What do you think?
Rate this book
Daniel Black #1
Fimbulwinter
Summoned to a world in the midst of apocalypse, Daniel Black would have his hands full just staying alive. Add in refugees, desperate soldiers, scheming nobles and a pair of thoroughly wicked witches, and life is going to be very busy indeed. Good thing he has magic of his own to even the scales. But will even that be enough?
Warning: This novel contains graphic violence, inventive sex, unconventional opinions and a protagonist who has no interest in being normal. Read at your own risk.
Warning: This novel contains graphic violence, inventive sex, unconventional opinions and a protagonist who has no interest in being normal. Read at your own risk.
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2014
About the author
E. William Brown
8 books1,517 followersHey, folks. I'm just a middle-aged American guy, writing fanfics for fun after a long day at the bit mine.
Likes: Heroes who actually go out and solve their problems instead of sitting around whining about them. Especially if they have to use their brains and do some badass level grinding along the way.
Dislikes: Clueless idiot heroes who survive on pure luck and the bad guy's mistakes. Gritty urban fantasy heroines who cause most of their own problems, and then constantly bitch at the male love interest who has to save them. Whiny little beta-boy 'heroes' who let the girls beat them up, and then wonder why the princess doesn't appreciate their awesome sensitive wonderfulness.
Likes: Heroes who actually go out and solve their problems instead of sitting around whining about them. Especially if they have to use their brains and do some badass level grinding along the way.
Dislikes: Clueless idiot heroes who survive on pure luck and the bad guy's mistakes. Gritty urban fantasy heroines who cause most of their own problems, and then constantly bitch at the male love interest who has to save them. Whiny little beta-boy 'heroes' who let the girls beat them up, and then wonder why the princess doesn't appreciate their awesome sensitive wonderfulness.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
June 26, 2015
Wish fulfillment, porn and an absurd story. What more could you want?
Quite a bit, actually. There is no point in criticizing the author. I wasted my time reading this book based on its reviews and the fact that Amazon had it on its list of featured books in this category. This is yet another example of how customer reviews on Amazon too often inaccurately reflect the actual quality of the book. This book was objectively terrible, yet it has 4 stars with 112 people giving it 5 stars. For those who gave it 5 stars, what possible criteria could you have used? What are your standards? Do you have any?
Quite a bit, actually. There is no point in criticizing the author. I wasted my time reading this book based on its reviews and the fact that Amazon had it on its list of featured books in this category. This is yet another example of how customer reviews on Amazon too often inaccurately reflect the actual quality of the book. This book was objectively terrible, yet it has 4 stars with 112 people giving it 5 stars. For those who gave it 5 stars, what possible criteria could you have used? What are your standards? Do you have any?
July 26, 2014
I normally avoid reading stories where a person from a modern world get's thrown into a fantasy setting. They're normally pretty cliche and more D&D to read and while this book could be said the same I enjoyed the author's witty and direct writing. The pace of the book was swift and never really allowed time for your mind to wander as the story moved from scene to another without lingering on any one moment. And that was great for me as I wasn't looking for something elaborate to read.
The story is told in 1st person through Daniel but that didn't impeach other characters depth and involvement, which is usually the case with 1st person writing.
This is a indie book and there were the odd typo found here or there but nothing extensive or detrimental to the story.
A word of warning, this book is intended for a more mature audience and I was hard pressed not to find a sexual reference/innuendo per page. But it didn't border to gratuitous levels (although it was pretty close).
Also in the story woman are more or less treated as sexual objects and are mostly vivacious sirens. I didn't like that and I can imagine feminist liking it even less. But I can see what the author was thinking. He based his fantasy world on a medieval type setting and woman weren't treated equally during those times.
Conclusion
A fast, exhilarating story that's ideal for those looking for something quick and fun to read. I rather enjoyed this book, despite some of its flaws, but I can easily imagine it not being to others taste.
The story is told in 1st person through Daniel but that didn't impeach other characters depth and involvement, which is usually the case with 1st person writing.
This is a indie book and there were the odd typo found here or there but nothing extensive or detrimental to the story.
A word of warning, this book is intended for a more mature audience and I was hard pressed not to find a sexual reference/innuendo per page. But it didn't border to gratuitous levels (although it was pretty close).
Also in the story woman are more or less treated as sexual objects and are mostly vivacious sirens. I didn't like that and I can imagine feminist liking it even less. But I can see what the author was thinking. He based his fantasy world on a medieval type setting and woman weren't treated equally during those times.
Conclusion
A fast, exhilarating story that's ideal for those looking for something quick and fun to read. I rather enjoyed this book, despite some of its flaws, but I can easily imagine it not being to others taste.
June 8, 2016
I didn't finish it. There was to much of that immature fantasy that all females exist for sex and that is all they think about and expect from life.... This really reads like a script for a low budget porn flick. There is 0 depth to the characters or the plot, if you can call it that.
October 3, 2014
The best
The best
I loved the fast paces action and depht of the characters, the story was just too short. I can't wait for book two
The best
I loved the fast paces action and depht of the characters, the story was just too short. I can't wait for book two
August 25, 2014
I actually really enjoyed this book, even though it did have some heavy sexual overtones. The writing style was solid, good dialogue, character and world building. I can't wait for the sequel! I'm on the hunt for more books where the protagonist from a modern world is thrust into an old-world-fantasy theme. Recommendations?
September 19, 2014
Let me start out by saying that I've never written a book review before, nor have I ever imagined that I would. Then of course I stumbled across the conundrum known as Fimbulwinter. I have to admit that this is one of those strange trans-genre books that defies the conventional boundaries of both of its constituent genres, being fantasy fiction and erotica. Due to the somewhat unconventional mishmashing of these elements, I felt that the parts needed to be looked at individually rather than as a whole before I could give any sort of a fair rating. Here following, I'll try to break down the (soft) core parts for a better assessment.
Fantasy - 2 stars
Generally when I think to rate something, absolutely unreadable trash receives a 1 and if I can actually manage to finish the book, that at least qualifies it as a 2. As you can see, according to my rating there really wasn't much here in the fantasy realm. The story begins as a classic fantasy trope a la Terry Brooks' "Magic Kingdom for Sale, Sold!" but with significantly less attention to background, world-building or setup. The plot then proceeds to move on at a hyper-drive pace with barely enough details to fill in the large gaps in plot and vaults the main character into the main story with little fanfare. So let's discuss the story then, shall we? The biggest and potentially fatal gripe with this story is that every single challenge or dilemma is solved by some sort of deus ex machina solution within about 3 paragraphs, with little thought given to integrating the how-so or solution into the context of the given world. Without spoiling anything, it would appear to the reader that the MC had everything figured out from every possible angle even before it presented itself in the narrative. Essentially every plot device is incredibly contrived and no character really strays outside of their prefabricated 2 dimensional trope. That being said, how did I ever imagine to finish reading this and why did it not receive a single star? Well.... Read on!
Erotica - 4 stars
This novel is at heart a pulpy, smutty Nora Roberts copycat but from a decidedly male perspective. Love interests are all impossibly gorgeous but with that one little character flaw that drives the plot, the members of opposite sex are overly-simple lust beasts trying to paw their way into the main characters knickers and the sex dialogue is so over the top and ridiculous that you can't help but chortle every three paragraphs or so; which is approximately how often raunchy fornication enters into the plot. The only difference here between your classic pulp romance novel and Fimbulwinter is that the gender roles have been swapped (somewhat). Hear hear! Timid man brutally savaged by porn goddesses (almost) against his will! Well, you get the idea. In this novel, the women are ravenously randy and built like adult film goddesses, and what about the female characters whom aren't made to look like a Marilyn Monroe Amazoness you may ask? Well, there's a plot device for that... No seriously, there is. This is a land where all other men are terrible chauvinists but the MC has retained his equality minded 21st century values. Except of course when But perhaps I'm being too negative; while I may not agree or support the gender equity (or lack thereof) views expressed in the novel, I certainly found myself laughing out loud every few pages at the sheer absurdness of the dialogue and plot minutiae. I'm fairly certain that I'm not the only one who snickered when they found out where one of the main characters keeps her "magic."
If you're looking for a great fantasy novel, this is not a "good read." If by chance however you are really just looking for some soft core erotica in a fantasy setting with a better than average plot(for the genre), this may fit the bill. If you want something to make you shake your head and think "WTF!?" Then this is definitely the book for you. There is a synergy here that makes the reader leave the novel thinking that it was better than it really was (or maybe it was the just ridiculous "climax" HA!), but I suppose that that is what the author was going for... I'll probably pick up Daniel Black #2, but it certainly won't be for the intriguing narrative.
Fantasy - 2 stars
Generally when I think to rate something, absolutely unreadable trash receives a 1 and if I can actually manage to finish the book, that at least qualifies it as a 2. As you can see, according to my rating there really wasn't much here in the fantasy realm. The story begins as a classic fantasy trope a la Terry Brooks' "Magic Kingdom for Sale, Sold!" but with significantly less attention to background, world-building or setup. The plot then proceeds to move on at a hyper-drive pace with barely enough details to fill in the large gaps in plot and vaults the main character into the main story with little fanfare. So let's discuss the story then, shall we? The biggest and potentially fatal gripe with this story is that every single challenge or dilemma is solved by some sort of deus ex machina solution within about 3 paragraphs, with little thought given to integrating the how-so or solution into the context of the given world. Without spoiling anything, it would appear to the reader that the MC had everything figured out from every possible angle even before it presented itself in the narrative. Essentially every plot device is incredibly contrived and no character really strays outside of their prefabricated 2 dimensional trope. That being said, how did I ever imagine to finish reading this and why did it not receive a single star? Well.... Read on!
Erotica - 4 stars
This novel is at heart a pulpy, smutty Nora Roberts copycat but from a decidedly male perspective. Love interests are all impossibly gorgeous but with that one little character flaw that drives the plot, the members of opposite sex are overly-simple lust beasts trying to paw their way into the main characters knickers and the sex dialogue is so over the top and ridiculous that you can't help but chortle every three paragraphs or so; which is approximately how often raunchy fornication enters into the plot. The only difference here between your classic pulp romance novel and Fimbulwinter is that the gender roles have been swapped (somewhat). Hear hear! Timid man brutally savaged by porn goddesses (almost) against his will! Well, you get the idea. In this novel, the women are ravenously randy and built like adult film goddesses, and what about the female characters whom aren't made to look like a Marilyn Monroe Amazoness you may ask? Well, there's a plot device for that... No seriously, there is. This is a land where all other men are terrible chauvinists but the MC has retained his equality minded 21st century values. Except of course when But perhaps I'm being too negative; while I may not agree or support the gender equity (or lack thereof) views expressed in the novel, I certainly found myself laughing out loud every few pages at the sheer absurdness of the dialogue and plot minutiae. I'm fairly certain that I'm not the only one who snickered when they found out where one of the main characters keeps her "magic."
If you're looking for a great fantasy novel, this is not a "good read." If by chance however you are really just looking for some soft core erotica in a fantasy setting with a better than average plot(for the genre), this may fit the bill. If you want something to make you shake your head and think "WTF!?" Then this is definitely the book for you. There is a synergy here that makes the reader leave the novel thinking that it was better than it really was (or maybe it was the just ridiculous "climax" HA!), but I suppose that that is what the author was going for... I'll probably pick up Daniel Black #2, but it certainly won't be for the intriguing narrative.
January 13, 2018
So, I'll be straight up. I bought the rest of the series for this halfway through the book. I'm in LOVE with the characters. Also...there is a LOT of sex in this book. You don't like adults doing adult things....you should skip this....now with that out the way. This book isn't all sex. There is a LOT of fighting....like GoT amount of fighting and Daniel get's hammered harder than hooker when the Navy pulls into port. This dude's life is ROUGH. The book starts off with him having the WORST day ever to only be followed up by the SECOND worst day ever and just at the end of that, get's a chance to start over by becoming a bad ass troll killing berserker. I mean, if you're his enemy, he's a walking PTSD event. The characters in this book, while eccentric are some of the most believable I've seen in a while. And I love them all, especially the morbid humor that comes across...Then again, I've been told that my 13 years in the Corps has totally twisted my sense of humor and it's about 3 shades darker than the prince of Darkness heart. But if your like me ,this is the book for you.
I'm glad that this was referred to me (shout out...I'd put your name here but I don't know if I'm allowed to.) If you can only pick up one book this year..........pick up your favorite....If you can pick up two, pick your favorite and this one....You will not be disappointed.
I'm glad that this was referred to me (shout out...I'd put your name here but I don't know if I'm allowed to.) If you can only pick up one book this year..........pick up your favorite....If you can pick up two, pick your favorite and this one....You will not be disappointed.
March 17, 2021
Rating 4.0 stars
Re-read January 2020. Initial review below. My feelings of this book are exactly the same the second time around.
I liked this book. It had a LitRPG feel to it without being LitRPG (the main character never had to level up or try to get stronger, but he did use his gaming experience to help him deal with some situations). I am finding it hard to come up with the right words to describe this story. I first thought about describing it as a darker turn at fantasy, but that really didn't fit. Then I was thinking about describing it as gritty, but again, that does not fit either. I have ended up with the term believable. Not every aspect but the relationship between the main character and the women in this life. This book falls into the sub genre of polygamy fiction with magic (think Wild Wastes, Good Intentions, Valens Legacy, etc). While the magic in each of those stories was interesting, how the main character ended up with so many women was a little unbelievable, especially since they were taking place in the present or future. This book takes place in the past though (at least on another world in medieval times) and the reasoning for the main character being with multiple women made sense.
The main character Daniel Black had the worst couple days of his life; he lost the project he was working on, then his job, then found out his wife was cheating on him, then went to jail, had a restraining order placed on him and then ended up in a car accident (I can't really call this a spoiler since it happens in the first couple of pages of chapter 1). While he is in the hospital he is visited by the God Hecate and offered a bargain; he will help protect one of her followers and in exchange, while he is being transported to another world, he will have the opportunity to obtain magic.
A far as the story goes it seemed to be an amalgam of Norse and Greek Mythology. The first half of the story was great, but I didn't think it had any kind of satisfying ending. It felt like part 1 of the story instead of a finished product in a trilogy. As far as the characters go, I thought they were much more believable.
Overall a good start to the story and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
Re-read January 2020. Initial review below. My feelings of this book are exactly the same the second time around.
I liked this book. It had a LitRPG feel to it without being LitRPG (the main character never had to level up or try to get stronger, but he did use his gaming experience to help him deal with some situations). I am finding it hard to come up with the right words to describe this story. I first thought about describing it as a darker turn at fantasy, but that really didn't fit. Then I was thinking about describing it as gritty, but again, that does not fit either. I have ended up with the term believable. Not every aspect but the relationship between the main character and the women in this life. This book falls into the sub genre of polygamy fiction with magic (think Wild Wastes, Good Intentions, Valens Legacy, etc). While the magic in each of those stories was interesting, how the main character ended up with so many women was a little unbelievable, especially since they were taking place in the present or future. This book takes place in the past though (at least on another world in medieval times) and the reasoning for the main character being with multiple women made sense.
The main character Daniel Black had the worst couple days of his life; he lost the project he was working on, then his job, then found out his wife was cheating on him, then went to jail, had a restraining order placed on him and then ended up in a car accident (I can't really call this a spoiler since it happens in the first couple of pages of chapter 1). While he is in the hospital he is visited by the God Hecate and offered a bargain; he will help protect one of her followers and in exchange, while he is being transported to another world, he will have the opportunity to obtain magic.
A far as the story goes it seemed to be an amalgam of Norse and Greek Mythology. The first half of the story was great, but I didn't think it had any kind of satisfying ending. It felt like part 1 of the story instead of a finished product in a trilogy. As far as the characters go, I thought they were much more believable.
Overall a good start to the story and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
December 10, 2014
The bad? All main characters are super gorgeous and live promiscuity. The good? All main characters are super gorgeous and live promiscuity.
That aside the plot is more interesting than I'd expected, a modern day gamer and not-so-successful programmer loses his job and girl friend (rather messy break-up) and out of nothing receives the chance to be transferred to a medieval-style world and pick up some magic on the way. The best is how he starts fixing things magically by showing surprising skills in everyday arts like excavations, quantum physics and construction.
That aside the plot is more interesting than I'd expected, a modern day gamer and not-so-successful programmer loses his job and girl friend (rather messy break-up) and out of nothing receives the chance to be transferred to a medieval-style world and pick up some magic on the way. The best is how he starts fixing things magically by showing surprising skills in everyday arts like excavations, quantum physics and construction.
September 8, 2015
Very easy read
This book is well written. At first I thought the main character might be over powered , but the author have him plausible weaknesses. There is, good character development as we learn more about their motivations . And they show growth. In the end though the book is every man's fantasty
This book is well written. At first I thought the main character might be over powered , but the author have him plausible weaknesses. There is, good character development as we learn more about their motivations . And they show growth. In the end though the book is every man's fantasty
July 25, 2017
Horrible. This book tried too hard. It cramped too much fantasies into the story. When I say fantasy, I don't mean the dragon wizard fantasies, I mean the sexual fantasies. This book is 10% plot and 90% sexual fantasies. Thoroughly disliked it.
July 21, 2014
Good read
Good read
I liked this book. It has an interesting slant on magic and the roll of power in feudalism. Sex plays an important role in the relationship of the main characters. I look forward to the next book.
Good read
I liked this book. It has an interesting slant on magic and the roll of power in feudalism. Sex plays an important role in the relationship of the main characters. I look forward to the next book.
November 20, 2015
This book is well written, with good pacing and a light-hearted feel that sucks the reader in and keeps you entertained. The main character is well done, and the supporting characters are interesting, if not particularly realistic.
There are two problems in the book: All the women are really just there for the main character to lust over and/or get into bed with, and the main character adapts too easily to the world he is thrown into, becoming powerful without real struggle or confusion.
The sexuality is more of a distraction than anything that adds to the story. It'll pull in the young male audience, but although pervasive, it stays pretty tame.
As for the main character's development, there really isn't much. He quickly adjusts to the fact that he's entered a new world, quickly masters his powers, and is ready to go.
It's a light-hearted romp, so how much struggle and strife can a person expect? And it is a fun story that kept me interested. With a little care and time, I think the author has the writing talent to have made it even better.
There are two problems in the book: All the women are really just there for the main character to lust over and/or get into bed with, and the main character adapts too easily to the world he is thrown into, becoming powerful without real struggle or confusion.
The sexuality is more of a distraction than anything that adds to the story. It'll pull in the young male audience, but although pervasive, it stays pretty tame.
As for the main character's development, there really isn't much. He quickly adjusts to the fact that he's entered a new world, quickly masters his powers, and is ready to go.
It's a light-hearted romp, so how much struggle and strife can a person expect? And it is a fun story that kept me interested. With a little care and time, I think the author has the writing talent to have made it even better.
October 12, 2014
I really liked this one.
The setting is not really new but I liked the unique beginning of the MC's journey he is not helplessly thrown in a new world and wandering around helplessy but has a goal and can stand his man, even through there are still a lot of things for him and the reader to discover.
I think the treatment of women and sex in this book is quite realistical for the setting, especially the MC's reaction to the situation.
Through I can understand when some people say that the sex is a little over the top, I can agree that the book/story would have been fine with less of that, but I personally really liked that, it goes pretty well with the flow of the story and doesn't disturb it.
The setting is not really new but I liked the unique beginning of the MC's journey he is not helplessly thrown in a new world and wandering around helplessy but has a goal and can stand his man, even through there are still a lot of things for him and the reader to discover.
I think the treatment of women and sex in this book is quite realistical for the setting, especially the MC's reaction to the situation.
Through I can understand when some people say that the sex is a little over the top, I can agree that the book/story would have been fine with less of that, but I personally really liked that, it goes pretty well with the flow of the story and doesn't disturb it.
May 13, 2015
This was fantastic. I love how the author doesn't really mess around, and gets Daniel into the thick of things rather quickly. I wasn't expecting the collection of Gods and Goddesses as well as the kink/sexual under/overtones but they work surprisingly well and don't take away from anything. Its well written, the magic is well though-out and I just genuinely dig the character! Can't wait to start the next one!
June 11, 2018
Don't judge a book by it's cover also, SEX!
Now that that's out of the way, lets get onto the review:
I was reading the Gor series and chatting with a friend about it when they suggested this book, I accidentally one clicked it on amazon and figured meh it's only a few bucks I'll give it a shot. I'm very glad I did.
The story starts out with Daniel Black living his boring life in suburbia but that part is short lived fortunately. Almost immediately our protagonist is thrust into a world of magic oh and sex did I mention sex?
The magic in Fimbulwinter actually feels like magic, it feels powerful, our Hero isn't some 10 year old clumsy, scrawny kid (Ender, Bean, Eragon, Will, Arya...) sure he's a bit out of shape but he's a clever wizard; the way he solves this makes me wonder why every wizard doesn't do the same.
This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down, I'd tell my self OK just to the end of the page... OK fine finish the chapter... seriously stop reading it's 3am now and you have work tomorrow.
Oh also there are some sexy bits in there I'm not talking about subtle either, some of the scenes could come straight out of a porn or one of those novels you see in those adult stores.
Now that that's out of the way, lets get onto the review:
I was reading the Gor series and chatting with a friend about it when they suggested this book, I accidentally one clicked it on amazon and figured meh it's only a few bucks I'll give it a shot. I'm very glad I did.
The story starts out with Daniel Black living his boring life in suburbia but that part is short lived fortunately. Almost immediately our protagonist is thrust into a world of magic oh and sex did I mention sex?
The magic in Fimbulwinter actually feels like magic, it feels powerful, our Hero isn't some 10 year old clumsy, scrawny kid (Ender, Bean, Eragon, Will, Arya...) sure he's a bit out of shape but he's a clever wizard; the way he solves this makes me wonder why every wizard doesn't do the same.
This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down, I'd tell my self OK just to the end of the page... OK fine finish the chapter... seriously stop reading it's 3am now and you have work tomorrow.
Oh also there are some sexy bits in there I'm not talking about subtle either, some of the scenes could come straight out of a porn or one of those novels you see in those adult stores.
June 22, 2015
A fun read!
This is just a really fun book to read. Anyone who is a fan of sword and sorcery and that role playing games will get a kick out of this book. The writer comes up with an extremely unusual and plausible means of giving our hero stupendous powers that allow him to survive tremendous opposition but still has to learn how to use and develop his abilities. Not being heterosexual man, I found some of the sexual exploits that our hero gets into somewhat tedious, but he also has some really thoughtful observations into sexual politics in a non-industrial society. If you want a fun sword and sorcery romp that doesn't take itself too seriously then I highly recommend this book.
This is just a really fun book to read. Anyone who is a fan of sword and sorcery and that role playing games will get a kick out of this book. The writer comes up with an extremely unusual and plausible means of giving our hero stupendous powers that allow him to survive tremendous opposition but still has to learn how to use and develop his abilities. Not being heterosexual man, I found some of the sexual exploits that our hero gets into somewhat tedious, but he also has some really thoughtful observations into sexual politics in a non-industrial society. If you want a fun sword and sorcery romp that doesn't take itself too seriously then I highly recommend this book.
September 13, 2014
It's just not that interesting
Hero can think of a way to do almost anything he wants with magic,and has two hot sexy witch sidekicks who can't think of anything they want more than sex...... Right. Count me out. No character development and no plot other than a lot of sex and gore, because the book is drawn from all the puerile imagination of a 15 year old boy game geek.
Hero can think of a way to do almost anything he wants with magic,and has two hot sexy witch sidekicks who can't think of anything they want more than sex...... Right. Count me out. No character development and no plot other than a lot of sex and gore, because the book is drawn from all the puerile imagination of a 15 year old boy game geek.
October 31, 2020
Too juvenile for me. I hate using this type of lazy reviewing, but Gareth Otton's review was exactly spot on and I couldn't improve upon his assessment.
September 7, 2016
This is an adventure fantasy story of the type where:
someone from the real world enters a fantasy world to become a hero
an 'interesting' and 'new' magic system is revealed and explored
sexual politics are revealed and explored
character development is explored through erotica
The adventure part over the trilogy takes place in at most a couple of months. It is well-paced and where fighting happens, it is well-described and entertaining.
The magic system is nothing special, it is as innovative as a digital rpg, essentially selecting a certain amount of magic from various categories etc. Nothing new here.
The way the magic unfolds is also not innovative. It is simply magic as technology, as we have most often seen in these kinds of novels, where the hero puts together magical effects by applying an understanding of modern science to the author's vaunted magical system.
The sexual politics are adolescent. Apparently, these novels were written by a man of middle years, but it reads like the masturbation fantasies of a 14 year old boy. The women are all younger than 25, beautiful and broken in some way, who seem to need the attention of a man of 30+, and who seem unable to do anything but 'mold their bodies against' the hero's side, when they're not pressing their naked genitalia into some other part of him, otherwise they simply cannot be a whole person. And this from young women who, if they could not kill a man stone dead, could enslave him to their will. The rationalisation for this is that women in medieval worlds always rent sex to their protectors and never resent it. If they are lesbian, they are happy to have sex with men, and if they are heterosexual, they are happy to have sex with women, but oddly, men only have sex with women.
I had not thought of erotica as a form of character development before, and in this treatment, I am not seeing it successfully pulled off.
If you can put up with terribly immature characterisation and perspective, it's a fun enough story, which I would score at about 3.5 out of 5. The internal dialogue, however, can be very annoying, so I have set it at 1.5
someone from the real world enters a fantasy world to become a hero
an 'interesting' and 'new' magic system is revealed and explored
sexual politics are revealed and explored
character development is explored through erotica
The adventure part over the trilogy takes place in at most a couple of months. It is well-paced and where fighting happens, it is well-described and entertaining.
The magic system is nothing special, it is as innovative as a digital rpg, essentially selecting a certain amount of magic from various categories etc. Nothing new here.
The way the magic unfolds is also not innovative. It is simply magic as technology, as we have most often seen in these kinds of novels, where the hero puts together magical effects by applying an understanding of modern science to the author's vaunted magical system.
The sexual politics are adolescent. Apparently, these novels were written by a man of middle years, but it reads like the masturbation fantasies of a 14 year old boy. The women are all younger than 25, beautiful and broken in some way, who seem to need the attention of a man of 30+, and who seem unable to do anything but 'mold their bodies against' the hero's side, when they're not pressing their naked genitalia into some other part of him, otherwise they simply cannot be a whole person. And this from young women who, if they could not kill a man stone dead, could enslave him to their will. The rationalisation for this is that women in medieval worlds always rent sex to their protectors and never resent it. If they are lesbian, they are happy to have sex with men, and if they are heterosexual, they are happy to have sex with women, but oddly, men only have sex with women.
I had not thought of erotica as a form of character development before, and in this treatment, I am not seeing it successfully pulled off.
If you can put up with terribly immature characterisation and perspective, it's a fun enough story, which I would score at about 3.5 out of 5. The internal dialogue, however, can be very annoying, so I have set it at 1.5
June 25, 2018
I just could not get into this book, got nearly 50% of the way through and had to give up. It is entirely my fault as I had read no description and downloaded it to my kindle unlimited based entirely on the title and cover.
I had thought the book would be a serious fantasy novel set in a Scandinavian type world. Instead it was a time/world travelling story with erotica thrown in, and whilst I do like some erotica novels, I prefer ones where there is at least some connection between the protagonists and good descriptions of sex. Here though, there was no connection between characters and the women were abundant and conveniently always ready to make themselves available to the main male character with no strings attached. In other words, a man’s' idea of erotica, not mine!
That would be fine in itself, as people have different fantasies but it was something more that began to creep me out. I know that in the middle ages, the period in which this book was set, girls would engage in sex as young or younger than the 14-year-old servant Daniel takes on. I can totally accept this in some books which are not based on sexual fantasy, however this was and in general all the women of any note were very young and so, along with the whole women are either to be used for sex or drudgery, it made me feel distinctly uncomfortable.
I had thought the book would be a serious fantasy novel set in a Scandinavian type world. Instead it was a time/world travelling story with erotica thrown in, and whilst I do like some erotica novels, I prefer ones where there is at least some connection between the protagonists and good descriptions of sex. Here though, there was no connection between characters and the women were abundant and conveniently always ready to make themselves available to the main male character with no strings attached. In other words, a man’s' idea of erotica, not mine!
That would be fine in itself, as people have different fantasies but it was something more that began to creep me out. I know that in the middle ages, the period in which this book was set, girls would engage in sex as young or younger than the 14-year-old servant Daniel takes on. I can totally accept this in some books which are not based on sexual fantasy, however this was and in general all the women of any note were very young and so, along with the whole women are either to be used for sex or drudgery, it made me feel distinctly uncomfortable.
April 26, 2018
I first considered this a teen fantasy story, but as the book continued it seems more like a midlife crisis fantasy story. Let's see:
*Real life totally unfair and horrible - check
*An offer for something unreal that changes everything - check
*The new world in serious problems - check
*Magical power without working for it - check
*Unlimited (almost) mana - check
*Magic enough to create a 'perfect' body without the training - check
*A rough, tough male dominated medieval society where a modern view on 'women roles' (or lack of roles) can be seen in an extremely positive view - check
*The MC can act and say what he wants because he's finally powerful - check
*Two really hot girls into each other and the MC - check
*One of them is a master chef and both are insatiable sexually - check
*"You fuck like a god" - check
It's studid, adolescent and tacky.
And yet so much over the top it's actually a bit fun.
So 3 stars (which is probably one too many).
*Real life totally unfair and horrible - check
*An offer for something unreal that changes everything - check
*The new world in serious problems - check
*Magical power without working for it - check
*Unlimited (almost) mana - check
*Magic enough to create a 'perfect' body without the training - check
*A rough, tough male dominated medieval society where a modern view on 'women roles' (or lack of roles) can be seen in an extremely positive view - check
*The MC can act and say what he wants because he's finally powerful - check
*Two really hot girls into each other and the MC - check
*One of them is a master chef and both are insatiable sexually - check
*"You fuck like a god" - check
It's studid, adolescent and tacky.
And yet so much over the top it's actually a bit fun.
So 3 stars (which is probably one too many).
August 20, 2017
I truly hate this book. Every time I write a review, I always use this as my baseline for bad books. It just seemed like someone wrote their sex fantasy, and asked me to buy it because it's "good".
My first ever amazon refund. I usually don't refund even books I haven't read fully because I feel for these independent authors and I didn't mind the cheap prices however this thing reads like a crazed up sex fantasy with a plot that doesn't seem to matter much. It was easier to just leave it in my library but I took the effort of refunding it and removing the download from my phone and pc. I developed some sort of mean hatred against this book for some reason. Maybe because I felt betrayed by the glowing reviews.
Don't let the 5 star reviews fool you.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Sorry author.
My first ever amazon refund. I usually don't refund even books I haven't read fully because I feel for these independent authors and I didn't mind the cheap prices however this thing reads like a crazed up sex fantasy with a plot that doesn't seem to matter much. It was easier to just leave it in my library but I took the effort of refunding it and removing the download from my phone and pc. I developed some sort of mean hatred against this book for some reason. Maybe because I felt betrayed by the glowing reviews.
Don't let the 5 star reviews fool you.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Sorry author.
November 21, 2015
5 stars
Seems like the author might have read kevin hearne's iron druid chronicles what with some of the similarities-but that's neither here nor there and I can say I enjoyed the book. It kept me going till the end and I finished it overnight.
It was a fun read, good story, lots of explanations, world building, action, and fun characters, mixed with mythology. Just go for it.
Seems like the author might have read kevin hearne's iron druid chronicles what with some of the similarities-but that's neither here nor there and I can say I enjoyed the book. It kept me going till the end and I finished it overnight.
It was a fun read, good story, lots of explanations, world building, action, and fun characters, mixed with mythology. Just go for it.
July 18, 2015
Wow...Love it? Hate it? You decide.
O...kaaay.. How do I review this book by E. William Brown? Just the facts? ..nah. How about my "review voice"? Nah... This book is difficult to classify. Big I did enjoy it. Already on the second book, The Black Coven; the name comes from a characters NAME, not what they are. Sooo, I'm going to just lay it out there. Here's a short summary, no spoilers.
Imagine: you are a young man. Your life has gone down hill. Your girlfriend dumps you. The job market is trying to ruin you...BUT. you are perhaps the BEST GAMER IN THE WHOLE WORLD. whether it be digital, or Roll Playing type games. It doesn't matter. Your the best. Your a Whiz! Okay, a Goddess thinks your the answer for the needs being asked in an alternate dimension. The Goddess grants you the powers (the REAL DEAL) that you you have mastered in your former life to be used in defense of her worshipers and people's. NOW, you find yourself waking up in a word ...well, of a gamers wettest dreams. And all the things you left behind pale in comparison to what your ...er...thrust into!
This book is rated R. not for the kiddos. ..who new being a geek would turn out to be ...well, you find out. Read this.
O...kaaay.. How do I review this book by E. William Brown? Just the facts? ..nah. How about my "review voice"? Nah... This book is difficult to classify. Big I did enjoy it. Already on the second book, The Black Coven; the name comes from a characters NAME, not what they are. Sooo, I'm going to just lay it out there. Here's a short summary, no spoilers.
Imagine: you are a young man. Your life has gone down hill. Your girlfriend dumps you. The job market is trying to ruin you...BUT. you are perhaps the BEST GAMER IN THE WHOLE WORLD. whether it be digital, or Roll Playing type games. It doesn't matter. Your the best. Your a Whiz! Okay, a Goddess thinks your the answer for the needs being asked in an alternate dimension. The Goddess grants you the powers (the REAL DEAL) that you you have mastered in your former life to be used in defense of her worshipers and people's. NOW, you find yourself waking up in a word ...well, of a gamers wettest dreams. And all the things you left behind pale in comparison to what your ...er...thrust into!
This book is rated R. not for the kiddos. ..who new being a geek would turn out to be ...well, you find out. Read this.
September 16, 2014
I liked this book. It's plot was pretty good, the main character was sympathetic, the other characters entertaining funny, and fairly sexy in some cases. The world was well made and I can't wait to see more of the gods interacting with the main character.
Even the sex wasn't too bad. Yes, the whole thing was rather more like a gamers wet dream then anything else, but given the premiss of the book what could you expect? And quite frankly, the sex scenes were hardly as explicit as the last the Romance series I've read.
All in all a good start on an entertaining series, I am definitely buying the next book.
Even the sex wasn't too bad. Yes, the whole thing was rather more like a gamers wet dream then anything else, but given the premiss of the book what could you expect? And quite frankly, the sex scenes were hardly as explicit as the last the Romance series I've read.
All in all a good start on an entertaining series, I am definitely buying the next book.
April 24, 2015
A fun, uncomplicated portal fantasy with some elements of wish fulfillment. An average geek screwed by life gets to help in a world of magic. Lots of fighting, with some gore, near-death experiences, and several grateful and lusty females make this an exciting adventure. Every time our newly minted wizard finds a way to make more effective magic weapons, the monsters get tougher. The plot doesn't take itself too seriously, but there are indeed some intense moments.
I will be looking for the second book in the series.
I will be looking for the second book in the series.
August 17, 2015
Goodread
Sex is not as front and center as others would lead you to believe it could use some class though...a few miss spelled words from spelt form and the such but not many VERY FEW...and kudos for not adding rape into the book I dislike rape in books it adds a lot of drama I don't read to feel bad
Sex is not as front and center as others would lead you to believe it could use some class though...a few miss spelled words from spelt form and the such but not many VERY FEW...and kudos for not adding rape into the book I dislike rape in books it adds a lot of drama I don't read to feel bad
May 19, 2016
The book tries to sell itself as mature and non-conventional but in my eye it is little more than badly written, non-sensical wish fulfilment than has more in common with (bad) porn films than anything else.
June 30, 2016
Although there were interesting elements of the book, I found it wildly puerile, bordering on misogynistic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews