The Bare Hunt

The Good Guys #7

by Eric Ugland

Also macht er sich auf den Weg, um die verderbten Ursus zu besiegen, eine Bedrohung, die so groß ist, dass sie die gesamte Welt von iNcarn8 zerstören könnte. Macht sich Montana auf den Weg, nachdem er monatelang für die kalten Wetterbedingungen trainiert, eine Armee zusammengestellt und mit seinen besten Helfern Strategien besprochen hat? Nicht wirklich. Es ist eher so, dass er eines Tages einfach mit einem Wegführer und den Mitgliedern seiner Hirð aus seinem Herzogtum kommt. Sie sind ja auch bloß ein Haufen wütender Teddybären, oder?

Montana handelt aus reinem Instinkt und mit einer gesunden Portion Wut im Bauch. Er wird ausgeplündert und findet sich bald ohne Nahrung, Vorräte, einer wichtigen magischen Waffe und sogar ohne seine treuesten Freunde wieder. Trotzdem macht er weiter.

Montana Coggeshall ist auf der Jagd.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor, High Fantasy

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2019

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, if you read the first six you know how good the series is, if not read them!
Now that Montana has been respawned how will he rebuild his character, will he choose a more down the middle approach and try to develop his magic now that he knows more about the game system or will he try for overpowering physicality again

[GaiusPrimus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the series

There's two things that really make me enjoy the books that Eric Ugland puts out.

1. They generally come out in a regular schedule and quality is maintained through every single book, generating tons of hours of entertainment.

2. The world building is truly awesome. Between the, currently, two series taking place in the world, we are exposed to two dichotomous views of the world and as such, we get a lot more fleshy content than if we ended up following just a single narrative or a single type of hero.

Besides all of that, I think there will soon be more than the Good Guys and the Bad Guys series in the world. There's been a few things mentioned in each series that really tickles the imagination for what/who else we could be reading about soon. And as I mentioned above, the entertainment quality is consistent, so I'll take everything that I can get.

[Locuus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book where the MC wandered around accomplishing little.
No growth of his abilities or skills, no growth in him as a person.
Still a ridiculous lack of planning and asking the right questions... Or any questions related to his own or his town's development.

The constant bickering with everyone was funny in the first books, but is getting to a point where it has overstayed its welcome, especially since that is the only way the MC communicates. It can have a presence, but should be only used as flavoring, not the main meal.

[Huronimus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Make Vuldranni Great Again!

I really enjoy this series. It’s one of my favorite in the LitRPG genre. However, it’s immediately apparent the quality and tone of book 7 is not consistent with past writing. It’s lost some of that trademark Montana charm, almost like the author outsourced some of the writing. I think it’s pretty clear the choice of splitting his attention between two series with an aggressive publishing schedule was a mistake. Instead of one compelling series, he is moving towards two mediocre ones.

In addition to writing issues, there are persistent problems with Montana’s “RPG” stats. Over the course of the series, the author has failed to accurately keep track of Montana’s attributes and skills. Book 7 is no exception and the errors are really starting to pile up. Whatever the author is doing, he needs a better system. This is a unique issue with the whole LitRPG genre. I get that these are books and not games, but if the stats don’t matter then it undermines the whole concept of LitRPG. It means all the numbers are just window dressing at best, a bunch of filler at worst.

It also appears the author is doubling down on the “Montana is an idiot” card. Instead of evolving him into a slow but thoughtful leader, it actually seems like he is regressing in this book. He reprimands Nikolai for being “dumb” while the guy is probably pulling 100 hour work weeks doing all the admin stuff Montana has no idea how to do. And that’s with Nikolai having most of his stats and skills sucked out of him by magic, something that has been left totally unresolved or mitigated. He is constantly whining about having to wipe out the infected Ursus - the baby eating and evil spreading Ursus. This is a ridiculous deviation in character that smacks of utter limp dick nonsense, especially as he has zero qualms killing just about everything else. Meanwhile, he casually disregards the decimation of his own elite Thingmen who have sworn their lives to him and are essential to the survival of his village. They are also basically irreplaceable, as it would take years of specialized training with gifted recruits to replace their numbers.

And yes, this book essentially has no plot. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in a serial novel, but the author seems to want to make it a problem. He has Montana cycle through the same motions for the main quest not once but three damn times. Sure, there are new and interesting events that pop up along the way, but there’s also a lot of filler and little growth. Fortunately, the writing and plot started to get much more interesting at about the 20% mark and I actually started to enjoy what I was reading. That being said, this is way past the point I would have given up on a new author and it may have cost him some of his readership.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book and definitely look forward to the next in the series. My criticisms are made in a vain hope that the author might take them to heart so I can enjoy more excellent stories of killing, looting, and leveling! I think the author has great creative potential, I just hope he takes more time to properly edit and sort out all the issues with his series.

[Clay Dittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun but skippable entry.

Montana is always fun to follow. His bullshit slinging smartassery breaks up the seriousness of the situations he finds himself in nicely.

This entry functions more as a setup for future novels with new Hiro members, new Coggeshall citizens, and new mysteries to unravel. Unfortunately that also takes aways from the story itself. Nothing in this book feels particularly important other than as a setup for the future. Even the climax resolves too quickly and easily, only really mattering in the reveal of another enemy and creation of the setting for the next book.

I had fun reading this, but as a whole for the series you could skip it and read the cliff notes before diving into the next one.

[Roberto Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is getting sad.

Main character isn't even trying anymore. The whole thing is getting stale and all the interesting characters are becoming flat one trick ponies. This series has lost its direction.

[Yrsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lite långsammare än de andra, men åh vad man vill veta vad som händer härnäst.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the end of the book the author states that writing this one was tough due to switching between his other project and this one and it's reflected in the book itself. After waiting six months for this entry in the series while I can say it's a good book I also sadly have to say it's the one I've liked least in the series so far. That's not to say I didn't like the book, because I did but it just felt lacking compared to earlier entries. The author has continued to go further and further from displaying stats and attributes and item text as each book goes on. We get one full character sheet in this book a few chapters in and it is literally the only thing in that chapter. We also get a quick excuse as to why the character is no longer analyzing anything anymore (though the author seems to regret that later and gives him another way to do so second hand and with less information) that ties in to the ultimately anti-climactic ending which even the main character points out. The entire book seems mostly to be padding for the main character to introduce multiple diverse groups of people to his lands while relying heavily on the fact that MMORPGs require you to run back and forth over and over and that escort quests are the worst. Overall it's not a high point in the series but it is worth reading just so you know who the new characters are and how he gets to where he is in the next book. It's not bad by any means but it is only around average and if you don't expect the same standard as the previous books going in than you are more likely to enjoy yourself.

[Chuck McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the series overall. However, each book is very short, full of errors (grammar, math and other), and unfocused.

Our reluctant hero turned idiot trope is at least improving, if slowly. The continuous improvement thing stopped, which was annoying, but at least he's getting grief for it I suppose.

Why do we need a sword description with ".. cruciform hilt.." for nearly every sword? I get that the author read a book of sword descriptions and liked the turn of phrase, but seriously come up with something new.

Still, despite frustrations and cliffhangers, I'm going to read the next one.

[ShivarajNangare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Montana the barbarian

Adventure of Montana continues, book is quick read and delivers on barbarian hero elements of story.

Cons:
Plot feels forced and the solutions to problem are not inventive. Author injects bits of abilities for single use in story.

Town development aspect is missing from this book.

[Ruben Zurita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read,!

story had a very likeable character written from the perspective of a writer knowledgeable about gaming, would have been a 5 star if the writer didnt make so much use of puns and language that had no place in the world this character embodied, it distracted to the story and did not make sense, especially give the characters inteligence, but overall a very good read.

[Doug Nitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Well written story and characters . I am really glad to have found and the twelve parts of this great storyline. I am looking forward to reading the future books as well.

[Francis Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easily the weakest book in the series so far. Very little progression as far as base building, character level, skills, and gear. I'm not sure there was any real development of the main character. This book felt like filler, which is something I can't say is true about any of the previous books. Even the action, which the author normally does so well felt lackluster in comparison to the other books. I'm not sure what happened here, but I'm hoping this is an exception and not the beginning of the end of what is otherwise an excellent series.

Books 1-6: 4.5 stars. Book 7: 2.5 stars.

[Ernest Crowder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall story is good that's why I will continue the series. However, it's becoming harder and harder to care about the hero because he continues to make the same mistakes over and over. He is not maturing in any way, and the ending of this story made me want to through the book at a wall.

[Sergio · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like the author just phoned it in on this one. No real growth for any of our past characters and introduced way too many new characters. Is it just easier to keep introducing new characters rather than have your existing ones Increase in complexity and depth? Also, No town development, which is what I was looking forward to. Tons of pointless time wasting side quests. Still hoping for Montana to develop more as a character

[Vroom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this one after #6 picked up the storytelling but this was just a slog. Maybe writing the Good Guys and the Bad Guys (whose first volume I didn't much care for) at the same time affected this one? Whiplash ADHD plotting took this one down to "it was just okay"

I'm still there for #8

[Chris Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about Ugland's writing and style I just find enjoyable. Even though this book mostly had the characters running in circles I enjoyed the ride.

A little more of he mystery behind the game is hinted at here, but it's mostly just Montana attempting to hunt the corrupted Ursa's but constantly distracted by side quests.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with Mr. Paul that Montana’s adventures are losing some of their momentum. He’s been approaching everything he needs to do as a chore, and as this mood drags on it shines an uncomfortable light on the various weaknesses of the series and its attitudes.

[Stephen Morley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still inconsistent but better

Seven books that span maybe 6 to 7 months. I’ll say it keeps me interested. Even though it constantly frustrates me.

A lot of whining by the protagonist with seldom any growth. In the end I still read so I guess the author won.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved book 2 and 3 for their singlemindedness; how they were focused on one thing from start to finish and all the mishaps and adventures were still connected.
Not so much here.

Even the Gods inside the book were complaining about it!

[John #Audible · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book here should have been a 6.5, to be honest it's just one big side quest filler and waist of time. Even the Gods had to point it out to the author and the murder machine.

[Shonari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series started out great but with each new instalment, it's just becoming more of a drag. I hope the author turns it around with the next book.

[Capt. H. Hornblower Of His Majesty’s Navy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bare Hunt
The Good Guys: Book 7
By Eric Ugland

Uploaded to Goodreads: May 2022

Overview:
After setting up shop as Coggeshall in the Vuldranni wilderness for books 4-6, in which all events take place in and around their new walled village next to a mountain (Helm’s Deep anyone?), Montana is tasked by a goddess in book 6 to destroy or save the ursine creatures affected by a mysterious corruption. The former approach was taken against the Ursas (big bear like creatures) in book 6 and Montana now takes a small band of explorers to track down and eliminate the last remnant of this plague (guided by a magic glowing rock).

From the outset, it’s quite refreshing to see Montana adventuring on the land again. He chooses a band of followers to accompany him (his Prinkies medallion he gifts to Nikolai to aid his fortification efforts while Montana’s gone), which includes (spellings may be phonetic):

1. An Ursa guide named “Woof” (among the Ursas who have sworn allegiance to Montana who are not corrupt)
2. Coggeshall’s only ranger, Amber (who is of the kitzune, a race bred for sexual promiscuity, who are all seductively gorgeous humanoids but with 2 fox-like tails)
3. Montana’s two Lutra otters (one of whom is secretly in love with Amber)
4. Tarryn Flynn the Warmancer who slings fireballs and the like
5. Michael Yon (sp?) a cleric healer who is of a race that is even shorter than the otters.
6. Fritz reincarnate comes back as a goose hydra-Pegasus creature.
7. A super magical brownie named Bare Snowgust who is described like “Tinker Bell” without the wings
8. A “snobold” tracker, Gregork (sp?)


The Good:
* The Prinkies are such a fun and regular addition to the story (unlike Fritz who might show up or might not).
* I like how as Montana gains in levels and more points are put into his melee fighting stats, his physical appearance changes as well. I love imagining him becoming more buff and Herculean, and he points it out regularly to himself as well.
* The dressing down of Nikolai by Montana before Montana left on his quest was one of the most epic pieces of monologue in the entire series. I literally shouted “Hoorah!” at the end of it.
* Learning about the history and evolution of the kobolds was very interesting and brought a lot of future possibilities to the storyline. Kohemoth, nice.
* I continually enjoy learning about all the other mythical/fantastical races of Vuldranni as well, such as hags, witches, brownies, and mega spiders in book 7.
* Mr. Paul comes a calling!
* Loving the “Lord of the Rings” references.

The Meh:
* A couple of the companions’ naming could have been better thought out, in the audiobook at least. A brownie named “Bare” (whose last name is never mentioned beyond its initial drop) and a bear named “Woof”.
* Again, a ton of characters to keep track of.
* Again, the RPG elements of the book seem random, inconsistent, and otherwise half-assed.
* More of book 3’s and 6’s plot development: accomplish goal A but get sidetracked with lesser goals B-Z along the way. At least the author acknowledged this fact this time.
* I don’t know what the title of the book is referring to. The corrupted ursas are most akin to big bears, so “The Bear Hunt” would make sense, but the title is spelled “Bare”. The brownie’s name is “Bare Snowgust” but she plays a minor role in the party. The party travels through a remote valley and a mountain so maybe the title is referring to a barren type of hunt?

The Bad:
* All of the “unknowns” in quest descriptions are really annoying, I wish the author would just drop the whole quest giving business entirely since it’s kind of counter-RPG tradition to give something that looks like a duck but never quacks like a duck, so to speak.
* The author said in an interview that he intentionally made Montana as a broken OP character so that the series would center around him and not any other human player in the game world. Yet the author still insists to call it an RPG game world with quests and leveling and stats, but they mean next to nothing with all of Montana’s ridiculous skills and boons. Eric - just drop the charade!


Summary:
Lots more of profane, violent, fantastical fun can be expected. Montana goes from one desperate plot to another and the ending wraps current objectives up nicely. 5 stars.

[Gareth Otton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being yet another book of side quests, I actually enjoyed this one much more than previous books that were the same. The reason for this is that each of these sidequests had a noticeable impact on the larger story of building Montana's duchy. This helped with the progression of the story and therefore kept each element feeling relevant.

I also enjoyed how the author finally addressed the issue with Nicolai. In my last review, I mentioned how I have not been enjoying the interactions between him and the main character, and that is definitely addressed here. Whether the author realised it himself or if other people felt the same and made that clear, it was good to get this situation addressed here. It's normally the sort of frustration that doesn't get addressed in many series and can drag a good series down, so it was good that steps have been taken here to fix this issue.

Finally, the main thing that I liked about this book was that it tried to shake things up a bit. Montana is way more confident in this novel, and that's really good to see as he has been a bit too much like a leaf blowing in the wind for a long time and it's nice to see him take some firm action and stand up for himself. It also made it clear that more progress needs to be made by the main character, forcing him to grow and the plot to move on at a quicker pace going forward. This is all welcome news to my ears and makes me more excited to keep reading than ever before.

Overall this was an enjoyable story that ended in a really interesting place (as is usual for this series). I look forward to seeing what comes next.

[Scycer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh!! Storytel finally got the next few books of Eric Ugland and here I am binge listening, feeling bloated and laughing my ass off. I have to say Ugland delivers.

litRPG as a genre has been growing .. or perhaps I should say exploding over the past few years. From Russian, Korean, Chinese and English writers that jumped from light novels and serialized work to the novel format. Eric Uglands work manages to hit the right spot with me . Enough grime to make the fantasy paradigm work , enough humor that the read doesn't feel heavy and more than enough action to want me coming back for more.

The world has given Montana another 'save the world or else ..' quest and ever the grinder with a big heart he jumps into it. The Bare hunt continues with storyline post the siege of the previous book. In this book you get to see him grow as a lord while being the flippant murder machine juggernaut that he is to his foes.

If you have also been following the Bad guys series you will character crossover and interact , however there is not much of a plot structure post the interaction segment.

I have been reading quite a few heavy non fiction work recently and I find that peppering my reading with such fun, light reads is just perfect.

I completed enjoyed this work and highly recommend to even newbies to fantasy fiction to pick up the series. Works better if you start from the first book though.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always looking forward to more Vuldranni adventures, and from the end notes of this one looks like the author sees a lot of potential too.

The split attention between the Good Guys and the Bad Guys means twice as many cliffhangers in two ongoing series and I'm conflicted on that, but as long as they keep coming fairly regularly it'll hold my attention.

The snark is heavy as is typical of these books (but won't cost it a star just yet), but there are signs that Montana is getting a clue finally. The interest in his (lack of a) love life portends some new dynamics, which (imo) the series could use moving forward. There are already crossover characters, so I'll have to backtrack a bit to work out timelines for the two series.

Anyway, another interesting book, and at this point I'd like to see 3 or 4 book compilations for sale. Some other authors have done this and I like this as a way to consolidate good series that I've read on KU. Yes, that's a hint/suggestion, but it's one that should make some money for the author and the time is probably ripe.

[Murphies_law · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars out of 5. One more book where the dim-witted MC wandered almost aimlessly around accomplishing little but doing some side quests. There was no growth of his abilities or skills and no personal learning process at all. He refuses to listen to either Nikolai or his god who implore him to get his act together. Instead the MC keeps insulting Nikolai who does all the planing, administration and keeps everything together despite all the thoughtlessness and idiocy of the MC and talks bullsh*t all the time.

The MC still refuses to think, learn, plan and ask the right questions... It is bitter that there is hardly any town development. Instead the MC whines about the need to kill the corrupted while he not really cares about the sacrifices made by his own people. Furthermore, numb-nut totally ignores the gods telling him to watch for corrupted in his settlement the entire book!!! No development of the old characters but plenty of new ones are introduced.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking awesome.. Again

Love this series. This book was awesome and not a disappointment for the series. Montana is.. well Montana! And is himself to the Nth degree in this one. Seems like he is getting the hint near the end and starting to play which will be future fun for sure. Though Montana is OP In many ways, there is never enough to deal with the awkward situated he find himself in (some self inflicted). He is slowly collecting an eclectic group for his citizens but I expect they may become an asset for him in the future. Can't wait for the next book but I must. Not sure I can do bad guys....

[Clint Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alert

I hate trying to write reviews because there are really only pass/fail results for me. Did I make it all the way through? Yes? 5 stars. No? There would be nothing here to read. In all fairness, if an author holds my attention from page one to the end, they’ve done their job. Anything less than 5 stars is petty criticism from someone incapable of even doing the job let alone doing a better one.

So in respect for the author and their work, I am going to start pasting this along with a generic review I found somewhere. “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”

Cheers