What do you think?
Rate this book
Arise #1
Arise: Alpha: A Dark LitRPG Adventure
When you steal a hundred grand from some very bad people, the best way to survive is to stay small and quiet...
Possibly its not to save a pair of drowning girls, not go 'viral' on social media and certainly not to let the local police take your passport, trapping you on a small 'party' island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
But Steve isn't the average guy, he's ex-military, ex-enforcer and ex-human. He's a one man nanite fuelled nightmare for those that cross the line, and he's decided that its time to clean up his act. He's going to make up for the things he's done, and save 'the little guys'.
It's a nice fantasy, but even he has to admit, it's really just a justification, because he's a very bad man, with horrifying abilities, and he's only just learning what he's capable of. He needs a reason to not go to the dark, and if thats hunting down the creatures of the night and beating them to death with their own femurs?
Well, he's just the man for the job.
Stolen money. Greek Islands. Werewolves and Enforcers... what could possibly go wrong?
Possibly its not to save a pair of drowning girls, not go 'viral' on social media and certainly not to let the local police take your passport, trapping you on a small 'party' island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
But Steve isn't the average guy, he's ex-military, ex-enforcer and ex-human. He's a one man nanite fuelled nightmare for those that cross the line, and he's decided that its time to clean up his act. He's going to make up for the things he's done, and save 'the little guys'.
It's a nice fantasy, but even he has to admit, it's really just a justification, because he's a very bad man, with horrifying abilities, and he's only just learning what he's capable of. He needs a reason to not go to the dark, and if thats hunting down the creatures of the night and beating them to death with their own femurs?
Well, he's just the man for the job.
Stolen money. Greek Islands. Werewolves and Enforcers... what could possibly go wrong?
380 pages, Hardcover
First published April 29, 2022
1083 people are currently reading
583 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 168 reviews
November 30, 2022
2.5/5
The fu*k did I just read !!??
DNF at 20%
I tried so hard not to DNF seeing that it had a 4.66 rating, I was hoping it'll get better and hoped and hoped but No... It just fell flat.
The fu*k did I just read !!??
DNF at 20%
I tried so hard not to DNF seeing that it had a 4.66 rating, I was hoping it'll get better and hoped and hoped but No... It just fell flat.
May 4, 2022
What an aggravating fellow he is. Like going on a road-trip with Elon Musk. I told him I was going to the bathroom and jumped out the window (DNF).
August 14, 2022
Random people you meet start demanding that you confess to killing people, stealing 100k+ and magic stuff exists. The logical answer is that yes, of course, you will tell them.
MC is a moron, has no idea what's going on even though he explains stuff and the system tells him, demanding answers and everyone is vague AF and then to everyone who asks, he will talk all the murderous details of his life.
Misogynist trope-filled rubbish, how many times do you have to talk about the tits of the stranger you just confessed your murders to? DNF
MC is a moron, has no idea what's going on even though he explains stuff and the system tells him, demanding answers and everyone is vague AF and then to everyone who asks, he will talk all the murderous details of his life.
Misogynist trope-filled rubbish, how many times do you have to talk about the tits of the stranger you just confessed your murders to? DNF
May 18, 2022
The proluge was good but then gets to chapter one and as went on just found it boring which found surprising as from most reviews read hear and from sound of book description sounded amazing, shame book I read did not live up to it at 10% odd into this read I just wanted to give up on it.
And how can call litrpg if no stat sheets.?? Found lack of them very dissapointing.
End thought this was a read went into with high hopes and excitement but failed to live up too. (At least I did not find it to.)
And how can call litrpg if no stat sheets.?? Found lack of them very dissapointing.
End thought this was a read went into with high hopes and excitement but failed to live up too. (At least I did not find it to.)
May 11, 2022
urban fantasy twist on LitRPG
I liked it. I will be buying the sequel.
A bit of action-hero-porn mixed with some urban fantasy type elements, with a background of the Mediterranean makes for an interesting read.
Now for the bad news:
There were some content editing ‘flaws’ early on that made the first portion of the book a difficult read *for me*. It almost felt like the MC was being ret-conned as the narrative moved along. Some was due to the rapid nature of the early narrative; there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to insert the character’s full backstory. But it still felt like there were pieces that should have been a bit more evident earlier, specifically his military experience. It changed my perception of his character from ‘grifter thief with a heart of gold’ to ‘mixed up ex-soldier screwing up but surviving’.
Then there was the computer stuff. The MC who is almost entirely computer illiterate looks at some gobbledygook and sees “code”. It felt inauthentic to the character.
But like I first said - I will be buying the sequel. A bit indulgent, but fun.
I liked it. I will be buying the sequel.
A bit of action-hero-porn mixed with some urban fantasy type elements, with a background of the Mediterranean makes for an interesting read.
Now for the bad news:
There were some content editing ‘flaws’ early on that made the first portion of the book a difficult read *for me*. It almost felt like the MC was being ret-conned as the narrative moved along. Some was due to the rapid nature of the early narrative; there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to insert the character’s full backstory. But it still felt like there were pieces that should have been a bit more evident earlier, specifically his military experience. It changed my perception of his character from ‘grifter thief with a heart of gold’ to ‘mixed up ex-soldier screwing up but surviving’.
Then there was the computer stuff. The MC who is almost entirely computer illiterate looks at some gobbledygook and sees “code”. It felt inauthentic to the character.
But like I first said - I will be buying the sequel. A bit indulgent, but fun.
September 4, 2022
10% DNF
May 13, 2023
not bad at all…
I wrote this book, and to be fair, I think it didn’t go too badly, all things considered! ;-)
-Jez
I wrote this book, and to be fair, I think it didn’t go too badly, all things considered! ;-)
-Jez
November 24, 2023
Make it worth it! A very strong stance to take. While this is a read worth your time and money
May 13, 2022
I wanted to love it, but....
Okay, the premise of this book is awesome. The mythos and the violence were right in my strike zone. But as usual with this author, (for me) he fumbled the ball a bit. The mc, with his love interest. I hated it that the author found her necessary. He willingly put her in danger, knowing she couldn't defend herself all because she was pretty and he was horny. She brought absolutely nothing to the story and was in many ways an annoying damsel. After knowing each other for like three days, he was almost confessing his love and undying affections.It made me cringe, HARD, at every single personal interaction when they were alone together. I dropped two others of the authors series for this reason. The story redeemed its self around the 80% for me, when the action picked back up, and less of her. Also the author kind of forgot that this was gamelit/litrpg, because we only see his stats and upgrade paths once. In the entire book. I'll admit, because of the ending, I'll check out book two, because despite my criticism, the mc's powers are bad@$$.
Okay, the premise of this book is awesome. The mythos and the violence were right in my strike zone. But as usual with this author, (for me) he fumbled the ball a bit. The mc, with his love interest. I hated it that the author found her necessary. He willingly put her in danger, knowing she couldn't defend herself all because she was pretty and he was horny. She brought absolutely nothing to the story and was in many ways an annoying damsel. After knowing each other for like three days, he was almost confessing his love and undying affections.It made me cringe, HARD, at every single personal interaction when they were alone together. I dropped two others of the authors series for this reason. The story redeemed its self around the 80% for me, when the action picked back up, and less of her. Also the author kind of forgot that this was gamelit/litrpg, because we only see his stats and upgrade paths once. In the entire book. I'll admit, because of the ending, I'll check out book two, because despite my criticism, the mc's powers are bad@$$.
May 6, 2022
awesome
I don’t give 5 star reviews and this one gets the first in over two years and 300+ book. Just enough of everything with a good ending. I’m excited for the next book, instead of going “eh, why not?” and continuing a series. The one is good, really good, and the other books by the author are good as well.
Continue on sir!
I don’t give 5 star reviews and this one gets the first in over two years and 300+ book. Just enough of everything with a good ending. I’m excited for the next book, instead of going “eh, why not?” and continuing a series. The one is good, really good, and the other books by the author are good as well.
Continue on sir!
June 7, 2022
KU Review
That was a fun ride! Couldn’t put it down. Definitely a category of litrpg all its own. Very cool system and storyline that brings myths to life.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
That was a fun ride! Couldn’t put it down. Definitely a category of litrpg all its own. Very cool system and storyline that brings myths to life.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
July 23, 2022
Couldn't finish this one. The book has the core of what could be a good plot, but the sentences are so convoluted and clunky that I had to give up. The word, "literally" is literally used repeatedly to literally no benefit to any sentence in which it literally appears. Also, I'm sure this is the first time I've ever seen underlined ellipsis. Overall, a good editor and some polishing could have made this a viable story, but as it is, I couldn't stick with.
July 17, 2024
DNF
There is absolutely nothing likable about the MC. You have to give the reader something in common to identify with the character and unless you are a bank robbing frat bro, this character has no character qualities I would want to be around let alone be friends with.
A 300 some page book and it has the f bomb over 500 times. The author really needs to grow up and expand his vocabulary.
There is absolutely nothing likable about the MC. You have to give the reader something in common to identify with the character and unless you are a bank robbing frat bro, this character has no character qualities I would want to be around let alone be friends with.
A 300 some page book and it has the f bomb over 500 times. The author really needs to grow up and expand his vocabulary.
May 5, 2022
I read the Underverse series by this author, but struggled with the later books as they wandered a bit.
We don't have that problem with Arise Alpha. It starts off strong with Steve, the MC, going after two girls who are drowning near a quay on Crete by driving his motorcycle off the quay and saving them. Before that happens, he'd been trying to stay under the radar because he stole a hundred grand from a business colleague (thief).
Then the Greek police show up and take his passport and most of his cash, demanding he clean up the cove which the gas and oil from his motorcycle are polluting.
I'll stop the recap there, and that's barely the 5% mark of the book. The first 50% consist of Steve learning about things he had no knowledge of before, fighting off monsters of all kinds, and in general cleaning up the island. All the while he's told that he can't reveal these secrets to anyone on pain of death.
What does he do? Of course, he starts telling people. I found the 50 to 75% mark to be less enjoyable than the first half of the book, but it does set up book two and the ending, which is very strong.
There's a lot to like about this book. Yes, the MC is OP, but for some books that works, including this one. The editing is solid if not perfect, and there is one table in the book that I noticed. The book reads like a LitRPG novel to me, and the lack of stat pages makes it move that much faster.
There are a few inconsistencies, such as a power Steve uses to save the girls that isn't explained.
Despite all this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to book 2. The action is tight and consistent, and Steve doesn't let his power go to his head.
Highly recommended. 5/5*
We don't have that problem with Arise Alpha. It starts off strong with Steve, the MC, going after two girls who are drowning near a quay on Crete by driving his motorcycle off the quay and saving them. Before that happens, he'd been trying to stay under the radar because he stole a hundred grand from a business colleague (thief).
Then the Greek police show up and take his passport and most of his cash, demanding he clean up the cove which the gas and oil from his motorcycle are polluting.
I'll stop the recap there, and that's barely the 5% mark of the book. The first 50% consist of Steve learning about things he had no knowledge of before, fighting off monsters of all kinds, and in general cleaning up the island. All the while he's told that he can't reveal these secrets to anyone on pain of death.
What does he do? Of course, he starts telling people. I found the 50 to 75% mark to be less enjoyable than the first half of the book, but it does set up book two and the ending, which is very strong.
There's a lot to like about this book. Yes, the MC is OP, but for some books that works, including this one. The editing is solid if not perfect, and there is one table in the book that I noticed. The book reads like a LitRPG novel to me, and the lack of stat pages makes it move that much faster.
There are a few inconsistencies, such as a power Steve uses to save the girls that isn't explained.
Despite all this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am looking forward to book 2. The action is tight and consistent, and Steve doesn't let his power go to his head.
Highly recommended. 5/5*
August 2, 2024
A really good book near the litrpg genre. It takes place on Crete and I recognized some areas in the book.
August 21, 2022
All the women in this book are terrible. The first 2 aren't even a little bit thankful to the man that saved them. You would think the author would show them being conflicted or something, giving him warnings and helping him somehow but no. They don't give a fuck. The blonde does nothing. shes just there for a few descriptions of big tits and thats it. the other one runs away when he's surrounded by enemies and then points a gun at him and leaves him to die. Again, he saved their lives. A bit of gratitude maybe ?
The other one that he meets later is beyond stupid. She hears this guy is on the run and murders people and she hops on his bike for a ride. She explains how shes on this small island for the museums(how many are there on some random Greek island?) but mostly just to fuck a lot of dudes. Yea shes a really endearing character, very intelligent and stable individual. You can make this whole girl falls for the bad boy work but not when the first thing she hears about him is how he killed a guy and burned his body. WTF !
The other one that he meets later is beyond stupid. She hears this guy is on the run and murders people and she hops on his bike for a ride. She explains how shes on this small island for the museums(how many are there on some random Greek island?) but mostly just to fuck a lot of dudes. Yea shes a really endearing character, very intelligent and stable individual. You can make this whole girl falls for the bad boy work but not when the first thing she hears about him is how he killed a guy and burned his body. WTF !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2023
Good story until it wasn't.
So Steve (MC) is a dark hero type. We start off with him being former military and one of the few that kills effectively and without overly burdened consciousness.
Typical base man get power up, and it is a very enjoyable story with typical urban fantasy bad guys at the start. Even enjoyable.
Pretty good story and advance of Steve's character. He gets a girlfriend about 2/3. The story at this point goes stupid. Steve has been portrayed as a loner, mostly antisocial, former enforcer for loan shark type, unburdened with sentiment on killing, and getting over his last love. So naturally, when he meets Ingred, he immediately falls in love, gives her a factual, if incomplete, runs down of his doings, including the murder of (or necessary killing) of lots of folks. Took a story I was thinking 4.5 to 2 stars. Really 1.5 stars but you can't give 1/2 star and it is better than 1 star if just barely.
So Steve (MC) is a dark hero type. We start off with him being former military and one of the few that kills effectively and without overly burdened consciousness.
Typical base man get power up, and it is a very enjoyable story with typical urban fantasy bad guys at the start. Even enjoyable.
Pretty good story and advance of Steve's character. He gets a girlfriend about 2/3. The story at this point goes stupid. Steve has been portrayed as a loner, mostly antisocial, former enforcer for loan shark type, unburdened with sentiment on killing, and getting over his last love. So naturally, when he meets Ingred, he immediately falls in love, gives her a factual, if incomplete, runs down of his doings, including the murder of (or necessary killing) of lots of folks. Took a story I was thinking 4.5 to 2 stars. Really 1.5 stars but you can't give 1/2 star and it is better than 1 star if just barely.
November 8, 2022
Wow. This came out of no where (in my own bubble) and I couldn't let go until the ride was over. Then I was upset the next audiobook wasn't already available.
This spoiler is more a rambling on the violence. There is violence.
This spoiler is more a rambling on the violence. There is violence.
September 18, 2022
Hecka Adventure
A fun urban fantasy with an OP MC who does the best he can to help people while giving baddies their comeuppance. The world building is fun, with the author introducing a rather novel underlying explanation for the standard urban fantasy species (ie vampires, werewolves, etc).
A fun urban fantasy with an OP MC who does the best he can to help people while giving baddies their comeuppance. The world building is fun, with the author introducing a rather novel underlying explanation for the standard urban fantasy species (ie vampires, werewolves, etc).
April 21, 2024
Kind of a goofy book.
It's an odd mix of gritty hyper-graphic violence, urban fantasy (with the classic werewolves and vampires, hiding from society), and some weird alien nanotech, with a litrpg system layered on top.
What's good about it? Well, the world is actually pretty interesting. The combat scenes are long and frequent, but handled pretty well. Dialogue flows well. The plot overall is very fast and fluid; almost too much so at times. (The book almost reads more like a plot synopsis of the movie *made* from a book; all the boring interstitial bits have been stripped out to add in more quips and fight scenes.)
What's not good? Well...
• The author is trying to make this a sci-fi book and...it's not working. Unfortunately it falls into the uncanny valley between actual hard sci-fi with somewhat plausible explanations, and Star Wars/Star Trek sci-fi where there's just a hand wave about dilithium crystals. Here, the author is obviously trying to create a coherent explanation for a lot of very weird things, but none of it makes the slightest sense. He'd have been better off just calling it "magic" rather than trying and failing to make it hard science.
• The violence is really over the top, and depicted in far, far too much loving detail. A normal book might send a character falling down a flight of stairs, breaking a bone or two; this one makes sure you get a chance to think carefully about what a bone shard sticking out of shredded flesh would feel like if you touched it. Pass.
• The accelerated plot gives us tons of action, but we lose out on a ton of character interaction. Which in turn leads to nonsensical things like someone throwing their life away for someone they met a couple weeks ago and know almost nothing about. You need to sell that sort of sacrifice, and as written, it's just not plausible.
• Minor nitpick, but the magic alien systems give the protagonist a LitRPG system with experience, talent trees, quests, stats, etc. So far, so good. But the talent trees make no sense at all; the protagonist keeps getting different types of points and using them to make choices to unlock different trees, and at no point is any sort of attempt made to define what the trees are, or how many there are, or how they work, our how many different types of points there are. Nor do we ever get a recap of what the protagonist has unlocked. LitRPG is (usually) about progress, but when every time you level up you've earned a different type of point that can be used in a new tree that's never been mentioned before, and previous talents are rarely if ever mentioned, it feels less like progress and more like a drunken stagger with a blindfold on.
• The protagonist is a bit of a meat head, tends to lose his temper and make dumb mistakes, and a lot of the conflict in the book comes from him trying to deal with the consequences of his actions. That's not terrible, but I have a low tolerance for idiot protagonists, so I hope as the series progresses he does some learning.
Totally a spoiler, but:
On balance, I still enjoyed the book. You have to aggressively suspend your disbelief every time the author mentions nanobots (just mentally dub in the word "magic", and it'll make ten times more sense), and skim through the endless excessively detailed descriptions of incredibly bloody injuries, and just mentally assume there's a ton of meaningful character interactions happening just off screen, but...
...once you do that, it's a fun setting, and I'm excited to see what the author does with it.
Edit: On reading book 2, the answer is "nothing good". I don't recommend the series after all.
It's an odd mix of gritty hyper-graphic violence, urban fantasy (with the classic werewolves and vampires, hiding from society), and some weird alien nanotech, with a litrpg system layered on top.
What's good about it? Well, the world is actually pretty interesting. The combat scenes are long and frequent, but handled pretty well. Dialogue flows well. The plot overall is very fast and fluid; almost too much so at times. (The book almost reads more like a plot synopsis of the movie *made* from a book; all the boring interstitial bits have been stripped out to add in more quips and fight scenes.)
What's not good? Well...
• The author is trying to make this a sci-fi book and...it's not working. Unfortunately it falls into the uncanny valley between actual hard sci-fi with somewhat plausible explanations, and Star Wars/Star Trek sci-fi where there's just a hand wave about dilithium crystals. Here, the author is obviously trying to create a coherent explanation for a lot of very weird things, but none of it makes the slightest sense. He'd have been better off just calling it "magic" rather than trying and failing to make it hard science.
• The violence is really over the top, and depicted in far, far too much loving detail. A normal book might send a character falling down a flight of stairs, breaking a bone or two; this one makes sure you get a chance to think carefully about what a bone shard sticking out of shredded flesh would feel like if you touched it. Pass.
• The accelerated plot gives us tons of action, but we lose out on a ton of character interaction. Which in turn leads to nonsensical things like someone throwing their life away for someone they met a couple weeks ago and know almost nothing about. You need to sell that sort of sacrifice, and as written, it's just not plausible.
• Minor nitpick, but the magic alien systems give the protagonist a LitRPG system with experience, talent trees, quests, stats, etc. So far, so good. But the talent trees make no sense at all; the protagonist keeps getting different types of points and using them to make choices to unlock different trees, and at no point is any sort of attempt made to define what the trees are, or how many there are, or how they work, our how many different types of points there are. Nor do we ever get a recap of what the protagonist has unlocked. LitRPG is (usually) about progress, but when every time you level up you've earned a different type of point that can be used in a new tree that's never been mentioned before, and previous talents are rarely if ever mentioned, it feels less like progress and more like a drunken stagger with a blindfold on.
• The protagonist is a bit of a meat head, tends to lose his temper and make dumb mistakes, and a lot of the conflict in the book comes from him trying to deal with the consequences of his actions. That's not terrible, but I have a low tolerance for idiot protagonists, so I hope as the series progresses he does some learning.
Totally a spoiler, but:
On balance, I still enjoyed the book. You have to aggressively suspend your disbelief every time the author mentions nanobots (just mentally dub in the word "magic", and it'll make ten times more sense), and skim through the endless excessively detailed descriptions of incredibly bloody injuries, and just mentally assume there's a ton of meaningful character interactions happening just off screen, but...
...once you do that, it's a fun setting, and I'm excited to see what the author does with it.
Edit: On reading book 2, the answer is "nothing good". I don't recommend the series after all.
July 9, 2022
Some books are so damn enjoyable that even when there are what I would usually consider writing errors present in the novel, it's still 5-stars regardless. This is one such story.
This is the story of Steve, a criminal on the run after stealing a lot of money from some bad people. After risking exposing himself to the people chasing him to save the lives of two young women, he starts down an increasingly unlikely path that eventually leads him to sci-fi powered super abilities and into a whole new world.
The story is chaotic. For the first half of the book, the protagonist isn't driving the story but instead is just reacting to the crazy events as they are thrown at him. For this part of the novel, the plot is meandering, not promising to go anywhere but luxuriating in its exploration of the world and the characters. However, at the halfway point there is a sharp shift as we push aside half of the cast of characters and the main character gets laser-focused on single mission, driving the story for the first time (though still in an effort to explore this new world rather than driving towards what we as a reader knows will be the main plot of the series). We are introduced to a whole new cast of side characters and plot lines, and the story continues down that path until maybe the last 5-10% where it takes yet another turn in another direction.
This might feel like a mess of a story and that the plot is all over the place, and the truth is that you would be right. If you're looking for a tightly written narrative that gets straight to the point and promises to get you to a conclusion any time soon, then this isn't the book for you. However, what this book has in abundance is interesting world-building, well-rounded and likeable characters, great action scenes, and an avalanche of epic moments. It's these elements that not just allow you to overlook the issues with the book, but actually makes you think this story couldn't have been told in any other way.
If the narrative was more focused on taking you somewhere then this book couldn't get nearly as much world-building or character moments as it delivers. It would have to be more focused and to the point, and in this book, that would be to its detriment.
Therefore I loved this book despite what I normally would have considered flaws, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
If I had to guess, I would say that this is an author who likes to write without much planning in advance, letting the story go where it wants and going along for the ride. It's writing like that which tends to be a bit more chaotic than more pre-planned writing, and when it hits the mark like it does here, that can create amazing stories. My only fear with that type of writing is that consistency is not the strong suit. I have tried reading another series by this author and noticed the same sort of chaos then. Where it worked in this book, it didn't in that one, and therefore as much as I am excited for the next book, that makes me nervous as well.
However, I won't judge books that I haven't read yet, and will only focus on this one. What I can say here, in summary, is that this is an awesome read filled with some seriously badass moments, some fun characters, and some good old-fashioned wish fulfilment. If it were a movie, it would belong with the best of the eighties action movies, only with the budget and special effects of modern-day.
5-stars, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
This is the story of Steve, a criminal on the run after stealing a lot of money from some bad people. After risking exposing himself to the people chasing him to save the lives of two young women, he starts down an increasingly unlikely path that eventually leads him to sci-fi powered super abilities and into a whole new world.
The story is chaotic. For the first half of the book, the protagonist isn't driving the story but instead is just reacting to the crazy events as they are thrown at him. For this part of the novel, the plot is meandering, not promising to go anywhere but luxuriating in its exploration of the world and the characters. However, at the halfway point there is a sharp shift as we push aside half of the cast of characters and the main character gets laser-focused on single mission, driving the story for the first time (though still in an effort to explore this new world rather than driving towards what we as a reader knows will be the main plot of the series). We are introduced to a whole new cast of side characters and plot lines, and the story continues down that path until maybe the last 5-10% where it takes yet another turn in another direction.
This might feel like a mess of a story and that the plot is all over the place, and the truth is that you would be right. If you're looking for a tightly written narrative that gets straight to the point and promises to get you to a conclusion any time soon, then this isn't the book for you. However, what this book has in abundance is interesting world-building, well-rounded and likeable characters, great action scenes, and an avalanche of epic moments. It's these elements that not just allow you to overlook the issues with the book, but actually makes you think this story couldn't have been told in any other way.
If the narrative was more focused on taking you somewhere then this book couldn't get nearly as much world-building or character moments as it delivers. It would have to be more focused and to the point, and in this book, that would be to its detriment.
Therefore I loved this book despite what I normally would have considered flaws, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
If I had to guess, I would say that this is an author who likes to write without much planning in advance, letting the story go where it wants and going along for the ride. It's writing like that which tends to be a bit more chaotic than more pre-planned writing, and when it hits the mark like it does here, that can create amazing stories. My only fear with that type of writing is that consistency is not the strong suit. I have tried reading another series by this author and noticed the same sort of chaos then. Where it worked in this book, it didn't in that one, and therefore as much as I am excited for the next book, that makes me nervous as well.
However, I won't judge books that I haven't read yet, and will only focus on this one. What I can say here, in summary, is that this is an awesome read filled with some seriously badass moments, some fun characters, and some good old-fashioned wish fulfilment. If it were a movie, it would belong with the best of the eighties action movies, only with the budget and special effects of modern-day.
5-stars, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
September 10, 2022
This review was originally posted at https://bit.ly/3d3oubf.
After pulling a bank job with some less than savory characters Steve decides to skip out with the entire lot. After all, the payout was much less than expected and no way was he splitting that small amount with others. Getting rid of his identity and starting over on a Greek isle was the easy part. The hard part was staying under the radar. When a video of him saving a woman from drowning goes viral enforcers from his past show up, but they aren't his only concern. A Greek police officer took all his credentials and money until he fixes the oil spilled by his bike going into the water. When attempting to get it out to minimize the damage Steve's nanites are activated and he becomes more. He becomes an Arisen. Now, he needs a purpose.
My husband found this book and suggested I read it. I was a bit skeptical because he primarily reads mangas and other Japanese/Korean style writing. Nothing wrong with it, just not really my thing. But, there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for my male so I downloaded the book. I will readily admit that I started reading it solely on the fact that he asked me to and I did not read anything about the book prior to downloading it. That being said he chose a good book for me.
We start with a guy that is ex-military just looking for his next thrill. His bike, booze, or women. Any combination of those sounds great, just so long as he remains unnoticed. All good so far. There is a lot of humor in this book, and a lot of it is dark. Which I adore. I have a warped sense of humor so no complaints there. Steve is the unwilling hero and continuously fights against that title while showing us how much it fits him.
I wonder if all Steven's have a hero complex...the one's I've met do at least (Spelling specific). Not a bad thing. I liked the way the upgrades worked, as well as how the nanites came to be. Also, he's not a hero that is willing to forgive past grievances. He will without hesitation kill someone because they threatened the wrong person. Maybe he's more anti-hero. Still, I low-key love him. I mean at one point he is described as a poorly shaved bear and considering I have called my husband my Teddy Bear since high school I have a type. Tall, broad shoulders, and a bit hairy is all completely fine by me. I will be reading book 2 at some point, but there are review requests to get to first.
Initially I didn't know if this was an Indie author, but I googled the publisher listed on their Amazon page and it says they are a self-publishing service. So another win for Indies! Also, is available on Kindle Unlimited and so is book 2, so we have that going for us. There are vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other mythical creatures in this book. Even one whose description closely matches that of the Creature of the Black Lagoon (Yes, I mean the 50s movie. Yes, it was made almost 40 years before I was born. It still applies.) Oh, and let's not forget the sex. I will say the sex scenes are disappointing. All the buildup then skips the good part.
My favorite character in this book was absolutely Ingrid. She is mouthy and beautiful and deserves all of the good things. Weirdly enough I feel she should be given the option to go through the first part of what Steve went through if she so chose. Not for any kind of romantic notions of love eternal or anything. More protection and not being a damsel in distress.
After pulling a bank job with some less than savory characters Steve decides to skip out with the entire lot. After all, the payout was much less than expected and no way was he splitting that small amount with others. Getting rid of his identity and starting over on a Greek isle was the easy part. The hard part was staying under the radar. When a video of him saving a woman from drowning goes viral enforcers from his past show up, but they aren't his only concern. A Greek police officer took all his credentials and money until he fixes the oil spilled by his bike going into the water. When attempting to get it out to minimize the damage Steve's nanites are activated and he becomes more. He becomes an Arisen. Now, he needs a purpose.
My husband found this book and suggested I read it. I was a bit skeptical because he primarily reads mangas and other Japanese/Korean style writing. Nothing wrong with it, just not really my thing. But, there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for my male so I downloaded the book. I will readily admit that I started reading it solely on the fact that he asked me to and I did not read anything about the book prior to downloading it. That being said he chose a good book for me.
We start with a guy that is ex-military just looking for his next thrill. His bike, booze, or women. Any combination of those sounds great, just so long as he remains unnoticed. All good so far. There is a lot of humor in this book, and a lot of it is dark. Which I adore. I have a warped sense of humor so no complaints there. Steve is the unwilling hero and continuously fights against that title while showing us how much it fits him.
I wonder if all Steven's have a hero complex...the one's I've met do at least (Spelling specific). Not a bad thing. I liked the way the upgrades worked, as well as how the nanites came to be. Also, he's not a hero that is willing to forgive past grievances. He will without hesitation kill someone because they threatened the wrong person. Maybe he's more anti-hero. Still, I low-key love him. I mean at one point he is described as a poorly shaved bear and considering I have called my husband my Teddy Bear since high school I have a type. Tall, broad shoulders, and a bit hairy is all completely fine by me. I will be reading book 2 at some point, but there are review requests to get to first.
Initially I didn't know if this was an Indie author, but I googled the publisher listed on their Amazon page and it says they are a self-publishing service. So another win for Indies! Also, is available on Kindle Unlimited and so is book 2, so we have that going for us. There are vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other mythical creatures in this book. Even one whose description closely matches that of the Creature of the Black Lagoon (Yes, I mean the 50s movie. Yes, it was made almost 40 years before I was born. It still applies.) Oh, and let's not forget the sex. I will say the sex scenes are disappointing. All the buildup then skips the good part.
My favorite character in this book was absolutely Ingrid. She is mouthy and beautiful and deserves all of the good things. Weirdly enough I feel she should be given the option to go through the first part of what Steve went through if she so chose. Not for any kind of romantic notions of love eternal or anything. More protection and not being a damsel in distress.
November 21, 2025
3.75⭐️
While this book isn't a true LitRPG, it has some similar elements of the genre that made it quite interesting. It uses those elements to tie in such themes as secret societies, aliens, fantasy monsters such as vampires and werewolves, and even human evolution.
If you're looking for a fast-paced fantasy/sci-fi adventure with a little bit of spice and a whole lot of action this is the book for you. The science part of the fiction doesn't go into super detail, more hinted at with the MMC even admitting he doesn't know how or why he knows something, he just does but doesn't have the words to explain it. So if you're looking for detailed sci-fi to geek out on, it's not here. This is mostly a fantasy-based book with elements of sci-fi and gaming.
One minor thing that bothered me was the MMC constantly growling. He doesn't actually growl, more mentioned like "I growled in frustration." "I growled..." was a recurring enough phrase to become obvious. Kind of like when an author over uses the word "said." Was it enough to detract from the story or make it less enjoyable? Not really. Just an observation.
Trigger warnings include adult language, a few spicy scenes, violence and gore, and one section that talks about animal abuse (dog fights) but does not show any fights.
For audiobook readers, the narrators, Christopher Boucher and Jessica Threet both do a great job at portraying their respective characters, accents included. The MMC is apparently from England, though the story is set in Greece. However, he is portrayed without a trace of a British accent. I don't know if this was intentional and we will get a reason for his lack of accent later on. His being from England isn't part of the plot, more mentioned in passing, so the lack of accent didn't bother me. Both Christopher and Jessica have extremely pleasant voices and speak with great cadence and timing.
While this book isn't a true LitRPG, it has some similar elements of the genre that made it quite interesting. It uses those elements to tie in such themes as secret societies, aliens, fantasy monsters such as vampires and werewolves, and even human evolution.
If you're looking for a fast-paced fantasy/sci-fi adventure with a little bit of spice and a whole lot of action this is the book for you. The science part of the fiction doesn't go into super detail, more hinted at with the MMC even admitting he doesn't know how or why he knows something, he just does but doesn't have the words to explain it. So if you're looking for detailed sci-fi to geek out on, it's not here. This is mostly a fantasy-based book with elements of sci-fi and gaming.
One minor thing that bothered me was the MMC constantly growling. He doesn't actually growl, more mentioned like "I growled in frustration." "I growled..." was a recurring enough phrase to become obvious. Kind of like when an author over uses the word "said." Was it enough to detract from the story or make it less enjoyable? Not really. Just an observation.
Trigger warnings include adult language, a few spicy scenes, violence and gore, and one section that talks about animal abuse (dog fights) but does not show any fights.
For audiobook readers, the narrators, Christopher Boucher and Jessica Threet both do a great job at portraying their respective characters, accents included. The MMC is apparently from England, though the story is set in Greece. However, he is portrayed without a trace of a British accent. I don't know if this was intentional and we will get a reason for his lack of accent later on. His being from England isn't part of the plot, more mentioned in passing, so the lack of accent didn't bother me. Both Christopher and Jessica have extremely pleasant voices and speak with great cadence and timing.
February 5, 2024
Good then not
This started off well. I got to 65% then quit. First part was really interesting. The world building and the mystery of the groups was really good. The MC figuring out his life and his place in it was GREAT then author turned what was turning into a great and complex hero into a dummy over a pretty face with good dimensions. Combine that with author falling into the trope of when men write female characters. I quit.
Spoilers Ahead
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
so MC is on the run. Has killed several people and is being hunted by several different groups. He is supposed to be laying low. SUPPOSED TO. Then he runs into someone that knows him and does all this fake "if I told you I would have to kill you" spiel IN FRONT OF 4 STRANGERS. Even after earlier in the book he got conned by the girls he rescued not being damsels in distress. Back to group stranger meeting. Author expects the readers to believe a woman on vacation hears a guy explaining that the main character vanished from his life and a dead body was burned to death in the MC apartment and the MC doesn't deny this just "leave it alone". She follows him to his room? Kisses him? And the jumps on his bike? Then decides to travel with him because of her grandma's stories? Nooooo. Then THEN you made the MC stupid. He is ex-military. Ex-military offbook work. Ex-crime enforcer. And then he tells her his whole life story at lunch? What?! He is on the run! If he wanted a quickie there were many different opportunities to do so that did not involve putting himself or this random at risk of death. I won't be going further. Great premise. Really great but author completely took a savvy guy out and replaced him with a dummy halfway through the story.
This started off well. I got to 65% then quit. First part was really interesting. The world building and the mystery of the groups was really good. The MC figuring out his life and his place in it was GREAT then author turned what was turning into a great and complex hero into a dummy over a pretty face with good dimensions. Combine that with author falling into the trope of when men write female characters. I quit.
Spoilers Ahead
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
so MC is on the run. Has killed several people and is being hunted by several different groups. He is supposed to be laying low. SUPPOSED TO. Then he runs into someone that knows him and does all this fake "if I told you I would have to kill you" spiel IN FRONT OF 4 STRANGERS. Even after earlier in the book he got conned by the girls he rescued not being damsels in distress. Back to group stranger meeting. Author expects the readers to believe a woman on vacation hears a guy explaining that the main character vanished from his life and a dead body was burned to death in the MC apartment and the MC doesn't deny this just "leave it alone". She follows him to his room? Kisses him? And the jumps on his bike? Then decides to travel with him because of her grandma's stories? Nooooo. Then THEN you made the MC stupid. He is ex-military. Ex-military offbook work. Ex-crime enforcer. And then he tells her his whole life story at lunch? What?! He is on the run! If he wanted a quickie there were many different opportunities to do so that did not involve putting himself or this random at risk of death. I won't be going further. Great premise. Really great but author completely took a savvy guy out and replaced him with a dummy halfway through the story.
April 22, 2023
Buy this book so I can read more too
I knew the basic premace of this book going in, but I didn't know the details (of course). It's a pretty good story, though if you're not a fan of violence, this book is probably not your thing. The main character starts as most do, at the beginning, but what a beginning it was. In this world, all humans have the nanotech that can turn them into (what most other books call players), only most people never get the opportunity to access them, and even those who do, haven't a clue how it all works. The main character does, which gives him a leg uup on the competition. It's not until the end of the book that we finally see what kind of competition it is though, so hold on to your hats, it's a wild ride.
A bit too violent for my tastes, so I can't give it a four star review, but honestly, the main character did everything as needed to get the job done, so the violence was definitely required (in my opinion), that doesn't make me like any more than normal though. The story is pretty good, I'm just not a fan of the method. Sure, this guy kicks ass, and doesn't bother taking names, mostly because his goal is to remove them all from the planet, and I say good for him.
I liked the story, I could only wish it was a bit more tame in it's execution. Nothing wrong with the story as it is though, just not my kind of thing. I still intend to read more in the series though, since it's always nice to see the bad guys get their due, even if it is more than I'm comfortable with.
I knew the basic premace of this book going in, but I didn't know the details (of course). It's a pretty good story, though if you're not a fan of violence, this book is probably not your thing. The main character starts as most do, at the beginning, but what a beginning it was. In this world, all humans have the nanotech that can turn them into (what most other books call players), only most people never get the opportunity to access them, and even those who do, haven't a clue how it all works. The main character does, which gives him a leg uup on the competition. It's not until the end of the book that we finally see what kind of competition it is though, so hold on to your hats, it's a wild ride.
A bit too violent for my tastes, so I can't give it a four star review, but honestly, the main character did everything as needed to get the job done, so the violence was definitely required (in my opinion), that doesn't make me like any more than normal though. The story is pretty good, I'm just not a fan of the method. Sure, this guy kicks ass, and doesn't bother taking names, mostly because his goal is to remove them all from the planet, and I say good for him.
I liked the story, I could only wish it was a bit more tame in it's execution. Nothing wrong with the story as it is though, just not my kind of thing. I still intend to read more in the series though, since it's always nice to see the bad guys get their due, even if it is more than I'm comfortable with.
July 21, 2022
it would’ve gotten a five star rating but there are some quibbles.
First of all let me say this Siri’s has potential that’s why I gave it a four star rating, it would’ve gotten a five but I think the author went off the rails a little bit. The book started fast and was very interesting. The character development was good and there was plenty of action. Some of the RPG tropes were there but some of them were not, I’m surprised that the ARC readers didn’t notice these things. First of all what kind of skill tree did the MC have? How many hit points did he have? Why did the MC forget to use certain abilities throughout the book such as his action oriented combat skills which he did not use at the end of the book at all. The book bogged down during the introduction of Ingrid unfortunately I am sorry to say there was too much kissy face and too much historical reference information that I don’t think the readers care about. At least I didn’t. I felt it was just Paige filler there could’ve been more action and to let a certain villain get away when the character is supposed to be above humans and have the ability to capture that person just took me right out of the story. And as far as the Audiobook is concerned the performance was great if the MC was supposed to be American, I thought he was supposed to be English. Besides that the actors were spot on with their narration. Going on to read the next book.
First of all let me say this Siri’s has potential that’s why I gave it a four star rating, it would’ve gotten a five but I think the author went off the rails a little bit. The book started fast and was very interesting. The character development was good and there was plenty of action. Some of the RPG tropes were there but some of them were not, I’m surprised that the ARC readers didn’t notice these things. First of all what kind of skill tree did the MC have? How many hit points did he have? Why did the MC forget to use certain abilities throughout the book such as his action oriented combat skills which he did not use at the end of the book at all. The book bogged down during the introduction of Ingrid unfortunately I am sorry to say there was too much kissy face and too much historical reference information that I don’t think the readers care about. At least I didn’t. I felt it was just Paige filler there could’ve been more action and to let a certain villain get away when the character is supposed to be above humans and have the ability to capture that person just took me right out of the story. And as far as the Audiobook is concerned the performance was great if the MC was supposed to be American, I thought he was supposed to be English. Besides that the actors were spot on with their narration. Going on to read the next book.
February 19, 2024
When the MC is just about to kill an opponent who gasps out, "Who are you?" and the MC responds, "You can call me 'Daddy' bitch." That kind of sums up my feelings on the first half of the book. The character's backstory didn't hold together, the techno-babble didn't hold together, the "organization" recruitment pitch didn't hold together, the narrative was often just confusing and I was pretty much done with the book by the 40% mark, only even having lasted that long because I really crave the premise of nanite-enhanced humans. It's so rarely done well.
Then, around the 45% mark, the story does a reset. The character becomes more likeable, the narrative around how these nanites came to be becomes more coherent and cohesive, the new characters introduced are more interesting and the story as a whole becomes entertaining enough to offset some of the ongoing nonsensical plot points, like the entire introduction of Ingrid, I mean, what?
Still, it ended up being a fun-adjacent ride. I can't really forgive the pain of the first half of the book but the second half has me interested enough to give the sequel a shot. I just hope the nanites upgrade his brain enough so that he can take down four random bar goons without buying two shotgun blasts and a knife blade to the chest.
Then, around the 45% mark, the story does a reset. The character becomes more likeable, the narrative around how these nanites came to be becomes more coherent and cohesive, the new characters introduced are more interesting and the story as a whole becomes entertaining enough to offset some of the ongoing nonsensical plot points, like the entire introduction of Ingrid, I mean, what?
Still, it ended up being a fun-adjacent ride. I can't really forgive the pain of the first half of the book but the second half has me interested enough to give the sequel a shot. I just hope the nanites upgrade his brain enough so that he can take down four random bar goons without buying two shotgun blasts and a knife blade to the chest.
May 23, 2022
Everything you’ve come to expect from Mr. Cajiao
This book is a bit of a mixed bag for me…I really enjoy the stuff Jez comes up with. And so the story line/background lore are great! There’s a lot that doesn’t get covered in book 1, so I assume we will find out more in the later books. But the overall faction war and the “supernatural” are interesting in how they play out. The fact that everything is actually nanite based, thereby really making this a sci-fi was a fun twist. Action is great, again as you’d expect if you’ve read his other series.
Downsides for me are that, if you’ve read one of his other series then you’ll find that Steve, Matt, and Jax are largely interchangeable. Different abilities perhaps, but the same character put into different stories. So while I enjoy them still, it’s a bit predictable. I really hoped the MC was going to be a cool werewolf, which he was not. Lol. He does get some neat powers, and I’m sure they’ll only get cooler as the series progresses. Definitely a fun read!
This book is a bit of a mixed bag for me…I really enjoy the stuff Jez comes up with. And so the story line/background lore are great! There’s a lot that doesn’t get covered in book 1, so I assume we will find out more in the later books. But the overall faction war and the “supernatural” are interesting in how they play out. The fact that everything is actually nanite based, thereby really making this a sci-fi was a fun twist. Action is great, again as you’d expect if you’ve read his other series.
Downsides for me are that, if you’ve read one of his other series then you’ll find that Steve, Matt, and Jax are largely interchangeable. Different abilities perhaps, but the same character put into different stories. So while I enjoy them still, it’s a bit predictable. I really hoped the MC was going to be a cool werewolf, which he was not. Lol. He does get some neat powers, and I’m sure they’ll only get cooler as the series progresses. Definitely a fun read!
December 27, 2022
So I went into this book expecting a much darker story. In that regard it was a let down.
The dark elements were basically an abundance of spicy words, there was some giggity in there, and leveling up happens through a bit of body horror and pain for the user. Not really what I would say makes a dark story.
But ignoring that was it good? Yeah it was a fun ride with a lot of awesome set ups and cool pay offs. The MC was fun if crass language doesn't bother you and very likeable and the side characters were cool too. I especially loved the part about mythic creatures like werewolves and vampires being part of this system and the way they're all tied together it's great.
What I really didn't like was the end. I felt like the story was building up to this awesome training montage to take on the bad guys but that didn't happen. He does take on the bad guys and I won't get into the specifics because spoilers but it just felt like an awesome opportunity that was missed.
Would I still recommend it? Easily. It's one of the better books I've read recently.
The dark elements were basically an abundance of spicy words, there was some giggity in there, and leveling up happens through a bit of body horror and pain for the user. Not really what I would say makes a dark story.
But ignoring that was it good? Yeah it was a fun ride with a lot of awesome set ups and cool pay offs. The MC was fun if crass language doesn't bother you and very likeable and the side characters were cool too. I especially loved the part about mythic creatures like werewolves and vampires being part of this system and the way they're all tied together it's great.
What I really didn't like was the end. I felt like the story was building up to this awesome training montage to take on the bad guys but that didn't happen. He does take on the bad guys and I won't get into the specifics because spoilers but it just felt like an awesome opportunity that was missed.
Would I still recommend it? Easily. It's one of the better books I've read recently.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews