Could have been much better! The lead character is a worthless snake oil salesman

I like the imagination of the author on the universe, technologies and mixing of magic. However the lead character is such a boring and worthless snake oil salesman, it’s hard to maintain interest in the book. I hope the author is willing to revise the book so Carl has at least one skill (maybe a quick draw on the blaster) so he won’t be a pathetic fool that constantly got his ass kicked.