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First Line of Defence
First Line of Defence · Book 1 · 2023
Audiobook available
Earth's new alien overseers call themselves Peacekeepers, despite beginning the relationship by killing millions. Humanity must now join their Collective and play its Game. Morgan eagerly accepts an invitation to a vast tower-defense contest, leaving the rules and survival problems for later. Soon he's defending a station against aliens and dealing with rats that can chew his robotic face.
From the publisher’s blurb
“Learning the rules and finding a way to survive can come later.”Read the full description at Podium Entertainment publisher description
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What makes it funny?
Morgan's gamer enthusiasm survives an introduction that should have discouraged him. The supposed benefactors have just conquered Earth, and accepting the exciting new game can lead to accidentally starting a war. Readers in LitRPG groups praise the first book as funny and clever, particularly its unusual apocalypse and approach to leveling.
The comedy at work
Kerei puts the pleasure of finding a game exploit beside the consequences of living with it. Morgan's willingness to play keeps outpacing his grasp of the danger. Reader reviews also describe a cruder streak, including repeated tentacle references and an abrasive Tee.
Try this if…
Tower-defense strategy and finding ways around game systems are the draws. Listeners in LitRPG groups count the first volume among their favorites, with some going straight to the sequel. An appetite for crude jokes helps.
Good to know
Mass killing and alien conquest open the story. Some readers struggle to follow the many statistics, especially in audio, or find the progression rushed. Book-group readers who love this first volume warn that book two changes focus and doesn't give them the same humor.
A few distinguishing details
- Humanity conscripted into an alien tower-defense game
- A gamer learning survival after accepting the invitation
More funny LitRPG
Sources & further reading
- Apple Books lists First Line of Defense: First Line of Defense, Book 1 (Unabridged) by Benjamin Kerei. Its title uses U.S. spelling; the target title uses U.K. spelling.
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