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Ten Realms #3
The Third Realm
With the third realm new challenges arise.
Erik searches for Old Hei while Rugrat deals with his broken mana system. For both, their path takes them towards the alchemist association's trial.
They didn't mean to get into trouble, they swear, but in the ten realms trouble is not far behind the duo. They'll have to fight across the third realm to complete the alchemist association's trial.
All isn't peaceful in the first realm as Alva and Vermire will face one of their greatest challenges yet.
Chaos or creation, there's no knowing what might happen in the ten realms.
Erik searches for Old Hei while Rugrat deals with his broken mana system. For both, their path takes them towards the alchemist association's trial.
They didn't mean to get into trouble, they swear, but in the ten realms trouble is not far behind the duo. They'll have to fight across the third realm to complete the alchemist association's trial.
All isn't peaceful in the first realm as Alva and Vermire will face one of their greatest challenges yet.
Chaos or creation, there's no knowing what might happen in the ten realms.
575 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2018
1407 people are currently reading
429 people want to read
About the author
Michael Chatfield
69 books1,374 followersMichael Chatfield is a Canadian Army veteran and international bestselling author who writes the kind of books he always wanted to read—character-driven, gritty, tactical, and grounded in reality.
He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).
And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.
With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.
Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.
You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authormichael...
Website: http://michaelchatfield.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormichael...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormicha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichae...
Facebook Group: The Chatfield Connection - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37693...
He doesn’t write one-dimensional killers wrapped in plot armor, charging toward an objective without thought. His stories are built for readers who want earned progression, tight, understandable logic, and realistic strategy. Every stat system has structure. Every decision is deliberate (except when there is Jaeger involved).
And the pacing? It's locked at two hundred percent. From alleyway brawls to starship armadas clashing over galactic sovereignty, from tactical dungeon assaults to city-states warring over a continent’s fate—Chatfield commits to every battle like it’s his last.
With millions of books and audiobooks sold, and tens of thousands of reviews his work spans LitRPG, military sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic survival. He writes for readers who value systems that make sense, loyalty that lasts, and power that’s earned, not handed out.
Whether you're listening on a long drive, grinding through a shift, or up past midnight planning the next in-game raid—this is where you’ll find sagas to binge. Where strength is earned, logic rules, and camaraderie is forged in fire.
You can connect with him on Patreon and don't forget to follow him on social media!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/authormichael...
Website: http://michaelchatfield.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authormichael...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormicha...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormichae...
Facebook Group: The Chatfield Connection - https://www.facebook.com/groups/37693...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
January 30, 2023
This is an isekai/LitRPG that follows closely from each book to the next. Read them in order.
You know what this is going to be. I was glad to see Chatfield expand his plot repertoire this time and to interesting effect. Plus it was fun to see Erik tear it up in the Alchemy trials and bend them to his own purposes (have a magical space where you can try recipes endlessly and practice with no-cost ingredients and see what works during a test with no time limit? Heeellllooo three-week test completion).
I'm still torn on Rugrat's issue with his ripped-up mana channels that started at the end of the last book. It takes a long time to get those straightened out and he's kind of a brooding bastard about it. But totally in a Marine, tough-guy way. It's very in character, but I found his behavior frustrating at times. So it was fitting. And even interesting. But it was also a periodic downer and interfered in the power fantasy.
I also liked Alva Dungeon flexing in the first realm. Someone want to take your healers to use for their own purposes and goes to war to capture them? Well, how about we engineer the downfall of your entire country you barbarian prats! Oh, and also kill off everyone who delivered a threat while we're at it? Brutal but made the point on all the important levels.
I'm still liking this series. The books are getting longer, I think, but that's an inevitable part of the structure of taking on ten realms with each book dedicated to a separate realm. I see that in a couple of books, we get a Realm X pt. 1 and that totally makes sense as each has increasing difficulty and complexity. I am okay with this. Five stars of okay.
A note about Chaste: There's still no on-page shenanigans, though I liked what we see of a couple of people finding their person.
You know what this is going to be. I was glad to see Chatfield expand his plot repertoire this time and to interesting effect. Plus it was fun to see Erik tear it up in the Alchemy trials and bend them to his own purposes (have a magical space where you can try recipes endlessly and practice with no-cost ingredients and see what works during a test with no time limit? Heeellllooo three-week test completion).
I'm still torn on Rugrat's issue with his ripped-up mana channels that started at the end of the last book. It takes a long time to get those straightened out and he's kind of a brooding bastard about it. But totally in a Marine, tough-guy way. It's very in character, but I found his behavior frustrating at times. So it was fitting. And even interesting. But it was also a periodic downer and interfered in the power fantasy.
I also liked Alva Dungeon flexing in the first realm. Someone want to take your healers to use for their own purposes and goes to war to capture them? Well, how about we engineer the downfall of your entire country you barbarian prats! Oh, and also kill off everyone who delivered a threat while we're at it? Brutal but made the point on all the important levels.
I'm still liking this series. The books are getting longer, I think, but that's an inevitable part of the structure of taking on ten realms with each book dedicated to a separate realm. I see that in a couple of books, we get a Realm X pt. 1 and that totally makes sense as each has increasing difficulty and complexity. I am okay with this. Five stars of okay.
A note about Chaste: There's still no on-page shenanigans, though I liked what we see of a couple of people finding their person.
November 14, 2018
More Fun with Rugrat & Erik
I didn't realize how involved I was in Rugrat & Eriks storyline until I realized I was skipping chapters having to do with Alva Dungeon. Had to force myself to go back and read them even if I didn't want to. Which was good, because one of the best battles was in those chapters. I enjoyed the third realm but the preparations for the fourth have me giddy with excitement for the next book. The wait will kill me.
I didn't realize how involved I was in Rugrat & Eriks storyline until I realized I was skipping chapters having to do with Alva Dungeon. Had to force myself to go back and read them even if I didn't want to. Which was good, because one of the best battles was in those chapters. I enjoyed the third realm but the preparations for the fourth have me giddy with excitement for the next book. The wait will kill me.
April 21, 2019
Good but flawed
Fun reads, but these books and the emerilia series feel like they have the same flaws– and I stopped reading those after the third. It’s hard for me to pinpoint but it feels like their progressions aren’t logical sometimes. It feels like they go from one thing to the next and things just work out and there’s not a whole lot of logic or reasoning behind why they do-they just do. Again, I liked the book, enjoyed reading it, but until these issues are addressed I can’t give more than 3 stars
Fun reads, but these books and the emerilia series feel like they have the same flaws– and I stopped reading those after the third. It’s hard for me to pinpoint but it feels like their progressions aren’t logical sometimes. It feels like they go from one thing to the next and things just work out and there’s not a whole lot of logic or reasoning behind why they do-they just do. Again, I liked the book, enjoyed reading it, but until these issues are addressed I can’t give more than 3 stars
September 4, 2021
My besties, Erik and Rugrat, just keep getting better! It's so satisfying to see people underestimate them and then BAM! Bitches go down!!
There's such a great focus on leveling up in LitRPG that it gets a tad tedious 'cause I just want to get to the story, but then it wouldn't be LitRPG without it.
There's such a great focus on leveling up in LitRPG that it gets a tad tedious 'cause I just want to get to the story, but then it wouldn't be LitRPG without it.
November 15, 2018
Well worth waiting for!
This is an excellent series. The development of everyone characters, not just the MCs', is brilliant. But it has one big problem - now I have to wait for the next book in the series, lol!
This is an excellent series. The development of everyone characters, not just the MCs', is brilliant. But it has one big problem - now I have to wait for the next book in the series, lol!
May 1, 2021
4 F*ck Squids, F*ck Tentacles, F*ck Ink Stars
The Third Realm is the third book in The Ten Realms LitRPG series by Michael Chatfield.
So much continued to happen in each of these books, and subsequent realms. Erik and Rugrat keep building up alliances an laying their marks down on the different areas. Building their knowledge, power and influence. Alva Dungeon and it’s different components, professions, and people keep growing by astronomical means. I can’t wait until they reach the pinnacle of the Ten Realms, to see what they can truly accomplish and widespread Alva’s reach will be when this time comes. It’s interesting to see how much stronger their foundation as a group or governing, and learning, body is when compared to the more widely supported opinion of strength and competition within sects. Thereby creating less cohesive togetherness within their individual ranks. I think by this basis alone they will rival all they come up against since there will be less infighting within. It’s honestly one of my fears; that they will let the wrong person into their ranks and that this person will strive to use Alva’s power for their own gains selfishly. I can only hope all works out well for this cast of people I have come to care for.
I am glad to have finally met another Earth native within the Ten Realms. And that the first encounter was with some of good character. Especially when the odds of finding an Earth native with an evil disposition, based on the randomly generated two week curse’s summons, is fairly high.
The Fourth Realm is going to transition into an entirely different experience. And I’m worried over the numbers that we will come to lose given the raise in difficulty and ferocious atmosphere. Given that Alva’s main goals fall in taking over the most sought after resources: The Dungeons prominent on this Realm.
I’m still somewhat boggled by of the info-dumping. And I mainly instantly dismiss the majority of it after reading. There have such leaps in knowledge and understanding. Especially when it comes to the Mana Cultivation and Body Cultivation pathways. Outside of this the new and unique ways that individual professions look to improve their crafts show such superiority over the rote and commonly known techniques already present. Ugh! The more I read, the more I want to digest of these great goals and discoveries. There’s so much more they have to accomplish and offer, and I just want to stand beside them as they mount these obstacles and overcome their own limitations.
————————————
Re-read:
Honestly? I had forgotten how intense and intriguing the Alchemy Association trial was for Erik. With them finally reaching the Third Realm, the pinnacle of Alchemy and all that this field of study entails. Seeing Old Man Hei again after all the trials and tribulations Rugrat and Erik have conquered. Meeting Matt, finding George, and saving Domonos.
Then there’s the saddening way in which Rugrat spends the entire book lamenting against his own mistakes with his destruction of his mana channels. Having to fight through his melancholy over being so weak since his build was so mana focused. It’s so entirely obvious that Chatfield capitalized on furthering developing and evolving Rugrat as a character, with shifting and allowing Erik and Alchemy more of focus in the realm dedicated to this field, Allowing the story to truly give him the limelight.
I’m still mostly present in this mindset, but I can see how a lot of Alva’s trust in their leaders and cohesiveness is unrealistic, whereas before I was so primarily focused in my little Erik and Rugrat cheerleader world that I just let all the discrepancies slide. I still love this storyline, and it promotes positive more evolved ways for a society to function and build each other up. Which given the world we live in, I can definitely get behind. But it’s a nice dichotomy to recognize the benefit this type of viewpoint can have, the minute chance of it ever succeeding in reality, and still appreciating it for the even fictional success it offers.
It’s entirely too enjoyable to see these characters grow and manifest into their badass selves again. I missed you Alva, and I’m glad to be back.
The Third Realm is the third book in The Ten Realms LitRPG series by Michael Chatfield.
So much continued to happen in each of these books, and subsequent realms. Erik and Rugrat keep building up alliances an laying their marks down on the different areas. Building their knowledge, power and influence. Alva Dungeon and it’s different components, professions, and people keep growing by astronomical means. I can’t wait until they reach the pinnacle of the Ten Realms, to see what they can truly accomplish and widespread Alva’s reach will be when this time comes. It’s interesting to see how much stronger their foundation as a group or governing, and learning, body is when compared to the more widely supported opinion of strength and competition within sects. Thereby creating less cohesive togetherness within their individual ranks. I think by this basis alone they will rival all they come up against since there will be less infighting within. It’s honestly one of my fears; that they will let the wrong person into their ranks and that this person will strive to use Alva’s power for their own gains selfishly. I can only hope all works out well for this cast of people I have come to care for.
I am glad to have finally met another Earth native within the Ten Realms. And that the first encounter was with some of good character. Especially when the odds of finding an Earth native with an evil disposition, based on the randomly generated two week curse’s summons, is fairly high.
The Fourth Realm is going to transition into an entirely different experience. And I’m worried over the numbers that we will come to lose given the raise in difficulty and ferocious atmosphere. Given that Alva’s main goals fall in taking over the most sought after resources: The Dungeons prominent on this Realm.
I’m still somewhat boggled by of the info-dumping. And I mainly instantly dismiss the majority of it after reading. There have such leaps in knowledge and understanding. Especially when it comes to the Mana Cultivation and Body Cultivation pathways. Outside of this the new and unique ways that individual professions look to improve their crafts show such superiority over the rote and commonly known techniques already present. Ugh! The more I read, the more I want to digest of these great goals and discoveries. There’s so much more they have to accomplish and offer, and I just want to stand beside them as they mount these obstacles and overcome their own limitations.
————————————
Re-read:
Honestly? I had forgotten how intense and intriguing the Alchemy Association trial was for Erik. With them finally reaching the Third Realm, the pinnacle of Alchemy and all that this field of study entails. Seeing Old Man Hei again after all the trials and tribulations Rugrat and Erik have conquered. Meeting Matt, finding George, and saving Domonos.
Then there’s the saddening way in which Rugrat spends the entire book lamenting against his own mistakes with his destruction of his mana channels. Having to fight through his melancholy over being so weak since his build was so mana focused. It’s so entirely obvious that Chatfield capitalized on furthering developing and evolving Rugrat as a character, with shifting and allowing Erik and Alchemy more of focus in the realm dedicated to this field, Allowing the story to truly give him the limelight.
I’m still mostly present in this mindset, but I can see how a lot of Alva’s trust in their leaders and cohesiveness is unrealistic, whereas before I was so primarily focused in my little Erik and Rugrat cheerleader world that I just let all the discrepancies slide. I still love this storyline, and it promotes positive more evolved ways for a society to function and build each other up. Which given the world we live in, I can definitely get behind. But it’s a nice dichotomy to recognize the benefit this type of viewpoint can have, the minute chance of it ever succeeding in reality, and still appreciating it for the even fictional success it offers.
It’s entirely too enjoyable to see these characters grow and manifest into their badass selves again. I missed you Alva, and I’m glad to be back.
December 16, 2018
I am impressed with the overall growth from not only the MC's, but Alva Dungeon too. The bisecting story lines from the various characters is well written and very entertaining. For me, who normally despises LitRPG, I am loving this series and anxious for the next book. High recommendation for the entire series.
December 15, 2018
Addictively good.
I got hooked after the first 20 pages of the first book in the series and haven't been able to stop reading since. This is a fantastic series and I'm anxious to get the next.
I got hooked after the first 20 pages of the first book in the series and haven't been able to stop reading since. This is a fantastic series and I'm anxious to get the next.
April 8, 2019
Inconsistent throws off the pace
The story is well told but inconsistencies continue to plague his writing. Wish he could figure it out. Needs some editing.
The story is well told but inconsistencies continue to plague his writing. Wish he could figure it out. Needs some editing.
December 25, 2019
The world of Alchemist. Perfect place for Eric.
The book continues the city building in Alva and the adventure for Eric and Rugrats.
Nothing sets it apart from the previous two.
Enjoyable though.
The book continues the city building in Alva and the adventure for Eric and Rugrats.
Nothing sets it apart from the previous two.
Enjoyable though.
November 15, 2018
Another great one in the series
litRPG with military aspects? There is no way I wouldn’t love it. Added the fact it’s written by Chatfield who delivers well-thought and creative stories and I’m sold. Just... the wait for sequel will be another long one.
litRPG with military aspects? There is no way I wouldn’t love it. Added the fact it’s written by Chatfield who delivers well-thought and creative stories and I’m sold. Just... the wait for sequel will be another long one.
March 8, 2019
4.75 Stars
April 10, 2019
There is a lot of meat to this book. At times it gets bogged down in details but overall the story is a good one.
April 22, 2020
3. 9. 27. 9999999999999.
November 5, 2019
From the audio side of the house. It's good, you will not be disappointed. Todd did another great job with the VA work, even though he was slacking ( cough ) :-) in getting this one out the door.
January 18, 2024
Just horrible. And much too feminist
I read the first 3 books but they were teeth grinding the entire time, I can't stand them anymore. These are some of the worst books I've ever read, and I've read at least a thousand. I really hoped these were better.
Where to start... I'm not getting into it all, there's far too many aggravations.
The writing is still atrocious, even though it improved ever so slightly each book. There are far too many inconsistencies, errors, unexplained or poorly explained, and so much that makes no or little sense. Descriptive writing is sorely lacking. Dialogue gets ridiculous.
And sorry but I'm constantly thinking how stupid the author and main characters are. Get better editors to shore up glaring weakness.
And what is with the much overly done feminism? It's like the author's feminist wife is breathing down his neck with a whip ready if he doesn't make all the females the smartest people in the realms, the top in their crafts and department heads, the leaders of Alva and other places, with all the bad people being male, and males just being portrayed as mediocre compared to all females. What is this crap?! I don't want to read feminist books in my spare time! It's already taken over every media outlet, get it out of fiction books and let us just enjoy our favorite past-time instead of having to deal feminist conditioning here too. Leave this out of fantasy books, its not enjoyable. The predominant audience for litrpg is male, no need to tailor to females here, its already done everywhere else. Boys need empowering too ya-know. We can't keep making boys feel inadequate and only constantly empower girls.
I read the first 3 books but they were teeth grinding the entire time, I can't stand them anymore. These are some of the worst books I've ever read, and I've read at least a thousand. I really hoped these were better.
Where to start... I'm not getting into it all, there's far too many aggravations.
The writing is still atrocious, even though it improved ever so slightly each book. There are far too many inconsistencies, errors, unexplained or poorly explained, and so much that makes no or little sense. Descriptive writing is sorely lacking. Dialogue gets ridiculous.
And sorry but I'm constantly thinking how stupid the author and main characters are. Get better editors to shore up glaring weakness.
And what is with the much overly done feminism? It's like the author's feminist wife is breathing down his neck with a whip ready if he doesn't make all the females the smartest people in the realms, the top in their crafts and department heads, the leaders of Alva and other places, with all the bad people being male, and males just being portrayed as mediocre compared to all females. What is this crap?! I don't want to read feminist books in my spare time! It's already taken over every media outlet, get it out of fiction books and let us just enjoy our favorite past-time instead of having to deal feminist conditioning here too. Leave this out of fantasy books, its not enjoyable. The predominant audience for litrpg is male, no need to tailor to females here, its already done everywhere else. Boys need empowering too ya-know. We can't keep making boys feel inadequate and only constantly empower girls.
June 8, 2020
Same old Chatfield: really interesting world/story, bad non-main character dialogue and exposition.
Chatfield is really good at making interesting stories, but it's let down by his poor writing ability. I really want to read his series but they're just too poorly written.
It come down to show, don't tell. Which he is apparently incapable of doing. Apart from the main character perspectives, all the characters have all of their thoughts and feelings given as exposition. Instead of showing that someone has an emotion, he'll just say that a whole group feels a particular way (and people change their minds and feelings waaaay too readily). Combat against multiple opponents just ends up being very generic, with all of the enemies just described as another [creature]. It's as though he is writing a description of what he wants to write in more detail.
I really wish that he'd collaborate with another author to combine his world-building ability with a more detailed and less summary like writing style.
Chatfield is really good at making interesting stories, but it's let down by his poor writing ability. I really want to read his series but they're just too poorly written.
It come down to show, don't tell. Which he is apparently incapable of doing. Apart from the main character perspectives, all the characters have all of their thoughts and feelings given as exposition. Instead of showing that someone has an emotion, he'll just say that a whole group feels a particular way (and people change their minds and feelings waaaay too readily). Combat against multiple opponents just ends up being very generic, with all of the enemies just described as another [creature]. It's as though he is writing a description of what he wants to write in more detail.
I really wish that he'd collaborate with another author to combine his world-building ability with a more detailed and less summary like writing style.
November 18, 2018
Book three
Mistakes: I found only two. This was done much better than book two.
Plot: while there are many different plot threads in this book, they are well thought out and well written. I didn't get that rushed feeling while reading and could really sink into the story.
Characters: to me this is where all the side characters start to shine and become people in their own right interested of just place holders.
8/10
Mistakes: I found only two. This was done much better than book two.
Plot: while there are many different plot threads in this book, they are well thought out and well written. I didn't get that rushed feeling while reading and could really sink into the story.
Characters: to me this is where all the side characters start to shine and become people in their own right interested of just place holders.
8/10
December 23, 2018
Entertaining
This series has been enjoyable thus far as the adventures of Rugrat and Eric continue. However, it would be good to have some details filled in. What is the backstory for Erik and Rugrat? How did they meet? What is Matt's backstory? Love the community building, but not a lot of depth to ancillary characters nor world-building. However, the rapport between the main characters is good.
This series has been enjoyable thus far as the adventures of Rugrat and Eric continue. However, it would be good to have some details filled in. What is the backstory for Erik and Rugrat? How did they meet? What is Matt's backstory? Love the community building, but not a lot of depth to ancillary characters nor world-building. However, the rapport between the main characters is good.
July 15, 2021
3.5 Stars
I enjoyed the story but there were way too many info dumps that it was distracting. There are also too many new characters that it was hard to keep track of it and made it hard to follow. There was a strange bit where Rugrat had a strange stint of alcoholism even knowing when there was a cure for his issue.
I will keep reading the next book. I am still interested in what antics Erik and Rugrat will get up to.
I enjoyed the story but there were way too many info dumps that it was distracting. There are also too many new characters that it was hard to keep track of it and made it hard to follow. There was a strange bit where Rugrat had a strange stint of alcoholism even knowing when there was a cure for his issue.
I will keep reading the next book. I am still interested in what antics Erik and Rugrat will get up to.
December 3, 2021
I really want to like these books. But the writing feels so juvenile. Very bloated. I love the world he’s building. But the prose is just so hard to work through. And there’s very little plot. Far too much of the book is “and then they spent an insane amount of time working really hard to get stronger.”
There’s some interesting stuff being done here, but not enough. I doubt I’ll read book 4.
There’s some interesting stuff being done here, but not enough. I doubt I’ll read book 4.
November 20, 2018
Loved it and yet...
I loved reading Erik and rugrats newest adventures the only thing I found myself doing was skipping everything. Still a good read but the switching of perspectives got old after awhile
I loved reading Erik and rugrats newest adventures the only thing I found myself doing was skipping everything. Still a good read but the switching of perspectives got old after awhile
November 10, 2019
I think what I enjoyed most in past books (the special bond the two adventurers share and the plot) seems to be less in this book.
It's still OK but it felt more like the author was showcasing aspects of a game *we will never get to play*.
It's still OK but it felt more like the author was showcasing aspects of a game *we will never get to play*.
April 25, 2019
A good read.
The book was interesting but it just did not grab my attention like the first 2 books. It was entertaining and fun to read but it seemed forced in some parts.
The book was interesting but it just did not grab my attention like the first 2 books. It was entertaining and fun to read but it seemed forced in some parts.
January 22, 2022
Terrible
This is being just a boots military jerk off fantasy. The author is almost certainly the head mascot of /r/justbootthings
This is being just a boots military jerk off fantasy. The author is almost certainly the head mascot of /r/justbootthings
December 23, 2020
This is really a review of the author's writing style itself. I read this author's other series Emerilia, a couple of years ago, and lost interest about 4 books in. The series started off strong, but over time I slowly lost interest. That put me off reading this newer series, "Ten Realms" as I was afraid of the same thing happening.
This series starts off pretty strong in the first book, I rate it 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The first book is about survival and learning about the world. It is a great book and I loved it. Book 2 wasn't as good, yet I still enjoyed it. It took me longer again to get through book 3 as it kept getting bogged down by supporting characters, and Book 4, I stopped reading midway.
This author has two major issues with his books:
1. Too many side characters. I'm sorry, but I just don't care about random people. I want to read about Eric and Rugrat. You can occasionally throw in another POV, but when over half the book takes place from side characters' point of views, I get bored. This makes the pacing of the book too slow as we have lots of plot lines that most people don't care about. I found myself skimming the book way too much. I read fast, a 300 page book in 4 hours, and I love long books if the pacing is good, but this felt too slow.
2. There is no point to the series. This series has the exact same issue as the last. Why should I care? This author writes "slice of life" style books. There is no bad guy to be defeated, there is no overarching reason to grow strong. They literally just want to get to max level to see if they can because they think it'll be cool to be like gods. They are work-aholics that don't sleep and do nothing but grind their skills to make them go up, not because they have to in order to save family or friends, not in order to live or defeat pure evil. Just cause. They endure pure torture of pain to get stronger, even though there is no threat to them and they are rich enough to live like kings in their new world for the rest of their lives,
Overall, the series isn't bad at all, I just found myself coming up with reasons to not read it. Some people may like slice of life books, I do not.
This series starts off pretty strong in the first book, I rate it 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The first book is about survival and learning about the world. It is a great book and I loved it. Book 2 wasn't as good, yet I still enjoyed it. It took me longer again to get through book 3 as it kept getting bogged down by supporting characters, and Book 4, I stopped reading midway.
This author has two major issues with his books:
1. Too many side characters. I'm sorry, but I just don't care about random people. I want to read about Eric and Rugrat. You can occasionally throw in another POV, but when over half the book takes place from side characters' point of views, I get bored. This makes the pacing of the book too slow as we have lots of plot lines that most people don't care about. I found myself skimming the book way too much. I read fast, a 300 page book in 4 hours, and I love long books if the pacing is good, but this felt too slow.
2. There is no point to the series. This series has the exact same issue as the last. Why should I care? This author writes "slice of life" style books. There is no bad guy to be defeated, there is no overarching reason to grow strong. They literally just want to get to max level to see if they can because they think it'll be cool to be like gods. They are work-aholics that don't sleep and do nothing but grind their skills to make them go up, not because they have to in order to save family or friends, not in order to live or defeat pure evil. Just cause. They endure pure torture of pain to get stronger, even though there is no threat to them and they are rich enough to live like kings in their new world for the rest of their lives,
Overall, the series isn't bad at all, I just found myself coming up with reasons to not read it. Some people may like slice of life books, I do not.
August 25, 2021
The transition between books is still seamless. I still enjoy the military jargon present and it is great to hear the residence of the village take some notes from Erik and Rugrat as far as friendly bickering goes. In fact some of the villagers are starting to use some of the MC's idioms, which is cool to see.
In this book we see our MC's entering into the third realm, and find Erik an alchemy contest to be a part of. A contest that finds Erik and Rugrat trouble for simply succeeding at all on part of said contest. This contest takes them through a large part of the realm, which is an adventure on its own. The MC's make new friends during their adventure in the third realm and even meet some old ones. The camaraderie between Erik and Rugrat is still a big selling point for me. Some of my favorite moments are when they work as a team, and they don't hold back when the other is in danger.
Something I am still enjoying about the story is seeing how the dungeon-town is doing and what some of the teams sent to other realms are doing. Michael Chatfield still makes it feel like small story arcs inside larger ones, which I really like. Each arcs seem episodic but makes enough of an impact to the reader/listener. However, the dual-story can also be an issue in that the villagers get about 50% time in the story, 35% is filled with Erik and Rugrat explaining how crafting or cultivation work, and the last 15% is good old adventuring. Don't get me wrong, there are some very exciting moments but not as much as I would like.
I was excited to get into this book after taken time away from the series. The reason for the break is that this series really is better when read book to book. Yes, the series is that good but another strong reason is the keeping track of the large cast of characters. With all the Chinese names to remember it is easy to lose track of who is who, especially because the story goes back and forth between Alva dungeon and the MC's much more then in the last book.
Todd Menesses as the narrating still does a great job in this book too. Todd does a great job with all the characters, including females and children, which I usually find male narrators falter on.
In this book we see our MC's entering into the third realm, and find Erik an alchemy contest to be a part of. A contest that finds Erik and Rugrat trouble for simply succeeding at all on part of said contest. This contest takes them through a large part of the realm, which is an adventure on its own. The MC's make new friends during their adventure in the third realm and even meet some old ones. The camaraderie between Erik and Rugrat is still a big selling point for me. Some of my favorite moments are when they work as a team, and they don't hold back when the other is in danger.
Something I am still enjoying about the story is seeing how the dungeon-town is doing and what some of the teams sent to other realms are doing. Michael Chatfield still makes it feel like small story arcs inside larger ones, which I really like. Each arcs seem episodic but makes enough of an impact to the reader/listener. However, the dual-story can also be an issue in that the villagers get about 50% time in the story, 35% is filled with Erik and Rugrat explaining how crafting or cultivation work, and the last 15% is good old adventuring. Don't get me wrong, there are some very exciting moments but not as much as I would like.
I was excited to get into this book after taken time away from the series. The reason for the break is that this series really is better when read book to book. Yes, the series is that good but another strong reason is the keeping track of the large cast of characters. With all the Chinese names to remember it is easy to lose track of who is who, especially because the story goes back and forth between Alva dungeon and the MC's much more then in the last book.
Todd Menesses as the narrating still does a great job in this book too. Todd does a great job with all the characters, including females and children, which I usually find male narrators falter on.
August 18, 2020
Sigh....still hoping that as I go through these books, the author will develop their prose. The setting is not bad if you like the litRPG thing - though I do wonder why so many of the books even by widely different authors are SOOO similar. Is there a guide they all read?
The main characters are sometimes insightful and sometimes caricatures of american military memes - which can be a mixed bag of traits at best, and the individual reader will have a lot of milage-variation depending on how they feel about that sort of thing. At many times infantile, and at some times reasonably strategic, and occasionally honorable.
The side characters and dungeon "town" are honestly the most interesting parts of the series, and I do wish they had more development.
I never like the tendancy some of these books have to fall into the trope of: "Oh, we have come into a cool new fantasy land, with neat new rules - let's make it as much like Earth as we can, as quickly as we can, but handwave away all the things that are rather important to keep such societies running (like laws)." I understand the temptation, but it has a lot of the "let's bring civilization to these poor uncivilized folks" air, as well as feeling lazy from the reader perspective.
Finally, the largest reason why I cannot enjoy these books: the prose. I love the creativity and thought that writers, especially newer ones, put into their work. And that creativity shows here! But, hamfistedness with the written word masks it, and takes a reader right out of the immersion. Repeating the same word multiple times within the same short paragraph. Using vague subjects (when there are two "cores" the author repeatedly says "the core", counting on the reader to interpret which is meant, even when switching between them - doable, but not smooth). Relatively poor sentence structure quite often..... It just needs a lot of work, and I was hoping that would come. Many readers will not care about that, and that is totally fine - I have simply never been able to deal with large amounts of it, which is one reason I have such a tough time with fan-fiction. If it doesn't bother you, fair enough!
The main characters are sometimes insightful and sometimes caricatures of american military memes - which can be a mixed bag of traits at best, and the individual reader will have a lot of milage-variation depending on how they feel about that sort of thing. At many times infantile, and at some times reasonably strategic, and occasionally honorable.
The side characters and dungeon "town" are honestly the most interesting parts of the series, and I do wish they had more development.
I never like the tendancy some of these books have to fall into the trope of: "Oh, we have come into a cool new fantasy land, with neat new rules - let's make it as much like Earth as we can, as quickly as we can, but handwave away all the things that are rather important to keep such societies running (like laws)." I understand the temptation, but it has a lot of the "let's bring civilization to these poor uncivilized folks" air, as well as feeling lazy from the reader perspective.
Finally, the largest reason why I cannot enjoy these books: the prose. I love the creativity and thought that writers, especially newer ones, put into their work. And that creativity shows here! But, hamfistedness with the written word masks it, and takes a reader right out of the immersion. Repeating the same word multiple times within the same short paragraph. Using vague subjects (when there are two "cores" the author repeatedly says "the core", counting on the reader to interpret which is meant, even when switching between them - doable, but not smooth). Relatively poor sentence structure quite often..... It just needs a lot of work, and I was hoping that would come. Many readers will not care about that, and that is totally fine - I have simply never been able to deal with large amounts of it, which is one reason I have such a tough time with fan-fiction. If it doesn't bother you, fair enough!
April 19, 2022
MCs still have almost nothing interesting about them other than they tease each other once a chapter, and are super nice until they get mean.. that’s it.
Third book in a row where the first conflict of the story is with a spoiled teenager, definitely needs some new material.
Multiple instances where actions are written twice ( ex: MC rolls to his feet, next paragraph, MC gets to his feet)
Very difficult to follow with the story just jumping from one character to another without any context. MCs always know what to do in every situation just because “they were in the military”… it’s a fantasy world they’ve never experienced before, but they just know how to do everything perfectly.
Worst section of the book by a mile is when the MCs meet a talking statue in a dungeon, and when asked what it is, it’s answer is just,“I am a talking statue. I will answer any and all questions asked me about this dungeon.”
… Literally any lore at all would be better than just a two sentence answer. The talking statue has no context for being there, then proceeds to just give them every single answer to every single question about the dungeon, all the enemies, all their abilities, and weaknesses. Then they leave.. so that was the entire purpose of the statue?? I had to reread the section twice to understand anything that was happening because it was just word vomit.
There are a few fights where the MCs will fight how their builds are supposed to work. However, it’s mostly “MCs learn how to many ammo for their guns then just shoot everything.”
Sometimes just a random MC will talk and there’s no punctuation or clue as to who exactly is talking.
Whole series so far could be very engaging, but is a let down.
Third book in a row where the first conflict of the story is with a spoiled teenager, definitely needs some new material.
Multiple instances where actions are written twice ( ex: MC rolls to his feet, next paragraph, MC gets to his feet)
Very difficult to follow with the story just jumping from one character to another without any context. MCs always know what to do in every situation just because “they were in the military”… it’s a fantasy world they’ve never experienced before, but they just know how to do everything perfectly.
Worst section of the book by a mile is when the MCs meet a talking statue in a dungeon, and when asked what it is, it’s answer is just,“I am a talking statue. I will answer any and all questions asked me about this dungeon.”
… Literally any lore at all would be better than just a two sentence answer. The talking statue has no context for being there, then proceeds to just give them every single answer to every single question about the dungeon, all the enemies, all their abilities, and weaknesses. Then they leave.. so that was the entire purpose of the statue?? I had to reread the section twice to understand anything that was happening because it was just word vomit.
There are a few fights where the MCs will fight how their builds are supposed to work. However, it’s mostly “MCs learn how to many ammo for their guns then just shoot everything.”
Sometimes just a random MC will talk and there’s no punctuation or clue as to who exactly is talking.
Whole series so far could be very engaging, but is a let down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2018
So glad to see this one was put through a spell checker before being released unlike book 2. Really enjoyed the battles and more character development though I wish it was just focused on a few core characters and not exploding in to bringing on a whole bunch + adding several new characters. Goes from extreme to extreme this author! I got to the point where I couldn't keep track of some of the names. Where this author is bad is in giving each character dialog that is appropriate to themself and be able to do it in a conversation, it's almost like they're all the same person. Really annoys me when anyone is capable of throwing out some profanity dialog that only an american man of a certain generation would ever say, especially when they're meant to be from the 10 realms.
This book was ok, not as good a story as the other 2 mainly due to repetitive story. It needs to mix things up in book 4, not just stick with the core, show up, meet stuck up local who think they're entitled, teach them a lesson, become the greatest over powered hero around, go home to check on the dungeon. I was really hoping the final part of the book would have someone from the 3rd or 4th realm track down the dungeon, wipe out half the population and a few main characters, leaving a core group of characters each with their speciality who can then move on to the 4th realm with a score to settle. It'd really have been a lot better than them all going on months of training in a forest wearing the same uniforms followed by a sudden "thanks for reading" huh? ending.
This book was ok, not as good a story as the other 2 mainly due to repetitive story. It needs to mix things up in book 4, not just stick with the core, show up, meet stuck up local who think they're entitled, teach them a lesson, become the greatest over powered hero around, go home to check on the dungeon. I was really hoping the final part of the book would have someone from the 3rd or 4th realm track down the dungeon, wipe out half the population and a few main characters, leaving a core group of characters each with their speciality who can then move on to the 4th realm with a score to settle. It'd really have been a lot better than them all going on months of training in a forest wearing the same uniforms followed by a sudden "thanks for reading" huh? ending.
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