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The NextWorld #1
Level Zero
The never-ending wars, pollution, and overpopulation of the near future have caused the outdoors to become uninhabitable, and the government is forced to create a new world, a virtual existence that allows civilization to continue. Shopping malls, schools, concert venues, and religious gathering places all exist in the infinite confines of this new reality, yet the most popular domain for most teenagers is the one that houses the endless array of digital games.
When the sequel to a popular title is released to the public for a special beta test, a group of players eagerly log in to try out the new experience. What seems like harmless violence quickly turns all too consequential when the players realize the game's biggest error: They can't log out. Forced to battle their way through an endless army of monsters programmed to kill their avatars, the players must fight against the clock and find a way out of the game before the real world catches up to them.
When the sequel to a popular title is released to the public for a special beta test, a group of players eagerly log in to try out the new experience. What seems like harmless violence quickly turns all too consequential when the players realize the game's biggest error: They can't log out. Forced to battle their way through an endless army of monsters programmed to kill their avatars, the players must fight against the clock and find a way out of the game before the real world catches up to them.
294 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2011
111 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Jaron Lee Knuth
17 books27 followersJaron Lee Knuth was born in western Wisconsin in 1978. Suffering from multiple illnesses as a young child, he was forced to find an escape from his bedridden existence through the storytelling of any media he could find. Science fiction and fantasy novels, television programs, films, video games, and comic books all provided him with infinite worlds for his imagination to explore. Now he spends his days creating stories and worlds in the hope that others might find somewhere to escape as well.
He would love to reply to any questions or comments you may have for him at [email protected]
He would love to reply to any questions or comments you may have for him at [email protected]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 10, 2011
I have read all of Knuth's published books now, and I have to say, I believe he has outdone himself with this one. No, I am not a young adult, nor do I participate in gaming; however, I found myself reading voraciously and well into the night (OK, two nights).
I have always enjoyed dystopian books. This is one of the best of the hundreds I've read throughout my lifetime, and I'm well into my fifth decade. Knuth's ability to develop his characters goes beyond amazing. His plot ideas are amazing. The vistas he creates with his words are breathtaking.
For anyone who enjoys dystopian novels — for anyone who wants edge-of-their seat action — for anyone who wants a book that will keep them enthralled, I highly recommend Level Zero!
I have always enjoyed dystopian books. This is one of the best of the hundreds I've read throughout my lifetime, and I'm well into my fifth decade. Knuth's ability to develop his characters goes beyond amazing. His plot ideas are amazing. The vistas he creates with his words are breathtaking.
For anyone who enjoys dystopian novels — for anyone who wants edge-of-their seat action — for anyone who wants a book that will keep them enthralled, I highly recommend Level Zero!
July 17, 2014
This book delivered. In fact, it delivered more than I had expected.
I knew there was a twist, and I suspected the most hurtful one. However, I didn't expect the author to follow up with it. He did, though.
The ending was a bit weird, but I'll just pass that off as the author's attempt to teach a lesson to the reader; a very valued lesson indeed.
I knew there was a twist, and I suspected the most hurtful one. However, I didn't expect the author to follow up with it. He did, though.
The ending was a bit weird, but I'll just pass that off as the author's attempt to teach a lesson to the reader; a very valued lesson indeed.
September 20, 2017
My original Level Zero audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
“Level Zero” is a coming of age Literary Role Playing Game (LitRPG) story which is the first book in the NextWorld series. The book is written by Jaron Lee Knuth and the audiobook is very well narrated by John Pirhalla. The author has quite a few books under his belt, however this one appears to be the only book currently available, at the time of this review, in audiobook format. I assume the author and narrator will be bringing the second book in the series (Spawn) to audio in the future. If you enjoy young adult (YA) coming of age stories that have science fiction and gaming elements with an interesting Blade Runner look and feel, I believe you will like Level Zero. Even though the book is the first in a series, I felt the story concluded quite well for the first in a series with the author giving us a view into what to expect in future books. That is to say, this book could be read as a stand-alone novel without any cliff hangers or other aspects requiring you to read the other books in the series; but I would be surprised if you did not want too. When binary numbers are used for the chapter titles, you know you are in for some computer gaming fun.
The main character is a fifteen-year-old who lost one of his parents and is estranged from the other; who is a highly politically involved individual. Our main character has a single friend in the world and they both enjoy putting all their time in to playing virtual reality games for escape. Although it sounds similar to all the other dystopian coming of age books in the genre, the author is able to set his story apart by creating a rather unique and different world from the others. In this story, the world outside of their living space is crumbling and becoming toxic. However, the space outside is filled with cable and wires providing feeds for the ever-present virtual world; think of it as the Internet times ten. A person is given a small physical living space for storage, sleeping and eating. Each room also comes with a pod allowing a person to jack into the virtual world. Food, Vitapaste, is provided in a protein paste format used to sustain everyone; yummy. It is a rather grim and dirty world, and that is why so many want to escape to the ever-growing virtual world.
Everything from meeting up with your friends, education, work, and even religion occurs in the virtual world. The pods are programmed to terminate your virtual connection when food or sleep are required as a safety precaution. The world has a very socialistic feel with the government running, providing and overseeing nearly everything. When a new beta world is available to only a select few, our characters jump at being given the opportunity to join. Once in the new game, things go from bad to worse as they become trapped with their only escape being to win the game. This newly created world is exactly what one would expect from your standard fantasy RPG. There are warriors, rogues, magic users, etc. Everyone needs to also trust and depend on the others in their party to survive. However, the author did a good job of crafting some new and unique weapons and upgrade options. It helped give the book a different angle than so many others in the genre. Think fantasy world blended with a few of the amenities of the modern world.
Let me turn to the book’s characters. I felt the characters were overall well rounded and had good interaction with one another. I would have liked to have had some additional background on a few of the characters joining the party to help me better understand their actions. Each of the major characters had some issues that needed to be resolved as well as trust needing to be built for the party to succeed at their task. What complicates things even more is that the new beta program locks our unsuspected group in the virtual world where they will starve if they are unable to escape. The security protocols have all been compromised and our characters must win or parish due to starvation. This is where the main arc of the story picks up as they try all they can to escape the program and save their lives. The book focuses mainly on friendships with light romantic elements included. If I could change one thing, it would be the continued use of the word “Yo” by one of the party characters.
The books narration was done very well and I enjoy John Pirhalla voice. I have listened to a few other books by this narrator including the Origin of F.O.R.C.E. series by Sam B. Miller II which I enjoyed quite a bit. His voice is mellow and pleasant to listen too, yet he is able to also keep things exciting during scenes of intense action. John was able to bring life and distinction to each of the main characters by giving them unique personalities and accents. He even included a few audio extras that make the book come alive in audio format. I do not recall any issues with the audio itself, only a professionally produced audiobook.
I have to give the author credit as I do not remember any use of vulgar language in the book, nor any over sexualized sections. The book’s is designed to be read by younger audiences except from a few rather graphic scenes of violence. The book also does not fully address the tension between parent and child, as with most Disney stories, but I was happy to see that this book can be read by younger audiences; who I think will enjoy it quite a bit.
In summary, if you like book in the LitRPG genre and you are wanting something a little bit different or unique, I would recommend you pick up Level Zero and give it a try. Most books in this genre often contain vulgar language or adult subject matter, where this book does not. It is a fun, interesting, yet rather dark view into the future of virtual reality. And remember, make sure to brush your teeth after eat your Vitapaste before going to bed tonight!
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
“Level Zero” is a coming of age Literary Role Playing Game (LitRPG) story which is the first book in the NextWorld series. The book is written by Jaron Lee Knuth and the audiobook is very well narrated by John Pirhalla. The author has quite a few books under his belt, however this one appears to be the only book currently available, at the time of this review, in audiobook format. I assume the author and narrator will be bringing the second book in the series (Spawn) to audio in the future. If you enjoy young adult (YA) coming of age stories that have science fiction and gaming elements with an interesting Blade Runner look and feel, I believe you will like Level Zero. Even though the book is the first in a series, I felt the story concluded quite well for the first in a series with the author giving us a view into what to expect in future books. That is to say, this book could be read as a stand-alone novel without any cliff hangers or other aspects requiring you to read the other books in the series; but I would be surprised if you did not want too. When binary numbers are used for the chapter titles, you know you are in for some computer gaming fun.
The main character is a fifteen-year-old who lost one of his parents and is estranged from the other; who is a highly politically involved individual. Our main character has a single friend in the world and they both enjoy putting all their time in to playing virtual reality games for escape. Although it sounds similar to all the other dystopian coming of age books in the genre, the author is able to set his story apart by creating a rather unique and different world from the others. In this story, the world outside of their living space is crumbling and becoming toxic. However, the space outside is filled with cable and wires providing feeds for the ever-present virtual world; think of it as the Internet times ten. A person is given a small physical living space for storage, sleeping and eating. Each room also comes with a pod allowing a person to jack into the virtual world. Food, Vitapaste, is provided in a protein paste format used to sustain everyone; yummy. It is a rather grim and dirty world, and that is why so many want to escape to the ever-growing virtual world.
Everything from meeting up with your friends, education, work, and even religion occurs in the virtual world. The pods are programmed to terminate your virtual connection when food or sleep are required as a safety precaution. The world has a very socialistic feel with the government running, providing and overseeing nearly everything. When a new beta world is available to only a select few, our characters jump at being given the opportunity to join. Once in the new game, things go from bad to worse as they become trapped with their only escape being to win the game. This newly created world is exactly what one would expect from your standard fantasy RPG. There are warriors, rogues, magic users, etc. Everyone needs to also trust and depend on the others in their party to survive. However, the author did a good job of crafting some new and unique weapons and upgrade options. It helped give the book a different angle than so many others in the genre. Think fantasy world blended with a few of the amenities of the modern world.
Let me turn to the book’s characters. I felt the characters were overall well rounded and had good interaction with one another. I would have liked to have had some additional background on a few of the characters joining the party to help me better understand their actions. Each of the major characters had some issues that needed to be resolved as well as trust needing to be built for the party to succeed at their task. What complicates things even more is that the new beta program locks our unsuspected group in the virtual world where they will starve if they are unable to escape. The security protocols have all been compromised and our characters must win or parish due to starvation. This is where the main arc of the story picks up as they try all they can to escape the program and save their lives. The book focuses mainly on friendships with light romantic elements included. If I could change one thing, it would be the continued use of the word “Yo” by one of the party characters.
The books narration was done very well and I enjoy John Pirhalla voice. I have listened to a few other books by this narrator including the Origin of F.O.R.C.E. series by Sam B. Miller II which I enjoyed quite a bit. His voice is mellow and pleasant to listen too, yet he is able to also keep things exciting during scenes of intense action. John was able to bring life and distinction to each of the main characters by giving them unique personalities and accents. He even included a few audio extras that make the book come alive in audio format. I do not recall any issues with the audio itself, only a professionally produced audiobook.
I have to give the author credit as I do not remember any use of vulgar language in the book, nor any over sexualized sections. The book’s is designed to be read by younger audiences except from a few rather graphic scenes of violence. The book also does not fully address the tension between parent and child, as with most Disney stories, but I was happy to see that this book can be read by younger audiences; who I think will enjoy it quite a bit.
In summary, if you like book in the LitRPG genre and you are wanting something a little bit different or unique, I would recommend you pick up Level Zero and give it a try. Most books in this genre often contain vulgar language or adult subject matter, where this book does not. It is a fun, interesting, yet rather dark view into the future of virtual reality. And remember, make sure to brush your teeth after eat your Vitapaste before going to bed tonight!
Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.
May 27, 2013
I picked this up when it was a free download on Amazon.
This was a very enjoyable book. Rich world building and a great cast of characters made me forget that this story about being trapped in an online video game probably isn't the most original idea. However, Knuth makes this story his own by the end with some clever twists and turns that I completely didn't expect. The action is fast paced and never leaves the reader bored.
If I had any complaints it would be that the editing really slipped by the end of the book. Typos scatter the last few chapters especially. I would love to see this book picked up by a big publishing house, it's a great YA novel with a lot of promise and was a lot of fun to read.
This was a very enjoyable book. Rich world building and a great cast of characters made me forget that this story about being trapped in an online video game probably isn't the most original idea. However, Knuth makes this story his own by the end with some clever twists and turns that I completely didn't expect. The action is fast paced and never leaves the reader bored.
If I had any complaints it would be that the editing really slipped by the end of the book. Typos scatter the last few chapters especially. I would love to see this book picked up by a big publishing house, it's a great YA novel with a lot of promise and was a lot of fun to read.
December 20, 2015
I understand what Mr Knuth was trying to accomplish with this narrative. While the plot twist was neither original nor unpredictable, it really wasn't the point of this story. In fact, while reading I was thinking this book would warrant a 1 or 2 star rating. It took a long time to get anywhere and seemed to be too meandering. I figured that's because it was book one of a series and we weren't going to get a conclusion. But no, this book stands alone just fine.
In the end, the book earned 3 stars from me because as a book about the emotional growth of the main character it succeeded rather well. The growth seemed well earned and didn't come out if nowhere. I have no desire to read the next book, but I'm glad I enjoyed this one in the end.
In the end, the book earned 3 stars from me because as a book about the emotional growth of the main character it succeeded rather well. The growth seemed well earned and didn't come out if nowhere. I have no desire to read the next book, but I'm glad I enjoyed this one in the end.
May 3, 2013
Level Zero was an interesting take on teen dystopian. In this particular world, overpopulation became such an issue that people were basically herded into incredibly tall apartment towers. The towers seem to be pretty tiny, but that's okay. Nobody lives in the real world, anyway. They all live online, in a virtual reality world, logging off only to use the bathroom and eat a gooey "vitapaste" that has all their nutritional needs in it. Our hero, Arkade, would stay logged on for the rest of his life if he could. He strongly prefers gaming solo to anything social. I thought my social awkwardness was bad... This boy makes me seem like social butterfly of the year. He has no desire whatsoever to interact with anyone, not even in his games. The game he prefers to play allows grouping and chat, but he refuses to group with anyone or even say so much as hello to other players. When the long-awaited sequel to his game is released in beta and he is chosen as a beta tester, Kade eagerly logs on to try it out. Soon, however, Kade finds that he cannot log off. Nor can anyone else. Forced to team up with his only friend and a few other players for survival, Kade slowly learns to socialize and even to love.
Level Zero was a good, solid story. The characters were interesting, and the society was intriguing. I would have liked to know more about the world's society and how it got to where it was. What exactly led up to the apparent single, world government? Why were North Americans discriminated against? The no teeth thing...what's up with that? Did they just evolve to not need teeth because of the paste they eat, or do they have them removed? I really want to know this. I know, it's not important to the story and doesn't really matter, but dang it, I just want to know! Oh, and Fantom's "slang" drove me like crazy or whatever, yo. Seriously. There has to be more than just three slang words. I wanted to shake her. Also, the ending left me a bit unfulfilled. I don't know, I just think it could have ended better. It didn't really seem like Kade learned as much as he could have learned. Still, great story.
Level Zero was a good, solid story. The characters were interesting, and the society was intriguing. I would have liked to know more about the world's society and how it got to where it was. What exactly led up to the apparent single, world government? Why were North Americans discriminated against? The no teeth thing...what's up with that? Did they just evolve to not need teeth because of the paste they eat, or do they have them removed? I really want to know this. I know, it's not important to the story and doesn't really matter, but dang it, I just want to know! Oh, and Fantom's "slang" drove me like crazy or whatever, yo. Seriously. There has to be more than just three slang words. I wanted to shake her. Also, the ending left me a bit unfulfilled. I don't know, I just think it could have ended better. It didn't really seem like Kade learned as much as he could have learned. Still, great story.
October 17, 2013
This book managed to deceive me (in a good way!), at the beginning I thought 'nice idea', but it had a bit of a trashy feel to it, as if pitching at the lowest common demoninator. However as I progressed I realised there was an interesting and quite philosophical thinking going on beneath the text. I appreciated it even more by the way it kept it as subtext hidden beneath a gamey and fast paced action story. Unfortunately it slightly spoils it by explaining everything near the end, but it still felt satisfying.
The story is set in a dystopian future where population overcrowding means that many people spend most of their time in virtual space. This future is described in an interesting and plausible way. One of the key areas is entertainment, in particular online and competitive gaming. These future games are of a calibre only dreamed off with present day technology.
Everything centres around a young man who prefers the virtual world to the real one and thanks to his skills is invited to a beta test for the new version of his favourite game. This new vision is an order of magnitude advancement on the previous version, but the players encounter a problem, they cannot log out. From that point it is a race against time for them to find a way out of the game before their real bodies die in their e-wombs.
It's certainly a fun idea and well executed, it's a quick and gripping read. I figured out what was going on very early in the story, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment. Once aspect I did find interesting was the authenticity of the gaming action, it had a surreal element to it that works in the context of actually experiencing the illusion of a game with all of your real senses. All in all a fun read and worth checking out.
The story is set in a dystopian future where population overcrowding means that many people spend most of their time in virtual space. This future is described in an interesting and plausible way. One of the key areas is entertainment, in particular online and competitive gaming. These future games are of a calibre only dreamed off with present day technology.
Everything centres around a young man who prefers the virtual world to the real one and thanks to his skills is invited to a beta test for the new version of his favourite game. This new vision is an order of magnitude advancement on the previous version, but the players encounter a problem, they cannot log out. From that point it is a race against time for them to find a way out of the game before their real bodies die in their e-wombs.
It's certainly a fun idea and well executed, it's a quick and gripping read. I figured out what was going on very early in the story, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment. Once aspect I did find interesting was the authenticity of the gaming action, it had a surreal element to it that works in the context of actually experiencing the illusion of a game with all of your real senses. All in all a fun read and worth checking out.
October 15, 2015
I usually don't rate books that are a DNF but I felt like I could with this one. It was a DNF at 47%.
The setting and storyline was great, which makes me even more pissed off that I couldn't finish this book. I enjoyed what was going on and the actual plot a ton.
But.
And that's a big but..
the characters were HORRID. I couldn't take them anymore. I'm still pissed off at these horrible characters that ruined what could have been an enjoyable story.
There's a selfish whiny MC, his crazy religious nut religious friend who started almost every sentence with ".... teaches us" and the new friend who couldn't go 2 sentences without saying "yo". She used it like the teen dumb blonde movies of the 90s used "like". It was soooooo horrible. I couldn't take it anymore. Those characters completely ruined the book
The setting and storyline was great, which makes me even more pissed off that I couldn't finish this book. I enjoyed what was going on and the actual plot a ton.
But.
And that's a big but..
the characters were HORRID. I couldn't take them anymore. I'm still pissed off at these horrible characters that ruined what could have been an enjoyable story.
There's a selfish whiny MC, his crazy religious nut religious friend who started almost every sentence with ".... teaches us" and the new friend who couldn't go 2 sentences without saying "yo". She used it like the teen dumb blonde movies of the 90s used "like". It was soooooo horrible. I couldn't take it anymore. Those characters completely ruined the book
April 8, 2013
I'm struggling to find the words to describe this story. I am not an author just a reader so here's my review short and to the point.
Get this one! It's a dystopian like no other.
The characters find themselves locked inside a combat action, virtual reality game and must learn to work together in order to escape.
as I read this story I found myself lost in their world with them, climbing the mountains, slaying the Dragon, cheering for their victories and feeling their losses as they lost team mates.
It's a great story suitable for all ages.
Get this one! It's a dystopian like no other.
The characters find themselves locked inside a combat action, virtual reality game and must learn to work together in order to escape.
as I read this story I found myself lost in their world with them, climbing the mountains, slaying the Dragon, cheering for their victories and feeling their losses as they lost team mates.
It's a great story suitable for all ages.
May 7, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of Ready Player One in some regards, which is one of my all time favorite books.
I loved the world created within this virtual reality, and as a gamer, I loved the plot.
I may have felt that the story took some easy ways out here or there, but that does not change the fact that it was a very interesting story, and it kept me engaged the whole time.
If you're into gaming, virtual reality, or like similar books, you will like Level Zero.
I look forward to reading some of the authors other books as well.
I loved the world created within this virtual reality, and as a gamer, I loved the plot.
I may have felt that the story took some easy ways out here or there, but that does not change the fact that it was a very interesting story, and it kept me engaged the whole time.
If you're into gaming, virtual reality, or like similar books, you will like Level Zero.
I look forward to reading some of the authors other books as well.
January 4, 2015
"Brilliant" is perhaps the most overused word when reviewing a book. Yet, this time I am unable to say anything else: this book is simply brilliant.
I really like the character development, especially when it comes to Arkade.
The plot is absolutely believable and enjoyable, even for those who are not familiar with MMORPGs. Well done!
I really like the character development, especially when it comes to Arkade.
The plot is absolutely believable and enjoyable, even for those who are not familiar with MMORPGs. Well done!
May 17, 2013
Free on kindle...A very fast read, 1 night. I liked it, maybe because i like games. I think i would have really liked a longer adult version. The first half of the story (the build up, learning of their world) was the best part for me. A fun story for YA and all. Thank you for the book.
February 19, 2012
Very good book. I loved the world he created. Very action packed.
July 18, 2013
As a Girl gamer I feel in love with this concept. It was an easy light read fun and fast paced.
August 21, 2013
Good book. Was a fast read. If you like dystopian fiction and need something quick but can put down to do something arround the house. This is a good one.
August 1, 2018
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2017
The author was out drinking with his buddies when they start talking about their kids "you know my kid is glued to his computer all day! I don't know what to do!" "yeah, mine rarely speaks to me or his mother anymore, he's at that age I guess" "yeah, everything I do now seems to embarrass him!"
The all laugh and nod.
20 years later, we have this book.
The MC is not a person so much as he's a stereotype of an antsy teen from a parent's perspective.
The world created is.... ummmmmm I'm not really sure, it's just a mesh of genres there in battle royale.
The is a book that tries to focus on the human element, by removing it and talking from a parent's perspective. The fact that the actual story part started at the 60% mark is also another thing, that means that only 40% of the book is the story while the rest is a bit of world building and A LOT of teen ants... I would not recommend this book, I'm old enough to not need to hear what my father thinks of... EVERYTHING! At least not willingly...
The all laugh and nod.
20 years later, we have this book.
The MC is not a person so much as he's a stereotype of an antsy teen from a parent's perspective.
The world created is.... ummmmmm I'm not really sure, it's just a mesh of genres there in battle royale.
The is a book that tries to focus on the human element, by removing it and talking from a parent's perspective. The fact that the actual story part started at the 60% mark is also another thing, that means that only 40% of the book is the story while the rest is a bit of world building and A LOT of teen ants... I would not recommend this book, I'm old enough to not need to hear what my father thinks of... EVERYTHING! At least not willingly...
March 14, 2018
I really wanted to like this book after listening to the preview over at audible. I really did. But it's dull. It was difficult to get all the way to the end. LitRPG is a newer genre and too many times the stories come across written at an immature level. This was a good example of that flaw. I wasn't invested in the characters, the story didn't draw me in and even the narrator sounded bored at times.
At best I would rate it "meh."
At best I would rate it "meh."
December 16, 2020
So I kind of judged this book by its cover because it was awesome. The book was different from what I imagined (I.e. there were more guns than swords). This book had a strong, original story. I felt like the story was strong enough for this to be a stand alone book so I am a little surprised that this is a series.
August 7, 2017
Sorry but this book sucked! I hated the main character most of the way through the book and then the ending was stupid.
September 2, 2017
Bit too predictable and plodding.
November 26, 2021
Interesting plot idea, the book could have been good, But... Sorry. no. I couldn't stand the main character, actually I couldn't stand the characters. Immature, annoying and selfish. DNF
March 28, 2015
As a gamer, it feels a little strange to read a book about games. I've never played an MMO before, and I never plan to, but this book is all about the MMO (that's Massively Multiplayer Online for those not in the know).
It takes place in a future society were humans have overpopulated the planet. With so many people and so little space, the digital world is the only place where people can socialize, work, live, and do just about everything. Through the use of a technological marvel called the e-womb, citizens of the world can log into various digital worlds.
The protagonist is a boy named Kade who lives somewhere in Old Russia. His callsign is called Arkade, a cowboy avatar whose a wiz at the number one PvP game, DangerWar. He's so good that the creators of the game invite him to test their new beta version of DangerWar 2, where team-based dynamics are essential to leveling up. Arkade's a loner. He doesn't like working with other players, let alone depending on them. But when he and those around him are unable to log out of the game, their bodies slowly dying in the real world, he must overcome that trait and learn to trust...his life depends on it.
It's not the most original concept, but the idea brings up insightful social issues we face today. Arkade is the quintessential citizen of the world, one so caught up in his own world that he's forgotten how to interact with other humans. We're not that far off from living in a completely digital world, where we spend more time with pixilated avatars than real people. When it comes to depending on strangers for his life, Arkade faces his greatest dilemma. How easy is it to trust people, even those who depend on you depending on them? It's a moral struggle that hits all too close to home.
The action sequences were okay, and I liked the idea of cowboys, ninjas, monks, and a wooden boy (with one hell of a machine gun) mowing down hundreds of randomly generated bad guys. The game world was fun, could have been more imaginative, but as this is the first book in the story I'm sure that we'll get to see more of it. This is the kind of story kindle-readers will enjoy: simple, fast-paced, and full of action.
It takes place in a future society were humans have overpopulated the planet. With so many people and so little space, the digital world is the only place where people can socialize, work, live, and do just about everything. Through the use of a technological marvel called the e-womb, citizens of the world can log into various digital worlds.
The protagonist is a boy named Kade who lives somewhere in Old Russia. His callsign is called Arkade, a cowboy avatar whose a wiz at the number one PvP game, DangerWar. He's so good that the creators of the game invite him to test their new beta version of DangerWar 2, where team-based dynamics are essential to leveling up. Arkade's a loner. He doesn't like working with other players, let alone depending on them. But when he and those around him are unable to log out of the game, their bodies slowly dying in the real world, he must overcome that trait and learn to trust...his life depends on it.
It's not the most original concept, but the idea brings up insightful social issues we face today. Arkade is the quintessential citizen of the world, one so caught up in his own world that he's forgotten how to interact with other humans. We're not that far off from living in a completely digital world, where we spend more time with pixilated avatars than real people. When it comes to depending on strangers for his life, Arkade faces his greatest dilemma. How easy is it to trust people, even those who depend on you depending on them? It's a moral struggle that hits all too close to home.
The action sequences were okay, and I liked the idea of cowboys, ninjas, monks, and a wooden boy (with one hell of a machine gun) mowing down hundreds of randomly generated bad guys. The game world was fun, could have been more imaginative, but as this is the first book in the story I'm sure that we'll get to see more of it. This is the kind of story kindle-readers will enjoy: simple, fast-paced, and full of action.
March 25, 2016
I really want to give this book 4 stars, but I can't. There were multiple mistakes in spelling and grammar (on the order of a few dozen, at least), so this sort of felt like a late-stage manuscript that was due for a round or two more of copy editing before it went to the press. There were also a few inconsistencies (one that bothered me was the fact that only one player had a certain status effect, when probably it would've been all of them equally). The plot also had some really weird pacing towards the end -- it sort of became a montage, where before there were highly detailed descriptions of battles that sometimes spanned multiple chapters -- which resulted in what felt like a very rushed ending. The final chapter did a decent enough job as an epilogue, and I mostly felt satisfied with how much was revealed about the characters.
All that said, this has a fascinating world with pretty great world-building, characters I liked, and a really cool premise; those were enough to keep me glued to the book until I finished it, and to make me search out the sequel so I can keep going with the series. I do recommend this book, especially to people like my teenage brother.
(I did love the chapter numbers though, I really geeked out when I saw that tbh)
tl;dr Level Zero was definitely worth a read, though it has some serious issues that set this back from its potential. I think it needs a bunch more editing to become the polished novel the story deserves.
All that said, this has a fascinating world with pretty great world-building, characters I liked, and a really cool premise; those were enough to keep me glued to the book until I finished it, and to make me search out the sequel so I can keep going with the series. I do recommend this book, especially to people like my teenage brother.
(I did love the chapter numbers though, I really geeked out when I saw that tbh)
tl;dr Level Zero was definitely worth a read, though it has some serious issues that set this back from its potential. I think it needs a bunch more editing to become the polished novel the story deserves.
July 12, 2014
This was brilliant. Frustratingly, my ereader trashed my highlights so I can't point out the most epic bits in as much detail as I'd like, but that just means I have to ramble on a little more aimlessly than usual.
The dragon, of course, that was such a rush, and the way that battle ends was both poignant and very meaningful. I did feel that the ending of the book came a little suddenly, but the revelation before the last bit of the mission was very neatly done. I suspected, but I suspected everyone equally, everyone had something to hide (the hacker, the lagger, there was enough floating around) that my suspicions never cemented until we see exactly what is revealed (I'm trying not to give anything away, honest).
This book firmly plants itself up there with quality works like Ready Player One and Erebos, it packs an empathic punch but doesn't dive so deep your average teen won't want to explore and the combat and action scenes are just there, in glorious vivid detail, ready to be picked up and splashed onto 'movie theater' screens everywhere. What a book. I must read more.
The dragon, of course, that was such a rush, and the way that battle ends was both poignant and very meaningful. I did feel that the ending of the book came a little suddenly, but the revelation before the last bit of the mission was very neatly done. I suspected, but I suspected everyone equally, everyone had something to hide (the hacker, the lagger, there was enough floating around) that my suspicions never cemented until we see exactly what is revealed (I'm trying not to give anything away, honest).
This book firmly plants itself up there with quality works like Ready Player One and Erebos, it packs an empathic punch but doesn't dive so deep your average teen won't want to explore and the combat and action scenes are just there, in glorious vivid detail, ready to be picked up and splashed onto 'movie theater' screens everywhere. What a book. I must read more.
August 2, 2014
Level Zero was an enjoyable YA pageturner, making good use of gaming tropes and a solid storyline. I found protagonist's voice a little offputting at times, and slightly less room for character development was probably necessary, but the vivid environments and backstory outweighed this personal concern.
Many typos and grammatical errors were present in the version I read, although the electronic version lends itself to revision, and these would be easily addressed. Aside from a couple of "broken" sentences containing extra or missing words, there wasn't anything that impacted the readability of the text.
The only other element that could use a little work would be some of the character voices. For example, the "yo" at the end of Fantom's speech was fine at first, but grated when it continued through almost every scene, and probably isn't required anywhere near as often - or could be changed up with another exclamation or two.
Grumbles aside - and they are minor - a good read, and recommended to anyone who enjoys gaming and dystopian YA fiction.
Many typos and grammatical errors were present in the version I read, although the electronic version lends itself to revision, and these would be easily addressed. Aside from a couple of "broken" sentences containing extra or missing words, there wasn't anything that impacted the readability of the text.
The only other element that could use a little work would be some of the character voices. For example, the "yo" at the end of Fantom's speech was fine at first, but grated when it continued through almost every scene, and probably isn't required anywhere near as often - or could be changed up with another exclamation or two.
Grumbles aside - and they are minor - a good read, and recommended to anyone who enjoys gaming and dystopian YA fiction.
June 4, 2019
I know on Kindle it was free, and was going to give the story 4 stars. But when you are dangling off the edge of a mountain and people keep swapping and falling with anoher person on top, I think it needs some editing.
Fantom basic language "Yeah, like whatever cowboy, yo." not really much point to it for the whole story, but I get that she is contrasted with Xen. Quite a f ew spelling and grammar mistakes too, but Ready Player One is better. Fantom gets written off with no story at the end, annoyed me a bit but can't say I missed her, yo.
---UPDATE---
Similarities to Ready Player One:
Arkade AKA Kade and Wade Watts
Art3mis and Syren (?) both sort of love gods and SPOILER
-
-
-
get the fake world chosen to suit them and the main characters relationship.
Grael like the Holy Grail witch is RPO name for the Egg.
Fantom basic language "Yeah, like whatever cowboy, yo." not really much point to it for the whole story, but I get that she is contrasted with Xen. Quite a f ew spelling and grammar mistakes too, but Ready Player One is better. Fantom gets written off with no story at the end, annoyed me a bit but can't say I missed her, yo.
---UPDATE---
Similarities to Ready Player One:
Arkade AKA Kade and Wade Watts
Art3mis and Syren (?) both sort of love gods and SPOILER
-
-
-
get the fake world chosen to suit them and the main characters relationship.
Grael like the Holy Grail witch is RPO name for the Egg.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2013
For all fans of computer gaming and MMO's, this is an excellent read. It's just like being inside a expansive MMORPG with an amazing cast of characters, technology and real human emotion. And the chapters are in binary; a total geek-out for computer nerds. Being a fan of videogames and computers I loved this book from the very beginning and couldn't put it down. Game geeks and computer nerds alike will certainly enjoy this book.
March 19, 2015
This wasn't terrible, although it really had a "Young Adult" kind of feel to it. I picked this up because I was told it was similar to Ready Player One, which I thought was a really fun read. This was kind of similar but it left a lot unexplained and the characters were overly simplistic at best and annoying at worse.
It was a quick read and was mostly well written, but I don't see myself continuing in this series.
It was a quick read and was mostly well written, but I don't see myself continuing in this series.
September 10, 2016
I confess to enjoying this book even though it was a bit juvenile--not surprising since the main characters are all children (and I just an old kid myself). I got it to give to my grandson and I pre-read all such books. It's a very good children's book for ages 10 and up. I would have benefitted from better editing as the descriptions sometimes went on so long it felt like the author didn't know how to proceed with his characters.
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