Arcane Cultivator

Arcane Cultivator, Book 1

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Build the deck. Cultivate power. Slay the gods.

When a magic ritual goes disastrously wrong, Jaden is exiled to the heart of the desert and left to die. Battered and bruised, Jaden encounters the outcast Nomadwater Sect, who grant him a second chance at life as a mysterious arcane cultivator.

With its savage beasts and cryptic mysteries, survival in the sprawling desert of Southfall is a dangerous game. Yet Jaden and the Nomadwater Sect persevere, growing closer and forming bonds over the course of a long summer.

This changes the day the Gods kill their leader, seize the sect, and task Jaden with competing in the legendary Tournament of the Gods.

If Jaden survives the tournament, the members of his sect live. If he dies, they die alongside him.

Jaden now has just ten days to rank up. Ten days to master the dragonessence system. Ten days to save those who have become his new family.

Arcane cards, mana cultivation, martial arts, elemental magic, a LitRPG system, and incredible relics are all at his disposal. And even then, it might not be enough . . .

©2023 Harmon Cooper and Boycott Books (P)2023 Tantor

Another Harmon Win

Arcane Cultivator is a title I was hyped about since Harmon announced he was writing it! The world intrigued me and the overall system threw me through the loop and it was better than I hoped it would be. I love that we are seeing more deck building books in LitRPG/Progression Fantasy. Neil Hellegers did an outstanding job and I’m so happy to see another Cooper/Hellegers team up and I can’t wait for book 2!

A bit derivative but still worth the credit

Harmon Cooper is an excellent author and this book was worth the credit. However, without giving away too much, the MC starts out similarly to Will Wight's "Cradle series" Unsouled MC. The author's path for the MC diverges from there and makes him a bit too dependent on his sect members throughout most of Book 1 but seems to suggest that Book 2 will make him an equal of or surpass the others in his sect. There also seems to be a feel of The Chosen about the MC, even though it's unclear if the fortuitous situations aren't orchestrated from the gods.

Neil Hellegers' performance was excellent, as I've come to expect.

I plan on continuing the series.

So so good

Harmon’s love for his craft shines bright in this wonderful story. Loved this book so much, the world building, the characters and character development, it all really pulls you into the story. Get ready for some sleepless nights! I can’t wait for the next installment in the series !

the story was fun and action packed.

love the magic system and the adventuring story line. cant wait for more books to come out. audio is way more immersive and great for driving

Fantastic!

Wow, loved this one! Really great storytelling and characters with great narration from Neil Hellegers. Perfect duo, can't wait for the next one! 😁

Exciting story!

I loved reading this book, and I enjoyed listening even more! It's going in my go-to book rotation. Can't wait for book 2!!

Really enjoy the story and can’t wait for book 2

Great story, very well thought out and researched world building. I really enjoyed the sun strider the best! Always nice to have a fun and interesting animal companion

One of the better recent books in the genre

Enjoyed this one more than most I’ve listened to recently. I don’t usually leave reviews but since this was just released I figure I could help people decide. Overall it’s more than worth the cost and it’s a relatively unique concept for a magic system within the genre

Great

Great first book. The world structure is interesting. Fun banter with characters. I enjoyed. Look forward to the next book

Another homerun

Harmon Cooper always delivers and this is no exception. A great adventure with a likeable MC.