Rune Seeker (Rune Seeker #1) (2024)

This is a system-style litRPG that bills itself as a progression fantasy. I'm not entirely sure what that means or why it's a distinction as pretty much every LitRPG includes "progression".

Anyway, this one starts extremely slowly. The first ten chapters are pretty much "Hiral is a losing loser who can't win". Oh, and he trains a lot to improve himself. For some reason. He has all the fanciest tattoos which should imbue him with lots of powers, but he just can't access them. Things pick up once he leaves the city he grows up in and starts interacting with a group of "Growers" who are kind of second-class to the "Makers" that are Hiral's people. He throws in with them to try to find a missing party in the world below and then things happen that strands them, giving them opportunity to build trust and even develop friendship. And, of course, Hiral's inner power gets unlocked, though in a weird and transformative way.

So we get some good worldbuilding and there is progression. And a plot that has a great pace as everybody learns to work together and overcome trials and dungeons. And I liked all the other things (character interactions and problem solving) better than the actual action. I mean, every single fight in this story is a boss fight with titanic creatures that everybody has to struggle and stretch to overcome. And behind everything is an "enemy" who is undetectable and unbeatable and I got tired of that bit of lore by the second time it came up. And it forms a good portion of the second half of the story.

And then the last quarter has actual "enemies" show up and people start dying in gruesome ways, people we've gotten to know, and it was brutal and grim and largely hopeless. And I stopped caring any more and finished the story on inertia. And have zero desire to read the next in the series because grimdark just isn't my thing.

I was headed to a solid four-star rating until that last quarter. And I'll still give it three for the solid story and characters and the entertainment I had out of the book. I'm sad it took that late-story turn and I think this might be a thing with this author and a reason I should probably avoid more stories from them.

A note about Chaste: There is no time or space for romance. So there is zero steam and this is very chaste.

Flawed but enjoyable

Like many I came here from mark of the fool so thought I’d make it clear to others in that boat that this is very different.

Whereas that series is progression fantasy without a hint of crunch this is very firmly lit rpg. There are plenty of game like systems at play though relatively minimal crunch. The world is darker, the characterisation has echo’s of fool but the overall vibe feels much more in the camp of other lit RPG books and to be honest just much more… generic.

I’ll start with the positive. The characterisation is decent: not nearly as engaging as in fool (thought to be honest those characters are starting to become one note in the later books on RR) but still fairly engaging. There is an unexpected horror vibe to it that I really didn’t expect and sort of snuck up on me and I actually really liked. The fights are excellent and very well paced and described which is probably the books best strength. Also the world feels unexpectedly sci fi more than pure fantasy and I am intrigued by the history of the world.

But there are negatives too. It feels like all the tropes are being deployed here and some of them were just exhausting. The antagonist party member with an irrational dislike of the MC (even when it’s explained it doesn’t feel organic or developed enough for his perspective to be sympathetic or even understandable), massively overpowered MC (he’s 3 party members in one each one stronger individually than probably any of the others and he’s also of course a special snowflake with a race otherwise unheard of), tragic emo tinged back story (initially sympathetic but gets so mopey I got tired of it).

Some plot points are also poorly explained and developed. The rune he conveniently forgets about till it’s the scheduled time for his deus ex machina despite all his testing and scientific mindset. Yes a reason is given but it’s thin at best and doesn’t fit with his characterisation. The two mysterious empty bags that seem like they’re gonna be something then just get forgotten about. His accumulating stat points he’s not spending — you’d think at the end when he and his party need any advantage he might spend them but no it’s just ditched despite being mentioned occasionally earlier. Conveniently not utilising the tutorial in the last of the 3 dungeons — again it could be believable like many of these things but it’s done with a line and it just doesn’t fit his characterisation.

There was also a meandering to the plot. It felt like a low budget horror film. Just ambling about this forest doing dungeons but no real overall goal other than survival. Fool is slice of life but from the beginning there is still a more overall focus to the world because it’s actually developed first and then continued at the same time as all the studying.

Also small point but I’m so confused about this planet and the passage of time. They describe time a few ways the only one I can remember is ‘pass’. But though I don’t expect this world to follow earth logic I feel that should be explained. This slab of earth follows the sun and stays in perennial sunlight. It moves at a few miles per hour though when on our planet you’d have to move at well over 600 mph. The ground is in near perpetual darkness so the planet rotates really, really slowly? How long for a full rotation? A year? Is the planet just tiny then? These terms for time passage are thrown out and not explained at all. The fact that the planet is in constant darkness isn’t explained until your like oh wait this night isn’t ending. I don’t expect things to be spoon fed to me I’m all for it developing in story but it just feels like a total oversight here. I was so confused at points early on.

The beginning part of the book also feels so completely disconnected from the rest of it. I usually consider a shifting perspective my mortal enemy as I feel you end up getting stuck in perspectives you just don’t want to read but maybe a chapter or two from those on the giant slab of earth (can’t remember the name). Overall though despite flaws the world is interesting, the fights are great and the progression is pretty good. The characters are mostly so so, I found the ones other than the MC and his obvious eventual girlfriend just blended together in my mind but they may get more distinct later.

I’m gonna read the rest posted on RR, I did mostly tepidly enjoy but I don’t know if I’d really recommend.

Slightly bogged down by too many random battles. You can summarise them, you know! “He fought a bunch of guys.” Happy birthday!

5 It Was Almost Poetic Stars

Rune Seeker is the first book in the LitRPG Adevnture series by C. J. Thompson and J. M. Clarke.

Now this? It's actually really interesting. I find myself stumped trying to compare it to anything I've read before ... While I have faced many literary apocalyptic worlds and new systems of power appearing in a races' time of need. Nothing remotely in this realm with the Enemies they face and different abilities between the Builders, Growers, and Makers.

For the majority of the book, while the enemy itself remained a true mystery, I stayed to enjoy the dungeon runs and the relationships building between cast members. Thought long about reducing this review by one 🌟 for the many spelling errors. Then came the mad dash to reach Asylum, and that unmissable shift in the tone of their journey.

Leaving the final shocking reveal at the end of this first to truly drive that final, fifth 🌟 home. Now, their ultimate goal isn't just surviving on the surface until the islands come around again....

No Answers, Cliffhanger

The writing and plot are interesting but the lack of information and logic is why I give this book two stars. I hate the MCs ability to turn into three and it’s not explained on any level. It also stops him of abilities and has to be used. The different races is cool and the general set up but not getting any answers makes it an uninteresting beginning.

Not bad

An interesting take on the lit RPG genre. Overall was an enjoyable story, though it is mostly story driven, not as much character driven as I would have liked. The protagonist seems to not be fulfilling his potential, but the story is very manic and it's rushed pace, so that is most likely contributing to his lack of fulfillment. The story ends in a good spot. Hopefully they'll be a bit of a time jump for when book to starts and I protagonist will jump up to using his full abilities as they are. Plenty of room for growth across the board though. Some romance would be appreciated

4.25 / 5.

I have never enjoyed a set up book quite so much.

While a bit slow to start, once it gets going, it does not stop. The setting is never fully explained but the hints are very enticing. This has a lot of promise.

Torn

So I struggled to finish this. Not because I hated it, but because I didn’t love it. It wasn’t a bad story. In fact the world-building was really well done.

It was Hiral and his whole class and setup that kinda ruined things for me. So many things just didn’t make sense. The author just waved his hand like a Jedi and pulled the equivalent of “these are not the droids you are looking for” and we are just supposed accept explanations that kinda suck.

The connections and explanations for key parts of the story were not well thought out and felt lazy. I will not be reading the next one.

I'm not completely sold just yet. Some of the characters seem two-dimensional and the world-building is yet to have its origins explained. An antagonist has appeared but is mostly faceless and mysterious... think the Xenomorph from Ridley Scott's "Alien." Thus, we are left with a kaleidoscope of partial images that make some sense.

What carries this story is the relatable and sympathetic protagonist. Hiral starts out as struggling youth who can't master the basics of magic, ostracised by most of his community but undaunted. As the book progresses, he gains power quickly and somewhat inexplicably. Due to luck, and the good graces of the author, the uber-powerful monster/s decide not to eat everyone immediately, and thus we have a novel.

I liked how this book ended and felt the urge to pick up the next book in this series, a good sign, but I think I'll come back to the series later.

The start is slow but perhaps covers a day? The next part doesn't stop except for a quick nap and a day feels like three days. And I know endings are hard. I get it. But this ending feels like the author was told to cut it short. I'm going to start #2 now.

"Rune Seeker: A Magic-Fueled Adventure with Mixed Results"

Rune Seeker (Rune Seeker #1) by J.M. Clarke is a debut that brims with potential but falls short of fully realizing it. This fantasy novel plunges readers into a world of ancient runes, mystical powers, and epic quests, yet it struggles to stand out in a crowded genre.

The story follows Aiden, a young and inexperienced rune seeker, on his journey to master the ancient art of rune magic. Clarke’s world-building is one of the book’s strengths. The intricate system of runes and their applications is well thought out and adds a unique flavor to the narrative. However, the pacing of the story often feels uneven, with slow, exposition-heavy sections interspersed with bursts of action. This inconsistency can make it difficult for readers to stay fully engaged.

"Clarke's imaginative world-building shines, but the uneven pacing and underdeveloped characters hold the story back."

Character development is another area where Rune Seeker falters. Aiden, while likable, often comes across as a stereotypical fantasy protagonist. His growth throughout the novel is predictable and lacks the depth seen in other recent fantasy works. Secondary characters, such as his mentor Elara and rival Kael, feel one-dimensional and do not receive enough attention to become truly compelling. In comparison, characters in series like Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn or Patrick Rothfuss’s The Kingkiller Chronicle exhibit more complexity and growth, making them more memorable and engaging.

The plot of Rune Seeker is filled with familiar tropes, from the young hero’s quest to the ancient magical artifacts. While Clarke does manage to inject some originality through the rune magic system, the story often feels derivative. Readers well-versed in the fantasy genre might find themselves predicting many of the plot twists and outcomes.

 
 The climax, while exciting, ultimately feels rushed and leaves several plot threads unresolved, presumably to be addressed in future installments. This can be frustrating for readers looking for a more satisfying conclusion. 

Despite these criticisms, Rune Seeker is not without its merits. Clarke’s prose is clear and accessible, making for an easy read. The action scenes are well-executed and provide some of the book’s most thrilling moments. Additionally, the potential for future development in the series is evident, and with more focus on character depth and pacing, subsequent books could build on this foundation.

Overall, Rune Seeker is a promising debut that offers an intriguing magical system and a classic fantasy adventure. However, it falls short in terms of character development and originality. Fans of the genre may find enjoyment in its familiar elements, but those seeking a more innovative and nuanced story might be left wanting more.

Rating 3.o stars

This one started off pretty well. It was a little slow to start but I liked the world and the magic system that was presented in the beginning. I thought for sure this was going to be a 4 star book if not higher. Then it changed into something different.

The story starts with the MC who has immense magical powers but has zero capacity to use that power. His body is covered in tattoos "makers" use to summon their magic. Because of this guys magical potential, he has the most powerful tattoos on his body. While his magical regeneration and magical capacity are astronomical, his magical output is zero. For 10 years he has tried and failed the maker test. Children with zero talent are able to pass and he keeps failing. Children call him ever fail. He won't give up though.

He goes his security job dealing with another group called "growers". They use a different type of magic and are considered lesser. Through an act of heroism, the MC finds something that could lead him to his class. He uses what he did a leverage to join the growers mission to save another team. His hope is he finds something that will allow him to get a class and access his magic. He does get what he wants, just not in the way he expects. He ends up getting access to magic but it turns out he was never supposed to be a maker. He was supposed to be a builder. This is something he has never heard of before. The society here has been around for a long time and things have kind of got lost to history. People know what things are supposed to do but the how and the why of most things have been lost.

So far, I was okay with everything that happened. There were some things that I wish were explained better. The MC being able to split himself into 3 people was a little weird. It was him, right and left. Each one had different characteristics. Left and right were magical summons but were also real? I don't how that worked. When they were absorbed into the main body, then knew everything he did.When they were out and interacting with the world, they had their own thoughts and feelings though? How does that work? The magic system started out kind of interesting. The MC had an intellectual leaning so I felt the magic system would be explained in a scientific/logical manner. That really didn't happen.

What happened next was this became a dungeon exploring book. I don't mind dungeons in stories that much if they are used for a purpose. This one was supposed to be for a purpose. They were there to get stronger so they could fight this unknown enemy. The fighting in the dungeon was too dangerous for it to just be about getting stronger. Some danger would be expected but every encounter seemed too life and death for that to be the case. It also took up a huge part of the story. The first dungeon run lasted 3 hours of the audiobook. The magic system wasn't explained very well after that. It became all about the fighting. The descriptions of the fights were also a little boring.

This all lead to a 3.5 star story and then the ending made me drop it another half star. For most of the story it was about the groups survival. Then right at the end we find out it is no longer just about their survival but the survival of the entire world. There really wasn't any reason to increase the stakes like that at the end. It was to me an unnecessary addition to an already difficult situation.

4.5 stars

I start off by saying this is a great book and if you like LITRPG I recommend reading the book.

I think there’s one issue with the MC I don’t minor characters who’s over powered but I think when you put them in a party of characters and they are clearly able to access more abilities than everyone else it just doesn’t look right. I will not say whether the author explains why this is true, but I just don’t think it looks good in a book. Now, with that being said, it still was entertaining. Excellent fight sequences of mystery as to what’s going on in the world. Unique powers, and true potential for the story to go elsewhere. Overall I give the story of 4.5.

Message to the author.

I always write a note to an altar for a book I really like. This was a great book. I read it roughly from beginning to end in about a week. The MC I think you’re really going to have to explain why he is so overpowered. How come this character gets to access multiple abilities but others don’t or rather I’d like to know where is there over powering potential. Not only does he get access to the rooms but he gets access to the tattoos. Can other characters get access to the tattoos if they get them drawn on themselves somehow someway. I think it’s a great concept to split, but I don’t think it’s well explained why he gets access to the split. I loved when we finally got to see the enemy. I was expecting an alien versus predator theme, but I didn’t see it going that way. I do think more explanation is going to be needed about dungeons and how the war was lost apparently because it seems like they should’ve come close to winning. Also, the large crystal monster in the beginning, what happened to it? That’s not well explained. Or at the very least why would it help him and call him brother. Lastly, just one complaint, I found myself I thought the MC looked ugly on the cover. I was thinking he’d be a young man, but he looks old or older.

LitRPG is all about progression, characters getting tougher and better over the course of time. Let's hope this series is like Meta litRPg - in other words: let's hope the plot will progress over time, too.

The MC is Hiral, a guy known as the Everfail because he keeps failing at his magical test every year. This makes this story a kind of underdog story, at least at the start. He learns to trust a group of Nomads, and together they learn the truth about dungeons (at least a sliver of it). And of course, Hiral stops failing at everything.

Try harder!

I really liked the characters (most of them), but there were some repetitive descriptions that slowed everything a bit down. Which is the main critique point: the pace. A few plot holes, nothing too serious, but the pace sometimes slowed down to a crawl immediately after some action packed scenes. I think some rigorous trimming would have worked wonders here!

Let's trim this plot!

The progression system looks interesting, and seems to integrate well with the world building (at least what we know about the world). The world actually is, like the characters, well written, interesting and gripping. It's also kind of dark - don't be lured into a false sense of security by the slow start: There will be - minor spoiler alert - character deaths before you reach the conclusion of this book. The story turns darker and darker, after around the three quarter mark.

I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, and hope for plot progression in the future!

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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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A science fiction dystopian litrpg with stats, skills and levels and a unique solar powered magic system.

Hiral has spent ten years working towards gaining the Class, Shaper but no matter how much he studies or practices or tries he is unable to shape the solar powered energy running through his tattoos. But while visiting the Growers floating island, Hiral uncovers a secret to finally unlocking his skills and finding a way to progress further.

This was not bad. It was kind of slow in parts and repetitive in others. Particularly the dungeons. There was a lot of dungeon diving and the constant battles felt stale and predictable. I think some of the humour might have been lost on me too. I liked Left and Right but it was confusing and kind of ridiculous at points. On the other hand there were some amusing jokes about new fishing rods and sarcastic and snarky dungeon quests. There were game mechanics but they weren't excessive. I did really like the new definition of Dungeon though - The Dynamic Understanding and Navigation Growth Epoch Operating Nodes. It was very creative.

I didn't love the whole Fitch storyline. His death? was abrupt and anticlimactic. There was no closure or resolution - is he even dead? And it doesn't really matter either way I didn't like how unresolved it was. And I was annoyed by the constant interruptions to learning anything. It felt like every time they got anywhere they took a giant leap backwards and it was frustrating. There always seemed to be a problem and I get it but the flow of it just didn't work for me. Plus I was depressed by all the deaths. Was it really necessary to kill off pretty much everyone in the party? That said I kept reading. I wanted to know more about the magic system and worldbuilding - I just wanted them to get there quicker.

3 stars.

This was a great book until the last act

This was a nice change from other books in this genre. You have a main character who has to work with various size groups to progress. They all grow, learn a lot and get better. This MC obviously has some mental health issues that he’s working through. Personally, I think the authors drag this on a bit too long, but whatever. Everybody is leaning to use great abilities and work as a team. Then the 3rd act comes and everybody loses their mind. I will never understand why so many authors feel the need to do this in order to progress the story. There is nothing more annoying than when they make their smart characters to start, all of a sudden, acting stupid! It’s so annoying it completely takes me out of the story. In this case, they forget how to work as a team (which they have been doing for almost the entire book) or how to use their most powerful weapon. So many authors use this technique and I wish we could just tell them to just “stop it”! These authors didn’t even try to justify the stupidity of their characters actions in the last act. So sad to end what could have been a great book with poor writing in the 3rd act. Kind of like the comic book movies we’re getting now. Hopefully they make up for this laps in the following books.

The premise of the book is interesting, an undergod story, with notes of racism and elitism.
Meet Hero wrongly spelled his name, my bad. And he's the undergod here that can get a class tho he's overpowered from the beginning being S rank and all. Fast forward to one island hopping session later, he meets a bunch of people, and the story gets messier and messier from here.

Things I liked.
- Cute magic system the authors ain't in any way reinventing the wheel but the touch of solar energy was genius tho it doesn't really come ro play that much as far as I've read [currently in book 2]

Things I didn't like.
The MC is mid at best relying on the crossbows more than his actual set of runes. He was gassed when he used the absorption rune to redirect a whole ass fire ball, I was super excited to see what else he could do with that particular rune, then nothing he's basically a very OPed mid 🏹

- The focus on team work is hell shoved down our throats it takes away from the experiences of the MC maybe its the reason the MC doesn't use his abilities to the fullest since he doesn't want to show off idk.

The insane number of characters, yes, like half of them are killed off by the end of this book. It was still a struggle to follow the lives of like 12 people given how poorly paced the book was. Don't get me wrong, I love J.M Clark, but this one is a hit and miss for me.

Wow. Enjoyed this immensely

So new series and new universe. The MC and his people live in a huge floating island that tracks with the sun. He is an outcast in his own world as he can't Shape. That is move energy to the tattoos that form constructs and power. His many years as a failed shaper have given him other skills as he trains relentlessly. The adventure starts when he falls in with nomads from lower trailing islands. They start to learn what the real story of their races was and how the magic system is supposed to be used. This looks to be a good series as the story is well planed. There are powers and seems crafting(book 2). The world is not what it seems and there is a problem. Lots really but is seems the islands lost their way.from the past and we will see if they want to catch back up so to speak. The characters are varied and all have personality especially the MC. I enjoyed the interplay and humor the MC has with his comrades in combat and expect more in next book. The system of magic is not very crunchy but numerical with few stat dumps or overviews. I am eagerly waiting for the second book and to see his(their evolutions).

Rune fueled rising

The Rune Seeker by J.M. Clarke and C.J. Thompson immersed me in a compelling new fantasy world with imaginative magic and adventure. Clarke and Thompson have crafted a fascinating flying island civilization where inhabitants harness magical energy through tattoos tied to the sun. Hiral, who sees himself as the weakest person on the island, is determined to prove himself despite lacking this innate power. When he unlocks an mysterious "achievement" granting access to dangerous forbidden dungeons below, it sets the stage for my own thrilling journey of discovery through Hiral's quest. Through following Hiral's underdog tale, I got to explore this unique setting with ingenuity while rooting for an endearing protagonist to succeed against the odds. As a fan of RPG elements melded with high stakes fantasy, I enjoyed this pageturner as the creative worldbuilding and promising hero's journey kept me engaged throughout. The Rune Seeker delivered a highly entertaining start to what has potential to be an epic new series by Clarke and Thompson. I can't wait to see where Hiral's adventure takes him next.

Excellent first book in a series. The book avoids drawn out tropes in favor of giving the characters agency. There is an ability of the main character that is a spoiler, but the ability creates an amazing dynamic which allows the readers to know what the main character is thinking/feeling without the use of first person.

In the subgenres of Litrpg and Progression Fantasy, I constantly see authors giving their, relatively weak, main characters some busted ability that makes them more powerful than everyone around them by a huge margin. Clarke does let his MC shine, but he gives side characters near proportional growth by making the fights require teamwork.

The only thing I would change is the author's tendency to sort of justify/explain his character's speed by telling the reader about his '19 dex'. After the first few times it's mentioned along with the actual action scenes, the reader has developed a great understanding of the MC's capabilities. Constantly reminding the readers that the MC can so fast or agile due to their stats is very repetitive.

I am definitely the next book

The more versions of the MC the better!

This was really fun! The world is interesting, and as we find out more about what ended up sending people into a city in the sky, it becomes clear that things aren’t exactly as the people there think. Hiral is a great character as well, he’s very much got that teenage coming of age feel though. So if you don’t like that then this might not be for you. He’s got to come to grips with suddenly having abilities when he’s been trying for years to get some with no luck. He’s also got to overcome his fear and acceptance of being a reject that no one besides his family and occasional friend like.

The ability system is neat, especially the differences between the Makers, Builders etc. and the overall feel of a world that used to be much different, but isn’t immediate clearly apocalyptic is an interesting change of pace from a lot of the genre.

Good, but formulaic

Overall, I like the story. It’s well written and reasonably interesting. However, this felt like creating some characters with decent depth and then having them run three dungeons, while layering on a little LitRPG. Even rested XP from sleeping.

Other than that, the seemingly glaring lack of an attempt to use the Rune of Separation until the end felt contrived. He talks about trying new abilities, but conveniently did not test one of his core abilities. He also seemed to leave the energy run alone. Maybe. Couldn’t quite tell if he needed it for the sword or not.

Again, pretty good story. I’d like to see more imaginative use of the runes. He could have messed with the Troblin lords spear weight to mess him up for example.

Lastly, the pre-story, fallen reach, seems so entirely separate from the rest of the story. Would have preferred some way to reconnect to his family and mentor even if briefly.

Lets start with some positives:
- The World and Setting is interesting.
- The main character is somewhat stereotypical, but I also thought he was handled well enough. It could have easily gone a completely different direction and resulted him being annoying/unlikable.
- The combat is well written and easy to follow I think.
- No spelling or grammar issues that jumped out to me.

Some negatives:
- There is a lot of combat. I'm not sure when exactly it dawned on me, but I think it might have been when I noticed an entire chapter focused pretty much entirely on one single encounter. After that, I just started taking more notice of how much time/pages were spent in fights or going to the next fight. I don't mind fights and I like fights that I can follow, but I don't like books that feel like they are padded out by fights. Most of the fight scenes in this book are forgettable.
- The rest of the cast of characters is lackluster and are largely tropes/archetypal. There are even a couple of characters that are downright annoying. Due to the "pacing" and how the story is handled (see prior points), there just isn't a lot of room within the story for the rest of the characters to be fleshed out.

I don't think the book is bad per se, but its clearly written for a particular kind of audience.

good read. lacks some character building but good.

I will start with the dislikes.
The seemingly similar fights proved almost needless as it stunted the character development and world building.
I like fighting scenes but not without growth in the story.
Next I didn’t care for the lack of world building. Character development lacked as well.
That said… I truly enjoyed the read more than I first thought. It is different in a lot of good ways.
The ignorance of their personal history was well handled.
The balance of bad vrs good is spot on.
The hints at multiple subplots are well seeded.
And even with the small character development, I found the MC likeable.
In all it’s a good read. Well done.

Hiral is hoping to past this test that comes once a year as he's been training for a year .

Hiral an his trainer set out to take this yearly test .This is his tenth attempt to pass this test to become a shaper He's been training for ten years straight for this test each year . He works at a side job at the docks between all his training . He works for a merchant that goes to the surface to trade with the growers .The merchant trades supplies for quills .An accident happens on the surface that results with a rescue of a small female child . Hiral volunteers for a another resue for a group party of growers long over do returning from the surface . recommend reading excellent book .

I enjoyed this book. It has an interestingly constructed post-apocalyptic world, where much knowledge has been lost. This gives the reader a chance to discover the world along with the characters.

My one criticism, and I really wish the authors could see this, is one that many game-lit authors fall into. This book could easily be accessible for non-game-lit fans, but instead chooses to use abbreviations like Str and Att for Strength and Attunement straight off the bat. I've never seen Attunement used as an attribute before, so this was a bit confusing for me, and it must be very confusing for people new to the genre. I also don't like it when spells and whatnot are typeset in bold and italic, but that's easier to get over.

So let me get this correct. Remnants of a post-apocalyptic humanity have survived, and they are divided into two groups. Our world has been devastated beyond oblivion by an enemy so advanced that it wiped out our entire civilization, yet our present day intrepid warriors roam carefree and have no inclination of a lingering threat that this ancient enemy even exists let alone what its capabilities are???? When their interface warned them that the enemy detected, they didn't take action right away; its not like Hiral wasn't told it was inside her and couldn't hear her bones being broken. Oh, and why bother using his gravity powers and emperor's (s rank weapon) on an enemy? It's better to keep it in reserve for dungeon bosses. EXTREMELY UNSATISFACTORY AND ANTICLIMACTIC ending.

Help me read more books

This story is one I've only seen a similar one before only once, and I really liked that one, though I can't for the life of me remember what it was called (figures), but nonetheless, I think this story is a fun one, and I'd have read the second one already if it was out, but I need to wait for it to be released, so here's to a new book being released soon. :)
There's no building in this one (yet), even though the main character is classed as a builder, so hopefully, we'll see some of that building in future books in the series, I'm really looking forward to that aspect of this world.

zero to hero

MC goes from highly-trained but functionally weak to OP while making friends by jumping off a floating islet. Then things get dangerous.

The ‘system’ is interesting. Not least because it appears purpose built by people who *want* them to succeed.

There are some missing parts to the world building. Mostly attributable to the party literally running from danger near costantly, so there hasn’t been a lot of time spent on the economy or…really anything that wasn’t directly pertinent to survival.

I enjoyed it enough to buy the sequel. So there’s your recommendation.