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
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
Fostering Faust: Book 3 (08:17)
Score: 8.3 out of 10
Forger of Worlds (14:46)
Score: 8 out of 10
The Forsaken God: An Epic LitRPG Series (21:39)
Score: 8.4 out of 10
The Game: The Game Is Life (29:13)
Score: 7.5 out of 10
----------------------
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
Pause
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.
-------------------
Fostering Faust: Book 3
By: Randi Darren
Narrated by: Stephanie Savannah
Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
Pause
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.
--------------
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.
--------------
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
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