or just not.
Then ending the story with a probable doomsday scenario "switch up" for any future follow on book. I don't know if the author intends to have the MC retract his head from between his butt cheeks in this probable follow up story but he could I guess get away with it,.. I just doubt that will be the case.
Honestly I do not really want to give this a 2/5 (it was ok) rating, but the quality of the writing seems fair enough to me and the audio production is good as nearly always from SBT. I just couldn't stand the main character and it nearly killed the whole story for me more than once.
This will have to do for a review.
Instead he comes off as an old impotent raging chump who lets himself be denigrated over and over and nearly always swallows. So while seemingly billed as otherwise in the book blurb he comes across as an utterly spineless pathetic looser. Oh and a fool.. yeah that also.
Just 15 minutes into the audiobook I would gladly have beaten the MC bloody if I could, same goes for the first time I came across this same story, it must have been on Royal Road or something.
It just didn't trigger for me what book this was from listening to the audible audio sample, even though the MC is rather pathetic in that in hindsight, sadly he just comes of as overly patient for anyone listening to it.
I am not into that kind of super depressing main character/story. So even if the story possibly traverses into something else later on,.. well its already been ruined imo.
I will likely not finish this story due to this "anti hook" which rather saddens me since the audiobook is performed by some of my favourite narrators.
*EDIT*
Okay so I managed to stay with it and get to the end.
The later parts of the story are not much better than the start. Its not as "on the nose" with the MC's defectiveness, which is somewhat ameliorated by other character additions, but its still an issue and more, it gets expounded upon in other ways.
A partial sop, tangential at best, is given (late in the story) as to why his behaviour is that way for certain situations but nothing that really excuses the premise and the mc's contemptible limp noodle self which I found so repulsive.
I guess if one is looking for a story with a flawed (cracked) main character who also is a relative Gary Stu well this is probably a good melding of that.
Now to other parts of this work.. I got to feeling that it didn't/doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up.. It is rather all over the place with a gambit of seriousness, attempts at comedy/satire, cutesy stuff and dark.. all variably successful or just not.
Then ending the story with a probable doomsday scenario "switch up" for any future follow on book. I don't know if the author intends to have the MC retract his head from between his butt cheeks in this probable follow up story but he could I guess get away with it,.. I just doubt that will be the case.
Honestly I do not really want to give this a 2/5 (it was ok) rating, but the quality of the writing seems fair enough to me and the audio production is good as nearly always from SBT. I just couldn't stand the main character and it nearly killed the whole story for me more than once.
This will have to do for a review.
November 21, 2022
Surprisingly good
I saw the title that stated litrp and it made me worried. Thankfully the litrpg aspect was more of a flavor introduced into the wonderful world. Plus who doesn't like grouchy old wizards who look like they are 30. I also enjoy how many ways the author can take the next book just by adding in the last chapter. I hope to not be disappointed
I saw the title that stated litrp and it made me worried. Thankfully the litrpg aspect was more of a flavor introduced into the wonderful world. Plus who doesn't like grouchy old wizards who look like they are 30. I also enjoy how many ways the author can take the next book just by adding in the last chapter. I hope to not be disappointed
May 8, 2022
Another that doesn't have game / isekai / real world elements - more if the world had some level of gamification already.
I really like the premise of a cranky old man who's a bit of a misanthrope and thinks he just wants to nope out on society, while failing miserably at actually doing so.
I really like the premise of a cranky old man who's a bit of a misanthrope and thinks he just wants to nope out on society, while failing miserably at actually doing so.
May 17, 2022
4 Raid A Few Enemy Manors For Their Couches Stars
Wizard's Tower book one by Gregory Allanther.
I want more. I'm so saddened that the next book isn't out yet, because I wish desperately to dive right in. I'm bewildered at the complete lack of dissonance in where this book starts. The blurb outlines his loss and reason for an abrupt life change, but it's so completely unexpected to drop us in the deep without some sort of negative connotation. The way in which the author led us almost backwards, then forwards, the in both directions at once was (*pshoo*explosion*sound effects*) mind-blowing.
My only detraction from this work is wondering how old Lilly is supposed to be. Some times she seems like a young adult. Other times, especially when she had her own chapter, she came across childish. Now, the answer to this question will help me categorize my dislike for the Mc's snapbacks at her... He spends so much time correcting only her childlike exuberance and mannerisms that it's frustrating and confusing.
I hope we learn more about the advancement system in this book. The concept that it's the capture and imprisonment of a Goddess of Knowledge that manifested this ability is intriguing. It's a new and inventive take on character sheets. Sadly, Fargus does find merit in explaining or utilizing or relying on this functional tool.
Speaking of the main man: The first aspect of his character that really gripped me was the Book of the Dead, where he honors and records the memories of his departed compatriots so as to not lose them to the wear and tear of time. Alas, that leads to what is decidedly his main weakness (especially when we find out about that flower's true purpose), he refuses to face his emotions and now they rest just out of reach waiting to crash down and overwhelm him given the slightest Crack in his will. He this difficult to describe combination of kind, loyal, strict, caring man. Where he spends most of his time outlining how little him cares for humanity, yet that he does in some obscure sense... All made more convoluted by his towering walls of seclusion, simply to not face connection and therefore loss when he inevitably outlives them....
I think it will be interesting to further explore the God's of this world, learn more about Pestilence (would his accidental Aberrations be of use in understanding them?) in this connotation, and comes to terms with the correct course of action against the nobility and royalty's schemes.
Wizard's Tower book one by Gregory Allanther.
I want more. I'm so saddened that the next book isn't out yet, because I wish desperately to dive right in. I'm bewildered at the complete lack of dissonance in where this book starts. The blurb outlines his loss and reason for an abrupt life change, but it's so completely unexpected to drop us in the deep without some sort of negative connotation. The way in which the author led us almost backwards, then forwards, the in both directions at once was (*pshoo*explosion*sound effects*) mind-blowing.
My only detraction from this work is wondering how old Lilly is supposed to be. Some times she seems like a young adult. Other times, especially when she had her own chapter, she came across childish. Now, the answer to this question will help me categorize my dislike for the Mc's snapbacks at her... He spends so much time correcting only her childlike exuberance and mannerisms that it's frustrating and confusing.
I hope we learn more about the advancement system in this book. The concept that it's the capture and imprisonment of a Goddess of Knowledge that manifested this ability is intriguing. It's a new and inventive take on character sheets. Sadly, Fargus does find merit in explaining or utilizing or relying on this functional tool.
Speaking of the main man: The first aspect of his character that really gripped me was the Book of the Dead, where he honors and records the memories of his departed compatriots so as to not lose them to the wear and tear of time. Alas, that leads to what is decidedly his main weakness (especially when we find out about that flower's true purpose), he refuses to face his emotions and now they rest just out of reach waiting to crash down and overwhelm him given the slightest Crack in his will. He this difficult to describe combination of kind, loyal, strict, caring man. Where he spends most of his time outlining how little him cares for humanity, yet that he does in some obscure sense... All made more convoluted by his towering walls of seclusion, simply to not face connection and therefore loss when he inevitably outlives them....
I think it will be interesting to further explore the God's of this world, learn more about Pestilence (would his accidental Aberrations be of use in understanding them?) in this connotation, and comes to terms with the correct course of action against the nobility and royalty's schemes.
July 10, 2022
This was a pleasant surprise. Very, very light on the game mechanics to be called litrpg in my book, but still a soft gamelit. The pace is a bit slow, but if you are ok with that, then this will probably be a pleasant and fun read.
Character - 8/10, Plot 7/10, Game Mechanics/Setting - 8/10, Writing 8/10, Enjoyment 7/10
I'm giving this first book the benefit of the doubt for character. What we get is a little bland, more of a MC with a few quirks than an actual personality. But on the other hand, a person who just lost one of their friends will retreat into themselves and come across as a bit watered down, as I can unfortunately attest. So the big question will be how the MC processes his grief and how much he comes out of his shell for book 2. Otherwise, there was a decent variety for supporting cast and the somewhat neutral personality of the MC made sense, given the circumstances.
The plot was a little hard to distinguish from the world building. This first book is mostly just getting the reader familiar with our MC and the world he inhabits. It's a mix of a slow plot and slice of life. It's up to you whether that's your cup of tea.
The setting is pretty good and there's a decent amount of info filled in over the course of the book. The game mechanics seem a bit D&D inspired, but not really delved into as far as nuts and bolts, nitty gritty stat screens and such. Just generally the idea of classes based on experience and advanced classes that one can obtain once they level up their lower level class. I'm ok with soft gamelit, but you are really in the mood for crunchy numbers then this might not be for you.
The writing was functional. There weren't many mistakes, nor were there really any dazzling turns of phrase. The writing itself was fairly smart and did a good job of conveying the 200 year old seen a lot of stuff half-elf MC even if it felt a lot more like a summary of things rather than things actually happening. I'm giving some leeway here because it makes sense for such a character to view things from this perspective.
This wasn't the most gripping story I've read, but I did find myself sitting down and reading it in my free time at home rather than solely at work during lunch break. That tends to be a star rating worth of value.
Overall, this was a pleasant slow life kind of gamelit story. There are some pretty good plot points that come up later in the novel to set the stage for book 2 as well, so I'm eager to see what's in store.
Character - 8/10, Plot 7/10, Game Mechanics/Setting - 8/10, Writing 8/10, Enjoyment 7/10
I'm giving this first book the benefit of the doubt for character. What we get is a little bland, more of a MC with a few quirks than an actual personality. But on the other hand, a person who just lost one of their friends will retreat into themselves and come across as a bit watered down, as I can unfortunately attest. So the big question will be how the MC processes his grief and how much he comes out of his shell for book 2. Otherwise, there was a decent variety for supporting cast and the somewhat neutral personality of the MC made sense, given the circumstances.
The plot was a little hard to distinguish from the world building. This first book is mostly just getting the reader familiar with our MC and the world he inhabits. It's a mix of a slow plot and slice of life. It's up to you whether that's your cup of tea.
The setting is pretty good and there's a decent amount of info filled in over the course of the book. The game mechanics seem a bit D&D inspired, but not really delved into as far as nuts and bolts, nitty gritty stat screens and such. Just generally the idea of classes based on experience and advanced classes that one can obtain once they level up their lower level class. I'm ok with soft gamelit, but you are really in the mood for crunchy numbers then this might not be for you.
The writing was functional. There weren't many mistakes, nor were there really any dazzling turns of phrase. The writing itself was fairly smart and did a good job of conveying the 200 year old seen a lot of stuff half-elf MC even if it felt a lot more like a summary of things rather than things actually happening. I'm giving some leeway here because it makes sense for such a character to view things from this perspective.
This wasn't the most gripping story I've read, but I did find myself sitting down and reading it in my free time at home rather than solely at work during lunch break. That tends to be a star rating worth of value.
Overall, this was a pleasant slow life kind of gamelit story. There are some pretty good plot points that come up later in the novel to set the stage for book 2 as well, so I'm eager to see what's in store.
August 5, 2022
good start
Recommend this book for those who are tired of the typical progression fantasy series and desire something else for a change. Besides some pacing issues, I enjoyed this book
Recommend this book for those who are tired of the typical progression fantasy series and desire something else for a change. Besides some pacing issues, I enjoyed this book
February 20, 2024
A lot of potential is muddied by too much going on/execution.
Half elf wizard Nemon Fargus has lost one to many companions in his long life and decides to retire to the country to focus on his experiments. His plans to raise a wizard tower and disappear are interrupted by ambitious assistants, nosy nobles, and skulking scouts. My biggest complaint about this book is that it doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a lit-rpg (it barely interacts with the system)? Is it a tower defense and research (experiments keep getting interrupted)? is it found family (Nemon is a little too callous to make it have much impact)? It isn’t bad, but I think it would have been much better if it had focused. It also has a common problem with this type of story in that Nemon’s morals felt a little at the whims of the plot. Sometimes he has a bleeding heart that can’t resist helping and other times he’s a 200 year old wizard who has seen so much death that another mortal dying doesn’t matter. It certainly wasn’t the worst I’ve seen and I think it was trying to show a complex character who suffers from centuries of loss with a deep compassion, but it didn’t’ quite work for me. Also, everything magical was a little to easy for Nemon, which is fine since he starts the story as a peerless wizard, but everything sounds really simple, some techno-babble to make it seem like he’s doing things others can’t, would help.
I wasn’t going to read the next book, but the ending set up enough questions that I felt compelled to continue, so take that for what its worth. If you really want a wizard focused fantasy, that will probably scratch the itch.
Half elf wizard Nemon Fargus has lost one to many companions in his long life and decides to retire to the country to focus on his experiments. His plans to raise a wizard tower and disappear are interrupted by ambitious assistants, nosy nobles, and skulking scouts. My biggest complaint about this book is that it doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a lit-rpg (it barely interacts with the system)? Is it a tower defense and research (experiments keep getting interrupted)? is it found family (Nemon is a little too callous to make it have much impact)? It isn’t bad, but I think it would have been much better if it had focused. It also has a common problem with this type of story in that Nemon’s morals felt a little at the whims of the plot. Sometimes he has a bleeding heart that can’t resist helping and other times he’s a 200 year old wizard who has seen so much death that another mortal dying doesn’t matter. It certainly wasn’t the worst I’ve seen and I think it was trying to show a complex character who suffers from centuries of loss with a deep compassion, but it didn’t’ quite work for me. Also, everything magical was a little to easy for Nemon, which is fine since he starts the story as a peerless wizard, but everything sounds really simple, some techno-babble to make it seem like he’s doing things others can’t, would help.
I wasn’t going to read the next book, but the ending set up enough questions that I felt compelled to continue, so take that for what its worth. If you really want a wizard focused fantasy, that will probably scratch the itch.
December 22, 2025
There is an interesting premise here: a very powerful wizard wants to retire and build a wizard's tower. Unfortunately, there isn't an interesting novel here.
The "magic system" is simple: whatever the story needs to continue is what magic can do. And if the story needs a thing to not be possible, then it isn't.
The world is a typical fantasy world, and it is treated as such. There is essentially no effort put into either developing or showing anything about the world, other than that there are cities and villages. And the villages have taverns.
The story is written in the first person, which is too bad, since that allows us to see into the mind of the protagonist. He is written as if by someone who has never met a person before. He is contemptuous of everyone, but because he is just such a great guy, he often helps people out anyway. After all, it's what a superior being would do.
The plot is largely non-existent, except that . This is what passes for innovation, I suppose.
This is reasonably categorized as LitRPG, since there are classes and levels, but it's really not GameLit, since we almost never hear about those elements, and they don't seem to have much effect on the story.
I'd like to be able to say something nice about this book, not least because I bought it as part of an omnibus edition, so I already own the other two books in the series. The best I can come up with is maybe the next book will be better? I hope so, because I feel myself embracing the sunk-cost fallacy, and I'm going to continue the series next.
The "magic system" is simple: whatever the story needs to continue is what magic can do. And if the story needs a thing to not be possible, then it isn't.
The world is a typical fantasy world, and it is treated as such. There is essentially no effort put into either developing or showing anything about the world, other than that there are cities and villages. And the villages have taverns.
The story is written in the first person, which is too bad, since that allows us to see into the mind of the protagonist. He is written as if by someone who has never met a person before. He is contemptuous of everyone, but because he is just such a great guy, he often helps people out anyway. After all, it's what a superior being would do.
The plot is largely non-existent, except that . This is what passes for innovation, I suppose.
This is reasonably categorized as LitRPG, since there are classes and levels, but it's really not GameLit, since we almost never hear about those elements, and they don't seem to have much effect on the story.
I'd like to be able to say something nice about this book, not least because I bought it as part of an omnibus edition, so I already own the other two books in the series. The best I can come up with is maybe the next book will be better? I hope so, because I feel myself embracing the sunk-cost fallacy, and I'm going to continue the series next.
November 5, 2022
This book is sold as LitRPG, but there's almost nothing tying it to the LitRPG genre at all. A few times there's a mention of a soul scroll or something similar that contains all their stats and levels and such, but it's only looked at once during the entire story, so although the story is classified as LitRPG, I do not consider it as such, although the story itself is not a bad story, and I'd happily read it even if it wasn't classified as LitRPG, the end of the book is probably the most interesting part, especially as relates to LitRPG, but I guess we'll know more after reading the second book, which promises to be interesting as well. Just wish these guys wouldn't wrap stories that aren't in the LitRPG category into such a listing. It wastes time reading things I'd rather read at other times. When I read a LitRPG book, it's because I expect certain things from it, and when those things don't appear, it feels like I was cheated, and to be perfectly honest, it makes me less likely to read that author again.
Anyway, if you like spell casting, and castle building, (well, he calls it a tower, but it's really his castle, I know subtle, but different to be sure). then you're likely to like this story. If you're reading for the LitRPG elements, don't bother, it isn't worth the read from that perspective, but it is a good sorcery story anyhow. Removing the LitRPG elements it does have wouldn't affect the story in the least.
Anyway, if you like spell casting, and castle building, (well, he calls it a tower, but it's really his castle, I know subtle, but different to be sure). then you're likely to like this story. If you're reading for the LitRPG elements, don't bother, it isn't worth the read from that perspective, but it is a good sorcery story anyhow. Removing the LitRPG elements it does have wouldn't affect the story in the least.
September 5, 2022
This is the longest prologue ever. Actually a whole book of it. 😅
But I liked it.
it's such a fascinating experience to finally see into the mind of "The Wizard in His Tower" we've learned to sneer at for so long. He's a familiar NPC, dangerous, arrogant, airheaded, a mix of Gandalf, Voldemort and Disney's Merlin.
I have built no rapport with the grumpy old MC at all, nor with any of the support cast (not enough proximity). The MC is riding the fence of morals in a really artsy way, and I like that. I like agreeing with him, balking at his casual callousness, discovering his well-hidden frailties.
Exposition is cleverly done: our MC is a renowned teacher and has pupils to educate. Bam! Golden alibi. The gamelit stuff is light and underplayed, it doesn't dominate the story as in other such tales, but comes in handy as a plot device in a few moments. I liked that too.
There is something really fascinating about this slow-burn slice of life story that I can't help but appreciate. I didn't miss the lack of action, I skipped over the few there was with little interest. No, it's the slowly creeping intrigue that I find captivating. Towards the end of the book we finally get introduced to the main conflicts that will drive this series, and they make me want to get the next volume of this book.
So yeah, I'm in.
But I liked it.
it's such a fascinating experience to finally see into the mind of "The Wizard in His Tower" we've learned to sneer at for so long. He's a familiar NPC, dangerous, arrogant, airheaded, a mix of Gandalf, Voldemort and Disney's Merlin.
I have built no rapport with the grumpy old MC at all, nor with any of the support cast (not enough proximity). The MC is riding the fence of morals in a really artsy way, and I like that. I like agreeing with him, balking at his casual callousness, discovering his well-hidden frailties.
Exposition is cleverly done: our MC is a renowned teacher and has pupils to educate. Bam! Golden alibi. The gamelit stuff is light and underplayed, it doesn't dominate the story as in other such tales, but comes in handy as a plot device in a few moments. I liked that too.
There is something really fascinating about this slow-burn slice of life story that I can't help but appreciate. I didn't miss the lack of action, I skipped over the few there was with little interest. No, it's the slowly creeping intrigue that I find captivating. Towards the end of the book we finally get introduced to the main conflicts that will drive this series, and they make me want to get the next volume of this book.
So yeah, I'm in.
Read
September 8, 2023DNF at 50%
Content:
Language: Moderate. Some curse words and crude language like 'piss'.
Violence: Moderate: Not gory per se, but there is a lot of video game type violence and the characters seem mostly unaffected by it, which disturbed me a lot. Heads being half blown off and people cut in half type things.
Sexual: There was a throw-away sentence toward the beginning that was really off-color about the main character having been in the nuns' private quarters because "not all of them keep their vows". Crude references like that but nothing on screen at the halfway point.
I'm DNFing because it was so slow. So. Slow. The pacing is supposed to be meandering for this type of genre but the pacing was off. It was okay for the first oh, 50-75 pages? But once he gets to the tower, it's just...boring. And the way he is so callous towards other people, totally not caring about killing people or using them was sociopathic. It was not entertaining, it was jarring to have it trying to be slice-of-life but with all this almost serial killer level violent behavior. Just made me cringe the longer I read.
Content:
Language: Moderate. Some curse words and crude language like 'piss'.
Violence: Moderate: Not gory per se, but there is a lot of video game type violence and the characters seem mostly unaffected by it, which disturbed me a lot. Heads being half blown off and people cut in half type things.
Sexual: There was a throw-away sentence toward the beginning that was really off-color about the main character having been in the nuns' private quarters because "not all of them keep their vows". Crude references like that but nothing on screen at the halfway point.
I'm DNFing because it was so slow. So. Slow. The pacing is supposed to be meandering for this type of genre but the pacing was off. It was okay for the first oh, 50-75 pages? But once he gets to the tower, it's just...boring. And the way he is so callous towards other people, totally not caring about killing people or using them was sociopathic. It was not entertaining, it was jarring to have it trying to be slice-of-life but with all this almost serial killer level violent behavior. Just made me cringe the longer I read.
May 12, 2022
After reading Old Man's Journey another gamelit novel by Gregory Allanther I really wasn't sure what to expect from Wizard's Tower, however I expected that it'd be unique! And I wasn't wrong...
This story's about another grumpy old man Nemon Fargus a half elf, who wants to retire from it all. From his life as a teacher, mentor, benefactor, and an adventurer! His goal is to find an outta the way Tower and continue his own studies and experimentation. But, alas life gets in the way! So he finds himself torn from being grumpy to nurturing... And you can't help but like Nemon Fargus. And yes, there's still monster waves to stop!
You're definitely gonna want to add this to your library. Although the action takes the back seat, the book is smartly written and really interesting!
This happens to be the third production I've heard from Soundbooth Theater and I want to say they have Dynamite productions. The narration is done by Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, and Andrea Parsneau... and that's what I call a great combination of voice performers!
This story's about another grumpy old man Nemon Fargus a half elf, who wants to retire from it all. From his life as a teacher, mentor, benefactor, and an adventurer! His goal is to find an outta the way Tower and continue his own studies and experimentation. But, alas life gets in the way! So he finds himself torn from being grumpy to nurturing... And you can't help but like Nemon Fargus. And yes, there's still monster waves to stop!
You're definitely gonna want to add this to your library. Although the action takes the back seat, the book is smartly written and really interesting!
This happens to be the third production I've heard from Soundbooth Theater and I want to say they have Dynamite productions. The narration is done by Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, and Andrea Parsneau... and that's what I call a great combination of voice performers!
May 12, 2022
Imagine a story about a grumpy old NPC quest-giver, who lives far away from society in a tower in a swamp. But he wants things done, so he issues quests. Adventurers arrive to do everything from carry raw materials to clearing out troublesome monsters the old wizard can't be bothered to deal with himself.
I absolutely love the laid-back way Nemon approaches life, how often he's asked to go out and do stuff and either delegates it to one of his assistants or flatly ignores it. He's pretty much tired of being at anyone's beck and call, and going to do his own research in his own tower gosh darn it all!
Really fun and casual story, no dire imminent threat, the only dangers are pretty distant and there's plenty of time to hire people to deal with them. :-3
As someone who prefers characterization over meaningless action, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I absolutely love the laid-back way Nemon approaches life, how often he's asked to go out and do stuff and either delegates it to one of his assistants or flatly ignores it. He's pretty much tired of being at anyone's beck and call, and going to do his own research in his own tower gosh darn it all!
Really fun and casual story, no dire imminent threat, the only dangers are pretty distant and there's plenty of time to hire people to deal with them. :-3
As someone who prefers characterization over meaningless action, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
May 29, 2022
Not high adventure, but still plenty of action
It was a captivating read. Not a ton of direct action for the main character, but enough general conflict to keep it entertaining on that front. The relaxed political friction was interesting and developing. The system, world and setting enjoyable.
The retiring wizard, although not old due to his heritage, is tired of everything to do with the big city and the Arcanum he created. He goes to build his wizards tower. A base building scenario that I enjoyed.
Looking forward to the next!
It was a captivating read. Not a ton of direct action for the main character, but enough general conflict to keep it entertaining on that front. The relaxed political friction was interesting and developing. The system, world and setting enjoyable.
The retiring wizard, although not old due to his heritage, is tired of everything to do with the big city and the Arcanum he created. He goes to build his wizards tower. A base building scenario that I enjoyed.
Looking forward to the next!
June 6, 2022
good read
Bit of a spoiler alert but not big reveals
The MC has a bit of a superiority problem, but the author just happens to surround his MC with childish and not very educated individuals. Despite this I still loved the book and will definitely be reading the second one. however I hope that after this amount of world building we can start to see some real conflict besides how he gets his eggs in the morning. But it wouldn’t be the worst If it ended up being a slice of life novel just from the perspective of an ancient half elf wizard
Bit of a spoiler alert but not big reveals
The MC has a bit of a superiority problem, but the author just happens to surround his MC with childish and not very educated individuals. Despite this I still loved the book and will definitely be reading the second one. however I hope that after this amount of world building we can start to see some real conflict besides how he gets his eggs in the morning. But it wouldn’t be the worst If it ended up being a slice of life novel just from the perspective of an ancient half elf wizard
July 3, 2022
It's a slice of life, from the viewpoint of someone who has been there, done that, survived and has become powerful, has seen it all and in the end is heartily sick of it.
There are some plot twists, but it really is written from the POV of someone who is so powerful that he doesn't really get scared a lot.
Some deeper currents in the book seem to suggest that there will be changes though in the future...
I would read the second book if the MC becomes slightly more involved and has a fitting enemy to fight against.
There are some plot twists, but it really is written from the POV of someone who is so powerful that he doesn't really get scared a lot.
Some deeper currents in the book seem to suggest that there will be changes though in the future...
I would read the second book if the MC becomes slightly more involved and has a fitting enemy to fight against.
August 10, 2022
An interesting read
I like this book, the world building is well done, the plot is interesting, the slice of life and pacing are good, but the characters don't really connect with me.
All the aide characters are most definitly side characters, they could be killed off and no one would notice, they have a good bit of development put into them, but they don't matter, they aren't important at all. Add to that i don't really like Namon, he's a jerk, a total introvert, and a very standoffish, and you end up with an unlikable cast to an interesting story.
I like this book, the world building is well done, the plot is interesting, the slice of life and pacing are good, but the characters don't really connect with me.
All the aide characters are most definitly side characters, they could be killed off and no one would notice, they have a good bit of development put into them, but they don't matter, they aren't important at all. Add to that i don't really like Namon, he's a jerk, a total introvert, and a very standoffish, and you end up with an unlikable cast to an interesting story.
February 16, 2023
A slice of life theme in a fantasy world
I registered for kindle unlimited to read this book, strongly suggested by friends. I found myself underwhelmed.
The character development, both for the MC and the other characters is lacking. No struggling, no twists, no growth. At the end of the book, I found myself untouched by any of them. The story is blunt, kind of a slice of life with a fantasy pinch.
The only redeeming part is the writing style that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I don't think it's enough for me to read the second book.
I registered for kindle unlimited to read this book, strongly suggested by friends. I found myself underwhelmed.
The character development, both for the MC and the other characters is lacking. No struggling, no twists, no growth. At the end of the book, I found myself untouched by any of them. The story is blunt, kind of a slice of life with a fantasy pinch.
The only redeeming part is the writing style that I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I don't think it's enough for me to read the second book.
October 15, 2023
This was a interesting book, while the over all story was good and had some fun aspects, the book left me feeling more like this was a prequel and or the book should have been longer. You don't really get to the heart of the story or shall I say the overall plot and what will lead to book 2 until the last few hrs and while I understand why the book ended where it did it just felt off. Keep in mind I'm not saying this as a bad thing it just felt off.
All that being said I look forward to book two and seeing what happens next.
All that being said I look forward to book two and seeing what happens next.
December 14, 2023
Crotchety old jerk who is actually in his youthful prime by his own race's standards retires to the countryside to evade taxes, make slaves out of the local bandits, and be a general asshole to everyone he encounters. The main character is arrogant, rude, and unpleasant. The actual tower building reads more like a boring home renovation than a dungeoncore story, and there are no stakes and pretty much no plot for the ENTIRE book. This tries to class itself as litrpg but it isn't, and having one singular "level up" scene isn't going to convince me otherwise.
July 9, 2022
The premise is that after a recent traumatizing event a local magical powerhouse has decided to embrace the hermit lifestyle, move to a bog and do magic research in solitude. Of course said protagonist adopts everything along the way with at least a somewhat sympathetic outlook. The book mainly around setting up an abode and works at setting the stage for the sequels when in the late/latter part of the book some actual story happens.
September 4, 2022
This was a bit slow, but enjoyable. It's like a slice of life story about someone who wants to be left alone, but keeps getting unwanted visitors.
I wanted to try the author's other series, but since it was "virtual stuff", I didn't bother. I'm glad to see that he writes well, and I can try anything he has in the future that doesn't take place in a game world, or center around a game.
I will pick up the sequel.
3/5 Stars
I wanted to try the author's other series, but since it was "virtual stuff", I didn't bother. I'm glad to see that he writes well, and I can try anything he has in the future that doesn't take place in a game world, or center around a game.
I will pick up the sequel.
3/5 Stars
February 5, 2023
A novel approach to the system fiction
The introductory chapters set the premise very well and let you connect with the story in such that you root for the wizard MC's happiness.
Everyone loves adventure but what of the consequences for failing, what happens to the family left behind no one thinks. That connects well with the emotions.
Looking forward to where the author takes this plot.
The introductory chapters set the premise very well and let you connect with the story in such that you root for the wizard MC's happiness.
Everyone loves adventure but what of the consequences for failing, what happens to the family left behind no one thinks. That connects well with the emotions.
Looking forward to where the author takes this plot.
May 10, 2022
I really appreciate the writers work on this Story. Characters were well written and the Storyline was well executed. Narrator's in this Audible book did a Great job with the various characters voices and in the entire storyline. Highly recommend, I had a hard time not sitting through the entire book all in one sitting.
June 10, 2022
Nemon is rather tedious, mostly because of his sociopathic lack of affect. He’s not really interested in much. When he gets vaguely irritated he starts murdering people, but he’s so boring it’s like watching through fog. And the constant [square brackets] don’t seem to have any purpose, other than to be annoying. I didn’t like this at all.
June 11, 2022
I came into this title with extremely high hopes solely based on how damn good An Old Man's Journey is. This doesn't hold a candle to AOMJ, not even close. It's very okay. That's as best as I can put it. I don't care about any of the characters, goodies or baddies. The MC is an asshole and not in an overly interesting way. 👍🏾
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews