East meets West in the best pairing since Reese’s peanut butter cups. OK, maybe not THAT good, but it IS a good book.
This is a Western cultivation novel set in a parallel Greco-Roman world. Zach voices the moody Roman well, and Justin fits the more playful Lio. This was a perfect casting choice, and the pair of characters have the grumpy-and-happy dynamic you find in, say, Michael J. Sullivan’s Riyria Chronicles (download the Professional Integrity short story for free!). Emma does well for the female cast; all around, a great production.
So, let’s get into the nitty gritty here: I consider Tao Wong’s A Thousand Li to be the standard for traditional cultivation novels; in gamer terms, it’s half leveling/grinding/crafting, and half questing. Combat is detailed and heavy on martial arts. By comparison, Virtuous Sons is more divided between intrigue (and drinking) and questing. Combat is not as detailed, which is one weak point I’d like to see improved on in a sequel, and I think there could be a deeper exploration of how cultivation works in this setting.
Overall, this is an excellent book if you like cultivation, the classical era, or just good audiobooks. In full disclosure, I received this book for free on promise of a review; and I also am somewhat trained in classics. This book has some literary gems in it, such as the Greek sea shanty, the interlude called The Reinholder, and the battle hymn of the Legion. There is more ART in the writing here than most books of The Nerd Metagenre (LitRPG, Cultivation, Isekai).
Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars, which means it’s above average. To me, this is 100/100. Check out Virtuous Sons!a