Regular price: $24.95
An extinction-level asteroid, 213 Astraea, is cannonballing toward Earth. Collision, imminent. An international team of scientists is working around the clock to avert the cataclysm - few are optimistic. World governments are preparing for impact with deep earth bio-dome bunkers, but only a select few lottery winners will be saved. Jack Mitchel, a 32-year-old EMT living in a tiny studio apartment on the west coast, isn't one of those winners.
Diving into a revolutionary new video game, Marcus and his friends escape a stagnant society, entering into a world that defies their wildest imaginations. But from the moment that he logs in, Marcus finds himself separated from his friends and thrown into a remote village under attack by a horde of goblins. Forced into battle, Marcus rallies the beleaguered villagers and, with their help, manages to drive off the invading creatures. With the village in ruins and their supplies spoiled, the villagers turn to Marcus for help in rebuilding the village.
Control dinosaurs. Tame women. Rule the world. Victor Shelby and his tribe of beautiful alien women have built a fortress to keep themselves safe, but when they encounter another tribe of survivors, Victor must leverage his dinosaur-taming abilities to negotiate either peace or violence. And violence is what Dinosaurland is all about.
When Gunnar Long is transported into the first fully-immersive virtual MMORPG, he finds himself in a new world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. No more 9-to-5 job. No more studio apartment. No more reality TV. Finally, he's in a place where he can call home, a place with people he can call friends. But as more people want to trade their real world lives to get inside Eden's Gate, the government of the outside world wants the "game" shut down at all costs.
A man broken by despair and depression, Grant Legate finds himself in a once-in-a-lifetime situation after receiving an Ultimate Edition copy of Continue Online. All he wishes for is a distraction from the thoughts plaguing his waking hours. He dives in headfirst, unknowing of the AI's intentions. They offer him the chance to play as one of their own, a NPC deserving of a proper send off. What he discovers during the journey shakes Grant to his very core.
Would you be prepared to work for free? How would you like to bust your hump for a large corporation 60-plus hours a week without a wage or a single day off for the vague promise of some mysterious perks in the distant future? You'd refuse point blank, wouldn't you? But what if the job in question was playing a state-of-the-art fantasy MMORPG game? And what if this was the only thing you're really good at? Especially considering that your in-game partner is someone really special to you - and this person already lives a virtual life?
An extinction-level asteroid, 213 Astraea, is cannonballing toward Earth. Collision, imminent. An international team of scientists is working around the clock to avert the cataclysm - few are optimistic. World governments are preparing for impact with deep earth bio-dome bunkers, but only a select few lottery winners will be saved. Jack Mitchel, a 32-year-old EMT living in a tiny studio apartment on the west coast, isn't one of those winners.
Diving into a revolutionary new video game, Marcus and his friends escape a stagnant society, entering into a world that defies their wildest imaginations. But from the moment that he logs in, Marcus finds himself separated from his friends and thrown into a remote village under attack by a horde of goblins. Forced into battle, Marcus rallies the beleaguered villagers and, with their help, manages to drive off the invading creatures. With the village in ruins and their supplies spoiled, the villagers turn to Marcus for help in rebuilding the village.
Control dinosaurs. Tame women. Rule the world. Victor Shelby and his tribe of beautiful alien women have built a fortress to keep themselves safe, but when they encounter another tribe of survivors, Victor must leverage his dinosaur-taming abilities to negotiate either peace or violence. And violence is what Dinosaurland is all about.
When Gunnar Long is transported into the first fully-immersive virtual MMORPG, he finds himself in a new world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure. No more 9-to-5 job. No more studio apartment. No more reality TV. Finally, he's in a place where he can call home, a place with people he can call friends. But as more people want to trade their real world lives to get inside Eden's Gate, the government of the outside world wants the "game" shut down at all costs.
A man broken by despair and depression, Grant Legate finds himself in a once-in-a-lifetime situation after receiving an Ultimate Edition copy of Continue Online. All he wishes for is a distraction from the thoughts plaguing his waking hours. He dives in headfirst, unknowing of the AI's intentions. They offer him the chance to play as one of their own, a NPC deserving of a proper send off. What he discovers during the journey shakes Grant to his very core.
Would you be prepared to work for free? How would you like to bust your hump for a large corporation 60-plus hours a week without a wage or a single day off for the vague promise of some mysterious perks in the distant future? You'd refuse point blank, wouldn't you? But what if the job in question was playing a state-of-the-art fantasy MMORPG game? And what if this was the only thing you're really good at? Especially considering that your in-game partner is someone really special to you - and this person already lives a virtual life?
When Edward is swept into the world of Ivalis as a Dungeon Lord, the Dark's most powerful servant, he has no servitude in mind. He'll oppose the evil plans of the Dark god, Murmur, whatever it takes. Through only his wits and his guts to help him survive a weakened arrival, Edward must rise to power if he is to earn the right to live another day. But in the battle between Dark and Light, what can Edward choose if both sides are cruel, uncaring monsters?
When virtual reality becomes real enough that people feel as if they're being transported to another world, Valia Online arrives. A man running from his past joins the game to forget it all. Calling himself Jack Thorn, he chooses an undead race, Deathlord. A mage by choice, and a swordsman by necessity, he soon finds out that he'll need to use much more than magic and steel to survive; strategy, creativity, and carefully chosen words can often accomplish what simple attacks can't.
When Marine Corps pilot Jacob Merely crashes during a routine mission off the coast of Cyprus, he was sure it was game over. After surviving the crash and pulling himself onto the sandy shores of a long-abandoned island, however, Jacob unwittingly stumbles headfirst into the ancient ruins of a dead city. Unfortunately, he also stumbles into an age-old battle between good and evil - and he is now its newest recruit. The island once belonged to the Amazons, but Jacob’s arrival has awakened the old gods and disturbed the seal holding the ravaging darkness at bay.
October, 2042: In two weeks, the world will die, murdered by a nine-mile-wide, extinction-level asteroid. And Robert Osmark - billionaire and savvy tech genius - couldn't be readier for the fiery apocalypse. Unlike the shortsighted masses, he’s been diligently preparing for this day from the moment the asteroid first appeared. Through his relentless efforts, digital salvation now awaits anyone bold enough to take the leap and permanently transition into the brand-new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG.
In the latter half of the 21st century, Alexander and his guild mates play Io Online for fun and to earn a living. Given the chance to test a new experimental immersion system, the veteran players must give up their high-level characters and begin again at level one. As they work through the noob zone quests, they discover that the new immersion system allows them to play in ways that hadn't been possible before. They quickly run afoul of a party of player killers and become the targets of an entire PK guild bent on spawn-camping them until they leave the game. War has been declared.
A month has passed since Victor Shelby was abducted by aliens and put on a savage dinosaur world. In that time, he has learned how to survive, tamed dinosaurs, and won the love of three beautiful alien women. But when another dinosaur attack leaves them defenseless, Victor realizes that he’ll need to push his Tame ability to the limit and build not just a camp, but a fortress. Or they will all die.
After being betrayed and cursed by an extremely rare spell, Oren, a powerful and influential player, finds himself as a first-level goblin! Without even a fraction of his previous power, he vows to pull through and have revenge on those who betrayed him. His thorough knowledge of the game's world and his unique ability to immerse himself entirely are his only advantages. But first, he must figure out how to survive long enough playing what is basically a low-level fodder monster!
Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter's destruction. Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm? A tale to shake "The Land" itself, measuring 10/10 on the Richter scale, how will Richter's choices shape the future of The Land and all who reside in it? Can he grow his power to meet the deadliest of beings of the land? When choices are often a shade of grey, how will Richter ensure he does not become what he seeks to destroy?
Something quite odd is happening in Second World - the planet's foremost MMORPG. Something that's causing alliances to be broken, and friendships, forgotten. A worthless low-level mine becomes the stage of vicious battles, its burned ruins suddenly contested by the game's toughest clans. Every border is controlled, and every road in the province blocked off. The weak players and NPCs alike are subjected to non-stop violent raids courtesy of Eastern invaders. And the strong are scouring the virtual world for the culprit - the weirdest noob the game has ever seen.
Barliona: a virtual world jam-packed with monsters, battles - and, predictably, players. Millions of them come to Barliona, looking forward to the things they can't get in real life: elves and magic, dragons and princesses, and unforgettable combat. The game has become so popular that players now choose to spend months online without returning home. In Barliona, anything goes: You can assault fellow players, level up, become a mythical hero, a wizard, or a legendary thief.
For eons, conquering dungeons has been the most efficient way to become a strong adventurer. Although not everything is as straightforward as it seems. Several questions have always plagued the minds of those who enter these mythical places of power: why are there so many monsters? Where do the amazing weaponry and heavy gold coins come from? Why does the very air fill with life-giving energies? Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions, for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Heart.
Austin Zane leaves behind his CEO position with RB Corp to play Dave, a half-dwarf in the virtual reality game Emerilia, trying to escape his life. What Dave doesn't know is that Earth as he knows it is really a virtual reality simulation and Emerilia is a world imbued with futuristic technologies to mimic early MMORPGs.
October, 2042.
Three days ago, Jack Mitchel saved his life. By dying.
He dodged a world-ending bullet - in the form of an extinction-level asteroid, cannonballing toward Earth - by successfully uploading his mind into the brand new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG - Viridian Gate Online. Unfortunately, he's also stumbled headlong into a secret conspiracy that will transform V.G.O. into a new feudal dark age.
Jack expected to live out his new fantasy life in peace, but now he and his misfit crew of rebels are the only ones preventing a tyrant emperor and his regime from taking power. Thankfully, everything isn't quite as hopeless as it seems - Jack has a plan. Sort of. With only a handful of supporters, he's going to get the jump on the bloodthirsty empire, by snatching one of their key cities right from underneath their noses. In order to pull off the impossible, however, Jack's going to have to develop his formidable Shadowmancer powers, raid some ridiculous dungeons, and make some shady allies - allies who may be more dangerous than the empire itself.
Book two of VGO really continues to build upon the first, and brings about the beginning of a plot line that was set up early in the book one. As things go, this book really steps up its game and the action and intrigue really get supercharged. The plot advances at a pleasurable pace, and at no time do you feel like there were unnecessary parts of the tale. Everything fits together like perfect little puzzle pieces, and no part is just thrown in.
We get a nice epic battle, and a great confrontation with the big bad we want to see get an uppercut to the jaw with a war hammer. There are alliances struck, and sacrifices made, and this plays out like a great classic fantasy. We even get a nice little "Matrix" styled moment at the end.
Grimjack is someone you can really appreciate, and Cutter is worth listening to every second he appears. I have to laugh, as Taylor really makes the thief sound like Mick Jagger (at least in my mind). Abby finally gets some attention, and Grimjack manages to concoct a plan that might just help him get some breathing space.
The characterizations are pitch perfect, from the stoic Russian to the battle ready Texan. The story keeps amping up, and the plots pacing picks up with every turn of the page. In no way does the book suffer a sophomoric slump like most sequels do. It somehow manages to take what came before it, and improve upon it. As I said, Taylor does some great voicework, and he gives life to numerous characters. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.
If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
There were two moments of sheer brilliance in the book that made me hoot aloud, several that made me laugh hysterically, and many that made me bite my nails. This litRPG adventure had my blood pumping, my gut turning, and got me writing a review as passionate as the writing.
Well executed, fair amounts of humor, plenty of adult chuckle moments, and enough blood shed, loot collecting, and boss slaying action to slick any gamer's literary lust.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Another masterfully done story. brought to life by the awesome Armenian Taylor who did a fantastic job breathing life into all of the characters.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a stellar series and awesome story.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
the only problem I have is that the narrator needs to learn how to read character stats and skill stats properly. it can be a little distracting trying to listen to the descriptions while trying to reorganize the information correctly, and it happens every time there is a skill description.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Finished this one in one day and immediately bought the next to burn through, hella expensive tho
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Book 2 was action packed and exciting. A fun listen and narrated very well. I would definitely recommend this story.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
our main character is trying to set himself up so he'll safely be able to live in this new universe
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
loved the struggle and the strategy a little predictable at times but you where kinda of hoping it would go that way anyways so I was ok with it
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Like the first book it had a high potential, interesting characters in a world i would like to know more about.
Narator was good, good voices and accents, but a little bit top many mistakes stressing the wrong words.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
There's a great concept world here but the story adheres to strictly to it's RPG roots. MC claims to have been an EMT but except for one scene in the first book, that's just lip service to explain why the character isn't morally bankrupt.
Author has a bad habit of overusing and abusing turns of phrase, to the point that a drinking game could be made from counting times used, such as "decidedly," "almost literally," and "nightmare fuel."
Possibly the worst offense of all, though, is the inclusion of side characters that are given an interesting backstory, and nothing else--they become a resource to be managed and nothing more.
A very nice developing main story to go along with some classic RPG style moments. If you've played MMOs or RPGs you'll love this.
Great second book! same problem as the 1st just not long enough, there is so much going on in the world so much to find out, you can definitely get sucked right into this world along with Jack talking about his choices and what's going to happen next. right on to the 3rd one for me!
A good follow on to the first novel, same narrator as the first novel which is good. The characters continue to develop in more detail and the story continues to grip you and pull you in. Look forward to the third novel.
Written in the first person, the Crimson Alliance continues to chart the lives of Grim Jack and his new friend, Cutter, in the immersive game, Viridian Gate Online. A 'game' which is now Jack's life as there is no going back: not only has his body died in the real world as he successfully transitioned into the game but the whole of Earth's population is about to be destroyed by a cataclysmic event when a giant meteorite crashes onto the surface. But already Jack is unhappy with what he has found in this new life and has made a serious enemy. His only hope is to form his own faction before the final destruction of earth, hopefully with his old friend, Abbie. But she seems to have disappeared ...
With great characters and well written dialogue, this is the second in this fun LitRPG series which provides an intriguing storyline as well as battle action. Armen Taylor again narrates with warm enthusiasm and a consistently fine range of protagonist voices and accents, each individual and fitting. His pacing is also good and his overall performance enhances the written text.
An excellent follow up to Cataclysm, this book by James Hunter is one to be enjoyed not only by players of games but by anyone with a liking for fantasy and S.F. with a touch of both humour and adventure.But to get the fullest benefit from the story, first read the preceding book.
really good story, engaging and we'll put together so I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys good litrpg's
Any additional comments?
Overall = lovable like your own child, mid tantrum.
Philosophy = oversimplified and still too hard for MC to handle.
Game mechanics = Smart
Class balancing = Mary Sue (but expected from genre)
Timing = Anime style (a full conversation mid swing)
Plot armor = Only physical pain, no loss even of opportunity
1 of 1 people found this review helpful