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Tokens and Towers #1
Tokens and Towers, Vol. 1
A tower with seven distinct realms. A barbarian and a sorcerer. The chance of sudden death at every turn.
Randy Lionheart never thought he'd be portaled to a fantasy world and told to climb a tower. For most of his adult life, he wrote about these things as a fantasy writer. Yet as he chooses an axe as his primary weapon, and he is told to start slaying killer gnomes, Randy realizes that things are about to change for better or worse.
Randy isn't going to be able to reach the top of the tower alone. He'll need cunning, luck, and a friend to help him along the way.
Enter Clovis, a human who was also been portaled to this fantasy world and who has taken the form of a spellbook. The only problem is, Clovis doesn't know how to use the elven magic written in his pages.
Together, Randy and Clovis will do everything they can to reach the top of the tower together, even if the rules state there can be only one...
Randy Lionheart never thought he'd be portaled to a fantasy world and told to climb a tower. For most of his adult life, he wrote about these things as a fantasy writer. Yet as he chooses an axe as his primary weapon, and he is told to start slaying killer gnomes, Randy realizes that things are about to change for better or worse.
Randy isn't going to be able to reach the top of the tower alone. He'll need cunning, luck, and a friend to help him along the way.
Enter Clovis, a human who was also been portaled to this fantasy world and who has taken the form of a spellbook. The only problem is, Clovis doesn't know how to use the elven magic written in his pages.
Together, Randy and Clovis will do everything they can to reach the top of the tower together, even if the rules state there can be only one...
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2022
153 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Harmon Cooper
148 books372 followersHarmon Cooper is the author of over sixty fantasy works. His bestselling series include Pilgrim, War Priest, Cowboy Necromancer, and Tokens and Towers.
His series, The Feedback Loop, is one of the earlier GameLit works first published in 2015. An earphone award winner for the series Death's Mantle, Harmon won the LitRPG/GameLit Audiobook of the Year award for Sacred Cat Island, narrated by Legends and Lattes author Travis Baldree.
Harmon write progression fantasy, cultivation fantasy, and LitRPG/GameLit.
His series, The Feedback Loop, is one of the earlier GameLit works first published in 2015. An earphone award winner for the series Death's Mantle, Harmon won the LitRPG/GameLit Audiobook of the Year award for Sacred Cat Island, narrated by Legends and Lattes author Travis Baldree.
Harmon write progression fantasy, cultivation fantasy, and LitRPG/GameLit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 31, 2024
Wow was this tedious. This felt like the author threw a ton of crap at the wall hoping some of it would stick. One thing after another and none of it had any follow through. I just got tired. I think the spellbook "companion" being hyper woke about racism was the last straw. Seriously? You're a book. I feel like mentioning that you are different is fair game. And I honestly couldn't tell if the author was mocking or promoting the narrative it was such an extreme reaction.
Frankly, that might have been the kind of tension that kept me reading if the rest of the stuff played for humor wasn't so boring. One star. I may just need to write this author off as not-a-match.
Frankly, that might have been the kind of tension that kept me reading if the rest of the stuff played for humor wasn't so boring. One star. I may just need to write this author off as not-a-match.
March 30, 2022
So… Tokens and Towers is probably not much like anything else you have ever read, but at the same time it really kind of is. It is a well written example of what attracts people to contemporary fantasy/science-fiction, and to the sub-genre of Lit-RPG (specifically the sub-sub-genre of GameLit). It has a plotline that adheres to the genre well, and I enjoyed that. There was a lot of hilarity through the progression of events (there is a legit city in the world run by hamsters, and it is obviously called Hamsterdam, I mean there is no other logical option). There are a lot of strong game elements.
A writer-guy is brought into a game world where he has a magical book companion, the book gives off big Gen Z vibes, and they have to survive long enough and complete objectives to ascend a tower.
Think a cross between Squid Games and Sword Art Online, but way more funny.
The biggest way this book shines, to me, is in the heavy usage of pop-culture references. I loved that. There are not a lot of authors and books that have the pop-culture stuff well. Harmon, with his Towers, does. I definitely recommend it for anyone that enjoys pop-culture, gamelit, or just a good time.
There is a whole thing about how Cooper wrote this book that makes it really unique. Check it out at some point.
March 30, 2022
A crazy tower climbing LitRPG as we explore strange floors where even Hamsters rule and even your companion is a flying book. To win you just need to survive the natives, fellow climbers and level up.
An easy premise and this is a humorous take on the genre where except for survival we all take a light hearted action read in similar veins to Dungeon Crawler Carl. With it's many wide influences from multi genre writer Cooper this will be another best seller to add to the list as we climb each page with great anticipation.
An easy premise and this is a humorous take on the genre where except for survival we all take a light hearted action read in similar veins to Dungeon Crawler Carl. With it's many wide influences from multi genre writer Cooper this will be another best seller to add to the list as we climb each page with great anticipation.
October 11, 2022
Yikes.
Very low-brow meta comedy. Crypto bro talk, adolescent humour, mc is litrpg author but an idiot about the genre he's thrown into and making choices in the game about it.
You need a particular sense of humour to enjoy this one. DNF - won't continue.
Very low-brow meta comedy. Crypto bro talk, adolescent humour, mc is litrpg author but an idiot about the genre he's thrown into and making choices in the game about it.
You need a particular sense of humour to enjoy this one. DNF - won't continue.
May 21, 2023
It's like "Galaxy Quest" for LitRPG. It pokes affectionate fun at LitRPG tropes in a way that many fans of the genre are sure to love.
March 24, 2022
I adored this book!
As the fans used to sing from the Scottish football terracing a number of decades ago, "It's mental, it's crazy, it's off its ****ing head!" (poetic licence taken), this describes 'Tokens and Towers' to a 'T'.
Randall Lionheart, an author currently suffering from writer's block, - known as 'Randy' to be cool, except when his previous pen name is mentioned, and it's mentioned by Clovis rather a lot. Clovis is a spellbook and a reader, and Lionheart's unorthodox saviour. Initially unwanted, but he grows on Randy... and the reader.
Clovis is a wonderfully un-streetwise character. His childlike innocence, naivety, and inability to lie, opens the duo up to many dangers. However, there is so much humour in here. The hamsters! Oh, my god, the hamsters! Ha! Something a wee bit different from Harmon Cooper, nevertheless you'll turn the pages at speed to see what antics and adventures the duo get up to, and out off, I snorted and giggled all the way.
This is SO MUCH FUN!
As the fans used to sing from the Scottish football terracing a number of decades ago, "It's mental, it's crazy, it's off its ****ing head!" (poetic licence taken), this describes 'Tokens and Towers' to a 'T'.
Randall Lionheart, an author currently suffering from writer's block, - known as 'Randy' to be cool, except when his previous pen name is mentioned, and it's mentioned by Clovis rather a lot. Clovis is a spellbook and a reader, and Lionheart's unorthodox saviour. Initially unwanted, but he grows on Randy... and the reader.
Clovis is a wonderfully un-streetwise character. His childlike innocence, naivety, and inability to lie, opens the duo up to many dangers. However, there is so much humour in here. The hamsters! Oh, my god, the hamsters! Ha! Something a wee bit different from Harmon Cooper, nevertheless you'll turn the pages at speed to see what antics and adventures the duo get up to, and out off, I snorted and giggled all the way.
This is SO MUCH FUN!
April 26, 2022
I loved this book in its humorous/bloodthirsty glory. Clovis is cool, randy too. One of the only things I don't like is how weak they are, every fight with another intake gets robbed or something like that. Him and clovis are probably the lowest level and still surviving with batman plot armor.
But I love the humor (it doesn't really make you laugh, more like a grin) the system is unique like a Sarah Lin unique. The author said he left Easter eggs... well he did, the references and everything were so cool to hear about. It's almost like it actually happened.
I don't really have much to say about this book. It's not bad, it's not good. It's great. The Mc is not overpowerd so beware. And this book also gives a light heartenedness that harmon cooper usually doesn't have, while keeping the seriousness that basically all of his books have.
But I love the humor (it doesn't really make you laugh, more like a grin) the system is unique like a Sarah Lin unique. The author said he left Easter eggs... well he did, the references and everything were so cool to hear about. It's almost like it actually happened.
I don't really have much to say about this book. It's not bad, it's not good. It's great. The Mc is not overpowerd so beware. And this book also gives a light heartenedness that harmon cooper usually doesn't have, while keeping the seriousness that basically all of his books have.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2022
Read this one only after reading a bunch of litrpg novels
This book is about a litrpg author going to a litrpg world and being self-aware of its tropes and weak points. It is a comedy above all but there is some good all fashion action in it as well. There is kind of a unique system of tokens in place here, but it is not very clear and doesn't really matter. You could swap the word token for the word thingamabob and it will work the same.
All in all the story is funny but not laughing out loud laughing, the plot is somewhat generic and even the world is called "Genera".
Oh, and you can see the big reveal plot twist about the flying book really quickly…
4/5 I enjoyed it and I reckon you will as well if you read a lot of litrpg.
This book is about a litrpg author going to a litrpg world and being self-aware of its tropes and weak points. It is a comedy above all but there is some good all fashion action in it as well. There is kind of a unique system of tokens in place here, but it is not very clear and doesn't really matter. You could swap the word token for the word thingamabob and it will work the same.
All in all the story is funny but not laughing out loud laughing, the plot is somewhat generic and even the world is called "Genera".
Oh, and you can see the big reveal plot twist about the flying book really quickly…
4/5 I enjoyed it and I reckon you will as well if you read a lot of litrpg.
Did not finish
June 28, 2023Tokens and Towers:1
Randy Lionheart is a litrpg writer who went into a sensory deprivation tank in an attempt to reconnect with his muse and finds himself suddenly transported to a fantasy world where he has three days to make his way to a tower or die. If he doesn't die, then he will be competing with all the other displaced people to reach the top - and there is only one winner. Setup is interesting, the main character is mostly sympathetic, if a bit immature. The reason I stopped reading this book at 62% is that the MC just never catches a break. At most the silver lining is at least he's not dead. Bad luck follows all his endeavors. As a reader, this is frustrating as hell and combined with the mostly juvenile humor, I lost interest trying to slog through to the finish.
Randy Lionheart is a litrpg writer who went into a sensory deprivation tank in an attempt to reconnect with his muse and finds himself suddenly transported to a fantasy world where he has three days to make his way to a tower or die. If he doesn't die, then he will be competing with all the other displaced people to reach the top - and there is only one winner. Setup is interesting, the main character is mostly sympathetic, if a bit immature. The reason I stopped reading this book at 62% is that the MC just never catches a break. At most the silver lining is at least he's not dead. Bad luck follows all his endeavors. As a reader, this is frustrating as hell and combined with the mostly juvenile humor, I lost interest trying to slog through to the finish.
June 30, 2022
Tokens and Towers
Randy, the noun, not the adjective, is a writer of LitRPG books. He has a few great series and a few not so great books. There was even an odd book written under a pen name, Angelfarts. Looking for inspiration, he found a sensory deprivation tank to take away the outside distractions. Suddenly, the litrpg writer became Isekaied into a new world and to climb the tower.
This first person story is a very fun nod to the genre. There are several nods to Harmon’s co-writers. It’s great when he mentioned another writer I enjoy. The tower itself, is fantastic! I love the different floors. Hamsterdam alone, makes this book worth reading. Randy is a good character that is showing a lot of growth and I’m interested in seeing where he goes!
Content warning: Language
Randy, the noun, not the adjective, is a writer of LitRPG books. He has a few great series and a few not so great books. There was even an odd book written under a pen name, Angelfarts. Looking for inspiration, he found a sensory deprivation tank to take away the outside distractions. Suddenly, the litrpg writer became Isekaied into a new world and to climb the tower.
This first person story is a very fun nod to the genre. There are several nods to Harmon’s co-writers. It’s great when he mentioned another writer I enjoy. The tower itself, is fantastic! I love the different floors. Hamsterdam alone, makes this book worth reading. Randy is a good character that is showing a lot of growth and I’m interested in seeing where he goes!
Content warning: Language
April 8, 2022
Im ready for Lava golems and flower guns!
What a great addition to LitRPG. Couldn’t put this book down after i started it. Randy and Clovis are fun and likable characters and I can’t wait to see where there adventure goes. Harmon Cooper is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors - do yourself a favor and pick up Tokens and Towers. My only regret is that I didn’t get any Harmon tokens…..
What a great addition to LitRPG. Couldn’t put this book down after i started it. Randy and Clovis are fun and likable characters and I can’t wait to see where there adventure goes. Harmon Cooper is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors - do yourself a favor and pick up Tokens and Towers. My only regret is that I didn’t get any Harmon tokens…..
January 9, 2024
Clovis is my Spirit Animal
The Author asked me to write that. Also, Gnomes don't rule this time.
Fantastic adventure. The MC isn't overpowered, the comedy just rolls. I highly recommend reading this while also listening via the Audio. The Narrator is so good. I love all the references and shootouts to the other Litrpg authors.
Keep these coming! Or I will stop giving McShizzles and stop buying Harmon Coin... been holding out to see if the price would go up.
The Author asked me to write that. Also, Gnomes don't rule this time.
Fantastic adventure. The MC isn't overpowered, the comedy just rolls. I highly recommend reading this while also listening via the Audio. The Narrator is so good. I love all the references and shootouts to the other Litrpg authors.
Keep these coming! Or I will stop giving McShizzles and stop buying Harmon Coin... been holding out to see if the price would go up.
November 8, 2025
"Crypto and Crypts" was right there as a title.
Author is pretty cool on reddit but the story didn't land for me. I love the interactions with Clovis, the side characters are cool, but the main character and main storyline didn't land.
Part of it could be my own massive disinterest in crypto, so that part of the story turns me off even though I did get the impression it might just be a running gag.
Author is pretty cool on reddit but the story didn't land for me. I love the interactions with Clovis, the side characters are cool, but the main character and main storyline didn't land.
Part of it could be my own massive disinterest in crypto, so that part of the story turns me off even though I did get the impression it might just be a running gag.
March 25, 2022
Tongue in cheek humor galore.
This story is just quirky and crazy. The MC is a author that just can't pass up the dad joke one liners. The character interactions are both good and bad as the MC most definitely is not OP or in many cases even competent. Overall the story was very intriguing.
This story is just quirky and crazy. The MC is a author that just can't pass up the dad joke one liners. The character interactions are both good and bad as the MC most definitely is not OP or in many cases even competent. Overall the story was very intriguing.
June 27, 2022
This is a humorous take on the LitRPG subgenre. The premise is honestly delightful, with a Chuck-Tingle-esuqe fantasy writer getting sucked into an RPG world. Honestly, a lot of the humor simply did not land for me--it tends towards the "very silly" which isn't my personal style. However, it was well-written and fast-paced, and a fun, easy read.
September 28, 2022
From the first word to the last this a brilliant read.
The structure of the storyline and the characters are well written.
From the characters humour to the snarky book it makes for one enjoyable read.
This adventure he has embarked upon puts him in , ah no more or spoilers would appear.
I will finish by saying I absolutely recommend this book
The structure of the storyline and the characters are well written.
From the characters humour to the snarky book it makes for one enjoyable read.
This adventure he has embarked upon puts him in , ah no more or spoilers would appear.
I will finish by saying I absolutely recommend this book
March 28, 2022
Not bad
I had a really hard time getting into this one it dosent pull my attention like his other works that being said it was well written and does have a nice unique story will try the second one hopefully it catches my attention
I had a really hard time getting into this one it dosent pull my attention like his other works that being said it was well written and does have a nice unique story will try the second one hopefully it catches my attention
April 7, 2022
Didn't care for it. Stopped at 65%. Too jokey.. Felt like the author cared more about giving other litrpg authors a literary hand job than he did developing a story. Not at all, funny like Cungeon Crawler Carl.
April 11, 2022
The book is constant, cheesy jokes which just didn't hit with my sense of humor. Some of the stuff was really funny, but the great majority of it didn't even make me chuckle. I stopped a little over halfway through.
November 2, 2022
Easily one of Harmon’s best books yet. Fun and memorable characters, an easy to follow system, and action packed. It is very similar to DCC with the humor and concept, but for people who want to climb towers instead of dive dungeons. Great nods to LitRPG/Gamelit authors and novels.
December 30, 2023
I really wanted to like this one. It has a fun theme and imaginative characters. I found the characters a little hard to like, and couldn't really get as into it. Still finished it and would be willing to give the series another try.
March 24, 2022
Great book
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
Great book I can't wait to read the next book in the series I would recommend this author to anyone
March 27, 2022
Good read
I had read ahead on RR and absolutely loved it. A great satire for this genre. Can't wait for the next installment.
I had read ahead on RR and absolutely loved it. A great satire for this genre. Can't wait for the next installment.
April 1, 2022
quirky as hell, but in a good way
I really enjoyed the book. It’s quirky and funny! I can’t wait for book two. Keep waiting to see if Clovis is an elite who is a trial for Randy.
I really enjoyed the book. It’s quirky and funny! I can’t wait for book two. Keep waiting to see if Clovis is an elite who is a trial for Randy.
April 14, 2022
Fun stuff
Basically basic basics based basically by biased based basises. Basic basic basic basic basically I love Clovers what a champ!
Basically basic basics based basically by biased based basises. Basic basic basic basic basically I love Clovers what a champ!
April 21, 2022
Very different but fun
Not the typical litrpg book. But well worth the read. Over the top humor and over the top everything all the time.
Not the typical litrpg book. But well worth the read. Over the top humor and over the top everything all the time.
May 17, 2022
Love the Author just not this book
Well I guess you could say it's just not my bag.
Love his other books, and I am sure he and other people found this hilarious.
Well I guess you could say it's just not my bag.
Love his other books, and I am sure he and other people found this hilarious.
May 29, 2022
Absolutely loved this book!
It was funny, fast paced and kept me intrigued. Can't wait for the second to come out in June.
It was funny, fast paced and kept me intrigued. Can't wait for the second to come out in June.
July 24, 2022
Different. I'm still on the fence about this one as to whether I'm going to invest myself in it. Still is was good enough entertainment and gave me some ideas for plots.
August 24, 2022
funest book i have ever read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews