Training (Champion, #1) by Jack Porter

Training (Champion, #1) Reviews

• 
  Steve Naylor

  Rating 4.0 stars
  
  I liked this book more than I thought. It is not a new story, but it carves it's own path into the genre and is just different enough to be interesting. The MC is a slave on a world working in the marshes collecting important fruit for his masters. Unlike his other slaves, he isn't despondent. That is because he has only been in this world for a few day and the pain he is feeling on this world is nothing compared to the pain of his body wasting away that it was doing on his previous world. The fruit that they are collecting are similar to ingredients used in cultivation novels. The MC gets ahold of a rare one and decides "fuck it" and eats it. He gains power and thinks he is going to be able to escape but is stopped by the lords daughter. She sees something in him and gives him an opportunity to be more than a slave. To train and fight in the arena to maybe gain his freedom and possibly more. It's not like he has much of a choice being a slave. The rest of the book is more like a cultivation novel without all the in depth descriptions about cycling and chi. There is mana and marital arts training. Though he is a slave, it doesn't feel like that since given the choice, he would probably be doing the same thing. There are beast kin on this world and most of his trainers are hot women. This story has harem like elements but not like other stories where the MC sleeps with someone and then they are in a relationship forever. This is more of a friends with benefits and mutual respect kind of thing. The focus isn't the relationships or the sex, but the fighting and trying to live up to his potential. There isn't much about how he arrived on this world or why, but the women he is with have heard about similar stories of people being born again in a new body. Overall a good read.
• 
  C.W. Ashley

  This is a definite page-turner. For the first 5 chapters or so, I couldn't stop reading. The way the mystery of the main character is drip-fed throughout the story was extremely compelling. The writing is just at an overall high standard. I liked the martial arts descriptions, which shows the author has done his homework. The dialogue and internal monologues were pretty decent too.
  
  However, 90% of the book takes place in one fairly small location so it can start to feel a little 'stifled' and the pacing does tend to lull in places a little, but not enough to turn you off completely. I would have liked to see a little more detail with the eroticism, and a few more sex scenes too!
  
  Overall a good book and I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd installment.
• 
  Tristan

  This is a pleasant enough read, but doesn’t hold the reader’s attention. It’s a simple, straightforward portal fantasy of the LitRPG progression / cultivation genre, with minimal world building, largely dependent on tropes. A sickly gamer is inexplicably reincarnated in an athlete’s body, albeit a gladiator slave, and trains to become a champion. Some of his mentors are monster girls, but this is a rather chaste harem story. All in all, it’s bland, linear, predictable, boring frankly. I won’t bother with the rest of the story.
• 
  James

  I could not put it down.
  
  I really liked this book. The story pulled me in and kept me wanting more. I like the MC and found the world to be intriguing.
• 
  Donny

  3.5 rounded up.
  
  More a slice of life feel story. Going to give book 2 a shot.
• 
  Delzog

  Okay... I gave this a 3 though personally I'd rate it below that. However, in the constraints that the book is written (adult, harem, fantasy) it is well worth the 3 ... I just dislike 2 of those 3 as they are ridiculous and barely worthy of an adolescent. It must be noted that I listened to all 3 audiobooks (given to me or I'd have passed) and the narration/voices of the two voice actors made this worth the listen.
  
  Having said all that, if you do as I did, skip pass all the stupid and absurd porn, the super lengthy fights that roll on for an hour or so .... then the books are somewhat interesting and even fun. It also reduces the books from about 6 hours to about 2 hours each.
  
  So that's my review and it's based TOTALLY on my own predilection. The writing itself seemed good and though some of the axioms are completely out of placed or overused. If you want a bed full of 4 beastwomen and long-drawn out fights. THIS will be a good book for you.
• 
  Dániel

  Short and shallow, lacking any huge negatives or positives. Mediocre, but readable.
  
  Jack Porter does a good job with at least writing actual story lines, instead of going with the usual "harem mandatory, plot optional" approach, but every book I read from him felt rushed.
  
  -Relationships advance quickly, with only a few bonding moments.
  
  -World building is there, but not really explored.
  
  -Characters are present, but most can be fully described as "this is x (insert name here), his/her occupation is y (healer, sorcerer, barbarian, fighter), he/she is z (kind, grumpy, aggressive, insidious)".
  
  -Sex scenes are written without any weirdness, but everything is super unimaginative.
  
  I sincerely root for the author, but I'll probably take a break from his books for a while.
• 
  That

  A little beta male-ish, but not too cringe
  
  This is definitely a self insert beta male fantasy, but it's not as poorly written or as cringe as most in the genre. The characters are thin, but this is true for both sexes. The most annoying part is the horrid misogyny that the witter has mistaken for chivalry. It gives the book a country bumpkin turned white knight feel. What's with protagonists in this genre having these 1950's world views.... So weird. I gave it a four because despite it's short comings, it hasn't gotten too cringe and the story was interesting enough that I will read the next one.
• 
  Joshua Kurtz

  I read this book in one sitting. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m going directly to book 2. Love the storyline and how Logan learns to use the pain and discomfort of his sickness from his old world to bolster his strength in the new world he finds himself in. I like the character building and I’m looking forward to seeing what direction Jack takes in Logan’s future. Definitely worth the time to read this. I’ve read quite a few of Mr.Porters books and I’ve yet to be disappointed.
• 
  CORY JERVIS

  Gladiators and Animal chicks
  
  Love the bones of the plot. As the story moves forward, do whatever you can to turn up the risk to your characters. Can't wait to see what you do with it. Good luck.
• 
  Bill

  Reading this is a Happy Accident
  
  I happened on this great read based on cover. Mr. Porter has crafted a great read and i am looking forward to the next installment. Highly recommended!
• 
  Bruce Fenn

  Fun read
  
  A Good author, an engaging characters, lots of action. Now I am looking for the next ones in this series.
• 
  David Kaufman

  Fun times
  
  I don't know any other way to say it but that this is simply a fun read. And sometimes that's all that matters.
• 
  u3f

  Extremely slow and boring
• 
  Jay Collins

  3.5 stars , some what simple story but I liked it but it is mostly a set for the next book