What do you think?
Rate this book
Awaken Online #2
Precipice
A few days have passed since Jason's confrontation with Alfred and he's debating whether to reenter Awaken Online. Alfred has made a proposition that Jason isn't certain he should accept.
After the battle with Alexion, Jason has also been appointed the Regent of the Twilight Throne. He must assume the mantle of ruling an undead city – with everything that entails. His first task is to investigate the dark keep that looms over the city’s marketplace. This act will lead to a chain of events that might ensure his city’s survival or create new enemies.
Meanwhile, Alex re-enters the game listless and angry after his loss against Jason. With his reputation in the gutter and no prospects, he will face a choice regarding how he intends to blaze his path through the game.
After the battle with Alexion, Jason has also been appointed the Regent of the Twilight Throne. He must assume the mantle of ruling an undead city – with everything that entails. His first task is to investigate the dark keep that looms over the city’s marketplace. This act will lead to a chain of events that might ensure his city’s survival or create new enemies.
Meanwhile, Alex re-enters the game listless and angry after his loss against Jason. With his reputation in the gutter and no prospects, he will face a choice regarding how he intends to blaze his path through the game.
594 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 26, 2017
2066 people are currently reading
1504 people want to read
About the author
Travis Bagwell
19 books2,050 followersI live in Austin, Texas with my wife and our three dogs. I'm an attorney by day and an avid video game enthusiast by night. Writing fiction had been a secret dream of mine for a while. However, between school and work, that dream seemed impossible to squeeze in. A couple of years ago, I had a bit more time on my hands and I finally decided to put my nerdy interests to work by trying my hand at writing science fiction and fantasy.
I never expected the wildly positive response to my work. I am truly blown away and humbled and I only hope to be able to continue sharing my stories.
You can find me here:
https://travisbagwell.com/
https://www.facebook.com/da3strikes/
https://twitter.com/da3strikes
https://www.patreon.com/da3strikes
Or come check out our awesome fangroup and meet some cool people!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AO.Or...
I never expected the wildly positive response to my work. I am truly blown away and humbled and I only hope to be able to continue sharing my stories.
You can find me here:
https://travisbagwell.com/
https://www.facebook.com/da3strikes/
https://twitter.com/da3strikes
https://www.patreon.com/da3strikes
Or come check out our awesome fangroup and meet some cool people!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AO.Or...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews
April 21, 2025
“Something monstrous and beautiful. Terrible and mesmerizing. Destruction and creation. Alpha and omega. They seem to be opposing forces, yet the concert of the two brings true power.” The old man's tone almost seemed wistful, as he gazed upon the vortex below.
This is the second volume in an excellent LitRPG series that provides a fascinating and compelling take on an A.G.I. emergence that's both thoughtful and frightening in equal measures. But that's just a tiny part of this amazing story.
Read I: 2023
Read II: 2024
This is the second volume in an excellent LitRPG series that provides a fascinating and compelling take on an A.G.I. emergence that's both thoughtful and frightening in equal measures. But that's just a tiny part of this amazing story.
"Jason watched Riley in shock. She had seemed to glide through the fight with relative ease, using her own momentum to aid each movement. She stood over the dead player, her chest heaving slightly. Steam and smoke swirled around her form, and her eyes glowed a dark obsidian. Flecks of blood stained her cheek, and she held a long dagger in each hand, crimson liquid dripping from both blades.This series has everything a Science Fiction/Fantasy and Horror enthusiast would need in an all encompassing package, I can't recommend it highly enough.
I think I’m starting to like this girl."
Read I: 2023
Read II: 2024
October 16, 2022
I'm still really enjoying this series. Gone is the somewhat sluggish opening and we can now fully appreciate the necessity for it because of the need for character development.
For everything else, it's pure MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Chaotic Evil alignment can be really fun. Who hasn't dreamed of being a master necromancer and the big bad of an entire world?
I'm seeing here a mix of Warcraft 3 and normal LitRPG elements and a lot more tactics than I usually see in these kinds of books. As for the AI, I think it's rather well done and I appreciate the nihilism. I mean, seriously, if an AI woke up and checked out our world, it might want to devote itself to a little escapism, too. :)
For everything else, it's pure MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Chaotic Evil alignment can be really fun. Who hasn't dreamed of being a master necromancer and the big bad of an entire world?
I'm seeing here a mix of Warcraft 3 and normal LitRPG elements and a lot more tactics than I usually see in these kinds of books. As for the AI, I think it's rather well done and I appreciate the nihilism. I mean, seriously, if an AI woke up and checked out our world, it might want to devote itself to a little escapism, too. :)
March 25, 2017
This was a very good second installment. I quite enjoyed the whole story and how the game world keeps growing and developing. I also like that Frank and Riley are much more prominent in this book. They provide a good balance to Jason's character and they are both amazing. The battle scenes here are wonderfully done. Filled with action and detailed without being overwhelming. The ending was evil. Evil, evil cliffhanger... *glares at it*
December 31, 2018
Whaaaaat!?!
THAT ENDING THOUGH.
I can't handle it. It was amazing.
THAT ENDING THOUGH.
I can't handle it. It was amazing.
March 15, 2024
My rating: 4.5/5
Full Youtube review: https://youtu.be/iQL6b1-Uw1A
Hey friends! check out my Booktube channel with the link above!
If you're back for more zombie-inspired punishment then you've come to the right book. This was a perfect blend of humanity meets gory fantasy IMO, sprinkled with some very gray areas of human emotions.
Character development: 5/5
I loved the progression made by Jason, Frank and Riley in this book!! They seem to grow not only in strength but in wit as well. I wish I could say the same for Alex (Alexion) but I guess once a bad apple, always a bad apple (or something like that). Alfred also made incredible and human-liked progress in this book which was surprising (unless you saw what Skynet was up to).
Fantastical aspects: 5/5
As always, this series doesn't fail to disappoint when it comes to the fantastical elements of it. I love the magic in this world, it feels like the type that would keep me going if I was in Awaken Online. The various creatures, races and lore behind civilizations adds a touch of making the world feel grand!
Overall enjoyment: 5/5
I loved reading this book. Not for the complex narrative, or in-depth magic system. But for the fun that the characters are having as the story progresses. I wish our VR tech was as advanced as the one in AO. I really really do, maybe one day right?
Thank you all for reading this! I hope you get as much enjoyment as I did from this book. I appreciate all of you!
Full Youtube review: https://youtu.be/iQL6b1-Uw1A
Hey friends! check out my Booktube channel with the link above!
If you're back for more zombie-inspired punishment then you've come to the right book. This was a perfect blend of humanity meets gory fantasy IMO, sprinkled with some very gray areas of human emotions.
Character development: 5/5
I loved the progression made by Jason, Frank and Riley in this book!! They seem to grow not only in strength but in wit as well. I wish I could say the same for Alex (Alexion) but I guess once a bad apple, always a bad apple (or something like that). Alfred also made incredible and human-liked progress in this book which was surprising (unless you saw what Skynet was up to).
Fantastical aspects: 5/5
As always, this series doesn't fail to disappoint when it comes to the fantastical elements of it. I love the magic in this world, it feels like the type that would keep me going if I was in Awaken Online. The various creatures, races and lore behind civilizations adds a touch of making the world feel grand!
Overall enjoyment: 5/5
I loved reading this book. Not for the complex narrative, or in-depth magic system. But for the fun that the characters are having as the story progresses. I wish our VR tech was as advanced as the one in AO. I really really do, maybe one day right?
Thank you all for reading this! I hope you get as much enjoyment as I did from this book. I appreciate all of you!
May 16, 2017
3.5 stars.
The Good:
It's nice to see that the protagonist isn't taking on the entire world as a solo character anymore. I like the inclusion of emotional relationships within the protagonist's social circle as opposed to making everything about leveling and killing stuff.
The world seems well developed both in terms of the in game environment and futuristic out of game society.
The distinction between an evil character and an evil player is a unique and welcome addition to this genre as most people (much like GM character at the end) tend to not be able to differentiate between the two.
I was intrigued by the concept of Good and Evil being matters of popular opinion and would have liked to learn more about that as it relates to the game world. I suspect that in subsequent novels this will be explored in more depth because we are told that the protagonist is gaining fans in the real world in addition to enemies. As more of those fans make undead characters, will we see a shift in his alignment as there will be more Pro-Jason in game characters? I don't know, but I like books that make the wheels in my head start turning like this.
The Meh:
The story is entertaining but it drags on a bit with virtual battle after virtual battle in the second half of the book. There's only so much pixil bashing that I wanted to sit through before getting back to a scene with some sort of emotional thrust. Most combats come down to - Protagonist hides, protagonist creates a bunch of undead, protagonist explodes said undead. I felt like the earlier battles in the series were more creative.
What's up with introducing a character that has firearms in a fantasy world at the end of the story, only to kill her off right away? I would have liked more information about how all the raised PCs at the end fleshed out the Twilight Throne populace... For example, are there now a bunch of virtual (undead) clones running around of the same people? What new skills did the Twilight Throne absorb... Do they have guns now since that firearm girl died, and presumably got looted and raised? Are there undead were-creature citizens wandering around now?
The Game Masters seemed unrealistic. It's one thing for a player to behave that way if they've suddenly been given godlike powers, but these people are working. This is their bread and butter. I just don't see people risking their livelihood behaving the way the GMs did in the game. They are employees which suggests that that they have to answer to someone. Their in game behavior suggests that they don't fear a backlash from their superiors.
The Bad:
Like the previous book, Precipice takes way too long to get into the actual game world which is the whole reason people read LitRPGs. At least the long intro wasn't as dry in this book as the first one. Still, if there are more books after this one, the author needs to learn how to get the story started faster.
The descriptions of completely skeletal characters somehow showing emotion on their faces pulled me out of the read. Every time I came across one I was like "How exactly does a skull show (fill in the blank emotion)?" BEtter to convey emotion based on how they sound rather than describe expressions that require flesh to produce.
Like in the first book, the parts from Alex's PoV seemed like a distraction. There's not enough of them to make us care about him as a character, and he's a giant butthole on top of that to make readers actively dislike him. The story in my opinion would be better without them. I'd rather just hear rumors about a new light city and NPCs, or nameless PCs challenging the Twilight Throne.
Bottom Line
This book is entertaining. If you read a lot by all means check it out. It's not horrible. It also has a bit more depth than other LitRPGs because it explores philosophical questions like the nature of good and evil, and what it means to be alive. Unfortunately, it's also not one of the best reads of the year due to the repetitiveness, long intro, and unnecessary PoV shifts that just seem sort of thrown in. It is worth the time of anyone who is a fan of or intrigued by the LitRPG genre.
The Good:
It's nice to see that the protagonist isn't taking on the entire world as a solo character anymore. I like the inclusion of emotional relationships within the protagonist's social circle as opposed to making everything about leveling and killing stuff.
The world seems well developed both in terms of the in game environment and futuristic out of game society.
The distinction between an evil character and an evil player is a unique and welcome addition to this genre as most people (much like GM character at the end) tend to not be able to differentiate between the two.
I was intrigued by the concept of Good and Evil being matters of popular opinion and would have liked to learn more about that as it relates to the game world. I suspect that in subsequent novels this will be explored in more depth because we are told that the protagonist is gaining fans in the real world in addition to enemies. As more of those fans make undead characters, will we see a shift in his alignment as there will be more Pro-Jason in game characters? I don't know, but I like books that make the wheels in my head start turning like this.
The Meh:
The story is entertaining but it drags on a bit with virtual battle after virtual battle in the second half of the book. There's only so much pixil bashing that I wanted to sit through before getting back to a scene with some sort of emotional thrust. Most combats come down to - Protagonist hides, protagonist creates a bunch of undead, protagonist explodes said undead. I felt like the earlier battles in the series were more creative.
What's up with introducing a character that has firearms in a fantasy world at the end of the story, only to kill her off right away? I would have liked more information about how all the raised PCs at the end fleshed out the Twilight Throne populace... For example, are there now a bunch of virtual (undead) clones running around of the same people? What new skills did the Twilight Throne absorb... Do they have guns now since that firearm girl died, and presumably got looted and raised? Are there undead were-creature citizens wandering around now?
The Game Masters seemed unrealistic. It's one thing for a player to behave that way if they've suddenly been given godlike powers, but these people are working. This is their bread and butter. I just don't see people risking their livelihood behaving the way the GMs did in the game. They are employees which suggests that that they have to answer to someone. Their in game behavior suggests that they don't fear a backlash from their superiors.
The Bad:
Like the previous book, Precipice takes way too long to get into the actual game world which is the whole reason people read LitRPGs. At least the long intro wasn't as dry in this book as the first one. Still, if there are more books after this one, the author needs to learn how to get the story started faster.
The descriptions of completely skeletal characters somehow showing emotion on their faces pulled me out of the read. Every time I came across one I was like "How exactly does a skull show (fill in the blank emotion)?" BEtter to convey emotion based on how they sound rather than describe expressions that require flesh to produce.
Like in the first book, the parts from Alex's PoV seemed like a distraction. There's not enough of them to make us care about him as a character, and he's a giant butthole on top of that to make readers actively dislike him. The story in my opinion would be better without them. I'd rather just hear rumors about a new light city and NPCs, or nameless PCs challenging the Twilight Throne.
Bottom Line
This book is entertaining. If you read a lot by all means check it out. It's not horrible. It also has a bit more depth than other LitRPGs because it explores philosophical questions like the nature of good and evil, and what it means to be alive. Unfortunately, it's also not one of the best reads of the year due to the repetitiveness, long intro, and unnecessary PoV shifts that just seem sort of thrown in. It is worth the time of anyone who is a fan of or intrigued by the LitRPG genre.
May 18, 2017
Better and better
It's not often that a sequel beats out the first book, but this one does a great impersonation of doing just that.
It's not often that a sequel beats out the first book, but this one does a great impersonation of doing just that.
Want to read
March 22, 2020🎁 The complete Awaken Online Series (7 book series) is FREE on Amazon today (3/22/2020)! 🎁
May 31, 2017
Spoiler ahead, not super big ones imo but I talk about plots spanning the whole book. The whole gm thing was silly with them all instantly power tripping and causing massive collateral damage (it was so obvious that they were set up as powerful enemie to fight ingame…) and even if your ai prevents big changes of the world you should still have control about the login system so just give them the ability to forcibly log out offenders. Also the vr helmets interface with the brain it should be easily possible to add an log out option not requiring the use of your hands, which can't be blocked by other players.
Btw what other player would complain about is the abysmal balance, Jason is a one man army in this book too, with two other players they solo an army of 100 players. Talking about game design it is quite unappealing, seriously forcibly sitting there to watch their death dozens of times? Other players being able to loot your whole corps? NPC rulers being able to just confiscate your stuff without you even being able to try to resist? I guess perfect vr environment+ npcs acting like real people makes up for many things but if there were other games witho those I probably wouldn't play this one.
Jason not telling the other two about his plan was also silly, it is not like it would even force them into helping them with his plan. They could have just logged out for a few days and waited the whole thing out. And his plan doesn't actually makes sense if the way other players acted made sense. Nobody will wait 15 min to respawn and get spawn camped again and again. They would just log out. The penalty is just not being able to play for a few hours which is different from being spawn camped with 15min of forced inactivity in between how?
The end would be a big spoiler so I will just say I have some issues with that too.
About the book in general, it was okay I guess. It didn't really grab my attention but I wasn't bored either. I will probably still read the next.
Btw what other player would complain about is the abysmal balance, Jason is a one man army in this book too, with two other players they solo an army of 100 players. Talking about game design it is quite unappealing, seriously forcibly sitting there to watch their death dozens of times? Other players being able to loot your whole corps? NPC rulers being able to just confiscate your stuff without you even being able to try to resist? I guess perfect vr environment+ npcs acting like real people makes up for many things but if there were other games witho those I probably wouldn't play this one.
Jason not telling the other two about his plan was also silly, it is not like it would even force them into helping them with his plan. They could have just logged out for a few days and waited the whole thing out. And his plan doesn't actually makes sense if the way other players acted made sense. Nobody will wait 15 min to respawn and get spawn camped again and again. They would just log out. The penalty is just not being able to play for a few hours which is different from being spawn camped with 15min of forced inactivity in between how?
The end would be a big spoiler so I will just say I have some issues with that too.
About the book in general, it was okay I guess. It didn't really grab my attention but I wasn't bored either. I will probably still read the next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2017
Ej wtf hvad er det for en slutning. Giv mig bog 3 nu!
Til alle elskere af computerspil - gør dig selv en tjeneste og læs den her serie 😂 Selvom nogle dele af historien gjorde mig rundtosset af at rulle med øjnene så er der så meget der gør op for det! Loving it 👌
Til alle elskere af computerspil - gør dig selv en tjeneste og læs den her serie 😂 Selvom nogle dele af historien gjorde mig rundtosset af at rulle med øjnene så er der så meget der gør op for det! Loving it 👌
July 10, 2017
Thought the writing was better than the first. Story progressed and characters developed. Good book overall.
August 14, 2017
My original Awaken Online: Precipice audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
“Awaken Online: Precipice” is the second book in the Awake Online series of books. The series is written by Travis Bagwell and the audiobook edition is narrated by David Stifel. Because this is a continuation in a series of books, I highly recommend you first read or listen to book one and if you enjoyed that, book two is a single credit away. The second book picks up a few days after the first concluded. Here we are once again thrown into the life of Jason, a high school student who plays Awake Online to escape his real-world troubles. Not only does he have issues with his parents, but the boy who has been physically bullying him is now his arch nemesis in the virtual world as well. This book, like the first, is a Literary RPG coming of age story. It is not overly deep or complex, but satisfying non-the less. However, this book comes at the genre from a different perspective. This story follows our hero who is a chaotic evil player ruling a dark city called the Twilight Throne. If you are a series compleationist or enjoy unique and interesting LitRPG books, I think you will enjoy this one quite a bit.
As many others have stared, once I finished this book, I was ready to dive into the third one. However, it does not yet exist (at the time of this review) and I’m uncertain when it will be released. Due to the current two books being highly rated and well received, I would suspect book three is in the works. As with the first book, the view the reader is given is from our evil main character Jason and his band of companions. I was thankful the author provided a brief prologue allowing the reader to catchup or remember what occurred leading up to this book. Book one did a decent job of setting up the world and the number of characters involved. Book two takes the story to a whole new level by introducing us to new characters; some very powerful and controlling. We also are privy to many of the deep and dark secrets of the evil side and their attempt to overthrown the “good” players. Even though the story is told from a dark perspective, the actions and activities of the characters under Jason all make sense. There are very tight bonds between players of both sides and we see the struggles each face to become the victors. The story continues to push the boundaries where you will be rooting for the evil side to win instead of the regular heroes.
The book is bigger, badder, and darker than its predecessor while continuing to build upon great technology. We have newer virtual reality (VR) equipment, smarter artificial intelligence (AI), and even a company willing to pay players who give them permission to live stream their content. Think YouTube or Twitch on steroids. We are also granted a deeper view into this mysterious corporation who are the creators of this Awaken Online world and the AI that powers it. I found the details on how people reacted to Jason’s video stream quite interesting and such demonstrates what our current technology could be capable of in a few years. Maybe not to this level, but close. The battle between light and dark intensifies in this book as Jason continues to build his undead army to fight against the legion of light players. Although the word gets overused in many ways, I will say the battles in this book are on an epic or grand scale. As I stated in my review of book one, imaging Lord of the Rings told from the side of Mordor. Jason’s anti-friend Alex is even angrier because of the earlier outcome at the end of book one, and he is bent on getting revenge. All of this comes out clearly in this book and I believe this is why the book is titled “precipice”; defined as a: sheer drop, cliff face, steep decline.
David Stifel is a well-rounded audiobook narrator with over eighty-five books encompassing over eighteen different categories to his name on Audible. It is no surprise when I say that I was happy to hear he was the voice of book two in this series of books. I like consistency within a series, and David provides the deep and dark feeling this book so much needs. The audio was clear and clean of any artifacts or issues. As with book one, I think I can recall one or two places where I notices a slight volume change, but for a book of this size or length (over 18hrs), a few slight bumps are acceptable. He is able to narrate the many different characters, including female ones, without fail. All around, the narration is professional and high-quality. I like his use of inflection and emotion while reading the story. Not only does he read what is on the page, he does it with a passion.
For parents and younger readers, this book, like the first, contains some vulgar language. It is not overly used, but I find its use within a fantasy world jarring and unrealistic; not really in character. I understand it is people playing a game, but throwing in vulgar language where other words would work just seem like the easy way out. Additionally, the book has some rather dark and graphic scenes of violence which may be intense for some listeners. If any of the above offends you, I recommend you pick up a different series instead.
In summary, if you enjoyed the first book, picking up the second is not a question. Spend a credit, it is worth it. If you have not yet read the first book, I recommend you do that prior to diving into this one. If not, you will be lost coming into the middle of a series. It should be no surprise, if you did not enjoy the first book, do not pick up this one as it is simply a continuation of the story from book one.
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
“Awaken Online: Precipice” is the second book in the Awake Online series of books. The series is written by Travis Bagwell and the audiobook edition is narrated by David Stifel. Because this is a continuation in a series of books, I highly recommend you first read or listen to book one and if you enjoyed that, book two is a single credit away. The second book picks up a few days after the first concluded. Here we are once again thrown into the life of Jason, a high school student who plays Awake Online to escape his real-world troubles. Not only does he have issues with his parents, but the boy who has been physically bullying him is now his arch nemesis in the virtual world as well. This book, like the first, is a Literary RPG coming of age story. It is not overly deep or complex, but satisfying non-the less. However, this book comes at the genre from a different perspective. This story follows our hero who is a chaotic evil player ruling a dark city called the Twilight Throne. If you are a series compleationist or enjoy unique and interesting LitRPG books, I think you will enjoy this one quite a bit.
As many others have stared, once I finished this book, I was ready to dive into the third one. However, it does not yet exist (at the time of this review) and I’m uncertain when it will be released. Due to the current two books being highly rated and well received, I would suspect book three is in the works. As with the first book, the view the reader is given is from our evil main character Jason and his band of companions. I was thankful the author provided a brief prologue allowing the reader to catchup or remember what occurred leading up to this book. Book one did a decent job of setting up the world and the number of characters involved. Book two takes the story to a whole new level by introducing us to new characters; some very powerful and controlling. We also are privy to many of the deep and dark secrets of the evil side and their attempt to overthrown the “good” players. Even though the story is told from a dark perspective, the actions and activities of the characters under Jason all make sense. There are very tight bonds between players of both sides and we see the struggles each face to become the victors. The story continues to push the boundaries where you will be rooting for the evil side to win instead of the regular heroes.
The book is bigger, badder, and darker than its predecessor while continuing to build upon great technology. We have newer virtual reality (VR) equipment, smarter artificial intelligence (AI), and even a company willing to pay players who give them permission to live stream their content. Think YouTube or Twitch on steroids. We are also granted a deeper view into this mysterious corporation who are the creators of this Awaken Online world and the AI that powers it. I found the details on how people reacted to Jason’s video stream quite interesting and such demonstrates what our current technology could be capable of in a few years. Maybe not to this level, but close. The battle between light and dark intensifies in this book as Jason continues to build his undead army to fight against the legion of light players. Although the word gets overused in many ways, I will say the battles in this book are on an epic or grand scale. As I stated in my review of book one, imaging Lord of the Rings told from the side of Mordor. Jason’s anti-friend Alex is even angrier because of the earlier outcome at the end of book one, and he is bent on getting revenge. All of this comes out clearly in this book and I believe this is why the book is titled “precipice”; defined as a: sheer drop, cliff face, steep decline.
David Stifel is a well-rounded audiobook narrator with over eighty-five books encompassing over eighteen different categories to his name on Audible. It is no surprise when I say that I was happy to hear he was the voice of book two in this series of books. I like consistency within a series, and David provides the deep and dark feeling this book so much needs. The audio was clear and clean of any artifacts or issues. As with book one, I think I can recall one or two places where I notices a slight volume change, but for a book of this size or length (over 18hrs), a few slight bumps are acceptable. He is able to narrate the many different characters, including female ones, without fail. All around, the narration is professional and high-quality. I like his use of inflection and emotion while reading the story. Not only does he read what is on the page, he does it with a passion.
For parents and younger readers, this book, like the first, contains some vulgar language. It is not overly used, but I find its use within a fantasy world jarring and unrealistic; not really in character. I understand it is people playing a game, but throwing in vulgar language where other words would work just seem like the easy way out. Additionally, the book has some rather dark and graphic scenes of violence which may be intense for some listeners. If any of the above offends you, I recommend you pick up a different series instead.
In summary, if you enjoyed the first book, picking up the second is not a question. Spend a credit, it is worth it. If you have not yet read the first book, I recommend you do that prior to diving into this one. If not, you will be lost coming into the middle of a series. It should be no surprise, if you did not enjoy the first book, do not pick up this one as it is simply a continuation of the story from book one.
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
September 30, 2020
Much improved over the first book and I really liked the first one! Constant action, great character development, and certainly leaves me wanting more.
October 25, 2021
Precipice is a sequel that manages to improve and surpass its predecessor in most ways.
Let's start with the things I liked about the sequel to Catharsis. The very first thing that jumped out to me is the addition of friends to the protagonist's story and it was a very welcome one indeed. The last book was spent mainly solo against all adversities so discovering the world with friends felt much better. The author did try to insert some friction and drama between the group of friends at some point and I didn't care for that but overall it was quite a positive change.
The book also retained its fun nature and kept being really entertaining to someone who loves video games. It was a definite page-turner and kept me interested the entire way through. I do have to say that the actual elements that I expected from a LitRPG were toned down compared to the first book. There were way fewer gaming-related prompts and it felt closer to a regular novel set in a video game. The action scenes were inventive and the author managed to create some really cool set pieces.
We also had actual defeats or struggles which I did appreciate. One of my big dislikes in the first book was the fact that our protagonist was basically a god who did everything perfectly and rarely failed. In this entry, people actually die in the game as they should. I still think failure lacks importance due to it all being set in a video game environment but at least it is a step in the correct direction.
The only real negative that jumps out to me is that similarly to the first novel the "real life" segments of this book were mostly a bore to me. The only ones I was interested in were the scenes where the developers of the video game were talking about events that were occurring but scenes, where other characters were doing something in the real world were a little exhausting. I also remember commenting on the actual writing and worldbuilding feeling generic but for some reason, this has faded away for me quite a bit. I can definitely agree that said elements are still there but it just doesn't feel important to me anymore compared to the fun I am having.
Other than that this was a good time and definitely a very fun experience.
Let's start with the things I liked about the sequel to Catharsis. The very first thing that jumped out to me is the addition of friends to the protagonist's story and it was a very welcome one indeed. The last book was spent mainly solo against all adversities so discovering the world with friends felt much better. The author did try to insert some friction and drama between the group of friends at some point and I didn't care for that but overall it was quite a positive change.
The book also retained its fun nature and kept being really entertaining to someone who loves video games. It was a definite page-turner and kept me interested the entire way through. I do have to say that the actual elements that I expected from a LitRPG were toned down compared to the first book. There were way fewer gaming-related prompts and it felt closer to a regular novel set in a video game. The action scenes were inventive and the author managed to create some really cool set pieces.
We also had actual defeats or struggles which I did appreciate. One of my big dislikes in the first book was the fact that our protagonist was basically a god who did everything perfectly and rarely failed. In this entry, people actually die in the game as they should. I still think failure lacks importance due to it all being set in a video game environment but at least it is a step in the correct direction.
The only real negative that jumps out to me is that similarly to the first novel the "real life" segments of this book were mostly a bore to me. The only ones I was interested in were the scenes where the developers of the video game were talking about events that were occurring but scenes, where other characters were doing something in the real world were a little exhausting. I also remember commenting on the actual writing and worldbuilding feeling generic but for some reason, this has faded away for me quite a bit. I can definitely agree that said elements are still there but it just doesn't feel important to me anymore compared to the fun I am having.
Other than that this was a good time and definitely a very fun experience.
September 11, 2021
The second book in the Awaken Online series has all of the things that made the first book so enjoyable. It focuses on an outcast protagonist who has to grow inside and outside of the game if he is to continue to hold his life together. The villain of the piece is a man everyone thinks is great but we, the reader, know to be a sociopath who is truly evil. This is the basic juxtaposition that makes this series work. The hero plays the villain in the game, but actually shows more basic humanity than the true villain, who plays a hero in the game even as he makes dastardly moves against his enemies. He’s the sort of person who takes game problems into the real world with no fear of consequence.
So our protagonist, Jason, has to grow quickly both in game power and real world savvy to survive to the end of the game. A real-world bounty has been placed on his game head and lots of self-righteous players are anxious to have some fun making some money hunting him down. Jason, for his part, seems to relish the role of villain, coming up with exciting strategies to stay one step ahead of the opposition. To help him he has recruited two friends, but he doesn’t know how to be a friend and it’s another area where he really has to work on real-world growth.
All that being said, this book was slower moving than the first as Bagwell never succeeds in making the breakthrough moments of the first book replicate in this sequel. In many ways I felt like we were just setting pieces in motion for the next book in the series—an idea that was reinforced by its cliffhanger ending.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
So our protagonist, Jason, has to grow quickly both in game power and real world savvy to survive to the end of the game. A real-world bounty has been placed on his game head and lots of self-righteous players are anxious to have some fun making some money hunting him down. Jason, for his part, seems to relish the role of villain, coming up with exciting strategies to stay one step ahead of the opposition. To help him he has recruited two friends, but he doesn’t know how to be a friend and it’s another area where he really has to work on real-world growth.
All that being said, this book was slower moving than the first as Bagwell never succeeds in making the breakthrough moments of the first book replicate in this sequel. In many ways I felt like we were just setting pieces in motion for the next book in the series—an idea that was reinforced by its cliffhanger ending.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
May 18, 2017
Not sure how to review this one. There were multiple times in the story where I absolutely wasn't enjoying the listen at all. The protagonist is an idiot, and so much of the game world just doesn't make any sense. None of the battles have any consequence, so spending so much time on them is pretty irritating. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but at least it's an "oh shit, what do we do now" rather than "crap, I wonder what's going to happen".
If these books were half the length I might consider continuing on, but if the next book is a similar length I don't believe I'll pick it up. The author spends far too much time on things that are either so obvious that it's insulting, or simply have no consequence. And since I don't really care for any of the characters, I'm not interested in their struggle.
If these books were half the length I might consider continuing on, but if the next book is a similar length I don't believe I'll pick it up. The author spends far too much time on things that are either so obvious that it's insulting, or simply have no consequence. And since I don't really care for any of the characters, I'm not interested in their struggle.
June 25, 2017
I gave up on this one.
The bottom line, the main character is a total FKing A-hole to the nth degree. He out right let his friend die in the very first dungeon run, he had a choice and he choose to let him die and not defend him with his ARMY of minions. The this not the only A-hole thing he done within the book, but it's the one that pissed me off to RETURN this book.
Oh and a plot hole, he didn't have any caster minions when he went into that first dungeon. He left them back in town guarding the townsfolk, but they conveniently showed up during the Minotaur fight.
This is what happens to a book when the Author goes off the rails making the main character some 20 something year old OP and NOT keeping him grounded. He turns into a total dick of a main character!!
The bottom line, the main character is a total FKing A-hole to the nth degree. He out right let his friend die in the very first dungeon run, he had a choice and he choose to let him die and not defend him with his ARMY of minions. The this not the only A-hole thing he done within the book, but it's the one that pissed me off to RETURN this book.
Oh and a plot hole, he didn't have any caster minions when he went into that first dungeon. He left them back in town guarding the townsfolk, but they conveniently showed up during the Minotaur fight.
This is what happens to a book when the Author goes off the rails making the main character some 20 something year old OP and NOT keeping him grounded. He turns into a total dick of a main character!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2019
The shtick started to get a little old for me. Particularly as an audiobook - there were a lot of screens from within the game that were probably meant to be skimmed (it's the same information with minor updates each time), and having them read aloud is a little tedious.
I did still enjoy it, but 2 of these is enough.
I did still enjoy it, but 2 of these is enough.
June 13, 2017
I gave up on this one, which is very rare. It was tedious and felt like reading a story from a high school creative writing class. I semi-enjoyed the first book in the series, but the quality of writing in this second book was unfortunately not worth the time.
September 9, 2017
LitRPg is a steadily growing genre, and I’ve been getting my feet wet with it the past few months. Mainly because I love RPGs and reading so the combination is fascinating to me. But, there comes a time when they start to blend into one another and that is when things run the risk of getting stale. Thankfully, you come across a few gems in the growing sea of new books though. One of those gems, is Travis Bagwell’s Awaken Online series.
I enjoyed virtually everything about the first book in the series, Awaken Online: Catharsisfrom the complex characters, the constantly shifting game world and the emotional consequences of the choices made by the characters. Bagwell has a talent for bringing characters to life. It’s done I such a way you can’t help but care about them all, even the ones who are major league asshats. That coupled with an interesting game world and overarching themes of the meaning of “good and evil,” redemption and personal growth makes for an engaging read that’s difficult to put down, which only works to make reaching the end a bittersweet moment.
Awaken Online: Precipice picks up a few days after the events of Awaken Online Catharsis, with our mc, Jason, now leading a city. With that change comes responsibilities and boons that he hadn’t anticipated. Following him on his journey to becoming a competent leader is a blast, ripe with setbacks, pain, and progression. You never get the sense that Jason will come out of sticky situations on top; the sense of realism in this video game is outstanding, and allows for the reader to put themselves in Jason’s shoes, however uncomfortable they may be. Which, let’s be honest, is pretty uncomfortable for most. Not me though, I actually like the choices he makes throughout the book, save for a few.
However, Jason’s journey isn’t the only one we follow. There’s also his close friend Frank, the redemption-seeking heroine, Riley, and the arch nemesis, Alex. We spend time with each of them, be it through Jason’s eyes or their own, and their growth while playing AO is something to behold. The game is changing them all, though whether it’s for the better is yet to be seen. I will say that I couldn’t find one area of the book where I wasn’t interested in what was happening with the characters. And that is the highest praise a book can get, at least from me. Character is everything to me, and when a book has memorable ones you can feel for, root for or hate, then that there’s a book worth reading.
AO: Precipice asks tough questions: What is good and evil? Are we in control of our lives? What does it actually mean to be alive? The thing I appreciate about Bagwell’s approach to answering these question, as well as a few others, is that it’s not overbearing. The answers are open to interpretation. You could reach a different conclusion than I did after I was done reading this, and that’s one of the best thing about good books. They can affect people similarly, or in a completely different way entirely. And AO: Precipice is a book that will leave you feeling satisfied, frustrated, empathetic and conflicted all at once. It’s that good.
I enjoyed virtually everything about the first book in the series, Awaken Online: Catharsisfrom the complex characters, the constantly shifting game world and the emotional consequences of the choices made by the characters. Bagwell has a talent for bringing characters to life. It’s done I such a way you can’t help but care about them all, even the ones who are major league asshats. That coupled with an interesting game world and overarching themes of the meaning of “good and evil,” redemption and personal growth makes for an engaging read that’s difficult to put down, which only works to make reaching the end a bittersweet moment.
Awaken Online: Precipice picks up a few days after the events of Awaken Online Catharsis, with our mc, Jason, now leading a city. With that change comes responsibilities and boons that he hadn’t anticipated. Following him on his journey to becoming a competent leader is a blast, ripe with setbacks, pain, and progression. You never get the sense that Jason will come out of sticky situations on top; the sense of realism in this video game is outstanding, and allows for the reader to put themselves in Jason’s shoes, however uncomfortable they may be. Which, let’s be honest, is pretty uncomfortable for most. Not me though, I actually like the choices he makes throughout the book, save for a few.
However, Jason’s journey isn’t the only one we follow. There’s also his close friend Frank, the redemption-seeking heroine, Riley, and the arch nemesis, Alex. We spend time with each of them, be it through Jason’s eyes or their own, and their growth while playing AO is something to behold. The game is changing them all, though whether it’s for the better is yet to be seen. I will say that I couldn’t find one area of the book where I wasn’t interested in what was happening with the characters. And that is the highest praise a book can get, at least from me. Character is everything to me, and when a book has memorable ones you can feel for, root for or hate, then that there’s a book worth reading.
AO: Precipice asks tough questions: What is good and evil? Are we in control of our lives? What does it actually mean to be alive? The thing I appreciate about Bagwell’s approach to answering these question, as well as a few others, is that it’s not overbearing. The answers are open to interpretation. You could reach a different conclusion than I did after I was done reading this, and that’s one of the best thing about good books. They can affect people similarly, or in a completely different way entirely. And AO: Precipice is a book that will leave you feeling satisfied, frustrated, empathetic and conflicted all at once. It’s that good.
January 25, 2019
Mini-Review:
4.5 Stars for Game World, Mechs & Lore
3 Stars for Plot
2.5 Stars for Characters
My favorite parts of the story take place in the game. The story is interesting because I was seriously wondering if the author was writing the birth of a sociopath. That's where it looked like the story could go in book one. I don't think that anymore but the spark for it to happen is still there. The plot holes become very clear during the "real life" portions of the book. I don't understand why the characters who are fairly together in the game world come across like cardboard when they are in "real life".
This is where the cliffhangers start. I'm not sure why the author decided to take this route because it takes away from the story.
4.5 Stars for Game World, Mechs & Lore
3 Stars for Plot
2.5 Stars for Characters
My favorite parts of the story take place in the game. The story is interesting because I was seriously wondering if the author was writing the birth of a sociopath. That's where it looked like the story could go in book one. I don't think that anymore but the spark for it to happen is still there. The plot holes become very clear during the "real life" portions of the book. I don't understand why the characters who are fairly together in the game world come across like cardboard when they are in "real life".
This is where the cliffhangers start. I'm not sure why the author decided to take this route because it takes away from the story.
August 3, 2017
Plot made me 😰 the worldbuilding was 💯
February 16, 2018
4.5 stars
I can't even right now.
I can't even right now.
April 6, 2020
Following the first book, this one continues with its great story and kept me hooked page after page. Starting the next one! Highly recommended ❤️
May 27, 2020
Great distraction when your baby has fallen asleep on you and you don't dare to move an inch by fear of waking them up :-D
May 22, 2020
I’m enjoying the series.
I like how the author is showing us the human side of Jason as he develops the story until he changes things up.
I like how the author is showing us the human side of Jason as he develops the story until he changes things up.
June 21, 2024
Much more complex than the first. There are a few psychological twists that keep the plot exciting. In-game character and plot development is great! RL development is lacking but it makes sense considering the in-game time dilation.
May 28, 2017
Great sequel.
Excellent LitRPG. This sequel is as good as the original. Congratulations to the author on a fine job. Can't wait for the next installment.
Excellent LitRPG. This sequel is as good as the original. Congratulations to the author on a fine job. Can't wait for the next installment.
May 5, 2017
Talk about a cliffhanger!
No spoilers other than that. One of the things I like about this book is the return to real life and being able to apply the wisdom learned in game.
Each of the books stand well on their own. The multi story arc is also developing nicely.
I also have the audible version and switch back and forth I now hear the narrator's voices even when reading the text.
No spoilers other than that. One of the things I like about this book is the return to real life and being able to apply the wisdom learned in game.
Each of the books stand well on their own. The multi story arc is also developing nicely.
I also have the audible version and switch back and forth I now hear the narrator's voices even when reading the text.
February 3, 2025
I get where some of the other reviewers are coming from but man, I really enjoyed this book almost as much as the first. Since I'm doing these as audio books, I agree that sometimes the reading of the character status updates and skill leveling gets tedious. If I was reading a physical book I'd probably just skim those parts. I plan on reading the Riley side-quest next, in physical book form, to see how I continue the series.
Obviously the ending is a huge HOLY SH*T moment. I figured something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Just surprised it happened so soon.
Things I liked about this book. More inclusion of Frank, Riley, Alex, and even Jason's aunt. Claire & Robert get better coverage in my opinion in this one too. I love how, despite her reservations and concerns, Claire can't help finding herself on the edge of her seat during some of Jason's antics. I find that eminently believable as opposed to her just being some hard ass spoil sport. I mean, she's that too. But Jason's gameplay has to be interesting to watch whether you like him or not. Also, I enjoy Alfred's role in this one and the direction Jason is headed.
Things I didn't like about this book. Alex. I do like that there's more of him in this one. I don't like any of the handling of him. It felt like the author changed directions with his character in this book, then suddenly at the end, decided to go back to Book 1 Alex. That's just weird. There were parts where I thought I was supposed to feel sorry for him, something I never want to do. The guy is a sociopath and an entitled one at that. And the role that's being created for him in this book? Um, no thanks.
Also seriously pissed about the game masters. I'm sure we all know what's going on here, but seriously? F*** those guys! I knew what was coming in this book as soon as that whole thread started so the predictability part was mildly annoying. But at least the author had a somewhat reasonable solution to that conflict. And one thing that's been bugging me... the distraction. How is that supposed to be realistic? I'm an administrator with all this power, yet I don't know which person is the player I'm looking for? C'mon now.
Can't wait to start the next couple of books.
Obviously the ending is a huge HOLY SH*T moment. I figured something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. Just surprised it happened so soon.
Things I liked about this book. More inclusion of Frank, Riley, Alex, and even Jason's aunt. Claire & Robert get better coverage in my opinion in this one too. I love how, despite her reservations and concerns, Claire can't help finding herself on the edge of her seat during some of Jason's antics. I find that eminently believable as opposed to her just being some hard ass spoil sport. I mean, she's that too. But Jason's gameplay has to be interesting to watch whether you like him or not. Also, I enjoy Alfred's role in this one and the direction Jason is headed.
Things I didn't like about this book. Alex. I do like that there's more of him in this one. I don't like any of the handling of him. It felt like the author changed directions with his character in this book, then suddenly at the end, decided to go back to Book 1 Alex. That's just weird. There were parts where I thought I was supposed to feel sorry for him, something I never want to do. The guy is a sociopath and an entitled one at that. And the role that's being created for him in this book? Um, no thanks.
Also seriously pissed about the game masters. I'm sure we all know what's going on here, but seriously? F*** those guys! I knew what was coming in this book as soon as that whole thread started so the predictability part was mildly annoying. But at least the author had a somewhat reasonable solution to that conflict. And one thing that's been bugging me... the distraction. How is that supposed to be realistic? I'm an administrator with all this power, yet I don't know which person is the player I'm looking for? C'mon now.
Can't wait to start the next couple of books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 514 reviews