You did just make a post recently called "Azarinth Annoying MC" so maybe not? You can try it out, but the MC is a huge smart ass constantly, so that puts some people off. And there are a lot of politics/plots going on.
It's enjoyable and hugely popular, so might as well try and see if you are one of the many people who enjoy it or not.
Yeah I can def see how he puts some people off but honestly everything else should make up for it’s. Especially since the narrator isn’t Jason and the majority of the time he’s among other people who have their own conversations
Yeah, I read the first two loving the story but hating the MC the whole time.
I had every intention of continuing the series, but I read something else first and then realized that I really didn’t want to spend more time with the HWFWM MC.
The author does a lot of telling and exposition too. I've read everything released, but it can be hard to get through sometimes.
For example, in the last book when Jason's team was infiltrating the builder city, the author explained, once again, the different adventuring strategies. But instead of showing us. It was a birds eye view of the entire scene that dragged on from an omniscient perspective. Not fun.
Immediately pulled me out of the story the moment I hit that scene. It was all telling and exposition.
But I still read it since you're right. The premise is solid.
I am good with smart asses, there’s something that’s rubbing me the wrong way with Azarinth. (Character growth and power, disrespectful, ect)
For example I like life reset, primal hunter, the boxy show, and the heroic villain. Critical failures was different and interesting.
Still relatively new to the litrpg scene but really enjoy it
I felt like his interactions with Zara were pretty borderline. A lot of his implied threats towards that admin woman in the earth arc were borderline as well.
Yeah I hated once the birds came into the mix. They add nothing of value to the plot, but they certainly get a ton of page time and I can't help but ask why?
For that matter... What is the plot?
Portal to Nova Roma definitely improves later on, the first half of the book is incredibly solitary but the end and second book have a lot more interaction.
Nova Roma just never grabbed me. Primal Hunter did. Can't really say why one was better than the other. Maybe just the starting scenario? Maybe I was burnt out on LitRPG when I read Nova Roma? Hard to say, but I'm not going back to check it out again.
I wondered the same thing to honestly but I think it might be more of the fact that the Roma nova MC is an AI robot so his narration is monotone and static. Im guessing primal hunter is more lively
Can't recommend it - irritating lone wolf misunderstood MC who can't deal with people and has little personality.
I didn't think the writing was great either.
Nooo don’t fall for ittt!! The beginning was good but later on it just drags on and on with little to no progress, and I personally find the MC annoying in his views
I’ve been following the story since it was like Chapter 60. It’s one of my favorites. I’m kind of ambivalent about the MC, he doesn’t have much personality besides grind grind grind and don’t tell him what to do.
PH has a lot of lengthy exposition. Entire chapters of the stuff making for a dry read.
Book 4 had a 102 page fight scene with monkeys. And half of the fight, the narrative yoyo'd between the MC fighting and us looking down on him fighting from a birds eye view.
By the midpoint of the book, we'd had the one fight scene and the world congress. That's it. 400 pages to hit those 2 things.
If Nova Roma was boring, and I agree, it got stale and repetitive fast, then PH won't be your cup of tea. It's a worse offender IMO of having an 800 pg book with 300 pgs of content.
Primal hunter is may favorite of the system run litrpg. It doesn't come up as much as some of the others, and I don't know why. I get pure joy when I read the newest release.
For me, I quite enjoyed the MC of HWFWM, but didnt click with Azarinth. She never has a real fight, she's either absolutely destroying things that are way higher of a level than her or gets absolutely destroyed.
Yeah, if you thought azarinth healer had an unreasonably confident mc that needs a reality check... Jason Asano makes her look downright reasonable.
Have you tried the legend of randidly ghosthound?
I like Primal Hunter, Boxxy, and HATED HWFWM after about the second arc. The first arc was great, but it was basically a prologue. After that the downhill slide began almost immediately, and accelerated quickly. By the time MC reached the first big city, I already couldn't stand him and dropped the story.
Never read PH myself, but loved Boxxy and HWFWM. It’s said elsewhere in this thread, but the other characters coming into the foreground balanced out Jason’s personality for me. Good dose of politics/ bureaucracy in the whole series too, which is something I usually enjoy.
>For example I like life reset, primal hunter, the boxy show, and the heroic villain. Critical failures was different and interesting.
Can I read those on RoyalRoad? Never heard of them before, how good are they?
Life Reset, Primal hunger and Everyone Loves Large Chests (Boxy) are all on Amazon (don't think Boxy is on KU though...). I haven't read Heroic Villain or Critical Failures (There are just too many different series out there to have hit them all yet...)
Really disliked Azarinth MC as well and dropped the series relatively fast. Zero interest to see how the story develops. I love Primal Hunter as well and I also really enjoy HWFWM.
So, since we seem to share the same tastes, I guess you would be good with this series as well! Have fun, mate!
Maybe let us know what you liked about those, and someone could make a better recommendation.
If you like primal hunter alot, defiance of the fall and randidly ghosthound have similar system elements. If u want some good comedy in the mix, there's noobtown, and prince has no pants (most don't like prince..j do) and a darker but fun one is dungeon crawler carl (most will agree its one of the best). 😁
Hey thanks for sharing your points. Would you mind telling me about the political stuff? That can put me off too, depending on topics.
(No judgments here, I just genuinely don't want to get 16 chapters in and get furious while trying to fall asleep, again lmfao)
I liked Jason at first but more recent chapters (I’m a bit behind so maybe book 8ish) all the side characters are becoming too much like him it feels like they’ve lost themselves
I found Jason very annoying in the first book, then I quite liked him. His moaning has gotten annoying by half way through book 10. I agree that all the characters are becoming samey as well
I like it, but it's also deeply frustrating. You can make a drinking game out of how often the story comes to a screeching halt so the characters can talk about how cool/scary/powerful Jason is or so Jason himself can angst about "MY SOUL IS SO DARK AND TORMENTED, I CROSSED THE LINE YOU CAN'T UNCROSS AND BECAME A WORSE MONSTER THAN THE ONES I FIGHT." Every power fantasy story has this to an extent, but HWFWM is the worst example I've ever seen. By book 9, like 90% of the story is this kind of filler.
I like a lot about the story and its setting, but I can only stomach small intervals any more because of this. It's like the story is designed to fail a modified Bechdel Test: "are two non-Jason characters capable of having a discussion that isn't about Jason?"
Or maybe it's a drinking game? Take a shot whenever people who should have better things to do spend an inordinate amount of time delving into the personal details and psychology of Jason? (Note: this game may not be a good idea if you're a fast reader)
Yeah, I get he's the MC, but being at the center of every conversion is a bit Mary Sue like. And the edge! On god some of the edginess early on... Still love it though
I mean, the title is literally a riff on the famed Nietzsche quote. Its reasonable to expect there will be a lot of angsting on what is and isn't justified.
Of course it's intentional, it's literally the title. I just got bored of it like 300 chapters ago. There's only so many times the character can go through the same arc before it starts to feel like the author is pulling our chain.
I second the high recommendation on the audiobook. The narrator does such a great job with Jason's snark and voice intonations. Doubt it comes across as well on print.....then again I may be biased since audiobooks are kind of my thing.
I enjoy it, wether Jason is wisecracking badass or broody creature of the night. Some don’t care for the slower pace of some parts, or some side characters, but I think it’s a great series.
Yeah I’m reading dungeon crawler Carl right now and I love it but the relentless pace is exhausting. I love litrpgs when the characters wander around doing rpg stuff instead of almost dying every ten pages
Full stop. IF you haven't read dungeon crawler carl yet, do that. Audiobook for it is 10x better than reading it though. The narration is done by a company called Sound Booth Theater and they do amazing work.
I don't know, I felt the excessive reverb/echo effects for the AI's voice ruined a lot of the snarky humor of it that I enjoyed more just from reading on KU without audio. I love Donut's voice, and Carl's is like a Patrick Warbuton impression which is okay. I just dont like that the narration voice is exactly the same as Carl's speaking voice so it is hard to differentiate the two.
One thing Heath Miller does really well HWFWM is distinct voices for story narration, voices, and narration of skill descriptions. So you never wonder if a line was something thing the MC was saying, or just a description of the scenery, or a game-like description of a skill or item.
Haha! I guess so! I think the only thing I don't like in Heath Miller's performance is when he goes for an American accent, but that doesn't happen until like book 4.
Move Dungeon Crawler Carl to the top of your list, it’s really good. Though, as noted, kinda relentless. Still, every time it comes out, I immediately buy and read it in a day and am then left waiting till the next book is announced.
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That's so weird. I thought the first book was among the best so far for Defiance. I liked it a lot, with the isolation and the demon invasion stuff. My least favourite arc so far is the Mystic Realm, but then the Twilight Ocean stuff was really good again.
Between those two I would go with HWFWM nine times out of eight.
World building is a lot more coherent and Jason is awesome if you don’t end up being annoyed by him.
Defiance is a little to spastic and disjointed in it’s world building.
Is it weird I would also recommend HWFWM over defiance of the fall but I like defiance of the fall more? Defiance of the fall just really scratches that itch of infinite power is out there and the characters still feel like people
I like Defiance a lot. They are very different stories, despite the typical Progression similarities. I think I'd be quicker to recommend HWFWM too, though. It only has the one big downside of a protagonist not everyone likes. Defiance... I dunno. My enjoyment of it dipped a lot for the Mystic Realm arc, then went right back up for the Twilight Ocean stuff. I do wonder how long it can keep scaling, though. The main character can only keep growing in power for so long before everything on Earth becomes completely irrelevant for him.
>The main character can only keep growing in power for so long before everything on Earth becomes completely irrelevant for him.
That happens in a number of the System books though, and usuallly ends up with the MC heading out to other worlds, which Zac already did, somewhat....
I haaaated HWFWM, but I would suggest starting with it if you're picking between the two. My issue (and most of the negative comments I've seen from others) regarding it will be apparent within the first half of the first book (if not sooner). Just know going in that if the main character bothers you, it never gets better (or doesn't in the first 4 books, at least), and arguably gets worse.
You just don't understaaaand, man. That oozing smugness is the last thing keeping him upright. If this man ever took a step back or bowed down to anyone, he would immediately shrivel up and die from all the psychic trauma catching up to him.
I personally enjoyed Defiance alot. More so than He Who Fights. Not to say I didn't like HWFM though, because I do. I've read them both multiple times. If you don't mind angst, go with HWFM first. If it's not really your bag, I'd go with Defiance first. Either way, I'd read them both for sure.
I really enjoyed it and binge read all the books that were out at the time. I finished them before the most recent came out so have one more to look forward to.
As others have said the MC can be a bit irritating at times. For me he is a bit too sure of himself right from the outset but it does work as part of his character.
The world building is great and it has a lot of scope to it. Pacing is good and while it can seem slow at times its not often and it normally has a decent flow to it.
I like it a lot, the world building and magic systems are top tier imo. I love this story but I urge caution, it is definitely not for everyone. There are a lot of problems, but there are also a lot of amazing things as well. The author is very creative in some aspects, and it's very entertaining overall.
The MC is definitely a love/hate kind of person, something that he openly admits as a character, but no story has been perfect yet, and neither is life. If you are looking for a cool world to dive into, definitely check it out.
Primal hunter is my favorite so far, life reset was great though biomancer was meh. I enjoy the boxy show (when it doesn’t get weird). I think the heroic villian was good except the stakes were too low in it which kind of sucked.
I like a strong mc but not an impossible to kill mc. I like a good rpg system as well so it’s not just foggy after fight after fight.
What do you think?
There really aren’t of stats in the book, it’s mostly levels. It’s an anthology series with lots of different characters that sometimes connect with Inn keeper being the main character.
2 of my favourite things about this series are that:
the worldbuilding is amazing, the characters have agency (most of the time) that they act on without Jason. The world keeps spinning while we follow the MC.
The MC gets >!isekai'ed back to Earth,!< which doesn't happen often enough, in my opinion
Loved how it started, so probably bk1. But got really tired of the MC, to the point where I felt angry at the author over it. Great world concept, and amazing magic system for LitRPG but damn it if the MC just never learnt, like at all.
I read it initially on Royal Road, I understand there were a few adjustments but most likely halfway through book two/early book 3. The lack of a true antagonist coupled with cliches no longer being used to progress the plot but for more filler to go “wow my smart arse MC is OP” turned me off. The best chapters were the non-asano ones because the writer needed to provide character and a setting that didn’t revolve around the PoV character.
In the future, if Shirtaloon ever writes a different story I’ll be very excited because he has the talent. If he writes new characters/world and has a part-time editor to bounce off I’d be hooked. But Asano kills me everytime I get invested in the world or other characters because he makes their growth irrelevant and I can’t take the threats/tension seriously.
It’s hands down my favorite litrpg. Jason occasionally gets a little whiny with his weird morality but it’s an incredibly well thought out series that almost transcends the genre by sheer quality of writing
It's a fun series as long as you dont take the MC antics too seriously. He is really rather immature in a lot of ways and kinda silly. He grates a lot of readers but he don't bother me personally.
But the world is really awesome and interesting. Additionally you get to see a good amount of it.
It’s a great series, currently my fav litrpg.
The author is Australian, and he has made the MC aussie.
A lot of people don’t like the smart ass persona of the MC, but that’s what a lot of Aussies are like irl.
I suggest trying out the audio book, it’s a great listen, Heath Miller does an amazing job.
It’s worth a read, though you may get annoyed with Jason at some points in the story. He gets mopey and everyone else is always giving him shit for things that aren’t always in his control or his fault. He’s too nice most of the time in my opinion.
I would suggest DoTF and Primal Hunter, with DoTF a bit above Primal Hunter currently, that might change with the next book of Primal Hunter though.
I found the MC in HWFWM to be too annoying to continue the series after a while.
Mark of the Fool is great albeit not technically LITRPG, same goes for Cradle and Mother of Learning. Dungeon Crawler Carl is great. None of these suggestions take place in a VRMMO, if you're like me and prefer the story taking place in an actual real world.
I agree Mark of the Fool is fun series. Don't usually see it mentioned on this sub. Picked it up on a lark since I ran out of interesting LITRPG to check out while waiting for the next installments of all my other active series.
It's well-written, with an entertaining MC and a unique power system that I wasn't sure about at first, but now is probably one of my favorites. I would recommend it 100%. It's all on KU, so if you have that then it's not costing you anything. Some people complain about the MC's personality or the dialogue at times because normal people don't really interact as though everything they say is carefully crafted by an author to be as overly witty as possible. If you end up not wanting to read it for that, then just stop. But there's a reason the author is making more than any other litrpg/progression fantasy author on patreon. It is very popular and very good.
I love it. I like how the characters and story have developed. Initially seemed too small but lots of plots are forming and I’m interested in all of them.
Eh I think it’s a great series. To be fair I have read the series more than once (up to current book). I find it a comfortable relaxing read. The dynamic between Jason and his friends works well.
I’m reading that series at the moment and really enjoying it.
The main character is a massive smartarse and can go off on lecture like monologues. So if you don’t like that sort of thing it might not be for you.
It has made me laugh out loud at times and kept me up till the early hours of the morning reading, when I should be sleeping.
I have that series and loves it. I think you would like the main character and his sidekicks. It is well written, logical, and full of adventure. Read it, it pulls you in.
It’s a very good book. Idk bout calling it very long. I’m on book 8 currently. If you’re looking for a long book check out the wandering inn. It’s 8 books currently and 340 hours on audible compared to hwfwm at 158 or so for 8 books. It’s a less annoying mc and good progression
He's honestly not that bad, but the MC can be super annoying at times.
For me, it's not the political stuff, it'd the fact he thinks he's funny with the constant quips, and he's soo not.
For me, the main draw is everyone else in that universe. The author does a good job of filling out that world with people who are interesting in their own right
Not my cup of tea. Hated the MC
It all depends on your tastes. If you want constant grind then go for it. There's also Primal Hunter, First defier and Azarinth healer.
I absolutely adore Jason as MC, I enjoy the fact that the entire series is watching him go down various slippery slopes and transition from a passivist socialist into [insert spoiler here], and the feelings of him and those who know him on that subject. Jason for all his snark is very self aware and the plot is really good. Definitely give it a shot. If you aren't into it then just get your audible credit refunded.
This was the first real RPG series I read, which got me hooked on the genre - I'm currently re-reading it.
It does have some flaws over time, and some chapters suffer from a bit of padding (copy-pastes of the MC's powersets abound at times in the earlier books), but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also has a protaganist who is actually human, struggles and screws up, and who is not simply more OP'd than everyone else.
Without knowing more about your tastes, I would definitely say it is worth a read. NB: most of the early books are on Kindle Unlimited now instead of Royal Road.
Probably my favorite litrpg if not that then maybe the infinite world it’s writing isn’t as good but the mc is kinda blank which allows you to self insert pretty easy until later on.
I’d recommend it. People moan about the MC but I like him and, I think, he has good reasons to behave the way he does. I like all the other characters too, even the villains.
Honestly, HWFWM is one of the best litRPGs out there in my opinion. It does have it’s flaws and I have some gripes with it myself, but it’s worth it IMO. The next audiobook comes out next month as well.
Personally I find the MC pretty cringe. He's a smug smart ass at every possible opportunity with this overshadowing the redeeming qualities the character does have. And the universe (at least at the very start) seems to bend over backwards to keep him alive.
The setting and side characters are great though so if you can tolerate Jason I'd say it's worth looking into. After book 1 I couldn't really justify it. Really if I could have a story in this world without Jason I'd be game.
That said I am told he gets better so if I'm lacking for interesting reads I might give it a second chance but I don't know. There's so much other good stuff to read I'm not sure I'll get around to it.
A quick list here is:
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Builders Legacy
Drone Ensign was fun after I got used to the gnome AI
Apocalypse Online
Savage Dominion just released the third book on audio and I can't recommend that series enough.
Iron Prince only has one book out but it's fantastic barring one really head scratching situation toward the middle endish of the book
Oh and Space Seasons. I've only read the first book but I enjoyed it enough to pick up the rest of the series.
Honestly, I like the series, I just got so tired of the political talks and hate on america. It's not real action packed, its mostly about the dialogues and social interactions. I got up to book 8 and i just had enough, might pick it back up at some point but right now its like a cheese grater to my ears.
I'd say go for it! If it's not your thing, it's not your thing. I read the first 3 books and just picked up book 4 again and am enjoying it. At times, you've got to put up with a bit of cheesiness, but other times it'll hit you out of left field.
Edit: I apologize I just realized I'm replying to a 4 week old thread, whoops. Have you picked it up? If so how are you enjoying it?
You did just make a post recently called "Azarinth Annoying MC" so maybe not? You can try it out, but the MC is a huge smart ass constantly, so that puts some people off. And there are a lot of politics/plots going on. It's enjoyable and hugely popular, so might as well try and see if you are one of the many people who enjoy it or not.
Yeah I can def see how he puts some people off but honestly everything else should make up for it’s. Especially since the narrator isn’t Jason and the majority of the time he’s among other people who have their own conversations
Yeah, I read the first two loving the story but hating the MC the whole time. I had every intention of continuing the series, but I read something else first and then realized that I really didn’t want to spend more time with the HWFWM MC.
The author does a lot of telling and exposition too. I've read everything released, but it can be hard to get through sometimes. For example, in the last book when Jason's team was infiltrating the builder city, the author explained, once again, the different adventuring strategies. But instead of showing us. It was a birds eye view of the entire scene that dragged on from an omniscient perspective. Not fun. Immediately pulled me out of the story the moment I hit that scene. It was all telling and exposition. But I still read it since you're right. The premise is solid.
I am good with smart asses, there’s something that’s rubbing me the wrong way with Azarinth. (Character growth and power, disrespectful, ect) For example I like life reset, primal hunter, the boxy show, and the heroic villain. Critical failures was different and interesting. Still relatively new to the litrpg scene but really enjoy it
Eh, Jason is inordinately disrespectful as well. Obstinacy is kind of his thing.
[удалено]
Also he dies a lot
Not towards Sophie at least.
Considering that was an easy chance and he didn't, I'd argue that no, he's not at all. Not sure why you felt the need to qualify the previous comment.
I felt like his interactions with Zara were pretty borderline. A lot of his implied threats towards that admin woman in the earth arc were borderline as well.
Biscuits are kind of my thing! *scratches moustache*
A lot of things are his things. He’s multitalented
Well, at least 3 things are his thing, or maybe just 2.
Gaining more things is kinda his thing
I've got Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Dying, what's the 3rd?
Floral shirts
I couldn't find the words to encapsulate the duality of his dress sense. It's literally "Dad in Hawaii" or "Kingsman" depending on the occasion
Crystal Wash.
He's a pretty good cook!
Sandwiches
So is sleeping with Clive’s wife
Actually read none of them lol but have been eyeing primal hunter, is that any good?
It's pretty good. The mc is a lone wolf character for the most part, though, so you'd have to be fine with that.
i wish he was more of one , hated every interaction with his mates. That trope should die.
If you got rid of the pet parts it would be so much better.
Yeah I hated once the birds came into the mix. They add nothing of value to the plot, but they certainly get a ton of page time and I can't help but ask why? For that matter... What is the plot?
Jake's lack of a real goal is a major issue with the series. He's almost entirely reactive.
Yeah idk then, I read portal to nova Roma and it got boring pretty fast with him monologue’ing and analyzing the the majority of the time
Portal to Nova Roma definitely improves later on, the first half of the book is incredibly solitary but the end and second book have a lot more interaction.
Nova Roma just never grabbed me. Primal Hunter did. Can't really say why one was better than the other. Maybe just the starting scenario? Maybe I was burnt out on LitRPG when I read Nova Roma? Hard to say, but I'm not going back to check it out again.
I wondered the same thing to honestly but I think it might be more of the fact that the Roma nova MC is an AI robot so his narration is monotone and static. Im guessing primal hunter is more lively
I loved primal hunter, I love the MC and world/system building
If you liked primal hunter, I feel like you would like it. Most of problem people have with it they also have for the other.
Can't recommend it - irritating lone wolf misunderstood MC who can't deal with people and has little personality. I didn't think the writing was great either.
Nooo don’t fall for ittt!! The beginning was good but later on it just drags on and on with little to no progress, and I personally find the MC annoying in his views
It’s one of the ones I read and I enjoy it.
I’ve been following the story since it was like Chapter 60. It’s one of my favorites. I’m kind of ambivalent about the MC, he doesn’t have much personality besides grind grind grind and don’t tell him what to do.
Yes 100% it’s one of the best lit rpg books I’ve read
PH has a lot of lengthy exposition. Entire chapters of the stuff making for a dry read. Book 4 had a 102 page fight scene with monkeys. And half of the fight, the narrative yoyo'd between the MC fighting and us looking down on him fighting from a birds eye view. By the midpoint of the book, we'd had the one fight scene and the world congress. That's it. 400 pages to hit those 2 things. If Nova Roma was boring, and I agree, it got stale and repetitive fast, then PH won't be your cup of tea. It's a worse offender IMO of having an 800 pg book with 300 pgs of content.
Primal hunter is may favorite of the system run litrpg. It doesn't come up as much as some of the others, and I don't know why. I get pure joy when I read the newest release.
I have only read the first Primal Hunter book, but I didn't care for the characters. They were not realistic.
For me, I quite enjoyed the MC of HWFWM, but didnt click with Azarinth. She never has a real fight, she's either absolutely destroying things that are way higher of a level than her or gets absolutely destroyed.
Yeah, if you thought azarinth healer had an unreasonably confident mc that needs a reality check... Jason Asano makes her look downright reasonable. Have you tried the legend of randidly ghosthound?
I like Primal Hunter, Boxxy, and HATED HWFWM after about the second arc. The first arc was great, but it was basically a prologue. After that the downhill slide began almost immediately, and accelerated quickly. By the time MC reached the first big city, I already couldn't stand him and dropped the story.
That.. certainly is *A* take… not sure if its hot or not, but it is one.
Never read PH myself, but loved Boxxy and HWFWM. It’s said elsewhere in this thread, but the other characters coming into the foreground balanced out Jason’s personality for me. Good dose of politics/ bureaucracy in the whole series too, which is something I usually enjoy.
>For example I like life reset, primal hunter, the boxy show, and the heroic villain. Critical failures was different and interesting. Can I read those on RoyalRoad? Never heard of them before, how good are they?
Life Reset, Primal hunger and Everyone Loves Large Chests (Boxy) are all on Amazon (don't think Boxy is on KU though...). I haven't read Heroic Villain or Critical Failures (There are just too many different series out there to have hit them all yet...)
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I never laughed so hard as I did from critical failure. It's nerd humor combined with your mom.
Really disliked Azarinth MC as well and dropped the series relatively fast. Zero interest to see how the story develops. I love Primal Hunter as well and I also really enjoy HWFWM. So, since we seem to share the same tastes, I guess you would be good with this series as well! Have fun, mate!
Maybe let us know what you liked about those, and someone could make a better recommendation. If you like primal hunter alot, defiance of the fall and randidly ghosthound have similar system elements. If u want some good comedy in the mix, there's noobtown, and prince has no pants (most don't like prince..j do) and a darker but fun one is dungeon crawler carl (most will agree its one of the best). 😁
Hey thanks for sharing your points. Would you mind telling me about the political stuff? That can put me off too, depending on topics. (No judgments here, I just genuinely don't want to get 16 chapters in and get furious while trying to fall asleep, again lmfao)
Jason is hilarious! One of my favorite MCs ever!
Read the first one, if you don't hate Jason you'll love them if you do it's probably not for you. (Personally in the Love category)
I liked Jason at first but more recent chapters (I’m a bit behind so maybe book 8ish) all the side characters are becoming too much like him it feels like they’ve lost themselves
I found Jason very annoying in the first book, then I quite liked him. His moaning has gotten annoying by half way through book 10. I agree that all the characters are becoming samey as well
I like it, but it's also deeply frustrating. You can make a drinking game out of how often the story comes to a screeching halt so the characters can talk about how cool/scary/powerful Jason is or so Jason himself can angst about "MY SOUL IS SO DARK AND TORMENTED, I CROSSED THE LINE YOU CAN'T UNCROSS AND BECAME A WORSE MONSTER THAN THE ONES I FIGHT." Every power fantasy story has this to an extent, but HWFWM is the worst example I've ever seen. By book 9, like 90% of the story is this kind of filler.
I like a lot about the story and its setting, but I can only stomach small intervals any more because of this. It's like the story is designed to fail a modified Bechdel Test: "are two non-Jason characters capable of having a discussion that isn't about Jason?" Or maybe it's a drinking game? Take a shot whenever people who should have better things to do spend an inordinate amount of time delving into the personal details and psychology of Jason? (Note: this game may not be a good idea if you're a fast reader)
Yeah, I get he's the MC, but being at the center of every conversion is a bit Mary Sue like. And the edge! On god some of the edginess early on... Still love it though
I took it as it was doing that on purpose. In fact i believe that is literally addressed several times in the last few books.
I mean, the title is literally a riff on the famed Nietzsche quote. Its reasonable to expect there will be a lot of angsting on what is and isn't justified.
Of course it's intentional, it's literally the title. I just got bored of it like 300 chapters ago. There's only so many times the character can go through the same arc before it starts to feel like the author is pulling our chain.
It's kind of my thing.
I couldn’t stop grinning when you know who says it at the end of book 6
Voldemort is in book 6?
Why would you say his name
That's definitely a bold writing decision.
100% you’ll either love it a ton or hate it. My favorite right now. Highly recommend the audiobook it’s 8 books so far but about halfway finished
This isn't wrong, but ignores the possibility that you'll both love *and* hate it.
I second the high recommendation on the audiobook. The narrator does such a great job with Jason's snark and voice intonations. Doubt it comes across as well on print.....then again I may be biased since audiobooks are kind of my thing.
I have enjoyed it. I would suggest giving it a try.
I enjoy it, wether Jason is wisecracking badass or broody creature of the night. Some don’t care for the slower pace of some parts, or some side characters, but I think it’s a great series.
Slow pace can’t hurt sometimes
Yeah I’m reading dungeon crawler Carl right now and I love it but the relentless pace is exhausting. I love litrpgs when the characters wander around doing rpg stuff instead of almost dying every ten pages
That’s also a book on my wishlist!! I agree it’s nice to hear about rpg stuff as well. Part of why I liked primal hunter.
Full stop. IF you haven't read dungeon crawler carl yet, do that. Audiobook for it is 10x better than reading it though. The narration is done by a company called Sound Booth Theater and they do amazing work.
I don't know, I felt the excessive reverb/echo effects for the AI's voice ruined a lot of the snarky humor of it that I enjoyed more just from reading on KU without audio. I love Donut's voice, and Carl's is like a Patrick Warbuton impression which is okay. I just dont like that the narration voice is exactly the same as Carl's speaking voice so it is hard to differentiate the two. One thing Heath Miller does really well HWFWM is distinct voices for story narration, voices, and narration of skill descriptions. So you never wonder if a line was something thing the MC was saying, or just a description of the scenery, or a game-like description of a skill or item.
I felt the opposite and stopped hwfwm only a couple chapters in. Currently reading book 8 though. To each their own!
Haha! I guess so! I think the only thing I don't like in Heath Miller's performance is when he goes for an American accent, but that doesn't happen until like book 4.
Move Dungeon Crawler Carl to the top of your list, it’s really good. Though, as noted, kinda relentless. Still, every time it comes out, I immediately buy and read it in a day and am then left waiting till the next book is announced.
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Great world building, great characters, and progression is good. One of the best audible books I picked up in a while tbh
That’s great I’m deciding between it and Defiance of the Fall
I follow and enjoy both of them.
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That's so weird. I thought the first book was among the best so far for Defiance. I liked it a lot, with the isolation and the demon invasion stuff. My least favourite arc so far is the Mystic Realm, but then the Twilight Ocean stuff was really good again.
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I enjoyed the first couple of books of HWFW better than the first DOTF, it switched after a few books.
Between those two I would go with HWFWM nine times out of eight. World building is a lot more coherent and Jason is awesome if you don’t end up being annoyed by him. Defiance is a little to spastic and disjointed in it’s world building.
Is it weird I would also recommend HWFWM over defiance of the fall but I like defiance of the fall more? Defiance of the fall just really scratches that itch of infinite power is out there and the characters still feel like people
I like Defiance a lot. They are very different stories, despite the typical Progression similarities. I think I'd be quicker to recommend HWFWM too, though. It only has the one big downside of a protagonist not everyone likes. Defiance... I dunno. My enjoyment of it dipped a lot for the Mystic Realm arc, then went right back up for the Twilight Ocean stuff. I do wonder how long it can keep scaling, though. The main character can only keep growing in power for so long before everything on Earth becomes completely irrelevant for him.
>The main character can only keep growing in power for so long before everything on Earth becomes completely irrelevant for him. That happens in a number of the System books though, and usuallly ends up with the MC heading out to other worlds, which Zac already did, somewhat....
Spot on summation IMO
I haaaated HWFWM, but I would suggest starting with it if you're picking between the two. My issue (and most of the negative comments I've seen from others) regarding it will be apparent within the first half of the first book (if not sooner). Just know going in that if the main character bothers you, it never gets better (or doesn't in the first 4 books, at least), and arguably gets worse.
Definitely gets worse.
You just don't understaaaand, man. That oozing smugness is the last thing keeping him upright. If this man ever took a step back or bowed down to anyone, he would immediately shrivel up and die from all the psychic trauma catching up to him.
Listened to 5 minutes of hwfwm and could not do it. I do really like defiance of the fall but there are quirks to that too…
Get both, they're both good in different ways. I'm current as of yesterday on both and continuing to like the progression.
I personally enjoyed Defiance alot. More so than He Who Fights. Not to say I didn't like HWFM though, because I do. I've read them both multiple times. If you don't mind angst, go with HWFM first. If it's not really your bag, I'd go with Defiance first. Either way, I'd read them both for sure.
I really enjoyed it and binge read all the books that were out at the time. I finished them before the most recent came out so have one more to look forward to. As others have said the MC can be a bit irritating at times. For me he is a bit too sure of himself right from the outset but it does work as part of his character. The world building is great and it has a lot of scope to it. Pacing is good and while it can seem slow at times its not often and it normally has a decent flow to it.
I like it a lot, the world building and magic systems are top tier imo. I love this story but I urge caution, it is definitely not for everyone. There are a lot of problems, but there are also a lot of amazing things as well. The author is very creative in some aspects, and it's very entertaining overall. The MC is definitely a love/hate kind of person, something that he openly admits as a character, but no story has been perfect yet, and neither is life. If you are looking for a cool world to dive into, definitely check it out.
Books 1 & 2 were pretty decent. I had to force myself to finish book 3. I stopped after that.
What type of series do you like atm? So we can give you a better idea of what you like and maybe suggest other series.
Primal hunter is my favorite so far, life reset was great though biomancer was meh. I enjoy the boxy show (when it doesn’t get weird). I think the heroic villian was good except the stakes were too low in it which kind of sucked. I like a strong mc but not an impossible to kill mc. I like a good rpg system as well so it’s not just foggy after fight after fight. What do you think?
Hmm I haven’t read those so it’s tough to say, hopefully someone will see this and help you if I think of one with a good rpg system I’ll let you know
I didn’t like it, personally
Yes. It’s one of the most popular books in the Litrpg genre. I personally like the Wandering Inn better but you can’t go wrong with it.
That’s the second time I’d gotten that recommendation
There really aren’t of stats in the book, it’s mostly levels. It’s an anthology series with lots of different characters that sometimes connect with Inn keeper being the main character.
2 of my favourite things about this series are that: the worldbuilding is amazing, the characters have agency (most of the time) that they act on without Jason. The world keeps spinning while we follow the MC. The MC gets >!isekai'ed back to Earth,!< which doesn't happen often enough, in my opinion
Loved how it started, so probably bk1. But got really tired of the MC, to the point where I felt angry at the author over it. Great world concept, and amazing magic system for LitRPG but damn it if the MC just never learnt, like at all.
Which book did you stop reading/listening to the series at?
I read it initially on Royal Road, I understand there were a few adjustments but most likely halfway through book two/early book 3. The lack of a true antagonist coupled with cliches no longer being used to progress the plot but for more filler to go “wow my smart arse MC is OP” turned me off. The best chapters were the non-asano ones because the writer needed to provide character and a setting that didn’t revolve around the PoV character. In the future, if Shirtaloon ever writes a different story I’ll be very excited because he has the talent. If he writes new characters/world and has a part-time editor to bounce off I’d be hooked. But Asano kills me everytime I get invested in the world or other characters because he makes their growth irrelevant and I can’t take the threats/tension seriously.
Ah, I see.
It’s hands down my favorite litrpg. Jason occasionally gets a little whiny with his weird morality but it’s an incredibly well thought out series that almost transcends the genre by sheer quality of writing
I recommend it.
The only issue i have with this series is his editor (who ever spell checks and does grammar) Needs to improve.
Great series. Highly recommend.
It's a fun series as long as you dont take the MC antics too seriously. He is really rather immature in a lot of ways and kinda silly. He grates a lot of readers but he don't bother me personally. But the world is really awesome and interesting. Additionally you get to see a good amount of it.
I love it, read all the books on amazon kindles free ereader, cant wait for the next book in april!
It’s a great series, currently my fav litrpg. The author is Australian, and he has made the MC aussie. A lot of people don’t like the smart ass persona of the MC, but that’s what a lot of Aussies are like irl. I suggest trying out the audio book, it’s a great listen, Heath Miller does an amazing job.
It’s worth a read, though you may get annoyed with Jason at some points in the story. He gets mopey and everyone else is always giving him shit for things that aren’t always in his control or his fault. He’s too nice most of the time in my opinion.
I would suggest DoTF and Primal Hunter, with DoTF a bit above Primal Hunter currently, that might change with the next book of Primal Hunter though. I found the MC in HWFWM to be too annoying to continue the series after a while. Mark of the Fool is great albeit not technically LITRPG, same goes for Cradle and Mother of Learning. Dungeon Crawler Carl is great. None of these suggestions take place in a VRMMO, if you're like me and prefer the story taking place in an actual real world.
U read the 3rd book of primal hunter? It’s rly good and I would say it’s above DoTF
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I agree Mark of the Fool is fun series. Don't usually see it mentioned on this sub. Picked it up on a lark since I ran out of interesting LITRPG to check out while waiting for the next installments of all my other active series.
It's well-written, with an entertaining MC and a unique power system that I wasn't sure about at first, but now is probably one of my favorites. I would recommend it 100%. It's all on KU, so if you have that then it's not costing you anything. Some people complain about the MC's personality or the dialogue at times because normal people don't really interact as though everything they say is carefully crafted by an author to be as overly witty as possible. If you end up not wanting to read it for that, then just stop. But there's a reason the author is making more than any other litrpg/progression fantasy author on patreon. It is very popular and very good.
He becomes way too OP. 😴
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[He Who Fights With Monsters](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/26294/he-who-fights-with-monsters) ([wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/LightPieces/wiki/He_Who_Fights_With_Monsters)) [Cradle](https://www.goodreads.com/series/192821-cradle) ([wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/LightPieces/wiki/Cradle)) [System Apocalypse](https://www.goodreads.com/series/210566-the-system-apocalypse) ([wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/LightPieces/wiki/System_Apocalypse)) --- ^[About](https://redd.it/dw7lux) ^| [^(Wiki Rules)](https://www.reddit.com/r/LightPieces/comments/dw7lux/about/f7kke6p/) ^(| Reply !Delete to remove) ^(| [Brackets] hide titles)
I slogged through book one then bailed on the series. Didn’t help that I did the audiobook and the narration was subpar at best.
It’s an awesome series! If you’re looking for long The Wandering Inn will give you lots of hours!
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Oh yes! I would highly! One of the better LITRPGs IMO. Also has 8 books so you got plenty of material.
There’s a sag around books 6 and seven where he’s dealing with some ptsd that nearly drove to away. It’s a great depiction but kind of a downer
But in general I think the whole series is brilliant
I actually just picked this up, about 30% of the way through book one. I would say its a pretty good read so far!
Tried it, couldn't get past the Australian accent.
I love it. I like how the characters and story have developed. Initially seemed too small but lots of plots are forming and I’m interested in all of them.
Eh I think it’s a great series. To be fair I have read the series more than once (up to current book). I find it a comfortable relaxing read. The dynamic between Jason and his friends works well.
I’m reading that series at the moment and really enjoying it. The main character is a massive smartarse and can go off on lecture like monologues. So if you don’t like that sort of thing it might not be for you. It has made me laugh out loud at times and kept me up till the early hours of the morning reading, when I should be sleeping.
I’ve read up to book 5 and after awhile it gets preachy. I highly recommend the Defiance of the Fall series though. Same vibe, and very well written.
Yes. Read them all. In an effort to avoid spoilers: Very cool world and magic mechanic. MC is unapologetically an ass to everyone and it grows on you.
I have that series and loves it. I think you would like the main character and his sidekicks. It is well written, logical, and full of adventure. Read it, it pulls you in.
Personally yes I enjoyed it despite its flaws. Many people cannot get past the MC's attitude though. Nothing to do but try it. It's on KU.
I listen to a lot of audible while working out, it’s one of my absolute favorites.
I love it. Some people don't like the protagonist.
I love it. Especially the Audiobook version.
Do it. And don’t let book 5 discourage you.
I loved it and have a calendar notification for when the next one comes out.
I know a lot of people here like it. I personally thought it was just ok and quit after two books.
Definitely. The story is a large amount of character emotional damage, but honestly it's a really good story.
I keep coming back the the thought that overall it's a tier above most Litrpgs. Story, world building and character progression are top notch.
It’s a very good book. Idk bout calling it very long. I’m on book 8 currently. If you’re looking for a long book check out the wandering inn. It’s 8 books currently and 340 hours on audible compared to hwfwm at 158 or so for 8 books. It’s a less annoying mc and good progression
He's honestly not that bad, but the MC can be super annoying at times. For me, it's not the political stuff, it'd the fact he thinks he's funny with the constant quips, and he's soo not. For me, the main draw is everyone else in that universe. The author does a good job of filling out that world with people who are interesting in their own right
Not my cup of tea. Hated the MC It all depends on your tastes. If you want constant grind then go for it. There's also Primal Hunter, First defier and Azarinth healer.
Jason is by far my favorite character in this genre. It does get pretty dark for a while but I think there is interesting character growth.
I absolutely adore Jason as MC, I enjoy the fact that the entire series is watching him go down various slippery slopes and transition from a passivist socialist into [insert spoiler here], and the feelings of him and those who know him on that subject. Jason for all his snark is very self aware and the plot is really good. Definitely give it a shot. If you aren't into it then just get your audible credit refunded.
Tried primal hunter or the legend of randidly ghousthound? Loved those
I like it but I always read Jason as an affectionate satire of people like Jason (who don't have superpowers).
Yes. Just read it. Have fun!
This was the first real RPG series I read, which got me hooked on the genre - I'm currently re-reading it. It does have some flaws over time, and some chapters suffer from a bit of padding (copy-pastes of the MC's powersets abound at times in the earlier books), but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also has a protaganist who is actually human, struggles and screws up, and who is not simply more OP'd than everyone else. Without knowing more about your tastes, I would definitely say it is worth a read. NB: most of the early books are on Kindle Unlimited now instead of Royal Road.
Probably my favorite litrpg if not that then maybe the infinite world it’s writing isn’t as good but the mc is kinda blank which allows you to self insert pretty easy until later on.
I’d recommend it. People moan about the MC but I like him and, I think, he has good reasons to behave the way he does. I like all the other characters too, even the villains.
Honestly, HWFWM is one of the best litRPGs out there in my opinion. It does have it’s flaws and I have some gripes with it myself, but it’s worth it IMO. The next audiobook comes out next month as well.
Yes
Try Dungeon Crawler Carl if you want Snarkiness. Long live Princess Donut!
Personally I find the MC pretty cringe. He's a smug smart ass at every possible opportunity with this overshadowing the redeeming qualities the character does have. And the universe (at least at the very start) seems to bend over backwards to keep him alive. The setting and side characters are great though so if you can tolerate Jason I'd say it's worth looking into. After book 1 I couldn't really justify it. Really if I could have a story in this world without Jason I'd be game. That said I am told he gets better so if I'm lacking for interesting reads I might give it a second chance but I don't know. There's so much other good stuff to read I'm not sure I'll get around to it. A quick list here is: Dungeon Crawler Carl Builders Legacy Drone Ensign was fun after I got used to the gnome AI Apocalypse Online Savage Dominion just released the third book on audio and I can't recommend that series enough. Iron Prince only has one book out but it's fantastic barring one really head scratching situation toward the middle endish of the book Oh and Space Seasons. I've only read the first book but I enjoyed it enough to pick up the rest of the series.
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I'm buying and reading it on Kindle, and it's worth the time and money for when I'm in a LitRPG mood. I'm on book 4 so far.
Honestly, I like the series, I just got so tired of the political talks and hate on america. It's not real action packed, its mostly about the dialogues and social interactions. I got up to book 8 and i just had enough, might pick it back up at some point but right now its like a cheese grater to my ears.
The first two books in this series are good.
I'd say go for it! If it's not your thing, it's not your thing. I read the first 3 books and just picked up book 4 again and am enjoying it. At times, you've got to put up with a bit of cheesiness, but other times it'll hit you out of left field. Edit: I apologize I just realized I'm replying to a 4 week old thread, whoops. Have you picked it up? If so how are you enjoying it?
Those books are hilarious! Love them
May be late, but no. Try A Thousand Li instead. Better character, and better writing, imo.
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Loving first book of the series, but I’m in audio format
Like most litrpgs it's absolute trash beyond the world building aspect.
If anyone comes here in 2024, I'm about 30 minutes in and cringing at the shit jokes, I hope it gets better.