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MegaTokyo: Endgames #1
The Tower of Kartage
Imperial life is quite the culture shock when coming from a backwater farming community, but when Pirogoeth's magical talents catch the attention of one of the world's most powerful mages, she is sent off to the city and keep in Kartage to refine her talents. Under the tutelage of Socrato, Pirogoeth goes from village outcast to promising apprentice within one of the most advanced cities on the continent. Making friends, learning and shaping new powers, discovering a wider world, Pirogoeth's life becomes a flurry of activity... almost enough to make her forget about the dread shadows off in the distance.
- GenresFantasy
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2014
6 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 24, 2020
I enjoyed the world being built in this story. The protagonist had a good amount of character, and maybe even some character growth. The plot was fun.
That said, the book didn't stand strong on its own. The ending was weak and abrupt and I wasn't sure what the book was 'about' at this point. There were a lot of plot elements mentioned that didn't get wrapped up and didn't seem ultimately important to the story.
In addition, the quirky characters and fun world could have been helped along by a better editor. There were a couple word errors/omissions but mainly I found the formatting confusing, as it did not fit with regular novel standards (e.g. when a person was speaking for multiple paragraphs, it was missing additional quote marks, so it was hard to follow when their monologue ended). Some of the longer dialog (like that you would NOT find in a comic) was cringe-worthy.
So if you are a fan of Megatokyo, you'll probably enjoy this book. For anybody else, I can't quite recommend it, because it doesn't stand strong on its own. It is a cute short little fantasy novel, a little tongue-in-cheek, so if you happened upon it randomly, you might give it a try anyway.
That said, the book didn't stand strong on its own. The ending was weak and abrupt and I wasn't sure what the book was 'about' at this point. There were a lot of plot elements mentioned that didn't get wrapped up and didn't seem ultimately important to the story.
In addition, the quirky characters and fun world could have been helped along by a better editor. There were a couple word errors/omissions but mainly I found the formatting confusing, as it did not fit with regular novel standards (e.g. when a person was speaking for multiple paragraphs, it was missing additional quote marks, so it was hard to follow when their monologue ended). Some of the longer dialog (like that you would NOT find in a comic) was cringe-worthy.
So if you are a fan of Megatokyo, you'll probably enjoy this book. For anybody else, I can't quite recommend it, because it doesn't stand strong on its own. It is a cute short little fantasy novel, a little tongue-in-cheek, so if you happened upon it randomly, you might give it a try anyway.
October 29, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this series. I've been a long-time fan of MegaToyko, and so I was really excited to dive in and engage with the world.
This is actually a re-read as I couldn't really remember what the series was about, but diving back in felt really marvelous. This is certainly a solid start to the Endgames world, written rather well by Thomas Knapp. It's a shame his tenure as writer has come to an end recently alongside the final (6th) book in this series: I really like how he molded this world.
I think that if you're a fan of MegaTokyo and would like to see a fantasy version of the characters that is written quite well, then jump on this series. Pirogoeth will certainly charm you as you work your way through the first book and see her grow.
This is actually a re-read as I couldn't really remember what the series was about, but diving back in felt really marvelous. This is certainly a solid start to the Endgames world, written rather well by Thomas Knapp. It's a shame his tenure as writer has come to an end recently alongside the final (6th) book in this series: I really like how he molded this world.
I think that if you're a fan of MegaTokyo and would like to see a fantasy version of the characters that is written quite well, then jump on this series. Pirogoeth will certainly charm you as you work your way through the first book and see her grow.
October 24, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, being a big fan of MegaTokyo. Then I started reading, and it seemed clunky and awkward, almost like a creative writing assignment than a published novel.
However, soon enough either I adjusted to the style of writing or the author got into his groove, because I began to really enjoy it.
It's not a seminal piece of literature, nor a paragon of the writers arts, but it is has a charm, and an interesting story to tell.
I'll be getting book 2 shortly!
However, soon enough either I adjusted to the style of writing or the author got into his groove, because I began to really enjoy it.
It's not a seminal piece of literature, nor a paragon of the writers arts, but it is has a charm, and an interesting story to tell.
I'll be getting book 2 shortly!
November 15, 2014
So, for those of you that aren’t aware, Megatokyo is a webcomic/manga (depends on who you ask) that follows the adventures of Piro and Largo when they get stuck in Japan with no money to return (I swear, I’m not making that up). It was one of the first ‘big’ webcomics and it has since, for the most part, fallen in to obscurity. This is most likely due to the Artist/Writer, Fred Gallagher, updating at a glacial pace. I still strongly recommend the webcomic. The art is fantastic and the world he is working on in it is a lot of fun to visit – there are very few places that have zombie godzilla, magical girls, origami ninjas, and others all co-existing.
One of the key elements of the backstory, however, is the mystery of what happened in Endgames – an MMO that Fred has made up for his world. It is the WoW of the Megatokyo world and an event caused the entire game to shutdown. Piro, one of the main characters, and his character, Pirogoeth, were involved somehow in stopping it. So was Largo’s character. It has been hinted at and examined a few times, but we’ve never really gotten in to the nitty-gritty of the event.
The Endgames novels, however, are beginning to crack that nut.
Even if I were not familiar with the Megatokyo universe, I would still have enjoyed the story. The Tower of Kartage focuses on Pirogoeth – a young magic user from the Free Territories. She has been brought under the tutelage of Socrato ; a powerful magic user in his own right so that she can learn how to better harness her abilities. Through the course of the novel, we get to see Pirogoeth struggle with mastering her abilities as well as the flaws inherent in the system of government of the Endgames world.
At the same time, far out to sea (so far at least), the Void is creeping slowly towards the kingdom.Through the novel we learn that Socrato sees something in Pirogoeth that he believes will be able to help stop the Void from continuing forward and engulfing the world forever. We’re never really told what the Void is or why it is there, but we do know that, somehow, Pirogoeth is supposed to be helpful in stopping it.
Pirogoeth is…not the most likable protagonist I’ve ever read. She is extremely cold and she has social issues. She doesn’t react to things very well and, at times, can be downright mean. She has very little attachment to any of the other characters, and what little attachment she shows feels a bit forced. This is consistent with the way she is portrayed in the comic on which the Tower of Kartage is based, but it’s a difficult thing to become at all attached to or invested in her. She’s not fully developed and she does little to encourage a reader to come close.
I did like Socrato, for what we saw of him. He reminds me a lot of the Monitor from DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths; he is immensely powerful and is trying to find a way to stop untold destruction and has turned to finding others to help him. Unfortunately, we’re never really given any evidence that he really has a plan to stop the Void either, so the conflict feels hollow and misplaced. This knocks Socrato down a few pegs as well.
The pacing of the story is fine, and I enjoyed reading it as something to go with at night. It was nice to revist the Endgame world and play around in it a bit, but I can’t help feeling that there could have been more to the story. With the exception of solving one political issue, there aren’t really any victories to celebrate. Pirogoeth lacks the charm of Harry Potter at Wizard School , so that makes it harder to stick with than I eexpected I would still have read the book – the mystery was interesting – but I probably wouldn’t have been quite as devoted as I was without the Megatokyo label on it.
On the whole, for Fans of Megatokyo, this is a solid read. New folks, however, may find the chill of the main character a bit much to deal with and a challenge to justify the price of the book.
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Action: 2.5/5
Word Count 5/5
Price: 4/5
Overall: 3.75/5
One of the key elements of the backstory, however, is the mystery of what happened in Endgames – an MMO that Fred has made up for his world. It is the WoW of the Megatokyo world and an event caused the entire game to shutdown. Piro, one of the main characters, and his character, Pirogoeth, were involved somehow in stopping it. So was Largo’s character. It has been hinted at and examined a few times, but we’ve never really gotten in to the nitty-gritty of the event.
The Endgames novels, however, are beginning to crack that nut.
Even if I were not familiar with the Megatokyo universe, I would still have enjoyed the story. The Tower of Kartage focuses on Pirogoeth – a young magic user from the Free Territories. She has been brought under the tutelage of Socrato ; a powerful magic user in his own right so that she can learn how to better harness her abilities. Through the course of the novel, we get to see Pirogoeth struggle with mastering her abilities as well as the flaws inherent in the system of government of the Endgames world.
At the same time, far out to sea (so far at least), the Void is creeping slowly towards the kingdom.Through the novel we learn that Socrato sees something in Pirogoeth that he believes will be able to help stop the Void from continuing forward and engulfing the world forever. We’re never really told what the Void is or why it is there, but we do know that, somehow, Pirogoeth is supposed to be helpful in stopping it.
Pirogoeth is…not the most likable protagonist I’ve ever read. She is extremely cold and she has social issues. She doesn’t react to things very well and, at times, can be downright mean. She has very little attachment to any of the other characters, and what little attachment she shows feels a bit forced. This is consistent with the way she is portrayed in the comic on which the Tower of Kartage is based, but it’s a difficult thing to become at all attached to or invested in her. She’s not fully developed and she does little to encourage a reader to come close.
I did like Socrato, for what we saw of him. He reminds me a lot of the Monitor from DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths; he is immensely powerful and is trying to find a way to stop untold destruction and has turned to finding others to help him. Unfortunately, we’re never really given any evidence that he really has a plan to stop the Void either, so the conflict feels hollow and misplaced. This knocks Socrato down a few pegs as well.
The pacing of the story is fine, and I enjoyed reading it as something to go with at night. It was nice to revist the Endgame world and play around in it a bit, but I can’t help feeling that there could have been more to the story. With the exception of solving one political issue, there aren’t really any victories to celebrate. Pirogoeth lacks the charm of Harry Potter at Wizard School , so that makes it harder to stick with than I eexpected I would still have read the book – the mystery was interesting – but I probably wouldn’t have been quite as devoted as I was without the Megatokyo label on it.
On the whole, for Fans of Megatokyo, this is a solid read. New folks, however, may find the chill of the main character a bit much to deal with and a challenge to justify the price of the book.
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Action: 2.5/5
Word Count 5/5
Price: 4/5
Overall: 3.75/5
January 12, 2015
Really only a sell for Megatokyo fans, this, like other pieces of 'Endgames' fiction fleshes out the world that Piro spent immersed in prior to the events of Megatokoyo. The pacing is off, and the author doesn't quite seem to know what to do to other than provide establishing shots of the world and characters. Perhaps this will change in future volumes as the nature of the encroaching menace and the main character's special skills get explored further.
What is interesting is that this feels less like self-aware players in a game than characters in a fantasy world using the game's code to make magic, giving the world an SAO/Log Horizon vibe. Some of the elements of magic for the characters in the novel connect to code exploits hinted at by characters in Megatokyo.
We'll see where it goes.
What is interesting is that this feels less like self-aware players in a game than characters in a fantasy world using the game's code to make magic, giving the world an SAO/Log Horizon vibe. Some of the elements of magic for the characters in the novel connect to code exploits hinted at by characters in Megatokyo.
We'll see where it goes.
October 25, 2014
More! More! Pleeeeease! :)
August 14, 2016
Quite good, and a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews