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A Living Dungeon #1
A Living Dungeon
It was a humble mountain village. With each generation more of the children from the village left than decided to stay. One day a man who had left more than a decade before returned. He was accompanied by a strange woman with pointed ears and their daughter. The family quietly worked to establish a new farm as they became part of the small community. However, they came with a secret that would bring disaster to the village and create something the lands had never seen before. The only question is, will the simple love of this family hold true and win out over the approaching tragedy.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2017
117 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Allan Joyal
11 books47 followersAllan is one of those people who drifted through early life and then found himself caught in an endless parade of mindnumbing jobs that did not tax his mind. A lover of tales of fantasy and adventure he turned to writing as a way to hold into his sanity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 14, 2018
I have no idea why people give this 4 and 5 stars. I could only get through about ten percent of the book. The writing is just unrelentingly awful! Filled with typos, point of view and character changes that are never clearly indicated, short sentences that repeat words, and unclear descriptions. This is a perfect example: "Each time, the square side of the stone was facing the center of the strange gemstone, which was glowing with a strange white light." Keep in mind that the adjective "strange" had been used three previous times on that single page! Without some heavy editing, this book is just unreadable.
July 12, 2017
Well written
This was a good well written book. I like that there weren't levels or numbers determining strength or if the dungeon had enough mana to do something. I am confused on why the antagonist was so fanatical about this specific dungeon. I know there was a reason but I don't understand why he would lose his mind over this dungeon but when he was chased off from other dungeons he just moved on. Seems like for his purposes any dungeon would do but he was dead set on this dungeon. I guess what it really comes down to its I just didn't understand the motivations of any of the "villians" other than they were just "evil". But other than that great book. I also didn't notice any grammatical out spelling errors.
This was a good well written book. I like that there weren't levels or numbers determining strength or if the dungeon had enough mana to do something. I am confused on why the antagonist was so fanatical about this specific dungeon. I know there was a reason but I don't understand why he would lose his mind over this dungeon but when he was chased off from other dungeons he just moved on. Seems like for his purposes any dungeon would do but he was dead set on this dungeon. I guess what it really comes down to its I just didn't understand the motivations of any of the "villians" other than they were just "evil". But other than that great book. I also didn't notice any grammatical out spelling errors.
July 14, 2017
Can't wait for a sequel.
It's books like this that make me wanna become a writer.
Great story, some growth in the characters, good world, and a wonderful ending that leaves the book open for sequels.
What will happen to our hero next, will other kingdoms fight over her to try and control her, will she take a more active role in the nearby town, will other more agressive dungeons attack her. Only the next book will tell. Here's hoping for a sequel. If not I may just have to write my own story. 😊
It's books like this that make me wanna become a writer.
Great story, some growth in the characters, good world, and a wonderful ending that leaves the book open for sequels.
What will happen to our hero next, will other kingdoms fight over her to try and control her, will she take a more active role in the nearby town, will other more agressive dungeons attack her. Only the next book will tell. Here's hoping for a sequel. If not I may just have to write my own story. 😊
June 16, 2018
Good story but confusing read
It was a really good story but I got lost reading it numerous times.
Pros: world development, backstory, had a good plot, and good pacing.
Cons: has viewpoint shifts with no indication, conversations were sometimes difficult to follow if 3 or more characters were speaking.
The only reason this is 3 stars and not 4 was the failure of any way of marking sub chapters. A simple set of dotted lines to separate would easily make this a much better book.
It was a really good story but I got lost reading it numerous times.
Pros: world development, backstory, had a good plot, and good pacing.
Cons: has viewpoint shifts with no indication, conversations were sometimes difficult to follow if 3 or more characters were speaking.
The only reason this is 3 stars and not 4 was the failure of any way of marking sub chapters. A simple set of dotted lines to separate would easily make this a much better book.
December 24, 2017
Average dungeon core book
All dialogue in this book: “You don’t know how dungeons work.” “Of course I know how they work.”
I reread this book because I remembered it being better than it actually was. All characters spend their time discussing the same things over and over. It made some parts incredibly boring.
All in all, I guess it was okay, although most people in this book were incredibly dim.
All dialogue in this book: “You don’t know how dungeons work.” “Of course I know how they work.”
I reread this book because I remembered it being better than it actually was. All characters spend their time discussing the same things over and over. It made some parts incredibly boring.
All in all, I guess it was okay, although most people in this book were incredibly dim.
October 24, 2017
Awesome
This was just a treat to read. A solid story with likeable characters, clear good guys and bad guys. Some nice plot progression and a nifty concept. 5/5
This was just a treat to read. A solid story with likeable characters, clear good guys and bad guys. Some nice plot progression and a nifty concept. 5/5
June 5, 2022
A decent dungeon core LitRPG (novel that deals with role-playing gaming), fantasy novel series. I felt that the quick way in which the author got "rid of the dungeon core's parents" felt odd and unnatural. Unless they are still alive, and captured. But there really isn't a reason for Dungeon Cores to do their Dungeoning, it takes a group of greedy adventurers to send it all to hell, destroy the core, and kill all the life, the well-being and governance of any Dungeon.
This "first volume", is about 250+ pages, with 31 chapters, which means that each chapter is less than 10 pages long, and has little or no character or world development.
More than being a "living dungeon" because they are all living dungeons, this Dungeon, that lived 10 years of her life as an Elf-ling, and her parents named her Faestari, is the kiddie dungeon, pacifist dungeon, or kind dungeon... that does not feed from the adventurers.
This "series" seems to have a second volume, where the "kind dungeon" becomes erratic and is called "A Living Dungeon's Madness"... For a Dungeon to not be a Dungeon that seeks the Mana from the adventurers, it seems that this Dungeon will not live very long. The moment the Mana supply ends (the Mana given by her parents), this Dungeon will no longer be able to go on...It is ridiculous to believe that a Dungeon Core, saves and protects the humans that are trying to kill it. If the adventurers kill the Dungeon, they literally kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Only greedy bastards like the people that "abducted"/"Killed" the parents would rather keep the "Dungeon Heart" to themselves... and for what purpose? Are they going to open their own Dungeon, no of course not, just to freaking level up or become stronger as lazy mages...Author has made "Dungeon Delving" into a game-like/theme-park challenge instead of it being a live and death ordeal.
This "first volume", is about 250+ pages, with 31 chapters, which means that each chapter is less than 10 pages long, and has little or no character or world development.
More than being a "living dungeon" because they are all living dungeons, this Dungeon, that lived 10 years of her life as an Elf-ling, and her parents named her Faestari, is the kiddie dungeon, pacifist dungeon, or kind dungeon... that does not feed from the adventurers.
This "series" seems to have a second volume, where the "kind dungeon" becomes erratic and is called "A Living Dungeon's Madness"... For a Dungeon to not be a Dungeon that seeks the Mana from the adventurers, it seems that this Dungeon will not live very long. The moment the Mana supply ends (the Mana given by her parents), this Dungeon will no longer be able to go on...It is ridiculous to believe that a Dungeon Core, saves and protects the humans that are trying to kill it. If the adventurers kill the Dungeon, they literally kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Only greedy bastards like the people that "abducted"/"Killed" the parents would rather keep the "Dungeon Heart" to themselves... and for what purpose? Are they going to open their own Dungeon, no of course not, just to freaking level up or become stronger as lazy mages...Author has made "Dungeon Delving" into a game-like/theme-park challenge instead of it being a live and death ordeal.
July 15, 2019
This one's a 4.5 for me. Well-written and paced it's not a particularly original idea but well-executed.
The book seems to take a very dim view of wizards, as most are evil and power-hungry, the exceptions really standing out. I liked the approach to populating the dungeon; the handling of that was one of the stronger and more original parts of the book for me.
No stats or anything so not gamelit, but that's never my favourite part of those books anyway so the more organic route to being more powerful seems realistic within the fantasy setting. The dungeon spirit is a pleasant person, a nice change from so many angsty/incompetent MCs thrust into this sort of situation. Enough suspense to make it interesting and a good climax which leaves the opening for the next book but without a cliffhanger.
The book seems to take a very dim view of wizards, as most are evil and power-hungry, the exceptions really standing out. I liked the approach to populating the dungeon; the handling of that was one of the stronger and more original parts of the book for me.
No stats or anything so not gamelit, but that's never my favourite part of those books anyway so the more organic route to being more powerful seems realistic within the fantasy setting. The dungeon spirit is a pleasant person, a nice change from so many angsty/incompetent MCs thrust into this sort of situation. Enough suspense to make it interesting and a good climax which leaves the opening for the next book but without a cliffhanger.
August 7, 2019
Interesting story
Great story and characters! I read this book after the second book, as I didn't realize it was a series until after I started reading this book. I think either order is fine, but it might make better sense for people to read this story first; it is a good standalone story in its own right and is also the backstory for the next book.
Note: this story does not go into statistics, as LitRPG stories tend to do, so it is quite accessible as a fantasy / dungeon core story for those not as interested in stats. I do like seeing some stats, and enjoy many similar stories (dungeons and station cores, etc.) But, sometimes I find the stats can distract from the story if there are two many and I did not miss them in this book. Especially as this story has much more to it than just the dungeon building and growng stronger.
Looking forward to more in this series!
Great story and characters! I read this book after the second book, as I didn't realize it was a series until after I started reading this book. I think either order is fine, but it might make better sense for people to read this story first; it is a good standalone story in its own right and is also the backstory for the next book.
Note: this story does not go into statistics, as LitRPG stories tend to do, so it is quite accessible as a fantasy / dungeon core story for those not as interested in stats. I do like seeing some stats, and enjoy many similar stories (dungeons and station cores, etc.) But, sometimes I find the stats can distract from the story if there are two many and I did not miss them in this book. Especially as this story has much more to it than just the dungeon building and growng stronger.
Looking forward to more in this series!
August 27, 2017
Not just another dungeon book.
Kindle Unlimited - Thank you.
Dungeon cores and souls has become a full fledged genre so of course there are tropes and basic elements. But there's also a lot of variety possible within these "slice-of-life" narratives.
I really enjoyed this story. It's just different enough from the others I've read in this genre. Home really is where the heart is. And this story has lots of heart; especially the last chapter. Loved that the ending is a grand finale that leaves you feeling good and not some angsty cliffhanger. That's worth a 5th star.
Kindle Unlimited - Thank you.
Dungeon cores and souls has become a full fledged genre so of course there are tropes and basic elements. But there's also a lot of variety possible within these "slice-of-life" narratives.
I really enjoyed this story. It's just different enough from the others I've read in this genre. Home really is where the heart is. And this story has lots of heart; especially the last chapter. Loved that the ending is a grand finale that leaves you feeling good and not some angsty cliffhanger. That's worth a 5th star.
August 15, 2023
A good story badly written. It looks like the author does not speak English as a first language, or possibly has a poor vocabulary as he is very repetitious in his writing, using the same limited choice of words even when they are no longer appropriate. Eg everybody 'screams'. Nobody 'shouts' 'yells' 'growls' 'calls' etc etc etc. It's frustrating and irritating because the actual storyline is a good one. It's just a shame he didn't allow a decent editor/proof-reader near his story before publishing it.
July 16, 2017
Fun Dungeon Delving Romp
I always love these alternate perspective stories where issued of the adventure conniving deep into something dungeon you are told the story from the POV of the dungeon itself. It is hardly original but Joyal moves things at a fast clip, has a unique twist, and is a competent enough writer that this is a fun and entertaining read all the way through. A cut above many similar stories in the gene.
I always love these alternate perspective stories where issued of the adventure conniving deep into something dungeon you are told the story from the POV of the dungeon itself. It is hardly original but Joyal moves things at a fast clip, has a unique twist, and is a competent enough writer that this is a fun and entertaining read all the way through. A cut above many similar stories in the gene.
June 17, 2019
Wow
I remember when this first appeared on kindle but it never really tugged at me until last night and just wow what a ride unlike most dungeon core novels the mc in this 1 actually sets up a fairly independent ecosystem there are no stats or traditional game elements other than a sentient dungeon core but it feels like a diamond in the rough. Like most gems it has its flaws mainly plenty of typos but it's a must read
I remember when this first appeared on kindle but it never really tugged at me until last night and just wow what a ride unlike most dungeon core novels the mc in this 1 actually sets up a fairly independent ecosystem there are no stats or traditional game elements other than a sentient dungeon core but it feels like a diamond in the rough. Like most gems it has its flaws mainly plenty of typos but it's a must read
September 15, 2019
Fun 5 star ride
Well thought out, lots of feels, not stupid, edited nicely. This author wrote his story to the very last paragraph. Theres no end content, every word you read is the book... and that is interesting. He wrote this to be read and because it was fun for him. You can tell.
Twists, discoveries, and plot progression is all quite good. I enjoyed this and lost a night of sleep becuase i didn’t put it down.
Hope you like it too!
Well thought out, lots of feels, not stupid, edited nicely. This author wrote his story to the very last paragraph. Theres no end content, every word you read is the book... and that is interesting. He wrote this to be read and because it was fun for him. You can tell.
Twists, discoveries, and plot progression is all quite good. I enjoyed this and lost a night of sleep becuase i didn’t put it down.
Hope you like it too!
July 14, 2017
Great book
It's a good book actually probably one of my favorites in this genre. The one issue i have with the the book is that the description in the book store is misleading it makes it sound like it's about a family not one person but other than that it's a great book
It's a good book actually probably one of my favorites in this genre. The one issue i have with the the book is that the description in the book store is misleading it makes it sound like it's about a family not one person but other than that it's a great book
July 22, 2017
Loved it.
Very well written, good paced content, new and interesting dungeon ideas very likeable main character. If you like other dungeon books im sure you will like this one toom
Very well written, good paced content, new and interesting dungeon ideas very likeable main character. If you like other dungeon books im sure you will like this one toom
August 12, 2017
Interesting
I liked reading this book. Only took me about 4 hours it was odd at times but still good.
I hope there either is or will be a next one cause the ending kind of indicated that.
I liked reading this book. Only took me about 4 hours it was odd at times but still good.
I hope there either is or will be a next one cause the ending kind of indicated that.
November 8, 2017
Good Read
A Dungeon Core story. A complete story on how a dungeon is created and maintained. The ecology of the dungeon is interesting. The history of dungeon (in the story) is well thought out (the correct and incorrect info the adventurer have).
A Dungeon Core story. A complete story on how a dungeon is created and maintained. The ecology of the dungeon is interesting. The history of dungeon (in the story) is well thought out (the correct and incorrect info the adventurer have).
July 12, 2018
Simple, classically written Dungeon Core book.
There's a couple of basic twists on the dungeon core genre, but the line of writing remains very classic and does not deviate from standard elements. Enjoyable, if not particularly remarkable. Quick read.
There's a couple of basic twists on the dungeon core genre, but the line of writing remains very classic and does not deviate from standard elements. Enjoyable, if not particularly remarkable. Quick read.
April 8, 2019
Excellent take on dungeon core with an unusual twist.
The only thing to make it better would be a more ‘meat’ to the way things work. With some stats or a bit more explanation would have easily gotten 5*
The only thing to make it better would be a more ‘meat’ to the way things work. With some stats or a bit more explanation would have easily gotten 5*
July 15, 2017
Inventive
Loved the story a dungeon that doesn't want to kill that was a twist I never saw coming ispasaly the last one
Loved the story a dungeon that doesn't want to kill that was a twist I never saw coming ispasaly the last one
July 21, 2017
Standard, but good.
The story of a little girl who became a dungeon. Nothing ground breaking, but quality. Thank you for writing this!
The story of a little girl who became a dungeon. Nothing ground breaking, but quality. Thank you for writing this!
July 21, 2017
Loved it
Great book, one of the best dungeon books I've seen so far don't know if there will be another but would definitely read it
Great book, one of the best dungeon books I've seen so far don't know if there will be another but would definitely read it
July 23, 2017
Looking forward to see if there is more to the story than just this book offers, but it was well done and wrapped up at a very good spot leaving it as an excellent stand-alone story!
August 17, 2017
Good story one of the better put together ones
it raps up nicely. Looks like one book and an enjoyable read. The story keeps you guessing a bit and has detail but not to much.
it raps up nicely. Looks like one book and an enjoyable read. The story keeps you guessing a bit and has detail but not to much.
October 14, 2017
A living dungeon and more
I have just started reading this kind of books and some not all are going to make sure that you want to read more of this kind, this is what I can say is in the top percentage that really should not miss.
I have just started reading this kind of books and some not all are going to make sure that you want to read more of this kind, this is what I can say is in the top percentage that really should not miss.
February 2, 2018
Great dungeon book
That was all I had to say, but this part of the review requires a total of 20 words. The end
That was all I had to say, but this part of the review requires a total of 20 words. The end
December 25, 2018
Really enjoyable
One of the best dungeon core stories I've read. No stats or levels, but more focus on the personalities of the characters,
One of the best dungeon core stories I've read. No stats or levels, but more focus on the personalities of the characters,
August 8, 2019
Great read and a great take on the dungeon genre
A lot of fun to read and I’m hoping for a sequel. This is a fun one and better than many dungeon stories out there. Give it a shot.
A lot of fun to read and I’m hoping for a sequel. This is a fun one and better than many dungeon stories out there. Give it a shot.
September 29, 2022
It's a dungeon core novel but without blue boxes and numbers going up. The conceit is enough to sustain your interest throughout the book, though the sequel doesn't hold up quite as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews