Ninetoes, once a hobgoblin NPC, is now a wizard and, what's more, levelling up in his own adventure.
But what really sets the Adventurer apart from the other peoples of Adrenon, is his ability to make a Choice. Choose to fight; choose to live; choose to become.
Ninetoes has begun to unlock his truest potential and no longer fights alone, for Ninetoes is a Necromancer. But this dark power is shunned by most and makes his goal of returning as a hero to save his people all the more difficult to accomplish.
Whatever else might be true, Ninetoes will need more than animated servants if he's to fulfil his he'll need allies and companions. In short, a Party.
Yet another fantastic LitRPG novel to pass through my hands and join the droves of books that will fall on me one day and kill me. Don’t worry because being killed by having this book smashing me in the head would be an honor. This book is just that because it is just that amazing of a read! Now have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or more commonly known as D&D? If not, then you might not appreciate the genius behind the following question. What happens to those characters we roll, but then decide to abandon to the Game Master’s folder? I did not know the answer until I picked up Tim Andrew’s Ninetoes. Enter Ninetoes, a hobgoblin, set in a D&D world where the wilds are filled with beasts such as Owlbears and nasty dwarves and goblins (yes, that was slightly D&D racist). Ninetoes must become the Adventure that he never knew how to be and become a master wizard to defeat those challenges that are laid out in front of him on his path to becoming the most powerful player on the field. Absolutely loved the nods to D&D and other tabletop RPGs that fill up the pages of this novel. The world building is already present, and Tim uses it to his full advantage by playing off of long known hatreds and uses it as a fine tool to add rich detail to each of his characters. Now, you are probably assuming that I would recommend reading this book to learn alongside Ninetoes as he changes from a standard hobgoblin into a master wizard, but you would be wrong. Ninetoes is just the cream on the cake that is Libby, the liberator of cheese, and she is by far the biggest star of the show with her absolute love for cheese and a mouth that would make your grandmother pass out from shock. Before continuing it is unprecedented that I mention that Libby is not your ordinary hero, but the Hero of all squirrels. Another brilliant addition to the LitRPG genre and would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for an entertaining novel with genuine characters filled with realistic struggles of self-doubt. Overall, a brilliant read.
What I liked the most about this story, is that the main character is a hobgoblin.
I say this, as it somewhat reflects how he doesn’t see the world as a human would - which can sometimes explain murder hobo tendencies he shows. On top of this, the world feels rich and real, and the characters are fun.
I just hate the fucking squirrel. Overall the book is quite good. The story follows the Hobgoblin Ninetoes as he does what any of us do in any RPG, grind as much as you can before the main quest. Slow but a very decent story. Finally I did not like the squirrel. It's not that it was a badly written character or anything, but to me it felt that the narrative was at times forced for the squirrel to be useful, and any other animal could have done better. But it's purely a subjective Oppinion, and I would still recommend the book for DnD lovers.
A good, solid story. Plot structure was clean and the characters were interesting. He is flirting with three-dimensional characters and it feels like they are almost there. The world feels reasonably well-developed and familiar. I am looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where things go.