Synopsis
The Everfail will rise. His enemies will fall.
Hiral is the Everfail, the weakest person on the flying island of Fallen Reach. He trains harder than any warrior. Studies longer than any scholar.
But all his people are born with magic powered by the sun, flowing through tattoos on their bodies. Despite having enormous energy within, Hiral is the only one who can’t channel it; his hard work is worth nothing.
Until it isn’t.
In a moment of danger, Hiral unlocks an achievement with a special instruction: Access a Dungeon to receive a Class-Specific Reward.
It’s his first—and maybe last—chance for real power. Just one problem: all dungeons lay in the wilderness below the flying islands that humanity lives on, and there lay secrets and dangers that no one has survived.
New powers await, but so do new challenges. If he survives? He could forge his own path to power.
If he fails? Death will be the least of his problems.
Don’t miss the next Progression Fantasy series from J.M Clarke, Bestselling Author of Mark of the Fool,written with C.J. Thompson. Unlock a weak-to-strong progression into power and a detailed LitRPG system with unique classes, skills, dungeons, achievements, survival and evolution. Explore a mysterious world of fallen civilizations, strange monsters and deadly secrets.
Review
Huge thanks to Aethon for the hardcover review copy and to Andy Peloquin for setting it up! I requested this one based on the cover and the fact that I do believe in CJ supremacy, naturally.
So, I have definitely dabbled in progression or progression-y books before, but I believe this is a first in LitRPG for me. I absolutely loved this. Like a video game world inscribed right onto the page. Including all the leveling up, experience, and achievement farming, and action your heart could desire.
The floating rock of Fallen Reach is ruled by power, success, and status. Sadly for Hiral, he has none of these things. His people, the Makers, are powered by the sun. Unlocking this strength allows them to craft items from the tattoos on their bodies. And while Hiral can feel this power, has some of the most powerful tattoos available thanks to his artist parents, he still can’t seem to access it. They call him Everfail, ten years of trying, ten fails and counting. But during what should be a routine day at work, Hiral is thrust into unimaginable perils as he joins a group of Growers (a second class of people that live on lower, following rocks) on their trip to save family members…all the way on the ground. Surprise attacks, a mysterious big bad, dungeons with spawned enemies, and no way home.
I didn’t expect to dislike this, of course, but I was surprised by just how much I liked it. Right off the bat, I got into the flow of the writing. The opening took its time, which I think in a book over 500 pages it’s earned the right to, and it is a good thing too, as the rest of the novel is off-the-rails fast paced. It also lent the story a real-world feel, grounding itself in a fantasy/scifi setting for the RPG aspects to build on. This really felt like playing/watching through a video game. Travel interrupted by random attacks, character developing dialogue scenes, almost like a game’s cutscenes, and full-on battles. Like many games, some of the fights felt random or repetitive, but I think that is part of what you’re signing up for. And I personally thought the achievements were fun and a kind of cheeky way to add humor. The holographic doctor teaching the team at the dungeons reminded me of scenes from Horizon Zero Dawn, which really enhanced the game feel.
One of the surprises for me was how solid the cast of characters was. Hiral is multilayered, juggling both a supportive(ish!) family and a past peppered with failure. He should be a fantastic Maker (if he only knew), and his perseverance is definitely up there with some of the top reigning characters in fantasy. Seena is a capable leader, both caring and competent. Her team is filled with different personality types, all of which coalesce into a pretty well-developed sort of found family for Hiral. As social anxiety, as well as being used and mistrusting, are focal points in terms of tension, it was nice to see Hiral finally settle in on some solid trust with his adoptive team, both allowing them in and also believing their friendship is real. It was a surprisingly well-balanced novel.
The action, which of course included progression—sometimes even involuntarily—allowed for dangerous and seemingly insurmountable odds to become just one more surprising feat. The idea that each fight, and even each dungeon, was just the next step in prepping the team for the mysterious bad guy actually worked for me. Layered in as if it were simply another piece of the story, it was so video game/RPG coded that I loved it.
Not only has LitRPG now been put on my mental map, but it may have even progressed to hold a place in my heart. This was a fast-paced, exciting first in the series, and I, for one, cannot wait for more.
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