Mark of the Founder

I would love to give this a better rating, because it was a really entertaining read. But for all the interesting concepts and likeable characters, there were simply too many things that bothered me. <br /><br />First of all, there is a bit of a harem type situation going on. Almost all characters of any importance are female, main character aside of course, and they adore the MC to varying degrees. The saving grace it that this adoration is not explicitly romantic, and the all across the board gorgeous women are only a little sexualized (and are also all adults, yay). They often read as actual people rather than character props with large breasts. So even though harem stuff is usually a big no-no for me, I found it bearable here. <br />Another thing that bothered me, a thing that I feel is a common theme in these types of books, is the way our MC and the author himself treat the monster races, or non-human races in general. They a coddled, bereft of agency. They always need a human saviour and barely do anything on their on volition. Same here. There's some saving going on, lot's of adoration towards the MC and then nothing. The happy little monsters exist somewhere while the MC does stuff for them, without them (while he's surrounded by various human recolour women, such as sexy elves). <br /><br />That aside, I just felt like the story could've done more. Not necessarily by adding plot, but by going deeper into some of the plot points. Many things are merely touched upon and only scarcely explained. Here and there I had trouble following what the author tried to convey because the writing tends to be muddled and confused. Not to a great extend, but enough to be noticeable. <br />Maybe the problem is actually that the author tried to do too much, by mixing too many genres and ideas, leaving some of the elements half-baked and unsatisfying. For example there is a bit that touched upon eldritch horror, but that part never felt scary or well fleshed out. I never got that "mind-bending thing from beyond the stars" feeling. Instead I got a pop culture reference that didn't fit. <br />There were so many interesting little things that were thrown in but then never extended upon, so many questions that were posed but then never answered, that by the end of the book I was left severely unsatisfied.<br />Also on a personal note, I kinda hated the cosmology. I'm simply not a fan of active gods, interdimensional travellers, single planet focused dimensions and the like. Also, fuck the language filter running-gag.<br /><br />Despite all it's flaws, I do have to say that it was a good book. I liked the character for the most part, the plot was interesting and engaging, and the language was enjoyable. I was entertained, so 3 stars (maybe 3,5) for that.

I only managed to get 3% in according to my Kindle (about 30ish pages considering the 1,000+ page count) before throwing in the towel. While I suppose I'm glad the litrpg community is thriving enough to give a story like this an audience, I'm also pained because it shows how low the standards are.<br /><br />The writing was lacking nearly every fundamental skill that makes prose readable. Surprisingly, I encountered few misspellings, but the sentence structure was horrible, words were misused, subjects and verbs disagreed, etc. <br /><br />I legitimately didn't want to read further and risk adjusting to it because who knows how long it would take me to get those brain cells firing properly again.<br /><br />If you are an experienced reader, particularly of books outside the litrpg genre, you probably won't be able to stomach this.

<strong>Horrible world building with no attempt at consistency.</strong><br /><br />This was bad from start to the point I have up trying to read it. The stats are pointless and arbitrary. There is no consideration to any actions consequence. This was a anime written out by some one who did not bother with an outline.

<strong>Everything that is wrong with the genre</strong><br /><br />It's a shame the book has a high rating because it has all the bad characteristics found in fantasy (especially litrpg).<br />Lazy writing... plenty of inconsistencies, mistakes, holes, gaps, and flaws withing the story, magic system and characters.<br />Horrible MC...oh ya, definitely. He is a spoiled child that is a complete moron and acts like a prude. Super conservative bible thumper morals while managing to be a self absorbed beta. <br />It's a harem book, but the worst kind of harem. You guessed it, no sex but an all female supporting cast of dry humping nose bleeders.<br />The fights suck... I feel like you need a fedora and a mountain dew to find any enjoyment from them. <br />There are twists, but they are the kind thrown in because the author felt inspired or something that day... It's noticeable and jarring. <br />The dialogue is bland and flat, the magic system might as well not exist for all that it matters. The power creep is just horrible, .... This is basically unimaginative neck beard wish fulfillment without the smut. I really like this genre, but I wish there weren't so many horrible titles in it....

One of my favorite books in recent memory. This thing was amazing. I immediately went on to his patreon page and read all of the next book. I am only sad that I have caught up to the author. I'll read this for however long he writes it. I saw a few negative reviews on royal road. The author has noted that a metric ton of editing/additions/and subtractions have occurred since whatever was posted there. I thought it was great. The MC was very enjoyable.

<strong>One of the best litRPGs I've read in a good while!</strong><br /><br />Before I found this book, I had gone through a string of so-so litRPGs. This one though was so refreshing! It had all the things I could ask for - solid magic system, underdog with a well-rounded character, and a party of awesome dynamic characters that kick ash! (Gotta say that the"built-in filter" for cussing was kinda annoying, but it had me chuckling at times). <br />So the main character (MC) basically sucked out of his normal, boring life and sent into a (parallel plane or existence/different world), as a level one noob with a glowing tattoo/sigil on his arm and no comprehension of the native language. Starts out with a string of bad luck, but finds someone to help him and realizes that his new mark makes him a bit of a person of interest and everyone wants a piece of him, some for good, but most... Not so good. The journey only gets more interesting from there - interesting chance encounters, quests, and a unique spin on the class system!<br />I think the thing that really kept me turning the pages (really, unable to put the book down) was that this book has this an actual plot (!!!) - a definable goal that the party is driving towards. And they make understandable decisions based on this goal. A lot of litRPGs are all about power levelling the MC, but he really doesn't get overpowered and though he manages some crazy stuff, it's mostly through a bit of planning rather than stupid luck, which I appreciate. And the koblins!!! Aaahhh! Love them. So anyway, you should totally read the book! I certainly can't wait to figure out where our MC and his party will go next, and what else we learn about this world!

I'm starting to lose faith in this genre.<br /><br />How does this book have such a high rating? <br />The prose is clunky. The characters are all very flat in personality, except for their inexplicable attachment to the MC. Every character is somehow utterly helpless, until the overpowered MC comes along and 'saves' the day. The world building is practically non-existent/ minimal. The plot reads less like a story, and more like a jumble of incoherent events roughly stitched together. The isekai component of the story serves no purpose other than to portray the vague sense of regret of the MC's former life. To top it all off, the book is practically bursting with deus ex machina at every page which completely removes the stakes of any problem encountered. <br /><br />Like am I missing something? Idk... I feel like my initial love for this genre is fading.

Really great book and right up my street. Characters are well written and I love how the main character is the hero you want him to be, a good person that still has some flaws.<br />The danger he's put through are big but not so big that it's unbelievable that he gets through it, and he wins in a realistic way.

<strong>Great read</strong><br /><br />If you love web novels this is a great read and if you don’t but enjoy LitRPG or fantasy it is still a great read. Loved the characters the twists kept me on my toes and I am excited for the next installment

<strong>Alert </strong><br /><br />First, my review: “This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”<br /><br />Over the past year it has become apparent that my reviews are somewhat antagonistic and I apologize to those of you that have taken offense. I think I had hoped to change peoples’ minds about reviewing works of art and that seems to have backfired spectacularly. However, I am still going to be true to myself and write what I believe.<br /><br />To the author: Thank you for this chance to escape reality and enjoy the world you created! Keep up the good work.<br /><br />To my fellow reviewers: Messaging me and reviewing my reviews is as productive as trying to shovel water out of the ocean. Stop. I get it. Let’s just all live peacefully.<br /><br />To potential readers: Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.<br /><br />Cheers