| Title | : | The Plainswalker (The Plainswalker, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 374 |
| Publication | : | First published March 28, 2021 |
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STAG, the Special Technologies Analysis Group is a clandestine government operation headquartered fifty feet under Marine Base Quantico, and they’re looking for someone with the right stuff.
Peabo Smith, an ex-Special Forces soldier volunteers to participate in a mission that gives him an opportunity to maybe get back into the action.
THE PLAINSWALKER is a story about a former soldier asked to participate in a science experiment that rivals the audacity of the moon landing.
When things don’t go quite like Peabo had planned, he realizes that the experiment may end up changing his life forever.
The Plainswalker (The Plainswalker, #1) Reviews
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Rothman hits a home run
Not quite fantasy, not quite science fiction but a good blend of both. Entertaining thriller with solid world building. I’m ready for the next book.
Don’t miss the addendum at the end where he delves briefly into the science behind the magic -
This is a combination of portal fantasy and litRPG. I don't generally read either, so I'm not familiar with the usual tropes, or how aware the characters (or readers) are supposed to be of the mechanics. It's been a very long time since I had anything to do with The Most Popular RPG in the World(TM). References to character stats, levelling up and Peabo being told to read the monster manual were pretty up front. I found it a bit strange that Peabo took all this stuff in at face value and played it straight, so to say. Maybe he'd never come across RPGs.
I liked how Peabo tried to fit the new world's magic/powers into a scientific framework, and I liked how he came into his "quest" as an adult with a professional and academic background. Although that meant he wasn't full of teenage angst, neither was his personality very distinctive. His background seemed mainly there to smooth the plot ie to explain why he had fighting skills already, and could come up with inventions. On the down side, that meant that he was never seriously challenged - either practically or morally or socially.
In keeping with the RPG feel, the story was essentially a series of encounters that the three major characters had to work through to reach... a point where there's a hint at the sequel. The characters did what their roles required of them, and worked more or less as a team.
In summary, a fun and easy read without needing to invest too much in the characters. -
An Inter-Dimensional Fantasy that didn’t quite work for me.
This book is described as an epic fantasy LitRPG and so I had high hopes after my recent experience reading ‘He Who Fights With Monsters’ that it would tick those same boxes. Well, it ticked some but not many for me.
I could not see what was epic about this fantasy. Epic to me means in scope and breadth of characters and story, something I think that is hard to pull off when told from the point of view of a single protagonist. It bugs me actually when authors describe their books as epic fantasy, presumably because the word epic appears on Amazon’s search engine like a keyword. Tsk tsk. It does not impress me. Okay, petty rant out of the way onto the book.
The story starts with a reasonable (fantasy/sci-fi) premise whereby our protagonist, Peabo Smith ex-special forces, signs on to a secret government experimental program to project a consciousness through to a different dimension/multiverse and back again. Of course, it goes horribly wrong and Peabo finds himself in a magical new world, in the body of a Plainswalker, legendary beings that foment great change and are rarely seen in the world. So far so good.
Unfortunately it never really happened for me after that. The characters felt a little two-dimensional. The fight scenes did not grip my imagination and there was little to no jeopardy. The scenes moved along at a great pace, but too much so. I never felt invested in any of the locations or the people that inhabited them. It all just felt a little rushed and convenient and, dare I say it, tropy.
This is the first in a series and yet I didn’t feel any build-up. Peabo kind of kicks butt from the off. The villains, many of whom were ancient and powerful, were underwhelming. There is no lead-up to them, no imagery of who they are or what they can do. They don’t even put up that much of a fight. Almost all of the battles were anti-climactic for me and I never felt Peabo was ever at risk. Then the book ends. Maybe I’ve been spoilt from recent reads, but for an ‘epic’ fantasy this seemed a whirlwind of action then it was over.
It's not all bad, the story held promise and the writing is reasonable, M A Rothman can write but it seemed like a mass-produced pulp story churned out rather than a deep and considered fantasy. I am pleased I read this on Kindleunlimited rather than pay the ebook price. For the content and what was delivered, I would have been disappointed.
I realise this review may appear harsh but I have tried to be balanced and fair. Maybe it is a compatibility issue and this story just did not suit what I was looking for. Judging by number of reviews and the story’s high average rating many people loved this book, unfortunately I was not one of them. -
Very good science fantasy isekai
Main character is particularly charming being a nuanced soldier-scientist type. I don't think the author has actual military experience from his bio but he's clearly talked to those who have and I like the juxtaposition of the brutish barbarian exterior with an emotionally intelligent questioning intellectual interior. Main supporting characters are almost as well written although clearly the female lead is a bit of a male fantasy Mary Sue type and the mentor type a bit too perfectly fitting the male mentor/Gary sue. But they're both well done enough to make their cliché work. Very classic fairy tale plot arc so far, which works for a reason! The world-building is excellent and the writing style has no problems I've noticed. -
The story was good and the characters were likable. I truly enjoyed the dynamics between the main characters. However, the ending was $hit! There was no resolution. It was like the end of a chapter of a continuing story. Despite the fact that the story continues in book 2 of the series (and it’s readily available on KU), I hate cliffhangers. And this wasn’t even an exciting one. If it weren’t for my self-diagnosed OCD that compels me to finish reading a story once I start it, I would not have read book 2. Here’s hoping that book has a better ending.
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Book one
Mistakes: The book is missing one of it's pictures. Also this book ends at 88% and has a preview of book two.
Plot: Mostly this is just about the MC getting used to the new world he found himself in.
Characters: I feel like the characters need more depth and so does the world.
6/10 -
Early in the book I was reminded of "old school" science fiction (not the 95% of SyFi that is prevalent at the moment). It starts of with, like, SCIENCE and stuff ;) shortly thereafter it blends in to a fantasy with elements of science. Or at least, fantasy (magic) that has a relationship with science.
It's very well done too. There's good storytelling here, and the worldbuilding is wide open, as the story really only takes place in three locations (plenty more - to explore). Some dry wit, a talking sword, and... trees (keep an eye on them). Looking forward to book 2. -
zero-crunch LitRPG
Absolutely no stats. But still more of a LitRPG than traditional fantasy.
Very well edited. Few enough mistakes I can’t remember any.
A touch pedantic at times. And I hope the MC develops a bit more agency; certainly enough to match his Special Forces background.
I will get the next book. -
A fascinating take on litRPG. You can definitely see elements of where dice rolls have gone super well or incredibly poorly. Explanations of how the system works are weaved into the story seamlessly. And what a creative mix of sci-fi, true science, and fantastical themes! So looking forward to more.
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Fascinating new world
Everything that happened to each of the Plainswalkers has to have been terrifying. But why wasn’t Dvorak also considered to be one? Or is the process that STAG uses to get here somehow key to becoming a Plainswalker? Also, is Bo somehow more capable, or more in tune with this world’s vibrations than Nolan was? -
Great first book to a new series
I can’t wait for more. This is a great take on fantasy/sci-fi/techno thriller combo. I always love the amount of actual thought about real science that this author puts into his books. -
Good Book
So a lot of books I read, I lose interest after a few pages or chapters. Then I ditch the book. This one actually kept my interest from beginning to end. Looking forward to the next one. Try it out. -
Great read! One of the best LitRPG’s I’ve read to date!
The world building is phenomenal. It transitions so seamlessly that it reads like a perfect fusion of classic fantasy and LitRPG. I can’t wait to read the V next book. -
good start
I have enjoyed this book, love the concept.
I originally gave the book 3 stars because I thought it could do with a bit of fleshing out but a lot of people would gloss over a 3 star book. And I definitely think this book is worth a read, start of a decent series. -
Im Großen und Ganzen war es eine angenehme Geschichte. Keine wirklich überraschenden Wendungen , aber die Charaktere waren ganz nett.
Hat mich insgesamt zwar nicht vom hocker gerissen, aber trotzdem gut unterhalten 😊 -
Didn’t finish, but will probably try again some time
Wasn’t really my kind of book although it was well written. It kind of felt like the story was wandering around and I could t get really invested. More an epic fantasy than a progression story although there are levels.
