His name is Eight. Not really, but that’s what the System decided after a slip of the tongue. One moment, he was stepping out the office door on the way home, and the next waking up on a hillside below a town wall. Oh, and the gate guard drove him off, because he thought Eight was a monster.
What’s a boy to do in a world full of magic and so many, many hungry creatures searching for their next meal? Well, there’s an old man inside that body, and he'll use everything he’s learned in his sixty-four years to survive. Starting a fire? Sure. Crafting a spear? Check. Defending the cave he calls home? Also check, a big one.
There are allies too, but not the kind you’d expect.
Eight is a LitRPG novel of magical survival—of discovery, bushcraft, and creatures weird and wonderful.
My Musings :
How many times have I said not to judge a book by its cover? I am such a hypocrite because that's what I did with this one.. Fate kept throwing it in my face but did I listen? Noooooo! I kept disregarding it purely because it depicted a kid on the cover. What an idiot! I didn't even glance at the precis before I threw it on my never going to read list until I heard about it from a couple of friends. Then I scurried back to see what it was all about. I am still kicking myself for not picking it up earlier.
The cover clearly undermines the story. If you can get over it and take the plunge, you will not regret it if you like the usual elements of LitRPG like the main lead dying and his spirit transferring into another body in a completely different world with fantastical creatures.
I was skeptical at the beginning because of such a young protagonist. It was a needless fear that it would not be entertaining. The monologue of Eight and his amusing quips kept me going despite the slow meandering path the plot was taking in the first half of the book. I even thought of skimming the pages but the slice of life accounting helped in adding the details to introduce the world Eight was in. The way he uses his past life knowledge reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson. This was an account of survival albeit in a strange but wonderful world of new dangers!
I really loved the world the author has built with the new creatures. For once I was glad that he didn't give the instantaneous language learner to Eight! The way he has to learn the language is fun and engaging, in my view. By far, my favourite part is meeting Ikfael and the uekisheile. They give life to the book in a way that I am looking forward to more of their shenanigans than Eight's in the future! I hope Billisha and Aluali also get more scope in the sequel. I want to see how their story pans out.
The end had me craving to continue the series ASAP and I was delighted that the book#2 was already available. Woe to me if I had to wait! Let's see if the author can keep me sated in the future books!
My one line review : An engaging and promising story of survival in a world with fantastical creatures!
My rating : 4.5/5
My re read factor : 3/5
Flo
