The First Starwalker

A LitRPG Adventure (Forging Valerence, Book 1)

By: Cailan Wilkinson

Narrated by: Zack Federici

Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Why was he the only one who noticed how close the stars were getting?

The stars had always seemed distant to Travis, but lately they’d begun creeping closer and looming menacingly over him wherever he went.

The day was finally upon him. The day he’d been dreading. The day when he would leave his home and depart for Lightspear Academy, the mysterious school which taught its pupils how to harness magic.

While Travis and his friends begin their classes, rumors of dark magic and horrific events taking place across the sea in the kingdom of Luria begin seeping into Valerence. Suddenly, the time for studying is over as a failed ritual rips Travis away from the academy and into Luria. Where he faces horrors beyond belief and is bestowed with a power that will forever change his destiny.

The stars are done simply watching events unfold. They have chosen a paladin and made him the first Starwalker.

©2023 Cailan Wilkinson (P)2023 Cailan Wilkinson

Good but......

There's something very juvenile about it , I can't say what, but it gives off vibes that it should have been a child's book.
Yet it is way too violent and the topics too dark to be anything but Teen or YA.
It leaves me with mixed feelings and a sense that something is missing the entire time.
The story however is very intriguing as such I did finish the whole book to see what happens

A surprising journey into a vast new world!

I have to say and fully admit. I was really surprised by this story. cailan is a young author with a creative voice that is growing with every book. he is showcasing some great creative writing skills in the first starwalker and he is only going to keep getting better from here.

I really enjoyed TFS as it starts in an academy setting. I liked the play on religion, the history of the world abs why the academy was built. then we transition into an even grater world a
with more subplots abs plans going on. you can clearly see Cailan had a grand vision in mind when
he created this world. there are some great inspirational notes I took away from this book.

also, a huge shout out to Zack Federici. he did an amazing job with his performance and left me thoroughly enjoying the depth of characters. his skills were simply top tier in his performance.

A Spectacular Start!

The characters are phenomenal!
There are five or six majorly prominent characters in this story and so much is accomplished with them in such little time. There are also eight or nine secondary characters all of whom have there own things happening, it’s fantastic! They all felt so real, and were very engaging. This is very much so a character driven story over a plot driven story which I’m here for!
There is also a lot of brain food on display and things to think about and consider. There are several “stories” told by characters throughout the book and I paused after each to consider what they meant.
Honestly I’m kind of shocked at how much is accomplished in nine and a half hours. A comprehensive history is provided naturally. A lot of world building is done, and a dozen characters are characterized in very interesting ways.
The usual LitRPG elements are also present though they are somewhat secondary.

I can’t wait for book 2! And hopefully many more afterwards!

a lot happens.

The book is good but has problems.


This book has multiple plot points from different POVs, which leads to pacing issues. Most of them could use a bit more time to flush out so that we can follow why an antagonist is doing what he's doing. Another example is we spent such little time with the MC that I had to go back and check who it was, and the time we do spend with him seems to both drag on while blurring past.

It's a good start to a series, but man, I hope he can fix the odd pacing. I have hope that it will get fixed in the next book.

It’s note the worst?

The dialogue really got me, the characters would just go back and forth with each sentence ending in “he/she said” or starting with “Jeffery said.”
It got better during combat?
So far I like the idea of the book.

Phenomenal!

This was one of the most complex and in depth stories I’ve ever listened to. There were so many awesome characters and I can’t wait to learn where the story takes them next!
The perspectives switch chapter to chapter but they were all so interesting and engaging that I can’t say I liked one more then the others.
If your into characters that feel real, multifaceted, and genuine then this is definitely the story for you!

Incredible Voice Acting Performance!!

I loved the character development and how these characters moved the plot along. The author - and voice actor(!) - keep you interested in the characters and in the unfolding story.

I am impressed that the author is so young, I believe he's 18 years old, amazing talent for any aged author - but he's only 18! And the voice acting, I can't say enough about the voice acting!!! I can't believe just one voice actor did ALL those characters and each had a personality of their own; he totally brought the action and the characters to life!

Great world building for a first book

Performance:
The voice acting/narration of the book is phenomenal. The performer does a great job differentiating and remaining consistent between the vast amount of different characters, especially during large group scenes. He really catapults you into this new world with clear motives, crisp speech, and a willingness to explore the vocal flows of each character.

Story:
For the first of a series of books I thoroughly enjoyed the story/ideas of what this can be. I was invested in the way the author showed us many different aspects of this world. I do however wish there was more of a focus on a specific narrative, mainly being Travis’ story. While I enjoyed learning so much about different characters it felt a tad unfocused in that department. Almost TOO much world building. With a little more focus on the protagonist in the future I am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses.