Dean

Off the rails and wacky in all the right ways.

Reviewed: 03-21-24

Start of book one: “eh… not sure I can hang onto listening with the annoying cat character, but let’s see where it goes.”

Now: “OMG HIIII DONUT!”

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Off the rails and wacky in all the right ways.

Reviewed: 03-21-24

Start of book one: “eh… not sure I can hang onto listening with the annoying cat character, but let’s see where it goes.”

Now: “OMG HIIII DONUT!”

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A solid and fun tactical LitRPG series.

Reviewed: 10-22-23

As a fan of Battletech, Armored Core, etc., I enjoyed this series. The dynamic was interesting, the characters were fun, and each book’s central theme kept me engaged through to the end.

There are a LOT of battles. And some really don’t matter or contribute much to the story progressing. But overall I enjoyed feeling a sense of being on the ground, in the mech with King. The story outside of Armored Souls is pretty solid too, if a bit nonsensical sometimes.

Some minor gripes include the main characters not switching their mechs out almost at all over the series, and a lot of number fluff to pad pages. I could have done with less “Chance to hit”, “Eliminate Enemy Juggernauts: X/XX”, countdowns, and so on. I know it’s a LitRPG, but I would have preferred the UI talk be toned down as series went on. Otherwise, it was a fun read.

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2 people found this helpful

A knuckle dragger’s life story of mind over matter

Reviewed: 08-09-22

This book was a really interesting read. It’s told in a way you would expect a rough-around-the-edges Navy Seal would tell a story: unpolished, straightforward, and with advice that worked for him. At times it’s repetitive, and other than some minor insight into military special ops training, you’re not going to find any new earth shattering information here. Most people shouldn’t try to directly imitate him.

And yet, what Goggins describes in his transformation rings true when you read it. We are capable of so much more than we realize. And for most of us, the constraints are in our head. Even a perfect healthy plan and tons of support can make it easy for us to relax right out of accomplishing anything. We need to push well beyond our comfort levels to reach our true potential.

The reason I really enjoyed this book is because Goggins’ isn’t trying to sell you the next fad workout or self improvement hack. His method has clear flaws. He doesn’t shy away from the fact that he made enemies, wasn’t seen as a team player, and absolutely screwed up both physically and mentally countless times. It’s an honest account of how he got to where he is, and it’s brutal as hell. That’s why it rings true. That’s what makes you know know you can do it, too.

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