Level Zero (The NextWorld #1) in LitRPG Forum

Aug 01, 2018 Travis rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: amazon, kindle-unlimited, litrpg

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hmm, this book was interesting, but it wasn't quite what I expected when I picked it up for reading. Also, I don't think the author spent enough time working on the personalities of the NPC characters, since they basically went from cardboard cutouts to rabid dogs in no time flat. There really ought to be some sort of progression there, since the way it was all explained at the end of the book would seem to indicate the NPCs were building up to this for a long time (according to them), but there Hmm, this book was interesting, but it wasn't quite what I expected when I picked it up for reading. Also, I don't think the author spent enough time working on the personalities of the NPC characters, since they basically went from cardboard cutouts to rabid dogs in no time flat. There really ought to be some sort of progression there, since the way it was all explained at the end of the book would seem to indicate the NPCs were building up to this for a long time (according to them), but there was zero evidence of such before it all went to hell in a handbasket. There really needs to be some sort of foreshadowing, curt NPC interaction, or some other method of at least giving the reader a peek into how unhappy the NPC characters are before they all just flip out for no apparent reason.
Otherwise, the story wasn't a bad one. It's been done before of course, but the storyline didn't feel cloned or contrived in the least, except for possibly the second meeting of the main character and the second party he created, since they broke down several blocks away from the safe zone he was in, and yet they claimed it was the closest one to their location when all hell broke loose, but we find out later, that some NPCs were helping folks get to safe zones, and it's kind of hinted that these safe zones were plentiful, though that wasn't really stated, so it could just be my misinterpretation here.
Even so, allowing for minor issues (such as why the hell the NPCs were killing players in the first place, when there was only a single person they were after, which never was explained), the story as a whole reads fairly well, and it's only at the very end we're told one of the players isn't, (though it was hinted at earlier), and another of the players who refuses to log out because he hates his real life, and loves the virtual player that isn't, and you get all sorts of circumstances that could lead to a pretty terrible story if handled incorrectly, but that isn't the case here. Sure, the story could have been a little better, but for the most part, it was handled very well, and the story flows well enough to keep interestup until the end. I'm not sure I agree completely with the ending, but it's not my story to tell, so one must accept the author's interpretation of events after all, since it's their story. Overall, this story should appeal to younger readers, gamelit fans who don't mind a bit of slack in the story, and those not looking for LitRPG elements, as there really wasn't much of that in this story.
If you're after more pure LitRPG type storytelling, this probably isn't the story you're looking for. ...more

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