LitRPG Audiobook Podcast 061 - Monster's Mercy, Barakdor- Book 2, Core of Fear, War Aeternus 5
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
Alexa Drey: The Veils of Lamerell - Barakdor Book 2 (14:46)
Score: 7.9 out of 10
Core of Fear: A Paranormal LitRPG Dungeon Core - Spirit Core Book 1 (21:46)
Score: 7 out of 10
War Aeternus 5: End of the Faithful (37:36)
Score: 8.7 out of 10
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Monster's Mercy
By: William D. Arand
Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!
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