I’ve loved this series. Been reading them since the first book came out. And its been great. The best thing in the LitRPG genre by a good margin.
This installment was a massive disappointment to the point where I returned the book. The writing quality and internal consistency was a big step down. I’m generally one to immerse myself in a book and ignore any inconsistencies that might break the 4th wall or suspension of disbelief. But this book was egregious.
On top of those mistakes was the constant pausing of the narrative to bludgeon the reader with political pedantry. Bagwell has always had social messaging in his books. The entire genre has covered social issues in the past. that, in and of itself is not the issue. It is the 4-th wall breaking aspect of this pedantry. it didnt feel like part of the book. It wasnt consistent with the worldbuilding in previous books. It was jarring. Like watching your favorite show and suddenly it stops and forces you to watch an ad for a local politician running for reelection.