I had a pretty good time with this one. Sometimes you listen to audiobooks and they’re nice and all, but you only listen to them during set times throughout the day, like during your commute to and from work. This was one that spilled over that boundary, and I found myself reaching to listen to it far more than just that – while I was working, while showering, etc. That’s definitely a sign that the story is engaging.
I usually prefer books that take place both in a video game as well as in real life, striking a balance between them and exploring the story as a whole in its impact across both. This one was definitely more inclined towards things happening within the game world and could have stood to explore more of Lucas’ real life, but I did appreciate what little time was spent outside of the VR capsule.
When it comes to Soundbooth Theater, their work is usually fairly good, though I’m not generally the biggest fan. I think this wasn’t their best work overall, primarily when it comes to the music being overdone (which frequently made the narration difficult to hear), and some of Justin Thomas James’ characters felt a bit over-exaggerated.
I did admittedly feel my interest waning by the end of the book, but conveniently it was coming to a close, and overall I felt that I had a good time with The Heroic Villain. I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel however, partially because of my waning interest, and partially because I’d heard from other reviews that the second book takes a bit more of a harem turn, and that isn’t really my thing. I could definitely see it poking through a little here (that may have actually contributed to my growing disinterest).
All the same, I think this book stands up pretty well on its own, and ties up its major plot points fairly neatly for those of us who aren’t interested in pursuing the sequel.