Gods of the Game

A SciFi LitRPG Adventure

By: Phil Tucker

Narrated by: Adam Verner

In the sun-scorched future of 2442, survival takes the form of a game—Krieg Chess. More than a simple board game, it's a high-tech fusion of strategy and combat, demanding intellect and brute force in equal measure. Players wield advanced technologies and unearth latent abilities, transforming from pawns to knights, rooks to kings in a brutal ballet of power and progression.

Against this backdrop emerge two extraordinary players: Charoen and his sister, Jessie, refugees from a camp outside Oslo, lifted from obscurity by the enigmatic billionaire Virgil. Their latent talents set aflame, they're recruited into a new team of elite players and an electrifying new reality. Training in the remote Faroe Islands, they unlock staggering powers and take on monstrous adversaries, every victory sculpting them into formidable forces on the game board.

But Krieg Chess isn't just a game—it's a crucible, a theater of war, where brutality and strategy clash and sparks of personal histories, deception, and unexpected alliances are ignited. Can Charoen and Jessie master their abilities and the game's ruthless complexities to rise from obscurity to fame?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Phil Tucker (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

It's... Not his best work.

Yeah I really wanted to like this one. Very cool premise, but the meat of it feels forced and generic. Not enough time in game or growing the skills and fights, too much time on forced emotions of "the game". Also the constant belittling of the doctor made with little to no consequences for ignoring him didn't feel like how Phil Tucker normally writes his characters. Jessie was a pain and a watered down version of the woman from his Dawn of the Void series. Chareon not fun to follow. I think it could still be turn around, with more focus on the actual game and strategy between trying to win, but for now this will not be an instant buy for the next installment. This is worth it if you have nothing else and it's on sale. Otherwise, wholly skippable. (Sorry)

solid first book

enjoyed the book although it was a bit simplified at times. Phil wanted to make it a very fast series and it works for that.

Really confusing system. Creepy narration.

Ok, so this is not my first book by the author. The LitRpg stuff he’s done recently is just unnecessary weird. I get it you want a fresh take on the genre, but, you’re just making it weird for the sake of being “different”. I dunno. None of the terms resonated with me. The system was beyond confusing. The main characters’ motivations were unclear and inconsistent. Other characters were completely forgettable and just kind of merged together. Stat sheets made little sense as there was very little explanation of the system in place. And, as previously mentioned, the terminology was just too heavily influenced by Germanic/Saxon made up word salad. So, the book starts out stating that we’re in Oslo? But, the main character’s name is Charoen (of Thai origin) and his sister’s name is Jessie (of Hebrew/Scottish origin) how the hell does that work in the setting??? Also, all/most other characters are given Germanic names and German/Slavic accents, yet, the two main characters (brother and sister) sound all American?? The narrator sounded rather “breathy/creepy”, especially when voicing the females while making most males (except Charoen who was made to sound and act like a Twilight/Emo angst ridden douchebag) were voiced as old school cold-war villains, uggg. I’ve listened to other audiobooks narrated by him. Some ok, most terrible (narration). Just don’t think he’s a right fit for this type of book. Anyway, I really like the author; but, definitely will give this series a hard pass. Really disliked everything about this book.

Outstanding and interesting!

Another excellent book. Phil never disappoints! He really excels at the LitRPG genre. Who am I kidding. I have never read a book by him that I didn’t absolutely love. Such an interesting take on common themes. Sci-fi, progression fantasy, and sports. He creates worlds like none other. He pays great attention to detail, I am anxiously awaiting book 2 to see what Charoen and Jesse get up to. This brother/sister duo are very endearing. Facing challenges and struggles together. Encouraging one another to excel in the face of adversity. Definitely check this book out and all of his others. You will not be disappointed.

the needless German

about 5 hours in and the needless German keeps pulling me out of the story. that and the MC namr Seems to intentionally be exaggerated so it can stand out .

Satisfies an itch from another book

I love the Iron Prince series. This book satisfies that same itch. Equal parts progression fantasy, litrpg, sci-fi, and cyberpunk. Highly recommend this book.

ear attack

Phil, I love your other work. and I gave this one a solid 2 hour try. and just wow. you went a little hard on all the Germanic and Anglo-Saxon vocab. it's difficult to even delve into this one. but the worst thing you could have done to your book is hire Adam varner as a voice actor. the guy sounds like an almost defective AI every single sentence and I cannot pursue this book any further.