Awaken Online: Apathy Kindle Edition

It’s an off shoot from the main story but it definitely is worth the read to better understand how the characters are developed.

“Awaken Online: Apathy” is the 5th book in Travis Bagwell’s AO series. This one is called a “side story” as it introduces us to a new character and follows her completely – never venturing into the characters of the main story arc other than to mention them in passing. Eliza is a high school senior. She is an exceptional student, and is working hard to please her somewhat overbearing parents. Eliza’s dad, against her mother’s better judgement, gives Eliza a copy of AO as a way for her to escape the pressures of her very demanding schoolwork. Eliza never asked for the gaming system, but looking for anything to take her mind off of her real life, Eliza logs in. What she discovers is a world where she can be whoever she wants to be, a place she thinks she can escape the responsibilities that are thrust upon her in the real world. She soon discovers however that even actions in a simulated video game world have unforeseen consequences, and if she is going to save this little utopia world she has come to enjoy so much, she’s going to have to find a way to defeat a massive in-game problem that she herself created.As I’ve mentioned in reviews of the other books in this series, I am not a “gamer”. Much of the concepts and terminology used in this series are new to me. That has not however kept me from enjoying the series. “Apathy” is no different. Bagwell continues to present us with characters that are good hearted, but are running (in one way or another) from their lives in the “real world”. I think Bagwell understands that this concept connects with most people – as all of us to some degree wish we could better control certain aspects of our lives. We long for a reality where we can start over and explore the possibilities that come with a fresh start, in a world where anything is possible and the consequences of our actions are as brief as a “respawning” back to the beginning of the game. For me, the brilliance of Bagwell’s books are that in each situation, his characters find that there are always consequences (some good, some bad) to our decisions. And his AO world has given his protagonist the opportunity to explore that truth in a way that not only grows their character in-game, but also helps them to become the person they really want to be back in the real world.Eliza as a character is no different. As her story starts to take shape, we see her – probably for the first time – stand up to her parents. She also becomes more discerning as she grows to understand herself better and starts to grasp the power of her own decisions and choices.Although the finale of this one starts to get a little “out there” for me personally (mutated killer mold, hippie and the black fluffy sheep, etc.) I cannot deny that I enjoyed the story overall and that I appreciate Bagwell’s very consistent delivery of likeable characters and his subtle way of raising questions on personal destiny, morality, and mortality. I’m looking forward to seeing Eliza’s storyline tie in with the rest of the established characters.

I love this series as a whole. I've enjoyed each of the books before this one, and I'm really into exploring some of the more important characters outside of everyone's favorite Necromancer. To devote full books fleshing out other characters is something of a bold move, especially if those characters haven't been received particularly well. That's not the case with this series "side" characters. Especially Eliza.Over the course of this story, we get to follow Eliza from the start of her journey with AO, seeing what she was up to before meeting Jason. We get a closer look into her home life, and why she's so into AO. It's a form of escape for her, a reprieve from the suffocating and colorless life she's forced to live. I'll be honest, I feel a certain kinship with her, mainly due to her home life being eerily similar to the way mine was for far too long. I related to her much more than I thought I would, and seeing her come into her own (slowly but steadily) is a treat. I'm eager to see what comes next for her (and Fluffy).

Eliza first appeared in the previous novel of this series. This novel explains why, and how, she came to be in Jason's path when he needed a strong ally; how she gained her strength; and why she wants to throttle the Hippie.This novel, and the series of which it is a part, is an excellent example of the LitRPG genre. It is a fun read.

I love the side quests. They dive deeper into the other characters. They help me understand the characters more and make me love them even more.

Good book, just not as good as the main series . This side story is about Elza the water mage / alchemist . Good book , but nothing spectacular

When I picked up the first book in the series, I didn’t know how it was going to go. I’m thoroughly glad that I did! A great balance between the gaming aspect and the story telling. The story keeps you captured and you quickly empathize with each of the characters. The fact that I have such an instinctive response to each of the characters shows me I love the writing style.

I came back to this series after having burned out on the whole lit-rpg subgenre for a while. I like how the author has done the world building here, blending the game world with the real world and the various levels plots and subplots, all the characters having their own motivations and agendas.This story centers around Eliza, a new character in the previous book, and explores her backstory... how she accidentally came to be playing the AO game and how her character developed into the person we meet in AO Evolution. I can absolutely see starting the series with this book, it really stands on its own just hinting at some of the things happening elsewhere.