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Village Manager
I guess trying to catch the bus with your laces undone isn’t such a smart decision after all…
One fatal collision later and I’m facing my judgment. As it turns out, I’ve been a lazy sob and my short, uneventful life of playing games and getting up late wasn’t worth much. And so I don’t qualify to move on to the afterlife.
I try to argue to the goddess in front of me that I do have skills, that it was hard work playing those simulation and management games. But she will not concede.
In the end, I manage to get the benefit of the doubt and a wager is made. To test my claims, I’ll be sent to a desolate, Level 1 village with the mission to make it thrive. If I fail or die, the goddess will bring me back to my old life, back to the drudge of working at the grocery store.
But that’s not going to happen. I will prove that all these countless hours spent in front of my computer were not in—
Ack, my head! Where the hell have I landed? Looks like a dilapidated farm, with a few huts scattered about. Qualifies as a desolate village alright. I can’t believe it. This is it! I’m actually doing this! But where do I even begin… Yes, first, find the Mayor… but then what, convince her to hand over the keys so I can work my magic? Could it be that simple?
Oh, there she is. Uh, hello? Hmm, why isn’t she waking up? Maybe I should go look for some quest to do in the meantime. Uh, are these goblins I see there on the road?
“You are under attack!”
Dang.
One fatal collision later and I’m facing my judgment. As it turns out, I’ve been a lazy sob and my short, uneventful life of playing games and getting up late wasn’t worth much. And so I don’t qualify to move on to the afterlife.
I try to argue to the goddess in front of me that I do have skills, that it was hard work playing those simulation and management games. But she will not concede.
In the end, I manage to get the benefit of the doubt and a wager is made. To test my claims, I’ll be sent to a desolate, Level 1 village with the mission to make it thrive. If I fail or die, the goddess will bring me back to my old life, back to the drudge of working at the grocery store.
But that’s not going to happen. I will prove that all these countless hours spent in front of my computer were not in—
Ack, my head! Where the hell have I landed? Looks like a dilapidated farm, with a few huts scattered about. Qualifies as a desolate village alright. I can’t believe it. This is it! I’m actually doing this! But where do I even begin… Yes, first, find the Mayor… but then what, convince her to hand over the keys so I can work my magic? Could it be that simple?
Oh, there she is. Uh, hello? Hmm, why isn’t she waking up? Maybe I should go look for some quest to do in the meantime. Uh, are these goblins I see there on the road?
“You are under attack!”
Dang.
398 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
November 3, 2022
Not really bad but not really good either.
This plays out like a game. One asinine quest leading into something all together different in a never-ending chain. The ease of things moving forward make it seem like that game is on Very Easy mode. At no point is there any real struggle, and for a book about a test given by a god, this invalidates the whole thing. If you like village builders you can read this for a quick but if fun, but skimming through parts you find a bit dull is no problem.
This plays out like a game. One asinine quest leading into something all together different in a never-ending chain. The ease of things moving forward make it seem like that game is on Very Easy mode. At no point is there any real struggle, and for a book about a test given by a god, this invalidates the whole thing. If you like village builders you can read this for a quick but if fun, but skimming through parts you find a bit dull is no problem.
December 5, 2022
Not bad
Not bad, not great. As much as I enjoy a good story, this just didn't feel very compelling and the characters didn't feel very lifelike at all. Everyone was willing to work together for the betterment of the whole, stubborn people didn't exist, and everything always works out for the MC. Honestly this definitely feels like it was written for teenagers rather than adults. Which is fine, just not for me. Some people will enjoy the book however and it's not terrible.
Not bad, not great. As much as I enjoy a good story, this just didn't feel very compelling and the characters didn't feel very lifelike at all. Everyone was willing to work together for the betterment of the whole, stubborn people didn't exist, and everything always works out for the MC. Honestly this definitely feels like it was written for teenagers rather than adults. Which is fine, just not for me. Some people will enjoy the book however and it's not terrible.
November 22, 2022
Could be good
The premise is good, the writing is decent, but the story is undeveloped. All of the people only have half formed personalities, and the plot line is super simplistic (major problem/arc, solution is easy, just do this)
This story would be better if all the answers didn't come easy, and the problems were more developed. For example, the chicken arc, apparently there is only one man in the entire kingdom that has a rooster. That is a very contrived arc that makes no sense in a real world (which this is supposed to be) chickens are wild animals, that live fairly easily in the wild, and also well know worldwide, so having only one source of roosters kingdomiwde is very weird.
Also, bored knights have a quest to get the treasur.. I mean delve the dungeon and kill the moster, are all super excited about finding a clue to the location of the dungeon, then suddenly say, hey kid, how about you do it instead...? Why would they give up their quest that promised riches?
The plost is very forced, if the author put more effort into character motivations, and making the plot more realistic, thus could be awesome, and i will look for more work from the author to see how things improve, as the imagination behind this story is great.
The premise is good, the writing is decent, but the story is undeveloped. All of the people only have half formed personalities, and the plot line is super simplistic (major problem/arc, solution is easy, just do this)
This story would be better if all the answers didn't come easy, and the problems were more developed. For example, the chicken arc, apparently there is only one man in the entire kingdom that has a rooster. That is a very contrived arc that makes no sense in a real world (which this is supposed to be) chickens are wild animals, that live fairly easily in the wild, and also well know worldwide, so having only one source of roosters kingdomiwde is very weird.
Also, bored knights have a quest to get the treasur.. I mean delve the dungeon and kill the moster, are all super excited about finding a clue to the location of the dungeon, then suddenly say, hey kid, how about you do it instead...? Why would they give up their quest that promised riches?
The plost is very forced, if the author put more effort into character motivations, and making the plot more realistic, thus could be awesome, and i will look for more work from the author to see how things improve, as the imagination behind this story is great.
July 4, 2023
Excellent Town-building Gamelit novel. Yes MC dies. Yes he's brought to fantasy world. He's brought into a one donkey village... Literally. He has to make this village into a success for the ages; A shining beacon of hope. Will he succeed or won't he?
No dungeon spelunking or the CivCEO style battles, just fetch quests and building a burgeoning Empire. Loved it! That being said, I don't think author understands economics, economies of scale, or pricing models. In a feudal system where everyone is a peasant, and taxation is 50% he's bundling a narrative where lumber with transportation costs 2 Gold and jar of mayonnaise costs 3 Gold wholesale and 5 Gold retail which is 250% more than lumber. Not 5 or 50 coppers, 5 or 50 silvers, but 5 GOLD. LMAO 🤣🤣🤣 Peasants are living in dilapidated hovels but willing to spend 5 Gold on a luxury item such as condiment. Sheet of Plywood at homdepot costs $26 and now imagine walking into walmart and seeing of jar of mayo for $65. That shit won't fly even at WholeFoods.
No dungeon spelunking or the CivCEO style battles, just fetch quests and building a burgeoning Empire. Loved it! That being said, I don't think author understands economics, economies of scale, or pricing models. In a feudal system where everyone is a peasant, and taxation is 50% he's bundling a narrative where lumber with transportation costs 2 Gold and jar of mayonnaise costs 3 Gold wholesale and 5 Gold retail which is 250% more than lumber. Not 5 or 50 coppers, 5 or 50 silvers, but 5 GOLD. LMAO 🤣🤣🤣 Peasants are living in dilapidated hovels but willing to spend 5 Gold on a luxury item such as condiment. Sheet of Plywood at homdepot costs $26 and now imagine walking into walmart and seeing of jar of mayo for $65. That shit won't fly even at WholeFoods.
December 26, 2022
Village Manager is about a gentleman who dies in the classic isekai manner, just with a bus. However, the goddess berates him for his "Lazy" life and tells him she will revive him. Our protagonist argues that while there was no ambition with his job, there was ambition in the games he'd played and his success. A bet between the goddess and the gamer ensues. He will go to a fantasy world that works like the games he plays as an ordinary peasant. She will give him no cheats, and if he can't make the village something "truly magnificent," then he goes back to his old life when next he dies.
The LitRPG elements of this story are light and work just fine. I especially liked that getting them was a magic spell. People in this story were more trusting than I'd expected but given the light-hearted nature of the story, that worked out fine. Our protagonist is a fast-talking, deal-making man on a mission. It was a nice break from the combat-heavy feel of most litrpg stories.
I didn't feel the main character was unrealistic, though I found the rarety of chickens and eggs strange. Our protagonist also went the classic isekai route of mainstreaming mayonnaise. I can't tell you how often I've seen that in Japanese manga and light novels. This story seemed heavily influenced by those kinds of slice-of-life isekai works. I could be said, lifted whole cloth from that formula. It was not, however, a direct rip of any of the stories I have personally read.
I'm not sure if I'll read any more books that might come out in this series, but I will look into more books by this author. Finding fantasy and science fiction stories that aren't combat-orientated are always a nice break.
The LitRPG elements of this story are light and work just fine. I especially liked that getting them was a magic spell. People in this story were more trusting than I'd expected but given the light-hearted nature of the story, that worked out fine. Our protagonist is a fast-talking, deal-making man on a mission. It was a nice break from the combat-heavy feel of most litrpg stories.
I didn't feel the main character was unrealistic, though I found the rarety of chickens and eggs strange. Our protagonist also went the classic isekai route of mainstreaming mayonnaise. I can't tell you how often I've seen that in Japanese manga and light novels. This story seemed heavily influenced by those kinds of slice-of-life isekai works. I could be said, lifted whole cloth from that formula. It was not, however, a direct rip of any of the stories I have personally read.
I'm not sure if I'll read any more books that might come out in this series, but I will look into more books by this author. Finding fantasy and science fiction stories that aren't combat-orientated are always a nice break.
May 1, 2024
Decent premise, dull execution. You have a thoroughly mediocre protagonist for whom everything conveniently works out with minimal-to-no opposition, and a world where everyone else is dumbed-down in order for him to be the smartest guy in the room: Idiocracy as GameLit.
Whenever he lays a plan, things work out just as he hoped or even better, whether it's making a deal with a cannibalistic witch, getting back stolen property by asking nicely, defeating a monster in spite of having no fighting abilities, calming down a lynch mob (turns out they are very reasonable people), breaking a monopoly (by making some of the dumbest financial arguments I've ever heard), or solving racism. And all of this without any perceptible charisma or debating skill. Everyone's just falling over themselves to do him a favor at all times.
Some of the side-characters are charming, but that's about it. Oh, and the cover is a hideous AI-generated mess. Truly awful.
Whenever he lays a plan, things work out just as he hoped or even better, whether it's making a deal with a cannibalistic witch, getting back stolen property by asking nicely, defeating a monster in spite of having no fighting abilities, calming down a lynch mob (turns out they are very reasonable people), breaking a monopoly (by making some of the dumbest financial arguments I've ever heard), or solving racism. And all of this without any perceptible charisma or debating skill. Everyone's just falling over themselves to do him a favor at all times.
Some of the side-characters are charming, but that's about it. Oh, and the cover is a hideous AI-generated mess. Truly awful.
November 17, 2022
Fun story! Hopefully, there is a book 2 in the works. :)
Ian, the protagonist, has an interesting way of approaching his challenges as he works to improve the village he arrives at, in another world. A lot of his efforts are more based on relationships and thinking up different ways to tackle problems, without fighting. For example, instead of attacking the goblins when he sees them, he starts to work with them and works towards peace between humans and goblins. This doesn't always go well, but he keeps at it.
Note: very little in the way of statistics, though there are some rarely shown for the town building. Based on how the story ended, it seems they may show up a little more in the future, as it looks like the village is poised for explosive growth. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress.
Ian, the protagonist, has an interesting way of approaching his challenges as he works to improve the village he arrives at, in another world. A lot of his efforts are more based on relationships and thinking up different ways to tackle problems, without fighting. For example, instead of attacking the goblins when he sees them, he starts to work with them and works towards peace between humans and goblins. This doesn't always go well, but he keeps at it.
Note: very little in the way of statistics, though there are some rarely shown for the town building. Based on how the story ended, it seems they may show up a little more in the future, as it looks like the village is poised for explosive growth. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress.
January 8, 2023
This can be a good lighthearted book, if you're perhaps in middle school. It seems to be written as if by a tenth grader. Which isn't to say the story isn't fun just...not exciting.
There is really no conflict in this book. Everything the main character tries, he seems to be able to do without any difficulty and with just talking to people. Need a curse broken? Just go ask. Need goblins who are at war with humans for 100 years, just go talk to them. Need to defeat a monster feared for decades and a full squad of knights didn't want to take down? Just push the button on a trap that it walks by every day...
It's like this character who is supposed to be lazy and proving he's not, is blessed to have to put in no effort into anything he tries. For a read it can be fine but if you hope for him to overcome odds or have to struggle, this isn't really a good book for that.
There is really no conflict in this book. Everything the main character tries, he seems to be able to do without any difficulty and with just talking to people. Need a curse broken? Just go ask. Need goblins who are at war with humans for 100 years, just go talk to them. Need to defeat a monster feared for decades and a full squad of knights didn't want to take down? Just push the button on a trap that it walks by every day...
It's like this character who is supposed to be lazy and proving he's not, is blessed to have to put in no effort into anything he tries. For a read it can be fine but if you hope for him to overcome odds or have to struggle, this isn't really a good book for that.
April 19, 2024
Constructed like a fairy tale or knight's quest, the MC's video game skills, which are supposed to be the reason he's so capable, play no part in what he actually does. The gamelit elements are crudely tacked on, sticking out like a sore thumb and just make the book even worse.
The absurdities fairy tales are know for suffer too much scrutiny here and turn into nonsense and plot holes. The goblin invaders who eat people, raid and wipe out towns are also just misunderstood and actually excellent craftsmen despite never making anything or having anything to trade. They also take wood and food for payment despite living in a forest and also being nomads.
While the MC has a consistent goal of getting the town working by any means necessary. The list of internal consistencies with other characters and the world is as long as the book.
The absurdities fairy tales are know for suffer too much scrutiny here and turn into nonsense and plot holes. The goblin invaders who eat people, raid and wipe out towns are also just misunderstood and actually excellent craftsmen despite never making anything or having anything to trade. They also take wood and food for payment despite living in a forest and also being nomads.
While the MC has a consistent goal of getting the town working by any means necessary. The list of internal consistencies with other characters and the world is as long as the book.
March 19, 2023
overly simple.
The MC solves everything through persuasion, which is fine, but is arguments are on the level of a second grader. He is apparently a business genius, but doesn’t even know his own costs and margins as he is negotiating supply contracts. I found his actions to be dumb. He basically gave a business a 250,000 gold loan with a payback term of more than 47 years! And he walked away like he got the better end of the deal!
There might be something here, but the plot, characters and especially the reasoning and persuasion needs to be upped by a lot.
The MC solves everything through persuasion, which is fine, but is arguments are on the level of a second grader. He is apparently a business genius, but doesn’t even know his own costs and margins as he is negotiating supply contracts. I found his actions to be dumb. He basically gave a business a 250,000 gold loan with a payback term of more than 47 years! And he walked away like he got the better end of the deal!
There might be something here, but the plot, characters and especially the reasoning and persuasion needs to be upped by a lot.
November 28, 2022
interesting
Story tries to be too cute by half.
No levels at all, much less stats.
Chickens before the 1930’s were a luxury item, with a 40% mortality per year, and low egg production. That is why Roosevelt promised a chicken in every pot. But. I guess “magic”. In our world they found industrialized centralized chicken raising with guaranteed feed, and vitamin D, raised production tremendously.
Story tries to be too cute by half.
No levels at all, much less stats.
Chickens before the 1930’s were a luxury item, with a 40% mortality per year, and low egg production. That is why Roosevelt promised a chicken in every pot. But. I guess “magic”. In our world they found industrialized centralized chicken raising with guaranteed feed, and vitamin D, raised production tremendously.
January 12, 2023
It has potential, but not there yet.
An interesting concept, but needs to be defined more. He keeps bouncing around on possible storyline, (i.e. possible romances) and skipping over what had to be a more involved project(the way he convinces Umboldt to help him the first time). Also, I think he only included litrpg references once or twice, and they weren't even necessary, it felt like he put them in just to say it could be in that genre.
An interesting concept, but needs to be defined more. He keeps bouncing around on possible storyline, (i.e. possible romances) and skipping over what had to be a more involved project(the way he convinces Umboldt to help him the first time). Also, I think he only included litrpg references once or twice, and they weren't even necessary, it felt like he put them in just to say it could be in that genre.
January 31, 2023
LitRPG?
Not quite sure how to defined this book. It is not litRPG as they were very few any elements of it. There was one mention of a village view in the beginning, and the option to upgrade his buildings. He’s making deals, and his advance knowledge of the economy supply and demand help him overall, it could be a good story, if the author would lean more heavily to the litRPG elements of the genre.
Not quite sure how to defined this book. It is not litRPG as they were very few any elements of it. There was one mention of a village view in the beginning, and the option to upgrade his buildings. He’s making deals, and his advance knowledge of the economy supply and demand help him overall, it could be a good story, if the author would lean more heavily to the litRPG elements of the genre.
April 4, 2023
A nice fairy tale story
Even though the protagonist acts impulsive and is rather clueless everything works out for him. People all have good hearts, are trustworthy and willing to work hard for the society. A sophisticated princess and a farmer´s daughter become friends. What a wonderful world this would be...
Even though the protagonist acts impulsive and is rather clueless everything works out for him. People all have good hearts, are trustworthy and willing to work hard for the society. A sophisticated princess and a farmer´s daughter become friends. What a wonderful world this would be...
July 10, 2024
While the bus accident death at the beginning was cliche eyeroll, i loved everything else about this book. It was thoroughly entertaining to me as MC went about his business tackling one problem after another in his goal of bettering Esher's situation. If you like politics, economics and problem solving, then this book is probably for you.
September 5, 2024
Definitely scratched an itch I had. I dunno if the audio book only had the weekly payments turn into monthly "typo" during the argument about the thing that one guy left with but I couldn't help but wonder which it would turn out to be till it got clarified further along. Dunno if that was spoiler enough to warrant marking it as such but I will tag spoilers anyways.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2025
This is the best world-building I've ever read. How unfortunate that there's no book 2. I appreciate that the Goblins were included as part of the village and were not outcasts or outright hunted. Obviously, the greedy lord would be a pain, but the MC would have worked his magic. But I guess we'll never know.
February 1, 2023
Entertaining book!
I enjoyed this MC. His bargaining and planning was interesting and kept my interest. Along the way, he gathered a menagerie of diverse helpers and friends. I liked this book.
I enjoyed this MC. His bargaining and planning was interesting and kept my interest. Along the way, he gathered a menagerie of diverse helpers and friends. I liked this book.
March 28, 2023
really liked this book
I really enjoyed the read. The characters were interesting and lots of fun. For a change it wasn’t magic and fight monsters but building something. Would recommend it to everyone. Can’t wait for next installment.
I really enjoyed the read. The characters were interesting and lots of fun. For a change it wasn’t magic and fight monsters but building something. Would recommend it to everyone. Can’t wait for next installment.
March 30, 2023
Engaging blend of LitRPG and economics!
I love the intelligent writing, the quick leveling, and the real-world lessons in economics and sales. Very impressed with this book. Definitely would recommend.
I love the intelligent writing, the quick leveling, and the real-world lessons in economics and sales. Very impressed with this book. Definitely would recommend.
July 2, 2023
Not so great of a story. First you are dealing with a YA that has zero real life experience, not even job experience and we are supposed to believe he can just wake up and run a town in a new world?.
July 30, 2023
A nice light read for YA which doesn't take itself too seriously. Perfect for anyone looking for a progressive community builder. The first half lagged a little, but picked up towards the end. I love Andrew's previous works and will look forward to the future of this series.
May 1, 2024
I love Andrew Karevik's chill style and his thinking MC's. This could be the start of something great! I could use some 4X strategy in this series, hopefully going forward as defense becomes more of a necessity. 👍🏽👍🏽
November 9, 2022
good
I really enjoyed this book. It has interesting characters and world building and the plot was good. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author.
I really enjoyed this book. It has interesting characters and world building and the plot was good. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this author.
November 16, 2022
A fun read
I enjoyed the book. It was a fun read, not over the top. It was a nice progression to see the mail character take charge.
I enjoyed the book. It was a fun read, not over the top. It was a nice progression to see the mail character take charge.
November 22, 2022
Great one sitting read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like empire building and action type of books
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who like empire building and action type of books
November 30, 2022
Great Book
Stellar work from Andrew Karevik! Lots of town building and negotiations. A smattering of action and crafting. Looking forward to the next one!
Stellar work from Andrew Karevik! Lots of town building and negotiations. A smattering of action and crafting. Looking forward to the next one!
December 2, 2022
Nicely done. Light bit of something more like GameLit than Litrpg. Solid but not exceptional. No real problems it just lacked a certain zing or something to kick it to a 5 star rating.
Read
December 21, 2022DNF
December 22, 2022
Didn't finish. The book is well written and edited but lacks the crunchiness of a good litrpg book. The game aspect of this could have been left out and the story is the same. Just not enough for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews