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All the Skills #1
All the Skills
The most Arthur could hope for was to someday earn a trash-tier spell card. When fate grants him a Master of Skills card, he's thrust into a world of opportunity and danger.
To survive and grow strong, Arthur must learn skills. All the skills.
This is an epic progression-fantasy with strong gamelit elements, featuring a unique card-based magic system.
To survive and grow strong, Arthur must learn skills. All the skills.
This is an epic progression-fantasy with strong gamelit elements, featuring a unique card-based magic system.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2022
1637 people are currently reading
5827 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 618 reviews
June 18, 2023
My tolerance for human misery isn't high. Arthur is the lowest of the low since his father's fall from grace (literally, he was a Duke). He lucks into some bit of personal power, but he's twelve. And an outcast. He's so far behind the eight-ball he's practically off the table.
Also. He's twelve. I'm just not interested in watching him crawl out of the pit this unjust world has put him in. Let me see if I can explain why this is so hard for me. If you paint a society with that much raw injustice and suffering for entire communities, including needless death and suffering of children, I'm going to have a hard time wanting any story other than "fix this mess". This society doesn't deserve to exist and those invested in it need to go. Reeducation sure. If you can. Or just get to the more permanent forms of removal. I don't care what it looks like, but that's the story I'm going to want to see.
That is not the story this author is gearing up to tell. Dude is twelve. He isn't going to be disrupting anything. At best, he's going to find some way to luck out of the hell that has killed half his family on his own. At worst, he gets to be the special child and luck out of the hell that has killed half his family via some deus ex nonsense.
So I'm out and one star. It has an interesting mechanic for a LitRPG and it doesn't look like it sucks. But I'm so not interested in the rest of the trappings.
Also. He's twelve. I'm just not interested in watching him crawl out of the pit this unjust world has put him in. Let me see if I can explain why this is so hard for me. If you paint a society with that much raw injustice and suffering for entire communities, including needless death and suffering of children, I'm going to have a hard time wanting any story other than "fix this mess". This society doesn't deserve to exist and those invested in it need to go. Reeducation sure. If you can. Or just get to the more permanent forms of removal. I don't care what it looks like, but that's the story I'm going to want to see.
That is not the story this author is gearing up to tell. Dude is twelve. He isn't going to be disrupting anything. At best, he's going to find some way to luck out of the hell that has killed half his family on his own. At worst, he gets to be the special child and luck out of the hell that has killed half his family via some deus ex nonsense.
So I'm out and one star. It has an interesting mechanic for a LitRPG and it doesn't look like it sucks. But I'm so not interested in the rest of the trappings.
December 31, 2022
4.5/5
If you're a fan of litRPG or Progression Fantasy, Get to this ASAP
This book does NOT have a lot of things I would generally expect in a litRPG. It doesn't have pages and pages of adrenaline-pumping action or leveling up at an insane rate or OP MC just razing through his enemies BUT it had my undivided attention from the very beginning to the last word.
I was very hesitant to get into this since I hadn't read any Deckbuilding litRPG before but in the end, I'm really glad I did.
Pros
Main Character Arthur is without a doubt one of the strongest aspects of this book. He is rational, sympathetic, hard-working, and most importantly knows when to back off and when to act.
Even though the Magic system in this one is nothing new it was very well thought out and nicely explained.
The pacing was fine (Neither slow nor breakneck) and the writing was nice and simple. There isn't a dull moment.
Cons
A somewhat slow start in the beginning.
Also, if you're not a fan of litRPG or Progression Fantasy I don't think it's your cup of tea.
In the end, I would say All the Skills is a page-turning fest.
Looking forward to the sequel...
If you're a fan of litRPG or Progression Fantasy, Get to this ASAP
This book does NOT have a lot of things I would generally expect in a litRPG. It doesn't have pages and pages of adrenaline-pumping action or leveling up at an insane rate or OP MC just razing through his enemies BUT it had my undivided attention from the very beginning to the last word.
I was very hesitant to get into this since I hadn't read any Deckbuilding litRPG before but in the end, I'm really glad I did.
Pros
Main Character Arthur is without a doubt one of the strongest aspects of this book. He is rational, sympathetic, hard-working, and most importantly knows when to back off and when to act.
Even though the Magic system in this one is nothing new it was very well thought out and nicely explained.
The pacing was fine (Neither slow nor breakneck) and the writing was nice and simple. There isn't a dull moment.
Cons
A somewhat slow start in the beginning.
Also, if you're not a fan of litRPG or Progression Fantasy I don't think it's your cup of tea.
In the end, I would say All the Skills is a page-turning fest.
Looking forward to the sequel...
February 12, 2023
What a fantastic stroke of luck it was to pick this book up. It gave me everything I ask for in a gamelit, and it's even from a new author.
Character - 9.5/10, Plot - 9.5/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 10/10, Writing - 9/10, Enjoyment - 10/10
I thought the character work in this story was great. I'll admit that I didn't find the MC the most likable sort, but he was interesting. That I didn't entirely like Arthur but felt compelled to find out what happened next speaks to the strength of the story. While I couldn't help but shake my head at some of his decisions and actions, I also recognized that Arthur's world was pretty dog-eat-dog. I couldn't be too judgemental because I also did some rascal shit when I was his age. Sometimes young people just don't have the necessary tools to deal with certain circumstances in the most ideal ways.
In addition to the MC, I thought all the characters were written well. They all had goals, troubles, and purpose. Kurt Vonnegut famously said that every character in a story should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. I think the author followed that sentiment commendably.
I really enjoyed the plot of this story as well. While it followed the broad strokes of the Hero's Journey, every scene felt alive and interesting rather than derivative. It also served out nice helpings of world-building at a steady pace without info dumping, which is a common issue with gamelit.
I loved the game mechanics in this story. Not just because I enjoy getting to see some mechanics other than the standard mmorpg style from WoW or DnD, but because the characters resolved their problems by cleverly using the mechanics. This is what I consider the Holy Grail of gamelit. I can enjoy cheat skills and OP main characters as much as the next guy, but the best gamelit stories for me really pay attention to the mechanics they establish and require the plot and characters to employ them for satisfying resolutions.
The writing was exceptional as well. I have two styles of writing that I really like: minimalist writing that's straight to the point and then what I consider layperson's poetry, which still tells it straight but dips a toe into the metaphorical. Mark Lawrence exemplifies that for me (Hopefully, he would take that as a compliment). I thought Honour Rae's writing was a nice mix of both. The poetic turns of phrase were used sparingly, but that just made them really pop when they did show up. I would love to give an example, but the ones I highlighted while reading are too close to spoilers, so I'll refrain.
If it wasn't already obvious, I enjoyed this book. A lot. So why the 9.5's in a few of the categories, you ask? Cause I'm a stingy bastard who wasn't held enough as a child. I don't know. Regardless, this was a fantastic reading experience that earned the book a spot on my Favorites Shelf. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone whether they are a gamelit reader or not.
Character - 9.5/10, Plot - 9.5/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 10/10, Writing - 9/10, Enjoyment - 10/10
I thought the character work in this story was great. I'll admit that I didn't find the MC the most likable sort, but he was interesting. That I didn't entirely like Arthur but felt compelled to find out what happened next speaks to the strength of the story. While I couldn't help but shake my head at some of his decisions and actions, I also recognized that Arthur's world was pretty dog-eat-dog. I couldn't be too judgemental because I also did some rascal shit when I was his age. Sometimes young people just don't have the necessary tools to deal with certain circumstances in the most ideal ways.
In addition to the MC, I thought all the characters were written well. They all had goals, troubles, and purpose. Kurt Vonnegut famously said that every character in a story should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. I think the author followed that sentiment commendably.
I really enjoyed the plot of this story as well. While it followed the broad strokes of the Hero's Journey, every scene felt alive and interesting rather than derivative. It also served out nice helpings of world-building at a steady pace without info dumping, which is a common issue with gamelit.
I loved the game mechanics in this story. Not just because I enjoy getting to see some mechanics other than the standard mmorpg style from WoW or DnD, but because the characters resolved their problems by cleverly using the mechanics. This is what I consider the Holy Grail of gamelit. I can enjoy cheat skills and OP main characters as much as the next guy, but the best gamelit stories for me really pay attention to the mechanics they establish and require the plot and characters to employ them for satisfying resolutions.
The writing was exceptional as well. I have two styles of writing that I really like: minimalist writing that's straight to the point and then what I consider layperson's poetry, which still tells it straight but dips a toe into the metaphorical. Mark Lawrence exemplifies that for me (Hopefully, he would take that as a compliment). I thought Honour Rae's writing was a nice mix of both. The poetic turns of phrase were used sparingly, but that just made them really pop when they did show up. I would love to give an example, but the ones I highlighted while reading are too close to spoilers, so I'll refrain.
If it wasn't already obvious, I enjoyed this book. A lot. So why the 9.5's in a few of the categories, you ask? Cause I'm a stingy bastard who wasn't held enough as a child. I don't know. Regardless, this was a fantastic reading experience that earned the book a spot on my Favorites Shelf. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone whether they are a gamelit reader or not.
July 22, 2025
This is one of the best deckbuilding litRPGs I think. Very fun, very good character. Also has dragons which is great. Almost YA in tone but that's not a bad thing!
January 13, 2023
This is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be my last.
Arthur is a young boy living in village #49 at the edge of the deadlands. Their sole purpose in life is to shovel dragon droppings into the dead fields and mix the two together. The dragon droppings bring life back to that portion of the deadlands. Then rinse and repeat for the rest of your life.
As a young boy, he follow's his dad's lead. His mom and sister are dead from the scourge, which is one of the effects of the deadlands. Other people are dying as well, and the local baron does nothing.
The baron's wagon goes past the village, and Arthur decides to follow. He sees a red dragon tear the fancy wagon apart and kill everyone, harvesting their cards once they are deceased. The wagon was also carrying cards, and so the dragon sees Arthur hiding in the bushes and calls him out.
Stepping forward and afraid his short life is coming to an end, the dragon gifts him a card. And that's just the beginning of the book.
From there, Arthur takes on job after job, learning new skills while doing his best not to die. I really don't want to spoil what comes next because it's so much fun. The author keeps the story moving forward, never stopping at one place for too long before doing something else. Arthur is the kind of kid who has an eye for detail, and when there is money to be made.
Of course, card based LitRPG is not a new concept. Jake's Magical Market is just one of the books that has taken the idea and run with it. The concept of different jobs was done by a fairly well-known series where the main character has multiple jobs he can choose from.
The editing is very good for an independent author, and the stats, which are numerous, keep things interesting. I liked how the author kept the skills growing instead of keeping them static, and how it required additional effort by the MC to bring a new job (skill) to life.
All in all, a lot of fun that kept me reading late into the night. 5/5* recommended.
Arthur is a young boy living in village #49 at the edge of the deadlands. Their sole purpose in life is to shovel dragon droppings into the dead fields and mix the two together. The dragon droppings bring life back to that portion of the deadlands. Then rinse and repeat for the rest of your life.
As a young boy, he follow's his dad's lead. His mom and sister are dead from the scourge, which is one of the effects of the deadlands. Other people are dying as well, and the local baron does nothing.
The baron's wagon goes past the village, and Arthur decides to follow. He sees a red dragon tear the fancy wagon apart and kill everyone, harvesting their cards once they are deceased. The wagon was also carrying cards, and so the dragon sees Arthur hiding in the bushes and calls him out.
Stepping forward and afraid his short life is coming to an end, the dragon gifts him a card. And that's just the beginning of the book.
From there, Arthur takes on job after job, learning new skills while doing his best not to die. I really don't want to spoil what comes next because it's so much fun. The author keeps the story moving forward, never stopping at one place for too long before doing something else. Arthur is the kind of kid who has an eye for detail, and when there is money to be made.
Of course, card based LitRPG is not a new concept. Jake's Magical Market is just one of the books that has taken the idea and run with it. The concept of different jobs was done by a fairly well-known series where the main character has multiple jobs he can choose from.
The editing is very good for an independent author, and the stats, which are numerous, keep things interesting. I liked how the author kept the skills growing instead of keeping them static, and how it required additional effort by the MC to bring a new job (skill) to life.
All in all, a lot of fun that kept me reading late into the night. 5/5* recommended.
January 2, 2023
Book one
Wow! This is probably the best deck building book that I've run across. Well written and edited.
Everything flows smoothly and made sense.
The characters are interesting and best of all it's being written on Royalroad.
If the author hadn't printed book one I'd have missed this story.
I'm highly impressed and give this a 10/10 even with the dragons.
Wow! This is probably the best deck building book that I've run across. Well written and edited.
Everything flows smoothly and made sense.
The characters are interesting and best of all it's being written on Royalroad.
If the author hadn't printed book one I'd have missed this story.
I'm highly impressed and give this a 10/10 even with the dragons.
April 20, 2023
Wow! I love this!
I can't say enough good things about the book! I loved it. It sucked me in completely and I lost an entire day reading! Off I go to book 2!
I can't say enough good things about the book! I loved it. It sucked me in completely and I lost an entire day reading! Off I go to book 2!
March 20, 2023
A decent first volume.
The prose is surprisingly decent for a self-published royal-road LitRPG. So far there's nothing special about this story, but it has more than enough potential to become a satisfying, fun adventure.
Personally, I wish the author had put in the extra effort to make the magic system more unique. I don't mind the card-collecting system, but I'm not a big fun of stat-based magic. This could have easily been a more pure-fantasy magic system. The leveling up by doing chores didn't help either.
It's hard to judge this kind of story from the first volume. I doubt anything great will come of it, but it has the right foundation for a fun, uncomplicated progression-fantasy story. Will definitely try volume two.
The prose is surprisingly decent for a self-published royal-road LitRPG. So far there's nothing special about this story, but it has more than enough potential to become a satisfying, fun adventure.
Personally, I wish the author had put in the extra effort to make the magic system more unique. I don't mind the card-collecting system, but I'm not a big fun of stat-based magic. This could have easily been a more pure-fantasy magic system. The leveling up by doing chores didn't help either.
It's hard to judge this kind of story from the first volume. I doubt anything great will come of it, but it has the right foundation for a fun, uncomplicated progression-fantasy story. Will definitely try volume two.
January 5, 2023
So good. Want more, MORE!
January 1, 2023
Good but immature
Not sure what the author was going for with the book. The MC is a 11 year old snot nosed kid. No relatability at all. The card system feels extremely gimmicky. And lastly it all clashes. For an 11-15 year old the MC certainly acts like a young adult for most of the book, but still has a very naive mindset at the same time.
Put simply it's just a book that feels like it was thrown together without much thought. It is pretty decent if you don't think too heavily on the characters or story elements.
Not sure what the author was going for with the book. The MC is a 11 year old snot nosed kid. No relatability at all. The card system feels extremely gimmicky. And lastly it all clashes. For an 11-15 year old the MC certainly acts like a young adult for most of the book, but still has a very naive mindset at the same time.
Put simply it's just a book that feels like it was thrown together without much thought. It is pretty decent if you don't think too heavily on the characters or story elements.
January 1, 2023
Meh.
This has a very good seeing with a lot of growth potential. The card system is weak, this is something I find to be quite common. It serves as a simple catchall to explain away any random ability or skill that the author wants to put in. The class and ability scores feel empty and tacked on. The characters are all pretty bad, not badly written, just bad people. Everyone is focus driven without any moral compass. Anything you do is excused because you have a "good" reason. This is a book with no heroes, everyone is just a different type of villain.
This has a very good seeing with a lot of growth potential. The card system is weak, this is something I find to be quite common. It serves as a simple catchall to explain away any random ability or skill that the author wants to put in. The class and ability scores feel empty and tacked on. The characters are all pretty bad, not badly written, just bad people. Everyone is focus driven without any moral compass. Anything you do is excused because you have a "good" reason. This is a book with no heroes, everyone is just a different type of villain.
May 7, 2025
I ended up LOVING this book! It was so much fun from beginning to end.
All the Skills was my first LitRPG novel, but it definitely won’t be my last; I’m really looking forward to continuing on with this series.
I felt like I was reading a video game. Like the whole time, I was imagining playing RuneScape back in middle school and thinking what it would be like if one of the NPCs was telling me a story. The characters in this book acquire cards to learn skills, and then they spend time leveling up those skills. The skill-leveling specifically is what reminded me of playing video games. This was very different from any other fantasy novel I’ve read before. I’m sure it’s a common type of story in the LitRPG community, but I’m new here so the ideas were fresh to me.
I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Arthur. He is smart and rational and also kind. The overall writing of the novel was done well too, with excellent pacing throughout that had me eager to keep reading. The setting was built in a way that was easy for me to imagine and immerse myself into. I also really appreciated that there wasn’t really any action in this novel. I feel like it’s hard to write a fast and adventurous fantasy story without a lot of action, but the author did it here. The focus of the story is solely on Arthur leveling up his cards and gathering more cards, and I loved that as someone who doesn’t usually enjoy action scenes but loves character-focused fantasy.
I’m not sure who the audience is for this book as the protagonist starts out as a twelve-year-old boy and by the end of the book he is sixteen. Is it for middle-grade readers? Young adults? Adults? I feel like the answer is yes. There’s nothing in here that would inappropriate for a younger audience, and in fact I think this would a great story to get younger readers (like ten years old), who usually spend their time playing video games, into reading. As an adult I loved the book, and I think teens and kids alike would also love it.
I definitely think you should check out this series if you’re even remotely interested in the idea of it, and especially if you’ve never read LitRPG before as it was such a fun reading experience. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
All the Skills was my first LitRPG novel, but it definitely won’t be my last; I’m really looking forward to continuing on with this series.
I felt like I was reading a video game. Like the whole time, I was imagining playing RuneScape back in middle school and thinking what it would be like if one of the NPCs was telling me a story. The characters in this book acquire cards to learn skills, and then they spend time leveling up those skills. The skill-leveling specifically is what reminded me of playing video games. This was very different from any other fantasy novel I’ve read before. I’m sure it’s a common type of story in the LitRPG community, but I’m new here so the ideas were fresh to me.
I really enjoyed all the characters, especially Arthur. He is smart and rational and also kind. The overall writing of the novel was done well too, with excellent pacing throughout that had me eager to keep reading. The setting was built in a way that was easy for me to imagine and immerse myself into. I also really appreciated that there wasn’t really any action in this novel. I feel like it’s hard to write a fast and adventurous fantasy story without a lot of action, but the author did it here. The focus of the story is solely on Arthur leveling up his cards and gathering more cards, and I loved that as someone who doesn’t usually enjoy action scenes but loves character-focused fantasy.
I’m not sure who the audience is for this book as the protagonist starts out as a twelve-year-old boy and by the end of the book he is sixteen. Is it for middle-grade readers? Young adults? Adults? I feel like the answer is yes. There’s nothing in here that would inappropriate for a younger audience, and in fact I think this would a great story to get younger readers (like ten years old), who usually spend their time playing video games, into reading. As an adult I loved the book, and I think teens and kids alike would also love it.
I definitely think you should check out this series if you’re even remotely interested in the idea of it, and especially if you’ve never read LitRPG before as it was such a fun reading experience. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
January 24, 2023
4.5 Stars
This is a quality coming-of-age story with a card-based progression mechanic. The protagonist is a true underdog and thus every small victory feels satisfying. The dragon hive idea is reminiscent of Anne MacCaffrey's Pern series but instead of death falling from the sky, it vomits up from the ground.
If book two had been published, I'd already be reading it.
This is a quality coming-of-age story with a card-based progression mechanic. The protagonist is a true underdog and thus every small victory feels satisfying. The dragon hive idea is reminiscent of Anne MacCaffrey's Pern series but instead of death falling from the sky, it vomits up from the ground.
If book two had been published, I'd already be reading it.
January 2, 2023
what a ride
DRAGONS!!! For those with the desire…
Well written, it flows well, and the structure of the magic doesn’t get in the way of an interesting story.
MC is not a *good* person, but he’s not evil or strictly bad. He uses his skills to advance himself, but it is not without cost. I appreciate his looser morals as he is a teenager, pulling himself up from the dregs of society.
Definitely looking forward to the next book. There is a lot here to like.
DRAGONS!!! For those with the desire…
Well written, it flows well, and the structure of the magic doesn’t get in the way of an interesting story.
MC is not a *good* person, but he’s not evil or strictly bad. He uses his skills to advance himself, but it is not without cost. I appreciate his looser morals as he is a teenager, pulling himself up from the dregs of society.
Definitely looking forward to the next book. There is a lot here to like.
January 4, 2023
Rating 4.0 stars
I was surprised how much I liked this book. I didn't know what a deck building litrpg entailed. While I like the idea of dungeons and dragons I don't like those litrpg stories. Having a metaphysical dice roll to see if an action is going to happen just doesn't work for me. I didn't know what to expect with a deck building litrpg. Was it going to be like Pokemon? I never played but I was a little hesitant. I finally broke down and got the book and I am glad I did. This one had the same feel as Mark of the Fool book. Cards are what are used for magical powers in this world. You can have only so many cards - each a different type and rarity that you can bring into your heart that give you abilities.
The MC is a boy of 12 working in the outlands. There are monster like creatures in the world that seem to be the antithesis to life. They use dragon soil to reclaim those dead/dying lands. The MC is part of a village that has that job. Turns out, all the adults in the village are on a death penalty. Their sentence is suspended while they work on the land. The boy is watching a carriage in secret trying to see magic when a dragon shows up and kills the caravan. The boy is discovered and the dragon gives him what the guards were protecting. A legendary card. Nobody else in the village has even a common one. Anyway, things happen and his father is able to sneak him out the village to protect him and give him a better life
I was surprised how much I liked this book. I didn't know what a deck building litrpg entailed. While I like the idea of dungeons and dragons I don't like those litrpg stories. Having a metaphysical dice roll to see if an action is going to happen just doesn't work for me. I didn't know what to expect with a deck building litrpg. Was it going to be like Pokemon? I never played but I was a little hesitant. I finally broke down and got the book and I am glad I did. This one had the same feel as Mark of the Fool book. Cards are what are used for magical powers in this world. You can have only so many cards - each a different type and rarity that you can bring into your heart that give you abilities.
The MC is a boy of 12 working in the outlands. There are monster like creatures in the world that seem to be the antithesis to life. They use dragon soil to reclaim those dead/dying lands. The MC is part of a village that has that job. Turns out, all the adults in the village are on a death penalty. Their sentence is suspended while they work on the land. The boy is watching a carriage in secret trying to see magic when a dragon shows up and kills the caravan. The boy is discovered and the dragon gives him what the guards were protecting. A legendary card. Nobody else in the village has even a common one. Anyway, things happen and his father is able to sneak him out the village to protect him and give him a better life
February 23, 2023
2.5 stars
The first part of this book is very slow and I almost gave up several times. I get it, the MC grew up in a terrible place and had a terrible life. I don't need 150 pages dedicated to that, it's not interesting or fun to read, especially with an MC who's not very relatable or likable.
And for some reason, his father (who's supposed to be great) didn't teach him anything at all about the world or how to do anything. He's got a house full of papers and didn't teach him to read. A world full of magic/dragons and the kid knows nothing about how it works. He doesn't even teach him about the rest of his family. And it's clear that he intends for the kid to go out into the world as soon as possible.
The book gets a lot better once he gets out of his village. Then we see progress. Unfortunately, just as things get fun and interesting, much of that progress is skipped over with a "four years later."
So the boring part of the book is too long and the good parts are too short.
I am interested in reading the next one because it feels like the author got better as the book went on, and there's a good setup for future books.
I recommend just skimming through the third of the book (until he's out of the village) and then reading normally.
The first part of this book is very slow and I almost gave up several times. I get it, the MC grew up in a terrible place and had a terrible life. I don't need 150 pages dedicated to that, it's not interesting or fun to read, especially with an MC who's not very relatable or likable.
And for some reason, his father (who's supposed to be great) didn't teach him anything at all about the world or how to do anything. He's got a house full of papers and didn't teach him to read. A world full of magic/dragons and the kid knows nothing about how it works. He doesn't even teach him about the rest of his family. And it's clear that he intends for the kid to go out into the world as soon as possible.
The book gets a lot better once he gets out of his village. Then we see progress. Unfortunately, just as things get fun and interesting, much of that progress is skipped over with a "four years later."
So the boring part of the book is too long and the good parts are too short.
I am interested in reading the next one because it feels like the author got better as the book went on, and there's a good setup for future books.
I recommend just skimming through the third of the book (until he's out of the village) and then reading normally.
March 5, 2023
5 They Were More Than Good Enough Stars
All the Skills is the first book in A Deck Building LitRPG: All The Skills by Honour Rae.
I honestly loved every word, chapter, and new twist of this book. I'm not generally a fan of the more deck of cards focused litrpg style series. Thus, I found myself even more surprised to enjoy Arthur's journey from dead man walking to potential dragon rider. This work of fiction has had me stop and consider the potential in other similar books. It is simply another way to quantify skills and abilities when compared to the average character sheet.
That surprise cliffy at the end was just what I was hoping for, and only leaves me all the more excited for more of this story to explore.
I can't help but ponder the possibilities for those inhabiting the borderlands, the way in which Horatio's future will change after having met and befriended Arthur, and the mark Arthur will make on this kingdom...
All the Skills is the first book in A Deck Building LitRPG: All The Skills by Honour Rae.
I honestly loved every word, chapter, and new twist of this book. I'm not generally a fan of the more deck of cards focused litrpg style series. Thus, I found myself even more surprised to enjoy Arthur's journey from dead man walking to potential dragon rider. This work of fiction has had me stop and consider the potential in other similar books. It is simply another way to quantify skills and abilities when compared to the average character sheet.
That surprise cliffy at the end was just what I was hoping for, and only leaves me all the more excited for more of this story to explore.
I can't help but ponder the possibilities for those inhabiting the borderlands, the way in which Horatio's future will change after having met and befriended Arthur, and the mark Arthur will make on this kingdom...
July 27, 2024
I will be honest at the beginning I became a little disappointed by the card system not being what I had hoped. This was within the bounds of a real life and world where cards were scarce and highly valued. I had been itching for something with a magic system based around cards and/or dice. I was hoping for something like the roguelike video game Dandy Ace where you are trapped somewhere and have to battle your way through dungeon floors and bosses while maintaining + upgrading a constantly changing “deck” of cards. While this book was not that, I didn’t let my very specific hopes make me put the book down. By the end, the book really grew on me and I began to like the card system once more things were introduced. It’s a bit slice of life, coming of age, and a heist story. The characters were great especially the MC and his friendships and I am very excited to continue the series. The audio book was fantastic as well! Luke Daniels is a top tier narrator.
4⭐️
4⭐️
July 6, 2024
This has been on my Kindle recommendations for a while, and I don't know why it took me so long to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it, most notably that skills were not all based on killing everything. I loved how the card aspect of it was implemented as well. A unique story in a genre I love but one that can feel formulaic at times.
December 23, 2024
I started this book after a long break from reading and it made me regret the time off. It was incredible. The story kept me turning the pages and it I finished in what felt like a minute. Not to mention the grammar was great compared to any other books in this genre.
5/5 I wish I could travel back in time to read it again.
5/5 I wish I could travel back in time to read it again.
October 3, 2025
I was a little in a reading slump after „Dungeon Crawler Carl“, but this here catapulted me out of it. Listened to it in 2 days. Love the upbeat note and the new take on LitRPG. I really like that so many tropes are missing: world within a world, MMC powergaming through war efforts….Also: Dragons! The narrator also does an exceptional job. Also: this is my first audiobook with bloopers that I thoroughly enjoyed.
February 5, 2025
I’m not sure what I expected when I picked this up. I was looking for a light hearted read after having a book hangover from DCC7 and Will of the many. But I definitely did not expect an absolute banger of a story like this. This book had to have been crafted almost personally for me. This book takes all the best parts of leveling up skills aspects from litrpg. Not a single moment was slow or boring and it all builds for an amazing emotional final act. One of my fave books I’ve ever read and I hope the rest of the series lives up to my now enormous expectations.
Ps Jackson u better read this
Ps Jackson u better read this
February 26, 2023
Well, I enjoyed this but funnily enough, I was planning to rate it 4 stars until , which made me want more so much that I upped the rating.
Now I’m headed to Royal Road to see if I can find more chapters. 🤞🏾🤞🏾
Now I’m headed to Royal Road to see if I can find more chapters. 🤞🏾🤞🏾
May 12, 2024
Amazing book. Read this because I've seen Matt Dinniman of Dungeon Crawler Carl fame recommend it. It's a great book and it avoids my number one issue with the gamelit genre: Numbers and Stats. I hate having to look over a page of stats and numbers. This book mostly avoids that and if there're any stats mentioned it's short and to the point. I've never cared to know about how many strength, dex, or int points someone has. It's enough the mention it if it's immediately relevant to the plot but other than that it just takes me out of it. Anyway, this book doesn't do that. The magic, or game(?) system of the book is great and I'm looking forward to seeing where it's going. Already started the next one.
January 17, 2026
I listened to this book because of the excitement and high praise my husband gave it.
While it's an enjoyable and creative story, what drew me in is the level of relatability. Not because we live in a gaming world with cards that we collect giving us various stats, but because of the character development that is required to learn skills in the real world, the discipline and intentionality that it takes, and the level of prioritization that is required for choosing which skills to spend our limited time on. These are the aspects that Honour Rae portrays so well in this novel.
While it's an enjoyable and creative story, what drew me in is the level of relatability. Not because we live in a gaming world with cards that we collect giving us various stats, but because of the character development that is required to learn skills in the real world, the discipline and intentionality that it takes, and the level of prioritization that is required for choosing which skills to spend our limited time on. These are the aspects that Honour Rae portrays so well in this novel.
July 28, 2023
Dragons! And yes dragon riders! Fantastic tale that leaves you turning page after page, fully immersed in the plot. Gripped with anxiety, then overjoyed with triumph, cracking up with humor, this book has it all. Can’t wait for this series to continue. Highly recommend listening on audible. The narrator is amazing and does so well with voices, inflection, and cadence
March 17, 2025
Having now read pretty widely in the litrpg genre, it is amazing to me how many sub-genres exist. This book reads more like a coming of age fantasy than a post apocalypse story, but luckily, fantasy is another of my preferred book types. The MC is young but relatable, and the plot moves quickly. I will continue on to book 2.
January 7, 2024
This is a great book I really enjoyed it. I do love a good litlpg it's got great characters and an interesting premise and magic system I recommend it to any fan of litrpgs. Four and three quarter stars round up
December 16, 2024
That was SO FUN!! This was my first Lit RPG so I didn’t quite know what to expect. I loved the progressive fantasy and learning and exploring the world of the MC. If you’re looking for a super fun read full of adventure AND DRAGONS definitely pick this one up 😍
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