Rise of a Tank

A LitRPG Adventure

By: G.D. Temple

Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland

Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Join one man's quest to become an immortal tank...

Herald Stone always built tank characters in every MMORPG he played. Being immortal—that was his first Goal ever, a simple childhood dream. However, the turbulent realities of life put an end to his gaming days.

Years passed, and Herald Stone, now having attained success and stability, was presented with the opportunity to redeem himself...to fulfill his first Goal. Trivial? Childish? Others might think so.

But Herald Stone always fulfilled his Goals—every single one.

Immortality beckoned in Mother Core Online, and this time Herald Stone would answer. Choosing a long-forgotten race, hidden away in an unknown region, his journey toward immortality begins.

It's time to get hard in the action-packed and often hilarious Rise of a Tank LitRPG Series, starring the unforgettable and eccentric Harald Stone!

About the Series: Expect a focus on building a true tank throughout. Heavy game elements and crunchy numbers are present, but actual math will take a backseat to strategies involving skill builds and synergies that steadily become more complex while remaining understandable.

©2024 Aethon Books (P)2024 Aethon Audio

It was refreshing.

I understand where people come from in that the MC was obnoxious and he was much sometimes but it is also nice to have a different MC than the norm. A majority of MCs in LitRPGs are fumbling young men who can’t talk to save their lives, and Harold Stone is not that. He is a man who knows who he is and what he can do and that is a refreshing character. The world building is interesting and the slice of life style of the story is enjoyable. There is a clear goal of the story and I can’t wait to follow Harold Stone on his journey.

Harold Stone- Can do attitude

So I bought this because the cover looked cool and the book didn’t seem like the usual zero to hero configuration.

Does the book rock… no, but it was semi entertaining and for a first book it wasn’t horrible. So instead of re-listening to Carl and Doughnut for the 8th go around or Jason for the 5th… or Zak… Give this a try. Could be the start of something 🤷🏽‍♂️

Narcissistic main character

While the story and premise were great the mc just drags it down. I normally love it when mc's have some confidence but this was just too much. Everything Harold said was just about how great he was and how to win over others to see how great he is and it just destroyed my immersion in the book. It was way too obnoxious and just made me wish he was humbled by someone or something.

over the top

imagine that person you know with so much overconfidence it's hilarious. That is Harold Stone this stories MC. in a quest to right the only failure apparently in his life he takes on the. newest online game. fun and funny with lots of theory crafting

I tried

I tried I really did but the MC is just awful the guys a insufferable dick it's unreal I'm rich and important let me lie about some stupid for no reason constantly other then I'm a a dick by the time he actually picks a race in like chapter 19 you'll want to pick the mc off a roof I don't think I've ever hated a mc more

The was kinda a let down as I found the MC obnoxious...

The book was a bit of a let down, not that the story wasn't fun and MC was a big part of that fun, but the MC, Harold Stone was also just so damn irritating, his hubris was just plain obnoxious. Luckily he didn't actually share these private thoughts out loud or his adventuring team would've given up on him and dumped him in the nearest alley. But unfortunately he was actually correct in everything thing he thought about himself, he was magnanimous, but the joke wore thin, very very thin and I actually ended up hating him for it...
However Christian J Gilliland was a firebrand and gave out a perfectly nuanced performance.

Fun low stakes read

Low stakes VRMMO LitRPG. Narration reminds me a lot if Stephen Campbell. MC is a bit insufferable, but not to the point where it feels detrimental to the story. Will be picking up book 2.

enjoyable litrpg world

loved the world and the stats. fairly standard litrpg, and that was just perfect. looking forward to the next one.

It's too bad Harald Stone is insufferable

Books with a centauroid main character are rare, so I bought this right up. Unfortunately, the main character is Harald Stone.

Notice how the six line summary above mentions Harald Stone five times, mentioning his wackiness. Yes, expect to see the full name Harald Stone a lot. He is endlessly introspective, talking about what a genius he is or his chain of successful restaurants or listing all of the reasons while people should like and admire him.

In short, Harald Stone is so full of himself that he's insufferable. I could have liked him a lot more if he acted more likable. Instead, he's endlessly rehashing his resume or working to optimize his build.

"Does the bull variant of a centaur have a specific name in mythology?" This is a question asked by the main character within the game system. The actual answer is bucentaur. As shown on the cover, the race of the eccentric Harald Stone is a creature that's half bucentaur and half lava.

It's a passable litrpg if you don't mind heavy-handed explanations and rationalizations on every detail by the "let me tell you why I'm likable" Harald Stone.

Character was rather bland

MC was rather bland and talks about himself in the 3rd person constantly. narrator was the only redeeming quality. story is sloggingly slow and the punchlines for humor are lackluster.