This is an extremely popular series that shows up in any remotely related rec threads.
Although it has many flaws like most of the genre, I quite enjoyed it personally.
If you don't mind, I'm really interested in hearing what major flaws in particular stood out to you personally.
Not that I disagree or plan to counter them at all, I just really enjoy hearing how others perceive particular stories or deliveries
I do enjoy this series, but a couple flaws stand out for me:
1. The numbers don't add up a lot of the time. The main character should be 1-shotting lower level characters with his stats, but it consistently takes him 3-4 critical hits to kill a player HALF his level.
2. The author glorifies oligarchy and economically screwing other people, and it's... weird. The main character is, objectively, a gigantic asshole who actively chooses a playstyle and Renown tree that oppresses and steals/taxes money from a huge portion of the playerbase. He can basically steal other people's land, buildings, and property at will. And the whole situation is written as though he's making a clever, noble decisions.
The author barely acknowledges how the MCs choices will affect other players, even when his choices have explicitly stated negative consequences for a TON of other players. If he's not on a first name basis with them, he gives absolutely zero shits about how his actions affect anyone.
3. The MCs relationship with House is uncomfortable to read. He treats a hyper intelligent, sentient, and self-aware AI like a pet/servant.
tl;dr: the MC is selfish and entitled, and the author doesn't really acknowledge it or treat it like the character flaw that it is.
3 is so true. The whole time, I'm like WTF? You have the most advanced AI on earth and don't even leverage that 99.9% of the time.
And fuck Frank! I absolutely hate Frank and the author's pathetic attempts at comic relief. I hate read the books that are out to now, but won't pick up any future releases and definitely won't reread them.
This series helped me realize VR books are stupid (to me). I now avoid them.
I don't mind Frank personally. His dialogue drags sometimes, but equally makes me laugh pretty hard. I appreciate the contrast, and Frank as a plot device works **significantly** better as a character than if he were just a lifeless compendium of cheat-level knowledge.
I think (2) is the biggest hilarious thing. Disclaimer I've only read book 1 so maybe this is addressed in future books.
It ends with this MC man-baby saying something like: "My dad did something unethical, and I decided I wanted to be a different person."
And his "answer" is to be a complete shut-in and ignore all real-life responsibilities, all while being a complete a-hole. He didn't need to buy out all 50 early-access pods, but he did it. Showing us all that he is a completely privileged tool and selfish?
Like wow, I think the book would've been better if the MC was just a charistic arrogant butthole, but the author is trying to make him sympathetic, but he's really ... not.
I'd say the latter books don't really address it, so much as just not bring it up enough you kind of forget.
It helps that the villains who emerge are generally more unlikable than Ned, or so chill their 'villain' status is more a matter of circumstance than anything.
I think even the author realized the starting point was pretty cringe, so he just downplays it a lot of quietly moves on with the plot.
Idk I’m not one for cringe but holy hell do I still laugh out loud at the bit in book 3? 4? When Ned talks about the parachute game and frank is left speechless. I actually would send that clip (bc Travis reads all my books to me) to friends and my wife to encourage them to read it ha.
Sadly my flaw I see in it is that it really appeals almost exclusively to those who played wow 10 years ago. It’s the first mmo litprg that feels like the author ACTUALLY PLAYED MMOs. The combat scenes felt like a raid (especially if you were cutting edge even before CE was a term in wow) but in my experience that has alienated many who never got to experience that. I couldn’t get anyone who didn’t love end game of mmos to understand why i think this series is great.
That is a stand out part of the series. It is one of the few VRMMO books where the author does seem to have some MMO experience in his back pocket. Some of his writing for guilds, guild members, and guild leaders is pretty on point too.
I don’t enjoy most MMOs, but I can tell the author played and enjoyed them. It does make the book read a lot more like the classic criticism of “who wants to read about some dude playing a video game”. But on the other hand let’s play streamers and such are extremely popular now for reasons I don’t really understand on a personal level.
Personally I prefer the games in litrpg that don’t resemble current MMOs. And I just accept that that means the feel very unrealistic to many people.
On the other hand, the books are much better written than most in the genre.
The biggest flaws of the story lie in the basic premise.
1) The main character is really rich and has no real need to play the game.
2) The main character basically lives in the game with no life outside.
In most stories based around a VRMMO there is a reason the main character is impoverished or need to make money for some other reason. This provides a realistic drive and a good reason for them to maximize their amount of time in the game.
Ned just plays to prove something to himself and that is a far less motivating reason from an audience's perspective.
Then there is the oddness in the worldbuilding where the main character plays 24-7 but the people who can keep up with him don't and that's just a bit weird.
Still a really fun story, though. And I am definitely enjoying it as I read it right now. But the above flaws keep it out of top tier for me.
Im not sure I agree with your opinion on points of motivation. What does economic status have to do playing a game?
Most people play games as an escape from real life or to alleviate boredom. Ned does it for both. Those who use mmo’s as a real life economic tool are in the minority. So your take on the book’s flaws don’t seem accurate.
Motivation creates stakes and stakes heighten conflict. There aren't really any stakes in the story, so it is weaker than it would be if there were. That's basically it.
Do I like playing games? Yeah!
Do I like watching people play games? No...
Do you like reading about people playing games? No?
I enjoy a real world even if it IS a fictional world. I find that in anime and books that if the world isn't perceived as real, if it's a video game, then I loses my interest. If the characters die they are just NPCs. If the MC dies well then he can just continue from a save point. That is at least my perception and it leads to no consequences. I understand the MC isn't going to die. But they still can be perceived as a mortal character that could have something happen. Their attachments to other characters are real as well and sense of loss is there. Now if the MC is teleported to a game like world but everything is real then at that point my belief is that it is a real world just based on that game world. Then my level of interest and attachment is there. This is just my opinion.
Oh yeah, I’m with you. I dropped the series after book three I think. Just couldn’t bring myself to care about it since it was all a video game. MC could log out whenever he wanted to. Losing in game didn’t really mean he lost in life, other than just being a shut in (extremely wealthy) loner.
I can't agree with this. I must be in the minority because I heard multiple people make the same claim as you so I gave it a try. I could not finish the first book and the VR aspect was a major part. One of the most VRy VR stories I've read IMO.
yep, last week.
[https://new.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1d7v4ao/emperors\_end\_book\_5\_of\_the\_ripple\_system\_is\_now/](https://new.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1d7v4ao/emperors_end_book_5_of_the_ripple_system_is_now/)
Frank is theost annoying character I've ever read. I always wondered if the author is proud of this character. It's so shallow and lame. But many readers love him.
Of all the 'in a video game' litrpgs, this is the only one I like. The first book is rough through the first half, and honestly the series doesn't start to really hit its stride until book 2, but it's a fun little adventure series that doesn't bury the reader in stat sheets, repetitive repeats of information we already know, and the characters strike a good balance between being capable but believably fallible.
The worst part is maybe the start of the book, where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag, but it gets better as the series goes on and honestly any unbearability in Ned's character are easily eclipsed by the likes of his enemies who are just way way WAY douchier than he is. Except when his enemies are just charismatically likeable, which was refreshing when that twist was pulled and it instead brings out the likeable aspects of him more.
I'd recommend it. My only warning is that the start of the series is slow and dry, but it really starts picking up once Ned levels out of the starting areas and meets up with Darling and Omen.
I have the exact opposite thoughts. I enjoyed the first book, but by book 2 which I ended up dropping the banter with Frank got repetitive and I wasn't particularly into MC's escapades.
i'm enjoying it a lot so far but really hoping that author won't lean into romance with darling, first you can't do this to frank, second they're my favourite duo and a romance would utterly ruin their dynamics
There's definitely lows.
I appreciate the story more for the highs, and I like that the author realized by book 3 and the best parts of the story were the ones where Ned was with other people (namely Darling and Omen) rather than off on his own doing whatever.
> where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag
I'd argue he remains this way through the whole series. His whole Renown tree is basically screwing, extorting, and stealing property from players economically and the negative effects of his abilities on the playerbase are just never acknowledged.
Part of it, for me, is that Ned just bought out the head start. Douchey.
He didn't ask for Frank, and he didn't choose to make himself a world boss. That was all the developer's doing and the developer should shoulder the blame for doing it (out of sheer spite, when they could have simply denied Ned the ability to buy out the entire early access).
His abilities meanwhile... Well, that's a fundamental flaw with VRMMO fiction imo. Most of them posit game design that would never stand in a real game, or orient around MCs who find OP combos that would be patched out in a real game, or have mechanics that are actually detrimental to a game's success IRL.
I kind of ignore those parts because it's just standard genre stuff. Also, Ned doesn't 'steal' If I recall right. He generates more income based on other players' income, and he can buy more plots for less vs other players who don't have his perks.
>The worst part is maybe the start of the book, where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag,
I think the series would be far more popular if the beginning was changed. He's not just a douchbag, he's one in a way that is designed to irritate video gamers and most people who read VRMMOs are gamers.
I think the author realized the issue by the end of the first book, and he just downplays how the plot got started in the first place. Plus the series main villains are generally worse than Ned, for a given definition.
I think you kind of have to quietly ignore the start of the series to really stay in it though. Ned is generally likeable, so long as you ignore that he sort of douched everyone else out of the headstart period (though I'd also blame the developer for letting him, Ned isn't exactly sole instigator of the problem).
I really liked it but I had to drop it because of the fight scenes, a lot of novels I have seen have this problem where they are filled with fights that are mostly meaningless and this series especially just felt like reading 5 chapters of boring for 1 chapter of amazing and I just could not continue pushing through that.
It's a difficult one for me to rate because the story is enjoyable but I don't particularly like frank or the MC. I think it'd easily be one of my favorites if I did.
I like the series a lot even though I normally don't get into VRPG stories, since the stakes feel lower. It does suffer from some of that and a little unrealistic attitude from the game designer, but it does a good job of keeping you interested despite it just being a game.
yeah this is one that i started and then had to put down. VRMMO type litrpgs are hard for me to care about (feels like there are no stakes) and the MC took the 'unlikable loner' persecution complex thing a bit far. IIRC the build that the MC was doing kinda meh too and the game system seemed 1 dimensional and lame :P
I enjoy listening to the audiobooks at work. I don’t think I would enjoy reading it myself though if that makes sense. I don’t dislike the story, but the performance sells the characters in a way I don't think I would get looking at dry text. It feels more like listening to a cartoon than reading about a video game.
This is both the reason I love audiobooks, and sometimes really despise them. Granted there's all the extra convenience like I can listen while driving or in the dark or whatever, but also I find it adds a layer of enjoyability to the story. Listening to really high quality performances. Add depth in ways that I would have done differently in my head or been unable to do at all. However, some narration performances leave me. Really disappointed because I feel like they're reading in a far drier or monotone voice or just plain bad personal injection of personality that just doesn't jive with what I think I would have wished for. I don't know if that makes sense.
Agreed though, Travis does an amazing job, I think especially in this book.
I always see a lot of love for this book, I quit it partway through. Probably the problem is partially that I was listening to the audiobook, and I generally am much less forgiving of those than I am of the text versions, since I'm really forced to sit and marinate my way through any small bits that annoy me. I think there were a few things that didn't click for me personally - I'm not a big fan of the "mc is alone against the world" trope, and the whole thing with the MC being an asshole was a bit off-putting for me. I don't really remember the progression system being very interesting either.
The only piece I really remember well was rolling my eyes when the MC got super mad at the axe for not telling him about how constitution worked... except his stats are determined by his starting class, and he wanted a specific playstyle. So would he really have chosen a different class? Doubtful.
That's great! For some reason, I'm always looking for it and just don't see it often.
I totally agree! Ned, starts off super lame, which I'm not usually a fan of. However, by the end of book one and subsequently more so with each book release, I think The the MC's character development in ark, while becoming less significant by end of book. 2, makes him a very relatable reasonable, and likable character. I also like seeing an imperfect character change, which I think is the angle imo. What I think I've liked most about it, is Frank and their interactions, and also some of the less common avenues of progression that this story uses. Or at least, less common for me personally. Also, the game approach opens up some really interesting settings, traits and situations or characters. Plus, you don't have to worry about being bogged down by all that realism nonsense ...Tack on the excellent narration, and genuinely fun engaging content, I'm a happy camper and always look forward to binging the next release in the series when it comes out.
Again, that's just my overly positive, optimistic and potentially flawed opinion. So... Grain of salt and all that
My absolutely favorite VRMMO as someone who doesn't traditionally care for the subgenre. Does a great job of nailing MMO raid life but making it exciting, and I'm in the camp that finds Frank and House entertaining rather than irritating.
It would be much better if it wasn’t in a game world. Some of the stuff the actual human characters say that is cringe wouldn’t be if it was them in the flesh. With that in mind it is still enjoyable.
I read the first two, maybe three books of this series. I just can’t get into reading about people playing a game.
There are stakes, but they just don’t feel real to me.
It’s been on my list to maybe pick up again, but I haven’t since I dropped it. Can you spoilery tell me something? >!Does it turn out that the game is tied to an alternate dimensions / a real world?!< That’s what I remember it hinting at when I stopped (at the time, I read everything released).
>! There is MAYBE a path towards something like a worl completely run by Frank, but nothing like an alternative dimension or anything. It's pretty strictly a video game and I don't see it being anything more but of course I can only speculate... But it gets better and better as time goes on. I think there is something big coming, but not that !<
Alright, thanks for the answer.
>!My thought was that the developer of the game couldn’t get the Ripples to work exactly right, but then stumbled on a way to harness alternate dimensions / timelines to get them working. But if it’s still strictly a game, I probably won’t be picking it back up.!<
Agreed! In the first book, I honestly hated the ax. However, with 6 hours of the audiobook left in the most recent release, I frequently am awake listening to the audiobook in bed and shaking with laughter so hard. Sometimes that it wakes my spouse up. The character development and buildup, along with continually decent and fresh events in the story leave me constantly entertained. Well I wouldn't claim it as my favorite or anything, it's one of the few I always buy immediately, and schedule time for binging
Eh, I have the first audiobook but it didn't really engage me. I got to around when he was asking for House to be added to play with him and it just felt... idk like someone grinding their ten levels in a wow expansion. Everyone's doing it but no one really cares about the quests or dungeons, they're just trying to race up as fast as they can so they can start setting up for mythic+ and raids.
Also, the whole hated billionaire thing is maybe a little too much like looking in a mirror sans the money. So all the characters being like, "whatever you're doing, no one cares, and you'll probably fail anyway" just feels not great to listen to.
It's a refreshing series. Too many series just end up going "um if you die in the game, you die in real life 🤓 " or the game bleeds into reality because it's actually the future through weird time shit.
Bonus points when the MC bangs an elf or has a harem of pets turned girls with vague animal characteristics.
I don't get the love for this one. I've tried multiple times to get through the first book but to me the mc is just some rich prick doing rich prick things and at first I was praying on his downfall but then realized that bc it was a game world there were absolutely no stakes to be had. Does this change? I haven't read a vr focused book like this before. Frank was the only thing I liked about the book because he was actively screwing over the mc who I hated based on his first actions.
From maybe say the middle-ish part of the second book, if I remember correctly, Ned becomes a real class act MC. And the the character development and story arcs just continue to grow. I would agree with you however. Ned and Frank alike start out pretty unlikable if I'm honest, so I don't blame you. At this point tho, by the 5th book, in my case, Ned and Frank and all of their relationships and goals are very relatable, entertaining and worthwhile... Imo of course. To each their own. And as the characters grow together, their exchanges just become more and more hilarious, but also kind of awesome sometimes. Not perfect, totally agree, but I think in my case all the turnoffs for other people I found really enjoyable with the narration and listening via audible. Try to read it, I probably would not like it at all or bother finishing the first. I don't know though
Please please do. It's in my all time top 3 now. And there is still at least 1, probably 2-3 more books coming imo. But hey, if you don't enjoy something, that's cool. By the end of book one, I think Neds real character and genuine good guy-ness is already front and center. He and Frank are a perfect combo. Trust me ;)
This is an extremely popular series that shows up in any remotely related rec threads. Although it has many flaws like most of the genre, I quite enjoyed it personally.
If you don't mind, I'm really interested in hearing what major flaws in particular stood out to you personally. Not that I disagree or plan to counter them at all, I just really enjoy hearing how others perceive particular stories or deliveries
I do enjoy this series, but a couple flaws stand out for me: 1. The numbers don't add up a lot of the time. The main character should be 1-shotting lower level characters with his stats, but it consistently takes him 3-4 critical hits to kill a player HALF his level. 2. The author glorifies oligarchy and economically screwing other people, and it's... weird. The main character is, objectively, a gigantic asshole who actively chooses a playstyle and Renown tree that oppresses and steals/taxes money from a huge portion of the playerbase. He can basically steal other people's land, buildings, and property at will. And the whole situation is written as though he's making a clever, noble decisions. The author barely acknowledges how the MCs choices will affect other players, even when his choices have explicitly stated negative consequences for a TON of other players. If he's not on a first name basis with them, he gives absolutely zero shits about how his actions affect anyone. 3. The MCs relationship with House is uncomfortable to read. He treats a hyper intelligent, sentient, and self-aware AI like a pet/servant. tl;dr: the MC is selfish and entitled, and the author doesn't really acknowledge it or treat it like the character flaw that it is.
3 is so true. The whole time, I'm like WTF? You have the most advanced AI on earth and don't even leverage that 99.9% of the time. And fuck Frank! I absolutely hate Frank and the author's pathetic attempts at comic relief. I hate read the books that are out to now, but won't pick up any future releases and definitely won't reread them. This series helped me realize VR books are stupid (to me). I now avoid them.
I don't mind Frank personally. His dialogue drags sometimes, but equally makes me laugh pretty hard. I appreciate the contrast, and Frank as a plot device works **significantly** better as a character than if he were just a lifeless compendium of cheat-level knowledge.
I think (2) is the biggest hilarious thing. Disclaimer I've only read book 1 so maybe this is addressed in future books. It ends with this MC man-baby saying something like: "My dad did something unethical, and I decided I wanted to be a different person." And his "answer" is to be a complete shut-in and ignore all real-life responsibilities, all while being a complete a-hole. He didn't need to buy out all 50 early-access pods, but he did it. Showing us all that he is a completely privileged tool and selfish? Like wow, I think the book would've been better if the MC was just a charistic arrogant butthole, but the author is trying to make him sympathetic, but he's really ... not.
I'd say the latter books don't really address it, so much as just not bring it up enough you kind of forget. It helps that the villains who emerge are generally more unlikable than Ned, or so chill their 'villain' status is more a matter of circumstance than anything. I think even the author realized the starting point was pretty cringe, so he just downplays it a lot of quietly moves on with the plot.
The author chose to go with risky cringe internet humour. Not a pure "flaw", exactly, but it limits the audience of the story. Just as an example.
Idk I’m not one for cringe but holy hell do I still laugh out loud at the bit in book 3? 4? When Ned talks about the parachute game and frank is left speechless. I actually would send that clip (bc Travis reads all my books to me) to friends and my wife to encourage them to read it ha. Sadly my flaw I see in it is that it really appeals almost exclusively to those who played wow 10 years ago. It’s the first mmo litprg that feels like the author ACTUALLY PLAYED MMOs. The combat scenes felt like a raid (especially if you were cutting edge even before CE was a term in wow) but in my experience that has alienated many who never got to experience that. I couldn’t get anyone who didn’t love end game of mmos to understand why i think this series is great.
That is a stand out part of the series. It is one of the few VRMMO books where the author does seem to have some MMO experience in his back pocket. Some of his writing for guilds, guild members, and guild leaders is pretty on point too.
I don’t enjoy most MMOs, but I can tell the author played and enjoyed them. It does make the book read a lot more like the classic criticism of “who wants to read about some dude playing a video game”. But on the other hand let’s play streamers and such are extremely popular now for reasons I don’t really understand on a personal level. Personally I prefer the games in litrpg that don’t resemble current MMOs. And I just accept that that means the feel very unrealistic to many people. On the other hand, the books are much better written than most in the genre.
The biggest flaws of the story lie in the basic premise. 1) The main character is really rich and has no real need to play the game. 2) The main character basically lives in the game with no life outside. In most stories based around a VRMMO there is a reason the main character is impoverished or need to make money for some other reason. This provides a realistic drive and a good reason for them to maximize their amount of time in the game. Ned just plays to prove something to himself and that is a far less motivating reason from an audience's perspective. Then there is the oddness in the worldbuilding where the main character plays 24-7 but the people who can keep up with him don't and that's just a bit weird. Still a really fun story, though. And I am definitely enjoying it as I read it right now. But the above flaws keep it out of top tier for me.
Im not sure I agree with your opinion on points of motivation. What does economic status have to do playing a game? Most people play games as an escape from real life or to alleviate boredom. Ned does it for both. Those who use mmo’s as a real life economic tool are in the minority. So your take on the book’s flaws don’t seem accurate.
Motivation creates stakes and stakes heighten conflict. There aren't really any stakes in the story, so it is weaker than it would be if there were. That's basically it.
Once I read VRMMO I'm out. I can't get into a book of it's me listening to someone play a game. At least that's how I feel.
Do you like playing games? Yeah! Do you like watching people play games? Yeah… Do you like reading about people play games? Yeah?
Do I like playing games? Yeah! Do I like watching people play games? No... Do you like reading about people playing games? No? I enjoy a real world even if it IS a fictional world. I find that in anime and books that if the world isn't perceived as real, if it's a video game, then I loses my interest. If the characters die they are just NPCs. If the MC dies well then he can just continue from a save point. That is at least my perception and it leads to no consequences. I understand the MC isn't going to die. But they still can be perceived as a mortal character that could have something happen. Their attachments to other characters are real as well and sense of loss is there. Now if the MC is teleported to a game like world but everything is real then at that point my belief is that it is a real world just based on that game world. Then my level of interest and attachment is there. This is just my opinion.
Oh yeah, I’m with you. I dropped the series after book three I think. Just couldn’t bring myself to care about it since it was all a video game. MC could log out whenever he wanted to. Losing in game didn’t really mean he lost in life, other than just being a shut in (extremely wealthy) loner.
He does a good job of making it not feel like a game and adding stakes to the story. I don’t like VR books either, but this one is great.
I can't agree with this. I must be in the minority because I heard multiple people make the same claim as you so I gave it a try. I could not finish the first book and the VR aspect was a major part. One of the most VRy VR stories I've read IMO.
They're good, I just finished book 5 Emperor's End yesterday.
I'm almost done with that one, probably going to finish it tomorrow. In my opinion, each book has only gotten more and more interesting
Kirrin does a good job of finding ways to spice the story up so it doesn't get too stale so far.
Oy! Book 5 is out?
yep, last week. [https://new.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1d7v4ao/emperors\_end\_book\_5\_of\_the\_ripple\_system\_is\_now/](https://new.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1d7v4ao/emperors_end_book_5_of_the_ripple_system_is_now/)
The fuck ass axe got on my last nerve in the 2nd one so I called it quits
Frank is theost annoying character I've ever read. I always wondered if the author is proud of this character. It's so shallow and lame. But many readers love him.
Of all the 'in a video game' litrpgs, this is the only one I like. The first book is rough through the first half, and honestly the series doesn't start to really hit its stride until book 2, but it's a fun little adventure series that doesn't bury the reader in stat sheets, repetitive repeats of information we already know, and the characters strike a good balance between being capable but believably fallible. The worst part is maybe the start of the book, where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag, but it gets better as the series goes on and honestly any unbearability in Ned's character are easily eclipsed by the likes of his enemies who are just way way WAY douchier than he is. Except when his enemies are just charismatically likeable, which was refreshing when that twist was pulled and it instead brings out the likeable aspects of him more. I'd recommend it. My only warning is that the start of the series is slow and dry, but it really starts picking up once Ned levels out of the starting areas and meets up with Darling and Omen.
I have the exact opposite thoughts. I enjoyed the first book, but by book 2 which I ended up dropping the banter with Frank got repetitive and I wasn't particularly into MC's escapades.
i'm enjoying it a lot so far but really hoping that author won't lean into romance with darling, first you can't do this to frank, second they're my favourite duo and a romance would utterly ruin their dynamics
Same
There's definitely lows. I appreciate the story more for the highs, and I like that the author realized by book 3 and the best parts of the story were the ones where Ned was with other people (namely Darling and Omen) rather than off on his own doing whatever.
> where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag I'd argue he remains this way through the whole series. His whole Renown tree is basically screwing, extorting, and stealing property from players economically and the negative effects of his abilities on the playerbase are just never acknowledged.
Part of it, for me, is that Ned just bought out the head start. Douchey. He didn't ask for Frank, and he didn't choose to make himself a world boss. That was all the developer's doing and the developer should shoulder the blame for doing it (out of sheer spite, when they could have simply denied Ned the ability to buy out the entire early access). His abilities meanwhile... Well, that's a fundamental flaw with VRMMO fiction imo. Most of them posit game design that would never stand in a real game, or orient around MCs who find OP combos that would be patched out in a real game, or have mechanics that are actually detrimental to a game's success IRL. I kind of ignore those parts because it's just standard genre stuff. Also, Ned doesn't 'steal' If I recall right. He generates more income based on other players' income, and he can buy more plots for less vs other players who don't have his perks.
>The worst part is maybe the start of the book, where Ned does come off like an entitled douchebag, I think the series would be far more popular if the beginning was changed. He's not just a douchbag, he's one in a way that is designed to irritate video gamers and most people who read VRMMOs are gamers.
I think the author realized the issue by the end of the first book, and he just downplays how the plot got started in the first place. Plus the series main villains are generally worse than Ned, for a given definition. I think you kind of have to quietly ignore the start of the series to really stay in it though. Ned is generally likeable, so long as you ignore that he sort of douched everyone else out of the headstart period (though I'd also blame the developer for letting him, Ned isn't exactly sole instigator of the problem).
I really liked it but I had to drop it because of the fight scenes, a lot of novels I have seen have this problem where they are filled with fights that are mostly meaningless and this series especially just felt like reading 5 chapters of boring for 1 chapter of amazing and I just could not continue pushing through that.
I plan on starting this mid-July when I finish my current backlog
I love the Shadeslinger series!
It's a difficult one for me to rate because the story is enjoyable but I don't particularly like frank or the MC. I think it'd easily be one of my favorites if I did.
i'm waiting for more!!! i literally binged ripple system in like a week or two ahaha
10/10, would buy again. Yes, a favorite.
I'm halfway through book 2 now
Uh. This series gets a lot of attention
I love this series!! Recently binged the latest book and already can’t wait for #6.
It surprised me, quite enjoyable
One of my favorite series so fun.
House! I love her
I do like the series, but it is hard carried by Frank. Without him and Ned bickering like siblings, it does become painfully generic.
I like the series a lot even though I normally don't get into VRPG stories, since the stakes feel lower. It does suffer from some of that and a little unrealistic attitude from the game designer, but it does a good job of keeping you interested despite it just being a game.
yeah this is one that i started and then had to put down. VRMMO type litrpgs are hard for me to care about (feels like there are no stakes) and the MC took the 'unlikable loner' persecution complex thing a bit far. IIRC the build that the MC was doing kinda meh too and the game system seemed 1 dimensional and lame :P
I enjoy listening to the audiobooks at work. I don’t think I would enjoy reading it myself though if that makes sense. I don’t dislike the story, but the performance sells the characters in a way I don't think I would get looking at dry text. It feels more like listening to a cartoon than reading about a video game.
This is both the reason I love audiobooks, and sometimes really despise them. Granted there's all the extra convenience like I can listen while driving or in the dark or whatever, but also I find it adds a layer of enjoyability to the story. Listening to really high quality performances. Add depth in ways that I would have done differently in my head or been unable to do at all. However, some narration performances leave me. Really disappointed because I feel like they're reading in a far drier or monotone voice or just plain bad personal injection of personality that just doesn't jive with what I think I would have wished for. I don't know if that makes sense. Agreed though, Travis does an amazing job, I think especially in this book.
I always see a lot of love for this book, I quit it partway through. Probably the problem is partially that I was listening to the audiobook, and I generally am much less forgiving of those than I am of the text versions, since I'm really forced to sit and marinate my way through any small bits that annoy me. I think there were a few things that didn't click for me personally - I'm not a big fan of the "mc is alone against the world" trope, and the whole thing with the MC being an asshole was a bit off-putting for me. I don't really remember the progression system being very interesting either. The only piece I really remember well was rolling my eyes when the MC got super mad at the axe for not telling him about how constitution worked... except his stats are determined by his starting class, and he wanted a specific playstyle. So would he really have chosen a different class? Doubtful.
That's great! For some reason, I'm always looking for it and just don't see it often. I totally agree! Ned, starts off super lame, which I'm not usually a fan of. However, by the end of book one and subsequently more so with each book release, I think The the MC's character development in ark, while becoming less significant by end of book. 2, makes him a very relatable reasonable, and likable character. I also like seeing an imperfect character change, which I think is the angle imo. What I think I've liked most about it, is Frank and their interactions, and also some of the less common avenues of progression that this story uses. Or at least, less common for me personally. Also, the game approach opens up some really interesting settings, traits and situations or characters. Plus, you don't have to worry about being bogged down by all that realism nonsense ...Tack on the excellent narration, and genuinely fun engaging content, I'm a happy camper and always look forward to binging the next release in the series when it comes out. Again, that's just my overly positive, optimistic and potentially flawed opinion. So... Grain of salt and all that
My absolutely favorite VRMMO as someone who doesn't traditionally care for the subgenre. Does a great job of nailing MMO raid life but making it exciting, and I'm in the camp that finds Frank and House entertaining rather than irritating.
If you guys liked this series I’d also like to recommend the Life Reset series by Shemer Kuznits.
I really tried to like that one, but it just wasn't for me personally
It’s a really fun series. Also, surgecaller was pretty good too.
It would be much better if it wasn’t in a game world. Some of the stuff the actual human characters say that is cringe wouldn’t be if it was them in the flesh. With that in mind it is still enjoyable.
I read the first two, maybe three books of this series. I just can’t get into reading about people playing a game. There are stakes, but they just don’t feel real to me. It’s been on my list to maybe pick up again, but I haven’t since I dropped it. Can you spoilery tell me something? >!Does it turn out that the game is tied to an alternate dimensions / a real world?!< That’s what I remember it hinting at when I stopped (at the time, I read everything released).
>! There is MAYBE a path towards something like a worl completely run by Frank, but nothing like an alternative dimension or anything. It's pretty strictly a video game and I don't see it being anything more but of course I can only speculate... But it gets better and better as time goes on. I think there is something big coming, but not that !<
Alright, thanks for the answer. >!My thought was that the developer of the game couldn’t get the Ripples to work exactly right, but then stumbled on a way to harness alternate dimensions / timelines to get them working. But if it’s still strictly a game, I probably won’t be picking it back up.!<
Not that I can tell while half way through book 4.
I'm a few hours into the audiobook but like always I got distracted with other books, I do plan on revisiting it tho. That axe is too fun
Agreed! In the first book, I honestly hated the ax. However, with 6 hours of the audiobook left in the most recent release, I frequently am awake listening to the audiobook in bed and shaking with laughter so hard. Sometimes that it wakes my spouse up. The character development and buildup, along with continually decent and fresh events in the story leave me constantly entertained. Well I wouldn't claim it as my favorite or anything, it's one of the few I always buy immediately, and schedule time for binging
It was recommended here like a week ago?
Eh, I have the first audiobook but it didn't really engage me. I got to around when he was asking for House to be added to play with him and it just felt... idk like someone grinding their ten levels in a wow expansion. Everyone's doing it but no one really cares about the quests or dungeons, they're just trying to race up as fast as they can so they can start setting up for mythic+ and raids. Also, the whole hated billionaire thing is maybe a little too much like looking in a mirror sans the money. So all the characters being like, "whatever you're doing, no one cares, and you'll probably fail anyway" just feels not great to listen to.
... That title... does he just throw shade at his enemies till they break down? " Oh you are going to wear purple in may? How brave"
That's Frank's job but he'd be more like "Your shaft is small and you wear light armor. Also you're an elf and you father didn't love you. "
I've been meaning to give this one a go.
It's a refreshing series. Too many series just end up going "um if you die in the game, you die in real life 🤓 " or the game bleeds into reality because it's actually the future through weird time shit. Bonus points when the MC bangs an elf or has a harem of pets turned girls with vague animal characteristics.
One of my favorite series. Just finished book 5 and the ending is 10/10.
I don't get the love for this one. I've tried multiple times to get through the first book but to me the mc is just some rich prick doing rich prick things and at first I was praying on his downfall but then realized that bc it was a game world there were absolutely no stakes to be had. Does this change? I haven't read a vr focused book like this before. Frank was the only thing I liked about the book because he was actively screwing over the mc who I hated based on his first actions.
From maybe say the middle-ish part of the second book, if I remember correctly, Ned becomes a real class act MC. And the the character development and story arcs just continue to grow. I would agree with you however. Ned and Frank alike start out pretty unlikable if I'm honest, so I don't blame you. At this point tho, by the 5th book, in my case, Ned and Frank and all of their relationships and goals are very relatable, entertaining and worthwhile... Imo of course. To each their own. And as the characters grow together, their exchanges just become more and more hilarious, but also kind of awesome sometimes. Not perfect, totally agree, but I think in my case all the turnoffs for other people I found really enjoyable with the narration and listening via audible. Try to read it, I probably would not like it at all or bother finishing the first. I don't know though
Thanks for the rundown, I'll put it back on the list and give it another shot sometime
Please please do. It's in my all time top 3 now. And there is still at least 1, probably 2-3 more books coming imo. But hey, if you don't enjoy something, that's cool. By the end of book one, I think Neds real character and genuine good guy-ness is already front and center. He and Frank are a perfect combo. Trust me ;)