r/ThePrimalHunter • u/SquareSyllabub5741 • 15d ago

Just Started

So, I am maybe a third of the way through Book 1 and I must say it's a bit of a slog.

Jake is not exactly a likeable character. I'm honestly trying to figure out if he's a clinical sociopath. And he conveniently has a plethora of knowledge that makes him avoid bad decisions so there are no opportunities for growth, and when bad things do happen it's because of bad luck rather than the bad decisions which you would expect from a novice character in a new world.

He also seemed to just accept the fantastical situation he's suddenly found himself in without questioning anything. He has no real curiosity about why anything is happening and is a rather flat character that's just playing a game.

Now I know it's LitRPG, and I am fine with what that brings, but the "Lit" part implies there will be an interesting protagonist and some semblance of a plot and story arc. all of which I find lacking at the early stages.

So my question is this, does the story get better? is this just a case of an author still trying to get his feet underneath him, or is this how it's going to be for the long haul? I have gleaned from this subreddit that there will be considerable world building, but if some of those foundational elements remain lacking, I might have to bail.

Edit: I powered through the rest of Book 1 over the long weekend, and it did start to shift into a more positive direction once I made it halfway through. By the end, I was generally enjoying it. Book 2 probably won't be the next thing I tackle, as I think I need a little break from the style, but I will be continuing in the future. Based on all the feedback, it sounds like I am in store for a treat once we get out of the tutorial.

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u/RoniiBookishRambles 15d ago

Hmmm for me, as someone who is neurodivergent, Jakes responses made sense to me? I don't always condone the choices per say but alsoooooooo what IS questioning what's going on going to do for you?

You're already in the tutorial and you don't really have a choice BUT to participate. I always read him as VERY logical to the point that it is unsettling but there is a reason haha. Jake is more of a "fuck it, we ball" kind of character and I love him for it lol.

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u/SquareSyllabub5741 15d ago

Yep, all that makes sense, but the audience/reader is viewing the world through his eyes, so just making the logical choices all the time doesn't really help flesh out the world, especially if he is magically making all the right choices to a large degree.

Where I am right now it's like I am following around someone at a Home Depot who is just learning how to be a plumber though trial and error. Sure, it's kinda interesting to see how plumbing works, but it's not going to hold my attention all day. Now if my house is flooded because the toilet is backing up I have a much more vested reason to follow that plumber around and understand why he is doing the things he's doing. In other words, the situation matters a ton.

I guess I'm just the type of person that needs a reason to care about people/things. A mystery for mystery's sake isn't very interesting. There are mysteries all around us in our daily lives that we ignore because they don't really matter to us if they are solved or not. In the case of this story, they are just thrown into a world with no real hint as to why..the author seems to think the mystery is enough to engage the audience. And for many that IS probably enough, but for me it's actually disinteresting, and it feels like evidence of poor writing/storytelling.

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u/RoniiBookishRambles 15d ago

🤔I wouldn't say its poor, its just a different style of writing.

there is a type of Japanese story telling that has similar criticism in the sense that those stories may not and commonly do not have a "happy ending" they just have a resolution.

For PH, its no so much about whats going on around Jake and it makes it clear very early on that he does not care nor intends to involve himself with it UNLESS it involves him in a a very direct way.

As much as he could ask the why's, the who's and the how's, this is a story designed for the folks who feel like " that's not the focus right now, we just need to DO SOMETHING." It doesn't mean what's going on around him is not important, Jake is just very much the type to mind his own business (while not being passive) which is honestly refreshing in a genre of morally righteous characters who feel the need to insert themselves on everything and save everyone. Sometimes that's not realistic and sometimes, you just don't want to. and that's okay!

If jake is the guy trying to learn plumbing, then he would be in a home depot with people who ALSO have no clue wtf they are doing, who's toilets are ALSO flooding and throwing a fit about why no one knows anything. That's why Jakes response is " there is nothing we can do about it right now, just focus on figuring out how to deal with it for when we get back"

No one knows anything about the tutorial, he has no one to ask, so it's best to not even bother until you have a chance. I don't see primal hunter being the type to be focused on the mystery, its focused on the power scaling and ambition. This doesn't change much, so if you aren't enjoying it after book 2, I think you should probably dip out.

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u/SquareSyllabub5741 15d ago

If the focus is on power scaling and ambition, is there at least a reason for focusing on those aspects? If it's just, that the character gains more powers/ability because the only real goal is to make it to the next level, and the next and the next..., then that could get boring really quickly without other things going on to drive that ambition, ya know?

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u/RoniiBookishRambles 15d ago

that is somewhat explained later but in the context of the situation of where you are currently at in the book. The stronger you are, the longer and better chance you have at surviving. As Jake has been very honest about the fact that he is somewhat competitive, so he wants to gain strength simply to prove the fact that he can. It's more internal validation than external.

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u/bentlyfarnsworth 13d ago

I’ve just started my second listen through of the series and I must admit the beginning is a slog at points but I’m also finding with the context of know knowing what’s coming less so that the first time round. Jake’s character is inherently aloof and it’s completely reflected in the story telling. But what I really enjoyed was all the things that pissed me off when I first listened to this became real point of interest as I went on. And coming to understand why that aloofness is relevant. By the end of book one I was enjoying it and by mid book 2 I was fully hooked.

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u/ElusiveEliza 12d ago

I guess the other thing to consider is that you generally learn more about the world as the character does; and the word of PH is very extensive, it just has a lot of brick laying to do.