What do you think?
Rate this book
Death: Genesis #1
Death: Genesis
Death is only the beginning in this brutal and bloody post-apocalyptic fantasy about humanity’s next phase.
In pursuit of his abusive father’s approval, Zeke Blackwood pushed himself to the very pinnacle of his chosen obsession. Since childhood, all he’d ever wanted to do was play baseball, and through hard work, discipline, and no small degree of talent, his goal of reaching the major leagues was finally in sight. But then a horrific car accident ruined his arm, eliminating any hope of a professional baseball career.
Consumed by depression, Zeke gave up on his future, preferring to wallow in self-pity. That is, until an opportunity came along for him to prove his worth. When his chronically ill younger brother needed a kidney, Zeke didn’t hesitate to offer one of his own—only to die on the operating table.
But eons later, after Earth has been ravaged by disasters both natural and man-made, Zeke is reborn. Guided by the mysterious Oberon, he soon finds himself in the Radiant Isles, a magical land populated by legendary creatures and horrifying monsters alike. A war rages between good and evil, and Zeke—along with the rest of humanity—has been recruited onto the front lines.
Fully healed from the wounds of his previous life, Zeke battles his way through an army of trolls and other subterranean beings, all the while increasing his skills, improving his strength, and gaining superhuman abilities. Finding allies in Abby, an archer who teaches him about his strange new circumstances, and Pudge, a helpless cub who’s become soul-bonded to him, Zeke must keep collecting victories if he’s to survive in this merciless world.
In pursuit of his abusive father’s approval, Zeke Blackwood pushed himself to the very pinnacle of his chosen obsession. Since childhood, all he’d ever wanted to do was play baseball, and through hard work, discipline, and no small degree of talent, his goal of reaching the major leagues was finally in sight. But then a horrific car accident ruined his arm, eliminating any hope of a professional baseball career.
Consumed by depression, Zeke gave up on his future, preferring to wallow in self-pity. That is, until an opportunity came along for him to prove his worth. When his chronically ill younger brother needed a kidney, Zeke didn’t hesitate to offer one of his own—only to die on the operating table.
But eons later, after Earth has been ravaged by disasters both natural and man-made, Zeke is reborn. Guided by the mysterious Oberon, he soon finds himself in the Radiant Isles, a magical land populated by legendary creatures and horrifying monsters alike. A war rages between good and evil, and Zeke—along with the rest of humanity—has been recruited onto the front lines.
Fully healed from the wounds of his previous life, Zeke battles his way through an army of trolls and other subterranean beings, all the while increasing his skills, improving his strength, and gaining superhuman abilities. Finding allies in Abby, an archer who teaches him about his strange new circumstances, and Pudge, a helpless cub who’s become soul-bonded to him, Zeke must keep collecting victories if he’s to survive in this merciless world.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2022
434 people are currently reading
258 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 76 reviews
January 13, 2023
I’m not sure, but I think he might have played baseball in high school.
December 16, 2022
it’s like reading a book written by an Alzheimer’s Patient
The sheer amount of over explanations and RE-explanations of the same thing for pages on end had me stopping this book halfway. Not to mention the CONSTANT references to the characters Daddy issues and baseball. The author has a good premise and for the story but manages to focus the writing on repetitive introspection that made reading any further unbearable.
The sheer amount of over explanations and RE-explanations of the same thing for pages on end had me stopping this book halfway. Not to mention the CONSTANT references to the characters Daddy issues and baseball. The author has a good premise and for the story but manages to focus the writing on repetitive introspection that made reading any further unbearable.
January 2, 2023
So very, very whiny.
The MC has serious daddy issues. Which he spends the entire novel telling you about in a profoundly annoying,whining way. The rest of the story is a mediocre to fair isekai litrpg. DNF.
The MC has serious daddy issues. Which he spends the entire novel telling you about in a profoundly annoying,whining way. The rest of the story is a mediocre to fair isekai litrpg. DNF.
July 17, 2023
An okay story
Quite a good LitRPG novel, the main thing that brings it down for me personally is the fact that the protagonist is your typical angry, strong man character so when it comes to the fights being described it's a bit lack luster because there's no strategy, just hitting the enemy as hard as he can.
All in all, it was an okay story.
Quite a good LitRPG novel, the main thing that brings it down for me personally is the fact that the protagonist is your typical angry, strong man character so when it comes to the fights being described it's a bit lack luster because there's no strategy, just hitting the enemy as hard as he can.
All in all, it was an okay story.
January 27, 2023
3.5 stars (rounded down because it was slightly more "average" than "good")
This is a well-written, enjoyable, plot-driven LitRPG adventure. If you like this genre I recommend trying it out, and I will definitely read the next one.
Most of the excitement comes from a sense of wanting to know what comes next. Combat is frequent but not particularly detailed, and there isn't really any tension there (our OP MC is just going to plow through everything). Our characters aren't exactly cardboard, but are fairly one-dimensional. The "system" is pretty soft, and will likely just be used as a plot device... numbers themselves aren't super important, they're more like placeholders and signals to tell us that advancement is happening. In particular we don't have a framework for what to expect could be coming next, so the author can basically make up whatever is necessary for the plot.
I deducted one star due to the monotonous and repetitive melodramatic inner voice of our main character, and the simplistic—almost childish—way that the author connects this inner voice to his actions. I won't get into details, but we are treated to many many words relating to the same themes over and over and over again. At some point I felt like saying something like "we get it, his previous trauma is impacting his actions, let's move on." There's not really any nuance here and it's mostly annoying. This is bad enough that I rounded my 3.5 down to a "star rating" of 3 rather than rounding up to 4.
Another half star deduction is more of a nitpick, but this book is riddled with consistency fails. There aren't any important ones, but there are so many that it becomes a distraction. As a simple example, we're told at some point that "the Framework translates languages" however there is a fight where a spider champion is obviously speaking spider language and it's not being translated. All sorts of things like that happen. I find that this is not completely uncommon in serialized Royal Road stuff... it's like authors write so fast that they don't recall what they've done in the past (or possibly they just need to change the rules as they come up with new plots, who knows).
This is a well-written, enjoyable, plot-driven LitRPG adventure. If you like this genre I recommend trying it out, and I will definitely read the next one.
Most of the excitement comes from a sense of wanting to know what comes next. Combat is frequent but not particularly detailed, and there isn't really any tension there (our OP MC is just going to plow through everything). Our characters aren't exactly cardboard, but are fairly one-dimensional. The "system" is pretty soft, and will likely just be used as a plot device... numbers themselves aren't super important, they're more like placeholders and signals to tell us that advancement is happening. In particular we don't have a framework for what to expect could be coming next, so the author can basically make up whatever is necessary for the plot.
I deducted one star due to the monotonous and repetitive melodramatic inner voice of our main character, and the simplistic—almost childish—way that the author connects this inner voice to his actions. I won't get into details, but we are treated to many many words relating to the same themes over and over and over again. At some point I felt like saying something like "we get it, his previous trauma is impacting his actions, let's move on." There's not really any nuance here and it's mostly annoying. This is bad enough that I rounded my 3.5 down to a "star rating" of 3 rather than rounding up to 4.
Another half star deduction is more of a nitpick, but this book is riddled with consistency fails. There aren't any important ones, but there are so many that it becomes a distraction. As a simple example, we're told at some point that "the Framework translates languages" however there is a fight where a spider champion is obviously speaking spider language and it's not being translated. All sorts of things like that happen. I find that this is not completely uncommon in serialized Royal Road stuff... it's like authors write so fast that they don't recall what they've done in the past (or possibly they just need to change the rules as they come up with new plots, who knows).
February 6, 2023
Good story, but OPMC
I couldn't finish this. Good writing and premise. The main character just gets way too powerful to really interest me in continuing the story. Which is a shame, because I was enjoying it. I don't mind a little plot armor, but OP was carrying battleship sized armor.
SPOILERS: The MC kills thousands of enemies at a higher level than him by basically whaling on them without finesse. I should've stopped there, but I have trouble putting books down when I get into them. The plot sets up what seems to be the main villain who has interesting powers and high level. But not even halfway through the book, the MC kills him and his posse in an anticlimactic battle RIGHT AFTER he had spent hours solo killing thousands of higher level enemies at once while holding his new beast companion in one arm the whole time. Just hard to take the MC seriously when the only reason he's even remotely challenged is when he wades into battle against hundreds or thousands of higher level enemies time and time again. He's a Mary Sue
I couldn't finish this. Good writing and premise. The main character just gets way too powerful to really interest me in continuing the story. Which is a shame, because I was enjoying it. I don't mind a little plot armor, but OP was carrying battleship sized armor.
SPOILERS: The MC kills thousands of enemies at a higher level than him by basically whaling on them without finesse. I should've stopped there, but I have trouble putting books down when I get into them. The plot sets up what seems to be the main villain who has interesting powers and high level. But not even halfway through the book, the MC kills him and his posse in an anticlimactic battle RIGHT AFTER he had spent hours solo killing thousands of higher level enemies at once while holding his new beast companion in one arm the whole time. Just hard to take the MC seriously when the only reason he's even remotely challenged is when he wades into battle against hundreds or thousands of higher level enemies time and time again. He's a Mary Sue
March 31, 2023
I am not sure if the MC ever played baseball or he had an abusive father. Was it ever mentioned??
This novel feels like a kid doing a 1000 word essay by regurgitating the same thing over and over and over and over and over again (not sure if I said half the book is just regurgitated BLAAAAH)
I believe chatgpt might have been involved.
This novel feels like a kid doing a 1000 word essay by regurgitating the same thing over and over and over and over and over again (not sure if I said half the book is just regurgitated BLAAAAH)
I believe chatgpt might have been involved.
July 28, 2023
Great first book
Great beginning for a series. I enjoyed the characters, but I think the focus on his Dad was a bit overdone. I am looking forward to the MC reaching civilization.
Great beginning for a series. I enjoyed the characters, but I think the focus on his Dad was a bit overdone. I am looking forward to the MC reaching civilization.
June 1, 2025
(Spoilers)
This story is an isekai. The protagonist passes away and wakes up in a fantasy world. The story was entertaining but I had a few issues. The introduction was very sad. I had to stop reading and take a break because it was really effecting my mood. But I decided to keep going until it got the isekai part. Because I knew that’s when the story really began.
The protagonists characterisation is annoying at times. They were a baseball player in their former life. So the protagonist makes a bunch of awkward baseball analogies to describe certain situations.
Luckily the author makes it blatant in the latter half of the story that the “references from earth” would begin to slowly go away. Additionally, he regularly contemplates the morality of killing semi sentient monsters. Trolls, goblins, harpies etc. Which in itself isn’t bad because it shows the protagonist is thinking about his actions. But there’s a beauty to be found in simplicity. The monsters are trying to kill you, therefore you kill them in self defence. The monsters also give you experience and possibly achievements which grant you extra stat points. Contemplating the deaths of vicious monsters is a waste of time.
The protagonist also makes a lot of mistakes. Near the beginning of the story, he unlocks the identify skill and finds special mushrooms with the effect of permanently increasing his constitution score by 10 points. He also identifies mana water that permanently increases his wisdom and intelligence scores by 10 as well. He then has the bright idea of consuming both resources at the same time which results in a racial evolution. This led to all his stats skyrocketing and his newfound perception allowed him to finally see the magical auras around him.
Both the mushrooms and mana water glowed. But it was also noted that there was a glowing moss he previously didn’t notice. The fact that the moss was glowing also implied it was magical. But after mentioning this the protagonist leaves the area and never mentions the moss again. This really annoyed me at the time. I was like why didn’t you identify the moss? It could have been another resource to increase your stats. The identify skill was under utilised. An underground forest of giant mushroom trees? Use identify you dummy!
This story is an isekai. The protagonist passes away and wakes up in a fantasy world. The story was entertaining but I had a few issues. The introduction was very sad. I had to stop reading and take a break because it was really effecting my mood. But I decided to keep going until it got the isekai part. Because I knew that’s when the story really began.
The protagonists characterisation is annoying at times. They were a baseball player in their former life. So the protagonist makes a bunch of awkward baseball analogies to describe certain situations.
Luckily the author makes it blatant in the latter half of the story that the “references from earth” would begin to slowly go away. Additionally, he regularly contemplates the morality of killing semi sentient monsters. Trolls, goblins, harpies etc. Which in itself isn’t bad because it shows the protagonist is thinking about his actions. But there’s a beauty to be found in simplicity. The monsters are trying to kill you, therefore you kill them in self defence. The monsters also give you experience and possibly achievements which grant you extra stat points. Contemplating the deaths of vicious monsters is a waste of time.
The protagonist also makes a lot of mistakes. Near the beginning of the story, he unlocks the identify skill and finds special mushrooms with the effect of permanently increasing his constitution score by 10 points. He also identifies mana water that permanently increases his wisdom and intelligence scores by 10 as well. He then has the bright idea of consuming both resources at the same time which results in a racial evolution. This led to all his stats skyrocketing and his newfound perception allowed him to finally see the magical auras around him.
Both the mushrooms and mana water glowed. But it was also noted that there was a glowing moss he previously didn’t notice. The fact that the moss was glowing also implied it was magical. But after mentioning this the protagonist leaves the area and never mentions the moss again. This really annoyed me at the time. I was like why didn’t you identify the moss? It could have been another resource to increase your stats. The identify skill was under utilised. An underground forest of giant mushroom trees? Use identify you dummy!
November 16, 2024
I only managed to finish the first two books, so based on that, I can say:
The author spends a frankly concerning amount of time not only having his protagonists commit four different genocides of possibly or confimed sentient creatures, but spending countless pages justifing the protagonists' actions and receiving rewards for committing the genocides. I purposefully use the term "genocide" because that is literally the term the series uses.
The series also seems to focus on how only a select few of the human population has the motivation to make something out of their life while everyone else is lazy or content to just skate by. While the author does go out of his way to show that hard work is rewarded, he does so in a manner that indicates those who don't work "hard", as he views it, do so out of sloth rather than any external or internal limitations. This philosophy extends to all background characters in at least the first two books where their circumstances are completely their choice, whether they are in poverty, injured, etc.
The author spends a frankly concerning amount of time not only having his protagonists commit four different genocides of possibly or confimed sentient creatures, but spending countless pages justifing the protagonists' actions and receiving rewards for committing the genocides. I purposefully use the term "genocide" because that is literally the term the series uses.
The series also seems to focus on how only a select few of the human population has the motivation to make something out of their life while everyone else is lazy or content to just skate by. While the author does go out of his way to show that hard work is rewarded, he does so in a manner that indicates those who don't work "hard", as he views it, do so out of sloth rather than any external or internal limitations. This philosophy extends to all background characters in at least the first two books where their circumstances are completely their choice, whether they are in poverty, injured, etc.
December 2, 2022
I found this by accident, and I'm glad I did. The book starts slow but only for the first three or four percent of the book.
After that things change in a very bloody way. Zeke died trying to give his brother a kidney transplant. It went fine for the brother, but not so much for Zeke. It's the period on a sad life, but now he has a new opportunity.
Sent by portal to a dungeon, he fights croco-rats because that's exactly what they look like. Zeke starts small and gets injured often but picks up speed after that.
I won't spoil anything after that. This is a bloody, gore filled book filled with death, injuries that should incapacitate but don't, and even more. At times it verges into horror (I thought). Your experience may differ.
Despite that, the book makes no apologies for what it is. There is a very light plot since Zeke can't think beyond killing whatever is in front of him, but it's nominal. The editing is slightly above average, and the stats are consistent as far as I could tell.
I'm definitely going to read book two. 5/5* Recommended
After that things change in a very bloody way. Zeke died trying to give his brother a kidney transplant. It went fine for the brother, but not so much for Zeke. It's the period on a sad life, but now he has a new opportunity.
Sent by portal to a dungeon, he fights croco-rats because that's exactly what they look like. Zeke starts small and gets injured often but picks up speed after that.
I won't spoil anything after that. This is a bloody, gore filled book filled with death, injuries that should incapacitate but don't, and even more. At times it verges into horror (I thought). Your experience may differ.
Despite that, the book makes no apologies for what it is. There is a very light plot since Zeke can't think beyond killing whatever is in front of him, but it's nominal. The editing is slightly above average, and the stats are consistent as far as I could tell.
I'm definitely going to read book two. 5/5* Recommended
December 23, 2022
good first story with a few issues
This is a good first story from this author. I guess the book has been published on Royal Road first maybe that’s why I have some of the issues with it. If it was a serial format, somethings should’ve been changed to make it a book. The first part of the book at least 50% took place in one location. In a dungeon, I thought this part of the book was very slow. The MC should’ve met up with Abby earlier in the book while he was developing his abilities. The MC is likable and so is his friend Abby. The cub is adorable if you like bears. Will read the book a second time while waiting for the next one in the series. Plenty of action, even though there aren’t any health bars or other RPG tropes this is a good book. Only giving it four stars because the first half of the book was a bit slow.
This is a good first story from this author. I guess the book has been published on Royal Road first maybe that’s why I have some of the issues with it. If it was a serial format, somethings should’ve been changed to make it a book. The first part of the book at least 50% took place in one location. In a dungeon, I thought this part of the book was very slow. The MC should’ve met up with Abby earlier in the book while he was developing his abilities. The MC is likable and so is his friend Abby. The cub is adorable if you like bears. Will read the book a second time while waiting for the next one in the series. Plenty of action, even though there aren’t any health bars or other RPG tropes this is a good book. Only giving it four stars because the first half of the book was a bit slow.
April 9, 2023
A gory, gritty, glorious romp
I put this one off for a good while because the cover didn’t appeal to me, but I admit I was wrong. This was a surprisingly good book! Zac…I mean Zeke! ;) was a surprisingly likable MC who freely admits that he isn’t some tactical/strategic genius right from the get go. He manages to win through sheer stubbornness and a very impactful early skill choice. The others perspectives were a good insight into the world as well. Overall this reminds me a fair bit of Defiance of the Fall, in case you missed my reference above. But with more gory description and no real cultivation theme. Also there’s a cute bear cub companion! How can you pass that up?
I put this one off for a good while because the cover didn’t appeal to me, but I admit I was wrong. This was a surprisingly good book! Zac…I mean Zeke! ;) was a surprisingly likable MC who freely admits that he isn’t some tactical/strategic genius right from the get go. He manages to win through sheer stubbornness and a very impactful early skill choice. The others perspectives were a good insight into the world as well. Overall this reminds me a fair bit of Defiance of the Fall, in case you missed my reference above. But with more gory description and no real cultivation theme. Also there’s a cute bear cub companion! How can you pass that up?
May 4, 2023
Overall, I really like this book. I got the audiobook and got to say the narration and the story are great. Towards the end of this book Abby starts to grate on you for belittling Zeke every chance she gets. She really doesn't contribute much to his goals of power leveling and achievement hunting at all cost. She just has him around for the selfish reason of evolving her class. She doesn't care about anything that he is doing and tells him to go back to Beacon a handful of times. The actual story of Zeke through the first half was awesome. The internal monologue after a while gets dark and repetitive but its good. I get the impression though that he is going to take a backseat in future stories just because he really doesn't need any other characters beside perhaps Pudge as his companion.
December 16, 2022
Very fun (I listened to the audible)
I thought this book reminded me of a mix of defiance of the fall(but not quite as deep) and super gene.There is clearly a lot more story here. it makes me want to read ahead instead of waiting on the next audible. I highly recommend it. MC is OPish. he is verrrryyy strong, but it still very early in his development he can do things no one at his level can do. There are people and monsters in his verse much stronger than him but those are only people who have been there much longer.
MC is a Melee damage dealer thru and thru. I do hope he gets some magical abilities soon.
I thought this book reminded me of a mix of defiance of the fall(but not quite as deep) and super gene.There is clearly a lot more story here. it makes me want to read ahead instead of waiting on the next audible. I highly recommend it. MC is OPish. he is verrrryyy strong, but it still very early in his development he can do things no one at his level can do. There are people and monsters in his verse much stronger than him but those are only people who have been there much longer.
MC is a Melee damage dealer thru and thru. I do hope he gets some magical abilities soon.
December 4, 2023
Good, slow burn pace which is nice
Like title said, the only reason i give it 4 stars is for 2 reasons and its not a deal breaker but the MC keeps thinking of the past quite frequently, then came to grips with it and was over it, then again, kinda too much, then there are 2 or 3 chapters that are placed here and there that i honestly skipped with a new character added that is not relevant to the story yet, best time to add those chapters would probably be at the start of the next book when its not in the middle of the story and may confuse people? Other than that a decent read
Like title said, the only reason i give it 4 stars is for 2 reasons and its not a deal breaker but the MC keeps thinking of the past quite frequently, then came to grips with it and was over it, then again, kinda too much, then there are 2 or 3 chapters that are placed here and there that i honestly skipped with a new character added that is not relevant to the story yet, best time to add those chapters would probably be at the start of the next book when its not in the middle of the story and may confuse people? Other than that a decent read
June 3, 2024
Standard isekai LitRPG: Protagonist dies, is reincarnated in a gameified world, with conditions dependent on his reason for dying. Gains OP advantages by dint of pure awesomeness and grit. Leaves starting area to interact with the rest of the world.
But the characters are sympathetic, with personal problems that make sense. And there are actual reasons for the protagonist to gain his ridiculous powers, related to the reason he was chosen for his role.
A few problems with the writing that could have been fixed by better editing, but they weren't too obtrusive.
Recommended for fans of LitRPG.
But the characters are sympathetic, with personal problems that make sense. And there are actual reasons for the protagonist to gain his ridiculous powers, related to the reason he was chosen for his role.
A few problems with the writing that could have been fixed by better editing, but they weren't too obtrusive.
Recommended for fans of LitRPG.
August 27, 2024
Pretty boring overall
- Incredibly slow, unsatisfying and inconsistent progression.
- 1 very annoying main side character
- World/universe-building hints at being interesting, but as of book 6 we've not seen a lot of it.
Progression here is just all over the place. It can take anywhere from months with thousands of kills to a day of grinding to gain a level. At some point it seems like we have 0 progress to then suddenly have our MC open his stat screen and show he's leveled up 3 times.
Early on we get introduced to random plants and food giving stat increases, but that system just seemingly disappears. System rewards pretty much only exist in the first book and are also mostly forgotten after that.
All side characters except for Abby are pretty good, especially Pudge starting from book 5, sadly that's also the start of multi POV which isn't done very well.
- Incredibly slow, unsatisfying and inconsistent progression.
- 1 very annoying main side character
- World/universe-building hints at being interesting, but as of book 6 we've not seen a lot of it.
Progression here is just all over the place. It can take anywhere from months with thousands of kills to a day of grinding to gain a level. At some point it seems like we have 0 progress to then suddenly have our MC open his stat screen and show he's leveled up 3 times.
Early on we get introduced to random plants and food giving stat increases, but that system just seemingly disappears. System rewards pretty much only exist in the first book and are also mostly forgotten after that.
All side characters except for Abby are pretty good, especially Pudge starting from book 5, sadly that's also the start of multi POV which isn't done very well.
December 13, 2022
This is a rough gem.
The setting is awesome. The general idea has a lot of merit. The MC has issues, but given that he is essentially a broken child, his choices all make sense in the big picture. The two side characters, Abbey and Talia, are meh. One is greedy an so makes poor choices, the other is a coward. But since this is plainly all about character growth, it should be fineThis is very much a lite litrpg, despite the stats there is no crunch to the writing. Still a fun read with a lot of potential.
The setting is awesome. The general idea has a lot of merit. The MC has issues, but given that he is essentially a broken child, his choices all make sense in the big picture. The two side characters, Abbey and Talia, are meh. One is greedy an so makes poor choices, the other is a coward. But since this is plainly all about character growth, it should be fineThis is very much a lite litrpg, despite the stats there is no crunch to the writing. Still a fun read with a lot of potential.
January 25, 2023
Ha fun new series
I thoroughly enjoyed this book kind of upset that it was over periods and now I gotta wait. Another series Featuring born again Killing machine. The MC is born again and left basically in the middle of a dungeon. With no instructions no help. Trial by fire. Learn by pain. He becomes brutal efficient and extremely powerful. What is limited social interaction he starts interacting with the 1stPerson he finds That is not trying to kill him. I'm sure there is some romance inbound but nothing in this book. looking forward to the next book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book kind of upset that it was over periods and now I gotta wait. Another series Featuring born again Killing machine. The MC is born again and left basically in the middle of a dungeon. With no instructions no help. Trial by fire. Learn by pain. He becomes brutal efficient and extremely powerful. What is limited social interaction he starts interacting with the 1stPerson he finds That is not trying to kill him. I'm sure there is some romance inbound but nothing in this book. looking forward to the next book.
January 29, 2023
Lovely Read
Great story that had me reading it in one go. There were little to no boring scenes, always some action, and the protagonist feels like that hack-and-slay Diablo game barbarian.
I quite like the fact that the protagonist is going for a mace as his main weapon - cuz it's so rare to see somehting else than a sword, spear, or bow.
The only complaint I have is about the leveling progress. I know that his high amount of stats and so on slows it down, but c'mon... give me some candy!
Great story that had me reading it in one go. There were little to no boring scenes, always some action, and the protagonist feels like that hack-and-slay Diablo game barbarian.
I quite like the fact that the protagonist is going for a mace as his main weapon - cuz it's so rare to see somehting else than a sword, spear, or bow.
The only complaint I have is about the leveling progress. I know that his high amount of stats and so on slows it down, but c'mon... give me some candy!
March 26, 2023
Good At Times
This wasn't a bad book, leaning towards fair to good. The good; interesting story, likable characters, no cursing, and decent amount of excitement. Loved Pudge! The not so good; constant repeating of past events, same thoughts over and over, long drawn out fight events, tedious coverage of useless information, and way, way, to many references to baseball. MC is very overpowered, fairly stupid, not exactly "a stereotypical dumb jock" but close. On a positive note, he is likeable. I will read the second in the series to see where this goes.
This wasn't a bad book, leaning towards fair to good. The good; interesting story, likable characters, no cursing, and decent amount of excitement. Loved Pudge! The not so good; constant repeating of past events, same thoughts over and over, long drawn out fight events, tedious coverage of useless information, and way, way, to many references to baseball. MC is very overpowered, fairly stupid, not exactly "a stereotypical dumb jock" but close. On a positive note, he is likeable. I will read the second in the series to see where this goes.
May 2, 2023
I have read up to book 2.
Both books are very wordy. Book 1 was a very enjoyable read. There was constant progression, and it mostly focused on Zeke, the MC. Book 2 however, stalled all progression until the very end, and even that was extremely tiny compared to Book 1. I enjoy reading litrpg and other progression types because of the steady growth of power. When the growth is paused for the length of a very long Book, I get bored.
The books are fine, and I am curious what comes next for them, but I just can't seem to care enough to continue on. I suppose it's a personal opinion.
Both books are very wordy. Book 1 was a very enjoyable read. There was constant progression, and it mostly focused on Zeke, the MC. Book 2 however, stalled all progression until the very end, and even that was extremely tiny compared to Book 1. I enjoy reading litrpg and other progression types because of the steady growth of power. When the growth is paused for the length of a very long Book, I get bored.
The books are fine, and I am curious what comes next for them, but I just can't seem to care enough to continue on. I suppose it's a personal opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2023
Help me read more books
This is a very well done first in series. There's tons of world building, (though no actual building sadly enough), and lots of interesting things to see in this first book in the series. I really liked this one so far. I did grab the audio version, during a 2 for 1 sale, so it's possible without the narration, it won't be the same experience, but I'm about to find out, since I've already picked up book two, and I'm off to read it now. This is a great story, and I think most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one.
This is a very well done first in series. There's tons of world building, (though no actual building sadly enough), and lots of interesting things to see in this first book in the series. I really liked this one so far. I did grab the audio version, during a 2 for 1 sale, so it's possible without the narration, it won't be the same experience, but I'm about to find out, since I've already picked up book two, and I'm off to read it now. This is a great story, and I think most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one.
June 1, 2024
4.2 in enjoyment
There was a lot I liked about the book especially in the first half. But by the time the story opens up, I missed the way it was before. I myself am a loner so I didn't much like Zeke having to share or deal with others. Other than that the only other annoy thing is that he thinks back about his past often. I get it but it still bothers me. I'm sure that will be gone a few books in and I'm assuming he'll meet his father. Otherwise all this talk about him is really useless and annoying. I liked the book and will continue though.
There was a lot I liked about the book especially in the first half. But by the time the story opens up, I missed the way it was before. I myself am a loner so I didn't much like Zeke having to share or deal with others. Other than that the only other annoy thing is that he thinks back about his past often. I get it but it still bothers me. I'm sure that will be gone a few books in and I'm assuming he'll meet his father. Otherwise all this talk about him is really useless and annoying. I liked the book and will continue though.
December 12, 2024
Gloriously Dark And Bloody LitRPG
Death: Genesis #1 is a gritty, action-packed, darkly entertaining LitRPG tale that takes the best of the genre’s number-crunching growth and combines it with a grimdark-esque level of gore and darkness with its core centered on a man just trying to do the right thing… if doing the right thing also included massacring an untold number of monsters.
It was a wonderfully entertaining story that had me wincing with every blow our protagonist took, as well as cheering at his every victory. I highly recommend giving this book a read!
Death: Genesis #1 is a gritty, action-packed, darkly entertaining LitRPG tale that takes the best of the genre’s number-crunching growth and combines it with a grimdark-esque level of gore and darkness with its core centered on a man just trying to do the right thing… if doing the right thing also included massacring an untold number of monsters.
It was a wonderfully entertaining story that had me wincing with every blow our protagonist took, as well as cheering at his every victory. I highly recommend giving this book a read!
December 28, 2022
Book one
This book was a lot of fun. Only real problem I had was how often information was repeated.
Also the chapters with the second female seemed unneeded, unless it's just introducing her before book two.
Overall it's a good read with only a couple of mistakes like, when he first got his hut he said that it came with two chairs, later he said he needed chairs for the hut.
8/10 look forward to book two of this overpowered MC.
This book was a lot of fun. Only real problem I had was how often information was repeated.
Also the chapters with the second female seemed unneeded, unless it's just introducing her before book two.
Overall it's a good read with only a couple of mistakes like, when he first got his hut he said that it came with two chairs, later he said he needed chairs for the hut.
8/10 look forward to book two of this overpowered MC.
April 15, 2023
KU Review
The backstory is kind of tragic and heartbreaking which influences the MC throughout. His introduction into the new world is almost as tragic. Interested to see how this plays out and shapes his humanity moving forward.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
The backstory is kind of tragic and heartbreaking which influences the MC throughout. His introduction into the new world is almost as tragic. Interested to see how this plays out and shapes his humanity moving forward.
General disclaimer: I want to be clear in that I do not factor cost into any review and as such, this is simply a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
February 11, 2024
The cover while cool looking made me think this would be more comic book like than it turned out to be.....once I finally got around to reading it I found I really liked it, Zeke is a great character and Pudge is fantastic. I finished book one while waiting on my Girlfriend who was shopping at the mall....I ended up asking to use the guest Wi Fi at the AT&T store so I could download book two right away rather than wait long enough to get home, good fun read
Later Days
Later Days
April 30, 2024
This was the first Lit RPG I've read that I didn't love. In fact, I didn't really even like it that much. I found myself daydreaming and then having to go back only to daydream some more. I don't know why the whole baseball overkill turned me off so much, but it did. Not to mention that the fights were somehow seemingly campfire stories told in the third person while the reader is robbed of hard earned level progression. I'm sad that I won't be continuing this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews