Awaken Online: Retribution

Whenever someone makes a side story without the main character, I usually hate it. This book is an exception. It was done very well, and was very a entertaining interesting fast paced action packed story. Basically it is a Riley's story while Jason was dealing with the legal issues from Alex's frame job. Can't wait for book three next year. The waiting made me SAD.

Great addition to the story line. As I wrote for the first book in this series, it is a very fine series and a great value, entirely enjoyable with good character development and super action. A tiny quibble is that one character in this story seems to have become a bit more powerful than is portrayed in another book later in the series (I am giving no spoilers here!) One absolutely must have read the first two in this series to make heads or tails of the story in this book, but if you have read those you will unquestionably want this. We want more of this series!!

I have read the previous 2 Awaken Online books. The first one was fun to read and even more fun to listen to (shameless plug for Audible here). The second was the same. Fun to read and even more fun to listen to.

This "side quest" was a fun view into the "other" magic affinities in Mr. Bagwell's world. As a side note: I emailed the author a question I had specifically about this, not only was his response quick but it showed to me an author who is interested in improving his craft and work. Two pluses in my book right off the bat! I like the way he worked in the "world-building" as part of the plot instead of just some exposition by a side character.

I am looking forward to what he gives us next. Or in other words: write faster! :-)

As someone that typically does not enjoy "side" novels where the main storyline takes a backseat, I enjoyed this book.

Some are correct in complaining in the OP nature of the characters. But for me the best part of the Awaken Online series is the characters' growth instead of typical stagnation. Who the characters are change and develop as the story progresses. It's enjoyable to me to read about how a well written character can grow.

...Plus VR, come on.

Awaken online introduced me to the genre and it has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. This story felt more like something that really should be in the series unlike most side storys. I loved it through and through and I am so excited to contine the series when Travis gets done with more books. I will probably read every title this tallented man puts out in his career.

Thank you Travis!

I know this book was technically a side quest from the original series. But, wow, that was a lot of fun. I should’ve gone to bed 30 minutes ago but absolutely had to finish this book. Now I am fighting the urge to start the next one, immediately.

If I lose my job due to lack of sleep, I blame the author for writing such an addictive series.

I enjoyed learning more about Riley, she's a great character. The story was great and just as I was about to be upset by the cliché bullying, the author went a whole different direction. Good on you, author!

It's a little upsetting that the main plot that was left on a cliffhanger in the previous book wasn't moved along more.
Hopefully we'll get back to it, and the added depth of character development with Riley will help.

Or maybe another side quest with Frank will happen, who knows!

Great char development for a side character.

Fun ending and can trully say author is improving his RL vs In-game time. Hope it persists.

4 starts since no more dmg is being displayed. So an arrow can just kill lvl 100 creatures, with just rage... puffsss yeah not really litRPG quality.

But all in all great pace and was a fun reading.

Overall I was once again delighted to read from this series. Gaining background on a different main character opens up the story in ways other neglect, do Frank next!

*SPOILER ALERT BELOW*

I was disappointed that Riley didn’t die on the the game more, it gets tedious and predictable when the characters overcome ever obstacle. Have them die at random moments, several times facing the same boss, don’t throw them into the cookie cutter op main character. I was so happy when she died at the boss only to be sorely disappointed when she was instantly brought back to life with overwhelming powers.

Still, looking forward to the next book in the series! Can’t wait to see what happens to Jason.

The main character in this third installation of awaken online provides incredible depth to Riley from the first two books and really brings home the struggles that most of us have had in high school. I completely live the intersection of the real world and the game world that unfolds in this story. Great job and awesome read.

Definitely pick this up before the third book of AO.

This was a great side story. After reading Travis' second AO book, I wished he would spend more time focusing on Riley's development.

The book does an amazing job. It covers new ground, new NPCs and players, a new (and intensly interesting) city. Best of all we get to see genuine character development in Riley, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in the series.

I hope we'll get to see more of the characters introduced here in the future.

Keep up the amazing work Travis!

The characters in this book seem more... exaggerated, I guess, than the previous books. Their personalities seem to follow the magic system and aren’t well-rounded enough for me to connect to them. Not sure how else to explain it. Not as good as the other books.

This is a great side story to an excellent series. These books are so awesome. It blows my mind that this guy isn't writing full time because he has created an incredibly rich narrative that several million gamers should instantly feel at home in. Check it out. It's totally worth it.

I really enjoyed this however short it was! The characters evolve throughout the story, everything molds itself naturally for what you might expect... And sometimes like you wouldnt. I admire the writing style shown here. Read this!

I really like Bagwell focus on people. He makes most of the characters in the game very real, with a lot of depth. There are exceptions of paper mache bad guys that are put up to be knocked down with little motivation other than to be evil people, but most of the important people have a lot of depth and personality and show a logical progression and growth.

The game has decent mechanics, and moves forward in a logical way, without all of the stupid forced wins you see in a lot of lit rpgs (level 5 characters beating level 25 bosses etc.)

The story is interesting too, but the place this series shines is the people.

I had never read LitRPG prior to reading the Awaken Online series by Travis Bagwell and I am definitely now a convert. For those of you that haven't read the prior two books in his series, as this one is more of a side story, you should definitely do so! His characters are well thought out and their stories and emotions have components everyone can relate to. I don't play RPG and probably never will, but Travis makes it easy for someone will little knowledge of RPG to not only understand but really get into the stories. 5 stars for sure and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good story!!!

Fun side story where Riley visits another mage city and comes into her own - with real-life parallel growth. The other town, Vaerwald, is highly creative, with interesting partnerships along the way. Good romp!

Great storyline, well written and I can't wait for more. The author does a wonderful job developing the characters without it feeling forced while the plot progresses at a comfortable pace. This story continues where the second book in the series leaves off but instead of following Jasons story it picks up with Railey.

I don't normally read side stories but because of Bagwell's skill as a writer I decide to read this one. I'm glad I did; the quality was the same as we've seen in his other two installments in the AO series. If you haven't read those two then there will be a lot of confusion as to what's going on in this story.

I loved the pacing, the quest was reasonably complex without being convoluted, and I could see the character development. The villain was a bit obvious. A worthwhile read, though I recommended reading the other books in the series first.

A good aside to the main series, this book focused on Riley and her mysterious Bow. It introduced new characters, and a new zone, plus a lot of thrills and chills. If you like the main series, you'll love this book.

This a great novella continuing of the first two books. It elaborates on the virtual world and adds new characters. This is a must read if you like the series and if you haven’t read this series yet, then we aren’t friends anymore.....

I loved the pacing, the quest was reasonably complex without being convoluted, and I could see the character development. The villain was a bit obvious. A worthwhile read, though I recommended reading the other books in the series first.

A good aside to the main series, this book focused on Riley and her mysterious Bow. It introduced new characters, and a new zone, plus a lot of thrills and chills. If you like the main series, you'll love this book.

This a great novella continuing of the first two books. It elaborates on the virtual world and adds new characters. This is a must read if you like the series and if you haven’t read this series yet, then we aren’t friends anymore.....

Fantastic book. I was lucky enough to read an early copy and if you have read the first two books this sorta side novel will be a welcome addition to the story. Spoiler free it follows Riley as she tackles the item quest she was given in the last book while flushing out the game world more.

Good book, good addition to the series. I didn’t find it to be as good as the other two books. That however is more the cause of the character than the writing though. The focus on stratagem and mixture of rl and ol was a large factor in the enjoy,emt of the other two books. This character isn’t that kind of personality. I’d still greatly recommend reading this.

Love this series and hope the author keeps up the good work. As a fan of the VRMMORPG genre I enjoy the plot line and how it grabs your attention and never let's go. I read this book the day I got it.

While the the writing style and the storyline are pretty simple, I give it five stars because the store interprets that as "I love it", and I've got to own up to that. Wouldn't mind a little more meat in the next one though -- it only took a day and a half of neglecting the rest of my life to finish this one.

It’s well written and very exciting. I love the addition of new locations and new characters. The world they live in just expanded and it gives the series even more potential. I can’t wait for the next addition to the series! Excellent job!

I have loved this entire series and wish this game was somehow possible in the real world. I especially love the magic system being explained more in depth and how it affects the society in the game. Keep up the great work and I look forward to the next book no matter if it is a side story or main story, I just want more of this amazing story.