| Title | : | Hell to Pay (Ascend Online, #1.5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 412 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2017 |
Lazarus Cain is a member of the Grim Shadows, one of the Thieves Guilds in the city of Eberia. Unfortunately, Lazarus is having a bad day. Waking up in a torture chamber, suffering from amnesia, he’d be pretty much screwed if not for the mysterious, magical sigil burned into his chest.
Sometimes a really bad day should be shared with others, especially professional torturers.
Lazarus will need to use all his cunning and skill to work with his comrades, uncovering schemes within schemes, discovering that The Grim Shadows are not the only Thieves Guild in the city mired in conflict. What’s more, the leaders of the other guilds, the Thief Lords, don’t respond well to treachery…
Hell to Pay (Ascend Online, #1.5) Reviews
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A nice side adventure in the LitRPG, exploring the thieves guild and moral quandaries while mainly just going full-bore revenge and mystery and rage.
If you're thinking Elder Scrolls thieves with a bit of true underworld action (hell), then you've come to the right place. Popcorn fun. -
Like some of the other reviews have already stated, the change of protagonist was a little jarring at first, but after an initial period of hesitancy, it didn't take long for me to dive headfirst into Lazarus' insanity and adventure. Maintaining the improved writing seen over the course of the first book, Hell to Pay approaches Ascend Online from a different play-style and perspective that is no less interesting, enticing, and active.
A small note of extra appreciation: as a sucker for a touch of romance, I have to commend Luke Chmilenko on inserting juuuust enough of a love sub-plot to add to the overall tone of the story, without remotely distracting from the fast pace, constant-action style of AsO's play and progression. -
Notes:
Hell to Pay takes place in the city of Eberia. Not with the core group introduced in Ascend Online.
Lots of cool characters & an action packed novel. It's a little shallow on character development because the focus is to show what's going on in the game world and how the characters are involved. -
this book introduces a new protagonist and does not mention any of the characters from the first book. apparently the next book in the series continues with those characters, but i will not be reading that.
this book is absolutely not for me. it's a generic and very boring fantasy story that almost completely ignores all of the litrpg elements in the first book. i want numbers, man! plus there are no stakes involved. the players aren't stuck in the game, they don't die in real life if they die in the game, nothing. and yet, they treat it 100% seriously, like the most hardcore roleplayers in the world. dying is barely an inconvenience for the characters! fuck this im reading sword art online 🖕 -
I really enjoyed this story! Told from the point of view of Lazarus Cain, a newbie to the underworld of Eberia, it details many of the things that happened in Eberia that occurred simultaneously during book one.
The story is engaging and involved and grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let go.
The characters are interesting, and Lazarus Cain doubly so. -
A side novel in the same universe (game world) as the original, but with characters that appear in Book 1 and Book 2 (this is 1.5). Loved it like the first one. Great series - I highly recommend it to game players especially.
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Completely new characters. Shame.
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🎁 The complete Ascend Online (3 book series) is FREE on Amazon today (3/23/2020)! 🎁
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I'm really not a fan of decimal point books, they are made to be optional reading material and thus can't have any story progression in it. These are 'ok' when it's an established story and characters we want more from, but this is the second book published on this world AND doesn't involve any of the main characters. -_-
So, what keeps this story from being scored even lower is that it really isn't a decimal point book. As I said above, this doesn't involve any of the main characters, isn't near any of the main characters, and in no way connects to the main story line. This is an entirely separate story line set in the same world.
The story it's self would have been very good... if it wasn't a 'not stuck in the game' litrpg. All the events here have absolutely no stakes. While the first book goes into the main characters reasons for playing, why they can't log out, and how bad things might get for them and others if they fail. None of that is explained for these characters. The only thing left here is the strange and the poorly explained mind manipulation. While that a potentially really cool idea it has yet to go anywhere, be explained, or see any real life fallout for it. Also, it wasn't the main character it was really happening to (aside from the memory part) or being threatened to happen to. There's potential here, it just hasn't been realized yet. -
I actually read this series in a different order. I really liked book 1 and immediately moved on to book 2, but once I started listening (with the Audible version), I then realized that book 2 - or Hell to Pay - was a completely different story. Same world, different characters. So, I skipped it and went ahead to book 3. It was obvious that these characters - Lazarus and crew - had a back story so I figured I would go back to it after finishing that book.
Well, to be honest, I didn't love this book. I didn't hate it, but it was missing something that grabbed me and made me feel invested. There was something about Lyrian and his crew and their whole "Let's save Alford" plan that I enjoyed about books 1 and 3. It's not rocket science, but it is light, easy, fun reading.
This book though, with the whole Grim Shadows plotline was just "meh". I enjoyed Luke Daniel's narration, as always, but I really was waiting for it to be finished. That's never a good sign. I wondered if it was because Lazarus was not necessarily one of the "good" guys, but then decided that "nope" that wasn't it. I do like Lazarus as a character and this was helpful in getting to know him a bit better. Not much else to say except that having this considered book 2 was a bit confusing. -
3.25☆
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This half volume number (#1.5) is of the same Ascend Online Virtual Reality MMORPG. It starts from the point of view of another character Lazarus (a thief) (not the main character or retinue of Volume 1). Maybe this is why it is a half-volume number, or maybe it's because it's less than 400 pages (1/3, 33% less pages than the first volume). So with this half volume there are 4 total volumes on this Ascend Online novel series. This half volume has 27 chapters.
This half volume starts in a Funeral Home, a group of thieves being tortured and quartered. On the first volume, the author waited to almost the end of that novel to start torturing, hungering, enslaving players and NPC's (Non-player characters). In this first half volume, Torture and gore start from the very first page. I did not know that Ascend Online was a terror-depravity-gore filled novel series.
Author writes and tries to stress the "reality" of this new Ascend Online game but only when it suits him. The pain is strong, the depravity, corruption, lawlessness, enslavement, torture, assaults, are allowed on this platforms supposedly because the author believes that this virtual reality, real feeling game is not really "real". If you would kill someone out in the street, rape a neighbor, mutilate all of the women of the main street, you would be investigated and arrested by the law enforcement officials, but pay a monthly subscription and a virtual reality cabin and you can become the universe's biggest tyrannical sadist with total impunity because although you can feel the pain and hunger, and tiredness, it not really "real" "reality".
Human rights have classified suffering and victimization in stages (emotional, economical, physical, etc.) The point I'm trying to make is that even if it is virtual reality, the pain, suffering, torture, enslavement are real. All of it has consequences on the mind and the body. In a game you might have the reset or do over, but everything done to you and that you do, takes a toll in the mind and the body.
Supposedly the author of this series does not play games or know much about games. Maybe this is why he has a dis-associative disorder/ irrational behavior in relation to what "he considers real".
A quote on the book, about this:
"The realism in Ascend Online was unparalleled, putting
every other game humanity had ever created to shame and
proving to be the reason for its incredible success. But when
it started to play with your very memory, treating it like just
another variable to be adjusted and controlled, it made me
feel like the game was going too far."
Without the game publisher having policies and rules (compliance to law), the author has made this Ascend Online into a lawless, corrupt and depraved dystopia. Having the opportunity to create any fictional world of his choosing, why on Earth would he construct a world that is worse in a lot to the world we live in today? What is the point to pay to play a game that is like this? Because it is "ssssooooooo real"???
The author has hinted that the control of the game is up to two sister goddesses Creation and Destruction, but if that is the case, then why does he still argue (delusionally) that what the players live on the game is not really real? If the money in your pocket, buys you food, you eat it, it satiates your hunger, what part of it is not really real then? If you can exchange or trade money in game to money (legal tender) in real life, then how is Ascend not real? -
Wow! Just, wow! I loved this sooo much!
I really enjoyed the first book (Ascend Online), but I freakin' LOVED this one!
It's still based around the LitRPG elements created in the first book, but I found myself really drawn into this one, easily forgetting it was a game world on many occasions (if it truly is a game world...hmm). The characters' interactions and relationships felt more real, as well as the world-building, and the pacing was very comfortable and swift. Luke has taken a huge step up in just his second book... he's definitely an author who I'll be grabbing everything he does.
This one was pretty much the complete opposite of the first book. Where the first book focused on a more fantasy style setting/location, this one focused on the shady underworld and thief factions of Eberia, which is totally my scene! When given the chance in games I always play it stealthy and explore the shadier parts of the world.
Luke threw a twist in for the protagonist though. Lazarus Cain (cool name) is a half-giant! So you have a very unlikely rogue/thief character here, one who can wield a great-sword with ease, but can also sneak up behind an enemy and end them without their knowledge. A very cool character build that was very entertaining to read and follow along in his progression.
Also in this second book there's some tiny mentions of events in the real world, just enough to get your mind wondering. Hoping Luke will expand on these in later books.
And there are some mentions of events in the game world that got me thinking more about what's really going on there...and if my thoughts are correct it's going to make for one hell of a story when it comes out.
I also really enjoyed the darker, more grim moments/scenes in this sequel. It felt more real and dangerous...and really freakin' awesome. There are more boss battles in this one, and they're wicked and grotesque as hell.
I think that's about all I can say without spoiling anything. I'm open to discussing this one further if anyone who's read it wants to expand on anything.
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Cover: Yongjae Choi has done an excellent job on this one, really stepping it up from the first cover and delivering an epic scene that gets you in the mood for what's to come. I love it!
The design hasn't changed, same simplistic approach that works. Not entirely sure what I'd like to see changed there, but it's good enough. -
Is it Book 2 or Book 3?
I read this book immediately after Ascend Online (Book 1), which covered the opening of the game. The author's note at the end said Hell to Pay was next, which Goodreads confirmed (though as Book 1.5), so I read it instead of what Amazon says is Book 2.
This book takes place over 2.5ish days. February 23, 2047 is the start of our journey with Lazarus and his... colleagues.
Lazarus is a thief (Level 12 Half-Giant/Half-Elf Male Bruiser) and opted to stay in the city, rather than explore the countryside. The story opens with Lazarus in pain and no memory of how he got here.
SPOILERS BELOW
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Throughout the course of the book, we learn that Lazarus, Molly, Edith, and Ransom were robbing the Arcanum. Molly got killed watching the escape route. Ransom (who we don't see until the very end of the book) is a Half-Orc Warlock who Edith captured after he lost his arm to the artifact they were there to steal. Lazarus had a Sigil of Rage bond to him, which Edith claims he stole from her.
Edith is the big bad guy in this story. She is working with the Holy Ascendancy of Eligos to invade Eberia. Dorian, thieflord of the Damned (one of the 5 thief guilds), is under a geas to follow whatever commands Edith gives along with someone from the Ascendancy.
During the jam packed 2.5 days the book takes place over, Lazarus and crew have to foil the evil plan which has them transported to Avernus, one of the planes of Hell. Molly and Quinn die there and instead of respawning in Eberia, they are nowhere to be found, presumably stuck on Avernus. Sawyer, Ransom, and Lazarus make it back to Eberia after killing Dorian (who had killed Edith).
The trio are thrown in a prisoner transport and taken before the head of House Denarius who wants to know, "What the hell have you adventurerers don't to my city?"
Then there is a brief bit from Creativity and her Tapestry as she does more work to stabilize the Grand Tapestry. -
Well, welcome to a bat out of hell. This was a complete utter surprise to me how out of the blue this book was. We leave our main cast of characters that we meet in the first book and are introduced to a whole new cast. Welcome, Lazarus, member of a Thieves Guild, who will now forever look like Zayn from One Direction for some unknown reason. Zayn... oops, I mean Lazarus wakes up with Amnesia (because that hasn't been done before) with markings all over his body and his boss dead on the floor. What happened? Well, I guess you will just have to read the book to find out.
What did I like about this book? A lot, truly, this book allowed us to meet the larger world that we were introduced to in the first book. Now we are in the massive city of Eberia. The city, of course, is ruled by royalty and the underworld. The underworld is run by the five thieves' guilds. My issues with the first book, in terms of grammar and syntax, are still present, but I did see some massive improvement. My overall issue was the lack of world-building that took place within the novel. Instead of gradually building up the world around us we are dumped into a massive city and need to guess our way with less help from the author. Although, this is less a massive error and more of a personal issue with the novel. I would have rather have had this side story look more closely at other aspects of the world, but this is coming down to personal preference.
Overall, a solid addition to the series that will be great for those looking into continuing into book 2 since these characters will be part of the cast in later installments within the series. Major positives were the characters themselves, the setting, and the overall plot. However, the main negatives were around the writing, world-building, and lack of clarity occasionally. -
I enjoyed the other books in the series, but this entry I couldn't finish. I'm not sure exactly why it was different here, but the writing skill and grammar and sentence structure was off and odd to an annoying amount. So much that I couldn't finish it. I even tried taking a break and coming back to it.
The last straw, so to speak, was this line: "There was a sense of palpable excitement in the air, but judging from the tone of the voice I was hearing, there was worry as well." It was shortly after "Contrary to the stagnant stillness".
Palpable should be describing the sense, not excitement, if you can feel it in the air. A palpable sense of excitement in the air is a sentence that is actually used. This one is weird and takes me out of the words. Stagnant stillness is also off. I do get there can be varieties of stillness, but stagnant is kind of the default state, and doesn't really require adjectives. If you do want to combine the two, adding some prepositions might make it more acceptable. But it seems like trying hard but missing the mark to be more descriptive, and I just couldn't any more after 24%. Those were just the last two examples. -
The writing quality of Hell to Pay is on par with the first novel in the Ascend Online series, but as a personal preference I didn't like this story as much. It was harder for me to care about the protagonists because they all seemed a bit selfish. The world building is solid, and most of the good things from the first book on that front carry over into this novel. I also like that we get a glimpse into the level progression of characters that stayed in the starting city as compared to those in the outskirts.
The tone of the first book is about building and exploring something new. The protagonists want to make the virtual world better than they found it. In this book people all anyone seems to care about is saving themselves. Yeah I get that there were some scenes focusing on unity within a thieves guild, but they don't outweigh the idea that the only reason anyone is doing anything in this book is to save their own skin, or figure out what happened in their own history during a period of Amnesia. -
I was a little bummed with a side story so early on - but it was worth it! The character development is identical and pace just as fast. However, the story is entirely different. While the first book is focused on building a community in the wilderness, Hell to Pay is focused on the story of a thieves guild in the city. In the first book, the adventurers were focused on helping people and building. In Hell to Pay - it's about adventurers within the Thieves Guild - stealing, robbing, and lurking in the shadows. Luke Chmilenko somehow pulls this off perfectly.
I quickly related and bonded with the two thieves, both who kept their moral compass. Before they get into moral conflicts of their profession, we learn of a conspiracy starting to tear the city apart. Our thieves become potential heroes and the only hope of saving everyone.
The pace is fast and the characters are solid. The ending is a cliff-hanger that follows up in the next book. So far, this is an excellent series I'd highly recommend. -
Just finished this an hour ago...and while it wasn't as good as ASO1, it was still a pretty interesting read. Like others, I was a little bit annoyed that the main character wasn't Marcus, and that it didn't intersect much with the other plot. (Except for brief references, and a last page tie in to a major plot arc from AsO1.)
However, my annoyance mostly faded as I got into the book...though I did consider abandoning it in favor of the next one. I liked Gavin/Lazarus, though he was just a little bit to squeaky to convincingly play a thief. I would have preferred some morally gray attributes.
Unlike with ASO1, other then the main, I didn't find any of the other characters, be they npcs or adventurers to be that interesting. I didnt dislike them, I just didn't get to know them.
I would like to have seen some more 'real life' insertions or at least references, though the lack of them doesn't bother me as much as it does other people. -
I know ... it’s an issue. I need a therapist, because I’m simply addicted.
Let’s be very upfront and clear here... this is NOT our original favorite heroes! This is a new band of adventurers with their own histories, backgrounds and personalities to learn. In fact, this is nearly the opposite end of the spectrum as it is a band of thieves who remain within the city while our original adventurers are out in the wilds. I don’t feel this is a spoiler as it’s well known from the beginning where our new protagonists hail from.
Still as addictive as the first book, you just have to ease past the desire to know how your original heroes are fairing because you will NOT find out.
I zipped through it as quickly as I did the first and am completely enthusiastic about beginning the next in the series. It’s official ... I need an intervention. -
So unbelievably boring. I got through 70% of this book and couldn't get through any further. It's written almost completely different than the first book.
My first frustration came when I realized that it's not a continuation of the first book. It's set in the same world, but it's a different character with a completely separate storyline.
I wouldn't mind it being separate, except that it's insanely boring. It's 90% exposition and characters taking to themselves about the most mundane things. It's all talking and very little showing. And what's worse or that it has very little LitRPG/GameLit elements. It's basically a normal fantasy books with few mentions of the RPG stuff.
Very disappointing read. -
This series just isn’t resonating with me. I think it’s the lack of real character development or compelling connections to the reader.
A lot of cool elements in this but the story’s falling flat.
I did like this better than the first book but don’t have much to say beyond that.
Perhaps I’m influenced by how unimpressed I am by the narrator... I feel like his general narration voice is flat and monotone. He does some good voices for all the different characters but nothing outstanding.
To be honest, I’m having trouble articulating exactly why I didn’t really like this book. A couple hours in, and as the book continued, I was already ready for the novel to finish. I wasn’t invested in the world or characters. Honestly, the series is mostly forgettable to me.
Maybe it’s because it doesn’t feel like the characters really struggle for anything? Sure they feel pain, but we don’t get scenes of them training up or researching. We’re told of what happens, but not really shown.
Also, aren’t they all in a game??? Lazarus could just log out and ask his buddies what happened in game, it would solve the amnesia pretty quickly.
No particularly humorous scenes. Mostly straight action. Perhaps it’s the pacing. All action and no breathers make this a very exhausting story.
First book’s friendly interactions were a positive over this book. Dialogue in this one was worse. No banter or conversation that was enjoyable to itself. -
Excellent second installment
Not as grasping as The first Ascend Online, but still an excellent read. Not as gamer-y as the first, but characters were well developed by then end and I began to care about them and their epic quest. There are a lot of questions left unanswered that I hope come back around in subsequent editions to the series.
What really stood out for me in this edition were the battle scenes. In most fantasy novels, I actually find them boring. Not in Hell to Pay! They are fantasy battles done well! Graphic and gross and wholly original!
Kudos on another awesome novel! -
An erstwhile second entry in the author's freshman series, this book focuses on another group of players in his world who've taken a somewhat riskier path to success. While the writer's excellent flow remains a constant, there seemed to be slightly more mistakes in both plotting and grammar.
On the whole a very strong second entry into the series that does a lot to flesh out the artificial world the protagonists inhabit in a way that leaves the reader wanting to know more.
Definitely recommend.
