2 stars. The MC is doesn’t deserve his progress.
In the first chapter of the first book, the main character John picks a spirit companion, but wishes it was a pretty female one. “I’m a red-blooded American male”, the characters says. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
The main character is not, in fact, a red-blooded American male. We will discover, later in this first book, that the main character is attracted to a male Elf that runs the city. There is an implied sexual relationship with this Elf as he visits him at his home overnight on multiple ocassions.
To be clear, the objection here is that he’s lusting after a sexy spirit companion in chapter 1, claiming to be an alpha male, and then ends up spending the rest of several books pining after a pretty guy and ignoring the female that’s attracted to him. And of course, still unable to cope with a girl who left him before the system came to Earth.
Beyond his experiments with the same sex, the MC spends a lot of time not in control of his own emotions. When someone upsets him, he can go on a rampage for DAYS, killing things and fighting. Letting your anger take over for days is ridiculous. In a fight with an intelligent opponent, he can be goaded into making mistakes by not being able to control his emotions.
Personally, I don’t like my main characters to be so emotionally fragile.
Also, this MC has somehow become involved in politics. He sits in on city council meetings (bored out of his mind) and is travelling from town-to-town trying to get more people to join together with his settlement to open trade deals. Why? This guy hates politics. And hates having responsibilities. And let’s everyone down constantly. Who would ever involve him on the city council?
I really wanted this series to be good and I read six books (of 12 total). And despite this, I have attempted to re-read the books starting from Book 1. But I couldn’t do it. I had to quit after a few hours, remembering how bad the MC is.
I don’t like the MC. It’s difficult to like a series without liking the MC. I like the world that Tao Wong has invented. And wished the MC died in the first book. Oh well.
Audible rating, Book 1: 4.5
Audible rating, Book 2: 4.6
Audible rating, Book 3: 4.7
Audible rating, Book 4: 4.8
Audible rating, Book 5: 4.7
Audible rating, Book 6: 4.7
