LitRPG_Podcast_259.mp3

LitRPG Podcast 259 - Underworld - Scorching Sun, Age of Ancients, World Tree Online 4th Dive, Salvos : Vol. 1 Feb. 19th, 2021 Hello everyone, welcome to episode 259 of the LitRPG podcast. I'm Ramon Mejia. I'm here to bring you the latest LitRPG news, reviews, and author interviews. We have 6 new reviews just for you. For the full show notes visit us at: https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-podcast-259 New Releases and Reviews: Underworld - Scorching Sun: A LitRPG Series (12:56) Great moments Score: 7.8 out of 10 https://amzn.to/37dZrMp Age of Ancients : A GameLit/LitRPG Series (Shattered Kingdoms Book 1) (18:50) Good action Score: 7.4 out of 10 https://amzn.to/3rIEwcd World Tree Online: The Order of Epic Grinders: 4th Dive (23:19) Plots a little weak, but fun to return to characters I like Score: 7.2 out of 10 https://amzn.to/3jAOZ6K Salvos : Vol. 1, Curious Beginnings (A Monster Evolution LitRPG/Gamelit Story) (27:26) Fantasy Monster MC Score: 7.8 out of 10 https://amzn.to/2ZkuFNx Ian's (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week (30:29) (Pic 0) A segment from Ian Mitchell, a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. He was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer. (Pic 6) Apocalypse: Generic System Fun for the win. Score: 9.4 out of 10 https://amzn.to/3ax2D8a Death's Favorite Warlock Murder and Milkshakes Score: 8.5 out of 10 https://amzn.to/3bvyQvV (Play Music 2) LitRPG News Tao Wong is expanding the places you can find his stories. This now includes the online webcomic site Tapas, which now has the comic version of Tao's 'A Healer's Gift' story. https://tapas.io/series/a-healers-gift/info Tao Wong, author of the System Apocalypse LitRPG series, has started a kickstarter campaign to produce print runs of a separate comic story set in the same universe. Rewards for backers: digital comics, physical prints of comic, audiobooks, even a conversation with Tao himself. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1291219509/the-system-apocalypse-a-post-apocalyptic-litrpg-comic Out Now! The Motors of Keldora: An Automation Crafting LitRPG Adventure (Factory of the Gods Book 3) https://amzn.to/3rqVRag Challenges of a Scribe: A LitRPG Duology: Book Two https://amzn.to/3jZOqng Rule of Cool: A LitRPG Novel https://amzn.to/3rvhl5N Dungeon Duel: A litRPG Adventure (The Rogue Dungeon Book 5) https://amzn.to/3taCfbi Dagger of Doom: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 5) https://amzn.to/2VDRmuv Path of Spirit (Disgardium Book #6): LitRPG Series https://amzn.to/37B8pTn A Hard Truth and An Unwise Decision: Boneknight Series Book 3 (A Dark Fantasy LitRPG) (Bone Knight) https://amzn.to/2LgT5UH Cat Core: A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure https://amzn.to/3pyLYVN Library of Daemonium: A GameLit/LitRPG Portal Fantasy Adventure (The Abduction Cycles Book 2) https://amzn.to/3doCObZ Real-Time Starcommander 2: Ground Assault: A Strategy Gamelit Novel https://amzn.to/3bcf4VK Cowboy Necromancer: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG Adventure https://amzn.to/3axRqnF Hellbound (Saga Online #2) - A Fantasy LitRPG https://amzn.to/3dsHpKm New LitRPG Audiobooks The Emissary Bard - World of Chains Book 3 https://amzn.to/2ZxhOI5 The Nightmare Game System - A LitRPG Horror https://amzn.to/2Nc3yC8 Rule of Cool - A LitRPG Novel https://amzn.to/3uf7thV Land of the Enemy - Dragon Heart Book 8 https://amzn.to/37s07hu The Tournament - Vampire Sorcerer Book 2 https://amzn.to/2OM8VYR Aether's Guard - Aether's Revival Book 2 https://amzn.to/3amCt82 Adventures of a Scribe https://amzn.to/3tYmp3Z Delvers LLC: Golden Handcuffs https://amzn.to/3df1HGX Daily Jobs, Coffee and an Awfully Big Adventure The System Apocalypse Short Story https://amzn.to/3jPGO6P Hellbound: Saga Online #2 - A LitRPG Series https://amzn.to/3rTstsz The Dungeon Slayer - The Dungeon Slayer, Book 1 https://amzn.to/2NvDuBm Holy War - Disgardium Book 5 https://amzn.to/3rURyDK Card Mage - Silent Society https://amzn.to/3aZ0Ozy Dungeon Guild - A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure (Glendaria Awakens Trilogy Book 3) https://amzn.to/3b9MLHJ The Otherworld: Underdog Series Book 4 https://amzn.to/3qlfMq5 Isr Kale's Journal: The Alchemist Book 4 https://amzn.to/3s70gyB Upcoming LitRPG: A Snake's Rise (A Snake's Life Book 3) (Feb. 23rd, 2021) https://amzn.to/2MBtzKD The Dungeon Fairy: Three Lives: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 3) (Feb. 24th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2ZrtlbX Eat, Slay, Love (The Good Guys Book 10) (Feb. 25th, 2021) https://amzn.to/36KaXza Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book V (Feb 26th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2NFY1mX Dungeon of the Old Gods: A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG (Pandemonium - The Dark Lords - A Dark Dungeon Realm LitRPG Series) (Feb. 27th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3rphS8M Pangea Online 3: Vials and Tribulations (Feb. 28th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3bivn3p Beginner Quest: A LitRPG Cultivation Series (Towers & Rifts Book 1) (March 2nd, 2021) https://amzn.to/2MiEJDW Legacy Systems: Shamanic Rites (March 5th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3bgVmIF Dungeon Core Apocalypse (A LitRPG Series) (March 5th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3ubzCXh He Who Fights with Monsters: A LitRPG Adventure (March 9th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2M3B0Kh Battle for the North (Rogue Merchant Book #4): LitRPG Series (March 9th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3pXJ2Ta The Font of Life: A Mecha LitRPG Adventure (Overdrive Book 3) (March 16th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2JYMptX Lucky Slots (A Litrpg/Gamelit Fantasy Adventure) (March 19th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3q86WM5 Cause for War (Reality Benders Book #7): LitRPG Series (March 19th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2MGeqaq Sovereign's Choice (The Gods' Game, Volume V): A LitRPG novel (March 31st, 2021) https://amzn.to/3s5Ag7D The Fourth Secret: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (Divine Apostasy Book 4) (March 31st, 2021) https://amzn.to/3bltQeL Visceral: A GameLit Fantasy Adventure (Nullifier Book 2) (April 2nd, 2021) https://amzn.to/2YwXW7e The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 3 (April 2nd, 2021) https://amzn.to/36rZbcm Nullform (Book #1): RealRPG Series (April 5th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3ouDBdz City of the Undead (In the System Book #2): LitRPG Series (April 12th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3aiMFgr Volper (Alpha Rome Book 1): LitRPG Series (April 12th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3atfGpC Killing Them Awfully: A LitRPG/GameLit Adventure (The Good Guys Book 11) (April 15th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3ay1YTW The Devil Archetype (Rogue Merchant Book #5): LitRPG Series (April 20th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2Nd3faa Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story (April 22nd, 2021) https://amzn.to/36n3SnR The Guild Core 3: War Torn (A Dungeon Adventure) (April 30th , 2021) The Path of the Strongest Mortal: A LitRPG Wuxia Series (The Heavenly Throne Book 5) (May 4th, 2021) https://amzn.to/37uRQsW Manufacturing Magic: An Epic LitRPG Series (Jeff the Game Master Book 1) (May 4th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3azHc54 Sands of Blood and Bone: A LitRPG Adventure (Defying Divinity Book 2) (May 6th, 2021) https://amzn.to/3saFyhc The Guns of Keldora: A Crafting Automation LitRPG Adventure (Factory of the Gods Book 4) (May 10th, 2021) https://amzn.to/37rRm6O The Rebel (Project Stellar Book 4): LitRPG Series (May 10th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2YSpJ25 Iaxiabor's Revenge: A LitRPG Adventure (Beta Tester Book 6) (May 11th, 2021) https://amzn.to/39PxBbd Lords of the Ruins (The Range Book #2): LitRPG Series (May 14th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2YZmTsx The Demonic Games (Disgardium Book #7): LitRPG Series (May 18th, 2021) https://amzn.to/2O9AWcL The Guardian of the Dead (An NPC's Path Book #4): LitRPG Series (May 20th, 2021) https://amzn.to/36GKl1W The Dungeon Leader: A LitRPG Level-up Adventure (The Dungeon Slayer Series Book 3) (May 31st, 2021) https://amzn.to/2NZlOym Onto New Releases and Reviews (Play Music 3) New Releases and Reviews (Picture 1) Underworld - Scorching Sun: A LitRPG Series Passing through the Vampire Gate, Elorion enters the true heart of the Underworld for the first time. The sooner he completes his mission, the sooner he and the girls can return home. The task is impossible at his current level, so he follows the lich down the only viable path. A path laden with bodies and blood. My Opinion: 358 pages, $5.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited A good chunk of the story is the kind of slice of life push into the vampire world to become a Trueblood via competing in a tournament fighting. So there's lots of good fights and a good world building there. But that aspect wasn't particularly surprising since the MC had to reach that goal to fulfill a major quest he'd been given. So the outcome wasn't really in question but it was entertaining to see how the MC reached his goal. But there were some great scenes and moments. There were some great moments. The sacrifice of the character's humanity, to a degree, to blend in as a vampire. The exploration of a group that had been portrayed as totally evil and the fallacy of absolutes. The social temptation to stay with the beast vampires. The abject horror of mass murder. There were some great emotional moments. Overall, the story was really good with nice RPG power progression, an exploration of a vampire culture, and some advancement of a questline. Though parts of it were a little predictable, great moments elevated the story. Score: 7.8 out of 10 Underworld - Scorching Sun: A LitRPG Series https://amzn.to/37dZrMp Age of Ancients : A GameLit/LitRPG Series (Shattered Kingdoms Book 1) Dabu's life has been far from easy. Born with a crippling lung illness, he has never been as strong as his father or brother, both of whom have disappeared after attempting to challenge the Trials of Ancients. In the wake of the Tyrant King's war, his village has come under the control of the Purus, a vicious gang of magically enhanced cutthroats and murderers. The Trials offer the promise of power to any who can clear them, but Dabu has been forbidden from entering. After a violent encounter leaves his family in danger, Dabu faces a difficult decision — either leave the village to challenge the Trials or stay and risk starvation. The Trials are monstrously difficult, filled with dangerous beasts, deadly obstacles, and tribes of challengers who control the areas within. But if he can make it out alive, Dabu will gain the power he needs to finally drive the Purus from his home. This book contains GameLit elements, such as stat sheets, a form of leveling, and experience gain. This is a standalone series. No prior reading is necessary. My Opinion: 334 pages, $3.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited A nice opening book for a new LitRPG series. It follows a familiar pattern of a loser teen who gets a little luck but though much sacrifice and motivation goes on a kind of dungeon crawl to become powerful enough to go up against his tormentors and problem makers. The RPG stuff was consistent with a decent mix of interesting powers. The time jumps were a little annoying in that they pushed the MC to new power levels without the reader seeing him earn it, but it was a minor thing. The mix of magic and chi was enough to keep that aspect of the game mechanics interesting. Plenty of crunch here without too many notifications to bog down the story. The end was a little predictable, but overall the story had good action, a good bit of world building, and a nice setup for future storylines. Score: 7.4 out of 10 Age of Ancients : A GameLit/LitRPG Series (Shattered Kingdoms Book 1) https://amzn.to/3rIEwcd World Tree Online: The Order of Epic Grinders: 4th Dive It just never gets any easier, or at least, not in Bye-bye Jacko's world. After striking a bargain with Epic, the stakes have never been higher. If Bye-bye wins, Epic promised to put the defeated players back to rights in the real world. If Epic wins, things will get so much worse. And Epic really wants to win this one. To win, the rogue A.I. will strike at the first Citizens Bye-bye ever helped. It's the Undead Apocalypse and Hurlig Ridge is right in the path of destruction. Failure this time could have more consequences than even Bye-bye can imagine. My Opinion: 627 pages, $4.99, Available On Kindle Unlimited A pretty slice of life entry into the series. I enjoyed returning to this story world and the banter and action from characters I like continues to exist. In addition there's a good section in the middle that has added town building. Bye-bye also gets a new class upgrade which was pretty cool. The plot was a little weak, so it definitely leans more towards general slice of life adventuring, with the exception of the very very end. I could have also used fewer notifications, spell descriptions, and ability descriptions so early in the story. The abilities were fairly well established and there were so many all at once that it broke up the text a little too much. Overall, it's a good story if you're a fan of the series though the plot development left a little something to be desired. Score: 7.2 out of 10 World Tree Online: The Order of Epic Grinders: 4th Dive https://amzn.to/3jAOZ6K Salvos : Vol. 1, Curious Beginnings (A Monster Evolution LitRPG/Gamelit Story) The Netherworld: it is a hellish landscape inhabited only by Demons, creatures born from the dark abyss. It is also the only world Salvos knows. Joining the ranks of newborn demons, Salvos is thrown into the violent, anarchy-ruled landscape of that world. To survive, she will have to learn, she will have to adapt, and she will have to evolve. She will gain experience to reach new Levels of power. Her curiosity aids her but her pride could be her fall. It is the nature of the Netherworld to avoid or conquer any threats faced— after all, the law of evolution is survival of the fittest, and Salvos is a survivor. And perhaps, eventually, she will leave this world behind for a better place. But… is that what Salvos even wants? My Opinion: 373 pages, $3.99, Not Available On Kindle Unlimited A LitRPG serial that first appeared on RR with a monster main character (MC), who is an evolving demon, that eventually comes to the mortal plain against her will. She has to fight, learn about quirky humans, and evolve her fire powers while she tries to find a way back to the Nether realm. There's lots of fighting, with the first quarter or so of the story a straight monster evolution story. The RPG stuff is fairly consistent and there's an interesting evolution of the MCs fire based powers and a good motivation for all the leveling done once the MC is on the mortal plane. The comradery between the people the MC eventually groups with is reasonable and laced with natural seeming biases that gave a little depth to the world building and characters. Overall, it's a really good story with good RPG stuff, good action, and pacing that kept me turning pages looking forward to reading about what happened next. Score: 7.8 out of 10 Salvos : Vol. 1, Curious Beginnings (A Monster Evolution LitRPG/Gamelit Story) https://amzn.to/2ZkuFNx Ian's (Eye-Ann) Picks of the Week (Pic 0) Contributor Ian Mitchell, a long time LitRPG community member who reads and reviews as much as me. was nice enough to agree to join the LitRPG Podcast family as a new reviewer. (Pic 6) Apocalypse: Generic System by Macronomicon Fun for the win. In case anyone was curious about my ratings. I live fun books, epic over the top stuff, epic fails, the party running like heck after hearing a *click* followed shortly by "Oops". Dumb jokes, plucky heroes that get curb stomped that get back up for more. This one drew in all sorts of stuff I like, the hero obviously read Dresden files, some anime references, a system apocalypse setup gamifying things, and lots of explosions and gore. Great fun. I had a blast. Score: 9.4 out of 10 Apocalypse: Generic System https://amzn.to/3ax2D8a Death's Favorite Warlock by Charles Dean Murder and Milkshakes This isn't a colorful world. Funny in places, disturbing in others. A strange mashup where the MC has RPG progression in a world of beastkin cultivators. There's a lot of mysteries in play and Charles Dean gives out glimpses here and there of them. His companion in his head Ophelia has been asking him to kill people since he was a young child. There were some great battles and the world does have the cultivation elements and feeling. I enjoyed the quick read that wasn't too heavy or too light. I look forward to the next one. I hope it has more color and some explosions. Definitely some gore and reminds me of that shadow the hedgehog game I wouldn't let my kids play and Catharsis - one of my favorite LitRPG books. Score: 8.5 out of 10 Death's Favorite Warlock https://amzn.to/3bvyQvV That's it everyone! Thank you for watching/listening. You can follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0rbgdut7cghvVBy572lG6o Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/LitRPG-Podcast-Podcast/B08JJPS6S5 Other LitRPG facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/541733016223492/ If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support Thanks for hanging out with me today. Until we can hangout again, remember to go read some LitRPG! (Music 4) Music Credits "Blip Stream" "Mighty Like Us" "Big Shift" "Vivacity" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/