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snappydog's review against another edition
3.0
I like that this one does a couple of things differently from the 'progression fantasy time loop' formula we know and love. For one, it starts with the protagonist already having attained pretty much their maximum power from having been through the loop a bunch of times - I like seeing people levelling up, but it was interesting to start at a different point - and for another, the loop is a little more complex than most.
A few things stood out as a little off to me, mainly things around pacing. (A lot of these web-serials-turned-novels experience something similar, to be fair.) The way the loop turns out to work is interesting but I think perhaps not used to its full potential, such that we only get a short time with most characters before moving on, and the antagonist who ends up being at the climax of this published volume is enormously underwhelming. More detail:
I'll proooobably keep reading further volumes just because it's right up my street genre-wise right now, and I'll be interested to see how things continue to play out. The end of this volume felt as if things could potentially begin to draw to some sort of close, but that's clearly not the case as there are four or five more volumes already.
A few things stood out as a little off to me, mainly things around pacing. (A lot of these web-serials-turned-novels experience something similar, to be fair.) The way the loop turns out to work is interesting but I think perhaps not used to its full potential, such that we only get a short time with most characters before moving on, and the antagonist who ends up being at the climax of this published volume is enormously underwhelming. More detail:
Spoiler
The thing about there being multiple layers to the loop is kind of cool, but Ian only goes through the last... three? layers shown in this volume a single time, which sort of renders the whole concept a bit toothless. And the necromancer is... just a necromancer. No sign that it's anyone more important, so there's no reveal and no personal stakes - it really is as simple as 'there appears to be a necromancer who is bad; oh yes, yes there is, and there he is'.I'll proooobably keep reading further volumes just because it's right up my street genre-wise right now, and I'll be interested to see how things continue to play out. The end of this volume felt as if things could potentially begin to draw to some sort of close, but that's clearly not the case as there are four or five more volumes already.
thinde's review against another edition
3.0
I'd have liked the book more if there was a clear goal or destination. There's also almost no sense of limitations with Ian's powers... at no point does he pull up short because he's reached a limit. Thus the reader is just waiting to find out what the next miracle will be.
The protagonist falls slightly on the likable/moral side of the line but not by much. Thus the core attraction in this story is watching an over-powered, competent man struggle to solve the central mystery. That's okay for a while but I hope book two offers more clarity.
The protagonist falls slightly on the likable/moral side of the line but not by much. Thus the core attraction in this story is watching an over-powered, competent man struggle to solve the central mystery. That's okay for a while but I hope book two offers more clarity.
emintham's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
mrojas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
wishanem's review against another edition
4.0
This story was originally published as a web serial, so a little overly wordy in places and not significantly edited, but unlike many works in that genre without any distracting spelling or grammatical errors. I have read dozens of traditionally-published Fantasy novels that seemed more amateurish.
A progression Fantasy story that begins with a time loop, and expands into a character-focused romp broken up by occasional creative magical fights. This isn't an action heavy story, and there's as much focus on problem-solving and avoiding conflict as on simply whacking things until they aren't a problem anymore.
The setting is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi world that feels very expansive though never comprehensively revealed. The worldbuilding is mostly light and the magic systems are a little fuzzy, but they remain directly in service to advancing the character development, so overall I think they work well.
If there is one thing I wanted from this story, and wasn't getting, it was lighter moments with more humor. The slice-of-life scenes worked really well for me, and the characters are compelling enough that I want to get more of them just interacting with one another.
Overall, I was very happy I spent my time reading this book and I am sure I will stick with the series to the end.
A progression Fantasy story that begins with a time loop, and expands into a character-focused romp broken up by occasional creative magical fights. This isn't an action heavy story, and there's as much focus on problem-solving and avoiding conflict as on simply whacking things until they aren't a problem anymore.
The setting is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi world that feels very expansive though never comprehensively revealed. The worldbuilding is mostly light and the magic systems are a little fuzzy, but they remain directly in service to advancing the character development, so overall I think they work well.
If there is one thing I wanted from this story, and wasn't getting, it was lighter moments with more humor. The slice-of-life scenes worked really well for me, and the characters are compelling enough that I want to get more of them just interacting with one another.
Overall, I was very happy I spent my time reading this book and I am sure I will stick with the series to the end.
antilegomena's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
monniebiloney's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kyleh's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
krino's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining, as long as reader has appropriate expectations. May be disappointing for those who expect to see character improvement and exploration over multiple time-loop resets. Part of the problem is confusing terminology. (These are not "spoilers" because the main character appears to be aware of these facts, even if they aren't necessarily made clear to the reader.)
* "Dilation Chambers" are known to exist, but the name is misleading because it's not clear what, if anything, is being "dilated". Since it's initially presented as a "Groundhog Day" type story, "time" seems a likely candidate, but the chamber behaves more like a simulation.
* Events that occur in dilation chambers don't necessarily reflect "reality". There are hints that they are connected, but to what extent is not clear (the story is still in progress). People do appear to behave as they normally would (because "magic"), but the scenarios appear to be fabrications. Each scenario is referred to as a "layer". To escape, Ian has to clear all layers. (This makes it feel less like a time loop and more like being stuck in a game.)
Contrast with "Mother of Learning", which is a more straightforward time-loop story in which the character actively explores the world within the repeating time frame; dilation chambers are secret government projects not known to the public; and events occurring inside the loop are definitely connected to events outside the loop.
* "Dilation Chambers" are known to exist, but the name is misleading because it's not clear what, if anything, is being "dilated". Since it's initially presented as a "Groundhog Day" type story, "time" seems a likely candidate, but the chamber behaves more like a simulation.
* Events that occur in dilation chambers don't necessarily reflect "reality". There are hints that they are connected, but to what extent is not clear (the story is still in progress). People do appear to behave as they normally would (because "magic"), but the scenarios appear to be fabrications. Each scenario is referred to as a "layer". To escape, Ian has to clear all layers. (This makes it feel less like a time loop and more like being stuck in a game.)
Contrast with "Mother of Learning", which is a more straightforward time-loop story in which the character actively explores the world within the repeating time frame; dilation chambers are secret government projects not known to the public; and events occurring inside the loop are definitely connected to events outside the loop.
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