Jake’s Magical Market
*** SERIES NOW COMPLETE ***
Meddling gods. A magical card system. An apocalypse no one could have predicted.
Jake is working at the neighborhood market under his apartment when the world ends. He expected nuclear war, a computer virus, or even climate change burning everyone to a crisp to bring about the downfall of civilization. But cruel and arbitrary gods from another world? Who would have guessed that?
When these cruel gods shuffled Earth like a deck of cards, nothing was in the same place anymore. Monsters, dungeons, and magical items appear scattered across the globe. And suddenly, everyone has access to a new, strange magical card system that gives them magical powers.
Jake, wasting his day slacking off in the cooler, as he usually did, found himself alone in a completely new and very dangerous world. Can he learn to survive? Can he collect enough cards and create a good enough deck to fight back against the monsters that have overtaken his former home? And why are these strange people that look a lot like elves knocking on the door of the market he is hiding in and asking to buy some of his goods?
The gods may have stacked the deck against him, but Jake just might have a few cards up his sleeve that will help him survive.
With 4.7 stars and over 13,000 reviews on Amazon + Audible, this book is a must-read for fans of gamelit novels, wild adventures, and stories about regular people accomplishing wonderful things.
Each book of Jake's Magical Market also includes beautiful, custom-illustrated cards drawn by real artists to help bring the magical cards you'll find inside to life!
Cover art by Daniele Turturici https://www.artstation.com/danieleturturici
Narration for book #1 by Travis Baldree https://www.instagram.com/cjgnarrator/?hl=en
Narration for books #2-3 by John Pirhalla https://www.johnpirhalla.com/
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Jake's Magical Market #1
Book 1 of 3: Jake's Magical Market
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Jake's Magical Market #2
Book 2 of 3: Jake’s Magical Market, A Trek Through Time
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Jake's Magical Market #3
Book 3 of 3: Jake’s Magical Market, Home Sweet Home
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Jake’s Magical Market #2 Audiobook
Book 2 of 3: Jake’s Magical Market, A Trek Through Time
Jake’s Magical Market #3 Audiobook
Book 3 of 3: Jake’s Magical Market, Home Sweet Home
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Highlighted Reviews
Engaging story, never gets stale
Got this book after I discovered and plowed through Nova Roma, loved the book, discovered the second volume was not released yet, and found this other book by the same author.
Thought it was a great read, and I really liked how the world building was quite different from Nova Roma, offering a different - but still great - experience.
As usual I browsed through a bunch of reviews before making the purchase, and one thing I noticed was a few negative reviews about how the book was kind of two books (which is by design, as the second part is named "Act II"), and some disappointment regarding the second book.
And this is what prompted me to write my own review. I actually thought the second part was as good as the first one. And I have a few more comments about that, but ...
... the below comments include some very minor SPOILERS about overall plotline:
In the transition between act one and two, stuff happens which causes things to change considerable regarding how the MC operates, which really puts the MC on a different path. And at the end of the book, another kind of fundamental transition happens, which lays the groundwork for another change of pace for a second volume of this series.
Are those transitions a bad thing? If you want the MC to evolve linearly and incrementally, always adding and never subtracting, and having the squeaky clean morals and character of a paladin straight out of D&D who never got his hands dirty, then it is a bad thing. But you know what? With all the LitRPG out there, at least I have read "that other series" a bunch of times already. And where is the fun in that? Might as well re-read your favourite series one more time, instead of wanting other authors to re-invent stories you already read.
Whereas I think this book (just like I felt about Nova Roma) has some truly interesting world building and magic systems, an interesting MC, fun and interesting twists on how the MC uses and exploits the magic system, a plotline which evolves in unexpected ways ... basically just a fun and interesting read.
- AlphaCentauri
A Hidden Gem!
Surprisingly, I merely stumbled across this book through Amazon's recommendations, rather than the other LitRPG channels where most of the best new LitRPG first gets recommended. It is a wonderful book with a vibrant, fleshed out world (actually a multiverse in this case) and a solid cast of characters. The book is blessedly free from the atrocious grammatical errors that plague and ruin many stories of this type. It blends Isekai with slice-of-life and other subgenres and themes very well.
As with many of the best books in this expansive genre, the directions of the characters and their choices often force one to assess and reassess ideologies. I was caught often sorting through the morals, ethics, and grey areas that accompany each ideology that was touched on, and they were plentiful. Every time I thought Jake might be wandering way too far into an area he (and I) severely disliked, pieces of the puzzle would fall into place to make the divergent path understandable. Overall, that occurrence alone makes this new author a treasure. Our human lives are filled with such uncertainties and divergences, and when authors manage to weave these truths into their characters, it is a mark of mastery.
I absolutely cannot wait for the second book. I read along in the Kindle app while listening to the synced Audible version, and I highly recommend that my fellow readers also try out the Audible version, as the narration is extremely good and certainly aids immersion and enjoyment! This was a very triumphant first book in this series, and while I wait on book 2, I will be devouring everything else this exciting new author has available!
- The Librarian Soul
Something Unique!
A greate book. Takes a new direction to the whole LitRPG genre using a unique magic system which is easy to follow but has room for further powers and mechanics to develop.
It had a really good combination of exciting and fast paced parts coupled with more leisure times in it.
Overall a greate story, a relatable protagonist, and a spectacular world. Definitely recommend to read this one.
- Richard. Bach
