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Walter

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  • 7
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Political Overdrive

Overall
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-15-24

The Problematic Political Agenda:
Overwhelming Anticapitalist & Anti-American Rhetoric: The political commentary that was once a background noise in the series now screams from the pages. The narrative in this installment feels hijacked to serve as a platform for these views, which are not only frequent but also aggressively presented.
Impact on Story: The insertion of these themes feels forced and does not enrich the character or world development. Instead, it detracts from the story, making the reading experience feel less about the protagonist's journey and more about the authors' political statements.

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Overwhelmed by Political Agendas

Overall
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-15-24

"He Who Fights Monsters" starts off as an engaging series with a premise that promises adventure and growth for its characters. The world-building is intricate, and the initial narrative hooks you with its unique take on the LitRPG genre. Here are my thoughts:

What I Liked:
Compelling Storyline: The first few books manage to keep you turning pages with a mix of action, character development, and a well-thought-out progression system.
Narrative: The narrator does a commendable job, though there were some struggles with female character voices, which slightly detracts from the experience.

Major Criticism:
Political Commentary: While the series initially only sprinkled in political viewpoints, by book four, these elements had escalated to what felt like full-blown activism. The anti-capitalist and anti-American sentiments became overt and, in my opinion, overly preachy. These themes seemed increasingly forced into the narrative, detracting from the storyline and character development. Instead of enhancing the story, they felt like personal rants from the authors, which I found off-putting.

Progress of the Series:
Books 1-3: Enjoyable, with minor annoyances regarding political comments. The story maintained a good pace and kept my interest.
Book 4: A significant downturn. Not only did the political messages become more aggressive, but the story direction itself seemed to lose some of its earlier charm. This book felt like it was more about pushing an agenda than continuing the growth of the characters and the world.

Conclusion:
While the series has its moments of brilliance, the increasing political messaging has, unfortunately, turned an otherwise enjoyable read into something that feels more like a platform for the authors' political views. This was particularly disappointing in Book 4, where the narrative took a backseat to these views.

I stopped at Book 4, feeling that the series had lost its original appeal. I've initiated a refund process for the books, and I'm sharing this review as a cautionary note for readers who might enjoy the story without the heavy-handed political commentary.

Recommendation:
If you can overlook or align with strong anti-capitalist and anti-American views, you might still find enjoyment here. However, if these themes are likely to detract from your reading experience, you might want to reconsider or perhaps stop at Book 3.

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A Series with Potential, Overwhelmed by Political

Overall
1 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-15-24

"He Who Fights Monsters" starts off as an engaging series with a premise that promises adventure and growth for its characters. The world-building is intricate, and the initial narrative hooks you with its unique take on the LitRPG genre. Here are my thoughts:

What I Liked:
Compelling Storyline: The first few books manage to keep you turning pages with a mix of action, character development, and a well-thought-out progression system.
Narrative: The narrator does a commendable job, though there were some struggles with female character voices, which slightly detracts from the experience.

Major Criticism:
Political Commentary: While the series initially only sprinkled in political viewpoints, by book four, these elements had escalated to what felt like full-blown activism. The anti-capitalist and anti-American sentiments became overt and, in my opinion, overly preachy. These themes seemed increasingly forced into the narrative, detracting from the storyline and character development. Instead of enhancing the story, they felt like personal rants from the authors, which I found off-putting.

Progress of the Series:
Books 1-3: Enjoyable, with minor annoyances regarding political comments. The story maintained a good pace and kept my interest.
Book 4: A significant downturn. Not only did the political messages become more aggressive, but the story direction itself seemed to lose some of its earlier charm. This book felt like it was more about pushing an agenda than continuing the growth of the characters and the world.

Conclusion:
While the series has its moments of brilliance, the increasing political messaging has, unfortunately, turned an otherwise enjoyable read into something that feels more like a platform for the authors' political views. This was particularly disappointing in Book 4, where the narrative took a backseat to these views.

I stopped at Book 4, feeling that the series had lost its original appeal. I've initiated a refund process for the books, and I'm sharing this review as a cautionary note for readers who might enjoy the story without the heavy-handed political commentary.

Recommendation:
If you can overlook or align with strong anti-capitalist and anti-American views, you might still find enjoyment here. However, if these themes are likely to detract from your reading experience, you might want to reconsider or perhaps stop at Book 3.

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fantastic again

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-26-23

I don't really know what to say in this review, if you're on this book it's fantastic pick it up.

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another great addition

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-23-23

if you've got this far in the series you know what to expect it's another good book, no real complaints

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fantastic

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-24-23

performance amazing as usual, story really picks up in this sequel can't wait to read the next one

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Great

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-19-23

narrators do a fantastic job as always. felt a little rushed at the end but a very good book

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another great book

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-17-23

better than the first book not quite as good as the second one but still really good

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even better than book one

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-15-23

I enjoyed book 1 but book two was spectacular, and the rest of this is just for the stupid word cap for reviews

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great story, narration not so much

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-27-23

great story would recommend but holy cow the narrator is so dry and monotone with little to no difference between any character including males and female. normally I'm a big component of sticking to the same narrator throughout a series but I really hope they change this one

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