An NPC's Path

Series · 3 books · 2018-2020

By Pavel Kornev

Books in series

The Dead Rogue

2018

Virtual worlds are places of boundless freedom. Anyone can become an elven mage or an invisible rogue, join a clan and go on raids, fight, develop their characters and most importantly, escape from the daily grind. However, a game is only a game if you can quit. This is something I learned the hard way. I just wanted to let off some steam in virtual reality and ended up getting murdered and imprisoned in the body of one of the undead—slow, clumsy and cursed to die at the hand of other players over and over again. The only way out of this awful predicament was to find the legendary Scroll of Rebirth, but the helpless plague-ridden corpse would need to be turned into a real killing machine. If only people knew what it was like to level up a dead rogue...

Kingdom of the Dead

2018

What could be worse that getting stuck in a virtual world? Instead of enjoying the game, I found myself trapped inside my character’s dead body. Now the only way I can save myself is by procuring the Scroll of Rebirth. The problem is, my chances of getting it are slim. I’m an undead: an outlaw with no friends, only fickle allies, and plenty of enemies. Who are only waiting for their chance to strike. My undead hangman character has to tread a razor’s edge, with only the support of his fellow players preventing his imminent plunge into the abyss. But are they who they claim they are? In a game, there’s nothing easier than assuming another person’s identity.

The Guardian of the Dead

2020

Dying in virtual reality isn’t fun, but facing bullets from real-world criminal overlords is really the pits. In such a desperate scenario, their demand to render them a service in VR doesn’t sound like such a bad alternative. The problem is, the games played by spook agencies follow much harsher rules. For them, the absence of choice doesn’t sound like a good excuse – not if you end up in the grindstones of their undercover schemes. Still, it’s not as if I ever had a choice. That’s why the price tag for my freedom didn’t sound too excessive. All I had to do was log in, become a necromancer, shake the malefic hunters off my tail, pass the elimination test and locate one particular person. Which one? Why? And how was I supposed to do it? Wrong questions. Instead, I had only to ask one: why me? Why John Doe?

Author

Pavel Kornev

Author · 17 books

Pavel Kornev is a popular Russian author whose writing crosses the boundaries of the sci fi thriller, fantasy adventure and steampunk. Genre mashing has long become his signature style. “His books are a page-turning mix of non-stop action and hard-boiled detective stories in the edgy atmosphere of steampunk noir. Far from being a knight on a white charger, Kornev’s typical protagonist is an everyday man with his fair share of flaws who puts his talents to good use. His heroes struggle to survive and win their places in the sun; but most importantly, they manage to preserve their humanity even in the direst of circumstances.” Pavel is a professional economist who spent years working for a large bank – until his first novel, The Ice, became an overnight bestseller, allowing him to quit his day job. He now writes full time.