/lit/ - Literature

Title: Pyresouls Apocalypse: Rewind
Author: James T. Callum

If someone told me a Dark Souls-inspired niche LitRPG would be the most curiously soulful book I read in a while...I'd probably believe, because nothing surprises me anymore. Still, I wish I read the book sooner. Thought it'd be a cheap Souls-wannabe, turned out to be a way more inspired reading than I assumed.


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[Story]

The story starts in-media-res, of a kind. The year is 2045 and it's been a long decade since the world has collapsed after a hardcore Pyresouls Online game turned out to be more than just a new VRMMO. The monsters have somewhat escaped the game and brought the rules of the game with them, making the world crumble with one horrific atrocity after another.

Jacob is part of the last few remaining groups left of humanity, trying to survive day after day in the undead-filled hellscape the world turned into. All hope is lost...yet a mysterious item, combined with knowledge of the last scientists brings an opportunity unlike any other - to send Jacob's mind back to the time it all started in attempt to stop the apocalypse before it even began. Each action in the past matters in the future, as Jacob races with time to stop the apocalypse and not lose his mind in the process. But Pyresouls Online is uncommonly cruel and not even all of his hard-earned skills can fully prepare him for the daunting task ahead...


[Review]

It was good. I'm actually undecided how to rate it, as all-in-all, it was just a decent book, but the story, themes, characters and sheer writing quality make the book punch above its weight. This a LitRPG strongly inspired by Dark Souls, and not just in the game system. It might at first look like a cynical attempt to write a story set in a Dark Souls world, balancing on the edge of the copyright infringement...yet it's much more than that.

Does it copy a lot from Dark Souls? Yes, but more in the vein of themes, mood and feeling than set dressing. I'm a strong supporter of any LitRPG that tries to emulate more video game systems than just dime-a-dozen basic shit you see everywhere. People spent a lot of time making those video games for fuck's sake, go and use them in making interesting stories!

If someone were to translate a video game into a book format, this is how it should look like.
This is how you write GRIMDARK. There's not a single part of this book that I could call 'edgy,' yet it feels darker than many 'grimdark' stories hopelessly endeavour to be.

This is not an amazing book, however. It's well-written both technically and structure-wise, with competent grasp on story-stelling, but nothing particularly impressive. Still, you can feel the author's passion for the subject in every page. I wish it were a bit better, but for a niche LitRPG Grimdark story it's better than you'd think, and that is just enough for me.

Also, ferret bro is great.

Rating: 6.8/10