Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones, Book 1

By: Dem Mikhailov, Mikhail Yagupov - translator

Narrated by: Phil Thron

Rostislav Grokhotov, an ordinary clerk working for a privately-owned company, just wanted to earn some extra money in the game. He had no specific plans for his new character. Little did he know that his new nickname Rosgard would become the game's next greatest legend.

Even the game's Creche zone may contain items of interest if you're observant enough. Rosgard's find didn't just change his own life drastically - it enveloped an entire game world in turmoil to boot! The adventuring player becomes a valued prize for Waldyra's leading clans. Our hero has to conceal his real name, since he's in danger in the real world as well, and that's no game anymore. There are millions at stake - and the currency in question isn't Monopoly money. Rosgard holds the key to wealth and power in both worlds.

Should you play your own game or throw in your lot with the strongest? This is the question that needs to be answered by the protagonist, whose luck is incredible. Whose side does one take without becoming a pawn in anyone's game?

©2020 Dem Mikhailov; English translation copyright 2020 by Mikhail Yagupov (P)2020 Tantor

This BOOK is BAD A$$

What a great first litrpg book I am really hoping the second is just as good.I love the MC of this book because he is smart and yet still struggles in social environments.

Incredibly well written story, vividly narrated

This is the original Russian litrpg guy. This was published in 2012 but got a subpar translation back then and never took off. Now it got retranslated with care and real gaming terms as they should be translated as.
Can't believe how high quality this translation is. So much high quality vocabulary and concise descriptions.
And the author uses proper gaming terms. He describes things so vividly and convincingly you think you're playing an MMO yourself.
No fake lingo like "ready player one" (whose author clearly had never played any MMO and outside of pong no games either. It really pissed me off and ruined the book for me when it became clear all his descriptions and lingo was from a point of view no actual player would ever assume. I hate fakes and people worming their way into a genre with the help of media and press just because they have the correct country and politics. /rant )

Phil Thron is an incredibly talented narrator that usually narrates books that I cannot stand. I dislike idiot MCs, nihilism and cynicism and he is usually hired to do those kinds of books. So he does a fantastic job here.

No idiot MC, no nihilism, and lacks all the incredibly annoying tropes cheap and politically motivated copy cats use nowadays: hero is not manhandled by "strong female characters" constantly, is not a spineless pussie hound or a whining loser stumbling over god tier items.

!!Waring This is Way of the Clan re-released !!!

Same author new translator. The narration was done well in this version. Thre are slight differences in the wording like sinkhole became trench. It also reads better a lot smoother. But still the same story as Way of the Clan.

I don’t like it.

The protagonist makes lots of poor choices and doesn’t seem like a good person, or an interesting person. Only the NPCs are kind of interesting.

The content is thin and poorly paced. Too much time is spent on things that never become significant.

So far, I’ve only found 3 authors that do a passable job of writing in this genre. This one was almost tolerable, but the writing fell apart completely as soon as he left the first zone and never recovered.

Not Like Way of Clans At All!

This book does its own thing in terms of plot. It is interesting seeing the MC make smart but flawed decisions and the repercussions of those decisions. The MC is not a Gary Stu and is highly addicted to online gaming. It is slightly uncomfortable to listen to because I know of people that are stuck in additction. I hope he changes over the course of the series for the better. The book is slice of life with the possibility of a larger plot behind the scene. As one reviewer said, the story stops abruptly. It was not on a cliffhanger, it just stops. I will read the next book.

Describes a game that sounds actively anti player

The game described in this book would be dead on arrival. No one would want to play a game that is acting to make everything difficult to do, even menial tasks.

Half a Book

Thus book stops halfway thought the story! Just seems to be a way to charge more. So disappointed.

In the top 80% for lit RPG

This book is refreshingly well read and fairly well written for lit RPG. If you're a reader of the genre you know what I mean. It has a reasonable plot, both in game and out of game interactions, and doesn't focus solely on these are my stats. Like most Russian with RPGs it struggles with male and female gender stereotypes especially out of game. I listen to a lot of lit RPG for my insomnia this is in the top 80%.

Absolutely Amazing

A top five in my favorites. I have spent many hours and more than a fair amount of money searching for a piece of literature such as this and I must say that every minute and dollar spent was completely worth it. Thank you for writing this absolutely exquisite work of art and know that I am most certainly looking forward to more of your works. Audibke narrator did an excellent job as well. Thank you everyone for the hard work.

So... im 5 hrs in...

And the book has barely started. This is a new form of slow burn, in a 10 hr book. Dude is literally grinding, with some "looking for a quest" on the side. Maybe things are going to pick up soon due to where Im at, idk. Anyway just wanted to warn ppl who need things to move along faster. Otherwise, this could be a good "background noise" book while you drive or clean... for about 5 1/2 hrs .