A litRPG Adventure (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 1)

Digging the storyline. Good writing and grammar. No major editing problems.

The only thing that irks me is the same issue that seems to run rampant with this while genre. Filling the last 6-10% of the damn book with crap. Endless links and chapters for other books. I'm not buying your work to see the same hyperlinks and shoutouts and samples every time. I want a full book without added garbage at the end. I'd rather see stats, or forgotten about loot items, or anything else about the story.
I'm so tired of having to swipe or volume press a hundred times just to get to the end after the actual book is done.

I really enjoyed this LITRPG book, hardly putting it down from beginning to end. With the premise of a cataclysmic end in site, I enjoyed how the author put some deeper emphasis on the feelings that (naturally) would bring up in a person, rather than simple acceptance and 'on to the adventure'. The world-building was good, with some creative classes brought to the forefront. The character development was also well done, I find myself genuinely invested in what happens to them as this series continues. Looking forward to the next book!

At the time of its publishing, this is hands-down the best written LitRPG book to be written originally in English. The popularity of LitRPG has pulled in a lot of folks with great ideas, but James Hunter is one of the first handful of serious writers to join the genre.

The story is original, the characters memorable, the motivations rational. I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait for the next.

I've been on a litrpg kick since recently discoving the genre. I put this book off, not picking it up until I started running out of books that I considered to have more interesting premises. I finally worked my way to it, and I'm sorry I waited. It is way better than I expected. Also, I didn't realize, until the end of the book, that this was the same author who wrote the Yancy Lazarus series. If I had made the connection, I would have snatched this up first! Do yourself a favor and grab both series.

Where to begin....

Let me start by asking a question... Why have I not heard of James Hunter before? To put it simply, from start to finish, this is a work of art for the genre.

Writing Style: A+
Length: A- (Little shorter than I normally like to see, but given the quality this is almost irrelevant in this context)
Storyline: A+
Editing: A+ (This is high praise from me)
Recommend: A+

Foremost, this is an incredible story and foundation for a wonderful series. James Hunter balances the storyline with background, environment, and setting better than I think I can ever recall seeing. The talent shown in relationship development, conversation, emotion, and descriptive story telling that provides depth to his characters, sets his work apart. I could go on with the what is conveyed within the story, but will refrain, and simply encourage readers to give this work a try. Frankly, I had not heard or read any of James Hunter's work previously, and while I'm already dying to see a second novel in this series, I am equally interested in trying is other published works.

I can count on one hand the number of times I give out 5 stars. This is reserved to me for more than just a story line which is excellent here. Beyond a story line, the author must show an adaptive style that draws the readers in, the ability to provide context that may reach outside of the standard target audience, and excellent syntax/editing of his work. I simply do not provide 5 stars lightly to anything I read.

James Hunter is a rare and exceptional talent. His work enriches the reader and equally important, the genre. Congratulations on a job well done.

If you love LitRPG like the Chaos Seed series:The Land, or are a gamer who is just getting started with LitRPG, I definitely recommend this book! Jack is just getting started in this new world, he mostly uses his wits to overcome tough obstacles. I see great things for him as he levels though! I am on to book two...

A great addition to the LitRPG genre! An enjoyable book with engaging characters. The quests and monsters were fun to follow and the world itself seemed well created. There was some discussion of the magic and skill system which can get tedious if overdone, but I think the author hit just the right mix. He got the main character into the game world quickly and the story took off from there. I look forward to the next book in the series!

Discovered this while at Dragon*Con 2018, but they were unfortunately sold out before I could get a copy. Grabbed it on Kindle and plowed through in just a couple days. I can't wait to get on with the story in the next few books! Entertaining, easy to read, and a pretty fun plot so far in the series.

An interesting symbiosis of IRL and LitRPG that blends together to make the whole better than the sum of its parts. I'm a fan of gaming lit, but I'd certainly recommend this book/series to those that enjoy fantasy/sci-fi as well. Looking forward greatly to digging into the next novel in the series..

Solid, enjoyable Lit RPG. Well written, likeable characters, and an interesting story both in and out of the game world. Describes game mechanics without getting bogged down with them.

4 stars intead of 5 for characters that are a touch flat, and plot that is interesting but not page turner riveting. Looking forward to more from this author.

I was hyped to read this book, but was disheartened that the author took 99% of it from the mmorpg perfect world international. From mobs to quest and instances. It felt like the only unique part was being virtual reality.

fast paced, just enough context to set the stage, and then into the meat of the story; likeable main character, kept my interest and blazed through it. Looking forward to the next.

Didn't understand the cover though. Maybe I'm dense but doesn't seem to have much to do with the main character of even secondary characters.

Thanks for the fun read.

The rationale behind getting into the new world and how it was accomplished made as much sense as needed to suspend disbelief and the protagonist was easy to relate to. Obviously set up as a series, but the book ended without a frustrating level of loose ends. I enjoyed it.

I like the basis of this series and the evolution of the characters. It's not often I get pulled into a world like I did with this series. I have really enjoyed all of the books so far, and I am looking forward to the next one! Keep up the good work!!!!

Enjoyed this first entry in Jack’s story. What would you be thinking about if you started your week as a cash poor EMT and ended it as a Shadowmancer about to lead a rebellion in the only world left to you?
I’m excited to find out what happens next.

I just discovered recently the LitRPG genre, reading the books by Aleron Kong. Excellent books, by the way, I read all 6 of the series.
Now James Hunter has done an excellent job of wring an intriguing series. I've read both books, and am eagerly awaiting the next one.
Great book, great series, I highly recommend it!

Different than most LITRPG, instead of a game designed for fun and enjoyment it's literally an escape from man kinds destruction. It's definitely an interesting take on the growing genre. Well written with fewer errors than normal. A little short but hopefully the start of a series that will only grow more interesting. I'd recommend it.

I decent book, not my favorite in the genre though. Kind of slow, while moving way to fast to be balanced. It's only day three by the end of the book, but we have an overpowered high level guy already.

As someone that enjoys a good LitRPG book, this was fantastic. Viridian Gate Online is well written, and the characters are developing at an enjoyable pace. One of the too books to appear this year for me.

Will definitely be looking forward to more from J. A. Hunter.

As someone that enjoys a good LitRPG book, this was fantastic. Viridian Gate Online is well written, and the characters are developing at an enjoyable pace. One of the too books to appear this year for me.

Will definitely be looking forward to more from J. A. Hunter.

I like the story line, makes more sence than most of the stuck in game books. I admit that a war hammer would not be my choice ( I'd go with a mace or staff), but it's okay. I like the planning of the charachters as the series progresses. I would love to play a shadowmancer in a game.

Well written story with an interesting twist on why the "full immersion" happened. The characters are engaging and fun, with humor and sadness intertwined. I feel this series and author have great potential to help the LITRPG genre get away the one-dimensional characters and super all in one MC who do no wrong tendencies that have filled it.

This book was easy to read, I appreciated the authors attention to details without getting to mired in the minute to push the story forward. It was nice to see the character tables for the lead throughout, but easy to skim over for the non player. It kept me interested the whole way thru.

A very enjoyable read, has me hooked enough to read the rest of the series straight through, instead of jumping aurthurs as I usually do. Good characters, interesting plot, and a game system I've roughly used myself.

The synopsis had me unsure as to whether I should read this book. The asteroid, etc. But I'm glad that I gave it a chance. Because, it greatly surprised me with how good it really was. Great book.
Read it.

Most litRPG books are pretty disappointing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Having a dark-aligned Drizzt-esque protagonist was great. Also really enjoyed the good descriptions of food. Good character development. Can't wait for more.