Tower of Cards 2: Runeseeker [A Progression Fantasy]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2022

Author

JPwrites

• Book 2 Chapter 2
  Nov 11, 2022
• Book 2 Chapter 1
  Nov 11, 2022
• Chapter 5B
  Sep 7, 2022
• Chapter 5A
  Sep 7, 2022
• Chapter 4
  Sep 6, 2022
• Chapter 3
  Sep 6, 2022
• Chapter 2B
  Sep 6, 2022
• Chapter 2A
  Sep 6, 2022
• Chapter 1
  Sep 5, 2022

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• ActusRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  JP hits home again. I'm a big fan of all his work, and this one is no different. It's got his typical, whimsical writing but in a tower climber / card collector style, which I'm a big fan of. I really enjoy collecting games, and this book kind of scratches that itch. Highly reccomended.
• DanthseRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a revised reversion of the authors previous story the Pen is Mightier which was a well written story in an interesting setting with a few issues.  In my opinion all of the changes to this point are improvements.  The new System is more flexible and works better and the changes to events also fix some issues with the original.  I am interested to see where it goes from here.
• LordamnesiaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  A brand new look at Tower fantasy, set durring the height of the British Empire. It follows Diya, who has come onto the scene 50+ years after the tower has been found, and colonized to some parts. The Magic system is, while not unique, different enough that it feels new and exciting as you follow his troubles and tribulations. Honestly, I look forward to every chapter. Well done!
• Shades98Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a rewrite of the story Pen is Mightier than the Sword, but almost all of it has changed.  Its a bright fresh story that has ensnared me in its well written prose and view of a Colonial Era that has a fresh view of the era with a spice of life.  The story starts a little slow and you can see the characters start to come to life with their cliche' archtypes already being shown. At this point we are over the toutorial and now looking to see how his run of the GAIA's ARK goes. There are quite a few questions that still need to be answered in the story but that is the fun of the story.
• VanishedRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  One of the best on RR. Definitely try to pick up the first on Amazon and then read the second here or elsewhere when it's done. The characters are realistic and interesting, the plot draws engages me and draws me in, and the setting is constantly intriguing. Beyond a doubt, give it a try.
• courtindeathRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  (this review is written after reading chapter 51)
  So far a really great story. The MC isn't over powered or perfect however, he is competent and has a good character. He also doesn't suffer from hero syndrome. The story follows him ascending the tower and making relationships with fellow delvers(climbers?) as they explore each layer and their power systems together. The story also contains a sprinkle of political intrigue and nobility snobbery (don't worry as of yet there is only 1 arrogant young master... so far).
  The characters are charming and the author does a solid job of establishing who they are and their dynamic with the protagonist.
  I have come across little to no issues in regards to spelling and grammer.
  The power system is unique and refreshing break from the hera... I mean god slaying systems.
  The only issue I have is keeping track of what cards the MC has on him and in his deck. I think it would be nice to have this displayed everynow and then. Especially considering some of the protagonists abilities.
  Anyway, I enjoyed it enough to sucker up and sub the patreon. If you like fantasy/adventure that isn't mired with tropes you'll probably enjoy this series .
  Cheers.
• xcaresRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  A likable MC fighting to find his way (and himself) through a collorful and unforgiving alternate fantastic reality. World building is more than adequate so far but is honestly outpaced by the action. Lots and lots of action.
  Looking forward to the MC powering up. He's so damn fragile atm
• Emerson FortierRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  "Spell Thief" is a really cool story about a character forced to ascend a magical tower to save a friend and dispel a handful of mysteries surrounding the tower's existence and its history with his family.
  That's three reasons to ascend the tower, and that makes for really compelling fiction. Mysteries. Secrets. Family. Friends. It's good stuff. The magic system, based on cards, is also quite cool and easy to follow. I chose to become a patron, and I look forward to reading further chapters as the story continues.
  My ONLY critiques are A --- That the protagonist is way overpowered. While the story tries to downplay how overpowered he is by pointing out how much of a stronger start other types of cards get, its obvious to virtually everyone that this guy's abilities are going to make him absolutely nutty the more he masters it, and I don't jus mean nutty, I mean, like, he has triple the opportunities that every other character gets, because instead of just ONE soul card with three spells, like everyone else gets, he gets TWO, and he can swap out the three spells of one of those cards. ---- B ---- The other critique is that every power up comes far too easily. It's not "easy" per-se. He has to survive a life and death battle for every upgrade, but... you know... he does, and then voi-la, a door opens to the next level, or he immediately gets the upgrade card he needs. He never struggles in vain, and it takes literally nothing for him to get a door to the next level to just appear whenever it would be very convenient for that to happen. It keeps the plot moving, which I guess is good, but a bottleneck or two would make the tension a bit higher. This is all particularly clear when he meets Gwyneth. The level of convenience there makes me wonder if it's supposed to be a plot point, like Gaia is guiding the main character to eveything he needs. Which very well could be the case. It would certainly make a lot of this journey more believable, and the protagonist twice as ov
• FlicsmoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  A fun fantasy progression novel set in an interesting world, though held back by strange interactions.
  Style:
  Overall the prose is pretty basic and consistent. It's on the minimalist side of things, but also quite descriptive; it sets a good pace. Although there aren't really any places that strike the reader with exceptional writing, it's just as rare for something to take you out of the story.
  The environmental descriptions are particularly strong; they give a great sense for the space and layout of settings without bogging the reader down with unnecessary details. This helps make action and travel scenes much more engaging.
  Grammar:
  Although generally alright, grammatical errors and awkward sentence phrasing is just common enough to be a bit distracting.
  Story:
  In broad strokes, the story is great; it's difficult to discuss without delving into spoiler territory, but the ten or so main plot points we've seen so far really add up to an intriguing and engaging progression. Things that happen are quite varied, and it manages to completely escape the boring linear grind genre brethren tend to fall into, smartly treating the tower climb as a backdrop for organic stories and mysteries.
  Character:
  This is the big 'but' of the novel. Characters tend to immediately jump to whatever decision or conclusion the plot requires, with far too little attention given to any reasoning, emotions or discussion; this leads to many of the major plot points (which are great in theory) being baffling and frustrating more than anything else, as the necessary chains of conversation and events for them to make sense aren't there. This is present both in dialogue and travel/action scenes.
  One symptom of that which particularly stands out is how the reader is supposed to view the main character Diya. We're regularly told by side characters what a good person he is, yet many of his actions towards others come across as morally ambiguous at best. I think the intended read is that he's protectiv
• JhodderRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Edit: Dec 6, 2022
  Having never read the original verson of this story, I came into it with no expectations, only looking for a good story.  I was leaving on a flight for a weeks vacation and ended up binging through the series in my downtime on that vacation.  Among the things that struck me most was the fact that Spell Thief had an almost seamless LitRPG integration.
  The cards and their upgrades are clearly a progression system and a well-designed one at that.  It puts the story first and foemost, not bogging it down with statistics and character sheets to keep track of.  When an upgrade is applied, there is a logic to what it grants and then up to the user to find creative use of.  It's smartly written and one of the key points I enjoy most.
  Secondly is the fascinating take of alternate history.  Tower fantasy is nothing new but setting it in an older time period of world history, using places and factions that, while familiar, are changed by the addition of magic?  It makes for an interesting twist.  Much of that time period and geography is not within my area of expertise but seeing it in this story still gives me a knowing smile when I see a place name or mention of the East India Trading Company.  Touches like that are appreciated in my view.
  Characters is an interesting place to talk.  Some of my favorite character interactions I've read on Royal Road has been between Diya and his climbing companions, most especially Gwyneth, but I sometimes fear the characters boil down to plot devices, having the needed knowledge and skills for their situations.  They are at their best when they are finding unique solutions to their problems and interacting outside the desperate climb, where their personalities shine through.
  More than any of the ongoing series I wait for updates on, Spell Thief is the one I look forward to the most for those little character moments as well as for the next stage of progression for abilities.  I hope to be reading it for many more chapters