LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 076 - Noobtown Book 5, Mixed Martial Cultivator, Dungeon Crawler Carl

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Noob Game Plus - Noobtown Book 5 (02:08)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3s0r98w

Mixed Martial Cultivator Series Complete Box Set (14:31)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3juuZ5W

Soundbooth Spotlight

Dungeon Crawler Carl (25:40)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/37qEtcY

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Noob Game Plus

By: Ryan Rimmel

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Series: Noobtown, Book 5

Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins

Book five in the series, and this series is only getting better. I often cite this series in conjunction with Ugland’s Guy series, whereas that series and its companion pieces remain steady, I can’t help but feel that Noobtown improves every time I get a new book. That, by the way, is not a knock on either of the Guy series which I feel are completely amazing, only that Noobtown seems to have no problem hitting new notes and is not afraid to takes risks.

For example, the intrepid mayor Jim, pretty much eschews most of his supporting cast as he ends up remorting in Flacon Crest with a completely new class and few of his old skills. Shart is still trapped in limbo and Badgerlore is leagues away. Jim is pretty much on his own and makes one hell of an escape. Things just get wilder from there. One of the best parts of the series is the reuse of running gags, particularly the fecking pumas and puma checks. The line, “Wait, there are pumas too?” literally made me do a spit take and I wasn’t drinking anything at all. Thankfully, the humor isn’t just limited to that little bit, like when Jim surfs on an unconscious bear he has to keep beaning to keep in unconscious made my ribs hurt. Rimmel makes me jealous of his ability to take a scene and make it utterly kill with just a subtle few words or actions. For instance, the assassin the keeps getting her face messed up and talks with a lisp due to broken teeth was one of the best bits I’ve read in a long time.

One of the things I feared was that with the remort there were going to be too many changes and a new direction for the series. One this book first came out, i.e. pre-audio, I talked to a guy who absolutely hated it due to all the changes. I now question whether he actually read the book at all, since the “changes” were necessary and a part of the overall story for some time. Jim always had to remort. It was inevitable. Some unexpected things is that Jim does do is to get a new new name, Oh Really, you ask? And I say, yes, really. It is a great introspection into his character, and helps show just how shattered he is from the fight with the dark overlord. Additionally, Rimmel breaks the 4th wall, aka Deadpool, no more like She-Hulk, and also takes a moment to pay some homage to his narrator. Personally, I just don’t get how you can have a narrator named John McClain and not have some character say Yippie Ki-ayy or Come out the coast and have a few laughs. When we met the orcs I thought that moment was nigh, but alas! Not.

Speaking of Johnathan McClain, can I just say his contribution to this series cannot be overemphasized or overstated. The man knows how to do a table reading, and his malicious lisping killer was wonderful. I was heartbroken when she got to a dentist “off screen”. Also, the aforementioned, “Wait, there are pumas, too!?!” line was interrobanged with perfection. McClain only elevates, and interjects even more into the humor when he reads his lines. There are damn few narrators who can do what he does.

Overall, the book was a more than pleasant surprise. It was action packed, pulsed with humor, had character growth, and served to move the story ahead in a neat little package. My final score is an easy 8.6 stars. I hated to see this book end.

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Mixed Martial Cultivator Series Complete Box Set

By: Austin Beck

Narrated by: Robert West, Erin Bateman

Length: 22 hrs and 39 mins

Here’s one I held off on for a while. Why? I figured you’d ask me that. Well, if I’m honest I will tell you that the narration done in book one was lacking, and it was so lacking that it stood out and I didn’t want to pull the equivalent of slashing a narrator’s tires, so I opted not to review. That being said, others noticed this as well, and I guess enough people mentioned it that they went back and rerecorded lines with a different narrator. It was a nice save. So let me start there.

The original narration was on a bumpy road, but after a work crew came in, they fixed the problem. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like someone made new recordings and shoved them into the appropriate spaces. It isn’t choppy or jarring when you listen, and if you hadn’t seen the original names you’d never know the difference.

The pairing works, as I don’t think that West could have pulled off non-fade to black harem scenes that are explicit. It would have come across like someone performing self-gratification, and that would be no Bueno. West and Bateman work well together. My only nit to pick is that while West does a good job telling the story there were points I just didn’t buy the whole I‘m a tough guy portrayal; his voice is genial, mayhaps even affable, but it is not intimidating. I expect MMA people to be hardcore, and he speaks more like Audy Murphy in Destry. Don’t get me wrong, Murphy is a hard core hard to kill happy to put you in the ground kind of guy, but if you see him and hear him you’d never know it, and that is fine in real life, but for audio a voice shapes your mental image of a character, and West didn’t give me the killer inside vibe that I needed. That said, its no attack on him, I just think it was more Beta than it was Alpha.

The book itself focuses more on John LeBrock’s fighting than his fffff….., um lovemaking. There is a harem here, and I must tell you that it is not fade to black and it is extremely explicit, so don’t listen to this by yourself. Just think of nuns, baseball, and sick three-legged dogs. LeBrock, a carry over homage from Weird Science perhaps?, is a badgrass mofo who can knock out teeth as well as he knocks boots.

The trilogy places more emphasis on the fighting aspects than it does the lovemaking, which kind of appropriately gets in the backseat while the MC kicks butt and doesn’t worry enough to take names. Having read some other stuff by Mr. Beck I knew going in that the story was going to be about an OP MC. He likes tough guys and monster girls, and so Beck made sure to OP LeBrock and put in plenty of monster tail. This is my biggest issue, I know what Beck likes, and would like to see him step back from having a lead be unbeatable.

Some highlights for me was the fact that LeBrock and his opponents could beat the hell out of one another, and then for all intents and purposes, go have a beer together. This is real. I have been there myself and it had such a ring of truth that it made me consider that Beck is aware that a fight is just a fight, and people can walk away and be friends afterwards.

The narration works, and there is plenty of blood spilled. The fights are fast and frantic, and the lovemaking detailed. The fact that I expected an overpowered MC tempered my expectations, and I just sat down for the ride. Kind of like being on the Log Jammer at Kennywood Park. Wet, dirty, and a tad dangerous. I didn’t come in expecting War and Peace, I came in expecting Roadhouse to meet with Playboy Afterdark, or maybe Penthouse in the afternoon. Either way, I think the book succeeded in doing what it set out to do, and earned a solid 8.3 stars.

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Dungeon Crawler Carl

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 1

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

All right, I have to say that Matt Dinniman is just twisted and perverse enough that I might start worshipping him from afar. First, he gave me Popper, and then let me slog through the guts and testicles of a giant Kaiju with him, and now he gives me Dungeon Crawler Carl. I hope that he never goes to therapy, no matter how much he needs it. Stay off your meds, Matt. Stay off your meds.

I joke, but not really. Very few writers will come up with something that I use in real life every day, and yet he gave me a phrase that allows me to swear, which I adore doing, and simultaneously make the phrase fairly innocuous. I swear a lot, and on days when I don’t my kids will ask me if I feel OK. I have now adapted, Goddammit, Donut!” into my everyday vocabulary so that even if I’m mad it seems like I’m just kidding. If it wasn’t for the blasphemy even my wife would be ok with it.

All that aside, DCC is a masterpiece. It is witty, funny, and dark at times. I can say without reservation that I never once envisioned that I would be following a series whose main hero earned the title of crazy cat lady, and is a man running around in his boxers bereft of a weapon accompanied by one of those ugly arsed cats with a smooshed in face that goes by the abbreviated name of Princess Donut. I hate those cats, but, Goddamn it Donut, I love you.

Dinniman tells the tale of a dungeon crawl that takes place after the Earth gets apocalypsed by its rightful owners in the pursuit of producing an interstellar reality show that centers on the survivors of Earth being whittled down rapidly as they struggle to survive a descending dungeon, or an inverted tower, if you will. The question isn’t will you survive, but how low can you go before being killed or making a deal. Carl, aint having none of that. He likes to tell it like it is, and could care less about consequences, while Donut thrives on public adoration, likes and shares, in ways only a show cat could.

While the book is little more than a standard Tower Climb, but upside down, it somehow is refreshing and feels unique even though its not, and that is Dinniman’s power. He takes an old idea, treats it like Gallagher does Watermelons, and whips out some crazy stuff that makes your ears spin. That’s for the audio, if you read it I reckon your eyes would spin. Dunno, I only audio.

Speaking of audio, I have to tell you, and you know its coming, Jeff Hays is my favorite narrator, and while he is always at the top of his game he somehow ups it for this book. Up until this point my favorite character Jeff has ever done has been Boxy Morningwood, of the Everybody Loves Large Chests series, but I have to say that is a singular character; Jeff tells this tale in Carl’s voice, and he is hilarious. The portrayal sounds like Patrick Warbarton, Aka Puddy from Seinfeld or Joe from Family Guy only without the deep bass of the man. He has the cadence, the patter, and the timing down to a tee, and it utterly fits this story. It is an incomparable performance, and I think one of the best in Jeff’s career.

This book is worth a second and third listen, and I find it to be one of the freshest stories I have come across in a long time, and that fact is stunning when you consider the other stuff Dinniman has written.

This book is unquestionably an 8.6 stars.

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Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the ‘Is it LIT’ segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 075 -Critical Failures IV, Tower of Ruin, Delvers LLC: Golden Handcuffs

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Critical Failures IV: The Phantom Pinas (01:03)

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3swePvk

Tower of Ruin: Volume I (14:56)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3mZuXEB

Soundbooth Spotlight

Delvers LLC: Golden Handcuffs (22:56)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3mYi3Xu

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Critical Failures IV: The Phantom Pinas

Caverns and Creatures, Book 4

By: Robert Bevan

Narrated by: Jonathan Sleep

Series: Caverns and Creatures, Book 4

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Pause

This is going to be a series review up to book four. Have reviewed other books in the series, but I’m going to talk about the over all arch and my thoughts on why I am done with this series in general.

Bevan starts of with one of my favorite concepts. Gamers sucked into their gaming world. They inhabit the bodies of their characters, but keep their minds as players. There is an evil DM who they have to outwit, and the perils of the new world that is a combo of the player’s disbelief in where they are to the machinations of the nerdy DM.

Premise and initial novel were great, and who doesn’t like an orc that craps himself everytime he turns around? Third book actually has a pretty cool vampire subplot, and the heroes figure out a way back home, before inevitably going back to where they came from with some other folks in tow.

The problem is the series went from humorous to, and God forgive me for using this phrase, utterly cringe. I don’t even know if I’m using that term correctly, but I cringed throughout most of book 4. The short jokes, the poop jokes, the gay jokes are nothing new, and there were points where it just felt super forced an completely unfunny. I actually stopped halfway through book 4 and let it sit for a long time before coming back to it in the hopes that I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but no.

What happened? What changed? First of all, the humor remained the same juvenile bunch of fart jokes without the humor. Kinda like how Stephen King does nothing but write novels around characters who pick boogers and bottles farts and adding in monsters or whatever. His stuff isn’t funny and neither is Bevan’s after the 7,000th time Horse is used.

What else? The characters all of them, literally become dumber in this book. Maybe dimension hopping adversely affects brains, but no one acts like that have a bit of sense in their heads in this book. The only interesting part was the invention of a new god. Had I read this it would have felt like I had scrubbed my eyes with sandpaper, having listened to it it felt like I cleaned out my ears with a sewing needle.

That wasn’t the fault of Jonathan Sleep, though. He is the one bright spot, and he does his best to make this book work. Too bad Bevan does nothing to help him succeed.

Honestly, I’m done with the series, and you want to know the bad part? I have all the short story audiobooks and up to book 6, because I grabbed them all waaaaay back when I first read book one and have been parsing them out. And I will never finish them, and I have had them so long I can’t even turn them in for a refund, not that I would. I bought them, and I’m stuck with them. It’s on me for being so foolish.

Up until now this series was a solid seven and a half, but this book is a 6.5. I didn’t enjoy, but you might, and I know the series has some staunch fans, so someone has to like it but I am through with uninspired and unoriginal “humor”. You want funny, get Noobtown or the Good/Bad guys series. You’ll be happier. 6.5 stars.

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Tower of Ruin: Volume I

By: Wolfe Locke

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Series: Pandemonium - Afterlife, Book 1

Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins

Pause

My biggest complaint is that this book is far too short, and I mean that in you are left wanting so much more. IN that sense, I suppose it reminds me of the Luck Stat Strategy by Blaise Corvin, as that too was a concise but impactful novel.

The book is a tower climb novel, so fans of that subgenre will rejoice and it is also one of those sort of time travel back to the start novels that seems to get paired up with tower climbing. Basically, the MC exists in a tower that resets you when you die, but you start out completely new. The MC, Daniel, gets to keep his memory and gets a cool weapon when he goes back and has a chance to make changes and a difference, the problem is the tower has overseers and they were unstoppable the first time around, so if you couldn’t stop them the first time how do you do it the second time?

The novel isn’t perfect, there is a mass of characters who are introduced but seem to be for something else down the line as they kind of just show up to show up. Fans of crunch might be in for a let down as the book isn’t packed with stats, but it still works just fine the way it is.

The book is a quick wild ride packed with action, gods, evil gods, and lots of climbing. Daniel is rather likable, even though he lacks people skills, or leadership skills, not sure how to best put it. Let’s just say he tries his damnedest. I love the concept, and as a horror fan I can appreciate everything that Daniel has to go through. It is pretty brutal, but simultaneously cool as hell.

Again, here’s another Travis Baldree book! What can I say, I love the guy. He really gets into it and does one literal hell of a job doing his voices. He is a great fit for this story, and he does one heck of a job creating auditory illustrations.

Kind of a short review, but the book is just four hours long, more of a novella really, but it is so worth the time. I’m hoping the next installment will be a lot longer. I know I’m only doing three books this week, but this is easily the best of the bunch. It's more like a short quick jab that does the job in one shot rather than a prolonged beating that gets bloody but does nothing more than get blood on the carpet. It knocks you out and moves on. There’s a lot of fun in those four hours.

Final score 8.2 stars. The writing and narraction, yes Narraction! Meld together for a fun burst of freshness. Don’t miss out on the fun, fights, and fury of the Tower of Ruin.

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Delvers LLC: Golden Handcuffs

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: Delvers LLC, Book 4

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Pause

All right. I’m going to preface this by saying that I love Blaise Corvin, and have enjoyed every book of his I have read. That being said, I sadly have to say that this is probably the weakest of any of his books. Why? Several reasons.

First, the book advances nothing. Other than the big reveal of what Dolos is afraid of and why he’s been doing what he’s been doing the book kinda treads water. There are a couple of cool fight scenes, but for the most part their severity is lessened by where they take place.

Second, This didn’t feel like a Delvers book, so much as it did a Nora Hazard novel. Now, I enjoyed Nora Hazard quite a bit, but she seemed to take up a huge chunk of the book’s focus. Henry, Jason, and company got what seemed to be equal screen time when compared to the singular character of Nora. Also, and this is what I think hurts the book, if you didn’t read the Hazard books you are going to be wondering who she is and where in the hell she came from, and why she deserves such a big chunk of the book devoted to her. Again, I appreciate Nora, but you get a short Bezi Ibi storyline, one that hopefully does more in the next novel. A is mentioned, but barely appears, and we get to see the boys spar a few times and build stuff.

Most of that I could over look if the story had some progression, but aside from Dolos getting more fleshed out and an infestation taking place that backs up his actions, it felt like a lot of fluff. The issue was that there was little danger for the MC’s, and the big fight between Nora and Maureen was mostly flash because the outcome was unsatisfactory for me.

I don’t know if it was the anticipation of waiting so long, or the hype that I built up in my head for this book, because I had huge expectations, but by the end I felt like Nora had stolen some of the boy’s and girl’s spotlight, and I am a fan of Nora’s. If I hadn’t read her books, I would have been left scratching my head. As it is I think Blaise tried really hard to integrate her without lessening her in comparison to Jason and Henry and what happened is it felt a little forced. Honestly, I don’t know if this move by Blaise is pure genius in that it will make people who skipped the Nora books go back and check them out of if it will make people who didn’t like Nora drop the series. It’s pretty dicey. All I can say is that I trust him to do the write thing, for those of you listening its W-R-I-T-E thing.

Say what you will, but Jeff Hays pours his heart in to this book and I will reiterate that this is where Jeff absolutely shines, doing a book all on his own. That said, I would have liked to have had Emily Beresford brought in to voice Nora. Still, Jeff really brings this book to life and his reading of Nora confronting Maureen (very minor spoiler) was awesome. He put a lot of vitriol in there in just the right places. This is pure Jeff, and since Jeff is the best we all win when it comes to the audio portion of the book.

Overall, the book had some character growth, some leveling up, an out of nowhere and completely unexpected, um I’ll say Romance for spoilers sake, and a mystery regarding Bezi Ibi so there were a lot of positive things. That said the book seemed to hit every point on the compass rather than having one solid direction. It actually felt like it left off where it should have started, and for me, the “holodeck” stuff took away any real impact. It was kind of like playing Injustice or Marvel vs Capcom, a buncha who would win type stuff that would change in every single play though. Batman beat Superman last round? Next round it’s the opposite! That was probably the one part of the book that I could have done without. It actually, for you comic book fans, reminded me of Marvel vs DC where fans got to vote on who would win, and that was the point any of them could have beaten their opponent given a different set of circumstances. It was fun, but ultimately meant nothing to me.

Final score 7.6 stars. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I have any of Blaise Corvin’s other novels. Hopefully, given the direction the series looks to be taking things will get back on track in the next book.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 074 - The Naughty Episode III

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Swordsman - A Pulp Harem Fantasy Adventure (01:39)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/38XgVNZ

My Girlfriends Are Pirate Elves! Book 1 (07:46)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3cP0bcL

Gryff the Griffin Rider - A Fantastic Harem, Book 1 (14:29)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2OLBVjX

Sketch (21:59)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3eTye6o

The Harem at the End of the Galaxy, Book 1-5 (32:25)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3s6fX9K

Monster Girl Galaxy, Book One (39:05)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3bXCQqm

Soundbooth Spotlight

Psychobitches: Tear It Up (48:21)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/30XTQX2

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The Swordsman

A Pulp Harem Fantasy Adventure

By: Zack Archer

Narrated by: Chris Graves

Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins

Pause

I grew up reading myths from around the world and old pulp novels that my grandfather had. There were a lot of westerns and Shadow novels and that is what made me love old time radio programs which lead to my current addiction to audiobooks. The Swordsman combines the old Beowulf legend with that pulpy feel of yesteryear. It also adds in something else, a bit of spice known as harem, and to be truthful, it aint just a bit it is a big ole helping of saucy goodness kicking you in the face.

I like it when a book announces what it is and doesn't pretend to be something else. Pulp and Harem are pretty much all over this book, and at times I felt like Robert Howard might have written this if he had gotten really drunk while he was horny. I totally don't mean that in a negative way. That is actually a compliment, as I think Howard often wanted to go a bit farther than he did when he wrote.

Anyway, this is a fun romp that covers a few different genres. We have sword and sorcery, time travel, pulp fantasy, and even a little melodrama. The story focuses on a down and out filmmaker who accidentally meets a temporally challenged Beowulf and his beautiful bevy of buxom babes bumming about which kinda goes into his need for someone to star in his reality show.

Now, are there a few issues? Sure, no book is perfect, but here I think the only issue I really had was that the characters could have used some more development. There is plenty of snark, sex, battle, magic, and even some excellent relationship development but there were points where the characters sometimes came a cross as being 2D rather than 3D. Still I think the book had good balance and pacing, and I wish I could have reviewed this on my litrpg podcast since it was so fun. Still, it has to be LITRPG to get on there. So that's my loss.

I felt that Chris Graves did an excellent job on the narration, he did accents and made me like Mossheart just by the attitude that he put on when he spoke through him. He definitely adds grit to the story and some extra impact that you don't often get from narrators nowadays. This book was actually one of my earlier introductions to harem and Chris Graves and Graves impressed me a lot. He gave me the fever for the flavor of, uh, chris graves? Either way he really pulls off snark perfectly and impresses to no end.

Give this book a listen. It was fun and worth the 6+ hours to get through. It was an excellent way to pass the time. My final score 8.3 stars. The book may not be Litrpg, but it is harem and the naughty special focuses on that!

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My Girlfriends Are Pirate Elves!

A Fantasy Light Novel

By: Eden Redd

Narrated by: Sierra Kline

Series: My Girlfriends Are Pirate Elves, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Pause

Fan Favorite Eden Redd rocks the high seas with her new tale of naughty pirate elves who arrive on a ship and sweep a humble dockmaster off his feet and into a world of saucy exploits. The book is a lighthearted romp and has a very anime feel to it, although I might just be getting that vibe from the cover art since the MC, John, in now way acts like one of those wimpy clueless men who get surrounded by hot chicks and then never take the plunge. John knows a good thing when he sees it.

Eden knows how to write, and does so in a style that makes you know she is a lady as her graphic scenes, which she has plenty of, don’t come off as raunchy or crude. The book itself is fun and easygoing, and the MC seems to just kind of go with the flow as I think most men would in his situation.

The book is like a reverse of the 1942 film the Black Swan, not the Natalie Portman garbage bag, that get meshed up with Princess bride sensibilities. Or maybe Against All Flags, Maureen O’Hara played a hardcore pirate chick in that one. Anyways. Its serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. In other words the book is just about having some oddball misadventures followed some spicy adventures after the fighting and pillaging is all done. I really liked the tone of the book and think that Redd managed to pull of a brilliant type of tale while making you think it is just another harem book. It’s not. Not by a long shot.

Sierra Kline is a siren. Her voice can call you across worlds with the promise of fun and sensuality that makes you not mind crashing on the rocks. She certainly has no issue going from humor to spicy at all, in fact, I think she helps to carry the book even though the story is well written and can stand on its own. She is a solid narrator here, and fits the story well. I could have just as easily called Kline a succubus, but she doesn’t make you fee like she sucked the life out of you.

I have to say that I enjoyed this more than I expected, I’m not overly fond of pirate stuff, but Eden Redd manages to bring the story to life in such a vibrant and bouncy way that I truly enjoyed everything she was putting out. I See that this is looking to be a healthy series, and I could go for more piratical hijinks so long as the pirates are elves and they are John’s girlfriends.

My final score 8.3 stars. This was a fun romp and it didn’t matter if it was the stuff between the sheets or the sheets used for sails. Thankfully the book didn’t jump the shark, it sailed smoothly over it and created a whole new type of nautical naughtiness that I, and you, can enjoy.

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Gryff the Griffin Rider

A Fantastic Harem, Book 1

By: Marcus Sloss

Narrated by: Daniel Wisniewski, Rebecca Woods

Series: Gryff The Griffin Rider, Book 1

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Pause

I’m going to come out and say I would have rated this book higher, but it had a bit of a wonky beginning, things snap to life as soon as the MC, Griff finds himself in his new world. Honestly, all the precursor stuff could have been dropped and then rethreaded into the story in small increments to let the back story unfold without having to get to the gamelit world. The book itself, much like All My Girlfriends are Pirate Elves, is a very much light hearted romp that will suck you in once you get there and believe me once you get there the getting’ is good.

Griff, my boy, is an Olympic athlete who sort of gets screwed out of participating, and so joins a sort of death race and erm, well you get the idea from the name of the race what happens. So he wakes up in a small fantasy styled village and discovers he’s a little more than he used to be. He’s stronger and can talk to griffins. If that isn’t enough to make a guy who just lost, or did he win the death race cause if you die in a death race do you win or lose? Not sure, anyway, if getting amped up and some top of the line talking powers he also ends up discovering that the number of babes in this new world outstrips the number of males by a very fun ratio. Plus, this is never really discussed, but I think he got another superpower, too. The ability to talk chicks into digging him, yeah baby!

Now, here is the good news for fans of naughtiness. This is a harem novel and it does have some saucily explicit S-e-x scenes in it, so this here tale ain’t one fer the kiddos. I know because I asked my ten year old if he wanted to listen and he told me it wasn’t age appropriate. (Kidding) It was my eight year old. Any how, if you have a taste for straight up no fade away sex then you won’t have an issue with this book at all.

Daniel Wisniewski and Rebecca Woods knock this out of the park. I am getting more and more impressed with a lot of the duos that do pop up for harem books. The delightful atmosphere the book carries seems to come from the interaction and interplay of these two. They do a great job and bring the story to life.

Though the book started off on some wobbly legs it really found its footing when it got to the meat and taters of the story. Gryff took off and soared in ways that I never expected, and really appreciated. So, I am giving the book 8 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it is going to make a great series.

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Sketch

By: Marco Frazetta

Narrated by: Chris Graves, Andrea Parsneau

Series: Sketch Series, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Pause

Here’s a book that is all about the narration. I’ll get to the story in minute, but this is absolute proof that great narration can elevate a book to a point that the written word couldn’t achieve, and Chris Graves and Andrea Parsnau tag team the hell out of this book. They give it a lot of life and love, and somehow Chris manages to make the MC bearable. Andrea brings every woman to life in a distinct way, you know whose speaking just from the voice, and I am going to say this as a compliment, and it is not to be taken any other way, but Andrea has a voice made for harem books. Sultry and seductive and so full of emotion. You can hear raw desire as well as confidence everytime she plays one of these ladies. Chris narrates and like I say he carries this book like Atlas with the world on his back. He somehow manages to bring some life and light into the story in a way few other narrators can or could.

No relation to the late great, Frank Frazetta, the artist of the famous Death Dealer, Marco Frazetta does am ok job. Personally, I like the concept as it feels a lot like JA Cipriano’s magic pen series, in which anything that was written by the magic pen occurred. Then again it also reminds me of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Either way, Frazetta tells the story of a man who learns that anything he draws comes to life.

So, of course, the MC gets an interview with a comic book company and suddenly learns that he has the ability to bring anything he draws to life. Natch, being a superhero fan he begins to create superheroes, and then proceeds to make it his mission to bed every character he creates. I mean, if I’m honest, I would do one of two things. I would either draw the most evil and terrible monsters that I could conceive of and unwittingly unleash them on the world or I would draw hot babes for me to have sex with. So, yeah the world would be over run by monsters, but if I was a young man I’d be doing the same thing.

The unfortunate side of things is that the MC is really kind of a chump. There are points he is unlikable, points where he does stupid stuff, claims to have learned from it, and then repeats the whole process all over again. There is no relationship building like in most harems, and that is my biggest issue. The people in the harem deserve to be treated like people and have a bond with the MC and not seem so much like a one night stand which it kinda does.

The book does have issues, but none of them come from the narration. IN fact, the narration pretty much saves the whole book. I hate to do this but my final score is 7.5 stars, as the main character is very inconsistent and barely likeable.

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The Harem at the End of the Galaxy

By: Kyle Kenze

Narrated by: Charlie Boswell

Series: The Harem at the End of the Galaxy, Book 1-5

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

End of the Galaxy has the potential to be really great, and there are strong spots in the book. I’ll be honest and say that the cover kept me from really checking the book out earlier. This is also a book in which is completely read from a male narrator, and I have a few things to say about that.

Charlie Boswell narrates the book, and I think he is a great narrator, one who can read clearly and tell an effective story, and even add humor where it belongs. The problem is he does not doe female voices well. Or rather, I should say, at all. He barely made an attempt to make any of the characters sound feminine, and that did take away from the tale for me. And I’m talking sounding like Dr. Girlfriend on Venture Brothers, but without the visual aid. I’m not saying you can’t work around it, but it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief. One the other hand, I think he does a decent job in his story telling. The issue is that this is a book that has a mountain of sex and lady parts (vocally speaking) that he has to do. So, some guys may have an issue with that.

The story is pretty much geared towards getting to the graphic sex scenes as soon and as often as possible, but it does manage to have a good plot and lots of sci-fi elements including time travel. The book is a compilation of five novellas, and centers on a military guy who gets pulled back and forth through time by the last remaining women who are looking for a way to repopulate humanity that has been wiped out by an alien virus. As a collection the stories are kinda hit and miss in quality but for the most part the overall story is decent. In fact, if you took out all the sex it would be a good sci-fi time travel novel all on its own.

The MC, Clayton, is the last dude in the galaxy who has viable junk with stuff in his trunk, in other words, he the last living male baby maker. He ends up getting pulled into the future and bounced back into the past and it becomes a story about trying to make course corrections in the past as much as it is about saving the future via making love.

The book is a short listen, and might just be up your alley. For me it was ok, and while I say that Boswell is a good narrator I think its clear he needed a partner to help him. I’m giving points on the quality of the writing, my final score is 7 stars. The simple addition of a good female narrator and I think the quality of this would increase.

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Monster Girl Galaxy, Book One

By: Austin Beck

Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland

Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins

Pause

Here’s a new one by Austin Beck, who continues to write what he knows, which is mixed-martial arts and Pro-wrestling. Added to those two things is the addition of a harem, which I think Austin fantasizes about like most men, only more intently. This is an iseakii adventure, in which the world famous wrestler gets taken to outer space and finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic gamelit styled world of Zorth.

The book has a wandering style that tells me that it is a slice of life type story rather than one with an overarching storyline, and to be honest it fits. The MC, Dalton, gets unique class and is helped along the way by his quickly building harem of monster women.

I have to be honest, I would find it difficult to be attracted to monster girls, and have never seen the appeal of fox girls, and such; although I do find women who dress up like bunnies and kitty cats for Halloween super sexy as hell so I can understand the appeal to some degree. I also know that there is a huge group of people out there who enjoy that exact genre, and I know this book will appeal to them. It isn’t the rompy bumpy humpy hump then cut style that some harem books get into so deeply, but it is rather “descriptive” to the point and does not fade to black. Not remotely, so like I say, pleasantly graphic in its tone style and pace.

Beck likes OP characters as his MC, and Dalton is a hardcore ass-kicker right out of the gate, and he only gets stronger as he goes along. I only say this because I know that some people take issue with over powered characters, I myself like to see people start out weak and grow as they go along, but I have been enjoying Superman stories since I was a kid and that dude had super abilities that appeared whenever he needed them so I can’t scrutinize a strong lead.

Christian J. Gilliland does an excellent job narrating. I have enjoyed him for a while and think he’s been steadily improving as he goes along. I know most times that male narrators get banged when doing a harem book solo but there are few men who can do rough voices and then seductive female voices. Jeff Hays, for example, can pull it off. The incredible Luke Daniels never really struck me as being able to do more than sound like a dude trying to talk like a woman. Christian does great, and I think that he more than acquitted himself doing this alone. Would I personally like to hear a lady doing the lady bits? Sure, but not every author can afford 2 narrators, and in this case Beck doesn’t need a second narrator to carry his story. Gilliland pulls this off nicely.

Final score 8.2 stars. The book does hop from point to point, but the writing has improved since MMAC and it does feed into a lot of guys fantasies. Give it a try. For those wondering, I will review Beck’s first book later. There are some things in the works that I am waiting for. Give this one a try.

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Psychobitches: Tear It Up

By: Jamie Hawke

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, Yvonne Syn, Justin Thomas James

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Pause

Here’s one that you’ll wish was longer than it is. Six hours just wasn’t enough and I’m going to tell you why. Psychobitches is like a late 80’s rated R popcorn action flick made for Cinemax. The title isn’t just about the titular girls inside the novel, but is a descriptor for what is held within. The MC and his squad of crazy B’s do indeed tear it up. It literally goes a little something like this, fight, rest, have sex, fight again, wash, rinse, and repeat. It is a frantic, frenetic, frenzied tale that doesn’t seem to have a pause button. It is unrelenting in its delivery and each action is pursued to its utmost urgency. No one slacks.

Ezra, the MC, is a sort of combo of Blondie from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Deckard from Bladerunner, The Mandolorian, and Leonard Smalls from Raising Arizona. He is tough and cool under pressure, but more importantly he’s cool when he’s under one of his Psycho B’s. The trio of girls are the result of combining several pornos with Kill Bill’s Deadly Viper Squad and Zac Snyder’s Sucker Punch fantasy girls. Erupa, Tink, Cheri, and Letha, are the members of Ezra’s crazy harem The result is cool characters getting into wild situations and then reveling in their survival.

This is not a novel that you will expect to see a lot of character growth, and if I have a complaint it is that the book is too short, but that’s something I’ve come to expect with Jamie’s books. You get a lot of bang for your buck but the fireworks don’t light up the sky for as long as you’d like. Generally, with Jamie you find that the book is over before you know it, but that is because his writing is so engaging. I often find that I finish one of his books the same day that I start it. As an Easter Egg for you all Hawke pulls in other characters from other series that he’s written, so fans of Hawkes other stuff will be pleasantly unsurprised.

Soundbooth Burlesque animates Hawkes words to such a degree that you want to listen to this alone because the visuals you get practically manifest in the air around you. SBT as a whole continues to bring their A game, and show that each performance is just a little bit better. One thing that I appreciated is that the sound effects and such were not so loud that they outplayed the great narration, it was effective and used with precision for the utmost effect. The boys, Jeff and JTJ, are like Maverick and Goose, they are the top guns so far as I’m concerned. Annie and Yvonne, are the Thelma and Louise of narrators, because they steal the show, and absolutely kill. They are believable as hot and heavy seductresses just as much as they are as manic mad maidens on a killer rampage. The resulting combo of crazy goddesses and commanding men melds into a magnificent freeway pile up with clowns, aliens, fire, and tornados. All you know is it is insane but oh so fun to be a part of.

Final score is 8.4 stars the book never pretends to be something its not, it is a pure high octane adventure that you don’t want to miss.

---------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 073 - CivCEO, Cole Blooded, The Forgotten Faithful

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-073

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

CivCEO - Accidental Champion Series, Book 1 (2:44)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3qNIgZt

Cole Blooded - Cole Blooded, Book 1 (16:31)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NnISXh

The Forgotten Faithful - UnderVerse Series, Book 2 (32:25)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3od6wmg

------------------------

CivCEO

Accidental Champion Series, Book 1

By: Andrew Karevik

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Series: Accidental Champion, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Pause

CivCeo is a rare book, insofar as it has a compelling story with minimal battle included. What the book is about is an 80 year old man accidentally gets snagged and taken to a fantasy world. He was standing beside the person who was meant to be the hero of a god. The old man, who had just retired as the head of a company after turning 80, finds himself discarded by the god in a new world. Thankfully, he now has a body in the prime of his life, and an attitude of getting things done. He’s taken in by a village to be their champion and it becomes his responsibility to grow the village, increase its prosperity, and protect it from outside forces.

That said, the book will sound dull when I tell you it has a lot of economic lessons and focuses mainly on town building. That’s it. IN fact, there are really few other things you normally get in a book, such as a love interest, or a main bad guy/antagonist. Here the opposition is a group called the tradesmen who have a strangle hold over who can buy and sell, and they decide what they pay for goods and how much they get paid. It is up to Charles Morris, the protag, to break their stranglehold.

Here's the deal, in spite of major players on the side of the opposition, in spite of the fact that Charles really doesn’t get to know a lot of people deeply, and despite the dearth of armed conflict this book really kept my attention. It shows that you don’t need in depth relationships or swordfights to tell a story. You just need to tell a story well. You get to know Charles’s attitude towards others, and the only thing I found a little less than believable was the fact that Charles wasn’t greedy or ruthless. He cared about his village, their lives, etc and everything he did was for their betterment. I don’t believe there is a CEO like that in the world. Philanthropy is good press, but it doesn’t get you a golden toilet. I do want to point out that Charles does build some relationships along the way, that I think will be explored and expounded upon later. The book holds your attention, and it is the way Charles makes deals or copes with the people around him that makes it fun.

Neil Hellegers, whom you have probably heard me rave about for the job that he does on the good guy and bad guys series has the narration reigns firmly in hand as he tells this tale. If you’ve heard Neil before then you know he is one of the best out there and that continues with this book. What I love about him the most is that he has a strong and distinctive voice that once you hear him speak you will never forget it.

Final score: 8 Stars. The book has fantastic and clean narration, and a well-told tale with a likable character. The only real drawback for me was the lack of real conflict. I don’t mean bloodshed, I mean that when Charles walks into a situation he has it well in hand before he realizes that he does. I would have liked to have seen a stumble or trip as he went along, maybe not everything working out as well as it did, then it would have been more believable. Still, there is a book 2, and I will be getting it in spite of my low funds at the moment. As tightly as I grip onto my audible credits I will spend on one the next book.

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Cole Blooded

Cole Blooded, Book 1

By: Blaise Corvin, Outspan Foster

Narrated by: Ryan Burke

Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins

Pause

It’s funny. I can remember listening to Cole Blooded prior to a service, listening to it on the car ride back, and then it was over. The book flew by, but it is also short being just over 6 hours long.

I am a big Ludus fan, and I cheer for Dolos more than I do the heroes most of the time, so I was down with checking out a book n which he decides to try out something different from the standard Dolos orbs. Here he grabs a group of people who were destined to die and saves them, powers them up, and then tells them they only have so long to get to point on the island they are on to escape. Oh, and only one of them can escape. And they are going to be burning energy and their bodies as they go so they need to eat in order to keep from burning out. Good premise, but the book felt a little wonky.

It never feels real to me when I see a movie in which a protagonist is put in a terrible position and then doesn’t do everything it takes to stay alive. The survival instinct it really powerful and should never be underestimated. As an example my wife and I just watched the series Hunters on Amazon, and there were bits where one character was forced to kill other prisoners to keep his girlfriend alive. We talked about it. The gf was shouting for him not to do it, and she probably meant it on the surface, but deep down she was relieved to still be alive because all she had to do to stop everything was to attack the nazi that was holding her. He would have put a bullet in her and ended everything right there. Cole Blooded has characters who flip from being altruistic to self serving pretty quickly. Out of all of them, Cole is the only one who actively plans to save another member of his party, but then he also has a girlfriend and a buddy to think of, too. The question then comes down to do you save a stranger, a loved one, or yourself?

The books pacing is pretty frantic, as the island collapses around the groups, and people begin killing one another. The Dolos items give everyone different abilities, but also amps up their metabolisms. So we get a range of powers that fly thick and heavy when the groups clash. The story was good, and I enjoyed the glimpse of Dolos beta testing variations of his power pills, but the story kind of lacked a tinge of believability in some spots. For example, put me on that island, and I am soloing my way through as fast as I can, hidden dangers or no. I don’t want to get chummy with the others, as I’m going to have to kill or abandon them at some point anyway. Family is different, but new girlfriends and disconnected friends are another matter entirely. Sticking together leaves you open for betrayal, backstabbing, and sadness. I would rather risk the dangers alone than have to watch my back at all times. Out of everyone, Cole is the only person who genuinely cares more about a stranger surviving than himself, and he knows this as people keep saying things like “you’re right,” but never really seem to mean it.

Ryan Burke’s narration was clean and smooth. I know him from the Tower of Power series, and the Magitech chronicles by Chris Fox, who I did an Izzit Lit segment on a while back. I also know that he’s doing a book for Tim kaiver so he’s busy for a reason, he does a great job. I enjoyed him here and I think that you will too. He’s done a lot of audio and it shows. Top notch job.

Final score 7.5 stars, the writing is good and the story fast paced but it isn’t really hard to figure out how the book ends and who the last person standing is going to be, and that takes a bit of the fun out of it. I would have liked to have seen this written from two peoples perspectives, so that you had no idea who the MC really was, and if it had a different title, like Battle Royale or Countdown to death to hide that even more. As it was I was basically just ticking off characters until we got to the end.

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The Forgotten Faithful

UnderVerse Series, Book 2

By: Jez Cajiao

Narrated by: Wayne Mitchell

Series: UnderVerse, Book 2

Length: 21 hrs and 5 mins

Pause

Wow, back so soon to this world. I really enjoyed the world that Jez created in book one, and was glad to see it grow in book two.

I will say that the fight scenes are pretty graphic and intense, so it’s written the way it should be with appropriate blood and gore. Once more I will say that I love the character of Jax and his crew.

That said, I think there were a couple of things that need addressing. First there was one or two points were the narration repeated itself, it said something and then repeated it again verbatim, so there was a recording error. Nothing major but it is there and need noticed. Otherwise, the narration by Wayne Mitchell is, for me, great. I think he can read the words on the page well and translate that into coherent and viable tones that people use when talking, in other words he adds to the story by reading it well and believably. This is the second book of his I have heard him on and he is now on my listen list.

Another issue I have is that the premise of the book is to get to a specific place and do a specific task on a limited timeline. Like, originally, it was all going to be there and back with in under a week. After that the story seemed to do everything but go in that direction. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the new race of water people and the back story on the old emperor who Jax is carrying around, but if you set a goal to get to Himmel then get to Himmel. It was very frustrating as I kept wondering when the big raid was going to take place, and just when I thought it was going to happen I saw I only had an hour left and knew that it wasn’t going to get there in this book. Don’t misconstrue what I’m saying, I liked the book, but it set goals and then seemed to try not to get there. Otherwise, the story plays out well, the characters are fun, and I listened attentively. It’s well crafted.

My final score is going to be 8 stars, so It gets a slight drop but still delivers a good story.

---------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 072 - Homebrew, Shattered Sword, Irrelevant Jack 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Homebrew- Metagamer Chronicles Book 1 (00:53)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3hZym3T

Shattered Sword (A LitRPG Adventure) Eternal Online Book 1 (12:00)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/39htuDj

Irrelevant Jack 2 (21:09)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3oxStsn

------------------------

Homebrew

Metagamer Chronicles, Book 1

By: Xavier P. Hunter

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Series: Metagamer Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

This is the kind of book that I love. One of my favorite series is Joel Rosenberg’s Guardians of the Flame series, as well as Terry Irvin, Jr’s triple M series monster, maces, and magic. Both of which center around rpg players who get sent into the world of the game they are playing. Each of them assume the role of their characters, and some live, some die, but the books are intense and I love them.

Homebrew follows this concept with a slight twist. The Game master enters the world as himself, and the others all BECOME their characters. Unlike Gary, who remembers everything and knows he is a trespasser in this new world he finds himself in, the others believe they are the characters they made up.

It’s an interesting concept that was fun, but it also led the book in a path that weakened Gary. As the GM, Gary knows exactly what is going on and who each person is as they appear and this strips him of his agency since he really can’t do squat in order to help as it could alter the plans he laid out. Thus, what could make for a killer character, the omniscient overseer he becomes a milquetoast bystander most of the time forced to slip in small hints to help his friends.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the book. This is the kind of style that I relish, and Hunter really does a great job with it. I just wish it didn’t feel like Gary was shackled for the entirety of the book. The characters have lot of depth and each situation carries a lot of weight in numerous ways.

Michael Naramore is a narrator who I haven’t heard in a while, been about 2 years, and I have missed him. He does an incredible job here. I know him from the Kevin Hardman superhero series, and he hasn’t missed a beat. This fella is a five star narrator in a 4 star world.

Over all, I really loved this book. It has a great narrator and some wonderful storytelling going on, but that lack of agency smothered me. A lot. In fact, I really docked a few points off because of it. It would have been a completely different book if he reigns had been taken off, and that was all I could think about.

7.6 stars. I highly suggest you check this book out.

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Shattered Sword (A LitRPG Adventure)

Eternal Online, Book 1

By: TJ Reynolds

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: Eternal Online, Book 1

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

Shattered sword is an interesting book in which a young girl inherits her father’s debt and in order to avoid becoming an indentured servant she joins a game in the hope of earning enough money there in order to stave off the collectors.

There are several things that struck me as odd. First, once in game she really doesn’t do a lot to earn cash, and then suddenly she has what she needs. That seems to be what should have been her driving force throughout the book. Secondly, and this was my biggest conundrum, was that when she entered the game she brought her only family heirloom, an ancient sword, with her. You could bring in real world items so long as they fit the game’s theme, and the sword did. For some reason the game considers the family’s weapon to be some superpowered OP item of mass destruction and shatters the sword (Hence the title) into several pieces that the girl has to collect.

This would make you think the series was going be about Dhalia, the MC, searching for coin that could be used IRL and collecting the pieces of the sword. And that’s really not what the book is about. The weapon issue is that Dhalia starts off with one piece of the sword and can useit, just not very safely or effectively. Then she sort of stumbles into a couple of pieces, but not because she is actively looking.

As harsh as I make this sound I loved the book. Dhalia was interesting, the world was vibrant, and the emotions were genuine. You have a 16 year old trying not to become a slave, finds herself in a hostile land without the one weapon she was counting on having and she isn’t a Mary Sue who can defeat all comers. She’s scared, she’s shy. She struggles. This is what makes the book.

Andrea Parsenau narrates and does an incredible job as usual, but I have to say there is one character who has what I’m assuming to be a Spanish accent. That didn’t seem to fit her as well as he other voices. She didn’t do bad, but it was sort of like me trying to believe that Al Pacino was Columbian in Scarface, great performance, but an odd accent. Sorry, Ang, but I gotta call ‘em like I hear ‘em. The rest of her performance is spot on though, and she really brings this book to life.

Final score, 8.2 stars. Between TJ’s writing and Andrea’s narration this was a great book. I really look forward to book 2!

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Irrelevant Jack 2

By: Prax Venter

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Andrea Parsneau, Prax Venter

Series: Irrelevant Jack, Book 2

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Venter returns to the corruption and the Tower, does that sound like a Stephen King book? He pretty much picks up right where we left off in the first book. This time around we continue to follow Jack and his companions Art and Lex.

The book follows a fairly simple pattern of tower climbing and town development, so you might view it as being a bit repetative, but its not so bad. Its just a pattern or a rhythm that actually fits the book.

Jack does get a new party member to hang with in the tower, and that is the crux of the book. As Jack struggles to fight back the corruption he climbs the tower and rebuilds the town. Fans of either sub-genre will really enjoy this book.

The only downside that I could find was the lack of character growth in spite of jack’s progression in leveling. Honestly, the book was fun enough that I could overlook stuff like that and the sort of wash, rinse, repeat parts of the story. I think that my favorite part was the growth of the burgeoning romance between Jack and Lex. Venter is known for his saucier writings, and here it was nice to see him stretch those love muscles in other directions.

It is in the narration that one really gets to appreciate the story. SBT continues their level of excellence, with the ever amazing Justin Thomas James absolutely smashing his way through the tale. James’s voice has a gravity and a sincerity lends a real air of authenticity to Jack’s personae. You can feel his emotions towards Lex. Plus, his voice is like music to your earholes. Jeff Hays bats clean up and continues to play background support without attempting to outshadow his main narrator. Andrea Parsenau also lends her melodious voice to the character of Lex and she plays well off of JTJ. I wouldn’t complain if she had more air time, Andrea is just plain awesome. And Prax himself makes an appearance. Its nice to finally hear what he sounds like.

Overall the book has maintained its quality and pushes the plotline ahead nicely. I look forward to book 3. Final score 8 stars.

---------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 071 - The Wandering Inn Volume 2, The One-Armed Warlock: Book One, Battleborne

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Battleborne (01:35)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3rPp4fk

The Wandering Inn Volume 2 (09:36)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KPcNHe

The One-Armed Warlock: Book One (22:27)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2X9H0mN

------------------------

Battleborne

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Daniel Wisniewski, Jessica Threet

Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins

Release date: 09-19-20

I have been a Willmarth fan since the Graystone Guild first came about. I am sorry to see that series and, and the Undying land series go the way of the dinosaur, but Shadow Sun has been a rocking my world until battle born came along, and now my world is rocking so hard I can barely stand.

The book is about a soldier whose squad is blown to pieces as they try to avoid getting killed in horrible ways. The leader of the squad is offered a second chance at life in a new world as what is known as a Battle Born. Those are worthy warriors who are given a second chance at a new life in a fantasy world. The MC, Max, opts to become a Chimera character, which means he is a blend of several races including monsters ones. He gets some Valkyries who wanna smash him so hard that they hook him up with some cool things before he even steps forth into the new world. From there, things look up for our former merc/soldier. He hooks up with some dwarves and befriends some goblins, and gets on a kill list by some orcs.

The book is a basic progression of Max going from a noob to a badgrass mofo. One thing I will say. Willmarth has a certain style that sucks you in and in the end leaves you wanting more, so if you have enjoyed any of his earlier works you will love this. For me, Shadow Sun is still my favorite, but this is a very close second.

The vocal stylings of Daniel Wisniewski and Jessica Threet are absolutely phenomenal. Daniel does some vocals that are riffs that are stunning, and Threet absolutely does a smashing job as the female half of the duo. You can feel their joy, grief, and anger (not their emotional range limitations by any means) firmly. I enjoyed them as much as Willmarth’s writing.

The work is fun, exciting, and full o fighting. 8.5 stars easily some of his best stuff to date, and with a bone crushing tag team of narrators this book is a beast!

-------------------------

The Wandering Inn, Volume 2

By: pirate aba

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 61 hrs and 4 mins

This book is basically 18 hours longer than book one. You don’t know how impressive and yet scary that is, because once you start in you won’t want to stop. There were a few things that sort of took me out of my immersion, and I’m going to talk about that first.

There is a part of the book that seems to come out just so the author can espouse their political views on events as they were happening. Basically part of it was about the muslim ban that Trump instituted. Now, I have no problem with authors whose political views align or don’t align with my own viewpoints. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and belief system, but when I listen to a book, particularly a fantasy book I do so to escape the mundane everyday things like politics. I don’t even care that you do it, IF you cover it up, like the Star trek episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”, where two people hate each other, even though they are both black and white, split vertically down their center. The issue is that one is white on the right side and the other if white on the left. Subtle, since you never see them on screen together until the final shots. So, you can do commentary, you just have to disguise it.

So, I still hate the runner, Rioka. And if you didn’t like Erin the first time around you won’t like her, as neither has changed all that much. I would have expected some character growth, but, no. Not so much. Erin is still ditzy and Rioka is still arrogant. My biggest issue is that unlike book one there really isn’t any major story that would require the book to be so long. It could have been trimmed down and broken into more chewable parts. That’s the bad. If you liked book one, and don’t mind the infusion of real world issues into your tales then you will adore book two. Personally, it had a lot going for it, but even I got winded towards the end. I didn’t take a break, but I listened to a few hours a day. I couldn’t do a nonstop run through like I did for book one.

Other than that Andrea Parsnau proves that no only is she highly talented, but that she is also a work horse. 61 hours is nothing to sneeze at, and one would think that the publisher would break it up into smaller chunks. I has to cost them bank to record that many hours. I mean, if Andrea is getting paid $250 per finished hour and she does 61 hours that’s like a half a million dollars or something. Bookoo dollars. She’s making it rain Benjamins.

I digress. Andrea is quite masterful, and as I often say, she always brings up something new to surprise you with. Here, it was, for me, her frost fairies were my auditory treat, I just loved them as she portrayed these chilling fey creatures. I just always manage to find something Andrea has done to up her game in every book that she narrates, its like an audible easter egg. Kind of like ordering a hamburger and then getting a steak. . . and a hamburger! She is top tier and deserves Finalan award for carrying this series.

Final thoughts. Book two shows Pirate aba maturing as an author, and is it one compelling tale. But, some things were repetitious, the time line of things happening seemed waaay out of whack, and the lack of growth for the characters was disappointing. I was hoping they’d grow up a little, and Erin needs to reevaluate her treatment of her skelly buddy.

Over All, I have to score this as an 8 star book. For me, this book kind of coasted. It didn’t have an over all arching plotline to necessitate 60 + hours, and several internal issues stalled the massive momentum this book had carry over from book one. I get that this seems to be a sort of roughly outlines ongoing tale on Royal Road, but it could have been kept to a respectable 40 hours and worked just the same. For me it was more abut the narration than it was the writing, and that says something powerful about Andrea and Pirate Aba. Hopefully, book 3 will be a return to form.

-------------------------

The One-Armed Warlock: Book One

By: Durl White

Narrated by: BJ Whimpey

Series: The One-Armed Warlock, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

This book was suggested to me, and to be frank I would have picked it up even if it hadn’t since the whole premise sounded crazy. I mean it features an antihero and is full of gore and demons and such. This was right up my alley.

The Good:

We start off with the apocalypse already in effect. People are pretty much in their last days as more and more nightmarish things start showing up.

The Bad:

The game system isn’t really exciting or different, and the MC is fairly flexible in his viewpoint. Honestly, I thought there was going to be bigger deal about his one arm, but it didn’t really seem to be any kind of a hindrance to him.

The Fugly:

I absolutely loved the baby companion. Not lot of writers would be baller enough to write something like that. Also, the MC has a moral flexability in which he starts off as a caring individual but quickly turns into a blood thirsty menace. I really attribute this to the fact that he is the thrall of a demon, and that his mind is being subtly controlled, even if he never realizes this.

Overall, for me the humor was weaker than I’d have preferred, but then I am spoiled by Rimmel and Ugland and my bar is set high. Honestly, Whimpey might be to blame for that. Humor is all about timing, patter, and inflection and I’m not sure he pulled it off as well as someone else might have. Its hard to say but he is a newer narrator, and he may not have found his groove just yet.

My overall score is 7 stars. The story has some good parts, and Lord knows I love an anti-hero MC, but the pacing was slower than I’d have preferred, and the biggest issue is the complete lack of agency the MC has. He is a mind-bound minion who has to do whatever he’s told, and when he is told to do something he never really complains or questions unless the commandments are going to get him killed. I would have preferred Benjamin Dark to have been a complainer and smart mouth to his evil overlord. Mini revolts until he figured out how to get his freedom. I’m considering getting book 2, but I need to think on it some more. This isn’t a bad book, but my socks stayed firmly where they were as I read it.

---------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 070 - Altered Realms, Bad Guys Books 1-4, The Good Guys Books 5-9

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Altered Realms - A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Ascension, Book 1) (20:29)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3pn91mI

Bad Guys Book 1-4 (32:06)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WRg3UB

The Good Guys Series Books 5-9 (46:13)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Kx1V0x

-------------------------

Altered Realms

A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure (Ascension, Book 1)

By: B.F. Rockriver

Narrated by: Maximillian Breed

Series: Altered Realms, Book 1

Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins

BF is my new BF because he penned one hell of a tale. It is about an NPC who rather unhappily becomes a player. You often wonder how NPC’s would feel if they learned that they were just background people and that their world was literally made for the players, or at least I ponder that. Well, Rockriver answers that question. They wouldn’t be happy about it. I mean imagine you make donuts. Nothing wrong with that, and suddenly you have to go fight dragons, pick a new race, and you’ll never see a donut again. That would be pretty terrifying. And that is what happens to poor Eli. He is forced to become a player and struggles with that reality for most of the book.

Eli gets into it fairly often, and discovers a blight that is destroying his world, so naturally he has to do something and does everything in his power to stop it. And I mean that. The fights are unrelenting and run the gamut of standard fights to mental challenges. The world building aspects were smashing, and it had a vibe of genuiness that I could easily visualize the places Eli traveled and even heard about. The book has an irony in so far that Eli, who doesn’t like the Wolf-kin people, literally becomes a hybrid wolf-kin for his race. See, this is how messages and social commentary are supposed to be done.

The one issue I have with this novel is the narration.

RAMON: PLEASE DO THE AUDIO CLIP HERE

To be fair I have to shave off some points because of it. I have, on occasion, wondered if English was a first language for some narrators. In Breed’s case I sincerely have to ask if he has hearing issues, because he consistently mispronounces words that are fairly easy to say. UNSURE sounds like ONSHORE, for example, and its like that all through the book. Plus, he’s one of those narrators who sounds like he reads every single sentence separate from the ones following or preceding the one he is currently speaking. I found it to be distracting. I loved the book, but Breed really gave me fits in spots. Fits I should not have been having.

The story is great. It holds your interest and can convey a few messages along the way, PTSD is even touched upon; which is bloody brilliant, I mean Eli is basically glitched into being a fighter, and he was not mentally prepared for that. It fit the story well. Don’t miss out on this book, it is fun and meaningful.

Final score 7.9 stars. I had to slice off points just for Breeds inability to say simple words. Other wise, I do recommend the book. Rockriver kills it for his first time out, and I can’t wait for book 2.

------------------------

Bad Guys, Book 1-4

Scamps & Scoundrels

Second Story Man

Skull and Thrones

War of the Posers

By: Eric Ugland

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: Roughly 40 ½ hours

Release date: 01-02-20

Eric Ugland writes one of my favorite series, the good guys, and I actually was afraid to step into his secondary series based in the same world, the Bad Guys. You be honest, I had been told that it wasn’t as good and that I would be disappointed and so I stayed away. But my curiosity got to me. I didn’t hear a lot about the bad guys much at all after that initial bit of gossip. After a while I decided to give the series a go. What could it hurt, I figured.

The answer was nothing. I loved it. It gave me an alternate perspective on the world uglan had created and it made me ask more questions. Is Balimeer really evil or is he misunderstood? Is Montana doing the right thing? That sort of stuff.

Now before I go and say how I felt about the series I need to disclose something. I listened to the whole and complete run in one go after I finished the first book. So, I clearly enjoyed it. It does come with some baggage though.

First off, there are a lot of similarities between the MC’s of both series. They both speak and act in a practically identical manner. I mean, I know a lotta folks, but the phrase You do You has never come out of any of their mouths, and yet both Clyde and Montana use the phrase. Both act like complete idiots most of the time, although I think Clyde is a little less of a dope most of the time, he should be smarter acting than he is. Both have the gift of gab, which allows them to gain a new language after hearing three words of it spoken. And so on, so if you don’t mind a book that basically mirrors another series this is actually great for you. If not, I can see where some of the issues originated from when Book one was first released.

Like I said, I really had fun with the series. It is funny and fast paced even when people are sitting down to talk to one another. The only real umbrage I had with the entire series was when Clyde ended up getting a quest to build a guild, and then everyone he wanted to join gave him a request, re-quest? That they needed him to complete before hooking up. It reminded me of the old Loony tunes Henry Hawk toon in which the hawk had to get a fish for a cat, and cheese for a mouse, and so on until the dog knocks the rooster out with a bone that the hawk had given him. It was unnecessarily convoluted, but I still enjoyed it.

Helligers really nails every one liner and plays the smart ass perfectly and so he propels good bits that would have been humerous on the page into snicker, snort, and even guffaw material. He’s one of my star narrators, but I do have to wonder if a different narrator wouldn’t have been more useful in setting the series apart from the Good Guys. I am glad that there wasn’t helligers just kills ugland’s material. They have a great relationship from words on the page into words spoken.

I am going to say that I love this series, but I am going to just give it an 8.1 star. I wish Clyde wasn’t so quick to mouth off and annoy people in power exactly like Montana Cogshall, and a few other things that are like a Ven Diagram laid out over the two series. Otherwise my score would have been much higher.

-------------------------

The Good Guys Series, Books 5-9

Dukes and Ladders

Home, Siege Home

The Bare Hunt

Eastbound and Town

Four Beheadings and a Funeral

By: Eric Ugland

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: roughly 44 hours

Release date: 09-10-19

OK, so this is kind of a cheat. I mean I did this with Uglands bad guy series, and the way a look at this is these are all just one really long book. Each one flows right into the other and takes off running like a cat with its tail on fire. Plus, Ugland releases a ton a books a year, and it isn’t fair for me to just jam him in there every couple of episodes of the podcast, so this way I can tell you about the series without shorting any other others or series, so if you don’t like it suck it! Ha!

Any way, I’m going to talk Neil helligers first. I think he is prime example of a narrator who “gets” his author. I mean he has the patter and cadence for ugland’s jokes down to a science and while Neil is good in other series he shines like a supernova here. It is a perfect symbiosis that is rare in audiobooks. I often point out that some narrators own their characters, but Neil owns this series.

Books 5-9 simpy follow our good guy, Montana Cogshall, as he does everything he can to improve his holding as enemies creep in. Some are external, such as from other countries, and some are internal, but he faces them all with the same dopey optimism that we love to see him pull off. For me, the only real hiccup in the series was Bare Hunt; which was a bit of a slow point for me. The ending made up for the meh pacing, though. As it stands Cogshall continues to improve himself, gain allies and enemies as he builds his burgeoning forest home into what looks to be a new capital city for the empire. Or maybe just a really nice home for himself if the things in Bad guys should come to pass.

Over all the series is a steady 8.4 event. It keeps me laughing and interested and those two things are key. Personally, I think the 2 funniest authors in the genre right now are ugland and Ryan Rimmel. So if some funny business is what you are looking for I suggest you turn to them.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 069 - Noobtown Book 4, UnderVerse, Hero of Thera 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Dungeons and Noobs - Noobtown, Book 4 (01:24)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LPJwMq

A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Series, Book 1) (07:45)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3axrLvK

A Thousand Drunken Monkeys: Book 2 in the Hero of Thera Series (14:07)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3h9oHqR

-------------------------

Dungeons and Noobs - Noobtown Book 4

By: Ryan Rimmel

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Series: Noobtown, Book 4

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

If you have enjoyed the Noobtown series thus far then you will love book four. It is a total blast with revelations and resolutions finally occurring, and while some doors are definitely closed one or two really big doors open. I mean really big doors, like those of the Castle Church in Wittenberg , Germany where martin Luthor nailed his paper that held his 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation. Lil history there for ya.

BTW, the doors really aren’t that big. Even more history for you. Would you be intrigued if I said that you might finally get to see what happened to Charles? That Badgelor is basically Santa claus? That there might be a demon door involved and may Jim goes through it? Well all that and more might be revealed!

Honestly, it was a fun ride and I wish that Rimmel cranked out books like Ugland, because those to guys are fekking funny, and I appreciate great humor in my novels. Truly, though, there is some grief and struggles that Jim must endure. There might even be a bit of betrayals going on, yes, with a plural s at the end.

Over all it seems like the series may be getting a refresh in the next book, as we finally get to see the big bad come to town and Jim is determined to meet the man head on. Badgelore is in the groove as well, and any of the team that made it out of the dungeon will be down to help. Am I saying not everyone makes it? No that would be spoilers, but the people who make it out would certainly be motivated to stop the inevitable doom that is coming.

McClain is in sync with Rimmel in much the same way that Helligers is with Ugland. He does one hell of a portrayal of not only the various characters, but the world around them as well. He has perfect timing. And the bit about a lotta things being pumas made me crack up from just the way he said it, and from now on, I’m not going to use the word plethora. I’m using puma instead. Score one for the noobs!

Final score 8.3 stars! Good things are here, but better are coming!

--------------------------

Brightblade

A LitRPG Adventure (UnderVerse Series, Book 1)

By: Jez Cajiao

Narrated by: Wayne Mitchell

Series: UnderVerse, Book 1

Length: 20 hrs and 4 mins

Holy Moley. Where do I start with this?? This book felt massive. I mean there is a ton of world building and character set up that brings a depth that you don’t often get in Litrpg just because of the way that you have to get into the game and then start trying to level up.

Don’t get me wrong. I have some hard and fast rules that I live by, and one of those rules is getting into the game ASAP! Brightblade doesn’t do that. In fact, it takes its sweet time getting there, but in this case I can say that it is legit world building as it does so. We don’t get corporations or programmers in the background, instead we meet Jax, a gruff but well meaning guy whose life is sort of passing him by as he coasts along. Jax has an attitude and terrible dreams in which he kills and is killed every so often. Back thing is, he wakes up with actual wounds from his dreams. Turns out he is a rare individual who can cross over into another world, and in doing so he can maybe reopen the portal for all the refugees of a cataclysm in the magic realm allowing them to go home.

Jax is an intricate and interesting character who is quick tempered and anti-authority. He then is placed into a position to help the very people he hates, and he eats a crap sandwich so he can potentially find his missing brother. When Jax finally makes his way to the magic realm he ends up doing a tower crawl. The book itself is like a punch in the face, or a sucker punch, because it never lets up, much like Jax. The world is so rich and vivid that I could literally see a real RPG based on it working incredibly well. The violence is fairly graphic, as it should be, sword cuts aren’t boo boos after all, Jax swears a little less than me, and the sexual situations are a little low, but enough that I wouldn’t let my kids listen.

The narration by Mitchell is great, and I mean that. His take on Jax’s gruff in yer face attitude was brilliant, and if I had to pick a flaw in any voice that he chose it would be that of the spore mother, because she just sounded like a crazy person, and not an ancient lurker in the darkness. Either way I have to say my respect-o-meter nearly broke as I listened because he crushed it with the voices, and even dished out a Sean Connery homage that made me miss the man terribly.

Final Score 8.2 stars. Why? I do have rules and one of those rules is getting into the game in a timely manner, and while I can overlook some aspects of that some readers might not. Otherwise this was an incredible book. I cannot wait for book 2, seriously 20 hours just flew by.

-------------------------

A Thousand Drunken Monkeys: Book 2 in the Hero of Thera Series

By: Eric Nylund

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: Hero of Thera Series, Book 2

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Nyland returns to his Hero series with this second installment, and in many ways he continues to weave a powerful tale. The book is action packed and often feels like an old-time kung-fu flick come to life, or an infusion of Jet Li’s and Jackie Chan’s style of films. To say the pacing is frenetic would be an understatement. The Litrpg portion offers numerous options for Hecktor to take, be it a new skill or branch to follow. His partners also seem to diverge from the standard as we have a druid who is also a thief, or is it a thief with a green thumb. Hard to tell but its not something you see every day.

The only drawback that I perceived was the slow pace that the characters themselves are progressing. If this were any other style of book, or a different genre then it wouldn’t be noticeable, but the level cap for the game is something like 100, and at the end of book 2 the MC hasn’t even hit level 10 if I recall correctly. Either way, the quest, the main quest, sees very little progress made. I mean it is barely scratched upon. So while the story is captivating, it also seems to go nowhere fast.

Great writing is only enhanced by amazing narration and we have a book featuring a solo Jeff Hays. Hays is amazing in an ensemble, to be sure, and he makes a great partner when he brings in someone to do the ladies voices, but it truly when he is on his own that he absolutely shines. He practically goes super nova here. Hays has fun in a lot of spots, and you can tell that he digs the material, but he is also able to go super serious in the span of seconds. As much as I love the other SBT members, Hays is a superstar who seems to pop in for supporting roles far too often and it was nice to have him handling everything. It gives the book a distinctiveness that it deserves in a catalogue of incredible series,

Final score, 7.9 stars. Nyland has a great gift for writing intense action scenes, creating interesting characters, and holding your interest in the most mundane situations, but for as good as this book is I think it falls into the trap of “this is an open ended series” and absolutely minimal progress is made in key areas. Primarily the main questline. We don’t even get to getting to it until the near end of the book, and then its barely touched. Revelations aren’t quite so shocking if you can anticipate things at all, and so this becomes just another slice of life book. That’s fine, but I need some forward motion so that I am not wasting time on a series that progresses slowly compared to one that actually moves the story along. So, as good as it was it did lose some points for just that reason.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 068 - Afterlife Online 4, Completionist Chronicles 5, Adventurer Academy

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Deadline - Afterlife Online Book 4 (00:27)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2U8DR52

Ruthless - The Completionist Chronicles, Book 5 (09:36)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/36ke7Iv

Soundbooth Spotlight

Adventurer Academy - Greyblood Book 1 (21:01)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ImhHKc

-------------------------

Deadline

Afterlife Online, Book 4

By: Domino Finn

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James

Series: Afterlife Online, Book 4

Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins

Pause

When I first listened to Book one of the Afterlife series I said that the writing was so good that I could have literally listened to the MC hunting simple rabbits and been happy if the whole book had just been about grinding out XP, and I meant that. Thank fully, the book was good enough that that wasn’t the case and it rapidly evolved into something grand and spectacular along the way. You would worry that after 4 books the writing would have gotten weaker. That could not be further from the truth.

Book four may or may not be the end of the series. Ostensibly it is, and if so I can live with that because I firmly believe that all stories need an ending, but I will still be sad. To that end, if you are jonesing for more from Finn dig his Urban Fantasy Black Magic Outlaw novels they are absolutely incredible. That said, book four doesn’t let the reader off easy. The book is action packed, and emotionally fueled. Unfortunately, that fuel just might be your tears if you are too attached to some characters. I like the idea of Talon and Tad working together to help save the game world.

The book is fast paced and I literally struggle to find places that I could stop to have some family time. The book also is packed with copious amounts of humor, too. Like I said I almost crashed my car laughing as some of the antics in an earlier book.

A lot of that laughter comes from the suave and yet silly stylings of Justin Thomas James. The man is a master craftsman whose voice is like whisky. This storyline has his fingerprints all over it, because there is no one else who could have told this story better.

I will miss this tale, and can happily say that Finn clears up all plotlines and storylines so that nothing is left unanswered. That is always a bonus. Final score 8.4 stars

Hell of a way to end a series. Kuddos.

-------------------------

Ruthless

The Completionist Chronicles, Book 5

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Series: The Completionist Chronicles, Book 5

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

Ruthless may just be my moistest favorites took in the Completionist saga so far. I have loved the series up till now, and really liked the spin-off Bibliomancer and so was happy to see Joe go toe to toe with his full head of hair wolfman rival a few times. Also, the change over from the narrator is a hoop that I’ve gotten over and firmly believe that Luke is doing a fine job now.

This time around the story isn’t a play on the words of the title, Ruthless does have a meaning, but its not about an NPC or even PC named Ruth who goes missing at the end. Krout has pulled some slick ones, such as Regicide but not this time around.

The story is dialogue heavy, which is a good thing since Dakota definitely knows how to have people chat, and it really worked for me. There was only one time that there was a pun that made me groan, and felt kinda like a stretch and that was the “Like a good neighbor” Insurance bit. That needed some serious polish. Otherwise, the book is about Joe dealing with some debuffs of his own, getting blueprints, and stopping a horde of hungry newly minted PC’s who want to take over Joe’s new town. I think my favorite tertiary character is the ritualist who wants to use their powers to become an evil overlord and has no problem telling everyone what her intentions are. That’s the thing with Krout. Third tier characters have a vibrancy all of their own.

As I said earlier, Daniels has smoothly moved into his slot as the series narrator and I got into his groove right off the bat. He does a great job, and handles Dakota’s humor pretty well.

Final score 8.4 stars.

-------------------------

Adventurer Academy

Greyblood, Book 1

By: Daniel Prince

Narrated by: Gary Furlong, Jeff Hays, Aurelia Vazquez, Will M. Watt

Series: Greyblood, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

Double A is one of those books that gives us a nice guy protagonist who has a questionable heritage that could be a big problem is he is discovered for what he is. He also wants to become an adventurer and sneaks off every night against his mother’s wishes to do whatever he can to build up his experience. Which is the one real issue I had with the novel that I wasn’t clear on.

The way the experience points worked was that they only register AFTER you have a class, and the only way to get a class is to go into a dungeon and clear monsters and get a scroll that will grant you your class. I wasn’t clear on how the scroll system worked because it seemed to be a completely random drop, and you had a take it or leave it option no matter what you found. The MC gets a really rare class in a manner that few other people do, and it seemed to be one that he really wanted so he gets lucky.

Aside from the whole class thing the book is pretty seamless, and has a nice flow to it; even if it does sort of have lot of similarities to harry Potter, what with the MC being Harry, the necromancer girl being Hermione, and the dwarf that’s afraid to go underground as a stand in for Ron. Turns out, the MC even has a Voldemort horcrux in his soul that he has to deal with. Only difference here is that Hermione and Harry kind of like each other. It does touch on issues like acceptance, bullying, perseverance, and hope.

Overall the book is fun and keeps your attention. Prince does a good job with the academy teachers, each has a distinct personality and easily defined mannerisms. The MC’s trials and tribulations are worth the time, and you will be rooting for the greyblood, Lugar as he comes into his role as a champion.

SBT does a great job here, and I will repeat myself, I can’t wait to see Aurelia Vazquez get a book of her own, she was great as the necromancer. The rest of the team absolutely rock this novel, and its funny I listened to the Dresden file Battlegrounds, a big budget player still had mistakes as one scene literally repeated itself, and its nice to see SBT putting out high quality audio. Solid and yet fun work by the SBT team.

Final score 8.1 stars

--------------------------

Check out Ray Johnson’s new book The Nightmare Game, out Nov. 3rd, 2020.

https://amzn.to/3mJCy8U

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 067 - The Dungeon Fairy, Grim Beginnings, Realm Walker: Blade and Shield

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Dungeon Fairy: A Dungeon Core Escapade

The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Series, Book 1 (02:44)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3mAMLoe

Grim Beginnings (09:48)

The Ashen Plane, A LitRPG Series, Book 1

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2JhJ8VJ

Realm Walker: Blade and Shield, Book One

A Monster Girl Harem Fantasy Adventure (18:04)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35XFNmi

-------------------------

The Dungeon Fairy: A Dungeon Core Escapade

The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Series, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Pause

This is probably the best book Brooks has done thus far. I mean that it is original and fun and is Brooks at his writiest best. The story, without giving away too much, is about a dungeon helper who ends up running a dungeon on her own. The dungeon fairy is quite likable, and her struggle to convert from being a helper to actually operating a dungeon on her own. The fairy starts off under the auspices of being unlucky and proceeds to prove the beliefs correct by inadvertently playing Doctor Kevorkian to a number of dungeons before getting a dungeon of her own.

The fairy is tossed in over her head and left on her own and suddenly finds that her powers as a helper did not go away when she takes over her dungeon, but there are struggles that occur that cause her to have to figure out how to balance the experience requirements that both roles have.

Miles does his consistent best, which is as always amazing, narration. It is not often that I will say that a man can portray a female lead very well, but Miles knocks this out of the park. Miles is one of my absolute favorite narrators.

The book is original, well-paced, and keeps your attention and is a great new concept for the dungeon genre. 8.3 stars

---------------------------

Grim Beginnings

The Ashen Plane, A LitRPG Series, Book 1

By: Maxwell Farmer

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The Ashen Plane, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Pause

Ok, gonna start off by talking about Armen Taylor. The man is a narrating beast, and he does some of my favorite voices, like Erat from Chris Carney’s series, and Cutter from James Hunter’s stuff. He always seems to elevate whatever he’s working on, and he does that here.

Grim Beginnings, ironically, has a bit of a rough start that is just something that you have to push through. Not horrible by any stretch, but somehow wonky or more like a stretch. The book does improve as it goes on, but I have to say that it was an easier pill for me to swallow since Taylor narrated. That’s what he does, takes stories and makes them better.

Farmer’s work isn’t bad by any stretch, and it clearly improves as you go along. One thing I liked is how the MC is played like an average person. By that I mean that he isn’t all knowing or all powerful, and does things that I would do if I were in his place. For example, there is a magic system in place, but the MC sort of overlooks that he has magical possibilities. That would be me. I would strong arm my way through most stuff.

The book itself isn’t revelatory or bringing some out of the blue concept to the genre, but I enjoyed it, not everything can be original or go nuclear; sometimes it is fun to just enjoy the story and the setting for what it is and I did. I do want to see how this turns out, and there is a second book coming soon. I will want to check that out. Like I said, it is fun and after the initial start up it paces itself well.

Worth a look, so check it out. 7.6 stars

--------------------------

Realm Walker: Blade and Shield, Book One

A Monster Girl Harem Fantasy Adventure

By: Erik Weir

Narrated by: Jane Tate

Series: Realm Walker, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Pause

Here’s a book that I need to extend an apology for. I got this a while ago and thought I had posted it, but just saw it was in my folder of reviews, and had to check that I hadn’t done the review that I thought I had. So, Erik, I apologize.

So first, let me say that if you are looking for some spicy erotic stuff then look no further. There are sex scenes aplenty and they go from mild to spicy to Holy Sh**! The premise is sort of fun and weird, a dead goddess is looking to get resurrected and needs lots of sex to return. I tried that line on my wife, but no dice. She, the dead goddess not my wife, picks Victor Hobbs, aka “the Blade”, to be her champion; which means he has a whole lot of thrusting to do. Along the way he picks up a nice little harem and has a nice little adventure in between sharing his all beef patty with his gals.

The story sort of bounces back and forth between different types of thrusting and grinding, and the nice thing is that the MC isn’t all powerful as he has moments where his gals pull his rear out of the fire.

Just a couple of things to note. The first is comment my wife made to me, Vic refers to himself as the Blade a lot. A lot. She noted that it could become a drinking game. I didn’t think it was that much but as someone who only heard things sporadically it must have stood out. Secondly, a lot of the secondary characters, even those in the harem, don’t feel as fleshed out, no pun intended, as they could have been. Otherwise, if you are looking for a book that practically smolders in your hands check this out.

The narration by Jane Tate didn’t take my breath away, but she can certainly read a sex scene with flair. She did the Lewd Kingdom by Eden Redd books, so if you liked her there you will love her here. I may need to listen to her a few more times to really get a feel for her.

Final score, a decent book that has a lot of sizzle and hardly any fizzle. Final score 7.8 stars.

--------------------------

Check out Ray Johnson’s new book The Nightmare Game, out Nov. 3rd, 2020.

https://amzn.to/3mJCy8U

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 066 - Koala Online, Pickle Pie, Hunters Dream Online, Viridian Gate Online 7

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Koala Online (01:39)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3lAEEIA

Pickle Pie - A Cyberpink Story (06:31)

Score: 4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2EKMj6z

Hunters Dream Online: Ascension (15:48)

Hunters Dream Online, Book 1

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/32FZNsj

Viridian Gate Online: Darkling Siege (22:14)

The Viridian Gate Archives Book 7

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3jnNZBE

-------------------------

Koala Online

By: Max Geek, Marcus Sloss

Narrated by: Zane VanWicklyn

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

This is one I finished a while back and just kept pushing to the back burner for various reasons. It’s exactly the kind of book I like. It’s light, punchy, and has some slick references snuck in for observant readers/listeners. It has a nice short run time of under six hours, and that is a bonus, since I think the story works best in the short format. Going longer and adding more would have weakened it, so keeping it short was the smart move.

The story is fun and well-paced and it is damned original. I guarantee you won’t have read anything like this before. It does center on a koala who is not from the wilds, and is shunned by those who are. My only issue with the book is that it takes some time to get into the Lit aspects.

Now here is my Simon Cowell aspect coming to the fore. Zane VanWicklyn does a good job narrating the story, and his voice and style fit the characters and tale pretty well, but I can’t say he is flawless or completely smooth. He took some time getting used to, but he does fit the insane story to a tee to such a point I don’t believe a more adult voice could have pulled this off as well as he does.

Final Score 7.7 it aint deep and dark, but it is light and fluffy enough to carry me through a rough day, so if you need a quick dip into silliness then this will work well for you.

-------------------------------------

Pickle Pie

A Cyberpink Story

By: George Saoulidis

Narrated by: Luke Rounda

Series: Cyberpink, Book 1

Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins

OK, I’m going to discuss this book solely because there are points that it is listed as being LITRPG. Let me start by saying that it is not. I have read several of George’s books, and enjoyed several. For example I really like his You Have too Many Friends tale, and he did a story called The Halloween Raid: A GameLit Short Story that I enjoyed. I think that story sold well enough that he took a Pickle here and rebrandished it as being LIT. PP is many things, but Lit it is not. That has not stopped him from marketing it as such.

If I’m honest, the story is pretty decent and deals with a futuristic society that has a rollerball/roller derby feel to it that is fought with cybernetically enhanced humans who are treated as property. I have seen this book listed as Litrpg in about 4 spots, and believe it was even listed as such on audible before. It’s not. It’s not even close. I have wanted to talk about this for some time, and for some reason am just getting around to it now. I hate talking bad about people, but here’s the facts. This comes off like someone trying to sell a bicycle as a motorcycle. Shape and form is there, but there is no comparison between the two. I think Halloween Raid did well enough that he figured just the genre switch alone would sell it. Maybe it did, but it shouldn’t have.

I’m not even going to talk about the narration. There’s no point. The book is a cash grab or a deliberate attempt to confuse people into getting it by calling it something its not.

Final score: 4 stars. It is not Litrpg and is a mediocre cyberpunk story at best.

----------------

Hunters Dream Online: Ascension

Hunters Dream Online, Book 1

By: J.R. Davis

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Whoa. Talk about a dream team. We have the amazing Jamie Davis of the Accidental series combined with the velvety vocal stylings of Steve Campbell. What is there not to like about this book? Honestly? I looked and couldn’t find anything.

The story is basically what feels like a weekend get together with some old friends that you haven’t seen in a while. You get to just chill and relax and enjoy yourself without all the work of building a relationship. The book is humorous, punny, well written and paced, has interesting characters. The book is not crunch heavy, but you still feel all the gaming stuff. The MC, Robin, opts to be a necromancer and that class interpretation by Davis is a blast. The whole team dynamic works even though they really don’t know much about each other. The real issue here is the griefers who do their best to make everyone’s lives miserable. Personally, I think this is and amazing start to a great new series.

Steve Campbell busts his butt to bring us an intensely humorous and exciting tale with easily recognized vocal characters. I really feel like I never do Campbell the justice he deserves. First, he’s one hell of a guy and is big part of our community, and secondly he really has a knack for narrating that I think about one in a thousand narrators actually have. The guy is a boss level narrator.

Give this book a shot. Final score 8.4 stars. It might be over 7 hours long but it feels a lot faster.

--------------------

Viridian Gate Online: Darkling Siege

The Viridian Gate Archives, Book 7

By: James Hunter

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

We have finally hit the penultimate chapter in the VGO saga and things are really looking , er, grim for Jack and company. The book opens and closes on very different notes and illustrates just how quickly life and circumstances change.

There are a few revelations finally made as Grim Jack tries to save his relationship with Abby. It seems that every time he thinks about mending the growing rift between them the more stuff happens that keeps them apart. Meanwhile outside of the Soap Opera, things a looking bad for the Crimson Alliance. They have to figure out how to break into an unsiegeable city and drive Thanatos to his last place of refuge.

The story is unrelenting and the only break the heroes get is when they decide to go build some houses for fun, well so refugees have homes too, I suppose but otherwise the team go forward at breakneck speed, and it seems Jack is getting whittled down piece by piece by the responsibility he carries.

We are definitely coming to the end of the series, and the tensions are mounting exponentially. Honestly, I don’t think everyone makes it out alive. We’ll have to see.

Armen continues crafting a vocally visual world that is scary impressive. From Hunters fingertips to Taylor’s lips this story is told like a Grecian myth around a campfire. Taylor’s style is gripping and brings life to every character he plays.

Final score 8.5 stars. I don’t know where its heading, but the finale is going to be killer.

--------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 065 - Bio Dungeon, Planet Hero, The Genesis Game, Life Reset: Human Resource

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Bio Dungeon: Symbiote - The Body's Dungeon Book 1 (00:53)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/34n5de8

Planet Hero: Civilian (11:53)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Yq0hBu

The Genesis Game: Volume I World Apocalypse - Calamity Dungeon (22:46)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Yt4rIR

Soundbooth Spotlight

Life Reset: Human Resource (34:23)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3aOG9Ob

-------------------------

Bio Dungeon: Symbiote

The Body's Dungeon, Book 1

By: Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue, Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: The Body's Dungeon, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Jeffrey “Falcon” Logue and Jonathan Brooks team up to create a very interesting new type of dungeon, and I have to say that while I loved the story the Dungeon itself is not a very nice character, which made it a difficult for me to sympathize with him throughout the story. It starts off with the dungeon basically eat a rather nice little dungeon sprite and then doing everything in its power to take control of the body of a young thief ala john Carpenter’s the Thing. You are probably saying, Hey, Ray you love that sort of stuff, and I totally do but it made the dungeon more of a villain to me than one of the heroes. Cal, Doc, and even Fred all had their flaws but were basically decent and had morals and ethics that they followed. Not this core, it is hell bent on taking over the body it is in, and doesn’t care about the host. In fact, the title shouldn’t have been Symbiote, it should have been parasite because I don’t care how much the dungeon did to repair, health, and restore the young thief to health it wasn’t altruistic in nature. That said, the book was really fun, and I can dig an evil MC dungeon, my issue is it wasn’t portrayed that way. Either way the book kept my attention and I do want to see more in this series. Miles Meili does a great job as always. My only issue with him was when he used the British pronunciation of Capillaries, call them Ka-pill-are-ees, rather than Cap-pill-air-ees. In a narration of practically flawless work it was jarring, especially to someone overly familiar to human anatomy. The book does add at least a half hour at the end as a medical glossary if you are interested

Final score? The book is original, fun, has a lovable human protag, and good narration. 8.2 stars.

-------------------------------

Planet Hero: Civilian

By: M.A. Carlson

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

If you’ve been jonesing for some superhero action Marc Carlson has the goods for you. I have to warn you though, it isn’t your typical bam pow kinda superhero. A man is pulled into a conflict between heroes and villains in an alternate reality after his evil alter-ego dies and sends him into the world where men can leap tall buildings and women are faster than a speeding locomotive or something like that. After an infusion of alternate reality nanites the MC gains superpowers, and is asked to pose as his alternate self in order to stop the real big bad of the book. There were a lot of things that I enjoyed. The power system was pretty cool, and the way that you didn’t technically level but sort of hit milestones was fun. I also thought that the MC applied his space &time powers in unique ways. The only drawback that I saw was that while there are heroes and villains in the story it really didn’t seem to carry the vibe of a world filled with supers in tights. It was more of a post apoc setting that had humans gaining powers and abilities far beyond the keen of mortal men. That was fine, BTW, I was just expecting more tights and fights than hunting expeditions. I think Jeffery Kafer did an outstanding job, and really brought the story to life. For me the story kept my attention and I enjoyed the MC a lot. My only issue was that the “heroes” felt more like gamers in the way they snagged up XP from the faux Doctor Portal. He was a guy that they needed amped up ASAP and they weren’t spoon feeding him like they should have. He was the one guy who justified power leveling. Final score 8 stars.

------------------------

The Genesis Game: Volume I World Apocalypse - Calamity Dungeon

By: Andrew O'Kelley

Narrated by: Curt Bonnem

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Genesis game is a now familiar tale that is similar in story design as Reborn: Apocalypse by LM Kerr and Towers of Heaven by Cameron Milan. Basically a dungeon pops up, the people of Earth get slowly decimated, and one person goes back into the past to undo the damage that was wrought. What this book does is sort of flips it on its ear and goes grim dark. The MC, Seraph, is pretty much apathetic to the world’s problems. He had flaws that caused him to fail, and in his reset he decides to do everything that he can to correct those issues in himself. During the time back at the beginning he is shown pretty clearly where his moral compass lost direction, and he struggles to decide if he should fix it or do what he came to do. Well, this is a dark story, and so you can kinda see where it heads. The difference this time around is Seraph’s father, who died at the start of the original apocalypse. Seraph saves him, even though he really doesn’t feel a connection. I view Seraph as a person who is a high functioning autistic, he knows who people are but he has no bond to them. The story is solid, if a little short for my taste, I am digging 7&8 hour books, but I wanted more when it was all said and done. Bonnem’s narration was spot on and I think he did a wonderful job. Kinda reminded me of Steve Campbell doing the Tower books.

Over all a solid 8.1, good story, with a flawed lead, and nice narration. Also, best of all, it’s unapologetic.

-----------------------

Soundbooth Spotlight

Life Reset: Human Resource

New Era Online, Book 4

By: Shemer Kuznits

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Series: New Era Online, Book 4

Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins

You may have seen this on the R&R section of the latest SBT Live show, if not go back and look as Ramon and I kinda chit chat and talk before giving our thoughts on the latest books in this series. Human resource feel like it is actually the second half to book 3, picking up right where the other left off and then getting Oren back into the game world. Now, it is kind of predictable insofar as to how Oren will achieve that, or even why he would go back in, and that’s fine. I had no issue with the direction the book took or what it did to get the game back to front and center. This time around Oren not only has to deal with VI’s (the game minds that filled the NPCs) but also other players as he attempts to expand his territory and rescue the trapped gamers from the terrible lives they are probably living in the game. Kuznits gets things back on track for the greenpeace clan by the end of the book, and reveals some things about Oren’s child that will be of extreme interest to fans of the series. The book is fast paced and unfolds at just the right pace. I know that, to me, the last book felt rushed, but not here. SBT really does a great job sound wise, FX, and even the music. Well done, excellently performed, and a solid production. Score 8.4

--------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 064 - The Mechanical Crafter, A Touch of Power 3, The Black Blade 2, Noobtown 3

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Mechanical Crafter - Book 1 (1:11)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2EqPyj3

Sense (A Fantasy LitRPG Saga) A Touch of Power, Book 3 (12:41)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3057Hv5

Varnoth - A LitRPG Story: The Black Blade Book 2 (19:34)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/30RMlkc

Castle of the Noobs - Noobtown, Book 3 (29:45)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3hCAEUY

Special comments on Peace Talks: Dresden Files (Book 16) and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman (36:28)

-------------------------

The Mechanical Crafter, Book 1

A LitRPG Series, The Mechanical Crafter Series

By: R.A. Mejia

Narrated by: Jill Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Pause

You may have noticed that I have never reviewed any books by RA Mejia on the show before, and if so, you probably thought that I feared the wrath of Ramon if I gave an unfavorable review. Well, its true that I haven’t reviewed any of his books, but its not due to fear. Ramon, up to this point, has always written 1st person present tense. While I am not a huge fan of 1st person POV I have read enough books from that perspective that it isn’t a big deal to me. Heck, I specifically wrote the short story Splat! in the Essence anthology just to prove to myself that I could do it. No, it is the present tense that I can’t do. It pulls me out of the story, and I cannot and have never been able to wrap my head around such a writing style. It is very alien to my brain. So, up till now, I have been respectful and left things be, but Ramon was challenged to write in past tense, and thus mechanical crafter was born.

Full disclosure. This is a sister podcast to the Litrpg Podcast, but I am not bound to any restrictions on what I can say or do. SBT has long said if they do a book I don’t like to call them out on it, and Ramon has never pressured me to comment on any of his audiobooks. Granted, there are some series that I stay away from just because they have too much heat, but that is my decision, no anyone else’s. So, in all honesty this is a complete and unbiased review.

First of all, I absolutely loved the book. I found it to be too short, and wanted more as soon as the book ended. It did not feel like a 10 hour novel. Hell, I was halfway through it and thought I was only a quarter of the way in, that’s how fast it goes and how well it flows. I loved the characters Repair and Greebo, and thought they balanced each other out well.

The only thing that really threw me about the MC picking the metal man as his new race was that he did so knowing that he would not have options for procreation nor eating and drinking. Now I’ve been married over 20 years, so the procreation part for me vanished about 15 years ago. Not everyone lives like that, and the MC didn’t seem to be knocking boots on a weekly basis, so I kinda have to wonder why the no sex ever again wasn’t more of a big deal for him. Personally, I live that, but not so much by choice as it is thrust upon me. For me the real deal breaker is the never eating again. I don’t get much joy in life, but I do relish the moment that I can eat some extra crispy chicken from KFC or some L&B donuts in East Liverpool, the bestus donuts ever made anywhere but in my Home town (PIC), and I am a donut connoisseur. The thought of no sex and no donuts makes me want to cry.

I digress. The story revolves around the Metal Man, Repair, who can craft items and repair himself from items that he breaks down and scans. He and Greebo make a great pair, and even though the story is a slice of life, I was enthralled by the characterizations of the protagonists, and even amazed that Ramon basically created what amounts to an evil gnome, and dear God, I loved the gnome names. Story is highly polished, and strong in the character development and crunch elements. BTW, Repair kind of comes off as a Cyberman from Doctor Who, and in the beginning, since his body was made out of wood all I could envision was the wooden cyberman from the Christmas special starring Matt Smith. (PIC)

In all honesty, I didn’t cotton onto Jill Smith at first. It took me about two chapters to really see her strut her stuff, and the longer I listened the more impressed I became. She does an amazing job, and for her to make me go meh to ‘mazing is incredible. She blindsided me with just how good she is.

Seriously, this is one tight little package of goodness. Again, completely uninfluenced opinion but this is an 8.5 style book. I can only hope that Ramon continues to write in past tense in the future. Wait, does that make sense?

---------------------------

Sense (A Fantasy LitRPG Saga)

A Touch of Power, Book 3

By: Jay Boyce

Narrated by: Samara Naeymi

Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

At long last we get a new book from Jay Boyce, and it continues to carry on the tradition of excellence from the previous tales. Now, what I am glad to say is that we do not go half the book waiting for the expedition to the Mesmer lair to take place, which thankfully, occurs fairly early in the book.

This means that we at long last get to see Jade in full out action, and it is a gratifying chapter when she confronts the Mesmer. Now for those of you who don’t know, the Mesmer are a race of evil sapients that sneak into town about once a month and steal random townsfolk whom they feed off of. While they are not described as such, I cannot help but envision the Pokemon Drowsee (PIC), and not Mesmer oddly enough, whenever these creatures are mentioned. The confrontation kind of goes as I expected it, with some things being resolved, and others not so much to a point where you can kind of guess fairly early on what is going to happen either at the end of this book or the start of the next one. Not saying that’s bad, but it is a pretty good telegraph of where the plot is heading.

After that, the story settles back into the routine of Jade siphoning random people and combining her skills. There is a plot line of various other royals visiting the city in order to reestablish trade agreements and size each other up as royals do, so after the fight just expect more of what has come before. If you liked books one and two, then this should be right up your alley, as Jade figures out new styles of magic, and combines skills like a rock star. The only issue I have is that Jade is really OP, as demonstrated during the arena battles, and that the story just sort of scoots by building her up, but not doing much to progress the tale. Again, very much a slice of life, and while it doesn’t quite feel like 14 hours, it doesn’t feel like much less. Kind of a status quo, and as I’ve said if you liked book one and two then you will love this book as well. I would just like to see some more progression story-wise. Character-wise, everything is moving along nicely.

Samara continues to do a great job narrating, and I have to hand it to her because Boyce doesn’t believe in focusing on just a few characters. This is a cast of hundreds. Hundreds. And she juggles them all well, admittedly, I cannot readily identify who is speaking just from a voice, but that is because there are so many secondary characters to keep track of, not because of a lack of vocal talent on her end.

Final score 8 stars. A taste of battle was nice, but it really didn’t satiate my need. I wanted more, and after it was over we fell back into the same routine. Good writing, interesting characters, excellent game concepts, but it needed a real shot in the arm to keep it at the same level of excellence.

---------------------------

Varnoth

A LitRPG Story: The Black Blade, Book 2

By: Lavelle Jackson

Narrated by: Jack Voraces

Series: A LitRPG Story: The Black Blade, Book 2

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Pause

The black blade is back, and so is the panther man known as Varnoth. Jackson continues his tale of the crucified kitten. In this book, the cat man gains a couple of allies; one of whom absolutely overshadows him at every turn, the bard known as John the son of Ray. John is a badass that literally steals every scene he is in, and while I am mostly kidding he is a pretty cool character. The other addition is a pyromancer. For me, it was their addition that pumped up the story.

Now, Jackson is unabashed in his use of an overpowered MC. I think he just likes to see characters rip swathes of damage across the landscape like the Hulk used to do in the 70’s and early 80’s at Marvel. I do think he needs to tone down his MC to make there be more of a struggle, as I never really wonder if Varnoth is going to get hurt or have unforeseen repercussions from his actions. I’d like a touch more direction and some struggle on the cat man’s side.

I can say that from book one the dialogue is improved but still needs fleshed out more. Again, it kind of reads like a comic with villainous dialogue being espoused from vile people, and pretty pious stuff from the heroes. But then, I know that Jackson sort of talks that way, as he often says BAH! to me.

Jackson also opts for the goriest deaths that he can, and makes me think his writing style is more Splatterpunk than anything else. I’m a horror and gorehound, but he writes scenes that makes Kill Bill’s battle at the House of Blue Leaves seem like a Saturday morning kids show. I really liked the Hammertar aspect, and it is an original weapon that has its own style.

My biggest issues are that the story tends to roam from quest to quest or place to place, even a slice of life needs a bit more of a direction. Secondly, it is the Black Hat vs White Hat characters that are 100% good or 100% evil. We need some middle ground characters to make the story have more depth.

The book does pick up where one left off, and has humorous moments and Jackson’s writing does noticeably improve. If you are a fan of Book one then I have no doubt that you will enjoy book two, as it is more of what came before. Just no more Herb’s herbs styled jokes, that’s all I ask.

I’ve been racking my brain for a while, trying to figure out who Voraces voice reminds me of, and it was only after I went home to my parent’s house for my son’s graduation party (Grad PIC) Way to go boodja! And spending hours as my mother watched a Deep Space Nine marathon that I realized that he sounds an awful lot like Dr. Julian Bashir (PIC). They must come from the same region, because their cadence and patterns of speaking are the same. Now, when I listen to him all I can envision is Dr. Bashir telling me a story. On that note, if you are a fan of Voraces then you’ll be satisfied with his performance. Again, I wish he put a little effort in to make Varnoth sound non-human. I know he can do it, and do it well from what I have heard him do on Vainqueur the Dragon (PIC).

Final score: I’m going to go 7.8 stars, there is clear improvement, and it does not deviate in tone or taste from book one. I think Jackson improves more in T&B, so you can see him getting better as he goes.

-----------------------------

Castle of the Noobs

Noobtown, Book 3

By: Ryan Rimmel

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Series: Noobtown, Book 3

Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins

Pause

What can I say about Ryan Rimmel ‘s Noob town that I haven’t said before. The series is excellent, it is funny, witty, sarcastic, and snarky, and has a very punchy pro style that I really appreciate.

The characters are fun and enjoyable and I think that the badger, Badgerlore is probably my favorite animal sidekick of all time. He's just fantastic. He’s a psycho animal and it’s perfect for Rimmel’s crazy style of humor. He is simultaneously gross, nasty, and sweet.

The story picks up right after book 2 and leaves the hero, the mayor, having to figure out a way to increase a trade route and simultaneously discover a dungeon rather a castle in order to extend his influence and power in the area all the while taking in more refugees by the day.

Rimmel is hilarious and the book captivates and does not feel like it is a long, long book. It comes across as easily readable and can be done very quickly; and is most enjoyed by being read in large swaths. I think I read this whole thing into sittings I did not have a break in between I had a very busy day and I was lucky enough to be able to get through the whole thing practically all at once. I don’t think you’ll have a problem either I think you won’t want to leave. I think you want to continue reading the story as it goes along and no matter what he continues to set up the next book. The only issue I had was how the MC, the mayor, didn’t see what was happening to him a lot of times but then again I suppose he’s meant to be clueless and it comes across pretty well in this book but it’s still funny it’s still entertaining and it was a joy to listen to.

Jonathan McClain does another outstanding job on the book. I loved his narration and I think he is a wonderful storyteller and has a great ear for comedy.

Overall I love the story I love to tail I love the characters and I can’t wait for more the book as it is 8.3 I could go higher but I can’t go lower

--------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 063 - Starter Zone, Mythian, Dungeon World 5, Star Nova Online

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Starter Zone -The Revelation Chronicles, Book 1 (00:49)

Score: 6.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3eJeIFW

Mythian - Chronicles of Ethan, Book 1 (25:31)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/32yxLQP

Dungeon World Book 5 - A Dungeon Core Experience (37:49)

Score: 8.0 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3fNgkzR

Star Nova Online: Book 0 - Closed Beta (52:54)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ZJq7BB

-------------------------

Starter Zone

The Revelation Chronicles, Book 1

By: Chris Pavesic

Narrated by: Natalie Heng

Series: The Revelation Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins

Pause

Here’s another book that is hampered by the narrator. Heng speaks clearly and enunciates just fine, although there are multiple times that she mispronounces very basic, or at least what I felt to be basic English words. That could be forgiven, but she reads the book like one of the old original books on CD readers back when audio was in its infancy. Just listen to this clip.

Now do the book audio promo portion here please. Can you start around 3:20 at the promo portion?

Heng infuses zero emotion or life into her reading, and it completely drains the tale of all its power. When she says “Would it be better to make a dash for it or hug the sides?” it doesn’t feel like she’s concerned or gives a damn. She is just reading words and stringing sentences together. She does a good job at that, but it isn’t enough. The entire time I listened it felt like this book’s audio portion was on a respirator and vitals were dropping. Heng doesn’t kill the story, but she does nothing to give it life. She was given a color by numbers painting and choose blue for all the numbers.

Now, I’m going to do something I’ve never done, I’m going to read the book blurb and add in my thoughts as I go.

When hydrologists inscribe the consciousness of a human mind onto a single drop of water, a Revelation sweeps the land. The wealthy race to upload their minds into self-contained virtual realities nicknamed Aquariums. In these containers people achieve every hope, dream, and desire. But governments wage war for control of the technology. Terrorist attacks cause massive destruction. The Aquariums fail. Inscribed human minds leech into the water cycle, wreaking havoc.

This is a cool concept, and one that I would have liked fleshed out a bit more. It is never said how personalities living in said water can take over a body, nor is there any real exposition on how the mind into water tech works other than. … Because. Like I say, neat concept but needs fleshed out a touch.

Street gangs rule the cities during the three years since the fall of civilization. Sixteen-year-old Cami and her younger sister Alby struggle to survive. Every drop of untreated water puts their lives in peril. Caught and imprisoned by soldiers who plan to sell them into slavery, Cami will do anything to escape and rescue her sister. Even if it means leaving the real word for a life in the realms, a new game-like reality created by the hydrologists for the chosen few.

This is one of the few stories where the real world is more oppressive than that of the game world. The only one that readily springs to mind is Dave Willmarth’s Dark Elf series, and that was a bleak and unrelenting universe of hopelessness where the game was the only thing to keep survivors going. Here the girls almost luck into the game world, because getting there the way they did was a real stretch.

In fact, I’ll say this. The issues in the real world are infinitely more intriguing and riveting that what happens in the gaming side of the book. This showed a lot of premise and creativity, and I was really hoping that it would carry over to the game section.

But life in the realms isn't as simple as it seems. Magic, combat, gear scores, quests, and dungeons are all puzzles to be solved as the sisters navigate their new surroundings. And they encounter more dangerous enemies than any they faced in the real world.

Time to play the game.

That would be great if the game rules were consistent, but they really aren’t. This is a post apoc world type of setting, and I should have been slavering to stay there, but by the time the first third of the book was gone I really wanted to get into the game ASAP. Thankfully, that is where the gaming part starts, as in they enter the game, but things have no consistency there and it kind of takes away from the overall enjoyment.

I’ll give you an example of something that made no sense to me. When I played World of Warcraft or Everquest or any rpg or even the video game I might get an item that was beyond my level. I couldn’t equip it until I got stronger. Most games are like that to keep balance. The Lady of the Lake didn’t give a 15 year old Excalibur. Arthur had to get Clarent, the sword that he pulled from the stone and anvil, to become king. The lady of the lake later gave Arthur the sword in order to defeat Mordred, when he was ready and in need. He had to level up and face a crisis. Most games operate on this premise. In order to get the loot you have to struggle through a series of challenges and earn it. Here, some OP stuff is dished out and disrupts the whole vibe of the game.

I think of a lot the issues the biggest storywise is that the book is fairly short, it’s under five hours long and takes more than an hour and a half to get into the game portion. That is 1.6 hours that sets up everything, and by that point I was wondering if I cared. I don’t know, if I read the book maybe it wouldn’t seem so long, but for an audible credit a five hour book better blast my socks off, not turn my lights off. The book has a good premise, and some cool stuff that you may not want to miss. If I had one complaint about the writing style, it would just be that it was written in first person, and it takes a great narrator to help me overcome that. System of Apocalypse by Tao Wong, for example, has a narrator that moves the story along. Munster Hunters Inc, first person, great narrator. Pavesic is hamstrung by Heng.

Final score? 6.8 stars. The story does have some heart and a lot of promise, but the lengthy time it takes to get into the game and the lackluster narration stunts its possibilities before they can take root in our minds.

------------------------

Mythian

Chronicles of Ethan, Book 1

By: John L. Monk

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Series: Chronicles of Ethan, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Pause

Ok, now here’s how its done. I just reviewed Starter Zone, and said about how the book length influenced my score, and I stand by that. I am a firm believer in getting into the action or the game quickly. Most times I don’t care about the real world, and if I actually like your real world portions more than your game stuff then you are writing the wrong story. Now, I do like short stories, I love them. I grew up reading Anthos and novellas of numerous genre, and firmly believe that you can tell a good story in 60K words or less. That GOOD part is the kicker. Luck Stat Strategy: Secret of the Old Ones by Blaise Corvin is under 5 hours length and is one of the best novels I’ve ever listened to. So, I know it can be done.

First of all, I have to say that I am loving Travis Baldtree finding his way into this genre. I really came to respect his work in a book he did called DogWalker. It’s another five hour novel that grips you from the second you start listening, and is a powerful indicator that Baldtree has some serious chops. The man can tell a tale. He brings his bountiful bag of vocal skills to bear on Monk’s work and the man doesn’t just do it justice; he cracks that gavel better than Judge Wopner, sigh, look it up young’uns. It was a good joke, just dated for more older folks. Anyway, Baldtree animates the tale the way a good story should be told, and in audio that is like gold pressed latinum.

Monk’s tale, not the OCD detective, but John Monk, will feel familiar to you if you have recently watched or seen promos for Amazon’s new series, Upload. Monk came first, BTW. In his world you can retire into a gaming world, or even worlds if you opt, for the rest of eternity. There are bazillions of different places one can go to, but the MC opts for a world called Mythian, because his wife is rumored to be stuck there. I don’t want to give away more, so that’s about all I will say.

The book then revolves around the MC, Ethan, acclimating to his new world and looking for clues to his wife’s whereabouts. My only complaint is that this is very much a slice of life story. Yes, Ethan has goals such as finding his wife, but most of the book is just him trying to figure out how to level up. So, essentially he is just grinding. I did like the party he acquires, and I found it humorous that the NPC are utterly fed up with having to do their jobs. I suppose dealing with noobs day in and day out would become irritating.

The one thing I have to warn you about is that the book ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, and sort of deviates from where you would expect the story to go after some build up. Personally, I don’t mind cliffhangers, but generally expect them in slice of life stuff.

I’m giving this a 7.8. I am very much intrigued as to what is going on, but wish it had been more of an accomplish this task and then move on kind of story.

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Dungeon World, Book 5

A Dungeon Core Experience

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: Dungeon World, Book 5

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Pause

Well, we wrap up another series, and I find it simultaneously sad and yet satisfying. Brooks has taken us on a nice little journey through the life of Fred Winklemossering, and his quest to finally bring peace to the dungeons and humans for so long. I have to say that his explanation of what happened to cause such rifts in the two races was very well crafted. There were a few things that I really loved, and a few that I didn’t, but first I want to talk about Miles Meili.

Meili has really carried this series, and I appreciate his skill and aplomb was what made the story fun. He was a perfect fit, here, and he displayed excellence at every turn. I love listening to him. Great Job, and good on you Miles.

As for the story I want to talk about a few things. One thing that bothers me, and it isn’t just Brooks that does this, a lot of authors do this too, is to skip over older supporting cast members in favor of new ones. I’ll give you an example, the three people closest to Fred, especially early on in his life were Deecee, Esa, and the man who first took him in and taught him about what it meant to be human. These last two books, Esa, Fred’s love interest is barely there other than Fred worrying about her. Deecee pops up periodically to help supply some thoughts on dungeon matters and fight but otherwise is almost a shadow in the books, and his first friend is all but overlooked in favor of the newest shards. Now, I get that the new people need some attention, but it seems like the people Fred is closest too get very little time to do more than fight or worry over poor Fred. I would have liked to have seen a few larger scenes with them and really develop them for the end of the series. Just a few thousand more words and all of that could have easily been achieved. I guess I took three books getting attached to them, and by the fourth I started to see a decline in their importance to the story. Don’t make me love a character and then hide them away. That would be like keeping Murphy out of the last Harry Dresden novel ever written.

Secondly, a lot of the dungeon war stuff felt a little repetitious. I believe Fred started defending his territory about two books back, and the style of battle never really changed. One type of dungeon enters, is shunted through various rooms, gets their numbers whittled down, and they are stopped. It was a sort of was, rinse, repeat and was fine when it first happened but I had been there before and would have liked to have seen something different. Yes, Fred does create some cool new monsters and managed to suss out a lot of things about mana vs essence but that might have been better served out in the field, without collapsing his territory giving the battle a hint of freshness.

As for the good stuff, Fred’s revelations about the past, the damage done therein, and his role in attempting to heal both the wounds of the world, as well as those of the humans and dungeons. Fred coming to terms with his role in the world, and the sacrifices that he was willing, and did, make was heartwarming as everything he did he did for others and not himself. The crafting off various spells, and the way that they figured out how Fred could “see” an air spell at work was cool as ice. They were all great moments.

So, final score is 8 stars. The book was really good, and had an excellent ended and even left open the possibilities of further books in this universe in the future. Still, I would have liked a bit of a bigger bang somewhere in the book, so while it was excellent and ended well I think with just a little more character development/appearance and a different style of dungeon fighting the book would have really blazed.

--------------------------

Star Nova Online: Book 0 - Closed Beta

By: Noah Barnett

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays

Series: Star Nova Online, Book 0

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Pause

I have to be honest. This book was a bit of a surprise for me in a lot of ways. First, it is short. Gun Meister Online was over fourteen hours long. This book clocks in at under four. I like short stories, but a four hour book, that is a sort of sequel of a larger story needs a bit more. It basically felt like all the focus was on the gameplay, and not the characters. You can only do so much with a battle, and when you win the war that’s the end of the book. SO, yeah, some character growth and development to fluff out the book if nothing else would have been appreciate.

Secondly, the book is a complete departure from Gun Meister Online. Honestly, if you changed the names and a few minor details then it would make no difference to the story at all. Gun Meister, for example had numerous characters that the MC had to struggle to earn (as in the guns) or struggle to earn as friends. The cast here is pared down significantly, and runs as a bare bones type of story.

Third, a lot of the stuff in GMO is wiped out. GMO was a heavily adult styled story, and if you get SNO hoping for more of the same you will be let down. The stuff that made GMO standout gets shoved in a box and forgotten.

The new stuff. SNO is very reminiscent to Ender’s Game insofar as the MC needs to learn to lead his squadron properly to defeat alien invaders, has a rival that doesn’t like him, and has a learning curve that feels like a roller coaster. Rather than having gunfights, all the players upgrade to dog fights in space. They do not have sex with their space ships. Odd to say that, but with GMO that would not only have been a possibility, it would have been a likelihood.

SNO, for me, seems to lose all of the cool stuff and in depth characterizations that Gun Meister Online had in order to basically alter the course of the series completely. I actually think it would have worked better if it had been a part of GMO, the true ending. Then book two wouldn’t feel like such an abrupt departure.

For what it’s worth, the book is good. It tells a compelling, if somewhat succinct tale. The problem is that it is very stripped down and deviates so much from its predecessor. If you can overlook that aspect then you will probably love it. Newcomers, uninitiated to GMO, will have no problem sinking into this story; in fact, I suspect that they may enjoy this more since they won’t know what came before. Like I saw GMO is really good, and Star Nova is good, but it feels less like a continuation than a reenvisioning.

Final score is 7.8 stars.

--------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 062 - Chaos Rising, Light Lordy, Tusk and Blade

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Chaos Rising: The Realms Book Six - An Epic LitRPG Series (00:32)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ZAUkl1

Light Lordy (11:25)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AuN69v

Tusk and Blade - A LitRPG Novel: Exodus Online, Book 1 (21:28)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VLaUNH

-------------------------

Chaos Rising: The Realms Book Six

An Epic LitRPG Series

By: C. M. Carney

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The Realms Series, Book 6

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Pause

Once again we go to the Realms with Carney, and once again he pulls the rug out from under us. If you read the last book, and if you haven’t I have to ask WHY Not, you’ll recall that the series protagonist, Griff, vanished like Thanos’s snap had traversed the realms and eliminated the hero altogether. Griff was forcibly logged out and sent back to Earth.

This leaves it to the rest of the Griff Groupies to do what they can to defend the realms while they search for the errant Griff. Who gets put in charge? Why, Lexx, the ever mouthy NPC who can’t seem to keep in contact with his player for more than a few minutes without being separated from him. If you recall, Lexx lost Griff at the beginning of the first novel, and ended up getting stuck in a time loop until he could figure a way back. The reunion was short lived. Lexx is a reluctant hero and would love for anyone else to become the group leader, but he is forced to shoulder the responsibilities.

The search leads Lexx, Erat, and Vaughn to some unexpected places in their quest, and suddenly find themselves at odds with the lords of Chaos. Are they princes? I know one is a woman, so princes is out, but that also disqualifies lords. Anyway, you get the point, the embodiments of chaos are pushing their way not only into the realm, but also towards Earth. Yeah, things are looking really bad for our crew. The only thing I thought that he was going to do, but didn’t was hit Lexx with the chaos lightning, which would have made for a major turn of events in Lexx’s world.

This tale just solidifies my love for Erat. I think he is my favorite character of Carney’s. He’s both naïve and child-like while simultaneously the most wise and self-sacrificing of the group. Lexx earns his title as leader, and the ending is yet another cliffhanger that Carney loves to leave us with. For a great guy he really is an SOB sometimes.

Armen Taylor continues to prove why he is such a big deal, and absolutely carries this story like superman holding a pebble, i.e. its no sweat for him. The man is a machine, and manages to keep his voices straight in spite of what seems like 100 characters, but also manages to infuse them with pathos and ethos. Honestly, his Erat really hits home with me. His Vaughn, too.

Final Score, 8.4 stars. This is a fun ride, and Carney keeps you anticipating the next book with the way he ends each tale.

------------------------

Light Lordy

By: Brent Tyman

Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Pause

Light Lordy is a . . . . light little litrpg story that tries really hard to be fluffy and funny. It has a lot of jokes and if you like Anime then this is the book for you. The story is pretty simple, a simple guy, leon, who loves manga stories and hot babes. The more scantily clad the better. He ends up getting put into a VR world that actually lets him live out his manga fetish to the Nth degree. The dude hits the Jackpot as he is super handsome, over powered, and up to his neck with the ladies.

One of the odd moments occurs when Leon goes to a slave auction and buys a celestial being. Now, he is of the light order, and as such is the purest being of light the world has ever seen. Most stories would set it up that he would buy her and set her free, but that’s not how it works here, and I applaud Tyman for not doing the expected.

The story is thus, an evil shadow demon is taking over every city, village, and home it can and destroying anyone with a light affinity and subjugating the rest. Leon builds a bevy of babes to help him along the way, and for the most part somehow manages not to have any sex for the longest time (I can neither confirm nor deny that he ever gets some, cause’a spoilers). He also gets engaged to someone and accidentally is given the task to stop, well I think you can guess who he has to defeat.

To me, the book was a lot like putting the lecherous monk Miroku from Inuyasha in as the lead of a book. The MC isn’t rubbing his ladies bottoms, but he makes it clear that he lusts for them. Those are a lot of the jokes, so if that is your kind of humor this is right up your alley. The book is just over six hours long, so it honestly flies by.

Gilliland does a nice job narrating. He made the story fun, and brought Mr. Light to life, and he managed to make the MC simultaneously sound silly and serious, which is no small feat. I think he handled this story well, and it is his storytelling that made the book feel quick. I’ve listened to a lot of books that were under six hours and they felt like they were about 14 in length.

Final Score: 7.5 stars. It’s a decent story, well told, with good narration, but it feels a little like we are trodding familiar ground. I will happily read the next book.

------------------------

Tusk and Blade

A LitRPG Novel: Exodus Online, Book 1

By: Lavelle Jackson

Narrated by: Alan Adelberg, Anneliese Rennie

Series: Exodus Online, Book 1

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Pause

On occasion I do my reviews backwards. I tend to wait until the end to talk about the narration, but in this case, getting to hear a new narrator who does a good job makes me want to discuss them before all the other stuff. So, this is a combo of power, Anneliese Rennie handling the female voices and Alan Adelberg tackling the male stuff. And since we are talking about Lavelle Jackson here I am going to make a comparison to his first Varnoth book. In that book, I lamented the fact that Jack Voraces didn’t do any kind of a voice for the cat man, and I’m kinda curious about that since having listened to Vainqueur the Dragon I know he can do it. Alan on the other hand actually gives each orc a unique voice, but still manages to make them sound orcish. I think he did a great job, and even managed to keep the MC’s human voice viable as he thought to himself. My only issue is that for a small chunk of the audio’s beginning Alan seems to really blow through things at high speed. I actually thought that I had accidentally hit my audio speed up to a setting of one and a half. Then it calmed down and got into a nice flow and steady rhythm. Anneliese does a great job as the ladies, and manages to inject the right tone for each woman that Necro has his eye on, whether it’s the War Chief’s daughter or the battle hardened warrioress. The make a great duo.

Jackson pens a tale about a suicidal loser who leaps off of a bridge and bungles it so badly not only does he survive, but he manages to turn himself into a quadriplegic. He makes a deal to be perma-loaded into a top secret VR world, and in return for letting them pick his race they overcompensate and make the MC OP. It reminded me a lot of the protagonist in The Good Guy series. Logan takes the name Necro Redhammer, and then proceeds to never use a hammer. I keed. I keed. But its true. Necro goes on an all-out rampage against wrong doers, and manages to cheese off the wrong people/person. Spoilers! I have to wonder if Jackson isn’t planning on placing Varnoth in this particular world. I would like to see the two MC’s team up. Varnoth did wake up with amnesia, and he could have been a player who got burned out of his memories. Something to think about Lavelle. Anyway, Necro ends up becoming his clan’s only hope and then begins to decimate its numbers as he separates the clan’s wheat from the chafe.

There were a few issues I had with the story, but they were small. First, the MC is a life long loser but he doesn't carry that mentality through the whole book. It's almost as if he switches over into Hulk mode a little too easily. I would have liked to have seen Necro worrying he was going to screw up when he fought. For some reason, as an orc he was suddenly uber confident. I get that he knew he was OP, but I would have liked to have seen him develop and change as the book went on. The other issue is that the big bad doesn’t really make an appearance until the final third of the book. I would have liked to have seen some scheming and manipulation of Necro before they finally clashed. I’m sure you know that I am not a fan of slice of life for the most part, but Jackson managed to keep my interest and he had Necro do some cool things.

Final Score, 8 Stars.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 061 - Monster's Mercy, Barakdor- Book 2, Core of Fear, War Aeternus 5

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Monster's Mercy (01:48)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Nk298H

Alexa Drey: The Veils of Lamerell - Barakdor Book 2 (14:46)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VbJgcF

Core of Fear: A Paranormal LitRPG Dungeon Core - Spirit Core Book 1 (21:46)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/318Yz9x

War Aeternus 5: End of the Faithful (37:36)

Score: 8.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3fPPIhq

-------------------------

Monster's Mercy

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Pause

So, here is a book that blends elements of Dexter, with his dark passenger premise, and a hint of elements of Fostering Faust with the alignment bar parallel, as well as bits of the Green Hornet, in which a good guy takes on the personae of an underworld boss to get control of criminal activity in his city. Personally, I like the concept and enjoyed the banter between the MC and his “monster”.

This iteration of the Arandverse focuses on Renee, a contract killer who is killed and then offered a new lease on life so long as he can keep his alignment meter filled to the brim with goodness. Bad stuff is waiting for him if he goes full blown evil. The problem? Renee has a dark passenger who has driven him to kill for his whole life. This alternate personality likes to speak in rhymes and is very much a projection of Renee’s Id. Taking the deal Renee finds himself reborn in a world with some magic, elves, and I am sure, other fantastical creatures and possibilities. He retains his full knowledge of his former life when he is reborn, and grows up in a loving household without the monster in his head. All of this changes when he is kidnapped, and all of his former skills and abilities return along with a gaming menu that lets him pick up new skills quickly, makes him tougher to kill, and best of all the monster comes with the package.

Renee must now balance his need to keep from sinning to the needs of his city and his monster. Renee quickly becomes enmeshed in the goings on of the city he finds himself in when he breaks free of his captors. Naturally, he becomes embroiled in a love pentagon between himself and four other women over time. I have to say while I found it hard to believe that an amoral murderer who was on the path to redemption wouldn’t partake in some of the lady’s wares, even some high class call girls that were set aside just for him, to be a little less than believable. Until I looked at it through a lens that let me see that Renee had never had a real relationship in his old life and had no idea how to actually have one in his new one. Yes, he is an adult in a teen’s body, but that didn’t make him less socially awkard.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this tale even though it pinched elements from other Arand novels, and didn’t pull the trigger on the Harem aspect in any way that I would have expected. This is a very nice addition to the overarching storyline Arand is building towards.

Now, we get to the gold. Andrea really out does herself here. She gives distinctive voices to Renee, the monster, the Hood, and the Mask (all the same people, btw). One part I particularly enjoyed was how she used the Watcher’s, hmmmm wonder who he could be, voice to add some flavor to explanations and details on scanned items. That was brilliant and slick. Finally, I applaud her addition of her bloopers and outtakes at the end of the story. It just goes to show that you can have a full career narrating in spite of suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome.

Final Score 8.3 stars. I really enjoyed this tale.

--------------------------

Alexa Drey: The Veils of Lamerell

Barakdor, Book 2

By: Ember Lane

Narrated by: Stephanie Dillard

Series: Barakdor, Book 2

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Pause

OK, so I have to admit that I haven’t read book one yet, but my understanding is that this book is only tied to the first book by the setting. Book one has a completely different MC, while the setting remains the same. I cannot speak for the quality of book one, but if it is like this one it has to be pretty good.

Now, to be honest, the premise is fairly simple. Earth is ravaged and mankind’s only hope is to go to the stars to live somewhere else. Naturally, interstellar travel take time, and no one wants to end up like the people in Wall-E, and so they place their minds into a game world to occupy them as they soar through space.

The MC has never been a gamer, and so finds the whole process a little unnerving at first. The MC, Alexa Drey, finds herself in a fantasy world full of wizards and warriors, and the only thing that she really has going for her is her utter tenacity. She doesn’t give up, which is good since she sort of stumbles into an area that she isn’t ready for.

One of the unique things, well, different anyhow, is that even though this is a fantasy setting the book does not really emphasize or necessitate battle. That is what is good about this book. It focuses on world building, is chock full of interesting legends, traditions, and folklore. Alexa has companions who have no problem letting her fall flat on her face, and at times don’t quite seem as helpful as they should be, but she carries on. In fact, Alexa is supposed to have this untapped magical potential that could lead to greatness, but she has a hard time getting anyone to teach her how to apply these skills.

Stephanie Dillard does an amazing job here, and does so very well that she is at once familiar and yet a refreshing change. As I mentioned in another review the narrator there did not “fit” the story. Dillard has no such difficulties. There are times she reminded me of Andrea Parsenau, having such an eclectic set of vocal tools to choose from. She really brought this book to life, and I really think that she elevated the story all the way around. She had complete command from beginning to end and as an utter pleasure to listen to. She has a wonderful range of characters, male and female, and knows how to pace a story.

Again, I can’t speak for book one, but this story is well crafted and expertly narrated. 7.9 stars.

-------------------------

Core of Fear: A Paranormal LitRPG Dungeon Core

Spirit Core, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Sarah L. Colton

Series: Spirit Core Series, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

Ok, here is one that is really hard for me to review, and I’ve kept this on the back burner for some time just because I really love a lot of Brooks stuff, hell he’s one of the most prolific writers in the dungeon genre and has some great books to back him up. That’s the problem. He has great books. Books are easy to love or hate based on the writing alone, but when that book becomes an audiobook it gets an additional element that can elevate or break the tale. The narrator.

First off, props for doing a horror book. Horror is one of those things that is great for movie studios because they can crank out a silly premise for a few million dollars and make big bucks. It is rare, though, to see big budget horror movies. Horror is a B-movie dweller 90% of the time. Brooks, a true master at his craft, seems to understand this genre that I love so deeply, and weaves a complex tale that stars a MC who isn’t all that nice. In fact, he’s a psycho escaped from hell who returns to earth to send innocent people into the abyss.

The premise is dark and unrelenting, and in my opinion pretty freaking fearless. The book is dark, unrelenting, unremorseful, and unforgiving. The game mechanics, as always work well, and are actually a neat little addition to what could be a horror novel unto itself. I was actually writing a horror core story myself until I listened to this, and stopped because they were similar, and so you can see that my tastes and Master Brook’s are not dissimilar to one another. The book did remind me of the movie Shocker, in which a serial killer is executed but then continues on as an undead bogeyman.

The hard part for me is that the narration, and I mean no disrespect to Ms. Colton, does not fit the tone of the novel. Her voice seems to suited towards romances or YA novels, a place in which I am sure that she would absolutely kill, no pun intended, but just does not suit this novel at all. If I am frank it was like listening to a middle schooler try to read Stephen King’s The Stand. Yes, she did an OK job in Dungeon Player, and I mean OK. Trying to be diplomatic here, but this story is not suited to her storytelling capabilities here. This is not a dig at her being a female; there are many female narrators whom I love. Her voice, tone, acting did not make me believe Logan Clive was a threat or build tension.

SO, I have to say for me, I believe that reading the book would have been far more fun. The story itself is smooth and grim and doesn’t pull punches, but the narration almost cleans it up and lightens tense moments. So, I have to give this 7 stars. I loved the story, but the narration just did not carry the gravity of the book.

--------------------------

War Aeternus 5: End of the Faithful

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Series: War Aeternus, Book 5

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

We come at last to the end of the road. Lee and company finally close up shop after five fabulous books. All I can say it has been one heck of a ride, and the close out is well worth it. The story’s ending is bittersweet, with a rather realistic view of what it means to compete to become a god. I’m not saying who becomes a god, or what happens to those who survive, because not everyone does.

Lee and his companions are forced to accelerate their plans when the villainous Red Ramen (YUM), lord of the Spicy Chicken Noodles, begins eliminating numerous heralds at a pace that makes Lee look like he’s been napping for the last four books. On top of that, Augustus’s favorite Herald also has to contend with other heralds and figure out a way to keep his party alive in spite of being separated by vast distances.

The book focuses on the interpersonal relationships between Lee and his entourage but does not skimp out on the violence and bloodshed. That’s one thing Dean is good for, bloody battles and swordplay. Miller and Dave have a really nice sequence, and the shrine to Lee bit made me guffaw as Miller extolled the virtues of Augustus and his son. Honestly, Miller made this series for me. His over the top insanity and utter devotion to Lee made him my favorite, and let’s face it, we always like the side-characters better than the leads.

One thing that I will say, without giving anything away is that Dean does an excellent job showing how a mortal can go from being extremely attached to the people that it oversees to being pretty much apathetic and uncaring, and I think that is perhaps the best writing I have seen, or rather heard all year. It not only makes a lot of sense, but it certainly evoked a lot of empathy from me. I could understand exactly what the final herald was going through, and it made a lot of sense to become disconnected in that way. Like I said, a brilliant series, that doesn’t give you an easy ending. You want happy endings then go to Disneyland. You want a gritty, emotional, and compelling wrap up then look no further. Dean has you covered.

SBT handles the narration, with Jeff hays doing the bulk of the lifting. You know, I always kid about Jeff being the man of a thousand voices, and he has often compared himself to being a muppet, but I have to say that there is no way you can listen to the last hour of his story telling and not get an emotional gut-punch on par with a performance from Sophie’s Choice. It was subdued and nuanced, and it really blew me away. Annie Ellicot also turns the emotional screws, and breaks your heart with not just one, but several performances. She is gut-wrenching, and conveys the heartbreak in mind-numbing sets as we go from one love interest to another. The music, and the SFX are low-key phenomenal here, and are probably the best work done yet. SBT continues to amaze and impress.

Dean doles out portions of perfection, and ends the book in a manner that we get to see how things pan out for all of the survivors. I found the ending both satisfactory, as in there was something I wanted to happen, actually happened, and you aren’t let off easy. Final score 8.7 stars. One hell of a way to wrap up a series.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 060 - Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon, Battle Master, The Heroic Villain 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon (01:30)

Score: 8.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3d1Ce13

Battle Master - A LitRPG Adventure (The Blood Crown, Book 1) (20:35)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WYTgqY

The Heroic Villain 2 (38:04)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2TANuJU

-------------------------

Kaiju: Battlefield Surgeon

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Joe Hempel

Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins

Release date: 04-21-20

Pause

Imma gonna try to hold it together for this review. But all I can say is this freaking book blew my mind. Anyone who has watched this podcast can certify that I am a horror nut. I grew up wishing I could be bitten by a werewolf, and live every single day preparing for a zombie apocalypse. Growing up my two favorite monsters were the wolfman, and Godzilla. Guess what. They are both in this book. Do I like gore? I went to see the Fly part 2 in theaters, and there’s a scene where a guy’s head gets crushed by an elevator and when that happened I literally stood up and cheered as I ripped the armrest from my seat. For me, gore is like a wonderful waterfall and sun dappled pools. The gorier the gorefest the better it is. I have never flinched at the sight of blood or mutilation in real life or on film. Why am I telling you this? Because this book was written for people like me.

The book has hints of Neil Gaiman’s Dollhouse run in issues 9-16 of his acclaimed Dollhouse arc in his Sandman series. It also is about as grindhouse as you can get, Dinniman, that dude that brought us Dominion of Blades, does not practice restraint in the slightest. He pushes for the most revolting scenes he can cobble together, and the one that hit me the hardest was the spoiled milk drinking challenge. As someone who literally lived through a very similar event I can say that the description coupled with the memories almost made me gag.

So, the story takes the concept of trapped in the game to a new level, and I liked the premise. It then takes time to build up questions about the pixie like companion, the timer that hangs over both of their heads, and the rapidly spiraling dark twist at the end. Honestly, this book goes out of its way to combine numerous ideas, concepts, and genres in constantly unexpected ways. You really have no idea of what’s coming, especially at the end until maybe one or two paragraphs away, and by then it is too late.

Joe Hemple has one hell of a job. He has to describe scenes that are utterly horrific, but not be off-putting to the listener. Having spoken to several people since finishing the book they have all agreed that he was what really held the whole thing together, where they would not have been able to finish certain parts if he didn’t do it for them. I think the key was that Hemple didn’t try to amp up the gore factor, but played it straight like an impartial observer. If he had attempted to gross the listener out it would have gone campy, but he plays it straight and it works so well.

I purposely did not go into a lot of detail here about the story, because while I could discuss its merits piecemeal I would rather do so in whole. Here is my advice. If you like horror, gore, mind bending scenes, never before seen classes, races, and one hell of a weird full immersion game then this is the book for you. Go and take my score as gospel and enjoy.

However, if blood, cruelty, moral ambiguity, horror, drug issues, marital strife, or other such topics (because there are so many I can’t come close to naming them) then you want to stay the heck away from this blasphemy. It really will not be for you. Not kidding. Demonic donkey’s that lay eggs, kaiju sperm cells, and hookworms as pets are just a few things you will find here.

My final score is 8.8 stars. No lie. I have never seen anything that comes close to this in terms of originality, nightmare concepts, and gore levels. The only thing I found to be semi-tame was the vulgarities, of which plenty are used, but not to a level I would expect from someone trapped in this Lovecraftian torture. Dinniman. I salute you, and bow to the brilliance of this book. My only regret is that this is a one shot novel, but I will say that it does tie into DOB.

--------------------------

Battle Master

A LitRPG Adventure (The Blood Crown, Book 1)

By: Damian Boyle

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

Here is a book that sort of flips everything you know and serves you up with an alternative you didn’t know you wanted. Battle Master is a book that throws tradition out the window and creates a unique class in which the battle master uses other characters like chess pieces. By that I mean that the titular class acts more like a general than a combatant, although he does fight (which sort of goes against everything that other people in the class do). The Battle master is able to choose other players abilities in preparation of upcoming battles. If the book’s beginning feels familiar it is somewhat reminiscent of MSE’s Tamer novel. Familiar, but not copied. Very distinct from one another, but I still picked up the vibe. Maybe being on a beach with deadly reptiles is enough to draw comparisons.

This is the one issue that nags at me, and I think it is my utter and complete disdain for all authority, but I can’t imagine letting someone limit my ability to decide what is best for me in battle. I think I might happily fight side by side with one and all of his playmates, but I would never submit to that kinda of loss of control. Thankfully, in Boyles world the people there sorta kinda seem ok with letting a good BM guide them.

The cool part is the way that Paul really does play the chess board, and figuring out the best use of each person under his authority; and of course the way that Paul, the MC deals with surprises. To back up and give you some info, the book centers on Paul who is one of a handful of people who can enter a game like world. Most people who go into the grinder don’t last long, but there are some who manage to make it beyond their intro to the game world. Paul is looking for one of those people, Mira, who is like him a gamer that was sent to this crazy world, but has managed to survive better than anyone else.

The narration by Campbell is excellent, and he very thankfully gives everyone a distinctive voice that is appropriate for who and what they are. He also adds some nice exasperation and exhilaration to the story, in other words you can hear what the characters are feeling as the tale progresses. Campbell is a real pro, and I know that he cares about every line he utters. That comes across quite plainly.

Overall, the book does a good job at setting up the world and the things that populate it. The MC is interesting, and there some twists that will really bring out some genuine concern about the lives of the other npc characters. Given that the MC has to generally think his way out of predicaments rather than strong arm his way through is also a nice diversion.

My only real issue is that early on there is another contender for the role of leader of the group of survivors named Richard, and I don’t think that the name is a coincidence. Richard is an A-hole from the start and rapidly transforms into another body part in the same general region. I will never understand how protagonists let people like this continue on, knowing that they will be trouble until they are killed, banished, or run off with all the supplies. All I know is that if I’m in a game world then I’m whacking A-holes right and left until I’m the last man standing. Being honest, it is characters like this that actually make me drive down points. I read for enjoyment, not irritation and people like Richard rub me the wrong way. Same thing in Primeverse. There is a character there whose actions are so obnoxious that you know they are either evil or a detriment. Either way, they gotta go.

Final score, 7.7 stars. Great world building, and a unique class.

-------------------------

The Heroic Villain 2

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, Justin Thomas James

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Pause

The first thing I have to say is that I am so glad that we still have this series. If you weren’t aware, War Aeternus is concluding, and that just leaves on Charles Dean book for us to subsist upon until he comes up with another series. So, as a PSA I will gladly perform a PDA if you all would just go and pick up the Bathrobe Knight series so that it generates enough sales to coerce Charles back to finish the series.

That said, I am going to cheat and give you two Soundbooth Spotlights tonight for the price of one, which is free for your earholes, and recount for you the awesomeness of the heroic villain part duex.

IN this book, our intrepid MC who has taken on the role of a villain leaves the starting point (no longer a noob) and heads off for bigger and badder deals. He finds that the Imperium isn’t as strong as it was back on the starting stage, and that he has a ton of work to do if he is going to take over and regain lost territory.

The book does deviate some from the first novel insofar as Lucas pretty much achieves a lot of goals in a very short time, so he his forced to forgo his usual planning and plotting for doing things off the cuff, and this is really fun. For me the battle at the university was probably the best because of all the mental and physical gymnastics that went on as Lucas and his rival go toe to toe, although I also loved the complete the Vampire questline ultimatum just as much. So, you can tell that the fight scenes are amazing. There is just one thing I wish that Charles would do. He always seems to write in these almost harem situations, with numerous girls vying for his MC. He just needs to pull the trigger or ease off a bit because it is such a freaking tease. I love the scheming that Lucas does (don’t fall in love with a schemer . . .) and the way he manipulates his foes.

Can I just say that SBT rocked my Socks off with this. We get the cuddly, er, totally cool vocal stylings of Jeff Hays on most of the book, and while I love his cameos everywhere I really just want him to read to me as much as possible. Justin Thomas James continues to impress me, and I just wish he’d call me brother like the big monkey monster does Lucas. Everytime I heard him say that word it made me think of Gomez and Fester Addams singing their song the Mamushka, "the dance of brotherly love” in the first movie, because he just made it plain that the freaky flying monkey monster just loved Lucas. Annie Ellicot is not outdone by her compatriots. Nay, I say she really keeps them on their toes with her wiley and witty tones, and the way that you can hear a practically predatory growl come from Lucas’s newest companion, the one who stirs up all the trouble. Again, this is my tribute to SBT, because I have omitted them from some shows.

Final Score 8.4 stars. Dean + SBT = INTENSE story telling!

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 059 - Bibliomancer, PrimeVerse, Save Point

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

PrimeVerse: Forced Login (01:12)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35N7bTK

Bibliomancer (17:57)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LglYN8

Save Point: Upload (34:13)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LjLocM

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PrimeVerse: Forced Login

PrimeVerse Series 1

By: R. K. Billiau

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Pause

This is a book I was excited to get. A first time author puts out his book and the thing practically blows up in no time at all. I was curious as to what all the hype was, and so my inner greedy pig directed me to check it out.

Yes, the book is good, and it has some well deserved praise. The premise is one in which the MC, Hudson, is forced into a video game for life. He doesn’t have a choice, and he can never log out so he has to make the most of it.

The book really shines during the tutorial phase of the story . It is here that we learn how to play the game, and we get to see Hudson develop a gaming style. Honestly, the story starts to drift a little after Hudson acquires his treasure hunting class, because once he makes it to civilization and we get to other characters some small flaws pop up. The first is that there is a character that I cannot understand why they are punched in the face on a daily basis. The two companions that Hudson befriends are both pretty cool, and that becomes an issue later in the story when a lynchpin partner is suddenly taken off the board. I really take umbrage when a great character, like the monk, vanish after showing a lot of potential. Also, the leader of the tribe tends to think more with his . . . heart rather than his head when it comes to a specific character.

The book is family friendly for the most part, at least it is for my kids, and that was a real bonus. There are some things that I just don’t want to give away, like the death maze, and what Hudson finds at the end of it, and the impact that his discovery will have upon the game.

There were some aspects that I didn’t quite get, such as why the MC only threw stones. There are plenty of other things to throw you know like spears, knives, cats. A well thrown cat can send an army into disarray so don’t discount them. You get the point, and why Hudson never tried crafting. Most players who are thrust into a world permanently, no this isn’t a new idea, try to round themselves out a bit to make their lives easier. Some cook, some fish, some sew but they all take up skills that will benefit them or their allies. Hudson doesn’t really do that.

Still, the writing is smooth and flows, and while some people may not like certain characters you have to admit RK makes you hate them pretty easily. Like I said, there is one character that just needs Rick James to step up and do his job. Weak writing can’t do that. So, the book is about team work overcoming spawn camping and building up a new civilization from scratch. It also does a lot with loyalty, featuring those who are loyal and dedicated and those who are not. Good themes to work with.

The narration by Eric Martin is really good, and if you like him I would steer you over to another excellent series he’s worked on by SL Rowland, called Sentence to Troll, ya mighta heard of it. Martin really does story justice and I think that he elevates it some too. He infuses some fun and thoughtfulness into the tale and gives everyone a distinctive voice. Really nice job.

Final score 7.9, lots of potential, and the book is well so it has a good fanbase, but a couple of flaws hold it back.

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Bibliomancer

Wolfman Warlock, Book 1

By: James Hunter, Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Series: Wolfman Warlock, Book 1

Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins

Pause

If this is what its like when worlds collide I want to see Jupiter smash into Saturn. That’s right, two of the biggest names in LITRPG, got together and penned a wee tale of pure awesomeness that any fan of either the Juggernaut James Hunter or the Ever Lovin’ Dakota Krout will spill ice cream on their jeans (that cleaned up enough for ya Youtube?).

Yup this dynamic duo have combined their powers for good, and created a story that I think simultaneously showcases their varied talents and brings their different and yet coherent senses of humor together perfectly. This is lightning in a bottle, and I think I actually enjoyed this a little more than the first Completionist book. That said, before I go any further, do you love me, will you love me forever . . . .sorry, Meatloaf is my middle name, but I would love to see the collab go the other direction and the pair pen a tale set in VGO. BTW, I compare this book to the Competetionist Chronicles because it is set in the same universe, and for a prequel it still manages to feel fresh, while impacting later characters in unforeseen but hilarious ways. I sincerely hope that this isn’t a one off, and would love to see Sam pop up the regular series somewhere just to flaunt his jaunty locks at Joe.

I will admit that there was one point I was confused on, and that was and please let me know if I am wrong, but I thought that Joe and Crew were the first ones to survive a night in the wilds. And, my one nit I must pick is that the title is a touch misleading, as there is mention of the MC being something in the title, but he is that in only the thinnest of extremes. I am curious how Sam and his crew fare after the big Wolfman battle, because it seems to be something that they would really have been involved with.

Either way the story is fun and just never stops. It’s one of the better books I’ve read in a while and cannot recommend it more highly.

The Key to this book, and I honestly hate to say this, is that the narration actually fits the style and the humor superbly, and I regret that Nick Pohdel didn’t get the complete Completionist contract because his reading is everything that the newer books in the series seem to lack. Pohdel has a snark that isn’t biting, and can do a passable couple of female voices. It’s not that I don’t think Daniels isn’t a great narrator, but Pohdel is a much better fit and he is solid as Sam. Pohdel is a hit or miss for me in the sense that either he is brilliant or he is ok, and it’s the material and this material suits him right down to the ground.

8.5 stars. A great book.

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Save Point: Upload

By: Matthew Siege

Narrated by: Will M. Watt, Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

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So, in keeping with the apocalyptic theme due to the pandemic I have for my Soundbooth Spotlight a little book called Save Point by Mattew Siege. You may remember that last time I talked about Siege’s One in the Head zombie Apoc novel I had a few issues, some things didn’t make sense to me, and the book was more about income inequality than it was about zombies (or so it felt).

Anyway, Siege eschews his social commentary in favor of just good old plain fun, and it works. He lays out some nuggets early on, so that if you are paying attention you can see how the book will end, and the biggest indicator comes from a question that the MC is asked after his abduction and prior to going into the “other world” as a player.

The MC, Adam, has cancer of the brain, and has a very short lifespan. He is abducted by a shadow agency operated by the government, that has been forced to play an alien game that will sort of dictate whether humanity will be wiped out, become slaves, or beat all the odds and end up winning the game as the dominant players. Adam is given no prep time to learn much and is just shoved in over his head before he even realizes that his feet are wet.

Adam is a compelling character, and the struggles he has, such as earning a nemesis, and being targeted for execution so that he has less time in the game will keep your attention like a weed eater aimed at your crotch. Thrilling, yes? He also befriends his “AI” companion, and runs into other human gamers who aren’t having the best of luck at surviving in their world.

This is a game world, with quirky rules and alien competitors, and Adam’s gameplay style really work here, and this was what I was looking for in his Zombie novel. This was an excellent novel. From start to finish, and I can’t wait for book 2 to come to audible.

The work by Soundbooth is like smooth jazz on a cool night. Will Watt, whose dulcet tones you may recognize from the Shadow Sun Series, takes the lead and impresses once again. I am really coming to respect this cat who hails from across the pond. He can read a story. Annie Ellicott lends her incomparable acting chops to the ladies side of things, and I have to say that she absolutely stuns. There are some characters who are so worn out that you can hear it in her voice, and another so tough that she makes Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn 99 seem like a grade school bully. Jeff Hays also pops in to add some texture and spice to an already amazing job. This guy is the Richard Blais (since I started his review off with food references I had to compare him to the Best Top Chef of all time) of narration. You know when you hear him show up the story is gonna pop.

Final score, 8.2 stars. I liked this book and cannot wait for the next to come to audible.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 058 - Melee, The Culling of Man, Shadow Sun Expansion, One in the Gut, Excise

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Melee, Book 1 (03:16)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2wVDnHG

The Culling of Man (13:47)

A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy, Book 1)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3blbzLP

One in the Gut (27:20)

A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Headshot, Book 1)

Score: 7.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VjyQYH

Excise (A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG) (39:23)

Ether Collapse, Book 2

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VhYtZY

Soundbooth Theater Spotlight (47:45)

Shadow Sun Expansion

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3bxGaWF

----------------------

Melee, Book 1

By: Wyatt Savage

Narrated by: Luke McKeel

Series: Melee, Book 1

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Pause

I just finished this book, and I have to say that it was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed this novel a lot, and a good deal of the credit can go to Luke McKeel. A narrator that I cannot find any other work from so either he is an incredibly talented newcomer or he has operated under a pseudonym. Either way it was treat listening to him.

First though I have to say that Savage is just that. A savage. The book is not for the faint of heart, and features things like children dying in pretty grotesque manners, and man vs man at his most feral. I found the book to be very believable in the way that some people worked together and others went solo or only banded with others so long as it was convenient for them to do so. The fights were exquisitely brutal and unrelenting and the gaming system was pretty hardcore.

There were a few things I did find hard to swallow. The first being that every man, woman, and creature was worth a mere twenty five experience points. Some monsters were really difficult to kill and should have had more experience than they provided, similarly, many humans were weak and feeble and provided too much XP in my opinion. Other than that the system is brutally easy to follow and sort of fun when you remember that there are no rules to the melee and the alien overlords who are instituting the great battle can reset, pause, and cheat any time they want to.

My only significant issue with the book is the amount of time it takes to get into the melee. I pretty much believe that you should get into the action as soon as possible, and it takes a goodly bit of tie to get there. Which basically means that there is some character building that actually lets you get to know the characters pretty well. And that is a bonus because the characters are well fleshed out and you get to care about them and their loses as the melee continues. What I liked best was that the portrayal of human character is done very well running the gamut of outright bloodlust to betrayal and on the opposite side compassion and unity in the face of adversity. Savage writes one hell of a compelling story.

McKeel really amazed me for the first time hearing him. He told the story so that it flowed, and had excellent pacing and didn’t suffer a lot of that mid-sentence break that some narrators seem to suffer

from, where it is like they think the sentence is over, and then realize there is more to it. He did a good job portraying various people and did a decent job on the ladies voices, although there really weren’t enough women characters for me to do a side by side comparison as to how different they were so he skates on that issue for now. What really impressed me was that I only heard one mispronounced word in the book. He said chi-tin rather than ki-tin when talking about a carapace. That was it. He helped make this an experience and I enjoyed listening to him.

Final score 8.25 stars. I need more melee in my life.

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The Culling of Man

A LitRPG Apocalypse (Peril's Prodigy, Book 1)

By: Craig Kobayashi

Narrated by: Michael Norman Johnson

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Pause

Here is a book that was fun, and featured a new system with some unique classes. I enjoyed it, but it did have some hiccups, so let me talk about the hiccups that Johnson’s narration had.

Michael Norman Johnson is a pretty good narrator, but he did two things that made me lower the score of the book a little. He clearly has a difficulty doing female voices, a common ailment suffered by even the great Luke Daniels. He only seemed to have two, one young and one old. And it was the old part that got to me because in the story there is an old woman who suddenly becomes young, but throughout the rest of the book she speaks like she is still eighty. I get that her vernacular mannerisms hadn’t shifted, as she still called the MC “young man” and acted like an exasperated old lady, but her voice should have changed so I have to call him out on that. The other thing that he did was to mispronounce common words, or at least words that I would expect him to be able to pronounce and I actually wondered for a brief moment if English was his first language. While that might be an exaggeration I can recall at least 20 times he mispronounced a word. And that is where I took off some points. If you is gonna talk for a living, know how to say what you is talkin about.

My only beef with the writing came with the unending series of rounds the culling had take place. They were one after the other, and while the battles were very descriptive and graphic I found it to be too rapid fire. I think a fight scene should progress the story a little, and giving the reader/listener a breather would have allowed for some character interaction and thereby growth, rather than the power saw that the characters endured. That said, I think the system that Kobayashi came up with was pretty fun and I liked that the MC, a necrologist, actually had negative side-effects from using his body, and that the earning of XP became very addictive and enticing.

The upside is after the gauntlet of the initial Culling the book settles into a good grove and has the room to expand in both character development and story elements. Once that hump is hurdled the story has a nice pace and becomes really interesting. I enjoyed it a great deal and believe that the next book will be even better now that all the initial set-up is over with.

So, while the writing and narration were both pretty good, again I can’t fault a guy for not being able to do lady’s voices, but I can shake my head at numerous mispronunciations. The story flows really well up to and after the Culling, but there is a long stretch of battle that overwhelmed me and I really think spreading the Culling out a little and inserting some breathers for the reader would have helped.

Over all I really enjoyed the book and it is just a mixture of these things coming together to cause me to take off some points of an otherwise amazing story. My final score is 7.6 out of 10 stars. It’s a fun book. If you like apoc stories, or just good stories give it a listen. It really comes together.

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One in the Gut

A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG (Headshot, Book 1)

By: Matthew Siege

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Series: Headshot, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Pause

Well true believers, if you know me at all then you know that there are two things I really truly and deeply love. One is Litrpg and the other is horror. One in the gut looked tobe a perfect melding of the two and I just had to grab it.

Now, I have to say that I really enjoyed Save point, an earlier work by Siege and could not wait to put my grubby hands on this book. It has a cool premise, but there was more than a few things that I felt made the book drag when it should have flown.

The premise is simple there’s a new horror game that is free to the public if they play zombies, and those wealthy enough get to play survivors. Zombies advance by eating survivors, not killing them, and survivors get points in some other way. I assume by finding gear or killing zeds. The premise is that the game opens up for public consumption and everyone and their mother shut down the country to play. People call in sick or don’t show up at all. The MC manages to survive a little longer and has to figure out how to keep going. As he continues his undead existence he begins to figure out little secrets of advancement and enjoys the game.

The story had a lot of potential, but the unclear game mechanics on both sides took away a little bit, but the main drag on the story was the way in which the MC constantly whines and cries about economic inequality unendingly. It was more of an inditement on class than it was about a game. Honestly, the MC bemoaned how the survivors had the easy life in every way. They could miss work because they have money, they got the best gear, had advantages zombies couldn’t get all the while stumbling upon new and cool zombie classes. Honestly it wore thin with me, and the way that the MC basically stumbled into everything took away a lot of his agency. Truthfully, there were a lot of aspects of the book the just didn’t jibe with me, or drove me nuts.

This story had a ton of potential, and it was fun in spots, but what seemed to be a rail on modern society’s haves vs the have nots detracted from the game quite a bit. The other thing that I found hard to swallow was that people was that the game reset at the end of the week. Why would anyone want to play a game where all your progress was lost week after week? Even if playing for free it would be frustrating, and if you paid to play then one of two things would happen. Either they made you reset too, which would really suck, or you got to keep all your advancements and gear, which would make the survivors OP pretty quickly. For me, Save Point is much better and far superior.

This is the part where I say that if you like Vikas Adams you’ll enjoy his work. He produces the same caliber of work and professionalism that he always does.

Final score …7.1 out of 10. The writing is good, and the kills graphic but it seemed to wander like a lost zombie rather than going for the throat.

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Excise (A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG)

Ether Collapse, Book 2

By: Ryan DeBruyn

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Series: Ether Collapse, Book 2

Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins

Pause

There are some big names in the post apoc category of litrpg including Schinoffen, Willmarth, and Wong. I would love to add one more name to that list, Debruyn. His Ether collapse series is a top notch post apoc series that is well thought out, detailed, has a unique system, and even incorporates dungeons into the sci-fi styled series. It has a broad appeal with a sort of something for every one kind of deal while still maintaining its Lit roots. Seriously, where else do you get aliens, cybermen, golems, and dungeons in the same book?

The book does have a neat little system involving ether, and the MC Rockland is a fun MC. There is a lot going on in book two, with Rocky trying to get the people he rescued in book one back into his territory. Along the way we get dragons, necromancers, and storm mutated humans that builds into a great tale of danger.

Ryan has a really fun concept, and creates a very vivid and detailed world that comes after the earth goddess Gaia reawakens. We finally, get a reason for why swearing is very limited in the after apocalypse, too. Like I say, the book is fun, fast paced, and has great characters. The book is also a little longer than book one, so that’s a plus. The world building is astounding, and the book even has a town building component. I really like the world that Debruyn is crafting.

The story centers on Rocky, the MC, trying to build his territory as he is beset by ether storms and minions of a nihilistic god. This leads him into forging bonds in the market, some golems, dungeons, and so forth while other factions start taking a good long look at Earth. There is a lot of set up for the third novel, and surprising some groundwork that was laid in book one is put on hold for later still. So, the series is building to something really big in the future. The romantic overtones between Rockland and his ancestral guide continue to simmer, but I better see something substantial in book three. Z’all I’m saying. I think that the biggest issue I had with the story is that there is not a lot of progression. Rocky doesn’t more than defend his people and create allies. His territory doesn’t expand, but it does get some powerful allies that will do more in future books. That’s the issue with 2nd novels in a series, they generally make their characters “shore up defenses” rather than going for more. That is the appeal to Shadow Sun, as Willmarth keeps his people continually expanding their territory as often as possible. I would have liked to have seen Rocky gain some more land.

Luke Daniels does an amazing job, per the usual. I feel that he fits the tone of this book more than he does a book like the Completionist Chronicles. This is more his speed, he is made less for pun based fun and more for exasperation and disbelief that plays out here. I think his best work is portraying frustration. Which Rocky has a lot of.

The story keeps its lit roots well watered, and we get updates and notifications frequently, the action is solid, and the story keeps your interest enough that you won’t want to stop listening. Personally, I can’t wait for book three.

Final score 8.3 out of 10.

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Shadow Sun Expansion

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Will M. Watt, Annie Ellicott, Andrea Parsneau, Jeff Hays

Series: Shadow Sun, Book 2

Length: 17 hrs and 21 mins

Pause

Here we are, back with another Dave Willmarth story. We seem to go long bouts without anything new in audible format and then get clobbered all at once with his catalog. So, SSE picks up with the MC, Alistar, continuing to build his bases and mangle monsters and madmen while rescuing various groups of survivors.

If you liked the first book you should love this one. Willmarth has a penchant for doling out justice like he was the one-handed norse god, Tyr. People are given chances and when they fail to take the opportunity for redemption they pay like they never heard of Geiko which can save them 15% or more.

Willmarth can craft a battle scene that makes the pages bleed and give the reader paper cuts. Which is why I like my audible account. He also is not afraid to whack characters right and left, but I am waiting for someone really close to Alistar to biff it the hard way. He needs a bit of a bite in the arse.

My only issue storywise is that we progress to the end of the year cut off to the alien arrival pretty quickly after a certain point, and I get that things needed to advance, but we basically had a play by play going on and then skip a few months ahead. Alistar really builds his power base up, and is ready to take on the aliens when they arrive in book three. I’m really hoping that he finds out that they aren’t as ready as they’d hoped and get their butts kicked. If you want to know the only real issue I have is that the MC and his lady friend ranger don’t have romantic feelings for one another. They are far too close and not only travel everywhere, but have also saved each other’s lives so often that there has to be more to their story even if they themselves don’t realize it. I just don’t believe that men can just be friends with women. There is always an ulterior motive, sort of like a back up. I just don’t see Missus Ranger putting him in the friend zone. Their obliviousness to one another is just not realistic. In my eyes.

SBT has a stellar cast, and Mister Watt proves he really can tell an incredible story yet again. I have to say, though, that there were a few times where the ladies sounded like they had recorded earlier and been added in, as the sound quality did not match the rest of the narration. Might have just been my ears, but a couple of times it came off like someone calling into a radio show for an interview. It wasn’t terrible or frequent, but it was something I noticed. It was nice to have Andrea Parsenau added in with the Amazing Annie Ellicott and Jeff Hays.

Score: 8.4 out of 10

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 057 - NPCs, Puatera Online Book 8, Dungeon World 4, Dark‌ ‌Elf‌ ‌Chronicles Book‌ ‌3‌

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

War for Maicreol: The Final Battle: Puatera Online, Book 8 (00:27)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/39j1e1R

Dungeon World 4 (07:54)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/39jiBzt

NPCs: Spells, Swords, & Stealth (19:18)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2uTaN8Q

Soundbooth Spotlight

Pathways:‌ ‌Dark‌ ‌Elf‌ ‌Chronicles,‌ ‌Book‌ ‌3‌ (28:19)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3cAIfSy

----------------------

War for Maicreol: The Final Battle: Puatera Online, Book 8

By: Dawn Chapman

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Pause

So, in the spirit of talking about NPC’s I have to bring up one of my favorite NPC heroines, who I no longer think actually qualifies as an NPC just because of her complete and utter awesomeness, and that would be Maddie the original star of the series. Maddie’s return is just one of the things that this finale has going for it, the other two are Dawn Chapman’s deft storytelling abilities, and the ever incredible narration of Andrea Parsenau. Seriously, aside from the great Duchy/Dooky debacle of 2017 has she ever been anything but perfect?

This book marks Maddie’s return, only for her to find out that she is not alone in her quest, but that she also has Akilla, Lila, Dahlia, and Jessica to help her take care of business, so this really is the culmination of all the preceding novels and it brings them together in a very nice and cohesive storyline that can’t help but grab your attention. Also, this has been a very unique series in that it started out with one MC and then went and added more players as it went on. The entire concept was new, and it was played out brilliantly.

So let me say one little thing about the narration. I absolutely adore Andrea Parsenau, and it was such a treat for her to return to close out the series that she and Dawn started together, it is very fitting and honestly it would not have felt right otherwise, BUT, BUT I would have really loved to have had the other narrators, or at least one of them, come back to voice “their” characters. For example, Annaliese Rennie would have been brilliant to have snuck in a cameo, as would Suzanne Barbetta who did just as many of the Puatera books as Parsenau. I realize that monetarily it was probably not possible, but I do want to give a tip of the hat to the other ladies who kept this series going while Andrea was elsewhere, although I have to say that keeping Maddie solely as Andrea’s character was very fitting. I honestly had hoped that Andrea would return before the close of the series, but had no idea if she would. For me, Andrea is a conundrum. She’s like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way, but every time I listen to her I hear something new. She continues to improve and evolve as a narrator and she simply blows me away every time she narrates.

Chapman, has played some cards very close to her chest because you really will be surprised who the big bad is. There is a change in perspective as we bounce between Maddie’s POV and that of Lila. Now Spoiler, we don’t get a real happy ending. We get one that is tangled in real life, something that doesn’t come with clean fairytale endings even though the resolution to the problem could be considered fairytalish in nature. In other words, Lila manages to get a resolution, but you have to ask if it is something that she can live with, and I like that. I like books that don’t just wrap things up in a neat little bow and pretend that the real world doesn’t have emotional cures. I can’t really say much without spoiling things but I have to say that this is Dawn at her absolute best. She crafts an excellent tale and brings it to life with dashes of the way things really are. It is definitely an edge of your seat fast paced story that unspools its secrets at just the right time. The only bad thing about it was that it was only 12 hours long.

Final score 8.4 stars. Hell of a way to wrap up a series.

-------------------------

Dungeon World 4

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Pause

Well, it seems like this is the penultimate book in the Dungeon World series, and while it is amazingly good it is also a bittersweet pill to have to swallow since this is, without question, my favorite series that Brooks has written or is writing to date. On that note, I think the primary reason I am not head over heels with some of his other series is the fact that I didn’t read them, I listened and narration is the name of the game in audio; so a great book can be deflated by the person reading. Miles Meili is a perfect fit for Brooks, and I just wish he’d see that. I don’t want to disparage but in my upcoming review of his dungeon horror story I detail exactly what I mean.

Meili provides a certain tone that just resonates with the story of Fred and his motley crew of shards. It is an intangible thing, and I liken it to the way that James Marsters is the voice of Harry Dresden novels or Bronson Pinchot in the Grimnoir Chronicles. To put it in Lit terms its like Jeff Hays playing Boxy or Quantum Hughes, Annaliese Rennie as the dragon Scarlet in Radioactive Evolution, Andrea Parsenau as Sin on Somnia Online or Gothy in Apocalypse Gates. They own the series and the characters, and that is exactly what Miles does here. He embodies the work brilliantly, I really enjoy him on this series and think that everything fits together flawlessly between writing and narration.

Speaking of writing, Brooks is in over drive. I just don’t know how he has so many series out and focused all on Dungeons. Clearly he loves the genre and always seems to create detailed and interesting stories and this one just keeps getting more intriguing as Fred initiates an all out war between himself and the council of dungeons, finds a surprising ally, learns a lot of his true history, and does a crap ton of fighting along the way.

This is a book in which Brooks really shines as he manages to give each character some screen time, so to speak, highlight Fred’s virtues and flaws, and instill the concern that the dungeons have over what Fred represents without making it feel like fluff or filler. There is no waste of space here. The story is set at a nice pace, it is tempered and doesn’t seem to run in spurts made up of action and then events to advance the plot forward. I really think that Brooks is an incredible writer and don’t understand why he isn’t a bigger name in the community. The man has multiple series, has a record of excellence, and is highly active. Right now he sort of feels like a big dog in the corner that no one sees as much as they should. He is quickly becoming a touchstone for Dungeon based novels.

My final score. 8.4 stars. The book does everything it should and goes a step better in most cases, and as we are getting near the end it is also revealing a lot of secrets and surprises about the world and Fred himself. The revelations Fred gets are shocking and help him define his character as he adjusts to the “truth” of what happened to him and his family. I can’t wait to see how Brooks ends this.

-------------------------

NPCs: Spells, Swords, & Stealth

By: Drew Hayes

Narrated by: Roger Wayne

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Pause

I listened to this book a good while ago and was trying to figure out if I should have used it in my Izzit Lit spot or just run with it, and I’ve finally decided that this qualifies as being gamelit as the characters are NPC’s who recognize that they are completely different from certain types of people.

Anyway. This is the kind of book that I enjoy. It is light hearted, but tempered with a gravity that keeps things very real. There are consequences and the NPC’s actions are not promised positive outcomes. For example, the NPC’s here have to actually act as if they are PC’s in order to stop horrible things from happening. What I loved about the book were the characterizations and the whole fact that the NPC’s don’t take the obvious paths when they decide to pick classes. That went a long way. Also, there was an initial reluctance to attempt their gambit, just as I think real NPC’s would feel when faced with altering their roles. They make hard decisions. Then they deal with the problems those decisions create, humorously. That is very important, because this book could have just been a straight up joke, or supremely serious in its tone, but Hayes manages to keep it all in balance so that the story works like a well-oiled machine.

The characters are interesting, and have very vibrant personalities. They act like real people who are put into a situation that is beyond their control, and roll with whatever fate deals them. It is an interesting bit of footwork that they do when they finally realize what is going on with the magic items, and it was one heck of a fun ride.

Roger Wayne narrates, not to be confused with Wayne Rogers from MASH fame because he died in 2015 but the book was released on audio in 2014 which made it possible for him to have done the narrating. Confused yet? Not as much as I am. I don’t have circular reasoning so much as a Tire with a slow leak variant of reasoning. Roger Wayne does a really nice job, he makes every character standout, although you just have to love his voice for the gruff old barkeep more than anything, and does a great job keeping the humor funny. I know it is crazy when I say that, but the funniest line misspoken falls flat every time. Wayne manages to keep the flow of the tale going along with the funny, which is more situational in nature than one liners flying every two minutes, and believe me conveying situational humor with just your voice isn’t easy.

Personally, I think it was pretty smart to do a series based on the viewpoint of game characters that you never really think about. Sure, nowadays NPC’s seem to be getting some attention nowadays with films like Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds coming out, but Hayes was way ahead of the curve with this one. Either way the book has a huge following, and is something to give a listen if you are so inclined. Final score 8 stars.

--------------------------

Pathways:‌ ‌Dark‌ ‌Elf‌ ‌Chronicles,‌ ‌Book‌ ‌3‌ ‌

By:‌ ‌Dave‌ ‌Willmarth‌ ‌

Narrated‌ ‌by:‌ ‌Justin‌ ‌Thomas‌ ‌James,‌ ‌Jeff‌ ‌Hays,‌ ‌Laurie‌ ‌Catherine‌ ‌Winkel‌ ‌

Length:‌ ‌13‌ ‌hrs‌ ‌and‌ ‌53‌ ‌mins‌ ‌

‌

Pause‌ ‌

‌

Just‌ ‌when‌ ‌the‌ ‌getting‌ ‌was‌ ‌getting‌ ‌good.‌ ‌Damn.‌ ‌Damn,‌ ‌damn,‌ ‌damn.‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌going‌ ‌to‌ ‌start‌ ‌off‌ ‌this‌ ‌

review‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌disclaimer.‌ ‌This‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌last‌ ‌book‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌series,‌ ‌Master‌ ‌Willmarth‌ ‌will‌ ‌not‌ ‌be‌ ‌

continuing‌ ‌his‌ ‌adventures‌ ‌with‌ ‌this‌ ‌world‌ ‌or‌ ‌these‌ ‌characters‌ ‌due‌ ‌to‌ ‌sales,‌ ‌and‌ ‌that‌ ‌is‌ ‌no‌ ‌

reflection‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌storytelling.‌ ‌This‌ ‌is‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌series‌ ‌I’ve‌ ‌ever‌ ‌read,‌ ‌and‌ ‌a‌ ‌rare‌ ‌one‌ ‌in‌ ‌

which‌ ‌the‌ ‌real‌ ‌world‌ ‌story‌ ‌was‌ ‌just‌ ‌as‌ ‌compelling,‌ ‌and‌ ‌maybe‌ ‌even‌ ‌more‌ ‌so,‌ ‌than‌ ‌the‌ ‌story‌ ‌set‌ ‌in‌ ‌

the‌ ‌game.‌ ‌It‌ ‌was‌ ‌just‌ ‌intense‌ ‌and‌ ‌amazing‌ ‌and‌ ‌it‌ ‌gripped‌ ‌your‌ ‌attention‌ ‌the‌ ‌whole‌ ‌way‌ ‌through.‌ ‌

Honestly,‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌haven’t‌ ‌read‌ ‌there‌ ‌go‌ ‌and‌ ‌get‌ ‌them,‌ ‌even‌ ‌lacking‌ ‌a‌ ‌conclusion‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌well‌ ‌worth‌ ‌it.‌ ‌

Just‌ ‌please,‌ ‌do‌ ‌not‌ ‌contact‌ ‌Dave‌ ‌Willmarth‌ ‌and‌ ‌ask‌ ‌him‌ ‌to‌ ‌just‌ ‌pen‌ ‌a‌ ‌finale.‌ ‌I‌ ‌know,‌ ‌bold‌ ‌words‌ ‌

for‌ ‌a‌ ‌one-eyed‌ ‌fatman‌ ‌who‌ ‌basically‌ ‌did‌ ‌the‌ ‌exact‌ ‌thing‌ ‌I‌ ‌caution‌ ‌you‌ ‌against‌ ‌to‌ ‌Charles‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌

and‌ ‌his‌ ‌Bathrobe‌ ‌Knight‌ ‌Series.‌ ‌If‌ ‌you‌ ‌need‌ ‌to‌ ‌contact‌ ‌him,‌ ‌just‌ ‌thank‌ ‌him‌ ‌for‌ ‌giving‌ ‌us‌ ‌such‌ ‌an‌ ‌

amazing‌ ‌set‌ ‌of‌ ‌books.‌ ‌

‌

That‌ ‌said,‌ ‌DE‌ ‌3‌ ‌really‌ ‌does‌ ‌begin‌ ‌to‌ ‌blossom‌ ‌into‌ ‌a‌ ‌rough‌ ‌and‌ ‌tumble‌ ‌tale‌ ‌of‌ ‌survival,‌ ‌which‌ ‌can‌ ‌

be‌ ‌heartbreaking,‌ ‌per‌ ‌the‌ ‌mother‌ ‌and‌ ‌kid‌ ‌scene,‌ ‌and‌ ‌adventure,‌ ‌per‌ ‌the‌ ‌MC‌ ‌setting‌ ‌himself‌ ‌up‌ ‌as‌ ‌

the‌ ‌ruler‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ ‌land.‌ ‌This‌ ‌book‌ ‌is‌ ‌like‌ ‌being‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌knife‌ ‌fight.‌ ‌Some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌cuts‌ ‌are‌ ‌quick‌ ‌and‌ ‌

painless,‌ ‌and‌ ‌others‌ ‌drive‌ ‌in‌ ‌so‌ ‌slowly‌ ‌that‌ ‌when‌ ‌you‌ ‌finally‌ ‌feel‌ ‌it‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌far‌ ‌too‌ ‌late‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌anything‌ ‌

about‌ ‌it.‌ ‌Then‌ ‌there‌ ‌are‌ ‌stretches‌ ‌of‌ ‌furious‌ ‌flurries‌ ‌of‌ ‌strikes‌ ‌and‌ ‌parries‌ ‌that‌ ‌are‌ ‌fascinating‌ ‌to‌ ‌

behold.‌ ‌No‌ ‌matter‌ ‌what‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌the‌ ‌book‌ ‌is‌ ‌fun,‌ ‌but‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌coming‌ ‌out‌ ‌of‌ ‌it‌ ‌bloody.‌ ‌That‌ ‌

speaks‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌to‌ ‌Willmarth’s‌ ‌writing‌ ‌style.‌ ‌He‌ ‌knows‌ ‌just‌ ‌what‌ ‌buttons‌ ‌to‌ ‌push‌ ‌(Dakota)‌ ‌and‌ ‌when‌ ‌

to‌ ‌hit‌ ‌them.‌ ‌He‌ ‌creates‌ ‌vibrant‌ ‌characters‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌connect‌ ‌with‌ ‌so‌ ‌easily‌ ‌that‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌scary.‌ ‌

‌

This‌ ‌book‌ ‌we‌ ‌see‌ ‌the‌ ‌MC‌ ‌finally‌ ‌close‌ ‌out‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌quests,‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌begin‌ ‌building‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ ‌

homeland‌ ‌for‌ ‌himself‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌oppressed‌ ‌people‌ ‌he‌ ‌suddenly‌ ‌finds‌ ‌himself‌ ‌surrounded‌ ‌by.‌ ‌Also,‌ ‌

dangers‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌outside‌ ‌world‌ ‌start‌ ‌getting‌ ‌a‌ ‌wee‌ ‌bit‌ ‌more‌ ‌dangerous‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌survivors‌ ‌and‌ ‌there‌ ‌

are‌ ‌a‌ ‌few‌ ‌close‌ ‌calls‌ ‌for‌ ‌everyone.‌ ‌That’s‌ ‌the‌ ‌saddest‌ ‌part,‌ ‌we‌ ‌were‌ ‌really‌ ‌getting‌ ‌some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌

most‌ ‌intense‌ ‌writing‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌post‌ ‌apoc‌ ‌world‌ ‌as‌ ‌you‌ ‌could‌ ‌get.‌ ‌

‌

As‌ ‌a‌ ‌certified‌ ‌SBT‌ ‌product‌ ‌we‌ ‌get‌ ‌several‌ ‌incredible‌ ‌narrators‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌board‌ ‌up‌ ‌the‌ ‌doors‌ ‌and‌ ‌

windows‌ ‌against‌ ‌the‌ ‌zombie‌ ‌apocalypse.‌ ‌The‌ ‌first‌ ‌being‌ ‌the‌ ‌man‌ ‌known‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌as‌ ‌JTJ,‌ ‌or‌ ‌

Justin‌ ‌Thomas‌ ‌James,‌ ‌the‌ ‌man‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌voice‌ ‌like‌ ‌smooth‌ ‌bourbon‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌chill‌ ‌night‌ ‌who‌ ‌narrates‌ ‌

and‌ ‌voices‌ ‌the‌ ‌main‌ ‌male‌ ‌players.‌ ‌I‌ ‌personally‌ ‌am‌ ‌a‌ ‌huge‌ ‌fan‌ ‌of‌ ‌JTJ,‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌sad‌ ‌that‌ ‌he‌ ‌seems‌ ‌

to‌ ‌be‌ ‌losing‌ ‌some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌best‌ ‌series.‌ ‌I‌ ‌know‌ ‌that‌ ‌this‌ ‌closes‌ ‌out‌ ‌the‌ ‌Dark‌ ‌Elf‌ ‌Series,‌ ‌Afterlife‌ ‌

online‌ ‌is‌ ‌concluding‌ ‌soon,‌ ‌and‌ ‌He‌ ‌no‌ ‌longer‌ ‌does‌ ‌the‌ ‌Cherry‌ ‌Blossom‌ ‌Girls.‌ ‌At‌ ‌least‌ ‌he‌ ‌has‌ ‌the‌ ‌

Hawke‌ ‌books‌ ‌and‌ ‌Archemi‌ ‌online‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌with.‌ ‌He‌ ‌just‌ ‌does‌ ‌an‌ ‌amazing‌ ‌job.‌ ‌LCW,‌ ‌or‌ ‌Laurie‌ ‌

Catherin‌ ‌Winkle‌ ‌as‌ ‌she‌ ‌is‌ ‌better‌ ‌known,‌ ‌voices‌ ‌the‌ ‌lovely‌ ‌ladies,‌ ‌and‌ ‌damn‌ ‌if‌ ‌she‌ ‌can’t‌ ‌be‌ ‌sexy‌ ‌or‌ ‌

silly,‌ ‌or‌ ‌both‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌time.‌ ‌I‌ ‌always‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌her‌ ‌being‌ ‌paired‌ ‌with‌ ‌Justin‌ ‌as‌ ‌the‌ ‌two‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌

dynamic‌ ‌chemistry‌ ‌that‌ ‌is‌ ‌hard‌ ‌to‌ ‌find.‌ ‌Laurie‌ ‌clearly‌ ‌has‌ ‌fun‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌characters‌ ‌and‌ ‌is‌ ‌so‌ ‌easy‌ ‌

to‌ ‌listen‌ ‌to.‌ ‌I‌ ‌could‌ ‌literally‌ ‌listen‌ ‌to‌ ‌her‌ ‌read‌ ‌the‌ ‌phone‌ ‌book‌ ‌to‌ ‌me.‌ ‌Jeff‌ ‌hays‌ ‌leaps‌ ‌in‌ ‌and‌ ‌plays‌ ‌

a‌ ‌few‌ ‌minor‌ ‌NPC‌ ‌roles,‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌like‌ ‌that‌ ‌he‌ ‌manages‌ ‌to‌ ‌keep‌ ‌a‌ ‌hand‌ ‌in‌ ‌each‌ ‌production‌ ‌of‌ ‌

Soundbooth.‌ ‌Hays,‌ ‌as‌ ‌I‌ ‌repeatedly‌ ‌state‌ ‌is‌ ‌my‌ ‌favorite‌ ‌narrator‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌always‌ ‌overjoyed‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌

to‌ ‌hear‌ ‌his‌ ‌voice‌ ‌however‌ ‌limited‌ ‌an‌ ‌engagement‌ ‌it‌ ‌is.‌ ‌

‌

Like‌ ‌I‌ ‌said,‌ ‌this‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌sad‌ ‌thing‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌end,‌ ‌but‌ ‌it‌ ‌well‌ ‌worth‌ ‌the‌ ‌journey.‌ ‌Final‌ ‌Score‌ ‌8.4‌ ‌stars.‌ ‌I‌ ‌

will‌ ‌really‌ ‌miss‌ ‌this‌ ‌book.‌ ‌

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 056 - Eight-Bit Bastards, The Crafter: Legacy, Equalize, Endless Fantasy Online, Life Reset 3

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Eight-Bit Bastards: Levels One and Two (01:23)

Score: 8.0 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2HhUULs

The Crafter: Legacy (16:43)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2So1t5N

Equalize: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG: Ether Collapse, Book 1 (28:19)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/3bxZ1AZ

Endless Fantasy Online: The Phoenix Kingdom (41:32)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2tX4EYK

Soundbooth Spotlight

Life Reset: Hobnobbing - New Era Online Book 3 (01:04:33)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2UNS0pZ

----------------------

Eight-Bit Bastards: Levels One and Two

By: Joshua Mason

Narrated by: Michael Norman Johnson

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Pause

Joshua Mason returns more powerful than ever in his new series 8-Bit bastards. Personally, I look forward to the next books in his series including sixty-four bit SonsofBitches, eleven megabyte mother fu (Shut your mouth). Mmmmhmmm. Seriously, I enjoyed Mason’s Steam Alley book, but this one is where he seems to find his stride. He has substantive strife between his party members based on past actions, as well as the very subject of that strife being a reason for them to come together, that being the MC’s libido.

The premise is fairly simple, like an 8 bit game, People enter a virtual world where they will live out eternity; the game fills up and is shut down to any more entrants. There are multiple worlds and levels in the gameverse, but even that is not enough to keep the inhabitants from having seen it and done it all. All except for one eight bit game level that the players cannot game in because it drives them nuts. The game AI just so happens to shunt anyone caught trying to break into the game into that level and keeping them locked up there, don’t worry they can hack it have been indoctrinated to it before any other game worlds, but they are permanently trapped. Bad news for our heroes because one of their descendants has just gotten himself exiled there and they have to go off to free him.

That’s the premise, and the audio is comprised of two books in the series. They are fun jaunts and funny as hell in some spots. I really liked Nessler, the goofy boatman who calls everyone homeskillet and fires fingerguns at them. The story moves along well, and does a little spotlight on each character as they get their new classes in the 8 bit realm. I enjoyed the book(s) a lot and think that this is a cool world to visit, and I appreciated that we started the entire book already in game and didn’t have to wallow through going into the FIVER/Diver stuff or watch the characters muddle around picking their classes. Heck they were even skilled enough that they worked as a team pretty efficiently. This made the story move quicker, felt distilled (as if nothing extraneous was involved), and that we were able to get down to brass tacks rather than playing jacks waiting for events to unfold. There is also some intrigue and behind the scenes machinations going on that keeps things interesting. The only question that really through me off is that there is a player who takes copious notes throughout the book, and gets upset when his notes are ruined or lost, and yet everyone there has a photographic memory of anything that happened to them after they arrived, so there is no need to get upset over ruined notes as you could literally rewrite them line for line. Otherwise, I think it all worked well.

Michael Norman Johnson does his job. Like I said there are some honestly funny parts in this book ,and Johnson is half the reason they work. He could have seriously stubbed his toe trying to get Nessler right, but he nails the guy’s personality in just his voice, the same with the note taking party member. I enjoyed his pacing and his inflections, which gave the nice subtle hints as to what the characters were thinking. Mason made a good choice with Johnson. And here’s a disclaimer, as Forrest Gump once said, “No, we are not relations, sir.” So he earned the good word all on his own. And I totally need a Nessler Plushie now!!

Final score, 8 stars. I had fun with the book, which was mason’s intention all along, or else why would he call it 8-bit bastards? You’ll enjoy this too.

----------------

The Crafter: Legacy

By: Outspan Foster

Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Pause

Outspan Foster has been diligently working to better his craft in every way. Any time I’ve seen him on social media he’s talked about new techniques he’s picked up or lessons he’s learned from other writers. Hell, he gave me great advice on characters and their agency in a story, and now it is something I notice all the time. Do they have agency or are they just along for the ride? He’s even got a good partnership going with Blaise Corvin and had cranked out some great stuff from their pairing. I actually expect a Veilverse book from him soon. The point is, he’s grown tremendously as a writer and I tell you now that Crafter has just, in my eyes put him in the upper echelon of the writers in the LITRPG field. He has just become one hell of a heavy hitter.

Legacy deals with a young kid named Wick, good name choice because you just know this kid is going to kick ass (Leeroy Jenkins). Wick makes a sacrifice that grants him advantages that few people ever have and . . . .here is the best part, he uses these new advantages to slowly and methodically destroy the people that hurt him or his own people as he also made himself stronger over time. I love treacherous characters, and Wick is one of these guys that spent years waiting for his plans to come to fruition and he sets out to make everyone pay. How awesome is that? So, Wick may be a little OP but if he is it is because of choices that he made and the manner in which he handles the fate he is dealt.

The story holds your attention completely. It has some great powers and abilities as well as amazing characters ranging from the people that support Wick to the ones that try to destroy him. His underlings and friends are just as interesting as wick, and I also appreciate the time spanning qualities that Wick’s revenge takes to unfold. I mean, if you’re going to crush somebody take the time to do it right.

I think that my favorite scene was where Wick goes to confront the head of the thieves guild in his city and unexpectedly gets hit with a Spanish Inquisition!!!! that leads to unexpected results. It was fascinating in watching the real brains play with and parry one another as they circled on another in a sort of game to determine who had the stronger will. Like I say, even in a scene where no real fighting takes place, Foster manages to keep you on tenderhooks. Masterfully done.

My real surprise came in checking out Ramon De Ocampo as the narrator. I knew him from the D&D novel The Stone of Tymora, and I realized as I listened to him that he had also done the Level Up Series and I have to say as much as I liked him there, he has really gotten better and just nails it here. Each character was distinctive and easily stood out from the other voices so that I always knew who was speaking. He was dramatic and serious, and added fun and humor so I think that he has only proven that he was the perfect choice for Foster to use.

My final score? Considering that I’d put this up against Dean, Hunter, Corvin, Krout, and Willmarth (just to name a few) I can’t low-ball this. Great revenge tale, amazing characters and magic system as well. 8.4 stars. Welcome to the big league OF!

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Equalize: A Post-Apocalyptic LitRPG: Ether Collapse, Book 1

By: Ryan DeBruyn

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins

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What can’t I say that isn’t good about this book? Not much. I really enjoyed I a lot and think it is comparable to Shadow Sun and System Apocalypse for end of the world styled fun. It has a unique and yet familiar system, an enjoyable MC, the seeds of a budding romance/love interest, a cool monster companion, and best of all people die. Yep, DeBruyn doesn’t keep things cuddly in his end of the world scenario and it seems like no one is safe. There was only one bit that sort of threw me off, and that was a POV change as we shifted from the MC to another character just so we could get an update on happenings elsewhere.

The story starts up in the great white north, in the area of the Algonquin park. Rocky, the MC, goes on an annual trips sans his partner (his dad) who has just died. While there the ancient earth goddess Gaia awakens and reboots the world to the way it used to be before she took a long nap. Suddenly everyone gets HUDS and can level up, on the flip side monsters appear and start wiping everyone out so it sort of equals out. Rocky just wants to get home and find his family and that of course is when everything starts getting in his way.

The writing is tight, fast paced, and energetic. The characters are well fleshed out, and thankfully not everyone is a likable cuss. There are some A-holes, and as I said, not everyone makes it so seeing well developed characters bite it is a nice jolt to the system.

The concept that buildings and kayaks can suddenly animate into huge golems is pretty cool, and considering that you have to consider what places like New York City or Chicago would look like after all this mess. You would have some monsters that made King Kong look like an organ grinding monkey. While the story is a slice of life it doesn’t feel like one. Rocky has a goal that he struggles to meet, he just gets ambushed a lot along the way due to circumstances.

Overall, this is an apocalypse book that like the others I mentioned earlier, isn’t what I consider to be postapocalyptic. I see barren wastelands and Mad Max scenerios when I think end of the world. Shadow Sun, System Apocalypse, and Equalize are all world resets where things change instantly from normal to gamey in the span of seconds., so I’m thinking these are Apocalit books. The only thing I have to ask is why everyone had to get knocked out to have the change take place. I would have liked Gaia just make an announcement about the way things are going to be from that moment on.

My only real issue in the book is the MC’s non-use of cuss words/swearing/vulgarities. Now I know that I often tout family friendly fair, but I am a man who loves to paint the air with obscene words in new and unusual ways and it drives me crazy when someone wants to swear and cuss but uses stuff like rubber baby buggy bumpers in their stead. Shut the front door, go fork yourself, they pain me to hear, and the only thing I have to console myself with is the fact that there is an explanation in book 2, so I better get it to see what’s up.

Final score? I really liked this book. I gave us a new progression system, it kills off characters like an exterminator huffing a can of raid, and was fun from the first page to the last. 8.3 stars. I look forward to bigger and better things.

---------------------------

Endless Fantasy Online: The Phoenix Kingdom

By: Devin Auspland

Narrated by: David Neilsen

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

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First timer Devin Auspland dives into the Litrpg genre and makes a decent first impression, but does make me wonder about a few things. So here’s the synopsis, While acting as a game tester, Luke Patterson gets stuck inside the game along with every other player by some outside hackers. It’s a familiar event in Litrpg, and so I think if you are going to go a well traveled path you really need to stand out compared to the other books in the genre that do the same things. I think Auspland walks a tight line but he creates an interesting story.

The first thing I’m going to say is that this is a family friendly book, this is something anyone of any age can pick up and dig into and it in no way talks down to the reader. I’m just saying that my kids could listen to and enjoy it as much as I, a grown man can, and not feel like I’m missing out on some cooler things in lieu of getting a wider audience. I really wish that some writers would realize that it doesn’t hurt to bring in younger readers, as they will be the people to carry on once the first guard fades away.

The only way the book seemed to be more PG than PG-13 was in the very black and white contrast of the characters. The bad guys were completely bad, and the good guys were entirely white knights. There really didn’t even seem to be a shade of gray in the players. One thing that really struck me as odd was the way Luke is inundated with information about how hard it is to learn magic, and just the fact that he has magic and has unlocked his affinities basically gives him a free ride into the guild. What’s weird is that when it comes time to choose his class he opts to become a hybrid ranger beast master type, after all he’s handy with a bow and he impressed the guy selling pets so that’s what he opts to do. Huh? Why make such a big deal of the rarity of magic and then go that route? I was expecting some Elminster/Gandalf type of stuff and wound up with Legolas. Not that it affected my enjoyment of the story, but it was definitely a WTF type moment when a magic class was overlooked. Granted, he still had magic but wha-huh on that.

The story is well paced and has good characterizations and it holds your interest without a doubt. It also has a good cast of characters aside from Luke, and it was nice to see characters do “the right thing” just because it was the right thing even if it was a hopeless situation for them to succeed.

David Neilsen does an OK job on the audio, there were some slight things that I picked up on, but my real beef came in the reuse of certain voices for different characters. I don’t ask for a lot, but having the same voice for multiple characters can be confusing. Kind of like how Luke Daniels really only has one or two female voices. Neilson give his all, and I respect that effort.

Final score 7.8 it is a fun family friendly book and I would happily listen to book two. I think you would too.

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Soundbooth Spotlight

Life Reset: Hobnobbing

New Era Online Book 3

By: Shemer Kuznits

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott

Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins

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I must say that I was slightly surprised that this book ended the series. I literally had no idea going in that this would be the last novel, and while I am glad that I got some closure I am sad to see it end. This is a damn good series and I am going to miss it. Want to know what shocked me was how long the first two books are in comparison to the wrap up. Thankfully, this does not feel truncated, and it doesn’t end all in a flowery garden.

In fact, I kept thinking that there was more to come as the book went on. IN fact, I wondered several times how anything was going to be resolved since the other books were over 24 hours in length. Needless to say, Kuznits pulls it off plausibly and entertainingly. Sadly, aside from some liberties taken with a certain shadow, no torture takes place in this book.

The story is set, for the most part in a Hobgoblin city that isn’t too kind to non-hobs and outsiders are treated with less than a modicum of respect. Oren and his team need to establish a trade route in order to help his village survive the upcoming storm of players and along the way we get arena fights, backstabbed deals, some new friends, and a conclusion to the Guy vs the world saga that has been going on since book one. I won’t say who wins.

I have to say that I like that the series did not end on a super happy note and that there were still some questions that needed answered, as it does leave a door open for further novels in the future. The ending, for what happens with the MC is pretty realistic, and in a gritty series where he kept pushing boundaries I’m surprised he didn’t end up pushing daisies instead.

My only complaint is that this book seems like it was rushed to the finish line. Honestly, I was expecting something along the line of maybe 7 books, and that for some reason about midway through Shemer decided he’d had enough and just started wrapping up plot points. Aside from that the book is pretty good. 8.2 stars for a strong finale, coulda been more but there were several things that we readers wanted to know, but never got the answers to.

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Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the Is it LIT segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 055 - Raze, Swing Shift, Irrelevant Jack

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Raze: The Completionist Chronicles Series Book 4 (00:44)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35S69o4

Swing Shift (11:54)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NkL0MK

Soundbooth Spotlight

Irrelevant Jack (27:10)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2t1QV2t

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Raze: The Completionist Chronicles Series Book 4

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

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I have to give credit to where credit is due. Dakota Krout played this right smartly. Knowing that he had an issue with his narrator he took steps to crush the issue with an iron boot. Magical Synesthesia. Yup, those two words completely eradicated all of the issue that VA’s departure caused. So let me start there.

Luke Daniels really steps up and sinks his teeth into the story, and now that he is unfettered by accents, vocal tones, and pronunciations by the characters in the world he forgers ahead and takes this story home. I enjoyed listening to him, and somehow just the knowledge of magical synesthesia being a thing kept me from lamenting what could have been. It also was used pretty slyly in other places in the story so that it wasn’t a one trick pony. Daniels hits the jokes and doesn’t flinch in the violence. So good on him. I was happy that he was able to do this series in spite of all that came before. My real issue is that some of the names are not pronounced the same, and that is something that could have been easily fixed prior to recording.

The story is pretty funny, and deals with Joe struggling to be treated fairly by his guild, and taking care of a problem that the Royal family has, all the while struggling to come up with a way to feed his guildmates as a horde of newbies rush in from the outside world following some apocalyptic type stuff happening out on the real world. I really thought the manner in which Rexus and Raze were tied together was neatly done. Joe even has an opportunity to earn a coffee elemental! Man, I’d hate to get a half caf Frappe in the nuts from one of them.

The biggest issue that Joe has, other than dealing with his team, is trying to figure out a way to satisfy the royal family’s “request”, getting his god out of deity jail, and keeping his guild from committing treason. Suffice it to say that Joe doesn’t quite succeed in all ways, but he does manage to earn new followers for the hidden god, and convert many shrines and temples to his cause. It was also good to see a seed that was planted a way back finally come into fruition in this book with the green flame. That was both nice, and funny, and I think we’ll see more of the resolution to the green flame return in the future.

So, here is a recommendation followed by the final score. If you start a new series, and it is going to be in the same vein as DD and CC then consider Johnathan McClain of the Noobtown series. The dude is brilliant and can do funny like nobody’s business. My final score is 8.5, this was a great novel and had a nice wrap up ending that stuck it to a few people.

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Swing Shift

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: Swing Shift, Book 1

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

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I have been a fan of Arand’s for a mighty long time, and as much as I love his stuff there was just something about Swing Shift that just punched the right buttons for me. I don’t know if it is because it is such a departure from his normal stuff, or if it because I love gritty noir and urban fantasy, but this book just knocked my socks off. I enjoyed the whole premise and loved the Boogeyman main character. This booked worked so well that Arand had to let it file a tax return.

The premise is pretty simple. The Modern world has paranormals and normals living side by side. Naturally, the paras are kept secret from the normies via MIB style mind wipe most of the time. Unfortunately they end up in conflict from time to time and the MC, Gus is the guy that works the graveyard shift, which for the paranormal community is during the day. The story begins with a simple berserk troll, but things quickly spiral out of control and Gus picks up a couple of new partners to help him figure things out.

I really liked how Arand came into the modern era for this series, and the mix of the mystical with the mundane was well balanced. I think that fans of Urban Fantasy will love this series as much as the ones in LITRPG. The world is grounded in some solid rules and has some interesting character types, such as the contractors, that have never really held a place before. Think of Faust operating with multiple deals with all types of entities. Pretty cool stuff.

Andrea Parsenau rocks this like she’s on a boat (don’t rock the boat, baby) and gives Gus I kind of perfect everyday schlub kind of voice that fits him to a tee. Gus is pretty steady and on an even keel most of the time, it takes a lot to get him upset or excited. Andrea really plays Gus well, which is not to say that she doesn’t nail the other characters too, but the MC sets the tone, and just like she nails Brawly in Power Mage she completely captures the essence of Gus with her voice. Also, she’s taken to reading her books as if it were the MC telling the whole story and I give her kudos. It can’t be easy speaking in a voice that is not your own for 95% of the book, but she does it and it helps maintain the tone of the story. For me it had the feel of listening to an OTR Johnny Dollar story by her doing that. Total fun. Andrea’s the best!

Final score 8.3 stars. A great first novel, with some cool characters. My only hang up was sending the contractor away. I would have loved to have seen her in more action, but hopefully we’ll get that in book 2.

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Soundbooth Spotlight

Irrelevant Jack

By: Prax Venter

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Andrea Parsneau

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

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Wow, Prax Venter took a break from doing harem and stepped into some hardcore LITRPG that features both town building and tower climbing as the main components of the tale. I am very pleasantly surprised, and maybe a little shocked that he opted to go for the more family friendly version, but while sex sells Disney owns everything. So I get it.

Here the MC is a bit of nonconformist who hates to follow the rules. He has an aversion towards authority figures and doesn’t like being told what to do. As a result, oh and I so understand this guy to his core, he ends up doing something stupid and getting himself stuck in a spaceship that has been trapped underground for countless thousands of years. He then has to fight off an organism that mimics other creatures and can only be killed by fire. Sorry, that’s the Thing. Damn, I love that movie. Anyway, the MC does stumble into a space vessel and finds himself inserted into a VR world. He soon discovers that the world he is in is under attack by a corruption from the real world, and that he is the only hope that the real world and the virtual world have of defeating this dimensional eating stuff.

The story is well paced and has some intriguing characters, it also does one hell of a job world building and setting up future books. One thing I liked is how the MC doesn’t flip from being a self centered jerk to doing the right thing quickly, and it is something that he later acknowledges in the book, that if he’d had things his way he would have died right off from his arrogance and lack of listening skills. Venter treats this every well, and it is some solid character growth; which was nice to see develop.

I also like the companion that the MC gets, not the girl, but the A.I. He was funny and a good source of info that gets parsed out as he grew in power and could access more systems. It sure beat one large info dump. The girl of his dreams also was played out well, as in she didn’t fall for him right off the bat, and had trust issues through most of the book. Issues that were completely understandable. The townspeople all have vibrant personalities and stood out. My only complaint was that I couldn’t tell if the village only had a handful of people left or if the book only spotlighted a handful of them for expediency’s sake. It could go either way, and if the former is true then where will the people come from to build up the town as it grows? I guess We’ll see.

The narration is amazing, complete with some SFX, but not enough to be overwhelming. I love the smooth vocal tones of Justin Thomas James’ narration, and thought that Hay’s voicing of Jack perfect. Hays just seems to do incredulous so well. Plus, he’s fulla snark in real life. The surprise is that Andrea Parsenau comes on board to help do the female voices and naturally, this is a three way I am most happy to have experienced, it’s like three of my favorite narrators came together to make an audiobook just for me. And it is just for me, but I’m not stingy, so Imma share it with y’all. So, I don’t know if you get the hints I’m droppin, but this is some hella good narration. I rather like the SBT team up.

Final Score, 8.3 stars. Good story, good characters, and good narration combine to bring us an incredible tale of one man’s struggle to save everything he knows.

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Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the Is it LIT segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 054 - The Curse The Realm Between, Fostering Faust: Book 3, Forger of Worlds, The Realms - Book Five, The Game: The Game Is Life

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Curse The Realm Between, Book 1 (02:09)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/36seH5U

Fostering Faust: Book 3 (08:17)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Qr8aTJ

Forger of Worlds (14:46)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ZR2Tb3

The Forsaken God: An Epic LitRPG Series (21:39)

The Realms, Book Five

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/302vZEB

The Game: The Game Is Life (29:13)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2tt0Qhc

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The Curse The Realm Between, Book 1

By: Phoenix Grey

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Series: The Realm Between, Book 1

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

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So, I totally owe Phoenix Grey a big apology. I read this some time back, and thought I’d reviewed it, but I didn’t. This is no reflection on her or her story, but rather the state that my life was in when I did read this book. So, very sorry Phoenix. Anyway, there are some things this story has working for it and a few minor ones against it. Sometimes, the same thing can be both. For example, the MC is not all that likeable a dude. He is clearly an imperfect person, and some people might find that off putting. I found him to be realistic, and could insert myself right into his place.

Secondly, I enjoy that the story is a little dark. This isn’t the happy go lucky Shire, this is a place where some bad stuff has happened and it is affecting everything. The land, the people, the animals, etc. The MC sets off to try to curb this encroaching evil and this is where the story kind of turns into a slice of life adventure. In the past, this is where it would have lost me. I am not really a fan of SOL stuff, even to this day, but I have come to realize that it is a staple of this genre and that I need to get used to it. So looking at it in that lens I can see a decent story even if it isn’t building towards some incredible set up for book two.

As a bonus, I would invite you to see if you can figure out who the villain is in this novel, you might be surprised! The big issue that I think most readers will have is the book’s ending, and all I can say is that this is part of a series, and that this is where book one ends. I know, however, there are some people who will get miffed at the way the story ends, and I get it. Endings like this are not an issue for me, however, so long as I know that there is more coming.

The narration by Hellegers is right on point. He brings the characters to life and adds to the humor. Neil has really grown on me since the Great Filter was released. He is a really good fit for the characters in this book, as his voice seems custom made for them. His story telling elevates this tale.

Overall, I think that the book entertains and holds your attention, it has great narration, but it does wander a bit as a SOL story and the ending I know will piss off some people, so final score 7.9 stars. It’s good, could have been a little tighter on the ending.

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Fostering Faust: Book 3

By: Randi Darren

Narrated by: Stephanie Savannah

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

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See, this is the way to end a series. FF3 really pulled out all the stops and did right by each of the characters. There is one thing I want to say about this series. I am shocked at how easily I got taken in by the numbers, by which I mean that how I preferred the girls to be referred to by their numbers rather than their names. After saying that you’ll find it funny to hear me say that of all the girls, Nanny was my favorite. For a number of reasons.

Can I tell you one of the big reasons? Stephanie Savannah. Savannah came onto a hard series to read. It was about a cruel and likeably despicable character who strong armed people into making deals that hurt them more than it helped. Wrought with graphic sex, murder, and an evil goddess most narrators would have been frightened off. Not Stephanie. She is the reason we didn’t get a mediocre talent doing the reading and I put her abilities in the same class as Andrea Parsenau. I get a lot of emotion out of her, there is acting, and she pulls off men’s voices powerfully. For me, her best character was Nanny. I loved to hear her voice that girl. She made the humor subtle and overt as needed, and never reigned in on the graphic sex scenes or violence. She really put her stamp on this series, and is undoubtedly why this is one of the best series in Arand’s shared universe. I don’t want to call her an unsung hero, but she really knocked this whole series out of the park and I applaud her courage and capabilities.

As for the story we see Count Inferno deal with a rebellion/invasion and prove conclusively that he can just wait to be king. Personally, I love Alex, because he is fair but has a streak of cold bloodedness that can’t be denied, and if you piss him off he will make you pay for it. My favorite scene? When he makes a deal with a dignitary that can end with death or him having sex with his daughter right in front of the man. That is classic badassery right there and I loved every second of it.

The story does wrap up rather neatly, and sets up the next trilogy in the series with assurances made that the team will play together for some time. I was really glad to see this series stay right on a level field throughout. Personally, I think SSOSH was uneven and didn’t end as strongly as it started. This series only managed to improve as it went. Final score, 8.3 stars.

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Forger of Worlds

By: Simon Archer

Narrated by: Lance Greenfield, Melissa Moran

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Pause

This book was a fun surprise for me. Honestly, when it first started I got a very powerful Lion’s Quest by MSE from it, and as much as I really didn’t like that book I thought that this was a stronger version and I was digging it pretty hard. The premise is that there is a video game champ who hooks up with a goddess who he thinks he is going home with for a night of bouncy bouncy ree ree stuff, but instead discovers that she is an entity that exists in a game he has played that just happens to be real. She wants him to become a god and build a world that can withstand the Galactus level threat that is about to wipe out everything. Seeing how he has beaten and nearly beaten the monster in the game with few resources she believes him to be the man for the job. He goes to a blank slate solar system and build his planet and populace from scratch.

So, yeah, this is a world building novel, but it also has dungeon crawls, and VR battles tossed in just for fun. The MC also gets jiggy with an ant so set aside your expectations. The book is not what you expect, and it felt like just when I knew the direction it was going I was tossed another curve ball and we went somewhere else.

There are sex scenes, but this doesn’t feel like a harem style book to me, not yet, but maybe soon (like in book 2). This is Litrpg, but in a lighter sense. It isn’t crunchy by most standards, but it is without a doubt LIT, so it qualifies. Biggest issue is that there is a lot of book time devoted to fighting ants, after that we go into a fantasy realm and it gets less repetitive, but in each case the story held my attention and I enjoyed myself.

The narration was pretty good, but with two narrators I was expecting a back and forth exchange, with Moran playing the women, Greenfield the men, and one of them narrating. What we got was one reading one chapter and the other reading from the women’s pov. It was a little disconcerting and not what I was expecting. I liked both of them, but I still don’t understand the reasoning behind the way this was managed. I would have preferred interplay between the two rather than the trading of chapters. For me this was the biggest issue I had. I didn’t mind the OPness of the MC or the lengthy ant battles, or even the sex scenes, but I saw no reason to split the book like this.

Final score? 8 stars. Why? Because of the narration more than anything. I was really disappointed with the swapping rather than sharing of the story, and each time it happened it derailed the flow of the book. Otherwise I really look forward to more from Mr. Archer.

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The Forsaken God: An Epic LitRPG Series

The Realms, Book Five

By: C.M. Carney

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The Realms Series, Book 5

Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins

Pause

Carney continues to crush this story. I am loving every second of it, and can see the noose getting tighter around Gryph’s neck. The whole interweaving of the gods and the Prime (arboleths) is getting more and more fascinating by the minute.

Gryph’s team becomes more complex and interesting as the stakes continue to rise. I have a real fondness for this series and oddly cannot wait for it to end (just so I can see how things unfold). Honestly, so much happens in this book it is hard to keep track of since it happens at such a breakneck pace. For example they finally discover Lex’s god, but have to do a series of things to get to his home. SO here’s a list of the bad guys in this novel 1) the overgod 2) the Prime 3) The Dukes of Chaos 4) various monsters that they encounter as they go from one task to another. That is a lot. So you can see that the action is amped up, although conversely it is also very intimate. There are lots of interpersonal moments and interplay among the party and it is great to listen to. It seems as the stakes get higher so too do the risks that the team members are willing to take for each other. There is a ton of action and humor to balance things out and keep the story on point. I never felt it wander away once. I also have to admire Carney’s ability to track his character’s powers and skills. Not once did I think that he could’ve employed a better way of doing something with a different ability by a party member.

Armen Taylor’s narration is perfect, and I know he is one of my favorite narrators for a reason. There is just something about his manner of speech and the impetus that he imparts on behalf of the characters that I completely believe that they are in danger or within seconds of losing their lives. I’ve probably said that this series has a very VGO feel to it, and oddly I don’t think that it is because Taylor narrates it, it’s the writing style, the intense characterizations, and the epicness of the overall storyline. Taylor’s narration is simply icing on the cake for me, but then anytime I hear him voicing a tale it is the icing-goodness that I don’t deserve but get anyway.

My final score, and I really didn’t go into a lot of detail is 8.4 stars. A truly magnificent story that makes me want more every time I finish another book. Smart writing plus fantastic narration combine to create one of the strongest LITRPG tales told today.

------------

The Game: The Game Is Life,

By: Terry Schott

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Pause

I had some issues with this book from the start, some of which were by my own making. As I listened to it it seemed to me as if Luke Daniels was high. He was speaking at a slower rate and came off as disconnected from the material. Then I realized I was listening to the book on ¾ speed. Epic fail on my part and I had to go back to the beginning so that my opinion wasn’t tainted by my initial reaction to the reading.

So, the Game has an interesting premise. Earth is a gaming world, in which people IRL go to, to learn and get experience. They get the full life experience, good and bad, and they make their money based on how well they played. When they turn 18 they get booted from the game and go to work in the real world. Failing is not fun, and leads to horrible consequences for those drop outs. I really liked the idea of players completely forgetting that they were in a game and living actual lives over and over again, and the thought that our Earth is the game is pretty meta. There are a lot of themes that could be explored here, such as would you think of the real world as th afterlife? Is this a form of virtual reincarnation? If we only had slight idea of what was actually happening would we make it into a religion? Some of these ideas are examined and other are not.

The whole purpose of this book seems to be to make you think, because you basically follow the MC through his last life in the game. My issue comes from I listened to the book and have no idea how points are really accrued and how you win the game. Also, the game, which is essentially a teaching tool ends up dominating every aspect of the real world from its economy to its main form of entertainment. For that to have happened in the scant number of years that the game had been working it seems almost impossible to believe. It reminds me of the Truman show, in which we are supposed to believe that a dope played by Jim Carrey could be interesting enough to cause an entire nation to follow him. Unless he was killing people, doing smack, and parting with strippers every night I don’t believe that people would tune in to watch him have a beer with his best friend after a long day at work. A boring job at that. Same here. If the MC were a drug lord, head of State, a member of royalty, or some other interesting figure I could see the draw, just not here.

Usually I am fairly forgiving, if I know you are in a game I can let a lot of stuff slide passed, but not here. This does not really feel all that LIT. Additionally, the book does have a slow start. I know I was in over an hour and noted that they hadn’t even entered the game yet, and for me that is an issue. I like to get to the nitty as soon as I can. I can handle ideology overloads and discussions about the true nature of God and angels, etc but I want to get into the game ASAP.

Luke Daniels is what drew me into this novel, and I have to say that he does his usual incredible jobs. Daniels is one of those guys that you know is going to turn in a great performance no matter what. He pulls his weight here, and then some. As slow as the story is in getting into the game I still listened raptly.

Final score, 7.5 stars. The series has a lot of potential but I needed a better understanding of how the game was played, a quicker way in, and I am certain that the ending will annoy some readers. I don’t mind cliffhangers, but I just threw that in for people who do. Overall, a good start that needs more time to simmer and perhaps share the ingredients so that we can understand what is going on, how to score, etc.

-------------

Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the Is it LIT segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 053 - Power Mage, The Dark Lord Bert, The Village of Noobtown, War God's Mantle: Underworld

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Power Mage (00:20)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Sy33SV

The Dark Lord Bert (11:19)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F1ltDD

The Village of Noobtown (17:43)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F1aDha

War God's Mantle: Underworld (30:57)

The War God Saga, Book 3

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/37ifgzs

----------------------

Power Mage

By: Hondo Jinx

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: Power Mage, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

I’m gonna admit that Hondo Jinx has quickly become one of my go to reads. Coupling his pen with Andrea Parsenau was pure genius as it make this a MUST LISTEN type of books. I fell in love with Jinx’s style in his Dan the Barbarian series, which was a facetious version of Robert E. Howard updated with some Bob Guccione’s sensibilities (as in the harem sections). Power Mage is more of a Modern Louis L'Amour take with the Cinemax styled storytelling added for flavor. The difference here is that instead of guns the players have psionics. It’s as smart way to differentiate itself from his Barbarian series, i.e. no magic and still keep up the hardcore MC. This is gamelit, as Brawley does progress in power, too.

The story itself is pretty fast and pulls no punches, my only issue is the way in which it starts off, with Brawley saving a cat. Honestly, cats are great swimmers, and I didn’t see any real reason for him to empathize so strongly with the cat’s plight other than as a Mcguffin to get things going. Past that petty piece of publishing the story really flows. It has great characters, an intriguing premise, and rocks out to a great start. The set up is pretty good, too, as there are characters that we only see for one or two brief scenes that you know will become bigger players in the future. My favorite character is Sage, smart chicks is sexy! I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of this series to hit.

Andrea is in danger of being burned at the stake for her work her, because it is pure magic and I can only think that witchcraft is responsible. No fuggle could ever do what she does without the aid of some mystical intervention. She really is amazing, and I love that she literally narrated the book in Brawly’s voice rather than reverting to her own when he wasn’t speaking. That is some serious dedication and just another reason I become more impressed everytime I hear her tell me a story. I wish I had four hands so I could give her four thumbs up.

Final score 8.4 stars. It is a great beginning novel with tons of potential. I can’t wait to see where it is going.

------------

The Dark Lord Bert

By: Chris Fox

Narrated by: James Gillies

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

This is a cute and short little romp in the world of a minor goblin nestled well within a goblin horde. The story is light on the game aspects, although I’ve said it a thousand times, I only need enough to know that a story is gamelit, and the game elements actually are used well in the book for me to qualify it. So, while you aren’t bombarded with states or tons of game features what you do get works, and works well.

This is a short story and so this will be a brief review. The book details how one little insignificant goblin rises from being a nothing to becoming a dark lord as the title suggests. AS I said, the story is cute and has funny moments, and I think Bert is well crafted. Some bits really nailed it, such as all of the “wizards” showing up to claim a territory that Bert cleared out, or the cursed archer who only seems to be able to shoot his opponents in their junk. I think it is worth a listen, and since it is quick it won’t cut a lot into your other listening. The book is not deep, but it is just meant to be a romp of silliness and in that regard it succeeds.

Gillies also adds to the humor with his reading style, and really gets Bert’s voice just right. His proper English voice fits the story well, and it felt like Mr. French was reading to me. He has a very pleasant tone to his voice that is almost hypnotic.

Final Score, 7.8 stars. I think that it is a very light gamelit that is infused with humor and characters that will keep you interested.

-----------------

The Village of Noobtown

By: Ryan Rimmel

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Series: Noobtown, Book 2

Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins

Pause

Book 2 upholds the great start that Book 1 began. There is no sophomore slump here. I want to tell you that this is a rare book that is consistently funny. Rimmel not only pens aclever tale but his humor is incessant and always on point. I never heard a single groaner or thought that a joke fell flat. Not even when it came to the Fecking Puma Forest. In comedy three is a magic number for jokes, after the third reference you step away and let the joke go. Rimmel takes that belief and beats the hell out of it with the Fecking Puma forest. Fecking puma jokes were everywhere, even out of the Fecking Puma forest. In fact, he takes the joke to a whole new level when he is given a quest to kill 50 pumas. Just fecking brilliant stuff.

Jim returns and finds that getting his town up and running is only one step in a journey that forces him to walk on hot coals for a thousand miles. Fortunately, Jim gets a new badger pal who only adds to the funny business going on in Noobtown. The badger is a riot. I think that Rimmel is an amazing writer that can tell a great story but infuse it and improve it with humor. It reminds me of Ugland’s good guy series. This is a fresh and fun take on town building that you do not want to miss.

If I ever get to write a comedy laden novel, European and not African, I fully intend to do everything in my power to get Johnathan McClain to narrate it for me. This man is perhaps one of the most nuanced readers of funny business I have ever heard. He uses every vocal tool he has to elevate the power of the jokes Rimmel has written. His inflection, characterization, pacing, and accents takes the story and makes it sound like Chapelle, Williams, and Dangerfield all came together to write this book. He is brilliant and I never heard one joke fall flat, In fact I firmly believe that his work made this a better book. McClain, I have my eye on you!

Final score, 8.3 stars. Rimmel and McClain riff off one another like Pryor and Wilder, like Monty and Python, and Abbot and Costello. This is a duo that makes listening more fun than it has a right to be. Oh, and the Fecking Pumas made it a fun romp, too.

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War God's Mantle: Underworld

The War God Saga, Book 3

By: James Hunter, Aaaron Crash

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The War God Saga, Book 3

Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

How do you say goodbye to an old friend? I don’t. I just pretend that they are still hanging around just down the road. I plan on doing that with this series, even though the Evel Kniviel of writing, Aaron Crash and the master of LITRPG craft, James Hunter, left an opening for more books in the future.

I’ve been a fan since day one, and it is funny how certain books make me remember where I first listened to them. For the completionist chronicles I was vacuuming my front porch and for War God I was in the storage room at work cleaning. Everytime I start a War God novel I am instantly transported back to the time I was cleaning that room. Anyway, this is a good book that just had two flaws as far as I could see. First, one of my biggest complaints about the Percy Jackson series was that every thing had a deadline. If you don’t have my thunderbolt back to Olympus before midnight on Thursday I will destroy the world. Every book was like that. I’ve noticed with VGO and War God that timer deadlines appear in almost every book. For example, here they have eight hours to do a certain something before all hell breaks loose. If it was VGO it’d be a death’s head quest. I get that you need some sort of Sword of Damocles hanging over your character’s heads, all I ask is that it gets mixed up a little. The second issue was when the team was in in a certain place filled with fire, and a stack of Jim Dresden books fell into the inferno not once was the line, “The books were on fire, and it wasn’t my fault” ever uttered. Alas and alack, such wasted potential!

I was glad to see that the book defied expectations and didn’t provide a 100% happy ending for all the amazons, and that we were given some hope for a new quest that could spearhead another trilogy.

The amazing Armen Taylor narrates and does his usual amazing job. The guy just has an incredible voice and really knows how to tell a story. I can see why he is such a go to guy in this business.

Final score 8.2 stars. A nice way to wrap things up Although I definitely want more of the new god, now that he’s just getting his footing. He’s leveled up, time to see him really get into some action.

-------------

Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the Is it LIT segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 052 - Death's Mantle, Reborn: Apocalypse, Towers of Heaven - Book 2, Everybody Loves Large Chests - Book 4

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Death's Mantle (02:28)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MiPhjj

Reborn: Apocalypse, Book 1 (18:32)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35FD5kd

Towers of Heaven (A LitRPG Adventure) (27:51)

Towers of Heaven, Book 2

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2sLYklY

Soundbooth Spotlight:

Morgana: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Book 4 (40:34)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Zj9oTO

----------------------

Death's Mantle

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins

Pause

Welp, Carmon Hooper has really upped his game. When I first saw that this book had elements from thigs like Sandman, Spawn, the books On a Pale Horse and the Tibetan Book of the Dead I knew I was going to be a fan. The only thing I really am unfamiliar with was Parasyte, and that is only because I rarely watch television any more. In fact, the book does an incredible homage to the first Incarnations of Immortality novel by Piers Anthony, On a Pale horse with Lucien pulling a gun on death. Granted the two tales are incredibly different, but that one scene told me that Cooper valued that series as much as I did, and if you think I don’t respect Gaiman’s Sandman, lemme show you my tattoo. I’ve been reading Spawn since McFarlane left Spidey, and so I can see here Harmon was getting his influences from. Point is, they are only influences and this story stands all on its own. Sorry, that is to say that it stands out all on its own.

I have been a Cooper fan since I first heard Quantum Hughes fast talk his way out of a time loop, and I have enjoyed every book he’s put out since but I have to say that this is by far his best book ever. I loved the concept, the mechanics, the characters, and the Mcguffin that actually drives the story. I can see where someone might think that Lucien is overpowered, but in the overall scheme of things he is fairly powerless and it bites him in the ass constantly as to how weak he is.

I sat and listened to this book in a single run through. It was a perfect length and in the end it only left me wanting more. My only complaint about the book is that Cooper didn’t talk to his friendly neighborhood funeral director, ME, for the scene where Lucien went to his own funeral. Just as an example, we don’t really use coffins any more, we use caskets. There is a major difference between the two. Also, there were some minor things about the family arrival that only someone who has attended a lot of funerals or is in the bizniz like me would realize were off, but that is a point of professional pride. The story left me absolutely speechless and wanting more. All I can say is bring it on Mr. Cooper we are ready for your best.

I’m not even going to talk about Andrea Parsenau and her narration. It’s getting to a point where I am sick of having to tell you how utterly brilliant she is. Really, her talent, vocal skill, emotional infusion, and acting are just off the charts. Blah, Blah, Blah, you’ve heard it everytime. Don’t you just hate it when someone is so good at their job entertaining you that you literally burn out talking about them over and over again? How many times can I say that I felt Lucien’s pain when he was yelling at Denara about his brother’s plight, or that she added so much power and speed to the fight scenes that I actually had a tentacle whip passed my ear? Too many times. Geez, Andrea, can you let up so you don’t make most narrators look bad by comparison? It’s like comparing a gold bar to a mud pie. Not fair. Seriously, Andrea, you are just amazing. Loved your work here.

Final score 8.5 stars. Cool book + intense narration = mind blowing storytelling. Get this book.

------------

Reborn: Apocalypse, Book 1

A LitRPG/Wuxia Story

By: L. M. Kerr

Narrated by: Adam Stubbs

Series: Reborn Series, Book 1

Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

I’m gonna tell ya, this book almost threw me into a right anxious fit. Basically the first chapter is practically identical Cameron Milan’s Tower of Heaven novel. So close it is scary; as in I was ready to make accusations of plagiarism, but I kept listening. The book quickly differentiated itself from Tower of Heaven and stood on its own. So much that I am pressed to say that it might be a little bit better flow wise. The MC was interesting and he was playing the “I know the future card” very close to the vest.

As I said, it starts off in the vein Towers of heaven but then neatly shifts into a book of its own. The book is well paced, smartly written, has some cool progression powers and is draped in an appropriately apocalyptic setting. I didn’t even feel like the MC was over powered, and was happy when he retained skills that he’d trained for when the clock was reset. What could have come across as imbalanced simply played well with the character and the story. He was hardcore and a font of knowledge that simply gave him an edge.

Stubbs really narrates well, and manages to convey everything that Kerr put into the story, plus a little more, I think. It is that extra bit that makes a good narrator stand out. Personally, I think Stubbs shines.

Final score 8.3 stars. I honestly had no expectations going in, was angry when I thought it was a Tower of Heaven Rip-off, and eventually came to embrace the MC, the setting, and the story. I cannot wait for more.

------------

Towers of Heaven (A LitRPG Adventure)

Towers of Heaven, Book 2

By: Cameron Milan

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Series: Towers of Heaven, Book 2

Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

I have to say that Cameron Milan has come a very long way in a short period of time. Most of his earlier works involved a lot of OP characters duking it out with the villain generally getting away via super sneaky power, such as in Desire 2, only to return even stronger than he’d been the day before. Now, he’s writing an OP character that actually fits and is still not strong enough to do what he needs done.

Book one was really good, and that was why I sort of flipped out on Reborn Apocalypse when I started into it. Thankfully, the similarities were superficial, and I was able to enjoy both series as separate entities. Milan does quite a few things that ups the ante in book two, not the least of which is that there are suddenly changes to the timeline. I’m not going to say what they are, but this is smart writing, because if there are no changes then it means the future is not being altered. Here we finally see that Jason is in fact having an impact and is making progress.

Now, before you yell at me and say, hey, we already had a change in regard to Jason’s dad in book one I will tell you that what happened to Jason’s family was a minor ripple and had no impact on the original timeline. Literally nothing had changed for the rest of the world. Now we get to see Jason actually succeeding at what he is trying to do. There are ton of great fight scenes and I really enjoyed the face off with the demon. All I can say is that Milan very clearly has planned things out, and really prepared ahead of time so that random events are not so random as they first appear to be. This book does a good job of growing the characters, adding some into the group, and setting up a system in which even the furniture in your house can add to your abilities in the field. I fully expect a 5th realm to open up for Jason to discover. Either way, if you liked book one you’ll enjoy book 2. Leaps and bounds better story telling from Milan whenever I read his next book.

Steve Campbell is the captain of this ship, and he keeps a steady course no matter the condition of the seas. Cambell has quickly inserted himself into the genre, and with good reason. He is fun, and that is probably the biggest vibe I get when listening to him. That he is enjoying the story as much as we, the listeners, are. He does an amazing job differentiating characters and making the action “leap off the screen, or out of the panel” he does a really great thing in the theater of our mind. He is one of my faves.

Final score? 8.3 stars. Lots of growth, improvements, and challenges. My only regret is that sometimes we jump ahead or have trimmed down tower levels for the sake of speed. My personal favorite was the stairway to heaven challenge. Overall I see great things for this series.

------------

Morgana: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Book 4

By: Neven Iliev

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins

Pause

It kind of breaks my heart to say this, but this was a good book. Why does it break my heart? Because up until now this series has been utterly amazing. I think that one of the outstanding aspects of the concept was boxy as a semi-clueless but lucky as hell monster that has no compassion or empathy was what drew me to the books. However, since Boxy got upgraded from a Greater Mimic to a Doppelganger things have gone from a feral and brash villain to a clever imitator it just doesn’t have the same vibe.

Initially, I hated how the book started, but later saw that I was cleverly played by Iliev in a classic bit of chess play that utterly destroyed my mental game. AS clever as it was I still missed the ferocious, bumbling, and inconsiderate mimic. I completely get that Boxy had to evolve, but the perfect transformation from murderous but clueless monster to clever imitator was far too abrupt, and personally I did not like the new version of boxy. Perhaps, had I started off with this version I might not have been so let down. I do tend to gravitate towards manipulative characters. Iago, from Othello for example is probably my favorite literary character. I love characters that lie and manipulate others. Con men carry a lot of weight in my world. I admire and respect their audacity and intellect, but having Boxy live like that that did not fit the monster I know and love. We needed more scenes with Boxy wiping out hobos and criminal gangs than we did him in his alt personae. That would have fit the book much better.

Overall, in spite of all that I still loved the book. Again my favorite bits are the phone calls to Demons R Us, and while I really wanted more at the end the epilogue with the dryads was hilarious and the impact that Boxy had on the elven nation hundreds of years later fit much better, as I showed just how oblivious, unwitting, and uncaring in his machinations with the tree girls. The end result was more of what I was expecting from a mimic than a calculating doppelganger.

Jeff Hays, I continue to stand in awe of your incredible narration skills. No one could do this series in the way that you handle it, and I know you only add more when it comes to the story itself. Jeff is a one man army going to war, and makes me believe that an insensitive monster could actually feign concern and empathy.

Final score 8 stars, I think what the book really is missing is the time that Boxy actually practiced being a humanoid. I needed to see it fail spectacularly, rather than successfully imitate a fully crafted persona almost effortlessly. The rest of the story is really good, but for me it was lacking all the essential things that make Boxy an inhuman MC.

-------------

Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking to the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the Is it LIT segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheFantasyNation/

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 051 -God of Gnomes, Ball of Light, The Fifth Survivor, Peaks of Power, Rexus

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-051

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

God of Gnomes -God Core, Book 1 (A Dungeon Core LitRPG Series) (00:44)

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2QHku2o

Ball of Light: Evolution (14:50)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2qEA1ph

The Fifth Survivor: Episode 1 -The Fifth Survivor Series, Book 1 (26:44)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KGLNGf

Peaks of Power: Beginnings (38:09)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KJkQlv

Rexus: Side Quest - The Completionist Chronicles, Book 3 (52:29)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/37sJz7u

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God of Gnomes

God Core, Book 1 (A Dungeon Core LitRPG Series)

By: Demi Harper

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins

Pause

God of gnomes is a step away from the standard dungeon core novels. It does a lot of things to differentiate itself from those books while keeping some of the, no pun intended, core elements of the dungeon genre. This is its strength and biggest weakness.

The book had a few issues which I’ll go into first. My main problem was that I didn’t find the MC very likable. Normally, I would overlook such a thing if there were other characters that could override the characterization of the MC, but there was no one that could do that. Why? Because we were never allowed to get to know the gnomes beyond a superficial “Here is the role they play in the village” glance. Yes, some personality shone through, but it was all thumbnail type stuff. I get that Harper/Hughes didn’t want to overload characters into the book and focus solely on the core, but when your book is basically about town building it would have been nice to see the villagers go about their day to day lives and how they viewed their god. We got more from the rando adventurers than we did Gneil the gnome, Corey’s high priest. This is because Corey cannot directly interact with his faithful. The only real “character” we get that has any personality is the god’s Avatar, who also does not speak. It was really frustrating and I have to wonder if Harper dislikes dialogue.

Also, the core didn’t really have much going on aside from directing the gnomes in a manner that felt a lot like the original World of Warcraft games where you directed your people to cut trees, explore, and build stuff. In fact, that was exactly the characterization level you get. As a god, I would have liked to see Corey affect his environment by building traps, false passages, and mazes to confuse their kobold invaders. All we got were evolutions of various monsters, and even that aspect was limited in both number and evolutions.

In spite of what I just said, I did enjoy the book. It had a lot of good qualities, and did set itself apart in a very familiar genre. The gnomes were a good choice, as they come across as about the most helpless humanoids go, and the dungeon monsters were fun. I just wish we had more. Hell, I should have known the tone of the book would be mild just by the badger on the cover. It’s an English badger, and those are made for tea parties more than anything. American badgers are all attitude and teeth.

Overall, the book does have some flaws, but it is interesting, it kept my interest and I would read the next book in the series when it comes out. Final score 7.4 stars. Thankfully, there is a lot of room for improvement.

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Ball of Light: Evolution

By: A. R. Chen

Narrated by: Scott Ellis

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Pause

Ball of light fights right in with this episode since it deals with another god not a god MC. AS in God of gnomes a ball of light, rather than a gem, comes into sapience and begins getting schooled by a mystical entity. Steven, the ball of light pretty much wakes up somewhere he’s not familiar with and wonders about how he’s a ball of light, because he has very little memory. He finds that he has an unseen helping guide who advises him on the do’s and don’ts of his new life. The entire point of what he is doing is to evolve. Evolution depends on points he earns, and his evolution choices are pretty varied, going from a turtle to a god.

There are a couple of questions that I have, because out of the choices, none really intrigued me. There were pros and cons to all of them, but it seemed to me that in the long run the Ball of Light was the best form to take and keep. Why would you opt to become something else? If you have to choose I understand, but honestly the other choices for what to become were kind of lame. Also, one drawback that sort of drove me a little crazy was that all of the evolution bits were repeated over and over, as in every time he looked to see what other options appeared we got to hear the same thing for the dozenth time. It has been over a week or more since I listened to this and I still can hear the vampire’s description when I close my eyes and strain to hear silence as I sleep. Only slightly kidding there.

The book does take its time to get going, almost light it was just searching for its footing, but once it does it is really good. The big battles were fun, and I liked the POV shifts during the fights, it reminded me of how Quentin Tarentino shoots his movies. That sort of back and forth time jumpy stuff without being really bad about it. Steve is an interesting MC, and I liked how he kind of cottoned onto being considered a god by the people he found. I could see myself doing that, but then I have delusions of grandeur. My best friend once made me a tee shirt that had the words God who walks as a mortal embroidered on it because that was my attitude in my twenties. I was too cool for school. Steve somehow touches on that kind of attitude but manages to quell it for the most part. He has a pretty good handle on who he is even if he doesn’t know himself all that well. Does that make sense? There are some clues as to what is going on, and I think it all comes down to what his father talked to him about keeping secret. Honestly, if you think about it that scene is one giant clue, so keep your ears open.

Scott Ellis not only narrates but he plays drums and lead bass in this orchestra of fun. Actually, I liked him and think he did a pretty decent job. I actually know him from a book called See you Later, Ralphie which helps kids deal with grief and grieving. I’ve got a ton of books on the subject and try to check out anything new, and something for kids is fantastic. So I was surprised that I had the same guy narrating this book as that one. I think a few more of these kinds of books and he’d be a great fit for the community.

Over all score: 7.9 The repetition really got to me after a while, and the story kind of wandered about in the first bit, but was good once it figured out what it was supposed to do. I think it is like this because it was a web serial, so I’m trying not to hold it against it.

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The Fifth Survivor: Episode 1

The Fifth Survivor Series, Book 1

By: Angel Ramon

Narrated by: M.P. Marchinuke

Series: The Fifth Survivor, Book 1

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

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Ok, Guys and Gals you know that I am a horror nut, and lust after all things zombies especially. Secondly, I pretty much adore short stories. To me a good story that is short is hard to tell. There’s a lot you have to trim away and yet still tell a tale and get some sort of impact out of it. Put the two of those things together and you have one happy funeral director.

The fifth survivor comes across like a real-life resident evil combined with some James Bond type elements. Angel Ramon has taken who I believe to be his real life hero, George Fisher, an all around cool cat who like to write, and acting as a literary agent who has a license to kill. In the novel George is rough, tough, and sneaky as Pete. He is as good with a gun as he is a disguise and is out to solve a question about some place called Hybrid. In the process he encounters zombies, mutants, corporate bad guys, and an unkillable foe called Mr. Z. I guessing the Z is for zombie, but I’m not all that smart.

The concept is well executed, but for me it was a little difficult to listen to because it is that present tense stuff that makes it hard for me to get into. Full disclosure on that. I have to look at it beyond that point to be fair, but that style of writing is really hard for me to listen to or just read. It’s my personal baggage. So, skipping the style the other issue I had is that there were some scenes that could have been more fleshed out, as in some more description rather than telling us what happened.

The story is pretty wild and pure cheesy fun, sort of reminding me of the Return of the Living Dead. There are plenty of zombies, bacon, and badass George to keep you interested as man-eating frogs try to swallow you whole, and zombies try to swallow your soul. This definitely has the crazy camp of Evil Dead mashed up with Resident Evil. To be honest I would love to see Angel take on a combo of his 5th survivor novels and the old Playstation game, Dino Crisis. I know he loves dinos, and if we could get some friggin zombie fossils for George to contend with all would be right in the world. The story is pure crazy over the top fun mixed with undead cannibals, what’s not to like.

The narration by MP is pretty good. I think he did a great job and played everything straight. He clearly had fun with the material but didn’t treat it like so many people do horror in general, like it is something beneath them. Horror is the purest piece of writing. It taps into something primal that we cannot hide from or disguise as something else. M.P. is an MVP for how he took care of this book.

Final score: 7.6 Stars. I think Angel captures the mood and atmosphere well, but does have a few parts where the show don’t tell rule applies. Still the book is buckets of blood fun. If you like dead guys, creepy mutants and hardcore grumpy old guys then this is something you want to check out.

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Peaks of Power: Beginnings

By: Paul Campbell Jr.

Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland

Series: Peaks of Power, Book 1

Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins

Pause

So I got this book and had no expectations other than what I could glean from the cover. Looks like a coupla guys are in it up to their necks. They are Ryan and Dmitri, and they agree to something and get more than they expected, finding themselves fighting for their lives.

One of my favorite things about the book, and there are several things that I liked about it is that the MC, Ryan, is not all that great a person. In fact he is a jerk. I don’t know if I would classify him as a D-bag or not, but he is not the most likeable dude you’ll ever read about. Why do I like this? Why after I complain that the MC in say, God of Gnomes isn’t very likeable and that it detracted from the story? A coupla reasons. 1) Not every one is likeable, sometimes good guys aren’t all that nice. 2) While we are supposed to get character growth Ryan pretty much stays the same. Well, people really don’t change, do they? We get life lessons but rarely shift our personalities because of them. 3) The personality works here. The story can handle a not so nice good guy. 4) There is evidence of growth and change in the MC by the end of the book. He just happens to remain a jerk. Plus, I just like A-hole characters and I think that noble people or goody two-shoes are a little boring.

The book is very well written and is packed to the rim with action. The fight scenes are incredibly done and there are times this has a wuxia feel to it as much as it does a litrpg. The story flows and takes you along with it like a momma lion carrying her cub you don’t know where you’re going, but you know it will be a safe place. I really think Mr. Campbell did an excellent job. I never lost interest and really anticipate book 2. That is all I really need to know about a book. I had fun and want more.

The narration is pretty good. I think Gilliland fits the genre well and elevates the story. I mean you get Ryan’s attitude come through, and can even see why Dmitri hangs out with him even though he is an insufferable cuss. Gilliland has done mostly fantasy novels, written and narrated one of his own books, and has another Litrpg novel on the shelf, so the guy pretty much fits here like a glove. Keep an eye out for this dude.

Final score 8 stars. I most certainly want to see what comes next and figure out if Ryan remains a first class jerkwad or if he loosens up a little. This series has a lot of potential. Give it a look.

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Rexus: Side Quest

The Completionist Chronicles, Book 3

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Series: The Completionist Chronicles, Book 4

Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins

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Rexus is just an amazing sidequest novel. On the whole I am not a fan of sidequest books, which is ironic because I have a short story in the VGO side quest anthology, but I prefer my main stories to stay on point. For example, Awaken Online lost me as it started drifting from the main character and giving us books about secondary characters. Why did it lose me? Because I didn’t give a crap about the secondaries, they weren’t that interesting and they all seemed to have some issue with their homelife/parents.

Why don’t I feel that way about Rexus? Because Jaxon is an interesting character, he has internal flaws and flawed game mechanics give his situation a humorous edge. He is also very different from the series main MC, Joe so I don’t feel like the characters just swapped places. Jaxon is an absolute riot and his attitude and reactions are uniquely his own. While this is just a sidequest book it is also a great stand alone novel and could continue on exactly as it is with Jax in the lead. I would have no problem with that as Rexus is a big exception because it is not a story that sidelines a main story, but enhances it. The book focuses on everyone’s favorite chiropractor from the completionist series, Jaxon, who ends up going on a quest he receives/learns about from the wolfmen.

Again, having finished the Divine Dungeon series I am now far more aware of the wolfmen and the implications of them almost being wiped out. So, not only does this book kind of continue the Completionist story in an interesting way it also manages to tie itself nicely to the Double D universe as well.

Overall the story is funny, and I have to give Krout credit for taking what is basically an insulting jerk and making him a sympathetic character. That, my friends is not an easy task. The book taught me a lot about bones, as in how to break them, and the joys of chiropracty. In all fairness and full disclosure I view chiropractors as being just a step below witch doctors and faith healers. At least with they don’t carry medical degrees to convince me they know what they are doing.

As I said in my Divine Dungeon review, it is terribly sad that Adams is out, but the more I think about it the happier I am. Just saying that with Adams constant work, and willingness to take on new series by unknown first timers it becomes clearer that the issues with narration do not lie at Dakota’s feet. While I don’t think Daniels fit as well in the DD universe (characters were too established and identifiable vocally) for a side mission book like this with one character who didn’t have an overwhelming amount of “screen time” in the main series he works well here. Also, I think the pattern of jokes fit him better here as it reminded me of his work in Magic 2.0. However, I am still not sold on him doing the main series, and I’ll have to check out Raze before I come to a conclusion about that. Either way, Daniels works his magic to great effect and makes the funny bits funny.

Final score: 8.4 stars You have to admire a writer who can take a concept like getting dinosaur heads for hands and making it work. Not just work, but work well.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 050 - Dungeon Special part 3

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-050

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Dungeon Eternium (01:27)

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 5

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BZW4bP

Dungeon World 2: A Dungeon Core Experience (19:23)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BSXbdt

Dungeon World 3: A Dungeon Core Experience (28:53)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ou4W6F

Dungeon Player (A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure)

Glendaria Awakens Trilogy, Book 1 (39:53)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MVXU3Z

The Crafter's Dungeon: A Dungeon Core Novel

Dungeon Crafting, Book 1 (50:39)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31VbBEn

The Dungeon Traveler (01:01:58)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BVozaO

The Station Core: A Dungeon Core Epic (01:10:14)

Station Cores, Book 1

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BSVHzX

The Quizard Mountains (01:21:29)

Station Cores, Book 2

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Pvx9ow

SOUNDBOOTH SPOTLIGHT!!!!!!!

Dungeon Lord: Abominable Creatures (01:31:00)

The Wraith's Haunt, Book 3

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2opJVd8

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Dungeon Eternium

Divine Dungeon Series, Book 5

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Series: Divine Dungeon Series, Book 5

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Pause

Such a bittersweet novel. This is the book that broke me into the dungeon genre, and it has been one hell of a rollercoaster type ride for me. I am going to sorely miss it, and at the same time I am comforted in that the ending shows that it really isn’t over. Krout can return to this world in whatever capacity he likes, although it may not be the same state as he leaves it. Why?

The moon is falling, and this is no chicken little type tale. It is the end of the world, and the only hope anyone has of surviving it is Cal’s soulspace. Problem is there is a lot of infighting and outside influences that make it very difficult for him to just welcome everyone into him.

Krout does a great job of tying up plot points, and setting things up that will only make sense if you read his other series, the Completionist Chronicles. The whole “people” thing makes sense now. Cal, Dani, and Dale all get satisfying conclusions to their tales, although it isn’t all happy ending type stuff. Some of my favorite parts were finally learning what the Silverwood tree did, Cal’s misguided attempt to teach a northman a lesson, and Dani’s weird brother popping up.

We also get to see what happens to all the “bad guys” that have been in the book. It really is a great wrap up to an incredible series, and I think Krout finally got his footing back, as the last two books felt rushed. Not so here. This is pretty well plotted out and feels fresh and focused. The only part that almost made me take pause was when Cal kept doing dungeon stuff when all the craziness was going on around him, but then I realized that is exactly what Cal would do. The book is very satisfying, and while a page is turned the cover is not closed on more Cal and Dani in the future.

So here’s the part that I’m sure you’ve been waiting to hear. We all know that Vikas Adams and Dakota did not continue their partnership. Now, I don’t have any insider information, and so cannot say what happened. I’d like to believe it was all amicable, but I did read a posting on Reddit that claims to detail the entire event. And while I cannot claim to know either Dakota or Vikas, I do believe that Dakota is an honorable man and that he would have done everything he could to have kept his listeners happy, so I’m inclined to believe the account as it really details how Dakota was placed behind the eight ball.

That said, I have to say what I think of Luke Daniels job narrating. Now, I have enjoyed Luke in numerous series including Tamer, Magic 2.0, The Iron Druid, and so on; and I get why they picked him. After all, he did a great job on Boyce’s Advent novel, he is well known, does a great job, and is super professional. So, I do have a few things to say. First, he doesn’t do Dani very well. I often did not recognize her speaking, and I have to admit I miss the way she used to chastise Cal or whine out his name, Caaaaaallllllll. That magic was lost. Also, I realize that this got dumped into his lap with a “get it done ASAP” tag attached, but he clearly did not even attempt to replicate voices of main characters. For example, Nick Pohdel took over Arand’s Super Sales title, and he went out of his way to try to match up voices, even trying to get Pancakes right. Daniels doesn’t. He just makes up voices and accents as he goes a long. Clearly he was in a hurry, and I can forgive that due to the rush, but it needed to be said. Otherwise, Luke does a good job, especially for having come into the series so late.

Overall, for a series finale the story is very satisfying, and the only thing that really gives it a ding is the narration switch, which while necessary and understandable is hard to overlook. Final score 8.4 stars. What could have been a classic became a family car.

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Dungeon World 2: A Dungeon Core Experience

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: Dungeon World, Book 2

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Pause

All right, so this is book two, and I can already say without hesitation that this is my favorite Brooks series so far. The concept is pretty cool. Sentient Dungeons rule over humanity, and do not brook any uprising against them. Fred Winklemossering is the child of two cores of non-aligned factions, and is let on his own after his parents are murdered. In book one Fred was just getting a feel for who he was and what he could do. Now, he knows who he is, and can handle himself fairly well. Thankfully, he is pretty tough, and can return from most mortal wounds.

The book pretty much picks up where the last left off and never looks back. Eisa and Fred become closer, but I have to say that the clueless love interest bit should never go longer than one book. Look at the movie Yesterday, the dude there had like 20 years to pull a hook up but was so stupid about it that he mopes most of the movie about the love that had been in his face the whole time. I’m hoping that by book three or four the whole clueless phase will have vanished.

So, what happens here? Well, Fred finally makes a dungeon, and begins to suss out his real potential. He also comes to realize that making a dungeon may not have been the wisest thing to do, since it put a great big bulls eye on him that other dungeons can target, and other dungeons really want him dead. They throw everything they can at him.

To quote Grig from the Last Starfighter, “I’ve always wanted to fight a desperate battle against impossible odds.” Well, we get that, he end battle is brutal and lengthy and hella cool, as we get to see Fred employ simple tripping vines against monstrous adversaries. The battle is certainly pitched and desperate, and Fred does everything he can to protect his town and its people in numerous ways.

Miles Meili rocks this town, he rocks it inside out. I really enjoy his narration skills and the way that he isn’t distracted with the charts or opposite sex characters. His ladies might not be Oscar quality but at least he doesn’t sound like Mrs. Doubtfire. He makes the story fun and brings the characters to life, which is all you can ask for really.

Final Score: 8.4 stars. Feed’s story just becomes more and more interesting and has real bones. I personally cannot wait to see what comes from this book.

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Dungeon World 3

A Dungeon Core Experience

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: Dungeon World, Book 3

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Pause

Fred Winklemossering is back, and better than ever. This time, he and his companions are on the run from the nature dungeons, and while booking across the country looking for the branded and banished people they fought so hard to defend in book 2. Eisa deals with her newly minted status better than expected, and we get to see a face from the past as one of Fred’s first friends makes an appearance.

One of the best parts of the book is that we get to see more of Fred’s world, get some perspective on what is happening with the other dungeons and get to see that the world is in a downward spiral that will eventually lead to the extinction of humanity or dungeonmanity or both. Yes, I just made up the word Dungeonmanity, but in my defense it fits here.

Several things to point out. First, there is a ton of growth in each of the Characters, which is great to see. Second, some null mana monsters pop up and give it to our adventuring party. I liked the idea behind the creation and the execution of hem in action. Additionally, Eisa gets some new powers that let her rival Fred to a degree, and she comes to admit her feelings for Fred. Fred struggles to understand feelings in general. IN some ways he’s a much nicer version of Boxy Morningwood. He’s naive and barely has a clue what is going on around him, until this novel. He finally seems to come into his own here. He’s definitively more in control of his abilities and is doing an amazing job getting an understanding of other cores and how to utilize them.

This series is rally fascinating, and I put it in the same Category as Divine Dungeon or Slime Dungeon. Three books in and Brooks has one hell of a series on his hands. The stakes are high, and Fred is dedicated to helping the people that cared for him.

One question I have to ask is, if Fred’s parents were both cores, what is the deal with his human body? How is he a hybrid? Did his folks build it for him, dead they just use a corpse that had been laying around? Was there a sacrifice that gave Fred his humanity? You have to wonder, because if Fred wasn’t housed in a meat shell he would never be able to do what he plans on doing. He’d have just been another dungeon in a sea of lairs. There is far more to it than we know.

Final score: 8.5 stars. Brooks has really but up an interesting cast of characters, and flipped things around so that cores are not the only dungeon types out there anymore. The world building that he is doing is impressive and makes me want to see what comes next. I think that this is Books’s best series so far no questions about it. I am all in one Fred’s story.

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Dungeon Player (A LitRPG Dungeon Core Adventure)

Glendaria Awakens Trilogy, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Sarah L. Colton

Series: Glendaria Awakens Trilogy, Book 1

Length: 3 hrs and 48 mins

Pause

I do believe that this was Brooks’s first novel. You can get a feel for it, as he does things here that he doesn’t do in later books. This novel is fairly short, so I can appreciate the short story aspect, I’m always looking for a new short story. That said I think the book is pretty stat heavy for it’s length, it seemed like I was always just getting into the flow of the book when we’d get into a lot of numbers.

First, I appreciate the fact that he is very eager to share info on how the world works and that nothing is kept from the reader/listener. More importantly he brings some new ideas to the genre. His MC’s are interesting and fun, but I did have a few issues. First, that new author vibe kicks in in that there seems to be no real stakes or tension between the characters. There are no penalties, losses, or consequences that most MC’s, Devin and Krista, have to endure in a game world. For example. If the MC dies there is no XP loss, and I’ll be honest, I hate XP loss from death. I can remember playing everquest, and I always played solo, and had built my druid up to level 17. I wandered into an area and was repeatedly killed until I hit level 12. It was hard to regrind to get back to those levels and it pissed me off something fierce, so I get that if I am writing a book I might take that into consideration and make it where such things do no occur, but I don’t think anything really happens until the very end of the book.

One thing that I was kind of surprised to see was that Characters had the ability to shift anything they wanted to about themselves, don’t like being an elf? Swap over to human. Easy breezy. Tired of being a cleric and having to pray all day? Pick up a knife and stand in the shadows, you are now a rogue. That was pretty cool.

Colton’s narration is sort of middle of the road. She tries doing voices, but her male vocalizations are weak, like Olive Oyl from Popeye weak. After listening to Colton and Cooksey I have come to the conclusion that Brooks is better served keeping Miles Meili on as his signature narrator. I hate to even say that since I have been so very much been anticipating his horror core book, but Colton narrates that as well so I’m hoping things get better.

Brooks has really made a mark on the dungeon genre, and his love and dedication to dungeon books is obvious with Dungeon Player. For me, though, this is probably his weakest novel in terms of plot progression and character adversity, there is a lot of set up, and a lot of stats so I can see this becoming a decent series in the future. Final score 7.7 stars.

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The Crafter's Dungeon: A Dungeon Core Novel

Dungeon Crafting, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Louise Cooksey

Series: Dungeon Crafting Series, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Pause

So, by this point I think you know I am a Brooks fan. No questions about it. So I’m just going to come out and say it. Miles Meili should simply do all of his books. I think Miles gets the humor and pacing that Brooks lays out, and he does a decent job on voicing the opposite sex. Cooksey, however, can’t touch him. At best she does a serviceable job, and at worst a barely passable one. There were numerous points where I found her to not just be monotone, but to just drone on and on, especially when it came to the stats. She forced me to put the book down numerous times or to just go to something else for a little while. She made it very difficult for me to get into the flow of the story, and I constantly found myself wishing Miles had been handed the reigns. She is the parachute on Brooks’s drag racer.

The story itself is interesting. The MC dies and wakes up as a dungeon core, which is standard MO for most dungeon books. Where the story deviates, in a good way, is what the dungeons purpose is, and how it goes about taking care of business. Two things to pick at, which is what I do. The book is a little slow to start, although my perception of that may be due to Cooksey’s narration. It just seems to take some time getting started. Also, there is not a lot of interaction, as the story only deals with the dungeon and a dwork. The MC, Sandra, has a cool background in that she has an artistic spirit, wanted to create while she was alive but had janky hands and so couldn’t; now she takes the opportunity to create things like she always wanted to. Her dungeon was created to balance out the other types of dungeons that are mostly homicidal monsters that make Godzilla look like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The crafting and its progression are fun to experience. The I don’t want to be all murder attitude of the dungeon made it different, but also a little strange. After all, a dungeon’s gotta eat!

The book, as is usual for Brooks, is full of lovely crunch with stats and progression, and he fills the book with tons of info. The book, for the most part is mostly set up for the rest of the series, or so it seems. There is a ton of work, detail, and minutia that is essentially a framework for a larger story ahead. Again, the reason I feel like this is the fact that for the majority of the book there isn’t a lot of dialogue and we get to well after the halfway point before the dungeon really starts having “guests” doing runs through its corridors. A pacifistic dungeon core is a new concept, and the struggle to make traps that don’t kill is novel.

Brooks has a good solid foundation for a view askew type of series, and now that it is all laid out I can’t wait to see what happens next. One last thing, not to beat a dead horse, but I’ve talked about the difference between sentient and sapient, it does bother me. Anyway, good start to a promising series that gets weighted down by minimalistic narration. Final score. 7.7 stars. Narration really bogged this tale down.

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The Dungeon Traveler

By: Alston Sleet

Narrated by: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Pause

In a genre that seems to be becoming inundated with numerous books that simply repeat the cycle of become a dungeon, bring in adventurers, kill them and repeat it becomes harder and harder to stand out. Dungeon Traveler does manage to do that however in a very clever way. The dungeon travels from place to place. It pops into existence for an unspecified time and then moves on, basically going from race to race, rather than just place to place. The dungeon learns from each encounter, and is very fair in dealing with its “guests”.

The set up is pretty typical, a guy from our world dies and wakes up in a strange place as a core. He doesn’t have much time, because the people who made him have some nefarious purposes in mind for him. So he escapes and then takes time to catch his breath and learn exactly what he is, and what he is mean to do. The MC is actually very fun, and I really loved this book, it has genuine moments, and does its best to detail what each race is like that enters the dungeon, their unique ways of dealing with it, their reactions, and so on. I think the Kobolds were my favorite.

The entire premise is unique and makes this a chunk of gold amongst iron pyrite. There is an overarching plot that deals with gods, politics, and other such things but for me just getting to see the way the dungeon reacts to each encounter was fun. Remember this isn’t his world and so he is learning about it the same way we are. Also, there is a lot of stuff here to keep the crunchers happy as the MC advances with notifications and pop ups throughout. Personally, I love to hear that non-euclidian geometry is being used as it harkens back to my extreme love of HP Lovecraft.

Doug Tisdale, Jr does a great job, and he is very familiar with LITRPG and dungeons having worked with Aaron Oster and Skyler Grant on more than a few of his books. If you really like his work, which I do then I suggest that you try Orconomics. It is funny as hell, and he shines. In Traveler he is in top form, and plays every role with great aplomb. He just has fun here, as the story dictate he should. For example there is a scene where a cautious kobold literally licks the floor, and the core is stunned amused and curious all at the same time. Tisdale manages to sound that way, all at once. I think the only hurdle that he caught himself on, and I have to call him on it, is that the world’s system is described as having a matronly voice, and he doesn’t go near it. I honestly don’t know if he felt he couldn’t pull it off or he missed that aspect when he reviewed his notes, but at least he didn’t make a southerner sound british, as I’ve heard other narrators do.

Final score? 8.3 stars. Good first book in a promising series. Can’t wait to see what comes next.

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The Station Core: A Dungeon Core Epic

Station Cores, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: Station Cores, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

Brooks kinda popped with the release of this book. I find it funny how many people thought that he had a giant squirrel in the story based on the cover. I also get the joke about bloodthirsty squirrels. Way back when I was in college I was feeding a squirrel peanuts, and when I ran out the little monster ravaged my hand, giving me a lifelong vendetta against those furry little buggers. So I totally get where the Milton comes from on that topic.

So, here again we have a guy that gets snatched and taken to a strange area, only to find out that he was volunteered to become a station core, in order to help a race that is hyper advanced by has no aggressive instincts. He awakens to find himself severely damaged and on a strange world four millennia in the future. For him there is no going back, so all he can do is survive. Thankfully he has a cutie patootie mass of nanites to help guide him as he figures out what he is and how to survive on the hostile world.

Milton is an interesting guy, who seems to settle in to being a core pretty easily. I do have a few nits to pick, but they are not all that big a deal. First, Milton’s companion from the collective, swears all the time. Like a sailor on leave who finds himself in a two dollar whorehouse with just fifty cents to his name. Personally, I don’t care, but this would have been a great book for my kids if it wasn’t for all the swearing. I don’t mind it, but my wife does, so they missed out. Secondly, Milton was chosen for his gaming skills, and yet he has trouble conceptualizing awesome traps? Strategies to keep invaders out? Either he isn’t as good as the collective thought or he suffered some brain damage in the transfer.

Otherwise, the progression of him dealing with intrusions works out pretty well. I especially like the way that Brooks holds off on just letting Milton combine creatures together for some cool hybrids, and that he is size limited on what he can make. The locals are interesting, and Milton’s presence has a massive impact on the environment in major ways. While we only get to see a small portion of the world that Milton finds himself in it maintains your interest and sets up a bigger story for future installments.

Miles Meili does an outstanding job here, and I wish that Brook used him on all of his books, Miles just fits very well with the writing and gets where Brooks is going. He is humorous and serious depending on what is called for, and really sells the tale. I couldn’t ask for more from him, even though I think he has a lot of room to grow. He fits the LITRPG style very nicely.

Final score: 8.3 This begins to build up some steam and is chugging along beautifully. I really do what to know where Brooks gets his ideas, because he is quickly claiming a really big stake in this genre of LITRPG.

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The Quizard Mountains

Station Cores, Book 2

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Miles Meili

Series: Station Cores, Book 2

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Pause

Milton and co. return, with a new addition to their exclusive club, Whisp, who is Brint’s love interest from book one. I love that Brooks managed to slip a wisp into a sci-fi core novel. Just brilliant. This time the gang is trying to endure forays from the Cordpower co, the makers of those power potions that everyone loves as they seek out the people responsible for brewing a better batch of potion than they could ever hope to make.

This time around, Milton is making hybrid monsters, cloning, and learning powers from the natives as he continues his search for rare metal. It is here that the story really starts to feel like a dungeon, as he begins improving his lair with special materials such as weightium, a super dense type of stone, new monsters, and drones too.

The story is well paced, and unfolds in unexpected ways. Brint and Whisp work together well and actually grow now that they are removed from their societal constraints. The nanites cloud collective helper begins to show signs of having a Dissociative identity disorder, as she begins to cycle through various bits of personalities now that she is encountering females from whom she can model herself after. We also have two of the toughest Protectors pop in to see what is going on. Are they agents of the Chord Power co, or are they on their own? Best of all, Brint manages to discover a huge threat not only to Milton, but also the native populace. Everything seems to go to hell all at once, which as you know is where all the fun is.

Miles makes this a fun fun romp, and I will reiterate that he does a fantastic job. He kows how to play out the jokes and hit the punch lines, where to make you feel the terror that Brint or Milton feel, and manages to make you hate the Chord Power people with several snide comments. He might not have written those comments, but he sure as hell snided them up just right.

The cast is slowly growing but keeping pace with the rising danger. Milton continues to learn from his mistakes and manages to make some progress in his self repairs, and it seems like everyone has some character growth while the danger slowly amps up. This is an excellent series that I think has some strong legs, and is going to go the distance into becoming a brilliant addition to the dungeon genre.

Final score: 8.4 stars. I particularly like the science aspect of this dungeon. It sets it apart from most others in the genre. Like Dungeon World this world is gradually being unveiled to contain more mysteries and spins. Honestly, just when you think you have things figured out . . .

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SOUNDBOOTH SPOTLIGHT!!!!!!!

Dungeon Lord: Abominable Creatures

The Wraith's Haunt, Book 3

By: Hugo Huesca

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Series: The Wraith's Haunt Series , Book 3

Length: 19 hrs and 43 mins

Pause

I have to say that I was really pleased with how this book turned out. I honestly hadn’t expected it to amp up in the third book, but it does. Lord Wraith is just as brilliant and conniving as before, but now he has some experience under his belt and is ready for whatever the forces of darkness decide to throw at him, or so he thinks.

Edward has a lot happening here. He adds a recently deaged vampire into his clan, and we get a big monster battle. There is a lot happening here, and I applaud Edward for sticking to his no kill rule. He realizes that a single misstep will lead him irreversibly down a path of darker intent. He does not want to become one of Kharon’s buddies or a minion of the darkness. So, watching him struggle to reign in his own minions, and keep them from killing is at times giggle inspiring and simultaneously tension building because you know nothing good is going to come of it.

What I really liked was how Ed was acting like he was playing three dimensional chess. He gos on a quest to find out how the heroes operate in his new world, and once he manages to do that he’ll try to suss out a way to stop them. So yeah, he doesn’t have a lot on his plate at all. On top of that he has to rescue an ancient vampire, coordinate and train his troops, and get ready to battle some honorable foes he would really prefer to avoid. Plus, Huesca manages to keep the powers to manageable levels and not have OP MC’s. Another benefit is that you can jump stats if you want, but if you love the crunch it’s all there.

The one real beef I have with the book is that it repeatedly seems like Ed’s old boss is going to get pulled into the same world as a hero or some such in order to annoy and foil Ed. That or his old gal pal. Honestly, I would stay away from both of them. His old boss reminds me of the villain from Awaken Online where he is arrogant and so full of himself that he’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. He drinks his own kool aid. The former possible love interest is just not all that interesting. In today’s world all she would have to do is make an accusation and people would be looking into what her boss has said and or done to make her uncomfortable.

Jeff and Annie really bring this thing to life, and they make an excellent pairing. I’ve pretty much said it time and again that SBT does some amazing work and that when they get going they absolutely cannot be touched. Annie practically overwhelms with her feminine wiles while simultaneously playing a whacked out ancient bloodsucker that ends up looking like a twelve year old. Jeff craftily carries the rest of the book with his intense narration and masterful manipulation of men and monsters is fun to listen to. Top notch performances and production.

Final score, 8.3 stars. The book continues to improve and the stakes are raised every time we draw to a close.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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Pictures for the title card and background came from Pixabay by RohmBernhard

Music was Desolation and Allnighter, which came from http://www.purple-planet.com

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 049 - The Wandering Inn Special. Review and Interview with Andrea Parsneau

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

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The Wandering Inn: Volume 1

Score: 9.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2IRYq0l

Interview with Andrea Parsneau (49:30)

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The Wandering Inn: Volume 1

By: Pirate Aba

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: The Wandering Inn Series, Book 1

Length: 43 hrs and 10 mins

PAUSE

Wow. Where to begin? With the Writing side of course. Pirate Abba, whomever he or she is, pulls off quite the stunt and tells an epic slice of life story that actually has a complete tale to it. Yes, it is part of a web serial, but the first novel is almost a complete work unto itself. Aside from a few bits we get a pretty good wrap up of the ongoing tale.

The characters are complex and fully fleshed out, and you get the time to get to know them. There are two MC’s, Erin the Innkeeper and Ryoka the runner. They could not be more different from one another in styles or attitudes. Erin is a peaceful, naïve young lady who means well, but often does not consider her actions. Ryoka, on the other hand is rude, antisocial, and abrasive but is very deliberate in what she does. I don’t think there is any middle ground, you will love one and hate the other, and for everyone it is a singular choice. There is no right or wrong answer. Personally, I disliked the runner for a variety of reason, one of which was that she is slightly bigoted. There are a few points where she goes out of her way to say that she would not help certain people or provided them with information based on who they were. I can overlook stuff like that if there is a reason for it, but none as ever given. While it was off putting, I still overlooked it due to the incredible writing. Only a great writer can make you love a story that has a character that you cannot stand. As much as the runner’s attitude set off my bells and whistles I was still fascinated by her journey.

The book focuses on two women who come from Earth, after seeming to simply step into another world. The world is well defined, vibrant, and chalk full of monsters and magic. It is every bit as much a character as Relk or Kilbaketch. Humans are pretty rare in the part of the world that Erin shows up in and she is forced to make her way among gnolls, drakes, and Ant-people.

While it takes the story a little time to get moving, once it does it does not slow down. One of the things I liked most is that characters die, and generally speaking there is no coming back. More importantly, they are characters that you care about, which lends the story a gravity that it wouldn’t have if it did otherwise and kept everyone alive. Both of the MC’s learn, grow, and adapt so there is well defined character growth. The situations that the MC’s find themselves in are often serious and life threatening, even if they don’t know it at the time. The best thing about this world is that the danger is ever present. There is plenty of progression with the acquisition of skills and abilities, lotsa leveling up, and enough crunch to keep any LITRPG lover satisfied.

It is Andrea Parsenau that I think really did an amazing job. She went into the ring with a heavyweight champion, and beat his arse. 40+ hours of narration, flawless narration at that, that is wrought with emotion and incredible pacing is simply too unbelievable to be true. First off and speaks like an ant, with hard K sounds that hit you like a sledgehammer, rolling R’s, pops, and ticks that practically make you believe she has lived among the ants and can chat them up like Doctor Doolittle. Honestly, two of the best characters aside from Kilbeketch are Tor and Rags and they don’t speak, but Andrea manages to make you see them without them using words to convey what they are about. AS much as I know this was not an easy job to perform she makes it all seem effortless. Honestly, this is the crown jewel in her audiolibrary. I can’t even begin to tell you how many characters are in book one, but all of them have their own voice; even the other members of the Antonium. You can tell Kilbeketch from other ants, and vice versa. I think what I loved the most is the amount of thought that she put into making the inhuman characters sound inhuman. It doesn’t matter, each race has it’s own distinctive way of speaking, and none of them sound human. It just goes to show her attention to detail and the care that she has for her craft. She takes great material and makes it epically legendary.

Final Score: 9.6 stars. The book is riveting from start to finish, it has a well defined character progression, and incredible action once the story gets going. There are numerous things to love about this book, but I have to honestly say that the book is probably a 9 star novel, but it is Andrea that makes it nearly perfect. Her ability to give souls to each and every character is utterly breath taking to listen to and stunning to hear her pull off a 40+ hour novel and make it seem effortless is a testimony to her talent.

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**Special thanks to Andrea Parsneau for talking to us this week.**

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

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Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 048 - Occultist, Galactic Badlands, Party Hard, Varnoth, The Mayor of Noobtown

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Galactic Badlands: A LitRPG Space Western (00:22)

Score: 7.0 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2oTGqM9

Occultist: Saga Online #1 - A LitRPG series (10:20)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AMgaWw

Party Hard - Pixel Dust, Book 1 (19:01)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MfMhDp

Varnoth - A LitRPG Story (The Black Blade, Book 1) (27:11)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/35c6xOT

The Mayor of Noobtown (57:14)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AN0J0s

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Galactic Badlands: A LitRPG Space Western

By: Zachariah Dracoulis

Narrated by: Christopher James Mayer

Series: Galactic Badlands, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

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This is a book that tries a little too hard to be a lot of things, or at least jam a lot of things into it. It is a Litrpg book that is sort of mashed up with cowboys and aliens. To me, some of the best and worst parts of the book is the MC. Chuck is a marine who suddenly finds himself in a new world and dies pretty quickly. Second time around he starts to get things right. I like how readily Chuck acclimates to his new life, he almost never even considers looking back in many ways. But Chuck is pretty plain as leads go, he isn’t great at making decisions, and he goes out of his way to be rude to people or at least stand off from them. IN fact, the other characters end to outshine the MC in every scene.

The book, I don’t know, didn’t feel like it was a harem book at first but it gradually grew into one, and the whole time I kept wondering how the MC got all the babes being the way he was. Chuck never opens up about anything and he has no problem giving others a sort of false or weak hope and in his relationships there are a lot of things that he never really resolves from his actions.

Mayer’s narration was middle of the road stuff. There were parts that he was good and parts I just wanted him to talk a little faster and blow his nose or something. I absolutely hated the music that is added in. The MC even says that it distracted him! I like mariachi, (Insert mariachi pic here), and loved the movie but it just did not fly here. I think it was too loud and came a cross like the El Degüello while it should have been fun. BTW, the El Degüello is he throat cutting song that means no quarter will be given, and is what was played every night all night long outside the Alamo before they were wiped out. While I’m sure it fits the tale it did not please my ears. I really think a manlier tone would have helped.

Overall bits of the book worked and bits didn’t. Truly, giving the MC a different personality would have shifted the gears quite a bit it would have changed the whole dynamic of the story, but he is sort of an anchor to everyone around him. There is a lot of good stuff to this book but the combo of the MC and narration (I think Mayer would be great in another book but is weak here) don’t do the tale real justice.

Final score 7 stars, it is a decent tale and has a ton of potential if the MC has a personality implant in the next book. It does well in the world building and the secondary characters are fun, and the action is excellent.

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Occultist: Saga Online #1

A LitRPG series

By: Oliver Mayes

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Pause

Move it along, nothing to see here. Nothing new. Move along now. That was how this book felt to me. It has several tropes that I get tired of, such as the sick mother, other gamer is a total dick, real world stuff intrudes on the gaming, etc but the book works fairly well. This is one of those novels that I am going to say that I could completely do without the real life drama. For me it completely screws up the flow of the in-game story. I am and shall always be more of a stay in the game kind of guy.

That said the story is fun, it is about a guy who gets duped by another gamer because he steals the guy’s thunder after the player wimps out of a battle that he is supposed to do for podcast. So, jealousy creates a new class when the newbie unclassed player finds a mentor after h is supposed to have been killed in game. The class allows him to summon various creatures, and the effect is used quite well and innovatively.

The action scenes work really well and I enjoyed the progression of Damien and his class throughout the book. He actually proves to be quite adept at constructing battles so that he comes out on top, planning is his forte. Also, the MC is fairly single minded in his pursuit of his goal of getting back at the other player and winning some dough to help poor Aunt May have her operation. Sorry, his mother get the help she needs. One thing that really worked for me was that the love interest was not so much of a love interest. She is older, he is I think 16, and both of them are dead set on getting back at the evil gamer.

The narration by Sims is excellent. He does an incredible job and I enjoyed every second of his work. He absolutely keeps things interesting and on track. Even the real world scenes flow due to how he handles things. I could hear the MC’s desperation and panic.

The bad stuff is just what I said, nothing new here. It is a retread of most LIT series that you will have read, for me this has an Awaken Online feel to it in that the bad guy is someone the MC knows and they have a grand battle to see who wins. The MC even takes on the role of the bad guy in the game, playing with the cultists who are factionally similar to WoW horde division. So, while the MC is likable, has some cool powers, and favors tactics (wait still Awaken) over straight up fighting I couldn’t help but shake the feeling I’d read this before. The big save comes in the form of the narration and the characterization of the MC, and the secondary characters like the summoned imp and the likable non-love interest.

Final score 7.8 stars. It is a good book, that is well paced, and has actual likable characters, but it feels like a retread of familiar tales.

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Party Hard

Pixel Dust, Book 1

By: David Petrie

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins

Pause

Party hard lives up to its name. It is about a party of six individuals and their quest to stop the evil machinations of the dark programmer who invented the tech that is used in the game. We get some different style classes with cool names, like a Venom, and some not so exciting names like a Shield. On the other hand I can see where changing up class names could ultimately be confusing. The party consists of a mostly humans, a human animal mix, and a fairy. One of the characters has gender swapped, which leads to some funny moments.

The good thing about the book is the character interactions, the plain old fashioned actions (as in some sweet battle scenes), and the easy friendship and comradery of the team itself. I don’t know if you’ve ever gamed with other people (Stare) but groups aren’t always cohesive and friendly. They bicker and fight and Leroy Jenkins their way into trouble. I’m not saying that other books don’t do the same thing as Party hard, but this is an easy and comfortable feel and isn’t forced or shoehorned in in anyway.

The concept of the game is kinda cool, you play while you’re asleep, so for all you adults out there looking for an excuse to nap this is the perfect game for you. And given that I don’t have any really fun type dreams it would be perfect for me, but teenaged boys might skip this type of game in droves.

The only real downside is the book has something of a slow start. I firmly believe in getting into the action within about three thousand words or less. Ideally, start in-game and then flashback to show how it all started. So I did have some issues with the start up, otherwise I think it wraps up neatly and tells a good tale.

Daniels does his standard amazing job. I find it hilarious how easy it is too say that such a high quality narrator does incredible work in a standard every day manner. I do this with a lot of narrators, Hays, Parsnau, Rennie,Pohdel, Adams, Taylor, etc all pump in more acting with just their voice than most people playing on tv. All I can say is that Daniels does not disappoint and carries the story very well.

Final score, 8.2 stars. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the party characters.

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Varnoth

A LitRPG Story (The Black Blade, Book 1)

By: Lavelle Jackson

Narrated by: Jack Voraces

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Pause

Here’s a story that I like to see. A man picks up a litrpg novel and loves it. Then he gets to reviewing it, and then he becomes a writer of the genre. It simply amazes me how many fans of this type of literature end up writing stories about it. Lavelle fits that to a tee, a fan that transcends from reader to writer. And I applaud that.

The story of Varnoth of the Black Blade is pretty simple, and it is one of those stories that I love to hate, the infamous slice of life type books. I have been trying really hard to push past my biases and just enjoy the story and little by little it is working for me. So, the book is about a shadow panther that wakes up tied to a cross. He has no memory of who he is or how he got there. He gets cut down by a Gandalf type and sent on his way. The story then wanders about as Varnoth strives to level up, and learn about himself. He meets several companions along the way as he forges a path to power.

One thing I will say that I appreciated as that no one was safe. Jackson kills characters without hesitation or mercy, and he doesn’t even ease you into it with the knowledge that the death was swift. Secondly, he does not flinch or skimp on the gore. Honestly, to me gore is just another thing and has no effect on me, but I do enjoy graphic depictions as they are more realistic. Eyeballs do fly and intestines do fall. So be warned. The only issue that I had was that the fights never quite seemed like Varnoth had to struggle too much. I would have liked some adversity for the panther, as there was a lot of throat slitting, beheading, and backstabbing going on. He’s kind of a melding of the Terminator and the Professional’s Leon. Stone cold, highly skilled, unstoppable, and relentless. Also, I almost let my kids listen to the book until some of the swearing happened, which technically I was fine with but there was a lot of mention of whores and the sex acts, so I couldn’t let them listen in.

My biggest issue came from the narration. I am not, it seems, a huge fan of Jack Voraces. I’m just huge. Wait. Wait. OK, Voraces really dropped the ball in several areas. First of all he has an inhuman lead character. Give that shadow panther a voice that matches it. Also, he is inconsistent because in the beginning of the book Varnoth learns Herbalism, with a hard H, and gathers Herbs, with a hard H, but when the panther man goes to a shop called Herb’s Herbs the latter part becomes erbs, losing the H sound entirely and then stays that way. It is also hard to follow him with his accent as Inventory becomes inventory and a composite became compazit. I really did not get one well with him at all. He at least tries to put in an effort and make it fun.

My final score? I have thought about this a lot. My issues with Voraces are nit picky for the most part, although I stand my ground when I say that an inhuman MC needs an inhuman voice, I can overlook a lot of that stuff as accent, but I do require consistency. Herbs Herbs. Still as funny as the other way if you say it right. So, final score 7.7 has some wonky parts but the gore, fighting and Varnoth’s dedication to doing the right thing overcomes.

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The Mayor of Noobtown

By: Ryan Rimmel

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Series: Noobtown, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

This is a rare gem. It is one of those books that is funny from start to finish, is serious, and tells a complete story while managing to leave the door open for more. Technically, the book could have ended right where it does and I would have said great book, wish there was more, but cool. That’s not true, I would have written Rimmel and begged for more.

In truth, I originally thought this was a harem book called Mayor of Boobtown, but was sadly disappointed to learn that I was wrong. I thought it was part of the classic boobtown series (INSERT Pic here). Ok, bad joke, but I have to say that I loved the concept of Noobtown from start to finish. It begins with a man getting run over by a truck and waking up somewhere else. He’s being character built by some mysterious voices and while their attention is turned he begins to explore the “character center” looking for class options. He soon discovers that the voices are demons who want to erase his memories and send him off to fight a dark lord. From there havoc ensues and the MC and one of the demons become bound together beginning the start of a horrible friendship.

As I said, the book is filled with humor, both situational and banter types and ninety percent of the jokes stick he landing. Probably the best and longest gag is that of the MC’s name, Jim. It harkens back to the Monty Python Joke There be those that Call Me Tim, but adds to the silly name in a fantasy world bit. The MC comes off as over powered, but this isn’t a video game MMORPG, even if the world he is in has those elements. His abilities stem from his time spent in the character creation center and are pretty cool. So, Jim can have and level any class in the game from thief to swordsman, mage to sage it doesn’t matter he can be it and gain the skills and abilities for each class he has. Downside is that he has to actually acquire the class via normal means, he can’t just announce that he’s going to be a wizard. He’d have to do some schooling, for example. This allows him to achieve some neat feats that would normally be impossible. The only time I thought Rimmel stretched probability was during the time that Jim was setting traps for a rescue. He set a ton of traps in a very small window of opportunity.

John McClain narrates, (Insert McClane reading pic please) and I am so glad to see he stopped doing film franchises. What? Wong McClain? Sorry. Actually, while the guy is new to my ears, he has narrated just under 100 novels, and it shows. He has incredible comedic timing, he also gets the way to tell a joke, or more importantly describe a humorous situation. He does an amazing job, and this is another guy I telling you all to look out for.

Final score. 8.6 stars. I had a lot of fun with this, was sad it ended so quickly and can’t wait for the next book.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 047 - Dan the Warlord, Underworld 3, Oathbreaker, Shadow Sun Survival, World-Tree Online, Hard Magic

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Dan the Warlord (A Gamelit Harem Fantasy Adventure)

Gold Girls and Glory, Book 4 (00:31)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2kHxckl

Sanctuary - Underworld, Book 3 (11:13)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2mL8TTh

Oathbreaker: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG: Realm Online, Book 1 (20:27)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2mNwtyy

Shadow Sun Survival (28:06)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2mh66Rp

Soundbooth Spotlight

World-Tree Online (World-Tree Trilogy Book 1) (40:34)

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2mlu3H6

Ray’s Pick!

Hard Magic - Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles (55:34)

https://amzn.to/2lcBpwB

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Hot fun in the summer sun, oooola!

Hot fun in the Summer time, ooooola!

Dan the Warlord (A Gamelit Harem Fantasy Adventure)

Gold Girls and Glory, Book 4

By: Hondo Jinx

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Pause

Hondo Jinx closes the chapter on this series, and he does it with style. As much as I hate to see the series end I think that he did an amazing job on shutting the doors and turning out the lights. I seriously had a Sam Malone moment when Cheers ended, you could see that Sam was where he was meant to be, and that he loved his bar. Dan, also is happy to be where he is, to be with the people he is with, and satisfied that all is finally right in his world.

Truly, I do not know how Jinx pulled this off. There were a lot of plotlines to be tied up, characters to close out arcs, and battles to be fought before the end of the book and yet he does it all quite deftly. At no point did I wonder where he was headed, what was going on, or why something was done.

Now I did have some issues. There was one spot that seemed rushed or too easily handled and that was the ship battle with the one Duke, who had just spent a good amount of time telling Dan just how hardcore he was, and that he was super deadly, only for that whole meeting to kind of get overshadowed by the fight that later followed. To me it was just a touch too easy and too quick, and was necessitated by Dan’s needing to get back to his home because of other battles that were waiting. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a struggle is all I’m saying.

The resolution between the red elves and the forest elves was neatly resolved, as was the problem with the monster wives. Truth be told, Jinx pretty much closed accounts on every single character that Dan knew, and that is a rare thing. It is something I appreciated as a reader. I also think that jinx managed to make me pity several characters who eventually died through no fault of their own. All I can say is that Artifacts suck.

The ending also manages to leave the door open for more of Dan’ exploits in the future. I would love to see Jinx follow marvel Comics example at some point in the future and pull a King Conan, where Conan is, duh, King and he runs around training his son Conn to take over for him. (add Conn pic here please). I would love to see Dan the Father King, with Dan taking out his menagerie of half monster, elf, and elemental kids. That would be a blast. I don’t need to see more ladies added to the harem, but getting to see Dan struggle with mostly daughters and a son or two, while maintaining a kingdom could be real fun.

Finally, Adrea parenau steals this finale as only she could. Honestly, I’ve been saying for a loooong time that she is the only person I know that would make me want to boink a hobgoblin just because of the voice she used. Here she revives some old voices and from a crazy old wizard to an old gaming companion of Dan’s. Honestly, if you are going to close out a series, then you couldn’t ask for more than what Andrea gives here. It has all the emotion of the MASH final, minus the feared great flush, the levity of Friends, and the gravitas of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Thankfully, we didn’t get a Newhart surprise at the end. That is all thanks to her incredible vocal work.

Final score? 8.5 stars. This is how you end a series.

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Sanctuary

Underworld, Book 3

By: Apollos Thorne

Narrated by: Graham Halstead

Series: Underworld, Book 3

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

PAUSE

I have to admit that in my opinion, Sanctuary started a little slow. It seemed like several chapters occurred before an exciting incident occurred, but I have to say that when the book started going it was really cooking. I actually laughed at the punch an imp in the face reference, because that was the one line that really stood out to me in book one, and it was nice to see it boomerang back in a funny way.

Book three takes off with the humans figuring out how to build up their dungeon and farm while they’re at it in order to get more levels before the much vaunted minotaurs show up to destroy them all. Now, this series has vexed me in a number of ways. For example, the number of levels the players/kidnapped gamers can get are incredibly high, as is their attributes. I always have to wonder why a writer makes so much work for themselves because, to me, lower numbers are easier to deal with. Like my pappy always says, Maths is hard.

Anyways, the story does take off, and once it gets going it off like a shot. Elorion and company all manage to snag some neat abilities, for example he really increases the things he can do shapeshifting, while his gal pal literally becomes the wind. The each transform into something beyond human and become deadlier than ever. Personally, I don’t know how Thorne keeps track of all of his character’s powers and abilities because I know I would completely forget something critical and ten a reader would say, well if they’d just used power XYZ they’d have had no problems. The story is pretty compelling and more importantly it is fun. The last battle goes on for a long time and lasts until just about every person on either side is spent.

The real fun will come once they have to face their former succubus mistress, well, the survivors will. That is a build up that I can’t wait to see. The story adds in things like dungeon building to the mix, so that not only are Elorian and Eris leveling themselves and others, but their dungeon as well. In fact there is one complete section that deals with them doing things to further empower their dungeon, so dungeon fans will enjoy this as well. There are times when the story feels rushed, but over all it is well paced. The story definitely left me wanting more.

Graham Halstead once again does an excellent job. I think he has a firm grip on the series and the characters, and I have no complaints about the job that he does here. I find him to be superb and enjoy listening to him.

Final score? A solid 8 stars. While entertaining, I really haven’t seen any new ground covered aside from the small amount of dungeon building. Lots of good fight scenes, but no massive character development. Elorian and Eris seem about the same as they did last book. Add in some growth and the scoe would be a lot higher. Still a very solid 8.

Say Eight!!!

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Oathbreaker: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG

Realm Online, Book 1

By: Stuart Thaman

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

I’ve really thought about this one for a while, and debated back and forth on my thoughts with this book. There were several things that I liked, some that I didn’t, and others that really didn’t thrill me one way or the other.

The first thing I’m getting out of the way is that in spite of what you see on the cover, this is not in any way a harem book. I didn’t think that it was, but I know how people are, you see two women and your mind automatically goes into harem mode. This is not remotely the case, so if you were wondering, now you know.

Secondly, I like the whole sucked into the game via a summoning spell aspect. That was fun, and happens right away so no spoilers, but it set me up for some expectations, and I found the book slowed down right after the big entrance. I mean it slowed down a lot. I think a lot of it was the whole no class not lit stuff for a while, hell just leveling takes like 2/3rds of the book I think. That said I think there are reasons that necessitate the lack of lit elements for awhile so it’s a tough call.

Thirdly, I do like how the MC, Steve, isn’t perfect morally or physically. He’s not a gung ho hero nor is he built like Charles Atlas. He’s more like Charles Alas. So, Steve is not readily likable, although I must say that my son found the cats funny. Of course, he’s just a few bad grades from identifying as a cat lady.

One thing I thought was funny was that even though it isn’t a harem Steve spoke incessantly about how sweetly hot and sassy his ladies were. Still there was no action. I think the biggest issues were that there were times that Steve was a D-bag, and the lit elements didn’t pop up until too late in the story.

J. Scott Bennett narrates, and I have said for the longest time that I think he is one of the bestest narrators out there. He is a fave of mine. He can have real fun with the right story. He does his utmost to keep this tale going but even he couldn’t get it to pick up the pace of the story. He does individualize each character, but again, he can’t make you like a character if their actions put you off. Bennett does a great job and doesn’t let the story spiral like a lesser narrator could have.

Final Score? 7 stars, its pacing was too slow and it lacked some much needed litrpg aspects earlier in the story. Still, there is world building that does go on and will probably make the next book run a little smoother.

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Shadow Sun Survival

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Will M. Watt, Jeff Hays, Andrea Parsneau, Annie Ellicott

Series: Shadow Sun, Book 1

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

PAUSE

Someone needs to chain Dave Willmarth up and make him write post apocalyptic books all day long. Clearly the impetus of making oodles of money isn’t enough to spur him on or we’d be on Dark Elf 5 and Shadow Sun 7 by now.

The point is that Shadow Sun was not what I was expecting. To be frank, I had thought that it was going to be a story about a boy and his bear wandering through a decimated landscape, sort of like Grizzly Adams meets Slash Maraud (Show those pics here please). FYI Slash is a DC comics mini-series about aliens who take over the earth and slowly wipe out humanity as they convert earth via terraforming into a world not unlike their own. It is a series that was not well loved and did not become a cult classic that was secretly beloved years later, but I LOVED it.

No, what Master Willmarth has done is taken a concept of aliens taking over Earth and putting a new slant on it in which they literally steal earth. Earth is physically moved and given new ground rules for how life is going to be. The MC is a young fella, but he has a good head on his shoulders, and does the best he can whenever he finds himself in a bad situation. His attitude makes him become the leader of a group of refugees who have survived a giant monster attack; which sort of snowballs into bigger leadership roles later.

One thing I will say about Dave is that he isn’t afraid to kill people, which keeps you alert every time a crisis comes up. I will also say that I appreciate the way that A-holes are dealt with. It may not always be quick, but you just know that the jerk is going to get it in the end. As an example, if there is some guy that abused kids, and he was walking through the rain forest in one of Willmarth’s books, then he would most likely get slowly crushed and eaten by an anaconda. Jerk that shoot their mouths off tend to get shot in the mouth, you get the point. DW suffers no fools lightly, and under his pen they pay.

The story is utterly engrossing and sucks you in immediately, the leveling process, the process of converting currency into Klacks (alien dough) works well, and gaining abilities is pretty slick. I think I only had one moment of WTF and it involved a certain train wreck, but hey, ya gotta have something to take down void terrors and the like I suppose. I just enjoy WillMarth’s style and prose, but overall his characterizations are just on point. They feel genuine and real.

Damn, I have to say that Will Watt does an amazing job on this book. Yes, he is joined by not only Jeff hays and Annie Ellicot, but also Andrea parsnaue!!!! Yeah. As impressed as I am I almost feel bad for poor Will, because they brought in all their big guns, plus a ringer from next door to ensure the success of this book in its audible form. If I were him I would feel like I wasn’t trusted to carry a book this big! Ya know wat? He handles this book like he wrote it. I was incredibly impressed with his American accents,as I do believe that the computer helper is his own natural voice. Jeff, Annie, and Andrea really do have supporting roles, here but they all go for the Oscar too. Seriously, the sound, vocal talent, and effects were completely flawless. I applaud Will on his first outing, and give Kudos to the rest of them for keeping things so real and gritty.

My final score? Well, Dave inspired me to go out and get a pet bear myself, I call him cuddles (Add in my pic of the bear). He’s a good bear, yes he is! Back on track, The story was not what I was expecting, and I give props to DW for emulating the Grizzly Adams rescue and then turning it on its head. It was well paced, filled with action, good characters, and some “gods” from the past who sort of fluctuate between being honorable and then not so much. I don’t believe there was a slow moment in the book. Or me this is 8.6 stars all the way, from writing to narration it impressed.

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Soundbooth Spotlight

World-Tree Online

World-Tree Trilogy, Book 1

By: E. A. Hooper

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Series: World-Tree Trilogy, Book 1

Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins

Pause

Ok, so I’m going to commit some blasphemy here and I think a lot of it comes from all the hype that hit the book before I’d gotten to give it a listen. It’s a lot like being told how amazing a movie is by everyone you know and when you finally get to see it, it does not meet your expectations.

So, here’s the gist of the story. An old man who is mourning the loss of his wife finally breaks down and joins one of his long time buddies in the VR world. The man, Vincent, is a long time gamer and is looking for something that will help him take his mind off of the upcoming anniversary of her death, or birthday, I don’t remember and it really isn’t relevant. He enters the game and decides that he’s not going to party like he’s 20, as his buddy, Jim, is doing but he’s actually going to play the game. Low and behold, the game has a time dilation that allows you to play for super long periods of time in your head, while in actuality only an hour passes in the real world.

So of course, a glitch occurs that ends up making it so that everyone in the game will exist without being able to leave for over 300 years. Closer to 400, but hey. A moderator loses his mind, and decides that he likes the way Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini ran their countries and decides that he wants to do the same thing in the game world. He does some really creepy stuff and I’m honestly stunned that the book didn’t become waaaay darker than it did. That’s the compacted version. Vinnie and pals band together to fight the evil moderator. Do they win, fail, or continue on to the next book? Not ganna say, cause spoilers.

Now, I’m not saying that the book isn’t good, only that it was not what I had expected. Although there were a few things that sort of set me back a bit. So. I’m going to get all the negative stuff out of the way first. First off one thing that I did not appreciate were the time jumps. Granted, when you have characters who are stuck in a game for hundreds of years I can understand that you want to show some passage of time, but having them level up in the off time was annoying and it sort of robbed the readers of seeing what they did to get to that point. For example, one of the book’s blurbs talks about how Vin exploits a cheat. We get to see him figure it out, and then start to work on it, but then time passes and he is at 99% of the way finished with figuring it out. Granted, you do get to see him finalize his project, but a huge number of years have passed. Secondly, the simple acquisition of a new spell or skill seems to take forever. I realize that time dialation occurs, but there is no way I’m going to spend thirty years of my life trying to figure out a spell or other skill, when other games pretty much let you add stuff as you level. Leveling becomes impossibly difficult, too. There is one part where the party spends decades on some dead monster inhabited world just so they can become stronger. I don’t think that is even remotely realistic, even if you are under a threat of perma death. And that brings me to the real issue I had, in so far as the time they were trapped in the game really only had relevance to the first book. Crazy mod takes over, so no one can escape thus there is a need for the trapped in the game trope. But the trapped part is so long. Even if Hooper had just made it a hundred years it would have been so much more palatable. It would still have been horrifying, by just cutting away decades and making them single years. The horrors committed by the crazy mod would still be horrible. Oh, and a side note or two. Why would you play a game to forget about the emotional day that you are trying to avoid, when once you leave your memories are compressed and feel like a dream? Also, how much trouble can you get in for doing things in a game? Again, at the beginning of the book the mods are hunting bad guys, some of whom are known to have raped other players. Did they get jail time in real life for what they did? I know they got permabanned, but it is a very pertinent question because things transpire that will make some of the book wonky if that isn’t addressed later.

Ok, now onto the good stuff. The characters were developed and well fleshed out, and their teamwork flowed. The bad guy was admirably whiny and annoying to a point that he was utterly irritating and you hated him easily. There was an unusual game system that worked well, and it was pretty cool to see it in us. The fact that you could craft new spells was a great concept, even if I don’t understand why known spells weren’t easy to use. The fights were fun and well written. My favorite part is that the book isn’t stretched out into a needles trilogy in regards to the main villain Lucas. His arc is completed, and so there is now an opening for more changes to come in the series. The book has a lot of positive things going for it such as. . .

. . .The amazing work by the SBT team. I have said for a long time that LCW and JTJ are the Bonnie and Clyde of SBT. The go together like peas and carrots. Ugh, I hate peas and carrots, how about Ice Cream and Sprinkles? Much better. Justin and Laurie carry this book and probably made it more than it would have been just reading it. Jeff plays Vin’s pal Jim and has a ball with the womanizing alcoholic. Probably more fun than he should have. As always, SBTprovides a kick ass quality to the story they tell.

Final Score? 7.4 stars. Yeah, I had a lot of issues with the way the time dilation played out, the difficulty of creating spells, and the leveling between time jumps in general. The fights were great and well written, but jumping over a lot of levels and learning made me feel like I lost something that should have been there.

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Ray’s Pick!

Hard Magic

Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles

By: Larry Correia

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot

Series: Grimnoir Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Pause

I have long been a fan of Larry Correia. His Monster Hunters International is pure brilliance, and his Tom Stranger series is utterly hilarious. I actually considered reviewing MHI first, but Hard Magic has a lit feel to it, with people becoming stronger as the series goes on.

Hard Magic takes place in a noirish 1930’s setting, you practically see everything in black and white, and is meant to feel like one of those old Sam Spade flicks or Orson Wells the Third Man. Only in this version, Harry Lyme would have superpowers. The premise of the book is straight forward, people are being born with super powers, some to a greater degree than others. The book is scattered full of actual historical people as well as cast of created for the screen type heroes. The two main characters are Jake and Faye. Faye is a traveler, meaning she can teleport, and Jake is a Heavy, meaning he can control gravity. Every power that you can imagine exists and is given a name and a ranking. Sort of like the X-men, but only cooler.

The story revolves around an ex-con war hero, Jake, and how he is pretty much drug into events that spiral out of control pretty fast. Events that affect the whole world. There are secret societies, government conspiracies, evil machinations from Japan, and numerous other things that somehow tie together in a brilliant mash up of pulpy goodness. Faye vies with Hienrich as my favorite character in the series even though Jake makes a great leading man. Think of how great Kitt Harrington was in Game of Thrones as Jon Snow but Dinklage was the only one to ever win an Emmy. You can have a great lead, but the supporting players will steal the show everytime.

The book is crammed full of action, and when I say action I’m talking Wolverine vs the Hulk, both of whom have rabies, are on crank, and just found out their grandmother’s had been evicted from their homes for not paying back taxes. In other words full of sound and fury and signifying a whole lotta wreckage. The amazing thing is that even with all the chases, fights, deaths, and magic (Oh, I want to tell you why there is magic but don’t want to spoil the fun) the characters all undergo some growth arc. Plus, not everyone lives. Characters die, and it gets to you as if they were real. The writing is simply spectacular. The series really stands out as a whole, but book one is where it all starts.

Speaking of magic, I have to say on of the brightest spots for me is the narration done by Bronson Pinchot. I would never have thought that Cousin Balky was so talented. Seriously, he reads this as if he were in contention for an Oscar or a Grammy. He does male and female voices, inflects with more emotion than Christian Bale when someone interrupts his shot. He brings the Knights of the Grimnoir alive, fills every action scene with a pulse pounding rhythm, and makes you not only believe a man can fly, but they can teleport, walk through walls, shoot fire, and kill with a touch.

Hands down for me this is Correia’s best series. I love MHI and the incredible Forgotten Warrior saga, but Hard Magic just resonates with incredible characters and intense action, as well as heroic moments and sacrifices that carry more depth and meaning than anything Tolstoy has written lately. Again, no score, this is just my way of alerting you to an incredible series that is close to Urban fantasy/alt history but is so much more than that. The combination of the writing and narration is on par with any book I’ve read regardless of who narrates. Jeff Hays is hardcore, but Pinchot LIVES this series.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 046 -Dungeon Special 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Dungeon World: A Dungeon Core Experience (02:34)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/34RLCke

Dungeon Deposed: Book 2 (13:30)

Score: 8.0 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NjwHd0

Dungeon Crawl: The Crucible Shard, Book 1 (27:52)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/307tRxu

Dungeon Wars: Dungeon Wars, Book 1 (36:38)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31rvHHb

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-eBvpm-g7IkjfVktObGAA

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geekbytespodcast

Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 045 - Adapt: A Touch of Power, Heir Today, Pawn Tomorrow, VGO: Firebrand, Into the Light: Axe Druid, Battle Spire, Deus Ex Rand

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Adapt: A Touch of Power Book 2 (03:34)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ZsroJC

Heir Today Pawn Tomorrow: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel

The Good Guys Series Book 2 (25:41)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/326vAAL

Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand: A litRPG Adventure

The Firebrand Series Book 1 (41:17)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2zjwX2H

Into the Light: Axe Druid Book 1 (01:01:27)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2HoLgYb

Soundbooth Theater Spotlight

Battle Spire: A Crafting LitRPG Book (01:22:34)

Hundred Kingdoms 1

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31UTXkK

What else have they done?

Deus Ex Rand()

Misfits, Demigods, and a Beer Drinking Dog (01:37:23)

(No Review score)

https://amzn.to/2ZsZQUy

----------------------

Adapt: A Touch of Power, Book 2

By: Jay Boyce

Narrated by: Samara Naeymi

Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins

Pause

Well, Jay Boyce has done it again. She has spun an amazing tale with barely any fighting in it, honestly there were only a handful of times that lives were taken, but it still dragged me along like I was a dog named Dinky chained to the bumper of a station wagon. (Show Chevy Chase Here).

Boyce just was a way of telling a story that is both compelling and hypnotic and she has a ton of characters, whom I don’t know how she keeps track of, that you will get to know fairly well by the end of the book. I think I am going to start a new genre, and I’m going to call it LITRPGU or just LRU for short, and it will deal with any gamelit or Litrpg that centers on some sort of school, hence the U for University. There have been a lot of those tales lately, from Sufficiently Advanced Magic to Siphon you literally attend the classes with the characters. Most books would shy away from actually seeing what goes on in class, but not here. You attend each lesson right alongside Jade, the MC.

The book has a lot going for it from an intensely likable lead, to a fun, if massive supporting cast. In fact, I would say that the rotating cast of characters is what lends it an air of authenticity, if you attend a real college you will see hundreds of different people a week and not the same old set daily unless you never leave your dorm. So, I can see that Boyce has really thought about the way her school was set up, how it was run, and who populates it.

That isn’t to say that the book isn’t without its flaws. There were two by my count, one minor and one major. The minor one is easily overlooked, but it bothered me enough that I felt it long after Jade performed the action. Jade is usually pretty easy going and has a positive attitude, I think that is what makes her so likable. So, when she went completely out of character and threw a tantrum in her Light Magic class, as in magic that shines and not easy to cast, it threw me right out of the book. My suspension of disbelief snapped. It really had no point, it did not feel natural or organic, and if it did anything it actually made Jade look petulant and spoiled. Up until that point she seemed genuinely appreciative over everything that had been done for her and I don’t see how it helped her character or the story. That is a forgivable offense. The second faux pas is not so easily forgiven. All I want to say here is that if you are building up to an event for an entire book, then have the event take place in THAT book. You keep anticipating the events to come, and then to not have it take place honestly felt like a bait and switch. I admit it, I was a little disappointed. Still the third book now has a lot to live up to, and I am going to need some really big moments, and yes, some battles to heal my wound.

Samara Naeymi impresses me. With such a huge cast of characters I never felt like any were recycled and she just seems to know how to convey an air of joy, which Jade seems to emanate most of the time. She also has the ability to convey a lot of emotion in just a few words. Not an easy task. She can also flip genders believably. She adds a lot to the story and I think she embodies the spirit of Jade.

Final score? 8.3 stars. I really liked this book, but the one event that was skipped out on really deflated some of my enthusiasm. Again, not to spoil but the big finale wasn’t surprising and pretty much went the way I expected it to. Jade needs some solid set backs, everything comes a little too easily for her, and she needs to learn that sometimes failure is the only option. Still, this is an amazingly good book and I highly recommend it.

-----------------------------

Heir Today, Pawn Tomorrow: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel

The Good Guys Series, Book 2

By: Eric Ugland

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Series: The Good Guys Series, Book 2

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Pause

Allright, So I praised the hell out of the first review on book one. There I stated how much this felt like a serialized TV show that had solid continuity, and I stand by that assessment. I could easily see this playing out on Amazon or Netflix, and literally loving every moment of it.

Book two picks up about one second after book on finishes, in fact it sort of relives the last three minutes of book one just to give you an even footing. The MC, Montana, has some hard decisions to make, and some how survive and I don’t know which is actually harder for him. I keep hearing that Montana is a little low in the intelligence score, but he actually seems like a regular guy trying to deal with extraordinary circumstances.

He has to deal with the concept of adoption, whether he wants to become royal, dodging death, and still just being himself. He’s given a few tasks that seem insurmountable. One plus is that all the crunch seems to have lessened a bit in comparison to book one, but still retains a healthy coocoo for coco puffs crunch. (Insert Coco puffs pic here)

The real draw of the tale is Montana, and how he deals with all the craziness that suddenly fills his life. He gets, for example, a couple of man-otter beastkin to help on his way as sworn vassals, and he continues to gather boons from the gods. Montana continues to get himself in and out of trouble, sometimes to the chagrin of his party. Still, he is incredibly likable and I enjoyed spending time with him.

Neil Hellegers really does an outstanding job on this book, and the series in general. I honestly don’t believe he’s ever done anything better. He is at the top of his game here, and sells this story like he’s getting all the profits. I’ve heard carnival barkers that didn’t have half the heart or coercive skills to keep you listening than Neil does here. Unlike the barkers he’s not selling a bucket of crap, he has some serious goods and you will thank him for his efforts. Seriously, Hellegers really romps and has fun with this book. He plays Montana like Conan with the brains of Chandler Bing.

This series has quickly grown to be one of my favorites. I sincerely listened to books 1-3 one right after the other, almost all the way through in each listening. I can’t speak more highly og this series. It fits right into my sweet spot, running under 8 hours and is masterfully told. So good run time, excellent Narration, and humorous and well crafted story telling combine for a blast of a time.

I give this 8.3 stars, but the series as a whole is much higher for me. It is just so fun. It cuts a fine line between campy and serious. It is a perfect blend.

----------------------

Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand: A litRPG Adventure

The Firebrand Series, Book 1

By: J. D. Astra, James Hunter

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Pause

Here’s a little story about Abby, Grimjack’s love interest in VGO. I have to say that I have always been a little leery of one writer taking over another writer’s character. I think that sometimes it can work and others not so much. For example, I think L Sprague DeCamp (Please show the Decamp Conan pic) did a great job portraying Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, but Robert Jordan (Jordan Conan pic) not so much. Yes, Jordan has his own acclaimed series, but I think his rendition of the Cimmerian Suckmerians. Personal preference, but you can get my point; even a great writer who has tons of material to research and work from may not succeed in the way you might expect. So, JD delves into the works with I suspect a guiding hand from Hunter, but little else. And man, does she take his character and make Abby her own. That is a rough thing to do. After several novels you get a real taste for what a character is like, and while I might think I know how Cutter would react in a situation I could never handle him like Hunter could. So, hats off to Astra for that power play.

Now, when I first heard the title my first thought was of DC Comic’s Firebrand, a certain little flame based superheroine that hung out with the All Star Squadron, a fantastic Series, BTW. (Show her picture here, please). Both are redheads and deal with fire like I do ice cream and cookies; in large volumes and periodically getting out of control, but Abby isn’t some one dimensional C-list comic book character, she is a fully formed and developed character that can truly carry a series all on her own. That’s points to Astra who really fills Abby with some life of her own, and shows she can be just as interesting as Grimjack.

The book takes place a little bit before Grimjack goes off and snags that Seal that lets him do things that few characters can. So, it is an interesting alternative POV of how things led to that point, only for Abby and her companion. I have to say, that even though I knew certain things, such as Abby wasn’t going to die I didn’t mind the backstory fill-in; nor did it feel like filler material. To me it helped to flesh out certain events and grow my understanding of the VGO world. Like I say, it starts pre apocalypse and follows her into the game, so we become more privy to things as the book moves forward. It was a fun romp that sort of looked back at the beginning, and one that I hope will move ahead posthaste. I’d like to see Abby away from Grimjack in the next book but in a concurrent timeline or as close to it as possible so that the series doesn’t feel like a prequel that tries to play catch up to the main series.

Emily Woo Zeller, whom I actually recognize from a book called Minimum Wage Magic, which is part of the Detroit Free Zone series. It’s a good series, and is funny in a lot of places, but also isn’t slow and draggy. It has a breakneck pace that made me realize how good of a narrator she is. FYI, Emily has done some hella lot of narrating, and I credit Shadow Alley for bringing in new blood for their LITRPG books. Emily really does a fantastic job, I enjoy her voice and her reading is paced with the story. I think she fits right in as Abby and can’t wait to listen to more of her work in this genre.

Final score 8.2 stars. I did enjoy it a lot, and the narration was a great match up, my only issue is that I didn’t feel any tension since I knew that no matter what happened Abby would be OK. Still, if you like VGO you will adore this book.

-----------------------

Into the Light: Axe Druid, Book 1

By: Christopher Johns

Narrated by: B. J. Harrison

Series: Axe Druid, Book 1

Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins

Pause

I don’t know what I was expecting with this book, but whatever it was it wasn’t what I got. I have a few things to say about it first and foremost. I really enjoyed this tale, so what I am about to say is not a criticism or meant to be detrimental to the story or Chris Johns, but I really wish that he had made this into a group book, rather than focusing on the Druid MC. Wanna know why? Because the other group characters a fleshed out really well, are interesting in their own right, and there were times that I wanted follow them as much as I wanted to follow the MC. I honestly think that this could have been as epic as Dragonlance in some ways. Not that the story is similar, but in that each character could have had times to shine on their own, and I would have followed them anywhere. Ballmer and Yosikai were two of my faves, but like I said, each was unique, fun and interesting in their own way. I lament the loss of the possibility, since this was told in first person.

That said, Damn that as a fun ride. The book mixes portal fantasy with Litrpg splendidly. What was refreshing was I didn’t hear the characters struggling to go back home. They all knew they had a job to do and did it with minor (but believable) complaints. Obviously they missed their loved ones, but knew that their lives were as endangered as those in the new world they inhabited and so stayed focused. Funny thing is, the characters all seem to become super OP, and never failed to grab a new skill, spell, trick, craft, or items whenever they went somewhere new. Regardless of that fact they didn’t come across as being able to go and whip War’s butt (the main threat to both worlds). They use team work and intelligence to achieve the impossible, and it is their closeness and comradery that drew me in. They all knew that had each other’s backs and worked together well. So, maybe not quite like Dragonlance. You get the point.

There are several times where the story could derail, as the heroes found themselves in side areas, such as the Fey realm or a Dwarven Demesne, but the side trips only serve to further the story. The MC, Zekial, opts to become a druid who uses a big ass axe to kill his foes with. He also becomes a Kitsune, a fox humanoid (Show old man with axe painting here) so he doesn’t look a thing like I would expect an axe druid to appear, and never meets an npc he can’t make friends with almost instantly. He seems to gain a new ability or gear everytime he farts. That is my only real complaint about the book. It seems at times like Zeke loses his agency, and doesn’t do a lot to earn things. He goes to the fey and gets a ton of stuff since he and his group are going to be emissaries, goes to the dwarves, does a ritual and gets things like a nifty lightning axe that I think looks a lot like this (Show Axe Pic, please). Like I say, there are points where it literally feels like the gods are just throwing stuff at Zeke and his companions to help their cause. Other than that, or maybe even in spite of that, the book is a fun romp.

No, the real sin, for me was the book’s ending. I understand cliffhangers and have no problem with them at all, but in a way this has a feel similar to another Mountaindale book I just reviewed, Adapt. Again, I enjoyed the book, but the ending made me bite my cheek. I definitely want book 2 now! Still, The almost 15 hours felt like half of that, and as “off” as the ending was for me I still loved the book, the writing, the characters especially, and the entire premise.

I absolutely loved Harrison’s narration. He’s another narrator with over 300 books that he’s worked on, but I’ve never heard of. He simply nails the characters, and keeps you hooked with his story telling. I can’t wait to hear more from him.

Final score, 8.1 stars. The end and lack of agency made me drop a few points, but I still think this is more than worthwhile and that you will enjoy the book.

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Soundbooth Spotlight

Battle Spire: A Crafting LitRPG Book

Hundred Kingdoms, 1

By: Michael R. Miller, Portal Books

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Pause

All right you crazy cats and chicks I have to say that this is one fun Soundbooth Spotlight tonight. My first thought about it was how in the hell can you carry a story on crafting? Especially when the cover makes it look like the story is about when 007 gets mashed up with Assassin’s Creed.

I needn’t have worried. The book is full of crunch, so for you die hard Litrpg-ers out there it will satisfy you on that front. It also has a cool new class, the scavenger, which brings back fond memories of the great Deadlands rpg game, specifically Deadlands: Hell on Earth that had a class that reminded me of the scavenger. There, though, they were called Junkers. Still, the point is made a class that nobody wants, and everyone knows is super weak proves to be the best choice that the MC, Jack, can make. He milks every advantage that he can, too. Making weapons and upgrading them to insane levels. He really uses his powers to a degree that no other Scavenger would have been able to, so this isn’t a need to nerf situation in regards to what he does and how he levels rapidly.

The book also takes on a Die hard feel when the game is basically taken over by a terrorist who seeks the liberation of his brothers in arms around the world such as members of the Asian Dawn . . . wait, that is die hard. In that vein let’s just say that what the bad guy wants isn’t obvious at first just as the Nakatome Heist was really about stealing negotiable bearer bonds. The baddie here is playing hide and seek with his true objective.

In spite of or maybe because of its similarity to Die hard the book is a real adrenaline blast, and you sympathize with the MC, who is trapped in the game along with everyone else, but with some serious implications if he can’t halt the siege of the terrorist group. The bad guy isn’t as nasty as Hans Grueber, but is just as nefarious and morally bankrupt. And watching Jack butt heads with him is fun.

The only issue you might have is that it definitely feels like you’ve read this book before, at least in the beginning, however as the story moves ahead and really gets going you can see that this is a stand alone kind of novel. My only concern? That this feels more like a one shot book than a series. Given that the book is called the Hundred Kingdoms 1 I’m guessing that this is a full blown series. I can see this being a book unto itself, as everything is pretty much completed and wrapped up at the end. If it isn’t, and it is a full blown series, then I am excited to see where Miller takes us.

What can I say about Soundbooth? The trio of terrific tones takes this tale and twists it into a torrent of tunes to tickle your ears. Yeah, I love alliteration. Seriously, though, the soundbooth gang really have fun with this story. You can almost hear the smile on Jeff’s face as he performs, he just loves what he does so much and easily exudes evil. Annie brings the bang for our buck as she nails down the role of the shifty AI, and sounds perfectly glitch in all the right spots. And damn, can I say that JTJ brings home the Canadian bacon on this book? The man’s mellow tones reminds me of WKRP’s Venus Flytrap, only with double the cool and triple the smooth. The man is like bourbon for the ears. SBT all the way my pretty babies!

Final score? 8.2 stars. I liked the Home Alone vibe (Insert MCcauly Caulkin pic) but it did start a little slow and treaded some seriously familiar paths before taking off. Still, one hell of a read!

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What else have they done?

Deus Ex Rand()

Misfits, Demigods, and a Beer Drinking Dog

By: D.J. Bodden

Narrated by: Daniel Penz

Length: 18 mins

Pause

Here’s a segment that I haven’t done for a while and I figured that since I was reviewing the Firebrand book I might just throw a bone to one of the other writers of the VGO sidequest book (Please show the book here), DJ Bodden.

As you know, I am one to adore short stories, and am always looking for a good shorty (Show shorty girl pic, please), No not that kind of shorty. Well, maybe that kind. Save that for me for later please! No, I’m talking short stories, brief but entertaining stories, and I think Bodden has actually set up an entire post apocalyptic world in under 20 minutes that is dashed with action and humor. The book features a motley crew of unexpected heroes, dead people, demi-gods, a horseman, and a ton of other craziness that is pure high adrenaline fun.

The narration is good and Penz is spot on when injecting humor into a scene. This is the only story that I know of that entails a group of warriors battling for their lives against one of the Horsemen that also has a beer drinking dog in it (Show Dog pic here please). I’ll grant you, getting a dog to drink beer isn’t all that hard, it’s teaching him how to light a cigarette that’s damn near impossible (Show Dog with cigarette pic please ). So, yeah, Penz tells the story very well. I enjoyed him and his weaving of the tale immensely.

No score, just putting it out there for you, a brief review of a short story. I have to say that I really enjoyed this short, and felt that it was over all too quickly. Now, I don’t recommend using a credit on an 18 minute story, but I do suggest it if you are looking for a good entertaining story then it’s worth the few dollars to pick it up. That’s what I did. Give this story a look, its not a waste of time or money. I rather look at it as a good investment, and could easily see this getting fleshed out into a bigger story later.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 044 - Naughty Special 2

**Warning: This episode of the podcast reviews novels with adult content including: Graphic sex, Harems, Reverse Harems, Graphic Language, and more naughty themes.**

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-044

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. Before we begin the show I do want to say that this episode is going to contain adult content, concerning books that can get fairly graphic, hence the name Naughty special. So, if you are not into haremy type books or explicit sex then this may not be the show for you. You could just jump to the last review which will be the Heroic Villain by Charles Dean because the rest of the episode deals with adult topics.

That said I will be reviewing some naughty by nature LitRPG Audiobooks for you. So let's get right to it! I’ll begin with: ”

Remnant (03:19)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31pbpO5

Seductive Seas Books 1-4 Seductive Seas LitRPG Series (18:05)

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/33fuUdp

Fostering Faust: Book 2 (31:45)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2GN86IK

Picking Up the Pieces : Enthralled Series, Book 2 (45:18)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31iGp28

Enhancer 2 (57:12)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YIhZNR

Ganged but Not Conquered -The Full LitRPG Reverse Harem Series: Online Bimbo Bundle, Books 1-5 (01:07:26)

Score: 3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2yIXLJ2

Digital Hearts - Late Night Ambitions (01:28:59)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YnDmZz

Soundbooth Theater Spotlight

Supers: Ex Heroes 3 - A Gamelit Space Opera (01:46:43)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/31i49Dx

Soundbooth Theater Spotlight

The Heroic Villain (02:02:45)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YrvJBo

-----------------------------

Remnant

By: Randi Darren

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Pause

Here is another fun tale by Randi Darren, coughs Arand, and it is not exactly what you expect from him. The book starts off as a bit of a mystery as the MC, Steve, awakes with barely any memory of his past, which he discovers via a message left by “Past” Steve who traded his memories for some rather awesome and powerful gear. Farming gear to be certain, with the message to build himself a nice little farm and if possible a village.

It isn’t long before Steve finds himself embroiled in a mess of forbidden love, love with non-humans, which only grows until he earns the title of Zookeeper, and no this isn’t a tale of beastiality but rather of half human half other ladies like naids, nagas, etc. Thankfully, the combo of Steve’s incredible strength and gear make him a force that is not to be trifled with and he just goes about his business trying to accumulate wives and territory while fighting a zombie invasion and staving off territory disputes with his neighbors.

The story basically follows this route, Steve builds his farm while slowly accumulating women as he fights either soldiers or zombies. So you get some construction/town building in addition to the harem building, and can I just say that this is some of the fastest harem growth I have ever seen in a novel! He goes from none to like ten before the book finishes up. Mind you, he didn’t actually sleep with all of them in the book, there were some that he kind of set aside for later I suppose.

The world is interesting, in which it has game like rules and pop ups, magic gear that is soul bound, and allows for the acquisition of various titles. It also has a mystery of what created and or guides the strange creeping mist that makes the dead walk or materialize out of thin air. Also, why is his watering can so powerful that it can affect the zombies in the way that it does? Why is he so strong? What events did he fail at so badly that it caused him to reset his life? The book leaves a lot of questions to be answered in the following books, but it doesn’t make you feel like you missed out on something. It is rather smartly orchestrated and artfully told so that you simply enjoy the story.

As for the naughty business the book is full of it, and Master Darren is pretty descriptive. It is fairly well fleshed out, and very visual. The scenes fill the screen in your theater of the mind, so if you are looking for some grown up sassy time you won’t be disappointed.

Turning to the narration aspect what can I say? We are talking Andi P! And she can make her voice go from sexy to sultry in 2 seconds flat. So far, the only thing I don’t think I’ve heard her do is a screaming O but I’m sure that’ll happen some day. Andrea is a top notch voice actress, she has voices for characters, and voices for the cousins of those characters, as well as their neighbors. She would kill voicing cartoons and mature animated movies, she has serious range. She plays these ladies, and Steve, so well that you genuinely believe that she experiences the emotions that they do. You can never go wrong listening to Andrea.

I found this to be 8.4 stars, great story and amazing narration by Andrea. My only grievance was the quick way that the Mayoral sisters took to Steve. I think that they might have been just a little resentful for how he coerced them into joining him. Other than that this book was practically flawless.

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Seductive Seas Books 1-4 Seductive Seas LitRPG Series

By: Calico Jack

Narrated by: Sierra Kline

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Pause

I’m going to give props where props are due. Too often I’ve read a few of these books that deal with sex one way or another in which the author knows dick about the Litrpg genre like the horrible Fantasy Swap Online by Alyson Belle or the malignantly offensive Ganged book I reviewed on this show. It is obvious that those books were written as WTM cash grabs by individuals who couldn’t care less about the Litrpg community, because they obviously didn’t invest one minute of research into any gamelit books to help with the writing of their stories.

Captain Calico Jack, however has clearly read a few lit books because he has the progression down, and the gaming crunch in the right places. As I said before, he even comes up with a pretty slick trick for a harem/adult book with chastity belts that require tasks to be performed, i.e. quest or leveling, to get them unlocked. Thus a salty dog could acquire a veritable bevy of bodacious buccaneer babes, but never get to indulge in unlawful carnal knowledge one hundred percent of the way if he failed to unlock their safe guards.

I will say the sex is salty and steamy, and the books definitely fulfill the need for a pirate Litrpg after a drunken night of watching a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon. Sierra Kline pulls off the sexy pretty well and made the dry beach sand feel wet and moist when she needed to, and I’m not talking about some ocean foam shooting across sandy toes. I think she plays the MC, Deetz, a male lead well in addition to the gamer gals and Deets’s boss. She certainly makes the sand steam and toes curl. I honestly think she did a good job here.

My only real issue is that the real world romance doesn’t compete with the in game stuff. I really wish that we would have spent less time outside of the game and more on the high seas. The story outside is not nearly as interesting or fun as the gaming stuff and kind of drags things down a bit as it moves forward. I was a little disappointed that despite the fact that we are in a book dealing with privateer’s privates, buccaneer's booties, and various other seamen we never once saw Deetz perform an Angry Pirate on his boss while in the real world. If you don’t know what kind of a sex act an angry pirate is I encourage you to look it up because it is unbelievably funny, and something you’d only do to a lover once.

I will say that if you do get this book please get the four book collection. Book one was released as a single, and my guess is it as just to test the waters, no pun intended. While the story is interesting and carries a lot of potential it isn’t worth a credit for one book. In fact, this book clocks in one minute shy of four hours, so it really feels like half a book.

Final score 7.4. The book is short and feels like half a book or a book in progress to some degree. Actually it feels like 4 short stories tied together rather than one solidly long book. The real world stuff stepped on my gaming toes but I will say that if Calico makes more I’ll be happy to give them a listen. Deetz is a good gaming character. Best part is it isn’t a WTM book, or if it is then the author did his research.

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Fostering Faust: Book 2

By: Randi Darren

Narrated by: Stephanie Savannah

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Pause

Yep, here’s another Randi Darren book. Can I help it if he cranks out masterpieces faster than Don Rickles could insults? So, suck it up pretty babies we is goin on a wild ride.

So Fostering Faust Book 1 was a polarizing novel. I don’t think that people were prepared for the very nature of the story and the fearlessness with which Darren went forward to create this story. He was bold and uncompromising in his vision, and I really respected the hell out of that. Well, things haven’t changed. Book two is just as entrenched in the things that you either loved or hated about book one.

This book is very graphic in nature and I do not say that lightly. This is most likely the hardest edged book on the show. It is not for people who are prudish or squeamish, as there is both hardcore sex and hardcore deaths here. Darren does some significant world building, as our hero becomes embroiled in some politics that he is better off avoiding, but fails to do so and so has to scheme and plot his way out of another fine mess. Alex is exactly the kind of character that I love, he’s a schemer and a manipulator. I far prefer string pullers to sword drawers any day of the week. There is simply something I find fascinating about character who outwits their opponents. Alex lives for moments like that.

The characters, most importantly Alex, all do some serious growing and I must say that his first wife is quickly becoming one of my most cherished of his characters. Not only is she supportive of her husband in every single way, but she is enthusiastic about it and takes great pride in scoring souls for his bargain. She is a diamond among cubic zirconia. We do see a surprising twist with Alex and Leah and their contract, but for me the best part of the book came when Alex is kidnapped. His machinations make Machiavelli look like Mortimer Snerd. (inset pic here) Look him up people it’s more fun that way! I also cherished the way that Alex earned the title of Count Inferno and kept the legend growing whenever he got the opportunity. The ladies are all seductive and servile, but not to a point it is disturbing. Their eagerness to please comes from a place of genuine emotions.

The narration by Stephanie Savannah stuns. She never hesitates and tackles serious material with vigor and enthusiasm. She makes you feel everything that Alex does to his numbered and non-numbered alike. She certainly has the feel for filling the action and emotion in the right spots and keeps each character clearly defined. As juggling acts go she’s flipping live chainsaws and making them look like rubber balls.

Final score? This book pushes boundaries, buttons, boobies, and still tells a clear and entertaining story. Believe me, this book has the potential to become super dark but maintains a balanced perspective with great characters, a cool setting, and nubile narration. 8.5 stars.

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Picking Up the Pieces : Enthralled Series, Book 2

By: Prax Venter

Narrated by: Christian Fox

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Pause

I want to start by apologizing to Prax Venter for me taking so long to get to this. I really wanted to, and then after I did I wanted to save it for this episode of the show. Now, last time he gave me some flak for misspelling the names of all of the ladies in his book. So, first, thanks for actually reading the review, and second I work in audible format, so I took a shot and did it all phonetically. You hafta cut some slack sometimes.

I really liked the first book, it had one of the best time compression uses I’d seen in LITRPG, and I thought it was smartly done. Also, having the MC sort of wake up in the middle of a groundhog day styled replay was neatly done, too. So, after the first book I was expecting some big stuff, and man Prax didn’t let me down. I think book two is an improvement and that it shows some great development. The characters get a chance to grow and come into their own. I also think that Venter streamlined his writing style as nothing feels like it doesn’t belong. Everything is there for a purpose, some significance, or deeper meaning. I’m not saying that you’ll get an existential crisis from reading the book, only that the writing improved and stays on point. Venter doesn’t stray far and afield, he gets into it and remains on course.

So, how naughty is it? Well, we get frequent and descriptive sex breaks that do not detract from the story. It never came across like it does in some books, for example I listened to an audiobook called The Last Colossus which is about some people trying to survive a Megaldon attack, and they get onshore of an island that then has a volcano beginning to erupt and they decided to have sex as the lava flowed around them. Sex scenes are all about timing, and that was poor planning on the writer’s, Michael Hodges, part. Venter doesn’t have that issue as th sex scenes feel natural and fit nicely into the story.

To avoid spoilers I will say that the ladies make some discoveries about themselves that makes them not to happy, although I suspect that there may actually be a real world resolution coming in book three. The story is progressing quite nicely and I can’t wait to see where it goes, although I also want to get my hands on the audio of Irreverant Jack, too.

Fox does a good job on the narration, and I won’t complain about pronunciation of areolas this time around. I will say that he is one of the few men I have heard narrate a naughty scene and didn’t make me a little uncomfortable. I do prefer to have my naughty bits read to me by a lady if possible. Otherwise it is a lot like me reading a Penthouse Letter to myself out loud. It doesn’t turn me on.

The story and characters have rally grown and shown improvement, and I really like where the tale is going. Final score 8.3 stars.

----------------------

Enhancer 2

By: Wyatt Kane

Narrated by: Chris Graves

Length: 7 hrs

Pause

You may recall me reviewing Enhancer some time ago, it was a decent book and received a score of 7.3. I think the writing has improved, the story is tighter and streamlined and I liked the introduction of what looks to be a fourth member of the burgeoning Harem who may join the gang in the future.

Kane clearly builds upon book one in every way that counts. I think that he could flesh out his characters a bit more and expound on the romance/attraction with the first two girls. I’m not saying that they are one dimensional, but the Angie the Hut character is more of a caricature than anything else, but she is just an example. I think all of them could be built upon some more, but I will say they are more realistic this time around, and I am more forgiving of details. Just because female deer don’t have antlers doesn’t mean that they can’t be modified on to someone if they want them.

That leads me into some of the more interesting parts of the book. The world itself. Kane does a great job detailing various things from cosmetic to the cybernetic. The world is a secondary character and is as alive as any of the other characters. There is a lot going on here and we get a pretty good taste. I always say that every superpower has been thought of its how you employ them in a story that makes them cool. Kane does manage to make his heroes and villains fun, and I could see them in action.

He book picks up pretty much where the first left off. Ty, oddly is still working a crappy job and struggling to reconcile his hero life with his life as a normie. Then a teleporting demoness of a character, Lilith shows up and throws his life into utter chaos. Can he trust her? Should he? How will he tell the other girls?

Chris Graves elevates this story. His narration is on fleek, whatever that means. He plays Angie to perfection, and gets inside of Ty’s head quite nicely. I always appreciate his work, and know that if he’s narrating then the story will be better for it.

So, here’s the part that you ask me about the naughty business. After all isn’t this the naughty show? So, I have to say it has an nice representation of sexy hotness without going into penthouse of hustler territory.

Final score 7.9 stars. Lots of changes for the better, and if they were changes they were additions that book one missed.

-----------------------

Ganged but Not Conquered

The Full LitRPG Reverse Harem Series: Online Bimbo Bundle, Books 1-5

By: Keira Locke

Narrated by: Sierra Kline

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Pause

(Opens me typing on Keyboard ) Dear Penthouse. First I would like to thank you for being there for me in my formative years, from 10 to 35, you taught me soooo very much and I deeply (heh) appreciate it.

However, I have to say that I do not like the way that what seems to be one of your letter writers, who is not me, has tried to pull a quickie on the LITRPG community. While I have to admit that Locke’s tale is filled with graphic sex scenes that is both detailed and sensual I do not like the clear and obvious attempt to write to market that Locke has done here. Locke has no idea of what LITRPG is. None. Not a freaking inkling. She attempts to fool dedicated readers by using gaming terms to abysmal effect. Her fight scenes are utterly cringe worthy and display the truth that she has never gamed or even been in a fight in her life. I can’t say the same for the sex parts, but there has to be more to as book, even a harem book, than just sex. I mean, no one skips all the build up scenes in a porn movie. You need time to get to know the characters, what drives them, and why they call up lonely pizza delivery guys when they know they have no money.

Honestly, when I first heard of this book I thought, Well here’s that reverse Harem that every one is always discussing, but never seeing come to life. SO, I had to give it a shot. So the story is about a frumpy gal who can’t get a date in real life, and so she turns to virtual reality in order to find herself a boyfriend even if he is electronic. She ends up having to train, and then rescue her first beau de jour.

There are a couple of things a little disturbing about the just the first book. The MC is a virgin who is pretty insecure about herself and her having casual sex. The game decides to “break her in” pretty quick with an NPC who almost forcibly performs a three way on her. Honestly, it was like a hair away from straight up rape to me, but then I never got the whole 500 Shades of Gravy that all the ladies loved to read, so what do I know? Anyway it was off putting, but I trundled along. The book never gets any better. It is basically sex scene after sex scene with barely recognizable game mechanics spread throughout.

This is an obvious write to market novel. Locke has numerous novels that deal with getting ganged by aliens, orcs, and tentacled monsters. She just found a new genre to play in. If you look at her About the Author on Amazon then you’d see:

Author Keira Locke writes about women who explore love and sex with a variety of creatures: orcs, aliens (tentacled and non-tentacled), shifters, and mermen. Most of the time, the women find themselves in group situations because sharing is caring, the more the merrier, and [insert trite phrase that serves as euphemism for orgies.]

So, she pretty much just writes whatever she thinks will sell even when she has no real idea of what the subject is really about. I’ll bet her Mermen have blow holes.

I will say that sierra Kline does a decent job on the narration, she doesn’t hold back and tears right into story. I would say that she chews the scenery but that might be a painful prospect. I really have nothing negative to say about her, and will be adding a point at the end for her work.

Final score: 3 stars, there is a story and the characters aren’t brain dead, plus the narration was actually pretty good. As Count Olaff says, “Look Away, Look Away” if you are looking for a naughty book with litrpg roots. It has the spice, but lacks the beef of litrpg. Give it a good skip.

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Digital Hearts

Late Night Ambitions

By: Eden Redd

Narrated by: Anneliese Rennie

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Pause

My chair is turned around backward and there is a lot of honking. I turn around I am wearing a clown wig and nose. “Erm, sorry about that. I was just cleaning my horn. (Show horn).

I think you can tell by my appearance what my favorite scene in the book was, it was obviously the clown porn scene. It was sooooo funny. And I have to say that once you hear it you won’t get it out of your head. It isn’t all that the book is about, and I don’t want to paint that picture, but it is just an amazing scene.

Digital hearts starts off with some players completing one game and being invited to join a new game, one that deals with romance, and love as well as some rough play sex. It also has a serial killer. In fact, I sort of felt like this was a mash up of Dexter and Debbi Does Dallas. Sorry, I like alliteration and that’s honestly the only porno I know, aside from A Clockwork Orgy and that is too arthouse.

Anyway, the story centers on the killer who is torn between two girls. One a dirty girl who wants him to join her team, and another nicer girl who isn’t above helping her man bury a body. You can root for who you will, there is no right or wrong answer, and the fact that the player has to make a choice at the end of the book, and that his choice will not only shape the game but reality as well is pretty powerful. The choice that is made may shock you, but I can honestly say that it is the one I would have made.

Digital hearts is a world that reminded me a lot of the Sims, if you virtualized yourself into the game and then was able to earn money and power in the real world. Something is off with the real world, and I have to say that DH sort of blurred the lines. Whenever someone died they did not return, so permadeath was a factor. Plus there were points where the game felt more like it was the real world than a digital one. I will say this is more Game lit than crunchy Litrpg, because there aren’t a ton of mechanics involved and the most obvious way to be reminded of that was by hearts appearing over heads of other players or notifications about your social standing. For example, I can’t recall if it was charisma or attractiveness but it would increase by performing certain social tasks. I have to laugh, because I can tell this book was written by a woman, even if I had no other ideas but the social clues. For example, one character gets a boost just for listening which is something very few men ever cotton onto. I told my son, when you take a girl out don’t talk about yourself. Ask about her, and pay attention. Just listen, and you’ll remain mysterious. He listened to me and bam, now he has a girlfriend. So, I’m not as dim as I look. So, the game works on real life principles. The story is the brainchild of Lynch, Lovecraft, Barker, and Cronenberg it is weird wild and has a neat twist ending.

The sex scenes are solid, and while I jest about the clown stuff, a little, it was intriguing and arousing so if you are interested in some down and dirty sex then this is certainly an aspect that will suck you in, no pun intended.

Anniliese Rennie narrates this story with sauce, spice, and a wink. She tackles the material like a linebacker on steroids, and gives it everything she has. The fact that she did the clown scene so well without turning it into a slapstick shows her professionalism. Plus, her deep voice is sexy as hell. Hell, she could get one of those Howard 100 shows like Tissue Time, which I have never heard BTW (I don’t have satellite radio) very easily, and I mean that as a compliment. Her narration skills have risen in my eyes.

Final score 8 stars.

----------------------

Supers: Ex Heroes 3

A Gamelit Space Opera

By: Jamie Hawke

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Yvonne Syn, Carly Crawford

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins

Pause

Hey gang, do you know what time it is in Bangkok? Neither do I but I can tell you it’s time for another SOUNDBOOTH SPOTLIGHT!! What what what? Yep, that’s two for this show. I know. I try to space them out, but damn if SBT don’t bring the sexy out so often I didn’t have a choice.

I have to say that I am enjoying this series a lot, and I think it has gotten better in book three. Last book we were missing Charm for too much of the story, and Charm is one of the characters who holds the book together for me. She is the harem core. The story picks up where we last left off, with Breaker and his team trying to get to a location that will impede their enemy only when they get there things don’t go as planned and not everyone makes it out alive.

This is one of those books that manages to make the sex integral to the plot of the story, as in it is actually necessary to the plot. Most Harem books simply include sex as part of the harem stuff, but here the MC, Breaker, has to have sex in order to maintain his powers. The sex is fairly graphic in depiction, but not off putting. I will say that book one it seemed a bit harsher, especially concerning the heavy metal chick who only wanted her sex one way. In this book the sex becomes a little something more. It has more depth and emotion to it and so actually elevates it above just a porn type event in the tale. Breaker and his ladies all care for one another, as a harem book’s characters should. The story isn’t just sex intermingled with awesome action and super hero antics, although it mainly is pretty much that. It is also set in space. So it is sort of as if Peter Quill was getting it on with Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis sans Rocket, Groot, and Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The book is shorter in length but it is fast paced, filled with steamy action as well super powered battles. I do believe that Hawke plans on writing quite a few of these books before he wraps up the tale, so the shorter length makes it feel serialized and episodic. I will say that the story keeps me occupied and wanting more, so I’m all in for the next book.

The SBT burlesque gals clean house in sexy maid uniforms while JTJ plays a suave mother flicker. Honestly, JTJ is so smooth he frictionless. Whenever I think of those most interesting man in the world beer commercials he’s the cat I envision (Put in Most interesting James Pic here). The ladies really make this a fun romp. JTJ may play a naïve hero to a tee, but it is the gals that make you believe that Breaker has it going on. They tease and titillate with their voices to a point that it just isn’t fair.

Final score 8.1 stars. The series maintains an even keel as it goes along.

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The Heroic Villain

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Lays, Annie Hellihot, Justin Thomas Games people play, and Anaphrodisiac Rennie

Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins

Pause

Awright, you know what time it is. That’s right it is time for another SOUNBOOTH SPOTLIGHT!!!! Whoop Whoop!

Sorry had to naughty up the narrators a little bit since this book technically lacks naughty bits. The actual narration is performed by Jeff hays, Annie Ellicott, Justin Thomas James, with a special guest appearance by Annileise Rennie.

So, I am including this in this show for few reasons. First, because we have a naughty MC who is the villain of the story rather than the hero. Secondly, because Charles Dean likes to create harems and then make you want action to take place but you never get to see any action. Third, simply because this book is such a departure from what he usually writes that there is barely any beer in the book, and nary a strip of bacon to be seen. There is a sultry bath scene that is nicely descriptive, but don’t go looking for other types of naughtiness.

I will say that I did talk to Charles about this book, and we had a bit of a disagreement over the ending. He claimed that when he wrote this he had no intention of writing more books in this series, and that it was a completely self-contained tale, but I disagreed. I think the end did nothing but set up a second book. We had too many things unfinished, such as the vampire’s questline, and the other continents that needed dealing with, so I’m calling him naughty for trying to make me doubt what I’d read.

The book is clever and smartly written, and centers on a lonely guy mourning a loss and trying to just spend his days drifting about a game world doing nothing but drinking wine and eating cheese until he learns that the game is going to be shut down. Now, any other player would just move onto a new game, but the MC, Lucas, has reasons for not wanting to see this particular game world die off. So he pairs up with a dev to figure out a new way to draw players back to the game without any new content being developed.

Dean is pretty slick in the way that he handles negative levels, and having Lucas handle betraying team members. As always, he creates a set of characters to titillate the reader, but for me the BDSM Mercenary was my favorite. Bonnie! That’s her name. I loved her, if I had to pick a favorite then she’d be it. There is also the sympathetic girl, played by his game changing accomplice who is more than she seems and closer to him than he realizes.

I especially enjoyed the fat spider and the flying gorilla, but the spider Saba made me laugh consistently. A body shamed spider is not something you see everyday. The story is whip smart and crafted meticulously and definitely leaves you wanting more.

The SBT crew add in a ton of SFX and music and they perform the hell out of this book. Oddly, I did think the drumming during the battle scenes didn’t fit as well here. They kind of distracted me from the story, and I know that I’ve said that I’ve enjoyed similar work in the past but here it just seemed out of place for some reason. It wasn’t a game changer, but it did throw me off when it started up. Otherwise, just amazing. Oh, and kudos for including the ever amazing Anniliese Rennie in the book. That was just chocolate sauce on my whipped cream banana split. I can never get enough of Rennie, and to hear her paired up with SBT was a really special moment. Hays is just fun, and takes a morose Lucas into a conniving villain role very believably. JTJ has fun with his role as the betrayed gamer. Anneliese fits right in with the SBT team. Personally, I think they all get better every time they do a new book.

Final score 8.6 stars. Super awesome, with some great surprises both story wise and in the narration.

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Whew! I don’t know about you but I need a cigarette and a drink after that. I was going to do 11 reviews, but I think the show is long enough. That’s what she said! Ha. I hope that you all had fun with these bad boys and gals of the gamelit community. So, as mister Rogers was wont to say, Thank you very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking to the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast face book page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, I do listen as this show was requested by one of the listeners. So please feel free to tell me whatever you like or make a request. We still have a dungeon special coming soon. I enjoy the feedback so please provide some.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 043 - Histaff, Killing Time, Dan the Destroyer, Quest Accepted XP, Sentenced to Troll, Monster Hunt NYC

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Histaff: A Sci-Fi LitRPG: Skeleton in Space, Book 1 (02:12)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LKEiQY

Killing Time: A Novel of the Realms (24:02)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SMN1To

Dan the Destroyer (37:08)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MlrboH

Quest Accepted XP: Unlocked, Book 1 (53:16)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ylc3jc .

Sentenced to Troll (01:08:02)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SKJViG

SOUND BOOTH SPOTLIGHT

Monster Hunt NYC (01:21:12)

Score: 9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MkxtVD

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Histaff: A Sci-Fi LitRPG

Skeleton in Space, Book 1

By: Andries Louws

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 9 hrs

Pause

You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth! Well, actually, I’m pretty sure you can. I (silly me) had thought that this was going to be a book for the up and soon to be coming, no pun intended, Naughty Special. I mean you have a skeleton popping bones, the name of the book is Histaff, double entendre anyone?, and the lady on the front cover looks sort of like someone from one other Harem books out there. (Show the Ummmmmmm pic here, please) So, I kid. I knew it was none of that but I couldn’t help myself. I see an opening and I take it. See, another joke for the naughty special.

All jokes aside my fist impression of the book was that the first third felt a lot like a dungeon core building itself a dungeon. There is a lot of work that Douglas puts in to go from being a mindless skeleton to becoming an independent animate. A lot of time is spent focusing on him learning how to regrow his body and that had the feel of a dungeon growing its rooms.

He story centers on poor Douglas, a skeleton who is raised from the dead by a vengeance seeking necromancer. Somehow, against all odds, how can I just let you walk away, let you leave without a trace? When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh ooh; You're the only one who really knew me at all . . .

. . . Sorry, Phil Collins. Just be thankful it wasn’t Pseudeo. So, against all odds, he survives and gets booted into another universe that is sci fi based rather than magic. There, the biggest problem sentient beings have is the Histaff virus that pretty much melts you into goo and rebuilds you into an amalgamation of consisting of yourself and your neighbors. Think the Thing combined with the Blob in space. Dougie boy soon makes a friend. No, he literally makes a friend and they then do everything they can to escape the station they are trapped on.

The pros: I liked Douglas isn’t your typical MC. He is a barely sapient skeleton who pretty much gets by by the skin of his teeth. Sory, nother pun. The magic system is different, and I liked the options offered for classes and races. It actually fits in line with Neven Illiev’s Boxy who goes from being a lesser mimic to a greater mimic and then on to bigger and better monsters. Douglas has a lot of options that he can choose from and they were intriguing. Let’s just say the lesser skelly we start with aint the same guy we end with. Cool magic system, lots of use of stats and characters sheets and leveling. So you get your crunch. I loved the genre mash up of fantasy and sci fi, and I think it was really a fun thing to explore.

The Cons: A lot of stuff is repeated, whether it is healing himself or fighting we always seem to go back to square one. The XP given for some of the monsters is crazy high, but I guess it is needed in order to advance Doug’s leveling. His companion has literally no redeeming qualities. I kept waiting for there to come a part where she flips from being a whiny shrew brat to actually being Doulas’s friend but . . . . .no. I get why from the ending, but she was pretty grating. The story needs some big scenes. Something to feel epic, what we get is an MC who sort of goes where ever the wind blows and has no control over his own destiny. It seems like he has very little agency at all in his story.

Michael Kramer narrates, and the dude has done something in the ballpark of 75 fantasy or scifi novels so I’m not even going to try to critique his work. He knows what he’s doing and does it well. I enjoyed listening to him and am sure that you will too. He is one of those people you say Holy Cow, how did they get him?

Final score 7.6 stars the book does sort of plod along and has no real big moments that it needs. Still, it held my interest and makes me want to see what happens to Douglas next. I am totally on board for more, but if you are looking for epic battles this isn’t the place. This is more of a thinking man’s tale.

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Killing time

Time for you to go out go out of this world.

Killing time

Put out the lights of everyone in the bar

Killing time

One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer.

Killing time

You don't have to go home but you won’t live if you stay here.

So, as you may have guessed the next book to be reviewed is:

Killing Time: A Novel of the Realms

By: C. M. Carney

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

Last time I reviewed a Carney novel I was kinda hard on the humor part. It sort of felt forced and wasn’t spot on. I think the key to humor is not trying to make jokes, but have your characters placed into situations that allow them to do funny things. Man does Carney come through on the funny this time around. I found myself chuckling, laughing, and snorting throughout the story. So, this was a big plus for me. It felt natural and organic and it worked.

This short focuses on the Banner NPC, Lex, who was supposed to start out with the Main MC, Griff, but got punted into a separate location in the first book. Turns out poor Lex has been forced to live out a Groundhog’s Day scenario and is on a rinse, wash, repeat cycle that begins some time after he arrives at an inn and finds himself at the end of a long game of cards.

I know exactly what you are thinking, this sounds suspiciously like the Star trek the Next Generation episode Cause and effect that starts off with a poker game and ends up with the crew all dying horribly over and over again. Bet you thought I was going to reference Happy Death Day just because I’m a horror junkie. Actually, if I had to recommend a great time loop horror movie then I would tell you to check out Triangle. I can’t really suggest Death Day just because the lead actress looks like a fish throughout most of the film. Seriously, look at all of these pics where her mouth is open like she’s gasping for air. (Run all the pics of the lead with her mouth open.) That is terrifying.

Anyway, that is pretty much where the similarities stop, simply facile ones at best anyway. It is even different from Feedback Loop, so I think Carney does a great job balancing how to present the story’s time loop and moving the tale forward at the same time. Best of all, he checks off a lot of dots that fill in gaps in the main series. So, he tells a side tale but moves the main story along, and that is the best part of all this, 2 birds, one stone so to speak.

Carney also uses the time travel pretty effectively. In a wise move he manages to allow Lex to keep up with Griff level wise, because there should have been an imbalance, demonstrate some pretty cool cheats for playing a game in a time loop (as well as displaying the disadvantages) all while keeping you interested.

Plus, the narration is performed by Armen Taylor. He is one of my fave narrators, and he manages to keep it from sounding too much like his work over in VGO. Although there was one guy that does sounda bit like Cutter it was a small character and wasn’t overly pronounced. He simply nailed this book. I loved everything he does, because he does it with such style and energy.

Final score 8.3 stars. It keeps the main story in its crosshairs, but stands alone quite well. In fact you really don’t even need to read the main series to enjoy the book. Lotsa fun.

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Dan the Destroyer

By: Hondo Jinx

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

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Holy hellfire, is it time for another Dan the Barbarian book? Well, you lucky devils it most certainly is!!!! Whoot Whoot Whoot. Yeah, I threw in an extra whoot just because, and at no extra cost to you.

First I need to say that I am a huge fan of the series. He writing and the humor are spot on, the battles are bloody and the sex is hot and heavy. I debated putting this in my naughty special, but decided against it because while it does have naughty bits it has a lot going on besides that.

Hondo Jinx is a genius when it comes to maiming, mayhem, monsters, and magic. Dan’s story is an epic tale condensed into sweet sweet segments of fun. That is what I love the best about this series it feels fun. I get a tingle every time I think of starting a new chapter (i.e. novel). Dan is a well rounded and likable character who does the best he can at any given moment. I have to say there was one moment where the book jumps the shark, and that comes when Dan squares off against the giant purple worm (nice inclusion, BTW), and that is only because I know the audience and we have all seen somebody pull a Jonah and the Whale move numerous times in the past. Still, the harem building and continued exploration of the land is engrossing. He has so many ladies I don’t know how he finds the time even if he has the stamina.

I think that I have to ask if the main villain’s name comes from or is an homage to the old term Robber Baron. Because every time he said his name that is what I thought of, and it kind of fits. Any whay the big bad is a guy who has some giant’s blood in him and he is meaner than Leroy Brown with a tooth ache. He’s also one crafty SOB who manages to outwit Dan everytime Dan tries to deal with him. That dude is crafty like ice is cold. Dan, not so much. But then, Barbarians aren’t known for their genius, and Dan repeatedly shows this in his dealings with the old man.

The story just gets bigger and better with each novel. Jinx, I am jealous because this is so good.

What makes it so good? Well, Andrea Parsnau’s narration might just be a huge factor. I have to give her credit, because she has to voice something along the lines of thirty different women, plus Dan, other male warriors, and the old half giant coot and it never feels like she repeats herself. She makes the sex scenes steam and the battles bleed. Honestly, she really is amazing here, and her Robber Baron voice is worth about twenty grand, cause it’s pure gold pretty babies. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Andrea narrate a bad book. She is so top shelf I need an extendable ladder just to get to her awesome library of works. Thankfully, I can just listen to her on my phone.

Final score 8.4 stars. Amazing series, fantastic narration. This is real collaboration.

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Quest Accepted XP: Unlocked, Book 1

By: J.S. Grulke

Narrated by: Kieran Flitton

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

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Hey Pretty babies, here we go with a book that has a strong YA vibe. Now, as a father of five I have to say that the best sell for me is to get a book or series that I can listen to with my kids in the car on long road trips. Something that will keep them occupied so that I don’t have to talk to them. Quest Accepted is one of those rare books that I can safely listen to with my whole family, so I just want to thank Grulke for that. There are few books out there that we all can enjoy. Secondly, even though it is a YA book it doesn’t talk down to the adults who should be listening. This is a story that is easily stated to be fun for all ages.

Kieran Flitton narrates and does a decent job, but for some reason his reading didn’t seem to flow like I would expect. I’m going to totally blow this out of proportion, and make it sound worse than it is, but his reading almost comes across like he is reading the book one sentence at a time. Each sentence, if you listen to it, seems to be an island unto itself, there is like an exact half second pause between each line, and it sort of feels mechanical rather than organic. I’m not saying that the narration is horrible or unlistenable, but it definitely stood out to me as a listener and it took away a little from my enjoyment. I noticed it throughout the book. Flitton is fairly new as a narrator, and it might just be him trying to just put out the best product that he can and I appreciate that. He only has two other books out on Audible at the moment so some attention to what he is doing is appreciated. With that one exception I think he otherwise did a fine job.

A few more of the downside stuff. The story is a slice of life, and I have really been working on getting over my issue with those kinds of stories, and it is also a trapped in the game tale. I just wish there was a bit more focus on the MC’s getting things done rather than rambling round. I know if I was trapped in a game I would be laser focused on escaping. Secondly, some folks might feel the crunch is a little off. There are things to support the litrpg parts, but I don’t think I ever saw them take damage and receive notifications. I think that was just to keep things PG; I don’t believe I can have a family friendly book that is spouting gorey details of wounds being given and gotten, so I can over look that part of the tale. It has enough other stuff for me to know they are in a game and influencing their environment via other notifications. My real problem is that they didn’t get to chose their classes and so on, it is all done for them. Top that with a trapped in the game and it could be dicey if it were me playing for instance.

On the upside I believe Gulke does an amazing job in portraying a teenager of each gender, that can’t be easy at his age (i.e. not close to being a teen). They were very well defined and expertly described, their actions feeling genuine and like something a teenager would do. In other words they were believable, not unbelievable Oh the things you say! (sorry, EMF flashback, that happens to me periodically). There are some nice twisty turns that the story takes, and there is a set up for a sequel that works pretty well. Personally, I enjoyed the kids and how they dealt with their situation. Personally I think Grulke hit his targeted audience like a guided missile. Next road tip I will listen to this with my kids, I have teens and under tens and I think my teens will feel the ADD issues, and my unders will readily confirm that grown up do everything in their power to ruin their lives.

Final Score: 7.5 stars. Story has a lot more potential in future books, it just seemed a little predicatable in the end and was a slice of life story, and the odd tick in the narration pulled a few points off here and there. Still, a good listen for the family and I look forward to more in the future.

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Sentenced to Troll

By: S.L. Rowland

Narrated by: Eric Martin

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

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I’m gonna scare you all. This is not just your average Litrpg novel. While it is fun, full of fights and magic it is also something more. It is a very rare book, because this book makes you think. I don’t mean that in a bad way, and I want to let you know I actually discussed this with SL himself, and I never asked for an answer. Why? On account of the fact that I want to draw my own conclusions.

So what is there to think about? Well, the MC is a gamer with a couple of strikes against him for saying negative things to other players. His last offense lands him in court, where he is handed some jail time for Oh I don’t know, let’s call it hate speech. Wrongthink? Dunno, but it goes against community standards. So think Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and any other social media that can have policies violated just by talking.

Point is, I can’t tell if Rowland is for or against such policies. He never lets HIS thoughts and feelings lean the story on way or another. He just sort of says this is where we can go. Not if he likes that direction or hates it. That is so smart, because he allows the audience to draw their own conclusions. Then, the rest of the book sort of rolls around the subject of racism and even genocide. Again, I can look at this and say this is a metaphor for race relations in the US or even an allegory for something like Isreal and its position in the Mideast. Here comes the tricky part. Ready? None of that is overt at all. You can glean it, but there is also an overlaying fun story on top of all that which means you are free to ignore all the other stuff. I just like a book that makes me think and draw my own conclusions. I’m not getting a message from either side of the political spectrum, and it is not layered on so thick that you’ll feel like you are reading Melville’s Billy Bud and being beaten over the head with Christian imagery.

The MC, Chad or Chod, not Chode is forced to play as a troll, a loathsome unliked race that is slowly being hunted to extinction. Chod then does everything he can to save the trolls in his thirty day window of playtime. This is a book that I enjoyed from start to finish. I liked the characters and and the setting. The adversary, trying not to say bad guy or villain too much, is a right and proper A-hole who really outdoes Chad in the Troll dept. That is as in Internet Troll, not racial troll like Chad. Chad ends up being very clever and not just a mouth piece spouting how great a gamer he is, he proves his skills. I loved following his exploits.

Eric Martin comes in swinging like a madman and makes like Babe Ruth pointing out where the ball was going to go. He’s done a few other LITRPG books like Way of the Clan and Adventures on Brad, so he’s no noobie. I enjoyed him and thought he was a good fit for Rowland’s material. He has a wide selection of voices and paces the story quite well.

Final score 8.2 stars. Fun and thought provoking.

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SOUND BOOTH SPOTLIGHT

Monster Hunt NYC

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

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Full disclosure, I got an advance copy of this book when I was in the hospital dying, no joke, and it really helped me get through the suffering I was going through. This is not like an audiobook you've ever encountered before, and it is a testimony as to the greatness of Harmon Cooper's brilliant writing and SBT's incredible talent. SBT completely reinterprets what you think an audible experience should be.

So, I am now and have always been a huge fan of Cooper's writing style. I just get him. His humor, his wit, his intense action scenes, he proclivity towards snark, and well just about everything he does on his computer's WORD program. No other author, with the exception of Terry Pratchett, has made me laugh so loud, so hard, and so frequently as Cooper. He can weave a story like he was using one of the Fate's looms. Monster Hunter is once again a part of his shared universe, and I love that fact, too. He goes out of his way to tell separate and complete stories but keeps them in a sandbox in which you are already familiar. Monster Hunter NYC is a top-notch tale that is classic Cooper, expertly crafted, and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

What SBT does is something altogether different and new. They have managed to escalate the medium of audiobooks into something more than just a theater of the mind. They have molded an entire EXPERIENCE that I doubt you will have touched upon in your lifetime. SBT blends the spoken word with catchy tunes and songs throughout the book, and I do not mean that you get some music at the start of a chapter. No, this is fully fleshed and functional original music that has the heart of the book, but also a complete and utter life of its own. I can completely hear some acid jazz influence in Jeff's work, and Annie carries a haunting noirish vibe at times that resonates tones of the hipsters of the forties and fifties with modern sensibilities of today. My only regret is that they didn't include Justin Thomas James in to jam as well, because the man is a master musician himself.

I heard one reviewer say that this was all Annie, and I have to admit that Annie's singing and personification of the ladies is both intense and involving, but I have to give Jeff his due. He holds his own and gives his heart to this production. You can tell he went over and above, gave three pints of blood, and performed at one hundred and fifty percent capacity on this project. There are labors of love and passion projects and then there is Monster Hunter NYC. I mean there is dedication to a project and then there is the gusto displayed by Annie Wilkes of Stephen King's Misery. I'm not sure where Jeff lies on that spectrum, but wherever the needle falls it is going to be indicative of his heart and soul being contained in this body of work. Annie, is as I say, killer in her parts and she will have you bopping along to whatever Da,da,da, da, da dadda she lays down.

On a side note I do want to say that my favorite song was the one that was inspired by City of Angels with Nick Cage and Meg Ryan, I can’t see you but I know you’re there. Awesome sauce over ranch fries cooked in duck fat. (Ramon, please insert either the video clip or pic here, whichever is not going to cause problems)

The story, the voice work, and the music make a strange magic that will only be imitated by other companies from this point forth, if anyone else ever has the cajones to attempt something like this. All I can say is that this is not just an audiobook. It is not Theater of the mind. This is a freaking Rock Opera Concert on Broadway; and you do not want to miss it.

Final Score: 9 stars

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 042- I Am Gamer, Killdozer, One More Last Time, Hero of Thera, Assassin's Play-Off

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

I Am Gamer (01:02)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/30xIXcd

Killdozer - Arbiter Core, Book 1 (12:43)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2lnwY1B

One More Last Time A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys, Book 1) (26:27)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2k1CoPC

Hero of Thera (43:17)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2k0Sb17

Ray’s Pick (56:15)

Assassin's Play-Off

https://amzn.to/2lz12rj

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I Am Gamer

By: Gabriel Rathweg

Narrated by: Gabriel L Rathweg

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

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Well, here is a book that satisfies several of my loves. Such as Litrpg and Time travel. Good combos that you can’t go wrong with for good tale. This is one of the rare books that I always say that is brilliant or insane, and it is where the author actually decided to narrate his own book. Personally, I admire such courage, and I always hope that the writer does such a thing because they know their character so well that they know they can handle the nuanced emotions and vocal stresses that a narrator has to guess at. So, that is where I’m going to start. With the narration.

Gabriel asked me to be kind, but I’d rather be honest. You can pretty much tell that this wasn’t made with high end audio booth technology. I’m not sure what Gabriel used, but it doesn’t feel the same as a normal audio production. I could be off, but that is how it sounds to me. Secondly, the story could have stood some slightly better editing. Several times I heard things repeat. Now, I am going to be fair and say that I actually enjoyed hearing Rathweg doing the various voices and telling his story HIS way. You don’t get that a lot, and I know it took a huge amount of time to produce this book the way he wanted it and I don’t hold his vocal prowess against him. I think he did a pretty decent job for a first timer. I have heard professional narrators not handle characters this well, and completely flub a story, but I did get an honest chuckle with how Rathweg made certain to properly pronounce certain words. It almost felt like he’d heard someone say supposebly or En Signs and tried to side step those floor traps. This certainly isn’t Netflix's Nailed It moment, and for a DIY novel it has legs. But, if I’m honest I’d suggest that he use a legit narrator in the future because I always say that a good narrator can elevate a story, and a pro could have sky rocketed this tale.

As for the writing I enjoyed the story, the MC was a cool dude and feels genuine. Sometimes the dialogue was off a touch, but overall it was fun. I will never complain about time travel stories. I have been addicted to time travel since I first watched the Time Tunnel as a kid and I think Gabriel handles the travel aspects pretty well for the most part. There were some things I don’t think he should have been having to teach indigenous people, but hey, I can sus[end my disbelief and say that happened.

We get game mechanics that are familiar, which I appreciate. I hate having to learn some complicated gaming styles that drain the fun right out of the story. I will say that the MC starts out OP pretty quickly, but it is balanced by his opponents being OP as well. I do get picky about overly strong characters, but just like in the good guy series by Ugland this proves that you can have an Overpowered hero/MC so long as there is a balance, and I get that here. IN fact, I really don’t know if he is OP or just better than most normal humans. For me, the real standout is the way in which we get to see native American mythology employed. I don’t think I’ve ever read that in a Litrpg novel before. The catch here is that the gods want to Little Big Horn the entire “Go West Young Man” movement before it ever catches on. This is to be a not how the west was lost, but how the west was closed for bidness. Cool concept, and it gets played pretty well.

Over all, I enjoyed the book, but there were a few hiccups that could have been skirted with some professional editing soundwise (sorry, can’t overlook that). I like that the book has a sort of playlist to go with, and it was fun. Final score 7.8 stars. Could have benefitted from a more professional touch

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Killdozer

Arbiter Core, Book 1

By: Cory Gaffner

Narrated by: Eric Bryan Moore

Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins

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So, gonna come clean here. I was a little devastated by this book and the direction it went. I’m sure that most of you, when you hear the word Killdozer automatically think of when the one crazy guy welded armor onto his bulldozer and set off to perform acts of murder and mayhem, and only managed to get himself killed in the process and only doing some property damage. Me? I am a horror junkie and as soon as I hear the word Killdozer I think of the old Clint Walker flick in which a bulldozer comes to life and starts greasing construction guys. Plus, you have to give it credit because it predated the ’77 horror flick the Car by three years, which went on to inspire Stephen King’s Christine. Hell, Killdozer even inspired Marvel Comic book, an issue that I actually have! So, I was all set for some madcap killing by a boy and his dozer.

Which wasn’t what I got.

Instead, Killdozer plays out like the start of the rampage that Marvin John Heemeyer, ya gotta say the three names or it isn’t right, went on before he got killed. The MC, Hank, is a fell who has been pushed past his breaking point by unscrupulous individuals out to break him for perceived past wrongs. We get to his initial assault on city hall when things take a severe turn.

Now, I have to say right off that even though I didn’t get the story I was hoping for or expecting that I still enjoyed the tale. Hank is one hell of an awesome character that you can’t help but like. He is sort of like Ron Swanson on steroids, all man, with a take no crap from anybody attitude. He is the kinda guy that would say I didn’t start it, but I am sure as hell gonna finish it. He carries the entire story on his huge shoulders, and to be honest it wouldn’t matter what he was doing, so long as he was the one doing it. I loved the guy. He’s hardcore, but not unfeeling. Tough but fair, and principled.

So the story diverges into a Green Lantern Corps or Nova Corps feeling, depending on whether you prefer DC or Marvel. Either way he gets offered an opportunity to join an intergalactic police force, and decides to power up his awesome weapon the killdozer.

Again, this is really about when the lit stuff comes into play, and fair warning, the lit stuff is pretty light. It feels a lot like sprinkles added into a cream filled donut with icing. Delicious and fun but not really necessary to the tale. It would play out just as well without the lit action as without. That means that the story is pretty good, because that is how every lit book should be, it shouldn’t depend on stats and quests to make it great. Again, the story is fun, the characters are interesting, and the story is involving.

Moore, a newcomer to the genre, does really well. I actually have one of his earlier audiobooks, The Undead Pool, which is an obvious parody of a well known Marvel superhero and I loved him in that. Also, he also narrates the Bulletproof Adventures of Damien Stockwell, which I have been considering getting because they looked fun. Here, Moore does a fantastic job and he plays both genders well, and manages to let you feel the frustration that Poor Hank is going through. So, he keeps pace well, adds in emotion when and where it is needed and makes it all feel easy as he does so. This is someone that I would love to see hit the community with a big splash in the future.

Final score 8.2 stars.

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One More Last Time A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Good Guys, Book 1)

By: Eric Ugland

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

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OK, so I went into this with low expectations. Honestly, the covers aren’t the best things to pull you in, they kind of look quick, cheap, and hooky. However, I do not let a crappy cover scare me off, nor do I let a good one sucker me into believing it is a great tale, but I will talk a bit more about covers in the show.

Anywho, I have to say that by the third chapter of this book I was utterly and completely enthralled. I was immediately sucked in. I loved the character, the world, the premise. The book hit every mark it was supposed to with me. First, and most importantly it got me into the game quickly. We didn’t go thirty five percent of the way in before hitting the game. It happens fairly early on. As in pretty much right out of the gate. That is how I prefer my LIT books, or any book to be. Get to the action, give me the exciting incident so I can enjoy the story. Ugland does just that. Secondly, the MC enters the game in a pretty cool and unique way. I especially liked how he could bring extra things in to the game for special perks. Third, we get to see that the MC isn’t perfect and does stupid things in spite of being smart. Now, I had heard that the MC is really dumb and it takes away the believability, but what I saw were a few instances of him not thinking his way completely through a problem and just relying on his abilities to get him out of danger. That’s most people. The rest I chalk up to naivete and inexperience. SO that issue gets a hard pass from me, I liked the way the MC handled things.

It honestly made me feel like I was reading about myself going into a game. I am a fairly intelligent person, but I do stupid things all the time, notably in social situations, and so I totally got the way the MC handled himself. Also, while the MC comes off as being OP it certainly doesn’t feel that way. At least not to me. I think there are some perks that the MC, Montana, lucked into and exploits in a standard way. The fact that he uses his OPness for some utterly cool events doesn’t hurt the readability of this book.

The best thing about this book, however, is that while it certainly is a sort of slice of life story it is a lot more. This feels like a serialized TV show, like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, in which each episode is a nearly self contained tale, but actually leads right into the next book, and carries on the tale, going further into the over arching tale that is laid out. Seriously, I am not a huge fan of slice of life, but this does not carry that tone at all. Each book picks up right where the last left off and there is no time gap. So, like I said, it carries the feel of a single episode in a larger more planned out story. This is totally one of those Netflix and chill type of audiobooks, where you just want to binge listen to the entire series in just one go.

Now, not all is kosher in Ugland, sorry Eric bad pun, I know. I did have an issue in the first book where the stats and powers/character sheet was done over and over to a point it was like a well that Eric kept going to so as to boost a word count here and there, but as the series goes on it does peter out more and more until it becomes more manageable and less annoying.

Neil Hellegers keeps popping up in more and more Litrpg books lately, sometimes I am a fan, other times I think he just does ok. This is a fella for whom the material matters. For example, he was perfect in the Great Filter until the last chapter and then didn’t fit so well. Not his fault, Just the way it panned out, but here he just kills. He is meant to play Montana the barbarian, and he does it well. This match, his voice and this story, is a rare melding of narrator and author but more importantly, narrator and character. It reminds me of how Jeff Hays and Quantum Hughes are made for one another.

8.5 stars I loved this book.

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SOUNDBOOTH SPOTLIGHT

Hero of Thera

By: Eric Nylund

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

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This is one of those books that I don’t understand how I hadn’t gotten to it earlier, then I thank the gods that I just tumbled it, because book two only just recently came out. If I didn’t have a back up to fall back upon I can see that I would have been extremely disappointed. I am really excited to have this as my soundbooth spotlight, just because this book stands out so very well.

First of all, the book starts off like every other Litrpg novel you’ve ever read. Guy gets into a life and death game working for a faction he has no desire too because he has no choice. OK, so it isn’t exactly like every other lit book out there, but it does carry strong vibes of familiarity. What the book does right is to differentiate itself early on so that it loses the “I’ve seen this before vibe” and accelerates into holy cow, where are we going.

The premise is pretty simple, a dude who is framed for a terrorist action is approached by evil forces that offer him a chance to continue living(he’s scheduled for execution) so long as he plays for them. Seems that the old so it is on earth shall it be in heaven because even though the cat is innocent of the charges his guilty verdict carries over and his soul is damned. So he runs a trial version of “the game”, which is the only thing that is keeping humanity and all the various universes from destroying each other in a bid for ultimate power. It is right after the free trial version ends that things get really interesting. The story flies ahead at light speed introducing us to a great roster of characters, interesting scenarios, and a cool MC whose Soul Warrior is exactly what you want to be reading about if you grew up on chop socky films, like me. I think this is why wuxia and cultivation books appeal to me so much.

Hektor St Savage is a likable character most importantly. He doesn’t whine or bemoan his lot in life and he is only ever thinking of how to outwit his opponents or improve himself. The only dark mark, in my opinion, is that it telegraphs what is going to happen at the end if you pay close attention to what is said and done, and really think about the circumstances around what happens to Hector. That said, it really isn’t even all that big a deal, and I doubt that everyone will cotton on to what is going to occur. BTW, this complaint isn’t really even a consideration so much as an observation because as telegraphed as it was I still relished every second of the book, and wanted the next book as soon as I put this one down.

The narration here is handled completely by Jeff Hays, and for me it was a grand thing to be able to just sit back and listen to Jeff do his thing without farming out parts to other SBT players. Again, I love it when the gang does a production together, but there is something about having a solitary narrator deliver you the tale, especially one as talented as Jeff Hays. He made every second of this book fun, exciting, humorous, and heartfelt. I love solo Hays books.

Final score 8.3 stars.

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Ray’s Pick

Assassin's Play-Off

By: Warren Murphy, Richard Sapir

Narrated by: Gray Gleason

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

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Hero of Thera made me nostalgic for one of my favorite series of all time, and that is Warren Murphy’s The Destroyer. You may have seen the one film based off the series, Remo Williams, the Adventure begins with Fred Ward, or even the failed TV pilot that starred Roddy McDowell of Planet of the Apes and Fright Night fame, and while I love both of them they are to the Destroyer series what every other martial art is to Sinanju, pale comparisons. Shadows made from the light.

For those of you who don’t know the book series is about a secret governmental organization that actually does its job, and takes out enemies of the united states, criminals, and all around bad guys. Sometimes this is something simple like stopping a war, or fighting a vampire. You never know. The organization is called CURE and they have contracted the master of sinanju to train a recruit in the ways of the one true martial art. Remo and Chuin, the master, eventually bond as master and student although they never really seem to get along. The books are fun, lighthearted, pulpy, and quickly completed. These are 70’s serial books that were put out every few months, which makes me think of authors and Amazon today. Also, they do have a semi-lit feel to them as Remo is constantly leveling up his powers, but the truth of the matter this is the first Wuxia stuff back before there was Wuxia.

Assassin’s Play off completes a series of encounters between Remo and a former student, and actual nephew of Chuin. Honestly, if you haven’t read any of the prior books you might be a little lost as most of the pairs powers and abilities aren’t showcased. They are often alluded to, or seen in quick brief strikes, but overall you never really get to see them doing all the amazing things they do in practically every other novel. A huge majority of the novels are on Kindle, but only a handful are on audible and I don’t know why.

If you do decide to check out this series, start at book three or four, the first few novels were where Murphy and Sapir were still finding their character’s way, and they didn’t know if it was going to just be a James Bond kung fu type adventure or something more, but book three and then four really cement the storyline and the adventure, as the movie tagline suggests, begins.

Now, some warnings. These books were written in the 70’s and up and so carry a lot of overtones that some people might find offensive. For example, the term Oriental is consistently used in lieu of the word Asian, the books are pretty sexist and promote male superiority for the most part, but there are some severely kick ass female characters that show up from time to time. If you can’t overlook that then skip it, but the story is just as worthy as you’d hope. It is complete pulp and nothing but fun and fights, cool martial arts actions, and father son relationship dynamics that are just hilarious.

Gray Gleason is absolutely amazing and there are some great sound effects and sadly, these are the only books that he has done. He really should be doing more audio, and if I were an up and coming author I would have my eye on this dude. While Audible does not have a lot of Destroyer stuff, Graphic Audio does have quite a few CD format Destroyer tales to pick from, but they are all the older books, the ones after the 100th novel, yeah there are that many books out there because they are so sweet.

My only caution is that this isn’t the book to break in on the Destroyer, as it really doesn’t explain a lot and you don’t see the skill sets that they have like you should. However, I do recommend the series on kindle or the new series they started called Forgotten Son. Either way, this is one of the most cherished series I have read, and like a say that if you are a Wuxia fan then this would be perfect for you. Give it a look.

-----------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 041 - Apocalypse Special

“Hello, and welcome to the Litrpg audiobook podcast, my name is Ray and today I’ll be reviewing some current and classic audiobooks for you. As George Fisher once told me I have a face for radio, a voice for silent films, the mentality of a five year old, and a personality similar to lifebuoy soap. I might be paraphrasing that a little bit but you get a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Today we are exploring the apocalypse!!! So, welcome to the end of the world special. I just hope we have enough time to get this finished before the end! I’ll begin with: ”

Life in the North: An Apocalyptic LitRPG

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Y5pHlt

Gearing Up - Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 3

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2XvIkSw

Survivors: Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 2

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WVjCf4

Towers of Heaven: Book 1

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2XpOeVh

The Great Filter: A Post-Apocalyptic Gamelit Novel - Great Filter Series, Book 1

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WZL0bE

Viridian Gate Online: Doom Forge -The Viridian Gate Archives, Book 6

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WYQzm2

Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen - LitRPG Adventure Series, Book 1

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Ixa54X

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Life in the North: An Apocalyptic LitRPG

By: Tao Wong

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Series: The System Apocalypse, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Pause

This book makes me regret a lot of things. First of all, I’m going to come clean and say that I have alluded to there being an author that I would not listen to due to their style of writing. Tao Wong was that author. I’m sure some of you probably thought it was another writer for completely different reasons. I think that, in my case, it is the narrator that made the difference. The first book that I read of Tao’s was a first person present tense book, and the narrator did not bring it to life. Not like he should have, not like Pohdel does here. Seriously. The first book was like having Mozart played by first graders, while this was like having Beyonce produced by Mozart. Complete difference.

So, since the narration was such a factor for me I’m going to talk about Pohdel first. He brings this story to life. He is animated, emotional, and builds suspense and a sense of danger like nobody’s business. I often list Pohdel among some of the best narrators out there, because I recognize the talent, but for me he’s always been the low guy out of the big 5. Good, but not a heavy weight like Daniels, Parsenau, or Hays. There’s never been a book of his that I didn’t enjoy, but I don’t know he really seems to go crazy here and just adds so much that it really made me fall in love with the word and the characters. More importantly, it made me recognize just how good Wong is

Wong starts the book the right way. He goes for the jugular, and he has no mercy. He gets right to the Apocalypse, making earth a sort of alien gaming get away as a dungeon world. John, the MC wakes up in one of the highest rated danger zones he can find himself in, and because of it gets a lot of perks, but is also imperiled beyond belief. He slowly makes his way back home and pulls off some feats due to his quick thinking so that by the time he makes it back to civilization he’s earned a pretty number of titles and a rep even though he isn’t as powerful as he could be.

That is the book in a nutshell. Interesting MC, fantastic world building, great gaming sections as he builds his stats, levels, and gains a class. The book will feel familiar and yet be amazingly new to you as you read this. I loved every second that I was listening to this book. I don’t think there was a slow section in it and I was completely engaged the entire time.

I love apocalypses, hell I’m writing an apocalypse book, and I wish that I had time to crank out a few thousand words to submit to Wong’s call for short stories for a possible anthology in this series. Deadline is end of June, so get cracking guys because I think this is an amazing opportunity. I have such a cool story in my head for it too, but no time means no time.

Either way, the story is simply amazing, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I’ll be honest again. The only reason I got this book was because I wanted to do an Apocalypse show and I completely regret not getting this so much sooner. I was a complete idiot. The book is intense, tender, full of action, plotting, politics, monsters, mutants, mayhem, and more. I could not ask for more from this book, and I extend a deep apology to Tao Wong for taking so long to get to his material and acknowledging how good it is.

Final score 8.6 stars

-----------------------

Gearing Up

Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 3

By: Daniel Schinhofen

Narrated by: Tess Irondale

Series: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut Series, Book 3

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

OK Cats and kiddies, confession time. I have to think that I’ve been a little hard on poor Daniel Schinhofen. This series was one of the earlier books that I’d reviewed and I’d just gotten into the pool, so to speak, and I had no life guard to pull me out of the deep water. Now, I have enjoyed his Apoc novels so far, but my biggest complaints were that it was more of a slice of life book, which I really hated at the time, and the fact that he kinda switched gears on the gameplay. Now I can say that my mind has sort of drifted into new territory regarding Slice of life stuff, and I am trying really hard to adjust to the gameplay adjustments.

This book is being judged on its own merits. Now I do have a disclaimer, the narrator for this series, Andrea Parsenau, voluntarily left due to some of the more graphic content that occurs in the book. That is fine, there was no rift, and Daniel didn’t give her the boot. He has the right to pen whatever he likes, and Andrea also has the right to avoid things that she feels aren’t in her wheelhouse. So, as much as I hate it when a series switches narrators I am not going to penalize this book at all since this is a no fault separation. Not a divorce, but the two could not continue on together. So on that note let me talk about Tess IRONDALE.

Tess does a good job stepping into Andrea’s ruby slippers. Honestly, I think she keeps the tone of the first two books and does her best to give the book her own style while keeping to the original feel. It’s a tough job, and a real balancing act that I think few people could pull off but she comes out swinging and looks to be batting about .400.

Now, as for the story this is one of those books that I could have put in my naughty episode. It is chalk full of sex, and has some BDSM bits and pieces and so before I go any further I have to say that my safe word is MOIST. Got it?

Ok. Again there are changes to the game system, with the addition of runes which allow upgrades. The story itself doesn't really do much progression story wise but we get to learn about why Alvin got the gig, have some other players pop up like daisies out of the snow, and we get to see more of the elves. The elves sort of lead in to a disturbing section with certain concepts that I don’t want to mention here out of respect because I know no matter how I word the subject matter it will make some people angry but it has to do with binding.

My biggest beef, heh, I should have saved that for the upcoming naughty show is that I came into the book accepting that the plotline wasn’t going to go very far since the first two books were slice of life, but what I hadn’t expected was just how much the book was swallowed up by the incessant sex. Again, I’m no prude but for people who are surviving an apocalypse and death lurks around every corner it seems like they are pounding one another more than they are fighting abominations, other players, or npcs.

Don’t get me wrong, the action is great, and the best thing about the series is Alvin and Gothy’s relationship, but Alvin has to be taking intravenous shots of Viagra, and Gothy has to be sorer than Nancy Kerrigan when she got laid out by that guy’s huge pipe (MOIST).

Overall the book is well written, has great characterizations, and has a cool concept, but I think it seems to be tranisitioning from a hardcore action/adventure book into a cinemax sci-fi film. That’s fine, because the writing is top notch, but I would like some sort of warning or notification if it is going to go that direction.

Final Score: 7.8 stars. Tess does a great job, and Gothy is the greatest, but I just felt like the story took a backseat to the sex, which is ironic because that is where most sex happens.

-----------------------------

Survivors: Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 2

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Jeff Hays

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Pause

Do the Rock Spider song

Whelp, I have been waiting for this book for some time and I was not disappointed. Willmarth is an intense and yet, introspective writer. He cooks up some amazing stuff, but still makes you ponder things long after you’ve finished the story. There is a character I believe named Evan, and his personality and portrayal make you wish horrible things upon him, even though he does nothing really wrong 90% of the time he shows up. It is just the way that he acts and the little things he does, and you have to ask does my anger and frustration for this man come from somewhere else? Because being a dick doesn’t justify wanting to see someone die. Then, when things happen you have to wonder if what occurred happened because he was a d-bag or because of the way he was treated/or perceived himself being treated? Lotsa thinky stuff there. So, yeah, we do get a few more new characters, and Damn Willmarth hit me with a Where the Red Fern grows/ Old Yeller moment that makes me wanna give him a swift kick somewhere south of the border. There are reasons I don’t watch movies like that.

Anyhow, we pick up with Mace and his lady trying to make the best of a bad situation, and actually doing pretty well. They locate another survivor, and then it steam rolls into more people being out there than they realized, even though they don’t get into face to face contact with many of them.

I will reiterate that I don’t know which parts of the book I like more, the real world exploits or the in game adventures. It is impossible to call, generally most litrpg books provide you with a cursory glance at what is devastating the outside world and then once they get in game it never comes up again. Not DM, nope he constructs a real world counterpart to the game that is terrifying and keeps your attention when you should be wanting in the game. It is litrpg after all. All I know is that when I was in the “real world” I looked forward to the game, and when we were in the game I wanted to know what was happening IRL. It was a vicious cycle that was unrelenting.

For me, the most compelling and emotionally charged bits came during the part that I cannot speak of. (Please put up the red fern book cover here) I really don’t want to spoil anything, so if you don’t recognize my references don’t look them up until after you’ve listened to the book. DM also gives out a few nods to Daniel Schinhofen and MountainDale’s Master Krout. I always appreciate shout outs in books. Narrators never get mentioned, though, so all you writers out there keep that in mind next time you set to writing. Even I mentioned Anniliese Rennie and Andrea Parsenau in a short story I did in an anthology that is out, cause narrators are the bomb.

Speaking of narrators, SBT’s Bonnie and Clyde, Justin Thomas James, the man with three first names, and Laurie Catherine Winkle’s performances just kill ya. There is some sincerely heartbreaking events that occur and you can just feel the emotion pouring out of them. One thing I would like to see would just be an uncredited walk through by one of the other SBT narrators from time to time. Like Jeff hays just pops in to give out a blood curdling scream as someone is killed, or Annie makes some sort of monster noises. It would be like Brad Pitt showing up for three seconds in Deadpool 2. Unexpected and Awesome. These two work well together and play well off one another. It is a treat to get to listen to them.

Final score 8.6

--------------------------------

Towers of Heaven: Book 1

By: Cameron Milan

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Series: Towers of Heaven, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

Pause

I have been with Cameron Milan since he first released his Desire series. My biggest problem with him has always been that every protagonist that he has is either instantly OP or rapidly becomes OP. Hell, the bad guy in Desire 2 was so OP that everytime he was beaten he popped up another power that meant that he was even more indestructible than before. The pattern has repeated itself over and over again, and while I do think his writing has improved since his Zombie Apocalypse novel and the Adventure Island book he had continued with the overpowered characers. Some people love OP MC’s and USMC’s for that matter, but I don’t find them all that fun or exciting. I need to see the struggle, that was why I think I fell asleep on the Captain Marvel Movie. Danvers was never in trouble and was always stronger or a better fighter than whomever she faced.

So, Milan puts out a book in which all but one human is destroyed and he ties to resurrect the humans killed in the Towerocalpse. Backtracking. Six mysterious towers appear in various countries around the world and while separated spatially they are all connected via upper floors. Lower floors are “in country” and the upper floors of each tower are all the same place. By defeating the final boss of the last floor a hero is granted a wish, and he tries to bring back the human race, but for plot reasons it can’t be done. So, the MC is sent back in time in the hopes of averting the disasters that struck before.

Now, the funny thing is that while I KNOW other people found the MC to be overpowered I didn’t. Not for a Milan book. I actually found Jason the cockroach to be somewhat less juiced than I was expecting. Granted he is strong, but compared to other Milan MC’s not so much. In fact, a lot of his success comes from his knowledge of how to beat monsters he’s already fought and his fighting skills that he honed over years of practice. As he goes on he does get stronger, but not in an exponential way like I thought he would. To me he was pretty toned down, and that was nice. That isn’t to say that the book is perfect. The book does have flaws, but nothing I couldn’t overlook. There were a few sections that I felt dragged a bit, like when the MC became a golem but they weren’t bad bits of writing. I have to say this is probably the best book Milan has written. I just hope that he actually continues the series because he does have a tendency to just jump from one book to another with no follow-up, Desire being the exception. Another issue, I understand why Jason takes Roy under his wing, but it suddenly goes from I have to become ultra-powerful to I have to train Roy. All we needed was a montage scene.

To be clear, this isn’t the second coming in book form, but I was impressed by Milan’s growth and advancement. I enjoyed the book and felt that it had decent fight scenes and several characters that kept my interest. One thing that threw me off was how so many levels were easily skipped or provided no danger to the characters. There is enough leveling and class building to qualify this as Litrpg.

Steve Campbell has really slipped into the role as Milan’s narrator, and I think that is a good thing. I like Campbell’s style and voice, and he really does elevate the story. It is very clear that he shares Milan’s vison, as the pair mesh very well. I look forward to more from him in the future.

Final score 7.9 stars.

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The Great Filter: A Post-Apocalyptic Gamelit Novel

Great Filter Series, Book 1

By: Russell Wilbinski

Narrated by: Neil Hellegers

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Pause

Here is a book that I simultaneously enjoyed and got really pissed at at the same time. I have very few rules when it comes to things like enjoying a book. For example if a book is good, it is good regardless as to whether it is a write to market novel or not. This isn’t a write to market book, BTW. I just wanted to point out that if a story is good I let it stand. However, there are only one or two things that you can do in a story that will earn my enmity, and Wilbinski pulls off one of the big ones. All I’m going to say is that the book should have a shift from one POV to another, and doesn’t and it is a major cheat. I completely felt ripped off and my trust was shattered. There are unreliable narrators, and then there is what happens in this book. The book should have gone from Third person to first or First person to third at some point and by failing to do so scorches some serious earth with me. I’m telling you right up front I took a full point off for the Shenanigans that occurred.

Other than that I actually felt that the story had some real merit and did some things I hadn’t seen before. In this tale you come to find out that all of humanity and our world is nothing more than a digital construct that was used to run simulations on our worthiness. Turns out we really suck, but rather than just pulling the plug on the sim the Devs decide to run humans through an new kind of wringer just to see what we are made of. Thus, the world ends and zombies, mutants, and other terrors are added in making the lives of the survivors even harder. In fact they world restarts about 100 years after a nuclear war has wiped out most people, and the ones who do survive now must struggle to stay safe.

The game mechanics work pretty well and the story is fairly fun and interesting. The story has nice humorous parts, has well developed characters, and deals out action like we were in a Jason Statham vs Arnold Swartzenegger flick. The MC is engaging and interesting. Best of all the characters are for the most part, intelligent, and feel logical and real. You never think to yourself that they should have done something in a different way.

The narration by Hellegers works right up to the last chapter, and then, for no fault of his own, doesn’t fit. We have a different character give their interpretation of what happens at the end of the book, and his voice and tone don’t really match up. His voice, for example, is great for a grizzled veteran who has smoked a pack a day, or someone who drinks a lot. In other words it is deep, and a little dangerous sounding; so having say a 10 year old girl tell you her side of things (just an example, not what happens in the book) would not fit. Clearly it would be a little jarring and feel very disjointed from the prior parts of the story. That is what happens here.

It makes me sad, because this really should be an 8 star book. It hits all the checkmarks of what a good story needs, but the flip at the end was a bad call, and completely unfair. Think of it like this, if the story is being told by someone then that someone should be able to tell the tale. I always think of the original Alien film. In it Sigourney Weaver was supposed to narrate over what happens, and in the end you pan over to find her dead and the Alien telling you what occurred in her voice. That is a total scam, and if they’d done that then we would not have thirty seven alien movies out today, and after seeing Alien 3 I kinda wish that’d been the case. Eh, part 2 really overrides anything 3 did. So, you get the idea? A rug gets pulled, and you are standing on it. Not fun.

Final Score 7 stars.

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Viridian Gate Online: Doom Forge

The Viridian Gate Archives, Book 6

By: James Hunter

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The Viridian Gate Archives, Book 6

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

I can say without bias that this is unquestionably the best VGO novel to date. It packs in a hell of a lot of material and continues to advance the story at the same time. That is a problem with a lot of series. In order to keep a set of books alive the series treads lot of water and goes no where fast, and the whole point to a series is to complete on large overarching storyline that can’t be done in one or three books. As much as it pains me I am going to use my least favorite series to illustrate this point. Harry Potter does it the right way, to be sure there are plot holes the size of buses, and some really weak transitions, but the over all story is told and we did not need the epilogue. Hunter keeps things on course, and wisely does keep Ozmark out of the way in this novel. Lex Luthor does not need to be in every Superman comic, nor does Ozmark belong in each VGO iteration.

Now there was one thing that did repeat, and that was the use of the Death’s head quest again. That is something that should have been a one time deal, or for use by one of the characters in the sidequest novels. This was the only point that we seemed to revisit something that occurred in the not so distant past. I liked it the first time, but this time it didn’t carry the same impact and was less shocking. I just wish another plot device had been used. A death’s head quest should be all but impossible and to survive one should display not only incredible skill, but also a lot of luck. Completing two is pushing the boundries a wee bit and takes away from the first achievement.

Other than that this book was really refreshing. I don’t know what to gush about; the new gear, the new races, the amazing ability that Jack gets . . .as you can see there is a metric crapload of amazingness in this book. If the first book didn’t set the bar so high I would say that hands down this is the best book in the series. It resounds with some crunch to keep the gamers happy and is still smooth and flows like a river for the fantasy fiends.

This series is one of the reasons that I read Litrpg, it sucked me in and pulled me under, and this book is a riptide. I didn’t come up for air once I started it, no, no, I couldn’t come up for air. I am digging Cutters poofing out of thin air ability, and seeing the others growing in power too, but I was happy that jack was the main focus of the book. Hunter could craft a solo Jack book and keep us glued to the pages.

Armen Taylor is, as always just amazing. He is the voice of VGO and the first person that I think of after Hunter. While James crafts one hell of a story it is Armen who steals the show. I almost feel bad for James because Taylor gets to live out the characters and give us HIS interpretation.

Score: 8.5

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Arcane Kingdom Online: The Chosen

LitRPG Adventure Series, Book 1

By: Jakob Tanner

Narrated by: Ryan Burke

Series: Arcane Kingdom Online Series, Book 1

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Pause

Next up is Arcane Kingdom which has the world ending via the zero virus. The MC, comes down with the illness and has but days to live. Fortunately for him his brother is a bigshot with conections that will allow him to be downloaded into the game. To be honest, this is nothing I haven’t heard of or seen a dozen times over.

On the upside, the writing is actually well done and is solid work. I think that Tanner has some chops, but it feels like he’s hitting the audience with a kung fu chop like Hong kong phooey. The book is all right, but that is all that it is. It lacks a wow factor, but it does go all out at the end. Some real promise does pop up at the end of everything, and shows some promise for the next book.

The real low point here is the narration. For some reason, the narrator Burke, does not know how to use the gaming terms like HUD was pronounced H-U-D. He clearly had no idea of what he was talking about. It was both upsetting and distracting. Burke lost me a few times and it threw me out of the story.

The story itself centers on a 0 virus that is killing humanity. The MC contracts it, and goes into a gameworld in which there are a ton of glitches. He also is not guaranteed to exist until he is completely downloaded and not everyone makes it in. There are a few too many times they go to the character sheet well. It seemed like it was done in order to fill in a word count. A positive is that there is some gore and horror elements, so if you like darker stuff this will work for you.

Now, this does qualify as an apocalypse book, but I don’t want to give too much away. So just take my word for it. I know this is short, the book has some problems, but it isn’t bad. I will listen to the next book when it hits audible, I want to see what comes next.

Final score 7 stars.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 040 - Nora Hazard 2, The Merchant of Tiqpa 2, Soda Pop Soldier, The Curse of Hurlig Ridge, Unbound Deathlord 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Competitive Advantage - Nora Hazard Series, Book 2 (08:52)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F40fp8

The Merchant of Tiqpa 2 - The Bathrobe Knight, Book 5 (23:01)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F3nobs

Soda Pop Soldier (35:18)

Score: 7.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F3nPCC

The Curse of Hurlig Ridge: 1st Dive World Tree Online, Book 1 (50:12)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F3Cldx

Obliteration - Unbound Deathlord, Book 2 (01:05:18)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WwXgv8

-----------------------------

Competitive Advantage

Nora Hazard Series, Book 2

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

Series: Nora Hazard, Book 2

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

I have been wanting to get to this book for a while, but for some reason I did Asgard Awakening first and then never was able to get back to it. So, my deepest apologies to Blaise Corvin for taking so long, I was trying to be fair, but then I look at some people that output a lot of books and I do get to them quickly. So again. Apologies. Anyway, this is the second novel in the Nora Hazard series, and if you know Corvin you know he says he doesn’t write fast, but he is well worth the wait. Ludus is an amazing place to visit, even if it doesn’t star Jason and Henry, and he proves this with Nora.

Speaking of Whom, I have to say that Nora is actually one of the better built characters that you will find. I don’t mean she’s built like a brick house, but rather her character is believably defined and grows in a sensible manner. For example, Nora lived on the streets and so had a mindset that dealt with her surviving from one moment to the next. This instinct has both benefitted her and been a drawback as she developed. For example, it made her a great fighter who wasn’t worried about what was going to happen AFTER the fight, but rather what was going to happen DURING the fight. The drawback was the same thing. I don’t believe that she really thought all that far ahead in book one. She was basically stuck in the moment, mourning her friend for most of the book and struggling to survive one encounter after another.

In this book we see her shed this mentality. Partially because of her powers, but also because of the way her powers have allowed her to change. She has what one might call photographic reflexes, if you are a Marvel fan, in which you can learn to do something just by watching someone else do it. So kung fu, archery, gymnastics, even drawing are within her perview. This makes her much more dangerous than just another sword hand.

Secondly, she has hypervigilance, which allows her to speed up her consciousness so that things appear far slower than they are, which is another boon when in battle. So, her powers develop along with her character. She no longer feels like a street rat who got lucky, but rather someone who is about to grasp her destiny by the shorthairs and pull it along in the direction she wants it to go. I honestly don’t know if PewPew is a nod to Willmarth or not, but it is awesome nonetheless. Finally, Nora says some very powerful and poignant last words, not as in I’m dying last words, but as in the last thing she says, at the end.

The book has amazing pacing, believable dialogue, great action scenes, and some downright auspicious world building that really helps to flesh out the world of Ludus and its inhabitants. Corvin was one of my gateway LITRPG drugs. He’s a total red pill if ever there was one, because the once you’ve swallowed the little red bugger you find yourself in a world that you won’t want to leave. Five Delvers books are simply not enough. One more Nora to go? Only reason I want this trilogy completed is so that we can get back to the gang at Delvers, but I would be happy to get more Nora in the future. If you are getting this book I have to ask why? You are only hurting yourself.

As for the narration portion I have to say that Emily Beresford nails it. She is a total pro, and really gave life to the novel. I have to say that I find her voice were pleasant and soothing to listen to, but she knows how to elevate a menacing moment or interject actual danger into an action scene. She can get plain mean when she needs to or as menacing as a rabid vampire bat is to a naked man in room full of razor blades. She’s versatile.

My final score is 8.4 stars. This is a great book that is really building to something special, and I don’t really see anything wrong here. Side characters like Jessica were fun and the direction of the tale is on course for epic level story telling. Go get it now.

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The Merchant of Tiqpa 2

The Bathrobe Knight, Book 5

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead

Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins

Pause

All right, yet again I get to lament the end of this series. You may recall that in my review of the Bathrobe Knight 3 I sort of got all maudlin at the end and bemoaned that no more audiobooks were coming out in this series. A series that both I, and my family love. We listen to the BK series on roadtrips, and for my kids it is always a fight. They either want to listen to Larry Corriea’s Tom Stranger or Charles Dean’s Knight series. Thankfully, Dean has more BK novels, and so that is what we often listen to. This one was sad for all of us, since it really is the end. The Bearded one has confirmed that the series ends here. That doesn’t mean that I won’t keep begging him to just maybe write 500 words a day on a book that will tie up both Lock’s and Darwin’s stories. Do you hear me Charles? For just 500 words a day you can feed the starving ears of my family, and the families and fan’s of millions of other litrpg readers who need more. BK is one of the earliest LITRPG books out there. It seems a shame to just let it fade away. Sniffle sniffle.

Begging aside I really am sorry to see this series end. It has been one hell of a ride, and anyone who can flip Shakepeare on his ear and slip him into a gameworld is a master. This book out to be called Classical Litrpg, and you don’t even need an english degree to follow along. Now, if you really want to prove your chops go after Chaucer and make one of those Canterbury Tales into a gamelit masterpiece! I know you can do it. Anyway, this book is just as fun as the preceding four novels. In fact, I almost am wont to say that I actually enjoyed the last two books on their own more than I did the first three. Of course, no one is killed with a spoon so I think the Main story line wins.

I think for me that the highlight was having Shy shifting from being a humble merchant and crafter into someone akin to a mob enforcer. Also can I just say milk cannon? I’m not talking Dolly Parton after a pregnanc. . . . see Dean makes me say bad stuff. Oh, and the way that Shy guy is literally screwed in the end is sneaky. I likes the sneaky. Seriously, you couldn’t create a Iago type character for this book? How can you do the one true bard and not include Iago?

A bonus to you listening out there, this book almost feels like a standalone book. Yes, it has ties to the preceding books, but this novel changes things up, adds new characters, and feels like I could come in cold and still know what was going on. I dig Dean’s humor, and I gotta lotta laughs out of this book. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish and I recall when it finished I said to myself that I couldn’t wait for the next book. So, I know new readers will enjoy this even if they haven’t read the first 4 novels, but they will go back and buy them after listening to this. So if you are unfamiliar with the Merchant or BK books check this one out. There are plenty of fights, funny stuff, funny fights, and oblique references to English Lit characters to keep you interested for the entire run time.

Matthew Broadhead, whom has hit homers with this and last MOT book does a great job. I think he “gets” Dean’s humor and style and the only other person I can say that about is Jeff Hays. Broadhead has in the past been hit or miss with me, but with Dean’s stuff he seems to be batting .500. He is fun to listen to, and his inflections can make me laugh heartily.

Final score 8.4. It’s fun and has great battles and I’m very sorry to see it end.

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Soda Pop Soldier

By: Nick Cole

Narrated by: Guy Williams

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Pause

So I found this book while reading a review that was talking about ready player one. I saw the movie, haven’t listened to the book even though I do have it in my digital library. Anyway. The writer of the review was talking about MMOpunk. I’d never heard the term before and from what I can tell it is basically was an alternative name for Litrpg for people living back in 2015. It is like a mash-up of Cyberpunk stories and MMORPG’s, i.e. litrpg/gamelit stuff. The novel mentioned two books by Nick Cole, and so I thought I’d check out the Soda Pop Soldier. I’m glad I did.

The book has some interesting concepts about corporate sponsorship and making a living via virtual games. Now, if you know me at all then you know that I hate when in-game currency is usable in the real world. I don’t care what the exchange rate would be I just don’t see it working, but this felt more like the kind of situation where people make money streaming or with a channel on You-tube. Here, the main goal of the players is to play well enough to earn advertising space for the company they play for. Failure means you are out, and the MC isn’t doing so well in that dept as of late. In fact, he takes to playing an illegal game just to get by, and this is where the real fun starts.

The MC, known to us as Perfectquestion, doesn’t seem to fit in the real world. In fact, he seems like he is more at home on line in a virtual reality in spite of the fact that he literally lives in a world where it seems that humans regularly leave the planet. I don’t believe we are ever given his real name, and so for the listener this plays out with us having an almost virtual protagonist. The illegal game, the Dark, is just that although his other game Warworld is pretty visceral and violent (how could it not be with a name like that?) and keeps you in the action enough that you keep focused. The book bounces between each game and the real world, but does so in a way that keeps you interested. I often get bored with “out of game” sequences in books. I Don’t care what the devs are up to or how the AI is slowly taking over the world or whatever happens IRL. I like to stay in the game. This book does a great job balancing everything and keeps you on the hook. You genuinely care about PQ, and it doesn’t matter if he is playing a soldier, a samurai, or a struggling to by average guy.

For me the real plus was the authentic feel the book had in regards to how the players of cola corp interacted over chat and interacted. It really felt like I was listening to some players from COD trying to get their crap together. That is what pushed this up a few notches for me. The Dark was a neat place to visit and learn about, and was different from other game worlds in that you pay to play per match. So there were some really neat concepts too.

My one issue I have with this book is the narration. While I found Guy Williams to have a grizzled soldier voice that worked for the Warworld character I don’t think his voice had a lot of range, and his cadence and rhythm barely ever changed. I wasn’t overly wowed by Williams. I don’t want to say he droned, because he does vary his voice and add emotion but he kept on a steady pace that never amped up when it should have.

My score would be much higher if it were not for the narration flaws. I liked this book, but have to say 7.3 stars because Williams didn’t do much to elevate the story. If this had been SBT, Pohdel, Daniels, Parsenau, Rennie, Taylor, or Adams I could see this book crushing in Lit, but I honestly think it is holding it back. Great concept, good writing, mediocre to fair narration.

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The Curse of Hurlig Ridge: 1st Dive World Tree Online, Book 1

By: M. A. Carlson

Narrated by: Anneliese Rennie

Length: 21 hrs and 52 mins

Pause

I have been wanting to get this reviewed since before I got really sick, and am sorry it took me sooo long to get this out to you guys. This is one of those books you listen to and wonder why everyone isn’t talking about it. Personally, I think that Hurlig Ridge kind of got hit with a situation like a summer block buster smash. Sort of like how the Princess Bride came out right after Fatal Attraction. I don’t think that the amazingness of the fantasy film could compete with the hype of Glenn Close’s crazy rabbit boiling psycho. Hell, I even went to see Fatal Attraction instead of PB, and I can remember seeing the Bride advertised on the lobby walls. I think that happened here, several hyped books popped up at the same time as this and this book kinda got lost in the shuffle.

Now, you know I love getting into the game quickly. I tend to get bored or annoyed with books that take a tenth of the novel setting things up before the player actually gets inside. Not here. It was almost like we get to meet the MC and he’s already in the game. I loved it. That, my friends, is how you do it. The story is almost a slice of life, and I am not a huge fan of those, but lately I have been opening up to the concept and am enjoying them more and more. Still not my favorite thing, though. Thankfully, the book does have paths that it follows so it is not aimless. There are issues with PVP stuff and even a mystery that evolves and pulls the story in a direction that is both fun and exciting.

Another aspect that worked for me was that the entire gaming system is well thought out. The only thing that sort of bothered me was that the only way to really improve yourself is by training. No cheat points pop up when you level so you hafta hit the metaphorical gym. This would have been fine, and I actually enjoyed it at first, but it is a frequent thing. All I could think of was Rocky, when his trainer Mick yells and say “You’re gonna eat lightning and crap thunder! No go chase a chicken.” We level up and then ByeBye is drinking 6 dozen raw eggs and Syrio Forel is telling him to go chase cats. We don’t get a montage scene, but I would have appreciated one or four a few times. Now, obviously I jest but my sons did keep playing Eye of the Tiger the longer they heard me listening to the book.

If that is the worst thing about this then whoopity whoop. I loved the book. It is long, over 21 hours and so you get your money’s worth and you won’t mind the time investment. The MC is interesting, there is plenty of action and mystery. I also appreciated how we stay in one spot for the duration of the novel, but the world building was obvious. A lot of thought went into this land and its people; just like the game mechanics. Carlson has obviously put a TON of work into this book before he ever started writing. I look at it as the way Tolkien developed different languages, a whole geography, 10,000 years of back story and so on before he ever started the Hobbit. The hard work and effort pays off and it shows. As much as I ribbed it, I think I liked the concept of the slow build of a character over rapid point distribution as you level. It was different and stood out when compared to the way most systems are laid out.

Can I just say, first that I simply love Anneliese Rennie. She is an amazing narrator, and the work she has been doing is a real boon to the community. The last book I got to hear her in was Hummel’s Radiocative Evolution where she played a dragon. This is much better because narration-wise, so to speak, because she gets to play everyone! She’s one of the few people that I could listen to all day. I think she handles the characters with finesse and tells the story like she was living it. She rocks this book and I think that it is obvious how much she enjoyed narrating it.

Final score 8.4 stars. I believe that this will eventually become a much bigger series, and will get noticed by the community for the great work that it is. Good characters, cool game system, and a madcap narrator who takes you on a ride in her word mobile makes this all worthwhile.

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Soundbooth Spotlight

Obliteration

Unbound Deathlord, Book 2

By: Edward Castle

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins

Pause

I can remember finishing book one in this series and thinking Damn that was good. I’m only sorry we had to wait so long for this book to come out. The book pretty much picks up where the other ended, but for those of you with short memories we do get a recap. I’m not a fan of recaps, be they on tv or in a book, so that kinda ruffled my feathers. I’m of the go back and rewatch or reread so that you are familiar with what happened so far school of thought. Although, I must concede that readers just jumping in for this book probably loved the recap. I would normally skip such a thing, but when I review a book I don’t jump over any parts I listen to the whole book.

The novel does a good job of intermixing gameplay with the events in the real world. Normally I am not a fan of jumping between the two worlds. I can only think of a few books where the real world was just as interesting as the game world, or even more so maybe as in the case of Dave Willmarth’s Dark Elf Series. Castle succeeds in the balancing act and kept me hungry for more as I listened. Oddly, the parts of the book that felt a little slow were those in the game, not IRL portions.

Jack tries to deal with what he learned at the end of the first book and goes a little crazy in the process. He sort of becomes a mass murdering terrorist, and so you really have to empathize with him in order to understand why he’s doing what he’s doing and who he’s doing it to. You sort of have to ask if Jack is a monster or if he is justified; maybe even wonder if it isn’t a little of both. I like books that make you think. Thankfully, you can think while Jack stomps the hell out of whatever comes after him.

Oddly, I think the MC becomes more of an A-hole in this book than he was in book one, but after all he’s learned and been through it fits and plays well with the story. For me, Daggers was the best part of the novel. I loved every moment that she was on the page. If she were a character in a movie then her actor would have gotten an academy award for best supporting actress, as it is I think Jeff Hays deserves the audio version. He has several characters that I simply love to hear him in the role of such as Miller from War Aeternus, Andrea for Super Sales, and especially the fast talking Quantum Hughes, and so on, but it isn’t his voice so much as his acting here that makes Daggers the star. He keeps her mysterious and deadly, trustworthy but suspicious, and an utter force to be reckoned with. Hays handles the rest of the tale with aplomb per his usual vocal swagger. He is always amazing.

In spite of Hay’s best efforts there were several parts that just seemed to go on forever. The final fight, for example drained my stamina. It was Jack versus an endless horde of unrelenting humanoids. It was like sitting on the beach and being hit with wave after wave of water and expecting your feeble kicks to turn away or utterly defeat the ocean. That isn’t to say the spots aren’t well written, but they are far longer than they need to be and it did tucker me out. Still the book is fun and the cliffhanger makes you hope that there is a recap at the start of the third book so you can remember what went on here when it finally comes out. So, again,it may sound like I didn’t appreciate or overly enjoy the book. I truly did, it just had a couple road bumps, but otherwise it was a great listen.

Final Score, 8.1 stars. I enjoyed it but it did feel a little long in spots, narration is mind-blowingly good, and the tale wraps up neatly leaving enough to make you want the next novel now.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 039 - Bunker Core, Reborn: Apprentice, Limitless Lands Bk 1, Supermage

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-039

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Bunker Core: Core Control series, Book 1 (00:31)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Ln96rI

Reborn: Apprentice: A LitRPG Adventure (14:39)

Score: 2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2PNEf63

Limitless Lands: The Commander's Tale, a LitRPG adventure

Limitless Lands Series, Book 1 (37:57)

Score: 6.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2PJPAnM

Supermage: Rise to Omniscience, Book 1 (52:57)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2JdWn80

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(Audiobook Codes)

Bunker Core: Core Control series, Book 1

By: Andrew Seiple

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

I am going to be honest and say that I was a little disappointed with this book. Coming off the Threadbare series I really believed that there was going to be more to this tale. Honestly, it isn’t a bad novel, but it just did not grip me in the way that I hoped it would. I believe the issue was that the book felt like it was pretty thin in terms of story.

The book is about a tech core that was once human waking up due to an alert taking place. It finds that its facility is under attack and does its best to fend off the assault while figuring out who it is and what it is supposed to do. From this point it basically continues in the same manner, someone from the first siegers comes and must be fought off in a rinse, wash, repeat cycle. The only variation that we get is when the POV shifts from the leader of the tribe assaulting the core or one of the several other AI’s that also seem to have it out for the core we are rooting for.

I don’t know if some of my issues come from the fact that this feels a lot like the station core novel, or if there was nothing really innovative about what the core did when it confronted its invaders. There was a lot of set up for different things that never bore out. I was half hoping that the core would have built a lab and modified some of the bats that lived in its elevator, making some sweet soldiers to harass the enemy. Also, I needed more than fire, floor and ceiling traps, and bolt guns to see a dungeon or a core as being exciting. Those things are good for the first initial forays into defending the place, but not for an end battle scenario. No, I don’t count the outside stuff with the water or crocogator as being all that innovative either.

The story had a ton of potential, but I’ll be honest, whenever one of the other A.I.’s came on I wanted to skip that part and just get back to the core. It did not maintain my interest. I think the fact that that there were three or four Artificial intelligences besides the core made it less fun. I get that this was partially set up stuff, but pick a villain and stick with it. Another issue I had was that the bald warrior woman leader of the cult that was attacking the core started out as a hard core crush monster, but in the end sort of got shifted into being humanized. Too much of her side of the story was explained and you get to see her motivations for what she is doing and why she is doing it. You really just needed to hate her, not like her or sympathize with her, and in some ways you do. She needed to be one dimensional not multifaceted. I just wish that the ending of the story wasn’t so weak. It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but a lot of what was worked for and towards is made moot by the end.

That said the story, while short, does flow and is well written. Seiple knows how to tell a story and make it interesting. He makes amazingly interesting characters and does spin a yarn that will keep you listening.

The narration is really good here, and I actually recognize Mark from a Doc Samason novel I listened to waaaay back when as well as a 30 days of night audio adaptation from the comic books. He does a fantastic job and think that LIT and he are a good fit for one another. He has a pretty big background in sci-fi so litrpg isn’t all that big of a stretch for him. Great voices, pacing, and storytelling in general.

Final score 7 stars. The story felt truncated, didn’t really have a centralized villain, and seemed to hover at the same point for quite some time. I needed someone to root against, and more time spent upgrading the dungeon rather than figuring out where to put the next pitfall trap. Lots of potential, not enough return.

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Reborn: Apprentice: A LitRPG Adventure

Reclamation, Book 1

By: Luka Petrov

Narrated by: Rafe Beckley

Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins

I hated this book. Ye gods, where to start? This was probably some of the longest four hours of my life. I pretty much hated 98% of this book. It offended me on multiple levels, often simultaneously, and made me feel as if the author wanted to treat me like a child rather than a rational adult; because most of this book made zero sense.

First of all this book is not Litrpg. It is not gamelit. I don’t know what the hell it is supposed to be, other than bad. I can usually forgive a book having lighter LIT elements. I don’t feel like every story needs stats, character sheets, leveling up, and so on and so forth in vast quantities to qualify as litrpg. I do require more than four or five sentences about those things, though. You want to know what this book has in the way of LITRPG? It has two scenes in which stat sheets are substituted by vocational cards. A few discussions about attributes, and one bit where the MC is able to suss out how to casts spells because of his previous knowledge as a gamer. That’s it. I’ve stubbed my toe and received HP loss notifications more in my real life than this book did.

SO here’s a brief rundown for you. A kid in our world is hit by a car. He dies. Is given a choice to reincarnate, go to heaven, or go smash it in a RPG styled world that will place his very existence in jeopardy. He is made to be the one and only person who can stop an evil demonic overlord known as Abraxus, and I mean the only one. If he fails every soul in that dimension will be scrapped and tossed out, including him. So, naturally he picks that option because heaven will be boring.

This is where we enter the Harry Potter phase in which the MC goes to a school of magic and begins to learn from his wonderful mentor and several teachers whom he continuously astounds with his 25 point intelligence and photographic memory. Now, I am going to say two things about this section of the book. 1) It is like a lesser version of Hogwarts where he meets with his friends and they chat at meal times, and his best friend is the second smartest first year (Hermione) girl there, and his other friend is a half-wit incompetent wizard (Ron). 2) They say the full name of every single teacher every single time that they are mentioned. I honestly believed that this was done just in order to fulfill a word count of some sort since the novel is so short, only 4 hours. Normally I lament a run time so short, as in, “Gee Whiz, the Luck Stat Strategy was only five hours long. In this case I kept thinking, Holy Mary mother of God, this book is never going to end and I know it is only four hours long.” Repetition like that is annoying. It is similar in LITRPG when you have the words You have taken five points of fire damage repeated thirty times in a row. I don’t like that in LITRPG and I don’t like it anywhere else. Most writers try to avoid repeating the same or similar words in a paragraph just to avoid monotony. Such avoidance isn’t easy, sometime trying to avoid something can cause you stress which will make you want to avoid it even more. Get the point? Now imagine that with eight different people’s names in a constant never ending barrage. I think that the biggest let down of the book came with required confrontation with the evil overlord Voldemort, er, I mean Abraxus. Dumbledore sacrifices his life so that Harry and the others can get away, I mean The MC and his pals. Abraxus is completely overblown and is such a childish let down that it seriously soured me from straight fantasy for some time to come.

This book feels like it was written by someone who had no friggin idea of what LITRPG is, and was simply a Write to Market effort to cash in on some of the sweet LITRPG action. I hated this book the longer I listened to it, and am repulsed at the minimum effort that was put into making this a LITRPG book. The only thing saying it is LIT is the cover. Take that away and you have a crappy children’s book that pretty much barely covers the fact that it is riffing on JK Rowling. I cannot believe I am even defending the Harry Potter novels. That’s how mad this book has made me.

Before I go I suppose that I will have to mention something about the narration. To be blunt it sucked. The narrator could not figure out a way to differentiate the Male MC’s voice from his female companion’s voice. There were times that I could not tell who was speaking, the MC or one of the female students. The other voices, with the exception of the boy’s mentor, comes across like a grandpa telling his grandson a bedtime story and trying to do voices and keep pacing and emotion. I’m not talking about a Princess Bride Styled grandfather. I’m talking a grandpa with COPD suffering from bipolar disorder. He was clear, understandable, and told an intelligent story but it wasn’t fun. There were parts where the characters expoused some sort of exclamation, and instead of WOW, we got a wow. The narration didn’t help the story. Upon reflection it didn’t hurt it, since it seemed to be at the same level as the writing. Crap, crap, crap. Sorry. This book has my dander up. I would have hated it even if it had not called itself LITRPG and just portal. Not a fan.

Final score? Really? You have to ask? Well, the book did have a cohesive plot line. It did have characters who spoke and interacted. So, it gets two points just for that. I want you to understand, if this was a write to market that was good I would say so, but that battle or whatever the hell you call it with Abraxus ended me. So, I give this book 2 stars because it did tell a story, and the characters charactered throughout the story. TWO, and I still think it was too high. Not a fan. I wouldn’t even let kids listen to this as a way to start them into Portal fantasy, fantasy, or any other genre for that matter. I hated this book.

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Supermage: Rise to Omniscience, Book 1

By: Aaron Oster

Narrated by: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins

This book is a conundrum for me, as there were things I liked, things I didn’t and things I had no idea as to why they happened. For the most part I would say that the book is a nice light fare, feeling very young adult, because it traipses around subjects that an adult book would have no problem tackling. I don’t know if this is a YA book or not, but it certainly has that kind of tone.

The upside: The magic system is pretty well fleshed out, easy to understand, and fun to experience. On the other hand, I really didn’t like the names of the different power, there are Supers and there are Mages. Supers rely on physical prowess to fight with, keeping their affairs up close and personal while the mages are distance dangers. Glass cannons in other words. There is also a third class, the supermage, which is what happens when a person, in a very rare event, gets both types of powers. I hated the titles because the Super part made me think of Superheroes, and really it has nothing to do with that at all, just that they are more physical, and the mage part similarly bothered me because they do not study spells, they acquire them naturally. The names should have reflected the proximity that the powers required them to fight with, but its not my story and I’ll just have to live with it. I don’t hold any of that against the book, that is all my issue.

The tale centers on Morgan, the MC who has no powers and is in the final year that he has for them to show up. He is friends with a pretty rich girl who just happens to be the leader of the city he lives in. Her dad, Lord Simon hates the boy with a passion and wants him dead. Now, here is one of the parts that I don’t understand. How these two are connected. Morgan is a street urchin who picks through trash for food all but one night a week. She is super rich and would have no connections to him whatsoever. There is a real need for some backstory here, just to help you understand their connection, but that never comes. Now, Morgan suddenly gets his powers, and immediately thereafter ends up killing two men sent to kill him. He flees to see his gal pal, and they flee the city together heading for a university that can teach them how to use their powers. Morgan quickly learns that supermages are feared and quickly killed, so he pretends to just be a Super.

Again, one more issue I have with Morgan and Lord Simon’s daughter is that Morgan plays the innocent farmboy bit too well. His misses hints and suggestions that his companion like likes him, even though she does everything but pass him a note saying I like you do you like me yes or no. He also is completely clueless about sex, and the many implications that goes along with the act, and I could believe it if he had been sheltered his entire life, but the dude comes from the cold hard streets of a major city. He’d have known about sex by the time he was able to talk. Not Morgan, he is completely and utterly clueless. And that bothered me. I just couldn’t see it or believe it. One thing I do want to say is that I have read this book before. In some capacity it is reminiscent of Reborn Apprentice, and in another Dante’s Immortality. Reborn and Supermage both feature OP characters who just know how to stomp on opponents bigger and better than them rank-wise. I tried really hard not to compare apples to apples here, but there are beats that all have a similar rhythm. Sometimes OP characters bother me, and I guess it depends on the writing, because I really hated Reborn Apprentice but enjoyed Supermage.

Otherwise, the story is a fun little romp and it had some great moments, and had characters that you really hated and wanted to see beaten, maimed, or killed. I know I sounded like I was berating it, but I was only pointing out some inconsistencies or things that bugged me.

Doug Tisdale did the narration, and I can’t say that he didn’t help this book move along. I just did a segment on him with the City and the Dungeon, and I talked him up pretty well there, I think that you know he does a good job. It makes me want to listen to the scout of artemis soon.

Final score is a 7. Pretty solid first venture. I just hope that book two drops the MC’s naiveté and proffers him some real challenges.

----------------------

Limitless Lands: The Commander's Tale, a LitRPG adventure

Limitless Lands Series, Book 1

By: Dean Henegar

Narrated by: Jack Voraces

Series: Limitless Lands, Book 1

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

OK, so here is an example of what is a good book but mediocre narration. LL doesn’t blow you mind away with new concepts or avoiding tropes. This is a pretty standard novel, insofar as it centers on James Raytak, the MC, a vet who is coming to the end of his days. Fortunately for him, his son is employed by one of the best VR gaming companies in the biz and he sets his old man up with a special dive tank that provides both life support and medical care in addition to being a VR immersion portal. So, yeah, he sets his pappy up to be a test subject like all loving and caring kids should. Now, I know that I said this book doesn’t really break the standard tropes, but in this case the company the kid works for actually has a heart. It cares about its employees and their families, as opposed to the standard “there are hidden or shadowy motives behind their help” stuff we usually see in LITRPG. So that was refreshing. What I sort of found to be interesting was that this is basically just the company shoving some old dude who is 90+ years old into a RPG for some weird version of rehab. Like the tank was going to fix his mind and body. Either way they shove his butt right into a coma. The plan is to fix up his failing memory and his old man bod with nanites while he’s comafied.

That’s where the fun begins. The book is primarily a battle oriented tale. So, if you are into military sci-fi or just very authentic feeling ancient warfare then this is the book for you because that is exactly what you get. Loads of action, with some other gaming stuff on the side. One aspect I found interesting is that the MC only gains XP for full scale battles. That’s it. So, in order to advance he’s got to be on the battle field, and I have to say this feels very genuine in the way the battles are run and described. If you are more of a one on one sword fighting person then this book might not be for you. Military books are not for everyone. This is a fantasy world so you do get lots of monsters and humanoids to see in battle.

I think the biggest flaw in the book is the OP but not OP “ness” of the MC. He starts out the story with a very specialized class that will allow him to command different troops and so one, and it can come across as being handed to him. I’ve thought about it, and the whole point of the story was to rebuild his brain, and to do so he needed to be in a place of comfort for that to happen. If he had started off as say a private it wouldn’t have felt natural for him, he had been in command for a long time and was used to being in charge. He would have needed to start from a position of power and authority for him to feel like he belonged and it was a natural fit. Other than that he primarily uses his skills and knowledge from his lifetime as a soldier in order to win battles. Also, the show don’t tell rule does apply here as a fail, because there were times that the squads would do maneuvers and the reader would be told that they had drilled and drilled until the squads had it down pat.

The real issue with this book is the narration. This was all over the place. It was in fact one of those books I just wanted to read instead of listen too. There are audio issues throughout the story, and it is distracting. In today’s age there is no reason that there isn’t a nice clean sound coming forth. This was like listening to a book on a vinyl record in spots. Secondly, I found the narrator himself dry and boring. His feminine voices were his biggest weakness, but he also seemed to struggle to differentiate male voices as well. There were points that I had a hard time following who was talking, and I hate it when I am forced to suss out who is doing what. I should never have to guess who is speaking. The sound effects were utterly annoying and distracting. I generally like SFX when done right, such as by SBT, but here it is heavy handed and improperly used.

My final score? 6.8. I would have gone more if not for the narration and the fact that there’s no ending. It’s not a cliffhanger ending, but none of themes, goals, or concerns of the story have been at all addressed by the end of the book. Also, as a fan of military writing I do think that as fun as the battles were I would have liked to have seen some research done on how the legions really fought. Banners, flags, etc. Flags were used a great deal to cover distance and instances in which a soldier could not hear a commander yelling.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 038 - Accidental Dragoon, Freehaven Online Bk 2, The Last Warrior of Unigaea, Damnation Robot

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Accidental Dragoon: Accidental Champion, Book 3 (00:10)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ITdUCg

Freehaven Online: Lady Thunderlord, Into Hades A LitRPG Adventure (15:11)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2W6XJVB

The Last Warrior of Unigaea: Box Set (26:19)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Ps2fvm

WHAT ELSE HAVE THEY DONE

Damnation Robot: Galactic Demon Hunters (45:07)

https://amzn.to/2VnvSn0

-----------------------------

(Audiobook Codes)

Accidental Dragoon: Accidental Champion, Book 3

By: Jamie Davis, C.J. Davis

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Pause

I’m just going to say that the Davis family knows how to pen a tale. I have to admit that I loved the first trilogy, but the ‘accidental” part was getting a little old by the third book. Honestly, I enjoyed the third book in the first trilogy, but it felt rushed and a little forced the more that I think about it just in the manner that Hal was able to acquire his powers and abilities just in time for the final showdown with the emporer. The end of this trilogy doesn’t feel like that at all. First, I enjoyed that Kari kept her class all the way through, even though she sort of became a dual class by my reckoning because she was very much a sailor and captain at the end of it all. Well, mostly a pirate, but the good kind. As in a Privateer. Kari really exceeded Hal as a hero, going through far more than her father did during his own stint as a hero. She is much more realistic and I think that this demonstrates just how much the Davis’s have developed as writers up to this point.

Again, the story does not slack on the action, the intrigue, or the emotional devastation that occurred in book two. This time around Hal and his wife do a little more than they have so far, and it was (I must admit, good to have the old man back in action). The one thing I would have preferred was more head on conflict, though, as it felt like Kari was always dashing away from the Duke’s men rather than employing her duelist abilities. I really wanted some extreme payback for everything that had happened in the previous books. The whole dueling aspect was pretty fascinating and I could have certainly used more. This did not take away from the story, but it would have improved it a bit if she had done some stinging before the end of the book. Thankfully, even though they do close out this “chapter” of the trilogy I think that there were a few things left as breadcrumbs for them to follow if they ever wanted to return to the world of Fantasma.

This is a rare kind of book, as the writers were not afraid to completely scrap the old setting and magic system and redo the whole thing for the new trilogy. The first set of novels was really more of a medieval setting, the standard swords and sorcery type of fare. The new setting included cannons and muskets and mad for a nice change of pace. One beef that I did take is that I do get a little disgruntled when I see that science somehow ousts magic. As in gunpowder overrides fireballs. Those are world mechanics that I just can’t get behind, because, hey, I like magic, but this was not a problem here. In fact, it made it feel more like a stat and skill based game rather than one of power. Like I said about the last book, seeing the skills used in new ways, such as sailing the ship out of a rocky shoal was super interesting.

Again, I’m going to praise Stacy Gonzales, who has made this a very fun series to listen too. I felt like she captured the spirit of Kari Dix very well, and embodied her vocally. She also kept a deft hand at the helm of this series and kept it interesting and emotional, as there are certainly emotional moments that get you where you pump the blood. I have truly come to appreciate her, and will happily get another book that she has narrated.

Final score 8.4 stars

------------------------------

Freehaven Online: Lady Thunderlord, Into Hades A LitRPG Adventure

By: Jun Prince

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Series: Freehaven Online Series, Book 2

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

The Toxic Muffins are back in this follow up to Freehaven Online: Dragonsbane. It picks up roughly where the other left off at, with one of the team dead from sacrificing themselves. The team is still trapped in the game, and they aren’t happy about it, as before they all have reasons for getting out quickly, but obviously that aint happening any time soon for them. That doesn’t stop them from looking for a way out. However, it soon becomes clear that they might have a chance to save their lost friend, Mirae.

The team then has to find and fight their way through Hades in order to retrieve their now deceased guild mate. Along the way they add some new members to the muffins, which is both a positive and a negative. Strife and tensions come from within and without creating some tense situations and dire consequences. All good stuff, and I have to say that I think that this book is better than the first novel, it does a lot to improve what came before and really hits home. I liked the greek mythology bits, and felt that the story was properly humorous when it needed to be. Not every writer can hit those marks to lighten a story up periodically. BTW, it isn’t all Greek stuff, Prince tosses in some of his own bits of imagination and some Thailand lore as well. It doesn’t clash at all, but flows quite nicely.

One thing that I liked about Prince’s style is that he doesn’t believe that every problem can or should be solved via fighting. There are a ton of games out there where the whole point is crushing your enemies, but there are a goodly amount that also favor thinking and puzzle solving over smashing and slashing. In that respect, he sort of reminds me of KT Hanna and her Somnia Online series, where the protagonists often find that fighting is usually a secondary or ever tertiary option. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t fights but you also get quests like appeasing Charon, the boatman that you rarely see elsewhere. One thing I would have liked was, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe a recap or some better refamiliarization with the cast. While I know the MC fairly well, the rest of the players faded a little and I could have used a refresher just to bring me up to speed.

In the way of narration I do believe that I liked Landon’s work even better than I did before. I can definitely hear improvements. I think that before I felt that she lacked emotion during non-dialogue parts and her reading style threw me off a little. Here she has improved her pacing and isn’t just spitting out lines mechanically in-between people talking. Her readings made it difficult for me to connect to the characters, and thereby, the story itself. Now, however, she has improved in those areas and I had a much better time this go around. I hope to see her continue to improve.

I can see improvement on Princes end of writing too. He clearly put a lot of thought and work into making this book even better. So, my final score is 7.9 stars. Both the writer and the narrator made some strides in making this more fun and exciting.

----------------------------

Soundbooth spotlight

The Last Warrior of Unigaea: Box Set

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Series: The Last Warrior of Unigaea, Book 1-3

Length: 18 hrs and 7 mins

Here we go. Another Harmon Cooper book, with more coming, I still have House of Dolls to do and another something or other of his to get to in the next few review shows so keep an eye out for them. So, this is a pretty cool deal for the average audible listener, you get three amazing books for the price of one (I’ll never understand why an author would be so nice as to collect three books into one set when they can make more bread selling three different novels for the same price). That seems fairly kind, and not a good capitalistic model. Me? I’d throw in a short story and charge a little more cause I might be a coward, but I’m a greedy little coward. Some people might say that its all about the Benjamins, but for me I’m all about the Woodies. You can laugh, but Woodrow Wilson is on the $100,000 dollar bill and they are still legal tender. So I want a pile of those, not the Bennies. Bennies are for suckers, give me a woody any day. Wait. That didn’t come out right. Neither did that, dammit. Ok, I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead and get to Carmen Hooper’s awesome set of books. BTW, what really makes this special to me is the fact that the first book in this series was the first official SBT production.

You know what I love? I love an author who isn't afraid to make a trilogy. Nowadays, it seems everyone wants to create an open ended world that they can play in in perpetuity, but have no responsibility to the reader/listener. I think of George RR Martin and his it will end but never end GOT, Jim Butcher's see no end in sight Harry Dresden. Too much time passes between each project, and with no real end in sight the poor fan has to suffer and hope that a series will see some love from its creator. Cooper plays this smart. He sets up a trilogy that is self-contained, but is also set in a shared universe in which other events take place. So you keep the setting and get different events and characters. More importantly, he concludes his story. So, yay, for his consideration. Cooper takes an unlikely character (a player killer) and makes him a hero. His comrades (especially RAID) are great, and make for a fun adventuring party. The man can craft a tale in the way Da Vinci could slap some paint on a canvas. What starts out as a simple tale of revenge in the way of the PKer seeking the Drachma Killers and becomes a tale of suffering, sacrifices, betrayals, and real heroism.

As I said, Cooper smooshes three books into one, so I’ll have to just gloss over some details and provide an overview. IS book one any good? Mr. Cooper hits all of my criteria for an amazing story; great characters? Check out the goblin. Plot? How about problems in the real world and VR game? All there baby. We have struggle and strife in both RW and VR. Plausibility? This isn't one of those books that touts how great the MMO is, and is sweeping the world, while if you look at the mechanics you realize it would never work. Storytelling? Zonk! Bam! Check out the ending. It is out of left field, on fire, and moving at the speed of light. Much like my beloved Feedback loop series, which is set in the same universe (the Proxima Universe) the series is filled with fast paced action and humor. I’ve said it a thousand times, Cooper’s humor gets to me. You will love this book and crave more. Thankfully, book two comes right behind.

Our heroes are back, and plan on taking out the source code bomb, they just seem to go about doing so a bit more liesurely than you'd think. That isn't to say that the book isn't full of action, and rat bag sonnof a biz someone does die, and you will feel every stab in the heart that you think you will when they pass on. No fickin’ joke. So the story has some depth to it as well. Cooper is a really great story teller, and he knows all the buttons to push and the right time to hit them. This is not a by the numbers story by any means, and he keeps the RPG aspects alive to a point that you would think this genre has been around forever.

What a way to end it. Revenge isn't easy, and loss is hard. Our heroes suffer, and sacrifice, but in the end we get the big BOOM we have been waiting for, and it has been worth the wait. The story is much faster paced than the previous book, and you will probably need to stop the book to catch your breath. There are times your heart will break, and then you might just find it healed. Roller coaster doesn't do this book justice as a descriptor.

Hays and Ellicott just crush the narration. I have no qualms admitting that Hays is my favorite narrator, and everything he does just slays. He totally kills it here again. Annie, his accompaniest in this duet proves she can stand side by side with a master like Hays, and not only hold her own, but push him to do better. They really work well together. Hays and Ellicot really put their all into this performance, and the emotion is real. Seriously, these folks should get a grammy for thier performances. The combination of their vocals and Cooper's writing makes for a nitrogyleric combination of words that are dangerously volatile to your mind!! So beware, they will move you.

Final score 8.3 stars

---------------------------------

WHAT ELSE HAVE THEY DONE?????

Damnation Robot: Galactic Demon Hunters

By: Aaron Crash

Narrated by: Bob Dunsworth

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Well gang, here I am doing another what else have they done segment. I do plan on doing more game worlds and Izzit Lit but I really think that we need to spotlight other works that authors and narrators in our community have done more often. To that end I am going to focus on a guy that is best known for his association with James Hunter, and his collaboration with the War God Saga. You want to know the truth, before I had read War God I was annoyed by it. Why? Because it was taking precious time away from my beloved VGO series. How dare james Hunter do something else! I was pretty attached to VGO back then, still am BTW, but I have learned to be a bit more open to other ideas and bits of work that isn’t LITRPG. Plus, I do believe that I owe this to Aaron because I didn’t even mention him in my online review of the first book of the War God series. You might be wondering why I didn’t focus on his American Dragon series, and it is no reflection on it. In fact, there are a lot of books out in that series, I just want to bring some attention to this one book for the moment.

So, Damnation Robot starts off in the thick of it. There’s splosions and gunfire and a lotta battle stuff happening so you know that this isn’t going to be one of those books that takes something like ten to fifteen percent of the book to get into the meat of things. The MC, Blaze is a hardcore kinda dude, who lets his weapons do his talking. He’s kind of jaded insofar as he’s seen so much that horrifying images that would make you lose your mind barely phase him. He reminds me of the nameless gunfighter from the old Clint Eastwood movies. Blaze is a marine who travels with his sister, who just so happens to be a witch of no small skills. Together they fight a variety of MOBS, sorry LIT speak coming into play, that include the titled demons, aliens, werewolves, cyborgs, and spooks in general. There are a ton of things to kill and only do many weapons and spells to use.

This is a book that puts action first, as it should. You can’t write a book about a space marine who makes the Predator look like Elmer Fudd hunting rabbits and have the man in endless loops of dialogue and exposition. Crap needs to get blown up and killed on a regular basis, and Crash knows this. Bonus! He knows how to write a fight scene. Hell, you’d almost think that he’d been in a couple of space battles himself, or at least talked to a few people who had. Plus, he makes the whole thing plausible. At no point did I sit back and go, Wow, this dude must have been as high as a kite when he wrote this stuff. Yeah, they fight vampires, but so what, so does Harry Dresden. I kind of wish he’d hop over to help Stephanie Myers with her vampire and werewolf problems. Permanently. I’m team Crash, beyatch. This is an Urban Fantsasy set in space, but with more gore, guts, and blood than you usually get in a UF book. The only real complaint is that it felt like Crash was holding back; instead of going for a Hard R he floats around in a PG-13 setting. Which is fine, but I think he could have gone in a little darker and deeper than he did.

Dunsworth’s narration is really the only weak part, and it isn’t that he’s bad. But I did feel that his pacing was a bit faster than I prefer, and his voice just did not match up to Blaze’s. I would have expected a rougher more gravelly voice or at least something deeper. He does fine otherwise, but I didn’t feel the connection with the MC that I usually get. Over all he does a good job, and I do think he handled the story well, but in those quiet moments it still felt like he was in battle mode. So, slight pacing issues and my own disconnect with the MC’s voice. Otherwise pretty solid.

So, check it out. If you are a fan of UF or space fights then this book would appeal to you. No scores, just passing out alternative reads.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 037 - The City and the Dungeon, The Trapped Mind Project, The Greystone Chronicles: Book 1, Pickpocket Frankie

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-037

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The City and the Dungeon: And Those Who Dwell and Delve Within

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VNOOrU

The Trapped Mind Project - Emerilia, Book 1

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2GgjSKA

The Greystone Chronicles: Book One: Io Online

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2UiWJMy

What Else Have They Done?

Pickpocket Frankie

https://amzn.to/2VInmfc

-----------------------------

(Audiobook Codes)

The City and the Dungeon

And Those Who Dwell and Delve Within

By: Matthew Schmidt

Narrated by: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

I don't get to say this very often about a LITRPG book, but this one really stands out. It pretty much avoids a lot of the repetitive things that occur in other books of this genre. I like that. It tells a story, but doesn't slavishly follow conventions set forth by others in this genre. Plus, the characters, even the background ones, are all interesting and the story is compelling, which leads us into a fantastic tale that you are lucky enough to be able to read.

The main character, Alex Kenderman, decides to start out as a dungeon diver, and the whole system is sort of based on different crystals. The crystals follow the color wheel, red, orange, yellow, blue, etc. Players all have auras that grow stronger and change colors as they level up, and in order to survive they need to eat one crystal per day. Bit of a warning, the book does start just a wince slow, it does need to build up some steam, but once that boiler pops you will be going full bore down the rails without any brakes. Seriously, it picks up and never looks back. I think it helps that you aren't bogged down by the characters having to farm XP, as Schmidt smartly kinda skips that part of the storyline. A wise choice. Another issue is that the sheer number of characters can be a bit overwhelming, but unlike some books you will know the players as they start to standout. That is the crux of it, the story is more character driven than anything else. The plot is good, and the gaming stuff is there, but it is the characters that hold your attention and keep you listening.

So, what is so different? For one thing, the protagonist is not overpowered or have special abilities that no one else has or can get. He is just a regular joe; leveling as he goes along. Oh, and no Uber-powerleveling either. I also liked that you weren't over whelmed by game mechanics, stat screens, damage reports, etc. It doesn't hurt that the characters are all likable and hold your interest. Additionally, I think that the game system itself is well thought out that allows for some cool class building. This story has a feel like WOW insofar as the characters try to get gaming gear and go on raids. One benefit, and I talk about this a lots is that there are not as many stats thrown at you as the book moves on. The story rolls and you aren’t being smacked in the face by numerous reports of status changes every fifteen or so pages. So you might say that it looks less at stats than it does world building. Another thing that is usually problematic is the fact that there are huge jumps in time throughout the book, during which new classes might have suddenly been added or other things. Normally, this would bug me, and to a slight extent it did, so I have to chop off some points for that, but the fact is that it worked in the story. The story still flowed nicely and you just sort of roll along with it. Finally, one odd aspect is that there is often a lot of build up about bosses or monsters and then when the fight comes it is practically over before it starts. I’m talking a few paragraphs rather than pages.

Doug Tisdale Jr. does a great job narrating and living the story out for you. He took me a few minutes to get used to, but once I settled in I was impressed at his skill and versatility. I know him best from the Days of Future Past series by John Van Stry where he did some incredible work. Like I say he has a lot of skill and versatility and he held my interests but there were points that he seemed rushed or was upping the pace unnecessarily. Also, he does a great job with voices, but could inject a little more emotion into the tale. I think he did better in the Days of Future Past series, which is odd because that is an earlier work. I’d say he did a 7 out of 10 on his part of the book.

Final score is a 7.9. I enjoyed it, but I think the fighting scenes could have been better fleshed out and that there is a weakfish ending that isn’t as strong as the rest of the story. Coupled with the slow start and I have to consider that while the book is fun and captivating it isn’t perfect.

------------------------------

The Trapped Mind Project

Emerilia, Book 1

By: Michael Chatfield

Narrated by: Tristan Morris

Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins

Boredom is a dangerous thing. They say that the hardest part of war is the boredom. I don’t believe that. Getting shot, stabbed, blown up, maimed, or killed has to be hard, not getting shot, stabbed, blown up, maimed, or killed has to be even harder, so being bored is really only dangerous when you’re not at war. So what happens when you don’t know you are at war, and are as bored as hell?

Well, that’s the question that Chatfield asks and answers in Book one of the trapped mind. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this series is fairly far along and I think I can give a little bit away. Emerilia is sort of like the Matrix on crack. The MC, Dave, is just bored and wants to change his life in any way he can, and so he turns to gaming to give him some pleasure. Turns out that the game is really fun, and is just what he’s been looking for . . . only it turns out that the game is the real world, and the life he’d been living had been a lie. It is a nice twist for the Lit genre, in which the game is reality, and life was the fantasy. It really works and carries a nice impact for the listener.

I generally try to purge anything negative from my system first, and then tackle the good stuff. I do have some nits to pick, but nothing overly bad. I listen to books in the car. I drive a lot, and my wife, if I am lucky, will listen along with me. Otherwise, I have to use headphones. She gets really annoyed when all the crunchy bits start flying. In other words, when stats or alert notices start flying and never end. It can be distracting, but she had to make me turn this off, as it overwhelmed her. So, on one hand if you like things crunchy, then his is perfect for you, otherwise it can be a bit off putting. It does bug me, but I look at it for when it was written. There was a time when stats and numbers meant the world to a story, nowadays you can get away with less. However I can see her point; damage reports, level alerts, and anything else that repeats is fine on a page, you can skim that. On audio it comes off like Dr. Strange meeting Dormammu. Thankfully, once we get into the meat of the story this sort of dies down.

Additionally, and this is only speculation, I have to wonder if Chatfield started writing his book twice, like from a point that he found interesting, and then at the begining because he does rehash some of his world building stuff several times. I don't know if this was two books that got folded into one, but it was a touch distracting to go over something we already knew.

Now the good stuff. This book not only fed my need for action, but it also sated my intellectual needs. There were great periods of character growth, story building, and some mind blowing concepts. Chatfield really flipped everything on its side and bounced it off a wall. Brilliant concept. The characters are interesting. The plot grips you. The unexpected truth will knock you down. There is good action here as well as the quiet moments. The story will grab you and take you for one heck of a ride. All that stuff I said at first was just minor crap. The real meat of this book is delicious, and the amount of fat and gristle is negligible. The story and characters progress in a realistic speed, they hold your attention, and make you want more.

Morris makes a great first impression on me as a narrator. I had never heard him before, but I can see why he has this gig. He's really good, and brings the story to life. He works hard to give each characters a distinctive and individualized voices. Some voices do blur a bit and it takes a tag like so and so said . . . in order for you to know who is speaking , but he still put out a lot of different voices. He’s done almost 100 audiobooks, and you can tell.

Final score is an 8.2 It’s a good beginning, but the middle slumped a little and it felt like two books that were combined. Still, it is a great start to an incredible series.

-------------------------

SOUNDBOOTH SPOTLIGHT

The Greystone Chronicles: Book One: Io Online

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Laurie Catherine Winkel, Jeff Hays

Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins

Shew! This was a fun book. It has a lot going for it, so let me get the easy stuff out of the way first. I am a huge fan of Soundbooth Theater. Jeff Hays is my favorite narrator. Those tow facts mean that I was going to get this book no matter what. Seriously, Hays is a Master of the Vocal Arts, and if anyone can make a good book amazing it is him, BUT lo and behold he didn't do all the heavy lifting. Nope, Laurie Catherine Winkel takes the lead narration slot, and is kind enough to let Hays do the voices for the male characters. I have to say that I am being continually blown away by the talent that SBT has under their banner. So, be aware that the sound quality and narration just blows your expectations into orbit. I have to say that it was refreshing to have LCW take the reins, which I think was her first time

Next, the writing! Well Doggies this too is top notch, grade A stuff. The characters are all fun, and I would have a hard time narrowing out a favorite. Alexander has a cool side story about his being healed via his immersion in the game, but that plot line isn't resolved by the end of the book; so I guess that will be looked at in another book! Yeah!! Another one!!!! The action is really great and the book speeds along. You know it is good when it is three AM and you don't want to stop listening even though you have to get up a six. Yeah, it pulls you in deep.

This is a book in which secondary characters absolutely add to the plot in golden ways, and sometimes even steal the show away from the main players. For example, if you ever hear the words Pew Pew in real life you will never not be able to think about a certain lil green guy named Fibble or a silly squirrel. In fact, there’s a real reason that Fibble is getting his own stand alone novel. He’s just that freaking cool. Novel, did I say novel? He’s also becoming a plush doll. So, yeah, there are points where the scenery gets chewed by someone other than the MC.

The party “chat” feels real, too. I’ve played, and my wife has played far more MMORPG’s and the dialogue feels like genuine interaction between players. I will say that the only real issue I took was the flagging of almost 100 people for a PVP infraction. That was a little over the top, but hey, game mechanics are what they are. The point is that this feels more like a game than most LITRPG novels. One thing I will say is that Willmarth and I have similar views on PKers. I hate them, and personally think that they only detract from gameplay. Dave obviously has a distaste for the SOB’s, and makes no qualms about it. Also, praise capitalism, as he does a fine job on discussing in game currency and real world conversion and such, which he actually manages to make interesting; and if you have ever watched my show you know that I hate the whole concept of the real world using gaming currency. I am not into cryptocoins at all, but what do I know? Not nearly as much as Dave Willmarth, obviously. Another bonus, for me is the town building. You know I love that stuff, and WIllmarth does it right. I have to admit, I like this book a lot, and am a huge fan of Willmarth’s. I have not heard a bad line come from his metaphorical pen/computer keyboard, and it seems like every book he writes just gets better as he goes. This is a fantastic first novel, and things only improve as we go along.

I can see some people complaining that the characters are too overpowered, and while that might actually be the case I have found it to be the norm for a book in this genre. Just look at the uberleveling in some other books and you will see my point. So, I do not hold that against the storyline at all Willmarth knows how to hold your attention and make things exciting.

Final score, 8.4. It is one hell of a first novel and it grabs you right in the tenders and squeezes, never letting up until the ending, which sort of only leaves you wanting more.

---------------------------

What else have they Done?

Pickpocket Frankie

By: Roberto Scarlato

Narrated by: Roberto Scarlato

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

I’m going to be talking about one of my favorite narrators today, Roberto Scarlato, whom you may know from the Accidental Traveller series by Jamie and CJ Davis. I have actually listened to a lot of his narration outside of the LITRPG genre, and appreciate his narration style and skills. However, he is also an author of no small skills. Scarlato often writes weird stories, for example in Fall Where They May a detective has to solve a murder while cursed to shuffle a deck of cards with one hand, or in Reviled in which the leather jacket of a serial killer begins fusing with the flesh of it new owner making him want to do bad bad things. That’s the kind of stuff that appeals to me, weird, creepy, fun.

Pickpocket Frankie is just a delight. The book, in spite of being based on a tragedy that happens to Frankie, is light-hearted and humorous. Frankie is a likable guy, too. You feel for him, and he isn't a callous criminal. The book starts off with Frankie finding out that his life savings has gone missing. Things kinda go downhill from there. Frankie himself is interesting insofar as he’s been on his own since he was a snot nosed brat, and had to learn how to pickpocket in order to survive. Scarlato cleverly uses pop culture references throughout the book, but in a good way. Frankie is quick-witted and deservedly self-reliant. He can take care of himself. I think it was everyone else that needed to look out for him.

Scarlato pulls double duty, as both author and narrator. His writing is tip top, and narration is spot on, making me wonder why he isn't narrating more. Narrating, why isn’t he writing more? I guess all that writing gets in the way of the narration and vice versa. Regardless, you really feel like Scarlato is Frankie. I suppose as that comes from him having written the character, he knows every nuance and emotion of the man. That is a benefit of being both a writer and narrator of the book. I don't think there is a genre Scarlato can't write as he seems to cover different genres with ease from I have seen.

Listening to Frankie's plight is enjoyable; you will snicker, belly laugh, and even guffaw once or twice. Scarlato has comedic timing down to a science. I would really like to see this as a movie, it would be unstoppable, but I could also see this being a two hour Netflix film that transitions into several other two hour flicks. Frankie is just that interesting of a character. Like I said, I could have chosen a number of other books that he’d written, several with more of a fantasy flair that would have probably fit in a touch better on this show, but Frankie is a skillfully done piece of work that really stands out among a lot of other amazing stories. That in itself should say something about this work, as I really do prefer supernatural or straight up horror stories to real life styled stuff, but Frankie really stands out to me. I don’t know if it is the humor, the characterization, the craziness in the story itself (as in what he endures), or any other number of things. All I do know is that I loved the story and the character and I think that if you are looking for a break from Litrpg, but want to support the members of the community then this is a fantastic place to start. In all seriousness folks, check this book out it is fun, funny, and touching. Plus it is a rare chance to get a book that is written by an apt author and deftly narrated by the same person. Most people who narrate their own stuff can’t handle the voice work, and most narrators couldn’t put their stories to paper properly, so take a chance and listen to a man that can do both.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 036 - Radioactive Evolution, Dan the Adventurer 2, Siphon, Supers - Ex Heroes 2

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Radioactive Evolution : A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure (00:21)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Kfx9bh

Dan the Adventurer : Gold Girls and Glory, Book 2 (13:56)

Score: 8.45 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2I2c7ez

Siphon : A Touch of Power, Book 1 (26:58)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2VwFlFy

Supers - Ex Heroes 2 : A Gamelit Space Opera (54:24)

Score: 8.35 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2I4Amsx

---------------------------

Radioactive Evolution

A Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Adventure

By: Richard Hummel

Narrated by: Armen Taylor, Anneliese Rennie

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Pause

The first thing I should say about this book is that I loved it. No, no, that’s short changing it. I freaking loved this book. I generally use a couple of criteria to tell if a book is really good. The first is the sleep test. If I fall asleep without prompting it isn’t a good sign. When I go to bed I usually leave the book on for fifteen minutes, and pass out after that is over. If I fall asleep, no matter how tired I am, it isn’t a good sign. If I stay away its good. If I listen to it for the whole fifteen minutes, and reset it its better, and if I do that for a second time or more The book really has my interest. There’s only been a few that I’ve tagged three times or so. This is one of them. Another indicator is when my son, Prop guy, goes for a ride with me and has me pause the book to update him on what happened before he came in, and what the name of the book is because he wants to read it, tells me it is good. And that is exactly what happened. He became very vested in the story by the time our ride was over. So, given that I wanted to listen to this book every opportunity I had, and that Prop guys was interested after only a few moments I know this is an excellent book. It kept me riveted throughout, I only had two drawbacks to the book, and they were minor.

First, this is what I would call lite Litrpg, the elements are all there but not in a way that they pop up continuously. There is progression and increases to stats, but not a ton of the rpg stuff, and that’s fine. I’m only throwing this out as a heads up for people who like their stuff a lot more heavy. I’m cool so long as a story has some elements, and it does.

My only issue was that the advancement/progression wasn’t very refined. It runs off of percentage points, which I completely get. I’m terrible at math and stats is hard, so making things easy by going with percentages was smart, but it never really detailed what the percentages did when they were applied other than to say they assigned 35% to this ability or stat. I followed, but it needed some more mechanical work before it left the garage. Again, nothing major, but it needs noting.

Anyway, the book is set in a post apocalyptic setting in which radiation threatens to wipe out the humans left on the earth unless they receive periodic shots of nanites from the upper class dudes that done escaped on floating cities. Life below is heard, life above, not so much. The MC, Jared, is an explorer who scouts out areas looking for anything he can salvage. He ends up being led into an area that gives him some pretty good loot, after following in the footsteps of another dead explorer. He manages to find a few nanites injectors and a mysterious stone before being forced to flee when the sounds of a large monster makes itself known. He later discovers that he has stolen a dragon’s egg and ends up bonding to it via a special set of nanites. I honestly thought that this was the way that Dragon Seed was going to go, but that book really emphasized becoming a rider before you got to meet the dragon. Here we get to see the dragon go from hatchling into horror as it grows and maxes itself out.

The interplay between Jared and Scarlet (the Dragon) is really well done, and it feels natural and organic. They play well off of one another, and this is the best part of the story. To me, the only time that the story slightly bogs down is when they focus on other creatures like the Mer-people or the dragons. I get that they both need some sort of love interests, but the book really flows when it is just them against the world. I think the nanites interaction was fun, and a great way to deal with the dystopian issues that they faced.

The narration was just banging. The tag team of Armen Taylor and Anneliese Rennie was just unstoppable. Like Jared and Scarlet they played well off of each other. Taylor has a presence and a voice that makes me wonder why he’s not sought after more often. Aside from Hummel the only other LITRPG authors who’ve used him have been James Hunter and Chris Carney. Rennie brings a nice sardonic attitude to the dragon, and lets you believe that the dragon can be wise beyond her years while still being played as young. It’s a nice balancing act. It was good to hear her voicing Scarlet. She made this just as fun as Taylor, and I look forward to the next installment.

Form me, this was a couldn’t put it down once I got started kinda book, and I think you’ll feel the same way. The book ended in a nice solid place, the characters were well fleshed out, as was the world (although I did have some questions that might not have been fully answered, like how did all the animals get nanites, or keep getting them is the bigger question).

Final score, 8.5 stars. Man this was a fun ride.

----------------

Dan the Adventurer

Gold Girls and Glory, Book 2

By: Hondo Jinx

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: Gold Girls and Glory, Book 2

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

Aw geez, another great book to review this week. Dan the Adventurer is pure cheesy fun. It’s kind of like Conan mixed with a Saturday morning adult cartoon. Silly, fun, and sexy but not made for kids. This is just a brilliant series from concept to completion on the page, or in this case, my ears.

This time around we leave the campus to go and visit Dan’s new In-laws. Now, speaking as a married man there are few words that will send a shiver down your spine faster than the I hyphen L word. So, I can understand when he would rather face down the Mafioso type dude that is looking for him than go on a vacation in the forest to meet his new mom and pops.

There is a lot that happens in this book. Dan gets to meet his D-bag dipped in an A-hole brother in law, gets the cold shoulder from his new mama, and a super stink eye from his pappy in law. Standard marriage stuff, but soon the fun all comes to an end when some extra dimensional monsters start ripping up the forest, and a band of raiders decides to wipe out an entire race of elves. A race that Dan, ever the barbarian, wants as little to do with as possible, cause he has crap to do elsewhere, and these folks are just slowing down his quest. Hell, the sidequest becomes the main quest, and soon he is helping the fire elves rebuild, regroup, and regrow as a race.

As I will say in another segment later, the sex scenes are just as engrossing as the battles. There is always a purpose behind each one, and poor Dan has the onerous burden of having to please his ladies, while fighting of the advances of a horny red-faced hobgoblin, and defending the fire elves keep. One does wonder when he finds time to sleep. One thing that kind of surprised me was just how little we get to see Dan level, he goes through hell, but we only get to see him level once. I’d have thought that he had gained at least three levels just dealing with the extradimensionals.

Now, I will say that this is Andrea’s show. Man she is in complete command here and there is no question of her masculinity as she helms her Dan puppet through the storyline. I just talked about how amazing she was in KT Hana’s Fragments, but I have to say this is really some of her best work. She places soooo much emotion into one little word, please, that it really hit me deep in my feels. There is a scene where the hobgobolin warrior maiden is literally begging Dan to have his way with her, and she just says one word. One word. Please. Just that please made me want to say Dammit Dan, if you can’t pony up I’ll do it. That girl needs some lovin. Truthfully, I am not into red-faced muscular green gals. Definitely not my type, but Andrea filled that one little word with so much emotion that it moved me, mentally and emotionally. That is narration power. That is a mastery that few ever achieve. I say it repeatedly, Andrea puts so much emotion into her characters that they become real. I have no doubt one day she’s going to go overboard and she’s gonna end up having a Purple Rose of Cairo situation on her hands. It’s a movie, go watch it, it ain’t half bad.

So, the book is amazing good fun. I love the characters and the adventures, and Dan just shows you what a modern barbarian is like. I am loving this series. It is solid as granite. Final Score 8.45 stars.

------------------------

Siphon

A Touch of Power, Book 1

By: Jay Boyce

Narrated by: Samara Naeymi

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Pause

MountainDale Press is really kicking some serious butt. I have to say that I thought that Advent would be a tough book to follow, but Siphon manages to keep up with the pressure Xander Boyce instituted when he set so high a bar. Two Boyces bringing their A games, if I was an established writer out there right now I’d be scered because these two have some serious talent. So let me tell you about Jay for a second, her style is pretty laid back. This is one of those books that does not focus on much fighting, and you barely noticed that very little blood was shed. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few monster attacks, but overall the book is about a girl from earth who was always on the brink of dying, that ends up in a magical realm with game-like rules after she shuffles off her Earthly mortal coil.

How bad is it for her? She literally has to learn to eat and walk. Luckily for her she has the ability to siphon stats and skills from the people she touches. This allows her to learn anything and increase her stats far more easily than if she had to go about it the normal route. Which is fortunate because she is pretty weak when she first arrives in Dragonia.

The book is a fun, dare I say it?, Slice of Life (wince) in which we basically just follow the MC, Jade, around as she meets people and sucks them dry of their powers, so to speak. There were just a few flaws. First, there are a ton of secondary characters. So many that towards the end there was a point that she was rattling them all off and it felt like the end of Romper Room, I see the King, and jared, Susan, Dave, Bob, Tom, Charles, Ramon, etc. They tended to get a little lost in the mix. I went more by their job titles than names like Prince, Spymaster, Librarian, and so on. Secondly, there is very little conflict in the book and by that I mean that nothing that jade does is wrong. She is mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way, and all I can say is if someone acted that way around me that’d be up for a right smack. Taking things just because she wanted them, like the Prince’s library card was vey childish. I have to admit that it fit the character, as she had little interaction with people prior to coming to the new world, but it was very childish and everyone just over looked it. Personally, it was fun to listen to her do her stuff, but if I knew her in real life I would want to throw her down a flight of stairs for being so entitled.

My biggest beef is that this is an audiobook, and there were a lot of places that just went on and on endlessly about stats and abilities. They were repeated ad nauseam, thankfully there was a point where it stopped saying you have touched so and so, would you like to siphon strength, intelligence, luck, wisdom, etc over and over. I think once or twice with that stuff on audible is enough after that it becomes an unfun repetitious mess. All that was really necessary was to disclose what she took, and what the results were and it would have been a lot smoother. I will admit that about three times I jumped over those parts because it just went on and on. I don’t listen to Thoreau’s Walden on audible because I can’t stand him listing everything out as he does there. I only point this out because it is done a lot. I hope next time around the audible version gets that stuff trimmed back, or follow the lead of the great Charles Dean, and just list all of your changes at the end of a chapter.

Samara Naeymi, a newbie to our neck of the LITRPG neck of the woods narrates this tale, and I think she does a decent job. She reads out the story in a sublime way, very mellow, very relaxed, but when she has too she does manage to amp it up, such as when Jade cries out for help. This was better than average narration that could find a home here if she wanted it. The only part that I had to question was when the word brassiere came up. What was described were braziers. What was said was brassiere. I know, because I went back and listened to it three times to make certain that I hadn’t imagined it. I have no problems with little mistakes here and there, but when you are talking about something holding glowing coals it is important to use the right word. I’m not sure if it was Boyce who wrote the wrong word or if Samara said the wrong word but it made me laugh.

While it might seem like I was just crushing the book, I really liked it. It has a lot going on, and I think with some tweaking it could be really great. Final score 8.1

---------------------

Supers - Ex Heroes 2

A Gamelit Space Opera

By: Jamie Hawke

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Yvonne Sinn, Carly Crawford

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Pause

My Soundbooth spotlight for this week is Super-Ex Heroes 2. In honor of the SBT team taking on some “burlesque” names I decided that I will refer to Justin Thomas James as Smokewagon James for this review. One, because he has that smokey voice that clouds your mind as he speaks, and the other is that a smokewagon is another name for a handgun. I think the Euphamism is clear, and the connotation should go unquestioned. I will be reviewing with my own Burlesque name, going by the non de plume of Belly Bucker. I even had to grow this awesome Burlesque mustache for this segment.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book much more than I did the first one, and I liked it a lot. It had some great pacing and the storyline just kind of came together. We get to see Breaker do some new things, and add a member to the slowly growing harem. The only negative was that one of the most interesting characters, Charm, is absent for a good chunk of the book. Naturally, the book revolves around the remaining members of the team trying to rescue her. It is all bloody good fun and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I honestly thing that a bonus is that these books are short in length, under 7 hours, which means I have no problem finishing it up completely in one day. I like it because it keeps the book light and fastpaced.

The sex scenes are hot and steamy and the fights are fast and furious. Oops, hope I didn’t step on a trademark. The funniest part of the book is how Breaker keeps getting offered sex, and has to turn it down due to some outside factor, and when he actually tries to woe a bedmate things don’t go as planned. That is the best part of this novel, the desire competing with the denial, just as it is in real life. The sex scenes are tastefully done, and I have to say that those tow burlesquey ladies really know how to paint a mental picture.

So, you’re yelling at me to tell you a little about the book itself. Whelp it picks up right where the other left off, and the team finds themselves trapped in another dimension. A place where their powers don’t work right, or not at all. Once Charm gets snagged the team does their best to find her, but that doesn’t stop Breaker from stealing quinjettes or fighting in an arena to level up. I think Breaker actually grows a lot in this book, and it was nice to see him dedicated to his team of ladies.

The SBT sound team rocked this out. Like I said, the ladies, Yvonne Sinn & Carly Crawford know how to make hot and bothered look like it was taking a nap while horny and ready to go took their place. The only thing missing was some bronchikawowwow music when they character started to get it on. Smokewagon, you are pretty sweet on the keyboard, you might want to add that in next time for flavor. I could listen to their dulcet tones and be mesmerized easily. Smokewagon James manages to play Breaker as a dude who is just a little unsure of himself, but coming into his own. You can still hear a little of Breaker’s awkwardness, but it is slowly sloughed off as he begins to come into his own.

His own what? No, I did not just go there. Blame the mustache. I’ve gotta go shave this off. I’m glad I recorded this segment first or I think I’d be outta control before the show was really finished. Maybe I’ll tape the end segment next, and then shave it.

Either way this was a real blast, SBT brought their A game and converted it into a whole alphabet. Final score 8.35 stars.

-------------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 035 - Couch Potato Chaos, Somnia Online Bk 3, War Aeternus Bk 4, Far Cry: Absolution

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Couch Potato Chaos: Gamebound (00:26)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WjNTzm

Fragments - Somnia Online, Book 3 (15:30)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2YnhMR3

Harbinger of Ash: War Aeternus, Book 4 (29:25)

Score: 8.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2OqHJe7

Game Worlds Segment - Far Cry: Absolution (44:34)

https://amzn.to/2CBEnA4

--------------------------

Couch Potato Chaos: Gamebound

By: Erik Rounds

Narrated by: Sarah Sampino

Length: 17 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

When I first saw this title I said, finally, someone has written a book for me. I am a loud proud and avowed couch potato. So. I was intrigued. The story is one that you see in nearly every LITRPG novel, a gamer gets sucked into a game, but I have to say that it has a few aspects that differentiated itself right out of the gate.

The book centers on an unassuming young lady who is over worked, under appreciated, and underpaid, who is given an option when she is heading home one night. She can either follow one route to excitement and adventure or follow the other path back to warmth and comfort. I have to say that this was pivotal moment for me as a listener, because if she had followed the path to adventure I would have called shenanigans and gone my merry way. No real couch potato, regardless of gaming love or experience, would EVER go somewhere that required exercise. So, that hurdle jumped my suspension of disbelief became solid and I settled into the story.

The book takes its gaming stuff in a neat direction with the couch potato class that the MC, Tasha, is granted. Her abilities and strengths fluxuate by how entertained she is. I just picture Russell Crowe screaming, “Are you not entertained?”. So, she also has to make herself happy in order to enjoy the full benefits of the class. I wasn’t wowed by the variations that made the game about earning hearts and magic vials, but I was absolutely blown away by the ramifications of death and respawn. It made the whole concept creepy and not something that you’d just shrug off as another death. In fact, I think that was my favorite gaming aspect of the book. I think it was smart and well played. I also enjoyed the stat shuffling ability, but I think that it was underplayed, and should have been used more.

The book has some hit or miss humor, bouncing from jokes to parody, but it does pay homage to a lot of games and pop culture. Overall the book becomes what is often referred to as a slice of life piece, and I am not a fan of life slices unless it comes from Dexter Morgan. My only real complaint came from the portrayal of autism in the book. Speaking as the father of two children with autism I don’t think that Erik knows how it works. I will humbly apologize if you have kids or someone close to you with the illness but it did not come across like you were familiar with it, and had only read about it. It just looked like the perspective of someone who sort of has an idea of what it is, rather than having an understanding about it. Still, that did not taint my perspective of the novel overall. I will say that the book did seem like it needed some trimming, as it was rather long and there were some things that felt like they’d been tossed in just to make sure they got into the book. I think for a debut novel the book should have been about half its size, so that it could have flowed much easier and not felt like things had just been injected for the sake if getting it in. I will say that it has some really good secondary characters

The narration is pretty good. I was not familiar with Sarah Sampino prior to this, but I think she did an excellent job. The only issues I had were that on occasion I had a little difficulty telling part who was speaking until it was sentence tagged, as in Ari or Pan said . . . . Her style and delivery were nice, and she was pleasant to listen to as she told the story.

Final score is a 7.7, with one extra point tossed in for a War Aeternus shout out. I think there is a lot of potential for the next book, I would just cut it back a bit. Oh, and watch it with those cliffhangers!

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Fragments

Somnia Online, Book 3

By: K.T. Hanna

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

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Whelp, we make it back to the land of Somnia, and things have really improved. If you saw my review of the last book you’d know that one of my biggest issues was the war that Murmur just snapped over her predicament and how it sort of drove the entire story. Well, good news, while we see a few brief glimpses of her anger over how she was treated for the most part, this book just gets back into the business of her leveling and learning bits and secrets of the world she is trapped in. Honestly, this is the way the last book should have gone. Murmur’s acceptance could have come a lot sooner and the way she dealt with her coming to terms with things.

As things go, the book picks up where the last one left off, but also picks up its tone. To me the last book was really about some self pity and misplaced anger. This book returns to the hopeful Murmur that I really enjoyed before. The other characters also transition from background people to actually having some sort of personalities and depth other than protect Mumur. Not that they weren’t developed before, but here they all get chances to shine.

Mur and her team tackle two dungeons, in search of some keys to the world that will provide them with greater power to deal with upcoming events. I want to stress that is a pleasant surprise to not just get hampered down with the usual smash and slash mentality that usually infuses LIT novels. The characters actually think and use their heads in order to succeed. It’s nice to get that, even though I can respect the other just as much. I like a good beheading just as much as seeing someone use their head in a game.

Its also nice to see Hanna changing the game up with the AI stuff as well. There is far more afoot than even the top game controllers seem to know, which means either things are really going pear shaped in the game, or one of the AI’s is flat out lying about what they know. If it’s the latter I know everyone is going to be putting their money on a certain crazy AI who just wants to eat braiiiiiiins, but I don’t think he is that sneaky.

Either way, this story has some real depth, and the danger that Mur is in continues to grow, both inside and outside of the game world. She is only partially aware of what is really going on around her and of all the plots that stand to kill her permanently one way or another. I think Hanna really got her footing back with this story, and that’s not to say that she didn’t do well on book two, but you can plainly see that she gained her traction back with this book. The characters all pop, the plot is no longer derailed by Murmur’s anger, and seems amped up with the growth that she is finally beginning to display. While Mur seems to grow more in levels than she does emotionally this book finally gives us both, and it was pretty cool. I enjoyed this.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat myself here. Andrea Parsenau just continues to grow as a narrator. The woman can infuse so much emotion into the most minute dialogue that it forces me to say that not all of the best actors are on screen or win academy awards. She vocally animates this book, and brings it to life in a way that is rarely captured on screen. For an audiobook it is absolutely magical. She makes me see facial expressions that are fully realized when a character speaks, and she can drive a scene like Mario Andretti in the Mach 5. I apologize to anyone under the age of thirty that did not get that reference. All I can say is look it up. Point is this lady is true master vocalist and she can tell a story.

Final score is an 8.3 stars. This serialized novel finally feels like it has a purpose and a direction that the first one had, and I am glad to see it get some serious legs.

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And my SoundBooth Spotlight for this week is . . . . . . . . . .duhn duhn dhun!

Harbinger of Ash: War Aeternus, Book 4

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

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Dean definitely darkens the tone of book four, but in a good way. I think that Lee is his moral sounding board, and lets him see what he can get away with, for example in the last novel he went to a point where the weak were killed. Here, he forces Lee to do terrible things all in the name of goodness. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I think that this is the way Dean drives that point home.

In the last novel a new character, Jade, was introduced and I know that she is a character that Charles loves, but I also know that there are some people that don’t share that sentiment. I like Jade, but then she is pretty similar to a character from the Bathrobe Knight series that my kids and I absolutely loved. I think that she really grows as a character in this book, and a lot of her personality is explained that really helps to flesh her out and will probably change some minds. Lee is coming to terms with the fact that he’s not only going to have to do some dastardly crap before his time in the game is up, and that includes the possibility of him cheating on Mosha.

This book has a lot going on in it. There is a pretty out of the blue revelation regarding Mosha’s father, and there are a couple of amazing characters that show up named Johnson and Ray who just steal the show in every scene. On a serious note, this book never slowed down, and when they weren’t fighting there was intrigue among the gods, Lee finally meets some relatives, and he comes to see Jade in a new light. We get Brigid to return, meet one of her relatives, and get to deal with a new crazy herald that makes Freddy Krueger look like a Sunday school teacher.

I’ll hand it to Dean, the writing is tight, fast paced, and quick witted. All of the jokes land and stick it. This is some of his best work, and I’d say that putting him up against anyone in the field. The series only continues to improve as we roll along. I think my favorite part of the book was seeing how the dishonorable trait functioned, and exactly how it impacted his actions. It was hilarious and made me laugh outloud. It is little stuff like that that is so well thought out and adds to the series in just a minor but impactful way that makes this series standout to me. I believe that his dishonorable trait is going to play a much larger role later one.

So, I want to talk about Soundbooth. They do such an amazing job here. There are dream sequences that have this eerie background noise that is hyper effective in amping up the raw creepiness factor. Their sound effects work rather sublimely, and the Miller Shout, for example literally rolls through the air like it is on surround sound. Jeff and Annie really bring out the angst of their characters, but they also make the verbal banter and repartee fun. Jeff absolutely knows how to read a humorous scene and then flip over to pissed off in the next breath. He’s got Olympic level verbal gymnastic skills. Annie blows Brigid out of the water with a mix of humility and honor. I think the scene in which Brigid confronts Lee about their emotions is uber powerful. That’s romance writing right there. Of course, I’m still on team Mosha.

The only setback for me, and I’ve said it before, was the lack of Miller. We get lots of Dave, but Miller just kind of pops up rather than being part of the ride along. I need more Miller. The world needs more Miller.

My final score is an 8.8. I enjoyed this a lot, but the internal debate that Lee has over his women could have been cut back a bit. I know he’s struggling, but it isn’t fun to hear someone lament that they will have to end up sleeping with tons of hot chicks and they regret it. Still, an amazing read. I can’t wait for the next one.

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Game Worlds!!!!!!

Far Cry: Absolution

By: Urban Waite

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

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Awright, awright, awright. This is the first official Game Worlds segment, where I look at actual books that are connected in some way to games, be they board or video. So, I’m not sure, but I think Ramon played the clip of me playing some Farcry 5. You can tell it was me because of my massive amount of suckage. I asked my son to record me playing, and he just focused on the game, but it was me. Anyway, it is a fun game, although I do have a hard time driving.

The book, if I can focus on that is a prequel to FC5, and it does a good job of setting things up for you as to what is exactly going on, and what your character in the game will be facing, I actually suggest that you read this before you play, rather than after. That was NOT how I did it, and you can look at it one of two ways. One, I pretty much knew who was and wasn’t going to make it, since dead people tend to not pop up during gameplay in a non-supernatural shooter. So, you won’t wonder who makes it and who doesn’t. Or you can just look at it as a bit of fluff and fun to help flesh out the game world.

I myself feel like the book had much more menace than the game, and it was really dark. The book held no joy. This felt like Deliverance cranked up to 11 with some backwards bumpkins using religion to Ned Beatty the town they lived in. If you know the reference you know what Imma talkin about. If not, look it up. It’ll make this even more creepy.

The book focuses on a fella who is on the fringe of the cult, and has never really become a part of it. He’s ex-military, an expert tracker, and a decent shot. His name is Will, and the story centers on his struggle to come to term with how he maintains a relationship with the insane cult in spite of his self denial of what they do. He knows they aren’t right in their heads, but can’t quite seem to step away from them either. Now, you can look at the book one of two ways. First is that it is just fluff meant to build up some stuff to flesh out your understanding of what the goes on in the game, or you can look at it as a nice stand alone novel. See, the book really doesn’t fill you in on what you’d expect, which would maybe be the rise of John Seed and how he garnered so much power. That is only tangently explained at best, and centers on how the cult began to exert its power.

The book, to me, is pretty powerful and well written. I enjoyed many aspects, when I really just expected fluff. I think Urban Waite is a great writer, who knows how to channel perspective filled with emotion. The only downside to the novel is that it doesn’t really have much to do with the gameplay. No big reveals or revelations, no impact at all. A few name changes and it could have been a novel unto itself. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the book, but it did have a generic feel to it. It wasn’t exactly specific to Far Cry, unlike a book about 5 nights at freddy’s would have to be.

The narration fits the storyline. It sounds like it is being told from the perspective of a grizzled old Vietnam vet who pretty much just wants to live alone and forget the world outside of him. The problem is that while it completely fits the character of Will, it can also come across as more than a little monotone to some people. While I enjoyed it, I have to admit that the direction to use Will’s voice for the entire novel might have been a bad idea.

Overall, I do believe the story is worthwhile, especially if you want to get a better idea of events that transpire just prior to you starting out as a nameless deputy. As a tie in though, I have to say that the tale, while really well written, is fairly generic in the manner that it could have been a novel unto itself with a few changes here and there and just told great story about an average everyday doomsday cult.

I’d say that if you like Far Cry then give it a listen and enjoy. If not then the book probably won’t provide much interest because it really had no game play elements to it at all. You’d never know that it was set in a Game World.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 034 - The Song Maiden, Civil War, First Song, Hounded

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Song Maiden: A LitRPG Journey

The Uniworld Online Trilogy, Book 1

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2CgANeQ

Civil War (The Rogue Dungeon, Book 2)

Score: 8.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2TA8dj5

First Song

Anthem of Infinity Series, Book 1

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Chjiea

What Else have they done? Luke Daniels!!!!

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

https://amzn.to/2EXjeku

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Hello everyone, welcome to the LITRPG Audiobook Podcast. My name is Ray and I will be reviewing some current and classic Litrpg audio books for you. You may have recognized that I do like to theme out the shows whenever I can, and today I have a mixed bag. I am going to focus on two collaborations, and two musically themed books. So, I really can’t wait.Today I am starting with:

The Song Maiden: A LitRPG Journey

The Uniworld Online Trilogy, Book 1

By: Jonathan Brooks

Narrated by: Anneliese Rennie

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

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This is a book that I was admittedly disappointed in as soon as I heard Anneliese Rennie wasn’t lending her singing pipes to, I mean she does a wicked Carpenter imitation, so I had thought she was going to be cranking out some tunes that I could sing by as I listened. But alas, that is not the case, but there is a reason for it and I will explain. Overlooking that I think the book had some things going for it, and it also threw some stuff at us so far out of left field that it actually came from over the stadium walls.

The book is about a mute gal whose hippy musician parents settle down and raise her with a love of music, to a point at which she can pretty much play anything she lays her hands on s long as it doesn’t require her to blow into it. So, no piccolo solo’s for her. On her first day at college things go pear-shaped in a pretty horrific way for her, and she ends up hospitalized and unable to communicate since she cannot use her hands to write with. Her bestie buys her a VR set and a game to keep her occupied while she is bed bound and she goes in totally clueless as to what she is to do.

The cool beans aspect for her is that the game actually provides her with a voice, one she constructs on her own. Which allows her to talk for the first time in her life. She enters the game and then proceeds to do everything a normal player wouldn’t. She befriends townsfolks instead of questing, she never gets a class, or bothers to level. Cadence, the MC, basically shoots the breeze more than she shoots a bow just from her excitement of being able to talk for the first time, and to me this was probably about as realistic as it gets. Someone who has been gagged since the day they were born is suddenly given the ability to say something and you think they’re going to want to go around swinging a sword? I don’t think so. It really fit.

The book slowly becomes a standard LITRPG story, with her leveling and travelling around in group. Another aspect I liked was that Cadence chooses to become a Bard in spite of being a low charisma dwarf. Naturally, she manages to skirt the penalties of her new class, and becomes op to a degree later on as her charisma skyrockets. That was my least favorite aspect, because it went from having a really great premise to becoming a little predictable. Also, the reason that we don’t get Rennie singing is because Cadance uses her perfect voice recall to imitate singers that fit the mood she is in, and sadly she never felt like Karen Carpenter. Actually, Rennie really couldn’t do much singing because the lyrics weren’t overly long, just one or two lines and I think it worked best with her reading them.

The one thing that completely blew my mind was the love scene that came out of no where. Up to that point I was really thinking that this was a great book for my kids to listen to. I’m no prude, and Lesbian scenes neither shock nor offend me but that kind of came out of nowhere and it didn’t feel organic. It felt shoehorned in. Up to that point the story did not scream for a graphic sex scene to appear, it almost felt like Brooks wanted to adult up his tale to draw in the Harem crowd people, and I will even go one further, it would have been much more organic if it had been her best friend who had been the one to initiate the sex, but she wasn’t. It was just out of place and it was jolting. Thankfully Cadence didn’t moon over the encounter for chapter after chapter like I expected.

Rennie does a great job here and she adds a lot of emotional credence to Cadence’s struggles. You can feel her pain from the emotional barrage she gets from her professor, to the physical that she endures that puts her in the hospital. Now, I will say that the bonds of credulity were stretched just a bit at the end when it is revealed just who it was that attacked her, but even then Rennie plays it smooth and carries the story like a champ. She’s never let me down as a narrator, and I know she has the goods to deliver a great tale.

Final score is going to be a bit wonky. I had planned on an 8.2 as I listened, but the sex scene and the over done villain reveal took it down a few pegs. I would have like to have let my younger kids listen to this in the car, but the out of nowhere sex killed that idea, and I don’t want you to think I am knocking this back because my kids couldn’t listen. It is because the scene blew in out of nowhere and really did nothing to add to the story. Also, it was very trite in making the attackers who they were. The odds of it eve being possible that it was them are so astronomical that it is a little insulting Brooks to assume that we would even believe it to be slightly possible. Final score, 7.9 stars, would have be higher but stuff happens.

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Civil War (The Rogue Dungeon, Book 2)

By: James Hunter, eden Hudson

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Series: The Rogue Dungeon, Book 2

Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins

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Roark returns in a wonderfully penned tale about his struggle to gain dominance in his dungeon. That is what the title Civil War refers too, in case you were thinking that Captain America or Iron Man were going to show up somewhere along the lines. We do get Cooter Joe and Powner Boner back for more, so that is a plus, and I have to say that Pwner Boner is one of my favorite jerks of all time.

Like I said, the dungeon is embroiled in a uncivil war, and Roark is beset on quite a few fronts as he has to fend off player incursions, assaults from unfriendlies from the lower levels, and even some Dev concerns that he isn’t quite aware of. That is one thing that I think is so slick about this series, it meshes three different dimensions together, Roark’s world, the Game world, and the player’s universe.

This edition of the series is where the steam starts picking up. Book one had a great intro and set up, but this is where things really take off. We get bigger fights, more evolutions, and alliances between different floors. My mad man Kaz tears up as a master chef, and Zyra takes ass kicking to a whole new level. I’d love to see a reference to Kaz becoming an Iron Chef. He gets a cool tenderizer, but he needs a good cleaver and sharpening tool.

We also get to see some crafting, so fans of this portion of gaming will be happy, as will the builders, as Roark goes on and reconfigures his level several times. There is also an addition of some NPC trainers who are actually interesting, and Kaz gets a love interest.

The only part of the book that I struggle with is the burgeoning romance vibes that I get from Roark and Zyra. That is not a happy thing. Zyra is a monster that loves blood and killing, Roark only kills because he has to and wants to save his people. Once this whole battle is done and he can go home he’s either going to stay or take her with him, and if she becomes human I doubt that she’s going to want to go around not killing people all day. AS much as I wish it so I don’t see Roark loving his life as a troll. He’s never once mentioned how much better it as than his being a human, so . . .problems. Either way, I gotten put points into Hudson and Hunter to do the right thing. They have a plan.

I will reiterate that I am always amazed at how great James manages to meld his writing style with that of whomever he partners with in so flawless a manner. The writing here is smooth, flawless, and well paced. They action picks up and never lets up. The characterizations are well done, and I have to say that as much as I like my beefy chef, Zyra has stolen my cholesterol clogged heart. I think I like her more than Roark, but then kick butt assassin chicks have always been my weakness. Actually I am attracted to crazy more than kick buttiness, but we’ll leave my personal life out of this discussion.

What can I say about Nick Pohdel? What haven’t I said already? He plays this series like he was in the world series of poker holding four aces. He powns it. See what I did there? Nick really makes this super fun, and while I think that his weakest point as a narrator is that he can’t do a dozen different female voices that the ones he has here work really well, and are distinctive unto themselves.

I kind of boxed myself in with my review of the first book, because I think I hit it at an 8.5, and I loved this book. 8.7 stars.

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First Song

Anthem of Infinity Series, Book 1

By: Blaise Corvin, Outspan Foster, Blaise Corvin - foreword

Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

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I have to say this was a weird book for me, in fact, I kinda think it was a first. I am always going to be truthful about things and I have to admit that when the book first started I wasn’t a fan. The writing was good, but I really hated the entire apocalyptic setting. The MC, who pretty much lived out the embodiment of the name worm that was given to him by some raiders wasn’t someone I cared about. I actually hoped he’d die, and I actually thought that he would since he very clearly was not the dude on the book’s cover. I enjoy bleak, but I don’t enjoy weak or whiny and that was what worm was, he was a punk.

SO, I don’t want to hit you with spoilers, but I will say that the book makes for a huge change part way in, and the Worm turns. Yes, I went there. Worm then sort of becomes Noah, the guy he should have been all along. And in that instance the entire tone of the book shifts. Worm dries up in the sun and Noah takes his place. Noah is a take no BS kinda guy who sets about taking care of business. See, he can do things to prevent the events that created worm and crushed humanity in a punked out apocalypse from being quite so harsh because of a little thing called . . . ah, ah, spoilers. (Maybe add in the tardis sound just as a hint maybe let it run about 5 seconds). Anyway, Noah very calculatingly implements a 20 year plan to help prep and prepare for an invasion of alien beings called Aelves. No these guys are tougher, faste, and stronger than humans, they can perform magic, and they like to eat humans. So baddies all around. I have to say that it is the building aspect that I truly loved so much. The planning, the prep, the sacrifice, that is the stuff I am a sucker for and I loved it. My favorite part of the book was the scheming baby, you’ll know it when you get there. That was the best. And, when we finally return to the apocalypse I actually found myself looking forward to it. That was when the book really hit 3rd gear and started moving because I was admittedly in need of some action.

So, while the book might have started off a little slow with an unlikable character (for me, and I have to say I really don’t believe that we were ever supposed to LIKE Worm. Sympathize? Yeah, but not like.) He was cowardly and did some reprehensible stuff like going along with the slave trade. So, I really had no empathy for the dude, but once he transformed himself from a spineless wimp into a determined Noah I was cheering him on all the way.

The aelves seem to make some pretty good villains, and I highly anticipate more of them in book 2, because Noah has a bond with one of the higher ups that he is going to have to deal with at some point.

Corvin and Foster do an admirable job here tag teaming this piece of writing. I know I generally praise James Hunter for how well he meshes his writing with his partners so flawlessly, but I have to say that the pair here did a seamless job, and that I would be hard pressed to pick who did what or whose voice it was that we were really hearing. I honestly think that Corvin gave Foster his head, and allowed him just go crazy and if that is the case it was a wise move. It totally worked, and it is awesome to see a collaboration come together a well as this.

Ramon De Ocampo’s narration took me a little while t get used to, he was new to me, and I had to settle in and really listen, and I have to say that he grew on me the longer we went. I appreciated his voice, and the acting that he put into it. Everyone stood out as individual characters, and I never wondered who was speaking. The only thing I wish that he had done was to give the Aelves a distinctive accent. That would have really made them stand out to me, much in the way that all dwarves are Scottish sounding (even though I hate that trope). I kept going to Londo Mollari from Babylon Five, and how Peter Jurassic worked so hard to create a distinctive accent for his race, and then no other Centauri that appeared on the show ever used it. I would have really liked to have had something to say that it was an aelf speaking before I ever heard the character’s race mentioned. Otherwise, great job, and I look forward to more from him.

Overall, even though I was not a fan of the first part of the book just because I didn’t like Worm I think that it worked in making me hate him, because I liked him a lot by the end, and anticipated the Aelves attacking. Final score, 8.5.

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What Else have they done? Luke Daniels!!!!

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

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As a fan of Urban Fantasy I couldn’t help but bring in this book, and it is a really great vehicle for Luke Daniels. I would call this his signature series, even above all of the other Litrpg novels that he’s rocked out so hard like Advent, Ascend Online, Magic 2.0, and even Tamer. The character, the setting, and the conflict all combine into a zeitgeist for modern celtic mythology. Yeah, I’m pulling my Irish card here, and have to admit that I do have some ancestral pride in the hero being anyone other than Brian Boru or Cú Chulainn.

The story starts off with 21 year old book shop owner, Atticus O’Sullivan just having nice quiet day. Truth is he’s 21 centuries old and is hiding out in Arizona because of a centuries long ownership dispute over a magic sword. Atticus wants to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, but his ancient rival an old celtic god has discovered him and things go sideways rather fast for him. There are tons of sword fights, deadly magic, gods, and fey to make you want to pray for a movie to come along. The series, not just book 1, is just that good. Plus, it is infused with humor throughout, but doesn’t try to be funny. The humor is organic and comes about naturally.

The story is not only an excellent introduction for the series, but it sets up a lot of what is to come as Atticus deals with the Morrigan, werewolves, vampires, all of whom are ostensibly his allies. For me, the best part of the series is Atticus’s loyal Irish Wolfhound, Oberon. I will say that Hearn really knows how to mesh the ancient with the urban. He keeps the tale fluid, exciting and nail biting.

It is Daniels, however, that brings this tale to life. Like I said, my favorite thing about the books it Oberon, the dog. I could listen to Daniels voice that character all day long. He doesn’t pull a Scooby Doo or Astro voice. He makes the dog sound smart and excited, and I fully credit his portrayal of the beast for the reason Oberon became popular enough to warrant his own short story about Oberon and a Squirrel. How many times can I say Oberon in this paragraph?

Daniels pretty much uses he standard voice as Atticus, but he plays great Viking vampire and werewolf attorney. He also does a great job playing as a sexy bartender at Atticus’s favorite restaurant. He even pulls off a ghostly female hindu witch. Seriously, there is a reason that this guy plays in the major leagues. He is pretty hardcore. Without a doubt one of my top narrators.

The series is great early on, but I have to say that towards the end, i.e. the last 3 or so books, it does become kind of preachy about the environment. Still all the elements are there to make for a great Urban fantasy, and I have to say that this is probably one of the best known UF titles after the Dresden Files. You might argue Shayne Silvers, but to me this is in the same category as Dresden. Top notch story telling and unbelievable narration combine to keep you hooked. Trust me, once you start you won’t stop until you finish it up, and you will get the short stories as well. The only flaw in the whole series that I see is that the covers look like cheap knock offs from a failed Supernatural, i.e. Sam and Dean Winchester, series. The covers just don’t fit the look or feel of the series and they are what kept me from getting them for the longest time. Don’t miss out, this is Daniels definitive series. It will take a lot for him to top this line. I highly recommend this series if you are a fan of UF, fantasy in general, great storytelling, amazing characters, and original magic systems.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 033 - Dead Must Die, The Fabled Islands, Dragon Seed, VGO: Side Quests

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Dead Must Die - A Novella of the Realms

The Realms: Master of the Dungeon, Book 1 (A Humorous GameLit Adventure) (01:42)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2TdSYMG

The Fabled Islands (12:47)

A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Xz7Pjf

Dragon Seed: Archemi Online, Volume 1 (31:47)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2XyeBps

Viridian Gate Online: Side Quests: A litRPG Anthology (55:09)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NypvH2

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Dead Must Die - A Novella of the Realms

The Realms: Master of the Dungeon, Book 1 (A Humorous GameLit Adventure)

By: C. M. Carney

Narrated by: Reuben Corbett

Length: 1 hr and 56 mins

Pause

Full disclosure, I am huge fan of Chris Carney, and I am also a tried and true adorer of short stories. Seeing this it became a no brainer that I would be reviewing it. So, what’s the disclaimer? The novel centers on my least favorite character of the series, the boy Simon who ended up kind of inheriting the mantle of the dungeon that the lich king had been running. The dungeon is all his now, and it wants to merge with him and start munching on adventurers. So, even though it was about my least favorite character I still put on my unbiased earbuds and gave it a listen.

First and foremost I have to say that as much as I like Carney, his attempts at humor fell short with me. I don’t know if it was that the jokes were easy to see coming or if Corbett didn’t translate them from the page to my ears as well as he could have I don’t know. Either way, the humor took it down a little for me the longer the book went on.

On the upside, this almost becomes a dungeon core styled story. Almost, it had some of the elements, but never (most wisely) tried to become that. It stayed in its own little box with Simon mucking around with the dungeon and manipulating its inhabitants, but never became a full on core book.

I did enjoy the story when it wasn’t trying so hard to make me laugh. I really think that a straight story would have worked a lot better; something much more in the vein of the other Realms books that have humor, but not in such a rapid fire unrelenting way, but more spaced out. The book is a nice little gem that adds some flavor to the Realms, and will help feed your need for more stuff in the Realm settings.

The story is fairly fast paced and keeps you interested, and like I said before Simon is a character I could take or leave, and I found myself liking him more as the story went on. I was even glad to see that he had started dating.

I know the narrator, Rueben Corbett from another series that I read a few years back, Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns. He did a decent job there, and he does the same thing with this tale. The problem that I have is that I’m going to compare him to Armen Taylor no matter what, since Taylor narrates the other Realms books. I have to say that he holds up surprisingly well, too. He does the necessary voices and keeps the story as fun as he can. I had no problems with what he did here and think he was a good fit for the series.

I would happily listen to another short from this series, I just hope the humor isn’t as pervasive next time around. Final score 7.9.

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The Fabled Islands

A LitRPG Adventure, Book 1

By: Cameron Milan

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Pause

Well, here we are, yet another Cameron Milan story. I’ve reviewed a few of his books so far such as Desire and Zombie Slayer, but I have to say that this is probably my favorite of his series. Now, you may realize that as I have stated before that Milan has a habit of creating extremely OP characters and sometimes his dialogue is cartoonish. Coupling those things with weak narration and I wasn’t a big fan. The fact is I was pretty much done with his Desire series, but gave this a try because it was new.

So this is basically a YA title. AS in for Young adults, and I actually think that he is actually geared towards YA stuff rather then full blown hard core stuff. The over powered characters work well in this setting, as does his character’s speech patterns. I.E. “I’m gonna go beat him up and take his card. That works better in a book for youngsters than it does an adult. I don’t know why, but for me this worked way better than anything he’s written prior to this. His characters, the setting, and the gameplay all fit right into the YA mold pretty well. I believe that this might be a good way to break younger audiences into Gamelit/Litrpg stuff.

One thing that I liked a lot was the way that the game system employed the use of cards. It was, for me, different and I liked the concept a lot better than simple leveling. The way it works is that whenever you defeat an opponent they will drop a card that might boost your attributes, provide a power increase to your magic, or grant you a special ability such as water walking. There are also secret cards that you can find, or earn, so that you are always on the hunt for more cards to power you up. Also, each island that you go to provides different things. The island that Tristan hailed from was a place that had endless food supplies, and at the end of the book they were talking about going to treasure island. I wonder what will be there.

The story starts off with the MC, a young lad named Tristan, getting ready to defeat his last dungeon on Bountiful Island so that he can move on to bigger and better things. He’s trained his whole life to become a Brave, but he is really a Jack of all trades kind of character. On the way he runs into a girl. They become friends and he ends up mentoring her as they go from place to place until she levels up hard and helps him fight some baddies. The book is basically the pair wandering around and doing things, so it is a slice of life and I am not a big fan of those.

My problems were basically the same that I always seem to have with Milan, his characters are all OP and never seem to be in any danger. There is one scene where Tristan has his arm cut off and he’s just like, “Wow, that was a cool move! How’d you do that?” At no point did he say Crap, I just lost my arm. I’m gonna die. Stuff like that takes me right out of it, and I truly think that I would like his books a lot better if he toned his characters powers down because all you really do is follow the couple around as they kill stuff. I also have to wonder how YA the book actually is since there are some questionable scenes like when Tristan spies on some dwarves getting it on in their bedroom. Not exactly what I want my 13 year old to be reading.

Finally, I have to say that he has, at last, found a narrator who can do his story justice. Steve Campbell is probably the reason that I enjoyed this as much as I did. He makes wonky dialogue come off as normal and keeps the listener on the hook. Like I said with Zombie Slayer, the narration was weak and could not support the story. Here, Campbell keeps the story going when it might have petered out if he wasn’t here. I enjoyed his voices, and I’m glad to see him finally doing more Litrpg work.

Final score, 7.4 stars. This is a real step up from his other stories, and it is one I would happily let my younger kids listen to, so long as I got to do a little filtering.

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Dragon Seed: Archemi Online, Volume 1

By: James Osiris Baldwin

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Series: Archemi Online Series, Book 1

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

This is my much beloved and deeply missed Soundbooth Spotlight, I don’t know why it haven’t done more of these, but Never fear, there are more to come in the future. Dragon Seed is an excellent book that I enjoyed right from the start. In some ways, it reminded me of Dave Willmarth’s Dark Elf series and James Hunter’s Viridian Gate Online, as it starts out with a world ending sort of apocalypse when something called the Hex virus. It’s a virus that when you get it you have about 4 days to live, and it will be a nice slow and miserable kind of death. The MC, Hector Park, ends up getting Hex and leaves quarantine, as anyone who is infected should and goes looking for his brother. Turns out his bro is an important figure who just so happens to have a set up that will allow them to have their brains downloaded into a game in order to save their consciousnesses. So you can see the similarities, but that is all it is, pretty facile, and to be blunt it is hard to come up with new and creative ways to put people into game worlds. That wasn’t a plug for my new segment, either.

So, once in the game world we get to see a lot of PC options, and Hector wants to become a Dragon Rider, and what is cool is that he doesn’t automatically start off as one. He has to go through an entire series of events to actually EARN the class. That’s right, he has to earn the class, and if he fails there is no second chance. He can’t reapply. I liked that aspect a lot. Plus, there are some little hints as to what’s really going on, so pay attention to comments made about the NPC’s and their dreams. Also, this is one book where I think it is safe to actually view the NPC’s as being as real as the PC’s, since everyone that is playing the game is dead. They are just as electronically alive as the NPC’s, the only difference is that they get a respawn ability.

There are several things that I like about this book, but the primary ones are that we do not really get a definitive answer on what happened to Hector’s brother, nor do we get to find out if he makes it as a Dragon Knight until the end of the book. Also, there is the mystery of the NPC’s dreams that needs addressed, so while the book does a good job wrapping up its first act it unquestioningly has plenty of things to focus on in the following books. The only downside that I found was that it was predictable as to who was going to be the baddie that sticks it to Hector. I really saw the “twist” coming from a mile away, but then I never trust anybody so I’d never be surprised. Still lots of crunch and excellent game mechanics and a wonderfully built world.

Without a doubt one of the best things about this story was how it was handled by Soundbooth. The team really pulls out all the stops, and while they don’t hit the sound effects button on this book what they do is to add a wonderfully cinematic score to a lot of parts of the novel. In fact it was most notable during an epic battle scene, when the score kicked in it added so much that it made a good battle scene feel pretty epic. I really appreciated how it didn’t overwhelm the spoken words and only added to the drama and excitement of the scene. I really felt like I was watching a scene out of Braveheart. The score itself was well done, and I applaud the subtle way it was used. It could have dominated everything rather than enhancing. I feel that the score in various parts of the narration was more of a benefit than I would have expected. Justin Thomas James and Laurie Catherine Winkel, the Bonnie and Clyde of SBT are amazing here. I call them that because the only people that get three names are people like John Hinkley Jr., John Wilkes Booth, and Lee Harvey Oswald. So, if you hafta use all three names you must be up to sumpin! Or it might just be that they’ll steal your breath as they steal the story away from James Osiris Baldwin. Hmmm, another one with three names. I’d say watch out for this guy, because so far he’s blown me away with his writing. Jeff Hays, also lends his vociferous skills to the track, and as he is my favorite narrator anything else I say will sound biased. Because it is. But he rocks. Party on, Jeff. Party on.

So the long and the short of it is that this is an impressive debut Litrpg novel. Baldwin has a few books under his belt already, but this is his first foray into the genre and he hit it pretty well. My final score 8.3 just because I did see a few of the twists way before they happened.

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Viridian Gate Online: Side Quests: A litRPG Anthology

By: James Hunter, J.D. Astra, D.J. Bodden, N.H. Paxton, Raymond Johnson, Nicholas Reid

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott

Series: The Viridian Gate Archives

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 02-27-19

Language: English

Publisher: Shadow Alley Press In

In an anthology like this each story is written by a different person and some will appeal to a reader, while others won’t. I try to judge each separately.

“A Gentleman’s Work” by James A. Hunter

Narrated by Jeff Hays

When an Imperial Inquisitor captures a Thieves Guild Operative, Cutter must undertake a deadly rescue mission while using every grift in the book to stay one step ahead of a Headsman’s Blade. And the prize for this extraordinary quest? Nothing short of the keys to the Rowanheath Thieves Guild. Deception, subterfuge, and heavy drinking—all in a day’s work for a Gentleman …

Story: The longest of the short stories in the collection, it comes in at about 33% of the total page count. This one is written by the author of the Viridian Gate Online series and is unsurprisingly the one most fans came for. It focuses on Cutter, the NPC companion of main character in VGO, and if you like that character or just like a good break in story, you’ll enjoy this. While it was nice to get some background on Cutter, he is not my favorite character and it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. Good writing, good action-heist thing, but couldn’t get into the ebook version.

Narration: Jeff Hays pulls out his english accent (Cockney??) with this one as the voice of Cutter. It adds a nice bit of added flavor to the story that just pushes it up past a 7 out of 10.

Ebook Score: 6.9 out of 10 ; Audiobook score: 7.2 out of 10

“The Funeral Parlor” by Raymond Johnson

Narrated by Jeff Hays

A young spiderling is stranded in an alien land, surrounded by hostile creatures. Forced to fight for her life in a bid to find her way home, she must transform into the predator she is destined to become or die alone and forgotten, trapped in a dark world know as the Shadowverse.

Story: Really nice, simple, and short story. It comes in at about 8% of the total word count. The story is told from the monsters point of view, and while I would have liked to have seen more RPG evolutions, it was a good story with action and accurate arachnid anatomy.

Narration: Oddly I think I like Jeff Hays regular voice more than his ones with an accent, except maybe his Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. This one is just Jeff’s regular voice, but it still adds extra oomph and increases the tension some places.

Ebook Score: 7.3 out of 10 ; Audiobook score: 7.4 out of 10

“The Raiding of Rowanheath” by J.D. Astra

Narrated by Laurie Catherine Winkel

The Crimson Alliance has breached the walls of Rowanheath, inciting Aleixo Carrera’s rage. Now Abby and her rag-tag invasion crew must reach the keep’s Command Center before the defending troops mobilize and shut down the takeover, else they’ll lose the battle and the war for Eldgard’s freedom.

Even though it makes up 11% of the total word count, it felt longer. This is one of those stories that tells the events of something you’ve already read about, only from some other point of view. The writing isn’t bad, I just got bored with it since it takes place during an event I’ve read about before.

Narration: Laurie does a good narration job but there are a couple places gamer terms were said incorrectly. While her narration improves the story for me, it’s not enough to push it past a 6 out of 10.

Ebook Score: 5 out of 10 ; Audiobook Score: 6 out of 10

“The Ballad of Jaro Edgewalker” by N.H. Paxton

Narrated by Justin Thomas James

Jaro is an assassin, and he’s good at it. But when he finds a foe that is insurmountable by normal means and uncovers a plot to destroy everything he loves, Jaro has to balance his morality with his love for his friends and make an incredibly difficult decision.

Story: One of my favorite short stories in the anthology, it comes in at 14% of the total page count. This one is definitely one of the best planned of these short stories. It has good original characters with a solid well told ending that still ties to VGO universe.

Narration: Justin does several accents during the narration and I’ll be honest, I never expected the Spanish Dos Equis voice as the narrator voice. Between him and Annie Ellicott, the narration is just a joy to listen to and makes a good story great.

Ebook Score: 7.6 out of 10 ; Audiobook Score: 8.0 out of 10

“Buried Alive” by Nicholas Reid

Narrated by Laurie Catherine Winkel

Carlos Vega thinks he’s escaping certain death by entering the virtual world of V.G.O., but instead he’s swallowed alive by the deadly Barren Sands. He’ll have to overcome the riddles and horrors of a long-forgotten temple in order to escape, but can he do it before the evil sealed there centuries ago finds him?

Story: This is an ok short story, that feels distanced from the VGO universe. It sort of feels like VGO - Ancient Egyptian edition. It’s 15% of the total page count.

Narration: The narration doesn’t add anything here. Doesn’t take away either. The story comes across much the same as the ebook version. Just a bit less than good.

Ebook Score: 6 out of 10 ; Audiobook Score: 6 out of 10

“A Final Kindness” by D.J. Bodden

Narrated by Justin Thomas James

Alan Campbell was a talker, not a fighter, until someone murdered his girl. He’d almost given up on finding the killers; now he’s got a fresh lead, a trio of mercenaries who outclass him in every way but his wits. He’ll cheat, bluff, and steal to get his revenge, and as one of V.G.O.’s immortal travelers, he’s willing to die trying.

Story: This is without a doubt, my favorite short story in the anthology. It’s the 2nd longest at 19% of the total page count, but it goes by quickly because of the great pacing, mysteriously unraveled plot, and well done character development. The story is the most removed from the VGO universe and has the least game mechanics of any of the short stories. But, it has the most heart and the cut always gave great backstory for the characters.

Narration: Now a full fledged novel with the same main character, this short story is set much later but has the same good action-adventure and illusionist powers. Justin does a good job of bringing the descriptions to life and the rest of the Soundbooth Theatre cast adds some good flavor to the story bumping it up from good to great.

Ebook Score: 7.8 out of 10; Audiobook score: 8 out of 10

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Overall, I think the anthology does a good job of highlighting all the different types of stories that can be created within the same universe. While I didn’t love every story, I had a good time reading/listening to most.

Score: 7 out of 10

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 032 - Super Sales on Super Heroes, Book 3, The Artificer, Dungeon Desolation, Dragonlance series

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Super Sales on Super Heroes, Book 3 (00:28)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2TTTifD

The Artificer: A LitRPG Adventure - The Imperial Initiative, Book 1 (14:49)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Nk5m7L

Dungeon Desolation (26:41)

Score: 7.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Iv9hjk

Game On - New segment (42:56)

Dragonlance series

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Super Sales on Super Heroes, Book 3

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 12 hrs

Pause

This my friends is a very bittersweet time for me, as I finally get a conclusion to a beloved series. The book is filled with action, blood, battle, schemes, and sacrifice. One thing that it really lacked was pancakes. Andrea really took a back seat in this book, and most other characters were barely visible as they popped up periodically for brief appearances. Now, I don’t want to add any spoilers here, but I will tell you that fans of Wild Wastes should pick up this book as things from that series tie very directly into Super Sales and that you will not want to miss it. By that I mean that this is not, I repeat NOT, a brief cameo but might actually be a sign that Arand is beginning to finally pull his books together in a far more definitive way. So, if you are a fan of any of his books that he has tied together this is the starting point. Think of this book like the time Nick Fury first popped up at the end of a Marvel Movie and said he was building a team. There is no Nick Fury figure here, but it is very clear now in no uncertain terms that the universes are all tied together and that they will be connecting over time for the big finale. So, like totally super excited for that event.

On that note I was a little disappointed in this book in one way. Felix really didn’t get to use his powers much at all, and three quarters of my fun always came from the creative way he used his abilities, and I loved watching him give people powers. Honestly, aside from one police detective I don’t think he modified anyone, or did much enhancing. The biggest use of his power was bringing back dead members of his team once. Now, I really love Felix, and his girls, but there wasn’t a lot of “super action” here. Lilly and Kit did very little, Andrea was almost invisible, and the book seemed to be dominated by a new girl from Vince’s world. Truth be told, it felt a lot like one long date. Felix was taking someone out to dinner most of the time, and if he wasn’t doing that then he was struggling to stay ahead of his opposition.

Another disappointment was that I had really been hoping that book three was going to see Felix go at Skipper finally, but it looks like that has been put off for another series as well. Super Sales was probably my favorite series of Arand’s, but this book, while good, just didn’t quite live up to the other two novels. Felix is neutered and all the girls are suddenly shoved aside for a newbie in his life. The book just felt like it was on a treadmill, running really fast but not getting anywhere at all. The way it ended, while tying things together, didn’t hit my buttons. It was not a proactive end, and it was more of a well I can’t say without spoilers, but I don’t want to blow the surprises in the book. All I can say is that it didn’t have the same tonal quality as the first two books, and if you want me to be honest here is my complete break down. The book picks up five years after the end of book 2. Nothing really changes at all during that time, but we do learn that for some reason the gods of his earth have decided that Felix is a D-bag and they do everything in their power to stop him. One of the things I loved about book two was the way it changed directions so deftly, and made you think that it was heading here and then it shifted gears and took off over there. That didn’t happen in book three at all. In this book Legion is under assault and that never lets up, Felix and the others never have time to breath, and again we lose all the other girls, except for Miu, in favor of Felicity, his new assistant. The super heroes were practically non-existent, as was a definitive villain that was opposing him. It saddens me to say that this is the weakest of his books that I have read, as I love his stuff and this series, but he took away too much. Either leave Felix his powers and take way the girls, or leave the girls and take away his powers. Don’t do both. Skipper, who was built up in one, and made a menacing appearance in two, should have had a lot more to do in three, but that didn’t happen. The Lit stuff from one is almost non-existent here. So this sort of traipses into a sci-fi novel rather than LITRPG, like I said tonally id did not fit with the other books.

The book does have some good action scenes, and Zombie Miu is perhaps the most touching part of the book, but in the end this was more of a political intrigue novel interspersed with Felix on a date or fighting for his life in some way. If you love Felicity then this is a great book for you, since she pervades it more than any other character. She does so in such a creepy way, every girl there is like you should sleep with Felicity!, that I was certain that she was some villain come to infiltrate his HQ and get close to him. If you don’t like Felicity then tough cookies because she pops up everywhere.

I guess for Nick Pohdel this was a great book, because he didn’t have to voice any of the girls from the first two novels for very long, there were a lot of new ladies that he could characterize on his own, and not have to replicate, Andrea’s energy, for example. He plays a fine Felix, and is an amazing narrator, and he does his utmost to keep the book as exciting as possible. I had no issues with any of his work on this book.

I know that it sounds like I hated Super Sales 3, I didn’t, it was a good book. However, it did not hold up in comparison to the first two novels, and that breaks my heart because this was one of my favorite series. So, I am giving the book a 7.5 star score. It is still good, but cannot come close to matching the energy of the first two novels, and the lack of powers being used by Felix made this go from the Lit Genre to simple Sci-fi.

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The Artificer: A LitRPG Adventure

The Imperial Initiative, Book 1

By: S. R. Witt, James Hunter

Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Pause

You know how you can tell that Hunter is an amazing author? 1) Because he can make you appreciate and sympathize (a little) for one of the nastiest villains this side of Darth Vader. Yeah, Ozmark is a huge jerk, an A-hole, and scumbag extrodinaire but this is one anti-hero who has reasons for every move he makes. By no means does this book negate his asshat status that he earned in the VGO books, but you do get a better handle on his motives to a small extent, and see what pushed him to be the way he is when we meet him in Viridian Gate, book one. 2) He is a writing chameleon. He easily adapts his writing style to match whomever he partners with so that the transition is fairly seemless. His coauthored books all feel like they are written in one singular voice.

What’s the sitrep? Ozmark knows the world is going to end long before the general public, and takes steps to ensure his survival, and as many other people he can get to enter his virtual world. Problem is he meets resistance from political types, and he soon has to start doing things that would make his mother cry to make things happen. This is done to make him more sympathetic, and make you see that things are not always black and white, but man do I hate that guy. This just made me hate him like he was Anthony Perkins in Psycho! You know, Norman Bates is a swell dude. He’s quiet, takes care of his mother, and likes birds. You get to see how he gradually goes from minor evils to being the full blown bad guy. His story sort of reminds me of Norman Osborn from Spider-Man, average business guy who goes insane after getting his powers and becomes a major evil. Ozmark doesn’t realize he’s chopping his soul into pieces, but by the end of the book I don’t think he has much left to spare. So, if you ask what it is that passes for action all I can tell you is that he does have to contend with some hired killers who are after him, he has to recruit financiers from the scum of the earth, and one of his recruits actively plans to take control of VGO away from Ozmark once they are inside. So, don’t go thinking this is all business dealings and board room meetings.

Don't get me wrong. The book is amazing, and ties right into VGO leading right up to a point where he first hears of a certain fellow named Grim Jack. I can totally see the next book picking up somewhere after their initial encounter and showing us everything that he has to deal with while our man Jack (and Cutter!) tries to stave off his military advances. I highly anticipate the interweaving of the stories, and even seeing Ozmark's side of things as we progress. I do want to comment that Hunter did not write this moving fast paced story alone, he partnered with S.R. Witt, and their collaboration churned out one heck of a story. Seriously, if it had been another character I would have been rooting for him all the way. I still loved this book and hold it to the same standards as VGO. In spite of the time since the release it looks like this is a one off book, but I think that I would like to see yet another book written from Ozmark’s POV as he struggles against Grimjack and all the other doom and death bringers the two enemies have to face together.

Broadhead, who is not Armen Taylor (narrator of the VGO series) narrates this book and I think it was a smart move to have a different voice, so to speak, to tell Ozmark's tale. This way you don't think of Ozmark as being Grim Jack, only as another character. It really sets both series and main characters apart. I would say that Broadhead is totally on par with Taylor in this book, and such close skill levels also keeps thing balanced. Broadhead does a fine job here. With me he is usually hit or miss. I know him from the Bathrobe Knight series, and so I guess I am a little biased on how good he is, as I love that series.

Overall, for quality, story and narration this is like holding a mirror up to VGO. You can see they are the same, but so different as to stand apart. If you love VGO you will not want to miss this novel. Get it today!!!!

Final score 7.8 stars.

Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

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Dungeon Desolation

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Pause

Dakota Krout finally returns to the Divine Dungeon after a far too long period of time. I have really missed Dale, Cal, and Danni the Wisp. Naturally, nothing remains static and a lot of changes take place in a short span of time. Without getting too spoilery Dale loses a lot, Danni pretty much mommies it up, and Cal tries to deal with his plan to gather the world’s energy via a network of ley lines that he has constructed.

I have to say that as the penultimate book in the series I was a little let down in some spots. Cal sends Dale and his team to retrieve a dungeon core, and there really wasn’t much to the entire encounter, a cult that worships Cal springs up and he does very little with them, and he commandeers another dungeon core to run some of his levels so he can focus on his big plans. In the meantime a necromantic army is killing everything in its path and the Adventurers Guild is tasked with stopping it. A lot is happening in the book, but we get to focus on very little until the big army encounter.

The entire book is basically Dale and Cal getting pushed around and scrambling to stop a horde of undead and a Triple S level madman. I honestly felt like the series would have been better served with a book centered on the undead horde and then the madman, and then to finish with the fallout of their encounter with the triple S’er. So much happened that I think the reader was short changed with the follow up to the events that happened. For example, there are deaths that are glossed over, events between party members, and revelations about the big bad necromancer. Xenocide, on the other hand went from just being a nut case to being the biggest danger in the world. I would have expected a little more build up before he exploded into being the biggest bad of all. This made the last half of the book feel very rushed. In fact, the entire necromantic war which was built up pretty heavily ends with a whimper at Xenocide’s appearance.

Cal really doesn’t do much in the way of dungeon building or creating new monsters for most of the book, and that is one of my favorite aspects of the story. My second favorite part is Danni interacting with Cal, and most of that was limited to them discussing the wee wisp. My third favorite aspect is Dale navigating the act of building a town while trying to level up. We get the leveling aspect, and that is really fun, but we completely lose the Town aspect for reasons. This seemed to be the weakest of the dungeon books, simply for the fact that the dungeon shifts from being the most important character to a second tier personage. Cal, being the dungeon should always come first. Also because it feels pieced together, like it was Dale’s story, with a dash of Cal, and an Uber threat that appears out of nowhere. Yes, Xenocide was foreshadowed last book, but we really didn’t get to know much about him. Again, that makes this feel rushed, and it almost feels like Dakota was happily plugging along on his completionist stuff and felt like he had to get another dungeon book out ASAP to keep us from rioting. I would have rather he’d of held off a little and really crafted this tale a bit tighter.

All that said, I did enjoy the novel, and you can’t get the same old thing every time, and I was very happy with what I got. The battle was pretty cool and I loved the way Dale rebuilt himself. The good moments were great, but they seemed to be very few and far between one another. An d, hey, I get that there wasn’t a lot of room for the dungeon to grow and kill adventurers, but Krout is pretty creative and he could have done something like having Cal invade the other dungeons one level at a time rather than having his minions doing things for him. Most of which was truncated, al la the deep sea dungeon, or having Minya do the volcanic dungeon.

Vikas Adam is fantastic as always, and I love his rendition of Danni is my favorite voice that he does. I will give credit where credit is due, and say that he plays every character like they were as important as the main characters. He nails the humor and can jump from silly to full blown action in less than three letters.

Final Score 7.4 Stars. It really pains me to do that, but I felt a little cheated on the dungeon building and even just Cal’s screen time was short. We had a bloody battle that ultimately became meaningless, and a big bad that just popped up and took over. You might like it more than me, give it a shot it is still a good book, but is in my opinion the weakest of the dungeon books.

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Dragons of Autumn Twilight: Dragonlance: Chronicles

Dragons of Winter Night, Book 2

Dragons of Spring Dawning, Book 3

Time of the Twins, Book 1

War of the Twins, Book 2

Test of the Twins, Book 3

By: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

2nd series Narrated by: Ax Norman

Length: 20 hrs on average

Pause

This is a new segment in which I am going to talk about different books that are based ON video and RPG games. The requirement is that it has to be either a video game or role playing game before it became a book. So, if Chaosium put out an audiobook of HP Lovecraftian stories it would not qualify. I also discount any games that were made from a movie or tv show. So, no Manimal Role Playing game audiobooks for you. Sorry. This has to have been a purely video or table top game before hitting print. Sorry, that’s the rules. I will generally cover one book from a series, but may, as today, cover multiple books. As before, my intent is to draw you in and broaden your awareness, so I won’t score here, but It will be on Audible. So look there if you want a score.

So, for my first segment ever I had to pick something that I seem to talk about all the time. Dragonlance. I’m actually going to talk about the first six books in the series. I’m doing this because this is actually one really long saga, and as far as I’m concerned each of these books are amazing and only get better as the series goes on. Additionally, everything after them was, in my opinion, subpar and mediocre at best. That includes the Dragons of Summer Flame, that Weiss and Hickman both wrote as well. This is fantasy at its best.

The story centers on what is a standard adventuring party including a Half-elf Ranger, A wizard, a thief, a Knight, a dwarf, a fighter, a swordstress, and a bar maid. Other characters tag along from time to time, but they are the core group. The premise is simple. The band of heroes decides to go looking for signs of the old gods, gods who abandoned the land off Krynn long ago after an event called the Cataclysm. They have heard tales of true healing occurring, and that can only be done by the old god’s followers. They agree to meet up some time later in their old home tavern on a specific date. Everyone arrives except the swordstress and so the reunion begins under a bad omen. Minutes later they are beset by a Hobgoblin and a band of warriors demanding that they surrender to him. From their the group goes on the run and find themselves enmeshed on a journey that will bring back the old gods, dragons, and see them fight an evil so fierce and dark that there is no hope of defeating it.

The strength of the story lies in the characters, although the story itself is just as powerful as anything Tolkien, Howard, Burroughs, or even Lovecraft could pen. The story is broad and sweeping in scope, and yet tethered by the personalities of the characters. The first three books see so many changes in them that it is shattering that by the end of the first series not all of the characters are still alive, and not all of them tread the path of light.

The second series picks up after the first and we find that the wizard, Raistlan has claimed a dark wizards tower for his own, making him the master of the past, present, and future. This story involves all of the survivors, and actually spans the time before the cataclysm, all the way to the end of the world. It is basically about how the wizard schemes to become a god by killing the queen of darkness and taking her mantle for himself. At least it on the surface, it is really about redemption, love, and sacrifice. The final three books are about the best novels I have ever read in any genre. It still manages to choke me up with a simple line like, “Look Raist, bunnies.” Every. Damn. Time. I wish I could read this to my kids today, and right now I have them interested in Harry Potter, so I’m hoping after that fargin series that I can get them into DL. This is such a powerful and moving series that you will not look at RPG’s and think that they only produce mediocre stories.

The series also produces two of the greatest characters of all time, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, and Raistlin Majere. Trust me. Once you read them you won’t ever forget them.

The narration on these books are better than average, but it drives me crazy that both narrators get the pronunciation of certain names wrong. I have met both of the authors, actually when these books were coming out. I’ve watched Tracy Hickman play Fizban, and I know that I am not mistaken, and all I ever ask is that a narrator take five minutes to get a name right. If they can get Lauralana’s full elvish name correct there is no reason they cannot nail the proper way to say Tas.

Narration is almost irrelevant to the story. Trust me, the book does have a bit of a slow start, but once the action hits it never lets up. The only thing you’ll ever question is the hold that Kitiara has over Tanis, because their personalities do not mesh, and it has to be utterly and completely sexual, which I would think he would be able to overcome. I don’t do much thinking with that down there, Gilbert, and that guy has a freaking PHD. I just don’t let him make decisions. I think I could have walked away from Kit and never looked back, and I am drawn to crazy. Just ask my wife. Love Ya Baby!

This is one of those series that once you finish you are going to want to get all the other millions of books they spun off, and I’m just going to say don’t. After all this the series heart and soul dries up and it becomes just another world. These six books though are true soul gems. I read or listen to them about once a year. I even got the filler books that Weis and Hickman did to flesh out the “missing parts” of the story and even those were well watered down. The original six are simply lightning in a bottle that must be read in order and from 1 to 6. To me these books, if I were giving a score would be 9.8 with narration deductions only. As books, 10’s all around, but I am not scoring them here. I am just trying to get you to see a different game world that you might enjoy sans outside PC’s entering the world.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 031 - Neverfall, The Renegades: Bard from Barliona, Zombie Slayer!!, Flank Hawk

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Neverfall: Mark of the Hero:A Gamelit Lit RPG Series (00:26)

Score: 7.0 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2WZdS0j

The Renegades: Bard from Barliona (14:44)

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BtIrll

Zombie Slayer!!: A LitRPG Apocalypse (24:29)

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2IaYlXL

What Else Have They Done?

Flank Hawk (44:55)

By: Terry W. Ervin II

https://amzn.to/2X0Ur71

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Neverfall: Mark of the Hero:A Gamelit Lit RPG Series

By: C. Wintertide

Narrated by: Tim McKiernan

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Pause

Neverfall isn’t a bad book. It is a fair bit predictable, and it definitely has fairy tale moments. On the upside, this is one of the better books to get a younger listener into the genre. It isn’t overly gorey, filled with sex, of a lot of swearing (well, ok, I honestly don’t remember there being any F-bombs, S-grenades, B-mines) but don’t hold me to that. Still, I think it’s fine for kids.

One of my biggest complaints about the book is that it takes a long time to actually get in the game. The book is almost 12 hours long, and it takes about 4 hours for the characters to actually play Neverfall. That is about half the length of most LITRPG books in most cases. For example, James Hunter’s Rogue Dungeon is 7 hrs and 41 mins long. I say this all the time, set up is fine, but it should only take 1 or 2 chapters at most to get the characters into the game. No more. I really don’t care that a relative is dying, the family is going broke, or any other typical trope that is in this genre. All of that can be said and done in one chapter. If you really want to dole out all that info do it as a flashback every other chapter or so, but don’t drag your feet making it happen. Get to the game/world/action as soon as possible. For hours is crazy.

The upside is that you really get to know the characters, their motivations, and have justification for their comradery with one another. Everyone is fleshed out, albeit a bit one-dimensionally, and while their motivations might be weird (as in a pacifist who won’t kill monsters), but you know who they are. Just think Angry dwarf, pacifist, soldier, and loot hog. I think the only misstep was that there is another team that goes into the game with the main party and they are not really given much screen time before they enter the game. I know what you are about to say, you just complained that it took 4 hours to get into the game and now you want Wintertide to let you get to know more characters? Pick a side dude. Frankly, after four hours, another four pages wouldn’t have made much of a difference, and it would have helped.

So here’s the rundown, a kid whose mother is dying ends up going into a video game to help her among other things (I don’t want to spoil anything, but honestly, if you don’t know half the mysteries then you aren’t paying attention because it is all very predictable). He goes in to help save a rich businessman who is like Bill Gates or Elon Musk, full of money and creative. They were supposed to go in at the highest levels with the best gear and start off in the final boss battle, but predictably that, well . . . spoilers, but you get the idea. From there it is a struggle to survive and face the final overlord.

Tim McKiernan does a pretty decent job on the story. He does the voices, both male and female, pretty well and really goes out of his way to make the Dark Lord sound like Darth Vader if he were a heavy drinker. The only thing I took umbrage with was his Dark Lord voice and Dragon voice were pretty much the same. I enjoyed him a great deal and look forward to hearing more from him in the future. I think he’s a good fit for Litrpg.

One thing that really ground my gears was the Trinity Matrix moment, and you will recognize it if you listen. You know my stance on death in books. Death should matter, and people should die. If you have a game where the characters can die permadeath then make all deaths PERMANENT. Don’t wuss out.

Final score 7.0 because the book is predictable and really had no surprises, and the really long getting to know you stage before getting into the game took far too long. Seriously, I’ve had relationships that didn’t last two hours. In spite of the cons, I still think that this would be a good book to introduce YA readers to the genre, but if the predictability of the series continues I don’t think I’ll be following along. I’ll give it one more shot, and hopefully things will improve.

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The Renegades: Bard from Barliona,

By: Vasily Mahanenko, Eugenia Dmitrieva, Boris Smirnov - translator

Narrated by: Andrea Emmes

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Pause

Awright, I’ve had this book for a while now and have been kinda of struggling to get through it. This is one of those cases where the narrator grated on me so badly that I had to get back and away from the story, to a point where I could not enjoy the tale at all. It was to a point that I really felt like Andrea Emmes just laid there and let the story do all the work. There was very clearly no love in this project for her, and there were points that I felt that this was just another assignment for her to get through. I honestly beat myself up over how I perceived this, because it felt sexist for me to think it was like a prostitute taking money and then just walking away when it was all over, but then I thought that I would have felt the same way if it had been a guy. I would have just compared his to Richard Gere in American Gigolo. Ok, maybe more like Duece Bigalow, but you get the idea. There was absolutely no sense of fun from her at all, and because of that it made the story feel like it was actually work for me. No, it didn’t feel like it. It was. I had to force myself to come back to this book, and I seriously did not want to finish it. So, enough beating her up, because I just realized that I have yet another book of hers to listen to, Conquest by RM Mulder, and I am praying that it works out better for her there.

The story itself is pretty simple, a rock band gets into a game. The leader of the band, and the MC, becomes a race called the Biota which is basically a playable plant. She’s a bard, and another character is her deadly fighter type helper. Now here’s the thing. I have an affinity for Bards, bard stories, bardic songs, etc. Love them. The idea that a rocker being a bard in a video game is pretty fun but this story was completely dominated by the narration. So that most of the story was flat to me. For example, there were a lot of attempts at humor, but I couldn’t tell what would have worked and what would have fell flat because of the reading.

One thing I can say is that the game mechanics explanations are pretty thin, but I am guessing that this is because the book is set in the same place as Way of the Shaman. I haven’t read any of those yet, so a more detailed idea of how things worked would have been a nice touch. It wasn’t that I couldn’t follow along, it was just that I would have liked more info. Another thing, and again, I kept stepping away from the book periodically so I might be off on this is that the MC had a very by the books approach to how she did things. Then, at the end all of her strategy was kind of tossed out the window, and I didn’t understand why. I did think the twist wasn’t too bad, though. It might be that I forgot something due to my taking breaks from the book, and only listening an hour or less at a time. I really cannot say. The rest of the book seemed to just be a slice of life event with no real purpose

I honestly feel bad doing this review because I really don’t think that the story had much of a chance in competition with the narration. You want me to be really honest? I can’t recall a single name of any character in the book. I couldn’t tell you the band name, or even much of what happened, and I hate to judge a book like that. I even restarted the book and just stopped. I had gotten into it, but was not going to resubject myself to another round. I think that sometimes authors make deals with publishers, and then sacrifice all of their control just to get an audiobook made. Sometimes it is a hit, since I know that Markum caught Iggy Toma for Succubus completely by chance, this is the other end of the spectrum as I don’t believe that Mahanenko would have made this decision. I could be wrong, but I would certainly be looking for more options when it came to my ability to choose a narrator.

Final score. 6.5 stars. The written word may translate far better than it has here.

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Zombie Slayer!!: A LitRPG Apocalypse

By: Cameron Milan

Narrated by: Steve McCutcheon

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Pause

Cameron Milan wrote the Desire books, which I reviewed a little while ago. I hadn’t realized that at the time, I just grab LITRPG novels as they come out, and I only tend to notice the author or narrator if it is a name that I am dedicated to, so, for example Jeff Hays, SBT, Dave Willmarth, Andrea Parsenau, Luke Daniels, James Hunter, Charles Dean, those are some of the names I notice when I go grabbing books. There are a few authors and narrators that I actively avoid and so I really focus on their names, but for the most part I do blind grabs. As an example, I just reviewed Advent, and had no idea Luke Daniels was the narrator on it until I heard him speak. Everyone else flies under my radar, and even though I’ve read several of his books I don’t go out of my way to look for him. It’s kind of like a baloney sandwich. I’ll eat one if someone hands it to me, but I don’t go to the store intending to make a bologna sammich.

I recognized his style about two chapters in, and recognized him. His style of writing is pretty much story over substance. He gets an idea and it is an interesting idea, but then his characters, and I mean all of his characters, are one or two dimensional. They don’t seem to have any distinct personalities and that goes for the MC right down to the faceless NPC who gets chomped by a zombie. They are interchangeable in their actions. Honestly, there were two characters who were friends at the start of the book, and unless the MC was off on his own interacting with a hot vampire or stalking zombies at night I couldn’t remember which was which.

So here’s a rundown of the book. The Earth passes through a strange interstellar cloud that places it and its inhabitants into a video game styled event, they are given a zombie apocalypse to contend with, and all I can say is that the rate of attrition at the fortified location is so huge that humanity would pretty much be roadkill within six months. In one aspect this book reminded me of an old zombie novel called Skeletons by Al Sarrantonio, in which the Earth passes through an interstellar cloud the dead rise as intelligent skeletons and start killing everybody.

You know I like it when characters die, but deaths need to serve some sort of purpose, some can be used to show how dangerous the situation is, some should be emotional, some to drive a character in another direction, or to jar the reader. Every death needs to serve something in the long run. Here the characters were just picking numbers, and lining up to become zombie chow.

My issues were that the storyline didn’t keep my attention over the weak characterizations. Every character in the book had a blank face to me. Here’s an example, the MC lives at home with an ailing grandmother, his mother, and some siblings. Once he gets them to a safe area they only pop up periodically, and he never even considers then while his fortification is being overrun. They are after thoughts. The book pretty much just focuses on him, the MC, ERIC, his name is Eric. Going out night after night trying to get stronger. This neverending quest for power is also how every character in the Desire books behave. So, he’s consistent. This is just a character grinding for 80% of the book until he faces off against a big bad at the end.

What really hurts the book is the narration by Steve McCutcheon. His narration is stilted and utterly lifeless. You know, lately I’ve been saying a lot of people were middle of the pack narrators. This fellow doesn’t make it that far. There were parts of the book that repeated (short lines) and his reading is as good as my son in high school when he reads to his brothers, and that aint stellar. The kids cry and ask that we play heavy metal to put them to sleep rather than have my son read to them anymore. That’s not true, they asked for death metal, and I told them that they live in a funeral home, so all metal played here is death metal. So, yeah, not a fan of his. Like Johnny Dangerously said, Ya Bore me.

What is my final score? 6 stars. Sorry, but weak characters and muddled narration made this pretty unfun. I have to say that I did enjoy this book far more than I did Desire. I’m pretty much done with that series.

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Here is my what else have they done segment. Today, I’m going to focus on Terry Ervin, II who writes one of my favorite gamelit series, Monsters, Maces and Magic.

Flank Hawk

By: Terry W. Ervin II

Narrated by: Michael A. Slusser

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Pause

Terry Ervin is just crushing it for me. I started out in a Litrpg story of his called Outpost, and adored the book. I loved it. Then I read his novel, Relic Hunter and was amazed at just how flexible his story telling chops really were, and now he hits me with a fantasy novel that deals with undead and nazi planes and tanks. Wha-huh? Who the heck thinks this stuff up? I must say his imagination is fueled by Tolkien's sweat, Willy Wonka's blood, and Clint Eastwood's attitude. A cray mix to be certain, but a combination that makes for amazing possibilities.

Flank Hawk is an everyman. He's not a hulking hero or deadly warrior. He's just a guy swept up in circumstances that sweep him away from the life that he would prefer. Still, he makes due with his lot and manages to actually become someone of consequence. In this case, history isn't repeating itself so much as reinventing itself. Fantasy and Science begin to gel together, leaving the world a far different place than it had been. Flank Hawk has the honor of being the one has to bear the responsibility of stopping the war.

One little issue I did have was with the character of Lily. FH is there to help and protect her, and there is literally no sexual tension between them at all. I would have liked to have seen some interest, some spark, because if you consider that FH has been celibate for a while it is more than likely that he might do some initiating of something with her. You might argue that he has a Gomer Pyle attitude, but I never really got that feel from him. Even if he was pious and holy he would still be moved when she undressed. Aside from that the action alone makes this book worth it, but then you do have the characterization and the whole concept of fighting orcs, zombies, and panzers all at the same time. Good stuff.

Michael A. Slusser does the narration, and I'm glad to see that Ervin rotates his readers out for various series. This give each series its own tone, its own voice, and keeps it distinct from the other works he has done. Slusser comes in as a favorite of mine. I hadn't heard him prior, but I really enjoyed his work, voice, and the emotion he provided each character. I never noticed any sound issues, and felt that I could happily listen to him for another few novels.

This looks to be a solid and entertaining series. PLEASE DON"T MISS OUT ON IT.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 030 - Advent: Red Mage, Anime Trope System, Guild, Unsouled

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Guild: A LitRPG Novella - Monsters, Maces and Magic, Book 3 (00:26)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2tbv5FP

Advent - Red Mage, Book 1 (18:25)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2t5cFXx

The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper (36:39)

Score: 6.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2GpdB0B

Is it LitRPG?

Unsouled: Cradle Series (52:14)

https://amzn.to/2D8OHPE

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Guild: A LitRPG Novella

Monsters, Maces and Magic, Book 3

By: Terry W. Ervin II

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Series: Monsters, Maces and Magic, Book 3

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Pause

I’m going to be honest. When I first saw the description for this book I was a touch disappointed, I didn’t see any mention of our party from the main series, and this looked to be an internalized battle between different guilds. I knew that with Ervin it would be good, I just wanted more of my good old adventuring party. So I started this with some trepidation.

Guild is a great gamelit short story that tells the tale of our adventuring party from the Mazes, Magic, and Monsters series from the perspective of another player who has been lost in the game for some time. The MC, is a thief who has gone semi-legit, working as a barber surgeon in that wonderful city of hills, but still keeps his toe in the seamier side of the underworld. Life as a non-adventurer hasn’t been bad, but it doesn’t seem to be as fulfilling as he’d of liked. Still, Josiah (the MC) has lived a life free of monsters and mayhem so he’s satisfied.

That is until the night everyone’s favorite half goblin strolls into his barber shop looking to get a haircut. Turns out Gurk is just in time to help Josiah battle against a rival guild that has targeted his establishment to serve as an example.

I have to say that I really liked this treatment of the group from another character’s perspective, and the question I kept waiting to be answered was whether or not he would cotton onto the realization that they were players trapped just he was. I won’t say if he does or not. What I did enjoy was getting the realization that Josiah had noticed Player Characters, i.e. characters that were actually operated from the other side of the veil so to speak. Players that manipulated their characters like puppets, and that one NPC was more than likely a former PC who had been abandoned by her player. That is just smart and creative gamelit hitting the pages. Seriously, some thought has gone into this book, and I ate it up. It helps that Josiah is fun and interesting, and that his takes on the “main” party are very observant and give the listener a very different spin on things in their world.

The story is pretty short, and basically just centers around Gurk having gone to see Josiah in the hopes of learning about his cursed dagger. All the action centers on what happens between the two of them, initial meeting down to the appraisal, and I have to say that I really loved this book. Normally, I get antsy when an author sort of abandons their main team in favor of a side quest, but this works in a lot of ways. First, because it includes the main party, secondly, because it is a short story and furthers the original story line.

Waters carries the story on able shoulders, and I have come to really appreciate his ability to tell a tale. He’s really made this his series, and I love his interpretation of Gurk. Oh, and I have to admit that he really played Josiah like a weary old player.

Kudos to Ervin for centering more on the half gobbling and not rotating between him and the gnome. Gurk is far more interesting, and is more fun to listen to and I think that he and Josiah mesh pretty well together.

Final score? This is a solid 8.1 stars. It adds to the main series, and fleshes out the game world in a wonderfully sublimated way that doesn’t smack you over the head. I really enjoyed this, I think you will to.

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Advent

Red Mage, Book 1

By: Xander Boyce

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Pause

I don’t think I’ve loved a story so much right out of the gate as much as I did Advent since Dante’s Immortality. This book was incredibly fun, well thought out, had a nice MC, and fleshed out characters. I have to admit though that there were some things that kind of scared me right off the back.

The cons. There are very few of these, but I have to say that right at the beginning of the book we get hit with this huge info dump on how the magic system works, and it came off as being so complicated that I got out my slide rule, my abacus, and boned up on my physics before I continued. It was a lot to take in, and it was a very sticky wicket to get through. Admittedly, once the book started flowing and the magic was shown in action it all made since, and became infinitely more simplified. In fact, I believe this is one of the cooler systems of magic that I’ve ever read about. It made me think of a point back in the 90’s when fantasy was in full swing and publishers were looking for something new and fresh, they never cared about characters, setting, or conflict. The first thing they asked was what kind of magic system do you have? This book would have knocked their socks off back then and been snatched up in a bidding war. So the magic is really neat, and I like how it progresses.

Another con. This one I’m not going to let go of so easily. The MC is in the Coast Guard, and once things go crazy the people he meets kind of agree that with the situation the way it is, and everyone having been drafted into an intergalactic navy that they might as well forgo all the rank issues, but the minute they come across a real officer they all defer to his command. My first instinct would have been to tell him to bite my bottom and get out of my way. That doesn’t happen. They sort of circumvent his orders, but still back down when he finds out. That was a real weak point in the story, and it still bugs the hell out of me, days after I read it, that Drew Michalik would kowtow so easily still bothers me. It was out of character.

Last con; Zoe. I need resolution. That is all.

The Pros, The rest of the book. Seriously. This is one smooth spread of peanut butter over a chocolate bar. I had a ton of fun seeing new monsters in addition to new takes on the old ones. I loved how the spells were able to be combined and connected and used in new and creative ways.

Drew is a slick and smart cookie who is tough and intelligent and a blast to watch get put through his paces. In spite of the OP nature of his abilities he is fascinating to watch grow. He plays out to be exactly like what he is, a normal guy thrust into extraordinary circumstances struggling to keep himself and his people alive. Oh, and that’s another thing that I liked about this book. People die. For real, in tragic and terrible ways and I mean from the core group of individuals. There is no rescinding or voided the losses. When they are gone that’s it, death aint the beginning, it’s the end. That is good writing, and it lets you know that just about anyone can buy it at any given moment.

Dakota Krout ought to be really happy with the way this book turned out, because it is bloody fantastic and smart. This is the way to break in his new publishing house.

Final score 8.4 stars. Xander Boyce looks to be at the level of Corvin, Willmarth, Krout, and Dean just to name a few. He knows how to craft and tell an amazing story.

-------------------

The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper

By: Alvin Atwater

Narrated by: David Reimer

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

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You may have heard me recently say that I am a fan of Anime, but really only hit something like 3 series altogether, those being Naruto, Inuyasha, and Cowboy Beboop. I have watched a lot of others, but I am really only devoted to those three. I have seen Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, Dragon Ball, etc. So, I may not be as knowledgeable as others I do know what anime is and the tropes it produces. So, I really thought I would love to give this a shot and see how this set in comparison to what I know about Anime tropes.

First of all, the narrator, David Reimer is going to play a huge factor in the score of this book. SO, I’m going to start with him. I want to say that he isn’t a horrible narrator, he does do some voices, and add inflections, but his normal reading of the non-dialogue bits really drops the ball. It was hard to tell if some of the bits would have worked with a different narrator, because he did not have a voice made for comedy or comedic moments. In Anime a lot of things are exaggerated including the way characters react vocally. Angry girls yell loud and talk fast, someone gets knocked for a loop and they (in the less serious anime) exaggerate their pain with moans as they speak. When they get hot and bothered they have a lovey dovey voice and none of that was done here, and it would have certainly helped. This was more of a mechanical reading, and it did not grab my attention. Again, I don’t want to bash, but if you are going to narrate an Anime styled book, do some research. Go to crunchy roll and watch a few shows and get a feel for what the tropes are like. Not having the narration fill in like it should have really hurt this book.

There were a few things that Atwater did as a writer that bothered me. One, I could tell when there was a typo because Reimer would say a wrong word, and while I always say that the narrator is the last line of defense against typos they ultimately are not to blame. Secondly, I really think that Atwater missed the mark with this book. At first it felt like it was going to be a kid friendly novel, but then POW sex scenes started popping up, and in every anime I’ve ever seen sex is hinted at, there might be some groping, but that is it. It really did not fit the spirit of the story, honestly if he was going to go Hentai I wouldn’t have had an issue, but it should have said so and I would have been fine with it, but this was the anime trope book. On the hentai topic I was a little surprised that he would so casually drop the F-bomb, but then would refer to a certain part of the male anatomy as his “horn”. He did this not once, but multiple times and I would have preferred any other euphemism than horn. It just felt very out of place. Again, I think that this book would have benefitted from one cohesive vision. If you are doing Anime then keep to the style of how they talk. I have never heard Inuyasha or Kagome utter the F-word. Additionally, the book is called Stone vs Viper and we never got to even see the viper until the end of the book. So, that was a bit of a disappointment. From what I could tell, Atwater did have some tropes down and he played them out well, but it was difficult to enjoy it like I should due to narration. Overall, the book has some real potential, but it didn’t make me not want to put it down or listen to it nonstop. Thankfully, it had a shorter run time.

Final score 6.6 stars, again I think a better narrator would have ratcheted up the score.

---------------

In this episode for the Izzit Lit segment I will be looking at:

Unsouled: Cradle Series

By: Will Wight

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Pause

So, I’m back to is it lit? Izzit, I dunno, we’ll see. Anyway, I have been hearing a lot of stuff about wuxia, and since I have been looking for Asian written LITRPG (translated of course) the wuxia, actually pronounced ooh-sha, stuff falls right in line with that sort of exotic flavor. I do enjoy our Russian compatriots, and their writings, so I don’t think it is too much to ask for a Lit book from China, Japan, or South Korea. I was going to preview this book last week, what with Cultivating Chaos being ut and all, but I set that aside because I have done a lot more IZZIT LIT than I have what else have they done, and sometimes people need spotlighted. This fits, though since I did the Anime Trope novel, so there is a slight theme going on.

The novel starts of in a pretty standard way, kids lined up to learn what their powers are, where they’ll fit into society, and so on. The MC, Lindon, comes from a powerful family who are pretty famous in their parts and so when it is discovered that he is Unsouled, that is lacking in powers, it is a huge disappointment, but he is still loved and accepted by his family. Lindon then goes on a journey just like you would expect. He learns a technique that will jank up other people chi, so to speak, and allow him to whup their butts good. So he starts to advance through the ranks. Now here is the thing. The book does not follow the paths of expectation that you will have. It sets up one thing, and then skews off in a surprising direction that you just do not see coming. That is a huge boon for a book, to take your expectations and throw them away. Another plus, for me, anyway is that Lindon is my kind of character. He relies on is wits and uses trickery to succeed. The entire climb the stairs bit was brilliant and quite telling of what he was willing to do to get stronger.

Travis Baldtree narrates the tale, and he kills it. I would love to see him get into some LITRPG stuff because he does an amazing job, and let me tell you if you ever want to hear one mind-blowing audio book of his, aside from this one, check out Dog Walker. It is not what you would expect and is brilliant. So, Unsouled is a place for Baldtree to shine, I’ve heard him in several other audiobooks, but he really stands out here. Great voices, and really pulls you in with the emotions of the MC.

The only real issue I had with the book was that most secondary characters were not fleshed out all that well, but truthfully, for a book of this length you can’t get a lot of background or personality shoved in.

So, is this Lit? No. Maybe there are other Wuxia books out there that are, but really the only thing that it had in common was Lindon’s need to level up. I would even be hard pressed to call this gamelit, even though I have had several people suggest this for a look. But this really has less of a lit feel than most of the other books that I reviewed that weren’t litrpg. I will still be on the look out for other wuxia styled books.

-----------------

I did ask Ramon if it would be ok, and he said that I could let you all know that I do have a couple of books on Royal Road, and I would ask that you drop over there and check them out. They are:

The Nightmare Game https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21929/the-nightmare-game-a-litrpg-horror-novel

Apocalypse On Endless Earths: Apocalypse How? https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/22054/apocalypse-on-endless-earths-apocalypse-how-a

The first is straight up horror litrpg, and the other is a sci-fi/humor Litpg book. Please give them a look.

Remember, please leave a review for any book that you’ve listened to or read. Authors really depend on reviews.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 029 - Asgard Awakening, Cultivating Chaos, The Halloween Raid, Future's Orphans

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Asgard Awakening - VeilVerse: Asgard Awakening, Book 1 (00:26)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2S9nTZf

Cultivating Chaos - VeilVerse: Cultivating Chaos, Book 1 (17:11)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Gb0dgn

The Halloween Raid - A GameLit Short Story (38:05)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2DF5M56

What Else Have They Done? (53:21)

Future's Orphans: Ouroboros Cycle Series, Book 2

https://amzn.to/2ScZzpe

----------------

Asgard Awakening

VeilVerse: Asgard Awakening, Book 1

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

So, I’m going to break this down a little differently, because I will be reviewing Cultivating Chaos right after this, so I’m going to bunch up Andrea’s narration onto the second book, for reasons.

So, first of all, Kudos to Corvin and Arand for having the balls to try and pull something like this off. WE now have a LITRPG Thieves World type of Universe, where they can invite any other authors in to play in their sandbox. I could easily see (just to name a few) Dakota Krout, James Hunter, Dave Willmarth, MSE or even Harmon Cooper getting in to this playground. Or none of them. This is just to exciting an idea. The veilverse is about various worlds that are interconnected by dimensional shifting curtains wear reality wears thin. People can crossover through these curtains and interact with new worlds. Here the main characters in both books come from Earth, although Corvin’s character is sent to Asgard.

While there he is given the mantle of Odin, and slowly grows into his role as a new god. Trav is a good guy who has some horrible things done to him as a slave in an underground mine. When the time comes he makes an escape and sets about growing his power by binding women to him as he goes along. He learns to settle into his new abilities such as runecrafting and knowing things that Odin knew. The book started out looking like it was going to be a straight up revenge book, but it quickly evolved into something so much more. I have to say, I have been patiently waiting on my Delvers, but so long as books like this keep coming I won’t complain. . . much. Still waiting on the Luck Stat part duex.

Corvin certainly crafts a great story and populates his world with interesting powers, people, and prices. I don’t think that anything that Trav does doesn’t come without a cost to him in one way or another. One thing that sort of struck me odd was that Blaise does try out the Harem gig at last, and I’m not sure if he went that route because of who he partnered with or if he just wanted to give it a try. Again, not a bad thing, just not something I expected out of Blaise. I daresay that he even went further than Arand did in the naughty dept.

The world that he builds with the Kin, the Asgardian, the other new gods all comes together is cohesive universe that just sucks you in. My only possible complaint is that this book is shorter than Cultivating Chaos. I would have liked to have seen them be about the same length for a starter series, but I am not complaining because the quality is there and the characters are compelling. I cannot say I like one MC over another, but that I simply cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Andrea’s part will come up in the Cultivating Chaos segment.

Final Score 8.4 stars. Smooth like lagavulin whiskey.

-------------

Cultivating Chaos

VeilVerse: Cultivating Chaos, Book 1

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

William D. brings home the bacon on this bad boy’s back. This was a fun bit of storytelling, and I kept having Last Dragon Flashbacks as I listened to this book. So, while it is a companion piece to Asgard Awakens it is also a completely separate story that only ties with Corvin’s book tangentially. This is a very good thing. As it has it’s own flavor, and let me tell you it is very different from Asgard.

Now to say that I am a fan of Arand’s would be a complete understatement. I have never read a book of his that I haven’t loved. And I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. Truthfully, I would have to say that Super Sales is my go to Arand book, but this is one hell of a close second. I freaking grew up watching chop sockey and Godzilla flicks as a kid. My dad would always poke fun at me because I could watch Rio Bravo and then turn around and then watch the most perfect The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. I’d do a western and an eastern, and so this book really appealed to me instantly. My anime background, limited as it is, really felt the tug, and I had to laugh as Arand rips on Naruto and their whole shout out what I’m going to do while using hand signs bit just cracked me up. I will take a little umbrage as he also takes a potshot at Super Sales and Felix, but they are his characters to make fun of as he likes.

As things go this is a typical, not in a bad way, Arand book insofar as the hero stumbles onto a way to make himself stronger and then quickly builds a harem. This is not Fostering Faust style of Harem, but it is a harem nonetheless. One thing I have noticed is that Arand does sort of replicate his harem girl’s personalities over and over. For example, you have no nonsense nose to the grindstone, the admirer, the secretive one, the slightly dangerous one, he just kind of shuffles quirks to and fro. Again, I’m not complaining I’m just noting an observation. None of the girls are the same, but there is some crossover.

The MC, Ash has access to a hall of records of sorts that lets him bestow abilities on himself and others, he gets his wish to become a cultivator, and joins the school of his dreams. He then sets about getting into one hell of a feud with some community big wigs. This complicates his life, and the lives of everyone that he knows and loves. This is a seriously epic struggle, and the story, characters, and action kept me hooked. I’d really just like to know what Arand’s secret is, because the man just pens one awesome story after another. The only thing that really struck me about this book is that it is about five hours longer than Corvin’s book. Corvin’s book stopped right as it was building to something compelling, and then made me hafta wait for more. This book added five hours and I still wanted more, so no matter how much they write Imma gonna be wantin mo.

Now, here’s the bit where I talk about Andrea. Again, she just drives these stories forward like she is on a bobsled being pushed down a hill by an avalanche. She gives everyone a personality and quirks in their vocalizations, and I cannot think of anyone else doing this series. The only thing I wonder about is the leads. I listened to both books back to back, and I really couldn’t tell if she used a different voice for Trav and Ash. It was like the de facto male lead voice. To me one sounded the same as the other, and any other time that would be fine, as two characters who sound alike will never meet, but in this situation I should hope that Trav and Ash meet sometime in the future. That will make it harder to differentiate who is talking when they do get together. Again, I could be very wrong, but They sounded dang close to one another. Again, Andrea really knocked these two books out of the park.

Final score, this is an 8.5 all the way. Length, characters, action, narration, and concept this was just one hell of a leg sweep as it knocked me down.

----------------------

The Halloween Raid

A GameLit Short Story

By: George Saoulidis

Narrated by: Dave Price

Length: 55 mins

Pause

Ok, so I am always griping about wanting a good LITRPG short story, and I just might have found one. There really are two things that are drawbacks when it comes to this audio. The first, and I have to be realistic, are you willing to spend 3 dollars on a 55 minute story? I am. I mean hell, I spend more money on that for a comic book that I’ll read in under 10 minutes. So, if it is good it is justified. The only other thing is that this is LITRPG, it just isn’t uber crunchy because a lot of crunch would have sent the time on this soaring. So, fair warning, don’t get all hot under the collar when I say it isn’t dense with stats and stuff. This is a short story, and that’s that.

Now, I have been reading/listening to George’s stuff for some time, and I have to say that one of my favorite stories is called You Have Too Many Friends. It is really short, but very memorable. Honestly, it carried a lot of weight and has stuck in my head since I listened to it. The Halloween Raid holds its own pretty well.

The story is pretty simple, and a lot of things go unanswered, as they should in a short tale. You should be able to make your own conclusions. Basically once a year a giant jack o lantern pops up in Europe or the US (it swaps out every year) around Halloween. People or players enter the giant pumpkin t fight monsters and earn loot that can set them up. No one really knows where the thing comes from, but speculation says it is aliens. The play in the pumpkin is like this, you can return to play as much as you like year after year until you die. The play level setting is set to hardcore, and so if you die once you are out of play the rest of your life. Bad news is that 1 out of 1000 people who die in the pumpkin never return. No one knows what happens to them. They just get considered as dead, and people move on. The MC’s brother has a team that goes in year after year, and they leave Edward behind because he promised his mother that he wouldn’t go in. Edward watches his brother’s team get wiped out on live feed and he rushes to see if his brother made it back.

Now, lets just say that Edward is now the guy who has to gather some loot because his brother cannot go back inside for reasons, and the fool rushes in without any kind of gear or protection. He hopes that he can grab some loot and make his way out before he gets killed when things start to reaspawn. The Lit stuff only appears in the Pumpkin, but it is there, and while this is a lite Litrpg short it is still Litrpg all the way.

I enjoyed the story, and it did not go in the direction I was certain that it was going to. IN fact, this seems to be a very good set up for a longer novella, George does those a lot. I would like to see this idea fleshed out more fully

Dave Price handles the narration pretty well, and he provides a lot of voices and attitude in each of the characters. I think the only off fleek moment was when the witch spoke, but even as corny as it was it worked.

Final score 7.8. I enjoyed it, but don’t know if you are going to swing triple Georges for a listen. It was fun.

--------------

What Else Have They Done?

Future's Orphans: Ouroboros Cycle Series, Book 2

By: A.K. Alliss

Narrated by: Anneliese Rennie

Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

Pause

So, I’m always curious when a book comes out in a series that isn’t the original starter for the series, like getting book three before 1 and 2. Well, here we get book two, with no hint of one on the horizon. So I just have to run with it. So, let me tell you a little about the book. It has two things going against it for me right off the bat. First, it is told in present tense. I hate stories written in present tense and literally go out of my way not to read them. I know the producer of this podcast, the amazing Ramon Mejia, writes in just that style and I had been debating listening to his stuff because it would be an automatic bias for me before I even started. I have authors that I actively avoid reading because of this style. Secondly, the book starts of a little slowly. Well, pretty slow, in fact. I am ok with the slow stuff so long as it gives payout in the long run. But I am warning you now that the book doesn’t take off like a race car in the red.

The book is set in an undisclosed future and centers around two characters, a junkie journalist named Cass, and a street punk named Paco. It seems that after all the spit hit the fan the world is barely getting by. The government is controlling people will dermal patches that control their emotional states, but makes the populace addicted and believe that it is saving their lives.

Needless to say that stuff happens and before you know it the pair are in it up to their necks. So, when I said it started slow, it did just that, but once the initial setup was over the book began to gather some steam until it was flying along. A lot of stuff happens, but it is really about the journalist and the street kid keeping each other going that steals the show. Yes mysteries abound, betrayals occur, and they are hounded by a relentless mercenary; even the post apocalyptic setting takes a backseat to the relationship the pair have. I can see elements of Blade Runner and Mad Max here, and maybe the Road by Cormac McCarthy and some Philip K. Dick influences as well. A lot happens in this book.

I do want to really talk about Anneliese Rennie for a minute, since this is her spotlight on the What Else Have they Done segment. I first “discovered” her on Akillia's Reign, Book 4 of the Puatera Online Series. She’s since become a big part of the community, and is doing more books in the genre, so I thought it would be nice to give her some time on the show, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it. The topics in the book hit a lot of things that also pop up in LITRPG, so it isn’t out of place, and you might want to look at her upcoming audiobook, The Song Maiden: A LitRPG Journey. It should be popping right about the time this podcast is released.

Anyway, I like Rennie’s style. She really paces her story and dialogue, and she provides distinct voices for each character, and I think her voice slips into male voices pretty easily. I think that she is the only reason I was able to get passed the perspective in the book to be honest, that present tense still rattled my cage, but she made it a little easier to swallow, and the same with the whole slow set up process. If it had been anybody else I might have dropped it altogether, and I’d have been sorry that I did because once the story gets going you are on a satellite that is out of control. Yes, I was having a good time.

As you know, I do not rate the What else have they done or Izzit lit segments. I will only use books that I have enjoyed as a showcase, but I do have a third segment coming in which I will be rating the books normally, so just be aware that this is strictly something for awareness and that I have to really enjoy the book to do it on here. If you want numbers I suggest that you rock it on over to audible to see a score.

-----------------

I did ask Ramon if it would be ok, and he said that I could let you all know that I do have a couple of books on Royal Road, and I would ask that you drop over there and check them out. They are:

The Nightmare Game https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21929/the-nightmare-game-a-litrpg-horror-novel

Apocalypse On Endless Earths: Apocalypse How? https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/22054/apocalypse-on-endless-earths-apocalypse-how-a

The first is straight up horror litrpg, and the other is a sci-fi/humor Litpg book. Please give them a look.

Remember, please leave a review for any book that you’ve listened to or read. Authors really depend on reviews.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 028 - Underworld Book 2, The Runesmith, Ascend Online, Afterlife Online Book 3

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Through the Belly of the Beast: Underworld, Book 2 (03:51)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2FSmkYR

The Runesmith - The Greenwood, Book 2 (13:08)

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AWl2sM

Ascend Online (26:08)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Wdq5y6

Trojan - Afterlife Online, Book 3 (44:55)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2T8nFPl

----------------

Through the Belly of the Beast: Underworld, Book 2

By: Apollos Thorne

Narrated by: Graham Halstead

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Pause

I have read two books by Apollos Thorne and both have been utterly enjoyable, I have third book on audible to go, so I can’t wait to get to it. The belly of the beast is one of those books that I like because it sets you up to expect one type of story and it hands you another. CM Carney is good for that with his Realms series. Book one sets up this huge sweeping storyline, and then provides you with a dungeon crawl. Thorne sets you up to expect a dungeon crawl and gives you .. . . . . . . well, that would be telling.

Aw, what the heck. He gives you a fun book that generally flies in the face of what I usually like. For example, I prefer books where the player levels up slowly like in Domino Finn’s afterlife series. Talon and the team are just hitting level 10 by the time the third book ends. In contrast, Elerion is something like level 500 and counting. However, when one considers that the opponents that they face are thousands of levels higher than they are the player to enemy level ratio really seems to level out.

I think that my favorite aspect of the book is Elerion’s ability to steal other forms of magic. I like the collection method that he has and the way that he employs it to level up solo. I’m sure that I’ve mentioned this before, but I love solo games, because I hate grouping with other people. To me, Skyrim was the perfect game, and I have played it in every iteration since it came out. Elerion is a soloist, and I don’t mean he’s a fan of the movie Solo. I mean he does much better on his own and it is fun getting to picture him figuring out exciting ways to stop his foes via the various magics he has at his disposal. That isn’t to say that there aren’t other interesting characters, there are, but the book just moves along faster without them.

The book sees the kidnapped humans get into even deeper trouble and they are forced to find a special place if they are going to survive. This book centers around their attempt to find this place before their time runs out. All I can tell you is it was a blast seeing the characters grow and evolve. Like I say I normally would not like it when a character would hit a silly stat like 1000 intelligence, but in this case I do. Thorne keeps me captivated. He’ll do the same to you.

Graham Halstead has narrated a goodly share of books, including another Lit series you might know, the Neuro series by Andrei Livadny; so you know the man can read a story. I really wish he’d join the community, as I think he knows his stuff and can hold his own narrating alongside anyone. He does keep the pace going and maintains a fresh and fun atmosphere that a lot of books need, but lack. I really thought that after book one of this series I’d be hearing more from him, but no one else has used him. Makes me sad (pout).

Final score is 8.3 stars. This book rocked so hard I had to call a geologist to help me move on to my next book.

-----------------

The Runesmith

The Greenwood, Book 2

By: Galen Wolf

Narrated by: Damon Alums

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Pause

You may recall that I reviewed another Greenwood Book called The Bard: A LitRPG Short Story. I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed with the tale, but given that I hadn’t read the preceding novels I thought I’d give this short book a chance as well. I have mixed feelings on the matter.

I’ll start with Damon Alums who narrated the Bard story as well. With the Bard I found his voice to be so enchanting that it wanted to put me to sleep. I admit that he did one hell of an Antonio Banderas impression, but then really didn’t know if that was his actual voice or not. Here, his voice is much more tolerable and easy to follow and it does not lull you into a stupor from its droning cadence. I still wasn’t overwhelmed by his narration skills, but they weren’t bad. Alums seems to be a middle packer so far. I will say that he gave each character their own voice that was distinctive and made it easier to follow the tale.

Wolf’s writing seems to follow Alums narration. He doesn’t do much to stand out. Honestly, having listened to the two stories I can see that the only character that he really knows how to write is an Over Powered one. The character of Harald Runestorm is perfect. He’s all powerful. He’s the best there is at whatever he does, and he treats everyone around him like the inferiors that they are. He has the best of everything from ingredients to spells, he is the best fighter, best rune maker, you name it and he tops the list at it. It got repetitive listening to him brag about how awesome he was. One might argue that Wolf was just character building so that he could show you how great a jerk the guy was, but it just kept going and going. Then you had to listen to him harangue npcs and players alike and it really wore thin. I got it. He was an A-hole of th highest order, the greatest magnitude, the most expansive . . . get the picture? Couple the arrogance with a nasty personality and you’ll see just how unlikable the guy is.

Now, I will hand it to Wolf. He plays the long game. There are reasons that he makes the character so annoying, and that is so he can hit you with not one, but two plot twists. Neither is really all that original, but they do work in the context of the story. And therein lies the rub. The story isn’t bad, but it is much longer than it needed to be. Some editing would have resulted in a shorter tighter story that wouldn’t have been so annoying at times. You can only hear how great someone is before you don’t care.

The one thing that I found that didn’t fit was the fact that a grade A bunghole like Runestorm, who seems to know everything, doesn’t realize that just because someone says they are a pacifist it doesn’t mean that they won’t fight or hurt you in order to defend themselves, their property, or others. I just didn’t get what he was thinking. I will say that once more, that my issues with the story may come more from the narration than the tale itself. It may have come across much differently if it had been read by someone else.

As things go the story wasn’t overly bad. I think some trimming could have really produced a decent story. Alums performed professionally and it could have been a lot better. As it stands I’m giving this a 6.5. The twists at the end didn’t make it worth the time to listen.

-----------------

Ascend Online

By: Luke Chmilenko

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins

Pause

This is a tale of the two unbeatable Lukes, Luke Chmilenko and Luke Daniels. I just want to know which of them actually has Darth Vader for a father, because they pulled some Jedi mind trick stuff with this story. In fact, someone supposedly (I have to say that, right, like allegedly so I don’t get sued or something) liked it soooo much that they sort of copied part of it for their own story. You know what they say, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery but There is much difference between imitating a man and counterfeiting him. So, you know the story was pretty good. I mean it also happened to James Hunter (What up, James!).

Any who who, the entire gaming system is pretty well thought out to a point that the story easily avoids tropes such as stuck in the game or real world intrudes. The players are given a lengthy time to play, and will rotate out for a bit so they can return to real life until play resumes later. Although it does play with the whole the NPC’s are so real that it causes some ethical considerations to arise as they play. Another aspect that I liked was the concept of the nemesis that could strike at any time, and often did. It added an element of fun to the story that you don’t normally get. And the way the nemesis was dealt with was creative, too. If you know me, then you know I love getting the perspective of a MOB, and this played out pretty smoothly.

Another aspect that was important to me was the fact that the MC is not over powered. He’s just your basic player, as are his team mates. I also thought that even though this group seemed to have been together for a while that they still could not coordinate things as effectively as they should have. That was smart, because if you put me, my wife, and my brothers in a group none of us will cooperate as efficiently as we should. Well, OK, my wife would but she’s a healer and she is always on point. Point is, they felt like real people acting in real ways. The story itself is pretty simple. It is basically defend the town. They do this a few times, but that’s it in a nutshell. The stop goblins and players alike in order to protect the NPC’s and their homes. Less is better. The story is not convoluted nor is it hectic, it plays out in a simple well-crafted manner that is organic and natural. I will say that some of the characters come across as being less developed than they could have been, but when you are dealing with a group dynamic you don’t always need a backstory or standout personalities for every characters. Sometimes the Paladin can just be a paladin.

The fights are exciting, and even if there are just some goblins most of the time it isn’t played out like “just” goblins. They present a serious danger and do real damage. Again, I will reiterate that I love listening to town building take place, so some of my favorite parts of the book came when they were shoring up their defenses. There is a lot going on in this book even though no power leveling takes place.

Luke Daniels is just a narration green beret. He’s a vocal warrior from the sky, and like always he does one hell of a job. I have to say that the hardest part of my reviews are the portions that deal with narration. If the narrator sucks or are mediocre it is easy for me to say here’s where the problem lay. My real issue comes when I have to say how GOOD somebody is. It is really difficult to say how amazing they were that doesn’t sound like hyperbole. All I can say is that if you know Luke Daniels then you know by this point that he always delivers a solid performance, complete with character voices, emotion, and a pace that keeps you listening. So, um, he kicked butt!

Final score 8.4 stars. I really liked this book and I don’t know why it took me so long to do something by Mr. Chmlienko.

-------------------

Trojan

Afterlife Online, Book 3

By: Domino Finn

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James

Series: Afterlife Online, Book 3

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Pause

So bongo, bongo, bongo I don’t want to leave the city without my mountain Bongo

Oh no no no no no

Bingle, bangle, bungle I’m so happy with my Bandit I refuse to go

Yeah, this book made me want to sing. It was fun, but then every trip I’ve made to Haven in Domino Finn’s After Life series has been a blast. That song was an old Danny Kaye reference to civilization, which is what this book is all about. It is about teamwork, trust, and faith.

A ton of stuff happens in this installment, and at first I actually thought that it might be an end point, as I think there were several points the story could have concluded, with a lot of unresolved plotlines, that would still have worked. Thankfully, that isn’t the case but it could have been.

By the title of the book, and the dragon on the cover you might have thought that this book was all about protection and prevention, but no. Finn hits you with a lot right off the bat and never lets up. Talon is the victim of an assassination attempt, and soon finds himself on the look for the person or persons who hired the killer. The quest soon spirals into a variety of events that serve to provide us with a high seas adventure, some Oakenguard intrigue, and an epic battle with yet another Titan. I have to add that there are some huge reveals in regards to Talon, Lucifer, and even Tad (talon’s living self).

The only real downside to this story is the complete and utter lack of VArnu Johnson, the greatest tech support that ever hit the pages of a book. He has just one brief cameo, and it just wasn’t enough. I need my Varnu. The only thing comparable is the Tech support scenes in Everybody loves large chests. I wait for my Varnu moments, Domino. I wait for them.

Anyhow, the book is packed so full of action that he has to write another book to keep up. It is a very fun wild ride and this is a world that I deeply love to visit. I am always glad to see another installment of the series pop up.

So, Justin Thomas James racks up points doing his pirate imitation and pretty much has a complete blast rolling through the various voices of the cast. Honestly, I laughed so hard at the party chat at the end of the book, I just envisioned it to have been done in one long amazing take as he literally does every character of any significance in the story, and it would just break my heart to think that he didn’t do it in one long uncut perfect tape of hilarity. I laughed throughout the chat, but the highlight was when he did the voice of the Kraken. I was driving when he did that and I laughed so hard that I almost crashed. My speeding had nothing to do with the peril that Justin put in through his comedic endeavors, either. What I’m trying to say is that he made this book utterly fun every second of it’s run time. I think of all the characters that he does in Afterlife my favorite is Kyle. He has the frat boy partier banter down cold, and the voice fits the brewmaster to utter perfection. I really enjoy listening to Justin whenever he returns to this world, since the first time I’d heard him was on book one of this series, and just listening to him takes me back to those first moments that I stepped into LITRPG. He nails the narration. Plain and simple, and he owns this series. No one else could ever do it now because it would lose a special spark.

MY final score is 8.2 stars. Finn and James are an unbeatable duo. If you haven’t started the series, go back and give it a listen, it is amazing.

-----------------

I did ask Ramon if it would be ok, and he said that I could let you all know that I do have a couple of books on Royal Road, and I would ask that you drop over there and check them out. They are:

The Nightmare Game https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21929/the-nightmare-game-a-litrpg-horror-novel

Apocalypse On Endless Earths: Apocalypse How? https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/22054/apocalypse-on-endless-earths-apocalypse-how-a

The first is straight up horror litrpg, and the other is a sci-fi/humor Litpg book. Please give them a look.

Remember, please leave a review for any book that you’ve listened to or read. Authors really depend on reviews.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 027 - First Login - Chronicle, Life Reset: EvP, Opening Moves: The Gam3, Bobiverse series

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

First Login - Chronicle, Book 1 (00:24)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2FvF5kQ

Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (12:37)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SZb1Cd

Opening Moves: The Gam3, Book 1 (25:53)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Cw3iob

Is It Lit? (34:30)

Bobiverse series:

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) https://amzn.to/2M8MUOC

For We Are Many https://amzn.to/2STnhUF

All These Worlds https://amzn.to/2M9BBFZ

----------------

First Login

Chronicle, Book 1

By: Kevin Murphy

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Pause

Well, well, well, it seems first time author Kevin Murphy has crafted a pretty cool series starter. I enjoyed every minute of this book, and I have to say that I think that is because the main character acts a lot like I would in the same situation. This book doesn’t have an overarching goal, and the MC sort of meanders around, but I wouldn’t call this a slice of life book. Too much happens, and there is an undercurrent of mystery that gets slightly revealed at the end of the book. The MC Dakkon loses his job and ends up playing the game for real life credits. You know that I hate that trope.

Anyway, first day in the game kinda sucks for him, and he ends up lying to some guards just so he can get inside a city by claiming that he was mugged. Oddly, the guards show up later with his “stolen” gear, which just so happens to include a really cool looking knife. Now, here is where the wandering part comes in. Dakkon has literally no clue as to what he should be doing, and basically bounces from one thing to another. He meets a guy, then a group and they hunt together, and he learns that his new knife has some super killy powers. Later efforts to discover what the knife is sort of fail, and he is left clueless.

The story is pretty much Dakkon either conning people to score some cash, and I have to say he’s a decent liar, or fighting higher level mobs and leveling up. One thing I have to warn you about is that there is no clear and concise system here. At least not one that is revealed. The writing seems geared to keeping a lot of things about the game obscure too. So, don’t expect to come out of this knowing all about the game system or the game’s storyline (if it has one). Dakkon pretty much deals with everything as it comes at him, he isn’t much of a planner (as in looking ahead) but he is apt at thinking on his feet and detecting an enemy’s weakness. It is his unorthodox play style that makes him able to defeat foes that are higher level than he is, and earn the cash he so desperately needs.

He allies with some interesting people, such as a lettuce salesman, and a mysterious player who is far more than he seems. Dakkon also manages to garner the attention of a player that wants his mysterious dagger, which eventually leads him to joining an organization of relic hunters. So, basically, the book is more about what adventure is going to occur today? So, slice of life dammit! But there is an undercurrent of things that are revealed at the end just enough to whet your appetite. Personally, I liked Dakkon, just because he wasn’t a know it all smart ass who cracked jokes at every turn. He really appealed to me because of his devious nature, the guy makes a better con man than he does a fighter, that’s for certain.

Nick Pohdel really does some fine work here, and I have to say that I am liking his incorporation of sound effects into the reading. Not only did they fit, but they were also pleasant to the ears, I don’t know if he found them or made them up, but I enjoyed the addition. My only complaint with Pohdel is that he is a one trick pony when it comes to women’s voices, that is why I didn’t swoon over his work on Super Sales on Super Heroes book two, that book had ton of women to work around, and his ladies sound very similar to one another. Here the female factor isn’t overly high, so it isn’t all that noticeable or bad. Still he did great otherwise and I anticipate more growth from him in the future.

Over all this is a solid first effort, and I am going to just barely give this one an 8 star review. There were a lot of things unrevealed, the class set up wasn’t really well explained, and it was a wandering aimless book to be honest. Still, the characters and the fun outweighed a lot of that and I say give this a go and eat an imperial salad while you do so.

-----------------

Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player)

By: Shemer Kuznits

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott

Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins

Pause

This is this week’s Soundbooth Spotlight, and man was it fun. Practically 22 hours of goblin goodness to gnaw on. Orin, the MC who is trapped in the game world, is a goblin Dread Totem who is running a goblinish village. The book plays out a lot like the original world of Warcraft orcs vs humans game. He creates new peons who do jobs assigned to them, builds and upgrades vital facilities for the advancement of the tribe, and fights off invaders with his limited militia. I enjoy this aspect more than anything. Granted, I like watching Orin level up and get new powers, but I really love to hear how he adds a new building or upgrades one. Like I say, Tamer by MSE has my attention because the characters are building a fort. The book really deals with a ton of things happening to Orin and his village after the events of the first book. It seems that no matter what Orin does nothing is going to prepare him for the trials to come.

Orin is in deep trouble as his ex-guild members are looking for him, and he has limited time to prepare for their arrival. To top it off new monster players have begun showing up, and it seems that one of them is a traitor. Somebody is going around ganking hapless goblin workers, and stealing vital potion supplies. The urgency of the need to expand, gain experience, and leveling his troops is palpable. To top it off, Orin now struggles to retain his identity as a player. He is sinking more and more into his role as the Dread Totem and losing bits of himself in the process. One of my favorite bits that got added this time around is the mandibled brain eating seneschal that made me envision a hobgobliny Predator. He was a fun character, and Kuznits uses him quite effectively to demonstrate the importance and dangers of reputation in a very slick way.

Another impressive thing is the way that SBT handled this book. Last go around, Jeff Hays did the whole thing himself, now he’s added some of the Sound Booth ladies into the mix, but quite wisely keeps himself on the voices that he did the last time. Annie and Laurie both bring their A game and the sisters of Soundbooth supercharge the story with their sublime storytelling. Jeff is the man, handling more characters than a juggling guillotine operator during the French revolution, I just don’t know how he does it but he has impeccable pacing and knows how to wrap a chapter or add life into a battle scene. He definitely infuses a sense of urgency into everything that Orin does, and lets his smugness play out oh so very well that you cringe when Orin says something so snide that you know whatever it is is going to come back and bite him on the rump. One thing that sort of surprised me was that Jeff didn’t figure out a way to sound fx to the shadow magic. I would have loved to have heard a light wind to a full breeze blowing when Orin used his shadow powers, but that is really just my own personal desires, SBT really nailed the book down and provided some top notch high quality narration.

My final score on this book is 8.3 stars. I like that Kuznits doesn’t spit out shorter books, and that he knows the proper thing to do is to put his MC through the wringer as often as possible. The narration is on a nuclear level, and the overall story is a fun fast paced ride of leveling, struggling to become stronger, and preparing for a point when PC’s will invade the village. This is slick and smooth, and will sucker you in for more hours than you realize. Get this book and enjoy it.

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The next book I am going to review has a weird title, but it was a really fun book. I’m going to be examining Opening Moves, which is part of the Gam 3 series. I have no idea why its called the Gam 3 series but (Prop guy comes in and yell’s “It’s the game! Not the gam 3, I’ve told you it’s the GAME, the three is an E old man!) Chagrinned I say OK, and then chastise him for not using a prop. I’ll show you a prop! He then hits me with a monopoly box. That’s better, I mutter.

So, yeah, . . .

Opening Moves: The Gam3, Book 1

By: Cosimo Yap (I don’t think that’s his real name)

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Pause

While I liked Opening moves there were some things that bothered me a little. First, though, the set up. One promising feature is that this is strictly as sci-fi story and we really don’t get enough of those in Litrpg today. I’m not complaining about the fantasy stuff, but a huge portion of Litrpg has heavy fantasy elements to it. Sci-fi is almost the purview of our Russian comrades, of course it is odd to say that a genre that features game entry via computers, A.I. elements, and game mechanics is more fantasy based, but you understand my point.

Anyway, (you’ll get that reference once you listen to the book) the game is how aliens conduct their warfare. Humans have been inducted to play the “game” and are granted some leniency from outright attacks until they kind of get their game legs. The MC sort of buys his way into the game by having some money fronted to him. Alan, the MC becomes a machine lord, and has AI that he basically uses as a cheat throughout the book.

That was my biggest problem. Alan isn’t a very deep character, I would almost say that he belongs in flat land because he is a tad one dimensional. There is no character development or growth, he ends the way he starts, so yay for consistency. Also, he comes in with an AI that pretty much helps him route every thing he encounters. The book, however, is action heavy and very fun, and I can easily forgo character development in favor of some good ole butt kickin.

The story does draw you in, and I was pretty much kept on the edge of my seat as the story progressed. I can’t say that the story slowed down or didn’t keep me engaged, because I rode this story like a broken mechanical bull. I couldn’t ride a working one, I’d break my neck. The point is that this was a fun ride.

Surprise, Nick Pohdel narrates this book and does a wonderful job, I have pretty much accepted that he is a master class narrator, but that he still has issues doing women’s voices. That has been, and will be my biggest complaint when it comes to his work. Otherwise, he manages to make the story fun and really picks up the pace when it comes to the battle scenes.

The story has a ton of things going on, like an attempted capture/assassination attempt and some ancient beings offering to assist in the Gam3 if he can prove himself. Again, awesome book, not much in the way of characterization. Also, I will say that Allen’s growth as a player may have felt a little stunted when compared to other similar books. That’s ok, not every player should be OP, and he does have his AI to make up for his limitations.

Overall score is an 8. I thought it was fast paced, full of action, and had a good premise, but the lack of character growth really took it down a peg or two.

------------------

Bobiverse

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

For We Are Many

All These Worlds

By: Dennis E. Taylor

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Pause

I’m just going to start off by saying that no matter what the decision is on this being Lit or not this is a series that you really need to read. It is witty, funny, emotional, action packed, jarring, and is a pretty fair lens with which to view humanity. I was captivated by this series the moment I started listening and this is one of the first books that I thought of when I came up with the Is it Litrpg or not segment. No matter what, this is a seriously can’t miss set of books that I am equally glad that was completed with a trilogy, and upset that it is over. Bob, all of him, is a fascinating bunch of guys.

So, let’s get to the story. A guy, Bob, dies and his brain is uploaded into a virtual world (sound a little familiar?). He isn’t alone. There are other test subjects that he has to compete with, and the competition is simple. If you win, you survive. Fail, and you are deleted. He and the others undergo a battery of test, and no surprise Bob wins the grand prize. He has his mind uploaded into a very special space vessel. This allows him to not only explore new solar systems but also replicate himself so that he can survive and do his job. His real problem is that three other countries have also launched probes similar to Bob, and they are not friendly.

Thankfully, Bob gets a hand with an on board assistant (Hmmm, a helper A.I.?) that can fill him in on much needed details and plays a role that the reader/listener needs to feed information. From there, the Bobiverse expands from being a simple humanity must survive book and into numerous other themes. We literally get Bob on an alien planet helping natives, Bob colonizing other worlds, Bob falling in love with a fleshie and all the consequences that come from it, as well as a nightmarish unstoppable foe that Bob has no clue how to stop.

Throughout the course of the series Bob grows and evolves, you might say that he levels up, actually. He goes through numerous iterations, and changes all while struggling just to stay sane and be Bob. I cannot accurately tell you how engaging the book series is, other than to say that I listened to them one after another with only breaks for sleep or because work dictated that I put the book down for a few minutes.

Ray Porter is a master, and I do mean master narrator. You name a genre and he has probably narrated something in it. While I will say that this is probably the best I’ve ever heard him I can tell you that you might want to check out his work in Pathfinder series, based on the game as well as his distinguished narration on WOTC’s Dark Sun Series the Prism Pentad. So he knows games backwards and upside down. He also does a decent Urban Fantasy series called Incryptid, that IN and then the supernatural/fortean word for monsters and undiscovered animals, cryptids. Incryptid is pretty cool too. Here though he provides all of Bob’s angst, desperation, urgency, his love, his reaction to betrayal, etc. Sincerely, this guy is on the level of Hays, Daniels, Pohdel, and Taylor when it comes to men’s narration. You could not ask for better.

So, now we get down to the big question. Izzit lit? Well, part one, he is placed into a virtual world. 2) He has a snarky A.I. to help him get information. 3) He improves on himself after each encounter with an enemy (i.e. he levels up). 4) Like Alex Rogan he fights a desperate battle against incredible odds against an enemy similar to the Kodon armada. Ok, so that last part is true, but it doesn’t make it gamelit just because I quote a LIT movie. Yes, the Last Starfighter is Gamelit, and I’ll fight you to prove it.

So, while I can safely say that it meets a lot of the criteria, and I so desperately want to call this Lit, I can’t. There really isn’t any kind of crunch to it, or even a soft oatmeal bite. This series comes damn close, though, and I still say that if you are a fan of LITRPG you will LOVE this book series. Check it out.

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I did ask Ramon if it would be ok, and he said that I could let you all know that I do have a couple of books on Royal Road, and I would ask that you drop over there and check them out. They are:

The Nightmare Game https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21929/the-nightmare-game-a-litrpg-horror-novel

Apocalypse On Endless Earths: Apocalypse How? https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/22054/apocalypse-on-endless-earths-apocalypse-how-a

The first is straight up horror litrpg, and the other is a sci-fi/humor Litpg book. Please give them a look.

Remember, please leave a review for any book that you’ve listened to or read. Authors really depend on reviews.

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LitRPGPodcast

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Our Webpage: www.litrpgpodcast.com

Some other LitRPG facebook pages:

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 026 - Betrayal, Seductive Seas, Dan the Barbarian, Star-Spangled Apocalypse

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Betrayal (Monsters, Maces and Magic, Volume 2) (00:50)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AzAHy1

Seductive Seas: Online Swashbuckling Harem (20:00)

Seductive Seas LitRPG Series, Book 1

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SFz8pe

Dan the Barbarian Gold Girls and Glory, Book 1 (40:54)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AzqSQp

What Else Have They Done? (01:01:55)

Star-Spangled Apocalypse

https://amzn.to/2RBSMoP

----------------

Betrayal (Monsters, Maces and Magic, Volume 2)

By: Terry W. Ervin II

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Pause

Terry Ervin part deux returns to his Gamelit series, (Monsters, Maces, and Magic), with his tale Betrayal. I’ll be honest, I’ve been waiting on this one. I absolutely loved the first book and could not wait for this book to it the audible shelves. I have to admit, going into this I felt certain that I knew what was going to happen, just from the title, but I was very surprised to find that I was so wrong that everything I had expected never came to pass. I’ll give Terry his due, I love it when a writer sets up a story and then procedes to not follow an expected path. I don’t want to give anything away, but I really thought that it was pretty obvious where the book’s title was coming from, but nope. Nope. He got me. Kudos, master Ervin.

So, the book centers on the group trying to raise funds to get their wish spell so they can return home, and they get sucked into a lot of backstabbing and intrigue dealing with a kidnapped elf bride. The team opts to take the offer to get some serious bread in exchange for bringing the bride back, and head off to the swamplands in hopes of rescuing her before she is violated murdered, or eaten, or violated, murdered, and then eaten. She’s in a bad place with a deadline hanging over her head. The group works pretty well, and plays smart. They learn where she’d been taken and head out with their game faces on.

Now, the book has a lot of action, the battle scenes are pretty slick, and I really loved the way that they managed to take on a lance wielding rider. So, there is some pretty innovative use of magic and tactics. The half goblin pretty much steals the show, he is the most fun, and I think my biggest issue is just how weak the gnome is portrayed to be. I really wish that the gnome kicked more ass instead of always coming across as a liability even when he is fighting his heart out. He never seems to have any confidence in spite of being the one that saved the team in the last novel. I would also like to see more of the semi evil fighter of the group. We get enough Goblin, gnome, and elf. Ron and Derek seem a little under represented. I always point to Dragonlance which did an amazing job of balancing a large group and spotlighting each character.

My one true complaint was that a lot of the humor that was in the first book seemed to be lacking. Granted, most of the jibes centered on Marigold’s bosom, shrinking clothing, and so on but it was funny. This book basically flipped and made it more about leering and how she felt about it, and if a character did have a naughty thought they quickly reprimanded themselves or turned their heads. It is fine to show growth, but when the whole set up was that the elf is triple pornstar hot you can’t bring shame into the equation, because it makes the reader feel ashamed for laughing before or considering the same situations in this book to be funny. Marigold was reduced to complshaming the others or worrying about her bird, Petey.

Either way, I enjoyed the book, and look forward to the next, even though it doesn’t feature our intrepid team. My final score, 7.9 stars just because some of the elements of the first book were toned down or negated. Still, I loved how they were shown that they were levelling via dreams, since they can’t access character sheets. I also appreciated that the players instinctively knew how many hit points they had. That was new too. I must say that I have no issue with the more action oriented take, but I would have liked more humor.

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Seductive Seas: Online Swashbuckling Harem

Seductive Seas LitRPG Series, Book 1

By: Calico Jack

Narrated by: Shane Morris

Length: 58 mins

Pause

This was an odd book to review. I am always on the look out for a good LITRPG short story, and pretty much jump at one whenever I get a chance. The issue that I have is that this is sort of a hard sell for me. The book is pretty short, only 58 minutes long, and honestly only feels like a first chapter more than a complete story. Yes, it sort of wraps up, but in a way that would have worked better in a bigger longer novel. In other words, the story sort of feels incomplete, like there a lot more that should have happened. Another hour’s worth of material and I think this wouldn’t have been too bad for a short, but too much was jammed in all at once to make it a complete story.

For example, the tale starts of with the MC walking the plank. It seems like his old ship has mutinied and he has been replaced and is being left to drown by his former crew. Somehow, he manages to make it to the newbie starting island, but is still a level one, so I was confused. Did the game start him out on a mutinied ship? Because he didn’t act like that was the case at all, he was very familiar with the people and the island. If not, then why was he so low a level? Was it because he died? Dunno, never states if dying resets you to level one or not, but if it did I wouldn’t play the game.

Ten seconds after arriving on the island he is met by a comely wench who had been part of his crew and followed him. She immediately begins pleasuring him orally, and that is where the first snafu of the book comes into play. The narration says something along the lines of she slid his massive member into his mouth. Not an exact quote, but pretty close. You get the point though. They’d have called him Cap’n longspear if he could do that. Words matter people. Espicially in an intimacy scene. Coming out of the scene, no pun intended he awakes at work to find that he’s played all night and his hot boss, who he has his eye on, has a meeting with him and some financiers. During the meeting he is expected to demonstrate the awesomeness of the games fighting system as well as the intercourse interplay. So, basically he has to cut off some heads and then get some he. . . well, you get the idea. That is pretty much the story, aside from what actually happens in the gameplay, and how the meeting went. Not a lot of content if you consider all the set up and time it took just to get to that point. So, it feels truncated. Like I say, good start to a bigger tale, but not so hot for a one shot.

The story did have some cool ideas that I would like to see implemented in other harem or sexiness styled books, in which the players have to unlock the Wench NPC’s chastity belts with a quest. This means that they just can’t get busy, they actually have to do a little work before they can have fun. Of course, this still didn’t stop the sexy wench from providing some oral gratification right after they met. It just meant that the honey pot was sealed in other ways. I loved this concept. I wish it was featured more in other novels.

The narration was fair to middling. I wasn’t overly underwhelmed, but I can’t say that I was amazed. Also, there was a strange ticking or bonking noise in the beginning of the story that was not part of the story, and just randomly appeared out of no where.

My score is 6.5, it might have been higher if there was more to this story, but I really can’t justify a credit for a book under an hour, or even ask you to pay 3 bucks for so short an audiobook. I have a hard time reconciling if this was a prologue, a short story, or a first chapter. When the listener can’t make so simple a distinction the book sort of sails away. Also, the lit elements were pretty light, which was a good thing, because if it was heavy and they wanted to keep it under an hour then we would have lost even more story.

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Dan the Barbarian Gold Girls and Glory, Book 1

By: Hondo Jinx

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Pause

Holy Hannah, has Hondo heartily hit some hellaish heights with his Breakout Gamelit novel, Dan the Barbarian. This was one heck of a ride that was packed with fun, excitement, action, and saucy babes. There aren’t enough ladyfolk to qualify as a harem just yet, two ladies are a love triangle, not a harem, but I’m sure just from what Hondo has laid out as it’s an inevitability.

The story starts out with a simple schlub named Dan, who is having a really crappy day. He’s failing a class, he’s robbed, and he shatters a glass case in the school library. Fortunately, in his accident he frees a genie. The genie, in his generosity, grants Dan one wish, and after a little hedging, Dan asks to be given a life like his barbarian character. Wish granted, Dan finds himself in mirror world in which his college no teaches economics, psychology, or biology. Instead there is treasure hunting 101, Sword Play, and Dungeon delving. Of course, dan still lives across the hall from the hottest girl in school, and his nasty teacher in the old world is now his independent study instructor. Plus, she really hates him even more than before. Dan, however, gets help from his magic sword that has the personality of his old character, Wulfgar, and a group of people he gets to know as he joins his hot neighbor, Holly, in a college Quest game that has real life and death stakes. The characters are fun, and play to type. Dan, for example pulls a lot of stupid stunts, just like a real dopey barbarian, the thief is sexy and sneaky, and the wizard reminded me a little of the scattered brained Mage, Fizban, from the Dragonlance series.

The story really isn’t overly complicated, it is about a barbarian after all, but damn if it wasn’t fun. It really kept me on the hook listening until I wrapped it up. I can only say that Dan was a relatable character, even if I couldn’t place myself in his exploits, I mean, I’m not a barbarian, but I will say that I liked how Dan had memories of both worlds, so he wasn’t in over his head even though he was new to everything. This book, also features a monkey, Zuggie, who is a chess playing beer swigging fool that gets a little belligerent if he isn’t given the proper drink. What’s with all the monkeys lately? I keep saying Never trust a monkey! No one listens. The book has a solid ending that sets up the next novels and helps keep the anticipation going as we have to wait for Andrea Parsenau to record the next in the series.

Speaking of Andi P., man oh man, does she do an incredible job telling Dan’s story. Now, I am going to make a confession. I have passed up many audiobooks in the past because of female narrators. I listened to several early audiobooks, notable Cathy Bates reading Silence of the Lambs, to be specific, and I was underwhelmed, and I carried that bias for many years. I actively avoided any books narrated by a lady, and didn’t care if the MC was female of not. Then, I listened to Andrea Parsenau, and changed my mind. To be fair, I am pretty oblivious to most things as a consumer, and tend to not look at what I buy, and so did not see that a woman had narrated the book. Problem for me was that I had started it, and I always finish a book that I have started, no matter how bad. Sometimes I put them away for a while, I mean I did shelve the Sword of Shannara for five years before I returned to it and completed the book, but I soldiered on and soon I had forgotten that it was a woman narrating. Soon, I found myself actually enjoying the book, and from that point on, I have been a fan of Andrea’s. She proves that a woman can narrate a story no matter the gender of the MC. So, kudos for Andrea for expanding my horizons. Now, as for her work on Dan the B. Well, what can I say? She hasn’t slowed down any, and only continues to improve on her craft. She makes Holly seductive, Dan manly, and Zuggie monkier than normal. She really runs with this book and I enjoyed listening to every second of her performance. She really has a flair for action.

So, final score is an 8.2 stars. I did catch some plot holes, and thought that there might have been a few options that would have been better handled. For me the one point that seemed like it was just extra writing was the will the play the chess match? We all knew the answer, it had been set up throughout the book, and the decision came as no surprise. Still, this was really fun, and I love Gamelit novels a lot. Give this a try. You’ll find yourself in another world.

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Star-Spangled Apocalypse

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

I'm glad that the cover on this novel has a mushroom cloud on it, because it literally blew me away. There are so many things that go on here that I didn't expect and had no idea that Cooper had all of this in him. Granted, he has said that this was one of his earliest novels (by the way, none of that freshman smell is on theses pages, it comes across as if crafted by a vet) but this is far afield of the writing style that the Cooper I know uses, and the commentary is so. . .so . . .yeah. I just can't find the words. He calls this a satire, but the fact it that it is something I could see playing out between two friends who are on opposite sides of the political fence. One is a stoner and the other a drunk, throw in a few aside trips and other apocalyptic pieces and you end up with this witty, biting, unrelenting tale that threatens to make you think if you aren't too careful.

Cooper is funny. I mean, fick'n funny as all get out, but the humor here is different than his other books. He isn't just being humorous, he makes observations and throw them at you with punchlines/situations. That works well, too. I hate being preached at, whether by a priest or a politician, but his commentaries don't feel like you are being talked down to, it's more like here are my thoughts and I'm happy to share it through the lens of this drunken fellow.

Another thing he does is pull Andrea Parsneau in to narrate. That's surprising, since the story basically revolves around two dudes, but, being Parsneau she manages to make you not notice that little bit at all. I didn't until it was all over. Then, all I could think of was what an amazing job she did, and her voice work just elevated the story. Who knew she could do drunk and stoned so well? Heh.

Oh, and I love the retro blast of a cover. It tells you that the book isn't serious, all the while it is, in fact, serious. The fact that the top of the cloud looks like a brain says it all. This book will blow your mind! That, is brilliant. I love it, and want a copy for my office. Now. Maybe autographed!

Anyway, I really think that Cooper was searching for something deeper when he wrote this book. I don't know if he was looking inward or at the world outside, but the vision he produces, and the thoughts he puts forth really fuel this book. I might think this was an esoteric roadtrip in his own mind as he thought about things sociological and political, or I could just see it as a running train of thought on what is happening to this country today. See, the book has layers. The deeper you dig the more that you find, and no matter where you stand on the political spectrum you will find something to laugh at and think about.

Cooper went out of his way to differentiate this book from his other sci-fi fare. Even though it is about an apocalypse it feels more real world than anything else of his I've ever read. I could stand to see him do a bit more of this type of a book every now and again. I can't let him get out of fantasy/sci-fi permanently but he could take us on the occasional hallucinatory road trip once in a while.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 025 - Conquest, Steam Whistle Alley, The Lost City

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Conquest - The Dungeon Core Gambit, Book One (01:00)

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2GRKbdp

Steam Whistle Alley - An Adventure in Augmented Reality (18:45)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2CHqgtN

The Lost City: An Epic LitRPG Adventure (34:04)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2s2ZQws

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Conquest

The Dungeon Core Gambit, Book One

By: Antony W.F. Chow

Narrated by: Camille DuBois

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Pause

Conquest is a book that feels like a dungeon core book, but then doesn’t feel like a dungeon core book. It starts off with a guy being murdered in a pretty hardcore fashion. I think Chow is a big fan of Lorena Bobbitt, because his assassin sure as heck makes the MC live out a John Wayne Bobbitt scenario prior to his death. The guy gets reborn as a dungeon core, and immediately starts making monster friends, absorbing people, and growing his territory.

The story flips between dungeon building and sex scenes, since the world has a dearth of viable males to support the population. I’m not sure if this originally started out as a naughty book that evolved into a dungeon book, or a dungeon book that evolved into an erotic book but it is very hard to tell what the focus actually was on. I have no problem with sex scenes, but I need a solid story behind it. I do read harem books, and I am no prude, but this was not my cup o tea sex wise.

My issues with the story are thus. First, the book never really delivers a challenge to the MC. He pretty much overcomes and outthinks any obstacle in his way. There was never a threat or serious concern for his success. Secondly, the way that the story explains that dungeon cores need to keep themselves hidden and secret, but I never saw the protagonist do that ever. Pretty much every person or thing that he encounters he tells. Third, he expands really quickly, most dungeon books take time building rooms, levels, etc. This dungeon expands its territory and range by incredible leaps and bounds. Third, the core’s helper was either deliberately obtuse or was a savant, because she was constantly goofing things up, and then she was a master. It made no sense. Fourth, the cheat that the dungeon exploited, garnering limitless mana pretty much at will. Fifth, there were literally no monsters in the dungeon. That is what is fun about the dungeon genre. New monsters. I wanted to see more with the nematode or queen ant, but no. Also, there is only one real party of adventurers who take on the dungeon, and they mostly quit halfway through. What does it say when a band of adventurers don’t even want to do a dungeon run? Then I even had a grammar issue in the audiobook. This is me being picky, but I have to call it out when I hear something like this. The word Dwarfesses is used a lot, which comes across like dwarfesses. I would have rather that the terms she-dwarves, female dwarves, lady dwarves, or even just dwarves, as it was very clear that he was only referencing the female variety of dwarven folks. It might have actually worked ok on the page, but when spoken out loud it was mildly silly.

Speaking of out loud, Dubois is clear and clean, but almost robotic in her speaking. She had a very boring delivery style. I found her to be intently hard to listen too. She also had some mispronunciations, but I’ll just call out one. Look, if you are entering a specific style of genre like Sci fi or fantasy, get used to technobabble or strange creatures being named. In other words, prepare yourself. Dubois uses the pronunciation of Like in place of Lich. This was very irritating and coupled with her style every little error that she made stood out like the Eiffel Tower on Liberty Island. I have said it before, and I will say this again. Narration is key to keeping your story interesting on Audible. Choosing a bad narrator is like shooting yourself in the foot. You might hobble along, but you aren’t going to win any races. She crushed this story with her monotone flat reading. She is not, by far, the worst I have ever heard, but man, she is not even a middle of the pack narrator, unless you are talking about a pack of cigarettes.

I really struggled with this, I tried to figure out if it was a Litbook that wanted to be a dungeon core book or a dungeon core book that lost its way. I really did not feel like this was a dungeon core book. It was missing too many elements for it to be that, it also strained my LITRPG perceptions since there was no real attempt at levelling or other standard fare things like stats abounding. Taking it for just the story I was given I have to, coupled with the narration, give this 6.5 stars.

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Steam Whistle Alley

An Adventure in Augmented Reality

By: Joshua Mason

Narrated by: Sena Bryer

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Pause

Fans of Steampunk should enjoy this book, but so will people who are not steampunk fans. I say it like that because I wasn’t overwhelmed with a ton of steamy punky stuff, and that is because the book fluctuates between plain everyday reality as well as the augmented reality of the game. So the steam is there, but it isn’t super heavy. I really appreciated what Mason has done here, adding an element of real life to the game that is being played so that it isn’t a simple enter the VR realm by putting on a visor and laying in bed all day. I loved how the goggles were used for that purpose. He also adds a hint of the Blade Runner tech, what with the synthetic monkey Banjo, who is a monkey in every way except for the actual matter of him not being a real monkey. I have to admit two things, I get a little leery of monkeys, and especially monkeys named Bingo, which is pretty close to Banjo, after watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast years ago. I will never forget Brak’s admonishment to never trust a monkey. Never.

Our intrepid hero, Jakey, gets partnered with the gal of his dreams, and makes a new friend or two along the way. This was one of the things that I didn’t like about the game play. The game creators chose your partner for you. I don’t care what algorithm you use, I don’t want my gaming partner chosen by Tinder. Technically, I hate joining teams, and often played my games alone, which is really hard in an MMORPG. Getting to 60 in WOW by myself sucked, and I wished that they made gameplay work so that you could play in a group or individually. Here, you aren’t given a choice. They pick a partner for you and you have to play together. One thing that actually bothered me was, again, how long it actually took to get into game. I understand set up, and the importance of building a the world, but I really believe that you should get your listeners/readers into the game as soon as possible. We were a good while into the book before we actually got into Steam Whistle Alley.

Truth be told, Sena See-na) Bryer’s narration really had to grow on me. It was really annoying at first, and I don’t know why. It was like there was a nasally tone to everything, very hard for me to describe. Bryer did pretty well, the narration itself was pretty clean and easy to understand. Different voices were used to varying effect, and the pacing was excellent, but it took me almost 2/3rds of the book before I could listen and not be driven crazy by whatever her voice was doing to my ears. After that point I was fine, but it really took me some time to settle in on her voice and I could just listen. Like I say, she did great, but I had some issue with her voice for some reason. Had nothing to do with her style or ability, it just wasn’t musical to my ears, but upon acclimation I didn’t notice it anymore.

So here’s the rundown, Jacob gets a chance to Alpha test a new game that takes place in Augmented reality, that is it takes place in the actual world, which means it required you to get off your fat butt and actually walk, explore, and fight outside. Considering I’m a misanthropic hermit who hates to leave the house I can already see that I’d be playing another game, but other people might actually like sunshine on their faces while they play. Once he’s is in game he learns that there are a couple of villainy type who are looking to take control of the game, and it comes down to Jake and his team to put the kibosh on them and their plans. One of my favorite aspects of the story is that there was no power leveling, no cheats, no backdoors, just straight up gameplay, grinding, and honest leveling. The only real issue I had was the way the story ended. It is a cliffhanger, and I don’t mind those, however the way it ended had some actual implications that weren’t all that great. I can’t give them away, but it bothered me a little. Either way, the book was fun, and I actually liked Banjo, even though I’d never trust him, and he was most importantly, not annoying. So, cool characters, sidekicks, and concept.

Final score a solid 8 stars. I actually forgave the issues I had with the narration since I could find no flaws, other than one part that was repeated, and that came when they were watching gears within gears. I look forward to the next book.

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The Lost City: An Epic LitRPG Adventure

By: C.M. Carney

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Series: The Realms Series, Book 2

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Pause

No sophomore slump here. This book pretty much accelerates beyond the first book, which was excellent BTW, and only enhances the undercurrents from the first book. I was really surprised to see the role that the Arboleth are beginning to play in the series, and how great a villain they actually are. They are, for all you Trek fans, akin to the Borg. Nasties from the other side of the universe who plan on enslaving every sapient being in the realms.

Griff finds himself in an elven homeland and is given a quest to stop the Seal of the Dwarven King from being used, which is then promptly stolen from him, and he and the others are forced to chase after the thief in order to stop an ancient force of indescribable power (just think Hellboy’s Golden Army). Along the way we are treated to some intense battles with ancient terrors, a hint that Chaos is also threatening the realms, and there is some tragedy that befalls the group. A tragedy that is actually very poignant, and sad, and completely unexpected. All I can say is, Chris Carney do not undo what you did. Stuff like this is necessary, and shows the stakes that are being played for, not everyone should get away unscathed or alive.

Some of my favorite parts came from Zeg, the demonic imp, who may not be as impish as he seems. The way things look, Zeg might actually be a lot more powerful than first expected. I did like the riff in which fire made Zeg bigger, and I don’t want to give anything away, but his relationship with the other demon in the party, Avernerius, isn’t what you might expect. We also get to meet the realm’s deadliest muppet, Erat, who is a simple but powerful creature who defends the Dwarven city. My biggest issue comes with the super powerful army that was hidden away and made to sleep for six thousand years. When they finally got into battle they seemed to drop just as easily as any other race in spite of their mind numbing capabilities. Either they were over hyped or they were under written. I really expected much more of a show of force from them.

Armen Taylor tells this tumultuous tale, and I must admit that I am always impressed by him. I hate to say it, but he is like this amazing book that you put on your shelf, and you only remember how good it is after you rediscover it sitting there. By that I mean, I love listening to him every single time I hear him, but I’ll be darned if he doesn’t go off my radar when someone asks me to rattle off some great narrators. Invariably I immediately go to Hays, Pohdel, and Daniels to just name a few, and Taylor never seems to get mentioned by me; which is really sad and an oversight on my part because I love the guy’s style, voice, pacing, and the punch that he adds to his readings. Needless to say, he nails this book down bare handedly, while making it look like he was using a nail gun. The guy is incredible.

I’ll say this for Carney, he isn’t afraid to go big. You have the entire the pantheon is corrupted and I have to save my sister plot line, the Chaos is coming thread, and the impending invasion by the Prime. It makes me think of my cousin Vinny when he’s freaking out on his girlfriend, as she piles her issues onto him and he freaks out talking about all the stuff on his shoulders. Griff is facing a lot of huge things, and Carney does this impossible juggling act to make it seem like things aren’t quite as bad as they look. I love his writing style, his characters, and the direction of the series.

Final score, 8.4 stars. If you have to ask why repeat view everything I just discussed. This is a powerhouse of a series, and I am inclined to put it in the ranks of VGO, Ascend Online, War Aeternus, and others. The books just keep getting better.

-----------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 024 - Re-Start, How to Train Your Kaiju, Life Reset: EvP , Is it Litrpg? -The Four Lords of the Diamond series

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Re-Start (00:21)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2V5NYH6

How to Train Your Kaiju - Kaiju Wars Offline, Book 1 (11:40)

Score: 6.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2V7lUD8

Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player) (24:09)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BGRNcK

Is it Litrpg? (37:14)

-The Four Lords of the Diamond series

Lilith: A Snake in the Grass https://amzn.to/2V8b6Vv

Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold https://amzn.to/2CxGKo2

Charon: A Dragon at the Gate https://amzn.to/2BGlX05

Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail https://amzn.to/2Skh1VB

-------------

Re-Start

Level UP Series, Book 1

By: Dan Sugralinov, Irene Woodhead - translator, Neil P. Woodhead - translator

Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo

Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

Well this book has made me change my tune. I would never have thought that I would actually enjoy a Slice of life book, but that is really all this book is; as it follows around an average schlub named Phil who is in a loveless marriage, is unemployed, and has no ambition. Phil suddenly finds himself “awakened” to the realization that he is in a game and that he can level up, gain skills, make friends, and influence people. That is all the book is about, Phil slowly turning his life around one step at a time through meaningful social interactions.

That is what really stunned me. Dan Sugralinov made a book about going to the gym, buying an apartment, getting a dog, and making friends really exciting. Honestly, If you told me I would even read a book like this and loved it I would have said you were insane. I read fantasy and sci fi to avoid mundane stuff like that, but this book, with the wiley addition of the Lit Elements cleverly keeps all of the everyday stuff in the fun zone. Honestly, reading about a dude going to his estranged wife’s hotel room to make sure she is safe is not something that I would even glance at, by dang if Sugralinov didn’t keep me hooked the entire time.

The premise is brilliant, and is handled adeptly and wisely and he manages to balance the real world antics with game elements so that at no point was I bored or wishing for my life to end as so many books do to me. I actually cared about Phil, and got mad right along with him when something crappy happened to him. I hate to admit it, but the book was a roller coaster that really went from highs to lows really fast.

The narration was above average, but again I wasn’t overwhelmed. I have pretty high standards, and am used to Hays, Pohdel, Daniels, Parsanau, Rennie, Scarlato, and Toma setting such high standards that a good narrator comes across a lot weaker than he or she actually is. Either way, it takes a lot to impress me. Ramon De Ocampo does a nice job and manages to add vocal elements such as voices and emotion, and he has nice pacing.

I did have a little issue with the translations, for example one line that stands out in my mind was, “We made it back home without any further innuendo.” There was no innuendo before that statement was made, and it occurred again later. Some things just got mixed up or were misunderstood and I have to wonder if these translators ever looked at the spirit of the sentence or just words. I’ve studied Latin and ASL, and My Latin teacher would say that you needed to see the bigger picture when translating, you couldn’t look at a sentence word by word and get it right, there was more to it. I think that is what happened here. Still, the overall translation was pretty smooth.

I loved every minute of this book. It had real heart and made me enjoy everyday life type stories, and actually made me consider that I might want to start living my life like I was in a video game, but then I realized two things. First, I’d have to go to the gym and that I already live my life by code based on a cherished movie. I can’t go changing lifestyle creeds midstream.

My final score is 8.4. This is a strong first book to what looks like an amazing series, and I for one want another slice.

------------------------

How to Train Your Kaiju

Kaiju Wars Offline, Book 1

By: Nicholas Knight

Narrated by: Ethan Jesse

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Pause

This book is an utter conundrum to me. So much so, that I think that this is one of the books that I would actually place on the Is It Litrpg segment if it didn’t already claim to be litrpg. To me the book was a bit of a mess, and I really am not sure what it wanted to do. So please allow me to elaborate on what the book is about before I go any further. The book centers on a protagonist who is in jail. The lad has some anger issues centering on his father who abandoned him and his mother, and is given an out by a mysterious psychiatrist who offers to have him play a game called Kaiju Wars in exchange for an early release. He gets out only to find his mother is dying of ALS, Lou Gherigs Disease (man, talk about your Typhoid Mary. This dude even whacked Stephen Hawking with his germs) and that she doesn’t have long to live. He is forced to go to college in order for his absentee now returned father to pay for her care and maintenance. At school he gets a chump for a roommate and hits upon a hot chick who is friends with his despised cousin. His cousin, Lusitania (Who has to be named after the ship, no symbolism there) is a witch who does everything she can to make his life miserable. Needless to say, the protagonist becomes antagonistic a lot, and soon finds that his sessions in the game help him to control his aggression. Things are pretty cool until he has to find a Kaiju on his own turf and that is where things flip.

So, several things. First of all, in spite of the reasoning behind him going to school there is no way that I can believe that a guy who professes some much love for his mother would leave her and go to a place where he cannot get to her easily. Secondly, this book is about as LIT as a wet cigar stub. Here is my beef. The game play takes a back seat to the real world issues that go on. The MC levels without our ever seeing him do so. He just jumps numerous levels by saying he’d played a lot. Part of LITRPG is seeing the progression, and learning the game/world along with the player. Additionally, game mechanics are pretty few and far between. They talk about stats and special abilities, but don’t really explain much, and the other Kaiju are used infrequently. Even the fights seem more like something out of a Godzilla Movie rather than Tron or Scott Pilgrim. That would be fine in a straight Kaiju book, but this is supposed to be LITRPG. We get health and rage bars, but that is really the extent of it. I would say that it smacked of playing that Arcade game Rampage (a game I sacrificed many quarters to), but even that doesn’t feel right. This just does not feel like Litrpg at all. The ending was not a shocker, in fact you rather expect it, since there are more books to come.

The narration was about par. I was not blown away or amazed. It came across as a decent first effort, C+, but nothing to make me look for more work by Ethan Jesse. This was also a huge factor in how the book came off to me. If it had been a different narrator I might have liked this book more, but I just felt like this was someone who was feeling their way and was more worried about getting the technical stuff right rather than the story stuff. The voices, inflections, emotions just came out as ok. It was simply stiff reading, and it hurt the tone of the book. I really do not think I’ll be going on with this series as I really didn’t care about the narration, the story had ok fights but was VERY predictable, and was not a true LIT book. Being in a game does not guarantee that you are in the RPG zone at all.

My final score, 6.9 stars. The story had no life in the reading, has some predictability issues (see if you can’t guess who the PKer is two seconds after they figure out they are getting PK’d), and does not feel Lit to me. You might like it, but it just left a giant footprint in my eardrum when it was finished. A better narrator might have saved this book.

------------------

Life Reset: EvP (Environment vs. Player)

By: Shemer Kuznits

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott

Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins

Pause

-----------------

Is it Litrpg?

The Four Lords of the Diamond series

Lilith: A Snake in the Grass https://amzn.to/2V8b6Vv

Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold https://amzn.to/2CxGKo2

Charon: A Dragon at the Gate https://amzn.to/2BGlX05

Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail https://amzn.to/2Skh1VB

By: Jack L. Chalker

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Length: 10 to 12 + hours

Pause

For this segment I’m going to review an entire series; I know this isn’t how it’s normally done, but what the hey! this works much better if I do it this way. This is a pretty slick sci-fi series that revolves around 4 planets that have been discovered in a distant quadrant of the galaxy. Mankind has spread itself among the stars, and they colonize every planet that is habitable. The only thing is that these four worlds have something strange about them, that makes it impossible for you to leave once you enter the diamond (a name for the solar system that holds the four planets). See, it holds these tiny little mindless creatures called Wardens that flood the cells of your body. Once they’re in they can’t come out without killing you, and they can only survive in the diamond. The wardens fix your body up to its physical perfection. If you go in sick you are cured within hours, and they have a trait that makes them imbue everyone who has them gain some kind of superpower. The powers are planet specific, and tend to only work for newcomers. Long time natives see their skills fade generation after generation.

The way the wardens work makes it an ideal prison system, so enemies and criminals of the Confederacy find themselves sent there to keep them out of the govt’s hair. Essentially only the worst of the worst make it there. This means that each planet is run by the nastiest, smartest, most self-centered people you can find in the galaxy. Bad news for the confederacy is that they discover a conspiracy in the diamond system that may or may not involve aliens. Either way there is a massive threat to their way of life. So, they send in their top assassin to infiltrate all four worlds to uncover the threat and stop whatever is going on. How do they do that, you ask, since once you go to a planet you are marked by that planet and can only use the abilities of that planet? Well, the confederacy has this thing called the Merton Process in which they can record your mind, and download it into other people. Also, in Matrix style it can also include some info that gets downloaded right into the MC’s head, such as maps and data about each planet.

The way it works is the nameless assassin will sit just outside of the warden system and receive mental uploads from each of his dopplegangers. The plan is for his mind to override one prisoner on each transport that is going to each planet via the merton process. Each duplicate agent will have a small device implanted in their head which will allow the assassin to learn what they discover and allow him to piece things together until he can solve the big mysteries. This is all well and good until some of his duplicates get a little upset that they are permanently trapped and he gets to sit in his chair in the sky and walk away after its all over. Needless to say, not all of the duplicates stay true to their assignment, and not all survive and that is where the real power of these books lies. While there is a formula you don’t always get what you expect. The only real downside to the book is that there is a formula, and one that can be a little maddening. Basically, after the initial break in for the story each book has an almost identical verbatim explanation, with minor variations for what happens once his mind is uploaded into the unsuspecting criminal’s body. I seriously recommend just listening to find out who each person he uploaded into was and then moving on to when he arrives on the planet, unless you like repetition and stats about populations, planet temperatures, locations of cities, etc. I’ve read these books enough that I jump over it all, but it can be a bit boring otherwise. As I’ve said, each planet provides different powers on one planet you can swap bodies, on another you physically adapt to the environment, on another you can cast “spells”, and on another planet you can literally reshape the world around you with a thought. Each book is extremely interesting and slowly reveals that there is a conspiracy and what the conspiracy is. Eventually you learn the purpose of the wardens and how the Lords of the diamond (criminals who run each world) are striking at the Confederacy. In spite of being recorded in 2013 the narration is surprisingly good, it is crisp clean, and Kirby Heyborne does different voices for the characters. I liked that, and it added to what I expect from a narrator. He’s vocalized almost 500 books, hitting a majority of genres and is still working in the field to this day, so the man has skills.

Now we get to the meat and taters of it all. This series is fraught with lit over tones. The MC uploads his mind into a computer and wakes up in a new world with powers he’s never experienced, powers that he has to figure out how to use, and if he figures it out he needs to level up as quickly as possible, and he has a quest to discover (and stop if possible) a threat to his world. Given that the different protagonists all slowly level their powers, and actually become different people than their base template this feels a lot like a portal theme coupled with a trapped in the game feel. Additionally, the nameless assassin has an A.I. companion who helps him navigate through the clues, but doesn’t necessarily work on his behalf.

Thus you have a semi-helpful A.I., portal plus trapped in the game so to speak, uploading into a computer, getting powers and having to level them up coupled with a quest that is wrought with opposition, danger, weird alien creatures and a time limit I have to say that while this technically isn’t LITRPG it sure as hell looks, smells, and feels lit. This is probably the most lit series that isn’t lit that you will find. Honestly, each of the four worlds has its own set of rules, abilities, and challenges and that makes it feel like differing game worlds. I really love this series and I am going to call it Lit. PLease check it out. Not going to score it, but it is one of my most loved series, and I have it in three formats, paperback, kindle, and audio. You won’t be sorry you checked them out.

------------------

For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 023 - The Naughty Episode

You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:

https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-023

**Warning: This episode of the podcast reviews novels with adult content including: Graphic sex, Harems, Reverse Harems, Graphic Language, and more naughty themes.**

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Crystal Heart: Enthralled, Book 1 (00:46)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2URq0iJ

Lewd Kingdoms: Shadow's Edge: A High Fantasy Digital Adventure (11:12)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2BtaII0

Cherry Blossom Girls 3: A Superhero Harem Adventure (19:45)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ECg9Zk

Planet Kill (31:23)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2R4PFoY

Succubus (41:13)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2GxOEC6

What Else Have They Done?

Strange Magic - A Yancy Lazarus Novel, Volume 1 (50:40)

https://amzn.to/2QZrs3l

-------------

The Crystal Heart: Enthralled, Book 1

By: Prax Venter

Narrated by: Christian Fox

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Pause

How does this book stand out compared to the others on this naughty list? Well, here the way the sexiness works is that the MC, Mark, has a class that allows him to collect hot women who then fight on his behalf, because he’s a lover not a fighter. Literally. I have to say that the book has a few stand out things for me. First of all, this is the use of Time Dilation I have been waiting for. It is pretty innovative and ingenious in its use. It added to the story by giving it a horrifying element, that also allowed for the MC to be in game forever without dying of thirst or starvation. Secondly, I love how he used the first companion as the impetus for all that follows. I don’t want to and won’t give anything away, but it was a nice twisty twist that I didn’t see coming. At first I thought we were going to be getting a Feedback Loop/Groundhog Day style novel, but Ventor was too slick for my old neurons to catch on. Nice job, Prax. Those two things alone made the book for me via creativity.

Altogether there are a total of three enthralled that wind up with Mark. Anix, a killer kitty, Veil, a naughty Naga, and Rue, a cloth spun gal who has what I consider to be one of the coolest powers ever. Mark is given the task of repairing the rifts in the world, and given the ability to do so. And that is basically what the book is about, him growing his harem, and healing the world. In between there is a lot of sex, but it is not overly graphic. I’d say it is just a touch past Showtime in its antics. Another nice touch that really made me appreciate the book was that the sex was a necessary component for Mark to power up his enthralled. He could juice them up. . .sorry poor choice of words, he could empower them via sex acts. So that when the sex happens there is at least a reason. “It isn’t like, Hey honey. Can we pull over? I need some sex.” A line I can tell you has never worked on my wife when we are on a road trip. Ever. So, the sex isn’t just thrown into the story and that is something I can appreciate.

I can honestly say that even if you cut out every sex scene in the book the story would hold up amazingly well. You can’t say that about all of the harem books, but at least here it adds to the story. Kind of like Gunmiester Online. Cool tale, excellent depictions, and integral to the story. More importantly, it is fun. Each of the Enthralled are interesting, although it is pretty obvious that Prax like Anix the most, which is fine. She’s a cool character and I can see the attraction to her. I just don’t dig fur. So I’d skip it.

One thing that drove me crazy was that Christian Fox could not manage to say the word areolas properly. He kept saying Arelias, and it sort of became an ear bee. You know what an ear worm is, right? That’s when you hear something catchy and you can’t get it out of your head. Well, and ear bee is what happens when you hear something and it stings your ears every time it is said. Sort of like how I said the word ensigns was repeatedly referred to as N-signs in Warden: Nova Online. This wasn’t nearly as frequent, but it still stung me. All I’m saying is that if you are going to be narrating a book that very clearly involves a lot of sex then you might want to bone up on sexual terminology. Otherwise, he acquits himself fairly well. He was an above average narrator, but I wasn’t stunned by his work. I think that given time he could develop quite nicely, however I checked up on his resume and he had done almost 120 books, and a majority of those involved some sort of naughty business in them So I’m wondering if Prax picked him for that reason. Which makes me wonder about how he says areolas.

The book is a solid 8. It has a point, interesting characters, and a goal for the characters to reach. The real questions are how big will the harem become, will any of them be killed by the antagonist, and what will it take for him to get free and save the game world?

------------------

Lewd Kingdoms: Shadow's Edge: A High Fantasy Digital Adventure

By: Eden Redd

Narrated by: Jane Tate

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Pause

Lewd Kingdoms is, of all the books I’m reviewing today the one that pretty much has sex in it just for sex’s sake. I’m not saying that in a negative way, only that each book is different and the sex, which if you haven’t noticed by now, all have different reasons for being in their respective books. So, since this is the naughty special I’m going to talk about the sexy stuff first here, and then dive into the meat, ahem, of the story.

There is a lot of sex in the story. That might be why the title has the word LEWD in it. Just sayin. However, the amount of sex is more expected and therefore is not distracting to the tale at all. In fact, you sort of get to a point where you anticipate it happening. I’m not talking like in a porno where the doorbell rings and the hot dog delivery guy shows up and suddenly realizes that he’s not only forgotten the hot dogs, but also the mustard and he has to make it up to the sorority girls who were about to have a hot dog eating contest. Wait. I have to ask what kind of porn my son is watching. I caught him viewing it on his phone, and he said he was just doing research for culinary school. Hmmmm. Any way, it doesn’t have that kind of a feel to it, but you do see it coming and if you are an adult and enjoy that sort of stuff, then you will love the descriptive voice that is used. It’s a lot like a jalapeno, hot and spicy, but only adding to the texture of the rest of the book. So, you see that it isn’t overwhelming and enhances the overarching tale.

As for the story itself follows a cat named Edric Temple, who leads a life of adventure while trying to deal with a war and building a kingdom. This means life at easy, but it can be fun. There were several aspects that I really enjoyed, such as the city building. It sort of reminded me of Tamer, where they are very slowly building a citadel as the harem grows. Even in Life Reset, where they slowly build a village in the same vein as the original Warcraft game. I never realized that I would find that sort of stuff so entrancing, but it work for me. That was a real bonus.

The story has a very nice pace to it, and the characters are pretty well developed. Now, forgive me if I am wrong on this, but I only deal with audiobooks, so I am not sure but this feel like it is part of a bigger series. I don’t know why we started at this point, but I’m glad we did. Edric is a cool character and an MC I didn’t mind following around. This story might cover a little rough area, such as some voyeuristic stuff with some possible unwilling participants, but in the overall scheme of things I didn’t find this to be nearly as strong as Fostering Faust was. Oh, and one thing I really appreciated was that even though there is a lot of sex, there really wasn’t a ton of focus on romance. Sometimes, the whole I love every woman in my harem thing stretches credulity, and sometimes it is just enough to have the hot dog delivery guy do his business and move along to the next house in need of some weiners.

Like I said, the story has a nice plot, good pacing and cool characters. That only leaves me to discuss the narration, and I have to say that Jane Tate does a nice job. What I really thought she did well was to keep each sentence flowing into the next. She did not read this one sentence at a time like I hear so often. She has a pleasant voice, and uses it effectively. This actually looks to be her first work, unless she is using an alias. If so, the only negative thing I have to say is that she does read this a bit fast for me, she had the flow, but just needs to nail the pacing. Otherwise startlingly solid work from a first timer.

My final score? I had to think on this because I didn’t dislike anything about this story, and I thought it was a solid bit of work. I like Eden’s style, and think she can write a story and can write sex, and she can write a story with sex in it. Not everyone can do that last part. So, my final score for the night is an 8 star all the way. I’d really like to see some of the older stuff hit the audible shelves in the future.

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Cherry Blossom Girls 3: A Superhero Harem Adventure

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott

Series: Cherry Blossom Girls, Book 3

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Pause

So here we are, back again with book three of the CBG’s and the story keeps rolling along nicely. Before I begin talking about the book I do want to discuss a controversy that I have long been saying is true. I honestly think Gideon was modeled after our intrepid narrator, JTJ. Just look at them side by side in comparison. There is simply no denying that Justin is Gideon, but both he and Cooper say nay nay to that idea, but I say that not only is Gideon based on Justin Thomas James, that so is the original GI Joe action figure. Just look at the side by side. That means that JTJ is a real American hero! (But he’s Canadian!) Ah, but he’s North American, so he’s still a real American hero. That means that:

He'll fight for freedom wherever there is trouble,

JTJ is there!

JTJ...

A Real American Hero

JTJ is there.

All right, enough goofing around, thanks prop guy! Like I said, it’s Cherry Blossom Time and you should be very thankful that Harmon didn’t name them the Apple Blossom Girls or I would have been singing you an Andrew Sisters tune from the forties rather than the GI JOE theme.

Book three pretty much picks up right where two left off. Right away we get to see the squad get even more participants, as Gideon picks up another angry hottie and three super teens. Funny how quickly harems grow once they get started. Of course trouble soon follows the addition of the ladies and the team is quickly forced to fight for their lives and freedom. Mel Gibson styled Freeeedoooooommmmmm).

The book is funny in a lot of points and I found myself laughing quite a bit. One thing I did have to wonder about, was whether Harmon Cooper gave a nod to Laurie Catherine Winkel with one of his comments. If you get a chance she stars in a video on You tube called Road . . .Head, and Gideon makes an off handed way. The connection was too funny even if it was unintentional. You get that the book alternates between humorous bits and full blown superhero battles with touches of sexiness sprinkled about. I think my favorite bit was where Gideon was talking to Luke about author titles. I actually laughed so hard that I went back to listen to it again because I missed so much of it. Now, If I could only figure out a way to convince Cooper to have Gideon and Luke to talk about an old fat guy who reviews audiobooks. . . . Still, I hope you realize that I really “get” Cooper’s humor style. The story carries forward just enough that I don’t feel like it isn’t going anywhere, and as per usual he gives us a big reveal at the end of the story. He knows how to keep you interested and on fleek. I have to admit, I have no idea what that even means. On fleek, wtf millennials. WTF?

If you can’t tell I really love SBT and I contemplated not doing two of their books in one episode since I’m wasting very good SBT Spotlight for next week, but this is the naughty special, and both of these books fall into that category. All I can say is that this is a definitive SBT team, the audible avengers have assembled to give us an amazing story. As always, their quality is beyond reproach and they make this whole crazy story so believable.

My final score is 8.1, since the story (much like MSE’s Tamer series) seems to give us just a taste of the bigger picture without a lot of forward movement. Either way, excellent book, amazing series, incredible writing, infectious humor, and intense audio work combine to make this something you won’t want to miss.

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Planet Kill

By: Sebastian Wilde, Jamie Hawke

Narrated by: Carly Crawford, Jeff Hays, Yvonne Syn

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

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Planet Kill is one of those books that makes no bones in regards to what it is about. This is an action packed, shoot ‘em, screw ‘em, smoke a cigarette style book. It doesn’t pretend to be Shakespeare in the Park or a Hemingway machismo filled tale of woe. This is a summer action flick from the 80’s minus the MPAA ratings. In this flick the action is cranked up to 11 and the sex to 69. This is a popcorn book through and through, and the only thing I think Hays missed doing was giving the character of Trunk and Arnold styled voice, because that would have really fit that character. So, if you are fan of blood, bullets, bombs, and BJ’s this book is for you, and no, I can’t believe I just said that line; but it is true.

The book centers on two protagonists, one male and one female. Pierce, the male, is an agent who is seeking his wife whom he believes was kidnapped to the Planet Kill, which is like a 24 hour Hunger Games program in which viewers can send tips or offer incentives for doing various deeds ranging from assassination to assblastin a nation. God help me. I can’t not not stop doing this. In other words perform various carnal actions for some cash. The players on Planet Kill can earn XP for performing these tasks as well as some cash. Cash allows you to buy or upgrade weapons and armor. Survive long enough on PK and you are set for life. You’ll never want for anything again. Most people volunteer, but it seems that some have been volunteered against their will. The other protagonist is Leetha, a hardcore chick who knows her way around and can handle anything thrown at her. She wants to come off as hardcore, but she really cares about her people, and is just doing what she can until she manages to earn enough xp and credits to get off that rock.

The book rocks back and forth between acts of violence and sex; ah sax and violins, what awesome music they make together. Again, what I like about this is that there is a legitimate reason for the killing and the sexing. These are all actual components that are integral to the planet itself, and the players have no choice but to get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’ or getting it on, sometimes both at the same time. So, it isn’t just arbitrary acts occurring like in some books where you have someone fight, have sex, fight, have sex, have sex, have sex, then fight again. There is a reason every time someone gets ganked, shanked, or spanked. To me that is really important. I don’t need a Dear Penthouse letter every book I get. This is more of HBO unleashed, with more sex and murder than every episode of Game of Thrones thus far. That means it is a fun wild romp. It is also a Harem book, I guess what with the character of Leetha having both men and women in her group that it would count as a harem, so no need to debate if it is a reverse harem. At best it is a harem, at worst it is a mixed Harem book. Either way fans of harems will be happy. Just be aware not all of the harem manages to survive all the way through the book, and that is my favorite thing about the book. The book is called Planet Kill, and characters die. That is really a must, and I would have liked to have seen even more bodies stacked, packed, and racked by the end.

As for the narration of the book, we get two new members of the SBT team, Carly Crawford and Yvonne Syn. I was, at first, a little shocked and disappointed that neither Annie nor Laurie was involved, but these two really acquitted themselves superbly. They make a fine addition to the SBT Squad, and I’m beginning to notice that Jeff might be building his own Harem over there at Soundbooth. Regardless of what Jeff is doing with his people the stuff that he is creating at SBT keeps getting better and better. The sound effects are really expanding what can be done in the audio business, and I would love to see even more used. Keep it up, SBT team. You guys are planet killing it. What I can’t make a pun? Buzz off!

Final score 8.25, only because I didn’t like the split between the main MC’s POV’s. I think either would have worked well alone, but following one and then the other caused us to lose a little bit of story. I’d really have rather the bulk of the book be focused on Leetha, with periodic pieces focused on Pierce (BTW, is that or is that not an intentional Porno name?). Either way this book was excellent.

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Succubus

By: A.J. Markam

Narrated by: Iggy Toma

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

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First of all I just have to saw WOW. This is one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time that is not from a major author like Hunter, Corvin, or Dean. AJ Markam has skillfully crafted a world that is rock solid, is filled with interesting characters and actually has a message. He manages to paint vibrant scenes that detailed and latch onto your senses.

Now, I know this is a part of the Naughty Special, but I really think it belongs in the nice category. Of all the naughty book on the show today I think that his sex scenes carry the most impact, because they really are not sexy but rather are sensual. There is more emotion involved than there is physical pleasure and that only added to the story. Truth be told there really is not much sex in the book at all, I know we go several hours in before anything actually happens, and even then there are only two or three real sex scenes in the whole book. When I talked to AJ about this book he told me that some one had said that if it wasn’t for the sex they would let their kids listen to it, and I have to agree. This is a novel that totally stands on its own without sex, but still employs sex in a way that completely elevates the story. I wanted to record this segment as soon as I was done listening to it because I felt it was so powerful. Really great stuff. I can’t praise it enough.

So at this point you’re asking me what the book is about, well lemme tell ya the story centers on a man who is in need of work, and just happens to have a background that fits what the company he is applying at needs. That would be a human Guinea pig. Seems Ian, the MC, has done some medical experimentation work in the past and that makes him ideal to go into a deep dive long haul immersive tank. The OT is too good to pass up and he starts instantly. He soon finds himself playing a warlock, a class that summons demonic beings to do their bidding. He is soon saddled with a by the numbers imp who takes every command he is given and interprets it to his benefit and Ian’s detriment. Ian eventually summons a Succubus named Alaria, who has a bad attitude and instantly crushes Ian’s hopes of getting a love slave.

Basically the story centers on ownership, free will, and slavery but does so in a non-preachy way. In other words it doesn’t bet you over the head with it every five minutes. It is a very nice story about respect and how that is earned, as well as the fact that you can’t force someone to love you. Plus, I think it does a great job of showing how a guy will do practically anything to get laid. Again, this was an intensely fun book and I really enjoyed myself listening to it . . .wait should I say that on the Naughty Special?

Another stellar thing about this novel is the incredible work by Iggy Toma. I usually research new narrators, just so I can see how experienced they are. I do this after I listen, not before, and I have to say that I was very surprised at what he has done before, because this is his first LITRPG book, and he reads this like a pro, an old hand (Annnnother thing I shouldn’t say on the naughty special) . . .anyway he feels like he’s been doing this a long time. He has it down, and knocks the voices out of the park. Seriously, this was like listening to Hays, Pohdel, or Daniels and all you authors out there ought to take note because he owned this book from start to stop, and made it a blast to listen to. All I know is that if I had a book that was going to audio format soon I would have this cat on my radar. He stole the show, which wasn’t easy to do with the high caliber of writing that was going on here. This guy rocks, and he deserves to get into this sort of genre.

I’m not going to fool around here. This was captivating on every level, I loved the premise, the characters, the goals, and resolution at the end. This is a solid 8.5 stars. Get this book.

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Strange Magic

A Yancy Lazarus Novel, Volume 1

By: James A. Hunter

Narrated by: Charlie Kevin

Series: Yancy Lazarus, Book 1

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

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I have to admit that I came into this game late. I accidentally stumbled upon Yancy somewhere along the line of book 5, and then I was just backtracking my way through the series. This is what I like, Urban Fantasy at its finest. Lazarus is an interesting guy who ends up caught between the Scylla and Charybdis, more than a rock and a hard place. He has tough choices to make, made even harder if he wants to stay one of the "good guys". Yancy seems to be the type that if left to his druthers he would just bop from one gin joint to another, making music and drinking. This being what it is you know that’s never going to happen. Soon enough he comes into conflict with a “tough” and ends up in the lam after making a killing in a back alley, and don’t mean by playing dice.

Yancy uses magic mana called the viz to make his magic, and he is a bit different because of it. He ages slower than mere mortals, and most of his friends are older people that he had known since or during the Vietnam War. He finds himself swept up in a battle between rival gangs, with a nasty dark mage also thrown into the mix, and his struggle to figure out who is behind everything is utterly entrancing. I've said it before, this guy can stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Harry Dresden, Nate Temple, Monatgue & Strong, and Sandman Slim. Only here, to me at least, the characters and the action seems grittier; more down to earth, than in say a Nate Temple story.

I do want to talk about Charlie Kevin for a moment. I love his narration. It comes across as one of those old Phillip Marlowe type of dialogues, and adds a pulpy noir characteristic that really enhanced the story for me. He paints a great verbal picture, and uses his voice to punctuate points when he needs to. It is a great style, and I think he is a great fit for the series. This much is obvious in book 5, where he really seems comfortable in the narration. Even James Marsters had to get a feel for his readings of the Dresden Files, but Kevin seems to have hit the ground running, and I appreciate that. Again, I want to say that this is read as if it were narrated by a noirish private dick, like Sam Spade, so it might take some people unfamiliar with the cadence to get used to it. I settled in right away, noir is my style. Love that stuff. All this book needed was Harry Lime type and it would have been pure Heaven.

Overall, this is a great way to start a series, introduce a character, and lay the groundwork for the setting and magic system. Give this book a try, you will not regret it. Not for one moment. No score, as I’m just trying to let you know about it, but I really like this series.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 022

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 022 - Dark Herbalist - Book 1, Sigil Online, Dahlia's Shadow, Sufficiently Advanced Magic

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Video Game Plotline Tester: Dark Herbalist Series, Book 1 (01:27)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2QPdBMU

Sigil Online: Paragons (19:40)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2ryhO9I

Dahlia's Shadow: Puatera Online, Book 6 (36:30)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2rxiJr6

Is it Lit? : (49:47)

Sufficiently Advanced Magic

https://amzn.to/2EeImUW

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Video Game Plotline Tester: Dark Herbalist Series, Book 1

By: Michael Atamanov

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

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This is a very fun book that really puts the screws to its MC. The aforementioned protagonist takes a job as a video game tester, but lies so that he can get into the program. He tells them that he has never played the game before, which he did, but only briefly. His short lived stint was mad even more problematic when he is killed by a vampire. He get put into a competition with other gamers for slot at the full time gig, and has no say in what kind of a character he gets. Naturally, he ends up being a scruddly little goblin. . . .who just happens to be afflicted by vampirism from his first go round in the game. Not only is he a feeble gobbling he is also afflicted with being a vampire.

So, I decided that I was going to review this since I had already done one of the Reality Bender series, and this was out first. What is fun about this book, and what makes it a little bit better than Reality Benders, is that this game actually has an air of authenticity to it. The game is skill based, and looks to want players to be cooperative with one another. Timothy has his house bound sister join him in the game, and she is very clearly the brains of the operation. What I really liked about the story is that Timothy is rewarded for not doing run of the mill stuff like grinding, and making items. He looks at the paradigm and sees ways around it. He also gets a little extra for finding glitches, so he is on the look out for some glitchy goodness.

One thing I really enjoy are little easter eggs, and I think that when Timothy said her was naming his character Amra I nearly had a geek spasm. Conan the barbarian has an alias that he went by when he was a pirate in Belit, and I really hope that this is a nod to Conan, since Amra seems to be the muscles of the operation. Although I also say that his sister is the brains that really isn’t a fair assessment as Timothy often comes up with some off the wall way of doing things that actually advance him in some manner. Also, as a vampire he has different abilities, and I think my favorite was the Taste Tester power in which he gets 1% bonus for each new blood he puts in his palette. Additionally, I loved the way that stats were used to demonstrate capabilities in the game, for example, the first time that Timothy tries to speak as Amra most of what he says is gibberish or childish gobbledygook. The story is basically about how he is trying to keep his job as a tester, not get discovered to be a vampire, do average game things like leveling up and getting stronger. I thought it was a nice touch to give him a home base that was “haunted”, and give it a mystery of what was doing the haunting and I had a few snickers when he was showing the tribe his powers. If you want to know some of the bad, there are plot holes that do crop up, such as Amra having or using items you had no idea he was carrying, and to me the story really felt like it was just him wandering around trying to figure things out. Personally, I prefer a book to have three solid acts, set up, building of tension, and climax. This was a sort of let’s see where things will take me kind of approach. It was a bit lackadaisical for me.

Eric Michael Summerer, whom you may recognize from the work he’s done on dodge tank, really elevates this book. I have enjoyed him since I first heard him do some Forgotten Realms books back in 2013 or thereabouts, and if you really want to hear him do some amazing stuff (aside from the Dark herbalist or Dodge Tank) go find those and give them a listen. I do think he has grown better, as his Dodge tank work is impeccable, here he carries the story quite nicely.

Final score 7.8 stars. It was good but I found that it was nearly aimless in its execution and there were some plot holes that just popped up that could have very easily been fixed. Plus, it seems like Amra lucks his way out of stuff more than he should have, either way I liked this book and I am sure that you will too.

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Sigil Online: Paragons

By: Jeff Sproul

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

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This will be the Soundbooth Spotlight for this episode, even though it is just Jeff’s baby. Paragons is a good intro to a superhero genre MMO. There are some issues with it, ones that always seem to appear in this genre. It has rules that would make it impossible to believe that this would be the most popular game in the world, but it’s like watching a movie, you have to suspend your disbelief. Still I always have a problem with a book that does something along the lines of if your character dies, you have to re-start from scratch. No one would play a game like that, no matter how good it was. I have logged some serious hours playing games and if I had to restart a character I know I would stop playing altogether. This is very different from the I’ve started an Alt to play on occasion etc, etc. Seriously, can you imagine building a character for a year, only to lose them forever in a fight? Secondly, you don't pick your powers or your super name, they just appear randomly. Third, you might pay for a month or longer before you actually GET powers. Plus, you only get to play one character at a time. So, randomized powers, no choice in what your super name is, no multiple characters permitted, and it takes forever to get abilities. Nope, I'd never even get that game off the shelf. Which makes it hard to believe that there is an entire network channel dedicated to events in the game itself. I always think of Warcraft, and no matter how popular it is/was no non-gamers cared enough to even get a 2 minute segment on the nightly news about what certain players did. Just too unbelievable.

That is the bad stuff, and just me doing some nitpicking. Yeah it drives me nuts, but I guess it is needed to drive the plot forward, and so I put on a fresh set of ears and listened to it without those prejudices. The book centers on a guy named Riley who happens to be one of the best players in the game, until his character is killed and he has to start fresh, of course he doesn’t know what his powers will be or when he’ll get them, and he needs them pretty badly since his game play pays for him to live in the real world. When he gets his powers they are not what he really wanted or expected, but he has to make due, and slowly learns to become a better player by working with others. His previous character wasn’t much of a team player kinda guy, he had friends, but they were really just names on a HUD to him. Riley actually networks and forges real acquaintances as he progresses in the game. It seems the first time around he was a horse’s rear end and no one liked him, and that is the crux of the story. The tale is more about Riley growing as an individual, and caring less about himself than others than being wrapped up his own little world. The story is pretty good. It is well paced, and has some good action scenes. The characters all have some nifty powers, and the MC is a likable guy in spite of what everyone seems to think at the beginning of the book. The book had a definite Marvel, rather than DC, vibe and it worked nicely. I liked the other heroes and their powers, and I also liked that not every character that started the game ended as the same hero. In other words, characters aside from Riley die. Well, their heroes do. You know what I mean, and honestly aside from the few things I detailed at the beginning I liked this book.

As always, Jeff Hays knocks it out of the park with his vocal ministrations. I said ministrations, not ministries, I don’t worship Jeff Hays. That spot is reserved for the goddess, Stevie Nicks. Ah, Stevie. Anyway, Jeff goes to town with his vocalizations and really adds personality to each character, big and small. This is a top notch performance, and I really can’t say much more than that. I do think that after listening to Planet Kill, which will be next week’s spotlight that I think that the next book will be amazing with all the added sound effects that he has been adding in his current books. This is the place I want to hear laser blast, giant footsteps, and explosions.

So in all, a few issues with game mechanics, but overall a good story, with interesting characters. I say this is easily a fun 8 on the Richter scale, yes there are issues, but those are my issues. I’m just never going to believe there will be a dedicated news channel/program for a video game, and the same for having to reset a new character every time you died. Those are my issues, and otherwise the book is a real blast.

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Dahlia's Shadow: Puatera Online, Book 6

By: Dawn Chapman, Jess Mountifield

Narrated by: Suzanne Barbetta

Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins

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Dawn Chapman brings us one step closer to the end game for her putera series, as I think the next book reunites us with a full time Maddie MC. I do so hope anyway. One of the things that I love about this series is that while it has action it also has a lot of emotion, and I never feel like it is spinning its wheels. There is always forward motion and the story never stops or slows down. Up until now we have just been getting puzzle pieces, each piece has a nice shape and is interesting, but it weaves a much bigger picture once you let the pieces fall into place. This is the final solo story of the sisters, and it is a fun ride.

There were a couple of things that I really liked about this book. First, we stayed with the three hour format that has been the case in all of the books except Akilla, book four which was 9 hours. Which was understandable, as it broke away from the first three books of the series. I also love the glitch factor in this game, you don’t see that very often in many LITRPG books where the glitches give stitches, but in Putera it is par for the course. I also have to say that Chapman & Mountifield have really woven an intricate and detailed world for these characters to play in. What I think I liked best was Dahlia’s struggle to finally shine on her own. Even though she is a twin she has sort of been in her sister’s shadow for some time. A place that she essentially skulked about, never really trying to be her own person. Her time in Putera forces her to stand up for herself and actually take control of her life for the first time. This, my people, is how you write character development, and it is pretty impressive just how much character growth the pair of writers manages to get out of Dahlia in just over three hours of time.

Suzanne Barbetta returns for another stab at the Puatera universe, an she brings her A game. She makes the story interesting and fun, but at the same time lets you realize that Dahlia is in danger and that at any moment a glitch is gonna get her. The only umbrage I took with her work is that she very clearly made Jessica sound have a completely different voice and style than she did in the last book. It sort of threw me off. I wanted to stop and then go back and listen to the last book, but I didn’t. I waited until I finished and then double checked and I was right. Same character different voices used. Just needed a little more consistency. Otherwise, a great job.

Oh, and one more thing, I find that usually, books that are four hours and under in length are not as good as I would generally hope they would be, but that isn’t the case here. Chapman, and I’m giving her the credit here since she started this series and did so in 3 hour increments, knows how craft an excellent short story. I didn’t give a lot away on this because it is pretty short, and anything I say could impact your listening pleasure, so I tried to play this close to the vest and not give a lot of specifics here just to avoid any issues of spoilage.

The book has a nice pace, as solid foundation, excellent character growth and development, and a cool ending that looks to lead us into the final book of the series. As things go I say this is a solid 8.2 stars. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series, even though I am saddened to see it coming to a close.

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Sufficiently Advanced Magic

By: Andrew Rowe

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Series: Arcane Ascension, Book 1

Length: 21 hrs and 58 mins

Pause

This is one of those books that I have heard a lot of people saying that it had a LITRPG feel to it. In fact, it inspired my idea to do this segment in the first place. I would be looking for books and see comments about how lit the book felt or that it should probably qualify as being almost lit, and so it sort of spurred my idea on doing this particular segment. I didn’t do it first, because once I had the idea and asked for suggestions several books popped up that were heavily suggested, and so I ran with them first, but I have always had this book in mind for this segment.

The book opens with a young man, Corin, about to take a life altering test. He comes from a famous noble house that is renowned for its fighting abilities. The test itself is life threatening, and he can die if he doesn’t fight well enough or isn’t smart enough to solve the various puzzles contained therein. Of course he makes it through, but not in the way he expected or in a manner that pleases his father and he is quickly demoted in the family ranking and his half sister gets pushed as the family heir. From there he goes on to a school that will teach him how to use the attunement, I.e. school of magic, that he acquired in the deadly tower. After two years he will then serve in the military. All Corin wants to do is get strong enough to find out what happened to his older brother, who never came back after his tower test. Now this is all a simplification, and things happen in the tower that impact the rest of the novel. Things like Corin freeing three prisoners, angering an aspect of a goddess, and getting the weakest attunement he can.

I have to admit that the book really feels like it was going to be another Harry Potter, pardon me while I vomit, rip off in which we get to see Corin make friends, struggle with other students, and struggle to learn about his magic, and for a little while it really comes across that way, we attend his classes with him, and learn about the magic system but gradually an intrigue starts to build and things happen that pull us back to the tower over and over. Naturally we get to see him improving his magic, but it doesn’t play out like you would expect. For example one of his instructors tells him he needs to get to a certain color level of attunement within three months, and Corin silently vows to get there in a week. Annnnd he doesn’t even come close to fulfilling that vow. The book does that a lot, it sets you up to expect one thing and then does another.

I think the only time that the book actually became predictable was at the end in the tower. I pretty much called every twist and turn that happened, but not because it was easy to see. I kept saying to myself that if I was writing this story this is what I would do here, and then it pretty much happened that way. And that only worked because I am a deeply twisted, troubled individual. The story is long, but it is a well worthwhile trip, and I will probably get the next book in the series. It certainly caught my interest, and had a nice ending that leads right into the next book.

Pohdel is amazing. He pulls out voices that I haven’t heard him do before, and really hits a nice stride with the pacing of the story. I think my favorite voice was of the mysterious upstairs dorm mate who seems to be a ninja. Nick uses a Raj from Big Bang theory voice on him that is dead on, and I do mean perfect. I snickered every time he used that voice, because it was so good.

Now we get down to the nitty gritty, is this LIT, close to it, or not at all? Well, without much suspense I’m going to say not even close. While it was a fun and interesting story with great characters the only part that made it even have a whiff of lit was the way in which he leveled up his abilities and even that part to me was sketchy for a lit book. It was more about practice and control than it was about fighting or gaining exp. I have to admit that I was really disappointed by this assessment, because I was really hoping going in to this that it would be a lot closer than it was. Alack and alas it is not even close in my book. Still, it is a fun ride and I suggest it if you are looking for something close to lit as you might find it interesting. No score on this, as I am only looking to find out if it is lit or not. Still, great book, don’t miss it.

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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/litrpgpodcast/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 021

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 021 - The Dead Rogue, Delvers LLC, The Bard, Fantasy Swap Online, Off to Be the Wizard

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

The Dead Rogue :Series: An NPC's Path, Book 1 (01:25)

Score: 7.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KOkSr7

Delvers LLC - Welcome to Ludus (15:23)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Rs0KgP

The Bard: A LitRPG Short Story: Book 4 of The Greenwood (22:56)

Score: 5.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SoEt3s

Fantasy Swap Online, Book 1 (38:00)

Score: 2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KO2fna

Off to Be the Wizard (50:34)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2SrfMDL

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The Dead Rogue :Series: An NPC's Path, Book 1

By: Pavel Kornev, Petr Burov - translator, Irene Woodhead - translator, Neil P. Woodhead - translator

Narrated by: Shawn Compton

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

You may not know this about me, but I love the rogue class. Rogues, thieves, bards, these are my people. I will take a sneak thief over a noble paladin any day, and I love paladins. Bards? How many episodes have I said I have wanted a good bard story? Probably every other one. I lament the lack of bard tales and burglars. You have to realize that I grew up reading about Gord the rogue and the Gray Mouser. My first D&D character was Lappoy Lightfinger, who lost a couple of digits trying to pick a lock early on in his career, so this book had me at the mention of Rogue. Also, I’m a funeral director, so it also sucked me in when it came to the Dead part of the title. One of my favorite Horror movies of all time is NOTLD, the original. I saw that when I was about three years old, and it cemented my love for zombies and the undead.

This book has a really interesting hook to it, the MC, John Doe, gets attacked by a player and when he respawns he does so as an undead. He’s gone from being a player to an NPC. He’s locked into the game as a result of a hack that the attacker used on him. The hack makes him unable to log out, meaning that he is effectively in a coma and unable to eat or drink anything. IN other words, not only is he trapped in the game, but he’s on a timer. If he doesn’t manage to contact the outside world he just might die in real life.

John faces a ton of obstacles including not being able to walk in the sunlight, speak to other players, or access his thief skills. In other words, he is totally boned. Now, this book really gripped me for about three quarters of the novel. The only slow point that I found was the city siege. It reminded me a lot of when I was listening to the dungeon village in Dakota Krout’s Regicide. It just did not fit the story, and I did think they could have completely cut that section out altogether. On the other hand, it might be a set up for later in the series, I really don’t know. One thing I will say is that I certainly enjoy listening to these Russian Authors. I think they are pretty creative and don’t get as much recognition as they deserve sometimes. I do believe that they were on the edge of Litrpg when it was birthed, and it is pretty cool to see the perspective of someone not in the US. I would love to see some Chinese or Japanese Litrpg translations show up.

There are a few issues with the translations in some points as the same words are used in the same sentence sometimes, for example, it felt like they said things along the line of “ It was spectacular how he swung the sword, and spectacular how the sword struck home.” That’s little things, and it makes it feel like I’m reading a Russian novel.

Compton does a solid job narrating. I think he worked the book well, and did use his voice to its fullest for a premium effect. I enjoyed listening to him, an while I won’t say I was dazzled by him I think he put out a great product, and I had no issue with his speaking, sound quality, or his characterizations.

This was a fun run, and I look forward to the next book in the series. I’m going to say a 7.9 star because I did not enjoy the city siege and felt it was just there to fluff out the book, and I will admit that he was finding the dead man’s set of equipment far faster than you would for a man who wasn’t actively looking for it. Either way the book was fun ,and I definitely want more.

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Delvers LLC

Welcome to Ludus

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

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Welcome to Ludus was my introduction to Blaise Corvin, and my introduction to Gamelit stories. The man is a writing BEAST. He is like a runaway train powered by quantum level energy drinks! He hits the ground not running, but on futuristic sky cycles that have no mufflers. The story starts with an abduction from Earth to the planet Ludus, by the Great God, Dolos (Hail, Dolos!!). Henry and Jason, the abductees, find themselves in a deadly land they are completely unfamiliar with, must contend with magic, and discover their technology won't function because certain types of metal just can't survive on Ludus. In order to make it past day one they have to eat a device so that they can gain powers and stay alive in their new home.

From this point the story takes off like it was written in gasoline ink, and someone struck a match. Jeff Hays is that match. This man does voices better than Mel Blanc; that cartoony wuss Blanc couldn't do women's voices. Shoot, Hays makes you believe he has chicks dubbing their voices and letting him get the credit. Each character is distinctive, both male and female, and his emotional inflection is top of the line Dolby THX quality stuff. Honestly, since I’ve diverged from the story for a moment I have to say that Hays does a killer job on this book. I think he is half the reason I love Delvers so much. His portrayal of Henry and Jason doesn’t kick butt, it shoots it in the rear with a cannon filled with grapeshot. In other words you won’t be sitting down while listening. Which really made my listening in the car problematic. While this technically isn’t a Soundbooth book, I’m making it my SBT spotlight for the show since it is Jeff’s and he does his company proud.

The world of Ludus is rife with beast men, elves . . . er, sorry Areva, orcs, goblins, etc. Basically, Corvin takes old fantasy tropes runs them through a paper shredder, slaps that with some paste, and paper maches it into something modern, fun, and original. I loved watching Henry and Jason level up and meeting their party members. The girls are just as interesting as Jason and Henry, and the world dynamics with men and women makes you really think. Multiple wives? I can barely handle the one I have, I don’t know how I’d fare with more than her. Still, Blaise makes it something you might want to explore if you end up on Ludus. The pair work well together, and get along like old friends, and it is their machinations, scheming, and circumvention of the world’s rules that will make you love them. Dolos, however, is the best. Gotta love the Great God. His shiny pate brings warmth and glory to the world. Just don't let him notice you. That is trouble. Seriously, you have to love a guy who is so full of himself that he doesn’t care what effect he has on your life because he is involved in higher issues.

You might have found your way to Ludus via Nora hazard, which is fine, but this is the book that started it all, and is the one that will make you crave more. Anywho. This book is fantastic. It's like they shot it into outerspace, and it got belted with cosmic rays, and when it returned it had gotten super powers. It's that FANTASTIC, and soon there will be 4 of them in this series! Give your brain some candy, go listen to this audible book now before you die and miss out on all the greatness that is Ludus!!!

I have thought long and hard about this book, and what score I felt it deserved. I know that I have a deep and abiding love for the world, the characters, and Dolos so I admit that I am still bedazzled by what goes on here, but I cannot deny the way this book makes me feel. So, I am going with my gut, and saying 8.5 stars. I loved this. I cannot deny that fact. This is gamelit gold. No apologies, no excuses. A rock solid story with bulletproof characters.

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The Bard: A LitRPG Short Story: Book 4 of The Greenwood

By: Galen Wolf

Narrated by: Damon Alums

Length: 1 hr and 47 mins

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Ok, gang, here we go another Bard book to review. Now, I have to admit when I first sat down to review this I was going to be harsh. Like Uber harsh, because I literally started listening to this in the area of five times. I know I listened to the first hour at least five times. I fell asleep once, and started it and stopped it four other times, and waited a while in between each listen to a point that I had to relisten because I had forgotten everything that had happened up to that point. I stuck it out, and made it through. Considering that the book isn’t even two hours long I was shocked at just how much time I had put in trying to make it from start to finish. Well, I had to drive to Columbus, which is an hour run each way and this gave me the opportunity to put my ears on and run it from start to finish. I had to, because I will always finish a book I start. If I didn’t I wouldn’t review it.

So, here’s the deal this book is part of a larger series, and I wasn’t sure if I had issues with it because I hadn’t read any of the other books, but as I listened for the last time the book was coherent and made sense and I had no problem following along with the action.

The story is pretty simple. A bard is hired by a Goddess (i.e. a dev) to steal a magic mirror from a lich. He has to do it without revealing why he is taking it and who it is going to. That’s all fairly straightforward, but then there was another side story that took place about NPC’s becoming sapient, the bard hiring them to be actors in his troupe, and so one. I’m hoping that that part of the story somehow tied into the rest of the series, because otherwise it was rather distracting and did nothing to enhance the tale. In fact, that was half the reason I couldn’t focus on the book it was all over the place in terms of what was going on. Here’s the thing, I don’t like giving away spoilers, but the mirror reveals the true self of the person. And the reason that the goddess wanted it made no sense unless she had no access to a mirror in her real life, and what it showed the bard was only minimally interesting. I was bored pretty much the whole way through the book.

I think my biggest disappointment was in the way the bard was portrayed using his powers. It was pretty much along the lines of I played a sonata and put them to sleep, and then I played turkey in the straw and scrambled everyone around me until they were running in every direction. I was really hoping for descriptions of strumming the instruments, or how the music was special, but it was more like I used Poker face by Lady Gaga to increase my fortitude. Not very exciting and the battle with the lich was predictable as Old Faithful. This was not an awesome bard tale.

Damon Alums sounds like Antonio Banderas on Qualudes as he reads through this. Great accent for the bard, but so low key with his whole delivery that I know it put me to sleep. He would be great at reading children’s bed time books. For the battle scenes or times of High emotion, I’m gonna Meh my way around and give this book my best McKayla Maroney I am not impressed look. This could have been good if it had focused on the entire purpose for the story and laid off the NPC stuff, but that just drug in down like a lead balloon falling from the sky. A streamlined story would have moved faster and the better pace might have made it more enjoyable. Also, there were some issues with the sound quality. In between takes it sounded, to me, like the sound a tape recorder makes after the audio portion cuts out. Also, there were longer breaks in between the chapters. It took too long from the end of one chapter to the start of the next one. Nothing big, but it was annoying.

Final score 5.5 stars. It isn’t horrible, but it wasn’t for me. Tell me what you think if you’ve read it.

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Fantasy Swap Online, Book 1

By: Alyson Belle

Narrated by: J. J. Jenness

Series: Fantasy Swapped Online, Book 1

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

I really wanted to play nice with this one, but this book is like a land mine that mated with a depth charge, no matter where you go you are going to get blown up. My only advice is to stay out of the yard or pool altogether because this is one time you don’t want to become a casualty.This is a short Audiobook, under four hours, and it is something that you can listen to in just one run all the way through. To be fair, I have no issue with the subject matter, I’m a fairly open-minded dude, but I had more than just a few issues with the book.

First, and this is a HUGE sticking point for me, it seemed like Belle has no concept of what LitRPG or Gamelit is about. It comes across as if she saw it was a genre that was blowing up, and wanted in on the action. Nothing wrong with that, but if you do go into a new field, do some research and get a feel for how the characters act, what they use, and how they fit into the RPG game world. Just as an example, there was nothing crunchy about this. No stats, no leveling alerts, etc. The MC's best weapon was a level 60 sword, not how a gamer would describe it. The story, otherwise, would have fit in with a fantasy world.

Let me read you a section of the blurb so that you understand what happens in the book, because it is simply too convoluted to explain on my own: But when the Lich-Lord releases a powerful spell that traps most of the players in the game permanently, Kromgorn accidentally winds up stuck in the avatar of his friend, Lacey - a stupid, low-level female character that was designed exclusively to get down and dirty with the in-game pleasure system. Even worse, he gets captured by the orcs and thrown into their harem dungeon, where he finds he's powerless to resist his captors! The developers really modeled female bodies correctly in this game, and it's humiliating to have to go from being a high-level barbarian to a simpering little harem girl.

With his guild drawing closer to an epic encounter with the Lich-Lord, they need all the high-level players they can get! Will Krom figure out a way to get himself out of this useless body and get back in time to help his friends, or will he be stuck forever working on his back in a dirty harem dungeon? The only way out of this mess might be to give in to his situation and embrace his new body in order to outmaneuver his foes. Who knows? He might even end up enjoying himself....

Like I said this book has no concept of gaming at all, and it feels like it is just a slick way to add erotica to LITRPG minus all the knowledge of what makes LITRPG actually work. Crunch aside, this book as was just B-a-n-a-n-a-s. So, weak story and no crunch. . . hell, did I say crunch? Their isn’t even a chewing gum smoosh involved. This book pays a lot of lip service to LITRPG, but it feels more like someone researched a board game that had been made into a movie than they did about video games being put into books.

Secondly, the narrator for this was all wrong. I think you know my feelings about JJ Jenness. He says every sentence individually dnd I firmly believe that a far manlier and masculine voice was needed to add to the realism. Not that J.J. isn't a man, but he does not have a deep timbor or low growl that would have added some much needed gravitas to the story. He sounds more like Mario Cantone minus the manic energy. What would have really helped this book would have been a Clancy Brown type voice, it would have made it funnier and more meaningful. Tim Curry, not so much.

The concept for this had a ton of opportunity for humor, and I think that Belle might have tried to find the funny, but if so she missed it on me, and I have been into comedy since I could talk. Again, a more masculine voice would have helped as the MC said "I just got kissed by a guy!"

My final score? 2 Stars. One because she deserves a star for writing a book, and a second because there was a semi-coherent story in there somewhere I’m sure; I mean the book did have a beginning a middle and an end. You know, I could talk about a dumpster fire, but this book felt more like I had visited Centralia, Pennsylvania. That is a fire that is never going to go out. Avoid this book unless you are really really curious.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

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Off to Be the Wizard

By: Scott Meyer

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Series: Magic 2.0, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

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This series fell into my lap as a suggestion in the Podcast’s Youtube page. I really appreciate that, as it keeps me from having to seek out books blindly.

Let me say, I hadn’t heard of Scott Meyer before this book, but this cat is on my radar now. The man knows how to set up a story, and make it funny. The tale revolves around a guy who discovers a small piece of code that makes him realize that he is living in a computer program, and that he can manipulate the system. In other words, there is no spoon. He can rewrite some of his code and provide all kinds of benefits to himself such as making himself taller, teleport, or wealthier by inflating his bank account, etc. Naturally, this leads him into getting himself into trouble with the law, and before you know it he flees to the past where he plans on setting himself up as a wizard. Now, we all know that nothing good comes from thinking like this, and that things are not going to go as planned. Still, the book really takes off and there is a ton of magic, time travel, thugs, FBI types, and wizards to keep you entranced before you know what hit you.

Meyer never misses a beat, and has a built in rim shot that appears every couple of beats to make you laugh. It is a good mix of funny, ironic, satire, and seriousness that all blends together in one hell of a sweet literary smoothie. I looked and there are quite a few books in this series, and I look forward to getting my grubby mitts on each one, just as much as I do other big names in the Litrpg genre.

One huge benefit for this series is that the book is narrated by Luke Daniels, and like Jeff Hays, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a book that he narrated that I didn’t love. Daniels proves to be as professional and silly as a person can be simultaneously. I think my favorite part was where he imitated sounding like someone speaking into a fan. That was pure narration brilliance. And his portrayal of Jimmy was soooo funny that I squirted milk out of my nose, and I wasn’t even drinking anything.

So, the question is is this book LITRPG or not? There are a lot of things to consider, but I’m going to go with two things. First, the wizards are all self aware NPC’s if nothing else. They know that they are algorithms, and it doesn’t bother them at all. Secondly, they are in a computer game. Of that there is no question. They literally rewrite code in order to achieve things that they want. Just on those two things alone I will say this is LITRPG, it doesn’t matter if it was a “real” human who entered the world or if the NPC’s suddenly became sentient. The end result is that the MC is trapped in a Sims like game and regardless of whether he is “alive” he is a player, and that too qualifies. So for this I’m calling it Lit! Final score for this Litrpg book is 8.1 stars. I can’t wait to listen to more of this wonderful series..

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 020

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 020 - Lion's Quest, Critical Failures, Star Conqueror, Anomaly: Somnia Online, On the Hit List

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Lion's Quest: Undefeated (00:20)

Score: 7.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Sf0tOe

Critical Failures: Caverns and Creatures, Book 1 (18:03)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2P1VnD3

Star Conqueror (27:16)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

(No link available for audiobook)

Anomaly: Somnia Online, Book 2 (38:55)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2P6piu5

On the Hit List (50:31)

No review score: part of the ‘What Else Have They Done?’ segment.

https://amzn.to/2ByNYYA

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Lion's Quest: Undefeated

By: Michael-Scott Earle

Narrated by: Joshua Story

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

Man oh man, I am going to get some. This book was really hard for me to care about, and I tried. One of my favorite authors, Blaise Corvin, has repeatedly stated that this was one of his favorite series, nad whenever someone says, HEY WHAT SERIES ARE YOU WAITING ON, this book invariably gets mentioned. It has a lot of love, but I just don't see the appeal. In a world where game players are treated like sports stars, Leo Lennox is the best player that ever walked, talked, chewed bubblegum or put in shoes. You'll know this because every single person in the book calls him Champ. Everyone. Constantly. To a point it felt like they said it every third word. Now, I realize that this is a reference to boxers, who, once they earn a title are referred to as champ. I know this for a fact because I have watched Rocky a bjillion and a half times. So, I get it. But, it was annoying as all hell, and I still find it difficult to conceive of a day where where someone who plays video games will be treated like a football star or boxing champion.

Leo, the MC, is an awesome video gamer, and so is sought out to help playtest and develop the most realistic video game of all time. His time in the game is the best part of the book, but we spend more time with the old champ in the real world. Where all he does is whine that he isn't happy anymore and he needs a change. He was so annoying. "Yeah, like by the time the ten thousandth beautiful chick hits on you you couldn't care less." That's a parahrase. Lenox is constantly sought after, and you have to ask why. He has literally no personality. Plus all the stuff about Jew this and Jew That bothered me. You just have to say or show his manager is jewish. You don't have to make it sound like some neo-guys worst nightmare.

I guess I am disappointed in that I was looking for a more gaming style book. Instead we get a good chunk of the book revolving around his contract negotiations. So exciting! I often find myself hovering outside Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe’s law offices trying to grab a gander at some contract negotiations. Things getting boring around the house? Better Call Saul!! Oh, and for the longest time I was going back and forth on whether or not he was really in a game or in an alternate reality.

The kicker for me was we finally get to a point where he can spend time in the game and the book ends. Not my cuppa. Honestly, LITRPG should be something about 80 to 90% in game, with a few notable exceptions, such as Dave Wilmarth’s The Land of the Undying. There, the setting carries as much impact as the gaming section. This book felt like it wanted that to be the case. Ooooh we have a super-secret game being developed. Ooooh, I got to ride a super cool hyped up helicopter plane! Ooooh, the super hot president wants me to sign on, and maaaaaybe get it on later, but not till I sign that contract. Ooooh, I spent one session in the game and then have to figure out how I can get back into the game that is rattling around in my mind. That is the bulk of the book. If this was a boxing match then the gameplay was in the time between rounds, where the boxer sits on a little stool, gets rubbed down, and is given some water to spit. All the real action takes place in the real world AKA the ring. Completely backwards and not all that riveting. The book should have been longer and had more game time. Everyone seems to wonder why this is MSE’s least popular novel series. I can tell you why. Because Leo is a boring superman character that gets his ass kissed wherever he goes. He has no kryptonite, and has the entire world at his feet, but all he does is mope. Even when he has an amazing opportunity handed to him he mopes. The action is really lacking, and the drama is more like Beverly Hills Housewives than it is Last Action Hero. Why wouldn’t you buy a series like this? Not hard to figure out.

Again, I don’t want to pound this overly hard, but the fact is I have tried several of MSE’s series, and the only one that appeals to me is Tamer, and I even find that to be repetitive and predictable. The story has only grown minimally since its start, but I enjoy it. I will try space knight, but my taste for Lion’s Quest has been quenched. I would really need a lot of convincing to get the next book, because I can see it being teased out like this. The hot CEO of the doesn’t get with him, but continues to tease the possibility. Something happens IRL that forces him to spend less time in game play than he and Arnascript would like, and so on and so forth. I don’t even have to look. I can just guess. I honestly don’t know if MSE doesn’t like his game world all that much or wanted to tell the story of a gamer more than he did an immersive MMORPG, but I could not give a crap less for Leo Lennox and so his life outside the game did nothing for me.

Joshua Story did do great as the narrator! Very impressed by his work. I think that he added a great deal to the mix, and would be a nice addition to the LITRPG community. He really adds elements of emotion and desire, and when the hot CEO is talking he does a fine job sounding sexy, seductive, and mysterious all at once. Leo sounds fierce as all get out, and definitely carries an air about him that he is confident in what he is doing. Honestly. Story is the best part of this audiobook, I’d give him an 8.5 on vocals alone, because he carried this story. I know he’s done a few other MSE books, but I will be skipping Rock God and Rose Boy.

Final Score 7.3 Stars. I think I’ll be sticking with Tamer for now, because Lion’s quest feels less like a LITRPG novel than it does an exaggerated autobiography by Eddie Plant (Peter Dinklage’s character) from the movie Pixels.

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Critical Failures

By: Robert Bevan

Narrated by: Jonathan Sleep

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

So, I’m going to begin this review with a warning. If you cannot stand crude, offensive humor, politically incorrect humor, or jokes that are normally bantered about by a bunch of thirteen year olds then this book isn’t for you. I think I have stated my position on humor, it can be crude, it can be nasty, in can be volatile, and it can be offensive to me so long as it is funny. I keep going back to thinking about the Steele Alchemist book, where there was a ton of potty humor, but it just didn’t work. In an instance where you go for gross and nasty humor, but fail on the humor, all you get is gross and nasty.

That being said, I really enjoyed the way Robert Bevan tells his tale. The humor is crude, but I can tell you as a man who spent years DMing that much of it simply reflects the puerile joviality that is often displayed in such a setting. Truly, for those of us old enough to have lived through the DnD craze were mere teenagers, and male teenagers are raunchy randy SOB’s. This absolutely fits the tone of that era, and reflects reality in a way that I might be a bit ashamed of today. The story centers on a group of gamers who get a new game master, someone they have never met *cue the music* Dun Dun DUN!!!! SO, you know trouble is at hand. The group, and some innocent bystanding relatives managed to anger the GM, and end up getting sent to their game world, right after their characters, who they have just become, have committed a horrible crime. They end up in some hot water and have to figure out a way pretty quickly.

Naturally, things devolve as they only can when a bunch of idiots get thrown into an unexpected circumstance and refuse to act like adults, and that is the whole story. Basically, it boils down to what can we do? How do we get home? How can we get our revenge on the nasty GM? And so on and so forth. Though simplistic the book is really fun and I laughed a lot. This is Gamelit, and it plays out just like you’d expect with them doing things to level and getting new items or spells. The best character is the half-orc, just because he gets dumped on so much by the rest of his party. Again, I am going to warn you. Much of the humor in the book revolves around poop, butts, and men’s junk. So, if hearing how the half orc crapped himself isn’t going to bring a tear of joy to your eye do like Count Olaff says, and look away; because stuff like that happens a lot.

Johnathon Sleep is fantastic as the narrator. His voices only add to the humor, and he brings each character to life in little unexpected ways. He easily plays things straight and gets into the goofy just as simply. Best two voices were the malicious GM and the Half Orc. Fans of Johnny Test, yes I have young kids, will recognize that while he may not have used the voice he carried the attitude of Eugene "Bling-Bling Boy" Hamilton. That was exactly how I envisioned the character. So beware, Sleep will keep you up all night listening to him.

This isn’t a highly inventive book, and there isn’t a lot of literary credit going on here, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun, highly addictive ride. I had a blast listening to this book. I can’t count how many times I laughed, giggled, guffawed, or ga-norked. I don’t know what that last word meant, but I like alliteration. The sheer audacity of this book, in a climate of such political correctness would never survive if it came out today. I’m awarding 8 Stars just because I had so much fun.

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Star Conqueror

Star Conqueror Series, Book 1

By: J. A. Cipriano

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Pause

Lordy, lordy, lordy. Where is JA Cipriano? I have to do this review because there are people out there who have no clue how good this story was, or why JA has gone MIA like MSE. Well, I can pretty much say that after seeing a recent post That Michael-Scott Earle himself wrote in which he said that Amazon stated that they felt that his books were being read at a rate faster than a human could read, which caused his stuff to get ripped down. I firmly believe that this is the same thing that has happened to JAC, and now that Amazon has finally come to a sensible conclusion that there might just be hope for JA to come back to us.

With Star Conquerer Jason Cipriano has created a Homage to one of my all time favorite movies The Last Starfighter, and made it LITRPG to boot! That is like getting Ice cream with sprinkles when you asked for yogurt. In fact, I would say that he almost molded Alex Rogan and Grig into one character. How crazy is that?!? Oh, for those of you not in the know this book is a rather loving homage to the movie, The Last Starfighter. It holds a ton of 80's references and nods to the movie. Oh, as an added bonus it is also what is known as a Harem Lit type of book, since he main character, David Briggs (Grigs?) collects hot chicks and takes them like it was the last night in the universe and he has a huge box of Viagra-laced condoms. While there is sex, it isn't as heavy as it could be, J.A. holds back a little. So don’t get all snooty if you don’t like Harems or sex laced books. This is a solid ride that could have been a lot raunchier than it is.

Either way, this story is on fire, and I personally think that this is some of his best work ever. I love a lot of his writings, but this wing ding just blasted me out of the water and into the deep fryer. It is sizzling hot with action, sex, violence, and to top it all off the MC can breath fire. Cipriano clearly loved writing this book, it literally leaps off the page and Superfly Snuka's you into submission. You will not want to come up for air until you are purple in the face. I am so jazzed. I think I am going to relisten to this again tomorrow.

Oh, and I have to comment on the incredibly amazing job Luke Daniels did with this book. He is a class A level narrator, and he takes this story runs runs off with it like he is taking it home to chain up in his basement. He will just blow your mind. I suspect that he is my second favorite narrator at this point, and the more I hear from him the more I am impressed. Seriously, I can only say that he is pleasant to listen to, nails each and every character's personality, and does voices like he was Rich Little on Meth.

I cannot go without saying how much I love this cover. With me, Cipriano's covers are gamut of great to mid-level art. This cover is stunning. If I were a teen I would have that as a poster on my wall, as it stands you cannot deny that it grabs you eye and squeezes until you want to learn more about the book. It is hard core one hundred percent.

Cipriano is one of my favorite writers, but this book has literally made me rethink my grading system, because it is such a blast. It fires on every cylinder, and takes off like it was the Mach Five competing in Death Race 2000. I can only say that I want MORE of this. Moar! So, final score is an 8.3 stars. I loved the book and want more. I’m hoping that some of you out there will write Amazon and ask them why such an awesome book is no longer available to purchase. Seriously, if MSE is about to return 100% then there is no reason that we should be denied our JAC.

------------------

Anomaly

By: K.T. Hanna

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Pause

I am going to caveat this review by saying that I am not a huge fan of slice of life books. I try to love them, but they really do very little for me. In my eyes a book needs a real direction. For example, I don’t believe Lord of the Rings would have been all that popular if it was just a buddy road trip tale about Sam, Frodo, Pip, and Merri flouncing across the countryside as they sort of made their way to drop off a ring. This is my big problem with Neil Gaiman’s American God’s novel. It was whole lot of tire spinning to get to an ending that could have been accomplished in a lot less pages. So, me and Slice-of-life don’t get along, unless it involves Dexter Morgan.

K.T. Hanna has released her second book in the Somnia Online series, and this is one of those tire spinning numbers that I get hung up about so often. Remember how I felt about Daniel Schinhofenn’s latest Apocalypse Gates book? Well, I have to say this kind of mirrors that in that it does a lot of tire spinning but not a lot of story advancement. Murmur, Sin, and the others all get together to kind of figure out the situation now that our MC has been clued into the fact about her situation. We do get a bit of a reveal as to what happened to the corporate boss once he entered the game, and why one of the AI’s has Murmur picking up chunks of black rocks all over the area.

The rest of the time we see Murmur’s mother and boss IRL trying to figure out what happened and how to help murmur, or we get Murmur having a hissy fit over her condition and the way the others all kept things from her. I think she and Sin have an apology and reconciliation at least twice over the same thing, and Murmur snaps on her team numerous times even though she knows that what they did they did to protect her. That is pretty much the entire story. Murmur advance some levels, takes umbrage with her condition in some way, and vents on those around her. Then makes up or apologizes.

Now, while this sounds a bit lackluster I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy the story or the character’s, and how they progressed. I also thing we will be seeing an AI go rogue and the non-villain from the first book grow into the role of a villain proper. I also standby my assessment in my first review that at some point that Sin is going to confess her romantic love for Murmur, which will throw yet another kink in the gears for poor Mur. It hasn’t happened yet, but I think it is only a matter of time before this comes to light.

I did enjoy Murmur growing in power, but I felt that it was odd adding in a druidic element to her powers and giving her a “pet” as well. I think that her psionicist class was interesting enough on its own, and the only reason I can see her getting Snowy (the wolf) is so when Sin does confess her feelings that she has someone to talk to that won’t judge her. So, did I hate the book? No. But I certainly felt a sophomore slide as the tale itself really didn’t progress much other than it the ways I have already stated. I could have really used some more fights, the guild clash was fun, but it didn’t have as much impact as the train scene in the first book. Train scene? Not what you think! MMORPG type of train. Really people!

Andrea Parsenau continues to do her magic here. She conveys a ton of varying bits of emotional expressions from each character, for example, Tell is deeply concerned in a fatherly way with Murmur, whereas Sin definitely acts much more clingy and tied to Murmur. She makes the AI that is seeking the black stones seem like he is slowly becoming more treacherous with each appearance and will be developing into the real heavy of the story. The only thing I didn’t get, and this is just a minor thing that I noticed; the female AI is supposed to be mysterious and a little unstable. I’d have almost wanted her played out like Harley Quinn, so that when she was serious then you’d know that something bad was really happening. Again, Andrea is great here, but I think the female AI needed a bit more instability in the way she spoke just to convey how her siblings saw her. She seemed more like a fey queen, which might be what Hanna wanted.

The story is rock solid, just like last time, but there was really no forward motion, and it felt like it was riding on the big reveal at the end of book one to carry this book onward. There are great characterizations, but I don’t think that anything happens in either world that wasn’t from the actions in the first book. Slice of life is fine if you have a point, for example, the big reveal was enough for the last book. Here we completely miss that, and it was sorely needed Final Score is 7.8 stars. I still look forward to book 3.

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On the Hit List

By: Timothy Dalton

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins

Pause

This is undoubtedly one of the funniest books I have ever read. The main character, Ellis De'Angelo, or Ellis D, as his friends call him (as in LSD) provides a rapid fire stream of consciousness barrage of random thoughts and raucous asides as he details how his crappy job got worse from delivering a sub with "extra bread".

The moment it starts the story steamrolls along, and Ellis' troubles pile up like snow cascading down a mountain in an avalanche. One thing happens after another until he and his college roommates all find themselves given a countdown to come up with some missing mob money or they will be sleeping with the fishes. And I don't mean Abe Vigoda & Florence Stanley!

The trio, as dysfunctional as they can be, manage to work together in spite of whatever shortcomings they have. On the other hand, Ellis can never seem to gain any traction because his pals are giant albatrosses hanging from his neck. If there is anything to take away from this story it is to always go for the Princess Bride joke.

The writing is refreshingly witty, wry, and the quips never stop flying. I laughed out loud numerous times, and giggled like a teenage girl most of the rest of the time. Each character brings something to the table that allows the others to play off of, and man they bounce off each other like they were ping pong balls.

This is a great book, and it simply flew by. There was not enough of this, and I really want Ellis to get mixed up with the Yakuza or something else just so we can get MORE. Trust me, you will not regret getting this book. I think that it’s the book’s length that makes it work so well, if it wasn’t trimmed down so well the humor would not have had such a great rhythm or pace. Part of what makes the humor work so well is that it one shot after another, and not a hit after a long pause. The frantic pace makes the funny funnier.

Now, I will tell you that I only got this book because Jeff Hays narrated it. He is the premiere narrator in our land, and I have come to learn that anything he does is great. He always elevates his material. To be blunt, the man knows how to read dialogue. If you just heard him from this book you would absolutely believe he was Ellis. I cannot say just how skilled and professional he is, and I have so many of his audiobooks that my kids will say to me "Are you still listening to that same book?" I have to tell them that it is a different book, with the same narrator. I usually try to make a comparison to Jeff to some other pop culture character, such as saying that he is like Dr. Strange, only in his case he is the Master of the vocal arts. I'm not going to do that today. I want to keep it real. Jeff keeps his stories fun (by that I mean his enthusiasm for the book he is reading is always clear), and adds life to whatever he reads. If you aren't familiar with him, give him a shot. You won't be sorry.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

-------------------

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 019

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 019 - Accidental Raider, The Merchant of Tiqpa, Goblin King, Tech Mage

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”

Accidental Raider: A LitRPG Swashbuckler (00:44)

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2DN3N07

The Merchant of Tiqpa (14:18)

Score: 8.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2DSQfQC

Goblin King (34:05)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2OUKO4S

Tech Mage: Magitech Chronicles, Volume 1 (48:00)

Score: 7.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2TvhKUP

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Accidental Raider: A LitRPG Swashbuckler

By: Jamie Davis, C.J. Davis

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Pause

I have to say that I am loving the direction this series is taking more and more. If I’m honest with you I would say that there is no way in hades that I would have ever thought that I would enjoy a story set aboard a ship. Hell, when I was a kid I loved Captains Courageous, the voyages of Sinbad, and any Eroll Flynn flick in which he buckled a swash or hoisted a mainsail. Reading about them is an entirely different matter. For example, Red Seas Under Red Skies, by Scott Lynch in the Gentleman Bastards series was a snorefest at its best, and the reader was forced to endure them learning how to man a ship from the ground up.

Here we get Kari Dix already performing as a captain well-seasoned, with a crew willing to go to hell and back just to bring her a comfy chair to sit on if she so desired. The gameplay works really well, especially when Kari has to do some serious sailing through some impossible waters. The gaming elements come in pretty strong and work. I loved her aiming a cannon as much as sailing the ship. It all worked. One thing I wanted to bring up in the last book was the way in which Davis weaves in his tributes to the Princess Bride. One of my favorite movies. I actually forgot to mention it in my last review, but with William Goldman dying as of the time of this recording I don’t see how I can’t not mention it double negative and all. So, he references a lot of princess bride stuff.

Kidding, I completely respect that he runs close to it, but doesn’t beat you over the head with it stuff, such as Kari being known as the Dread Raider Kari. It really meant a lot to me as a fan of Goldman and the Bride. SO thank you, Jamie for sharing your love for something without clubbing us over the head with it. Another thing that I was happy to see was the return of Hal and Mona, however I almost with the upgrade would have forced them to have to take on new classes (Mona would make a great Paladin), but it was nice to see Hal reunite with his old friend and he and his wife start searching for their daughter. The book is really fun, and I am going to give some credit to Davis once again; he has no issue killing people in this book. A boatload of people literally die at some point, no pun intended. It is good to see that not everyone survives deadly encounters.

Last time around I was carping about how I was upset Scarlato hadn’t been brought back to continue the series, but felt that Stacy Gonzalez had done a decent enough job. I stand by that assessment. She does ok, but I did have some issues with the way she read some sentences, and her overall level of emotional range seemed to remain level. I don’t get a lot of emotional heat or sadness from her, and there were certainly times that there should have been more emotionally charged dialogue or a faster pace employed as the story carried on. Again, decent job, just not overwhelming.

Final score 8.2 stars. This was a very fun romp and I am excited to see where the story leads.

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The Merchant of Tiqpa

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Well true believers, I have to say that there has been few things that have been able to lift my spirits in a week where not only Stan Lee has died, but also William Goldman. The best thing I could ask for? Another Charles Dean book you say? You’d be right! How about a continuation of his Bathrobe knight series you ask? Well now you are just getting scary as it was just exactly the thing I needed to sooth the pain in my soul.

You may recall that I kind of lamented that after BKIII ended there weren’t going to be any more audiobooks made in the series, because The Bearded Bacon God had said, “No more.” However, something happened and we magically got book 4, and I am not complaining. I had hoped to save this for a listen during the drive back home over Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t wait, and jumped on it as soon as I got it.

Now a little background for you before we go any further. I started off as an English major years ago, and one of my favorite classes was my Shakespeare class. I have loved the great bard for a number of years, hell, the only episode of Moonlighting that I ever watched was their Taming of the Shrew adaptation, so you can see I love old Willie. Shylocke would appear to be Charles Dean’s favorite character, as he has based the entire book off the Merchant of Venice.

Now, before you freak out and Nope your way out of here for fear of getting Literated or something I have to say that I was most impressed with the deft way that he managed to flawlessly interweave the Literature portion of the story with the LITRPG portion of the tale. He sneaks in characters and plot details without being obvious about it, and still keeps the story moving ahead effortlessly. Truth be told I was rather skeptical of this tale when I first heard about it. Not for the Shakespearean elements, but because it didn’t continue the tales of Darwin and his crew. I love that Bathrobe wearing demon, and really wanted to see how things developed after the events of the last book. And I am still bummed out that we only get to see hints and snippets of characters from the original books, but I was happy to get what I had.

This book could have been set in any gameworld and still worked. It didn’t have to be Tiqpa. It is that original and strong. It really did not need the BK bones to hold it up, but I also get the concept of why work harder when you don’t need to, Dean didn’t need to reinvent a whole new gaming system in order to create this book. IN fact the only thing that really ties this down to the first trilogy was the “bonus chapters” at the end that told Eliza’s story, and let us see Darwin in a different light. In fact, I would not have minded if Dean hadn’t put in the extra chapters at all, the way he left things with Shy/Locke was perfect.

Matthew Broadhead has taken some hits from me recently, and I have repeatedly said that he is a narrator who either sinks or swims based on the material he is given, and Dean’s writing still meshes well with his vocal quirkilizations. Broadhead does an excellent job here and carries the story right along. I am happy to have him back in the driver’s seat, because he has taken a backseat in too many stories lately.

My score is really dependant on a few things. One, I love the entire reimagining of Merchant of Venice in LITRPG form. Secondly, I am glad to get back into Tiqpa after I was certain that we weren’t going to be going there anymore. Third, Dean proves just has agile his mind is that he is able to create a story like this without giving anything away. I have to say this was an 8.7 for me just because of how well everything flowed, how we got Shakespeare in a game world, we were given a glimpse at how an alchemist could work as a game class, and we did get a hint of what Darwin was up to. I’m still going to let my kids listen to this as we travel back to see the in-laws and parents this week, and I don’t mind at all. Oh, and Charles gets this cookie!

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Goblin King

By: R.R. Virdi

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins

Pause

You may know Mr. Virdi from his Urban fantasy novel: Grave Beginnings. I had been hoping for some time that he would get around to making them into audiobooks, so I flipped out when I saw that not only had he done a LITRPG story, but it was also being done by SBT that I nearly had a nerdgasm. I thought it was a fantastic pairing, and I was right.

Now, there are a lot of things going on. The book starts out in a dystopian society that cannot afford to keep everyone fed, so certain types of people get put on the chopping block when they turn 21. Think of Logan’s Run in outer space. The MC, a fine fellow named Devrim Bains, is offered a choice. He can die, or he can have his consciousness uploaded into a virtual reality game where he can play until he dies there. Not a lot of choice, but hey what’s a protagonist gonna do? He signs up for the VR of course and gets dropped into a world of crap. When I was telling my wife about the story she told me it had some things in common with the 100. I don’t know, because I’ve never seen that show, but she was fairly certain that it had a lot of commonalities. That’s cool, because she watches it, and that means she’ll listen to the book in the car while I drive.

Luckily for him his knowledge of mythology saves his butt and he earns a class called the Slayer that is actually a pretty sweet deal, as he gets clued into a ton of things about the monsters he faces that other players don’t. The bulk of the book is him battling monsters and trying to figure if the Goblin King is real and if he is, how to stop him. I loved the whole title aspect like Slayer of men, and the implications that it had in the game. Lots of neat thinking. One thing I was not in love with was the toad companion.

For me, a mini-companion either flies or fails. Lately, the whole snarky or braggadocios companion has been a fail. I prefer more helpful aides over companions who don’t do anything but try to take the credit, I just don’t find that stuff funny. I guess I see that stuff too often in real life. They can be funny but the toad here did not ring that bell for me, I was actually hoping he would get killed. The odd thing is that Devrim feels the same way, and if he had continued to feel that way I don’t think it would have put me off, because then the character would have been meant to be unbearable. However, he makes a complete turnaround on that fact, and begins to like the little bugger, which is where I, the reader, am supposed to like him too but that didn’t happen. I could not stand him from start to finish, and the only saving grace was that he was not super prominent in the book.

Usually I will say that a book flew by or dragged, but this one just felt like it was paced out pretty well. There were some excellent fights and a lot of realization moments and a mystery about the Goblin King that worked nicely. The best part of the book was the characterizations of the players, they were pretty real in their depiction, although I did find a little bit of the dialogue to be stilted. The ending does play out like a David vs Goliath, but it was a fun fight.

Jeff Hays handles this one in all his solo glory, and I was quite happy to get it. With all the tag teaming that goes on over at SBT we don’t get a chance to see to single narrators shine much any more. Jeff handles this tale masterfully. I think his best characterizations are the females, although he does do a badassed battle toad impression that caused me cognitive dissonance because I hated the character, but enjoyed the portrayal. I really enjoy hearing Jeff do things on his own, as I can see just how much he’s refined himself since his last recording. Getting bits of him in snippets, as in the punny dwarf in the Wayward Bard, is nice, but that is a supporting role. That’s like putting Brad Pitt in the role of a stoner who just sits on a couch an entire series of scenes like in True Romance, rather than making him into a killer character like Aldo Rains in Inglorious Basterds. More is better. I think that is why I like him so much here, he gets to do a few ladies, mind out of the gutter people! A job that seems to go more and more to Annie or Laurie. Anyways, Jeff throws out all the stops and clearly has some fun with this book.

Overall the book is fun, filled with frantic action, and some nice LITRPG moments. Again the title stuff was the best gaming part for me. I enjoyed the book a lot and look forward to, but with 60% less toad. Final Score 8.3 Stars.

-----------------

Is it LitRPG or Not?

Tech Mage: Magitech Chronicles, Volume 1

By: Chris Fox

Narrated by: Ryan Kennard Burke

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Pause

This is my second book in the is it Gamelit/Litrpg segment, and it was the book with the second most suggestions.

This book starts off by throwing its MC off the deep end. The protagonist, Aran, awakens of no memory of who he was, where he is, or what the hell is going on around him. He quickly learns that he has been captured by slavers who have erased his mind. Best of all, they are forcing him along with a shipload of other memory challenged people to go and engage some enemies who are fairly nasty, vile, and deadly. Naturally, things don’t work out so well, and Aran barely survives the encounter.

Turns out that he is fairly powerful, and when the slavers get busted by the local military he gets drafted, against his will, to go out and fight Void Wyrms, better known to you and me as Space Dragons. The dragons want to subjugate/destroy all non-dragon life, and the military are all hard pressed to stop them, let alone hold out against them.

The book is fairly action packed, and has a cool concept in which magic is used to power weapons, and spells do most of the heavy combat stuff. The dragons are right evil bastiches and the situation is dire enough that you care what is happening. As things go the writing is nicely paced and has some good character development. There are three main characters, Aran, Nara, and Viora the local military leader. My biggest problem with the book was the magic beer segment, in which a character is brought back to life.

It took a little while for the narrator to grow on me, but once I’d settled into his voice it became a nice enjoyable ride into an intergalactic space dragon fight. Sometimes it really felt like Burke was as into the story as the reader was, because he really had some fun with it. He was excellent in his characterizations, the pacing, and the battle scenes resounded with a fervor of fraught tension.

So, is this in the realm of LITRPG? Again, I’m going to say no. The reasoning is that while it does have that sort of feel to it there still isn’t much in the way of defining the powers that Aran has to see if he is actually levelling or simply getting back into the power levels he was at before he was mindwiped, and it surely feels like that is the case. He starts off doing things a wiped individual would never be able to do, and just goes upwards, but each bit of apparent growth feels familiar to him, as if he has already been in that area. The only time it sort of gets LIT is when he accidentally steals a new power from a god when he is with the slavers. It really isn’t close otherwise, and while it was fun I’m still going to say not even close. 7.6 stars.

-------------------

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 018

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 018 - Desire: Book 2, The Wayward Bard, Regicide, Yesterday’s Spacemage

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Desire: A LitRPG Adventure Book 2 (00:22)

Score: 6.9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2B3IdSk

The Wayward Bard - World of Chains, Book 1 (14:37)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Tao4Ba

Regicide - The Completionist Chronicles Series, Book 2 (27:46)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2T9X6cL

Yesterday’s Spacemage (39:44)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2K0ZePS

------------

Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:

Desire: A LitRPG Adventure

Book 2

By: Cameron Milan

Narrated by: John Downey

Series: Desire: A LitRPG Adventure, Book 2

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Pause

Desire is one of those books that seems, at first glance, to be fairly decent but as you go deeper it begins to have some flaws. Nothing horrible, but kinks exist. First of all, Milan’s dialogue is like something from an old Hanna Barbera Saturday morning cartoon. The villain is overly dramatic and one dimensional. He goes around challenging the heroes of the world to 1) Prove his might 2) Test his mettle and 3) Kill them so that he can take over the world.

The plot is pretty convoluted, too. One of the heroes goes rogue in his own bid for the world. The heroes are very disjointed and have no clue of how to work together, and the pacing of the story is strange. There are time jumps involved and the focus of the action moves from earth to an alien planet. It’s kind of all over the place. The characters are flat and you have a hard time connecting with them.

The story goes like this, an ancient orc super warrior from another planet comes to Earth to kick butt, write down some names, and take over the planet. Unfortunately, the planet has some defenders that he has to go through first. They aren’t so easy, and he only gets to take one name before his pen breaks. The book, which while not overwhelming stays on track up until the point that the uber orc decides to team up with one of the human heroes to take over the world. Then it just becomes a fight, beat the orc, oops the orc is actually stronger than we expected or has some weird power manifest that allows him to escape and or beat the heroes before being chased off, over and over again. It was less than exciting and so overly repetitive that it was more annoying and I just wished the heroes would die and the earth would explode so that the book could be over.

The story does have some cool ideas, for example people get their powers from these magical tattoos. Each power seems to be unique to the individual as it grows, but not everyone develops high tier abilities. For example, the Asian hero, Dragon, gains strength based on the number of his followers and the territory he owns. Another is a hemomage who controls blood. Dragon has something along the lines of a million followers, and can use their power to increase his stats for a temporary time while leaving them defenseless. The orc, on the other hand, seems to have no end to power reserves or abilities. Everytime he is almost beaten a new power pops up and he manages to turn the tide. Like I say, this is very Saturday morning cartoon stuff. It really came across like a fanfic combo of Dragonball Z and Justice League Unlimited. The orc went super saiyan more times than I could count, to a point in fact that I didn’t wonder if he was going to win or lose I just had to ask what new power was going to show up that he hadn’t used to that point. It was a flat story, and the only time that I felt connected to the characters or the tale was at the very end with the big planet fight by two of the heroes. What tried to be epic became a straight to the $5 bin at Walmart. The story did not grab me in the same way as the original did, and I think it is because of the villain. Villains make or break a story, and the minute the orc show up he took devilled eggs and made them into scrambled somehow.

The narration is a tough call. If you listen to the narrator he has a lot of crazy stuff to say, like the charred person became a charred corpse. Well, he was already charred and dead so nothing change from one second to the next other than someone stepped on the body and crunched it. It is the reading that comes off as flat. I can remember listening to this story, but I had no memory of how he sounded. I had to go back and relisten to the book just to pinpoint how he was. Downey was clear and pronounced his words just fine, but there was very little emotion. But there was no animus or emotion to the reading. This really felt like he just said, “I’m going to have to slog through this, so I might as well make the best of it. Sadly I have no other series to compare him to, because some readers rise to the level of their stories. I would like to say that it was a memorable performance, but I truly do not recall what he sounded like other than semi bored.

Final Score 6.9 The book jumps all over the place, and the one saving grace that I was happy to see is that it wasn’t afraid to kill off characters. If it had been more coherent I might have put it in the 7 range, or even if the dialogue flowed more realistically, or the characters had more depth. This combo tanked the whole story and made it a middle ground kind of tale.

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The Wayward Bard

World of Chains, Book 1

By: Lars M.

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

OK Kiddies, gather round the fire, because here is the tale you’ve been waiting for. This is my Soundbooth Spotlight for the week, and I have been trying to get this on the show for a while now. Other books just jumped ahead for various reasons, but I am finally able to let you know about how awesome this book is.

Ready? Imma going to start off chatting about the way the Soundbooth theater handled this book. You know, one thing I respect about Jeff hays is his vision. He does not want to just crank out readings of books. He wants you to have an experience. That’s why if you listen to Harmon Cooper’s amazing Cherry Blossom Girls series you practically get the entire cast plus effects. I sort of griped about there being so many readers, because I really prefer one voice to tell me a tale, but SBT has slowly made me into a convert to that way of thinking. Now, they’ve upped their game all the way around. The Wayward Bard was less an experience as it was a full on EVENT. This had multiple narrators, sound effects, and music.

Justin Thomas James carries this book like he is Atlas holding up the world. He shrugs his shoulders and the world moves. The man has smooth mellow voice that just draws you in. You can’t help listening to him. His is the voice I want on loudspeakers during the Apocalypse saying, “Please remain calm. There is nothing you can do to stop the end of the world, but you don’t have to go out in a panic. Please enjoy the remaining time that you have left.” After hearing him say that I think I’d just opt to chill out and watch the world burn. Seriously, James is one of my faves, and has been since I first listened to After Life Reboot by Domino Finn. JTJ has a range of voices that you don’t expect from a fellow with such a sonorous vocal style. Jeff Hay rolls in to play a punny little character or two, and the Bonnie to James’s Clyde, Laurie Catherine Winkle stops by to steal a scene or two as a matronly tinkerer/shopkeeper. Did I mention James sings as well. Yep yep yep. You really don’t want to miss this book. Now, I have to admit, when the music first rolled in I had a little trouble hearing Justin speaking, but that is my crappy ears, not a production issue, and I did not have a problem like that again for the rest of the book. SBT really turned things up to 11 here, and I seriously think the only contender that will be able to take my honorary award of Most Audacious Auditory Attempt in 2018 might just be that Monster Hunters book I keep hearing about, but that is a questionable release for this year. Either way, no one loses this was an Event.

So let me tell you about Lars M. Here’s a guy, as John Madden would say, who knows how to write. Not only does he craft a great story that starts off with one hell of a good reason to go into a game long term, but he makes the game interesting enough that you are glad it is a two year game plan. He not only scripts perfect prose, but he also cranks out some decent songs for JTJ to sing.

The story is about a guy who rips off the Russian mob, and opts to go underground for about two years by hiding in a virtual game called World of Chains. He hopes to do two things. Let the heat die down while he is in game, and sit back play some music, drink some brew, and dally with the ladies. Of course something goes wrong and all of his plans go out the window moments after arriving in the game. He reluctantly becomes a hero, and sets off to become a real bard. From there a mystery intertwines with the adventure, and the story takes off. I like the reluctant hero, and am so glad to finally get what I have been wanting for a while now. A GOOD bad novel. My only complaint? I wanted to see a little seduction getting pulled off, and I don’t count charm monster spells. I will admit that this is not an action packed go kill kill kill type of book. This is a bard tale after all, and bards are not tanks, they are more like boomboxes (do you youngsters even know what a boombox is?) that fire arrows or spells. I did miss seeing the bard placed into a group dynamic, and by that I mean an actual party rather than partner. I would have loved to see the bard enhance, bolster, and empower his group with his music. Either way, the story was fun, and it wasn’t a I saw who it was the whole time type of mystery.

From start to finish Master M., I only now wonder if that stands for Moriarty? Weaves a nice slow build mystery with some puzzles and monsters to overcome. The work by SBT will just blow your ears as well as your mind. I have to pass out 8.5 stars for the combination of the production and writing. Congrats to Lars Machmüller and Soundbooth Theater for an amazing experience.

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Regicide

The Completionist Chronicles Series, Book 2

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins

Pause

The great bald chronicler of all things occult has returned, and the world is better for it. Again, I curse Dakota Krout for putting out such excellence instead of the Divine Dungeon. It irks me that he has created another series so addictive that I had to create a ritual that signaled that it was time to start reading this book.

Honestly, I always hear if you had to pick one gameworld to play in, which one would it be, and I would choose Krout’s setting for the completionist chronicles. There are ton of options, and everything is boosted by your real life skills so a chiropractor becomes a fearsome warrior based on his knowledge of anatomy, pressure points, and nerve clusters.

Joe, the main character, decides to start up his own little group and to do so he dirty dozens the hell out of potential guild members who were turned down because of their od proclivities. Each person that he hand picks for his personal squad is an oddball in some way, but they are all interesting and unique characters and for a ragtag squad of weirdos they work really well as a team. I think that my favorite way that Krout worked the attribute of charm in the game was amazing. It made total sense and was a hilarious consequence of having such a low score. For me that was the best part of the story. It was a small almost throwaway bit, but it worked and had such an impact on our favorite Crackyerbackter that it just stood out like a firework in a coal mine.

I also appreciated how nothing in the game is just given over, Joe has to work just to be able to learn how to, for example, create a scroll. Additionally, I also felt that the way he stole temples was a nifty idea and was glad to see him actually employ such tactics. There were a few things that I was not a fan of, for example, the town that became a dungeon sequence did not fly well with me. I don’t know if it was because of the constant failures that the group encountered or just the format of the story itself. It just seemed very clunky with beary a pun that was fun, that made me have to grit my teeth and bear it though most of the bear bones of the battles. Truthfully, this was the only real part of the book that I had a hard time getting through. It just sort of stalled there. One of my favorite sequences involved Joe creating an artifact level building. It was fun even if there was no “fighting” involved. I would have enjoyed more research or meeting up with the fellow who sold him his brains in the first book, that looked like an interesting path, but alas Dakota did not follow it this time around. Several developments that were also enjoyable were that we got to see a bit more of Joe’s mother, and that not everything in the guild is all apples and rainbows, it’s more like A-holes and raisins. This strife led to a great confrontation, and Joe doing some things you didn’t expect. Oh, and the title of the book juuuuuuuuust might be a little misleading. You’ll get the title at the end of the book.

Vikas Adams continues to please, amaze, and astound. I think that he works so very well with Krout that they are an unbeatable team. Truly, Adam’s voice is versatile and is able to run a range of emotions, and carries such depth that he elevates the book to a whole new level. I enjoy listening to him a great deal.

I’m going to give this an 8.4 rating. I enjoyed it, but felt that Krout’s dungeon sequence did not fit in well with the rest of the book. It just felt like he needed something to let the team fight together, but it just didn’t click like it did in other areas of the book. Overall another fantastic job.

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Yesterday’s Spacemage

By: Timothy Ellis

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Pause

Alright, this was a tough one for me. First of all, I had this suggested as one of my this feels like LitRPG, so is it close enough to be LIT? I’ll get to that at the end, but the truth is this is a book that was broken into sections. I had a lot of trouble with how it ended, and several other things.

First, the odd stuff. The book’s premise is that there is a young man, Thorn, who is raised in a society in which you can detail what job you want during a coming of age ceremony. This is your life job. I’m guessing that once you take it you are stuck. No take backsies or something along those lines. Anyway, it turns out he wants to be a battlemage, the toughest job to get, and the high lord emperor decides that the young mage will either work under him, where he will be stymied because his power is a threat to the Emp, or he will die. The boy decides that he is going to Nope out of the situation by teleporting away as he is attacked, and he wakes up in the far future with no magic. After a bit of time he manages to regain his abilities, and is then kidnapped by an alien race. After he kills his abductors he goes on a spree of attacking slavers with a few people he rescues.

What’s so odd you ask? Well, you are literally given no information about who his people were, where they were from, where he ends up in the future, who the aliens are that kidnap him, or even who the military is that he fights against. There is really no reason for this, nothing is kept from the reader for any reason, there is just no information given. It is bizarre.

Secondly, each part of the book feels like a story unto itself, with the beginning being the most interesting. Each deals with the MC sort of finding his way and where he belongs. The third section is about him coming to grips with being a spacemage with him making a final decision that is beyond strange. I don’t want to give anything away, but everything that he decides to do at the end was very out of character and did not fit the rest of the story. He’s a guy who wanted to be a battle mage, and when that opportunity is transformed in to becoming a Space mage he turns away. It felt forced and was not organic at all.

Kevin T. Collins narration is a standout. He is probably not someone that you would know since he is not a part of the LIT community, but he handles the story well, and peppers it with emotion and really hands out defined personalities to each character. He does do voices for each character as well, and I liked listening to him. He has a unique cadence to his story telling, sort of like listening to someone speak in iambic pentameter. He stands out and I appreciated all the fine work that he did.

So, now the question becomes is this close to LITRPG? I have to say no. There are certain criteria that must be met to qualify, and in no way does it come close. The main character doesn't level up, he is pretty much as powerful at the end as he is in the beginning, he just streamlines how he uses his powers. There are no stats, no correlation to stats or attributes, nothing along those lines. I think the closest we come is with him using a portal. When he time jumps he does enter into a new world, technically. Still, it is his old world and he never gets near a game or game type world.

The story is good, and the character interesting. I enjoyed the book, but the ending really let me down. I wanted a lot more. So, I am going to give this 7.5 stars. A decent read, but in no way does it come close to being LITRPG.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 017

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 017 - The Slayer, Tamer 4, Everybody Loves Large Chests- Volume 3, Apocalypse Gates - Book 2, Hero Hunter

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

The Slayer: Aether Gate Online (00:18)

Score: 5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2RCMema

Tamer 4: King of Dinosaurs (17:03)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2RHHlZh

Vortena: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Volume 3 (32:26)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2RAGwRA

Valley of Death: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 2 (43:38)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Dos8sG

Hero Hunter: A Superhero Gamelit Saga (01:03:23)

Score: 7.7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2F2hWYs

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The Slayer: Aether Gate Online

By: Darren Hultberg Jr

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

This was a wonky bit of work. The story is ambitious, but in a lot of ways its grasps impedes its reach. It wants to do a lot of things, and goes all over the board because of it. Game mechanics were weird, motivations were off, and the characterizations were off putting. For example, the main character finds himself in a game only to discover that it is not a game, it is a real game and that if you die there then you die for real. The players have been separated mentally from their bodies, but the bodies remain alive, as do their minds. Dying in the game is true death, and disconnecting from the game will cause the body to die, and will have severe repercussions for the player who is still alive. This disconnect issue makes no sense. No one would live very long if they were forced to stay attached to the game, and that means that the issues that the players face is going to happen to all of them at some point regardless of what they do in the game. Secondly, the whole mind body connection is tenuous at best. Either they are on a new world with new bodies, or they are still on Earth and playing a game. It can’t be both.

Another issue was the omniscient powers of the Main character, Adam. Although he is just as much a newbie as every other player in the game he somehow knows certain rules and prohibitions that no one else does. It is never explained why or how he can do this and no one else can. Also, the mechanics of the game fluctuate. Sometimes they require energy and sometimes they don’t, cooldowns are the same. It really felt like this was a book that was started one way and then changed direction midway through and was never reworked at all. Another issue is the fact that you only have one life. Yet Adam and other players continually do things to risk their existence for no reason. I don’t know about you, but if I have to decide to be safe, get a job, and maybe start a family vs going out into the wilds of an unknown alien world full of magic, monsters, and mazes and most likely getting killed I’m going to become a merchant. There is no reason to risk themselves. Yes, Adam is tempted with the possibility of going back home, but you and I both know as readers that the likelihood of that happening is about two hundred to one odds against.

There were a lot of issues, and I have to ask myself if it would have worked as a straightforward fantasy, and I still say no. Adam is kind of boring and dumb. I mean he just doesn’t catch on to things that my five year old would see coming from a mile away. Honestly, the entire premise of the reborn world makes very little sense when you consider that the people who destroyed it before are going to do the same thing over again, and not one of the newly minted NPC’s who are real people remembers the events that trashed their world the first time around. The book is very predictable and not even being a straight up fantasy could have done a thing to help it.

Scott Bennett narrates this story, and while he does a good job he could not save this hot mess. I often wonder why Bennett is not a bigger part of the LITRPG community, he has done a lot of LITRPG books, but he seems to only pop in on the FB pages on occasion. I’d love to see him become a larger part of our community. Honestly, there is nothing that he or anyone could have done to save this book. It was a hot mess from start to finish with inconsistencies, a bland MC, and predictable storytelling. Bennett is not a magician, and I do not lay one issue this book has on his feet. He did everything he could to keep this ship afloat. But this book was the Titanic carrying twenty tons of instant forming concrete mix, and another forty tons of steel girders. It started off with some hope and went down quickly. Bennett was like one of those brave musicians who continued to play as the ship sank. They had nothing to do with the crash, but did everything they could to make the passengers feel better. He tries to bout your spirits, but to no avail, a sinking ship is a sinking ship no matter what sounds it makes as it submerges.

This book isn’t as bad as some I’ve reviewed, but I had to force myself to listen. I know when I’m doing that a quarter of the way in it isn’t going to be fun. I have thought a lot about this score. If I am honest I didn’t loathe the book, but neither did I like it. It was kind of like an accidental bully, it beat you up without meaning to. Regardless of the intent, it still left me with bruises. So, in fairness I am giving this a 5 out of 10, since this book wasn’t a complete dumpster fire, and I think it had the skeletal frame of a decent book that just got bogged down with inconsistencies.

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Tamer 4: King of Dinosaurs

By: Michael-Scott Earle

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

First of all, I have to say it is nice to get a new MSE book on Audible. Earle might not have ever vanished from Audible like he did Amazon, but there really wan't anything NEW popping up. Honestly, I've read several series of Earle's, Destroyer, Lion's Quest, and so on but nothing really blew me away. Hell, it felt like three quarters of Lion's Quest was outside of th game, and Destroyer was so overhyped that I kept hearing, just wait till he snaps on the elves. Just wait. I did, and wasn't impressed. Then I tried Tamer, because I didn't hate the books, they didn't blow me away. Tamer clicked right away, and I have been a fane since.

Tamer is a light LITRPG that actually focuses more of world and camp building than it does leveling, stats, or character sheets. Everyone in Dinoworld has a power, some are amazing, some aren't but Victor has a killer one. He can control dinos, and in Dinoland that gives him quite the edge. He'd built up quite a (literal) harem, and seems to add more ladies to his roster each book.

One thing that I like is that this book picks up exactly where the last left off, and we find Victor negotiating with another camp for goods. Of course, something goes off the rails after their meeting and there is a scramble to prepare for the coming danger. Things they have to deal with, Trell's pregnancy, a flying humanoid, and an assualt on the fort. In between we have a few sex scenes, and get to know a little more about the mysterious Jade. For some reason, Victor seems to be able to understand her when no one else can. So, MSE gives you a likttle information that only serves to make the reptilian replicator even more mysteious.

I have always felt that MSE knows how to pace a story. I might not have loved Destroyer, but it moved right along. Here though, while the pacing is fine it is getting a touch predictable. As soon as he left the others camp I knew there was going to be a fight. Going to the watering hole has become a euphamism for going to bed with whomever he is with. There is a nice snappy drumbeat that says here is where we try to improve the camp, and here is where we have a fight. I'm not complaining. I still enjoy the story, and can't wait to see what happenes, but I sort of know what is coming next depending on the time of day or where they are.

The biggest issue that I have is that we are now four books into the series and it feels like we are treading water. No real advances have been made. Are they on a spaceship or a planet? Don't know. Who are their abductors, and what are they doing with the people they've snatched? Don't Know. How much longer will new people be added to the planet? Don't know. These are things that haven't even been hinted at. There are no solid answers, and while the stories are fun and fast paced they are on a treadmill. We are handed out bits and pieces thaty come from different puzzles and expected to trust that it is going to make an awesome picture in the end. After three books I think we need some answers, not more questions. A lsighter issue is that the more women that get added the more difficult it becomes to connect with the ladies. Sheila was a standout character to me, and I have long hoped that Victor would get a chance to fight her husband at some point. Now she is barely mentioned in contrast to Trell, who somehow manages to dominate each scene that the women are in. Earle focuses on only two or three women a book, and the majority of that deals with them having sex with Victor. It makes it hard to connect with the newbies and maintain ties to the classic guard of the camp. It makes me wonder just how many women becomes too many women in a Harem. Yes, I get that the village needs to grow, and that everyone who is new has some ability that will make thier lives easier in the long run, but it can be overwhelming. To be honest he added a couple of girls in the last book and I can't even tell you the name of the alien who can make things heavier or lighter. The newest batch of babes are just a blur to me.

Still, I think one of the biggest standout moments came during Victor's battle. It was great to see him finally go toe to talon with a bloke that he wouldn't have even considered a possibility of fighting in book one. It was a great bloody fight that showed Victor what he was actually made of, and that he belonged as the leader of the team. It was a cool villain, too. To me, that fight scene made the whole book worthwhile. I still want to see Victor tackle Shelia's husband sans Dinos now more than ever.

Luke Daniels is an narration BEAST. I know I tout Jeff Hays alot, but I have to admit that Daniels is my second go to guy for narration. He has a bag full of voices that are authentic and stunning, he just doesn't do women's voices as well as Jeff, but he does do one hell of a dog. Just listen to the Iron Druid and you will see what I mean. He does a killer Irish Wolfhound impression. Here he completely knocks this story out of the park. He lends emotion to Victor that you could only get from amazing voicework. It doens't come from the page so much as Daniels' heart.

The book is good, but I am starting to need more from the series than just setting up camp, sex scenes, and dinosaurs. My final score is an 8.1. The book and series continues to hold my attention, but it is becoming predictable in its plot and pacing, the saving graces are that it has great fight scenes and Victor shows growth in each book.

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Vortena: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Volume 3

By: Neven Iliev (Author), Jeff Hays (Narrator), Spoken Realms (Publisher)

Length: 14 hours and 11 minutes

Boxy's back and your gonna be in trouble . . . . . . hey ya, Boxy's back.

Pause

Everybody's favorite murder box has returned for yet another installation of this amazing series of monstrous adventures. It has a few things going for it right off the bat. First, it pretty much picks up where the last book ended. I like that. Sometimes a months later type opening works, but not here; it is important to note that Boxy is still very young, in spite of his powers, and it is good to stay with that. Secondly, we get right into the lich action, we don't really dawdle around trying to set the story up.

Iliev knows how to write so that the more things change the more they stay the same. By that I mean that no matter what happens to Boxy, no matter how he evolves he is still that little chest full of teeth and as brutal as ever. Truth is, every time someting happened I nearly panicked thinking things were going to dramatically alter the way our monster worked, and no matter what evolution Boxy went through he remained Boxy. Clueless, cunning, and without mercy. There are numerous battles that are fairly epic in nature; I really enjoyed the encounter with the Lich and how the murder box dealt with her. The demons are as nasty as you remember, which means lots of naughty fun. The only issue that I have with the book comes in how the mimic treats Fizzy. Her brutalization actually bothered me a bit, because unlike the demons or undead she was a living being who was basically tortured on a constant basis, and then there is an event that occurs that pretty much nearly made me stop listening just because it was rather real. I sort of wish Iliev had just pulled a Shawshank move and rolled away around the corner and left things to our imaginations, but later on it is clearly spelled out what happened. As an adult, I can say that this is an adult book, and how can I complain about something like that when people are being murdered left and right and I didn't blink an eye. So, contextually it fit, but I have to admit it hit me kind of hard. So be warned, there are some very grown up issues taking place. One thing that really amazed me is that this somehow turned into a harem book, with the mad box at the center of all the sexcapades. Considering that Boxy is basically an amorphous asexual I didn't see that part on the horizon at all.

Vortena is not heavy most of the time. Generally you will find your self chuckling at the antics of one of th characters or situations. The book is funny as hell, and it made me laugh multiple times, and I won't lie I never enjoyed the book more than when Boxy was slaughtering people. Ignorance is his armor and his confidence is his sword. A paragon of humility he is not.

The narration is top of the line, and Hays really nails the vocals. Seriously, I think he played Fizzy so well that she become pretty real, and that was why her incident bothered me so much. Also, there are only two books that have amazing hotline phonecalls, one is After Life by Domino Finn, and the other is this killer series. I cannot wait for the moments when boxy calls Carl and talks things over. Those moments are so precious that I really appreciate the way that they are handled. Jeff really upped his game this time around, as the emotional stakes also increased to such a high point. He made some stuff real. Kudos, because as much as I admire Jeff's voicework I don't think he ever hit a Fizzy emotional rollercoaster moment like this before. This is some top tier narration, and it rocked me right back to 1981, when Stray Cats released Rock this Town, cause that ws just what he did. He rocked it inside out. Hays just continues to get better and better.

This isone of those books that you burn through like it was soaked in gasoline. You have so much fun that you are sorry that there isn't a new novel lined up, so I get jealous of people who are just discovering this series, because they can SBT and chill as the series unfolds. Seriously, I was not panning the events in the book, but I will say that they will hit you hard, so be prepared. Get the latest installment now, because I need my Boxy to come back and eat more towns.

Final score 8.4

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Valley of Death: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 2

By: Daniel Schinhofen

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Make no mistake, one of my favorite style of games to play was survival horror, I was a Resident Evil Junkie, and I played Dino Crisis long after I should have. Hell, I bought an entire gaming console just to play Alien Vs Predator when it first came out. I love horror, not the crappy stuff that Stephen King calls horror, I mean real horror. Like when John Caprenter was actually crafting films, rather than cranking them out. Ghosts of Mars, I am looking at you. So, when you hit me with a book with a horror theme I’m all in.

Valley of Death does that thing I like where they pick up where they left off in the last book. I just wish that the tone would have carried over as well. This book confused me on a couple of levels. Book one set up that Alvin, the anti-hero (because he’s a self professed A-hole) is set on the task of creating various safe places for humanity to rebuild from, or at least take a solid stance to survive from. He fought some zombies and mutated animals and basically did what he set out to do. He managed to start a settlement and have it prepared to defend itself. Then these things called the Apocalypse gates get opened, making things even harder to survive in. Sounded even more interesting, as we would now have more monsters for Alvin and Gothy to fight.

The truth is it kind of turned into a hodge podge of genre’s that took away the horror elements the first book established. Suddenly there are dragons, wyverns, drakes, and Fey to deal with making the book into more of a dark fantasy survivalist setting. Sure there are still zombies and mutated animals, but Alvin literally has a discussion with a set of mutated birds that eliminates a need to fight, and we gloss over that the zombies are becoming more intelligent and using weapons. This reminded me of the Walking Dead TV show in one way, they pretty much overlook the zombies until they are necessary to the plot. What could have been a great turn of events is overshadowed by boring flying lizards and and weaksauce elves. Oh, and you know how I am always kvetching about doing research before you write something? Here is a prime example. In the book, Alvin and Gothy are attacked by giant toads. It was a cool scenes and awesome premise, but toads do not live in the water. They are amphibians, yes, but the ONLY time that they live in water is during their metamorphic stages as tadpoles. Once they are adults they are land bound. They would not have gone into the water, and I don’t want to hear that they are monsters and so can do whatever the writer says. That’s a crap argument. If he meant frogs then he should have used frogs, the terms are not interchangeable. It is stuff like that that takes me out of a story pronto.

Another issue I had was that in spite of upping his charisma, which as supposed to make his life easier he still seems to run into jerks that don’t trust him or try to kill him. This is in every single potential settlement. Secondly, and my biggest beef is that there are massive changes that happen at the end of the book that really negates everything that Alvin has worked to achieve. It really makes no sense. It felt like Schinhofen had gotten tired of the outline that he had and scrapped it in hopes of making something more suited to what he wanted. Don’t change horses midstream. Don’t rewrite code while you are playing a game, and don’t shift a plot for no discernable reason. Granted, as I listened to this book I kept saying to myself that it felt like Schinhofen was just spinning his tires. It was try to start a settlement, have sex with Gothy, kill something, have sex, start a settlement. I could see that even with the gates open that it was just a kill a new kind of monster adventure.

My issue comes from the fact that I totally respect Alvin and Gothy’s relationship. It is very healthy and supportive and shows that two people can be adults and not fight all the time. There is no struggle in their relationship. This is the books shining achievement, and it gets a little undercut with the constant sex. I would have preferred a tender moment or two over three or four of the sex scenes. Sex scenes you can skip, but open emotional feeling filled scenes, ones played by the intense Parsneau add a hell of a lot more than them boning for two or more pages. I know there are people who skip the sex scenes, but I don’t, and even I felt like there were more than there should have been. Especially towards the end of the book. They just popped up like daisies.

Parsneau is what keeps this book on an even course. She fuels it with emotion, and can read an action scene far better than Michael Bay can direct one. I know that I often come across as an unabashed fanboy, but Andrea really knows her craft and tells one hell of a story. I doubt that I would have enjoyed this story as much if she hadn’t been given the reigns. It is her portrayal of Gothy that just resonates with the listener and rings so true she makes you believe that she is real.

The book lacks a solid direction, and really did nothing here to advance the story. I was not happy with the changes that were implemented, which seemed to be arbitrary, and by that I am talking about the entire Settlement issue. I don’t see why that was redone, and it pretty much negated a lot of what Alvin did in the first book. Still, I enjoyed the book. I just didn’t see any progression, and it was a step away from the horror elements introduced in book one. The fey are not creatures of horror, no matter what they do, and dragons in any setting are fantasy creatures.

I’m giving this book a 7.7 stars. It isn’t bad, but it was just one long run down a dark hallway that had no door at the end, in other words it went nowhere fast. I sincerely hope book three does a course correction and gets this back on track. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. Getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

As seen on the LITRPG AUDIOBOOK PODCAST, please check it out on Youtube.com

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

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Finally we come to:

Hero Hunter: A Superhero Gamelit Saga

The Heroes Rising Series, Book 1

By: Darren Hultberg Jr

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins

Pause

Ok, so I don’t think I’ve ever done this before, where I review two books by the same author on the same show, but not only am I doing the same author, but the same narrator as well. This time I think I’ll start with the narration. J. Scott Bennett has long been one of my Audible go to’s. He narrates an amazing series called Brother Bones. It’s not LITRPG, but it is an incredible pulp noir paranormal tale that will knock your socks off, so don’t listen to it in your bare feet or it’ll get messy. As I generally say with Bennett you get a solid all-around performance. The man knows his craft, and I enjoy listening to him. He really treats the material right, and you get an enjoyable story guaranteed from him.

Unlike Slayer, Hero Hunter is fairly consistent as it goes. It is light Litrpg, but it does have states, HUDs, and character sheets. The powers are clearly defined, as are the hero/villain class levels from C to S. I didn’t see any fluctuations or 180 degree changes that I did in The Slayer. The characters are well developed and well thought out. I also think that the Supers all had cool names. Generally, in Superhero novels you get some really dopey, and not Dope, names. Valor, Nightfall, Dragon, even Hero Hunter all work. The only name that felt forced was that of the Hero Hunters super hero ID, Tech Imperious. Imperious Tech flows better (butt then I’ve always been a Namor fan).

The story is pretty simple, Hero Hunter is wronged and begins killing heroes in retaliation of what was done to him and his friends. The only flaw that I really see in this whole characterization is that If HH started out on the side of the angels, then why would he kill innocent heroes? A good and decent guy would not grease every hero he encountered just because one of the big names in heroland did something horrifying. Otherwise the story is decent and has some cool fight scenes.

The run time works well too, the story isn’t overly long, but fits in pretty well for the time that we are given. I find more and more that I am liking my books to be five to eight hours in length.

Final Score 7.7 stars.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 016

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 016 - Dungeon Special

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Dungeon Born (03:50)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Born-Divine-Book/dp/B06XQ44QVK/

The Slime Dungeon (13:12)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://www.amazon.com/Slime-Dungeon-Chronicles-Book/dp/B074CJQLPR/

The Monster Spawn (21:18)

A LitRPG Series, Adonis Rebirth #1

Score: 6.5 out of 10

www.amazon.com/Monster-Spawn-LitRPG-Adonis-Rebirth/dp/B07D2JXS23/

Dungeon Lord: The Wraith's Haunt (32:31)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Lord-Wraiths-Haunt-LitRPG/dp/B07957KLMC/

Rogue Dungeon: A litRPG Adventure (41:34)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

www.amazon.com/Rogue-Dungeon-litRPG-Adventure-Book/dp/B07GRBTW1J/

Dungeon Deposed (50:03)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Deposed/dp/B07D8C3K7G/

The Laboratory -A Futuristic Dungeon Core (59:01)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

www.amazon.com/Laboratory-Futuristic-Dungeon-Core/dp/B077G93GTV/

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Dungeon Born

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Series: Divine Dungeon Series, Book 1

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Pause

Cal & Dani

When I first heard of Dungeon Born I was a bit skeptical, I had never read any dungeon books, and the entire concept reminded me of an old video game I played called Dungeon Keeper. It was a fantastic game in which you played and controlled a dungeon, and fought off invading heroes. So, my skepticism dwindled when I remembered how much fun I had with that game. How I loved the concept, and thought man, if it is half as fun as that game then this writer is a genius. So, I gave it a shot.

I am so glad that I did. I loved the way the book started, who doesn’t like a sacrifice? I appreciated the way that Cal slowly came into awareness. It really felt like a seed that had been planted slowly growing into awareness and I was fascinated to watch him grow. Then Dani, the dungeon wisp appeared, and I was hooked. Between the two of them I had no chance of getting away without being addicted. Dani is probably one of the best supporting cast members out there, and I could listen to her say “Caaaaaaaaal” all day long. Her fits of exasperation are hilarious, and the bond that they share is tender and precious. It is quite possibly the best pure and chaste romance I have ever seen written. Though Platonic their love for one another is so clear that it is outstanding, and I am not a mushy mushy hugsy kinda guy. Still, I can respect the emotions. I also enjoy Dale, and not just because my middle name is Dale. He’s actually a pretty cool guy, and he is a thinker and he is not afraid of hard work. He constantly strives to better himself, oh and his best companion is Hanz. Hanz reminds me a lot of Miller interacts in War Aeternus. Not in his way of speaking, but the way that he has his back, and that his personality shines so much stronger than the other dungeon divers.

I digress, though. I haven’t even told you what this is about. The story is about an unknown man who is sacrificed during a ritual intended to make a dungeon core. His soul is ripped from his body, and embedded within the core, the core then is lost in a sudden battle, it slowly becomes sapient and expands and grows. It is during this growth stage that Dani, the wisp appears. The two bond, and set of creating a dungeon that is both deadly and fair in the way it does business.

Like I said, the interaction between Cal and Dani, and Cal’s desperate attempts to get Dale are some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen in a long time. Dale, battling expansion on his land, struggling with guilds, and trying to clean his system of corruption is just as fun and fascinating. The creatures that Cal creates are original, and show that Krout has an appreciation for Monty Python movies unless I miss my guess. The book is filled with action, there are plenty of fights and deaths by traps to satisfy the most outstanding bloodlust on our listeners, as well as a mystery. I mean who was Cal? I had my suspicion from the start, and I was close, but that mystery isn’t answered in this book. It just blooms here. Also, there appears to be an adversary hiding off in the shadows, that wants the worst for Cal, and keeps trying to kill Dale. The story is very humorous, but simultaneously it can be very serious in the events that take place. I really rooted for the dungeon to eat everybody, and cheered every time he leveled up.

This was the first time I had heard Vikas Adams, remember that I had just gotten into LITRPG, and was listened to Jeff Hays, and I really thought that these LITRPG guys really know how to narrate, I mean they were both so good. If you’ve listened to me at all you know I love Hays, the man is a master, but I’m going to say that Vikas Adams is right within spitting distance of him. Oddly, I think the next book I read after this was Reboot by Domino Finn, which means I was also introduced to Justin Thomas James. I really have to wonder if those guys didn’t influence my taste in literature. Either way, I know James Marsters is famous for his Dresden Files reading, but I will forever say that Adams owns the dungeon genre, or at least has a pretty big mansion there. Like I said, his characterizations of Cal, Dani (oh, God, especially Dani), and Hanz are simply amazing. So, for male voices I would have to say in no particular order the best male voices I’ve heard have been Hays, Adams, Thomas, and Morgan Freeman. Freeman’s only in because he voiced the Shawshank Redemption. No one cares about the penguins. Unless they go to jail and things get stabby. Then, they’ll care. Digressing again aren’t I? I’m going to have to subtitle the show BUT I DIGRESS. Either way, Adams is outstanding. I loved listening to him.

This book is what started me off on the whole Dungeon genre, and I am glad it did, because it showed me exactly who things should go. The companion, the leveling, the building, etc. It is wonderfully handled, and Krout has only improved with each book he’s done. Seriously, check out the Completionist Chronicles. I hate to even give this a rating because I’ll either be too high or too low. How about and 8.5. It is so close to perfection.

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The Slime Dungeon

By: Jeffrey "Falcon" Logue

Narrated by: Ryan Turner

Series: The Slime Dungeon Chronicles, Book 1

Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins

Pause

Claire the Dungeon Pixie and Doc the core

This book came out shortly after Dungeon Born, by about five months, and actually bears a lot of similarities to the novel by Dakota Krout. For example, the companion is a Dungeon Pixie, and the dungeon is unique in its own way too. Doc, the dungeon, has no recall of who he was only that he must save “her”.

That is where the similarities end. Doc is not interested in how things are normally done, he likes to follow the unbeaten path, and really goes in for using slimes as his vessels of destruction. Now, I am very much a fan a short story called Slime by Joseph Payne Brennan, which appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Anthology called Monster Museum and predated one of my favorite movies, the Blob, by five or so years. There is also the movie Creepshow 2, with the piece titled the Raft, and the movie Phantoms, as well. There were also movies like Caltiki, the Immortal Monster, and the H-man that made me love gelatinous monsters. Heck, my favorite monsters were Cubes, green slime, and the various puddings. So, I think you can see my attraction to a dungeon filled with voracious slimes.

Doc, however, is a fair lair of death, and does his best only to kill when absolutely necessary. He feeds himself in other ways. And while the dungeon is the Main character, there is a story in which a royal person is plotted against, and targeted for murder. The dungeon intervenes, as he recalls that he must save “her” and goofs up the plot. This leads to a mess of events happening, which slowly reveals the big bad of the book.

The writing is pretty good, but it does almost feel episodic, like each chapter was written in and of itself, it isn’t bad, but it doesn’t seem to flow as well as it could have. Also, while Doc and Claire have a nice relationship it feels a little weird, almost like two kids wanting to play doctor but never getting there. Part of the episodic feel stems from the way the characters are introduced, it’s sort of like Bob the paladin came in, he was from the bo-shan province, and he was so good looking people called him the face of bo. He worshipped the sun god, Dial, and had six brothers and sisters. It really isn’t that bad, but it gives you an idea of how they are not given a chance to develop some depth, and allow us to find out about them naturally. It isn’t bad, but it does detract from the fun of discovering a character on our own. That is about it for flaws. It isn’t perfect, but there are a lot of good things. The relationship between Claire and Doc, Doc’s desire to be a “good Dungeon” and not kill people. The way he takes in the wolf cubs, and grows his slimes. Even the villain is cool, and properly evil. The book is fun, and sets up a good bit to make the next book flow a little easier now that the world building is out of the way.

In the spirit of honesty, I have only recently listened to this book. I got it just so that I could review it for this special. The reason I held off for so long is that I had listened to the audio snippet that Audible provides, and I was leery about the narration provided by Ryan Turner. It didn’t grab me, but I said, hey here is an author that I am not giving a chance because of my impression from a 5 minute clip. That’s not exactly fair, so I gave this a try. Turner is a fair narrator. He does quite well on most voices, but he does stumble on the female ones a bit. It was hard to discern which lady he was speaking for sometimes, and none of them stood out to me like Vikas Adam’s Dani, or Jeff Hay’s doing Jade for example. I would say he did a more than competent job, I just wasn’t overwhelmed with the ladies in the book. When he just does the straight reading he’s fine.

I did enjoy this book, and have subsequently gotten the other books in the series, so I know that I liked it. I don’t know what happens later on, but book one provides a lot of set up for what looks to be a fun lighthearted series. I would almost say that this had the potential to be a great family book or Young Adult series, but there is a potential rape scene, and that puts it right out of those categories for me. I can let my kids listen to a man get dissolved by a hostile slime, but yes, I do balk at them hearing someone talk about rape. My priorities may be a little skewed. Either way, just a few minor issues, so I have to give this an 8.1 stars. My biggest problem was with the narration, more than the story. The dungeon building and slime evolution was some of the best bits.

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The Monster Spawn

A LitRPG Series, Adonis Rebirth #1

By: Deckhard Davis

Narrated by: David Loving

Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins

Pause

Alright, I know that I said I would not be doing Deck Davis reviews for awhile. I had been pretty hard in a couple of reviews and didn’t want to go around beating the poor guy up, because, hey this stuff is just my opinion and I don’t want to hurt anybody, But, I talked with Ramon, and he said that my job is to review, and so long as I am open, honest, and fair then it was up to me to do what I do and he was right. So, I have to admit that I headed into this book with some serious trepidation, and not trepanation which is honestly what I thought it would take to get me to return to this well.

Ready for this? I actually enjoyed the book. A lot of the stuff that put me off in his other tales were noticeably absent here. While the MC is a monster he isn’t a d-bag. He isn’t a smart mouth or a punk, and that actually plays well for Davis. I cannot handle his crude characters and humor. Here the humor wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great, but then it also wasn’t predicated about potty humor, sexual innuendo, or vulgarity. It was refreshing to actually see him do some straight forward writing rather than letting his inner teenager take the wheel.

The story centers on a guy named Nathan who has died, like in Reboot, and has been uploaded into the game Adonis Rebirth, the problem is that he’s downloaded monster and not a player. A lot of the book deals with him coming to grips with that fact, and accepting it, and it isn’t until sometime after the midway point that he actively acts like a dungeon master by setting traps and creating minions. One thing I will say is that the premise showed a lot of potential with where this could have gone, and the ending threw me a good bit. Davis tossed a huge curveball and I don’t know why it was thrown, since this seemed to be a football game up to that point. I thought that the mechanics were unique, but the end seemed to toss everything that we knew out the window. Plus, there were a lot of things that just made no sense to me at all. The end confrontation with the big bad was really poorly executed, the plan had more holes in it than a fishing net and held water as well as a colander. Like I say, the writing was improved, but there were a lot of little things that bogged the story down. I think my favorite aspect was the whole sanity aspect, in which he goes more and more insane as he does monstrous stuff. That was an excellent game mechanic that played into my call of Cthulhu sympathies.

David Loving’s narration is purely middle of the road, but it does not detract from the story. In fact, I believe that it sort of meshed well with Davis’ writing. By no means was I blown away by his vocal skills or reading capability. To me he seemed more like a novice high school kid trying out for the Senior play, but one who knows how to read his lines without fumbling. He was clear, but his emphasis and emotional delivery could really use some work. But, he didn’t kill the story. He kind of dragged it a long at a fair pace and managed to keep things running.

So, plot holes, weird ending direction, and mediocre narration made this actually much better than his other audiobooks I’ve reviewed so far. It is a step up, and I like that he is trying to be more adult in his writing. This is a great step up from what he’s done so far, and I am actually looking forward to the sequel to this book just because it is such a departure from what he has done before. In spite of the weird direction he took I can still see a lot of potential. After all, he’s the monster that PC’s want to kill, and now he’s . . .well I can’t tell you that. Spoilers! So anyway, I digress, while I did say that I liked it that pretty much meant that I didn’t hate it. The story had a better semblance of what it takes to make a story, but the plans and attacks were not well executed, the MC was a little dense and clumsy, and the villain’s motivation made zero sense. Either way, the book was more than tolerable and I am glad to see that improvements have been made. I would actually read/listen to the next book in this series.

Final Score: 6.5

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Dungeon Lord: The Wraith's Haunt

By: Hugo Huesca -----weska

Narrated by: Jeff Hays & Annie Ellicott

Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins

Pause

This is a very visceral book that will simply hit you on numerous emotional. At first glance it is a nothing more than a standard LITRPG/Portal/Dungeon book. Which is nice, because it kind of pops three cherries for a new reader all at once, with three. I think the only thing that Hugo missed was the potential for a harem aspect, but he wisely stayed away from that. The protagonist, Edward, is Simple cat who is dominated by his boss both in and outside of work. His only relief from the doldrums of life comes from playing an MMORPG with his co-workers once their shift ends. His jerk of a boss finds out that the co-workers play together, and insinuates himself into their game. Worse yet, not only is he a major jerk, but he is also a horrible player. He repeatedly goofs up their gameplay and then shunts the blame to other players. Edward, is then put in a tough position by his boss who wants him to fire one of is gaming pals and co-workers for not playing well in the game the night before. Edward considers the order and then decides his life would just be better if he were to punch the guy out and quit. Which he does. Moments after walking out the door he is contacted by an entity that is not of his world. This being then offers him a chance to become a dungeon lord on another world. The world in which he played in all the time, and in fact he will be replacing Lord that he and his his team had killed the night before. It seems that the game world Edward has been playing in is real, and the evil there wants to overtake it. An evil god, Murmur needs agents, such as Dungeon Lords to do their dirty work and corrupt the land and souls. Edward makes the pact, but swears that he will never do Murmur’s bidding. He will use the power granted him to do good, and be his own person. He will be beholden to no one. This is a good start, and the book moves swiftly in the intro, it doesn’t take 1/3 of the book to get into the action.

How does this fit into the Dungeon genre you ask? Well, while Lord Wraith, that’s Edward to you mugs, isn’t a soul trapped inside of a dungeon core but it is his job to build a dungeon, stock it with MOBS, and kill any players that enter his demesne (Demain). So, no, he isn’t a dungeon core but he is the life of the dungeon that he takes over, and so this qualifies as a dungeon genre tale. I appreciate that, that Huesca could change up the format enough that it is identifiable as a dungeon book, but make it so that the MC isn’t landlocked into one position.

In and of itself, the story is lighthearted for the most part, but then it adds a new element, horror. I can’t say just how good it worked on the written page, but the audio certainly adds a massive creep factor and is legitimately disturbing, but I’ll get to that in a minute or so. Back to the funny or light aspects, I think that one of the best scenes in the book comes when Edward realizes that he is living and fighting in a “real” video game and that he complains when he doesn’t get enough XP for killing a tough MOB. The underlings that he gathers after he enters the world all have great personalities and could easily steal the show, but Edward’s presence is strong enough that he manages to dominate the page or rather the spoken images of the narrators.

While the story bounces between drama, comedy, and action there comes a point when element of horror is introduced without warning, and damn if it doesn’t work. Again, I am going to say that this most likely works better in an audio format, because your imagination will never compare to the distraught cries that the narration brings to the written page. I can tell you straight up I am very innured to horrifying things. I have watched creature features and horror movies since I was two or three years old. I cannot tell you the things that I have seen as a funeral director. Nothing bothers me. Nothing makes me jump or flinch. Annie Ellicott’s narration made my stomach turn, and literally disturbed me as I listened. I don’t say this lightly, either. She stole this book with her cameo. Jeff Hays is as rock steady and impactful as he always is, and on any other day, he would have owned this book body and soul. He plays Edward and all the other characters to perfection, and has some fun with Charon, but Annie makes her monster heartbreaking and terrifying all at the same time. You will actually sympathize with the creature. As she was a new comer to the narration industry I have to applaud her. She killed this piece. Once more, I will iterate that Soundbooth was flawless in their audio production. Hays, the man of a thousand and one voices serves up some of his best work. The sound quality is pitch perfect, with a nary hitch in its giddy-up, and the storytelling by the dynamic duo of disquisition is unbelievable.

Overall, this is a fantastic first book in what promises to be a long line of novels. The writing is top notch, the plot is perfection, the pace is pulsing, and the narration makes this more of an adventure than you would expect. Personally, I really look forward to more from this writer, this series, and the narrators. They are all top quality. You will undoubtedly enjoy this novel, and I see it as a five star across the board piece of fiction that you rarely find.

Final Score: 8.6

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Rogue Dungeon: A litRPG Adventure

By: James Hunter, eden Hudson

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Pause

OK, I am going to come clean here. I am unquestioningly a huge fan of James Hunter. I enjoy everything he’s written from this Urban Fantasy Yancy Lazarus, his Litrpg Series Viridian Gate Online, to that grocery list he dropped while shopping the other day. I must also say, that you might further consider me to be biased because I do have a story in his upcoming Viridian Gate Anthology novel Side Quests, but that does not make anything I am about to say untrue or inaccurate.

This is a genuinely brilliant book, that much like the Land of the Undying by Dave Willmarth is just as interesting in the real world as it is in the game world. The “real world” is actually a fantasy realm in which the hero, Roark is a rebel. He fights against an evil Usurper who has used his ability to control magics unlike every mage before him to steal an empire. The setting seems to be slightly German in tone, with an interesting magic system in which written words convey power. When his attack on the Tyrant fails he tries to escape through a portal, which is a dicey proposition at best, and he finds himself not where he wanted to be, but in a strange world with new magics and an unlimited lifespan that allows him to respawn. What he doesn’t realize is that he has entered Hearthworld, which is actually an MMORPG. Obviously, he has no clue that he is in a video game, and simply treats it like he has entered another world which is a logical conclusion for him to reach.

That, my friends is the brilliance of this story. Roark is an interesting protagonist, and oddly the real antagonist is a player named Pwner Boner 007, that is a game name that will stand beside the most legendary Leroy Jenkins. That isn’t to say that the Tyrant lord doesn’t loom and play in the back of Roark’s mind, but honestly, he really goes at Pwner Boner 007 enough that he qualifies as the bad guy. That is another strength of this book, it goes some serious to silly and no matter the tone Roark plays it straight.

Truly, this book was far too short. I loved every second of it, and really think that this is quite possibly one of the best series he’s done to date. It stands right beside VGO. Don’t think that I am discounting eden Hudson, either. She is an incredible writer, and her novel, Two Faced, is about as top notch as they come. She has some serious chops. I mean like Mr. Miyagi chops. I know I said that I respected how well James was able to co-write with Aaron Crash because it seemed like it was a single voice, and the same is true here. Only thing is the voice is very different in tone from War God. This is a masterful piece of combining writing styles, vision, and attitudes. This book blew me away at every turn. The only drawback was that it was too short.

Now you might be calling me out on how this fits into the dungeon category for this special, and I’m going to tell you it is because Roark becomes a part of the dungeon. He grows in power and manages to lead a section of it all by himself. I can see him eventually taking the entire dungeon over at some point in the future.

The narration by Nick Pohdel is outstanding. He transitions Roark’s voice slowly as he gains levels, and it is subtle, but so realistic that you have to pay attention. He plays monsters so well, and embodies the snark of Pwner Boner 007.

Final Score: 8.5

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Dungeon Deposed

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 13 hrs and 19 mins

I really enjoy dungeon books. Never thought that I would, but they are an amazing concept and I really admire the versatility of the writing that allows so many variations of what it means to be a dungeon. For example, Dakota Krout's Divine Dungeon is a literal core that builds a structure around itself. Hugo Huesca's Dungeon Lord is about a man who is tied to his dungeon, and can only build up in one area. Arand has created a character who literally steals a dungeon core for himself and is able to create and add to his dungeon on a whim.

This concept sets him alone, as it is fun and different to see a man who basically is super talented, but lacks the capability to adventure use his wits to become a success and get revenge as a dungeon. One pump, as he is affectionately know by his peers, is a highly skilled mage, but only has the stamina to cast up to about three spells before he is exhausted to the point of invalidity. He schemes to get his revenge on those who have mistreated him, and steal a dungeon core, setting about laying in plans to get his revenge. There is some typical stuff, like the dungeon wisp/fairy, and the act of a town building up around the dungeon, but this is a really fresh concept that plays out well. Plus, Ryker is a likable fellow, even though he is a little petty when it comes to getting his revenge.

Andrea Parsneau does an amazing job narrating. She really nails the majority of the characters, but I will say that her version of Ryker makes him sound snively. He sounds like someone who is perpetually disappointed, and as much as he isn't perfect I think he could have been a little bit manlier. In fact, I wanted him to be a touch less whiney sounding. Win was great as the fairy, and the two royal cousins clicked, wife and mother-in-law Duchess were awesome in their portrayal, but even his arch nemesis sounded more manly. I wish they had traded voices. Still, that is my conceit, and I am not docking a star, simply because she did a great job; she just didn't match my vision of Ryker's voice. Parsneau is a true professional, and she handles this tale with panache. I really can't imagine anyone else reading it. And, after talking to her about this very issue she informed me that she is going to man his voice up in the next book.

The cover is fantastic, and you get to see Ryker plotting and scheming. Mino and Win are in there as well, but I must laugh, because the audible version cuts off the cityscape at his lap and leaves him with a glowing palm, and a rather phallic looking tower leaping from his lap. I think a little too much trimming took place, and made it look a tad embarrassing. Still, no points added or subtracted for the cover. It draws the reader in, and that is all that matters.

Arand never lets a reader or listener down. His stories always manage to grab your attention, and then hold it until he finishes. The bad thing is, no matter how long the book is it never lasts long long enough. You just never want the story to end. His characters are captivating, and the betrayals really cut deeply. You will root for the Church of Light to light a stick of dynamite, and for the proper queen to remain in place. Too bad we don't always get what we want. This, like all of Arand's other works, contains a proper harem, a bevy of beauties that Ryker claims as his own. So be prepared for that. Also, be prepared to anticipate the next book in this series, because once you read book one you will be hooked. Thankfully, Arand writes trilogies, and so there is a conclusion to look forward too!

Look, I really enjoyed this book lot. Arand is an amazeballs writer, and the pure Parsneau narration is a fantastic. There is simply no way you will be disappointed if you get this book. Read it now, and become an Arand fan for life, I suppose you'll become a Parsneau fan as well. Jump in the water while the water is cool and fun. Why waste time reading or listening to other booring books when you can win with this one?

Final Score: 8.25

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The Laboratory

A Futuristic Dungeon Core

By: Skyler Grant

Narrated by: Gabriella Cavallero

Series: A Futuristic Dungeon Core, Book 1

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

I have been wanting to try some of Skyler Grant’s stuff for a while now, but for some reason I always kept holding off with other books taking a priority in my queque. I’m really sad that I didn’t have an opportunity to get into this book sooner. I really love the Dungeon sub-genre, and honestly, only listened to this because I wanted to review a few different dungeon stories so that I could compare and contrast, because Grant has a few other books that I really want to put my ears to such as Glitch Hunter and his Shards series.

What is really great about this story is that it isn’t set in a fantasy world. It is a post cataclysmic event tale in which reality itself is changing. The tale rockets to a start with a reawakened computer core coming online just as the girl who rebooted her/it is about to be raped. Once that event is dealt with the core and the woman who wants to rule the world decide to join forces in order to see their wishes come to fruition.

One of the best things about the story is that the Computer core, Emma, is not a likable character. This kind of flies in the face of other dungeon stories as Cal from Divine Dungeon, Ryker from Dungeon Deposed, and even Edward from Dungeon Lord all seem to be honorable and likable people. Emma is rude, crass, and seems to do what is best for herself for the most part. This sets her apart from the other dungeon core types. Furthermore, her human companion is really just as single minded and power hungry as Emma is. All she wants to do is rule the world. So, you essentially have two characters who aren’t very nice or sympathetic. That can be hard on a reader. Now, I will admit that the book itself really doesn’t have much character growth, although there are points when Emma starts to question her relationship with her human partner. The book really is just one encounter after another with a boss fight at the end. There were points that it just felt like events happened because something needed to happen, and the oddest thing was the way in which all of these core users just sort of fell into Emma’s scope. She needed subjects, and lo many did appear.

The one thing that sort of fell flat for me was the narration. For the most part, Cavallero did a good job, but when she was not doing a voice for one of the human characters she was very monotone. I don’t know if this was in order to reflect that it was from a machine’s perspective, or if it was just her style of speaking because she did not pace the story like Andrea Parsinaeu or Laurie Catherine Winkel would. It was a direct and matter of fact reading in my opinion, and I feel she could have slipped in some emotion, I mean hell even Data and Spock had inflections when they spoke. Otherwise, she does a good job, I’m just picking at nits.

One of the best parts about the book was the setting, as it is mysterious, foreboding, and not an underground lair in the middle of a magical forest. I really appreciate the change in scenery, so to speak. Not all dungeons need to be magical, and Grant proves that here. In spite of story issues, such as flat characters and some we need a fight scene here moments, I enjoyed the book. I wanted to see more of the core’s world and find out just what had happened that broke the world. I have to be honest. In spite of some flaws, I really liked the book, and I think that the series will get better as it goes forward. I’m going to give this 7.5 stars, it is a fair start for a series, and is well written in spots.

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Credits:

Pictures for the title card an background came from Pixabay by RohmBernhard

Music was Desolation and Allnighter, which came from http://www.purple-planet.com

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 015

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 015 - Awaken Online: Apathy, Enhancer, Luck Stat Strategy, Feedback Loop- Book 4

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Awaken Online: Apathy (Side Quest) (00:21)

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2R1ZZuc

Enhancer - The Enhancer Series, Book 1 (18:57)

Score: 7.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2CXuMFL

Luck Stat Strategy: Secret of the Old Ones (30:00)

Score: 8.6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2CYoN3h

Reapers and Repercussions - The Feedback Loop Series, Book 4 (45:58)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2R9SwJX

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Awaken Online: Apathy (Side Quest)

By: Travis Bagwell

Narrated by: David Stifel

Series: Awaken Online, Book 3.5

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Pause

Here it comes, I am really getting bored with this series. Awaken Online is the title because I need three cups of coffee and a handful of no-doze to get through the latest books. Honestly. You want the truth, the best part of this book was that there was no chance of Alexion showing up, and he still had a mention. Eliza is just a more milquetoast version of Jason. She has his crappy parental relationship, and gets jerked around by an in-game god. The only difference is that Jason’s god is much cooler and much more tolerable. I absolutely hate every moment that the Hippie appears. I cannot stand Fluffy, and I think that every joke that they do or is done in their spirit falls flatter than a sheaf of rice paper. I just don’t see the appeal of the guy or the black sheep. His every appearance sends shivers down my spine.

The quests that he send Eliza on are neither funny nor very exciting. Honestly, at no point did I have a sense of danger or concern, nor even when she was killed. Yes, she does come up with an innovative way to kill the troll, but it was as exciting as watching someone spray a wasp with a can of Raid. Her solution for the Stag was slightly better, and she actually showed some life when she confronted the other players, but that went by the wayside as soon as she got back home. One moment of real growth and it was squished quickly. Seriously, she kills a ton of players but feel bad when she is given a quest to basically wipe out a band of pirates. It made no sense.

For some reason Bagwell has decided that it is much better to have an intellectual battle or solution rather than an actual fight. I don’t know about you but I like my intellectual battles fought in conjunction with a sword or spear. In his third book the most mind numbing scenes came when the team was doing the Hippy’s trials. This felt like a longer more drawn out version of those trials. I really don’t know why Bagwell is going this direction because in the first two books Jason not only out thought but he out fought his enemies. Here, it seems like Eliza is afraid to get her hands dirty. The only real moment where I saw a touch of Jason came when she confronted the PKers. There she duped and destroyed them. Then she went and became old Eliza again. That was the whole book, cry about how hard her life at home was, arguing with the hippy, doing an asinine Hippy quest, and then complaining about it afterwards. Wash, rinse, repeat. I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I am not liking the direction this series is taking. Again, I will reiterate, this felt like a pilot episode for a spin-off within an established series. Chandler from Friends goes to visit his awkward cousin Eliza, we then spend some time with Eliza, Chandler pops back in to say good bye and next fall we have Eliza’s show, The Awkward Herbalist or the Anguished Alchemist, not sure about the title yet, but you get the idea. This is not a series that I will continue out of love. I’m sure I’ll get it just to keep up the reviews, but that is the only reason.

David Stifel stays true to form, and does his solid work as always. If you liked him in the other three books you won’t be disappointed here. He is probably the one saving grace that this book had, because if he hadn’t have been here to keep this story anchored it would have drifted far afield of where it should have been.

I know that there are a lot of Travis Bagwell fans out there, hell, I know authors who won’t even try to do a release near him, but I am growing to be less enthused about this series the longer it goes on. I’d like to see him stick to Jason’s exploits or create a character who doesn’t have trolls for parents and actually has a spine and a brain. They can be a little broken, but I need a break from the weak and obsequious characters that he pummels us with, and Eliza is the biggest offender.

I’m giving this book a rating of 6 stars. I feel that this is just a revisit from the last book that really didn’t need written. Thankfully it wasn’t a 22 hour novel because I would have had a hard time finishing it.

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Enhancer

The Enhancer Series, Book 1

By: Wyatt Kane

Narrated by: Chris Graves

Series: The Enhancer Series, Book 1

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Pause

According to the book’s description, this book has some light gamelit elements, so I grabbed it for an examination. When Kane says light he means light. The only things that remotely make this gamelit is the fact that they use Huds, heads up displays, and they have stats that can increase via various manipulations or exercise/practice. Otherwise, this is a straight up super hero harem tale that isn’t half bad. The book does feel rushed, and I mean there really is not much time between the time that the MC gains his powers until he is at the end fight with the Boss. Character development comes only from physical changes and is minimal when it comes to actual character growth. The sex scenes come off as a light for of Late night on Cinemax, slightly graphic but not overly explicit if you ask me.

The set up is pretty simple, the main character encounters a battle between two supers, and when the hero is killed, the protagonist, Ty, grabs a strange device that the villain is trying to get and puts it on. Turns out it is the thing that makes mere mortals into super heroes. His device clears his acne, makes him taller, and irresistible to any female that wears a device similar to him.

Lucky dude that he is he meets one at the end of the battle, and wakes up naked in her safe house. Her name is Tempest, and she helps him learn the ropes. His powers allow him to create or upgrade any kind of technology. This potentially makes him the most powerful hero to ever exist. He is fortunate enough to have met the creator of the wristbands that give them their powers. The creator is the Architect, and he just so happens to have been Tempest’s father. He also left like a million schematics that Ty can use to create or upgrade new power items. In between, Ty manages to have sex with Tempest and her Roommate a who is a human deer hybrid. The sex scenes are not as hard as they could have been and play out a little lighter than late night cable. I pretty much say that if you are going for a sex scene have a sex scene. If not fade to black. One thing that drove me crazy is that the deerkin character had antlers. In nature, the only female deer that have antlers are ones with higher than average testosterone levels or reindeer. She was not a modified human reindeer combo. I would let it slide if it was just a cosmetic change, but my understanding was that it was a far more than superficial change. He should have given her doe ears in addition to the hooves and tail. It is details like that that throw me off and out of a book. Easily researched details. Also, I have to say that the end battle was incredibly outrageous and so poorly planned that I cannot understand how the villain didn’t destroy them. Ty had open access to the Architect’s plans, schematics, and concept designs and more than 24 hours to plan, and that was the best he could come up with? He’s already designed a “super suit” replete with offensive and defensive capabilities. He should have been able to design something that would have given them more of an upper hand than they had. It was just silly.

The story is fast paced, and by that I mean there is little development. The characters are stereotypical, for example Ty’s boss is a clear case of Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter being inserted into a non-teaching role. Ty is the reluctant hero, and Tempest is the hardcore hero who brooks no insolence. The villain is loud and obnoxious and pretty much as major A-hole. In other words, just what you expect each of them to be.

Graves, is a good narrator who handles the books poor pacing, i.e. rapid plot advancement, in the best way he can, he also tries very hard to take the two dimensional characters and breath some life into them. His female voices aren’t half bad, but he only did three of them so I’m not sure how much variation or range he has, I’ll need to hear him a few times before I decide on just how far he can push his limits. Either way I enjoyed his work.

The book was a little thin, and certainly felt like it was a bare bones edition of what could have been a pretty epic story. It needed more characterization and development to make this a solid tale. For that reason I’m going to hit it with a 7.3 star rating. There was a lot of potential, but most of it was overlooked. I will get the next book, and hopefully some of these issues will have been addressed.

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Luck Stat Strategy: Secret of the Old Ones

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

Straight up, there is no reason you haven’t gotten this book. I’m going to go on a bit of a rant here, because I love Delvers, and really appreciate how much Corvin gives back to his readers. This is one of those books, that if you have read it you want more of immediately. Sincerely, you will crave this stuff like a five dollar hooker craves some smack. The problem is, this book is not leaping off the shelves, and since Blaise has bills, he writes what pays them. He’s got bills, he’s gotta pay. He’s got mouths to feed. Why would he write something that no one reads, regardless of how amazing it is? It is a passion project for him. He even has a cover ready to roll on book number two! And do you know why this book isn’t done yet? Because every time he gets into it some body demands the sequel ASAP, and it puts him right off. Instead of being entitled and demanding, and believe me I completely get that you want, nay, crave more of this magic he doth produce, you might suggest to people you know actually buy the book. Word of mouth the hell out of it. I actually said to myself, “Self, you are constantly bragging about Delvers, and Nora, but when was the last time you mentioned The Luck Stat strategy?” I almost replied, but then I realized I had asked a rhetorical question, and I didn’t have a rhetorical answer. SO, I figured the least I could do would be to review this amazing novella, and get it onto some people’s radar! Maybe they would then tell their friends, and then they would tell their friends, and so on, and so on, and so on! Until, by merit of exponential growth this book hit the top of the charts and took off like a bat out of hell with his arse on fire. I’m realistic, and my hope is that some one will cotton on to just how good this book is and spread the gospel of the Luck Stat. Sorry, if I’m proselytizing too much, but this book is really that endearing and easily garners such fervor and devotion.

So, have I got your attention? Good well let me tell you about this roller coaster that is the Secret of the old Ones. And when I say roller coaster, I don’t mean some wimpy coaster like the Magnum XL at Cedar Point, I’m talking the Kingda Ka, the Mount Everest of coasters. This books starts off with a PVP battle between old bitter enemies, like Indiana Jones vs Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark. There are some pretty hard feelings, and needless to say things don’t get better when the loser gets looted. The book is a mix of Lovecraft and Steampunk, and it is well thought out, expertly crafted, and the gaming rules are well designed. Writing about a game in which you might lose sanity cannot be easy, but Corvin not only made it look easy, he makes you wonder why this isn’t implemented everywhere. I know if I was sent to Dolos’s world in Delvers, and came face to face with one of its monsters I’d probably lose a few points of sanity, and they are just regular monsters, not Lovecraftian styled ones. The setting is similar to England in the 1800’s, very Victorian, and thus the steampunk aspect, but the setting lends itself so well to the Cthulhu influences that it feels natural. The story itself is very tightly written, there is no excess and thus no punches are pulled. The book has some amazing action sequences, and the final fight, on the train was a major standout scene, I think about it all the time. Just like in Delvers when one of the boys goes toe to toe with one of Dolos’s priestesses. It is something you just don’t forget. The characters are well developed, and believably motivated and show a lot of growth and development in the story. This is not your standard players go kill stuff for 30,000 words. There is a lot going on, and there are just hints of better things to come.

One of my favorite aspects was that it was not only PVE and PVP, but there didn’t seem to be a safe zone that Trent could flee to in order to escape his pursuers. Also, the whole sanity check mechanic worked really well, and if you have ever played COC then you will really respect it here. It was like a snuggly tentacle wrapping around your limp body. The book is really worth it. Honestly, I know it is shy of a full five hours, but I don’t know of a single person who has read or listened to this that didn’t immediately become a rabid fan. It really is that good. So much happens that it is hard for me to tell you everything because the book is such a whirlwind that you just wonder where it went and what comes next.

Sometimes, I think this book is cursed to be an actual secret, that only old timers will look back upon fondly in the years to come, and whisper, “I remember the train fight, when all was lost. . .” I sincerely hope that isn’t the case, and that Blaise writes so many of these books that he runs the series right into the ground. I really think the thing that is holding this book back is its title. Secret of the Old ones sounds like a bunch of old timers in a nursing a nursing home trying not to admit who farted, and the Luck Stat Strategy sounds like something a college mathematics professor would try to make money in Vegas. I love Corvin, but I really think that no one grabs this incredible book because of the title. Make a change, call it the Miskatonic Steampunk or Deep Ones Rising. Just something different.

Finally, I come to the amazing work done by Jeff Hayes. I have to say that his narration here is some of the best I’ve heard him do. I don’t want to call him subdued, but he is very restrained and in control of the characters and the pacing of the story it’s scary. He adds to the Lovecraftian atmosphere in such an integrated way that you can just feel the call of the old ones in the background. He brings a menace of being stalked, and an ambience of quiet desperation from the Main character. And when it gets to the action, I can’t see anyone doing it better. Like I say, that train ride scene was just intense, action packed, and filled with danger. He made you feel every second of it. I know I praise Jeff a lot (and it might be because he’s my favorite narrator) but he really deserves it. This is an excellent pairing that goes together like wine and cheese only with blood, slimy tentacles, and dead bodies strewn about.

So, here is my score. 8.6 stars, I think it is an intense and overwhelming story that grips you from the moment that you start it, and if you pay attention to its fans it doesn’t let you go afterward. The only caveat I have is that I have to put a disclaimer and say that we know the next book will come out, we just don’t know when. Regardless, just consider this an Amuse Bouche of this gaming world, and enjoy the wonderful bite that you’ve been given

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Reapers and Repercussions

The Feedback Loop Series, Book 4

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: The Feedback Loop, Book 4

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Pause

Cooper returns to the Proxima Galaxy and everybody's favorite smart mouth, Quantum Hughes, returns in style. My biggest beef with this dish? Not enough Francis Euphoria, I love that dame. The search for Godsick's son is still ongoing, and the dream team is finally making some progress on finding his location, but they end up getting sidetracked into doing a mission for one of the upper crust royal personages that think their diznikes don't stink. It was a blast seeing Quantum get some payback on one of the reaper B-holes that has been a plug in his "but" for a few books. Best use of a sword stick I've ever heard!

Seriously, Hughes is twice as mouthy and grumpier than ever, and his team seems to be suffering from the we can't trust anybody virus, as one or two members do some shady dealings or break a lot easier than they should have. Quantum might be out of the action for a little of this book, but his arena fights are the stuff of Legends! And if you want to talk about funny, all I can say is there are two bits in which Quantum is chided for being racist, the first is an "Engrish Prease" back and forth that made me belly laugh, and the other was about Islamic proselytizing that literally made me almost fall out of my car as I was opening the door because I was laughing so hard. Cooper is clearly the snarkiest snark that ever snarked, and he uses that to his advantage. I would fear a conversation with him, just on the basis that somewhere in the back of his lizard brain lurked a fully formed Quantum Hughes who was ready to strike at the slightest hint of vulnerability.

Also, I love the cover, Qpappy187 looks suitably vicious, but I would have loved to see him in his life vest with Hacky in his hand. That would have fit so much better than the grim and dark angle, but hey, ya gotta go with what sells and this cover is an attention grabber.

Gotta talk about Hays, and his narration. No one else could play the fast talking wise-acre, Quantum Hughes, quite like Hays does. I think other narrators would get marble mouthed just trying to keep up. Plus, it is refreshing to see Jeff doing the whole book solo, I appreciate the other SBT cast members, but Jeff just rocks out stories all on his own, and Quantum is 100% Jeff all the way. He spits out quotes and phrases that would stunt a lesser narrator's growth, and does so with aplomb. Shockingly, I do have a few small issues I have to take with the Master of the Vocal Arts. First, in the aforementioned Islamic bit there is a bit of a pause that goes a little long when the giant is speaking to the Dream team. It goes on for what feels longer than a dramatic pause and seems more like a piece that got spliced back into the story. Like he had to redo it due to a flubbed line, and the timing was just a little off. Next, and this is strictly because I know some chefs, and would get a wet rag slapped in my mouth if I said it this way, but Jeff says the word "Saucier" in a distinctly American manner. Technically, his saying the word as saucey-er isn't incorrect, but it is french, and they way I have always heard it is as saucey-A, with the A being a long vowel sound. The same way that person who recommends wine is referred to as a sommelier. It too, ends with a long A sound. I am sure he did his due diligence and checked out how to pronounce it, but sometimes that old interweb lies or misdirects you. Just check out Top Chef sometime, they will give you the real skinny on how to pronounce those kitchen terms. I really don't want to pick at nits, and I am seriously not pointing the no-no finger at Jeff, but it needed pointing out.

What does all that mean? With the issues that I took umbrage with, i.e. less Francis than I'd have liked, a minute (as in small) pause, and one word being misprounced I'd have to give this a subtraction of .00001 % of a star. Rounding up, there is no negligable difference. This book takes the Proxima Galaxy and sucks it into a black hole of pure awesomeness. You can't go wrong with the combo of Cooper and Hays!

Final score 8 stars, you just can’t go wrong with the combination of Cooper and Hays.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 014

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 014 - Shards of Reality, Freehaven Online Dragonsbane, Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Shards of Reality: Enter the Realm, Book 1 (00:25)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2CLC8Mi

Freehaven Online Dragonsbane: A LitRPG Adventure (08:25)

Score: 7.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2yIDxPA

Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 1) (22:51)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2pUQWQz

Shards of Reality: Enter the Realm

By: Timothy W. Long

Narrated by: Todd Menesses

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Shards of Reality, Enter the Realm, Book 1 is a fun LITRPG novel. It follows your basic premise in which protagonists find themselves in a virtual reality, usually as players in the game, but sometimes there at their own request, sometimes not. For example, Viridian Gate Online has a player enter the game world to escape an asteroid that is going to destroy all life on earth. Reboot, has a player die, and his mind uploaded into the game. Here, the protagonist, Walt, wakes up in a popular MMORPG that he has played numerous times, but with no memory of how he got there. He is utterly clueless as to what has caused his current situation. Worse yet, he is in a newbie character, and not the one that he spent voluminous amounts of time leveling & building up. As time passes Walt manages to find a few other people who are in the same predicament as him, players, who also have no recollection of how they got there. The scary thing is they might not be able to leave. So this is a bit like a trapped in the game trope, but with the added event of amnesia. Honestly, Thaman’s Respawn tried to go for this feel, but didn’t quite his this mark. If you liked Respawn you will love this book.

I have to warn you that the book does start out a little slowly, but it does so only so that you are able to take in everything at the same pace as the characters. One aspect that I liked is that this book is not bogged down by tons of stats like most LITRPG books. Yes, they grind, and level, and improve but their stats do not run by every five minutes like they do in some books. Let me tell you, that incessant listing of stats can be annoying. I enjoyed how they didn’t overwhelm the listener.

Another nice touch is that the characters all earn, and I have to emphasize this point, they earn their skills and levels, there is no OP characters to be found here. Additionally, the characters are portrayed as regular people. Oz, for example, does whine and cry like most of us would at the exertion and pain he goes through to level. Walt can come across like a jerk sometimes, and I can see him being off putting to some listeners. All I can say is that either you will get him, and his sense of humor or you will not, and if you don’t you won’t like him very much. That can be hard on a listener when you aren’t fond of the protagonist. I however, did enjoy the man quite a bit. Another item that I should address is that some readers might take umbrage that the book ends on a cliffhanger. I know readers who absolutely flip out when they have that happen to them, but it is no big deal to me. I can handle a cliffhanger so long as I know there is more coming. I just put this out there because I know how readers can get.

The writing is smooth, the dialogue is snappy, and the plot really picks up once they hit their main quest. That is important to note, once the set up is done the story does take off. The characters do play out like real people, and are not one dimensional cut outs. If you cut them they will bleed, and then they will yell at you about cutting them or run away crying, it’s a toss up. The narration is clean and crisp, and fun to listen to. Todd Menesses really pulls out all the stops, sets off some fireworks, and blows up the bells and whistles in the kitchen sink. He really helps to bring the story to life, and you will find no faults with his work.

The book is fun, and enjoys nice pace once things are explained and the characters get rolling on their big quest. Like I say, I don’t mind a slow burn as long as there is pay off, and we get pay off, and an excellent set up for the next book. Don’t miss out.

I’m giving this 8 stars, it is solid but it takes a little time to build before the real momentum kicks in.

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Freehaven Online Dragonsbane: A LitRPG Adventure

By: Jun Prince

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Pause

I think that as a funeral director I see this book in a light that few others will. I look at it as an introspection of a character going through the grieving process. Jun really looks at loss in a couple of ways, and how it affects our lives, and I really appreciated that aspect because I had never seen it done in LITRPG before. Justine’s brother died, and she sort of steals his account, and finds herself entering the game as him just to get a feel for who he was, and what he was like. The best part of it is that she has to come to conclusions on her own because no one magically shows up and tells her how great her brother was, or what a D-bag he was to other players. She has to figure these things out all on her own. The book also deals with loss in a few other ways, the players become trapped in the game (not a spoiler it’s in the description) and have to deal with the possibility of never going home again. Also, some players learn that there is a way to permanently join the game, but die in the process. This leads to some complications, and Prince does not make it easy, as grieving never is just a simple emotional process.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was the concept of two MMORPG’s merging into a totally new game. Let’s be honest, not every game can end up like World of Warcraft and exist in perpetuity. So, how could games stay alive? By merging with another game that is also losing traction. Can you imagine if City of Heroes merged with Everquest? How cool would that be? Great idea!

The story has some innovative battles, cool quests, dragons, and interesting NPCs, but it isn’t without its own issues. First, the whole trapped in the game thing kind of comes out of left field. Personally, I think it would have worked better if it had happened early in the book. As it was it was a little jarring even if you had read the book’s description. A lot of possible ramifications were overlooked, such as what if a single parent had gotten online just before the attack happened. Young kids would be left to fend for themselves, even if the parent was kept alive by the VR tech. It could be days before they were found. What if a person trapped had to have medication, and lived alone? I would have loved to have seen some other players voicing these concerns. We do have one dad who wants to get back to his kids.

The biggest issue I had, and only because I could see it being confusing was that the MC, a well as the other players, could all switch between their alts at any time. One it made it really hard for me to connect with Justine’s character side, as I enjoyed Scootie Wootums, but the dwarf got bounced as the party needs dictated. I was fully expecting a merging of her brother’s character and her own. I think a melding would have played better, so that all the alts merged into one unique class. That would have really amped the story up, if everyone was struggling to suss out what their capabilities were after the merge. As it was it was just a choice of picking your COH superhero or the Everquest Druid whenever you wanted for example. Also, I don’t really recall a lot of the other players swapping their characters all that often. I did appreciate that Justine’s squad was basically a playground group, you know you wander around the playground and ask kids if they wanted to play. This was a pack of LFG people, you know “Looking for a group!” That isn’t something that you see very often in Litrpg books either, while it should be the norm. Most times you enter a game with maybe one other person you know playing, and get to know others by shouting out Tank LFG or Rogue LFG. The story was good and well written, but I did have an issue connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked, but I loved the underlying theme that grief and loss played throughout the book.

The narration by Landon was fair. There were times that I just did not connect with her at all, she was very clear when she spoke but her non dialogue bits lacked any emotion at all. Go back and listen to the book’s audio clip. She almost says each sentence separately, and without any kind of inflection. Her dialogue isn’t bad, and she does some decent accents, but I could not connect with her reading style much at all. It was very distant and seemed cold. She’s not bad, but really needs to add some energy into the reading of non-dialogue portions of the novel. This had a major impact on me, as I found it a little harder to connect with the characters and their actions, especially during fight scenes.

So, just on the basis that I enjoyed the narration, but was not enamored of it, and a few other factors such as having a hard time identifying with the MC’s rotating character class, and the wonky delivery of the game trap I have to give this a 7.3 stars. I enjoyed it, but felt that some issues could have been better addressed and it really needed one class for me to latch onto as a reader/listener.

Final Score: 7.3 stars

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Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm

The Viridian Gate Archives Series

By: J. A. Hunter

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Pause

Don't wanna burn and die

Don't wanna asteroid fall on me

So, Imma gonna enter Viridian, Abby

Cause I know the asteroid won’t miss a thing

'Cause even when I even virtual reality

That VR realm would never do

I'd still miss you, baby

And I don't wanna miss a thing

I swear to God, prop guy, if you hit me in the head with a rock!

Awright, Awright, Awright. So you’ve seen those books where something goes horribly wrong and people end up trapped in a digital world as players. Maybe there’s a zombie apocalypse, maybe resources are so low that people can’t feed themselves, or maybe it’s an form of afterlife for people to have a second chance. Well, James Hunter decided that none of that stuff was big enough to make him go into a MMORPG permanently. Nope, he figured the only way that he would do something like that would be if the whole world got taken out. So he sent a massive asteroid to destroy his world, one without Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to save it. I have to say that this approach was a smashing success. (Cricket sounds here) OK. OK. But you have to admit it works. I appreciated how it didn’t take three chapters to get into the game world VGO is an interesting take on the RPGlit/Gamelit genre. It has some familiar twists and turns, but done in brilliant ways. Hunter has a nice flowing writing style; he knows how to open and close a chapter, and his ability to do dialogue is fantastic. I would put this book up among Delvers, LLC, Awaken Online, and Ascend Online.

One thing the book really has going for it is the characters. That isn’t to say that the game world isn’t fascinating, or that the plot isn’t impactful, but the vibrancy and realism of the characters is what makes this book shine. Grimjack is complex, he is both a thinker and a doer. Usually MC’s are one or the other, but Grimjack’s actions manage to make sense because of his nature. I especially enjoyed the way in which the character used his head, rather than his hammer, to defeat his foes. It really came into play during the big "Godzilla vs Mothra" fight at the end. For an example early on in the game, however, he is given a choice; abandon an old woman to die alone or help her. If he helps he increases his risk of capture and or death but he decides to help against the advice of his newfound companion. That companion is a whole different kind of beast. Cutter, Grimjack's sidekick/partner in crime is a complete jerk, a ne’er-do-well, and a very reluctant hero who is clearly more mercenary than he is merciful, but he is loyal to the core. Abby, Grimjack’s love interest, is a strong independent woman who is responsible for getting the team the hope that they have in stopping the Devs from creating a permanent feudal society where the rich remain on top.

One thing I liked was that the book did not focus on having to level up or power level in such as hurry; it happened as it happened. Leveling was gradual and a natural process, and was not the main focus of the characters. No, they had more important matters to attend to, such as stopping a rather evil gentleman of getting his hands on an item of power, rebuilding a keep, and trying to stay out of the view of the people in power long enough to achieve their goals. Just imagine how you would feel if after you are in, you find that the game has been rigged to heavily favor of some members of the upper 1%; that you are essentially fated to be an eternal servant? That would take precedence over power leveling for its own sake. Basically, you come for the asteroid, and stay for the characters and the tribulations that they face.

Armen Taylor was a palpable force while narrating. He played out the entire cast of characters in different voices, and each of their personalities shined through. He was a one man troupe in a play of dozens. Taylor makes him sound like a young Mick Jagger, all cocky and vitriolic, to a point I thought he had to have practiced that voice for hours. One of my favorite things about Taylor is how he voices yelling. He doesn’t raise his voice or actually yell, he does it like a kid who is messing about with his action figures but doesn’t want to be loud. He sort of whisper yells, instead. Total fun. He does a great job, and this was my first introduction to him as a narrator. I’ve since grown to love listening to him.

So, I’ve stated repeatedly that this is one of my favorite series, and this is the book that started the ball rolling and I can’t help but want to share the love. I’m actually going to trim this score back, because I am such a fan, I can’t help but feel that my enthusiasm is too powerful. I’m going to say 8.3 stars, but it has a lot more going on for it. This is a brilliant character study that just happens to have a lot of fighting, monsters, and adventure happening around it. Oh, and book 6 comes out on the 16th, with an audible release about two months after that, So I’ll be listening to it then. Cheers.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 013

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 013 - Travail Online: Resurrection, Pangea Online, The Feedback Loop: Books 1-3, Reboot

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Travail Online: Resurrection (A LitRPG Series, Book 2) (00:23)

Score: 8.1 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2zYF8Td

Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes: A LitRPG Novel (12:32)

Score: 8.25

https://amzn.to/2pI5KSt

The Feedback Loop: Books 1-3 (21:51)

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2y7qgR2

Reboot (31:58)

Score: 8.3 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2pHxkPu

--------

Travail Online: Resurrection

A LitRPG Series, Book 2

By: Brian Simons

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Series: Travail Online Series, Book 2

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Pause

I’m going to take a minute here and rail about last week. Last week I jumped all over a good narrator for mispronouncing the word ensign. Justifiably so, I might add. But, in the spirit of fairness I have to admit when I say something wrong. I mispronounced Andrea Parsneau’s name. I said Parsneau, and it is said as Par Snow, see the pic? It should be easy to make sense of it from that little meme. So, if you guys catch me on something, call me out! I want to extend my apologies to Andrea for pulling a Sweeny Todd on her last name. Anyhow, back to what you came for:

Well, everyone’s favorite tailor/seamstress, Coral, is back and she opens with the wanton slaughter of some vicious humanoids from the deep (a great Corman classic B movie if you haven’t seen it or heard of it) and she is making some awesome armor from their skins. I don’t think that you can get a better opening, when a lady is just minding her business fishing while waiting on some pals to show up and ends up killing a murderous fish man (no, I played D&D for years and could never pronounce their name then, and I can’t now so I’m not even going to try) with a pair of scissors. If you have to open a book then evisceration by scissors is a good way to start. It caught my attention.

This time around there are some Shenanigans taking place by the game devs, who feel that the games economy is generating too much income and is damaging the real economy. Thus, they implement a plan that will obliterate the in game economy, and strip players of their wealth. How do they do this? By brainwashing the players into becoming religious zealots who give all of their money to rebuild a god’s temple.

Simons really plays this at different angles. One member of the party wholeheartedly joins the clerical staff and becomes a priest and does one hell of a fundraising job for the god. Another player gets the whammy put on him and the others struggle to keep him from giving away everything he owns (in the real world and the VR one). He plays with the theme of betrayal and forgiveness. I’m not saying forgiveness is granted, only that he plays with the notion of how people can react to trust be broken. Coral feels betrayed by one of her team mates, a team mates actually betrays them, and the game company breaks trust by manipulating minds. He hits that subject on various levels, and also shows how trust is something that isn’t lightly given, but when it is earned it is worthwhile. The book is emotional, but also has some great fight scenes. Personally, I loved the poison that wanted to be used and kept calling out to kill others. When it was employed all I could think of was the red wedding from Game of Thrones and the pie scene from Stand By Me. Wickedly brilliant and funny in an evil kind of way. It wasn’t written for laughs, but I got a good snicker out of it.

Coral is the heart of the book. She is the team’s center and moral compass, and Andrea plays her so well. I know that she strives to put in emotions that we readers aren’t even supposed to know are there, and here, her reaction as Coral to the betrayal is cinematic. You can feel the hurt and reluctance in her voice, her need to get away, her need to start anew. It is pretty damned impressive. I don’t mean to downplay her ability to play the other characters, because you actually understand the betrayer’s motives, and she conveys their feelings just as deeply. It is one hell of a juggling act that she pulls off. Andrea never fails to impress me.

I am so glad that the snake on the cover with the apple in its mouth is explained, I was very curious about that, but I have to say that was probably the only weak spot that I found in the story. It just came off as a little silly when compared to the depth of the rest of the book. But hey, I love silly. It just felt out of place compared to the various moral quandaries that each character dealt with such as working for a corrupt lord, putting yourself over the team because of jealousy, or dealing with betrayal from someone that you might be in love with or at the very least respect. When the snakes were used later it was much more effective. So, just one bump as far as I was concerned.

I’m awarding a solid 8.1 stars, just because of the depth and character growth that takes place. The story is intriguing and enjoyable. I know that you will like this book.

----------------

Pangea Online Book One: Death and Axes: A LitRPG Novel

By: S. L. Rowland

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Pause

Sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a yarn about a boy doomed to toil away his life in a virtual mine. A boy who has no choice but to waste his life digging out electronic ore in order to take care of himself. That is until he discovers a chest full of loot that grants him a free pass to wherever he wants to go in the game, and enough digital currency to see this become a reality. That’s when he learns there are only two things certain in this life, Death and Axes.

The boy is Esil, and his struggles may sound a little similar to another book, one in which a kid has to escape the mines and win a game wide contest. I just can’t remember what it was called. It was . . . . .it was . . .(tank flies in and hits me in the head, prop guy yells Dodge Tank!)

Ow! Yeah. Thanks, prop guy. Dodge tank. Now, while the stories seem similar it is only a facile one at best. Both have protagonists who work in digital mines, and both have that protagonist have to win a game wide contest in order to . . . well you know make their lives better and stuff. Other than those two items, both stories are radically different. Pangea, by the way, was released before Dodge tank by about three months so The similarities are just coincidental.

Anyway, Esil is a pretty good kid, who just happens to meet a popular player his first day in game, and he manages to impress her with a cheat that he doesn’t know he has. The two slowly become friends, and when the inevitable announcement of a worldwide event that will provide money, fame, and game bonuses they agree to help one another out until the final contest, because just like they say in Highlander, there can be only one. Here is where the story reminds me of Harmon Cooper’s Proxima Galaxy, as the game that Esil is in also hosts multiple worlds in hundreds of genres. There were several things that I enjoyed about the contest’s trials. First, the clues actually mislead our heroes, and they don’t solve the first one. Second, we get to go to some exciting new worlds, and third, the game is set so that it takes innovation and wits to advance more than levels for the most part. The characters all carry their own weight, they are interesting, and when a betrayal occurs it cuts to the quick like it should. Esil, or Lone Wolf as I prefer to call him, is crushed by it but pushes ahead anyway. And that is the crux of the tale. Perseverance, dedication, and determination. You really get to see what kind of man Esil is by the way he earns his mount, and the way in which he handles the betrayal. The fight scenes are fun, and Esil’s introduction to the game he has never played is pretty funny when he gets into his first battle. The book is light and fun, and while the plot is something you may have seen a few times you won’t mind because Rowland manages keep things so interesting.

So, you ask me, what about the narration? How was it? Is it worth the time and effort to listen? Is it amazing? The only thing I can say is that this is SBT, a Soundbooth Theater production, so you know that it is going to be great. I really like the pairing of Justin Thomas James and Laurie Catherine Winkel. They have become, for me, the Bonnie and Clyde of the audible world. They are narrators who come in guns blazing, and run off with the story like it was the last hamburger in a world filled with Wimpy’s. Sorry for anyone under 40, that’s a Popeye reference. The incredible part is that they are not even in the same studio when they record, One is in Georgia, and the other in Canada. What? How can there be that much chemistry when people are so far apart? They pair up more and more often, and I really think that their latest efforts, Dave Wilmarth’s the Land of the Undying has been their best effort to date. Here you can see them really unifying into collaborators of the highest quality. Like I say, they are like Bonnie and Clyde, they pull off their narration in a flash and flurry that never lets you know what is coming. I love the way they handle the tale, the characters, and my attention. They never let it become boring. I do believe there was one slight audible flub, but it was nothing major, a line was repeated but that’s all. Otherwise this audio portion was flawless.

So, what’s the verdict? This book is solid, has good writing, plays out tropes but doesn’t tropifiy your mind with them and still manages to keep it interesting, and has some killer narration. It also plays out like it could have been a stand alone novel, and I respect that a great deal. Not every book needs a cliffhanger. This one wraps up pretty well, even though there is another book in the series. Rowland unquestionably makes me want the next book Magic and Mayhem, as well as his other new novel (not on audible yet) Vestiges which is a Post Apoc novel. So, I’m eager for more, that means an 8.25. Can’t ask for more.

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Rise and shine campers, its the Feedback Loop

The Feedback Loop: Books 1-3

By: Harmon Cooper

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Soundbooth Theater

Series: The Feedback Loop, Book 1-3

Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins

Pause

Wow.

Huh? Not enough of a review?

How about Holy Freaking Crap!

No?

Ok, since you are interested have to say that this is just brilliant, and should become a Netflix series. It would so crush Alterd Carbon! They’d just have to add a touch more nudity, but I don’t see Quantum complaining about going to a few strip clubs to help ratings.

It is a sweeping story that begins with Groundhogs Day for a setting, and transitions into a reality hopping mind trip that you just won't forget anytime soon. Quantum, the MC, is interesting and funny. The action is cinematic, and the emotions are like a rabid methhead on redbull who just found out his dog got run over but is alive. The story easily flips settings, and does so effortlessly. The concept is so out there it was on an episode of X-files! I think.

This is not one book, it is a collection of three awe inspiring jaw dropping story telling that centers on a fast talking, hard drinking mug who is trapped in a VR world, and I think suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. Quantum Hughes is a character that you will either love or completely hate. I don’t think there can be a middle ground. Harmon Cooper is a stand out writer, who must have been tripping on peyote all day long to come up with some of the stuff that he conceives in this book. Plus, not only is he imaginative, but he has a real way with words, most importantly, with dialogue. The words his characters speak are believable, emotional, and funny when they need to be. You really get to like his cast of characters, and will fall in love with the whole game concept that he creates.

It’s the fast talk and the creative use of everyday items as implements of murder that make Quantum stand out. I’m just waiting for him to kill someone with a paper clip. Hughes is a bit of a conundrum, as he seems to have flawless pop culture memory to draw upon, but can barely recall what he was like before going into the Proxima Universe. Now, Proxima is a game design company that houses all of its games in one shared universe, so while Hughes has been living like Sam Spade in a noirish 40’s styled game he also gets to visit other worlds and games as well. That is a real plus, as it makes sense for a company to umbrella all of their product into one universe, and it makes it fun knowing that we might get to visit a fantasy realm or a steampunk universe. It is the 40’s noir setting that really sucked me into this book series. It simply isn’t something that you see in LITRPG. Most worlds are fantasy based, some sci fi, and now a few horror ones as well, but this setting, the one in book one, really stands out. It is vast, it is real, and it is all noir. The attitude is more of a Dead Men don’t wear Plaid kinda vibe, as it is so hard to take Hughes seriously. Another plus, you get characters with names like Quantum Hughes and Frances Euphoria. Total fun.

The series does bounce through three different worlds, unless you count the real world, then it’s four. Each book is laced with humor, and rails against things like government interference on what we eat, how we act, and what we think. Each member of the Dream team is fully fleshed out, and have distinctive quirky personalities of their own. No one plays second fiddle to Hughes, which is impressive since he technically should steamroller any other character her encounters in a clash of personalities.

Do I have to talk about Jeff Hays? Yeah? Good, because I have no qualms admitting he is my favorite narrator by far. This guy is so talented he could win a yodeling contest with a ventriloquist dummy, while gargling chocolate syrup. Told you he was my favorite. In all sincerity, the man is a master of the vocal arts, like Dr. Strange, but with words. He can do no wrong in my eyes. Honestly, Hays is the only cat that I can see pulling off Quantum’s incessant ramblings. He not only talks fast, but he infuses the lines with comedic timing that I know isn’t easy to pull off. I will reiterate that Hays knows his characters, and that I know that he is the only guy that can pull some of them off. I think of Jade, from the awesome War Aeternus series, and I can’t think of anyone else being able to play her either. Jeff just nails the people he is playing so well, that there are points that it will not occur to me that Frances, for example, is being read by a man.

This means that the pairing of Cooper and Hays is powerful enough to create a rift in space time if not handled appropriately. It might even cause a feedback loop in our own digital universe! The truth is their combo makes for one heck of a fine time listening to an amazeballs story that you will have never seen anywhere else before. This book is packed with action, morning assassins, backstabs, intrigue, and is a very noticeable loving homage to movies like Casablanca and the Maltese Falcon while dancing into VR territory. I cannot count the number of times that I burst out laughing, or was choked up by a character’s actions. This series collection is well worth the money or credit that you plunk down for it. I have to say that it is easily an 8.4 stars. If you like your books quirky, full of sass, blood splattering action, and fast talking MC’s then you will LOVE this book.

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Reboot

Afterlife Online, Book 1

By: Domino Finn

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James

Series: Afterlife Online, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins

Pause

Reboot is one of the first litrpg books that I read, and when I say that I quite literally mean listened to, because my time for reading has vanished. To say that the book wowed me would be an understatement, I came into this right after Delvers, Divine Dungeon, and Morningwood. So it most likely was the very first “litrpg full blood” novel that I had gotten. I’m not discounting the other books, as far as I’m concerned they are among the best of the best Litrpg out there, but this one is a bit heavier than them on crunch, such as levels, stats, character sheets, and so on.

The concept reminded me of one of my favorite series the Bobiverse, with We are Legion, we are Bob, because like in Bob, the protagonist dies and wakes up in game. The MC renames himself Talon, and tries to come to grips with the fact that he and the people he meets with are all dead, having been uploaded at some point after passing away. He gets a goofy roommate who wants to do nothing more than sit around the apartment they share and watch movies. Talon decides that he is going to make the most of his life, and sets off to level up and have some fun. A few things happen along the way that makes him upset and curious. First of all, he is not permitted to speak to anyone on the outside. He is repeatedly denied that privilege. Also, whenever he contacts customer support he gets the run around. By the way, the customer support bits are some of the best things about the book. They are witty, cutting, and hilarious. His antics in game also get him into some trouble as he attracts the interest of a play known only as Lucifer. Lucifer is on the Devs crap list, and is wanted for a variety of crimes. Talon has to wonder who he should believe, the mods who won’t let him contact the outside world or the wanted villain who tells him more of what’s going on than anyone else has since he arrived.

The book is part action, part mystery, and all about the characters and their development and growth. This is a rare book in which I loved the grinding aspect so much that I was a little perturbed when the main plotline kicked into gear. Talon has a lot going against him, and his biggest issue is just getting to the truth of what happened to him for real. Finn plays his cards so close to the vest that when the revelation comes it is a revelation. You also want to side against the games creators, who have been keeping things from Talon and company. Oh, hey, and added bonus, Talon sports a spear, and I can respect that he goes against expectations of a standard weapon. The way that Talon interacts with the world and the monsters is far from what you would expect a PC to do, and that helps keep your attention and the plot moving. And man, does this story just cruise by

Another bonus for me is that this book was my introduction to Justin Thomas James as a narrator. I have to say that his characterization of Talon’s Alchemist roommate was simultaneously funny and heart wrenching. Remember, all these folks are dead, and they all have backstories. James adds so much emotion that I really felt like this was an event that happened to him and not the character in the book. I can also see just how much he’s changed in so short a time. He has really developed into one hell of a narrator, and is someone that I really respect in the community. He really brings this story to life and that not easy in book full of dead people.

I did this review because book three of the series is coming soon, and I want everyone to know what a great series it has been thus far. This book is easily an 8.3 stars, and right now that is enough to fill my sky, so go get this and get ready for the new book that is coming.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 012

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 012 - Accidental Duelist, Martyrs, Eden's Gate, Fostering Faust

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Accidental Duelist: Accidental Champion Trilogy

Score: 8.2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2OooLat

Martyrs: Legends of the Great Savanna, Book 1

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2zGhFWs

Eden's Gate: The Reborn

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Or7KMA

Fostering Faust

Score: 8.4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Oqj8bH

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Accidental Duelist: Accidental Champion Trilogy

By: Jamie Davis, C.J. Davis

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins

Pause

Ok, so we return to the land of Fantasma for another round of who will I be this time. Only not. This time it is Kari Dix who has the spotlight, and she really takes the mantle her father laid down, and runs off into the night with it. I have to admit that I was initially skeptical of someone stepping into the hero role that Hal created, but I can see that Davis and his son have really thought this one out. Kari, and accomplished fencer has been told that her memories of Fantasma are all false, and that she was basically delusional, until the Empress sends out a call for her hero to return, and Kari is inadvertently pulled into her “imaginary” world. Upon her entry she opts to become a duelist, surprise surprise, but there were a few other choices she could have made that were pretty intriguing such as a paladin. Within about ten minutes of her arrival she manages to run afoul of some men who work for the Duke, y’know the guy who is after the Empress’s throne, and is challenged to a duel. Well, as you guess it bad things happen and she ends up on the lam. The book is then devoted to her reluctantly trying to protect the last grandchild of the ailing Empress.

What is really nice about this book is that it actually breaks the format of the old series. As much as I loved Hal, it was a touch repetitive in the last book. It had become a sort of wash, rinse, repeat sort of thing with him basically restarting with a different class each time he entered Fantasma. Each book also had Hal returning back home after each of his adventures had concluded. Not here, from the way it looks it seems that Kari is going to stay in Fantasma for a while. And that, my friends, was perhaps the most refreshing part. Ninety percent of the books out there always have the main character trying to make their way back home the minute they find themselves stuck in a game they love to play. Alright, 90% is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. Kari is actually reluctant to go home, and shows little to no interest in doing so. SO, I can’t go into more detail but suffice it to say the book does not end like the other books do. Also, it sort of looks like Kari will be remaining a Duelist for a while longer. Additionally, it looks like Hal, and possibly his wife might be returning to Fantasma as well. Hmmm, maybe one of them will become a cool paladin! We’ll see.

Now, one change that I am not doing cartwheels over is that Roberto Scarlato didn’t return for this series. It is a real shame because I am a huge fan of his, and he was sorely missed. Although, from talking to Jamie and C.J. at the Dover Comic Con this year (where I got this totally awesome signed book, MY FIRST SIGNED book!) they told me that Roberto will be narrating his Extreme Medical Services series, in which a Paramedic helps humans and monsters alike. It isn’t LITRPG, but it is something I will be getting. But I digress. As I was saying, Scarlato isn’t returning because Stacy Gonzalez has taken over the accidental champion reigns, and is now leading the team with her vocal charms. She is new to me, but she seems to handle things fairly well. Now, I’m not going to lie. She does do voices, but her male impersonations are not as strong as they could be. There were a few times that I had to wonder who was speaking, and I almost wondered if they were female or not. But it isn’t like that with all of her male voices, just some. I chalk that up as a rookie thing, I think that this is only her 6th book that she has narrated, so I can cut her some slack. From what I’ve heard, once she gets her footing, she is going to become a really great narrator. She does this series some serious justice, and that is really all that matters.

The book is fun and is family friendly, if you don’t mind some killing every now and then. Kari, as much as I resisted her replacing Hal, I think that she has some real depth, and brings a new perspective to Fantasma that I really enjoyed. I have to say that I like the new format of the stories, so it isn’t a one and done kind of deal anymore, and that I have seen some serious improvements over all, there are a lot of changes to Fantasma, and it doesn’t feel like a “The Emporer is evil and oppressive” kind of tale. There is a lot more going on, and things are not so straight forward. I’m going to give this book a solid 8.2. It is well worth your time to give it a listen.

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Martyrs

Legends of the Great Savanna, Book 1

By: Justin Lincoln

Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Pause

Martyrs is a book I would readily recommend to a few types of listeners, those who are new to the genre, young adults, or families looking to listen to something together that’s light and fun. The book is not overly heavy on the numbers, and is most certainly meant for a younger audience with references to characters like Lion Dude. Well, I should say that it starts off stat lite and works it way into the numbers and game info at around the 30% mark of the book.

James, the MC, wakes up and finds himself in game. His mission, as far as he knows is to take six months and figure out what he can about the game. He arrives in the camp of the Martyrs, a group of lion folk, and settles in with them for a bit. The mechanics of the game do work pretty well, and one aspect that I liked was how the game gradually altered as he learned about how to play. I enjoyed the town building aspect a lot, but the one thing that did throw me was the sort of game within the game, that got played out like Tower Defense. I could have done without that bit altogether. Still, it is nice to see a new fantasy race, and not your standard elves, orcs, dwarves, and goblins as the MC’s best pal.

One thing that really bothered me was the way the Martyrs were handled. They were on their last legs as a species so to speak, and yet they continually do nothing to stop the rapid decline of their numbers. At the end all I could think of was here is a pretty neat new race, and they are doomed to extinction because of poor decisions and lackluster defense. Another thing that bugged me was the way that the MC and pals behaved. I have five and seven year olds who act more mature and consider their actions better than James. I find it ironic, too, because at the beginning of the book he is mistaken for a human child because of his size. I just wish that he had acting more like a grown up (I hate that term), rather than a child.

In spite of this the book does hold your interest and has some solid moments that keep you hooked, it is certainly worth the time that you put into it, and like I say this is some good family fare, and if you have ever listened to me you know that I love family books because then I can listen to a book while I drive and get the added bonus of the kids keeping their yaps shut for a few hours. I really didn’t mean that. Much.

Matthew Broadhead has become kind of hit or miss with me. He was great in the Bathrobe Knight series by Charles Dean and the Artificer by James Hunter, but then he tanks hard in Warscapia by Garrett Boggs. Here, he kinda hits the middle of the road, not bad, but not amazing either. I’d say he was solid, but did not stand out. I really think for him it is the material. If he doesn’t have a strong connection then he doesn’t pop as much as he should. Here he seems almost languid in his approach to reading this, and I know I have said there were times that I wanted to slow down my narration speed because the action was so hot, here I wanted to speed it up. I didn’t but I should have. It might have helped. Either way he was just a 5 or a 6 on the narration scale. This saddens me because I think he was the first narrator that we found who was for the whole family, that even my wife enjoyed.

There were some issues, so I’m going to give this a 7.5 stars. Honestly, the game within a game bit just made no sense other than to throw it in just because, and the narration choked the book a little as well. It is a fun slice of life styled book, and I think it only struggles when it gets away from that aspect.

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Eden's Gate: The Reborn

By: Edward Brody

Narrated by: Pavi Proczko (prochcov)

Series: Eden's Gate, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Pause

Brody pens one helluva book here. I give him credit, he takes a few tropes here and turns then on their head. For me, this was a really fun ride, and I felt that this is one of those series that has a lot of potential, which means it is either going to soar or crash and burn horribly. Personally, I believe it is going to be the former rather than the latter, there is just too much beefy goodness here for the series to drop off. I can honestly only see it getting better.

So, here is the book in a nutshell. A new innovative virtual reality MMORPG is released, and everyone who is in the game on launch day dies as their minds are uploaded into the world of Eden’s Gate unwittingly and against their will. The games creator happily accompanies them and promptly shuts the game off from the outside world. There is no communication between the game world and the real world.

Gunnar, the protagonist, is told what happens via a message alert, but like you or me, he doesn’t understand nor believe what he’s been told. So he goes forward looking for a way out, and for his girlfriend, whom he believes had entered the game in a distant land due to her being a different race when they started out, but he admits he has no idea if she was in game when the great massacre occurred.

Now, where this book really stands out is the characters, Gunnar and his pals are fully fleshed individuals. I think the best example of how realistic Gunnar is comes when he makes a deal with Jax, a man who takes him in when he first arrives in the game, and then tries to weasel out of it. The entire event had the ring of truth to it. I could see a player doing that to an NPC. The repercussions were even better which just shows that the writing is excellent, and the plot is paced perfectly. Normally, I hate interludes with info from the “real world” but real world event had actual significance and had bearing on events in the game world in spite of there being no communication between the two. And that is the issue. People in the real world are killing themselves to enter the game, and the government feels it has to be stopped. So they implement a plan to shut down everything in an effort to wipe the game out. When Gunnar finds out he reluctantly agrees at first to help try to initiate contact between the two realities. And that is the crux of it all. The gamer’s reluctance to actually try to save the world he is in because of doubt is very believable, as is the staunch belief by the politicians that the game is just a game that must be shut down. The reactions, the reluctance, the revelations are all believable, and I enjoyed the whole aspect that Gunnar wasn’t out to win any prizes, nor was he an uber super character. He was just a player who happened to be at the wrong? Place at the right time. He is drafted more than he volunteers, but once he is onboard he is all in. Plus, he has ulterior motives, getting where he needs to go might just help him find his girlfriend. All in all, this book is really fun and my only concern is that the rest of the books will just focus on Gunnar’s lost love, and if it is just a secondary quest then great, as Gunnar really makes some strides in other game related areas then fantastic. I’ll wait and see, because I am most definitely going to be picking up the next book.

Proczko is an excellent narrator. He hits every mark that I can ask for. He does excellent voices, he is crisp, clean, and easy to follow, he paces the story well, he adds emotion and emphasis where needed and he makes you care about the characters in a way that the written word can’t convey. I keep going to Jax and the betrayal, he handled very well.

This is a solid book that was music to my ear holes. For that, I am going to say that this is a firm 8 out of 10 stars. Excellent work.

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Fostering Faust

By: Randi Darren

Narrated by: Stephanie Savannah

Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins

Pause

I am at a loss as to how to delicately describe this series. The best I can come up with is it is the Marquis De Sade shakes hands with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This book both impressed me and appalled me, which is no easy task, and I am not being negative when I say that. Randi Darren is pretty fearless in tackling what is basically a story about a man who tries to keep his soul out of hell by creating deals with other people. Each deal he makes helps him meet a monthly quota that he has to fill for the evil goddess of murder, Lea. Darren very wisely breaks away from the possibility of having a monster as the protagonist, Alex, by making bargain for people’s souls. No, if he had done that then this book would have been very different. Alex is caught between the Scylla and Charybdis, no matter what he does he is damned and he has to make deals in which he always comes off with the better end of things. People need to unwillingly part with a piece of themselves in exchange from very little from him. The more he gets, and the less he gives the better off he is.

Alex, to his credit, doesn’t revel in his newfound power over people. He is actually pretty cool about it, and this too helps to mitigate the creepiness factor that he could have. Darren really pushes boundaries, but manages to male Alex likable and sympathetic. I’m going to be honest, this book is not something someone new to LITRPG should start with. If you are a fan of Randi Darren from his other books in the Wild Waste saga, or even books by William Arand, then you will love this book. The characters are all well written, have very distinctive personalities, and come across as the broken people that they are. The only person in the entire book who isn’t broken or damaged in any way that I could see is Alex’s main wife. She is an incredibly stable and sane individual who allows nothing to phase her. In fact, I loved her the moment she was introduced.

Every character is so well fleshed out that they feel real, and if you know Darren from Wild Wastes then you know that you are gonna get hit in the feelz somewhere along the way. The only character that felt like a potato was Alex’s second wife, who was about as bland as they come. She is so shattered that it takes nothing for him to break her within minutes of their meeting. That’s ok, as that is what she is meant to be, but you will have no connection with her at all. The actions scenes are all fun and range from a fistfight duel to a full on warfare. Darren really had fun storming the castle.

In spite of all the lurid things that happen in this book, and I mean all the breaking of people, not all the graphic sex scenes this was a great book. Did I mention sex scenes? Yep. If the general content wasn’t enough to let you know, this ain’t a book for kiddies, so don’t listen around the house if you have children. The sex is pretty graphic, and does last, as Darren does not do a fade to black and he doesn’t hold back. Also, Alex is more powerful than most porn stars in the volume of the product of his loving, and the frequency in which he is able to perform.

The story is a fun look into what you might do if you were put into a bad situation. Alex really reminds me of Felix (who actually gets a nod here) from Super Sales on Superheroes. Felix has to deal with the issue of slavery for the sake of his powers. So, the two both handle tough subjects in their own way. Now I want to see a William Arand and Randi Darren collaboration in the future.

Stephanie Savannah handles the narration, and she is actually really wonderful. She is also a new voice for me, and I thought she just killed this reading of this book. I mean she played every number (that would be Alex’s conquests) with a clear and distinctive personality so that I NEVER wondered who was speaking. She also played Alex really well, showing that she can crush masculine voices as well. I’m really surprised that she only has four narrated books to her credit so far. She really is incredibly talented and hopefully this book will get her noticed. I loved listening to every second of her.

This book was a blast, and it was unrelenting. I can very easily see how some of the content can put people off, and know that the disclaimer that Darren uses in his book description is warranted. Either way, I had fun, I enjoyed Alex, numbers 1 through 5, and the whole concept of the story. I cannot stress how difficult it had to be to create a sympathetic lead who has to do really nasty things in order to keep from burning in hell. I’m going to give this an 8.4 star review, because I think the next book will be better, and while it was emotional I don’t think it quite had the heart of his Wild Waste series. I think that will come a little bit later. Either way, this is a very different kind of book, one that I have no doubt that you will enjoy.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 011

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 011 - Warden: Nova Online, Initializing - Somnia Online, Book 1, Jessica's Challenge: Book 5, War Aeternus 3

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Warden: Nova Online (00:26)

Score: 7.8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2QTN6Dr

Initializing - Somnia Online, Book 1 (13:50)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NzlN3g

Jessica's Challenge: Book 5 in the Puatera Online (22:26)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2N1VJIM

War Aeternus 3: The Culling (29:08)

Score: 9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2QTNOAB

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Warden: Nova Online

By: Alex Knight

Narrated by: Todd Boyce

Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins

Pause

This story is about a young fellow named Kaidon, who get framed for the murder of his only friend. Once in prison he is drafted into the Warden program, in which inmates are made into a virtual police force in a game called Nova Online to help players who get themselves into trouble. The whole thing seems a little silly, drafting criminals to be a police corps, and players needing help surviving their game. The last part makes since when you consider that if you are killed in the game then you are locked out of play for seven days, and so if you are paying a lot of money to play (and the game generates cash for the state) then you want to keep the players alive. Additionally, by using incarcerated people they do not have to pay them, whereas if they hired actual gamers to police the game it would cost money, so there is logic to this.

By Playing, Kaidon has an opportunity to shave time off of his fifty year sentence. He ends up with two teammates and slowly begins to unravel the secret of who killed his friend and framed him. The story itself is enjoyable. You will like Kaidon and his compatriots, and they have some excellent battles. As a lovecraftian maniac I particularly enjoyed the void spawn. The story is, for the most part, spent in game with a few prison scenes thrown in, so this is kind of like Shawshank Redemption blended with the colonial marines from Aliens. The book has some excellent fight scenes, and a fun chase scene. We pretty much only have about six real characters that rotate in and out of the book, with several background players popping in at various times, so while you get some character growth it also makes it a little easy to spot the villain of the story. Either way, I enjoyed the book.

The book was a fun escape, and I will most definitely be on the lookout for book two. This was a solid eight stars, coulda been higher, but I had to shave points for the incessant incorrect pronunciations that filled this book. I hate to do that to a good story, but the fact is it was jarring and not fun to listen to. Now, honestly, I would rate this book higher, but the mispronunciations were so jarring, and easy to catch that I had to take some points way. What could have been much higher, I’m going to give 7.8 stars. Hopefully, next time around Boyce does some research or Knight checks his audio, because this was a decent and well written story.

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Initializing

Somnia Online, Book 1

By: K. T. Hanna

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Pause

Initializing is one of those rare books that really has no end game, no antagonist, and no real big battle scenes, but is very interesting nonetheless. It has a great twist at the end that you can pick up on if you pay attention to the way that the main character, Murmur, interacts with others, the powers that she begins to wield, and the way others treat her in the game, but you have to really be on your game. I figured it out during the bathroom scene, and maybe I was slow, but it was rewarding to see that my hypothesis , or in the words of the Heavy Jake Sullivan, Hypo thee sis, panned out to be accurate. No spoilers from me. Hanna is fantastic at fleshing out her characters, and their relationships such as those between Murmur and Sinister, Murmur and her instructor/mentor, and Murmur and her dragon pal. Each is unique and realistically rendered. The only issue I really had was that I have to wonder when Sin left the game.

Normally, I would complain that this book is just one long bit of grinding, as it really lacks a villain to latch onto, although there is a player that gives Mur some grief. What the book is actually about is Murmur coming to grips with herself before school starts, rekindling friendship, and unraveling a mystery that only she seems to notice. There is a movie out there that stars the ex-wife of Tom Cruise that this put me in the mind of, but I don’t want to spoil things for you. The grindy thingy, as Scott Pilgrim would say, is actually fun as Mur and company get to test their ever growing powers as they beat on monsters and accrue XP. Best of all, while the group does advance their levels quickly, they do not power level, which is a big no no in my book. No, the real fun comes in piecing together the mystery that Murmur slowly senses is around her and seeing just who is a part of the conspiracy. The best part of it, I was certain that Sinister was going to tell Murmur that she was in love with her. So, keep an eye open and an ear to ground to see if you can get the big reveal at the end.

The Fabulous Andrea Parsneau narrates this, and kills the narration. I am so glad to be able to review a book that has a solid narrator and I do not have to describe just how much they brought the story down. Nope, Andrea elevates an already great story to even higher levels. She really nails the characters, and is flawless in her readings. The sound quality is superb and she really enlivens the dialogue between Sin and Murmur to the point that you believe they are two distinct people, but also that they are very dear friends. You can feel their bond.

One thing that I like is that while this is a basically one long game session that it is neither bogged down by the grinding , nor does it try to be overly cerebral, Murmur outthinks her opponents, but also puts a good smack down on them in the process. She is not one to be trifled with, and it is clear as to why she is a leader, and not a follower. She is a very complex character, and one that I want to see more of, and cannot wait for the next edition to come out. This is a solid book that stands out for what it doesn’t have or do with the characters. The narration is outstanding, and the plot is slick and fast paced. I really enjoyed this book, and if I am going to be honest I wasn’t sure if I would. I knew nothing of KT Hanna, but I figured if Andrea liked her book it had to be of substance. I am awarding 8.25 stars. This is a great book, and I look forward to it more from this writing narrating pair in the future.

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Jessica's Challenge: Book 5 in the Puatera Online

By: Dawn Chapman & Jess Mountifield

Narrated by: Suzanne Barbetta

Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins

Puatera Online, and Dawn Chapman hold a special place in my heart. I came to this series right after I discovered the Litrpg genre. Now, I don’t mean discovered in the sense that Columbus “discovered” America. I mean that I had just sort of stumbled into this magical thing, and Dawn was there to guide me. Putera was very different from the other books I had thus far read, it was sci-fi based (a plus for me) and starred and NPC rather than a player. That was a hook I could enjoy. Dawn, herself, was incredibly open to her fans, and always found time to answer any questions or to let me know when her next book was coming out. I’ve been a fan ever since.

Jessica’s Challenge returns back to the format that I was accustomed to in the first three books. The book length was back to a three hour listen, which is great for someone like me who loves a nice amuse-bouche just as much as feast. Dawn does really well with short bursts. That isn’t to imply that she can’t write a great full length book. Just look at book four, Akilla’s Reign. She nailed it, but she has a real skill in packing a lot of material into three hour bites. For me, this means that there is never a lull or a break in her book that a longer version might have. She gets to jam it full of action, emotion, and adventure. And man, does she manage to do that here, along with Jess Mountifield’s help. I’ll be honest, I always get a little leery of collaborations. Sometimes voices don’t mix very well, but that isn’t the case for Jessica’s Challenge. Nope, their voices meld together wonderfully, and the story flows smoothly. Alright, at this point, you are probably asking what the book is about. It is about three sisters accidentally enter Puatera for real, and struggle to find one another as well as a way home. When I say struggle, I mean they struggle. The story is just as I said earlier. It is emotional. It is adventurous, and it is undoubtedly dangerous. All I could think of was this will teach them to stay out of their mum’s lab. They go through a lot, which amazes me for the timespan that we have to work with. While the book flew by pleasantly, it really felt like there was waaaay more to it. This was a tightly written piece that really impressed me. I love the Putera series, and cannot wait for the next book.

As for the narration, Suzanne Barbetta is a new narrator to me, and I appreciate that Dawn continues to introduce me to all of these wonderful new readers of words. I would have never heard of Anneliese Rennie if she hadn’t shifted the tone of her books with new narrators. All I can say is that when Maddie returns we better have Andrea Parsneau back for that, though, otherwise it just won’t be Maddie. Anyway, I digress, Barbetta does a fine job, and is really pleasant to listen to. Like my pop used to say, she is sweet on the ears. She has distinctive voices, and readily distinguishes who is speaking with the tone of her voice. I enjoyed hearing her for the first time and welcome her to the Litrpg community. I thnk she’ll fit right in.

As always, the writing is smooth and fun, the characters, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT MADDIE, are interesting and you connect with them right away. This was a fun book, and it only adds to the Putera World. All I can say it that I hope Dawn can keep up this amazing series, because Putera is a fun place to visit every now and again.

As for my rating, man I really hate ratings, I can never really convey how much I love of hate a book with a number. I think you know that just by how I act when I do the review, but if I have to then I will say that this is probably the best book in the series so far, just in terms of concept and how things played out so I am going to give this an 8.25 stars. If you haven’t read the series, this could be a stand alone book, and so is a perfect place for someone to jump in. Don’t miss out, go back and start with the early books. You won’t be sorry.

----------

War Aeternus 3: The Culling

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Hays & Annie Ellicott

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Pause

Lee and the surviving team return for book three, and all I can say is that this is a welcome return after the kick in the feelz that Dean gave us in the last book. One thing I will say about the Lord of Beards is that he knows how to entertain. After the events in the last novel, Lee is in a funk, and he isn’t looking to break out of it anytime soon. To say that the quality of his mercy is strained would be an understatement. This leads to one of the funniest scenes in the book, in which Lee and the amazing Miller rush to defend a monument Lee built at the end of book two. Sorry, spoilers and all that, so I can’t reveal anything, but there are two moments in which Miller steals the show. The first comes from the eating of the nobleman’s heart, and the other is the spear to the face and Miller playing thing off with the line, “Well, you said to kill anyone moving towards the statue.” I burst out laughing, and chuckled for another ten minutes after the scene was played out. I admit that I am a Miller junkie. And, if I am being honest, that is the only complaint that I have about this book. There is not enough Miller. He is missing for a big chunk of it, but it is for reasons that I cannot reveal. So, I just cherished every moment I had with him.

Thankfully, Lee keeps things interesting as he goes around killing blind children and old people, this is all about culling the weak, after all. While this might sound controversial, it is simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, horrifying, and moving as Lee is only doing what he must. Meanwhile, poor Augustus is getting his butt chewed off for having a herald who goes around killing other heralds. Even though that is pretty much expected of him. Augustus is probably my second favorite character, because he just does what he wants, and worries about consequence later, since he doubts they will ever affect him.

Dean also introduces a new character, Jade, who could be a Patty Duke styled cousin to the Bathrobe Knight’s Stephanie. She is a fun character who has no issue speaking her mind, lives as if she were in a Manga Anime series, and just so happens to see non heralds as NPC’s who are not real. Her POV is . . . . . . . . . . . . . .different , to say the least. You can tell that Charles had a blast writing her, and that Lee is in some serious trouble with her as a companion. To say that she makes life complicated for him would be an understatement. Dean is almost making a harem for Lee, who just isn’t biting. We have Ling, Brigid, and Jade, but for me Masha is the best and most practical choice for Lee in my humble opinion. I really like her, and think that he has an emotional tie with her that the others all lack. If I was going to play MFK with these ladies, I would marry Masha. I love Jade, as a character, but she is far too crazy town for me. Like I said, she reminds me of Stephanie, and while both I and my kids loved her, we wouldn’t want to marry her.

The story is fast paced, and we finally get back to Satterfield. Lee gets to know the game AI, and the herald he faces off against is about a bat crap crazy as you can get. I don’t think that there was ever a moment that wasn’t dragging me along at a break neck speed, an awesome fight was taking place, or danger didn’t loom off in the corner. This is a tightly written tale that fulfills every need for comedy, action, adventure, emotion, and big events. Dean just continues to step up his game. I see him improve in every book he has written, and I know that WA4 is going to be even more amazing. I have no complaints on the word front.

As for the narration, well I have to say that I have never heard Jeff Hays do better. I don’t think there is another person who could pull off Jade the way that he does. Are multiple reasons Jeff is amazing, and his ability to do believable female voices is one of them. Still, he hits the attitude and exuberance that is Jade like he lived with her as a kid. Between his performance of her and that of Miller I don’t know how Lee ever gets a voice of his own. Jade definitely steals the show. Annie plays a fine Brigid, and who I’ll call the crazy chicken lady (because that is all I could see when she transformed). She nails them both like she was a gas powered hammer. I really like their chemistry, these two don’t work so well together as they just blend flawlessly with one another. They go together like water and a Kool aid packet. Like peas and carrots. As always, the sound production is exemplary and the book is as clear as Crystal Lake right after summer break. SBT has the highest quality standards when it comes to storytelling that you could ask for.

War Aeternus: The Culling literally cut away every weak moment that it had, and left us with the most choice cut of pure Kobe Beef. This story had real meat on its bones, and I most happily dug in and asked for thirds when it was all over. I am giving this book a 9. It is solid, surprising, funny, and poignant. I could not have asked for or expected more.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 010

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 010 - War God's Mantle: Descent, Barrow King, The Land of the Undying

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

War God's Mantle: Descent: A litRPG Harem Adventure (The War God Saga, Book 2) (00:10)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NPqUf6

Barrow King: The Realms, Book 1 (11:44)

Score: 8.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NPsDRC

The Land of the Undying - Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 1 (21:09)

Score: 8.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2pfoeJD

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War God's Mantle: Descent: A litRPG Harem Adventure (The War God Saga, Book 2)

By: James Hunter, Aaron Crash

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins

Pause

Alright, I’m going to have to keep from gushing, because this is a collaboration between two writers, one of whom is a favorite of mine. Aaron Crash and James Hunter cooked up a crazy concept in which a regular old military man is given the power of the Greek god, Ares, and has to create a bunch of warrior Amazons to help him fight off the hordes of, and the god himself, Hades. Hades it seems, is out to destroy the world, and Ares was all that stood between him and our utter destruction.

Now, if you know James Hunter, you know he is a master of utter destruction. His series, Viridian Gate Online is about a world that is obliterated by an asteroid, and the one way left to survive was to upload your mind into a virtual world. The entire series is amazing, and I rate it up there with Delvers, the Divine Dungeon, and War Aeternus. So, I knew that his next Litrpg venture was going to be a blast. He and Crash work very well together, I honestly felt that this was a complete work in and of itself that had a singular voice, and did not feel stitched together in any way. The writing was smooth and packed full of action, as well as some exciting and unexpected twists, the characterizations were probably my favorite thing about the book, which is an odd thing to say about a book that has necromancy, hordes of dinosaurs, and a ton of battles but it was the quiet times when Jacob, the protagonist, was intimate with his amazons. There is a lot of intimate and emotional moments that stand out, and that makes the betrayal even more devastating. Sorry, that’s not much of a spoiler as they suss out that there is a spy in the camp for a good portion of the book. Either way, whether you like the interplay or the action the story never fails to deliver. Those personal moments were so special because each character is fully fleshed out, and stand out as individuals that you can’t help but love each and every one of them. When things weren’t so quiet and introspective I often fought to keep up with what was happening in the battles as there was just so much happening. It was such a breakneck speed I almost slowed my narration speed down a little just so I could catch my breath. Let me clarify that this isn’t a bad thing, no no no, I enjoy as fast paced story.

The story picks up pretty close to where the last one left off, and opens on a battle. I like that, let’s not dawdle about getting the new god of war into a fight seems to be the best way to start the book off. Things escalate quickly, and I particularly like how who escalate the villains. The antagonist in book one was good, but the new antithesis of our hero has personal ties to him, which makes it all the more interesting. I also enjoy how the villains do not drag on for several books. I really prefer the one and done kind of approach that the first book does, as it allows for growth and changes. That is my big problem with Awaken Online, the villain there is weak and uninteresting and is due for a swap out. As much as I hate the new Star Wars films, they generally stick to one bad guy per film, and tend to kill him off when they are done. Overall, this is a really fun book, and it makes me realize I need to review VGO, book one soon. Maybe I’ll try to do that soon.

I have to say that the narration by Armen Taylor is outstanding. I really like listening to him, even if some of his female voices do stray into a deep timbre at times. He has a great cadence, and paces the story so well, like I said I almost had to slow my speed down because of everything he was spitting out. I really think the sound quality was superb, and that he added a lot to the story. He is rapidly becoming a favorite narrator of mine. Hell bells, he is a favorite narrator. After five VGO books I don’t see how he can’t be. I am always happy to hear his voice, and I enjoy his reading style.

As a series, I have to say that the story, characters, and plot are all fascinating, and will keep you on the hook waiting for what comes next. I love that we get big confrontations, epic battles, and personal moments all in one chapter. There is elation and heartbreak, and that is a sign of good storytelling. I eagerly await the next installation of the Wargod’s Mantle. 8.25 stars, with plenty of room to get bigger and better.

-------

Barrow King: The Realms, Book 1

By: C.M. Carney

Narrated by: Armen Taylor

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Pause

This is a book that does something mind blowing in its execution. It sets up a quest for a man to save his sister by entering a Game World, and then spends the rest of the time with him on a dungeon crawl. It is pure madness in how it appears, but is really flawless in its execution. In fact, the story is more interesting than most books that take place in an open world. I give a real tip of the hat to Chris Carney for the conception and the implementation of this tale. I would never have done what he did, creating a whole world, and then confining the whole book to just one dungeon. Even Dungeon stories have more outside interaction than this book. Not to confuse you, but there is no dungeon core involved in this story. Although, the villain, aka the Barrow King, pretty much runs the place like he was one. I also appreciated how he avoided the trope of the smart mouthed AI that usually helps and hinders the MC as the story progresses. He does so in a pretty clever way that only adds to the story. So, the writing is clearly innovative and original. I get shivers just thinking about how good it was.

The main character, Finn/Gryph learns that his sister is in danger, and has been trapped in a virtual world that is not so virtual for over 40 subjective years. He has to go in and save in spite of the fact that he is not a gamer, nor does he have any real game knowledge or experience. What he does have is real world fighting experience, which he immediately puts to use in the game. His instincts are spot on, and when he listens to them he tends to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I like his fearlessness, but caution tempered attitude, and can respect a man who can stand up to a god.

The dungeon is full of dangers, and some almost familiar monsters if you are a fan of the Old D&D monster Manuals and Fiend Folio. I think my favorite was the Arboleth encounter that was a stunningly fun battle, and made me long for my old Psionicist character. There are nods to several of the best underdark creatures and races sprinkled throughout the book. It is easter eggs like that that I truly appreciate and respect. It was handled with a delicate hand, as it didn’t beat you over the head with it, but it also gave a nostalgic nod to days long gone. Another aspect of the book that I loved was the time compression that I touched upon a little earlier. Time moves much faster in the game, so days or months here could equal actual years there, I’m not sure about the time dilution, but it certainly made the story more interesting. Speaking of time dilation, this book did not seem like it was thirteen hours long, not even remotely. It was incredibly edited and time managed so that I really never saw a low point, or felt like there was a lull in the story. Once the book got going it was unrelenting, and for me the set up was the only thing that even slightly held the story up, but you have to have that background info, and even that was not some simple I’m entering a game and leveling up.

Armen Taylor really brings his A game to this book. I know I just talked about him in War God’s Mantle, but I have to say he is even better here than he ever has before, and he never sounded bad previously. There is just something in the way that he carries himself, and thereby the characters through the story. He is utterly gripping, and cements himself in the hallows of my heart as a preferred narrator. He really knocks this book out of the park.

Finally, he ends the book on a note with Gryph that I am not sure that I would have, but then he has turned some many other things on their ear that I can trust him to handle the new revelation with complete class and a deft skill that few writers I know can do. This book really hit every mark for me. I have to say that this is an 8.5 easily, but I’m going to go a little higher because of all the creativity employed here. 8.75 Stars, and a helping heap of I can’t wait for the next book.

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The Land of the Undying

Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 1

By: Dave Willmarth

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Jeff Hays

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Pause

We were in a cave

Everybody there was a drow

Somebody went into shock

When he saw a rock

It wasn't a rock

It was a rock spider

Rock Spider

Holy crap, this book, I must say was the complete package. I don’t know what I enjoyed more, the real life stuff that the MC had to endure or the game play itself, which was also fun. And that was a real pleasure. Mace, the protagonist, lives in a world populated by zombies of every shape and size. It seems that those numbnuts at Cern goofed up, and collided the wrong leptons, muons, and preons together an accidentally created a zombie particle, an insidious sub atomic beast that infects biological material and turns it into nasty zombies that can infect with but a touch. The real problem is that the particles attack ALL biological matter, thus plants and animals are also infected. Now, here is my one and only beef with this story. I said the exact same thing when Brian Keene wrote his zombie masterpiece The Rising. If insects became zombies, as well as higher animals, then nothing would exist in a matter of days. Insects and arachnids are everywhere, and touch everything. Life on Earth would not have a calendar of weeks or months, it would be days. Make the grass deadly, too, and the timer speeds up. Now, in Wilmarth’s case, I completely understand that he could not say that the particle only affected humans, as there would be no discernable reason for that to happen, so it had to be anything biological, but it does really make me have to fight to suspend my disbelief. Thankfully, the tale that he crafts is so outstanding that I can let it all slide and just enjoy the story.

It turns out that Mace got lucky, and essentially found a bunker that he could hole up in, and joy of all joys, he is able to access the MMORPG that he loved to play before everything went to hell. He hatches a plan, one in which he will upload his mind into the game itself, so that he won’t have to consider starvation or becoming a mindless monster. Still he has to venture out in order to get supplies and see if he can locate any survivors. And it is in the daily struggles to stay sane, keep fed, and ever alert for the rampaging undead that Wilmarth really ups his game and makes this not just Litrpg, but also survival horror and I appreciate that he turns the concept on its head. Most Lit books would make it where the zombies were in the game, and not vice versa. He has created some real depth in the land of the unliving, and it is so well (ahem) fleshed out . This feels like it could be a real world event, and is exactly how humanity would react to it occurring.

The gameplay was amazingly just as interesting and fun as the real life drama, and there were several battles in the Underdark that just caught my imagination. I’m thinking of the Cthulhu-esque kaiju battle for one, but I can honestly say that for every moment spent in the real world I wondered about the game, and for every moment in the game I wondered about the real world. Wilmarth also comes up with a rather likable love interest in Shari, who is fun and complex and can actually show Mace a thing or two when it comes to surviving. I like that Shari is no wilting flower, and has complete control of whatever situation she is in. The two make up some of the best Character’s I have read/listened to in some time. The world, though bleak, is rich and vibrant in its descriptions, and the game is the kind of game I’d want to play in. Oh, and I have to comment on this, Mace plays a Drow, and in the game he is treated like a baby killing madman by most of the “people” that he meets. Just the way a Drow should be treated, this has been a moment of reflection in memory of Archaic Venture and its Drow character. Take notes please. Mace struggles to overcome his dark legacy throughout the game, which only adds more to the realism and the overall wow factor because you can sympathize with his struggle as a good person who has to overcome his appearance.

This is the part where I praise Justin Thomas James, and Laurie Catherine Winkel, two people who must be constantly in trouble because we keep using their full names when we talk to about them. Justin Thomas James! What are you doing?!? Why creating a vocal masterpiece. His narration is full of emotion that ranges from angst to antici. . . . . . . pation. He fully embodies that character of Mace, and brings him to life in such a way that you really worry for the poor man whenever he goes outside his door, of get choked up when he talks to a brother and sister who are hanging out over at the fire department. LCW, that’s Laurie Catherine Winkel to you and me (mumble) since the restraining order) is utterly vibrant as Shari. She makes you believe that this is a real girl who has had to endure a ton of crap since the moment things started going haywire, but is still able to cope and keep herself clear headed. Honestly, I am so happy to hear her get a nice juicy role like this, and I really want to hear her do a whole great big book unto herself at some point. She has a wonderful voice, and I really want to hear more from her every time she is in a book narrating. JTJ, is the same, and I am an unabashed fan of Soundbooth theater. I know that whenever I see that name on a book I am in for an experience. Also, I deeply appreciated that only two narrators were used in the making of this Audio. As much as I realize Jeff Hays has a master vision of what the audible book experience can be I still cotton on the concept of having one or two narrators as most, and this made the book all the more enjoyable for me even though Jeff and Annie were deeply missed.

I really cannot convey how much I enjoyed this book, and I hated the fact that it ended. Thirteen hours just wasn’t enough, I could have used a another thirteen, but probably still wouldn’t have been satisfied with the extra time allotted. All I can say is that I eagerly await the next installment of this series, and that I am glad that Dave stepped aside from his main series to pen this critter. This was a blast to listen to; I loved the characters, and really enjoyed both the real world as much as the game world. I can only see this series getting better and better. This is a solid and seamless story of two worlds, and two characters; each of whom is as interesting and fascinating as the other. So, please, take a trip into the Land. . . .of the undying.

My final score is 8.75, but no matter how high I rate it you will love this story.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 009

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 009 -

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Morningwood: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.1) (00:10)

Score: 8.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2QggQKx

Inside Out: Bloodfeast, Book 1 (06:50)

Score: 5.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Nz4RJg

Archaic Venture: The Myth of Cerberus A LitRPG Adventure (17:30)

Score: 5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2MZphf0

Shard Warrior Crystal Shards Online, Book 2 (38:03)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Ns2Rmf

Morningwood: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.1)

By: Neven Iliev

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

This is one of my first forays into LITRPG books, and it was my introduction to Jeff Hays narration. I have to say that I fell in love with this book instantly. It was vicious, brutal, raunchy, and funny as hell. It was also original. I’ve been reading books since 1971, and I can honestly say that I have never heard anything like this before. The fact that Neven even came up with this concept, a book centered on a non-human character, who is about as alien from you and I as is a Xenomorph is impressive. The fact that he pulls it off is outstanding.

The book centers on a minor mimic, who just wants to live out his days with his limited intellect eating unwary adventurers as they wander through his dungeon. His life expectancy shouldn’t be very long, but a series of events transpire that help the creature begin to from in both intelligence and power. The fact that Iliev manages to make the beginning part so interesting and not a series of this happened and so he gets stronger proves how adept he is at his craft. The writing is smooth, effortless, and funny. I really can’t say what has more humor, the characters, the situations they find themselves in, or the entire premise. The mimic, Boxy, is an interesting study in what it is like to be the predator. Its perspective is captivating, and you see that he isn’t so much evil as he is hungry. He later becomes a lot more clearly evil as he begins to seek out power, but even then you could say that he is only trying to make himself stronger and more efficient as a killer, and as an asexual predator he would see others only as food or a way to improve his lot in life. His compatriots include a couple of demons, although I have to say that Snacks is the best, Arms is interesting, but man oh man, Snacks the succubus manages to steal the show. She also helps to give the listener some much needed outside perspective. I think that the funniest bit in the whole book was when a grate became Boxy’s greatest foe. Yes, just a simple grate, but so dangerous a foe.

Jeff Hays took this book and claimed it as his own. His vocalizations of Boxy are some of the funniest pieces to this story. What would have just been a minor giggle on the page because uproariously funny to actually hear spoken out loud. I guess, since Boxy is a “box” and he has no lips to speak with that you might consider him having a speech impediment. It sounds like Jeff is keeping his lips straight as a board when he speaks and his vocalizations made me burst out loud laughing numerous times. When Boxy finally manages to speak clearly, Jeff made the phone calls (effects and all) the highlights of the book. I really can’t say just how funny Jeff is here, his timing, vocalizations, and style all mesh together so perfectly that it is like listening to Robing Williams doing Stand Up.

This book brought me into the genre full time, and led me to find other stories in the same vein, like the Divine Dungeon series. The book itself is just about as perfect as you can get. The characters, the world, the humor, and the narration are a perfect storm of audible audacity that you will not forget. This is one of the best books I have ever listened to, and if you haven’t I highly suggest that you go grab a credit and splurge on this book today.

Final Score: 8.75 stars because this book is just so tasty.

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Inside Out: Bloodfeast, Book 1

By: Ellis Michaels

Narrated by: S.K. Linna

Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins

Pause

There are a lot of times I will bemoan how a good book was crushed by some crappy narration, but here the only real saving grace is the narration. The story wanders and lacks any real drama, danger, or character growth. The premise is pretty cool, I’ll give it that, in which a group of players swap places with their characters against their will. Beyond that it is all wasted potential. The story meanders, and has no real focus beyond the whole “we need to find our way back home” trope. The one element that could have been fun, the characters in the real world is squandered on them eating junk food and watching their players try to find a way back home.

A lot of the book is confusing because there are few, if anything, about the game that is explained or revealed. For example the game is called Bloodfeast, and you are supposed to eat the body f your fallen enemies, but no explanation is given as to why they should do that. I saw no buffs or benefits from the act, just kill and eat. Pardon me, but that sounds a little like a game a psycho would play. If they said what the boons were from eating the dead then I missed it every time they did it. Also, the book is unintentionally funny. What do I mean by that? There are lines that are not meant to be humorous, but are such as, “The area was full of beggars and prostitutes, who were mostly NPCs.” Poor grammar appeared, and it is hard to notice when doing an audible book, but there they were. It was mostly when it came to she versus her. By that I mean he would say, “Her and him went to the store.” That kind of stuff popped up all the time, and it tripped me up every time it happened. Poor grammar isn’t something to expect when having a book narrated to you.

You may recall a review that I did in regards to Archaic Venture, where I believed the narrator to have killed the story. Here, I’m going to say the opposite is true. While Linna isn’t a mind blowing narrator by any stretch of the imagination he does a good job, and I have to admit that his voice for the Luke character sounded like my Uncle Ron, and so I had to like him a bit more than usual. Honestly, he does do a good job here, and does different voices for each character, and does a decent job of it. I never heard an issue with the sound quality or voice work, he was as solid as the Great Wall of China. I really wish that he would have had a better story to work with, because he might have been amazing. Tough call, but the issues this story had did not fall at his feet.

I do find it sad that I have to hit this book with a hammer, but the fact is I cannot abide when things are not explained. One of the most annoying things in this book came when they gamers went on their quest to find the artifact necessary to send them home, and at every step they learn that they were on the trail of a group that looked just like them. (They were following their character’s routes to the magical object that could send them home), and the entire time I’m thinking that the object has to be gone because the characters had already gotten and used the orb they were seeking , but no. Surprise the orb was right there! You might argue that it reset, but I’m going to call BS and say it was poor writing because all signs pointed to it being missing, but then nothing ever came from that aspect of the story either. There were too many inconsistencies, a lack of explanations (for example how did their characters become self aware?), and grammatical problems that made this ship look like it was a submarine. My Final score is five and three quarters stars. Honestly, I don’t think it is worth your money for roughly eleven dollars for a four and a half hour book. I don’t think I’ll be looking at book 2 in this series.

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Archaic Venture: The Myth of Cerberus A LitRPG Adventure

By: Henry D. Milton

Narrated by: Jon Wilkins

Length: 3 hrs

Pause

The narrator, Milton, sounds like Brad Garrett who just smoke five cartons of cigarettes and drank five bottles of whiskey and not in an endearing way. He speaks so slowly that I guess a benefit is that you have no issue understanding him, and that he enunciates very clearly due to his rhythm. He seems to struggle to do various voices. One voice seems to just be a little deeper than the other. No real accents exist that are discernable, nor is any real emotion is added into this storytelling. He lost me when the hobbit NPC sounded like an orc or ogre. There was no attempt to even sound like a tiny humanoid. Milton almost seems to read the story one sentence at a time. He really takes away from the actual tale, and for me a mediocre narrator can drag down a decent story. This makes it really hard for me to tell how good the story itself is, and the addition of sound effects and music DETRACTS from the narration rather than adding to it. For example, He talks about a crowd going crazy, then you hear applause, and then he picks up the narration again. It is like he waits for the clapping to die down. There are also bits of music added in at various places, usually at the start of a chapter or the end. The music starts, then stops, and there is a pause before the narration picks up again. It just starts and ends and serves no purpose other than to act as filler. Then there are parts where an annoying noise repeats over and over after the bar fight for no discernable reason. Additionally, when Michael does meet Komodo and Rampage I had no idea that one of them was a female, Rampage, as no attempt was made to even make her sound feminine. The narration was a miserable event.

I start out talking about the narration because I recently reviewed a story called the Glass Bard, and my interpretation of the story was harsh due to the narration. I did not like the story, but admitted that the narration could have been a major contributing factor, and then I saw that Ramon, from the LITRPG Podcast liked the story, and scored it much higher than I did. This means that the narration played a larger part than I anticipated. Which caused me to dissect the story more than I normally would, since I know that my interpretation was tainted by the less than stellar narration.

The writing isn’t amazing. I found large chunks of dialogue to be stilted and almost awkward. The fights were average and did not grip my imagination at all. The story itself was your standard tale of a young man who is disabled, and decides to enter the VR world Archaic Venture so that he can experience what it actually is like to walk and make friends. The odd thing is that Michael meets two players, Komodo and Rampage, and they reluctantly let him join them in a quest to kill Cerberus, a beast that will earn them $30,000 bucks, godlike in game abilities, and a visit with the game’s creator. Michael then takes them to a bar to seek info on Cerberus and ends up getting them into a battle with a higher level player because Michael just killed his horse. The fight bonds them. Huh? What? The guy is a noob that one half of the group wasn’t happy allowing to join, and he instantly gets them into a life or death battle and they become closer? I’d have booted the noob out the door once everything finished. I saw no reason for them to bond together other than the thinking that they fought together and now are pals from the experience.

One thing that bothered me was that the book takes about five minutes to start into the story itself, and another half of an hour is tacked on the end for an additional half hour for a book preview. I don’t mind previews, but I hate it when a book’s runtime is shot up longer than what it is, and honestly it feels a lot like books stuffing. Additionally, the story is only LITPRG in the barest meaning of the word. Leveling is involved, but it is never explained, but then none of the game mechanics are ever explained, and the loot tends to just be cash, exp, or jewels. Michael jumps from being a newbie to being level thirty in a very short period of time. The fact that they get a clue on how to power level is all the explanation that we ever get. We never get any stats, character information, or the ramifications for playing various races. Michael opts to play a Drow with a suspect class as well. You never see any NPCs having a bad reaction to his race or class. The story itself is basically just a go beat the monster for fabulous prizes quest. There’s not a lot about this story otherwise. Before I got this audiobook I looked at the reviews of this on audible, because I have really seeking a great LITRPG short story, and saw a lot of positive reviews, but they were very short, with not a lot to say. After listening to this I have to wonder what they were listening to. For me, this book was more of a fizzle than a sizzle. I chokingly give it a rating of 5 out of 10 stars.

----------------

Shard Warrior Crystal Shards Online, Book 2

By: Rick Scott

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Holy Moley, I have been waiting on this book since the first one finished and was not disappointed at all by the continuing saga of Reese and his compatriots. Book one left the team stranded in the real world, where death means death, and there is no respawning going to happen. Reese, Gilly, and Val Helena had just hooked up with Maxis and Rembrandt. Maxis being Reese’s brother. They found themselves in a barren wasteland, with enemies at every turn, and with Reese and Gilly being so low leveled that it looked to be certain death for them soon.

And this is where Scott does that thing where he takes something that should make you angry and makes it interesting. What happens is that the characters are not trapped in the barren wastelands surrounded by deadly enemies at every turn. Nope, turns out that there are safe zones in the real world, and these boundaries keep away the real nasties of the world. Normally, that would set me right off, we are promised a grim and gritty world unlike any other we have seen and we get safe zones where the characters spend most of their time. Secondly, we also find out that as dangerous as the place was made out to be the fact is there are players who lived on the surface for a long time. What was looking like a we’ll barely survive this place scenario turns into a place that some players vacation at for fun. That part I can’t let slide. If Maxis has been there 4 times and is one of the few people to do so and survive then it should be a lot harder a place to get around. The action scenes are still dope as crystal meth, and the character’s growth and development are impressive. Still, this book almost felt like some spinning tires that made a lot of noise and got nowhere fast, for every revelation you get two more questions. I also, did not like the way Iko became wimpified all of a sudden, and I doubt that Reese’s mother would have been so stupid to do what she did. So there were a lot of problems that I had here.

Still, Scott manages to make the story interesting, the characters, compelling, and the action flying. We get a decent villain, and some added worries for Reese as he becomes a town administrator. Each character has some small arc that they go through, and I appreciate that this is a series that I can listen to with my kids. I can listen to it with youngsters and still enjoy it as an adult. The writing is that strong.

Summerer’s narration is just as good as it was the first time around, and I have to say that he has really grown on me as a narrator. I loved him in the Dark Herbalist series, and here he continues to make my mouth drop open with his vocal skills. He really adds an element of fun to this audible anime series.

One thing I do want to comment upon briefly is the way the covers are set up. You place the title right over the center of the artwork, obscuring half of what you paid for. I would have like to seen Gilly on the cover of Book 2, but she is almost invisible. Move your title up a bit. Covers are a part of the book, and I will discuss them from time to time.

Again, I had some issues with the story and characterizations, but I still managed to walk away satisfied and eager to see what happens next. You will too.

Final Score: 8.25 because we were kind of lead to expect a certain type of world, and I must say that the portions we got to see of it were fascinating. Still, I loved it. Bring on the next one soon.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 008

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 008 - Ritualist: Completionist Chronicles, Outpost: Monsters, Maces and Magic Series, Respawn: Killstreak, Rapture: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut

You can read the full reviews and shownotes if you visit us at: www.litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-008

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray, your audiobook reviewer, and I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Ritualist: Completionist Chronicles, Book 1

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2P1H4yF

Outpost: Monsters, Maces and Magic Series, Book 1

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NdJmKA

Respawn: Killstreak, Book One

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NghHZP

Rapture: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 1

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NdJslq

---

Ritualist the Completionist Chronicles, Book 1

By: Dakota Krout

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Ritual is necessary for us to know anything

I really did not want to like this book. I wanted Dakota Krout to keep putting out his Divine Dungeon series until it was finished. Now, I'm torn. I still want the Divine Dungeon series, but now I also want MORE Ritualist. Krout is an incredible writer, and you get sucked into the story immediately. I appreciate how he gets the character of Joe into the game quickly and doesn't really screw around with all the usual angst or cognitive dissonance most MC's display when they are about to go into a virtual world permanently. Nope, we go straight into the game, and we are better for it.

I really appreciate that Joe gets a secret class, with special skills, and that he works for a hidden god. It's fun watching him try to keep things straight, because once the cat is out of the bag then he loses all kinds of benefits. And he has some sweet skills. The only thing that really throws me off is that the MC, Joe, enters the VR permanently because he is a quadrapalegic, and still opts to get a body that will be winded from walking to fast and can be beheaded from a paper cut. You would expect him to take a healthy vibrant body, but I will say his choice does make sense if you consider that he is in it for the long haul. He has a long distance perspective that few others have. Additionally, Krout is about the only dude I know that can make a healer not only exciting but totally a bad grass mamajamma. Most people go swordsman, rogue, or wizard. Dakota manages to make the cleric interesting. Plus the ritual stuff and the occultist proffesion suck you in.

Vikas Adams had me waaaaay back with the Divine Dungeon number one, Dungeon Born. I loved his characterizations and the humor he injects with his voice. There are few narrators who are as skilled as he is, and he really moves the story along at his pace. The man is a pleasure to listen to, and his female voices are just as good as his male ones.

I give Krout points for including a nod to my beloved Dungeon, Cal, in this book and can see the similarities in attitudes. Both are fair, easily annoyed, and ready to dole out proper punishments and rewards. Can we see a nod to everyone's favorite wisp in the next book, Dakota?

Joe is a fun character, and I really look forward to seeing more of him in the future. Now, we just need to get the Divine Dungeon series caught up and I'll be satisfied. YOU will be satisfied if you get this book. This is, without question, one of the best LitRPG/GameLit books I've ever read!

Final Score: 8.5, it is near perfection on the page and is music in your ears.

--------------------

Outpost: Monsters, Maces and Magic Series, Book 1

By: Terry W Ervin II

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

If you saw the first LIT Audiobook Podcast, then you know that one of my all time favorite books is The Sleeping Dragon, book one of the Guardians of the Flame series, and that I had also enjoyed Quag Keep as well. I think that those are some of the best books written in the LITRPG genre, or at a minimum Gamelit. I really respect and admire them for their innovative stories and creativity, as well as some amazing characters. I now add Outpost onto that list. There is just something that really appeals to me about RPGer’s getting sucked into the world that they play in. It is fun and fascinating, if done right, and Terry Ervin does it right.

We start out with three students who are looking to write a class paper joining a local gaming session with a three regular players, one of whom is a kid from Jr. High. The MC, is one of the students, a necessary perspective for the listener since the world is supposed to be all new and shiny to him. He ends up becoming a gnome healer. The other two students, both female, opt for a warrior monk and an elven mage. One of the best bits and running gags is how the kid, tricks the girl playing the elven mage into having a pornstar body with goddess looks. Her boobs are good for more than a few chuckles. Each of the characters are interesting, and if I had to speculate, not all of them are neutral or good. Methinks one of them picked a dark alignment without telling the others. For me, the characters sell the story. Each is distinct and has their own voice, but the real standouts are the gnome, the half goblin, and the Elf.

One of the things I enjoyed so much about the Guardians of the Flame series was that it was not afraid to kill off characters, and Ervin has no such qualms either. PC’s are vulnerable, and do die. So the remaining troupe has to figure how to get back home and possible resurrect a comrade on the way. The answer to both might surprise you at the end. The book isn’t all crunchy and full of stats and numbers, and that is fine here. It works the way it is setup and you won’t miss those aspects at all. The only complaint was the shifting from the character’s real life names to their gaming names. For example, the big boobed elf was named Stephanie, and in game she was known as Marigold. At any given time she could be referred to by either name, and so it went for all the characters. I followed along no problem, but I can see where some might find it confusing; they should have settled on one or the other, and not both.

Waters narration is really really fun, and he does the ladies voices about as easily as he does the men’s, which is impressive, I only know a handful of narrators who can pull that off as easily as he does. His reading is rock solid, the sound quality is fantastic, and he really infuses a ton of emotion into the story. I hadn’t heard him before, but I must admit I was impressed with him

Final Score: 8 Stars for a fun run through a dangerous world, with slight points shaved off for the confusing name swapping issue.

--------------

Respawn: Killstreak, Book One

By: Stuart Thaman

Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Pause

This was a rather difficult book for me. It isn’t bad, but I took umbrage with a lot of things that either lack explanation or made no sense. The premise is that a man from Earth, hence the title Earth born, awakens one day in another world. He struggles for number of years to get back home, but finally gives up and decides to acclimate after an incident causes him to fend for his life. Now, in this world you seem to play, and I am only assuming this because it is never stated, on what seems to be a hardcore mode. You get one life, if you die you lose everything and have to start over from level 0. Which would suck, if it were a game, but there is literally no hint that he was uploaded into a game. None, so I don’t know. Oddly, this happens to EVERYONE in this world. You die, and you get reborn and get to pick a new life. Old crap you’ve done is forgiven or you can reestablish old ties and connections. So basically, the only thing you have to fear from death is having to restart your life over. So, I guess if you really hate your job you can just kill yourself. If this is the same for everyone, I wonder why anyone even cares if you are Earth Born. Why would it even matter? How could you even tell the difference? The weirdest thing in the whole book is the MC’s companion, who just so happened to be his pet snake on Earth. How he became a PC or NPC or whatever is never explained at all, but is referenced numerous times.

That was my big problem with this book, there was a complete lack of consequences for anything, nothing is explained, and there is no sense of danger at all. I had a hard time worrying that Cadaraacts, the MC, would have to restart his life over again. The book is just basically the MC and a couple of friends either doing some fighting, hanging around, or trying to score some XP to level. It’s slice of life meets go grind some monsters. Also, the new class that the MC takes is really vague and mysterious. I really dig new classes, check out Dakota Krout’s Ritualist to see how to handle a never before heard of class. He explains everything upfront. Thaman doesn’t do that. It almost seems like he is making it up as he goes along. It has a lovecraftian feel to it, but it is too mysterious to tell anything about it, even at the end of the book. And the ending is just an ending. There is no big pay off, climax, or battle; not even the slightest bit of resolution. The story does nothing to move ahead. Which is really sad because it could be a tour de force with some explanations, and consequences for the characters. The writing isn’t bad, it just has nowhere to go. A good editor could have given Thaman some direction and really helped this out.

Scott Bennett handles the narration, and he is one of my favorite narrators. Seriously, I know it isn’t LIT but the books he’s done like the Brother Bones series and Death Master are just great. Check them out. Here he does what he can, and does a fine job. He’s fun to listen to paces the story out well. He does everything he can to elevate it, too. I really respect what he does here, and have to say that the sound is flawlessly fantastic.

Final score: 6 out of 10. If Thaman had just fleshed out the world a bit more, and not kept everything so close to the vest this could have been a really fun book because there are things here that could be interesting if we had some idea of what the hell was going on. Never keep your readers out of the loop, give them a taste or a hint to keep them interested. I will get the next book, just to see if he reveals anything, and I sincerely hope so.

------------------

Rapture: Apocalypse Gates Author's Cut, Book 1

By: Daniel Schinhofen

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Pause

Daniel Schinhofen has written something I have been waiting to hit Audible for some time, Horror Survival LITRPG. Survivalist horror isn’t a huge setting in the genre, and I don’t know why. Sometimes it seems we are lucky if we get anything outside of a Western Fantasy Style book, which inevitable means that we’ll get some sort of a sci-fi version instead. I have been wanting to see some other fields get a chance at the plate. I could really go for a good Western (Red Dead Redemption) LITRPG, or something comedic, but most especially I want a horror styled LIT book on audio. I know there are some that have been written, but nothing I can find, and so when I found out this was survivalist horror I was ecstatic.

The book is really well written, and the characters are all standouts. I really adored Gothy, though, far more than any others. I like that Schinhofen slips in some jokes here and there without announcing what he is talking about. They are either you get them or you don’t, such as his wanting to rename the AI known as Scott into Betty. The book has a solid crunch to it, for you gamer fans. But there were some things I found strange, such as when the MC, Al, tells everyone that they are trapped in a video game. You just don’t see that very often.

One thing that set me off a little was the easy pathway to weapons and unlimited ammo. For the entire beginning of the book, Al does his zombie whacking with a wooden baseball bat. He has a hard time upgrading, because upgrades cost him XP, and he doesn’t get a lot of it to start out. Next thing you know he is upgrading guns so that they have unlimited fire power. Now, to me, part of what makes movies like NOTLD fun is that the people fighting the undead have limited weapons and resources. We sort of skip that problem really quickly, and focus on base building and saving survivors. On top of the zombies we also get a few other creepy creatures that show up by the end of the book, so I am really looking forward to what comes next in the series, as the escalation seems to be right on point.

Narration is performed by the excellent and adorable Andrea Parsneau, who seems to really enjoy playing Gothy. She really makes that girl shine. She does a fab job on the other voices, and maintains the pace and flow of the story effortlessly. I actually kind of got upset when she had to switch off her Scott voice for the AI’s new personality, as she really killed it with Scott. Other guy was fun, but, he was no Scott. I really can’t say how much I enjoyed her here. If we do have a rapture, and for some odd reason she isn’t taken I hope that she makes play by plays over a loud speaker.

Final score: 8 points, mostly because I felt no real sense of danger after the initial break in phase for Al was finished, and for robbing us of seeing Al struggle a little more than he could have scrounging for weapons and ammo.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 007

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 007 - Accidental Mage, Warscapia, Awaken Online: Evolution, Days of High Adventure

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Accidental Mage the Accidental Traveler Adventure, Book 3 (00:23)

Score: 6.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2v4Eq3E

Warscapia: A LitRPG Spoof (06:32)

Score: 4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2M1wYNb

Awaken Online: Evolution (13:54)

Score: 7 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KaP6T6

Days of High Adventure (27:14)

Score: 6 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2M36uuZ

Accidental Mage the Accidental Traveler Adventure, Book 3

By: Jamie Davis, C. J. Davis

Narrated by: Roberto Scarlato

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

I really enjoyed the Accidental Thief when it first came out. I even enjoyed it when book two hit, and mirrored it. Now, we have book three, and I have to say that while the book is well written and well plotted it begins to become all too familiar. Essentially, Hal Dix, the MC, gets pulled back into his gameland, and has to stop some force of nastiness before he can return home. The one thing that sort of bothered me before, and really bothered me now was how the writers basically wiped away all of the skills and abilities that Hal had achieved in the books preceding this. His other classes get locked out while he trains to become a mage. That is lazy writing in my eyes, there is no reason for that other than to say because of plot points. The other bit of bother came that not only did he have to level up one mage skill, but each elemental school before he access the fifth. This led to a series of quests for him to unlock each school, and master in days what took other wizards years to accomplish. It really stretched my credulity. I would have made it a little simpler, with him realizing that each school was similar to another, and it was only the unlocking that was hard to do, but that’s me.

Here, Hal’s family is kidnapped, and he must go after the Emperor himself in order to save them. In one sense he lacks a sense of urgency, taking over two finds to find them as he progressed, and on the other hand, I would have complained if he had kept moaning and pining for them every other paragraph. I don’t want you to feel like this isn’t a worthwhile read or story, it really is, and I enjoyed it a great deal. My biggest issue came from the familiarity and the ending when Hal decides he’s going to leave and never come back. That is so the series can continue with his daughter, Carrie, instead. The action, characterizations, and pacing are all solid. As things go the book is fun, and you do root for Hal and his comrades. The series does wrap up all existing plotlines and makes a clean slate for Carrie’s return to Fantasma next series. I can completely respect that and appreciate writers who can stick to a trilogy, when they could have played this out forever with titles like the Accidental Alchemist, The Accidental Tourist, and the Accidental Peasant.

Roberto Scarlato is the cohesive factor for this series. His voice is like a finely aged whiskey for your ears, and he was the deciding factor for appreciating book one in this series. He has a strong and powerful voice that just carries the story forward. His characterization of Hal Dix is fantastic, and he corrals a whole mess of other characters as the story moves along. I honestly think that he keeps this audio going, because each book is pretty much like the one preceding it at this point.

Final Score: 6.75 stars, due only to the slightly repetitive nature of the books, and the weak explanation of why Hal would never return.

---------------------

Warscapia: A LitRPG Spoof

By: Garrett Boggs

Narrated by: Matthew Broadhead

Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins

PAUSE

A spoof is when you take a particular genre or film, imitate it, and then exaggerate the characteristics of said item for comic effect. Warscapia is not a spoof by any standards that I could think of. You want a Spoof, watch Spaceballs. That is a spoof. If you want a great literary spoof, that is on Audible, then go an check out Bored of the Rings: A Parody written by the Harvard Lampoon and narrated by Jim Meskimen. It is funny and attacks its target mercilessly. Seriously, it might not be LITRPG but it is a good listen. Warscapia does none of this. You don’t have player issues outside of the game, there is no recognizable world that is being riffed on, no races, or situations for that matter. For all intents and purposes this book should be considered a LITRPG comedy, and only barely so. You want honesty? The book is silly, but not a fun ha ha kind of silly. The MC, a mage named Sparrow summons ducks to do his fighting, the fighter, a guy named Rock Star, knows just how cool he is, and their female companion is so integral to the plot and story that I have forgotten her name. I think it was Jade. Maybe, not sure what she did either.

The book itself is about as LIT as an unopened box of matches. If leveling weren’t involved I don’t think it would qualify in my eyes. Titles do not make it so. The book itself is a very weak, like a tea bag that has been used 100 times and now actually purifies the water more than flavors it. It has a story arc, and the characters do get more powerful, but there is no development or character growth per se. Sparrow does come to accept his ability to summon ducks, but that is as far as it gets.

As for the funny stuff, for a spoof there is little to be found. Boggs attempts to slightly break the 4th wall by inserting himself into the story, but that fell flat. The group fights a lot of monsters with stupid names like lizard monkeys and a Dracula Dragon. Slight spoiler, the dragon is actually an alt form of a real vampire. Count Dragula. What was the missed opportunity here? With a name like Dragula he either should have been in a race car, per the old Munster’s dragula, or in ladies clothing for the drag aspect. Nope. Dracula lite. That’s all. There are a lot of things that you might consider funny if you were reading the book, but Broadhead lacks the proper timing or inflection to sell the joke. For example, there is a lot of talk about heavy metal goblins, whose music will corrupt your soul. A party member retorts, “But I don’t have soul.” Would have been funny if read right. The only thing done right here, by Broadhead, are the various quacks that the ducks do. Zombie duck was the best, but tracker duck came in second. A shame because I have immensely enjoyed his readings of the Bathrobe Knight, a beloved series of myself and my family. My son still says Broadhead can’t do female voices well, and I will note that here they tended to sound the same to other characters he’s done, but he really nailed the Heavy Metal Goblin Guard and Chuckles voices. His Count Dragula was your standard Blah blah blah vampire Lugosi imitation.

Boggs has another LITRPG book out called Dragon Mastery: Daybreak. I will be passing that one by. I don’t want to beat him up any further, and if someone out there listens to it and likes it, let me know and I might give a try, but for now I’m just going to do what Count Olaff says and look away.

Final Score 4 out of 10. Not funny. Lame characters. No real plot.

------------------------

Awaken Online: Evolution

By: Travis Bagwell

Narrated by: David Stifel

Length: 23 hrs and 2 mins

I’ve got a few things to say about this book, and I want to get right into it. There were several issues that I had. First of all, I am a fan of the series. I think that Bagwell is a writer’s writer, someone other writers respect and look up to and I give him full props for his scale of excellence that he inspires. I know there are authors out there who don’t want to release anything near one of his books. SO, I know the dude has chops. I say this, just so you know where I’m coming from. First of all, the book is in some serious need of editing. I don’t mean there are grammatical errors. I mean this book could have used some serious trimming.

I have no problem with long run times, heck I listened to Galaxy Outlaws: The Complete Black Ocean Mobius Missions for over 85 hours and was entertained the entire time. Here however, the Hippie trials seemed to take on a Twilight Zone style life of their own, trials that I found not to be very interesting nor entertaining. For me, the whole sequence was just interminably long. I honestly don’t know if Bagwell wants a certain page count or book length, but here it comes across (to me) as rambling and drawn out. Secondly, the subplots, one involving Alexion/Alex and the other involving the Dev trying to find out about Alfred were broken up and spread out to a point where I said, “I get it, Alexion is a complete D-bag and he has evil machinations. Move on, and the dev took forever trying to gather her clues. Oh, and I for the record, I am tired of Alexion. Self entitled, self centered, egomaniacal bullies can be fun. He isn’t. He bores the hell out of me. He should have been a villain that lasted for one book and then got swapped out for someone with real teeth. Not only does he get everything handed to him in real life, but even in the game, at the end he gets advanced for no real reason or effort being put in other than to keep him apace with Jason. Jason basically goes through 23 hours worth of book trying to earn an upgrade in power, Alex fails miserable for the same length of time, and still gets upgraded. It makes no sense, unless you say that this is all a part of Alfred’s plan. Otherwise, it is just because of plot necessities. Also, I have to say that this felt like one of those TV episodes where they want to start a spinoff, so they sent a star off to some new place for an episode, where they meet a really interesting group of people and then go back home and never talk about them again. The new people then get their own show. Eliza felt like that to me. Like she was just there to give the readers a taste, because she really didn’t do a lot in the battles other than just kind of back people up. Had she been more enmeshed in the group it would have felt like she was going to be a recurring character or a new group member. Also, her background is very similar to Jason, she doesn’t fit in, only friends are in-game, and she has extreme parent issues. Did I say parent issues? Can Bagwell honestly expect me to suspend my disbelief that Jason has such absentee parents that they don’t come to their kid’s aid when he has been arrested for murder? Even if, as they explain, couldn’t get there immediately, they could have made sure that the kid had legal representation to keep him from self incriminating. Three days in jail and no word, no help? I am a father of 5 and I don’t care who told me I couldn’t leave, I would have been home with my kids, consequences be damned. Too unbelievable for me. Considering that Riley, Frank, and Eliza all have parental issues of some sort I really have to wonder if this isn’t some sort of therapy for Travis.

David Stifel continues to crush on the narration, I have no issues or qualms with anything he did. Top notch across the board. He has handled this entire series about as professionally as you could ask, and made it fun to listen to. And like Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.

I don’t want you to think that I didn’t like this book. I was fun and action packed, but it really needed trimming, and as far as I am concerned the villain has lost his teeth. He is boring and annoying and is not intimidating at all. For me, the bad guy is more important than the hero, because he is what the hero uses to reflect his integrity and goodness. Alex is just a self-centered spoiled brat, and that does not make for a great villain. Like I say, the book was fun and exciting in a lot of spots, but there were many slow down for upcoming turn ahead spots. For this reason, I have to give this book a rating of 7 out of 10. Part of that is for the series track record, making it a little higher than I would have given a stand alone first novel.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

---------------------

Days of High Adventure

By: Elliott Kay

Narrated by: Tess Irondale

Length: 4 hrs and 14 min

Full disclosure here, this is a book that you might consider to be gamelit or you might not, for me there is enough to justify calling this story a LITRPG, even though it really skates the boundaries of the genre. Days is set in the real world, and focuses on a gaming group (meets criteria #1), the group includes several people, but only two of them are really relevant to the story. During the gaming session, the MC, a young lady named, Amanda begins to joke about the main bad guy’s name, Beldinab. She calls out to him over and over, like he was Beetlejuice, and the GM warns her not to do that. Later on, she does so again, while she is with another gamer, Eric, and this time Beldinab hears her and pulls them into his world. Thus meeting criteria #2 of gamelit rules. From there, the two become slaves and have to figure out how to escape confinement, and make their way back home. Sorta sounds like Criteria #3 to me. Anyway, the story is actually interesting and is told in a very appropriate amount of time. Any longer and it would have totally failed, any shorter and it would have missed the mark. The characterizations, story, plot, and pacing really flow. The only thing that threw me was the sudden appearance of the sex. NO, I DON’T look for disclaimers, or I would have seen that it had a warning about sex. Nor did I notice that this was the very same Elliot Kay who writes the Series Good intentions which is just chalk fulla naughtiness. I like to go into things blind, without expectations. The sex doesn’t take away from the story, nor does it overwhelm, but neither can I say it adds anything. It’s just there. There is a lot of character development for Amanda and Eric, and the story hinges on their growth. There is also a pretty kick butt barbarian babe who you should thoroughly enjoy. The world they enter is dark and drab, and starkly merciless. Which matches up to the description the GM laid out.

Tess Irondale does a pretty good job here. She has a voice for each character, and you can feel the disdain the bad guys have for the rest of the people round them. She doesn’t amaze me, but the job is handled well, and there are no issues with the audio.

Like I say, this is a close call, but for me, it fits the Lit Criteria, and the deal sealer came when Amanda realized that the magic spells were laid out exactly as 4th edition spells were in her game. Personally, this is 6 out of ten stars, but I would be happen to revisit the characters, and see how they handle their return to our world, or fare in a return trip back to Beldinab’s digs. Give it a try, it won’t overwhelm you, but it is good for a getaway of a few hours.

Final Score: 6 out of 10

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 006

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 006 - Level Up or Die! Underworld, Book 1, Super Sales on Super Heroes Book 2, The Hobgoblin Riot Dominion of Blades, Book 2, Dante's Immortality: Beginnings

You can read the full reviews and shownotes if you visit us at:

Level Up or Die! Underworld, Book 1 (33:19)

https://amzn.to/2AKhAnv

Super Sales on Super Heroes Book 2 (08:12)

https://amzn.to/2nNXv6h

The Hobgoblin Riot Dominion of Blades, Book 2 (15:00)

https://amzn.to/2OaIqXw

Dante's Immortality: Beginnings (21:26)

https://amzn.to/2KtZ6a4

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Level Up or Die! Underworld, Book 1

Author: Apollos Thorne

Narrator(s): Graham Halstead

Audiobook Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

(Pause so I can insert a sample of the Audiobook)

Level Up or Die! By Apollos Thorne is a fun book, but not one without its problems. The main character is a gamer who is snatched from our world and taken to what is essentially a hellish under realm where every fantasy monster you ever heard of is real. The Underworld is not a human friendly environment, or so we are told, and the only job the abductees have is to . . . you guessed it, level up or die. A great premise with some intriguing characters, but even the Hope Diamond has flaws.

My biggest complaint comes from the title. Level up or die. There is a boatload of leveling, and not a whole lot of dying. At least not by anyone except monsters. I suppose that in a case where your protagonist can die, but we all know he’s not going to die, can be hard to write. But, if you go through the whole of the book the number of deaths that we get, even from background characters is . . . . .well, I won’t say how many, but it sure isn’t a high number. In fact, there is literally no sense of danger to the MC at any point. Elorion pretty much solos the labyrinth the majority of the time. He plays everything rather smartly, and keeps his head cool in situations most of us would freak out about and so never comes remotely close to any danger. There is one time where he is shot by an archer, but even that is a minor wound that he comments could have been much worse. This lack of danger really takes some of the kick out of what could have been an outstanding novel.

Elorion is an interesting player, who seems to adjust well to whatever situation he is dropped into. He uses his head, and at the right time listens to his heart. His unique abilities allow him to level himself, and others, far quicker than should have been possible. He also manages to constantly think of innovative ways to use his powers that show he will be a force to be reckoned with when the time comes. At no point was I ever bored with the story or any characters, in fact I rather loved seeing the creative methods Elorion came up with to defeat his enemies or apply his abilities. I know I just carped about the whole no sense of danger thing, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of this book in the slightest. The Mistress is a luscious villainess that you love to see appear, and you will want to punch an imp in the face. The MOBs are standard fare, and just fodder, but Thorne’s writing still makes them interesting creatures to kill. I did appreciate that most loot that Elorion pillaged from the corpses of his enemies was not something that he could always use, or even if he could use it he did not employ it. He sold or shared most of the loot.

Graham Halstead narrates the story, and does very well. His voice isn’t as smooth as Luke Daniels or Jeff Hays, but it still works in this genre. He’s read a ton of novels, and knows what he is doing. He plays a multitude of roles, and has fun with it, and so you enjoy the listening even more. He has a done a few other series that I have looked at, and will now probably pick up and give a listen to in the future.

In spite of the few flaws, the book is fun, and keeps your attention. I only paused the book because work or real life intruded, otherwise it would have been a straight shot all the way through. I cannot wait for the next novel in the series, and look forward to more great things from Thorne.

Final Score 7 out of 10

---------------

Super Sales on Super Heroes Book 2

By: William D. Arand

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Legion First!!! That is the motto Felix's people live, die, and get resurrected by, and it is the way that you need to think of this book series. Get it before all others. This is a fantastically fun romp into a melding of gamelit and superheroes that is over far too fast, and is filled with funny lines, a harem of beauties, bad grass mo-fo villains, and a gubernatorial run.

This book does not take you where you expect it to go. When we first started out I really thought the whole thing would be about Felix running for governor and consolidating his forces in the new city. It's not. There is so much more to it. That's the thing with Arand, he shows you a roadmap, then promptly takes an indelible marker and makes his own roads into areas and territories you would not expect. He's pretty slick, and he continually pulls the rug out from under you. Then you find there is no floor beneath the rug. Additionally, the space below you isn't empty as it actually leads into a magma pit filled with fireproof alligators and Piranha. He then hands you an umbrella to slow your descent, and some aloe to soothe your burns. You just have to live with the bites.

Seriously, this could have been a major let down on so many levels. First, the original book in the series was simply brilliant in concept and creation. The characters, and I do mean all of them, suck you in. You love all of them, each for a different reason. Third, the first book made it so that this book had to really go freaking big or blow up. There wasn't going to be a middle ground. This book most certainly comes up to the level of being his The Empire Strikes Back book. I really hope he can avoid a Return of the Jedi in book three. Felix just continues to impress, and his solutions are pretty ingenious. I love his "fixers". Each of the other characters evolve in their own way; Kit, Andrea, Felicia, Lilly, and the rest all have their own subplots/development that fits. With a cast as large as this that is hard to do.

Another area that could have tanked this audible version is that, for whatever reason, Jeff Hays did not return as the narrator. Now, I have repeatedly stated, and will continue to do so, that Jeff is far and away my favorite narrator. He cannot be touched, and this is his genre! I was crushed when I found out that he wasn't returning for the rest of the series, and I worried that it might be a blow that SSOSH wouldn't be able to recover from. Now, if you expect me to say that Nick came in and did a better job, forget it. Hays is the MAN. HOWEVER, I will concede that if it had to be anyone, then Pohdel was the cat to take care of business. He really does his best to emulate the voices that Jeff put forth, and I think he comes closest with Andrea, but his pancakes will never be Jeff's pancakes. The rest of the voices are all great jobs, although I did have some difficulty knowing if it was Kit or Lilly talking, but I believe that is only because I have listened to Jeff's version so many times that their voices are ingrained in my head.

I hope that you, the person reading this review sees that I feel that this is one of the best series on the market, not matter what genre you look at. I believe that there is no way that you could not enjoy this book unless you completely lack imagination or a soul. Yes, it does deal with some dark stuff, like slavery (but not in the way you are thinking) and brains are as likely to blow by as a tumbleweed in a western or a newspaper in a post apocalyptic world, but this is an adventure. This is a lamborghini strapped to a rollercoaster rail ride of a lifetime. Don't miss out. Join Legion now!! Remember, Legion first!!!!!!

Final Score: 7.5

----------------

The Hobgoblin Riot Dominion of Blades, Book 2

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau, Hays McGee

Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins

(Sings)

Hobgoblin Riot, throw back a bottle of beer, Hobgoblin Riot, never know when the polecat’s near! Many thanks to the Cherry Poppin' Daddies for letting me butcher that song in parody.

The Hobgoblin Riot was darn good, though there was a bit of wheel spinning in some ways and some seemingly dropped plotlines that end up paying off at the end so it’s mostly forgiven. Also sometimes it can be a bit confusing as to the timing of certain things if you don't pay attention to the perspective changes.

Almost double the length of book one, feels sort of like 2 books smooshed into one. I don’t have a problem with extended times like this, so long as it is a good book, and I have to say, Popper’s outbursts alone could keep me occupied for a fortnight before I got bored. I really can’t tell if Dinniman can write great one liners, or if Andrea’s reading of them is so superb, but I laughed at every exasperated utterance Popper made. Most likely, it is a combination. The whole book is like that, Dinniman and Parsneau have this great symbiotic relationship going on, he creates a vivid and detailed scene or event, and she adds color and emotion that you simply miss when reading. The book itself is almost a type of comedic horror, a few levels above Abbot and Costello directed by Tobe Hooper or Clive Barker .

The narration by Andrea Parsneau is about as flawless as you can get, she really nails the voices, but if I have to be honest here, I could listen to her read the phone book, so long as she did it in Popper’s voice and threw out a zinger every ten or so numbers. Do we even have phonebooks anymore? The sound quality is beyond reproach, and I don’t think I heard her misspeak a word or a line. I do have to cast a dubious eye at this Hays McGee fella, whom she claims is her husband, and not actually Jeff Hays in vocal disguise. The jury is still out on that one, Andrea! Hays, whoever he really is, does a great job as well, and he backs Andrea’s narration up like he’s been doing this his whole life. Well done, sir. Well, done indeed. Oh, and I loved the way that Andrea handled the mob scene! That is how audio is done. Has she gotten an Oscar or something yet? I have to add that my all time favorite female character voice is that of Harley Quinn, from Batman the Animated Series. My number 2? Andrea’s version of Popper!

Ok, aside from me referencing Abbot and Costello, whom I know 95% of kids alive today have never heard of, I try to keep things simple, so here it is. Book one was great as we got to see the characters feel out who they were, and learn what they could accomplish. It was slick introducing characters that you never see in a traditional gaming party including a hippocorn and polecat (whom I love), and here we get to see them progress and evolve. My biggest issue is that it really feels like two books that got compressed together, and some plotlines were forgotten or dropped in the melding., but the characters are what drive this book. To me, the plotline was incidental to how the characters handled things. That is why I am ok with some of the dropped plots. Maybe book three will address them, maybe not, but I do know one thing for certain, I’ll be there to find out when it does come out! Hopefully you will too, because this is a great book and an amazing series. Don’t pass this one up!!

Final score 8 stars, with points taken for dropped plots and a few places where the story stalled out for a bit.

--------------------

Dante's Immortality: Beginnings

By: Antonio Terzini

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Series: Dante's Immortality, Book 1

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

This is one of those books where I sincerely believe that it could have worked better without the LitRPG elements. This isn't to say that the LitRPG doesn't work. It is cool as hell, but I think that this would have actually been more powerful as a straight up fantasy novel. It is one heck of a magic system. The world is built with precision and purpose, and is one of the best fantasy settings I have ever read. The characters that fill it all seem to be major S.O.B.s, though, lol. This is most certainly a place where you can trust no one. Everyone has an ulterior motive, and is out to remove you from their way or see what they can get from you.

There are some really scary things here, such as wraith collars and predatory dungeons. Sincerely, this world is a character unto itself, and Dante is just an intriguing character. I have to say that this book does one thing right compared to 99% of all other books and that is the layout of the nemesis and the fate of said nemesis. It is handled the way any intelligent person would, and when it happened I shouted out "YES!!!" Terzini knows how to put you in the car, strap you in, hit the buttons, send you up the hill, and just before you go over the top scream at you that the rollercoaster has no brakes!!!!! The ride requires very little set up, and once the story starts going it never stops. There are parts that are just heart wrenching, and others where you cheer and shout for joy! I loved every minute with Dante and want more right now.

Jeff Hays is on point narrating, and dang if this doesn't seem to be his best work. I mean you could just feel Dante's suffering in his voice, and the growl from his anger put off heat. You ever see the movie Dune? Where they have the weirding modules that allow a person's voice to set fires, rend flesh, and shatter stone? Yeah? Well, I think Jeff is about to lose the need for a weirding module. His vocal powers are legendary, but here he just stomped Zeus into the dirt leaving godhood behind and becoming a full fledged Titan. He just brought this book home in a solid gold limousine. I don't know how he does this everytime, but he is continually improving and getting stronger. Rock Solid narration. Nuff said.

Final Rating: 8.75 stars

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 005

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 005 - Mitigating Risk, Temple of Sorrow, Stuff and Nonsense, Supers: Ex Heroes

You can read the full reviews and shownotes if you visit us at:

Mitigating Risk Nora Hazard Series, Book 1 (00:10)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LQwaOy

Temple of Sorrow Stonehaven League, Book 1 (06:46)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LNq8OI

Stuff and Nonsense Threadbare Series, Volume 1 (17:18)

Score: 8.75 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Ark4XI

Supers: Ex Heroes (23:17)

Score: 6.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2uZxtkE

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Mitigating Risk Nora Hazard Series, Book 1

By: Blaise Corvin

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

I make no exaggeration in stating that Delvers LLC is one of my favorite series, and that I was miffed when I learned that the master craftsman, Blaise Corvin had decided to shoehorn this series in between the next Delvers book. Still, I trust that Corvin is going to craft a tale that will make me happy in the end, and so I got the first Nora Hazard book.

First of all, I can see that Corvin has finally crafted a character that he can appreciate. Nora is a streetwise, tough as nail, knife fighter. Anyone who knows Corvin will recognize his penchant for blades, and Nora is his Valkyrie warrior maiden made flesh. The only umbrage that I had anywhere in the book came from the overly emotional reaction that Nora experiences from a loss early in the book. It really colors everything that she does, and only when she frees herself from its constraints that she fully embraces her destiny and potential. Of course, that is something that every character in every book has to face, but she is just overly whiney about it. That, however, is a minor detail. I have to point it out, otherwise I'm not doing my job as a reviewer properly.

On the upside, the book has a ton of fantastic stuff going on including magic knives, superpowers, naughty drakes, and evil villains. Corvin can most assuredly cast out a vivid battle scene, one full of blades, fire and death. He also manages to bring in one or three faces from Delvers for us to clap at when they appear. Nora is a complex and riveting character whom you will automatically empathize with and want to succeed. The woman's story is one of tragedy and loss, but with an unrelenting perseverance that pushes her forward. Her attitude and grit will keep you listening as the story goes. The final show down between the White Shadow . . .no. . .White Darkness . . .um, Eggshell and Nora is epic, and it shows that ingenuity and the ability to keep going can be unbeatable at times.

Emily Beresford does an incredible job narrating, right now she is in my top three for lady narrators and with good reason. She fuels every step that Nora takes with emotion and gravitas. You bleed right along with her, your eyes water when she cries (if you are nancy boy wimp, that is. I had dust in my eyes). You can feel the heat from her rage, and the strength in her resolve. Beresford knows how to pace a story, and speeds up and slows down naturally. She really makes storytelling seem effortless.

Corvin most certainly stepped out of his comfort zone to pen this amazing book, and he nails it like he was hanging a Picasso. This is an excellent addition to the world of Ludus, and really serves as a prequel to Jason and Henry arriving. If you have enjoyed Delvers you will love Nora Hazard. If you like strong independent female leads you will love Nora, if you are fan of action, adventure, magic, knife fights, sword fights, monsters, hidden dungeons, intelligent weapons, crazy priestesses, and Dolos Orbs then this is not something you will want to miss!!!

Final Score: 8 out of 10 stars

--------------------

Next up is . . . .

Temple of Sorrow Stonehaven League, Book 1

By: Carrie Summers

Narrated by: Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Temple of Sorrows is a book made for readers new to Gamelit/Litrpg stories. It has some crunch, but nothing someone coming in fresh couldn’t handle, and it gives you the “I’m going to build up my character blindly” MC. She is basically an awesome gamer, until Devon, the MC, enters Relic Online. At which point she turns into a such a complete noob that she knocks herself out within five minutes of entering the game. She then does just about everything wrong that she can, until she starts using her head and gets into the game. Once she has made her decision to actually help out the area she is in she begins to make semi-intelligent choices. Which allows new readers to flow into the game world with her, and sink their teeth into something not so overwhelming. Hardcore readers of LITRPG may find this tale a little less spicy than they like. Although the book has some action scenes, there is no real major battle that takes place. Even the confrontation with the book’s big bad had no teeth. It was not exciting nor action packed. It was more of a resolution created by one swift action. You might argue that the scene with the tainted animals might qualify as action packed, but I will disagree. I never got swept away in any of the fights. I can compare it to going and actually watching gladiatorial battles in ancient Rome, and then coming back and watching professional wrestling. It was nice seeing Devon use her head, and out think some things, but the action was completely watered down and carried no weight. Storywise, this looks to be a lengthy series, as Devon has to acquire several objects in order to revive an ancient city.

The writing is actually really good, it is articulate, verbose, and descriptive. It is not boring, and it is fun. There were some research issues that drove me crazy, things that someone not familiar with animals and insects might make, such as Summers wrote that when a snake was stunned it blinked. Snakes don’t have eyelids, and so cannot blink. She also called spiders insects, they are arachnids, and I swear to you I was congratulating her in my head after those two slips for saying venomous snakes, and not calling them poisonous, when she referred to the spiders as spitting poison. Little stuff like that stands out to me. I am not a grammar nazi, but if you are going to refer to something, know how to refer to it. Research takes minutes nowadays. Otherwise, the tale is pretty flawless, and is a fun listen. I only pointed out those details because they kicked me out of the story. Like I say, the story is good, and the character of Devon is interesting. She’ll keep you reading.

The narration by Annie Ellicott and Jeff Hays is top notch as always. The pair interact with one another effortlessly, and really add some depth to the story. I will say that Annie really fills her voice with emotion that I don’t see in a lot of narrators, male or female. Jeff, on the other hand has a toolbox filled with different voices that he uses to reflect Annie’s acting. I also really appreciate the production quality of this book, it had nary a hitch nor glitch soundwise. Soundwise? Is that Pennywise’s evil narrating sibling? Either way, the narration really picks this book up and meshes with the direction that Summers is taking the story.

Final Score: 7.5 for lack of a pay off and no real big battle scene.

------------

Stuff and Nonsense Threadbare Series, Volume 1

By: Andrew Seiple

Narrated by: Tim Gerard Reynolds

Series: Threadbare Series, Book 1

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Pause

I’m sure that most of you have seen this book, after getting such high praise from Whoopi Goldberg. That is NOT what brought me to this novel, I had my sights on it when I first heard it was coming out. Honestly, I thought it was going to be similar to another book series called Teddy Bears in Monsterland: An Urban Fantasy Novel: Teddy Defenders, by Justin Sloan. But it wasn’t. This is a fairly powerful stand on its own story, in which the main character, a golem who happens to be a Teddy Bear, goes from sentience to sapience. This is book one of the series, and it was incredible, but I could have done without the Epilogue. Had it ended on the preceding chapter the book would have been near perfection.

The setting is strange, and it has the distinct feel of having been a world based off of a tabletop rpg, that somehow transitioned into a computer game. There are little hints here and there as the characters all discuss how things suddenly changed overnight for no particular reasons they could fathom. Threadbare, the main character, is just as adorable and cuddly as you would expect, right up until he pops his claws and starts slashing foes. For the majority of the book he runs on instinct, and it is a fascinating look into the mind of a creature that slowly becomes self-aware.

One thing that threw me was that this really plays out like a book a kid could read, and then suddenly the cursing and killing begins, and it throws you. Granted, in a book that deals with bloody kills, some cursing shouldn’t stand out, but it does. Once you get into the book it kinda of becomes background noise and it doesn’t bother you, but it takes a little while for that to happen. Otherwise the story is intense, and while it does vacillate between Threadbare and his human girl in POV, the story never slows down. It is a crunchy LITRPG book, too. You get stats, notices, etc. The book hits every box needed to make a fun and exciting story.

One thing that really sealed the deal for me was the narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds. At first he comes across like Sebastian Cabot reading Winnie the Pooh. He has a very distinct, Mr. French way of speaking, and I half expected Threadbare to start thinking, Tut Tut, it looks like rain, but then he morphs his voice once other characters are introduced and he does a spectrum of male to female and human to inhuman that is distinct in each case, and is believable. At no point did it feel like this was a guy doing voices. He was living the parts, and that only added to the fun. I think he played the cat better than anyone else, and everyone knows that cats are notoriously hard to play.

Like I say, the book is nearly flawless, but could have done without the Epilogue. The writing, characterization, plot, drama, and willingness to kill characters coupled with the incredible narration make me give this book a final score of 8 and three quarter stars. I really hope that Seiple can maintain the momentum that this book has got going for it. Give this book a big listen and enjoy a teddy bear picnic.

Final score: 8.75 Stars

---------------------

Supers: Ex Heroes

By: Jamie Hawke

Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

This book really feels like a Harmon Cooper or JA Cipriano story melded into William D. Arand’s Super Sales on Super Heroes. That’s not bad, but it doesn’t have its own distinctive voice per se. The story itself is a Harem/Portal/Litrpg tale about a man framed for murder and is then abducted by aliens to be placed in their intergalactic jail for super criminals. His problem is, he doesn’t have any powers, and he makes some pretty powerful enemies as soon as he arrives. The book then turns into a survival, level up, stop the big bad who is coming story. That bit isn’t bad, but the tale is really swamped by sex scenes. Now, I get why the sex is important to the story, but the MC, Breaker, stops to have sex about every five minutes, even when he is on the clock and there is a timer counting down. Granted, there are times when the sex serves a purpose, but if you did a fade to black every time he had sex you would probably shave an hour and a half off of the run time of the book. I’m no prude, and I am not offended by sex scenes, but sometimes the story should play out a bit more before the characters engage in coitus. Just as an example, in JA Cipriano’s the Pen is Mightier 2, the MC meets a girl in Vegas, and actually takes some time to get to know her before they finally do the deed. Here it was almost like a pizza guy making a delivery in a porno. Ding dong, Hi gotcher pizza! Thanks, you want a slice? Wink Wink. And that is a real shame because Breaker, and his bevy of beautiful bouncy babes all are interesting characters, and have some pretty cool back stories that could be further expounded upon. Their powers are all fairly unique, or at least used in new ways, and the leveling worked enough for me to consider this to be Litrpg.

The real saving grace here is the audible antics provided by Soundbooth Theater. The team is on point and packing heat for this one, and you can tell they were having fun with it. The girls really know how to turn on the naughty, and JTJ manages to make you believe he is just a regular guy simultaneously having the best and worst day of his life. Jiffy Jeff Hays gets to play the heavy, and he knows how to bring the menace and monstrous to a character. I know, I sound like a fanboy, but I know that when I have SBT as my auditory attackers that I will have been handed the best quality narration I could ask for.

Again, this could have been an amazing book, if Hawke had added some more story to make up for the overriding sex scenes. Then they wouldn’t have felt so overwhelming or broken the storyline up so much. I really think that we needed a little more time in the prison, with some added danger, a few more minor characters, and a little more revelation about all the fighting going on. We could have met a few more faction leaders, or some character that Breaker did not want to have sex with or get to have sex with.

Final Score: 6.5 for focusing more on sex than story or character development. If this had been more fully fleshed out the score would have been much higher.

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 004

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 004 - War Aeternus 2, Akillia's Reign, Difficulty: Legendary, The Glass Bard

You can read the full reviews and shownotes if you visit us at:

War Aeternus 2: Sacrifices (20:13)

Score: 8.25 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2v1HKwH

Akillia's Reign Puatera Online Series, Book 4 (08:08)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2AAfu9J

Difficulty: Legendary (16:09)

Score: 4.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KbFibp

The Glass Bard (23:31)

Score: 4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Aq7RCr

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

War Aeternus 2: Sacrifices

By: Charles Dean

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott

Series: War Aeternus, Book 2

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Its Miller Time!!!

Holy cow. As much as I have enjoyed The Bathrobe Knight by Dean and Haygood, the Bearded Lord of Bacon and Booze has really created a brilliant series in which a regular Joe, Lee, finds out that he is related to a powerful god named Augustus, and that he has to participate in a competition between gods and their heralds known the Faith Game.

I loved book one, but honestly, book two completely amped up the story and made it so much better as it has progressed far more than I would have ever hoped. Dean has seriously upped his game. I’m talking he went from playing old maid to strip poker. The writing is far improved, the story is far tighter, and the characters are so interesting. I really cannot say just how much I enjoy the paladin of Justice, Miller, and Lee, the MC, as people. You really get to know a lot about them in this go around and the rest of the party. More importantly, Lee learns how to magic up some of the most delicious beer anyone has ever tasted.

Lee and Augustus still have some issues in their relationship, although I begin to sense that the old shapeshifter has a lot more to him than he lets on. Lee finds a gal pal back in the real world, and finds out that her family may be just the right fit for him even if they did try to kill him. This book really hits its stride with the arena battles, and Lee learning to adapt and improvise on his feet in order to survive. The big bad for this book is another herald, and Lee has no idea of what he is getting himself and Augustus into when he decides to take him down; still this is all good fun. Or is it?

I’m not going to lie. We do have some tragedy here that cannot be downplayed, nor would I want to. It really lends some gravitas that book one was needing. It did choke me up, and made me feel for Lee in a way that I have not sympathized with a character in a looong time. We also get to know about Miller’s own tragic backstory, and you will see just how deranged Dean can be to his best characters. The man is utterly merciless. I LOVE it. For me, the best scene came with the confrontation of the team with the psycho lady Firbolg. She was, hands down the best fun psycho character I’ve heard in 10 years. She was written and played perfectly, like a master with a Stradivarius. Man, is Dean on fire with this story or what?

The narration here is proof that two people can make an entire world come alive. Jeff Hays, the mystical master of the Vocal Arts, and Annie Ellicott combine their talents, powers, and skills into one amazing audible adventure. Without a doubt, my favorite voice in this book is Hays’ Miller. If I hear him for more than 30 seconds I spend the rest of my day talking to everyone like him. The fools think I am just doing an Ah-nold impression. Annie really pulls at your heartstrings in this book. This is twice now that she has almost made me cry, and I am no gurly man! You cannot ask for better, and it was nice to see the pair of them handling things rather than the whole squad. This really felt like a narration rather than a production, and that is just what I am looking for.

This book has some startling revelations, and simultaneously creates new mysteries. Lee learns how to handle his magic, and yet realizes that he really doesn’t know enough yet. He does a lot more than just creating golems now. So, we get some serious growth, development, and powering up in this book. All signs point to book three being even bigger and better, and the way that Dean has been promoting the new character, Jade, I fully expect some joy joy feelings when book three hits. All I know is that I’ll be around as long as Dean keeps pumping out quality material like this. Don’t miss the train, get on board before we leave the station.

Final Score 8.25 stars! Keep bringing the Bacon, Oh bearded one!!

--------------

Akillia's Reign Puatera Online Series, Book 4

By: Dawn Chapman

Narrated by: Anneliese Rennie

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Dawn Chapman is one of the first LITRPG authors I ever read. She is among Blaise Corvin, Dakota Krout, and William D. Arand; which, in my eyes is some fantastic company to keep. The first three books of Putera were really different than your standard LITRPG fare, in so far that it focused on an NPC, named Maddie who was just trying to get by and keep some people she held near and dear safe.

Then Dawn did something crazy. First, she slips away from Maddie in her new book. Then, she triples the length of this book compared to the first three Putera stories. Finally, she ditches Andrea Parsneau in favor of a new narrator. Now, if you knew Mr. Ray, that’s me, you’d say Mr. Ray, out of respect, I know that leaving behind characters and narrators who have done beautiful work in the past behind in favor of some new characters and narrative perspectives is just plain craziness. You just don’t do that. That’ll upset your stomach. And, I’m touched that you’d be so concerned for me and aware of my feelings, but I have to say this. I really like the longer book length. The first three Putera novels had a serial feel to them, and it worked. This is one cohesive uninterrupted tale. Secondly, in order to get this perspective, we needed a new character, and if you HAVE to replace Andrea, well, Anneliese Rennie is a good choice. She gives the series a new voice, figuratively and literally, and I like Maddie belonging to Andrea.

The story itself is already centered in a familiar place, and so we flow into the story rather than being swept away. Emma/Akilla the MC is a complete noobie, and she is one of those clichés in that she is special, but considering the populations size of the other players It isn’t so hard to swallow. I have always appreciated that Chapman keeps the crunchy stuff to a minimum in her books, I think that spouting numbers would just break the flow that she achieves, and she plays this riff out with the constant pings that Akilla receives. The really nice thing is that the world building is pretty much done at this point, and all she needs to do is tell an amazing story, which is exactly what she does. Chapman’s attention to detail is pretty legendary, and she never fails to make the detail interesting rather than verbose and boring. The whole story is well written and full of adventure.

Anneliese Rennie is not Andrea P., but she manages to hold her own. She does give each character their own distinctive voice. But there are a couple of audio nibblets or hiccups that I noticed, nothing major though. I really liked her characterization as Akilla, and can see why Chapman opted to give the new spinoff series a distinctive voice. This is my first time listening to her, and I think I would be happy to hear her again in the future.

Final score: 7.5 because I did find the Tutorial a bit draggy, a few audible flubs, a weak love story, and for a bit of jealousy for not keeping up with Maddie’s story full on. I look forward to more in this series, and know that book 5 is also available. I’ll be getting that soon!

----------------

Difficulty: Legendary

Gregg Horlock

Narrated by: Guy Williams

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

This was a tough book for me to review. I keep trying to find a really good short Litrpg story, something that in under 5 hours to listen to and be amazed by, and so far I keep coming up short, no pun intended. The issue that I have is that the story is pretty decent, but the narration is of such meh quality that it lowers the potential of the tale. The reading style is solidly mediocre and mostly monotone in melody. The story is set in the future where you get entry into a game called REFUSE one time. You get to play as long as you can until you die, and then that is it, as Hudson would say it’s Game over man, game over. You don’t get to go back. The MC, makes it inside the game for an hour before dying, because he is sent to a level 70+ area even though he is level 0. He protests the death, because he was not placed where he needed to be, but it all falls on deaf ears and he is doomed to enter military service. Then, someone sends him a cheat and he reenters the game, with a chance to earn some much needed credits for his family. He then proceeds to doing every single thing wrong that he possibly can, and never learns from anything. He is a complete and utter noob.

That is the one part that makes this believable to me. His family is really poor, and it takes credits to do everything in the society he is in, and just looking information up on the internet costs more money than he can afford, so he never really had a chance to learn about the world he is entering, or what options he had skill wise, magic wise, and so forth. He goes into it blindly, and his trusting (or stupid nature) is evidenced by how he handles a woman on a bus in need of credit to get home. So, you can forgive him for doing altruistic things even though you know that they will never work out right for him.

As I said, William’s narration is unexciting, weak, and lacking any real impact to the story. It’s kind of like someone in need of sleep trying to read you the business section of the newspaper that’s upside down. It’s not going to get far. It’s not so bad that I wanted to plug up my ears, but this was a short book, and I didn’t have to listen all that long. There is a follow up tale called Tinker, Tailor, Giant, Dwarf, which I have already purchased, so I may review it in the future. We’ll see, because that is a 7 plus hour adventure, and I don’t know if I can handle Williams that long.

Final Score: 4.5 could have been a real gem, but the narration was a major flaw.

---------------

The Glass Bard

Darryl DeCelle Riser

Narrated by: Scott Servheen

Length: 1 hr and 11 mins

This is a weird little short story that runs for just over an hour, but feels like it is twice that time. The Story is about an MC who is a PC who wants to help an NPC while stuck in some MMORPG. Got that? Ok, lemme flesh that out for you. The main character falls into a game tutorial, and meets Sai, an NPC. She is not only an NPC, but she is also the tutorial guide, and within minutes of meeting the titular Bard, she tells him just how many times she has been raped by one player, and sold into slavery by others. She is surprised to learn that he, the MC, is self aware when he is also back at his desk clicking away on his keyboard (or at least that is supposed to be where he is at).

There are a few problems with this audiobook, and the run time isn’t one of them. When I first saw this I thought well here’s a great opportunity to get a LITRPG short story, hopefully get a cool premise or world, or even see something great about a Bard. Little known fact, bards (when done right) can be fun as hell. I refer you to read the bard in Quag Keep by Andre Norton. When done wrong they come across as a wannabe singer for a Carpenter cover band. Here, I really never got to see the Bard do bard stuff. Ok, so he sings in order to speed along his journey, and he sings to a few people, but there is no real bard magic at play here. The most clever thing I saw was the use of the autosave. The rest of the story is basically the bard being a complete gentleman to his slave companion and doing everything from sleeping in an uncomfortable chair for her to be willing to throw away his very life for a computer generated character. There is no real reason for this, he literally makes no connection with her to a point he should be willing to die, but hey, plot points! Aside from some overwrought angst or unrealistic sympathy I could see no reason for such instant and automatic willingness to die for her. The only reason I could logically conceive of was that he had been the player that raped her 200 times, and had logged in under someone else’s profile. Otherwise he has no real connection to her.

The narration is rife with background static, and the narration by Servheen serves no one here. This is mediocre work at best. Let me tell you. I can allow some mispronunciations, but there are certain words that I cannot let slide. Given that I work with blood vessels all day long, and with this particular beast especially, I have to say that I could not believe that he pronounced carotid as carroted. Yep, you don’t have a carotid artery, you, like Bugs Bunny, have a carrotted artery. Like I say, nothing horrible, but this is really the sign of a low level narrator. If you don’t know how to pronounce something, look it up! His delivery is most likely responsible for the low score, because he doesn’t bring this story to life, but he sure as hell shoots it in the foot. Given the right voice work this story might not have been so bad.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, he is called a glass bard because he eventually realizes that he is just like a glass tank. A character who packs a good punch, but shatters when hit. The only problem is, we never really see him actually pack a powerful punch to account for his tank accreditation. Lack of real Bard action in a bard story, mediocre narration, and some audio issues leave me no choice but to go with 4 out of 10 stars. Clean it up audibly, change narrators, and this could have been much better.

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 003

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 003 - Dodge Tank, Steele Alchemist, Gun Meister Online

You can read the full reviews and shownotes if you visit us at:

Dodge Tank: Crystal Shards Online Series, Book 1 (00:16)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2KaQ2qO

Steele Alchemist A LitRPG Series (10:06)

Score: 4 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LLgrA5

Gun Meister Online: Adult and Uncensored (17:37)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2LN9L4K

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

---------------

“Next is …”

Dodge Tank Crystal Shards Online Series, Book 1

Author: Rick Scott

Narrator(s): Eric Michael Summerer

Audiobook Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

This book needs a theme song. Given an existing one, I would pick the Cowboy Bebop theme as it is as frantic and frenetic as this book, and sounds great. Everything about this book is tinged with anime, just look at the cover, take away the title and you might think that was a Toonami program. Ryan could be about to throw down with Inuyasha or Naruto. The internal fighting feels the same way, and I am not saying this in a negative way. Anime either works really well, or it fizzles out spectacularly. This book works.

But it shouldn't. I don't do spoilers, but nothing I am going to say won't be revealed in less than five minutes into the book. This book lays on the old LITRPG tropes like it was making a sandwich. Ryan/Reese, the protagonist, lives in poverty and only his gaming keeps the family in food and shelter, but just barely. Trope #2 is the sick relative. Ryan's mother is dying of cancer. Trope #3, the player suffers from a physical ailment. Ryan has a gimpy leg, and this limits what he can do in both the real world and the virtual one. Trope #4 is the cute and supportive love interest. Ryan just so happens to work in the mines every day with a sexy mama, but he's too focused on bringing home the bread to cook some bacon. Trope #5, he has to win against the big boss to save his family. There are a few more, but you get the point. Yeah, Rick Scott almost made me put the book down, because I've seen all of these things a hundred times by this point.

The book also has a few other things that I hate going for it. The first being game currency doubling as real world currency. I see it all the time, and in every book that I read with that as plot device I think that the writer is out of touch. Yes, Bitcoins are real, and there are several other types of Cryptocurrency, but I will say this, no matter how much gold I ever earned in WOW it never translated into my bank accepting that as honest to God dough. I really wish it had, but no. No. The other flaw, and one I particularly loathe, and will not later forgive, is the super leveling that happens. Ryan literally levels roughly 100 times in a matter of days (if you count all the previous classes he had to take before getting to Ninja); and he does this mostly as a solo player. Now I totally get that this is a plot device to get him where he needs to be, but the game would be pretty boring if it took you no time to Max level. I get where he was going, but he could have done the same thing with lower levels. The part that really peeved me about this is that several characters explicitly say that they cannot and will not help him power level, and then he does it anyway.

So, I have just listed a boatload of issues I had with this book, and yet you look at the Stars above and think I am being inconsistent. Well, let me just say that while the tropes are the tropes you forgive each one a little at a time. Ryan is trying to become a dodge tank, that is a person who accrues aggro, but doesn't get hit. He has a few devastating attacks, but the ninja class is designed to gradually wear an opponent down. The book, for me at least, took off when Ryan fought Bathsheba the giant cat. Up until that point the wheels were spinning but had no traction. After that point the car had hit the ground running and was hauling arse like it was on fire. Each trope got resolved or managed to actually have a purpose that fit well into the story as things moved forward.

Best of all, the book derails the plans it laid out so carefully and takes you into new territory. Into a land that you were not expecting, but want to see more of. Now I will warn you that this book does, in fact, end on a MAJOR cliffhanger, so beware if you can't handle not knowing what comes next, and what is coming is like something out of the Matrix. I liked the concept and thought that even with the power leveling Ryan ends the book too weak for the place he is at, and that he needs to start leveling quickly.

Eric Michael Summerer does a really nice job on the narration. There were one or two word snafus, but nothing that was unforgiveable. I enjoyed listening to him, and anticipate his tackling the next book soon. Sound quality was good, and he played each character with emotion and presence.

While it took me a little while to get into this book it sank its claws into me, and has yet to let me go. I cannot wait to see what happens next. You won't either, so don't delay, become a dodge tank fan.

Final Score: 8.5 with points shaved for the power leveling, and the make you want more ending.

Final Score: Based on a scale of 1-10. With 1 being horrible, 5 being average, and 10 being perfect.

------------

“Next is…”

Steele Alchemist A LitRPG Series

Author: Deck Davis

Narrator(s): Kevin Gisi

Audiobook Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Last week I reviewed Deck Davis's book, the Arcane Survivalist, and now I find myself doing the same for his other book. I wish I had read this book first, because I wouldn't have struggled so much to listen to the next one. Arcane Survivalist really left a bad taste in my mouth, and if I hadn't gotten these two books together I would have stopped after Survivalist.

This book has a few more story issues than Survivalist, but the narration saves it. If I had to place a wager, I'd put money down that this was Davis' first novel. You can see him making the effort, and he does steer his way through the choppy waters, but he has some holes in his boat when he is done. If this is a first effort, it isn't bad. Not great, but not bad. I guess after reading Blademage Beastmaster, I have higher expectations.

The problems I have here, aside from the story fluctuations is that this also becomes one long giant penis joke. Not funny ones at that. Also, the MC, Steele, is rude. I mean if someone in need of my help spoke to me like that they would go away empty handed. No one would ever just walk up to someone and start acting that way. Not unless they wanted socked in the jaw.

I will say this, which is funny, I hated the title Blademage Beastmaster, but enjoyed the book. I loved the titles Arcane Survivlalist and Steele Alchemist, but did not enjoy them so much. Again, Davis can come up with some catchy titles. And my issues with these books may just be that they weren't polished, but were overwhelmed by potty humor and unlikeable characters. I'd like to think he is improving.

With Alchemist I will say that Gisi almost manages to save the story. There is emotion and tension, and this is read as if it came from a person rather than a tree as in Arcane Survivalist. He manages to make this book bearable. At no point did I pray for it to end like I did Survivalist, and I didn't switch out to another book just to keep my head on straight, and I credit that to Kevin, whose narration was like some aloe vera on a sun burn.

I won't say stay away from this book, it does have some redeeming qualities, and the narration takes it a long way. You might enjoy it, I just hope the bathroom humor gets erased or severely curtailed from here on out, because it really isn't funny.

Final Score 4 out of 10, only because the narration really elevated this piece.

-------------

“Next is…”

Gun Meister Online: Adult and Uncensored

Author: Noah Barnett

Narrator(s): Annie Ellicott, Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays

Audiobook Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

I have to admit to have been waiting to listen to this book since it first came out. I'd heard a ton of

positive things about it, and the premise seemed pretty cool. I was doubly excited that we got the Adult

and Uncensored version as well. I don't see a need to tone things down, and in the day and age when

Harem lit is popular and even MSE goes graphic I think it is fine to go grown up. After all, this is a book

about people playing a game in which headshots are a common thing. I still would have liked to have

heard the mature cut! I can't imagine what we are missing!!

Next, how can I not comment on the narration? Barnett was a wise man, and went through Soundbooth

Theater, and in this case got not one, but three narrators! Annie Ellicott, Justin Thomas James, and the

ever amazing Jeff Hays all work their butts off, and bring you some of the best vocal readings I have ever

heard! This book is like a reverse image of their usual work, as Hays generally reads the bulk of the story

and Ellicott backs him up with the female voices. Here, however, Annie gets her gun, and takes the lead.

Jeff does most of the male voices, and James locks and loads in as backup on one other voice. This is the

triple threat of narration right here. Jeff is far and away my favorite narrator. I never fail to mention

that, and Annie is coming up on my list as well. James does a great job, I just haven't heard enough of

him to really dole out the praise he assuredly deserves. Hopefuly he'll solo a book and I can tell you just

how incredible I know him to be. As it stands, the work he does is awesome. Anyhow, this combination

is like alternating mortar shells and napalm on your ears. They won't know what hit them. Annie really

pushes the story forward, and Jeff makes you believe he is the Meister we all want to be. I love hearing

this talanted troupe working together, it really brings more to the table than your standard fare.

Have I even mentioned Barnett's writing yet? Nope? Well, I should have. As a fledgling author this cat

has really got it together. He knows how to pace a plot, and build tension. He adds humor in where it is

needed ("I surrender"), and he doesn't hold back on the big story. There is a lot more going on here than

a guy rotating in and out of death duel gun matches. He is also pretty creative with his gaming system.

The players don't build up, but their weapons do. Their weapons are sentient, and require some love to

keep them happy and tied to their owners. This is a creative world, and a unique game. He really has the

ammo necessary to write a Gunventure like this. I like that it takes time for the protagonist to go from

being a doofus to being a leader of men. The ragtag group that he ends up with are all interesting

characters, and I found it humorous that out of all the people in the game there is at least one powder

loading dude keeping things real with the old timey gun. I could totally see my father carrying a flintlock

into the game, and using the tag of Hawkeye. The action scenes are not Michael Bay stupid, but more of

the Die Hard first and second movie type. The big fights are brutal and fun, all three of them, and I must

say that I was glad to have so much content. Anything over 7 or 8 hours of run time is a blessing.

You want to know the best way I can tell you to get this book and read it? The simple fact that I really

want a sequel ASAP. This book blows you off of your arse, and makes you peek around corners as you

listen. You will feel the bullets zip by, and feel the shrapnel of ricochet's spatter your face. You will fall in

love with Elva (sorry, audio book so not sure about the spelling), and wish you could just "holster" her

one time. This is a frantic and frenetic story that locks and loads you in and never lets you up. You will be

pinned down by cover fire, and have no chance of backup coming to save you. Only thing is, you won't

want rescued. You will want to join in the fun, and deal out your own grievous head wounds.

Final Score 7.5 for missing the target at the end needing about 2 hours trimmed off.

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

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LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 002

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 002 - Countdown Reality Benders, Bathrobe Knight 3, Cherry Blossom Girls 2

Countdown Reality Benders Series, Book 1 (00:09)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Oa0f9T

The Bathrobe Knight: Volume 3 (10:15)

Score: 8 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NB3WEw

Cherry Blossom Girls 2: A Superhero Harem Adventure (19:43)

Score: 8.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2mz7QSZ

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Countdown Reality Benders Series, Book 1

Author: Michael Atamanov, Andrew Schmitt - translator

Narrator(s): Rudy Sanda

Audiobook Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

When this book first hit the Eshelves on Amazon I got really stoked. It sounded like it was right up my alley, and was a punchy LITRPG book. So, I grabbed this as soon as I had the chance, and dove right in. There are some great things in this book, and some hiccups. The bumps thankfully don't leave bruises, but they are noticable. The writing is decent, but if I hadn't been told this was translated I'dve known in less than ten minutes. There are times when obviously wrong words are used in place of proper ones, such as the council anonymously decided rather than unanimously decided. This made it sound like Archie Bunker or Andy Sipowicz was narrating the story. Millennials, go look them up, I'm not explaining those references. On the whole it makes it look like the translator was of a mid-level skill. He got the job done, but took the wrong way while getting there. Also, I would have known this was a Russian written tale, even if the main characters didn't say they were Russian. The whole story has a similar vibe/feel to D. Rus' Alterworld. Seriously, they could be siblings. One thing that did bother me about the writing was the incessant references to the game itself. Every time the game is mentioned the people call it by its full name, The Game That Changes Reality (close enough), rather than shortening it to just the Game, or something else as normal people would do. No one talks like that.

Rudy Sanda does a fair job at the narration, I wasn't blown away by his work, and was disappointed that he was either too lazy to give the Russians Russian accents, or he could not DO a Russian accent and glossed over that part of the story. It was kind of like listening to a story about a man from India, but is read to speak bland American. It just took me out of the story every time someone spoke.

The story itself is actually pretty good, although it does wander off in a few places. Basically, It revolves on Nat, an uber awesome player that never listens to anyone or does what he is told, and always seem to manage to come out ahead, because everyone loves winners. The story is pretty simple. Aliens now own the Earth, and humans must play the Game that changes Reality or be destroyed. If they don't play it right or tick off their benevolent overlords tey'll be destroyed. If they lose to other gamers, they be destroyed. So there is obviously a lot riding on their success. Nat always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and always manages to do the right thing somehow when he needs to.

Some issues I took with the game. Your classes were pretty much limited by what you were familiar with, and so you could not pick anything you wanted. You had to play as a human, of course, and you pretty much had to start out building your tech from scratch. The funniest thing that I noticed was that the game itself posed no threat to Nat. The only time he was ever killed came from his team mates ganking him.

Still, in spite of the flaws the book was fun, and I will happily get the next book in the series. If you liked Alterworld then you will like this book. Don't miss out on awesome fun, and just do like I did and overlook the little flaws.

Final Score: 7.5 for a couple of slow points in the story, and sloppy translation.

---------------

“Next is …”

The Bathrobe Knight: Volume 3

Author: Charles Dean & Richard Haygood

Narrator(s): Matthew Broadhead

Audiobook Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

The Bearded Lord of Bacon and Booze has broken my expectations with his third installment of the Bathrobe Knight. This is a series that I started listening to with my family when BK I first hit audible, and we all became hooked. My mistake was that I did not wait for them when I started BK III, and my son caught me listening. He had a complete hissy fit that I betrayed him by not sharing the new book (we usually listen when we go on long trips, but we haven't had anywhere to go for some time, and I wanted to get this bad boy reviewed). So, I had to swear to him that I would relisten to the book when we go on our family trip in August. That says a lot about how devoted Dean's listeners can be, and the rabid fervor that his writing inspires.

In BK III we finally get to see Stephanie's plan, the truth about Darwin, and Charles's idea of what he expects Darwin to do. Cass falls into some hard times, Kitchens get upset that Big D might be looking up his precious flower's dress, and several members undergo some dramatic changes that you really do not see coming. Dean amps up this story, but he also lets it slow cook like a nice pig roast. There is a ton of action, and plenty of killing to go around, but he spools out the big picture stuff like you were a fish on a hook and he was just waiting for you to get tired before reeling you into his net.

My only concern is that this book seemed to be lacking one really big stick in your brain moment. For example, in BK I the spoon in the eye incident is something we all laugh about, BK II dealt with what happened with Caisson, the king. Yeah, there are some great battle scenes, and the council encounter might be equivalent, but it didn't feel so. Nor did the encounter between Charles and Darwin, which was cool, but not a stand out in your mind book, not like I have come to expect from a master wordsmith like Charles Dean. Did I like the book any less? No. I just really wanted a gut-busting or heart wrenching moment. Cass's big scene could have fit the bill if things had gone another way, but this was not a wash out. I just got a great book that stayed awesome across the board, that's all.

Broadhead carries this book on his broad shoulders, and as always, does a great job. He is always infusing a scene with emotion, and he plays each character with a different and distinctive voice. My youngest son doesn't think he does female voices very well, and made me swear to say that, but I have no issues with his rendition of the ladies; particularly Stephanie.

This book does not wrap things up, there is still plenty of story to tell, and it is clear that Darwin's journey is far from over, that Stephanie's plans are only just starting to come to fruition, and Cass is slowly becoming aware of everything that is happening around her. I truly anticipate the upcoming events, and trust that the Bacon Lord will keep us on a fun, exciting road as we find out humanity's fate. Just wish we didn’t have the cliffhanger at the end.

Final Score: 8 out of 10 points

Final Score: Based on a scale of 1-10. With 1 being horrible, 5 being average, and 10 being perfect.

-----------

Finally, we have:

Cherry Blossom Girls 2: A Superhero Harem Adventure

Author: Harmon Cooper

Narrator(s): The cast of Soundbooth Theater including Justin Thomas James, Annie Ellicott, Laurie Catherine Winkel, & Jeff Hays

Audiobook Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

All right super fans of the ink slinger known as the most Harmonious of Coopers, hunker down and prepare your ears for an aural feast that you know is super sweet! The outstanding wordsmith has penned another tale of our super sexy Cherry Blossom gals, and has set events in motion that might mean their end.

Gideon, Grace, and Veronique are out taking down bases, when Mother decides she's had enough and sends a new girl to trounce our tireless trio. The deadly Dorian Gray, whose saliva (and other bodily fluids) is not only corrosive, but can also form deadly energy animates with a wave of her brush is now hot on their tails. Can they stop her, evade her, beat her, or enslave her? Well, you gotta listen to find out!

Dorian is another cool character who can kick butt and chew bubble gum while painting the deadliest portrait since Van Gogh cut of his ear and made a selfie. She really fits into the mythos of the Mutants in the Making, and there may just be more to her than we first see. We finally learn how Veronique eats, and that both she and Grace (Sabine, if you prefer) have their abilities toned down a bit.

Just like the first book, Cooper hits the ground running, only he's wearing roller skates, and the ground is thin ice. You never know which way he is going to turn, and what you get and what you expect shall never meet. The fight scenes, as always, are exciting and amazing. The downtime with the girls is wet and steamy, and you get an idea of how Reed Richards feels when he is intimate with his wife, and she goes translucent. You will also realize that no matter how great your bathroom is, your showers will never compare to Gideon's. By the way, I loved the shout out to the Proxima gaming system. Now, if he could just sneak a cameo in of Momma Hughes I would be a happy happy fanboy.

The Man with three first names, Justin Thomas James really carries this book. I enjoyed him in book one, and in Gun Meister Online, but I think I have heard him enough to know that this dude can narrate. He carries the bulk of this book on his powerful shoulders, and I really look forward to him doing some work on his own, or at least taking lead in a few more books at the very least. The rest of Soundbooth theater acts as the supporting cast, with Master of the Vocal Art, Jeff Hays portraying the non-Gideon male characters, and Annie taking the roles of the CBG's, and Laurie W. tackling the role of Dorian. I can't say enough about how good the sound quality is, or the level of awesomeness these narrators instill in their characters, BUT this is really starting to turn into a radio play, and as much as I enjoy this, I really prefer one or two narrators in my audiobooks. Shoot, Jeff can play about 50 characters by himself without breaking a sweat, and Justin has the Ricola Pipes to crank out some stunning syllables himself. Annie and Laurie also have track records of impressiveness, and I think that rather than blurring the lines with all these voices, one male and one female narrator should suffice. But that is just me. I'll take whatever I can get from SBT, and happily ask for more.

I cannot wait for the next installment. Whatever happens next will be brilliant. Keep it up, Cooper!

Final Score: 8.5 out of 10

This podcast is sponsored by Soundbooth Theater, makers of great audiobooks.

http://www.soundbooththeater.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SoundBoothTheater/

You can follow us on

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If you enjoy the podcast and want to support us you can also find all the other ways to support the podcast at www.litrpgpodcast.com/support

LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 001

Stratus Online: Awakening A LitRPG Series, Book 1 (00:21)

Score: 7.5 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NT64IJ

Arcane Survivalist Apocalyptic Fantasy LitRPG (07:28)

Score: 2 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2Lj5fdK

The Sleeping Dragon Guardians of the Flame, Book 1 (15:09)

Score: 9 out of 10

https://amzn.to/2NnZrx3

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with:”

Stratus Online: Awakening A LitRPG Series, Book 1

Author: Drew Cordell

Narrator(s): William Turbett

Audiobook Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Stratus Online is a good break-in novel for people new to LITRPG game novels. It has the traditional set up, entry into the game, a quest to complete, and the normal catastrophic consequences that appear once you are in game. It is perfect for the noobie reader because it is not overwhelming in game stats or games speech, and when gaming terminology is used it is quickly explained. Additionally, this is not a book in which the party just travels around leveling up by grinding. I think the highest level they reach by the end of the book is level five. No, there is a long-term goal that the team is trying to reach, and so there is not a lot of time spent grinding. Another reason I think this book is ideal for newer LIT readers is that the party is feeling their way into the game, they aren't given manuals to study before entering, nor is there a wiki they can run too whenever they have a question. The party learns as they go, and so does the reader.

There are a few small flaws, but nothing major. The first for me is that it takes a long time to actually go into the game. I'm not sure, but I think it was somewhere around the two hour mark before the team makes their way in to actually play. Granted, a lot of that which came before was set up, and it does show you that the MC is not an idiot as he does things in a logical manner, such as having a lawyer look over his work contract, but I have to say that a lot of that is something that another writer would have glossed over in about two paragraphs. Still, it helped you get to know the characters, and show you that they actually use their heads. The other thing was that the narrator,Turbett, constantly pronounce the word attribute as Ah-trib-ute. As in when someone might ask, "What do you attribute to the team's failure?" Instead, for gaming stats he should have said it as At-trib-bute. As in, "Strength is his greatest attribute." It really is a minor thing, but I have to point these things out if I am going to be honest.

The story itself really pops once you get into the game, and it was nice to not see the party hunting 35 rats to gain Exp. Points. It is more like a story with LIT elements than is is a LIT story laden with burdensome stats. The team itself is fun, and Edwin is a likable character. The story itself is filled with several twists and turns, and ends up having a Matrix feel towards the end. The end game revolves around the gaming gods fighting back evil Titans. They end up backing . . . .well, I won't spoil it for you, but no matter which side they pick they are going to be on the opposite side of some other gamers. One or two just happen to be out for their blood. As beginning books go the series looks to be a worthwhile investment, considering the flippy trippy twist that came at the end. I have to admit that I have not seen that one in a LITRPG setting before, so it was fun to get a new twist and turn right at the end. It does end on a cliffhanger of sorts, so if you don't want a book that feels like it could be one and done then forget it, because this series sets up a long game, and is not even partially competed when it ends. There are a lot of loose ends that are yet to be wrapped up. So expect a lot more to come, and if the series progresses like the first book did it will get better the further it goes along.

Turbett's narration, aside from the attribute issue, is great. He provides voices for each character, and really gives the evil PC a snotty haughty tone that just oozes disdain and malevolence for everyone around him. He certainly has some fun with the nonhuman voices, I've listened to him narrate a few other books, and he has never let me or a tale down yet.

If you are looking for a new LIT series, or are new to the genre, then this is an excellent place to start. Like I said, this is not a grind away for 10 chapters kind of book, it sticks to important things, although there are a few points that the stats are run through as you might expect. The book does take some time to build, but the ending has a good turn that will make you want to come back for the next book.

The final score is a good 7.5, good sound quality, and above average writing and narration. I hope to see some improvement in the future.

Final Score: Based on a scale of 1-10. With 1 being horrible, 5 being average, and 10 being perfect.

-------

“Next is…”

Arcane Survivalist Apocalyptic Fantasy LitRPG

Author: Deck Davis

Narrator(s): JJ Jenness

Audiobook Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins

I have to admit one thing, Deck Davis knows how to craft a title. This one really called out to me. It sounded fierce and awesome. I had high hopes for this book, and I am sad to say that those hopes were dashed on the rocks of despair by the cliffs of insanity on the sea of drowned discouragement.

The book itself seems like it was written by a 12 year old who just found out that he can swear when his parents aren't around. The never ending d*ck jokes and @ss references put me right off. Seriously, I can enjoy swearing, in fact I love to do it myself, but this was not even cursing to be funny. See Richard Pryor and cursing to understand that swearing can be used judiciously and with humor. Not here. The protagonist names the mental assistant something that rhymes with duck face, but goes by the initials FF. I could not stand it after a while, and even though I had 55 minutes left, I listened to a 10 hour audio book in its stead just to cleanse my brain. Those last 55 minutes, and I did go back and listen to them were some of the longest in my life.

The plot is decent, otherworldly beings want to merge worlds, and implant their souls into human bodies. Red balls carry alien souls that will over ride human ones, and blue balls (ha ha) were sent in to give humans the ability to fight the invaders. The protagonist becomes a bloodmage, meaning he sacrifices his own blood to cast spells. I know this is supposed to be gamelit, but this book was about as crunchy as a bowl of mush. The MC kept "topping himself of with HP after a fight by draining his foes. There was never a moment where you felt as if he were in danger, there was no tension, and there was no life in this story. Oh, and for some reason Davis made the MC a con man. I think he felt that would make him more of a b-hole than normal. Funny thing is, he is not all that smart, and his con is about as smooth and original as burned pancakes. I just could not stomach the crappy humor or the MC's attitude at all.

Oh, and lord save me, I did not look to see that it was JJ Jeness who narrated. I listened to him before, and was underwhelmed by his capabilities. Had I seen his mane on this book I would have instapassed. The man can speak clearly, and properly pronounce and enunciate words, but his voice is weak and his reading is wooden. The only time he shows any signs of emotion or life is when he is reading as the monsters, and I think he just automatically makes them aggressive sounding instinctively. He drug this book down a lot. Had it had a different narrator it might have been a three star book, but this is audible, and hear your narrator makes or breaks you and JJJ shattered this book before it began.

This review has been a real struggle for me. I always try to focus on positive aspects, and make suggestions for the author to take into consideration if there were any problems. I can't do that here. Sorry. I hate being negative, but I really do not think you want to listen to this book. Maybe read it, but listen? Nope. Skip this and make another choice, cool title aside this book will kill your soul.

Final Score 2 out of 10, only because there is a story and it had a decent plotline.

-------------

“Last is Ray’s Retro Review where I highlight a slightly older LitRPG title that could use some love.”

The Sleeping Dragon Guardians of the Flame, Book 1

Author: Joel Rosenberg

Narrator(s): Keith Silverstein

Audiobook Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Ok kids, gather round the campfire. I’m kind tell you an old story now, from way back before we even knew what LITRPG was. You want to talk about groundbreaking? The Land? Ready Player One? They are the descendants of this book. In fact, The Sleeping Dragon is the Grandfather to modern LITRPG books.

No, it wasn’t the first. Arguably, that distinction most likely goes to Andre Norton who wrote Quag Keep after playing a gaming session with the father of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax. She wrote about a group of role players who were drawn into the World of Greyhawk, with the best character being a bard who sang Billy Joel songs. Unfortunately, neither book one nor two of this series is on Audio, so by default I will be talking about the Sleeping Dragon; which is a far better story anyway.

This book is so brilliant that it actually blazed a new genre that is really only taking a hold today. This is one of the books that literally cast the mold that Gamelit books operate out of today. You have to understand that this book came out in 1983, just before the whole Dungeons and Dragons is turning your children into satanic slaves and warping them into cultists. It hit right at the popularity, and came outright about the time that the iconic D&D cartoon came out. Guardians is about some college students who get together to do some role-playing with a professor once a week. On the night we join them the Prof. has a new setting, and they've added a new player. The only problem is that they aren't playing a game, and the Prof. Isn't what he seems. They find themselves in the game world as their characters. They soon find out that they are playing for keeps with their lives, and need to find a way back home before they all end up dead.

The writing is slick, sharp, and dramatic. The only flaws that I see is, that looking back with 2018 lens over my eyes the book can come across as a little chauvinistic. One girl is a love interest for the MC, and another is the game “slut”, who has really suffered a lot of sexual abuse in her life, and ends up having more tossed on her once they hit the game world. The realism is fantastic, characters die because they do stupid things, and the party, who only wants to go home, begins to suffer attrition as they move forward. The fight scenes are incredible, and the characterizations are so spot on they feel like real people.

This book really was ahead of its time. The writing is powerful, and the characters fully fleshed out. You empathize with them, and really feel like you know them. The plot the pacing, and the cast of characters feel organic. Not forced. Silverstein embodies the characters too. He drives home every blade swing, every burn, and every bite. His portrayal of Karl, Walter, and the dwarf, Ahrmin are outstanding, and his female voices are intense and believable.

You will not want to miss this book, not if you love Gamelit or litrpg. It sets off a fantastic series that goes for quite a while and only peters out after Karl’s son takes over, and unfortunately, Silverberg does die before he ends the series, but that is ok, and you know how things are going to work out. Honestly, I suggest the first 5 books and then cutting free. You’ll have fun, and get a lot out of the series.

Final Score: 9 out of 10

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