Ascend Online

It has repeating chapters that makes enjoying the story really hard in the first few chapters, but I really like the story. Close to like Chaos Seed and End of Online, but in this game-story the MC has a group of friends playing with him who are friends offline also. It has repeating chapters that makes enjoying the story really hard in the first few chapter. . This is a action packed very entertaining story that I hope the Authors continues the story. It has repeating chapters that makes enjoying the story really hard in the first few chapters. See what I mean. It has repeating chapters that makes enjoying the story really hard in the first few chapters.

Much like The Land, which combines the joy of Civ games with XP grinding, Ascend Online eschews the traditional one-man-army style in favor of a significant emphasis on group play. I also like the open-ended ability system.

Good story. I liked the changes in point of view for telling parts of the story and would like to see more of this in future books. Interesting world and I'm looking forward to seeing how the author continues to develop the story. Occasional odd phrasing (in my opinion... I'm not a grammar expert by any stretch of the imagination), but that wasn't a significant distraction from the flow of the book.

Good read, lots of fun and adventure. The only thing that I though could be better is time. A lot of stuff happened in a really short amount of time, could have been drawn out with a few "and a couple days passed". But very enjoyable read.

I am normally not a big reader of futuristic technology/ gammer fiction, however I needed a break from all the strictly science fantasy I've been reading. This story did not disappoint as it was a mixture of both! I will be waiting for the sequel...

Excellent development of a bold plot in compelling but digestible way, gradually introducing more exciting details and complexity. Loved (!) the writing style.

Strongly encourage the author to keep writing asap. Best novel I've read in this genre to date and what I would hold up as an example to strive for.

The characters are varied enough with distinct personalities. I loved the idea of the world and the way the vr system works. Similar to the way of the shaman but at the ground level. Over a really great story and an awesome addition to the LITRPG genre.

So glad I picked this one up. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, was nicely paced and of an enjoyable length. My only complaints would be that the next one is not released, along with a very few minor editing fudges.

This book was a good read I felt the profanity did not belong. The book has a good story and is written for teen. The story flows with a well developed benevolent and malevolent characters that make it a well rounded lit-RPG.

Wonderful story with good humor, a very interesting style for the play of Lyrian kept my interest for his further and upcoming advances in the story. With his ever enduring companions and leadership quality, the story blooms ever brighter. Aside from the few misspelled words and grammatical errors(Easy to read past), this is one of my favorite reads of all time.

This book is without a doubt a book that I'll be rereading several times. There were no typos that immediately jumped out at me, and the only problem was a font choice for a powerful type voice.

I'll quite likely have to purchase this one to add to my collection.

Good story, well written and entertaining. Cursing is a bit overused and some of the plot was a bit predictable. However, the characters personalities enriched the story. I definitely recommend this book if you are into the LitRPG genre.

I really couldn't stop reading this book. I love the length of this book. I love how the main character didn't go from 1 to 100. Lots of authors can't start off like this one did and I really can't wait for his next book. I don't want to ruin any of it for you. So enjoy it. It's worth reading.

Enjoyable.

I liked the quest updates and reward/experience pop-ups.

But I didn't really care for the stats updates because it just didn't feel like they mattered or added to the story.
It just felt like spam. It might just be me.

Anyway, that said, I'm looking forward to the next book.

P.S. I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of how this impacted the outside world via their stream before the book ended!

Bland characters and villain. Most significant flaw is the comical failure to create tension. With a very mild death penalty and it being just a game, the hysteria of everyone in combat is laughable. Also the sense of scale is completely off with the MC ending the book at level 11 with only a handful of abilities and spells. Much better litrpg books are available such as the Awaken Online series.

I wasn't sure what to expect since this is both a new author in a new type of story for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the character development and story. While there were a few minor editing errors they did not distract from the story.

Being a gamer myself I found the mix of gaming styles, to be intriguing. To have the traits, abilities, and attribute combinations would make for unique game play. Over all pace was good, adding morality and enjoyable storyline makes an old gamer happy. ?

Absolutely pure LitRPG Fun! The writing is solid, as is the editing. The characters are fun and believable. While this is clearly the first in a series, the story is complete enough to stand on its own while still leaving my waiting for more.

Besides a couple of jumps in where the main character suddenly gained skills and skill levels at the start of the book overall it was a amazing book that had a good amount of building combined with dungeons that made the book amazing to read :) can't wait for book 2

Read this the day I got it

I need the next book!!
I was entranced from the moment I started reading, barely putting the book down until I had consumed every page it had to offer. With the action packed scenes, to he undertones of things yet to come, to the history of the world, I wanted to read about it all

This book was my first intro to LitRPG and now I'm hooked. The characters are interesting and nuanced, the pace is breakneck, and the style is fun and interesting throughout. I would highly recommend anyone that has ever enjoyed an RPG, or simply likes a good book, to sit down and enjoy Ascend Online.

Great first addition to the LitRPG genre. Luke does a fine job balancing pace, character development, and action. Freneticism is a hallmark of LitRPG, and this is no exception; it's a page turner for sure. If you like the first installments of Play to Live, or the Way of the Shaman, this fits pretty closely into those molds.

I enjoyed the story, but to often I found myself slogged down in character sheet information. This time could have been better spent developing characters, instead of using genre stereotypes to fill out the cast. It was a fun read, but it didn’t motivate me to pick up the next book.

This it's a great read for a LitRPG. The characters are well developed and the world they live in is amazing. I like how the author gives snippets of other characters' POV to help flesh out the story. I would recommend this book for young adults interested in this genre. It keeps readers waiting for more.

I really liked the way the book was written. Grammer was on point. Though the slave king speaking parts were harder to read witht the square things maybe just give it a different font next time. I loved the regualar character updates. I like the different povs maybe do some for his companions so we know there thoughts about the situation. All in all it was a a really well written book

I love the overall building to the storyline. I also like how he made sure to make it seem as real as possible when creating a character and how much time can be "wasted" on just that aspect. Can't wait for the next book!

I liked the book, but the lack of self interest from the main party is a bit weird, especially for gamers. I look forward to the next book, and hope more of the characters' relationships with NPCs and other players are further explored as it seemed like a missed opportunity in this book.

The story is okay but, the MC is kind of lame.

--SPOILERS--
The MC wields a, what I assume is a great-sword, though if it's not then he's an idiot for not using a shield. His left arm and side are constantly being injured due to lack of defense on that side, you would think after a while the MC would learn and address this vulnerability. Perhaps a small gauntlet mounted shield? I picked up that marvelous idea up from another LITRPG story.
Another problem I had with the story, and a more serious issue, is that there are constant interruptions in the fight sequences while the MC describes what is happening around him. The author seems to have a hard time integrating the action with the events around the character. So he stops the action sequence and the MC looks around, which naturally leads to the MC being wounded or surprised in some way.
So while the story as a whole is okay, I wont be reading any of the subsequent books. The choppy action sequences definitely put me off.

Solid gaming/rpg tale told from a unique first person stance, incorporating all the elements gamers love (and love to hate).

Good story, accessible read, surprisingly not as predictable as one would be expect (clearly a monomythic attempt, albeit also clearly yet to mature, but great promise here).

This author is one to watch as he hones his storytelling skills. This would make a MUCH more interesting movie that Cline's effort, particularly if filmed from true first player perspective.

Great candidate for VR/AR and augmented AI experience.... when such things become common for books. :)

I like the group gamers concept of this book. Even though they act like Nebs at times it hits the point of how real the gaming world seems to them compared to other games and its more like real life for them... I cannot wait for the next book!!

I have been thoroughly enjoying the cyberpunk genre.
This book has been another excellent example and I thoroughly enjoyed it was captured and carried away to a Wonderful World, full of fantastic story.

I'm stuck on authors who are much like Kong, and damn are they great! This book had a few errors, mostly because of a great amount of reading to be had. Easily dismissed with the wonderful world Chmilenko has made!

Great book. At times it was slow but well worth it.

My only grip is the ending. There is no way the main character survived all those attacks and loss of his buddy. The author let it all happen to just make it more exciting but really ruined the book for me. It sucks to end on what I felt was a bad note.

Rarely give a five star ratting but this book earned it. The characters grabed me from the first chapter and kept me involved to the end. Aslo (caution minor spoiler) the death of evil bastards very satisfying,

Not every book is a Tolkien work or a Steinbeck classic. But I really enjoy when a something is the best it's supposed to be. This is a fun book to read. That was it's job and this was one of the best I've read. Here are the two best compliments I can think of: I will tell people to read your book. And, if you write another book I'll buy it.

I don't write long reviews as I don't like giving away plot points but suffice it to say that the author's characters, world, plot of the story, and writing are superb. If you like litrpg, you MUST read this

Great book, well written and developed characters. This series shows a view of the future that is insightful while maintaining a lighthearted and adventurous story. The story is solid, the characters well written and developed and the lore is interesting. I recommend this series without reservation

The story of Lyr and his gang of ragtag friends is one full of action and adventure, along with all of the great grind of skills and gears, all rewarded with large-scale battle in gruesome detail. Can't wait for the sequel!!

Excellent book with a good Litrpg experience. Felt like you were actually with the character as they progressed throughout the book. Overall a definite read if you like Litrpg or sci-fi dungeon books.

Easy to give this fives stars+. Very engaging plot that grows in complexity and intensity over the course of the novel. Excellent action scenes and character development. Looking forward to the sequel!

The author employs the LitRPG trope of having the protagonist do something OP in the build screen, despite him having no actual data on which to base his optimization decisions, something oh-so-creative that no one has thought of before, which he discovered through the impressive act of sitting there and reading the options like the chair-jockey he is.

Here is the god-skill, I kid you not:

"Open Minded - Accepting of racial differences and radical ideas, you have learned to accept wisdom and the opportunity to learn no matter what form it takes, allowing you to make intuitive insights where others would give up in frustration. Grants a substantial increase in learning new skills, and the ability to learn all race locked traits, skills, crafting recipes, and abilities that are not otherwise restricted."

So basically, if you're PC in this game you win, and by the way conservatives have low persistence, emotional continence, wisdom, intelligence and knowledge. Presumably "accepting radical ideas" means embracing Communism, not Nazism.

Some white Russian nerd is breaking his arm patting himself on the back about how holy he is, presumably because he's an immigrant to Canada and needs to justify to himself that he actually belongs moreso than the native Canadians. Ironically his current belief system is the only ideology more evil than the Communism which his parents presumably left Russia to flee. Because diversity + proximity = war, as someone from the Asian steppes should really know.

This is where I stopped reading.

I was amazed that this is a first book. It is very good with interesting, likeable characters and an exciting VRMMORPG. It is much better than most others of this genre. I look forward to the next one.

I was bothered by the use of bad language but the story promised to be interesting and I am a player of a mmorpg so I continued to read until the author used 'of' as a verb. That I cannot tolerate. Study the language before you publish! Publishers, can I get a warning when you publish an author with only a street vocabulary.