Review: Advent by Seth Ring

Advent (The Exlian Syndrome, #1)

by Seth Ring

Release Date: March 4, 2025

2025 Blackstone Publishing, Inc

Ebook ARC; 384 Pages

ISBN: 979-8874692575

ASIN: B0D2LVCKZ2

Audiobook: B0D33TT8QP

Genre: Fiction / LITRPG / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from author through publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

All his life, Mark Fields has dreamed of joining the Defense Force to fight the vicious, alien Exlian, just like the rest of his renowned family. But so far, he’s … a dishwasher, trapped in a dead-end job with no powers, no money, and even fewer friends.

But an encounter with a dying woman changes everything—granting him the abilities he needs to join the training camps—and his life finally feels like it’s turning around, faster than a movie martial-arts montage (just ignore the weird cat).

But the Exlian are voracious and myriad, and there’s more to Mark’s new powers than just leveling up. With the pressure mounting, it doesn’t take him long to realize the Exlian aren’t the only sinister threat lurking within the city …

 

My Thoughts

Advent is the first book in The Exlian Syndrome Series, and it was quite an enjoyable book.  I really enjoyed the world building, and while I didn't learn as much as I would have liked about the 'enemy', I thought the leveling system was interesting and I especially enjoyed how Mark tried to manipulate the system to benefit himself. I read a lot of LitRPG and was looking for something a bit different from my usual and this fit the bill quite nicely.

 

The world-building is probably the strength of this book as we delve into a world that has been shattered by a war with an alien species, a world that is on the brink of being destroyed, and we only catch glimpses of the political aspects to this world and the factions that are involved.  While I love the political aspects to these stories, I also know there are six books in this series and need to be patient for everything to be revealed.  There were hints here and there of the political factions as Mark invariably gets involved in things and needs to be rescued, but only hints. We get the sense there is something much deeper going on, but the author only doles out bits and pieces at a time through the action and through character interactions. It sounds like it would be frustrating, but it really isn't as the plot moves along rather quickly and the author is good at giving you tidbits just at those points where it could get frustrating. 

 

The plot moves quite quickly and motivations are quite clear.  The book is shorter than normal, so we don't get the depth that I think is necessary in such a novel, but that could just be me wanting more as I enjoy the political aspects to novels.  Through Mark's training, you learn the seriousness of what is happening, but at the same time, wonder if much more is going on than meets the eye, especially after what happens to Mark's brother Joe.

 

And character development is sort of the weakest part of this book.  While Mark was nicely developed, there was an aspect of him being overdeveloped, something that doesn't always appeal to me.  I like my main characters to struggle a bit more, not always be rescued in this way.  And I did think the secondary characters were more one-dimensional although I did see a bit more depth to Noah than I first thought there would be and he is fast becoming one of my favourite characters. The author also seems to be positioning Noah to be caught in the middle of some serious stuff in the future which will be quite interesting, hopefully. And then there is that darn cat. Should I mention I love cats? This is not Donut however, but this cat has adopted Mark and is always around.  I'm not mentioning anything more, but I love that cat.

 

Verdict

Advent was a fun read, but I definitely enjoyed the world-building more than the character development in this one.  There are plenty of twists and turns, with some side quests, an interesting set of characters, and some themes that I hope the author develops more fully. I really enjoyed how Mark and his brother Joe interacted and am looking forward to seeing how their separate paths develop and perhaps conflict in future books.  While the themes and the tropes have been covered before, this still works and is worth reading. 

 

Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #2)

by Matt Dinniman

Release Date: September 24, 2024

2024 Ace

Hardcover Edition; 384 Pages

ISBN: 978-1593820261

ASIN: B08PBCD9Y7

Audiobook: B09345T1HY

Genre: Fiction / LITRPG / Fantasy

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.

 

My Thoughts

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario is the second book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and this book takes us deeper into the dungeon, onto level three. As a result, the stakes are greater, the views are higher, and Carl and Donut are learning the political structure of this dungeon and all its affiliations. And while there are definitely comedic laugh-out-loud moments, this book is darker than the previous one as certain themes are explored and developed.

Carl is an interesting character as at first, he seems to comply with the challenges and quests that are set for him and Donut. But as he races through the levels and learns about the political structure, you realize it is far deeper and more complex than you first thought. I have to give the author credit for developing these subtle story lines, and while Carl seems to take everything at face value, he turns it all upside down by doing things his way and utter chaos ensues. It’s fun to see the characters learn to rely on each other as they go through some dangerous things, and you get some emotional conversations at the end of some of it which helps you understand them better and what they are thinking. Personally, I have enjoyed all the characters and I like the fact the author gives a ‘voice’ to a lot of them so even if you don’t necessarily agree with their actions, you can sympathize with what they are going through, what happened to them, or what they are being forced to do for entertainment.

The author weaves all of this bonding and character development into some very entertaining story lines. Carl is grasping a lot of the political structures of the dungeon, but there is still so much he does not know which is why he inadvertently turns everything on its head quite often because he doesn’t understand. As a result, the powers that be are left floundering, and in one case, almost went bankrupt because of his actions and had to act decisively. Carl does the challenges, but he does them his way. And this is where the philosophical parts of the novel come into play, something I really like. You know, just because someone tells you to do something, should you? What are the consequences? Are there other things one can do instead? Will I destroy an entire world government if I do this? The reader is learning the political structures with Carl and Donut, so I find it fascinating when something unexpected happens; the discussions at the ‘round tables’ are always fun.

Verdict
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario was a worthy sequel and I really appreciated the comedy, the humour, the fun characters (including a really weird AI with a foot fetish), and the unique plot. For a novel that seems rather light-hearted, there are some interesting themes running through it that I think will get darker as the series progresses.  And if you love audiobooks, then get running and grab this one, as this has one of the best narrations of any of them; Jeff Hayes is phenomenal. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.