LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 052 - Death's Mantle, Reborn: Apocalypse, Towers of Heaven - Book 2, Everybody Loves Large Chests - Book 4
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
Reborn: Apocalypse, Book 1 (18:32)
Score: 8.3 out of 10
Towers of Heaven (A LitRPG Adventure) (27:51)
Score: 8.3 out of 10
Soundbooth Spotlight:
Morgana: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Book 4 (40:34)
Score: 8 out of 10
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Death's Mantle
By: Harmon Cooper
Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Morgana: Everybody Loves Large Chests, Book 4
By: Neven Iliev
Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott
Length: 17 hrs and 43 mins
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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.
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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!
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