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No Respawn #1
The Lionheart
A LitRPG Novel
What happens when toons take a life of their own?
In the world of Drathos, an unexpected hero is born. He doesn’t know who he is, what he is, or what he will do. However, after less than an hour of being alive, his name, race, appearance, and class are all chosen for him and against his will.
With life becoming more real with every second, Tharis finds that he is able to ignore the actions demanded of him by his creator and can make his own decisions. This, however, comes with consequences. With awareness comes the fear of death… and there is no respawn.
Follow Tharis and his noobs as they track down the wonderfully bizarre and mostly nude wizard, Muzuhlan, as they seek to get answers to their questions! Who are they? How are they able to think? Why can they feel pain? What the hell is going on?
With a journey filled with monsters, player killers, loot, achievements, housing, and traps, there is only one thing that is certain… Tharis is in for one Epic Quest!
This story was inspired by years of playing:
Star Wars Galaxies Everquest I and II Vanilla WoW- GenresAudiobook
255 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2018
40 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Stevie Collier
25 books144 followersStevie Collier is an International Bestselling Author who writes highly unique... and sometimes strange Fantasy Novels! You won't find a similar style like his anywhere else!
When he isn't writing dark and high fantasy, you can find Stevie at the gym pumping iron or running with his spoiled white Siberian Husk named Spartacus.
He also loves watching movies (Horror, Action, and Comedy) along with a few anime series. Not to mention that he is also an avid gamer! (Currently dying millions of times playing Sekiro... he's a glutton for punishment lol)
He grew up with way too many creative ideas in his head. In his opinion, they were meant to be drawn but... Stevie doesn't know how to draw. That is why he writes! Let him draw a picture for you in your mind.
When he isn't writing dark and high fantasy, you can find Stevie at the gym pumping iron or running with his spoiled white Siberian Husk named Spartacus.
He also loves watching movies (Horror, Action, and Comedy) along with a few anime series. Not to mention that he is also an avid gamer! (Currently dying millions of times playing Sekiro... he's a glutton for punishment lol)
He grew up with way too many creative ideas in his head. In his opinion, they were meant to be drawn but... Stevie doesn't know how to draw. That is why he writes! Let him draw a picture for you in your mind.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 6, 2018
Great book but caution to those who have PTSD from splattered brain matter and close-and-personal violence.
I’ve never had to give a disclaimer like that for a fantasy novel before, but this warning is important. We Americans have not had to face frank violence as an everyday occurrence on a national level since the Civil War. Having been in the pioneering beta test rat group for Gygax so many years ago before the publication of his reference books, I can say that when one creates his/her own fantasy world for wargaming, many times it’s for the soul pleasure of finding treasure, uncovering artifacts at an alarming rate, and leveling up until you “kill” everyone off in the room if you decide to make a secret but deadly alignment change. It’s only as violent as rolling a die and praying for a critical hit (or miss). Stevie Collier, on the other hand, has brought the game to real life. If you die, you are very dead, Jim. And violence is a way of life in his world. Period. I don’t see it as gratuitous violence, but I do see someone who has sat down and gave his world a lot of thought, and that I find fascinating. I really like the “stats” that literally *pops* up, displaying all sorts of character information. Half the fun is how these players communicate with each other (even with something that resembles texting!) and how they interact to obtain loot, experience points, leveling up, etc. I’ve never seen something this intricate in my readings.
Length: This is a real novel in length. (I am so sick and tired of novellas being touted as novels when they aren’t!) Don’t worry. It’s not a Stephen King doorstopper.
Character development: Everything about role-playing games, be it on paper or LARPing, is about character development, but Collier took it to a different level with a surprising twist. I found Tharis, our main protagonist, believable, very thought-provoking, and quite normal. Baatar is what I would call a chaotically good from the Dark Faction whereas Grimy, a wizen goblin that was offering up his own kind to keep from getting eaten himself, positively pitiful but eventually trustworthy (well, as trustworthy as a goblin can get). Stevie Collier finds a way to interweave their wyrds in such a way to create complicated relationships which I don’t often see. That was so refreshing!
Emotional factor: I really like the character of Tharis. Yes, he IS the quintessential accidental hero upon which Luck smiles because he has to tap-dance blindfolded in a veritable field of landmines to find that he has more disasters ahead of him. I felt so horrible with the loss of his first best friend and… oops! I don’t want to include to many spoilers. But I will say I found the characters compelling – positive, negative, or opinion still pending.
Remember the disclaimer at the beginning? While I was reading particular passages, I was flinching and jumping to other computer projects before going back to this novel. The more I read, the worse I felt. I know that Stevie Collier cannot candy-coat his universe. That would be ridiculous because life is always dealing with death but more face-to-face in this world. It would be as stupid as using cutesy swear words in a gritty, hard-boiled detective novel. That would be really immature writing. Finally, I figured it out. I was having a PTSD reaction. Oh. Well, that’s a relief. I thought I was just getting old and becoming weary of the real-life graphic violence. Nope. Bodies don’t forget – one of the few truths in modern-day medicine. Brain matter splatter is not one of my favorites nor true psychopaths who see nothing wrong with impulse killing. So reader beware. Collier really got under my skin on this one. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky…
Speed of action: This book books! No doubt about it. But it doesn’t feel rushed at all. It’s just jam-packed with action and adventure that you rarely get a chance to catch a breather.
Predictability: Unpredictable at best. Keep in mind that this is an introductory book, but it’s one of the better ones I’ve read. You aren’t just learning the appreciate the characters, you’re bleeding with them.
Credibility issues: There isn’t much in terms of credibility problems as there are amazing new ideas I haven’t considered myself or read about. This will trip your imagination like crazy!
Grammar and technical errors: Rarely a few misspellings, but it reminds me of a keyboard problem. (You know what I’m talking about? You KNOW you hit that key, but it didn’t work…) And keep in mind I had an ARC, not the final copy.
Yes, the book screams SEQUEL at the end, but it’s a good scream. (At least it’s without pain and severed limbs.) I highly recommend reading it (preferably buying it because I know I will reread it a few times to pick up on the things I had missed because I was dealing with yucky internal issues). Enjoy the adventure! And remember – no one is as they may seem to appear.
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest, no-punches-pulled review.
I’ve never had to give a disclaimer like that for a fantasy novel before, but this warning is important. We Americans have not had to face frank violence as an everyday occurrence on a national level since the Civil War. Having been in the pioneering beta test rat group for Gygax so many years ago before the publication of his reference books, I can say that when one creates his/her own fantasy world for wargaming, many times it’s for the soul pleasure of finding treasure, uncovering artifacts at an alarming rate, and leveling up until you “kill” everyone off in the room if you decide to make a secret but deadly alignment change. It’s only as violent as rolling a die and praying for a critical hit (or miss). Stevie Collier, on the other hand, has brought the game to real life. If you die, you are very dead, Jim. And violence is a way of life in his world. Period. I don’t see it as gratuitous violence, but I do see someone who has sat down and gave his world a lot of thought, and that I find fascinating. I really like the “stats” that literally *pops* up, displaying all sorts of character information. Half the fun is how these players communicate with each other (even with something that resembles texting!) and how they interact to obtain loot, experience points, leveling up, etc. I’ve never seen something this intricate in my readings.
Length: This is a real novel in length. (I am so sick and tired of novellas being touted as novels when they aren’t!) Don’t worry. It’s not a Stephen King doorstopper.
Character development: Everything about role-playing games, be it on paper or LARPing, is about character development, but Collier took it to a different level with a surprising twist. I found Tharis, our main protagonist, believable, very thought-provoking, and quite normal. Baatar is what I would call a chaotically good from the Dark Faction whereas Grimy, a wizen goblin that was offering up his own kind to keep from getting eaten himself, positively pitiful but eventually trustworthy (well, as trustworthy as a goblin can get). Stevie Collier finds a way to interweave their wyrds in such a way to create complicated relationships which I don’t often see. That was so refreshing!
Emotional factor: I really like the character of Tharis. Yes, he IS the quintessential accidental hero upon which Luck smiles because he has to tap-dance blindfolded in a veritable field of landmines to find that he has more disasters ahead of him. I felt so horrible with the loss of his first best friend and… oops! I don’t want to include to many spoilers. But I will say I found the characters compelling – positive, negative, or opinion still pending.
Remember the disclaimer at the beginning? While I was reading particular passages, I was flinching and jumping to other computer projects before going back to this novel. The more I read, the worse I felt. I know that Stevie Collier cannot candy-coat his universe. That would be ridiculous because life is always dealing with death but more face-to-face in this world. It would be as stupid as using cutesy swear words in a gritty, hard-boiled detective novel. That would be really immature writing. Finally, I figured it out. I was having a PTSD reaction. Oh. Well, that’s a relief. I thought I was just getting old and becoming weary of the real-life graphic violence. Nope. Bodies don’t forget – one of the few truths in modern-day medicine. Brain matter splatter is not one of my favorites nor true psychopaths who see nothing wrong with impulse killing. So reader beware. Collier really got under my skin on this one. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky…
Speed of action: This book books! No doubt about it. But it doesn’t feel rushed at all. It’s just jam-packed with action and adventure that you rarely get a chance to catch a breather.
Predictability: Unpredictable at best. Keep in mind that this is an introductory book, but it’s one of the better ones I’ve read. You aren’t just learning the appreciate the characters, you’re bleeding with them.
Credibility issues: There isn’t much in terms of credibility problems as there are amazing new ideas I haven’t considered myself or read about. This will trip your imagination like crazy!
Grammar and technical errors: Rarely a few misspellings, but it reminds me of a keyboard problem. (You know what I’m talking about? You KNOW you hit that key, but it didn’t work…) And keep in mind I had an ARC, not the final copy.
Yes, the book screams SEQUEL at the end, but it’s a good scream. (At least it’s without pain and severed limbs.) I highly recommend reading it (preferably buying it because I know I will reread it a few times to pick up on the things I had missed because I was dealing with yucky internal issues). Enjoy the adventure! And remember – no one is as they may seem to appear.
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest, no-punches-pulled review.
May 3, 2018
The theme for the book is quite interesting and prompted me to buy it. On the contrary to most of the LitRPG genre the book is supposed to be about a game character gaining its freedom from the player control and becoming a full-pledged citizen of the game world.
Alas, the delivery is shallow at the most. The phase of the main character being still under control and making its first steps to get out of it is underdeveloped and barely there. From the very beginning the MC behaves fully independently, thus making it impossible to point out a single difference between the story said by Mr. Collier and any other LitRPG.
The plot is rather typical and a there are no surprises there - unfortunately. The MC is a boring, overly altruistic and always-on-the-good-side hero. He gathers a bunch of similar to him "enlightened" characters and NPCs. Though - they all seem rather underdeveloped and one-dimensional. There is not much happening there in the area of character development. All of them struggle from smaller disaster to small disaster to medium to bigger to big, ad infinitum. No cliff-hangers, no twists, nothing. The plot is as straight as it gets.
All in all, The Lionheart (No Respawn) is very, very average.
Alas, the delivery is shallow at the most. The phase of the main character being still under control and making its first steps to get out of it is underdeveloped and barely there. From the very beginning the MC behaves fully independently, thus making it impossible to point out a single difference between the story said by Mr. Collier and any other LitRPG.
The plot is rather typical and a there are no surprises there - unfortunately. The MC is a boring, overly altruistic and always-on-the-good-side hero. He gathers a bunch of similar to him "enlightened" characters and NPCs. Though - they all seem rather underdeveloped and one-dimensional. There is not much happening there in the area of character development. All of them struggle from smaller disaster to small disaster to medium to bigger to big, ad infinitum. No cliff-hangers, no twists, nothing. The plot is as straight as it gets.
All in all, The Lionheart (No Respawn) is very, very average.
April 9, 2018
Decent but nothing special as litrpg's go. While I always appreciate when authors add non-human characters (other than the standard elf, dwarf, halfling, ext variants on human). The idea of AI gaining sentient is a pretty standard setup, though this one has the unique variant of the players character gaining sentience and breaking way from their control. It's a pretty interesting idea on the surface, but he doesn't go very far with it and there's a lot of questions that are never answered on how it's all supposed to work.
Still, not bad. All though, I'm starting to get a stress reaction when I hear Doug Tisdale Jr. Not sure what it is about his reading, but something about it makes the books seem more rushed and silly.
Still, not bad. All though, I'm starting to get a stress reaction when I hear Doug Tisdale Jr. Not sure what it is about his reading, but something about it makes the books seem more rushed and silly.
March 2, 2018
I received this book for free in the authors hope that I would write an honest review. And I shall. Stevie, I really enjoyed your first book in the Lionheart series. When I got to the last page, I wanted MUCH more. I hate reading reviews that give spoilers, so I don't really want to say much about the story other than it was: well written, captivating, exciting, action-oriented; and where the heck can I get book 2? LitRPG is a fairly new genre in which many authors are getting into. Stevie Collier stories will stand out years from now as one of the greats. Now I site my favorite, and most used quote: "Please sir, I want some more."
July 14, 2019
Ugh dumb mc. After the first time ur surprised while power leveling and almost die maybe you should pull ur head out of ur butt and watch the critters?!?!?! Also so weak he wont kill a serial killer mass murderer jerkwad whose killed and tortured his friends and an entire village and may actually be insane. No i just want to beat hime up and kick him out that wont come back to bite me in the butt. I. cant. even. I stopped reading and moved on. Sue me.
February 28, 2018
A great foray into the Lit-rpg (role playing game) genre,STEVIE knocks this one out of the park with a story involving a "game player" involving a mix of great plot,funny characters and of course,gaming action! A fine book for any young adult (or any adult for that matter) I fully enjoyed it,and you will too!..A strongly recommended good read.
March 2, 2018
A wonderful LitRPG book I was lucky enough to read.
I love syfy and fantasy, and this manages to incorporate elements of both, so I am one happy camper.
I loved the way the characters and world develop throughout the story, and only wish it was longer.
The part I felt added to the realism is that not even being a goody guarantees survival in this book.
I love syfy and fantasy, and this manages to incorporate elements of both, so I am one happy camper.
I loved the way the characters and world develop throughout the story, and only wish it was longer.
The part I felt added to the realism is that not even being a goody guarantees survival in this book.
April 24, 2018
Interesting take on LitRPG
I had kind of wondered if there would be a story like this. No longer simply people choosing the game life they get. Like some of Stevie's other works, this is a great story. It's interesting, but also makes you want to stay, it doesn't force you to like some others, simply convinces you to decide to stay on your own.
I had kind of wondered if there would be a story like this. No longer simply people choosing the game life they get. Like some of Stevie's other works, this is a great story. It's interesting, but also makes you want to stay, it doesn't force you to like some others, simply convinces you to decide to stay on your own.
February 18, 2018
I never read a book in the style before. The style of a rpg and I gotta say it’s such a cool style. The story was amazing and it took you right into the world of the book wanting more and to be right with the main character in his quest. 10/10 waiting for book 2
April 1, 2018
Good story here with very few (if any) errors. Would be interested to see where this series goes. Not a lot of stats in this one, vut it's handled well enough that it really doesn't affect the enjoyment of the story any.
March 1, 2018
Good book!!
Different take on litrpg books ,I really enjoyed reading this one,hope there is a second book in the works.I would recommend this book!!!
Different take on litrpg books ,I really enjoyed reading this one,hope there is a second book in the works.I would recommend this book!!!
April 28, 2018
Good ideas, really brought new ideas to the LIT RPG formula
July 20, 2021
I recommend this to readers who enjoy fast pace storyline and stunning feel.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews