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Age of Victoria
Victoria Blythe wanted adventure. She wanted to explore the world and escape from the strict etiquette of British nobility. With her father fighting in India, the governess assigned to raise her controlled every aspect of her life.
The financial downturn of a friend of the family would lead to her sister's longtime engagement turning into an immediate marriage.
Victoria's thirst for adventure and tomboy ways would not prepare her for the sudden advent of the apocalypse.
Can Victoria and her friends survive this new world of Classes and Skills?
Join Victoria and her family on a LitRPG adventure, unlike any other!
The financial downturn of a friend of the family would lead to her sister's longtime engagement turning into an immediate marriage.
Victoria's thirst for adventure and tomboy ways would not prepare her for the sudden advent of the apocalypse.
Can Victoria and her friends survive this new world of Classes and Skills?
Join Victoria and her family on a LitRPG adventure, unlike any other!
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2019
99 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 2, 2023
Oh man, are the first two chapters of this excruciating! It's a meander to the plot and none of it engaging. Victoria is a standard anachronistic implant to a vaguely Victorian (Regency? The time period is a bit unclear) milieu. She wants freedom! And adventure! And two chapters are way more than needed for the background necessary for this story. A scene is probably more than you really need. Anyway, if you want to get to the actual story, skim the first bit mercilessly.
Once the system announcement hits, it becomes obvious that this LitRPG story is a little different from the norm. It's never clear what the true story is, but Vick and her family and friends appear to be NPCs in a game world of some sort and their mild story of manners has been turned into an RPG version of an invasion by 'Old Ones'. So the characters who don't know anything about computers or gaming suddenly have stats and classes and are surrounded by mobs who exhibit the strangest behaviors (that are not at all strange if you've played any RPG in the last couple decades). Why would hostile creatures completely ignore you until you attack them? Even while you're obviously attacking their fellow creatures?
The author does a reasonable job having them explore their world and their pragmatic approach that may or may not be natural to them. Though "reasonable" includes way too much rumination on whether Vick and her friends are being mentally influenced by their class/status change. For the most part, Vick and her party do fine exploring and gaining the power to escape the imposed "zone lock" on NPCs. They want to travel and that means gaining power during this first week of the change. I liked their motivation. And I liked them working out reasonable compromises as they learn the standard RPG combat roles and optimizing for success.
I was engaged enough to justify three stars and a vague wish there were more after the story ends. It isn't a cliffhanger or anything, but I ended up attached to Vick and her friends and want to know what happens next. Since it has been three years since publication, I won't hold my breath. It's too bad as I'm almost certain a follow-up would be interesting.
A note about Chaste: Vick doesn't have romantic prospects in the story so there's no steam. Not even any kissing. There is an interesting romantic couple that is made free by the apocalypse to pursue their obvious bond and their relationship is more than a little of my desire to see the story continue.
Once the system announcement hits, it becomes obvious that this LitRPG story is a little different from the norm. It's never clear what the true story is, but Vick and her family and friends appear to be NPCs in a game world of some sort and their mild story of manners has been turned into an RPG version of an invasion by 'Old Ones'. So the characters who don't know anything about computers or gaming suddenly have stats and classes and are surrounded by mobs who exhibit the strangest behaviors (that are not at all strange if you've played any RPG in the last couple decades). Why would hostile creatures completely ignore you until you attack them? Even while you're obviously attacking their fellow creatures?
The author does a reasonable job having them explore their world and their pragmatic approach that may or may not be natural to them. Though "reasonable" includes way too much rumination on whether Vick and her friends are being mentally influenced by their class/status change. For the most part, Vick and her party do fine exploring and gaining the power to escape the imposed "zone lock" on NPCs. They want to travel and that means gaining power during this first week of the change. I liked their motivation. And I liked them working out reasonable compromises as they learn the standard RPG combat roles and optimizing for success.
I was engaged enough to justify three stars and a vague wish there were more after the story ends. It isn't a cliffhanger or anything, but I ended up attached to Vick and her friends and want to know what happens next. Since it has been three years since publication, I won't hold my breath. It's too bad as I'm almost certain a follow-up would be interesting.
A note about Chaste: Vick doesn't have romantic prospects in the story so there's no steam. Not even any kissing. There is an interesting romantic couple that is made free by the apocalypse to pursue their obvious bond and their relationship is more than a little of my desire to see the story continue.
June 16, 2020
Didn't finish. It didn't grab my attention at all and the writing style didn't engage either.
Did not finish
July 23, 2020I don't rate DNFs, but I'm leaving this review just to say why I stopped at 40% even though I liked the general fun of the premise.
For me, this was a very straightforward LitRPG. If you like many scenes of characters swinging swords, slinging spells and learning how to level up, this will most likely appeal.
While the writing could seem a little naive at times, it didn't suffer from that very male-gaze/puerile humour problem that most LitRPGs seem to have. Yes, there's a girl in a metal bikini, and yes, she muses for a second on how bouncy her bosom looks, but beyond that? Nope. It's more about the ridiculousness of a sort-of Victorian lady suddenly finding her world is full of orcs and goblins. The most childish joke I found was one of the lady using foul language and being shocked by it, and it didn't come across as juvenile, just silly like I guess was intended.
It's also not your run-of-the-mill futuristic dystopia where someone gets stuck/takes refuge in a game. What the setting is... Is pretty genius .
For the record, I'm no big fan of blow-by-blow accounts of fights and levelling up. I had hoped there would be more character development to the story for me to stay interested, but if there is it's a little slow to get going. There's also a certain awkwardness to the writing that would bother nit-pickers like me (a Victorian lady who uses words like "luncheon repast" and "noggin" also uses a load of Americanisms and calls her friend "hun". It was just... weird to me and really affected my enjoyment.
TL;DR: If you want a quirky LitRPG that's heavy on the gaming aspect, you will like this more than I did.
For me, this was a very straightforward LitRPG. If you like many scenes of characters swinging swords, slinging spells and learning how to level up, this will most likely appeal.
While the writing could seem a little naive at times, it didn't suffer from that very male-gaze/puerile humour problem that most LitRPGs seem to have. Yes, there's a girl in a metal bikini, and yes, she muses for a second on how bouncy her bosom looks, but beyond that? Nope. It's more about the ridiculousness of a sort-of Victorian lady suddenly finding her world is full of orcs and goblins. The most childish joke I found was one of the lady using foul language and being shocked by it, and it didn't come across as juvenile, just silly like I guess was intended.
It's also not your run-of-the-mill futuristic dystopia where someone gets stuck/takes refuge in a game. What the setting is... Is pretty genius .
For the record, I'm no big fan of blow-by-blow accounts of fights and levelling up. I had hoped there would be more character development to the story for me to stay interested, but if there is it's a little slow to get going. There's also a certain awkwardness to the writing that would bother nit-pickers like me (a Victorian lady who uses words like "luncheon repast" and "noggin" also uses a load of Americanisms and calls her friend "hun". It was just... weird to me and really affected my enjoyment.
TL;DR: If you want a quirky LitRPG that's heavy on the gaming aspect, you will like this more than I did.
July 31, 2019
A very interesting premise, well executed.
The original blurbs were promising merely a System Apocalypse, set in the Victorian Age (the Victoria in the title isn't the queen of the same name, it's the name of the heroine). But the actual System Apocalypse is slightly different from what you expected. The surprise is interesting enough that I won't spoil it here.
This first book doesn't use too much said surprise, except to provide a precise and important goal for our group of heroic youngsters during said book. But it does make a fertile ground for some "interesting" interactions in the future. There's probably plenty of newbies around London, and they'll have a hard time facing Victoria and her group. Because I can guarantee you she won't like them.
The original blurbs were promising merely a System Apocalypse, set in the Victorian Age (the Victoria in the title isn't the queen of the same name, it's the name of the heroine). But the actual System Apocalypse is slightly different from what you expected. The surprise is interesting enough that I won't spoil it here.
This first book doesn't use too much said surprise, except to provide a precise and important goal for our group of heroic youngsters during said book. But it does make a fertile ground for some "interesting" interactions in the future. There's probably plenty of newbies around London, and they'll have a hard time facing Victoria and her group. Because I can guarantee you she won't like them.
April 16, 2023
Age of Victoria doesn't lean as hard into the Victorian era setting as I'd like but it's still good fun. The adventuring party is three very aggressive ladies and one man who must adapt to his role as a softboy healer. Everyone adapts to the GameLit Apocolypse really fast and while the "system" is influencing that change in personality and behavior, I wanted more of that inner conflict and societal conflict. Late in the book revisits those themes.
There is tons of fighting in this book, mostly against goblins. If you like a level grind this may be the book for you.
Content warnings: Brief scene of child abuse and an unpleasant scene involving a cat. Non-gory injuries and violence.
There is tons of fighting in this book, mostly against goblins. If you like a level grind this may be the book for you.
Content warnings: Brief scene of child abuse and an unpleasant scene involving a cat. Non-gory injuries and violence.
July 19, 2019
A fun and intriguing read
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Victorian ethics and restrictions mixed with RPG tropes (ladies armour) is a really fun and interesting approach. The story flies along and before you know it it is finished. I would heartily recommend this escapist novel.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Victorian ethics and restrictions mixed with RPG tropes (ladies armour) is a really fun and interesting approach. The story flies along and before you know it it is finished. I would heartily recommend this escapist novel.
August 4, 2020
A good idea with a poor character choice.
The main character ruined this book. She is thoughtless, selfish and foolish. She was suppose to be strength in a Victorian era but instead showed the worst traits possible. Once you no longer care what happens to her, everyone else becomes superfluous. The narrative itself is overly drawn out and the game mechanics weak.
The main character ruined this book. She is thoughtless, selfish and foolish. She was suppose to be strength in a Victorian era but instead showed the worst traits possible. Once you no longer care what happens to her, everyone else becomes superfluous. The narrative itself is overly drawn out and the game mechanics weak.
February 19, 2024
Decent
I heard about this one a while back and finally got around to reading it. It's not bad and very interesting being that it's a Victorian era setting. However it's been 5 years since this one was published and there doesn't seem to be a sequel on the way despite how this ended.
I heard about this one a while back and finally got around to reading it. It's not bad and very interesting being that it's a Victorian era setting. However it's been 5 years since this one was published and there doesn't seem to be a sequel on the way despite how this ended.
June 10, 2019
Pretty good
A system apocalypse style.book. But set in the Victorian era, well paced, well.written sets up for a series. characters a little.one dimensional... But there is some growth mostly breaking the rules of victorian society
A system apocalypse style.book. But set in the Victorian era, well paced, well.written sets up for a series. characters a little.one dimensional... But there is some growth mostly breaking the rules of victorian society
July 31, 2020
Interesting premise well handled.
Well characterised, interesting characters, the sister was a bit flat and how they handled the governess was a bit odd but good, light read other than that.
Well characterised, interesting characters, the sister was a bit flat and how they handled the governess was a bit odd but good, light read other than that.
June 9, 2019
Enjoyable read
In a unique take on the litrpg genre,from the eyes of a strong and plucky female lead. What's not to like?
In a unique take on the litrpg genre,from the eyes of a strong and plucky female lead. What's not to like?
June 17, 2019
5 star
Great start to a new series. Lots of action and I enjoyed the NPC POV trying to understand game logic.
Great start to a new series. Lots of action and I enjoyed the NPC POV trying to understand game logic.
February 12, 2021
A unique take on LitRPG, and a wonderful narration performance in the audio edition.
January 2, 2022
Great book
Stellar work from Alston Sleet! Lots of action and adventure, leveling and skills, monsters and magic! Looking forward to the next one!
Stellar work from Alston Sleet! Lots of action and adventure, leveling and skills, monsters and magic! Looking forward to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews