What do you think?
Rate this book
The Good Guys #6
Home, Siege Home
The continued adventures of Montana, Duke of Coggeshall as he adventures in lands of Vuldranni. A LitRPG-GameLit Adventure.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2019
1013 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
February 16, 2020
Non spoiler, just read the first 5 books or my reviews of them, TLDR, they are great.
I hope book 8 comes out soon because I’m just about to start book 7 and I don’t want this to end.
I hope book 8 comes out soon because I’m just about to start book 7 and I don’t want this to end.
November 3, 2020
As much as I love the overall story, the characters and the world building . I think this book has too many problems to be considered good. Did I enjoy it? Yes but only because I am invested in the series and read them all in one go which made the cliff hanger endings not matter as much until this one.
In this one the small flaws that were in the previous books grow glaring. Examples? Previous flaws were such as when the Montana the MC gets a letter from his adoptive father explaining what his plans were for Montana in case he dies and a letter for Lee gets put in his belt then never read or mentioned again. There was a second box in the pack his 'father' had besides the wish berry tree but we never find out what. Speaking of the wishberry, Montana says he needs gold and horses yet I seem to remember the second and third wishberry selling for horses and platinum , 250 horses if I remember right yet this is never once mentioned.
The main character some how knew of Trolls regenerative abilities yet not the simple fact that trolls are weak to fire or the only way to stop them regenerating is to burn them? The only way trolls are ever stopped if they have regeneration like that?
These are small issues in the main story such as the stats not staying the same but in this book it gets worse. He gets a magical bow and stone to detect corrupted creatures and apparently has them in his camp, yet never once uses it to try to find out any of them. Worst breach ever sure, any child would think to check everyone with those items. At one point he goes to kill corrupted and the bow does major damage to them, yet it makes loud deafening noises so he decides not to use it since hes with companions. yet when he goes to fight a large camp ALONE...he waits for them to come to him with a sword and shield instead of pulling out his bow first and cutting down their numbers or firing at their leader..Wtf?
His abilities? Never used. They go on and on about needing food and growing farms underground yet never mentions his ability to summon extremely fertile soil. Why give such a useless ability to a character in a book series unless it ties into the plot or to use it. He has the ability to find minerals? The miners want to go mine stuff yet never does he go out and detect rare metals for them. His abilities he has to once a day force someone to answer honestly from the dungeon? He has tons of questions with tons of mystery. Such as who the people sieging his castle work for but yet never uses. Who is the traitor among the princess people he could easily once a day for a week use that to force them to answer that and tons other things ways to use it.
He never once mentions that his heraldic mark is finished to his advisor even when he is supposedly trying to update his advisor on all the things that happened and it gives him the ability to force a imperial citizen to give him a favor once a day..yet that is never used or mentioned again except when looking at his character sheets.
His royal blood and that sword? Never mentioned to anyone, even though he keeps seeing it on his character sheet and using standing tall..he still hasn't mentioned that to anyone at all.
There are just so many major holes in the plot where simple uses of his abilities would solve problems or things forgotten from earlier books or common sense that isn't used. It wouldn't be so bad if he was portrayed as a major idiot who can't think of the simplest things all the time but normally he shown as pretty smart or at least average with bursts of true foresight and intelligence in planning his city and finding ways out of situations. which make the times he is a pure idiot even more out of place.
I honestly hope the author taking a break is a good thing, perhaps he will re-read his own books, make notes of important things such as rewards to his character and stats and then continue on, perhaps tieing stuff in later as if he planned it all along such as the horses he is owed. Speaking of rewards? At one point the main character completes a quest yet there is no mention of it. I can write this down to the main character never checking notifcations but still it is stupid. He gets a chain to improve his village and at one point he calls a god down because he isn't getting the rewards it's so important yet the next quest reward is changed in the chain quests and he needs 500 people, nearly a few days later where he was at 350 he gets 200 more people which should put him past 500 yet he never gets a reward or notification for finishing that quest.
I think the author needs to keep his own little quest book, stat sheets, and rewards due as well as inventory of things collected. A official once published list, since it almost feels like the author has a as he writes list that gets changed as it gets published or revised and ends up forgetting whats in the book and what's not.
Now if glaring plot holes and common sense logic with things forgotten doesn't bother you and you just like the characters, world and story then I can say this is a 'fun' book if nothing else and cliff hanger endings far worse then the others since the plot does not get wrapped up, the mini quest story of this book..then read it. Otherwise might want to wait until the next one is released to hear if it gets better and then if so read this one and the next one in a pair as one book instead of two.
In this one the small flaws that were in the previous books grow glaring. Examples? Previous flaws were such as when the Montana the MC gets a letter from his adoptive father explaining what his plans were for Montana in case he dies and a letter for Lee gets put in his belt then never read or mentioned again. There was a second box in the pack his 'father' had besides the wish berry tree but we never find out what. Speaking of the wishberry, Montana says he needs gold and horses yet I seem to remember the second and third wishberry selling for horses and platinum , 250 horses if I remember right yet this is never once mentioned.
The main character some how knew of Trolls regenerative abilities yet not the simple fact that trolls are weak to fire or the only way to stop them regenerating is to burn them? The only way trolls are ever stopped if they have regeneration like that?
These are small issues in the main story such as the stats not staying the same but in this book it gets worse. He gets a magical bow and stone to detect corrupted creatures and apparently has them in his camp, yet never once uses it to try to find out any of them. Worst breach ever sure, any child would think to check everyone with those items. At one point he goes to kill corrupted and the bow does major damage to them, yet it makes loud deafening noises so he decides not to use it since hes with companions. yet when he goes to fight a large camp ALONE...he waits for them to come to him with a sword and shield instead of pulling out his bow first and cutting down their numbers or firing at their leader..Wtf?
His abilities? Never used. They go on and on about needing food and growing farms underground yet never mentions his ability to summon extremely fertile soil. Why give such a useless ability to a character in a book series unless it ties into the plot or to use it. He has the ability to find minerals? The miners want to go mine stuff yet never does he go out and detect rare metals for them. His abilities he has to once a day force someone to answer honestly from the dungeon? He has tons of questions with tons of mystery. Such as who the people sieging his castle work for but yet never uses. Who is the traitor among the princess people he could easily once a day for a week use that to force them to answer that and tons other things ways to use it.
He never once mentions that his heraldic mark is finished to his advisor even when he is supposedly trying to update his advisor on all the things that happened and it gives him the ability to force a imperial citizen to give him a favor once a day..yet that is never used or mentioned again except when looking at his character sheets.
His royal blood and that sword? Never mentioned to anyone, even though he keeps seeing it on his character sheet and using standing tall..he still hasn't mentioned that to anyone at all.
There are just so many major holes in the plot where simple uses of his abilities would solve problems or things forgotten from earlier books or common sense that isn't used. It wouldn't be so bad if he was portrayed as a major idiot who can't think of the simplest things all the time but normally he shown as pretty smart or at least average with bursts of true foresight and intelligence in planning his city and finding ways out of situations. which make the times he is a pure idiot even more out of place.
I honestly hope the author taking a break is a good thing, perhaps he will re-read his own books, make notes of important things such as rewards to his character and stats and then continue on, perhaps tieing stuff in later as if he planned it all along such as the horses he is owed. Speaking of rewards? At one point the main character completes a quest yet there is no mention of it. I can write this down to the main character never checking notifcations but still it is stupid. He gets a chain to improve his village and at one point he calls a god down because he isn't getting the rewards it's so important yet the next quest reward is changed in the chain quests and he needs 500 people, nearly a few days later where he was at 350 he gets 200 more people which should put him past 500 yet he never gets a reward or notification for finishing that quest.
I think the author needs to keep his own little quest book, stat sheets, and rewards due as well as inventory of things collected. A official once published list, since it almost feels like the author has a as he writes list that gets changed as it gets published or revised and ends up forgetting whats in the book and what's not.
Now if glaring plot holes and common sense logic with things forgotten doesn't bother you and you just like the characters, world and story then I can say this is a 'fun' book if nothing else and cliff hanger endings far worse then the others since the plot does not get wrapped up, the mini quest story of this book..then read it. Otherwise might want to wait until the next one is released to hear if it gets better and then if so read this one and the next one in a pair as one book instead of two.
June 14, 2019
Nicely done. It's a shame the author is taking a break from this series, but hopefully that just means there will be a great story waiting in the wings when he resumes.
This is about as good as it gets for LitRPG stories folks, you can't find much that's better than This series of books. If you're the facts and figures type of LitRPG fan, you may be disappointed with this series, as there isn't a whole lot of that here, but if you're just after a good story, with lots of fun, building, critters, building, political intrigue, building, and defending of home territory, all while trying to accomplish tasks for multiple gods, you might see why this series is so much fun to read.
So, if you're looking for a good solid storyline, and you haven't started this series yet, I say, what's stopping you, have at it.
This is about as good as it gets for LitRPG stories folks, you can't find much that's better than This series of books. If you're the facts and figures type of LitRPG fan, you may be disappointed with this series, as there isn't a whole lot of that here, but if you're just after a good story, with lots of fun, building, critters, building, political intrigue, building, and defending of home territory, all while trying to accomplish tasks for multiple gods, you might see why this series is so much fun to read.
So, if you're looking for a good solid storyline, and you haven't started this series yet, I say, what's stopping you, have at it.
June 28, 2019
Eric!!! Again...Seriously!!!
Ok so all my reviews for this series are starting to sound the same...love the book got sucked in and then BAM it’s over...*sigh* can’t wait until The Bad Guys also comes out! Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!!!
Ok so all my reviews for this series are starting to sound the same...love the book got sucked in and then BAM it’s over...*sigh* can’t wait until The Bad Guys also comes out! Keep writing and I’ll keep reading!!!
April 29, 2020
Errors by the author keep stacking up. Plot holes can be forgiven at times, but completely forgetting major parts of your own characters, like their abilities (or goals or resources or important relationships), seems a bit less forgivable. The MC and his advisors start to look more and more idiotic, because they keep forgetting important details, because the author has forgotten those details.
There is enjoyable parts of this story, but the bad parts are starting to take over.
There is enjoyable parts of this story, but the bad parts are starting to take over.
June 14, 2019
It was...okay
To start with I am a huge fan of the series so far; the characters are well developed, the plot is complex and engaging, and the world is fleshed out enough to feel real without the overlong descriptive tangents so many authors use to prop up this common shortfall. All of that being said, I found this book disappointing in comparison. One of the biggest strengths of the previous books was the way the characters interacted, where as here those interactions seemed abbreviated to the point everyone but Montana (the MC) seems stilted and two dimensional.
The world still feels real but isn't fleshed out more. I understand that given the siege plot of this novel it is impractical to expand on the wider world. The absence of breadth give an opportunity to add depth Wich was dropped. By the end of the novel we are left without any better understanding of the cultures that make up this budding community, which is especially ironic given there is a discussion in the book about characters having human centric viewpoints that is brought up and then just dropped. This was in contrast to the previous book, Dukes and Ladders, that had laid the ground work for a culture clash that could temper or destroy the budding fondue that is Coggshall.
That brings us to what I think is the biggest problem of this novel, the plot. Frankly, Mr. Ugland has fallen into the same trap of so many authors of extended series, especially in the LitRPG/gamelit genre. He didn't have a concrete plot that was resolved with a satisfying climax in this book. Technically the novel starts with the siege already underway and it is partially lifted in the end, but that plot does not pull the story together. The first major insiting force in the novel itself is the visit and quest from Eona. However that is left as an afterthought through most of the novel as the main character pursues one side quest after another with short breaks for training montages. Several more quests are added to the stack, left unresolved, and ultimately passed on to unknown lackeys to presumably be resolved off screen. When we eventually return to the quest from Eona it seems to be only to avoid yet another distraction and is completed in a perfunctory manner with any of the engaging detail of other conflicts in the series followed up by a Deus ex machina cavalry charge that ends the other enemies without a direct confrontation between our hero and the only named enemy present. This in turn was followed by the lancer of our story pointing out that our hero never actually finished the fist quest and should get on that before the book abruptly ends. It was quite frustrating.
To start with I am a huge fan of the series so far; the characters are well developed, the plot is complex and engaging, and the world is fleshed out enough to feel real without the overlong descriptive tangents so many authors use to prop up this common shortfall. All of that being said, I found this book disappointing in comparison. One of the biggest strengths of the previous books was the way the characters interacted, where as here those interactions seemed abbreviated to the point everyone but Montana (the MC) seems stilted and two dimensional.
The world still feels real but isn't fleshed out more. I understand that given the siege plot of this novel it is impractical to expand on the wider world. The absence of breadth give an opportunity to add depth Wich was dropped. By the end of the novel we are left without any better understanding of the cultures that make up this budding community, which is especially ironic given there is a discussion in the book about characters having human centric viewpoints that is brought up and then just dropped. This was in contrast to the previous book, Dukes and Ladders, that had laid the ground work for a culture clash that could temper or destroy the budding fondue that is Coggshall.
That brings us to what I think is the biggest problem of this novel, the plot. Frankly, Mr. Ugland has fallen into the same trap of so many authors of extended series, especially in the LitRPG/gamelit genre. He didn't have a concrete plot that was resolved with a satisfying climax in this book. Technically the novel starts with the siege already underway and it is partially lifted in the end, but that plot does not pull the story together. The first major insiting force in the novel itself is the visit and quest from Eona. However that is left as an afterthought through most of the novel as the main character pursues one side quest after another with short breaks for training montages. Several more quests are added to the stack, left unresolved, and ultimately passed on to unknown lackeys to presumably be resolved off screen. When we eventually return to the quest from Eona it seems to be only to avoid yet another distraction and is completed in a perfunctory manner with any of the engaging detail of other conflicts in the series followed up by a Deus ex machina cavalry charge that ends the other enemies without a direct confrontation between our hero and the only named enemy present. This in turn was followed by the lancer of our story pointing out that our hero never actually finished the fist quest and should get on that before the book abruptly ends. It was quite frustrating.
June 17, 2019
Really enjoyed this installment of The Good Guys, plenty of action and a lot going on. I do agree with some of the other reviews that there wasn't as much character interaction or humor in this volume though. The author has continued to reduce the amount of stat sheets even further as well as we only get one full summery stat sheet throughout the entire book which was somewhere in the middle, it would have been nice to get one after a certain event and/or at the end of the book as well. This is one of my favorite litrpg series and i always wait in anticipation of the next one so I'm a bit disappointed the author is taking a break from it for awhile but luckily the next book is set in the same universe I believe and we don't have a long wait. If you haven't looked into this series yet do it you are missing out.
May 30, 2021
This book is the one that broke me and made me stop the series.
There is no development from anyone. The MC Montana is the biggest, literally, push over of all time. And there is no possible way he was once a biker loan shark. This series made less sense as time went on and at this point the inconsistency is too much. There are too many plots happening at the same time which makes none of the situations work together cohesively.
This man can move tons of stones easily and chop down trees in 2 hits but gets wiped by a random creature, why would anything in this valley be alive if this creatures is just moving about. Also cleaves a women in half one book but can’t pierce a bears head the next. His strength and abilities are so inconsistent. Like he has killed thousands of creatures and he’s level 25. Like a random slaver is 23 easily.
The side characters are infuriating and have negative purpose. This man wanted to fish now his is saddled with 700+ random people he cares for who all apparently hate him. He’s a f***ing duke and literally everyone speaks down to him. His what ever followers literally back talk him and tell him he’s dumb and make no attempt to teach him about the world. He was forced into his duke position by 2 random guys and now one of them refuses to hold an acceptable convo with him or let him actually rule the land and the other is dead.
Additionally, so many people have threaten to murder him or tried and he just skips over it. I mean a random guard has a knife to his throat in this for trying to talk to someone who he is supposed to have as an advisor?????
This book pretty much just let the battles that have built up happen. We see the MC try and help and actually think for once and his ideas are just shot down over and over and he just accepts. This man is so annoyingly passive for someone who has canonically ripped someone’s jaw off.
It feels like the writer just word dumps and want random events to happen. The MC has been in the world for like 5 months and has learned next to nothing and refuses to truly try. He has made it unfun to follow the story where I know all that will happen is “Montana doesn’t plan and rushes in. He causes hundreds of death and doesn’t feel a thing. Gods are happy for this. Background character complain and insult him. He brushes it off and takes it. Someone accuses him of being a monster for being weirdly over powered in a world where real monsters exist. He finds a random group of people who need help and it ends up adding a side quest and another battle” that is what will happen has happen and it makes the books BAD.
There is no development from anyone. The MC Montana is the biggest, literally, push over of all time. And there is no possible way he was once a biker loan shark. This series made less sense as time went on and at this point the inconsistency is too much. There are too many plots happening at the same time which makes none of the situations work together cohesively.
This man can move tons of stones easily and chop down trees in 2 hits but gets wiped by a random creature, why would anything in this valley be alive if this creatures is just moving about. Also cleaves a women in half one book but can’t pierce a bears head the next. His strength and abilities are so inconsistent. Like he has killed thousands of creatures and he’s level 25. Like a random slaver is 23 easily.
The side characters are infuriating and have negative purpose. This man wanted to fish now his is saddled with 700+ random people he cares for who all apparently hate him. He’s a f***ing duke and literally everyone speaks down to him. His what ever followers literally back talk him and tell him he’s dumb and make no attempt to teach him about the world. He was forced into his duke position by 2 random guys and now one of them refuses to hold an acceptable convo with him or let him actually rule the land and the other is dead.
Additionally, so many people have threaten to murder him or tried and he just skips over it. I mean a random guard has a knife to his throat in this for trying to talk to someone who he is supposed to have as an advisor?????
This book pretty much just let the battles that have built up happen. We see the MC try and help and actually think for once and his ideas are just shot down over and over and he just accepts. This man is so annoyingly passive for someone who has canonically ripped someone’s jaw off.
It feels like the writer just word dumps and want random events to happen. The MC has been in the world for like 5 months and has learned next to nothing and refuses to truly try. He has made it unfun to follow the story where I know all that will happen is “Montana doesn’t plan and rushes in. He causes hundreds of death and doesn’t feel a thing. Gods are happy for this. Background character complain and insult him. He brushes it off and takes it. Someone accuses him of being a monster for being weirdly over powered in a world where real monsters exist. He finds a random group of people who need help and it ends up adding a side quest and another battle” that is what will happen has happen and it makes the books BAD.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2019
, good book
Good book I read it start to finish went by really fast I wish I could read the next four in the series well I guess the next one comes out in December
Good book I read it start to finish went by really fast I wish I could read the next four in the series well I guess the next one comes out in December
August 17, 2019
The main character is really starting to annoy me, actually the supporting characters are just as bad. None of them have the slightest bit of common sense. I'm not sure where this story is going anymore, It all just seems a bit stupid.
Like why didn't they use the stone and/or bow to test everyone in camp as soon as they got it. Perhaps even daily?
If they killed all those bears so easily in one night why wait so long?
Everything that happens in this book seems to be a long drawn out process where not much happens, then they solve the problem that's been taking so long in 2 minutes flat with minimal effort.
I don't feel like the author's heart was in this one like it was in the previous books. None of it has been thought through very well. I read Book 1 of the bad guys just before reading this and it's so much better.
Like why didn't they use the stone and/or bow to test everyone in camp as soon as they got it. Perhaps even daily?
If they killed all those bears so easily in one night why wait so long?
Everything that happens in this book seems to be a long drawn out process where not much happens, then they solve the problem that's been taking so long in 2 minutes flat with minimal effort.
I don't feel like the author's heart was in this one like it was in the previous books. None of it has been thought through very well. I read Book 1 of the bad guys just before reading this and it's so much better.
October 28, 2019
Fun enough, though a similar problem as with the previous book - the main hero seems to have lost his strength to make the issues around seem more challenging. It's a bit...irritating to know, he went the path of brute force, and now doesn't use it to his advantage.
March 25, 2021
Ролевите игри са направени, за да може играчът да се вдъхнови, да се потопи в техния свят и не да "управлява" героя си, а да се идентифицира с него, самият той да стане герой и да действа и решава от своя гледна точка в измисления свят, сякаш наистина живее там.
В действителност, особено в компютърните такива игри, се получава нещо по средата - наистина човек до известна степен се идентифицира с героя си, но това си остава игра и той не действа като истинска личност в игровия свят, а като "външен елемент" в него - което довежда до някои странности и особености на действието.
Именно тези странности и особености на действието описва в литературна форма Ерик Угланд в серията си за Добрите - всъщност само за един добър, който, както подобава на жанра LitRPG, "попада" в игрови свят, подчинен на игрова логика... но и той действа в него като външен играч, а не като негов жител или (слава богу) типичен герой от фентъзи книги.
Действията му са точно толкова нелогични и водят до точно същите резултати, каквито наблюдаваме у себе си, докато играем RPG игри:
Героят ни много бързо става прекалено силен, следва по-скоро инцидентно, отколкото съзнателно сюжетната линия, която създателите на играта са сложили за основна, разпилява усилията си по странични куестове, не чете съобщенията и хелп-файловете на играта, така че често му се налага да взема решения без да има идея от ситуацията...
Също така, въпреки, че в играта е двуметров мускулест и брадат войн, че и владетел после, играчът си остава смачкан смотаняк по душа, какъвто е авторът всъщност и действа и говори по съответния начин (сигурен съм, че авторът не го е планирал това, но така се е получило, понеже никой не може да избяга от себе си).
Резултатът от всичко това е доста забавен.
В действителност, особено в компютърните такива игри, се получава нещо по средата - наистина човек до известна степен се идентифицира с героя си, но това си остава игра и той не действа като истинска личност в игровия свят, а като "външен елемент" в него - което довежда до някои странности и особености на действието.
Именно тези странности и особености на действието описва в литературна форма Ерик Угланд в серията си за Добрите - всъщност само за един добър, който, както подобава на жанра LitRPG, "попада" в игрови свят, подчинен на игрова логика... но и той действа в него като външен играч, а не като негов жител или (слава богу) типичен герой от фентъзи книги.
Действията му са точно толкова нелогични и водят до точно същите резултати, каквито наблюдаваме у себе си, докато играем RPG игри:
Героят ни много бързо става прекалено силен, следва по-скоро инцидентно, отколкото съзнателно сюжетната линия, която създателите на играта са сложили за основна, разпилява усилията си по странични куестове, не чете съобщенията и хелп-файловете на играта, така че често му се налага да взема решения без да има идея от ситуацията...
Също така, въпреки, че в играта е двуметров мускулест и брадат войн, че и владетел после, играчът си остава смачкан смотаняк по душа, какъвто е авторът всъщност и действа и говори по съответния начин (сигурен съм, че авторът не го е планирал това, но така се е получило, понеже никой не може да избяга от себе си).
Резултатът от всичко това е доста забавен.
February 12, 2021
This series keeps getting better! It is definitely holding my interest! I am enjoying the adventures of Montana Coggeshall and his holding! I would love to see him continue to excel in other abilities besides strength. Alrighty then, on to the next installment! (I am kind of obsessed at this point in the series)
September 26, 2024
Best series
I wasn't sure about this series at first, but each book just gets better and better. It's definitely worth reading.
I wasn't sure about this series at first, but each book just gets better and better. It's definitely worth reading.
December 30, 2024
It's a good thing this series is fifteen books long because I can't stop reading it.
August 18, 2025
why is he always in gore? blood, shit and all sorts of nasties?
still a nice story dispyte all the nasties
still a nice story dispyte all the nasties
October 16, 2025
Still good. Probably gonna stop binging these for a while though
May 19, 2022
Home Siege Home
The Good Guys: Book 6
By Eric Ugland
Overview:
Those who liked books 4 and 5 will probably enjoy book 6 too although it strays in parts early to mid way through with aimless wandering around. But as I’ve come to learn from the author’s writing style, even aimless wandering bears fruit for the story down the line.
For being “the Good Guys” series there’s not much of that in these books. Montana is a thieving, murdering, foul mouthed halfwit who is completely OP by various gods’ boons bestowed upon him; he is basically a Hercules. He’s been given a dukedom and is at the head of the line to become Emperor if he wants it, which he doesn’t. All he wants to do is fish, yet is almost comically sidetracked any time he comes close to that end.
Pertaining to the events of book 6: Montana’s “Coggeshall” fort out in the wilderness is under siege by what he presumes to be the men of the traitorous brother of the assassinated emperor. His fort is filled with all kinds of people and races such as dwarves and ursas and defector legionnaires and thingmen and prinkies. Included in the people is the Princess of the Empire as well as a Baroness of a rival faction, both of whom add tension to the plot. What’s more, besides the soldiers laying siege, there are a band of corrupted ursas who want to eat all the inhabitants, dark goblins who summon a massive worm to attack, kobolds, and the Master’s minions to contend with as well.
The Good:
* MC continues to improve his leadership and combat prowess. Maybe one day he’ll be respectable in the eyes of his followers?
* Unlike his monster pet, I’m glad the author is letting Montana have continued usage out of his Prinkies (and otters).
* Nikolai continues to be a hard ass and although he’s the least liked character, he makes some excellent points, even pointing out things that I get irritated about in the story (such as Montana going off on a wild goose chase with the banded worm and the kobolds when he has bigger fish to fry with the ursa threat).
* We get more of the main storyline unfold, such as (finally) a conversation between Montana and the Princess of the Empire as well as some more of the Northwoods story and the mysterious “Master”.
* I enjoy seeing all these alliances between disparate clans and races based upon Montana completing quests and otherwise being a one-man army. Seeing him build out his dukedom has been a delight to read.
* What happened to one of the side characters was sad (and mysterious) but the trade off was significant and it really set up the 7th book rather nicely, Pokémon reference aside: “gotta catch them all!”
The Meh:
* Much like book 3-breaking Nikolai out of prison-in which Montana was sidetracked the entire book on other tasks, this one follows the same template: breaking the siege and/or defeating the dark ursa threat which is sidetracked with a huge run around that doesn’t really address the main issues at hand. (Someone knows he’s writing a series of books and not just one.)
* The ‘frightening, horrible, incredibly adept at digging, and perhaps really good to have around when dealing with enemy factions’ monster pet (granted as a boon by the God of Monsters in book 3) is AWOL throughout book 5 and most of 6. He does pop back up at the end though and Montana drills him on where he’s been, thankfully. And of course just as endearing as he’s been, Fritz continues to be in his self-sacrificial ways.
* Instead of continuing the strong storyline of Montana as a melee fighter and improving his skills as such, the author took a tangent to specialize him as an archer out of the blue (by a goddess who gave him an OP bow that needs to be returned to her after the quest is completed of course). Yet he’s still trained as a melee fighter (as well as an archer). Page count maybe?
* Continuing to be random and not well thought out: Montana is supposedly a Hunger Games star where he’s being watched by viewers and can be given gifts but it’s hit or miss whether this is mentioned in every book. Nothing in this one.
The Bad:
* I’m already invested into finishing the series. The books have by and large been funny and entertaining (if not qualitatively “good”) despite some obvious pitfalls in the ways of LitRPG is concerned. You either have to look passed these deficits or stop with the series. The author has 0 actual MMORPG knowledge from how he writes his stories. Levels don’t matter, leveling up doesn’t matter, in-game notifications don’t matter, stats don’t matter, quests are given out whenever MC gets to a crossroads decision but otherwise feel random and vague (e.g. rewards: unknown, refusal to accept: unknown). For all intents and purposes, the RPG aspects of the series are just a distraction to an otherwise mislabeled portal fantasy series that wanted the ability to call itself a “LitRPG GameLit” series.
* Montana DOES gain experience and skills and stat points but they’re almost never talked about, it’s very frustrating. And apparently he’s gaining hearth stat points too but is saving them up. Super annoying.
* There are literally way too many people to keep track of and rarely do we get reminded of their backstories from previous books.
* The Lutra are never purported to be amazing warriors. Standing at 3’ tall and basically being otters (as Montana loves to call them), how on earth do they all of sudden qualify as good candidates for a commando death squad toward the end of the book, against 12’ tall demonic bears no less?
Summary:
Whereas books 4-5 were kick ass, this one sagged a bit for me in the first half. The second half really picked up though. I am reminded yet again that the author might write on a trope or a cliche in a subplot intentionally for a specific character, such as Montana, to suit that character’s way of thinking or mental aptitude. But it’s not indicative of other characters, so the book doesn’t fail from the trope or cliche, only that character, which Montana is described as slow witted, impulsive, tempestuous, etc. Once the book had a chance to catch up to Montana’s idiocy, it actually did quite a good job covering for him via Nikolai, Vimes, his Lutra, and the like (Montana’s hearth and brain trust).
3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars)
The Good Guys: Book 6
By Eric Ugland
Overview:
Those who liked books 4 and 5 will probably enjoy book 6 too although it strays in parts early to mid way through with aimless wandering around. But as I’ve come to learn from the author’s writing style, even aimless wandering bears fruit for the story down the line.
For being “the Good Guys” series there’s not much of that in these books. Montana is a thieving, murdering, foul mouthed halfwit who is completely OP by various gods’ boons bestowed upon him; he is basically a Hercules. He’s been given a dukedom and is at the head of the line to become Emperor if he wants it, which he doesn’t. All he wants to do is fish, yet is almost comically sidetracked any time he comes close to that end.
Pertaining to the events of book 6: Montana’s “Coggeshall” fort out in the wilderness is under siege by what he presumes to be the men of the traitorous brother of the assassinated emperor. His fort is filled with all kinds of people and races such as dwarves and ursas and defector legionnaires and thingmen and prinkies. Included in the people is the Princess of the Empire as well as a Baroness of a rival faction, both of whom add tension to the plot. What’s more, besides the soldiers laying siege, there are a band of corrupted ursas who want to eat all the inhabitants, dark goblins who summon a massive worm to attack, kobolds, and the Master’s minions to contend with as well.
The Good:
* MC continues to improve his leadership and combat prowess. Maybe one day he’ll be respectable in the eyes of his followers?
* Unlike his monster pet, I’m glad the author is letting Montana have continued usage out of his Prinkies (and otters).
* Nikolai continues to be a hard ass and although he’s the least liked character, he makes some excellent points, even pointing out things that I get irritated about in the story (such as Montana going off on a wild goose chase with the banded worm and the kobolds when he has bigger fish to fry with the ursa threat).
* We get more of the main storyline unfold, such as (finally) a conversation between Montana and the Princess of the Empire as well as some more of the Northwoods story and the mysterious “Master”.
* I enjoy seeing all these alliances between disparate clans and races based upon Montana completing quests and otherwise being a one-man army. Seeing him build out his dukedom has been a delight to read.
* What happened to one of the side characters was sad (and mysterious) but the trade off was significant and it really set up the 7th book rather nicely, Pokémon reference aside: “gotta catch them all!”
The Meh:
* Much like book 3-breaking Nikolai out of prison-in which Montana was sidetracked the entire book on other tasks, this one follows the same template: breaking the siege and/or defeating the dark ursa threat which is sidetracked with a huge run around that doesn’t really address the main issues at hand. (Someone knows he’s writing a series of books and not just one.)
* The ‘frightening, horrible, incredibly adept at digging, and perhaps really good to have around when dealing with enemy factions’ monster pet (granted as a boon by the God of Monsters in book 3) is AWOL throughout book 5 and most of 6. He does pop back up at the end though and Montana drills him on where he’s been, thankfully. And of course just as endearing as he’s been, Fritz continues to be in his self-sacrificial ways.
* Instead of continuing the strong storyline of Montana as a melee fighter and improving his skills as such, the author took a tangent to specialize him as an archer out of the blue (by a goddess who gave him an OP bow that needs to be returned to her after the quest is completed of course). Yet he’s still trained as a melee fighter (as well as an archer). Page count maybe?
* Continuing to be random and not well thought out: Montana is supposedly a Hunger Games star where he’s being watched by viewers and can be given gifts but it’s hit or miss whether this is mentioned in every book. Nothing in this one.
The Bad:
* I’m already invested into finishing the series. The books have by and large been funny and entertaining (if not qualitatively “good”) despite some obvious pitfalls in the ways of LitRPG is concerned. You either have to look passed these deficits or stop with the series. The author has 0 actual MMORPG knowledge from how he writes his stories. Levels don’t matter, leveling up doesn’t matter, in-game notifications don’t matter, stats don’t matter, quests are given out whenever MC gets to a crossroads decision but otherwise feel random and vague (e.g. rewards: unknown, refusal to accept: unknown). For all intents and purposes, the RPG aspects of the series are just a distraction to an otherwise mislabeled portal fantasy series that wanted the ability to call itself a “LitRPG GameLit” series.
* Montana DOES gain experience and skills and stat points but they’re almost never talked about, it’s very frustrating. And apparently he’s gaining hearth stat points too but is saving them up. Super annoying.
* There are literally way too many people to keep track of and rarely do we get reminded of their backstories from previous books.
* The Lutra are never purported to be amazing warriors. Standing at 3’ tall and basically being otters (as Montana loves to call them), how on earth do they all of sudden qualify as good candidates for a commando death squad toward the end of the book, against 12’ tall demonic bears no less?
Summary:
Whereas books 4-5 were kick ass, this one sagged a bit for me in the first half. The second half really picked up though. I am reminded yet again that the author might write on a trope or a cliche in a subplot intentionally for a specific character, such as Montana, to suit that character’s way of thinking or mental aptitude. But it’s not indicative of other characters, so the book doesn’t fail from the trope or cliche, only that character, which Montana is described as slow witted, impulsive, tempestuous, etc. Once the book had a chance to catch up to Montana’s idiocy, it actually did quite a good job covering for him via Nikolai, Vimes, his Lutra, and the like (Montana’s hearth and brain trust).
3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars)
January 8, 2021
I wanted to like this more than I do.
I really wanted to like this more than I do.
The comedy and one liners can be great. The world has some interesting pieces that could come together really well if there was a bit more logic or effort behind the rules they may or may not use.
Montana doesn’t really seem to learn anything not related to combat. After the repeated talks from “friends” who don’t really talk to him unless they need something or his mentor, he says he’s going to change and does everything the same way. Those same friends who walk all over him and call him an idiot instead of teaching him anything about a world they know he isn’t from.
Even when he was constantly boosting his intelligence and wisdom stats (which were randomly lowered in the middle of the book) working on paying more attention, and working on improving himself. It doesn’t help the ability scores don’t really seem to mean anything if it’s not strength.
I really wanted to like this more than I do.
The comedy and one liners can be great. The world has some interesting pieces that could come together really well if there was a bit more logic or effort behind the rules they may or may not use.
Montana doesn’t really seem to learn anything not related to combat. After the repeated talks from “friends” who don’t really talk to him unless they need something or his mentor, he says he’s going to change and does everything the same way. Those same friends who walk all over him and call him an idiot instead of teaching him anything about a world they know he isn’t from.
Even when he was constantly boosting his intelligence and wisdom stats (which were randomly lowered in the middle of the book) working on paying more attention, and working on improving himself. It doesn’t help the ability scores don’t really seem to mean anything if it’s not strength.
November 2, 2019
The main character stupidity is very hard to stomach.
It’s getting to a point where it’s becoming painful to really read this book series. The downright stupid actions of the main character is just painful. You would think some people would start to catch on to the stupid mistakes they are constantly making. For example the bit about the corruption inside the walls was just stupid how difficult would it have been to just have people come up one at a time and touch the bow that he had to see if they were infected. Please let him start acting more intelligent or just put an end to these series.
It’s getting to a point where it’s becoming painful to really read this book series. The downright stupid actions of the main character is just painful. You would think some people would start to catch on to the stupid mistakes they are constantly making. For example the bit about the corruption inside the walls was just stupid how difficult would it have been to just have people come up one at a time and touch the bow that he had to see if they were infected. Please let him start acting more intelligent or just put an end to these series.
December 8, 2019
3.5 stars
While the series is great, I’m getting increasingly irritated that the majority of the book has evolved into Montana getting reamed out by Nicolas. Yeah he makes some dumb decisions but just yelling at him doesn’t help anything and is just annoying to listen to. It’s a constant beat down on his character and demoralizing to the reader as well.
Some highlights: Iona part II, gift from the Master, kitsune grinding, Ursa corruption quest, wyrm tunneler, mistake by first mystery god on quest followers
While the series is great, I’m getting increasingly irritated that the majority of the book has evolved into Montana getting reamed out by Nicolas. Yeah he makes some dumb decisions but just yelling at him doesn’t help anything and is just annoying to listen to. It’s a constant beat down on his character and demoralizing to the reader as well.
Some highlights: Iona part II, gift from the Master, kitsune grinding, Ursa corruption quest, wyrm tunneler, mistake by first mystery god on quest followers
June 12, 2020
I loved the series so far, and for the most part loved this book, but I cannot abide multiple characters’ rank stupidity.
A goddess tells him there is a world ending contagion loose, and that it is even in the walls of his settlement, and he does not even investigate it with the magic rock that shows him the closest cases. Not even to contain those that are within his walls. And his advisors do not follow up with him to make sure he cleans the settlement out. There’s stupid, and then there’s beyond believable stupid. I really don’t enjoy that kind of stupidity.
A goddess tells him there is a world ending contagion loose, and that it is even in the walls of his settlement, and he does not even investigate it with the magic rock that shows him the closest cases. Not even to contain those that are within his walls. And his advisors do not follow up with him to make sure he cleans the settlement out. There’s stupid, and then there’s beyond believable stupid. I really don’t enjoy that kind of stupidity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2019
I love this series
Besides the fact that these books are highly entertaining and really well put together, the fact that the author isn't afraid to take risks with the characters and situations is a super breath of fresh air.
Also in this book, you get to visually see the phonetically discussion about how messed up the English language actually is. One of the very few times I actually laughed out loud while reading a book.
Get. It. Now.
Besides the fact that these books are highly entertaining and really well put together, the fact that the author isn't afraid to take risks with the characters and situations is a super breath of fresh air.
Also in this book, you get to visually see the phonetically discussion about how messed up the English language actually is. One of the very few times I actually laughed out loud while reading a book.
Get. It. Now.
June 14, 2019
Book six
Mistakes: I found two for sure. One was just missing an s in order to make it the plural form. The other was a missing word.
Plot: Mostly building and training. A few really short fights.
Characters: Still like the MC.
7.5/10 Really short, fast read.I would like to see these in a bundle pack for a low price as they are fun to read.
Mistakes: I found two for sure. One was just missing an s in order to make it the plural form. The other was a missing word.
Plot: Mostly building and training. A few really short fights.
Characters: Still like the MC.
7.5/10 Really short, fast read.I would like to see these in a bundle pack for a low price as they are fun to read.
June 15, 2019
I'm really enjoying the tone of these books. It's light without being trivial.
Note to the author: Did you forget who Montana was back on Earth? He was a guy capable of taking on two trained assailants bear-handed, so why did he have to start from scratch with his fight training?
Note to the author: Did you forget who Montana was back on Earth? He was a guy capable of taking on two trained assailants bear-handed, so why did he have to start from scratch with his fight training?
January 20, 2022
Notes:
Best book yet in the series! It was a nice continuation of the series without a fluffy excess. Good build on top of what was already established, a tiny bit of character growth & fun plot events.
Best book yet in the series! It was a nice continuation of the series without a fluffy excess. Good build on top of what was already established, a tiny bit of character growth & fun plot events.
October 17, 2019
Come on Ugland, you keep mentioning Centaurs, give me a centaur follower, they're one of my favorite fantasy creatures.
Other than that, just another fun entry in the series. It's just fun to watch Montana Juggernaut his way through this world.
Other than that, just another fun entry in the series. It's just fun to watch Montana Juggernaut his way through this world.
July 3, 2020
Six books, and he still doesn’t have any proper weapons or armour. Still never used any abilities. No plans or real skills. No romantic interest; no friends, even. He has learned nothing. Nobody likes him. I’m starting to think they’re right.
June 30, 2019
Still awesome
Boo! December? Can you just do a Christmas in July thing and release it early? And maybe the next 3 or 4 with it?
Love your stuff man!
Boo! December? Can you just do a Christmas in July thing and release it early? And maybe the next 3 or 4 with it?
Love your stuff man!
January 6, 2022
The main char is very dumb and not very likable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews