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Eight-Bit Bastards: Level One Kindle Edition

4.4 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

"One of the most gamelike LitRPG stories that I've read in a long time..."

"This is by far one of the best LitRPGs I have read. It's funny, old school, and the writing is smooth."

"More Ready Player One than Ready Player One" - Amazon Reviews

When you’ve maxed out your level, done every quest, and defeated every enemy, there’s not much left. So after seven centuries of immortality, Sean wants nothing more than to die. Afterall was touted as a paradise, an afterlife where anyone could pursue their interests, from archery to zookeeping. The gaming was the stuff of legend, but for Sean it had grown stale.

But when a woman from a past life informs him of a real, flesh-and-blood descendant that has hacked his way in, Sean finds a new purpose. The AI doesn’t take kindly to interlopers, and parks the intruder in the one realm so buggy that even the oldest, most powerful denizens of Afterall steer clear of it – the Bitrealm.

Sean must enter a land created for the original gamers, people like him who cut their teeth on some of the first video games released to the public. Will Sean brave the pixelated wilderness of Bitrealm to rescue his lost kin? Or will he fall victim to the force that has been making people vanish? One thing’s for certain, he can’t do it alone. He’s going to need a few members of his original guild.

He’s going to need some Eight-Bit Bastards.
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07SSFYTYW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bebuka Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 6, 2019
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 267 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1732189232
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Eight-Bit Bastards
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Joshua Mason
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My name is Joshua Mason, from Seattle, home of rain and coffee. Recently, I spent five years teaching English in Jakarta, Indonesia, where I met my beautiful wife, Francine and developed a taste for sate padang. I have a degree in archaeology from the University of Washington, but without a doctorate there’s not much I can do with it. My hobbies include cooking, camping, gaming, and, believe it or not, writing.

I’ve been gaming since I was a kid. Some of my best early memories involve a crate full of Atari games, my Vic-20 and my TRS-80. If you don’t know the thrill of copying a program from a magazine onto a Trash 80, then spending five hours looking for the typo, you’re missing out. I worked a stint as a Game Play Counselor at the Big N back in ’92, but then the internet came and ruined that.

For now, I write.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
97 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this book as a fun romp down memory lane, with one noting it's the most gamelike LitRPG story they've read. Moreover, the story receives positive feedback for its character growth, and customers find it a great quick read. Additionally, they appreciate the game references, with one customer highlighting the old school gaming take on the GameLIT genre.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

18 customers mention "Fun read"18 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy this book as a fun romp down memory lane, bringing back good memories of 8-bit gaming, with one customer noting it's the most gamelike LitRPG story they've read.

"...I love the game prompts throughout the book. There are enough to be interesting but not so many that you end up skipping them because you are..." Read more

"Con: Typos and a cliffhanger ending Pro: Pitch perfect nostalgia for 8-bit gamers...." Read more

"...loved this story, let me start by saying that this was a very amazingly fun read and had some very fun twist in turns included in it that I didnt..." Read more

"...The story has so many 80s gaming and pop culture references that it might even cause Ernest Cline to blush...." Read more

14 customers mention "Story quality"14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story of the book, particularly appreciating the character growth throughout the narrative, with one customer noting the depth added by the author.

"...The characters are well written and the author does a good job of adding depth within a relatively short time...." Read more

"...Plot and character arcs are simple and well executed, action scenes flow smoothly, and the romantic side of things is handled with far more respect..." Read more

"...The character growth in this story was amazing, I was very happy to see the depth of how people developed in the timeline and how they grew into..." Read more

"...The characters each have their own voices and are clearly distinct from one another and they have complex and interesting relationships...." Read more

7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, describing it as a quick and stellar litrpg book.

"I really enjoyed this book. It was an extremely quick read and well edited...." Read more

"...I loved the plot and the nostalgia I gained from parts was awesome so many fun parts of this story...." Read more

"...It is hilarious and a good read." Read more

"Quick read, long enjoyment!..." Read more

6 customers mention "Game references"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's references to classic games and its old school gaming take on the GameLIT genre.

"...I love the game prompts throughout the book...." Read more

"...The story has so many 80s gaming and pop culture references that it might even cause Ernest Cline to blush...." Read more

"I loved this as an old school gamer. I've always enjoyed Joshua's writing and it keeps better and better!..." Read more

"...It was entertaining seeing all the references to classic games. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes." Read more

Top 3 LitRPG of all the on my list.
5 out of 5 stars
Top 3 LitRPG of all the on my list.
For me, LitRPG is very hit or miss genre. Luckily, 8-Bit Bastards is definitely in the hit category. avoiding a lot of the pitfalls I see in a lot of LitRPG, like five pages of stats, harem tacked on that doesn't advance the story and flat characters. It starts with an intriguing premise and runs with it, developing layers as the story proceeds. PLOT SUMMARY The story starts with Sean, who is on day 82 of a game and junk food binge, when a knock on his door changes his trajectory in life. Heather, with whom Sean had a three year relationship with long ago, has news that draws Sean out of his self imposed funk. One of their descendants is in trouble, and only Sean and Heather can help. considering they have 700 years experience where they are, it should be no problem, right? Wait, did I say 700 years? That's right, I did. The story takes place in the digital realm of Afterall, which up until 50 years before the story starts, those with the resources could have their consciousness uploaded to Afterall, leaving mortal life behind forever. Afterall has been closed to new players for 50 years, but the occasional person hacks in, but the results aren't pretty, since they are stuck by the control AI, Bartelby, in the 8-Bit realm, an homage to old 8-bit games. Think the original Zelda or Phantasy Star on Nintendo and Sega. The problem is it slowly drives players crazy, so having Pliny, their descendent stuck there won't work. After talking to Bartleby, and being given some mental protection from the 8-bit realm, Sean and Heather proceed to put Sean's old adventuring guild, the 8-Bit Bastards, back together to go find Pliny. The problem is, Sean burned his bridges with both other members of the Bastards, Matt and Claudia, centuries ago, and they are still mad at him. Sleeping with a guy's wife and sister will leave a few sore feelings. Sean and Heather do manage to get them to put aside their differences, and they proceed to the 8-Bit realm. Once they cross the river into the realm, they discover things aren't exactly as they remember. For one thing, they go from maxed out, multi-class epic level characters all the way down to weaponless, classless level one Sprouts. This means they will have to grind and level up the hard way. Also, they discover Pliny is ahead of them, questing on his own, so they need to do all this while chasing after him. What follows if a fun adventure filled with adventures, mob grinding, player class adding and enough snark and game culture references to choke a shark. All the while, Sean, Claudia, Heather and Mark each notices little things that just seem odd to the realm, and slowly start seeing that all may not be what it seems, leading to their eventual confrontation with the Boss of the region. Or is it? WORLD BUILDING AND CHARACTERS Since Afterall is a digital world, anything imaginable can be created there. There are of course tons of fantasy elements, but the inhabitants can mix and match elements in any of the realms that aren't the 8-Bit Realm, so you will see anachronisms like Star Wars Endor speeders or a Tron light cycle going into a fantasy realm where they run across wyverns. The 8-Bit realm based on those old games, so its lots of pixilated bright colors and sounds. The NPC's are also true to form, so there's a lot of pre-programmed responses, but there's also some underlying depth as well. The characters really shine. Sean has an interesting arc, starting out as an apathetic burnout who is looking for some meaning to a life spent wasted, and really going through some character growth. The other Bastards also have some interesting arcs, although Sean's is the most profound, since he was the most fundamentally broken. The secondary characters get some attention, and you feel there is more to them than the basic responses programmed into them. The AI's are especially interesting, although not in a Skynet kind of way. it's funny watching their interactions with the Bastards. there is a lot of humor scattered throughout, with some hilarious running jokes. After you're through reading it, you will never think of cheese cubes or biscuits the same way. There's much more character to the characters than you would expect, and there are some twists and turns along the way. FINAL THOUGHTS After I finished reading Volume One, I was immediately interested in getting into the follow-up, Level Two. I discovered the plan is for a much longer arc than expected (Nine!) and am thrilled at the prospect. This is such an engaging story, with such engaging characters, that it immediately shot into my top three Lit RPG titles, alongside James Hunter's Viridian Gate: Cataclysm and J.A. Cipriano's Soulstone: Skeleton Key. I highly recommend it to any fans of the LitRPG or GameLit genre's, and it will even appeal to fans of more traditional fantasy. With two books released so far, you have 500+ pages of fun reading so far, and hopefully, one day, some audio as well.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
    I really enjoyed this book. It was an extremely quick read and well edited.

    I love the concept of being stuck in an 8-bit world and it added an awesome twist to the normal fantasy world of elves and dwarves.

    The action scenes were very well done, and enough happened to keep my interest throughout without lulls.

    The characters are well written and the author does a good job of adding depth within a relatively short time.

    I love the game prompts throughout the book. There are enough to be interesting but not so many that you end up skipping them because you are overwhelmed.

    I enjoy cheesy jokes/innuendos and this book does not lack in that area.

    The only constructive thing I can think of is sometimes the language that the characters use is a little too formal, or doesn’t seem to fit who is speaking. It is probably just me but I fixate on stuff like that.

    All in all I definitely recommend giving this one a shot if you have enjoyed old school games at any point in your life. As someone who grew up in the 80’s and spent countless hours playing my NES I definitely enjoyed this book.

    An aside, I freaking love the cover art.

    I’m looking forward to book two and will pick it up when it comes out.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2019
    Con: Typos and a cliffhanger ending

    Pro: Pitch perfect nostalgia for 8-bit gamers. It's like a Mashup of Ready Player One and Dragon Quest. Despite the lack of illustrations, the visual aesthetic comes through beautifully in the text descriptions. Plot and character arcs are simple and well executed, action scenes flow smoothly, and the romantic side of things is handled with far more respect and subtlety than you'd expect of a book with "Bastards" in the title. I look forward to the next level.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2019
    I absolutely loved this story, let me start by saying that this was a very amazingly fun read and had some very fun twist in turns included in it that I didnt see coming at all.

    The character growth in this story was amazing, I was very happy to see the depth of how people developed in the timeline and how they grew into their roles. I can't believe that Sean was able to overcome all of the obstacles in his way and grow past his immaturity. Such a well written story and amazingly fun read. I cant say enough that everyone needs to buy this book and read it without a doubt one of the top stories I've read this year so far.

    I loved the plot and the nostalgia I gained from parts was awesome so many fun parts of this story. You can read further if you want a bit of spoilers but if not just pick the book up and read on cause damn, I was enthralled from beginning to end.

    Some spoilers contained below......

    I loved the adventures contained through the different sections of the world that were contained in the "game". Also when they finally crossed over into the bit realm damn did that bring back some serious memories from games played long ago. The adventures through the bit realm had me rolling with laughter and hit with some serious "bits" of nostalgia. I truly enjoyed the story.

    Without a doubt this is a must buy book and read.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
    I've read a lot of LitRPG and similar books recently. It's a great genre for fans of games and fantasy/Sci-Fi. I love the premise of this book and thought it would stand out more, but it wasn't as good as hoped.

    The best part of the story is the set up. As humans age they can send digital copies of themselves to an online persistent retirement system where they can play games and do whatever they want to do for eternity. This seems plausible. Although, it seems like not enough people realize that if you digitize your brain and upload it you are only sending a copy of your brain to the cloud/system. Not you. You still die. There is no transfer; just copy and paste. So the desire to create a new software program with your memories and personality is something I don't think I get, I can see why some would do it.

    Once there, the main character has lived for hundreds of years in-game. Been everywhere. Done everything. (Even his friend's wife and sister.) So he's not a good guy at all at the start. A morally bankrupt person who, reasonably, believes he can do whatever he wants and it wont matter, because at the end of eternal entertainment the reality of amusement becomes apparent: it doesn't satisfy.

    He finds out that his grandson (a surprise from when he was alive still, although the timeline is a little unclear) has hacked his way into the afterlife game and gotten stuck in the 8-bit realm - a place no one wants to go. He get's his group back together, including his former friend who's marriage he broke up, and go on a quest to get the grandson.

    The rest of the book reads like a Final Fantasy / Dragon Warrior NES game. It's funny at times due to nostalgia. But a lot of it is forgettable. There were parts in the audiobook version where I zoned out and when I came to nothing had happened. And even when I listen a lot of it wasn't necessary to the plot.

    Is it fun? Yeah, moderately. Is it interesting? At first. Will I read more? I got the two pack, so I'll finish Level 2. But if this was a series, I doubt I would buy more.

    This book was provided by the publicist for review.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
    I'll start by saying that this is one of the most gamelike LitRPG stories Ithat ive read in a long time. It feels like the MC and his party is playing through an 8-bit era action RPG. The story has so many 80s gaming and pop culture references that it might even cause Ernest Cline to blush. The characters each have their own voices and are clearly distinct from one another and they have complex and interesting relationships.

    I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. If you enjoy 80s era gaming, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Patrick Charlton-O'Shea
    4.0 out of 5 stars Somehow brand new and nostalgic at the same time.
    Reviewed in Australia on July 8, 2019
    Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards. 8 Bit Bastards brings the best parts of yesteryear into the VRMMO age. If you ever dreamed of what it might be like to live in the first Final Fantasy world, this book delivers. The characters are quirky and believable, and you just want to know more.
  • Calum Mclardy
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a fan of old school RPGs, You'll get a kick out of this!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2019
    Imagine living in a game world for so long you have done everything there is to do many times over. There's nothing left worth doing or trying for. Sounds boring doesn't it? Well, this is how life is for Sean. The world of Afterall has nothing left to offer him, until one day he finds out that a descendant has managed to hack their way into Afterall, but gotten stuck in the Bitrealm.
    Sean has to find this descendant and rescue them, and to do that he's going to need the help of his old guild the 8 Bit Bastards! But when the group disbanded, it wasn't on the best terms so this isn't going to be easy...

    This first book in the 8 Bit Bastards series is chock full of pop culture and gaming references, lovingly crafted within a rich and vibrant (if a little blocky) world. The characters all have distinct flavours and to be honest, the protagonist is a bit of a dick at times and that enhances how I like him. Threading all these elements together is a humour that I haven't seen in a book for a very long time and it has had me laughing out loud several times.

    A very easy book to pick up and fall into. Highly recommended for gaming fans and non gamers alike.
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat good
    Reviewed in Canada on October 3, 2019

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