Countdown (Reality Benders Book #1) LitRPG Series

Really enjpyed it after the first part of this book.I felt it flow smoother and smoother as we went along.Perhaps some of it was me getting used to its quirks, but I do think it got better too.I am going to get the next book now, as I am wondering what the heck is going on in the bigger picture.As well as what Gnat will be up to.As well as wondering if the two human factions are really doing anything smart at all with all this waste of a conflict.Got a whole new world out there, and competition galore in grabbing it, and they are wasting mats and time in battling it out between them. When they both got a big bad date to prepare their civilizations for.And the trade options with the ancient factions, same there, can one trade rather then spending ammo on them?What options are open, and what's the deal with them and it all.We, the readers do not know(perhaps not Gnat too), unless I have miss read something.

The premise of the story is very similar to the Gam3. Humanity has been contacted by an alien civilization. We now have a limited time to enter a reality bending game and prove ourselves worthy to enter the larger galactic system. If we can’t, once our safe time runs out, we’ll be fair game for the more aggressive species in the universe. At least, that’s the bigger macro storyline for the series.The micro storyline is much simpler. The main character (MC) Kirill, or Gnat as he’s called in game is blackmailed into joining this game to help his faction progress. It’s his willingness to break the rules imposed by his superiors and play the game like only a veteran game junkie can that lets him progress faster than anyone thought possible and have lots of impactful adventures. The story is mostly a slice of life adventure that’s well organized and you see recurring antagonists come back again and again to make trouble for our MC.Game mechanic-wise, there’s a standard Str, Con, Agi, Int, Wis, Cha, Luck stat system. There’s the addition of the stat Perception which plays a major role for the MC and his ability to notice things. There’s a class system that applies firm restrictions on things non-combat related classes can do. Though there isn’t a restriction on skills players can learn, other than the number of total skills at any given level. Skills increase as you practice them and overall usage + general actions increase a players level. If you’ve read the author’s other novel, the Dark Herbalist, a lot of this will feel familiar.Overall, this is a really good story. The sci-fi adventuring of the MC is never boring, and the RPG game mechanics always feel important and impactful to the story.Score: 7 out of 10

Loved the book l. The entire series is really good, only negative I have is when amazon ships the book or books sometimes they don't put bubble wrap in the box so your paperback book gets damaged, same when they ship it in an envelope the book most of the time has damage on the binding or the edges of the book.But if you don't mind the wait the book itself is awesome.

I've read the first two books and I might eventually go back for more.Reality Benders cooks with the same ingredients as, for instance, Way of the Shaman. The MC is the cleverest. He sees opportunity and gains power where no one else can. Female characters can have power and influence, yet seem to always fall under the MCs spell. Although, so does most everyone else.It's a fun time and there's plenty of finding hidden ways out of conundrums, with a healthy dose of "no one could have predicted this, but the unexpected windfall lands in the MCs lap."My only complaint is that the stories of this flavor often leave me with the feeling that the main character is the only character. The others have personalities, feelings, and dreams... But to me, they just don't feel like they matter.

This is a book that was written in russian and then translated to english. This is kind of important, because a lot of things just don't translate very well. The most notable is the name of the game. In english it is refered to "the game that bends reality." Anytime they refence the game that whole saying is the name of the game.Therefore there are some cultural differences that you will have to look up to understand. Specifically foods they are eating or drinking like compote (Kompot) which is like a fruit juice similar to kool-aid but home made from fresh ingredients.Aside from translation and cultural differences, there are a couple of things to note. Pretty much anyone that is involved with this game while inside is aparently perfectly toned athletes, and he didn't really do a good job of telling you how people looked for the most part.Also, the main character CANNOT fail, this character no matter how stupid his actions are, and against common sense everything will come out 100 times better than they should. He is essentially the worlds luckiest man, aside from how he got involved with the game.Overall its your pretty run of the mill LITRPG, it's no so bad that you have to stop reading it, but not so good that you can't put it down. There are better books in this genre, so find those out and once you've gone through them read this.

I couldn't put it down. I want more like this to deprive me of more sleep 😃. Get busy, Michael.

This was one of the most fun books I've read in a long time. Tight, well written plot. Interesting characters. It just grabbed me, and never let go.

Great read. Was fast pace and kept me entertained. Can’t wait to read the rest. I plan to share it with my children as well.

I'm loving the characters and story more as I read along. There are some mistakes here and there but they are just bumps in the road of a good story. I will be downloading the next one as soon as I finish this review as I need to know what happens next. Cheers!

This is a great read. Was not sure when i started reading and seeing it as a Russian mc, having read alot mainly being American mc was a bit negative about the book, But how wrong i was, great story interesting plots and stills wow well worth reading.

By far one of the best Sci fi litrpg books I have ever read, really a shining light of a book.

This book is amazing. The characters are interesting, the action is clear and well paced and the system is clearly written. Altogether the best book I have read in a while.

I honestly had so much fun reading this. What an interesting way of thinking about game classes. I never would have imagined that Gnat would get so much action after getting those two non combat classes to choose from. Loved it.