Arcane Cultivator

Arcane Cultivator, Book 1

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Build the deck. Cultivate power. Slay the gods.

When a magic ritual goes disastrously wrong, Jaden is exiled to the heart of the desert and left to die. Battered and bruised, Jaden encounters the outcast Nomadwater Sect, who grant him a second chance at life as a mysterious arcane cultivator.

With its savage beasts and cryptic mysteries, survival in the sprawling desert of Southfall is a dangerous game. Yet Jaden and the Nomadwater Sect persevere, growing closer and forming bonds over the course of a long summer.

This changes the day the Gods kill their leader, seize the sect, and task Jaden with competing in the legendary Tournament of the Gods.

If Jaden survives the tournament, the members of his sect live. If he dies, they die alongside him.

Jaden now has just ten days to rank up. Ten days to master the dragonessence system. Ten days to save those who have become his new family.

Arcane cards, mana cultivation, martial arts, elemental magic, a LitRPG system, and incredible relics are all at his disposal. And even then, it might not be enough . . .

©2023 Harmon Cooper and Boycott Books (P)2023 Tantor

Another Harmon Win

Arcane Cultivator is a title I was hyped about since Harmon announced he was writing it! The world intrigued me and the overall system threw me through the loop and it was better than I hoped it would be. I love that we are seeing more deck building books in LitRPG/Progression Fantasy. Neil Hellegers did an outstanding job and I’m so happy to see another Cooper/Hellegers team up and I can’t wait for book 2!

A bit derivative but still worth the credit

Harmon Cooper is an excellent author and this book was worth the credit. However, without giving away too much, the MC starts out similarly to Will Wight's "Cradle series" Unsouled MC. The author's path for the MC diverges from there and makes him a bit too dependent on his sect members throughout most of Book 1 but seems to suggest that Book 2 will make him an equal of or surpass the others in his sect. There also seems to be a feel of The Chosen about the MC, even though it's unclear if the fortuitous situations aren't orchestrated from the gods.

Neil Hellegers' performance was excellent, as I've come to expect.

I plan on continuing the series.

So so good

Harmon’s love for his craft shines bright in this wonderful story. Loved this book so much, the world building, the characters and character development, it all really pulls you into the story. Get ready for some sleepless nights! I can’t wait for the next installment in the series !

the story was fun and action packed.

love the magic system and the adventuring story line. cant wait for more books to come out. audio is way more immersive and great for driving

DNF / I Dislike Neil Hellegers's Style - Intensely

Neil Hellegers is a reader and not a performer -- and the sole reason that I stopped listening to this book, despite it being on Plus and essentially free for a while. He might be a lovely person, but the style of narration that he insists on performing is absolutely everything that I personally do not want from a fantasy narrator.

We listen to these things for fun, we listeners should use our wallets to demand performances.

As for the book - the prose, plot, and development of world seems entirely serviceable, leading in potentially interesting directions, and Harmon Cooper's a competent enough author. Just... gad, I wish he'd hired someone else.