Overworld by Will Wright

Eldric Altmoore is usually unflappable. A butler must be prepared for anything, after all, and Eldric has decades of service under his belt.

But after a near-death experience, Eldric is swept away into a new world, one on the brink of collapse, and tasked with saving a little girl from the hordes of monsters on her tail. Oh, and he only has ten days to do it.

In a world of ever-changing rules, bloodthirsty villains, and magic like he's never seen, Eldric will have to keep a level head and take on his messiest job yet: saving the world.

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Overworld — Will Wight

PRE-READING

After trying LitRPG for the first time with Time to Play, I was curious to see how another author would approach the genre. Overworld promised a different adventure, with a butler suddenly dropped into a world of monsters, magic and video-game mechanics, and a little girl who needs saving.

I was particularly intrigued by Eldric. A man who has spent decades anticipating other people's needs and keeping everything running smoothly is an interesting choice of hero for a world that's about to become considerably less manageable.

POST-READING

Eldric Altmoore is one of the most competent heroes I've read in a while. He is a butler, after all. He has spent decades making sure that other people have what they need, that problems are dealt with before they become disasters, and that even the most difficult situations are handled with the proper degree of composure.

Then he's dropped into a strange new world, tasked with saving a little girl from hordes of monsters, and given ten days to do it.

Naturally, he gets on with the job.

There's something enormously satisfying about watching a genuinely capable character deal with a crisis. Eldric's superpower, as far as I'm concerned, is being organised and unflappable. He doesn't need to swagger or make grand speeches; he assesses the situation, works out what needs doing, and gets on with it. He's very much what I imagine a somewhat younger Carson from Downton Abbey might be like if he suddenly found himself inside a video game. The circumstances are rather different from managing a country house, but the principle remains the same: someone has to keep things running properly.

What makes this more than a procession of problems for Eldric to solve is his growing relationship with his young ward. Watching him become closer to her is lovely, and there's an especially touching thread running through the story about her family. She hasn't simply been abandoned or left alone. Her family fought viciously to protect her, and they fell doing it. That knowledge gives her situation a different emotional weight, and reinforces the idea that she is worth protecting.

The LitRPG mechanics are well presented, too. Having tried another book in the genre, I enjoyed seeing a different author's approach, and the mechanics here are easy to follow without overwhelming the story. More importantly, the world itself is wonderfully inventive. There's a forest where everything is made of wool or felt, and animated puppets that are vaguely sinister and will apparently ignore you if you're standing on the wrong (or, more accurately, the right) piece of floor. I love this sort of thing: settings that take an idea and follow it somewhere unexpected, rather than simply giving us another forest full of ordinary trees and ordinary monsters.

The visual possibilities are fantastic, too. I'm imagining neon colours, strange landscapes and creatures that look adorable right up until they try to eat you. There's a lovely rhythm to the action, with moments to breathe between waves of enemies, so the story doesn't become one long undifferentiated fight.

There's an obvious hook for a sequel at the end, but I didn't feel that this story was unfinished. Eldric's immediate adventure has room to stand on its own, even as the world promises more to come. That's exactly the balance I like in the opening instalment of a series.

Overall, Overworld was a thoroughly enjoyable change of pace within the LitRPG genre. It has clever mechanics, wonderfully unusual settings and, best of all, a hero whose idea of rising to a challenge is to remain calm and get organised. I'm very happy to follow Eldric into whatever comes next.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Book: The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale — for readers who enjoy a fantasy adventure with a distinctive voice, quirky worldbuilding and characters who are more interesting than a conventional hero archetype.

TV: Yonderland — for its gloriously peculiar fantasy settings, bizarre inhabitants and cheerful willingness to make the world stranger than you expected.

TV: Downton Abbey — not for the monsters or the video-game mechanics, obviously, but for the sheer satisfaction of watching a highly competent servant quietly manage a situation while everyone else is losing their heads. Eldric would fit right in. He'd probably have the inventory organised before the opening credits finished.

MUSIC PAIRING

“A Spoonful of Sugar” — Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins. Because the right attitude, a little preparation and a well-organised approach can make even an impossible task seem manageable. Eldric may have more monsters to contend with than Mary did, but the underlying philosophy holds up.

VIBE CHECK

• Colour palette: Electric pink, acid green, vivid turquoise and deep purple, with flashes of gold and the soft, muted colours of felt and wool.

• Soundtrack: An upbeat adventure score, punctuated by the suspicious rustle of fabric and the occasional noise that makes you wonder whether that cute little creature has teeth.

• Season: Spring, when everything is coming to life — including things you might have preferred to remain asleep.

• Mood: Adventurous, whimsical, quietly touching.

• Scent: Fresh wool, old books, polished wood and the faint smell of something magical burning in the distance.

• Texture: Soft felt, rough bark, smooth polished surfaces and the unsettling sensation of a puppet moving when you weren't looking.

TAROT CARD PULLED — THE KING OF PENTACLES

Eldric strikes me as a King of Pentacles: capable, grounded, resourceful and committed to making sure the people in his care are safe. He may be in a world where the rules keep changing, but his own principles remain steady. He understands that looking after someone means more than fighting off the immediate danger; it means providing stability, making sensible decisions and building trust.

And there's a lovely connection here between his professional competence and his growing relationship with his ward. Eldric's care isn't necessarily expressed through grand declarations. It's expressed through what he does, what he notices and the fact that he keeps showing up. In a world full of monsters and chaos, that kind of reliability is a superpower in its own right.

Overworld publishes on 23 March 2027. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.