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The Bad Guys #7
Back to One
Folge Clyde auf seinen weiteren Abenteuern, während er nach Glaton zurückkehrt – warte, er hat versprochen, die Stadt der Nacht zu besuchen. Richtig. Stadt der Nacht und dann zurück nach Glaton. Aber … warte. Was ist mit der kleinen Küstenstadt Furtaxo los? Okay, zuerst Furtaxo. Wenn Clyde dieses Geheimnis lüftet, kann er sich endlich der nächsten Aufgabe widmen. Oder?
372 pages, ebook
Published August 12, 2021
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251 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
September 12, 2021
I love Ugland. I love his dialog. His characters. His humanity (and one supposes, his elfity and koboldity and so forth). I did not like this book, nor have I liked the last two Good Guy books. It gets a two star rating ("It was okay") rather than one star ("I didn't like it") for a few reasons: there are occasional quips that made me laugh out loud, there's a new goddess on the block, and I have a lingering affection for this world.
The last three books in Ugland's oeuvre have been rushed, poorly plotted, and have barely delivered on his strengths. The entire plot of this book in particular involves running around and being thwarted with a deus ex machina finish. There is no progress back to Glaton. There's no progress on the supposed goals set up at the start of this volume. The characters, especially outside the lead, have become caricatures. There is nothing here but a bad anxiety dream filling up pages as a preorder-imposed deadline turns words into barely consumable output. The opportunity to fly from the previous book's set-up is ignored, downplayed, and wasted.
The author is better than this. I hope the economic realities and the pandemic allow him to take the time to sit, write, plan, and revise the next volume for both the Bad Guys and the Good Guys but given the preorder dates on both, I expect more short, rushed, subpar writing, and that makes me sad.
The last three books in Ugland's oeuvre have been rushed, poorly plotted, and have barely delivered on his strengths. The entire plot of this book in particular involves running around and being thwarted with a deus ex machina finish. There is no progress back to Glaton. There's no progress on the supposed goals set up at the start of this volume. The characters, especially outside the lead, have become caricatures. There is nothing here but a bad anxiety dream filling up pages as a preorder-imposed deadline turns words into barely consumable output. The opportunity to fly from the previous book's set-up is ignored, downplayed, and wasted.
The author is better than this. I hope the economic realities and the pandemic allow him to take the time to sit, write, plan, and revise the next volume for both the Bad Guys and the Good Guys but given the preorder dates on both, I expect more short, rushed, subpar writing, and that makes me sad.
September 12, 2021
Way to short, more an interlude than a novel.
November 8, 2021
More of the same. 😪
Spoilers throughout. One positive comment, the characters didn't all sound the same this time! So...progress!
The MC gets to mostly start his "character" over but it's really unclear what he was able to keep and what he lost (other than levels) when he was forced to start over.
I really liked the first few books in both series by this Author but it's becoming painfully clear the story has no direction. Specifically, it appears the author is winging each book based off the reactions of his followers or reviews or something, and has no clear story or ending to tell. The MC getting rebooted after 6 books seems to be a "oh crap I've painted myself into a corner and need to undo stuff as this is making less and less sense." The details in the beginning were awesome, but now, we aren't even told where he is putting his points when he levels up, and why. The last few books in both series seem to be shorter and shorter, with very little happening, and the author doing everything he can to do as little as possible to push the story in any specific direction. Even to the point, like in this book, where there is almost a complete "do-over" done to the MC. So we are left with 6 books of "where is this going to go!?!" Only to get reset and make most of what the story has been thus far become mostly irrelevant.
Erik, if you read this, you need to figure out where your story is going, and progress it! If you just write aimlessly, you won't write anything worthy of your talents. You can't keep undoing things to avoid progress, junk needs to have real resolution that impacts the actual direction of the story. Also, and it really pains me to point this out, but please stop with the one paragraph chapters with entire page breaks for the chapter number...especially when it makes no sense for the chapter to have changed. Please tell me you aren't doing this to pad your book page numbers or something like that. *cringe*
I loved your first few books in both series, but you need to figure out where the story is going and stop wandering and then mostly undoing what was done. And for the love of peanut butter and jelly, actually resolve SOMETHING. You've got so many dangling plot complications at this point I can't even remember them all. Killing characters for no real reason doesn't count. Nor does writing away a problem without actually addressing the problem. Nor does adding new plot complications. Man, this series is so close to being brilliant, but it's just not coming together.
Spoilers throughout. One positive comment, the characters didn't all sound the same this time! So...progress!
The MC gets to mostly start his "character" over but it's really unclear what he was able to keep and what he lost (other than levels) when he was forced to start over.
I really liked the first few books in both series by this Author but it's becoming painfully clear the story has no direction. Specifically, it appears the author is winging each book based off the reactions of his followers or reviews or something, and has no clear story or ending to tell. The MC getting rebooted after 6 books seems to be a "oh crap I've painted myself into a corner and need to undo stuff as this is making less and less sense." The details in the beginning were awesome, but now, we aren't even told where he is putting his points when he levels up, and why. The last few books in both series seem to be shorter and shorter, with very little happening, and the author doing everything he can to do as little as possible to push the story in any specific direction. Even to the point, like in this book, where there is almost a complete "do-over" done to the MC. So we are left with 6 books of "where is this going to go!?!" Only to get reset and make most of what the story has been thus far become mostly irrelevant.
Erik, if you read this, you need to figure out where your story is going, and progress it! If you just write aimlessly, you won't write anything worthy of your talents. You can't keep undoing things to avoid progress, junk needs to have real resolution that impacts the actual direction of the story. Also, and it really pains me to point this out, but please stop with the one paragraph chapters with entire page breaks for the chapter number...especially when it makes no sense for the chapter to have changed. Please tell me you aren't doing this to pad your book page numbers or something like that. *cringe*
I loved your first few books in both series, but you need to figure out where the story is going and stop wandering and then mostly undoing what was done. And for the love of peanut butter and jelly, actually resolve SOMETHING. You've got so many dangling plot complications at this point I can't even remember them all. Killing characters for no real reason doesn't count. Nor does writing away a problem without actually addressing the problem. Nor does adding new plot complications. Man, this series is so close to being brilliant, but it's just not coming together.
June 3, 2025
Bit more episodic than the previous ones, first time we had a whole story arc in 1 book. The start stressed me out. I don't love change. And since when does that mystery man have black teeth??? WTF
Also, can you imagine inconveniencing yourself just to piss off others? Phrased like that... yep. I totes can
Also, can you imagine inconveniencing yourself just to piss off others? Phrased like that... yep. I totes can
December 3, 2024
Well damn. I really like this series and the “Good Guy” series, but the last few books between the two have been not so great.
I mostly liked where Clyde’s story was going until it became clear that he was going to have to “re-roll” his character. So this is the book where it happens and I expected some major changes and lots of details. This didn’t happen. Clyde is pretty much the same and has even found a way around the rules to take back what was lost. Although, not much time was devoted to explaining what he got to keep and what was taken.
Alright, as long as the story progresses and some resolution is brought to a few of the storylines, then I’d be a happy reader. The book starts out promising exactly that. There is a very clear outline of where they are going and why. Then the author does exactly what is killing his other series, he derails the entire plot. Now new things are happening, new people are being thrown into the plot and just as quickly disappearing. This story is now nothing more than filler on the way to the actual destination. It could have been a small side quest in a longer book. That would have been nice, but instead it gets spread out. Bilbo Baggins says it best, this story is “like butter that has been scraped over too much bread”. It feels “thin”. I have no clue why authors think this is a good thing to do. Maybe looming deadlines? All I know is that it sucks for loyal readers.
I still enjoy the writing and most of the characters. Clyde is typically more intelligent than Ugland’s MC from the other series and it’s a nice change. I actually laughed out loud at one point and my husband looked at me like I’m nuts, so that was good. I am still fully invested in finding out what happens next, I just hope the story gets back on track.
I mostly liked where Clyde’s story was going until it became clear that he was going to have to “re-roll” his character. So this is the book where it happens and I expected some major changes and lots of details. This didn’t happen. Clyde is pretty much the same and has even found a way around the rules to take back what was lost. Although, not much time was devoted to explaining what he got to keep and what was taken.
Alright, as long as the story progresses and some resolution is brought to a few of the storylines, then I’d be a happy reader. The book starts out promising exactly that. There is a very clear outline of where they are going and why. Then the author does exactly what is killing his other series, he derails the entire plot. Now new things are happening, new people are being thrown into the plot and just as quickly disappearing. This story is now nothing more than filler on the way to the actual destination. It could have been a small side quest in a longer book. That would have been nice, but instead it gets spread out. Bilbo Baggins says it best, this story is “like butter that has been scraped over too much bread”. It feels “thin”. I have no clue why authors think this is a good thing to do. Maybe looming deadlines? All I know is that it sucks for loyal readers.
I still enjoy the writing and most of the characters. Clyde is typically more intelligent than Ugland’s MC from the other series and it’s a nice change. I actually laughed out loud at one point and my husband looked at me like I’m nuts, so that was good. I am still fully invested in finding out what happens next, I just hope the story gets back on track.
November 13, 2022
As the clock ticks down, Clyde has less time than he thinks to save himself from the corpse king inside
As Clyde continues his quest to free himself of the corpse-king sharing his body, he is challenged repeatedly and nearly dies. He loses another of his tjene, which even though he didn’t want, he has grown used to having. As he journeys toward Raim and Grigennerth, he can only hope the man his mentor sent him to can unravel his curse and save him from being subsumed.
Dungeon diving or just cave diving maybe, either way the only way forward once they reach Raim is down to the Gloom!
As Clyde continues his quest to free himself of the corpse-king sharing his body, he is challenged repeatedly and nearly dies. He loses another of his tjene, which even though he didn’t want, he has grown used to having. As he journeys toward Raim and Grigennerth, he can only hope the man his mentor sent him to can unravel his curse and save him from being subsumed.
Dungeon diving or just cave diving maybe, either way the only way forward once they reach Raim is down to the Gloom!
June 21, 2022
Back To One
The Bad Guys Series: Book 7
By Eric Ugland
Overview:
There are parts to really love and enjoy in this book and there are parts to hate and annoy. Pretty much a wash for me: 3/5 stars.
Summary:
My take on this book: the author felt bad about duping everyone into thinking he’s been writing LitRPG books this whole time and decided to reset Clyde to level 1 and start again. It’s been a bit more RPG-like with this book. The author has even started to write in things like skill progression notifications. I’m sad to see Clyde’s necromantic spells go, as well as Shadow Step (I mean seriously there was this whole backstory building about the shadow realm and now, poof! No longer relevant.)
I think the author re-wrote Clyde in part so that he could be better suited for non-urban adventuring since a lot of his thief skills relied on close quartered combat and sneaking. But I feel like the author substituted one thing for another similar. Instead of Shadow Step for example, Clyde now Blinks (a mage ability that instantly transports him across short distances). And blinks. And blinks. And blinks some more. My Lands, the whole book about Blinking!
Once you get into the meat of the story about 50-60% of the way in, it turns into a Jane Goodall thought experiment on xeno-primatology. It was interesting trying to figure out what obscure mythical creature the author came up with this time and lessened the irritation somewhat from the fact that it was a complete tangent away from the main storyline.
All in all the book was really irritating with all the side quests and side tracking tangents which is more or less on par with most of Eric’s books. I am thankful that I can listen to his audio books for free through library, they’re entertaining enough to that end but not sure I would buy any.
The Good:
* Well, I waded through 12 books in the GG series and 6 previous books in the BG, and on my 19th total pseudo/not-really-a-LitRPG book by Eric Ugland, he FINALLY granted me a full blown character creation process replete with faction, race, class, skills, and attributes. AND he finally introduced Mr. Paul to Clyde to boot. All in all, very satisfying.
* Well, even back at level 1 the fight scenes continue to be fun.
* The correspondence with the god of Adventure is fun and provides additional context to an otherwise tangentially semi-random story.
* So too is the correspondence with the god of gutters, gargoyles, drainpipes, etc. Points for originality too.
* Glad that Clyde can re-discover his previously learned spells (ahem necromantic spells).
The Meh:
* The inequities of the game world, or of the author’s understanding of RPG games, continues to be skewed. Clyde kills a level 10 dude for 500 exp and a level 36 for 1000 exp. Only double the exp for more than triple in levels???
* What is the purpose of Nox as a legitimate, contributing character to the story again? He doesn’t fight, he doesn’t offer advice, for all intents and purposes he’s a coward and a dullard. About the only purpose he’s contributed to the story is being the brother to Lux (who we’ve gotten the Cory of Darkness storyline). He doesn’t even offer real world tactics or anecdotes from all his scholarly reading.
The Bad:
* In classic Uglandian fashion, the Main Storyline Quest of getting back to Glatton after Clyde’s accomplishes getting rid of the Corpse King embodiment is sidetracked by going to the City of Darkness halfway across the world (upon Lux’s behest). Then this side quest is sidetracked by figuring out why a town they entered is full of zombies. Then this side quest is sidetracked in order to let surrounding towns know about the danger. At least Harpy acknowledges all this sidetracking business.
* The whole premise behind the City of Darkness is paper-thin at best. First, it’s based on Lux being the last living heir of the entire city. Being heir to a city???? And then, isn’t Nox her brother: as in, why did we waste a book rescuing Lux when Nox could’ve redeemed the inheritance story just as easily?? Finally, where is this city? Oh, no where near the heirs but half way around the world. It just doesn’t seem that plausible.
* So Yorn was killed by an evil red couch in the last book. He was self-proclaimed the greatest sword fighter who ever lived. There was a lot of writing behind him including at least 2 jail breaks and lots of womanly interactions. He was beginning to be likable. Then Clyde accidentally set him on fire, and that was awkward in the story. Then the author killed him off. It was a big let down. However, even more of a let down is the only pirate swashbuckler left in the party. He had no writing behind him and we have no idea who he is, really. It’s leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
The Bad Guys Series: Book 7
By Eric Ugland
Overview:
There are parts to really love and enjoy in this book and there are parts to hate and annoy. Pretty much a wash for me: 3/5 stars.
Summary:
My take on this book: the author felt bad about duping everyone into thinking he’s been writing LitRPG books this whole time and decided to reset Clyde to level 1 and start again. It’s been a bit more RPG-like with this book. The author has even started to write in things like skill progression notifications. I’m sad to see Clyde’s necromantic spells go, as well as Shadow Step (I mean seriously there was this whole backstory building about the shadow realm and now, poof! No longer relevant.)
I think the author re-wrote Clyde in part so that he could be better suited for non-urban adventuring since a lot of his thief skills relied on close quartered combat and sneaking. But I feel like the author substituted one thing for another similar. Instead of Shadow Step for example, Clyde now Blinks (a mage ability that instantly transports him across short distances). And blinks. And blinks. And blinks some more. My Lands, the whole book about Blinking!
Once you get into the meat of the story about 50-60% of the way in, it turns into a Jane Goodall thought experiment on xeno-primatology. It was interesting trying to figure out what obscure mythical creature the author came up with this time and lessened the irritation somewhat from the fact that it was a complete tangent away from the main storyline.
All in all the book was really irritating with all the side quests and side tracking tangents which is more or less on par with most of Eric’s books. I am thankful that I can listen to his audio books for free through library, they’re entertaining enough to that end but not sure I would buy any.
The Good:
* Well, I waded through 12 books in the GG series and 6 previous books in the BG, and on my 19th total pseudo/not-really-a-LitRPG book by Eric Ugland, he FINALLY granted me a full blown character creation process replete with faction, race, class, skills, and attributes. AND he finally introduced Mr. Paul to Clyde to boot. All in all, very satisfying.
* Well, even back at level 1 the fight scenes continue to be fun.
* The correspondence with the god of Adventure is fun and provides additional context to an otherwise tangentially semi-random story.
* So too is the correspondence with the god of gutters, gargoyles, drainpipes, etc. Points for originality too.
* Glad that Clyde can re-discover his previously learned spells (ahem necromantic spells).
The Meh:
* The inequities of the game world, or of the author’s understanding of RPG games, continues to be skewed. Clyde kills a level 10 dude for 500 exp and a level 36 for 1000 exp. Only double the exp for more than triple in levels???
* What is the purpose of Nox as a legitimate, contributing character to the story again? He doesn’t fight, he doesn’t offer advice, for all intents and purposes he’s a coward and a dullard. About the only purpose he’s contributed to the story is being the brother to Lux (who we’ve gotten the Cory of Darkness storyline). He doesn’t even offer real world tactics or anecdotes from all his scholarly reading.
The Bad:
* In classic Uglandian fashion, the Main Storyline Quest of getting back to Glatton after Clyde’s accomplishes getting rid of the Corpse King embodiment is sidetracked by going to the City of Darkness halfway across the world (upon Lux’s behest). Then this side quest is sidetracked by figuring out why a town they entered is full of zombies. Then this side quest is sidetracked in order to let surrounding towns know about the danger. At least Harpy acknowledges all this sidetracking business.
* The whole premise behind the City of Darkness is paper-thin at best. First, it’s based on Lux being the last living heir of the entire city. Being heir to a city???? And then, isn’t Nox her brother: as in, why did we waste a book rescuing Lux when Nox could’ve redeemed the inheritance story just as easily?? Finally, where is this city? Oh, no where near the heirs but half way around the world. It just doesn’t seem that plausible.
* So Yorn was killed by an evil red couch in the last book. He was self-proclaimed the greatest sword fighter who ever lived. There was a lot of writing behind him including at least 2 jail breaks and lots of womanly interactions. He was beginning to be likable. Then Clyde accidentally set him on fire, and that was awkward in the story. Then the author killed him off. It was a big let down. However, even more of a let down is the only pirate swashbuckler left in the party. He had no writing behind him and we have no idea who he is, really. It’s leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2024
At the end of the last book, Clyde Hatchett finally rid himself of the Corpse King threatening to take over his body, but the story ended on a cliff hanger where something obviously unexpected happened to Clyde. This book reveals what that “something” was. The god known as Mr. Paul from The Good Guys series has intervened in Clyde’s resurrection and informed him that he has basically disrupted the whole gaming system with his magic draining spell and Mr. Paul has to sort things out again. He doesn’t just take the spell; he resets Clyde to level one. Basically, Clyde is royally screwed over, but in the haggling that goes with all interactions with Mr. Paul, Clyde gets to keep a lot of his “non-game breaking” spells. So, he is a very robust level one, but still just level one.
I’ll be blunt. This really annoyed me. I was looking forward to seeing what happened when all of that massive experience Clyde has been earning for the last several books suddenly infused him without the draining spell frittering it away. I was figuring Clyde was about to jump six or ten or more levels. But…Ugland’s vision produces a really great story that forces Clyde to continue to do what he does best—think of creative solutions to his problems.
Add to that a few changes in the cast around Clyde and you have all the ingredients of a great ongoing story. First, Clyde has to pick a new god and he picks a really weak goddess that has no heroes in the game just to annoy Mr. Paul. She is going to add a lot to future stories. He also solidifies his friendship with the Mad God which adds another happy dimension. Finally, he gets one awesomely powerful ally added to the party.
The problem in this book is a fascinating one and truly worthy of Clyde’s unique mindset. Can’t wait to get to the next book.
I’ll be blunt. This really annoyed me. I was looking forward to seeing what happened when all of that massive experience Clyde has been earning for the last several books suddenly infused him without the draining spell frittering it away. I was figuring Clyde was about to jump six or ten or more levels. But…Ugland’s vision produces a really great story that forces Clyde to continue to do what he does best—think of creative solutions to his problems.
Add to that a few changes in the cast around Clyde and you have all the ingredients of a great ongoing story. First, Clyde has to pick a new god and he picks a really weak goddess that has no heroes in the game just to annoy Mr. Paul. She is going to add a lot to future stories. He also solidifies his friendship with the Mad God which adds another happy dimension. Finally, he gets one awesomely powerful ally added to the party.
The problem in this book is a fascinating one and truly worthy of Clyde’s unique mindset. Can’t wait to get to the next book.
November 14, 2025
This is more like a side story. The quality of writing in this one dropped noticeably. Lots of "No.... No.... Nothing." I skimmed the last 150 pages because the content was lackluster. The enemy in this quest was treated as an unknown for the majority of the book. The MC runs around trying to warn surrounding villages for some stupid reason. Weirdly brief interactions with survivors. Sudden spike in flirtatious converstions with Lux. Cringe jokes that fell short. Most of the book seems to involve MC scouting out the mystery of a single backwater village of zero import.
And lets throw in a robin hood esque encounter with the local thieves of the wood. It felt like the author didnt quite know where to go with this story. At first I thought he may have deferred to some bad AI-written content or brainstorming because it was unengaging and all over the place. For example, since when does MC just nonchanlantly comfortably cast fireballs from his head? And why does a starving and trapped survivor pinch him on the butt as he rescues her during a panic induced chase from a horde of enemies? Sloppy and unrealistic considering their tense situation, and the fact that she's a 1-chapter character. Just weird stuff like that. You could probably just skip this book and be better off. Zero character development, zero loot, zero leveling highs, etc. As the author so often stated in the book, "Nothing."
After the poor performance of this book, and reading several reviews that the next one in the series is similarly disappointing in quality and meanders, I suppose this is where I will bow out and discontinue the series.
DNF series
And lets throw in a robin hood esque encounter with the local thieves of the wood. It felt like the author didnt quite know where to go with this story. At first I thought he may have deferred to some bad AI-written content or brainstorming because it was unengaging and all over the place. For example, since when does MC just nonchanlantly comfortably cast fireballs from his head? And why does a starving and trapped survivor pinch him on the butt as he rescues her during a panic induced chase from a horde of enemies? Sloppy and unrealistic considering their tense situation, and the fact that she's a 1-chapter character. Just weird stuff like that. You could probably just skip this book and be better off. Zero character development, zero loot, zero leveling highs, etc. As the author so often stated in the book, "Nothing."
After the poor performance of this book, and reading several reviews that the next one in the series is similarly disappointing in quality and meanders, I suppose this is where I will bow out and discontinue the series.
DNF series
September 12, 2021
More of a build to next book.
I didn't like that the litrpg elements were glossed over. I mean we had what amounted to a start over--nurfing to me is ok--but the new litrpg schema has to be sold to catch the imagination. It has to make future promises so we want to watch the build play out Clyde loses everything and in exchange has a higher mana regen rate and he changes from an elf to ...an elf. Scratch head. Not very exciting. It wouldn't have taken much effort to sell the new Clyde, to give him something interesting (other than greater blink), but I dont even remember much of a character sheet recap. The ending seemed rushed. And the cool old companions (like the mimic) got short shrift. Uh, the new companions didnt do too well either. I'm thinking that this is more a buildup to the next book and the next book will have more character development. And that we'll start to see Clyde as more of a whirlwind with interesting characters rotating in his orbit instead of cut outs doing pretty much nothing . This is the first book of the Good Guys or Bad Guys that I haven't rated as 5 stars. And this series is better than the other--or was until this book.
I didn't like that the litrpg elements were glossed over. I mean we had what amounted to a start over--nurfing to me is ok--but the new litrpg schema has to be sold to catch the imagination. It has to make future promises so we want to watch the build play out Clyde loses everything and in exchange has a higher mana regen rate and he changes from an elf to ...an elf. Scratch head. Not very exciting. It wouldn't have taken much effort to sell the new Clyde, to give him something interesting (other than greater blink), but I dont even remember much of a character sheet recap. The ending seemed rushed. And the cool old companions (like the mimic) got short shrift. Uh, the new companions didnt do too well either. I'm thinking that this is more a buildup to the next book and the next book will have more character development. And that we'll start to see Clyde as more of a whirlwind with interesting characters rotating in his orbit instead of cut outs doing pretty much nothing . This is the first book of the Good Guys or Bad Guys that I haven't rated as 5 stars. And this series is better than the other--or was until this book.
September 13, 2021
As many other reviewers have noted, this is more of a side quest rather than getting back to the main one. Clyde Hatchet is free of the necromancer, so he wants to get back to Glaton.
Yeah, that doesn't happen. Not even close. This story covers the journey from Gloomguard to Raim to Furtaxo. That's it.
For what it is, I enjoyed most of it. The mystery in Furtaxo takes up most of the book, and while it is never really solved, it is resolved. The team adds two people to the team along the way.
And that's it. Yes, I'm skimming the plot and avoiding spoilers (the few that there are), but this isn't a complicated novel. The author admits that his pre-order timing was off, giving him five weeks to write the entire thing.
The editing reflects the short time period. It isn't terrible, but there are enough wrong or missing words to make it noticeable.
Since I've given up on the Good Guys for lack of direction, this is the only series I still read from Erik. I'm still hanging in there, but with so many new books of excellent quality coming out, staying with a series that meanders is a tough sell. Hopefully Clyde will get back to business in the next book.
4/5*
Yeah, that doesn't happen. Not even close. This story covers the journey from Gloomguard to Raim to Furtaxo. That's it.
For what it is, I enjoyed most of it. The mystery in Furtaxo takes up most of the book, and while it is never really solved, it is resolved. The team adds two people to the team along the way.
And that's it. Yes, I'm skimming the plot and avoiding spoilers (the few that there are), but this isn't a complicated novel. The author admits that his pre-order timing was off, giving him five weeks to write the entire thing.
The editing reflects the short time period. It isn't terrible, but there are enough wrong or missing words to make it noticeable.
Since I've given up on the Good Guys for lack of direction, this is the only series I still read from Erik. I'm still hanging in there, but with so many new books of excellent quality coming out, staying with a series that meanders is a tough sell. Hopefully Clyde will get back to business in the next book.
4/5*
December 17, 2025
This is where the inconsistencies in the series really got to a point where it didn't feel as though my investment in the series and characters was being valued at all. I know this is a side story, which also means it's the perfect time to get to know the characters we're left with after losing two pretty good characters.
However, everyone in the party apparently forgot to grieve, and the game system is pushed to the background and forgotten. Any intrigue you have in the system and the implications Clyde faces after starting back at zero are forgotten, and this story honestly shouldn't exist. Why would Clyde leave the one place he could power level and then go on a grand adventure? It makes no sense because this book made no progress, and I feel as though any investment I had in this series has been robbed because of the lack of care and basically rebooting the series without addressing the reboot.
We basically get a New Game Plus, but Clyde and the author of this book don't make it interesting in any way, as one would with a New Game Plus opportunity.
However, everyone in the party apparently forgot to grieve, and the game system is pushed to the background and forgotten. Any intrigue you have in the system and the implications Clyde faces after starting back at zero are forgotten, and this story honestly shouldn't exist. Why would Clyde leave the one place he could power level and then go on a grand adventure? It makes no sense because this book made no progress, and I feel as though any investment I had in this series has been robbed because of the lack of care and basically rebooting the series without addressing the reboot.
We basically get a New Game Plus, but Clyde and the author of this book don't make it interesting in any way, as one would with a New Game Plus opportunity.
September 13, 2021
I was concerned about this one after the disaster that was the last Montana book. This doesn't allay all my concerns, but it was better than the last couple of Good Guys books.
That is, however, a low bar to pass. Writing is generally good, and Clyde is less painfully obtuse than Montana. My main issue with the book is that it takes a long time to go pretty much nowhere. The major issue is resolved early on, but from there nothing meaningful happens.
The author says he needs a break, and I support him in that. His recent work seems to be lacking focus and forward momentum. A mental reset will hopefully bring him back fresh with some of the energy that made the early books interesting.
Minor spoilers follow.
The "adventure" that consumes most of the book should have been a couple of chapters. Vuldranni is huge, and big things are moving. The supposed next step is finally underway at the very end of this book, and after well over 300 pages it feels like nothing much happened.
That is, however, a low bar to pass. Writing is generally good, and Clyde is less painfully obtuse than Montana. My main issue with the book is that it takes a long time to go pretty much nowhere. The major issue is resolved early on, but from there nothing meaningful happens.
The author says he needs a break, and I support him in that. His recent work seems to be lacking focus and forward momentum. A mental reset will hopefully bring him back fresh with some of the energy that made the early books interesting.
Minor spoilers follow.
The "adventure" that consumes most of the book should have been a couple of chapters. Vuldranni is huge, and big things are moving. The supposed next step is finally underway at the very end of this book, and after well over 300 pages it feels like nothing much happened.
September 16, 2021
I was looking forward to this book for a while
I’ve really been enjoying the Bad Guys series to date.
Especially after the cliffhanger ending of the last book, I was really looking forward to this one.
It’s not perfect. I think the ending could have used a little polish, and there are parts that seemed a little disjointed. I was fully expecting the protagonist to use a new power he had to help resolve what turned out to be the main mystery of the book, and it just never really came up which is kind of dissatisfying. There were also some bits that were maybe glossed over just a bit too much.
And though the climax was definitely climactic and the book felt finished, there was no real explanation to some of it still. I hope it gets more attention in the next book.
Altogether though, I still feel like it was a solid book with good humor and logical development and pacing.
I’ve really been enjoying the Bad Guys series to date.
Especially after the cliffhanger ending of the last book, I was really looking forward to this one.
It’s not perfect. I think the ending could have used a little polish, and there are parts that seemed a little disjointed. I was fully expecting the protagonist to use a new power he had to help resolve what turned out to be the main mystery of the book, and it just never really came up which is kind of dissatisfying. There were also some bits that were maybe glossed over just a bit too much.
And though the climax was definitely climactic and the book felt finished, there was no real explanation to some of it still. I hope it gets more attention in the next book.
Altogether though, I still feel like it was a solid book with good humor and logical development and pacing.
September 16, 2021
I'm done.
I have enjoyed The Bad Guys, usually more than The Good Guys due to it being rogue focused, the MC not having only dust between his ears, and the unique magic he had due to the corpse king. After the last book, I was hoping he'd become something even better for being a rouge. Instead, you decided to shoehorn in some random plot about Kent actually being a fake patron, and have him switch to a full magic build (by his own admission with Paul...) and looking at these reviews, his sneakiness is non-existent (let alone the main plot in this book being relevant...) Plus, there's more senseless banter in the first 40 pages of this book than, somehow, the entirety of the last Good Guys book. I gave up 45 pages in, and will sadly be abandoning this series. We'll see how long The Good Guys holds me past this.
I have enjoyed The Bad Guys, usually more than The Good Guys due to it being rogue focused, the MC not having only dust between his ears, and the unique magic he had due to the corpse king. After the last book, I was hoping he'd become something even better for being a rouge. Instead, you decided to shoehorn in some random plot about Kent actually being a fake patron, and have him switch to a full magic build (by his own admission with Paul...) and looking at these reviews, his sneakiness is non-existent (let alone the main plot in this book being relevant...) Plus, there's more senseless banter in the first 40 pages of this book than, somehow, the entirety of the last Good Guys book. I gave up 45 pages in, and will sadly be abandoning this series. We'll see how long The Good Guys holds me past this.
October 2, 2021
KU Review
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. As always, I am open to debates and arguments, but also vain enough to seek acknowledgement, so feel free to roast me or applaud my efforts. Either is acceptable, because if you are paying attention to me then you are at least considering the book. And THAT my friends is exactly why you see my comments here.
Cheers
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. As always, I am open to debates and arguments, but also vain enough to seek acknowledgement, so feel free to roast me or applaud my efforts. Either is acceptable, because if you are paying attention to me then you are at least considering the book. And THAT my friends is exactly why you see my comments here.
Cheers
September 13, 2021
Decent follow up to book6
Better than the last book of the good guys series. The snarky banter went with the storyline and was humorous at times. Though it was still overly heavy in the "dialogue" department and could still use an editor to thin it out a bit. The major problem with this book was that the ending was rushed and it didn't resolve any of the plot issues that were brought up at the beginning of the "awshit" adventure, i.e. fixing the boat, food and water. Just a guess, but maybe if Eric spent more time on plot development and less on snarky dialogue we could have gotten a full story. Just saying!
Better than the last book of the good guys series. The snarky banter went with the storyline and was humorous at times. Though it was still overly heavy in the "dialogue" department and could still use an editor to thin it out a bit. The major problem with this book was that the ending was rushed and it didn't resolve any of the plot issues that were brought up at the beginning of the "awshit" adventure, i.e. fixing the boat, food and water. Just a guess, but maybe if Eric spent more time on plot development and less on snarky dialogue we could have gotten a full story. Just saying!
September 27, 2021
More like a novella
I waited a long time for this book. It was great “seeing “ Mr. Paul again. It was unexpected. This book seems like a side story before the main story continues. It was fun but light on content, compared to previous books. I enjoyed it but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t up to the standard the author set in the previous books. It sorta answered questions and closed out the corpse king episodes and reset his stats and set up for the continuation of the series. I’m hopeful that Eric gets the rest he needs so that book 8 is awesome. I’m rooting for him and looking forward to the next book.
I waited a long time for this book. It was great “seeing “ Mr. Paul again. It was unexpected. This book seems like a side story before the main story continues. It was fun but light on content, compared to previous books. I enjoyed it but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t up to the standard the author set in the previous books. It sorta answered questions and closed out the corpse king episodes and reset his stats and set up for the continuation of the series. I’m hopeful that Eric gets the rest he needs so that book 8 is awesome. I’m rooting for him and looking forward to the next book.
April 23, 2024
I hate to say that I considered giving this 3 stars. I loved Eric Ugland's writing and the Good Guys and Bad Guys series have been excellent but this one I felt like it was work to get through it. The Main quest to help the town just did not work for me and it all seemed like filler. Still excited about the series and I know good things are to come. I just have to wonder if he just had to punch this one out fast to meet a contractual obligation or just pressure to keep a promise to the readers. I actually do like the start and his new patron and nice job on 2 non safe bet members of the crew.
August 25, 2024
The ongoing adventures of Clyde Hatchet (I'm spelling his name now the way Mr. Paul does even though the author switched back), still dealing with the a'hole Carchedonians, only now he's starting over as a level 1 elf. Our crew ends up in a town with a major monster problem and Clyde reluctantly sets about finding out what's going on and then saving the town, all with the usual ridiculousness, like Clyde accidently naming the "new" monster an Awshit. Clyde's new Patron is sweet and I like his new occasional Gargoyle assistant.
I've accepted that the side quests are the story in these series and we're just along for the ride.
I've accepted that the side quests are the story in these series and we're just along for the ride.
September 13, 2021
Book seven
Mistakes: For a short and fast read this book has twelve mistakes in it. I've posted what I found on Goodreads.
Plot: I saw a review where someone complained because the MC didn't head straight back to Glanton. The MC just got reset to level one, I for one expect many more books before our hero makes it back to Glanton.
Characters: I enjoy watching him struggle and grow.
5/10 I gave 2.5 stars because of the number of errors I found, not because there is anything else wrong with the story itself.
Mistakes: For a short and fast read this book has twelve mistakes in it. I've posted what I found on Goodreads.
Plot: I saw a review where someone complained because the MC didn't head straight back to Glanton. The MC just got reset to level one, I for one expect many more books before our hero makes it back to Glanton.
Characters: I enjoy watching him struggle and grow.
5/10 I gave 2.5 stars because of the number of errors I found, not because there is anything else wrong with the story itself.
September 21, 2021
I have to say this book was relatively interesting although I have to say did not really like Mr. Paul in this story. Thought I found the god that Clyde got as his patron was really cute and just was wanting to do her best in something she was new to. It was hilarious. Also I find the monster he named to be hilarious. I wonder what people's reactions would be to seeing the log and seeing "Monster Killed: an Awshit." The would probably be like well its name fits anyone who see's this would go aw shit!
Read
April 7, 2022This is my favorite ongoing litrpg world and the author and audible narrator are amazing. This entry did absolutely nothing for me though. I’m not rating it because I don’t want to give Eric a downward number for his average rating. This book resets the MC to some degree and feels like the series itself is sort of on a do over. All that happened here was picking up a couple new characters and a side quest with a giant fail for any kind of a climactic ending. I have faith the next entry will be better, but this entire book could’ve been a prologue to the next one.
September 18, 2021
Shorter with no less flair for adventure and amusement
I mean the guy gets books out like crazy and they aren't disappointing in the slightest even with this being shorter. I was incredibly interested to see what this mystery was. I did feel very abrupt in it's finish but I have faith their will be plenty of flesh in the next book.
Eric does a great job teasing out details through both series to give more of a picture of the world as well as the game being played. I am stoked
I mean the guy gets books out like crazy and they aren't disappointing in the slightest even with this being shorter. I was incredibly interested to see what this mystery was. I did feel very abrupt in it's finish but I have faith their will be plenty of flesh in the next book.
Eric does a great job teasing out details through both series to give more of a picture of the world as well as the game being played. I am stoked
September 21, 2021
Seriously? I waited for this
This is the filler episodes in an anime. It is irrelevant drizzle. I'm throughly irritated.
MC has a situation similar to the name of the book but doesn't get xp worth a dam for anything. The ending was anticlimactic. Like build up to a deadline garbage paragraph thrown together to met a goal for money.
Several grammatical errors and typos. Highlighted and reported several.
This is the filler episodes in an anime. It is irrelevant drizzle. I'm throughly irritated.
MC has a situation similar to the name of the book but doesn't get xp worth a dam for anything. The ending was anticlimactic. Like build up to a deadline garbage paragraph thrown together to met a goal for money.
Several grammatical errors and typos. Highlighted and reported several.
September 11, 2021
This is not book seven This is book 6.5
Really fast pace which is fine but then the BBEG of the book is dealt with in such a manner as it was without spoiling anything? I'm disappointed. This literally is a side quest not even a main quest. Did it have potential for a main quest Yes if you had let it actually learn but no. Very disappointed..
Really fast pace which is fine but then the BBEG of the book is dealt with in such a manner as it was without spoiling anything? I'm disappointed. This literally is a side quest not even a main quest. Did it have potential for a main quest Yes if you had let it actually learn but no. Very disappointed..
September 12, 2021
disappointed
I have loved the series till I was disappointed by this latest volume. The level of character development and story progression was disappointing. It may be that publishing deadlines on two series has grown too aggressive. I hope future installments for both the Good and Bad Guys series return to the high quality I have come to expect.
I have loved the series till I was disappointed by this latest volume. The level of character development and story progression was disappointing. It may be that publishing deadlines on two series has grown too aggressive. I hope future installments for both the Good and Bad Guys series return to the high quality I have come to expect.
September 13, 2021
Entertaining as always
It's been so long since the last installment of the bad guys that it took a while to remember what was going on. I can't say I liked the resolution all that well. But, all in all, the book lived up to the hype. Get the series, get both series, and read them and enjoy.
It's been so long since the last installment of the bad guys that it took a while to remember what was going on. I can't say I liked the resolution all that well. But, all in all, the book lived up to the hype. Get the series, get both series, and read them and enjoy.
September 13, 2021
Rounded up to 4 stars since I like the author and series.
A few typos/editing issues, and it reads a bit more like an interlude than a full book. Read it in an afternoon and at one point saw I was at 90% completion and was surprised that was all to the plot.
Still a fun read. And if you're this far into the series is definitely not a reason to stop or skip this book.
A few typos/editing issues, and it reads a bit more like an interlude than a full book. Read it in an afternoon and at one point saw I was at 90% completion and was surprised that was all to the plot.
Still a fun read. And if you're this far into the series is definitely not a reason to stop or skip this book.
September 13, 2021
A self contained novel, starting a mew direction
To circle back around you need to turn. I’m sure there will be some complaints about this book being a wipe of the past, but the way I see it is a foundation for Clyde’s successful return in a way that in GG, Montana’s adventure with the agachern made his party what it is.
To circle back around you need to turn. I’m sure there will be some complaints about this book being a wipe of the past, but the way I see it is a foundation for Clyde’s successful return in a way that in GG, Montana’s adventure with the agachern made his party what it is.
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