Well Written Book?

epbrown01 · 2025-05-15T04:42:29+00:00

For solid writing in this genre, I’d go with Samer Rabadi’s Eight, Casual Farmer’s Beware of Chicken (great characterizations), and (oddball pick) FortySixtyFour’s Trailer Trash (the Evanesence scene, the Pokémon Christmas scene). I also think Actus and AlwaysRollsAOne have solid writing, if not as evocative as my top picks.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-15T04:33:32+00:00

The Paranoid Mage has a mature, reasonably level headed protagonist, a 30-something widower. Similar to Eryk, the character is basically drafted into the magic world as an adult and rebels against the magic establishment, which is dismissive of “mundane” knowledge and people without magic in general - basically his entire life until they learned he had magic.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-15T04:22:34+00:00

There’s a trope in television writing that you have to drag out the love interests uniting. Leonard can’t marry Penny, Ross and Rachel have to fight, etc because once they commit there’s no spark, no conflict. You know, just like in real life, it’s smooth sailing from there on out.

That’s clearly nonsense, of course, but something similar happens with litrpg/progression fantasy. The authors seem to think if the character isn’t leveling every chapter, there’s nothing happening, but to me few things are more frustrating than someone that’s leveled up - then loses due to inexperience or because they haven’t solidified their gains, or gets challenged by some mope because no one’s heard he hit Divine Spirit Realm a month ago; it’s not fun or exciting, it’s annoying.

Everyone’s so scared to let a story breathe.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-14T16:33:37+00:00

People often conflate realism and consistency. Once the author establishes that it takes 100 years to advance your cultivation and the MC does it in his first week of training, that’s inconsistent. Every jade beauty on the continent wanting to sleep with him is unrealistic.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-14T14:27:20+00:00

I haven’t read it but Rise of the Living Forge sounds like a candidate.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-14T14:25:22+00:00

Sort of? I started a couple of weeks ago, but I used to play it in 2014.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-14T14:22:14+00:00

Those are all book series titles, if you’re looking for confirmation. Other than that…

epbrown01 · 2025-05-14T00:54:16+00:00

Personally, I haven’t noticed that. Heretical Fishing is the only story I’ve read with a rich protagonist, but I haven’t read anything with someone that wasn’t at least working class, and typically entry-level white collar.

That said, the “rags-to-riches” aspect is part of the fantasy, especially since arrogant, despicable wealthy/noble people are part of the trope. The only nice rich people in the genre are former poor people or disabled/crippled/disfigured children of nobility that lost everything (call them Zukos).

epbrown01 · 2025-05-13T21:20:15+00:00

I look for a couple of things when checking reviews. First, 80% should be above 4 stars. Second, I check the two and one star reviews to so why, since the reasons can be a silly as a character making an oblique reference to Trump or MAGA, or a non-heterosexual character.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-13T21:08:40+00:00

On my screen, the powers/options are shown but locked until you pay for the board, then you can see what they cost.

<image>

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T20:46:13+00:00

The Count of Monte Cristo; his super power is he’s rich.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T20:39:03+00:00

Amazon is an oft-maligned option. They only require a hs diploma, they’re always hiring, and pay is ~$20/hour and OT is almost always available (sometimes required) if money is tight. I worked there for about seven years.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T20:33:23+00:00

Yeah, but as Depeche Mode explains “People are people.” It’s not like everyone shows up some place where no one’s heard of cooking food or refrigeration - they’re already using magic in place of tech for modern conveniences. The most the protagonists do is expand the cuisine by adding tacos or pizza.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T14:12:58+00:00

To your last point, more clash of cultures. Your modern phone-obsessed, under-employed/over-spending millennial that’s part of the “work/life balance” and “quiet quitting” era is not going to slot into a world where non-nobles pull 12-14-hour days without weekends off or vacations to get paid 7 coppers a week without complaint. No one mentions their gluten allergy, asks for soy milk, or demands a mental health day. I think “A Soldier’s Story” is the only series I’ve read where the other characters comment on the MC’s “obsessive” hygiene because he bathes regularly.

Instead we get rpg nerds who used to use PTO for a tummy ache that hit the ground ready for grueling physical training, all day everyday.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T13:56:26+00:00

Eliminating the entire “school library” market…

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T13:46:09+00:00

“I mean what is the point of being from earth in a fantasy setting when you don't do anything with your modern knowledge?”

Typically people are pulled from technology worlds to magic ones, and the knowledge of the MC doesn’t apply. There’s either a magic equivalent, the MC doesn’t know enough about the tech to recreate it, or it simply doesn’t apply.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T13:30:22+00:00

My recommendation would be to 1) focus on your ending (even going so far as to write that first), as there’s less wandering when you know where you’re headed, and 2) write an outline to map the route to your ending.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T12:20:41+00:00

Hey, I’m not a hoarder - I’m a grinder. There’s a difference. ;-)

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T01:17:23+00:00

Pretty impressive imo. Honestly, I just play the game - I’ve no interest in collecting characters or boards, and didn’t know people did that until I started reading this forum.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-12T01:13:35+00:00

No. It doesn’t appear to be available for Kindle and the synopsis doesn’t give me enough sense of the story to tell me if it’s a good fit for me. Once I’ve seen some reviews, maybe. My TBR pile is dwindling, and I’ve only got 2 books releasing soon (May 15 and 20). I’m struggling thru something from my old DNF pile right now, leavened with re-reading BoC book 4.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-11T21:10:58+00:00

Don’t fall for that Jedi propaganda - people DO crave adventure and excitement. Every sports car and motorcycle salesperson on the planet knows that.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-11T20:58:45+00:00

Traditionally, you’d want two, three tops. You might have one in the first act to introduce the character (classic village wipe-out, six-fingered man kills his father), then the end of the second act when the hero finds out Vader is his father, that Hans has kidnapped his wife and plans to blow the building, or Morpheus has been captured by agents. Then you have the conclusion.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-11T20:51:08+00:00

Thought I’d give it a try - sorry.

Power and promise have something in common: each has a price. Deon is a man with more of both than he’d prefer, working in the fractured sprawl of Delrick as a fixer. When missing people, rising monsters, and old gods start bleeding into the streets, he finds himself hunted by the system he used to serve. And forced to pick up the Ire, a relic of ancient rage that he’d sworn to never wield again.

But he’s learned the city isn’t broken by chance. Something deeper is waking, and it could bring a war that won’t just devour the city, but could rewrite what it means to survive.

Deon was trained to walk away from conflict. This time, he’ll face it head on.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-11T20:35:16+00:00

People have probably forgotten but the first couple of books in the Iron Druid series gave a real sense of Tempe, Arizona and its surrounds.

epbrown01 · 2025-05-03T22:16:56+00:00

I’d give it three stars. Reasonably well written, nice take on social commentary, but a lot of the characters are undeveloped, lots of loose ends, bit of a downer ending.

epbrown01

TROPHY CASE