"When I started this book I was skeptical. It has a lot of negative reviews and I wasn't impressed with the first few chapters. But, I kept going and I am very happy I did. The story takes some time to pick up and get interesting but once it does it gets really really good. I couldn't stop and finished this very long book in record time.

What got me interested in this series started when I watched an anime called Overlord. Its based on a Japanese light novel series. I loved the themes in it. It had many elements of video games like gaining levels and skills/abilities. It was one of those stories where the main character gets teleported to another world. Overlord books are fantastic. I wanted more. So I looked up what the genre was called. Isekai is a sub genre of books and anime where a person from our world gets taken to another world and can't return. They have to find their way in this new world. Then I found another overlapping genre called LitRPG. Its a genre that has videogame elements in the story/world. From there I joined groups all over for LitRPG. I read all of Dungeon Crawler Carl and absolutely loved it. The next series that got the most attention was He Who Fights with Monsters. HWFWM is also in another sub genre called Cultivation which comes from China. Its where the main character trains and gets stronger with skills until they becomes almost godlike. HWFWM is a blending of all of this. Its like it was written for me.

The Main character is Jason from Australia. He wakes up in another world. He starts getting almost virtual reality like windows popping up in his vision like a video game. These pop up windows help him find his way. Later(not a big spoiler) he finds out that people that come to this world often have abilities that help them adapt to the magic that exists in the world. That was a really awesome way to explain how all of this is happening.

The book is long. It moves at a regular pace and to some I think it will seem slow. Most of the books I have loved over the years have been very dry hard science fiction which are as slow as slow gets so this wasn't a big deal for me. Be warned.

The world, fantasy and magic aspects of the story remind me of Sanderson. Its a very well thought out magic system and thought out world. The story really build up well. It almost reminds me of the many stories were the main character has to learn all sorts of stuff and even goes to school to learn it. Think Harry Potter, The Name of the Wind etc.

The biggest complaints I saw from reviews was that the readers didn't like Jason the main character. He is written as a smart ass and is very cheeky. I happen to really enjoy his personality. It's not common in books for the main character to be like this. Again, reader be warned.

I will finish this series. It is done and has 11 books. If any of this review makes you curious give it a try. I love it. It might end up being one of my all time favorites. I just started book 2 and it feels like its just a continuation from book 1 which is awesome. "

"Really fun book that takes an interesting approach to the LitRPG/Prog fantasy style. It makes me laugh consistently, the magic system is really interesting, and the combat is unique. Loved it"

"This review is for books 1-11

The series was good enough to keep me interested and reading straight through all 11 books, but it still has many of the flaws and weaknesses you would expect from most LitRPG. The MC (and all his friends) is growing in power and scope, but there isn't really any character growth or development. There is a lot of navel gazing and second guessing by the MC about his actions, yet he keeps doing the same things over and over again.
The first three books take place on another world, parallel to our own. The next three take place on a near future earth which is experiencing its first true influx of magic. The next five are once again on that other earth but with occasional glimpses of our earth. The MC starts out as an iron rank "noob" being chased by cannibals, he gradually grows in power and finds a team of close friends who grow with him. Then he [spoiler] and finds himself back on our earth where he has to navigate the dynamic of who he now is when meeting up with a family who thought he was dead and who aren't 100% sure of who he has become.
The series has a strong anti religious and anti authoritarian bent. It often tries and fails to pass itself off as smart, funny, and clever. But for all these flaws, it is a decent and engaging series in a genre that is too often flooded with smut. I am not sure if I will bother picking it back up when book 12 comes out, but it was a fun distraction for a time."