Death had only ever been a small misunderstanding for the high mage. After his seventh reincarnation, he’d begun thinking of it differently, viewing it as nothing more than a slight hiccup in his plans.
But he’d forgotten one thing: when those plans get in the way of those higher up the ladder, punishment is soon to follow. And one more death brought faint consolation.
Sent to another world, he found himself in a stranger’s body, though the worst part was that he was left with only the memories he’d built since his previous reincarnation. All the mage had learned before that point was gone. Finding himself in that challenging situation, his dilemma was between carving out his place in the sun and throwing up his hands in despair.
But giving in wasn’t an option for Leg Ondo. The Brown Bear clan brooked no cowards. If fighting was the way to go, it was a fight to the death, to the last drop of blood. Most importantly, the new world needed to be explored and understood, the local iteration of magic in particular. Let nobody ever say that the youngest of the Bears was unworthy!
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Vasily Mahanenko is a fantasy author working in the new genre of LitRPG - the MMO-based fantasy and sci fi. His Way of the Shaman series took Russian literature by storm in 2012.
Vasily dipped into his college-days insider knowledge as a hardcore gamer in order to create a believable world of the virtual-reality MMO game. His bestselling series combines fiction and video games, telling the story of Shaman and his friends stuck in the ruthless reality of Barliona. He used his more than ten years' experience as an ERP implementation project manager to approach his writing in a well-organized manner, working to a strict schedule, a set of deadlines and even a budget. At the moment, the series boasts six novels with the seventh one in the works - this time the author expands on stories of Shaman's companions and those who helped and supported him in his trials and tribulations.
The first book of the series has already been translated into English, with more translations to follow, aiming to make the Way of the Shaman series available to the English-language reader in its entirety.
Vasily's other passion is space exploration which is why he now works on a follow-up series entitled Galaktiona. Set in a space-simulator based world, the first book of the series in already finished while Vasily works on its sequel.
A bit pissed of. Story about reincarnated high mage born into a new magic world. What is missing from the books summary? He was not human! (can’t relate to that and he gets the hang of it in months)The new magic uses totems and given by some spirit animal. WTH! Wouldn’t have bought the book I’d I knew.
But it get better. He doesn’t have any use on being a big mage, so that gives nothing to the story. Further he is initiated until the end but still has a quest to learn the new totem magic. Oh and he uses a gun and there are cars buses and trains (I hate book mixing fantasy and technology. It also bring nothing to the story!). There is goblins, slime, giant rats and octopuses. The system and city is not believable. Almost no character development and again what volg (his earlier race)!?!
The story is so plot armored that the MC can’t go outside his home before the next random event occurs and every thing and everybody is connected to the MC in some way.
Hate authors that just mix in a bunch of random crap without substance! LESS IS MORE!!! Tell a good story and developer the characters! No clusterf� won’t read the next book.
Vasily seldom disappoints. The story starts from a slow burn and then ignites into a firery blaze I find difficult to put down. I enjoy his stories so much I typically forget to pace myself to make the experience last longer. When I finished this book my first thought was to read the next in the series; however, I will have to wait. As is the norm with Vasily, really likeable characters, great settings and the pacing of the story is perfect for me. His stories have a lot of layers and depth that slowly get revealed during the story which keeps me engaged. There are a lot of characters to keep up with; however, Vasily does a good job providing clues to keep track of everyone. Highly recommended.
This is a reincarnated into another world (isekai-ish) fantasy novel series. It is about the main character traveling and attending a martial arts/magic academy in the capital. There is political intrigue, betrayals, back plots and such. Unsure of where this story is going and what the story is trying to say. Main character is part of the Bear Clan, son to the patriarch/chief of the clan. Character descriptions could be better. World Building has geographic descriptions but no inside maps, no descriptions of governing bodies in the territories where the action takes place. No economic indicators/currency, social, food related, religious, etc. descriptions to enrich this other world fantasy novel series. It is a weird hybrid between modern world (automobiles/trains, cars), magic and the supernatural while at the same time having the main character raised in a backwater/archaic/indigenous/wild part of this other world. Like I wrote, I do not know where the story is going. It seems the main character is already over-powered (OP) but does not like other people to know about his abilities and skills. It saddened me when the author wrote a conversation that the main character had with the territory lord, where the Lord basically says "your Dad is my property and I want you to also start working for me". The main problem with absolutism/Tyrannies/monarchies is that the rulers actually think that they own the residents, their progeny and things of those people that are currently living within their territories. As if people where things, game, wildlife reserves within that territory. It is not far from the historic perspective, but, it leaves out all possibilities of freedom, private property and basic human rights. This story is missing character summaries, inside illustrations, but has made an effort, in writing and having introductions, past volume summaries, and additional information that enriches this other fantasy world. If the reader doesn't know where the story is going, then obviously that makes it less of a story that could have been organized and written better.
I received a review copy of this book. While this book does qualify as LitRPG (barely, pun intended), it isn't your typical LitRPG type story. If you're looking for the typical stats, progression, and levels, this isn't the story you want to read. On the other hand, if you want a story that's well told, delves into mysteries that will persist for multiple books, and ends with a promise for a second just as interesting book, then this book is one you should immediately add to your to read shelf. I myself was disappointed at the distinct lack of LitRPG elements, but the story is interesting enough, and ends in such a way as to almost guarantee more LitRPG action in the next book, so I can work with that. I'll be keeping an eye out for more books in this series.
The Cub is the first book in The Bear Clan series by Vasily Mahanenko.
Honestly this book is very confusing, at times the author explains situations as if you should already have some basic understanding. That paired with the spelling or grammatical errors accounted for some amount of re-reading to come to an acceptable level of comprehension. There's a veritable font of information, sometimes you simply have to infer the true meaning from what is depicted, and what is missing. It was a fun, albeit slightly troubling problem to face. However, I enjoyed this first installment.
If there was a more definitive explanation of the MCs previous lives in the beginning, or anything else besides the fact he was trying and failing to overthrow the Emperor before his inventive 'execution' this review would read 5 stars. Even though it's completely derivative for the character, since he forgets all of his previous seven lives, except the last one, it's still an absence in the background of the story,imo.
Leg Ondo hilariously manages to bumble his way into equally f*cked up and beneficial situations. We find a lot of those were simply by design, but it's an enjoyable talent to observe. His weird interactions with the force stones make me wonder if there are other beings on this new world who are capable of the same? His moral compass is intriguing, watching his transition into a chimera of his previous Varg persona and the original Leg Ondo is a predominant factor in me so enjoying his trials and tribulations.
This cast of characters he immediately meets up with are all mysterious and interesting in their own rights. I swear it was every few pages, I would think I could finally classify their character trope and then they would act in a way that would lead me towards questioning whether there was more hidden depth behind what we already know of them. Especially when it comes to both Liera and Elrin. Shifty, shifty.
I hope we learn more about the other empires, the Crimson Ribbon, and the other forces at work in this world. I'm sure the next book will turn this one on its head, since we'll be journeying into goblins territory.
That the Bogush crystals, Dragons, goblins, spirit protectors, sniffers, and forces all seem connected leads to so many, many questions. And that before even considering what the old Imperial family the Lions has to do with anything.
It may become a Progression Fantasy in future books, but there was not much in the way of cultivation in this one. Perhaps the seeds, merest hints, but nothing that obviously speaks of Chi or compression or Dantians or meridians.
That said, it is a well developed world, with magic and intrigue galore. Things that happened at the beginning became more relevant at the end, signaling a well-crafted narrative and a deeply laid plot.
There were one or two moments where either the translation or the editing made for a weakness in the narrative. Spoiler * * * * *. *. *. I thought Had and Leg were expelled when Had was kidnapped. Then they were back in the academy. Also, it was difficult figuring out how much time had passed between scenes. Weeks? Days? Months?
I will likely continue the series. Some very interesting ideas, and I do like an unusual magic system.
This was a very good read. The grammar was good although I remember 4 typos or so. I am not a grammar natzi though.
The story is focused on a MC with an ensemble around him flitting in and out. There are a couple of genres represented with an Isekai start with an academy feature that was very well balanced although I would say it is general fantasy. I used to like the academy stories until I read too many of them. This novel used the school scenes sparingly which worked well to keep the story moving.
There was no cliffhanger although the story is set up for the next instalment which leaves me eager for the next instalment.
I was first worried that it might be the usual badly written power fantasy that many books that have a similar premise are. But I needed something to listen to and it was free and also the premise sounded interesting except for the whole reincarnation thing. I was positively surprised the author knows how to write. The world building is great, the magic system is fresh and interesting, the characters aren't stale and have personalities.
The only thing I didn't like was the whole reincarnation thing it was unnecessary to the story and made the entire book worse. Could almost be a Brandon Sanderson or Will Wight novel if the whole reincarnation BS wasn't in it.
I picked this up because I read almost everything the author puts out, but the cover threw me for a loop. At first I thought it was going to be a savage lands kind of story, surviving in a harsh environment while growing his stats.
Nope. I was really wrong.
This is more of a political adventure, with different clans vying for power using any means necessary. Leg is the son of the Bear clan, caste to the far ends of the continent for crimes (in the eyes of the current powers) committed long ago. They have no electricity, no cars, nothing that speaks to modernity. Their life is rural, yet they're a strong clan despite their shortcomings.
I'm not going to explain every plot point, but eventually Leg (the MC) is sent to the capital to join the academy. This isn't a college, it's more like a primer year to prepare for college.
Still, he makes friends (and enemies) as he tries to figure this new world out and adapt. While this isn't LitRPG, it has a good amount of skill development.
I will also say that time moves really quickly in this book. Early on not so much, but in the last third of the book he might as well not be at the academy, because we don't see him there. He travels back and forth between the capital and the Bear clan, then to the palace, and all places in between. Usually fighting some one on the way.
Due to the acquaintances he's made, he comes across some strong enemies. And each and every time, he beats them. Leg isn't OP, but he does have a unique skill that has never been seen before that ties to his past life.
There is a small love story, but it comes in at the end.
Overall, I enjoyed this. It's a quick read, has enough happening to keep me interested, and while it's a little different from Vasily's other books, I read it through in one go. The translation isn't as good as some of his other books, but it's passable. For those of us used to reading indie LitRPG, it compares well.
If you think the cover description is the story then your in for a shock but you need to read at least a couple of chapters in to start finding that this story has very deep plots, if you think alien soul turns up in medieval times your only scratched the surface, i could not stop reading just to find what the hell next was going to happen. I can see me buying every book in the series because i think by the time we uncover even what we think is happening something else will have happened to give us a wtf moment.
I was enjoying the book... until it started a magical school.. Now the cliched "annoying super friendly friend" is pissing me off anytime they say something.
I find it funny that there is a magical New World Order Illuminati causing problems in this book.
This didn't turn out too bad. The book has modern technology mixed with fantasy aspects. I honesty thought the book would have been about were-bears and other were-animals, but this tribal totem society mixed with a magical modern world was entertaining.
An alien mage gets reincarnated in a primitve shamanistic tribe. The world is a rather convoluted mess as the empire where the story takes place has teleportation, trains, cars, magic schools, kinds of cyborgs while guns are uncommon while on the other hand the society is controlled by shamanistic totems with animal forms.
Later on, the MC joins a magical academy, finds - of course - at once overly influential friends and discovers - of course - by accident a lost artifact which grants him a boon from the emperor. Of course a princess falls in love with him...
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I liked the MC and the supporting characters, the plot, and the world building. I appreciate the fact that although there is a relationship developed between the MC and a supporting character this isn't a romance in disguise. Frankly, I don't mind litrpg with statistics and leveling, but this has absolutely none of that and doesn't need it either. Altogether, this is an excellent book.
I had low expectations when starting The Cub. That the character was formerly an arch mage made me think this would be another book that I had read from another author. I was pleasantly pleased to find a well thought out , different magic approach and a character becoming human who used to be some kind of lizard creature which is good for the stunted emotional development you usually find in YA novels.
I have a soft spot for Vasily so keep that in mind. But I think this is amazing book. One thing I have often problem with is that the first book of the series is seting things up and it fairly boring. However, this one is not the case. I enjoyed every single bit to its fullest and Im hungry for more.
Would have given 4 stars but spelling and grammar made that impossible. The first couple of volumes were very good but after that things got confusing. Sometimes I couldn't tell who was talking and the story jumped time and/or location wise without notice. After reading all the books I am still not sure what was going on.
At least there is a love interest, minimal, but there. I think that is normal in these type of life scenarios. Hopefully it grows. Also there are no demons, thank you. I’m tired of so many authors making that a part of these books when it’s just not needed and feels icky. I like these Russian authors.
Well this book was worth the wait. I got done and I was hoping for the next 2 or 3 books now I have to wait again. However it will be a worthwhile wait this book is great
I liked how the story came together and the characters developed during the story. Interesting magic system, which I hope we get more detail on in later books. I cannot wait to read the next book!
I don't write reviews often, but I felt I had to here. Good story, detailed MC, very good world building. What else do you need? I don't usually read YA, but author is known for writing good stuff. Well worth the time invested, can't wait for the next installment!
An interesting world. The overall premise is fairly standard, but there are enough twists and new ideas that this comes across as a fresh new approach. Competent main character, storyline keeps moving. Overall, a good book.
A tad convoluted to begin with, but still interesting. The characters have potential, and the impact of the geopolitical make up of the world provides for a wide variety of story content. Can't wait for the rest of the series to learn more.
I have nothing against this book. It's a good one with a good line-up of characters, an unusual magic system, and plenty of action. There isn't a lot of blood in this story and that makes it unusual too.
Lets go give me number next. Enjoyed it and looking forward to all the rest. Vasily doesn't always give me exactly what l like but he usually at least gets close. He nailed it with this one.
I went in with moderate expectations and ended up really enjoying the book. Took me some time to understand the world as it starts off very primitive and abruptly transitions to higher tech but I liked the mc and a good mix of action kept it well paced.
Good world, great characterization, fascinating magic. Layered and complex plot, slowly revealed. Good editing and proofreading. I remember only one error and that was probably a Freudian slip. I await the next!
First of all, it says progression fantasy, not cultivation novel. Don't expect a Chinese fantasy from a Russian. Vasily is a great author and this book was alot of fun. Looking forward to book 2. If you haven't read his other stuff, look it up. It's great to.
A lizard highmage is reborn in a lazy15 year chief’s son. I enjoyed reading this book, but the next book was hard. He turns stupid even though he’s more powerful. It’s like the free KU teaser has a Editor, and the purchased books do not.
A coming of age story with all the trimmings and a few good side-dishes. Good world building, good character development. Enough action to keep the story rolling on. Enough intrigue in high places, complex breeding schemes and convoluted genealogies to sort through to keep the brain working.
Great book about taking over a dead boys body through re.incarnation. experienced sorceror, finds himself re.antimated to live life again. Five Star Reading