Buy on Amazon
Rating: 10/10 Stars
Synopsis
From the imagination of Joshua Mason comes Eight-Bit Bastards: Level Three, a humorous LitRPG Gamelit adventure for play on your Kindle Entertainment System!
Having recently defeated Tevera, the Level Two boss, Sean and the Bastards find themselves at a crossroads. The collapse of the castle has left them with more questions than answers. What is the Evertone? Why does the Dark Lord want them defragged? Is there a way out of the Bitrealm, back to their homes in Afterall? Before they can unravel these mysteries - the simulation comes crashing down around them, and refugees pour into their pixellated paradise.
Nesler, the wisecracking skeletal AI, volunteers to help get the newcomers comfortable, and that means starting a settlement. But it won't be easy. He'll have to juggle resource management, delegation and construction, all while fending off hordes of rampaging ogres and keeping his skull where it's supposed to be.
Meanwhile, Sean and the crew chase a rumor of a solution to their dilemma. Problem is, it lies over an ocean. There's a boat available in a coastal city a few days' trek away, but the boat and docks are crawling with bad guys - namely, Captain Boxbeard and his Pixel Pirate Posse.
Can Sean and the crew defeat the pirate scourge and secure passage across the oceans of the Bitrealm? Can Nesler convince the ragtag band of settlers he has what it takes to lead them to a better life? Find out in Eight-Bit Bastards: Level Three!
Review
This book, third in the 8-Bit Bastards series, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. I tore through it over the course of a couple evenings, and when I was finished, all I could think was, "wow, what a wild ride, but I want more!" Not that the story was incomplete by any means, but was so good I just didn't want it to come to an end. That is the sign of a good book, and this is certainly that and more. It takes what makes the first books so wonderful and amps up the tension, mysteries and stakes, and goes in some certainly unexpected directions.
The book is again set in the 8-bit realm of the computer world of Afterall, a digital retirement world for those who could afford it. It's over 800 years old, and the flow of people coming in has stopped, as was discussed in the previous two books. Now, there is a true danger of the entire world being destroyed, as events IRL are causing massive issues. In fact, the non 8-Bit parts of Afterall have disappeared, hidden behind a cloudy barrier at the edge of the 8-Bit realm. This has huge effects on the inhabitants, now refugees, since they must adjust to becoming 8-bit. as well as returning to level one noobs. It's also a strain on the the AI's like Nesler and Bartelby, since they have lost the bulk of their abilities to change the world around them. No more teleportation, no more creating things out of thin air. So now they must learn what being a vanilla mortal like everyone else is all about, and it makes for some intriguing changes. I consider this one of the more interesting LitRPG worlds, since the concept of an 8-bit existence and it's ramifications for the people living in it are not something you see in your average fantasy LitRPG.
The characters from the previous books return to try and discover just what happened. Sean, Heather, Claudia and Mark, Pliny and Nesler are all back, having survived the last boss fight stronger and wiser, if still not sure what is happening in the greater world. Sean and Heather are still trying to help their ancestor Pliny find his missing girlfriend, and maybe find a cure for being turned into a pink slime. Pliny, is all for this, although it's starting to become strangely comfortable being a slime. Claudia is her usual "punch it in the head until it stops moving" self, and we love her for it. This attitude serves the group well in several situations. Mark is still conflicted, especially because he missed out on a bunch of leveling and is now under-powered compared to the rest of the group, and his solution to this plays directly into the climactic face-off at the end of the book. Nesler is in a bind, since he has lost his powers and is now experiencing mortal things like weakness and emotions. It's very intriguing how his relationships change when an emotional component is involved, and really rounds out his character.
The secondary characters are a fun bunch. They include Sheila, a woman warrior that is an accomplished gladiator, who has some fun interactions with the group, and Anna, who seems to have an interest in Nesler that goes beyond what would seem normal. The villain is finally revealed, and it's not who I expected at all. The Dark Lord might be just that, although they may have a reason for all their actions that might not be so far fetched, and makes it harder for the reader to hate them. It's very well done, and you'll find yourself wanting to know what happens next.
I am so glad that I got a chance to read this. It is just such a fun read, with a lot of humor mixed in with some solid dramatic writing, and a great mix of characters and action. I can see this book just having a broader appeal than just LitRPG fans, since I can see things fans of portal fantasy/ Isekai, epic/comedic fantasy and mysteries could enjoy. I give it my highest recommendation, and you should definitely check this series out. Now I just have to wait for the audio version to enjoy.
Comments
Post a Comment