epakrat

Repetitive Dialogue, Incoherent Plot, Unresolved Threads

Reviewed: 04-02-25

If you liked Kaiju Preservation Society and Starter Villain, this isn't like those. Those were actually good. This one feels like he is daring readers to call him on out having mostly written this with AI. It's the kind of manure that I'd expect to be spewed forth if a simplistic premise of the moon is made out of cheese was submitted. I imagine it's only selling because of past successful novels and Will Wheaton.

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Embrace Curiosity and a Growth Mindset FTW!

Reviewed: 06-29-21

While the author was marveling at how his early days had affected his adult life in retrospect, my mind drifted to thoughts of how much the author's experiences may have be related to Childhood Emotional Neglect ( CEN ) probably was at play in his life.

I don't know if the author is aware of or has ever read the book "Running On Empty" by Jonice Webb but having the information presented in that book could be helpful background before consuming this one.

What determines how we think or make decisions more than our current mindset? One of single biggest causes of negative thinking that I have discovered may be the fixed mindset. Those that are already either familiar with this dichotomy already or possess a growth mindset will benefit most from this book though it is never mentioned.

I would suggest at a minimum to lookup these terms on your preferred internet search engine. This book would seem to assume that since you made the choice to consume the information within, you accept that you will need to change. This may seem obvious but knowing and doing are different things.

The importance of commitment to the end of negative thinking is very much a focus of this book. A commitment to transition to a growth mindset is perhaps fundamental. However, this book won't do that for you. Instead, that's a conscious, personal choice you'll have to make yourself.

As I got further, I realized that "The Genius Move" concept which is core to the book is about shifting between these mindsets through life opportunities and choosing to make growth based decisions instead. Some of these moves are to avoid people pleasing and approval seeking. However, the way the author wraps up the material in a different context isn't as clinical and may actually make more sense to people. If so, that's a win.

Self reflection or empathy can feel inauthentic without curiosity. It is a requirement for self-awareness. You can't know yourself if you're not curious about the why of your behavior first. I liked hearing the author's personal account of his own struggles with inauthenticity.

Creativity isn't about knowledge seeking but instead taking something intangible and making it tangible. Curiosity is the key to true creativity.
Curiosity is one of the knowledge emotions. It can often be the antidote to fear and can offer a better alternative to fear based decision making.

This is because you're often better informed after asking questions and taking the time to get real answers rather than acting on impulse. You're more aware of your options and able to focus more on things you can control when the motivation is curiosity rather fear.

While I believe the author may have confused creativity with curiosity, I think much of the book's message will still resonate with plenty of people that need to hear it. If you choose to consume the information contained within, ask yourself the following questions after chapter 4. Both curiosity and creativity are important. True creativity can't be achieved without curiosity.

What makes humans capable of appreciating beauty? Why do we care about anyone outside ourselves? What drives you to want to know about more about a friend, family member or romantic partner? Why do you care about how someone's day went? If a relationship ends, why did it happen? Amongst the myriad reasons possible for these, does creativity or curiosity seem like a better tool to find the answer for you?

I'm glad the author found a system that works for him and has helped others too. The book is well intentioned and there's always more to learn. I am still ignorant of so much and there's always more to learn.

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22 people found this helpful

Best novel I've consumed through email...

Reviewed: 11-06-20

The format of the storytelling lead to much repetition in places but I soon got used to that. For very nearly the entirety of the story, the MC is either reading or writing emails. There are zany characters as well as a version of Tesla himself. What do I mean by version? You'll see...

The story has very little actual structure but that's also part of it's charm. It gets so bananas crazy that it may strain your ability to suspend your disbelief. I enjoyed it for what it was. I love ridiculous stories like this. If you're looking for something that's really different, then look no further.

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1 person found this helpful

A sequel either builds or destroys a series...

Reviewed: 12-07-19

In Mythian: Book 1, I really connected with the MC, Ethan. Jaddow and Cipher were still shrouded in mystery though. Who were they? How did they know Ethan and his Wife? What was their motivation for helping him? We only got the briefest glimpses. I really grew to like Jaddow too in this book. He's hard on Ethan but he needs to be and Ethan does what we've come to expect of him, find a way to persevere. He must if he's got any hope of reuniting with his Wife. After I finished Mythian: Book 1, I actually wanted to continue the story with Hard Mode: Book 2. After finishing Book 2, I was suddenly impatient for Book 3 as I still was invested in the series. As it is with good books, they end and I had to find something else to read.

Reading the Pangea Online Book 1 from another author to help me pass the time also unexpectedly made me appreciate Ethan's character development that much more. Unlike Ethan, the MC of Pangea is so serious and rarely jovial enough for my tastes. There are too many real world social justice issues that invade the fantasy narrative. It just constantly reminds you that you're not in the story and destroys the immersion.

While more popular today than in other decades, the Pangea series promotes a ‘victim’ mindset or ‘poor me’ attitude which may as well be a RPG personality trait as it is a learned and acquired behavior in real life. I would never choose to create or play such a chronic complainer of a character. The book took also pity on the character thereby diminishing his achievements to the reader. This made Pangea Book 2 very hard to finish, I almost quit and the way it ended has together extinguished any desire to read the Pangea series further.

So I'm happy to say that in Hard Mode: Book 2 this not the case at all and is better than than the 1st. It doesn't suffer from any of these issues. It's got more characters, development, humor, adventure, fantasy, stats and ends better than many. You may actually care what happens to the MC and be able to genuinely sympathize with his plight rather than feel pity.

Why is all this? If I had to guess it would be because the author decided to think ahead of time about where he wanted to have the reader / listener end up before writing the other books and realizing that he'd painted himself into a corner. There's even a part which reminds me of Odysseus and Circe. I don't recall any story elements ruining the immersion to the point of pulling me out of the story world. Most importantly when the 3rd book drops, I'll want to experience it. If it's anything like the first two then it won't disappoint.

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1 person found this helpful

An Evolved Take on the LitRPG Genre

Reviewed: 12-01-19

The character development, emotionality and story definitely are an asset to the requisite stats and character sheets. The fact that the MC isn't already familiar with the game makes you feel as though you're learning the ropes of the game with him. It helps the reader connect and emphasize with his plight more than any book of it's kind IMO. The author's decision to do this just makes sense even if it might be misunderstood as character stupidity by some readers. i feel the book does a good of explaining why this is the case and foreshadowing what is to come if you're paying attention.

Additionally the MC's ignorance of gaming in general is later used to even greater effect for certain humorous and humbling situations that him seem more human that wouldn't be as possible or believable if he had been an avid gamer already. There's gaming and there's GameLit and then there's LitRPG. These are not interchangeable things and shouldn't be conflated with each other. Despite what came before, this book aims to level up the Literary experience. It's not boring like many books with one dimensional characters that are more stat driven, light on plot / story with lots of unnecessary filler. This is a character / story driven series. If that's what you're after then look no further.

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