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Underworld #1
Level Up or Die!
A thousand year old succubus has grown tired of devouring men. With the help of a lich lord, she invents a new spell that will allow her to grow more powerful in a much less distasteful manner.
Elorion is just your average high school student lazing around during summer break and thinking about bacon. After a solid gaming session, he removes his VR headset to find a monster waiting to kidnap him.
He wakes to find that he’s not alone. Nineteen other students have also been taken. The last thing he expects happens next. He is given the ability to use magic and level up! There’s a catch. With his dormant talents unlocked he must grow in power to please his new master.
To level up he must face the monsters of the Underworld. If he doesn’t fight he will die. But if he does fight, will he survive?
Welcome to the Underworld!
Elorion is just your average high school student lazing around during summer break and thinking about bacon. After a solid gaming session, he removes his VR headset to find a monster waiting to kidnap him.
He wakes to find that he’s not alone. Nineteen other students have also been taken. The last thing he expects happens next. He is given the ability to use magic and level up! There’s a catch. With his dormant talents unlocked he must grow in power to please his new master.
To level up he must face the monsters of the Underworld. If he doesn’t fight he will die. But if he does fight, will he survive?
Welcome to the Underworld!
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 6, 2017
1,195 people are currently reading
1,298 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
July 12, 2021
To celebrate my new gaming computer I figured I'd listen to a book about a gamer being sucked into a real life game (where you are the player who can allocate points to attributes, and even die, but for real).
This follows a dungeon quest format where about 20 high schoolers who were familiar, to varying degrees, with computer gaming were each having to devise how best to level up, whether to team up, what classes to focus on, etc.
Reading this book is probably the equivalent to watching someone who games professionally and listening to them live cast their gaming and discussing their thought processes in how they choose what to equip and what spells to use, etc.
It was okay, but was just not for my taste.
This follows a dungeon quest format where about 20 high schoolers who were familiar, to varying degrees, with computer gaming were each having to devise how best to level up, whether to team up, what classes to focus on, etc.
Reading this book is probably the equivalent to watching someone who games professionally and listening to them live cast their gaming and discussing their thought processes in how they choose what to equip and what spells to use, etc.
It was okay, but was just not for my taste.
January 10, 2022
Bland, boring pile of garbage.
Looks like the author come up with quite complex (but not good) magic system, and forgot about the plot and anything resembling interesting characters.
It was as entertaining as eating sand.
Looks like the author come up with quite complex (but not good) magic system, and forgot about the plot and anything resembling interesting characters.
It was as entertaining as eating sand.
April 13, 2022
This is just slightly better than most other litRPGs. The MC becomes super OP way to fast, out leveling all the other PCs and kills a super strong boss by like chapter 6-7. Learning about his skills and abilities after that just didn't matter to me because he could pretty much do whatever he wanted. Apollos also tries to make the MC seem intelligent, which he isn't, and that just makes the other PCs come off as dumb. Every time the MC would brag about how strong he is, it just reminded me of someone with a game-shark bragging about how good they are at a game over other people.
There are a lot of chapters that almost entirely nothing but grinding and learning about more and more abilities. The story was so disjointed, after a small bit at the beginning, the main plot was pushed to the side until chapter 16, which is 2/3 of the way through the book.
Also, as a person who likes ranch sometimes, the ranch obsession is just annoying. As a plot tool it just feels out of place, and it isn't really that funny. Brings back the memory of the Bacon obsession from the late 2000's.
There are a lot of chapters that almost entirely nothing but grinding and learning about more and more abilities. The story was so disjointed, after a small bit at the beginning, the main plot was pushed to the side until chapter 16, which is 2/3 of the way through the book.
Also, as a person who likes ranch sometimes, the ranch obsession is just annoying. As a plot tool it just feels out of place, and it isn't really that funny. Brings back the memory of the Bacon obsession from the late 2000's.
November 7, 2017
This is an awesome read!
Without giving too much away, this is less GameLit and more AR. The tropes of the genre are there, but what takes place isn't inside a game.
Mr. Thorne does a great job of exposing and growing the characters, showing the inner struggle of someone put in this situation. The nice thing about it is that there's so much room to grow from here.
Looking forward to the next in the series (and the sequel to Mr. Thorne's other series Codename Freedom).
Without giving too much away, this is less GameLit and more AR. The tropes of the genre are there, but what takes place isn't inside a game.
Mr. Thorne does a great job of exposing and growing the characters, showing the inner struggle of someone put in this situation. The nice thing about it is that there's so much room to grow from here.
Looking forward to the next in the series (and the sequel to Mr. Thorne's other series Codename Freedom).
December 24, 2023
A dollar, well spent
January 10, 2018
I can say that I like where this is going. The MC isn't a doof and actually has his mess together. Group of kids from various places on earth were selected to play in an IRL VR game....It's not actually a game though...I mean it could be if EA made it, but I digress. These groups of kids are snatched up from their homes into a real life dungeon and are forced to play in a dungeon where death is permanent. This is a classic LitRPG in the sense that the players (slaves) are able to level up and set their stats as they see fit to beat the game (or figure out a way to escape.) The succubus in this doesn't act like an actual succubus does. If anything she's tired of doing things the old way, hence the dungeon. With that said, the plot isn't something that's new, but it is a refreshing view on a tried and true genre. If you like LitRPG's with a MC that is super smart, but lacks all common sense. This is a pretty good one. The only issue I have is that the characters come off a little flat.
November 6, 2017
Fun addition to the gamelit/litRPG genre
First book in a fun new series. The MC is a bit OP, but it plays into the overall story. Looking forward to book two.
First book in a fun new series. The MC is a bit OP, but it plays into the overall story. Looking forward to book two.
February 6, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
Fun concepts but a little dry with a lot of game mechs & not quite enough interactive story progression.
Currently on Audible Plus
Fun concepts but a little dry with a lot of game mechs & not quite enough interactive story progression.
January 10, 2021
I seldom put down a book once I've started it, but this was one of the first in decades. I only made it halfway through.
It seemed promising at the start. It's hard to come up with a good premise for having RPG type stats in a real world, and many authors have done it poorly. This was about as good as any book has done for this type of book.
The MC however is overpowered and doesn't have any real challenges to overcome. Everything comes easy to him and he levels twice as fast as anyone else. Everything he wants to accomplish is done with ease and without any real challenges. There is no real depth of character beyond him being a "genius solo power leveler".
This would be a decent book for kids or teens, but I found it lacking in complexity or depth to be a compelling adult book. I really wanted to like it. There were a lot of very unique and interesting aspects to the story, but it had the depth of a story in a video game, and not what I would expect of a published book.
It seemed promising at the start. It's hard to come up with a good premise for having RPG type stats in a real world, and many authors have done it poorly. This was about as good as any book has done for this type of book.
The MC however is overpowered and doesn't have any real challenges to overcome. Everything comes easy to him and he levels twice as fast as anyone else. Everything he wants to accomplish is done with ease and without any real challenges. There is no real depth of character beyond him being a "genius solo power leveler".
This would be a decent book for kids or teens, but I found it lacking in complexity or depth to be a compelling adult book. I really wanted to like it. There were a lot of very unique and interesting aspects to the story, but it had the depth of a story in a video game, and not what I would expect of a published book.
June 16, 2018
The basic idea is good enough, but the author didn't have enough faith in the concept to play it straight. Instead delivering a barrage of juvenile humor that gave me one solitary chuckle.
Just the jokes about ranch dressing alone would have been enough to kill all enjoyment, but since there was MORE ...
Well, the concept was enough for me to finish it at least, doubt I'll come back to the authors other works.
Just the jokes about ranch dressing alone would have been enough to kill all enjoyment, but since there was MORE ...
Well, the concept was enough for me to finish it at least, doubt I'll come back to the authors other works.
January 6, 2018
I enjoyed this book very much! The MC is a bit OP but I can understand why the author wrote him that way. I'd like to see some of the supporting cast fleshed out more, but mostly I want the writer to complete the series! A worthwhile read!
July 30, 2021
This was fun. Fairly short, fun yet exciting lit rpg. The main character is funny but not annoying, has a slightly worrying love of ranch and is a bit OP. Overall interested to see where this series goes
January 3, 2018
I love this.
I think this is one of the best litrpg books I have had the privilege of reading. If you enjoy this genre buy this book.
I think this is one of the best litrpg books I have had the privilege of reading. If you enjoy this genre buy this book.
July 22, 2018
Fantastic LitRpg
Amazing. I can't wait for the sequel!!
New and interesting plot development and the potential for non stop character building and development is captivating
Amazing. I can't wait for the sequel!!
New and interesting plot development and the potential for non stop character building and development is captivating
March 1, 2018
Elorion was a gamer. He was loving the VR experience, little did he know that when he logged off something even more immersive than his favourite MMORPG awaited him. In barely the blink of an eye he was kidnapped, dragged into the Underworld, and deposited in an room of strangers they discover they all had one thing in common, they were gamers. No time was wasted, they were branded and given one very simple instruction. Level up or die. Their new mistress has developed a world that any gamer would dream off, and by fulfilling their own fantasies and gaining power, they not only got to live, but also kept her sustained. Survival is paramount, levelling essential, looming on the horizon is a threat more powerful than any of them could ever imagine, and if they hope to live, they must play by the rules.
Warning, cursed item cannot unequip. That's to say I really couldn't put this down. It was such a fun read that I really begrudged parting with it. Well written, entertaining, and will hold an appeal to gamers and fantasy lovers alike. I was initially concerned that reading about a level grind would be, well, a grind, but it was brilliantly executed and never became dull. This book goes beyond stat advancement and an intricate labyrinth, and detailed magical system aid the characters in their personal and social development. This really was a great adventure, and I'll be adding book two to my to read list.
Warning, cursed item cannot unequip. That's to say I really couldn't put this down. It was such a fun read that I really begrudged parting with it. Well written, entertaining, and will hold an appeal to gamers and fantasy lovers alike. I was initially concerned that reading about a level grind would be, well, a grind, but it was brilliantly executed and never became dull. This book goes beyond stat advancement and an intricate labyrinth, and detailed magical system aid the characters in their personal and social development. This really was a great adventure, and I'll be adding book two to my to read list.
May 6, 2018
I didn't really enjoy this book as much as other LitRPG stories I've read so far. This was a little surprising since I liked Codename: Freedom which is by the same author. I actually enjoyed that one quite a bit. There are some similarities...mostly the fact that both stories by this author seem to prioritize getting right into the action before really getting to know the character too much. His main character is thrown into large-scale fighting very early on.
The characterization in this story isn't too strong compared to others and honestly, not only was the MC pretty generic, but I also found him slightly unlikable and annoying. The humor missed its mark with me more often than not and the MC had the pitfall of being ridiculously overpowered almost immediately. There is no prior real world skills or any personality to explain this...it seemed like a pale imitation of Kirito from Sword Art Online more than anything.
Being a LitRPG fan, I still enjoyed the story because it hit the notes it needed to in a lot of areas...but as the genre becomes more crowded, I find myself struggling to remember ones like this compared to other stories that put more effort into characterization and a legitimate plot rather than plot as a pretext.
The characterization in this story isn't too strong compared to others and honestly, not only was the MC pretty generic, but I also found him slightly unlikable and annoying. The humor missed its mark with me more often than not and the MC had the pitfall of being ridiculously overpowered almost immediately. There is no prior real world skills or any personality to explain this...it seemed like a pale imitation of Kirito from Sword Art Online more than anything.
Being a LitRPG fan, I still enjoyed the story because it hit the notes it needed to in a lot of areas...but as the genre becomes more crowded, I find myself struggling to remember ones like this compared to other stories that put more effort into characterization and a legitimate plot rather than plot as a pretext.
April 23, 2021
I got this audiobook as part of a two books for one credit promotion. I'm sorry to say that I would not pay for it. I also did not finish it.
The book is very much one of the usual LitRPG tropes. In this case a bunch of gamers is abducted to a "game world" where they have to level up or die. As usual the MC has some ability that makes him special / different, sometimes its a glitch in the program, sometimes its a hidden character type. In this case its an attribute (blue magic) that allows him the chance to learn skills from anyone just by watching them. He rapidly becomes overpowered and is in no danger of dying ever. Monsters die. Possibly some other gamers die but you never actually see this. The MC just becomes more and more powerful. Yawn.
When you find that you have missed the progression from level 50 to level 100 and don't feel inclined to go back and find out how he did it. Then the next however-many levels just slip by and every encounter is practically the same, its time to stop reading. That is what I did. I won't be continuing with this series.
The book is very much one of the usual LitRPG tropes. In this case a bunch of gamers is abducted to a "game world" where they have to level up or die. As usual the MC has some ability that makes him special / different, sometimes its a glitch in the program, sometimes its a hidden character type. In this case its an attribute (blue magic) that allows him the chance to learn skills from anyone just by watching them. He rapidly becomes overpowered and is in no danger of dying ever. Monsters die. Possibly some other gamers die but you never actually see this. The MC just becomes more and more powerful. Yawn.
When you find that you have missed the progression from level 50 to level 100 and don't feel inclined to go back and find out how he did it. Then the next however-many levels just slip by and every encounter is practically the same, its time to stop reading. That is what I did. I won't be continuing with this series.
January 21, 2018
Uses to be on Royalroadl
The sad thing is, when he removed the book from Royalroadl he also took down what he had posted of book two.
I found that disappointing as I enjoyed reading as he got the story worked out. As you can see I still got a copy.
Good work should be rewarded.
A few errors where missed, but not to many.
At first I felt the leveling was to easy and to fast, but as I came to understand the type of world being built, it makes sense.
The MC doesn't forget to loot which I like. He may forgo looting low levels, but he doesn't forgot.
I could recommend this book for those that enjoy litrpg.
The sad thing is, when he removed the book from Royalroadl he also took down what he had posted of book two.
I found that disappointing as I enjoyed reading as he got the story worked out. As you can see I still got a copy.
Good work should be rewarded.
A few errors where missed, but not to many.
At first I felt the leveling was to easy and to fast, but as I came to understand the type of world being built, it makes sense.
The MC doesn't forget to loot which I like. He may forgo looting low levels, but he doesn't forgot.
I could recommend this book for those that enjoy litrpg.
August 19, 2018
Fantastic Dungeon Delver!
Logical elements of power leveling and skill uses makes this an enjoyable read. This book took most of one sitting to finish.
There are elements of city/dungeon building hinted at for the future, as well as plenty of additional quests to undertake and places to explore.
I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.
Logical elements of power leveling and skill uses makes this an enjoyable read. This book took most of one sitting to finish.
There are elements of city/dungeon building hinted at for the future, as well as plenty of additional quests to undertake and places to explore.
I'm eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.
November 12, 2017
You can tell the author had a lot of fun writing this. As I had reading it =) Ty!
November 12, 2017
Awessome start
That was fun! Looking forward to the next book and this series. Worth your time if you enjoy LITRPG. Well done.
That was fun! Looking forward to the next book and this series. Worth your time if you enjoy LITRPG. Well done.
May 12, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Originally when this book was suggested to me by Amazon I set it aside after the first chapter, because it just did not draw me in. I realize I probably did not give it enough of a chance. After reading Apollos Thorne's Code Name: Freedom books 1 and 2 I thought I would go back to it. I was very happy I did.
I thought the author did a great job with the story, developing the characters, and the game mechanics. I think what the author does with the game mechanics will deteremine if it is an okay book or a great book that I am eagerly awaiting for the next book in the series to come out. I feel some authors do a pretty good job on the story and character development and do a below average to average job on the game mechanics leaving out many elements. Apollos Thorne does a very good job on all things I feel. I realized some of the issues I had with the game mechanics like skills not really being explained is because the explanation of game mechanics revolves around the main character's development. I do not think this takes away from the game mechanics and I think more will be explained in future books. The only part of the mechanics that I thought could have been explained more were the different levels of spells, skills, items, and etc. Some of this was partially explained for items towards the end of the book. Also you learn as the book progresses spells and some skills start at novice level and move from intermediate to advance but are there higher levels? I am guessing there are, but this was not fully explained and we might find out as the all the character's progress their spells and skills to higher levels.
Again I thought Apollos Thorne did a great job with this book and I really look forward to the next one. I think he created many different plot lines, which I look forward to reading about in future books.
I thought the author did a great job with the story, developing the characters, and the game mechanics. I think what the author does with the game mechanics will deteremine if it is an okay book or a great book that I am eagerly awaiting for the next book in the series to come out. I feel some authors do a pretty good job on the story and character development and do a below average to average job on the game mechanics leaving out many elements. Apollos Thorne does a very good job on all things I feel. I realized some of the issues I had with the game mechanics like skills not really being explained is because the explanation of game mechanics revolves around the main character's development. I do not think this takes away from the game mechanics and I think more will be explained in future books. The only part of the mechanics that I thought could have been explained more were the different levels of spells, skills, items, and etc. Some of this was partially explained for items towards the end of the book. Also you learn as the book progresses spells and some skills start at novice level and move from intermediate to advance but are there higher levels? I am guessing there are, but this was not fully explained and we might find out as the all the character's progress their spells and skills to higher levels.
Again I thought Apollos Thorne did a great job with this book and I really look forward to the next one. I think he created many different plot lines, which I look forward to reading about in future books.
November 14, 2017
This one had more game mechanics, and I like that. It was also not what I expected from the description. I fully expected not to like this book at all, but I was pleasantly surprised in that it had very little to do with the succubus, and a lot to do with plain old hard work from the characters involved. A bit overpowered maybe, but wouldn't you be if you didn't need to sleep and had the ability to learn nearly any spell you wanted provided you could find a source for it? Heck, after a certain level, he could make up his own spells, who wouldn't enjoy that.
Excellent concept, and well executed. I'll be following this series for sure.
Excellent concept, and well executed. I'll be following this series for sure.
November 29, 2017
Quite enjoyable
Mild spoilers follow:
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For a LITRpg this book is great. There are a few spelling or grammar errors that I can easily overlook and I'm sure will be fixed later. The story is entertaining and definitely pulls you in right from the beginning. I will say that seeing the MC rapidly raise in levels started to put me off. I thought "he is getting over powered way too fast" then it is delightfully explained that while he crests over 200 levels he is still a novice and actual powers are gained in increments of 10, 100, 1000, 10000 etc. giving you and idea that he has a hell of a long way to go before he approaches anything nearing over powered for the underworld.
I definitely recommend if you like this new genre and now I am just waiting for book 2.
Mild spoilers follow:
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For a LITRpg this book is great. There are a few spelling or grammar errors that I can easily overlook and I'm sure will be fixed later. The story is entertaining and definitely pulls you in right from the beginning. I will say that seeing the MC rapidly raise in levels started to put me off. I thought "he is getting over powered way too fast" then it is delightfully explained that while he crests over 200 levels he is still a novice and actual powers are gained in increments of 10, 100, 1000, 10000 etc. giving you and idea that he has a hell of a long way to go before he approaches anything nearing over powered for the underworld.
I definitely recommend if you like this new genre and now I am just waiting for book 2.
December 19, 2017
One of the better litRPG
This is one of the better litRPG books I've read.
Similarly to most in the genre the main character is a solo character. Unlike many the main character isn't an idiot. The battles are pretty interesting and the leveling isn't to heavy handed.
It's interesting to see and based on his age, 17, does suffer from testosterone poisoning. Not too greatly or distracting. More flabbergasted and confused. It is NOT erotica which too many of these books get totally sidetracked with.
I look forward to his next book
This is one of the better litRPG books I've read.
Similarly to most in the genre the main character is a solo character. Unlike many the main character isn't an idiot. The battles are pretty interesting and the leveling isn't to heavy handed.
It's interesting to see and based on his age, 17, does suffer from testosterone poisoning. Not too greatly or distracting. More flabbergasted and confused. It is NOT erotica which too many of these books get totally sidetracked with.
I look forward to his next book
November 14, 2017
Awesome!
This is definitely one of my favorite Lit RPGs. The storyline really captured you. Seriously, I finished this book in one day. I was incredibly impressed. But, I did give it only four stars. There is a very good, but basic, reason for this. The ending SUCKED. Sorry, but it was a total copout. Other than that, though, I loved the book.
This is definitely one of my favorite Lit RPGs. The storyline really captured you. Seriously, I finished this book in one day. I was incredibly impressed. But, I did give it only four stars. There is a very good, but basic, reason for this. The ending SUCKED. Sorry, but it was a total copout. Other than that, though, I loved the book.
October 5, 2018
4.5 stars. Not a masterpiece but much better than I was expecting.
Certain details I either didn't notice or were skipped over (how about some backstory on the merchants?). It could use a little more world building so we understand a little more of the big picture, but its understandable that the 20 humans know basically nothing about the magical world.
I like that it starts off with a group setting, even if the MC is typically special and a little OP. Its OK. The rest become a little OP too.
Certain details I either didn't notice or were skipped over (how about some backstory on the merchants?). It could use a little more world building so we understand a little more of the big picture, but its understandable that the 20 humans know basically nothing about the magical world.
I like that it starts off with a group setting, even if the MC is typically special and a little OP. Its OK. The rest become a little OP too.
November 7, 2017
Great Book
I read this first on royal road, read it again here and will probably raise this to 5 stars after I re-read it.
Interesting magic, fairly normal skills, great world building. Good characters, interesting MC.
I read this first on royal road, read it again here and will probably raise this to 5 stars after I re-read it.
Interesting magic, fairly normal skills, great world building. Good characters, interesting MC.
November 7, 2017
A very good grinding novel
A novel based mostly on a person grinding out new levels and spell levels. Learning to shape his spells into other functions. I enjoyed the story very much.
A novel based mostly on a person grinding out new levels and spell levels. Learning to shape his spells into other functions. I enjoyed the story very much.
November 8, 2017
1st time wasn't enough
As far as GameLit goes, this is in my top 5! I've read this story since it was on RRL, and it was definitely worth another read through. I honestly can't wait for the next book!
As far as GameLit goes, this is in my top 5! I've read this story since it was on RRL, and it was definitely worth another read through. I honestly can't wait for the next book!
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