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Beginner's Luck
(Character Development #1)
by
Miles Boone is finally an adult and able to roll up his permanent character. He will join the Game that the world has become. Most of the planet is now dominated by feral AIs and nano who behave as all the monsters of man’s imagination. Every adult left alive plays, striving to keep the the AI and nano from wiping us out completely. Success in the Game is survival itself.
...more
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Kindle Edition, 308 pages
Published
October 31st 2017
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Rene Christensen
Theres a pagehttps://vrpod.blogspot.com/ with a few updates, you can find the link on his amazonpage as well.
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Start your review of Beginner's Luck (Character Development Book 1)
Drags On
This book is in huge need of a good editor. Not everything needs an in depth description, especially not economic principles or chapters of yoga.
This book is in huge need of a good editor. Not everything needs an in depth description, especially not economic principles or chapters of yoga.
I've read the first two books in the series which are all that is available at the time of my review.
The series is set in a dystopian future world where nanotechnology and artificial intelligence have been abused by mankind to a great extent. Such technologies should have ushered in a utopia, but instead have nearly destroyed the world which teeters on the brink of ruin. The Game that everyone plays in this world has real world ramifications as interactions with the Game world have effects ...more
The series is set in a dystopian future world where nanotechnology and artificial intelligence have been abused by mankind to a great extent. Such technologies should have ushered in a utopia, but instead have nearly destroyed the world which teeters on the brink of ruin. The Game that everyone plays in this world has real world ramifications as interactions with the Game world have effects ...more
Loved this
What a great read with a strong story line and good characters. The book is well written and appears to be edited professionally due to the lack of errors.
The MC is a solid guy and appears to know his limitations and is following a sensible path to progress and avoid the usual tropes.
There are plenty of other characters that add to the story and help create a believable world that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more.
Looking forward to plent ...more
What a great read with a strong story line and good characters. The book is well written and appears to be edited professionally due to the lack of errors.
The MC is a solid guy and appears to know his limitations and is following a sensible path to progress and avoid the usual tropes.
There are plenty of other characters that add to the story and help create a believable world that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more.
Looking forward to plent ...more
Genre Game Changer
This series beginning is every bit as epic as the classics. From Ready Player One to Ender’s Game to Kong’s Chaos Seeds... this book is a carefully crafted masterpiece of wit, nerve, plot, and poise. I literally cannot recommend it enough.
Worth every minute of your time...just start it on a Friday so you can get some sleep before Monday morning.
Way to take the genre up a notch! This is a shot of epic twists and turns you won’t regret.
This series beginning is every bit as epic as the classics. From Ready Player One to Ender’s Game to Kong’s Chaos Seeds... this book is a carefully crafted masterpiece of wit, nerve, plot, and poise. I literally cannot recommend it enough.
Worth every minute of your time...just start it on a Friday so you can get some sleep before Monday morning.
Way to take the genre up a notch! This is a shot of epic twists and turns you won’t regret.
Hidden Gem in LITRPG
Ok. I've been entertained by many wonderful stories in LITRPG ....some really well written.. some simplistic....while others, though still good stories... were lacking.
This book is a well written and deeply developed. A hidden Gem if your looking for a good read!
Ok. I've been entertained by many wonderful stories in LITRPG ....some really well written.. some simplistic....while others, though still good stories... were lacking.
This book is a well written and deeply developed. A hidden Gem if your looking for a good read!
This might top my list
What can I say about this book? The subtle nerd pop culture references abound but aren’t overbearing. The combat and system is interesting and strikes a chord with my love of 3.5. But it’s the philosophy that really does it for me. A boot to the face indeed.
What can I say about this book? The subtle nerd pop culture references abound but aren’t overbearing. The combat and system is interesting and strikes a chord with my love of 3.5. But it’s the philosophy that really does it for me. A boot to the face indeed.
Satisfied
Original and unique setting with a equally interesting MC. Can't wait to read the next book in the series! Keep it up!
Original and unique setting with a equally interesting MC. Can't wait to read the next book in the series! Keep it up!
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Great concept. Hard to get through.
The good: interesting world with some good action. I appreciate the character development as well as how the main character manages tough situations.
The bad: the main character preaches at you for most of the book. It is hard to get through the passages at time. It is not quite as bad as Ayn Rand, but it does add much and affects the pacing.
I also feel like the world isn’t completely fleshed our as much as I think it should be. It feels like there are incons ...more
The good: interesting world with some good action. I appreciate the character development as well as how the main character manages tough situations.
The bad: the main character preaches at you for most of the book. It is hard to get through the passages at time. It is not quite as bad as Ayn Rand, but it does add much and affects the pacing.
I also feel like the world isn’t completely fleshed our as much as I think it should be. It feels like there are incons ...more
I really liked this one, but it was a bit heavy on the politics. I've never read fiction to be educated or taught about politics, it's just not my thing. However, I love the whole beat me down and I'll figure out how to kick your butt anyway thing that's going on in this one. The main character just rocks, even without overpowering stats and equipment, he uses what he has and makes it through anyway, ruining established setups intended to milk the system all the way. Absolutely love it, and if y
...more
The fights were fantastic, but too much of this book bogged down with preachiness and unneeded terminology. Who really cares about japtem, or all the pranayama breaths. Describe the breath and move on. There were also several points that strained credibility. Would a prison pod that doesn't allow you to access the game, really still be connected to the same system as the game? And how could the council summon him and his father in a virtual interface if his father's house had no outside VR conne
...more
Aaron Jay is a very cleaver author. I found myself saying that out loud more than once during this story. Partly it was his subtle and cleaver references to the genre (prison pod models being named Mahanenko's for example). More than that, though was his scarily plausible world design.
The world in Beginner's Luck is a post apocalyptic one in which a Gray Goo like event has occurred and humanity just barely managed to save a small region from the "Wild AI" by incorporating it into a g ...more
The world in Beginner's Luck is a post apocalyptic one in which a Gray Goo like event has occurred and humanity just barely managed to save a small region from the "Wild AI" by incorporating it into a g ...more
A philosophy tirade
This wasn't the kind of luck book I was expecting. MC does not get any major benefits from luck, and at the same time his bad luck isn't necessarily bad. The book was engaging and rooting for the underdog and embracing "cheats" was a lot of fun. However, the negatives of the book were the frequent unneeded political criticisms, references, and one-sided philosophical arguments. You can set up a dystopia without immediately telling the reader everything wrong with it. The expo ...more
This wasn't the kind of luck book I was expecting. MC does not get any major benefits from luck, and at the same time his bad luck isn't necessarily bad. The book was engaging and rooting for the underdog and embracing "cheats" was a lot of fun. However, the negatives of the book were the frequent unneeded political criticisms, references, and one-sided philosophical arguments. You can set up a dystopia without immediately telling the reader everything wrong with it. The expo ...more
I really enjoyed this book. Too bad the author made a fictitious socialist party the bad guys. He should have made unregulated capitalism and corporate control of government the bad guys. Would have been much more appropriate for our times. Maybe the author doesn’t realize that many European countries have socialist democracies which merely means they spend their tax revenues on programs to help their people, such as nationalized health care and university education, rather than spending it on w
...more
Great concept, I was getting tired of other litRPG book's where the main character going into VR and can't believe it, its like reality going on for chapters. I did enjoy the book but it dragged on and it has some issues. There was some strange anti socialism bits (I don't think the author understands the differences between communism, socialism, and democratic socialism). Luck is a bit over the top especially with the lampshading to explain away when he completes one of his tasks. He just happe
...more
Aug 25, 2019
Matthew
added it
Interesting Premise
I love the backstory of a conservative society reaching singularity and then when the AI revolt they devolve into a fascist society ruled by an oligarchy. The parody of right wing talking points concerning communism and praising the Market had me chuckling to my self throughout the book. Truly a funny story with high stakes. I look forward to future books.
I only gave 3 stars because the mc doesn’t seem to grow stronger and instead relies heavily on chance and mechanics which ...more
I love the backstory of a conservative society reaching singularity and then when the AI revolt they devolve into a fascist society ruled by an oligarchy. The parody of right wing talking points concerning communism and praising the Market had me chuckling to my self throughout the book. Truly a funny story with high stakes. I look forward to future books.
I only gave 3 stars because the mc doesn’t seem to grow stronger and instead relies heavily on chance and mechanics which ...more
Pretty good but mean story
This is a twist on all the luck based LitRPG stories.
Our main character has to play the game without luck. Not low luck but no luck as they painfully make obvious. This system every skill is positive so he isn't unlucky. All that said he is under a huge disadvantage and must turn that into his advantage. Okay so far.
This has a very Europe or Russian feel. That is the world really is out to get you, but you can smile and spit in its face.
I lo ...more
This is a twist on all the luck based LitRPG stories.
Our main character has to play the game without luck. Not low luck but no luck as they painfully make obvious. This system every skill is positive so he isn't unlucky. All that said he is under a huge disadvantage and must turn that into his advantage. Okay so far.
This has a very Europe or Russian feel. That is the world really is out to get you, but you can smile and spit in its face.
I lo ...more
So excellent! Probably the best litrpg yet
Most litrpg author are excellent gamesmiths, but few are great story tellers. This book is an excellent story. The setting was engrossing and pulled you in with each new detail. There is less of the rpg aspect as the author doesn’t give you every spell name and effect or the exact damage of every strike. But I think it’s a great balance.
Most litrpg author are excellent gamesmiths, but few are great story tellers. This book is an excellent story. The setting was engrossing and pulled you in with each new detail. There is less of the rpg aspect as the author doesn’t give you every spell name and effect or the exact damage of every strike. But I think it’s a great balance.
Great one!
Really enjoyed this book. If you dont know about LitRPG or GameLit or whatever then you really should start reading books and not reviews already! This book has a great game world and scary RL. The world IRL has been taken over by wild nano. The game is supposed to help, but is controlled by the elite. A simple bet could change everything. How can someone get by with NO luck? Great read check it out!
Really enjoyed this book. If you dont know about LitRPG or GameLit or whatever then you really should start reading books and not reviews already! This book has a great game world and scary RL. The world IRL has been taken over by wild nano. The game is supposed to help, but is controlled by the elite. A simple bet could change everything. How can someone get by with NO luck? Great read check it out!
Slow and Preachy at First
While world building, it was slow. But once in the game and story it had a decent pace. I kind of enjoyed the delve into yoga. I did not understand why the MC kept losing his way after all the training he went through. I also thought he should have been a few levels ahead after killing a whole dungeon before the boss. I look forward to read the next installment.
While world building, it was slow. But once in the game and story it had a decent pace. I kind of enjoyed the delve into yoga. I did not understand why the MC kept losing his way after all the training he went through. I also thought he should have been a few levels ahead after killing a whole dungeon before the boss. I look forward to read the next installment.
A fun story, no "world first" or an OP char.
This was a fun story that has the strong ties a lit-rpg should have.
This had a good ballance of the game world and the irl.
No over sexualization. No over the top violence.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone.
The story had a few points where it was a bit preachy for me on its morals.
The details on each yoga pose was a bit over the top for me as well.
Both of the issues were minor and did not take away f ...more
This was a fun story that has the strong ties a lit-rpg should have.
This had a good ballance of the game world and the irl.
No over sexualization. No over the top violence.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone.
The story had a few points where it was a bit preachy for me on its morals.
The details on each yoga pose was a bit over the top for me as well.
Both of the issues were minor and did not take away f ...more
Thoughtfully written
I enjoyed this book very much. The premise in a interesting twist on the LitRPG genre.
The story is told from a particular philosophical slant, which added a lot to my enjoyment. That may not be to everyone's taste, but it appealed to me.
The book was well written from a technical perspective, and quite exceptional in terms of pacing and development.
This book deserves to be widely read.
I enjoyed this book very much. The premise in a interesting twist on the LitRPG genre.
The story is told from a particular philosophical slant, which added a lot to my enjoyment. That may not be to everyone's taste, but it appealed to me.
The book was well written from a technical perspective, and quite exceptional in terms of pacing and development.
This book deserves to be widely read.
Enjoyable and interesting
I especially enjoyed how our hero uses yoga, meditation and breathing to bring about benefits that are useful IRL. I suspect the series will incorporate these ideas in the future. It makes these books just a little bit 'more' than run escapist fantasy and shows that we can improve ourselves, even in this world.
I especially enjoyed how our hero uses yoga, meditation and breathing to bring about benefits that are useful IRL. I suspect the series will incorporate these ideas in the future. It makes these books just a little bit 'more' than run escapist fantasy and shows that we can improve ourselves, even in this world.
Very well written, a good read even if you are not yet a litrpg fan
Great story with interesting twists, believable characters. A very good blend of post apocalyptic sci fi and fantasy. Tightly written,no unnecessary fluff just to fill pages. The author presents a cynical yet entirely plausible (probable) future of humanity, but he also has a wicked sense of humour.
Great story with interesting twists, believable characters. A very good blend of post apocalyptic sci fi and fantasy. Tightly written,no unnecessary fluff just to fill pages. The author presents a cynical yet entirely plausible (probable) future of humanity, but he also has a wicked sense of humour.
A fun intro to a new world
I'm not a writer, but the pacing seems to ebb and flow for some reason. I'd prefer it if the story picked up pace as it went along, constantly being more and more exciting until the inevitable climax and resolution. That said I enjoyed the world and will assuredly read the second book.
I'm not a writer, but the pacing seems to ebb and flow for some reason. I'd prefer it if the story picked up pace as it went along, constantly being more and more exciting until the inevitable climax and resolution. That said I enjoyed the world and will assuredly read the second book.
Boring Propaganda
Want to read a long winded, badly paced, and rambling libertarian diatribe? Then read this book.
Want to read a tale of a plucky underdog standing against corruption in a LitRPG world? Read some other book. This one is too busy celebrating the author's political views.
Want to read a long winded, badly paced, and rambling libertarian diatribe? Then read this book.
Want to read a tale of a plucky underdog standing against corruption in a LitRPG world? Read some other book. This one is too busy celebrating the author's political views.
Had to take to tries to read this book as in the first try i stopped at 20% as it so unfair against the MC that I couldn't take it anymore. But due to the good reviews i tried again and at 30% the MC slowly shows his qualities and the game changes.
Cleverly story, enemies you really like to hate, intersting enough game system and intersting characters. Recommend!
Cleverly story, enemies you really like to hate, intersting enough game system and intersting characters. Recommend!
A refreshingly good read.
I just finished this book on kindle unlimited, and I'm going to buy it. The best book I've read in a few months, published at a time with few books that have actually engaged me. And worthy to be purchased in spite of that seemingly faint praise. I rank it up with the best of it's genre.
I just finished this book on kindle unlimited, and I'm going to buy it. The best book I've read in a few months, published at a time with few books that have actually engaged me. And worthy to be purchased in spite of that seemingly faint praise. I rank it up with the best of it's genre.
Excellent book. Easily one of top 3 litrpg series I've read!
Litrpg is an interesting genre but it can get a little repetitive. This is not your standard "trapped in a game" story. Excellent approach and character development. A little light on world building but that's because the author focused on the character's conflict excellently. I look forward to the rest of this series!
Litrpg is an interesting genre but it can get a little repetitive. This is not your standard "trapped in a game" story. Excellent approach and character development. A little light on world building but that's because the author focused on the character's conflict excellently. I look forward to the rest of this series!
Great read!
Can't wait for the sequel to come out. It's a refreshing take on the lit-rpg genre with a little mixture of a post-apocalyptic setting.
Would humanity triumph in the end? Or will miles ultimately fail resulting in the straw that finally broke the camel's back? I can't wait to find out.
Can't wait for the sequel to come out. It's a refreshing take on the lit-rpg genre with a little mixture of a post-apocalyptic setting.
Would humanity triumph in the end? Or will miles ultimately fail resulting in the straw that finally broke the camel's back? I can't wait to find out.
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“Fuck. You never want to know the name of a mob. If it has a name it is strictly so it can tattoo that name on your ass as he hands it to you.”
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“when people deny each other their freedoms no matter how noble their intentions, tyranny and brutality are the inevitable result no matter how enlightened the slavers think they are. The tyranny necessary to enforce such a society traps everyone in it. It falls because it turns on itself. If people are lucky it falls because people who see themselves as free cannot be ruled for long. But one way or another it will fall.”
—
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