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Chaos Seeds #6
The Land: Raiders
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2017)“This is the world you were meant to fight for!”
Welcome to the SIXTH vivacious installment of Aleron Kong's, Chaos Seeds series.
The time of hiding has passed. The Mist Village will make itself known. Goblins have invaded Richter’s lands. Though the first incursion has been defeated, the anger of Chaos Seed remains. Those who challenge Richter’s power will learn there is a reason all creatures fear the mist… it is the home of monsters.
For the first time, Richter takes the battle to his enemies. He will live up to his name, and the very Land will shake with this power. With his allies, the Wood Sprites of Nadria, the army of the Mist Village marches to war. Richter has been a healer, an enchanter, a dungeon diver, and a killer. Now he becomes something more. He becomes a RAIDER!
This is a world of wonder and horror.
This is a world of pain and joy.
This is the world of monsters… and the brave men who battle them.
Welcome back my friends!
Welcome back… to The Land!
Welcome to the SIXTH vivacious installment of Aleron Kong's, Chaos Seeds series.
The time of hiding has passed. The Mist Village will make itself known. Goblins have invaded Richter’s lands. Though the first incursion has been defeated, the anger of Chaos Seed remains. Those who challenge Richter’s power will learn there is a reason all creatures fear the mist… it is the home of monsters.
For the first time, Richter takes the battle to his enemies. He will live up to his name, and the very Land will shake with this power. With his allies, the Wood Sprites of Nadria, the army of the Mist Village marches to war. Richter has been a healer, an enchanter, a dungeon diver, and a killer. Now he becomes something more. He becomes a RAIDER!
This is a world of wonder and horror.
This is a world of pain and joy.
This is the world of monsters… and the brave men who battle them.
Welcome back my friends!
Welcome back… to The Land!
510 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2017
1785 people are currently reading
3678 people want to read
About the author
Aleron Kong
12 books10.6k followersGoodreads HTML profile
Welcome to the Mist Village! I'm so glad you're here!
The Land Saga:
- Is a WSJ Best Seller
- Has sold over 1 MILLION copies
- Has more than 100,000 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews
- Became Audibles Customer Favorite of the Year
- Reached the Top 5 on both Audible and Amazon out of the millions of books they sell
Find out why 🙂
You can start your adventure BELOW:
Please enjoy my book trailers:
And enjoy a FREE peak at my 1st Audiobook narrated by THE Nick Podehl! Just CLICK HERE
I love hearing from my fans so feel free to reach out!
If you've read or listened to any of my work, PLEASE leave a REVIEW and vote "Helpful" on the reviews you agree with 🙂
And I love making artwork for my wonderful fans. I hope you enjoy some! You can find more HERE
I am a Internal Medicine Physician turned WSJ Best Selling Author. My lifetime goal of leaving the world a better place than I found it. I'm also extremely proud of my fans who have helped me raise over $125,000 for various charities over the past 5 years!
Gnomes Rule!
Welcome to the Mist Village! I'm so glad you're here!
The Land Saga:
- Is a WSJ Best Seller
- Has sold over 1 MILLION copies
- Has more than 100,000 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews
- Became Audibles Customer Favorite of the Year
- Reached the Top 5 on both Audible and Amazon out of the millions of books they sell
Find out why 🙂
You can start your adventure BELOW:
Please enjoy my book trailers:
And enjoy a FREE peak at my 1st Audiobook narrated by THE Nick Podehl! Just CLICK HERE
I love hearing from my fans so feel free to reach out!
If you've read or listened to any of my work, PLEASE leave a REVIEW and vote "Helpful" on the reviews you agree with 🙂
And I love making artwork for my wonderful fans. I hope you enjoy some! You can find more HERE
I am a Internal Medicine Physician turned WSJ Best Selling Author. My lifetime goal of leaving the world a better place than I found it. I'm also extremely proud of my fans who have helped me raise over $125,000 for various charities over the past 5 years!
Gnomes Rule!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
October 26, 2021
"I told you. You need a pixie."
Down to the sixth (and the last book I have with me right now). Chaos seeds is my very first LitRPG series, and this one did a nice job making it one of my favorite genres! Kong's hilarious narrative, creative roll-out of events helped things quite nicely throughout the series.
I want to fight, Unca Wchter!
This sixth book is no exception. The Land: Raiders brought the first large battle of the series. As always, the author does not rush, and has ensured that everything is nicely covered. From strategy to detailed execution, the battle was an enjoyable read through and through. Unfortunately, I just noticed now that I only have the first six books, which means it'll be a while until I get to resume the series. In case you ever decide to read this series, and if the first books turns out well, don't continue until you have the entire series beforehand: not a pleasant experience!
"TRING! You have reached level 32!"
Down to the sixth (and the last book I have with me right now). Chaos seeds is my very first LitRPG series, and this one did a nice job making it one of my favorite genres! Kong's hilarious narrative, creative roll-out of events helped things quite nicely throughout the series.
I want to fight, Unca Wchter!
This sixth book is no exception. The Land: Raiders brought the first large battle of the series. As always, the author does not rush, and has ensured that everything is nicely covered. From strategy to detailed execution, the battle was an enjoyable read through and through. Unfortunately, I just noticed now that I only have the first six books, which means it'll be a while until I get to resume the series. In case you ever decide to read this series, and if the first books turns out well, don't continue until you have the entire series beforehand: not a pleasant experience!
"TRING! You have reached level 32!"
January 11, 2018
This one takes a pretty good spin on the crazy battlefield. :) No more little raiding parties. This one is full-out goblin WAR.
There's still plenty of leveling goodness and specialization and happy bonuses for all the allies, but it's Richter that gets all the good stuff.
For the most part, this is the book that's almost entirely action. It's pretty awesome. :) And because we have all the funny bits and all the fourth-wall action and idioms from our world, it's still the same quirky popcorn read as before.
With meteorites. :)
Wooo! So much better magic, too. :)
I'm gonna be so sad that I'm gonna have to wait so long for the next one! At least I'm a total fanboy. :)
There's still plenty of leveling goodness and specialization and happy bonuses for all the allies, but it's Richter that gets all the good stuff.
For the most part, this is the book that's almost entirely action. It's pretty awesome. :) And because we have all the funny bits and all the fourth-wall action and idioms from our world, it's still the same quirky popcorn read as before.
With meteorites. :)
Wooo! So much better magic, too. :)
I'm gonna be so sad that I'm gonna have to wait so long for the next one! At least I'm a total fanboy. :)
May 29, 2017
The problem with this series
This series has a serious and annoying problem that has only gotten worse with each book.
The author is utterly incapable of consolidating the plot and absolutely has to escalate both the threats and problems and the value of the main character and his village.
I fully expect the next book to have MC go on a night time wander, trip over and break his leg falling into an abandoned gold mine. And GASP with this mine is an army of golems. With a magic core just lying around which will allow this blessed child to control said army. Because the mist village, despite a total lack of supporting evidence is actually built on the ruins of an ancient empires capital. Or some hard to believe advantage that miraculously falls into the MCs hands.
Giving the main character every possible advantage pushes him into the Mary Sue zone.
On another note the is constantly stacking up plot points before deciding "nah this can wait a half dozen books."
Case in point the MC swore a blood oath in the one of he first books that has to be fulfilled in a year or it will kill he MC. He has done nothing to work towards fulfilling the oagt. Maybe he forgot? I hope so. Because when the timer on that runs out he'll suddenly drop dead with no idea as to why. And then when he comes back maybe, just maybe he'll die again since he still hasn't completed the oath.
The author really needs to start finishing the loose ends because as it stands instead of a well balanced problem 1, problem 2, solution 1, problem 3, solution 2, solution 3 plot progression what's happened is problem 1, problem 2, problem 3, problem 4, problem 5 randomly interspersed with new advantages for the mist village. It gives every book a unfinished feel. At some point the only solution to all the problems is for MAC to just nuke the place, which now that I think of it is exactly what the evil prince guy wanted. So hey that's the apocalypse sorted. One idiot incapable of any kind of time management.
This series has a serious and annoying problem that has only gotten worse with each book.
The author is utterly incapable of consolidating the plot and absolutely has to escalate both the threats and problems and the value of the main character and his village.
I fully expect the next book to have MC go on a night time wander, trip over and break his leg falling into an abandoned gold mine. And GASP with this mine is an army of golems. With a magic core just lying around which will allow this blessed child to control said army. Because the mist village, despite a total lack of supporting evidence is actually built on the ruins of an ancient empires capital. Or some hard to believe advantage that miraculously falls into the MCs hands.
Giving the main character every possible advantage pushes him into the Mary Sue zone.
On another note the is constantly stacking up plot points before deciding "nah this can wait a half dozen books."
Case in point the MC swore a blood oath in the one of he first books that has to be fulfilled in a year or it will kill he MC. He has done nothing to work towards fulfilling the oagt. Maybe he forgot? I hope so. Because when the timer on that runs out he'll suddenly drop dead with no idea as to why. And then when he comes back maybe, just maybe he'll die again since he still hasn't completed the oath.
The author really needs to start finishing the loose ends because as it stands instead of a well balanced problem 1, problem 2, solution 1, problem 3, solution 2, solution 3 plot progression what's happened is problem 1, problem 2, problem 3, problem 4, problem 5 randomly interspersed with new advantages for the mist village. It gives every book a unfinished feel. At some point the only solution to all the problems is for MAC to just nuke the place, which now that I think of it is exactly what the evil prince guy wanted. So hey that's the apocalypse sorted. One idiot incapable of any kind of time management.
August 9, 2017
The titles continue to not make sense, but whatever, the story stands on itself. Even when people say that the next book will be about this book's title, I find it that it's a pretty far stretch.
Anyways, good story. A lot happens, but not a lot either. If you read it, you will understand what I mean. One of the big things I liked about this series though is lacking in this specific volume, and that was the village building piece.
While the action scenes were nice, the more memorable passages to me were the ones in the Forge and the Cauldron.
Now to wait for the next one.
Anyways, good story. A lot happens, but not a lot either. If you read it, you will understand what I mean. One of the big things I liked about this series though is lacking in this specific volume, and that was the village building piece.
While the action scenes were nice, the more memorable passages to me were the ones in the Forge and the Cauldron.
Now to wait for the next one.
November 3, 2017
Tedious
I vowed not to read on of these chaos seed books again but unfortunately, in a moment of weakness, I did. This book is just plain boring. The humour is juvenile, along with the language and much of the book covers skill advancements that I became so bored with I would skip chunks of the book. I honestly am mystified at the positive reviews of the novel. To state it simply, this is a bad book.
I vowed not to read on of these chaos seed books again but unfortunately, in a moment of weakness, I did. This book is just plain boring. The humour is juvenile, along with the language and much of the book covers skill advancements that I became so bored with I would skip chunks of the book. I honestly am mystified at the positive reviews of the novel. To state it simply, this is a bad book.
June 28, 2017
In 5 days I read books 1-6. Yes. It is that good. The audiobooks are garbage (I skipped ahead every time the character advanced in skill/level). But the book itself is excellent.
I also felt as though the main character was getting everything handed to him very easily in the earlier books, but as other characters have begin to foreshadow, there maybe an underlying reason for the rapid changes and his fortunate luck.
I also felt as though the main character was getting everything handed to him very easily in the earlier books, but as other characters have begin to foreshadow, there maybe an underlying reason for the rapid changes and his fortunate luck.
September 6, 2020
7,25/10
A esta sexta entrega le subo la nota y las estrellas con respecto a los anteriores, ya que me ha entretenido bastante y a pesar de su extensión en ningún momento me ha aburrido.
Sus pros y contras son los de siempre, le falta profundidad en muchos aspectos, tampoco creo que sea lo que busque el autor, la historia avanza muy muy lenta, pero al mismo tiempo hay bastante acción y siempre suceden cosas interesantes
Continuaré con la saga cuando me haga con el siguiente libro.
A esta sexta entrega le subo la nota y las estrellas con respecto a los anteriores, ya que me ha entretenido bastante y a pesar de su extensión en ningún momento me ha aburrido.
Sus pros y contras son los de siempre, le falta profundidad en muchos aspectos, tampoco creo que sea lo que busque el autor, la historia avanza muy muy lenta, pero al mismo tiempo hay bastante acción y siempre suceden cosas interesantes
Continuaré con la saga cuando me haga con el siguiente libro.
February 11, 2017
Aleron Kong continues to absolutely kill it with The Land series. A lot of litRPG series tend to lose the RPG side after a couple of books, but The Land: Raiders is still going as strong as the first five books.
This instalment has some epic battles & some downright brutality from Richter as he struggles to realise what it means to be a Chaos Seed. There were some very confronting moments that show how much the series is growing & evolving & I can't wait to read more!
Recommended to anyone & everyone who wants a good, solid litRPG series as this is one of the best. Keep 'em coming Aleron.
GNOMES RULE!
This instalment has some epic battles & some downright brutality from Richter as he struggles to realise what it means to be a Chaos Seed. There were some very confronting moments that show how much the series is growing & evolving & I can't wait to read more!
Recommended to anyone & everyone who wants a good, solid litRPG series as this is one of the best. Keep 'em coming Aleron.
GNOMES RULE!
February 9, 2017
Freaking Amazing
This book was super fast paced,exhilarating, and a great step in increasing the depth of the world that the author is frantically assembling within our view,lol the only problems I have is that I cannot begin reading the next book.
This book was super fast paced,exhilarating, and a great step in increasing the depth of the world that the author is frantically assembling within our view,lol the only problems I have is that I cannot begin reading the next book.
July 9, 2017
The Land just keeps getting better.
Aleron has done it again. With the sixth installment of The Land series we see Richter and friends continue to grow in power, while also learning more about the land as a whole and seeing the forces at play in the periphery. It's great when your only complaints about a book are occasional editing succulents the fact that you've caught up to the front of the series and cannot voraciously consume these novels with an utter disregard for the time it takes to craft them. Keep up the amazing work. I cannot wait for book 7!
Aleron has done it again. With the sixth installment of The Land series we see Richter and friends continue to grow in power, while also learning more about the land as a whole and seeing the forces at play in the periphery. It's great when your only complaints about a book are occasional editing succulents the fact that you've caught up to the front of the series and cannot voraciously consume these novels with an utter disregard for the time it takes to craft them. Keep up the amazing work. I cannot wait for book 7!
February 25, 2017
Awesome!
This book of the series was just Great!. I found the last one a bit slow but this one has redeemed the whole series.
It is full of action, but action is not the only thing great about it, The decisions are smart, the story makes sense, the world is evolving, our hero is developing. Very cool, unexpected and awesome things happen.
Gives a lot to look forward to in the next books. Can't wait for book 7!
Go Aleron!
This book of the series was just Great!. I found the last one a bit slow but this one has redeemed the whole series.
It is full of action, but action is not the only thing great about it, The decisions are smart, the story makes sense, the world is evolving, our hero is developing. Very cool, unexpected and awesome things happen.
Gives a lot to look forward to in the next books. Can't wait for book 7!
Go Aleron!
April 22, 2018
So, after reading 1-6 books i find a few things weird.
1- There is no Swarm, there is no Raid, there is no Alliance, the names of the books has nothing to do with what is actually is in the book.
2- For a "high level" MMORPG player the MC is obviously a horrible MMORPG player, the MC Halts his own level progression when he can power level with a %xp skill, and he just Stop his own leveling, because he is fucking stupid.
3- After 6 books, ALL of the character skills/spells are weak, how? Just how the hell the MC spends 150 days in this "World" and he is so weak in every way.
4- Opponents levels and difficulty make no sense. Battle with a lv 35 opponent ? The fight is easy as f.... for the MC. Battle with a bunch lv 12~15s ? OMFG people almost die, people ACTUALLY DIE when there is two lv 30+ in their party for a bunch lv 12-15 monsters. This makes no freaking sense.
5- Every freaking time the MC says "Its time to grind" HE'S NOT GOING TO GRIND, the author has no idea what is to GRIND, the MC just keep doing the same thing he was doing before.
6- Every really powerful character is a healer, just that... and how these character got to be so strong/master level no one knows... they are Master Level alone... and they are healers....thats just stupid.
7- The MC forgets really good spells, he just forget. Mind control ? He forgot after book 4... Grease ? he just forgot he can do an instant fire pit thing. The sleep spell ? also forgotten....
The world is great, most of the characters are good, but reading the 6 books and reading all the time that the Author calls himself "The Father of the LITRPG" makes me cringe every time since obviously has no idea what an actual RPG player would do in a RPG. The Main character stops his LVL progression for 2 whole books...The character almost die to monsters that are half his level, and easily kills monsters that are way above his level...Makes 0 sense.
1- There is no Swarm, there is no Raid, there is no Alliance, the names of the books has nothing to do with what is actually is in the book.
2- For a "high level" MMORPG player the MC is obviously a horrible MMORPG player, the MC Halts his own level progression when he can power level with a %xp skill, and he just Stop his own leveling, because he is fucking stupid.
3- After 6 books, ALL of the character skills/spells are weak, how? Just how the hell the MC spends 150 days in this "World" and he is so weak in every way.
4- Opponents levels and difficulty make no sense. Battle with a lv 35 opponent ? The fight is easy as f.... for the MC. Battle with a bunch lv 12~15s ? OMFG people almost die, people ACTUALLY DIE when there is two lv 30+ in their party for a bunch lv 12-15 monsters. This makes no freaking sense.
5- Every freaking time the MC says "Its time to grind" HE'S NOT GOING TO GRIND, the author has no idea what is to GRIND, the MC just keep doing the same thing he was doing before.
6- Every really powerful character is a healer, just that... and how these character got to be so strong/master level no one knows... they are Master Level alone... and they are healers....thats just stupid.
7- The MC forgets really good spells, he just forget. Mind control ? He forgot after book 4... Grease ? he just forgot he can do an instant fire pit thing. The sleep spell ? also forgotten....
The world is great, most of the characters are good, but reading the 6 books and reading all the time that the Author calls himself "The Father of the LITRPG" makes me cringe every time since obviously has no idea what an actual RPG player would do in a RPG. The Main character stops his LVL progression for 2 whole books...The character almost die to monsters that are half his level, and easily kills monsters that are way above his level...Makes 0 sense.
March 3, 2020
Rating 4.0.
Re-listened March 2020. I liked Richter more in this book. He didn't make any stupid decisions. I wish the odds were a little more realistic though.
Initial Review below:
Well that's the end of book 6. I have been listening to this series non stop for the last month and now I have finished the last book. I know they just came out with book 7, but it is not available on audiobook yet, so I have to wait to continue the series. I have noticed a trend in these books. It seems like every odd book, the majority of the story if set aside building up strength and resources. Every even book is spent dealing with problems. The majority of this book was spent dealing with goblins. The mist village and the sprites go to war! I still think Richter takes too many insane chances, but not as much as in the previous books. I still don't know if what is happening is based on any kind of grand plan, or if it is random (chaotic). Richter is of a chaos seed (whatever that really means). Not much else to write at this point. You probably would read this book unless you liked the first 5 books, and by this point what you see (read) is what you get.
Re-listened March 2020. I liked Richter more in this book. He didn't make any stupid decisions. I wish the odds were a little more realistic though.
Initial Review below:
Well that's the end of book 6. I have been listening to this series non stop for the last month and now I have finished the last book. I know they just came out with book 7, but it is not available on audiobook yet, so I have to wait to continue the series. I have noticed a trend in these books. It seems like every odd book, the majority of the story if set aside building up strength and resources. Every even book is spent dealing with problems. The majority of this book was spent dealing with goblins. The mist village and the sprites go to war! I still think Richter takes too many insane chances, but not as much as in the previous books. I still don't know if what is happening is based on any kind of grand plan, or if it is random (chaotic). Richter is of a chaos seed (whatever that really means). Not much else to write at this point. You probably would read this book unless you liked the first 5 books, and by this point what you see (read) is what you get.
May 7, 2023
I still enjoy the first 6 or so of these but I can see in this one where it starts to go downhill and get too repetitive. 7 is alright, but 8 is so horrible. I think I'll stop here on my re-reads and just enjoy having re-read the earlier ones.
=====
Another wonderful re-read. I adore Richter, and Sion and Alma. I don't know that I'll re-read the next yet, since it sits at over 47 hours on audio. I think I need to read some other stuff for a while.
===========
Re-read completed 10/27/18 - So glad I re-read it before reading the new book. While I retained most of the previous books, this one didn't stick with me as much. Now, the mammoth waits for me. Who knows when I'll start to read the 47 hour audiobook!! Looking forward to it though.
Love love. Argh the end. How long must I wait for more?!?!
=====
Another wonderful re-read. I adore Richter, and Sion and Alma. I don't know that I'll re-read the next yet, since it sits at over 47 hours on audio. I think I need to read some other stuff for a while.
===========
Re-read completed 10/27/18 - So glad I re-read it before reading the new book. While I retained most of the previous books, this one didn't stick with me as much. Now, the mammoth waits for me. Who knows when I'll start to read the 47 hour audiobook!! Looking forward to it though.
Love love. Argh the end. How long must I wait for more?!?!
December 6, 2017
Love this Book Series! I am into LitRpg lately and have been reading a lot of the other books in that genre. But these book series tops them all... its funny, exciting and the best part you won't get bored reading it again and again. Which i usually do... With these books i still find the lines funny even if i have already read it before. All i can say is: Try It! You definitely won't regret it. Give the Audiobook a try too!
May 31, 2019
The last half of this really picked up and was hard to put down. Finally got past some of the administrative parts and into some bigger battles.
November 8, 2017
Like his protagonist 'Richter', Aleron Kong does it once again. He goes from strength to strength. From Book 1 of 'Chaos Seeds' through to the present day, the protagonist has gone from a position of feebleness to one of focused and increasing power. One might say; 'the ultimate power gamer', because to do otherwise would mean defeat and obscurity.
Kong writes these stories, clearly appealing to those who have played tabletop Role Playing Games, in a way that appeals to the 'power-gamer' in all of us. Just as Richter has progressed from a neophyte to become an increasingly powerful master of himself and his wards in the Mist Village, so has Kong; in the confidence of his writing style and the devotion of his fans. Metaphorically, his 'villagers'... you (and I), the reader, have joined in this journey and become empowered by it.
Kong himself states that he writes in a way in which he himself would want to engage with a story and this clearly has the desired effect on his reader-base who share with like-minded friends. These are books in which one can immerse oneself and actually become Richter. However, it is not all plain-sailing, Richter has become the hunted as well as the hunter, he has bled and suffered and in doing so - despite his penchant of returning from an otherwise terminal demise, has become the better man for it, giving credence to the adage "What does not kill you makes you stronger." although in Richter's case, the hypothetical becomes the factual.
Kong's literary style does not compare well to others', but one can confidently state that his mastery of the written word has improved in a similar manner to such as J.K. Rowlings and Christopher Paolini whose debut writing styles were almost naive in their simplicity. Kong's 'Chaos Seeds' have made a similar journey and have become literarily more proficient at each iteration.
This makes for compulsive reading with the added benefit that, unlike authors, such as George R.R. Martin, we do not have to wait for an average of 4 years between books. Publication of book 7 is looming (at the time of writing this review) and represent approximately 3 years of work. Let us hope that Kong continues this proliferation of novels and continues to improve his works in terms of literary style and reader engagement. This is one reader who waits avidly for the next episode and will be equally excited to receive each subsequent episode in an increasingly epic story.
Kong writes these stories, clearly appealing to those who have played tabletop Role Playing Games, in a way that appeals to the 'power-gamer' in all of us. Just as Richter has progressed from a neophyte to become an increasingly powerful master of himself and his wards in the Mist Village, so has Kong; in the confidence of his writing style and the devotion of his fans. Metaphorically, his 'villagers'... you (and I), the reader, have joined in this journey and become empowered by it.
Kong himself states that he writes in a way in which he himself would want to engage with a story and this clearly has the desired effect on his reader-base who share with like-minded friends. These are books in which one can immerse oneself and actually become Richter. However, it is not all plain-sailing, Richter has become the hunted as well as the hunter, he has bled and suffered and in doing so - despite his penchant of returning from an otherwise terminal demise, has become the better man for it, giving credence to the adage "What does not kill you makes you stronger." although in Richter's case, the hypothetical becomes the factual.
Kong's literary style does not compare well to others', but one can confidently state that his mastery of the written word has improved in a similar manner to such as J.K. Rowlings and Christopher Paolini whose debut writing styles were almost naive in their simplicity. Kong's 'Chaos Seeds' have made a similar journey and have become literarily more proficient at each iteration.
This makes for compulsive reading with the added benefit that, unlike authors, such as George R.R. Martin, we do not have to wait for an average of 4 years between books. Publication of book 7 is looming (at the time of writing this review) and represent approximately 3 years of work. Let us hope that Kong continues this proliferation of novels and continues to improve his works in terms of literary style and reader engagement. This is one reader who waits avidly for the next episode and will be equally excited to receive each subsequent episode in an increasingly epic story.
April 15, 2017
Excellent!
No author in the LitRPG category shines like Kong does. The story is excellent, with action, drama, humor, and a continued progress and complexity that makes it almost impossible to put down. I defy any reader to know for sure where the story goes from one moment to the next.
Likewise the characters: their personalities are strong and unique: no 2D cut-outs here! But they grow, they change, like any good characters should. Their interactions are real, and the frequent humor in odd places is as welcome as it would be in any action movie.
Also a very strong "Respect" for the editing! 5/5 stars there! No homonyms, no grating phrases, no shocking tense, gender, or spelling errors. Awesome. Just the smooth reading flow other authors might miss. This is important, because editing is a chore. It takes so much time to polish a story you're eager to hand off to a long-suffering fan base, but there's no substitute for quality. This is a polished piece of work.
Finally, the RPG element. Too many authors use it poorly, where you do not feel a connection to "the system", or it's so strong that there's little personality to the story and characters. Not so here! There's a perfect blend of system activity and definition coupled with an openness that makes it all feel right. You do feel like anyone could do or learn anything here, but that there are strong rules and controls surrounding it.
Another problem LitRPG stories can have is too many system messages, obviously used to fluff up the word count and/or to hide poor work. Once again Kong does this very well, where when a bulk of messages appear it's due to strong character advancement, and he uses ellipses to skip unnecessary repetition. (I wish all LitRPG authors did this!) He also shows us character sheets when appropriate: just before or after important changes, or for new (and usually important) NPCs. The stat sheets are done so well that they're worth reading, and even welcome.
This is still a relatively new genre, and each good author has a unique voice, and Aleron Kong is singing with the best of them. I highly recommend this book and the series to anyone.
No author in the LitRPG category shines like Kong does. The story is excellent, with action, drama, humor, and a continued progress and complexity that makes it almost impossible to put down. I defy any reader to know for sure where the story goes from one moment to the next.
Likewise the characters: their personalities are strong and unique: no 2D cut-outs here! But they grow, they change, like any good characters should. Their interactions are real, and the frequent humor in odd places is as welcome as it would be in any action movie.
Also a very strong "Respect" for the editing! 5/5 stars there! No homonyms, no grating phrases, no shocking tense, gender, or spelling errors. Awesome. Just the smooth reading flow other authors might miss. This is important, because editing is a chore. It takes so much time to polish a story you're eager to hand off to a long-suffering fan base, but there's no substitute for quality. This is a polished piece of work.
Finally, the RPG element. Too many authors use it poorly, where you do not feel a connection to "the system", or it's so strong that there's little personality to the story and characters. Not so here! There's a perfect blend of system activity and definition coupled with an openness that makes it all feel right. You do feel like anyone could do or learn anything here, but that there are strong rules and controls surrounding it.
Another problem LitRPG stories can have is too many system messages, obviously used to fluff up the word count and/or to hide poor work. Once again Kong does this very well, where when a bulk of messages appear it's due to strong character advancement, and he uses ellipses to skip unnecessary repetition. (I wish all LitRPG authors did this!) He also shows us character sheets when appropriate: just before or after important changes, or for new (and usually important) NPCs. The stat sheets are done so well that they're worth reading, and even welcome.
This is still a relatively new genre, and each good author has a unique voice, and Aleron Kong is singing with the best of them. I highly recommend this book and the series to anyone.
September 7, 2017
I've always had a hard time finding books that I truly love, but these books just hit the spot for my reading appetite! I just started reading these books about a week or so ago, but I'm also a fast reader. That doesn't mean that I don't pay attention to every detail:) I love how much aleron kong pays attention to the community of his fans. That's what make writers great authors. And I can definitely see that Aleron is one. Especially with the father of litrpg award. I'm not going to give away any spoilers to the book btw if your looking through reviews for one. I guess I'd like to say that I hope you keep writing awesome books and I wish you the best of luck for book seven. I hope the community of fans you have will help you reach awesome hights. I know it might not be much, but leaving just a review like I did goes a long way, so write a reiview like I did because it helps a lot:)
Best of luck, Cassidy Cosgrove
P.S. I don't write many reviews so I'm sorry if I made any grammatical mistakes or some parts sounded cheesy. Also I was writing some parts to the author if he reads this and some parts for the readers and people looking at the reiviews. Just incase you got confusedXD
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( -.-)
o_(")(")
[insert bunny noise here]
Best of luck, Cassidy Cosgrove
P.S. I don't write many reviews so I'm sorry if I made any grammatical mistakes or some parts sounded cheesy. Also I was writing some parts to the author if he reads this and some parts for the readers and people looking at the reiviews. Just incase you got confusedXD
(\(\
( -.-)
o_(")(")
[insert bunny noise here]
March 7, 2017
Hugely enjoyable, entertaining, gripping read!
First, thank you, Mr. Kong, for your efforts, creativity, and talent. I've become deeply immersed in your universe with no chance of escape and where the only pain that exists is the interminable wait for the next book to be released.
I experienced just about every emotion reading this latest work and finished the book happy, stunned and panting for more!
I am most grateful for being able to experience your world and wish you luck, happiness, continued success and, most importantly, health so that you may continue to enthrall us with your tales!
First, thank you, Mr. Kong, for your efforts, creativity, and talent. I've become deeply immersed in your universe with no chance of escape and where the only pain that exists is the interminable wait for the next book to be released.
I experienced just about every emotion reading this latest work and finished the book happy, stunned and panting for more!
I am most grateful for being able to experience your world and wish you luck, happiness, continued success and, most importantly, health so that you may continue to enthrall us with your tales!
February 4, 2017
Fast paced fantasy gaming continuation
If you are looking at the reviews of book 6, you probably already read the other books. As usual this is great reading. The book takes off exactly where we left Richter in the book 5 and spans next coming 2-3 days. It is action packed and the book lives up to its name this time. As usual Richter makes an impact on the land and maybe we are starting to see the contours of where the series are heading to, there are higher beings that are very interested in his actions.
If you are looking at the reviews of book 6, you probably already read the other books. As usual this is great reading. The book takes off exactly where we left Richter in the book 5 and spans next coming 2-3 days. It is action packed and the book lives up to its name this time. As usual Richter makes an impact on the land and maybe we are starting to see the contours of where the series are heading to, there are higher beings that are very interested in his actions.
February 13, 2017
Clicks pen and nods
Hey, what else can I say? It's another excellent entry into the series. A bit shorter than I'd have liked yes but then again when a book is good they're always a bit shorter than you'd like. I would have liked a bit more character growth and side plot but as most of the main cast were off ranking up that couldn't be helped on the good side we got to see the MC evolving as a leader and a warrior though, it kind of makes up for thing. All in all like I've said it's another excellent entry. Another good read.
Hey, what else can I say? It's another excellent entry into the series. A bit shorter than I'd have liked yes but then again when a book is good they're always a bit shorter than you'd like. I would have liked a bit more character growth and side plot but as most of the main cast were off ranking up that couldn't be helped on the good side we got to see the MC evolving as a leader and a warrior though, it kind of makes up for thing. All in all like I've said it's another excellent entry. Another good read.
July 20, 2018
Alright I am totally done with this Series now. I don't know what the author is thinking have the time, some of this crap the MC pulls out of his ass is amazing and dumb. On top of that we have the stat and skill reviews that are incessant; half which do not matter and most readers will not remember and that is about 20% of the book, just like the last. The author and the MC suffer from a story that keep dragging on without really getting anything done and the MC is STILL acting like a total dbag most of the time which has gotten god damn annoying.
November 7, 2017
Yet another great installment to the series. This time around the reader gets shown that The Land is more complex than we had previously realized, which is saying something. I look forward to reading everything else this author writes.
November 27, 2017
I need book 7
Now i need number 7. It look me less then 10 hours to read this keep up the good work. Please sir may i have more.
Now i need number 7. It look me less then 10 hours to read this keep up the good work. Please sir may i have more.
November 28, 2017
Chaos!
Well written. Good book. Time to read the next one. Waiting for him to work with the kobold egg and the new skaths.
Well written. Good book. Time to read the next one. Waiting for him to work with the kobold egg and the new skaths.
December 5, 2017
Can't wait for book 7
March 19, 2018
Dropping my ratings until the author drops his attempts to trademark the term litrpg (which he didn’t create) and stops calling himself the father of American LitRPG (which he isn’t)
September 3, 2018
Heard about this online, with the caveat that you'll love it or hate it, the stat-based repetition.
On book 5 now, and have some comments, and potential spoilers after.
Initially was very interested in the story from the ominous outset, and through the book. Interesting take on having the character know his stats, alignment, etc. After the 1st-2nd book, it truely has worn out its welcome and I assume most people like myself just skip past and get to the end where the protagonist goes "Wow, this one thing is cool....".
Secondly, after the second person of power this guy meets happens to be a woman, who threatens him and his sprite companion (who happens to have his bow drawn) on with a rolling pin, it made stop and think if this was going to start going the way I hoped it wouldn't.
Well, later happened to google the author and of course he speaks about how he really embraces the SJW beliefs, etc.
Personally, I don't often bother reading books with strong or noticable SJW, as I am looking for an escape and not political or moral preaching.
The author here keeps it somewhat low-key however, and the interesting world, magic, situations have so far been enough to keep me moderately entertained.
In books 3,4 and5 though, we start seeing more and more of this evident when after cold bloodedly murdering a thief, he states that the 'ends justify the means'. At a later point there is momentous discussion, and someone of respect says that she not sure if it is right or wrong, however she will swear fealty to him because it is clear that "he is an Agent of Change".
Along with this, the protagonist frees a bunch of non-humans, and brings them to his place of power. They've been given a choice, become little more than indentured servants for a year, or be left in the city where they will be undoubtedly recaptured.
All along throughout the books, its very apparent that the protagonist mirrors the author in almost every way. From medical school, through SJ beliefs, etc.
I get the impression the author is having a blast, and in some ways it is an interesting story.
Of course, the really interesting part for the reader is when you read a few google hits from/about the author, and then compare it to what you've read.
An African-American author who extolls SJW philosophy who was raised as part of the 1%, is beyond privileged and had the rare opportunity in life to become an actual MD I believe.
Beyond that though, is although he espouses SJW, the first 4 books his character also acts like teen/man-children where any woman who isn't a Feminist figurehead is looked at because of her 'heaving bossoms', 'nice rear-end', 'silken thighs', etc. Wasn't aware that was accepted SJW beliefs, nor was the wink-wink, nod-nod joking about how a particular hotel was the best because it was full of prostitutes. I would have thought that women who are so berefit of skills that they've had to sink to the lowest of lows and sleep with any guy with coin is more considered sexploitation, and not just by SJW's.
I'm assuming that something must have happened though, because in book 5 things are a bit different, and all the standard guy talk relating to gay innuendo teasing that is actually common-place in the real world has stopped, and the main character ends up being bi-attracted to a high charisma brother and sister pair of beast masters, and besides not caring about which one he ends up with, also ends up with a 3-some with them, and narrowly misses a wished for 4-some.
Kind of a hard 180' turn from 4 books before, so perhaps someone in the SJW hierarchy called him out.
As I said at the beginning, the novel feature of the characters being aware of their actual stats, and the incessant repeating of them at every level up, or change of status does become something you will start to hate.
And you'll really hate it because this guy can't take a dump without leveling up!
In old school D&D, this book would be referred to as a Monty-Hall adventure.
The protagonist from the outset is told that he can not die. He can be killed, however he'll just 'respawn' at one of his safe spawn spots, usually with the loss of a few levels. That right there kind of defeats any real worry you could ever feel for the guy...
The Mony Hall aspect is not only with the rediculous advancement this guy makes, but it also is obvious in the way the adventure/quests occur.
The new village Smith needs metals to make weapons for his people, so of course the quest ends with him finding a metric -hit ton of high steel, moon-metal, cobalt, etc. What a coincidence.
He needs something else, and what do you know, his next quest finds almost exactly what he needs...
Again its funny when one of his agents brings back another 100-200 people in need, and the protagonist quips that 'oh, so like they're refugees...'.
So he magnanimously accepts them, however later on he actually starts doing the numbers on his financials, and realizes what he has been paying to support his original inhabitants.
And that an additional 1-2/3's more he can't afford!
So the newbies are all welcomed, with the same restrictions on not leaving for year, preferential treatment if they bend the knee and swear fealty to him, however they get to live and work there for free.....
Seriously, this author is a Doctor? I'm rolling on the floor with the self-inflicted wounds this guy is doing to himself.
The author would probably -hit a brick and be out protesting if Trump were to decree that Mexicans can come into the country and work, however can not get any sort of aid... Wait, isn't that sort of one of the planks of SJW philosophy?
OK, long story short.
For Fantasy, this is cotton-candy that will probably raise your blood-sugar for not nutritional benefit. A lot of the world and encounters are enough to keep oneself interested, on a D&D Level 1-2 level of Power of Storytelling.
For those with limited time to expend on reading, and looking for a good bang for you buck, or bang for your time, this is a 1xD20 roll..... Certain Fail!
For those who are pro-SJW, you will want to read this and the author says all the Right things. However, you'll probably find more than a few things that are Patriarchial, Mansplaining-ish, misogynistic, homophobic, Small-Peopled-istic, etc, etc. For all of the effort one sees when one googles sci-fi and sjw, wherein there was a call to action for SJW authors across the internet to flood the genre and affect a Change, I'm thinking you'll end up wanting to eat this author alive for being such a poseur.
For those who are not looking for SJW indoctrination, but plain fantasy, sci-fi, etc works with an emphasis on the story, you probably want to check the websites of authors you've enjoyed before for suggestions, or the Dragon Awards (until they are hijacked as well).
For those who want some interesting reading. and like politics, and like seeing what a meta-joke is, in the making, this is an excellent starting point.
I wanna feel sorry for the author on one level, because I follow all of his jokes, I get them on their level, and I know that he has put a lot of effort into his work, honest work. Sometimes I like juvenile humor, when its appropriate.
Regardless of the interesting-ness of the world, monsters, etc, everyone is 1 dimensional, or 1.5 dimensional at most. The villagers he professes to be willing to die for, he cares nary a whit for unless they can help him get an x% build or productivity boost to this or that state.
I think the work really is the wish of the author and reflects what/how he thinks he would act if he really were whisked off to another reality.
Aside from the SJW act, underneath it all it is about what he wants, period.
There are no greater ideals, democracy, etc. Its all about him knowing whats best, and since he has the power, he will bend you to his will, although in the nicest possible fashion.
I'm gonna keep reading simply for many of the reasons above, and because a friend loaned me the series so I'm not out anything but time
On book 5 now, and have some comments, and potential spoilers after.
Initially was very interested in the story from the ominous outset, and through the book. Interesting take on having the character know his stats, alignment, etc. After the 1st-2nd book, it truely has worn out its welcome and I assume most people like myself just skip past and get to the end where the protagonist goes "Wow, this one thing is cool....".
Secondly, after the second person of power this guy meets happens to be a woman, who threatens him and his sprite companion (who happens to have his bow drawn) on with a rolling pin, it made stop and think if this was going to start going the way I hoped it wouldn't.
Well, later happened to google the author and of course he speaks about how he really embraces the SJW beliefs, etc.
Personally, I don't often bother reading books with strong or noticable SJW, as I am looking for an escape and not political or moral preaching.
The author here keeps it somewhat low-key however, and the interesting world, magic, situations have so far been enough to keep me moderately entertained.
In books 3,4 and5 though, we start seeing more and more of this evident when after cold bloodedly murdering a thief, he states that the 'ends justify the means'. At a later point there is momentous discussion, and someone of respect says that she not sure if it is right or wrong, however she will swear fealty to him because it is clear that "he is an Agent of Change".
Along with this, the protagonist frees a bunch of non-humans, and brings them to his place of power. They've been given a choice, become little more than indentured servants for a year, or be left in the city where they will be undoubtedly recaptured.
All along throughout the books, its very apparent that the protagonist mirrors the author in almost every way. From medical school, through SJ beliefs, etc.
I get the impression the author is having a blast, and in some ways it is an interesting story.
Of course, the really interesting part for the reader is when you read a few google hits from/about the author, and then compare it to what you've read.
An African-American author who extolls SJW philosophy who was raised as part of the 1%, is beyond privileged and had the rare opportunity in life to become an actual MD I believe.
Beyond that though, is although he espouses SJW, the first 4 books his character also acts like teen/man-children where any woman who isn't a Feminist figurehead is looked at because of her 'heaving bossoms', 'nice rear-end', 'silken thighs', etc. Wasn't aware that was accepted SJW beliefs, nor was the wink-wink, nod-nod joking about how a particular hotel was the best because it was full of prostitutes. I would have thought that women who are so berefit of skills that they've had to sink to the lowest of lows and sleep with any guy with coin is more considered sexploitation, and not just by SJW's.
I'm assuming that something must have happened though, because in book 5 things are a bit different, and all the standard guy talk relating to gay innuendo teasing that is actually common-place in the real world has stopped, and the main character ends up being bi-attracted to a high charisma brother and sister pair of beast masters, and besides not caring about which one he ends up with, also ends up with a 3-some with them, and narrowly misses a wished for 4-some.
Kind of a hard 180' turn from 4 books before, so perhaps someone in the SJW hierarchy called him out.
As I said at the beginning, the novel feature of the characters being aware of their actual stats, and the incessant repeating of them at every level up, or change of status does become something you will start to hate.
And you'll really hate it because this guy can't take a dump without leveling up!
In old school D&D, this book would be referred to as a Monty-Hall adventure.
The protagonist from the outset is told that he can not die. He can be killed, however he'll just 'respawn' at one of his safe spawn spots, usually with the loss of a few levels. That right there kind of defeats any real worry you could ever feel for the guy...
The Mony Hall aspect is not only with the rediculous advancement this guy makes, but it also is obvious in the way the adventure/quests occur.
The new village Smith needs metals to make weapons for his people, so of course the quest ends with him finding a metric -hit ton of high steel, moon-metal, cobalt, etc. What a coincidence.
He needs something else, and what do you know, his next quest finds almost exactly what he needs...
Again its funny when one of his agents brings back another 100-200 people in need, and the protagonist quips that 'oh, so like they're refugees...'.
So he magnanimously accepts them, however later on he actually starts doing the numbers on his financials, and realizes what he has been paying to support his original inhabitants.
And that an additional 1-2/3's more he can't afford!
So the newbies are all welcomed, with the same restrictions on not leaving for year, preferential treatment if they bend the knee and swear fealty to him, however they get to live and work there for free.....
Seriously, this author is a Doctor? I'm rolling on the floor with the self-inflicted wounds this guy is doing to himself.
The author would probably -hit a brick and be out protesting if Trump were to decree that Mexicans can come into the country and work, however can not get any sort of aid... Wait, isn't that sort of one of the planks of SJW philosophy?
OK, long story short.
For Fantasy, this is cotton-candy that will probably raise your blood-sugar for not nutritional benefit. A lot of the world and encounters are enough to keep oneself interested, on a D&D Level 1-2 level of Power of Storytelling.
For those with limited time to expend on reading, and looking for a good bang for you buck, or bang for your time, this is a 1xD20 roll..... Certain Fail!
For those who are pro-SJW, you will want to read this and the author says all the Right things. However, you'll probably find more than a few things that are Patriarchial, Mansplaining-ish, misogynistic, homophobic, Small-Peopled-istic, etc, etc. For all of the effort one sees when one googles sci-fi and sjw, wherein there was a call to action for SJW authors across the internet to flood the genre and affect a Change, I'm thinking you'll end up wanting to eat this author alive for being such a poseur.
For those who are not looking for SJW indoctrination, but plain fantasy, sci-fi, etc works with an emphasis on the story, you probably want to check the websites of authors you've enjoyed before for suggestions, or the Dragon Awards (until they are hijacked as well).
For those who want some interesting reading. and like politics, and like seeing what a meta-joke is, in the making, this is an excellent starting point.
I wanna feel sorry for the author on one level, because I follow all of his jokes, I get them on their level, and I know that he has put a lot of effort into his work, honest work. Sometimes I like juvenile humor, when its appropriate.
Regardless of the interesting-ness of the world, monsters, etc, everyone is 1 dimensional, or 1.5 dimensional at most. The villagers he professes to be willing to die for, he cares nary a whit for unless they can help him get an x% build or productivity boost to this or that state.
I think the work really is the wish of the author and reflects what/how he thinks he would act if he really were whisked off to another reality.
Aside from the SJW act, underneath it all it is about what he wants, period.
There are no greater ideals, democracy, etc. Its all about him knowing whats best, and since he has the power, he will bend you to his will, although in the nicest possible fashion.
I'm gonna keep reading simply for many of the reasons above, and because a friend loaned me the series so I'm not out anything but time
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