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emily_x_tatum's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
As a huge fan of DCC this felt like looking behind the curtain to what came before. There are lots of Easter eggs throughout his writing and this is the book that convinced me to trust Matt with the characters I love (across his series).
mockh2's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jbrooke1855's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
I love the Carl books. Kaiju was solid. the Grinding wasn’t for me. I dug this after I picked up what Matt was putting down.
cossty's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
antonism's review against another edition
4.0
4 / 5
Dominion of Blades, by Matt Dinniman, is novel apparently belonging to a fantasy/SF subgenre called LitRPG. Now, I had never before heard or read anything LitRPG so I came into this with low expectations, not knowing what to expect. The idea behind LitRPG is that the novel is somehow connected to a RPG game being played by the characters. The writer admits that it is a game, the reader accepts it and there's 4th-wall breaking in the sense that there are game rules governing the story and the actions of the characters.
If Dominion of Blades (DoB from now on) is a typical example of LitRPG then I think I have another favorite subgenre. In DoB, there's a perfect mix of action, story, characterization, humor and plot-twists to make reading this a thoroughly entertaining experience! Dinniman's writing is simple but effective; this is not supposed to be a literary monumental masterwork after all. But it works perfectly for what it wants to be: descriptions are concise, to the point and never overly verbose, dialogue is very fluid and feels natural, and the pacing is just right, kinda like an experienced jog - rarely sprinting or walking.
If I have to find something to complain about, I would say that I felt the two ship segments felt a bit too much. I find anything ship-related in my fantasy reads quite boring so it's a personal taste thing but I still think that having those parts on ground would give greater opportunities for action, plot points and character interaction.
Also, I think the antagonist was weak and badly thought. At the end, I'm not really sure about the whats and whys of his actions.
In conclusion, I can easily recommend this book, especially to fantasy fans who have dabbled in MMORPGs in the past. It is a true page-turner that is great fun and easily read. It is also a great introduction to the LitRPG subgenre, which I definitely intend to explore much more now.
4 / 5
Dominion of Blades, by Matt Dinniman, is novel apparently belonging to a fantasy/SF subgenre called LitRPG. Now, I had never before heard or read anything LitRPG so I came into this with low expectations, not knowing what to expect. The idea behind LitRPG is that the novel is somehow connected to a RPG game being played by the characters. The writer admits that it is a game, the reader accepts it and there's 4th-wall breaking in the sense that there are game rules governing the story and the actions of the characters.
If Dominion of Blades (DoB from now on) is a typical example of LitRPG then I think I have another favorite subgenre. In DoB, there's a perfect mix of action, story, characterization, humor and plot-twists to make reading this a thoroughly entertaining experience! Dinniman's writing is simple but effective; this is not supposed to be a literary monumental masterwork after all. But it works perfectly for what it wants to be: descriptions are concise, to the point and never overly verbose, dialogue is very fluid and feels natural, and the pacing is just right, kinda like an experienced jog - rarely sprinting or walking.
If I have to find something to complain about, I would say that I felt the two ship segments felt a bit too much. I find anything ship-related in my fantasy reads quite boring so it's a personal taste thing but I still think that having those parts on ground would give greater opportunities for action, plot points and character interaction.
Also, I think the antagonist was weak and badly thought. At the end, I'm not really sure about the whats and whys of his actions.
In conclusion, I can easily recommend this book, especially to fantasy fans who have dabbled in MMORPGs in the past. It is a true page-turner that is great fun and easily read. It is also a great introduction to the LitRPG subgenre, which I definitely intend to explore much more now.
4 / 5
thelauramay's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as Dungeon Crawler Carl, but still great. Brilliant narration, too. 4.5⭐