The Land of the Undying: Dark Elf Chronicles Book One

First thing up front, is that I admit readily that I treat (and review) fantasy stories much differently than I would other genres, such as non-fiction, or historical writing (fiction or not), and biographies. I consider fantasy/sci-fi books to be pure entertainment, and judge the books almost entirely on that merit. In other words, if the suspension of disbelief doesn't require me to break any major bones, fine. I'm also tolerant of a few typos or grammatical errors as long as they don't kick me out of the story, and aren't so frequent as to become ridiculous. With that up front: this was an engaging and entertaining story. I'm now through the first two books, and well into the third, and find myself enjoying the characters and the word that the author has built. Does the "real world" part of the story require a healthy dismissal of some pesky biology? Yeah, it does. But if you get too hung up on that part, you miss the enjoyment of the characters' interactions, and the in-VR-world interactions. In other words if you focus on the pesky "real world" part of the story, you're missing the STORY part of the book. Your milage may vary if you can't get past the "contact with any living thing, presumably even bacteria, will kill you" part. The MC and his friends are likable characters, both in the "real world" and the "VR world" settings. There is character growth, plenty of humor, and the book is safe for teens, with any adult-time activities only being hinted at, and even then infrequently. (I don't mind books with adult-time stuff at all, but some folks are looking for books they feel comfortable sharing with their kids. This meets that criteria, if it's important to you.) Overall, I found the books well worth the read, and bought them all for eventual repeat reading.

This is a great novel that combines two seemingly disparate genres and does it well. The real life storyline is zombie survival. Mace lucked out getting into a secure facility, and even through he has running water, electricity,and a safe place to sleep, he’s alone. He plays a VR game so that he won’t go crazy from the loneliness. He still has to risk his life against the monsters outside to scavenge for food every couple weeks. Then one day he hears someone over the radio, Sheri, and two meet up so that they can work together to survive. Lots of great survivalist stuff in the real world story and a little romance. The game storyline, is mostly action, adventure MMO stuff. But something that the author is able to do, is make that game stuff relevant to the real world storyline. Mace wants to upload his mind to the game, giving him the possibility of living there as long as the electricity in their geothermal powered facility stays up, possibly centuries. But to do that, he needs to achieve a level of synchronicity with the game by training his mind to think of the game like it’s the real world. This gives the story the excuse to have both characters play the game. But what the author does that I think is interesting, is that he keeps the theme of survival in the game, at least for the drow storyline. In addition to that, the game itself notices that all the players have gone missing and tries to figure out how to adjust, even going so far as to give quests to Shari to bring players back to their world. Overall, I had a great time reading this. Though I’ll admit, I was already partial to the apocalypse survival genre. Score: 8 out of 10

If tour looking for some fun action packed adventure but also a struggle to just exist then look no further. Dave out did himself in the opening story of this series. This book had more twists and turns then I ever saw coming. It had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. I truly enjoyed the character development in 5he book. It took a scared young man and showed just how rough and scary a apocalypse can be if ur alone....... The gaming aspects of the book were a very refreshing take. I enjoyed that the mc wasnt overpowered and has to earn "it" instead of being handed God like abilities. This is where spoilers come in...... The interaction between mace and the female lead were spot on. I like that she didnt just fall into his arms but is making him work to get it. The interplay between them is nothing short of comical. The take on mace being a drow is great. I love seeing a not very used race being used and described incredibly and makes you want to play one in your own game. The attention to detail for the "in-game" world was amazing. I like the look little odd flares and details that are slipped in. Makes it way to get lost and imagine your the one walking through the fields or the one swinging your sword. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a book you wont be able to put down.

This is the first book in what will hopefully be a new series from Dave Willmarth, and it’s a winner. I love his Greystone Chronicles, but this one is even better. This books combines two of my favorite genres - LitRPG and Zompoc. Love it. The real world story is set in a dystopian future after a zombie apocalypse. It follows two survivors who meet up in the real world and then online. The game story is also engaging, with plenty of action and the authors signature humor. It was fun to spot the references to his other books and authors. Looking forward to the next adventure!

I was so Intent on this story, I hadn't realized I was at the end of the book and I kept looking for the next page! Yeah I hardly ever do that. I'm usually right on top of where I'm at when I'm reading. This little Masterpiece kept me tense most of the time in this unforgiving post doomsday scenario. I pictured the the main characters dying in so many ways over the simple things we do everyday in our own lives. This was just when the MCs were in their realities, not to mention when they were in-game! It feels as if there is the right amount of everything in this story and I'm so glad I didn't pass this one up while searching for more to read. I'm convinced now that you can't really judge a story by its summary or its cover. Now this makes my job of finding the best stories I can read that much harder. How will I know what to judge as best when I can't rely on the summary or the cover alone? I guess I'll be forced to add the author as part of my criteria. Now I'll be forced to remember author's names! That's right up there with remembering your first real kiss to your first real girlfriend or boyfriend. It's something you should never forget.

I enjoyed reading this book because I am a fan of litrpg books. Best of all, this one does NOT have a harem or cookie cutter female characters that are completely unrealistic. There are a few moments when the story feels a bit strained on logic but you can tell the author wanted to tell a good story. And the author has succeeded at telling a story that is well paced and has good descriptions. The story is one of those “zombies destroyed the world” so everyone who is left plays in a VRMMORPG. I read this during the COVID pandemic so I tended to skim or skip over the chapters dealing with zombies as I was not in the mood for anything talking about a virus. However, I did enjoy that the narration alternated between the VR world and the Real world. The fantasy setting for the VR game is a pretty standard sword and sorcery fantasy land which is great. The author puts his own touches on the genre and the spell casting. The game mechanics for the genre are kept at a minimum so the author clearly is focused on the plot and characters which is so much appreciated. My only negative comments are that the main character creates AI a bit too easily and the main female character has a few unbelievable/unrealistic thoughts/lines that seem to speak more to what a guy (say the author) might hope a girl would say. But these moments made me laugh out loud rather than cringe. If you like litrpg that is story driven and not one of the dumb male fantasy unrealistic stories then you should read this series. Just remember to enjoy the story and don’t look for deep meanings here.

This is very good litrpg. It does the IRL well, even, which is a rarity. The in game parts are also quite enjoyable. Overall a very, very good book with not too much crunch to it. Plenty of action, plenty of worldbuilding, and lots of character development.

Loved the change from the first series I read by author Willmarth. ... This is Cleaner ( better proofed so fewer assumed words and forgotten punctuation marks. ) Since most avid readers automatically add these ... no problem ... for a younger crowd ... let's just say ... with characters and. story line this strong ... let's get the youngsters hooked as well.

Fantastic book. Another great read. Couldn’t put the book down when I started.

Quite an enjoyable read. I like how the online and outside world interact so that both timelines are interesting and hold the readers attention. I look forward to reading the next installment

Another Willmarth success story, loving the concept and im enjoying the characters interactions in RL and in Game . Using the Outside world tonhelp drive the progress of the Game works very well and its easy to bond with the story and its main MCs. Of course being a Willmarth game the real plus is the companions that share the adventures and what we soon quickly love. An easy 5 stars and an easy series to follow and become addicted to.

Not the deepest thinking tale being told but a fun read that scratches that LitRPG itch. A bit of cringe in some character interactions but nothing that lasts long enough to be distracting.

Very good first book. Combining two of my favourite genre's, zombies and litrpg. Almost everyone on Earth has died and a survivor tries to maintain his sanity by immersing himself in his favourite game. I look forward to the next book.