Defiance of the Fall 8

Defiance of the Fall #8

by TheFirstDefier, J.F. Brink

The Twilight Ocean holds unfathomable treasures, but you need strength to seize them.

Just after arriving in Twilight Harbor, Zac finds himself enlisted by the Draugr Catheya to participate in a once-in-a-millennium trial. The rewards are exactly what he needs to advance his cultivation.

But danger goes hand in hand with opportunity. Zac will be pitted against not only the local elites but talents of B-grade factions. Furthermore, the Twilight Ascent is not what it seems.

Fate is gathering. Ancient forces are sharpening their swords, their eyes trained at the chance for ascension.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Science Fiction, Action

748 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2023

Reviews

[Matthew Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I wonder about this series

I look forward to books from this series being released. I don't know what it is, but I've been a huge fan until recently. I think this book especially, and one or two before it, are starting to drift from what made the first books so delicious. Plus the magic system is getting way too busy for me.

Nodes, hidden nodes, soul aperture, avatars, shards, it's crazy. Maybe it's just me but I can't keep track of all this on top of the skills he's now modifying. Maybe if I read the whole series from the start every new release, but who has time for that???

There's also too much explaining going on. I don't care what every random treasure he takes does inside his body. Paragraphs and paragraphs about warm fuzzy feelings dancing around metaphysical inner workings? Unnecessary.

And what is it with all the treasures? Oops I've suddenly got this problem but don't worry, this treasure I found a long time ago but never mentioned will take care of that! If he has a problem, and he immediately solves this problem with some random thing he has secreted on his body, then he has no problem. Better off just skipping it altogether, it's ridiculous.

I still give the story 3 stars, I read every page and I'm still looking forward to the next book.

Please. PLEASE. Problems are meant to build tension in a story. For more than one paragraph.

And I'm not smart enough for your magic system. Be gentle

[Dev Adrian S.♍ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's getting repetitive. The Dao, fate, karma all these terms are overused when the mc just goes around with an axe beheading ppl...Lol

[Sensei_cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanto el séptimo como éste me han parecido más flojos que los anteriores y no es que sobresalieran. Si los anteriores tenían 3,5/5 que redondeé a 4/5. Estos últimos se van derechos a 3/5.

El protagonista es un ariete que todo lo soluciona a base de fuerza bruta, el cerebro lo ponen sus aliados, y eso hace que le falte chispa a estos libros. No hay mucha sutileza en solucionar siempre los problemas reventando todo a hachazos.

Ojo, que son divertidos en el sentido de que todo el rato están pasando cosas. Pero o bien está estirando el chicle o bien me lo está pareciendo a mi. En cualquier caso pongo en pausa estos libros, cosa que tenía que haber hecho en el 7º, que hay un momento genial para parar.

[m1245 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok better than last book
Not much about technocrat which is really good. First half is a nice and dynamic start. Then it get repetitive as last couple of book with super matriarch setting the pace and the MCs follow like a puppy. There is still a bit to much ramble about and inventing super events and things. Would be better is it was kept simple and less is more. Too much is also plot armored events, particular items and treasure, also the magic system is created around the plot which makes it a cluster. Hope you can save that. The last complaint is the ending dragging out a mystery realm/trial toooo long. Gives a bad taste and my good will is wearing thin to this story.

[Alexander Widar · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5
Didn't quite manage to capture my attention and my mind wandered off at times, which made it hard to follow.
Many tremendouses and decimates.
Still I want to continue to see what happen so it's got something going for it!

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it, but...

There's many little things. Snort.
I've found that many indie authors have issues measuring. Snort. Attacks can reach hundreds or thousands of meters, but they have to move right next to each other? Or they get knocked back tens of meters, but can jump hundreds of meters. Snort. And the scale of some of the things that are described kind of throws me off, such as a fish with teeth, the size of mountains, snort.

Something else that drove me nuts with this latest entry was the overuse of certain words, snort. You may have noticed one word appearing repeatedly in my, snort, review. It was almost this bad in the book. If you took a drink every time the word "snort" was used, you drink yourself to death halfway through the book. Guffaw, snicker, snicker, chuckled. There are many other words that can be used besides snort or snorted. Unless I missed the part where everybody's half pig?

Going back to measuring, keeping track of things is just non-existent. Money, items, treasure, health, various kinds of energy; it's all made up and doesn't matter. It makes it fun in a superhero kind of way, but at the same time, I never once feared that a problem wouldn't be solved by throwing an unlimited number of things at it. Because of that, there's no tension or suspense; you know the issue isn't going to be a problem for long.

I'm going to keep reading the series. I've just come to accept this is a quest for power and an empire builder, but has nothing to do with survival or gaining strength. Everyone will always survive, problems will be solved with some magical McGuffin pulled out of an infinite sack, and any stat numbers are made up purely to say this is a litRPG.

[Steve Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.0 stars

By this point in a series it gets really hard to write reviews. Am I supposed to write about this specific book or the series as a whole? Unless there is a complete shift in tone or direction then what was written in the previous books is probably still accurate in this one. Zack spent the whole time in this one either preparing to enter the Twilight competition. Things go pretty much as it has always gone for Zack. A bunch of people use him and try to control him. He ends up being both way more powerful and less powerful than other people all at the same time. There are parts that are very interesting and parts that are pretty boring. The creation and oblivion shards are always my least favorite. For me it is because there really isn't a plan. It is just something that is happening to him and he has to keep going but he has no idea what to do or how to get a good outcome. The whole series is about people finding their own paths but for Zack it seems like a lot of things are thrown at him and he does what he needs to do in order to survive. It really isn't a path that he chose though, just one that he finds himself on. Overall this series is what it is. There are no surprises.

[Luis Cajales · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive and stagnant

Not interesting characters, always the same structure, through all the series. he cannot win, he is terrible pain and get a random power up and its very slow and repetitive. You can skip all of this scenes (the same over and over again) meaning half of the books and still understanding perfectly. It could be a 300 pages book qnd it should be a lot better.

[Shonari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of this off-world arc.

[Robert J Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books 1-6 I thought were really good, Book 7 I think lost its way a bit but was still good. This book (book 8) was...... Not the best. Very little story progression at all in this book, probably 70 % came across as a training manual more than a story. If I'm honest it didn't really read like the same person wrote this book. No flow like the first 6 books just as you think it's starting to pick up pace it gets bogged down many many pages of training upgrades and meditation then thoughts on more upgrades and the word Dao is used far too much in the first half of the book. I used to pre order this series every time I finished the new one But Unfortunately this time round I won't. I really liked the series but this book was a struggle to read compared to the last 7.

[Jed · Rating 2 out of 5]

More an anatomy book than a story

I over the last couple of books the author spends more and more time talking about Zack’s cultivation and his thought processes and inspiration than he does about the story progression. There is very little that happens in terms of story. If you enjoy extensive internal monologues, then you’ll probably enjoy the book. If you like stories that progress, and have deep characters, you will not.

[M L Brooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

The end

This is the last of this series I'll be reading, I tried to hold on but I found myself skimming through huge sections of this one just waiting for something interesting to happen. No having your MC sit in a cave and just magical get stronger isn't interesting especially when it happens like a dozen times in one book.

[Jeffing · Rating 5 out of 5]

No, this series isn't flawless, but I thoroughly enjoy the journey it takes me on and the world (multiverse) it immerses me in. This should be when most of the Earth storylines have been resolved and we get to some really good arcs... elsewhere.

[Tayshon Doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the twilight ocean a lot. The adventures and obstacles Zac faced had me tuned in non stop. It was nice to have Catheya and Zac adventure together and hope there is more of it.

[Roberto Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seems to have given up on Earth, it is just a standard cultivation book.

Doing obvious things with no care as to consequence, lying and cheating for every step, constantly looking for more power. This MC is just a standard collimator, no different from any other books noble scion. This has lost the flavor from the first few books. His power isn't due to personal choice but due to an artificial bloodline. On its own, this is fine. A four star cultivation book. As the direction for the wires, two stars at best.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: "Defiance of the Fall #8" continues a beloved series but struggles with overcomplicated magic systems, excessive details, and a lack of satisfactory plot resolutions, although it retains its original storytelling charm. The book remains an enjoyable read for series fans, but may overwhelm with its intricate details and diminished sense of suspense. 3.5/5

"Defiance of the Fall #8" is a continuation of a series that I have eagerly anticipated with each release. However, the latest installment seems to have drifted from the elements that initially drew me in. The magic system, which was once a captivating aspect of the series, has become overly complex and difficult to follow. With an ever-expanding list of elements like nodes, hidden nodes, soul apertures, avatars, shards, and more, it feels like a chore to keep track of everything on top of the protagonist's skill modifications.

One of my gripes is the excessive detailing, particularly regarding the protagonist's internal experiences with treasures. While some level of explanation is necessary, the book often gets bogged down in paragraphs explaining the minutiae of warm sensations and metaphysical interactions, which seems superfluous.

The over-reliance on conveniently found treasures to resolve conflicts also detracts from the story's tension. It feels like every problem is quickly solved by some previously unmentioned item, reducing the sense of danger or challenge.

Despite these criticisms, the series retains its charm with an original story and world. The book keeps you curious about what will happen next, but the magic system's complexity often overshadows the plot. The book's attempt to constantly add new elements to the system, including editing skills, reincarnations, and various types of nodes, feels overwhelming. This complexity is especially problematic in audiobook format, where skimming through dense technical jargon isn't an option.

Furthermore, the story's pacing suffers from a lack of resolution. Important plot arcs stretch unnecessarily over multiple books, leading to a feeling of dissatisfaction at the end of this installment. While the variety of characters and the limited point-of-view shifts are commendable, the story's lack of a significant climax in this book is a letdown.

Additionally, there are inconsistencies in the narrative, such as disproportionate scales of attacks and movements, and an overuse of certain words, which can be jarring. The book's approach to stats, items, and money feels arbitrary, removing any sense of risk or suspense.

[laughingzebra · Rating 3 out of 5]

These really are fun books. The story/world feels pretty original and I’m always curious about what’s going to happen next.

But oh my goodness has the magic system spiraled out of control. There is way too much involved in it. I’m a big fan of LitRPG, so I obviously enjoy the listing of titles and development of skills, etc. But it’s become so complicated that I’ve started zoning out. I couldn’t list the skills anymore because there are just too many. I’m listening to percentages of growth within channels vs nodes vs special nodes vs seeds vs remnants vs whirlpools and all I want to know is what’s happening with the characters. Some are missing. Some are wandering the ocean floor and fighting for stuff. I just want to know what’s going on. When did reincarnations become a thing?? Why are there suddenly new ways to edit skills? Why does this editing have to require the equivalent of a PhD in genetic recombination to understand? There is some great suspense to the plot but it just gets so bogged down.

This a relatively minor issue in the scope of the books, and it probably wouldn’t bother me so much if I was reading and could skim. But I’m in the audiobook and it’s becoming overwhelming. By now, I want a character to have a set of skills I can understand during fight scenes. The MC has a really interesting construction and just doesn’t need the extra stuff constantly being added on.

MINOR SPOILER That leads to my second issue: this part of the story should have been concluded in this book. Even in long series, the books should be written with a climax and resolution. There is absolutely no reason for one trial to span multiple books. Many hours of technical jargon could have been removed and plenty of time would’ve been available to finish this thing. With this book I feel like I put the work into the massive build up and didn’t get anything in return at the end. There really isn’t even any way to spoil this book. Nothing terribly interesting happened.

It’s definitely worth reading. I still really enjoy the variety of characters. I like that the POV doesn’t change very frequently for very long. With long series, plots tend to get complicated and convoluted, but this story doesn’t have that problem. But don’t expect much satisfaction with this particular book.

[Manolo Macchetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dopo il numero precedente in cui si sono chiuse molte sottotrame ( o sono stati preparati dei time skip). Ecco una sorta di nuovo inizio: nuovo mondo, livello di avversario a livello planetario / cosmico, mostri millenari.

Cosa ne penso:
dopo un paio di numeri un po’ deboli si ritorna alla grande. Zac fa quello che gli riesce meglio: porta caos e distruzione, oblivio e creazione. Il respiro “cosmico” di questo numero è davvero molto interessante e mi fa ben sperare per come l’autore ha pensato al world building. Anche se ci sono molti combattimenti, questo numero è focalizzato sulla crescita: copre due anni di storia e ci sono anche alcune sottotrame.

Come al solito finisce con un cliffhanger e come al solito glielo si perdona perché ha già dato molto nelle 650 pagine precedenti. Numero solidissimo per gli amanti della saga.

https://senpaibestia.com/tutto/jf-bri...


la trama in breve (piccoli spoilers):
Zac con le tasche gonfie di soldi si trova finalmente in un mondo integrato col Sistema da milioni di anni. Ad attenderlo ci sarà un altro trial, alcuni quest potenzialmente letali e come al si troverà coinvolto in giochi di persone più grandi di lui. Ma piano piano Zac sta davvero diventando una vera potenza e la sua doppia natura di vivente e non-morto gli darà quel vantaggio in più per portarsi a casa i premi… e lo mette primo nella lista dei ricercati.

[John-Torleif Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zac is determined to defy all of the Powers that Be

It’s amazing how petty and rather short sighted cultivators can be in the Multiverse. Uona didn’t fare well after their first encounter, and it’s fairly evident that Arcaz Black has only gotten stronger since then. Does she honestly believe that she stands a chance against him if he uses that same energy against her again? Especially since she can’t use the item she has! It’s of no use to her other than to make him angry at her. Also, why would anyone not trust their reader of fate when they warn that someone has an aberrant ability in a time of such upheaval?

I liked that Zac is gaining breadth and depth to his development rather than simply forging through levels to get as high as possible. Will doing so now enable him to power through early steps in his next evolution? Is he ahead of the pack in developing his soul space? Or does everyone at Peak E-rank have the beginnings of what has to be their inner world?

I have to wonder about the ending point of this book. Will the next one take place entirely in the Twilight Realm? If so, will the pacing be able to remain as we’ve seen in the last few books?

[Urhierefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literal Chaos
This book is a good one but there is still room for improvement in the general direction of the story.

I feel like the defiance of the fall as a series is interesting but due to the lack of a storyline apart from the multiverse and reaching unknown heights if does even count the story is starting to get... let me say boring. And the book is simply lacking in the character department, I like Zac very much but the whole of this book can't be solely focused on just him, Bring back characters like ogras and make him a main character instead of the funny side character, you can make even make them a duo... maybe not a team but focus on both of them and the book lack character communication that feels like real human beings talking. And, the romance is just terrible, there is nothing romantic in the romance of this story and the characters never even get into conversations that make them look like friends, it is always just business.

And about the storyline, the book needs a storyline. Something that will show the readers a possible endpoint that doesn't end in the author cancelling the book because he finally ran out of steam.

[Abidaymi Agidee-A · Rating 1 out of 5]

Between the snorting and soliloquy, one realises how much of the enjoyment has been driven by the missing side characters and thier personalities that their absence is noticed. And the lack of serious character development of the MC becomes obvious.
And the MC moves from protagonist to antihero to narcissistic goodness knows what.

The dialogues invokving Zac struggle to flow or engage despite and would have been interesting but are too often interrupted by unnecessary expositions about Zacs thoughts, what options he considered but... and how one would have expected him to do x but..., and how he would previous have done y but..., how others would have said or thought x but..., and then this is what he is doing and thinking and ruminating about and he has questions.... then the conversation attempts to continue.

Lots of ex-machina, one can read half a chapter and skip the next 2 and a half coz you know how it's going to end. Went along in the hopes of finding out what happened to Billy et all but they spend time telling us what characters one doesn't care about are thinking and planning but the ones we do learn to care about get not much dedicated to them.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Defiance of the Fall 8 is a major step up, and the first book in a while that I would consider pretty close to being great. There's a bit of a fetch quest element to this book which can wear a little, but the characters are interesting enough, the world is expanding, and we're seeing an additional cast to accommodate. Meeting another of Zac's predecessors in the Tower of Eternity was pretty good, and twilight energy was an interesting gimmick for this type of story. I found the forced flirtation/unrequited romance angle to be weird and out of place. Lots of good things here, although a lot of the same generation power houses seem to be a bit... underdeveloped. Depending on how well they are handled, the vastness of the universe could very easily become uninteresting. Hopefully Brink will keep up the good work.

[Joe Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than book 7 but I'm worried this series has lost its magic. Overall the book was good, but not reaching the same heights as books 1 through 6.

This book was all focused on Zack as he did a delve of an underwater realm in the Twilight Kingdom. Where the other books focused on Zack and several of his friends, they were all absent here, though it seems they'll return soon-ish. The first part was all about Zack buying new skills and levels before undergoing the challenge, which just felt like a way to make action scenes more interesting/less repetitive.

Ends with Zack getting towards the end of the 3-year underwater challenge. He's heading towards a big battle with several of the other top challengers

[Thai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m honestly not sure why I’m still continuing this series. Defiance of the Fall 8 feels like a retread of the tower arc from the previous book—battle bad guys, find treasure, grow stronger, repeat. When Zac is off on his own, encountering new people and challenges, the story feels repetitive, one-dimensional, and frankly, boring.

Where the series truly shines is when Zac is back with his crew on Earth. Their interactions add much-needed depth, character development, and emotional stakes to the story, making it feel more alive and dynamic. Without them, the narrative loses a lot of its heart and feels like just another grind.

I’m still holding out hope that the story picks up again and recaptures some of the earlier magic, but right now, it’s struggling to keep me fully invested.

[Tyrel Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is just an unearned plot-armoured powerup training montage.

The last 2/3's are just, oh this happened to me now let me power up A, oh now look what happened, the super rare item I happened to run into, lets power up B and C. Ohhh gosh why don't you look at that special flower I happen to find in the next room, power up brrrrrrrrr

Oh gosh Rick, how come we're finding so many once in a life-time items?

Oh look, I'm joining with 1k points and the top tier has 500k, I'll be happy to get in the 10k+ rank. Ohhh, I'm ranked 1 now with millions, lucky me.

Then it ends basically cliffhanging what it's built up in the book and fading to a - to be continued.
Meh.

[Horia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is the quintessence of the love-it-or-hate-it formula. On one hand you should definitely avoid starting the series with this book as the whole story needs a lot of build-up. On the other hand, if you reached this entry in the series, you must definitely love it, and everything I write here is non-essential.

I rate this entry in the top half of the series so far.
As it's the custom, the action picks up exactly from where the last book ended, and it reads continuously, with no preamble, intro or review of past events.

The action takes place in a pocket dimension called "the twilight ocean" and it's all about the preparation-for and the rollout-of a battle royale event spanning 3 years with a 10M+ roster.

The cultivation is rolling, the world is strange and original (for this series), the action scenes are mostly solid, and the machinations and world/universe politics are spinning fast.

There are two major weak points with this entry.
The first is the same as with all the other "trial" episodes, where the story is 99% centered on Zac and there's no mention of any of the supportive cast.
The second is the major cliffhanger ending. I do expect a lot to happen in the next 10 to 15 chapters and I felt cut off from a rewarding proper ending. Mehhh!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros: The author continues to progress the protagonist at good rate and keep the plot fresh. I keep asking exciting questions about how he is going to overcome the next big challenge. There is plot armor but it’s also a LiTRPG and to be expected, I don’t think it detracts from the story in any way.

Con: He finds a ton of magic treasures. A few is great but it seems like he stumbles on them left and right. Also, the magic system is getting a little overly complicated.

Over all I really enjoyed the direction the story is going.

Will he be conquering a new world soon/freeing it from an evil tyrant???

[Ken Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and characters, but lots of exposition

I've enjoyed following the characters thru so many adventures and watching them advance. The author has a tremendous imagination and provides excellent descriptions of both the environments and combat. The only thing that I find as a drawback is the amount of exposition. There were times it felt like an explanation went on several paragraphs beyond the point where the reader should fully understand. At that point I'd have to skim forward to where the exposition ended and the story came back online.
Still, this is a series well worth reading and I anxiously await the next installment.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far this is my least liked book of this series. Up until this point I've felt like Zac and Port Atwood have had the moral high ground but this book steps away from it and you see a more fully integrated Zac. Power is all that matters and while he may feel bad about it that wont stop him. I guess that's point but for me it's hard to root for someone when it's ambiguous who's the good guy. And something is hinted at for the next book I assume happening back at earth that baffles me they would consider with what they personally just went through in the past five years. I guess that's why they call it the Ruthless Heavens.

[Jameson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting good again

After the last book, this one is much more coherent. I still think he needs some overall editing help as the story is a bit dis-jointed and has a lot of false leads and stories that lead no where. The deus ex machina is getting a bit tiresome too, he always has the exact thing needs in his pouch, i like planning and cunning, but we saw none of it, just basically zac grabbing something from his pack to solve the issue.

Still its a good book, the series is getting back into its stride.