He Who Fights with Monsters: A LitRPG Adventure

I’ll start this review by saying that this is a fantastic read, plenty of character growth, a great balance of story to fighting scenes. It will keep you interested and entertained throughout.

The magic build, the world and the adventure are well done. Easy to comprehend and enjoyable.

A solid 4.85 star book.

As to negatives, this writer has a tendency to both write too much and too little at the same time. There are areas where more detail would not leave gaps in the story, and other areas where unnecessary information convolutes the storyline. However, not enough to overshadow a great story.

Definitely worth the read.

He Who Fights with Monsters is the first book in the LitRPG Adventure series by Shirlatoon.

I was honestly just craving some LitRPG goodness in my life, and thought to take a chance when this book popped up on my suggestions feed. I’m so beyond glad I did. This book starts off firing us into dangerous hair-brained situations, rife with death-defying stunts and crazy new magical abilities and instances. (I mean cannibals, really?)

Jason is such a every-man name for the one mysteriously and randomly plucked from reality, divested of all his hair, and deposited onto a whole new world. (In a whole new universe??) Jason turns into this slightly scary, probably (extremely) dangerous, political genius, who’s very good at people. (I meant what I said.) His powers are all evil and despairing-sounding. That he laughs kind of maniacally on occasion shouldn’t be, by any stretch, truly surprising. Like somehow licking into an apocalypse summon made of leeches and called a horror wasn’t a good indicator that he might be a mite eccentric.

Having a few (four?) gods/goddesses pop up occasionally was widely intriguing. I loved how varying their personalities and fields were. I mean dominion? Like—> Please chill.

So many interesting secondary characters. The trio from the beginning: Rufus; sword master, man on means, kind of big deal apparently, carries the world on his shoulders, needs to learn to relax. Gary; leonid (see: lion man), has a summon that ridiculously destructive, strong, oh and did I mention STRONG?! Farrah; throws lava like it’s candy, part of magic society, would’ve liked to study Jason as her specimen, crazy about taking magic theory seriously, is somehow both amazingly smart, and ridiculously beautiful, but also crazy freaking powerful, strong, and deadly. (Also has stupidly destructive summons).

Then there’s Jory, who is an all around decent guy. Runs a apothecary/clinic for the poor to get some healing (since the church of Healer is apparently stingy). Protects his friends almost to the degree that Jason does.

Oooooh! And Clive who’s a lot like Farrah in the Magic scholar aspect. Has a freaking ridiculously amazing HUGE runic tortoise. That may, or many not, be my spirit animal. Just saying.

And all of that without even getting into the many monsters, cray little hedgehogs, giant spiders (duh), so many different and progressively weirder types of trolls, these freaky little creepy trap weaver things. No thank you to all of it. But they’re all amazing to read about. I absolutely ADORE the world building. It is entirely too addictive. Give me more now, I need my fix. And yet still you have to consider the increasingly hectic and out there adventures or rather dangerous killing/capturing missions Jason and co. set out to take on throughout this book. All while navigating the undercurrents of political machinations constantly weaving an uncertain web of constraint. Which I have no idea how Jason is so incredibly (incredulously) good at both mastering this arena while still upsetting and inviting the ire of so many. (Perhaps those go hand in hand.)

I so wish the second book was already out so I could devour it in a day. I need it.