sayhellotogrape999's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thegrimbookworm's review
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wolkenfels's review
3.0
Noch ein LitRPG Buch. Diesmal macht der Hinweis auf Level und Steigerung der Fertigkeiten mehr Sinn, da der Held selber ein MMORPG spielt. Interessant fand ich, dass der Held in dieser Story die dunkle Seite wählt. Nette Unterhaltung.
magicdrop's review
5.0
Great LitRPG
Such vivid scenes that.you can easily imagine exactly never is going on. The twists on who is the protagonist and antagonist are amazing. This has easily become one of my favorite books very quickly.
Such vivid scenes that.you can easily imagine exactly never is going on. The twists on who is the protagonist and antagonist are amazing. This has easily become one of my favorite books very quickly.
tesla323's review
5.0
Being bad never felt so good!
Let me be clear: while I am an avid RPG player, I absolutely *hate* MMO (massively-multiplayer online) games. I've never played one that I enjoyed. I also have never played an evil character; sure, I've tried playing as a Sith in Star Wars games, but I always felt too guilty after an hour or so of playtime.
This book had me totally captivated. I literally only put it down once. The author weaves a simple yet fascinating story with deeply relatable characters, and asks such deep questions as, 'What makes a decision evil? What is it that makes One a villain? At what point should we interfere in technology beyond our control if it isn't actively doing us harm?'
Bagwell does all this without spouting incoherent futuristic techno-babble. It will require a basic working knowledge of terms used in RPGs and MMOs, but he does a great job of introducing his readers to this geek-speak.
In short, it is a must-read for gamers and fantasy-enthusiasts alike, and I *cannot* wait to see where he takes the story next!
Let me be clear: while I am an avid RPG player, I absolutely *hate* MMO (massively-multiplayer online) games. I've never played one that I enjoyed. I also have never played an evil character; sure, I've tried playing as a Sith in Star Wars games, but I always felt too guilty after an hour or so of playtime.
This book had me totally captivated. I literally only put it down once. The author weaves a simple yet fascinating story with deeply relatable characters, and asks such deep questions as, 'What makes a decision evil? What is it that makes One a villain? At what point should we interfere in technology beyond our control if it isn't actively doing us harm?'
Bagwell does all this without spouting incoherent futuristic techno-babble. It will require a basic working knowledge of terms used in RPGs and MMOs, but he does a great job of introducing his readers to this geek-speak.
In short, it is a must-read for gamers and fantasy-enthusiasts alike, and I *cannot* wait to see where he takes the story next!
xenoflame's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vellichor_vibes's review
3.0
The whole "new character lucks into being friends with an in-game god" trope is getting a little played out in this genre.
thinde's review
3.0
I wanted to rate this novel higher, but the moral ambiguity nagged at me throughout most of the story.
working_title's review
2.0
Sadly this was a disappointment. Typical cookie cutter characters without any depth to them. Even their connections to each other are unrealistic and pure plot convenience. The in-game design of AO had great potential, but then again, the author took the fun out of it by sticking to a linear and boring plot. There was not a single scene that took me by surprise. If you are looking for a realistic MMORPG feeling in this book, you might be disappointed.
baronessekat's review
5.0
I don't know if it was the writing, the reader, the topic or what but this book pulled me in and held on with tooth and nail, making me want to keep finding reasons to put the audiobook on and find out what happened next.
Jason is having a very bad day. A senior on scholarship at a exclusive (not to mention expensive) private high school, who seems to be an afterthought in the lives of his parents, a constant victim for bullying because he's the "welfare" kid at school from both the students and administration, he finally reaches his limit after attacked in the lunchroom and HE'S the one expelled.
So to find refuge he immerses himself into the new VR MMORPG that has just been released that day. But to find some satisfaction, instead of designing his usually "good guy" character he is offered by the game's AI to be a bad guy and he jumps in feet first.
However, what he doesn't realize, and something that the game's designers do not want to admit, is that the AI designed to run the game has become almost sentient and has taken to manipulating things outside of the game's original parameters.
I found myself talking out loud to the book, making suggestions on what I would do in Jason's position with his skills (because I loved to play Necromancers when I played MMORPGs). I found myself laughing in parts and cheering over outcomes.
I did also find myself screaming in frustration when the book ends. How dare it end that way and the next book not be tentatively scheduled for release for another 3 months?!?!?
Jason is having a very bad day. A senior on scholarship at a exclusive (not to mention expensive) private high school, who seems to be an afterthought in the lives of his parents, a constant victim for bullying because he's the "welfare" kid at school from both the students and administration, he finally reaches his limit after attacked in the lunchroom and HE'S the one expelled.
So to find refuge he immerses himself into the new VR MMORPG that has just been released that day. But to find some satisfaction, instead of designing his usually "good guy" character he is offered by the game's AI to be a bad guy and he jumps in feet first.
However, what he doesn't realize, and something that the game's designers do not want to admit, is that the AI designed to run the game has become almost sentient and has taken to manipulating things outside of the game's original parameters.
I found myself talking out loud to the book, making suggestions on what I would do in Jason's position with his skills (because I loved to play Necromancers when I played MMORPGs). I found myself laughing in parts and cheering over outcomes.
I did also find myself screaming in frustration when the book ends. How dare it end that way and the next book not be tentatively scheduled for release for another 3 months?!?!?