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atagarev's review
2.0
So this is a litrpg which means this rating is very much rated on a curve. Amateurish writing, goofy video game logic and broad archetypal characters that act nothing like real people are not failures of the book but signatures of the genre. If these things don't sound appealing to you, then there is definitely no point is giving Skyclad a try.
That said, I found this book disappointing beyond the limitations of its genre. While masterful writing and well-developed deeply emotional scenes are not something I expect from a litrpg book, there are certain things that I do expect and Skyclad failed to deliver.
The unique appeal of a litrpg is that the world operates on explicit video game logic. In this case characters have and are aware of classes, levels, attributes, skills, spells, titles and so on. The book explicitly identifies these mechanical terms by putting them in brackets. The expectation is that we learn the rules of this system over the course of the story, the characters face certain problems or challenges that naturally result from the established rules and through perseverance and clever application of these established rules, they overcome said challenges. Except Skyclad fails to do that- the "system" doesn't have clearly established rules, problems and challenges always come out of nowhere without following any kind of pre-established logic and solutions not only suffer from the same lack of logical consistency but are often immediate and effortless. Basically, Skyclad fails at the most unique aspect of a litrpg.
As a plus, I was pleasantly surprised that the main character always being naked is not treated in a sleazy way. Its a mechanical choice, a sometimes challenge and a distinguishing feature but never really treated as titillating.
Beyond the litrpg aspect, it is just an especially poorly structured story. Our nominal main character wanders around doing random things for 80% of the page count and then the culmination of the story is actually about totally separate characters that were always very much the B-plotline. If it was more intentional and comedic, I would almost call it a parody of a boring game story that the player ignores in favor of slaughtering boars in the woods to level up quicker. Unfortunately, that leaves us reading the boring cliched story rather than playing a game.
Sometimes there is decent build up to certain confrontations or character meetings. I found myself frequently anticipating the moment when the next big event would happen. Unfortunately and utterly inexplicably, the author repeatedly skipped over these scenes of payoff entirely. It would literally be 3-5 chapters of buildup and then a time skip to after the interesting thing is already over. The only explanation I can imagine is that actually writing satisfying resolutions is challenging so the author decided to not even try.
Finally and probably least importantly, the humor is bad. Litrpg is by definition supposed to be tongue in cheek which assumes a certain amount of levity. Well, this book technically has plenty of jokes, they just universally fall flat in execution.
In short, 2/5 as a litrpg because it is far from the worst thing in the genre but is overall rather boring and not worth reading. If you are not a fan of the idea of litrpgs already, you are definitely going to hate this book.
That said, I found this book disappointing beyond the limitations of its genre. While masterful writing and well-developed deeply emotional scenes are not something I expect from a litrpg book, there are certain things that I do expect and Skyclad failed to deliver.
The unique appeal of a litrpg is that the world operates on explicit video game logic. In this case characters have and are aware of classes, levels, attributes, skills, spells, titles and so on. The book explicitly identifies these mechanical terms by putting them in brackets. The expectation is that we learn the rules of this system over the course of the story, the characters face certain problems or challenges that naturally result from the established rules and through perseverance and clever application of these established rules, they overcome said challenges. Except Skyclad fails to do that- the "system" doesn't have clearly established rules, problems and challenges always come out of nowhere without following any kind of pre-established logic and solutions not only suffer from the same lack of logical consistency but are often immediate and effortless. Basically, Skyclad fails at the most unique aspect of a litrpg.
As a plus, I was pleasantly surprised that the main character always being naked is not treated in a sleazy way. Its a mechanical choice, a sometimes challenge and a distinguishing feature but never really treated as titillating.
Beyond the litrpg aspect, it is just an especially poorly structured story. Our nominal main character wanders around doing random things for 80% of the page count and then the culmination of the story is actually about totally separate characters that were always very much the B-plotline. If it was more intentional and comedic, I would almost call it a parody of a boring game story that the player ignores in favor of slaughtering boars in the woods to level up quicker. Unfortunately, that leaves us reading the boring cliched story rather than playing a game.
Sometimes there is decent build up to certain confrontations or character meetings. I found myself frequently anticipating the moment when the next big event would happen. Unfortunately and utterly inexplicably, the author repeatedly skipped over these scenes of payoff entirely. It would literally be 3-5 chapters of buildup and then a time skip to after the interesting thing is already over. The only explanation I can imagine is that actually writing satisfying resolutions is challenging so the author decided to not even try.
Finally and probably least importantly, the humor is bad. Litrpg is by definition supposed to be tongue in cheek which assumes a certain amount of levity. Well, this book technically has plenty of jokes, they just universally fall flat in execution.
In short, 2/5 as a litrpg because it is far from the worst thing in the genre but is overall rather boring and not worth reading. If you are not a fan of the idea of litrpgs already, you are definitely going to hate this book.
raj_page's review
4.0
Really loved the book's take on prophecies.
All the various magic systems in this book are intriguing.
All the various magic systems in this book are intriguing.
wetdryvac's review
5.0
Good fun, and despite falling initially into ooo-nakers as the draw, the plot is strong, the ideas are nifty, and there's a loofa that makes everything worthwhile.
thinde's review
3.0
This is a mixed bag. The tone shifts dramatically as the POV switches. Morgan seems child-like compared to most of the others. The brief look we get of the "Dreamer" is chilling.
I worry that the power-set of the World-travellers has developed so quickly that the author is painting himself into a corner. Time will tell.
I worry that the power-set of the World-travellers has developed so quickly that the author is painting himself into a corner. Time will tell.
kyleh's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
endoria's review
3.0
Good writing, interesting story.
Now if only we could get rid of the extra point of views nobody asked for.
Now if only we could get rid of the extra point of views nobody asked for.
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