Review: Steel Song

Title: Steel Song

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0HBNXVYF7/

Author: Silas Sinclair 

Rating: 4.8/5

Comments: This one was a Discord recommendation and it was good.  If I had one complaint, it's that it's comparatively long at over 600 pages, and the narrative slows down in some sections.

It has excellent characters with defining character traits and plenty of banter.  The story arc is great, and has a lot of unexpected moments.

Assuming it gets a sequel I will read it.

Bedroom Activities: Mixed (Not porn level descriptions, but not pure fade to black)

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Review - Discount Dan

Title: Discount Dan: A LitRPG Adventure (Discount Dan's Backroom Bargains Book 1)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DSGQ5XPS/
 

Author: James A. Hunter

Rating: 4/5

Comments: I finished Discount Dan earlier today, and since it's day 1800, Dan gets the lucky 1800 day review!

I didn't know anything about Dan, but there were a ton of people running around LitRPG Con with red robes and Apoc from Schinhofen's Discord told me that it was Discount Dan cosplay.

Well if the cosplay is that popular, I will give it a read.

It's a decent read and surprisingly my rating is about the same as the Goodreads rating.  It's got some funny parts, but like a lot of these types of stories, there is a stunning lack of reaction to being hijacked into another world.  Unlike a lot of these stories (which is a good thing), Dan is not a nigh-indestructible demi-god. I will probably work book 2 into the rotation when I have room.

Bedroom Activities: None

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Review: Elswhere

Title: Elsewhere: Book One

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DWZJHP36/

Author: Doug Lohse

Rating: 2.4/5

Comments: I got this book by walking through the vendor area at LitRPG Con and they were handing out signed copies.  I hate to say it, but I feel like I overpaid.

I didn't even make it to the 50% mark before I gave up.  It's just boring.  The protagonist has no apparent character depth, and he moves through the new world without making any actual personal bonds.

Honestly the section of the book before he's isekaied into the new world were actually BETTER than what came after.

Bedroom Activities: ?

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Review: Brightblade

Title: Brightblade: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Book 1)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086WQ4V57/

Author: Jez Cajiao

Rating: 4/5

Comments: I met Jez at LitRPG Con and he seems like a good guy, and they said his stuff was "dark" so of course I had to check it out.  Allegedly his other series are darker, which is good because either my frame of reference seriously out of whack, or this isn't that dark.

Anyway, this book (and at least the first few sequels) are pretty decent.  The characters are believable and relatable.  If there was one thing I would say is a negative, and which is why I have taken a break from the series, it is that the action is too unrelenting. There are long stretches where there is nothing but constant life or death danger, which means it eventually loses its tension and becomes tedious and tiresome.

I will be going back to it and I expect it will improve.

Bedroom Activities: FTB

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Review: Finale of Unbound

Title: Ruin: A LitRPG Adventure (Unbound Book 12)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FG1Q23NR/

Author: Nicoli Gonnella

Rating: 4.9/5

Comments: I know I said I'm going to focus on first books to find good series, but in this case I'm going to revisit the Unbound series because it got a definitive finale'.

When a series goes past 3 books, it's a challenge to wrap it up in a satisfying way and avoid leaving unresolved bits and bobs laying about.

This conclusion to the Unbound series, is honestly as good as you can hope for.  I'm not going to offer any hints or spoilers, but I was happy with how it ended.

A bonus picture of Nicoli Gonnella from LitRPG Con.  

Bedroom Activities: FTB

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Review (?) Lord of the Sword

Title: The Lord of the Sword 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GNL57FDQ/
 

Author:Whiskey Flowers

Rating:2/5 Did not finish

Comments: This could have been good.  The foundational factors for an entertaining story are there, but nothing is built on them. I dropped it when a (potentially) big conflict was resolved in 2 sentences, with no feeling of risk or tension.  It was the equivalent of having a prize fighter go into a big fight sequence, and the next sentence is "And he won, so anyway."

Disappointing, because it had potential. 

Bedroom Activities: FTB

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Review: Wolfhounds series

 

Title:Wolfhounds (Book 1: Stand Alone: Wolfhounds)

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJTCTSZ6

Author: John Van Stry

Rating:4.5/5

Comments: I am somewhat surprised this is the first review I've done for Van Stry, I've read a lot of his books over the years.  Apparently nothing recently.

 Anyway, this is the best sci-fi series I've read since Vixen War Bride.  It's a little more "action movie" where Vixen War Bride is more "war drama".

The whole series was good, I binged all 5 books in 3-4 days. 

Bedroom Activities: FTB

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Milestone post - Part 2 - 2026 so far

This is part 2 of my 1700 day reading streak milestone.

These are the books I've read so far in 2026.  The Wolfhounds series is really good, I binged the series in 5 days.

• Objects in Motion - Inadvisedly Compelled (quite the pseudonym)

• Blue Sunrise - Overman 

• Creation – Oswald 

• Proliferation – Larcombe 

• Apocalypse Always  - Arand 

• Goblin Gigs – Kensington 

• Have Blaster will Travel – Sutherland 

• Resistance (last life 11) - Osadchuk 

• Warlock 3 – Kensington 

• Warlock 2 – Kensington 

• Aether’s Band – Schinhofen 

• The Old Places – Todd 

• Earl of Dracumon – Crogen 

• War to the knife – Nealen 

• The Legend of William Oh – Macronomicon 

• Unintended Cultivator 8 – Dontigney 

• Rescue the Princess – Hindmarsh 

• Dungeon Diving 202 – Sentar 

• The Void War - Holmes 

• Courts -  Oswald 

• Wolfhounds 6 

• Wolfhounds 5 

• Wolfhounds 4 

• Wolfhounds 3 

• Wolfhounds 2 

• Wolfhounds 1 – Van Stry 

• Ultimate level 1 – Ultimate Dreams – Wilson 

• Breaking Point (last life 10) - Osadchuk 

• Wasteland Rebels – Valentine/Grayson 

• Bog Standard Isekai 1 – English 

• Graduating with Honor – Schinhofen 

• Heavens Reflected - 

• Judicator Jane – Roulean 

• Fighting past Pain – Schinhofen 

• Iron Tyrant 4 – Ring 

• Rallying Recovery – Tress 

• Proportional Response – Tress