The amount of detail is great and really brings this series to life. However, there is too much of it for what is given. Either make the books longer or cut down on unnecessary details. For example, he spends a good five-ten minutes alone describing food in one particular chapter.
I LOVE the amount of game options and branches and quests and so much more. I want to see more. That leads to my biggest qualm, the length of the story. Few things seem to really get done. Every time the character thinks of something important, “OH, I should mention that to the party” he either forgets. gets distracted, or doesn’t bring it up for half the book. He puts off his character progression and stats saying it is min maxing OCD. I get it I do. But when you give your character the potential for 90 levels. By the end of the first book he is level 4 and at the end of the second book he hasn’t even reached level 10! I have to ask… how many books do you plan on making? 40?
You need to make the books longer to account for all the detail you are putting into it. Churn out these books faster. OR get rid of detail. Like all the smells and tastes of wine, the description of food, or the pure amount of detail and backstory you put into each and every item. ALSO, stop repeating facts. Every other chapter you seem to review what happened in the last chapter. For example you mentioned the topic of “Elmac really likes Morgana, I should talk to them so he doesn’t get shot down and Morgana can lessen the blow”. I counted. This is mentioned 5 times, in complete detail and recurrence, before its ever happens.
WE KNOW. We know what you already said and what was already mentioned. You don’t have to explain in explicit detail why Hector came to this conclusion. Let us connect the dots ourselves. It is extremely frustrating.
I like the characters, the plot, the theme, the motives and struggles. I love the system. I want more of that. More progression. I hate when authors make the character reach level 50 in the first book (Emerilia). And I also hate when they can’t even make it to level 10 by the second book. It is too slow. In contrast, Hector has already been to god level. You are all over the place
Jeff Hays is a master, however…. I don’t think his voice for Hector is the right one. At the beginning of book 1 he sounded like a hardened criminal, but he is a gamer geek. He should sound less like stereo-typical badass and more like the wimp he is. I know, everybody is a critique and it is easy to know after the fact. But that is what a review is all about.
Overall. Nylund is a great author and can really bring out the world in vivid detail. But he needs to get the pacing down right.
*If you are interested in more Litrpg’s you can check out my other reviews (Its pretty much all I read).