Synopsis:
Life sucks when you’re a potato farmer.
That’s why Rin can’t wait to turn sixteen and conquer the nearest beginner dungeon. Only then can he acquire a powerful class in the Game of the Gods and begin the earnest grind to leveling up. With enough monster kills, he might even become someone truly strong, just like his father.
In a world where levels mean everything, it’s a perfect plan.
Until it all falls apart
Review:
One of the coolest things about SPFBO is reading genres you wouldn’t ever pick up on your own. No More Levels is a standalone Litrpg novel, something I’ve gathered just doesn’t happen very often. Before I talk about the book itself, I want to say that Litrpg isn’t really my thing. I liked Dungeon Crawler Carl, but I’ve struggled to find any other Litrpg that held my attention. I’ve tried and DNFed several popular Litrpg series. I love playing RPGs, but the conversion to book form just doesn’t often work for me. However, since this is a competition and I’m judging, I had to put my personal taste aside because No More Levels is one of our semi-finalists.
And oh my God, I’m super glad I did. No More Levels is, simply put, a fantastic story. Am I a Litrpg fan now? Possibly, if I can find more books like this one!
We follow Rin, a young man getting started on his journey into the dungeons of his world (as a level one potato farmer). He has big plans, but those plans immediately go off the rails. He’s stuck at level 6 forever and is cursed to only be able to add to his Charisma stat for the rest of his life. This landed with me because I’m the kinda guy that always maxes out charisma with my characters so that they can attempt to talk their way out of situations. What’s so cool about No More Levels is all of the ingenious ways Rin uses charisma and some different cursed abilities he finds. He’s especially adept at charming creatures, leading to cool animal companions (thunder rhinos, anyone?) and some really fun moments where he transforms into different creatures.
The bad guys in the story are often in the background and I confess I forgot about them a bit at different points, but Rin and his journey were so fun that I never got bored, even if I sometimes felt like skimming the stats. The first few chapters lead you to believe it might be a relatively normal dungeon crawl journey, but Barreth does a fantastic job subverting those expectations and making this story unique and special.
The prose is smooth, the character enjoyable, and though there were a few minor issues with headhopping, this is a fantastic book, something for any fantasy lover. Even if you’re a Litrpg-denier like me, I promise you that this book is absolutely worth the read! In terms of content, it’s safe for any YA reader but also intriguing enough for adults. Highly recommended!
Leave a Reply