This series stands out as one of the rare gems with a cast of competent and authentic characters who react to situations as real people would in reality. There’s no room for whiners, nagging individuals, or plot-armor-wielding idiots. If someone acts foolishly or greedily, like the person who stole the water bottle, they face the consequences, and the book emphasizes this point.
As I delved into part 3, I refreshed my memory by relistening to books 1 and 2 back-to-back, and I noticed that nothing had changed regarding Zac’s character or that of the other main characters. Even with the undisclosed event (no spoilers), Zac remains aware, rational, and in control of his actions.
I find it perplexing where the reviewer claims Zac has changed in how he treats women or that he blindly follows their commands. Teaming up with the Marshall clan ranker lady or even freeing her from captivity doesn’t indicate such behavior. It’s more likely that Zac values alliances and cooperation in the face of adversity, especially given the need for humanity to unite against greater threats.
The reviewer’s tangent about Zac’s ruthlessness in defending his family and bringing up unrelated historical events like WW2 Germany seems like a non-sequitur. The author isn’t obliged to compare every story element to real-world history or politics; they’re merely crafting an engaging narrative.
Finding good books on Audible can be challenging due to limited search options, but even when titles and authors are copied and pasted, the book may not always show up. However, it’s disappointing to encounter reviews that completely misrepresent a book, and it’s frustrating when people endorse such reviews as “helpful,” which undermines the platform’s credibility.
In the litrpg genre, which unfortunately suffers from whiny and inept protagonists relying on deus ex machina, this series shines with a clear-thinking, intelligent, and courageous MC. Reviews that attempt to blur the lines and present this exceptional series as just another generic work are disheartening and, in some cases, may be motivated by personal reasons or agendas. It would be beneficial to ban reviewers who fabricate story changes or plot points, as this harms the community seeking genuine feedback and recommendations.
I look forward to each edition in this series ever so much. There is no social programming, the story is incredibly engaging, the universe is boundless & you can’t wait to see how the author will expand & illustrate it next. The fact that Zack & Co. Don’t use any abbreviations makes the dialog sound like Data is talking & it comes off sounding strange & awkward. Zack’s obsessive & often needless paranoia & secrecy can be tiring at times & his lack of having a fleshed out relationship with anyone he encounters is a bit weird but the universe & story is so well described that the lack of coloring in his relationships & other interpersonal aspects to a story are balanced out. Over all this series is great & you almost wish you were living through the Intergration too… almost.
I really agree with this regard to MC..I sometimes wish something like what happened in nature documentary I saw. It was about an elephant calf (?) which we followed the development from birth. However at about 2/3 of the program it got killed by a crocodile, and the rest was about another calf..
I find actually several of the other characters have more personality. It may be because we don’t really following the constant focus on development from main character which ofcourse is some of the point. However he is kinda “flat”. I like most side characters better. Most really…
However I might read the same audible review mention in a description of this book*. Some christian bookburner meant this book was anti Judaism/Christianity and practical Satanistic propaganda. I think people like that have a problem grasping the definition of “fiction” in general and probably “fantasy” specific (is there any fantasy games/books without some gods? Theism/Cultism seems to be often a theme in fantasy, hence Game of thrones… (Song of ice and fire?)
* (I think, I finished the first 3 books in a bit over 4 days (maybe about 105 hrs.. I feel like when I grinded for a raredrop in a mmorpg for a weekend without sleep lol. (EverQuest like around 2000, imo first (and maybe the best with all the politics as only 1 guild/raid could kill the big bosses once a week and in start there were only a few, and after each expansion it was competition to be the first to figure out how to kill them to be able to have an advantage as the item increased our ability to get as many as possible. Funny times. Like half of the server hated me lol as I was one of the leaders of a hardcore guild..)
However, I can’t stop now. I have nothing to do tomorrow either, but will try to get a decent night sleep tomorrow night. However that is atleast 28hr away, so might manage 1 more. (In 5 ½ day!!)