Gamer gets a Jinn and decides to learn magic with a game like interface. Mage and Templar Girl help him to level to get to the Jinn.
Some nice ideas - on the long run less quests and more social interaction would be nice. ( )

Loved this. Really clever working of the GameLit genre, fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, but is innovative and a joy to read. Detailed and thought through world really helps and although the characters are a little clunky everything else sparkles and the plot zips along. I'm not sure there's actually enough here to support a series but I'll read the rest of the trilogy anyway because this is so good - en par with Ready Player One, but set in a DnD/contemporary universe.

Humans are utterly oblivious to the magic world happening all around them, a little glamour, a little care and you can trust them to ignore everything unusual. Henry's just a guy, bit of a geek, slightly curious about the world around him but enjoys simple pleasures far more and gaming in his spare time. Actual work is tedious, so he buys up lost luggage and sells the content on ebay and charity shops. It's not much of a living, but it's enough for rent and groceries, doesn't take long and he can fit in at his convenience. His latest purchase included an old 60s style actual leather briefcase. Hoping for something noteable in side the pen and empty book don't seem worth much. Then there's some nice looking boxes but they contain only dust and weird flakes. Buried at the bottom is a dusty ring, so he gives it a polish - after all they might be decent gems in it. No-one is more surprised than him when a Jenie (not a Djin although the difference is never explained) appears in a cloud of smoke. Some hours later after he's recovered from the shock and begun to process the implications her realizes he has 3 wishes just like in all the fables. But Henry's no fool, he's met these scenarios in all the games he's played, and wishing for wealth love and power never ends well even though Lynn as she calls herself, avers she has to tell him the truth and isn't malicious. Henry also realizes he's out of his depth, and does something actually intelligent, and consults with Lynn before invoking his wish, and who doesn't like to be asked about their expertise? Together they work out a plan. What Henry would like most in the world is to be able to perform magic, something that Lynn assues him is all around him. But if she just gave him magical ability he'd likely die from shock or become a target for things massively more trained than he could ever be. So after an introduction to gaming they grant him level 1 magic powers, just a nudge, enough to cast a werelight without endangering him - but the really clever bit, is they enable a leveling up process so he can gradually improve and increase his skills - and Lynn has to stay around to continually update the wish's powers.

The rest of the book is the more predictable level grinding anyone who's ever gamed will know and love/hate. But it's well done, with consequences and thought through implications of the wider world. I particularly like how such rings aren't commonplace and hence the finding on one (the former master didn't listen to Lynn's advice on how long hiding spells would last) attracts attention from many parties and how Henry and Lynn manage to deter them. There isn't any romance and the inevitable pretty girl doesn't fall for Henry. All of the other magical denizens are people just tryingto ge on with their lives, and Henry has to accept that games are not the same as living it in real life! Lynn remains attracted to warcraft though.

Really was an enjoyable diversion. It makes no pretense at being heavy literature, but for what it is it's a very good exemplar. If you've ever played any form of DnD online or Old Skool you'll appreciate this. ( )

An improvement over his previous series.
Still, it lacks tension and is overly focused on explaining the magic system when the socio-cultural examination and personal relationships of this new world he is in would have been much more interesting. ( )