Having gotten me excited with the LitRPG genre again with his Iron Tyrant Series, Seth Ring’s Exlian Syndrome Series brings us a more sci-fi oriented story compared to the above. In a dystopian world where aliens known as Exlians terrorize the local population, its down to a group of awakened individuals who work as the deterrent and the shield for the rest of humanity. Unfortunately, there are far more Exlian than there are people to fight them, and with very little known about these aliens, the rumours of a coming massive attack, have resulted in some drastic actions being taken.
This series follows Mark Fields as he follows the hero’s journey trope from spending his days washing dishes to slowly but surely working his way towards his dream of being a part of the prestigious defense core of the army. This is an ongoing series so a short review of the books out so far can be found below:
Book 1 – Advent
Book 1 is a solid start to the series. We’re introduced to Mark Fields, our protagonist, who is trudging along through life. Having lost his parents to one of the worst Exlian raids humans have faced, and his brother to the army ranger core, Mark is left all alone. It doesn’t help that he hasn’t awakened any powers like his brother and so can’t qualify for the army training camps.
All this changes when one night he stumbles upon a dying woman, and the next thing he knows is that he wakes up in his own bed and there’s a cat in his house. A seemingly very intelligent, quiet cat. He also seems to be immensely hungry. For someone who is barely able to afford a decent meal, this is a bit of a problem, until he realises that maybe this is a sign of his awakening.
What follows is a typical zero-to-hero trope where Mark attends the army training camp, makes friends, comes to understand what exactly his power is (albeit only a little), all while being utterly oblivious to the strangeness of a black cat that comes and goes as it pleases. It may not seem like much but the plot is fast paced, and the premise interesting enough that I found it hard to stop. I’m also a sucker for any underdog story, not to mention potential alien cat scenarios. Recommended for fans of Ender’s game, Ready Player One, and cats.
Rating:
Book 2 – Dark Dawn
Book 2 picks up right where Book 1 left off. It’s a solid progression in Mark’s story with the added introduction of his brother. Though the brother doesn’t appear for too much of the story, there are hints of a much larger plot where the brother seems to play a pivotal role. This is also where I began to notice the Mark’s shadow in the covers and I must say these book covers are fantastic!
This book almost follows the typical idea of a dungeon crawl where we find Mark part of an expedition to explore a mine with a potential Exlian nest. What he finds instead is more than he bargained for with twists, betrayal, and a much deeper understanding into the corruption he’s slowly beginning to glimpse within his society.
Similar to the first book this is quick, action-packed, with a healthy dose of plot armour in the form of an alien cat who seems to be a lot more terrifying than initially expected.
Rating:
Book 3 – Apex
Book 3 of the series picks off from where we last left Mark with little to no contact with the outside world after being betrayed and abandoned in the mine his team were meant to secure. There is a lot more in terms of hero progression in this beginning of this book with Mark going the whole nine yards about surviving in the wilderness honing his skills.
Thankfully this doesn’t take too long before he finds his way back to civilization only to be framed for the mining disaster and thrown into the most secure prison from which no one makes it back out. Luckily for Mark this prison turns out to be an underground society of its own with heirarchy and a mysterious benefactor who’s taken a keen interest in whatever resides within Mark.
An interesting turn of events but still entertaining, book 3 further dives into the plot Mark’s brother seems to be a member of. Is he part of a rebel faction or just a terrorist? These are just some of the questions that Mark has to deal with but first he has to escape. Fun read that makes me very curious and excited for the next book in the series whenever it drops.
Rating:
Liminal Ramblings 