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Defiance of the Fall #3
Defiance of the Fall 3
After traversing the dangerous Dead Zone, Zac has finally managed to save his sister and bring her back to Port Atwood.
But Zac knows he can't relax. Not if he wants to keep her safe. The foreign factions keep spreading their influence, and ancient foes have set their sights on Earth.
With his newfound abilities, Zac has joined the Limited Hunt to gain the strength needed to protect his family and his world.
However, the System is unwilling to let Zac train in peace, and the hunt is not what it seems...
But Zac knows he can't relax. Not if he wants to keep her safe. The foreign factions keep spreading their influence, and ancient foes have set their sights on Earth.
With his newfound abilities, Zac has joined the Limited Hunt to gain the strength needed to protect his family and his world.
However, the System is unwilling to let Zac train in peace, and the hunt is not what it seems...
868 pages, ebook
First published November 30, 2021
1870 people are currently reading
572 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
June 13, 2023
BILLY IS NOT STUCK WITH YOU! YOU'RE STUCK INSIDE BILLY.
Best Review opener, i have seen, Billy is a sweetheart, i fucking love him.
The Writer really made many Great characters, Billy, Brazla, Alea, Ogras, Salvation, Abbott Everlasting Peace. Carlin, The Lord of cycles, Emily!
Way more memorable characters, way more diversified personalities, than any LITRPG, i have read before.
I had a dare with the writer in my mind, to make me want to read part 4 right after this, He didn't make it this time, like the ending of part 2, and next LITRPG read after my booksiren one, will be He who fights with monsters 2.
We can call this the Treasure hunt ARC, and it's this kind of event, and similar events to it that will always be my favorite in LITRPG, the next one i am looking forward to, is the Tower of eternity, and if the writer actually ended this volume, with the tower of eternity, i would have been forced to start part 4 immediately.
The evolution of the dominators idea, into a full blown D grade powerhouse coming to harvest the earth, with Salvation under his thumb, and the human's new world government joining them, Was well played and perfect, If the writer left each one as a threat to be dealt with on it's own time, it would have taken too long, but collect all in the same basket is genius.
Salvation is dead now, So only the dominators, and the new world government left.
But you know what's more genius?
Taking another idea, in the mystic realm, and making in the joining point for all threats present, dominators x new world government x Zac x indigenous people that where already in the mystic realm.
It was just not attractive enough for me, to not try and branch out.
The strongest man on earth and the strongest woman on earth, are introverts, only in LITRPG are we supreme heroes of justice and unsurpassable power, so fuck you all other novel genres, we rule in LITRPG 😂
But man! Thea Marshal looking weak, and helpless isn't sexy, isn't attractive, isn't a good look for the strongest woman on earth, please don't make her the damsel in distress again.
They were already falling for each other, when they were both at their best powerful selves...
The dude in 127 hours falls in a hole and has to drink his own piss and cuts his own arm off to escape.
Zac falls into a deep ravine that would kill anyone otherwise, but he ends up with tremendous gains and a heap of treasure waiting at the end of the path.
(Disgusting *with Ogras's voice)
I really love The luck aspect of this series, and that's what will always keep me coming back.
worst case scenario i will have to wait for Zac to come and smash through this thing.
You know i am really happy for Ogras, he had to put an act of being a spoiled rich brat his entire life to avoid getting assassinated like all his brothers.
But now he totally trusts Zac, now he feels he can reach to limits he never dreamed possible.
Now he knows someone out there can save his life if he needed saving.
It is good to see that you passed my final trial. To see such an enticing
treasure but have both the intelligence to spot the dangers and the mental
fortitude to walk away.
Of course mister ghost sir, We raised our boy Zac well, He is never greedy, we never made him want for anything, not out boy!!! *I said sarcastically.
Excited by the underworld segment, that is sure to come sometime soon as well, The fourth race, being rat men and women is also great.
He didn’t choose to kill her, even though she wasn’t real. He felt it would impact his personality if he heedlessly killed like that. If he started wholesale slaughter of innocent
i think this will serve zac in the future.
karma is real in this world.
His goodness will be rewarded!
February 17, 2022
4.5 / 5
Caught up to date on Royal Road. One of the finest progression fantasy...
Caught up to date on Royal Road. One of the finest progression fantasy...
December 3, 2021
In book 1 we had the incursion that Zac had to deal with. In book 2 Zac changed to exploring some of the world, both the nearby islands and joining a meeting at the New World Government.
In book 3, we see a lot of the same things we had in book 1, just slightly differently. Zac was invited to a tournament in book 2 (I think -- a summary before the start would have helped) and that's where the action kicks off. There are a 1000 or more participants, and they're looting and defiling the former head of the Eastern Trigram sect. There is a big valley with hills all around, and on those hills are palaces, homes, and much more, including treasure.
Zac doesn't shy away from treasure. He picks up obvious things like learning crystals, but he also takes as much furniture as he can get his hands on since his home isn't decorated yet along with herbs and the dirt underneath them. While there, Zac runs into the other powerhouses of Earth and another world. The Dominator Zhix's are there, along with Salvation, Thea Marshall, and much more.
I won't spoil how the tournament ends, but it's a good read. From there Zac heads back to Earth where he finally goes into Brazla's inheritance shop and buys one for himself and Ogras, the demon.
It doesn't go as planned.
A lot more happens than I can describe in a review, and I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop there. There is a substantial amount of murder going on, whether it's an incursion or they decide to face off against Zac in the tournament. In raw numbers it might even exceed the number of deaths he caused in the first incursion, primarily because of how much stronger he is and the number of Dao seeds he has.
There is a lot of cultivation going on here, so it's not all blood and death, but there isn't much about town development, which I hope we'll see in book 4.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Yes, there are editing errors, but they didn't detract from my reading experience. This is an excellent LitRPG post-apocalypse series, and I hope it continues for at least four or five more books.
Recommended. 5/5*
In book 3, we see a lot of the same things we had in book 1, just slightly differently. Zac was invited to a tournament in book 2 (I think -- a summary before the start would have helped) and that's where the action kicks off. There are a 1000 or more participants, and they're looting and defiling the former head of the Eastern Trigram sect. There is a big valley with hills all around, and on those hills are palaces, homes, and much more, including treasure.
Zac doesn't shy away from treasure. He picks up obvious things like learning crystals, but he also takes as much furniture as he can get his hands on since his home isn't decorated yet along with herbs and the dirt underneath them. While there, Zac runs into the other powerhouses of Earth and another world. The Dominator Zhix's are there, along with Salvation, Thea Marshall, and much more.
I won't spoil how the tournament ends, but it's a good read. From there Zac heads back to Earth where he finally goes into Brazla's inheritance shop and buys one for himself and Ogras, the demon.
It doesn't go as planned.
A lot more happens than I can describe in a review, and I don't want to spoil anything so I'll stop there. There is a substantial amount of murder going on, whether it's an incursion or they decide to face off against Zac in the tournament. In raw numbers it might even exceed the number of deaths he caused in the first incursion, primarily because of how much stronger he is and the number of Dao seeds he has.
There is a lot of cultivation going on here, so it's not all blood and death, but there isn't much about town development, which I hope we'll see in book 4.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Yes, there are editing errors, but they didn't detract from my reading experience. This is an excellent LitRPG post-apocalypse series, and I hope it continues for at least four or five more books.
Recommended. 5/5*
January 9, 2023
This is third in a series that progresses one after the other. Read them in order.
This was a good follow-on from the last. It starts with the Treasure Hunt and Zac's luck continues to play out in his favor. I particularly liked getting to know Thea Marshal and I'm good if she becomes relationship material. I'm also good with Alea, still, particularly after developments in this story explain (and remove) the crazy. Plus, the Hannah thing finally gets resolved, though she's probably not as happy about that as I am.
I also like that broader goals are revealed here and an over-arching plot with a big-bad in addition to all the incursions that need to be shut down. The multiverse has never claimed to be fair, but it's even less so than I expected. Even better, the author isn't making that go all grimdark, though it could easily have. I also liked the diversity we see in the different incursions Zac encounters. While some are despicable, others are merely opportunistic and not overly grim.
Also, Kinsey (Zac's sister) and Emily (his kind-of-adopted sister) are delights. Frankly, I like all of his Valkyries both individually and as a unit.
Anyway, I think this gets to five star territory as I was engaged to the end and never tempted to put it down. Plus, the plot coheres much better than previous books. I think the series (and author) is really coming into its own.
A note about Chaste: So it turns out that Zac is more than a little bit clueless relationship-wise as there are at least two probably-suitable ladies obviously interested (though understandably hesitant). I kind of like this, actually, particularly when bystanders get all smug. I don't know why as that'd normally be a turnoff. At any rate, this remains pretty chaste.
This was a good follow-on from the last. It starts with the Treasure Hunt and Zac's luck continues to play out in his favor. I particularly liked getting to know Thea Marshal and I'm good if she becomes relationship material. I'm also good with Alea, still, particularly after developments in this story explain (and remove) the crazy. Plus, the Hannah thing finally gets resolved, though she's probably not as happy about that as I am.
I also like that broader goals are revealed here and an over-arching plot with a big-bad in addition to all the incursions that need to be shut down. The multiverse has never claimed to be fair, but it's even less so than I expected. Even better, the author isn't making that go all grimdark, though it could easily have. I also liked the diversity we see in the different incursions Zac encounters. While some are despicable, others are merely opportunistic and not overly grim.
Also, Kinsey (Zac's sister) and Emily (his kind-of-adopted sister) are delights. Frankly, I like all of his Valkyries both individually and as a unit.
Anyway, I think this gets to five star territory as I was engaged to the end and never tempted to put it down. Plus, the plot coheres much better than previous books. I think the series (and author) is really coming into its own.
A note about Chaste: So it turns out that Zac is more than a little bit clueless relationship-wise as there are at least two probably-suitable ladies obviously interested (though understandably hesitant). I kind of like this, actually, particularly when bystanders get all smug. I don't know why as that'd normally be a turnoff. At any rate, this remains pretty chaste.
December 2, 2021
This is contrived and very boring.
With all of the complexities added to the politic, this is an overly complex mess. Then you have a main character that does not drive the story, he just has things happen to him and survives. There are no real choices being made so everything is just happening, and nothing seems to matter. By the end of the treasure hunt I was bored. I will not bother continuing this series.
With all of the complexities added to the politic, this is an overly complex mess. Then you have a main character that does not drive the story, he just has things happen to him and survives. There are no real choices being made so everything is just happening, and nothing seems to matter. By the end of the treasure hunt I was bored. I will not bother continuing this series.
December 8, 2021
Love this series.
This is definitely one of the better series out their in this genre. The MC is very well written and likeable with easy to understand goals. The world building is top notch as the author continues to introduce new things but still keeps the storyline together. Overall it was a great book and I look forward to reading more books in this series.
This is definitely one of the better series out their in this genre. The MC is very well written and likeable with easy to understand goals. The world building is top notch as the author continues to introduce new things but still keeps the storyline together. Overall it was a great book and I look forward to reading more books in this series.
December 12, 2021
I passed 50% and then I had to start the book again. I couldn't remember what I'd read. Luckily I decided to start again 'cause The Hunt was a fun read. I wish there was more of Kenzie and Emily but meh... I suppose we had to learn more about what Zac got up to.
December 5, 2021
I would say that this series remains #1 on my LitRPG list, though I sorely wish that the author could improve the prose with an additional round of content edits. The obscene use of adverbs and adjectives is hard to ignore. Words like "quickly" and "immediately" are sometimes even used twice in the same sentence.
I enjoy this series to the point where I can't avoid giving it 5 stars, but the grammar weaknesses really stand out.
That being said, I don't want this to come across as a critical review. I like pretty much everything else about this story and I'm excited to see where things go in the next book.
I enjoy this series to the point where I can't avoid giving it 5 stars, but the grammar weaknesses really stand out.
That being said, I don't want this to come across as a critical review. I like pretty much everything else about this story and I'm excited to see where things go in the next book.
December 2, 2021
It's a blast of a cast.
Zac is an awesome character. I really enjoyed his adventures in this addition to the series. Ogres is also a intriguing character, but so are most of the cast that stick around Zac.
The Hunt was an interesting zone, and there were thought provoking twists to the plot while Zac was in there, but I am glad the whole book was not about it. I am also glad they knocked out some of the invasions, and even more plot twists were added at the end.
Worth reading!
Zac is an awesome character. I really enjoyed his adventures in this addition to the series. Ogres is also a intriguing character, but so are most of the cast that stick around Zac.
The Hunt was an interesting zone, and there were thought provoking twists to the plot while Zac was in there, but I am glad the whole book was not about it. I am also glad they knocked out some of the invasions, and even more plot twists were added at the end.
Worth reading!
December 6, 2021
Next book please.
February 18, 2025
Me sigue sorprendiendo lo divertidos que son estos libros (buenos) de este género, que no decaen prácticamente nunca.
Eso sí, es una longaniza y los cortes entre libros caen donde tengan que caer, no hay un salto claro entre un volumen y el siguiente. No hay un arco que se cierre y otro que se abra. Van avanzando las historias de forma fluida, lo que hace muy difícil leer un libro suelto. Aun así, enganchan cosa mala.
A por el siguiente!
Eso sí, es una longaniza y los cortes entre libros caen donde tengan que caer, no hay un salto claro entre un volumen y el siguiente. No hay un arco que se cierre y otro que se abra. Van avanzando las historias de forma fluida, lo que hace muy difícil leer un libro suelto. Aun así, enganchan cosa mala.
A por el siguiente!
January 23, 2025
This book introduces one of the big flaws in this series for this reader; constant action without meaning.
I like the overall story here, I like the characters, and I like the direction the story is heading in, and this flaw doesn't really make me want to stop reading. However, there are times were these books get really tedious and the time spent in the tournament in this book is a good example of this. It is a time filled with action and adventure that is designed to help Zac progress and document his growth, but beyond that growth, it does very little to actually move the story forward.
The author feels the need to explore every adventure, battle, task and obstacle in a blow-by-blow manner, never once glossing over needless details. Because of this, the actions taken in this part of the book start to merge together as there isn't much contrast between events nor is there much meaning. It turned my mind off for large periods of this book and had the opposite effect on me than an action scene is supposed to have; it left me bored.
I think this story would have been greatly served by cutting out as much of this detail as possible and leaving in only what was necessary to allow the reader to connect with Zac's journey and make his gains feel hard-earned. As a result, each battle that we did see would have been more meaningful and therefore would have had more impact on the reader.
It's frustrating because there are glimmers in between this hunt and future events just like this that are awesome and worth sticking around for, but these sections are just too long-winded to enjoy when they should have been just as awesome.
For those who completely disagree with what I have said, there is no need to worry because if you loved this book then you will love the rest to come. I have read up to chapter 745 of the web version of this series and I know that this author is consistent if nothing else, and if you like what you read here then there's more to come. For those of you like me though, then unfortunately I have to admit that there are more sections like this to come... a lot more. It's not intolerable by any means (or I would have given up by now), but there are definitely big chunks of the series coming that seem to go on forever, but I do believe are worth sticking out.
It's a shame because this is a four-star series otherwise, and it would have been five if the author could spend a bit more time developing the characters in this series beyond their ability to kick ass. However, for this outing, it's just a 3-star rating from this reader.
I like the overall story here, I like the characters, and I like the direction the story is heading in, and this flaw doesn't really make me want to stop reading. However, there are times were these books get really tedious and the time spent in the tournament in this book is a good example of this. It is a time filled with action and adventure that is designed to help Zac progress and document his growth, but beyond that growth, it does very little to actually move the story forward.
The author feels the need to explore every adventure, battle, task and obstacle in a blow-by-blow manner, never once glossing over needless details. Because of this, the actions taken in this part of the book start to merge together as there isn't much contrast between events nor is there much meaning. It turned my mind off for large periods of this book and had the opposite effect on me than an action scene is supposed to have; it left me bored.
I think this story would have been greatly served by cutting out as much of this detail as possible and leaving in only what was necessary to allow the reader to connect with Zac's journey and make his gains feel hard-earned. As a result, each battle that we did see would have been more meaningful and therefore would have had more impact on the reader.
It's frustrating because there are glimmers in between this hunt and future events just like this that are awesome and worth sticking around for, but these sections are just too long-winded to enjoy when they should have been just as awesome.
For those who completely disagree with what I have said, there is no need to worry because if you loved this book then you will love the rest to come. I have read up to chapter 745 of the web version of this series and I know that this author is consistent if nothing else, and if you like what you read here then there's more to come. For those of you like me though, then unfortunately I have to admit that there are more sections like this to come... a lot more. It's not intolerable by any means (or I would have given up by now), but there are definitely big chunks of the series coming that seem to go on forever, but I do believe are worth sticking out.
It's a shame because this is a four-star series otherwise, and it would have been five if the author could spend a bit more time developing the characters in this series beyond their ability to kick ass. However, for this outing, it's just a 3-star rating from this reader.
December 1, 2021
could have used a refresher
A prologue would have been nice, to get back in the flow. Or I could just reread the previous novels…nah.
Thwonking Billy is awesome.
Now to wait (not so) patiently for the next book.
A prologue would have been nice, to get back in the flow. Or I could just reread the previous novels…nah.
Thwonking Billy is awesome.
Now to wait (not so) patiently for the next book.
December 6, 2021
Another phenomenal sequence to what was already one of the best in the genre.
Zac's story moves forward nicely as the world expands and we are treated to a every increasing scope of characters as we wait for a doomsday antagonist to arrive. Will Zac be able to progress and halt another apocalypse?
Can't praise this series enough. Brilliant writing, a new and refreshing world and magic system plus a cast everyone would like to follow and cheer for!
Zac's story moves forward nicely as the world expands and we are treated to a every increasing scope of characters as we wait for a doomsday antagonist to arrive. Will Zac be able to progress and halt another apocalypse?
Can't praise this series enough. Brilliant writing, a new and refreshing world and magic system plus a cast everyone would like to follow and cheer for!
December 20, 2021
Rating 5.0 stars
A good continuation of the series. Since the second half of the first book this series has been really good. Not much to say really. If you liked the last couple of books there is no reason to think you won't like this one. This is turning into one of the better series of it's type.
A good continuation of the series. Since the second half of the first book this series has been really good. Not much to say really. If you liked the last couple of books there is no reason to think you won't like this one. This is turning into one of the better series of it's type.
November 20, 2022
I never knew of progression books before I found Cradle and this was the second series I was told to check out. I've read up to book 7 that was published since I can't quite stomach a RR serialized publication--I just don't read like that.
This series though is fun. It's an easy romp and the books are easily digestable by anyone. The story is clear cut, the characters have some general engagement, and the continual progression arc is just popcorn munching fun to watch.
The caveat is the narrative compression is deeply lacking so the character zones out every other moment to go over an exposition thought process that while deeply informative and world building can make your eyes slide around the page. I found myself constantly in later books having to stop having teflon brain to go back and re-read a few pages because I found myself just glossing over the details. And that can be a detriment because there is just a helluva lot of good knowledge being shared in there, it's just thick.
Awaiting book 8 to be published and I feel the author has a great grasp of where he wants to go and I'll enjoy following Zac along his supreme journey.
This series though is fun. It's an easy romp and the books are easily digestable by anyone. The story is clear cut, the characters have some general engagement, and the continual progression arc is just popcorn munching fun to watch.
The caveat is the narrative compression is deeply lacking so the character zones out every other moment to go over an exposition thought process that while deeply informative and world building can make your eyes slide around the page. I found myself constantly in later books having to stop having teflon brain to go back and re-read a few pages because I found myself just glossing over the details. And that can be a detriment because there is just a helluva lot of good knowledge being shared in there, it's just thick.
Awaiting book 8 to be published and I feel the author has a great grasp of where he wants to go and I'll enjoy following Zac along his supreme journey.
September 2, 2023
Well I read book 1, nothing really new but it was still interesting nice world building, so I gave it a 3. I pushed on through 2 decided to reserve judgement because of high reviews and assurances by others that it gets better...it doesn't (But it's still not bad).
The MC's intelligence and decision making is inconsistent the supporting characters feel like cut outs of tv tropes and bad cliche's of how characters act in contrived situations. I truly do not mean to belittle this writer or any other, however, I read to escape repetitive TV, unimaginative movies and I am truly disappointed when something so promising falls flat because of the aforementioned reasons. My opinion, I think the same story is done better in The Primal Hunter.
So I have to end my journey here 1/3 of the way through book 3.
The MC's intelligence and decision making is inconsistent the supporting characters feel like cut outs of tv tropes and bad cliche's of how characters act in contrived situations. I truly do not mean to belittle this writer or any other, however, I read to escape repetitive TV, unimaginative movies and I am truly disappointed when something so promising falls flat because of the aforementioned reasons. My opinion, I think the same story is done better in The Primal Hunter.
So I have to end my journey here 1/3 of the way through book 3.
April 4, 2023
I'm still losing sleep! This goes nonstop! The constant evolution of Zac, his town, and the world make for a heck of a ride.
May 30, 2022
Insignificant, even at the height of power on his planet
Zac continues to grow monstrous power through his classes, races and treasures. His Dao are growing and he gains more but is more always better or would fewer stronger Dao be better? He is wondering that too.
We finally see what an inheritance is and how hard to get they are. As it seems powerful things can happen to you with or without you truly understanding their effects. Almost like a time bomb in your head, or maybe a rage bomb.
Meanwhile Port Atwood continues to expand and grow its population across the islands around it.
Emily finally gets her class and an unhappy surprise from Zac, well it’s a good surprise but has unforeseen consequences. There is a race for power and Zac is at the top of the non cultivator list right now, but maintaining his lead and his life is a challenge as he throws himself at enemy after enemy. Taking dangerous chances to grow stronger before the galactic threat that is the Great Redeemer arrives!
Zac continues to grow monstrous power through his classes, races and treasures. His Dao are growing and he gains more but is more always better or would fewer stronger Dao be better? He is wondering that too.
We finally see what an inheritance is and how hard to get they are. As it seems powerful things can happen to you with or without you truly understanding their effects. Almost like a time bomb in your head, or maybe a rage bomb.
Meanwhile Port Atwood continues to expand and grow its population across the islands around it.
Emily finally gets her class and an unhappy surprise from Zac, well it’s a good surprise but has unforeseen consequences. There is a race for power and Zac is at the top of the non cultivator list right now, but maintaining his lead and his life is a challenge as he throws himself at enemy after enemy. Taking dangerous chances to grow stronger before the galactic threat that is the Great Redeemer arrives!
August 11, 2025
I have been enjoying this series and will continue to.
Some issues I have are the constant status screens, instead of just telling us what changed/was updated. I listen to the audio, so it breaks up the story for me. This is a concern throughout the series.
I honestly really enjoyed the small character improvement with Zac. Look at him asking for help, and even spending time with someone else!
Also, how can we not love Billy? Alien man even said he was the smartest!
-Listened to the book, so I can't comment on the grammar.
Some issues I have are the constant status screens, instead of just telling us what changed/was updated. I listen to the audio, so it breaks up the story for me. This is a concern throughout the series.
I honestly really enjoyed the small character improvement with Zac. Look at him asking for help, and even spending time with someone else!
Also, how can we not love Billy? Alien man even said he was the smartest!
-Listened to the book, so I can't comment on the grammar.
February 14, 2022
Story is fun, but we are starting to get some repeat taking place. That's pretty normal in wuxia style stories, but they generally start happening around book 5 or so.
Let's see how he'll pull himself through.
Let's see how he'll pull himself through.
December 16, 2023
4.75 stars. I am very much enjoying this series.
June 27, 2024
A good entry to the series. I like Zac’s surprise power up and the new setting if fun.
August 13, 2024
Best book in the series up till now
June 16, 2023
The axe fella is now zombie? But only sometimes…and he still be going primal on the other zombies. Idk seems hypocritical.
December 3, 2021
The story of Wuxia Jeff Bezos
This is a fun story. A man raising himself up by his cultivation bootstraps as he learns to develop himself up as a savior of earth against the many forces arrayed against earth. For me this story stands out with its imaginative worldbuilding, and it's solid cultivation system. I was quickly drawn into the story and I've enjoyed following Zac's journey till now. Yet I finally realized what I think is missing for me. Zac is an absolute automaton. He walks relentlessly forwards towards breaking through his limits and building his town, and the story tunnels entirely on this endeavor. Yet as I continue with the saga, these questions have hounded me. Have I really gotten to know Zac? have I ever seen him vulnerable? Is he getting to know himself? Zac explores the concept of death and life, but they don't touch him, or change him. I'm not sure that the Zac from the beginning of this saga is much changed from the Zac of book three, except an increase in power. In essence, I think the author has been a bit neglectful of a character arc for Zac, in favor of dazzling powers. Similarly, his relationships seem very peripheral, and calculated and I begin to feel lonely for Zac. I'm sure many don't need such an element in storytelling and can just have fun with the book for what it is, me included. Yet I feel that if the writer were to add more of a character arc for Zac it could take a solid book and make it excellent.
This is a fun story. A man raising himself up by his cultivation bootstraps as he learns to develop himself up as a savior of earth against the many forces arrayed against earth. For me this story stands out with its imaginative worldbuilding, and it's solid cultivation system. I was quickly drawn into the story and I've enjoyed following Zac's journey till now. Yet I finally realized what I think is missing for me. Zac is an absolute automaton. He walks relentlessly forwards towards breaking through his limits and building his town, and the story tunnels entirely on this endeavor. Yet as I continue with the saga, these questions have hounded me. Have I really gotten to know Zac? have I ever seen him vulnerable? Is he getting to know himself? Zac explores the concept of death and life, but they don't touch him, or change him. I'm not sure that the Zac from the beginning of this saga is much changed from the Zac of book three, except an increase in power. In essence, I think the author has been a bit neglectful of a character arc for Zac, in favor of dazzling powers. Similarly, his relationships seem very peripheral, and calculated and I begin to feel lonely for Zac. I'm sure many don't need such an element in storytelling and can just have fun with the book for what it is, me included. Yet I feel that if the writer were to add more of a character arc for Zac it could take a solid book and make it excellent.
April 22, 2022
The power creep story continues and morphs into a cultivation fest. There are lots of OP battles, level ups, adventures, story ramifications, and badassery throughout (*add word to dictionary).
Still, I felt the reading to get tiresome. After 3 books, everything and anything is still all about Zack's road to power. There are a lot of characters throughout, but their stories are overlooked and are rendered insignificant with all their potential lost.
In addition to that, the oversimplified villains are detracting the attention from the major struggles in every of these characters' feeble story arches.
The style is far from the first's book excellent survival story.
Will take a break from the series until there's more content.
Still, I felt the reading to get tiresome. After 3 books, everything and anything is still all about Zack's road to power. There are a lot of characters throughout, but their stories are overlooked and are rendered insignificant with all their potential lost.
In addition to that, the oversimplified villains are detracting the attention from the major struggles in every of these characters' feeble story arches.
The style is far from the first's book excellent survival story.
Will take a break from the series until there's more content.
January 28, 2022
The Hunt was actually a lot of fun seeing him working with someone showed us a different side of him. Still can't take some of his dumb decisions though, it feels like he is constantly talking about being careful then doing absolutely no preparation before potentially deadly confrontations. Sometimes stories draw heroes into fights they have to have but that's not really the case here he always has other options.
December 2, 2021
it was good but it was rather slow pacing wise, while playing out a lot of redundant conversations that could have been skipped over. while I do not mind that really the author has to think about the progression of the story from a narrative point of view in the future: if he retains the same amount of events taking place per given time frame the progression will slow to a crawl but if he lessens the amount of events it would also feel weird because it will be as if people were abnormally busy and then they will just stop being so just because it will be inconvenient in terms of time. this narrative shift will be jarring and it will ruin the story which maintained an air of believability so far though there are some unbelievable developments like
December 1, 2022
This series gets major points for being incredibly entertaining. It’s creative and fun. However… the writing is distractingly bad (someone counted the number of time “extremely” was used and it’s almost 300). The word repetition could be fixed with an occasional use of a thesaurus. My standards aren’t very high when it comes to technical skill, but this is so bad that it hurts the flow of the story. I’m hoping this will improve as the series goes on.
The MC is also not someone I like. He’s inherently selfish and arrogant, and (most importantly) incredibly boring. He makes several decisions that sit wrong, and I have no faith in him to do the right thing. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem (flawed characters can be interesting) but it isn’t the result of complex thought processes or internal conflicts. He’s just lazy and selfish and there isn’t much more to it. He constantly forgets that his strength is almost purely the result of luck, so he looks down on people who ‘aren’t working hard enough.’ Fortunately some of the side characters are more fun.
It probably doesn’t help that I started this story right after finishing The Perfect Run, which has one of the most colorful main characters in fantasy.
While the entire plot is driven by the dreams of the average teenage boy (MC is strong and successful and all the women in the story are in love with him), it’s also action packed and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t contain monologues on politics or religion, which is another positive. I’ll keep reading because the entertainment still outweighs the annoyance.
The MC is also not someone I like. He’s inherently selfish and arrogant, and (most importantly) incredibly boring. He makes several decisions that sit wrong, and I have no faith in him to do the right thing. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem (flawed characters can be interesting) but it isn’t the result of complex thought processes or internal conflicts. He’s just lazy and selfish and there isn’t much more to it. He constantly forgets that his strength is almost purely the result of luck, so he looks down on people who ‘aren’t working hard enough.’ Fortunately some of the side characters are more fun.
It probably doesn’t help that I started this story right after finishing The Perfect Run, which has one of the most colorful main characters in fantasy.
While the entire plot is driven by the dreams of the average teenage boy (MC is strong and successful and all the women in the story are in love with him), it’s also action packed and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t contain monologues on politics or religion, which is another positive. I’ll keep reading because the entertainment still outweighs the annoyance.
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