Book Review: Village Manager by Andrew Karevik

Ok so I went on a bit of a 4x binge and after getting through the entirety of CivCEO in less time than I probably should have, what’s more apt than heading down another Andrew Karevik rabbit hole? Seriously for those of you who enjoy large-scale economic and political growth - he’s your guy.

I’d actually avoided these civilisation-style books for a while because I didn’t think that planning economies and politics would be anything that I would enjoy. But now that I’m on the other side, I can see what all the fuss is about, and what I’ve been missing. (And maybe what I want more of).

Andrew Karevik has a storytelling voice that’s kept me hooked for way too long, and that’s not something I can say about all writers! Now pair this with an interesting storyline, fantasy and LitRPG elements and you have the recipe for a top ten series in my books.

I know it isn’t strictly LitRPG, but it’s adjacent and that’s good enough for me.

Thrown into a world where the MC has to rely on his economic smarts and business acumen to survive, we quickly learn everything we need to know about village management, and scratching the right backs to get through in life.

A short, sharp drop into the meat of the book, a failing village, desolation and poverty, witches and goblins, what more could any avid fantasy reader ask for?

And maybe a chicken or two?

The only downside is that there isn’t a sequel to this, because I would definitely binge through this one before you could upgrade your town hall to level two. Or find a rooster to start your own chicken and egg empire to compete with the king.