A great start to this fantasy series. I love that Harish Bharadwaj jumps right into the story and builds the world while continuing to tell the story. I can't wait to see which artifact/mana power is focused on in each subsequent story in this series.

Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Vikas Adam did a good job narrating the story. As this book focused on Parth, I am not sure if Vikas Adam will continue narrating the series, or if the series will have a different narrator for each character. It will be interesting to find out when book 2 is available in audiobook. Maybe Vikas will continue narrating for Parth and new narrators will voice each of the characters as the story focuses on their power/artifact.

3.75⭐

An Isekai story with rich world-building and political machinations that carries a lot of promise for the rest of the series.

The dungeon is always hungry for mana, but the inhabitants of its planet aren't able to develop it. Therefore, every 100 years it summons 100 inhabitants of three different worlds to fight within and become its food. The locals started to help these people survive and over the centuries, it developed into a business with political implications. Nowadays, every fighter is equipped with a powerful artifact and most of them survive the dungeon just fine. Parth is a failed pro boxer who has nothing to lose. Now he has a new challenge in front of him and a renewed will to fight.

I loved the setting of this story. The dungeon fighters are summoned from three different words. From our earth and its two parallel variants. On one, humans developed mana and became fairies with wings. On the other, vampires took over during the Bubonic Plague, and knowing they would eventually run out of blood, they changed themselves into synthires, synthetic vampires that drink artificial blood. The original inhabitants of the world are Asura-like people called D’Raacs, and they greatly benefited from assimilating the culture and technology of the other races. The dungeon fighting became a game that ended with a tournament. It's all quite complex, but suffice it to say where there is money and political power to be gained, there are going to be some underhanded practices.

We follow both the fighter's line and the political line that is happening outside the dungeon. The book's one story felt a lot like a big setup that hinted at some political machinations, as well as some deeper mystery regarding the dungeon. Therefore, while the story wasn't groundbreaking yet, I believe the sequels can really turn it into something great. So far, the concentration was mostly on discovering the new world, the artifacts, and learning to fight with them, and on the first floor of the dungeon.

I found our main character, Parth, to be quite engaging. While some others left behind their lives and families, for him this life became a second chance and he had a very "bring it on" attitude. He is a deeply caring person but also acknowledges that for the survival of himself and his team, one cannot hesitate to kill anyone who threatens them. The team has quite a variety of characters with different personalities and morals. There are also quite a few secondary characters that we get to know outside the team.

All the information and characters were quite a bit to take in at first, but eventually, we got some focus on each of the team characters to get to know them a bit better. As for the information, you better be ready for some info dumps, as is often the case with the Isekai/LitRPG genre. While sometimes it was getting somewhat boring, I also found myself quite attracted to all the new stuff. I think seeing the new world from Parth's POV, who is himself excited about the discoveries, helped immensely.

Lastly, a bit about the audio. I found it well narrated with good voice changes. Parth, as an Indian, was given a very slight accent that really suited the character and I felt it was subtle enough to be respectful.

I really enjoyed myself with this book. I think reading from an Indian author helped with some freshness of ideas. The overabundance of info dumps and descriptions of daily life didn't bother me much. I have high hopes for the sequels.

I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Scorched Earth takes readers into the world of a dungeon. Every 100 years, 100 voyagers are pluched from their worlds and forced to fight against a dungeon to survive. Each is bonded to an artifact to help them meet this goal. Parth, a boxer from Earth, finds himself seeing this as a second chance, and is driven to compete.

This story had some very interesting world building, blending alternative realities, a society that is built on top of the hundred year challenges, and the motivations that drive them all.

The novel was slow to start, taking a long time to get into the dungeon itself. I often found myself disengaged. That said, by the end of the story I was intrigued by the overall direction, and keen to see where the author takes it next.

I would recommend this to those who enjoy an isekai story, and are willing to give it the time to develop as a series.

Phylgist takes readers on a slow yet intriguing journey into the depths of a dungeon. At 40%, the pace might not be a page-turner, but fear not, because once the characters step into the dungeon, the adventure kicks up a notch.

The author's decision to focus on children being pulled into the dungeon adds a unique twist, though the attempt to make them character focal points might leave you questioning. At 42%, you'll find yourself introduced to more characters, perhaps a tad overwhelming, but worry not – the ensemble truly shines when they unite as a team.

However, character development might leave you wanting. The lack of 'umph' and clever banter makes the narrative feel stilted. The author's penchant for formal dialogue might raise an eyebrow or two.

The artifacts steal the spotlight, each crafted with meticulous detail. Yet, the narrative's formality and the overuse of words like "moreover" create a barrier to the likability factor. It's like reading an English paper with a sprinkle of dungeon charm.

Despite initial struggles, the characters grow on you, especially when the entire team collaborates. The suspension might fall short initially, but as you delve deeper, the camaraderie becomes the heart of the story. So, buckle up, because despite the rocky start, the promise of the next book in the series leaves you eager for more dungeon delights.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This book was so fun. I loved the dungeon element and the world created. It really was like reading a D&D campaign. I loved all of the main characters we see and I’m excited for the next book Bharadwaj writes!

The book seemed to rely on past knowledge I didn't have. I was so lost and couldn't seem to catch on. Thought this was book one bit it sure sounds like it's book 2 or so.

This book reminds me of a magical Hunger games. Parth seems to be determined to win and is learning that not everything can be fought with your fists. As the story goes on I’m concerned about the triplets, and whether or not, they will make it out alive.

This was a very action packed, hold your breath book. I was a bit sad when the book ended after Parths team made it out of the first trial. I hope there will be another book to continue Parth and his team’s journey to escape the dungeon alive.

The narrator was wonderful with making his voice different so you knew who was speaking.

A Magical Sci-fi With A Lot Of Action And Adventure


This was a wildly creative and comprehensive story that meshed sci-fi and fantasy. There was a plethora of moving parts to the plot with several POV shifts. There was only one narrator so even though he did a commendable job it was difficult at points to tell when the shifts in POV happen.
I particularly enjoyed the society described in this. The story was forward thinking and diverse with high octane action. There were characters of all ages, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds.
The villain so to speak was this indomitable force that everyone had to work together to defeat, but they had also turned it into a game so there was a Hunger Games/ Battle Royal vibe that was really exciting.

Characters 4.5 💙💙💙💙🖤/5
Audio: 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Narrator: 4 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️/5
Game Lit, LitRPG, Dragons & Myths, Monsters, Aliens, Magical Gadgets, Portal, Defeat The Dungeon
Multi POV
Violence⚠️