I’m bumping my rating up to a 4 for the interesting way that the author created the universe and systems in this audiobook. On the whole I enjoyed the book, but there is a major flaw in the pacing. The performance is what we have come to expect from Travis Baldree. No complaints there. The writing is executed well, and while the schlubby, unmotivated MC is a bit of a whiner, it’s not as overdone as is common in other LitRPGs. The real flaw in this book is that only about 30-40% of it is actually plot or character driven. Because the MC is stranded on a desert island there’s not a whole lot of opportunity for the MC to interact with other interesting characters. The other 60-70% of the story is just stat and skill development with very little plot to move it forward. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like a Jonathan Brooks novel where the author just dryly info dumps on you for 5 hours without any real character activity. Stubblefield at least does a good job of having combat and training act as the catalyst for the stat and skill development. That said, we get the vast majority of the main storyline in the first few hours, then some minor hints and flashbacks throughout the rest of the book. Then finally everything wraps up in about 45 minutes with starting rapidity. This story has potential, and given that this is a new author I am hoping that the next book will address this issue. The universe and story have a whole lot of opportunities to be extremely exciting and interesting. Mr Stubblefield just needs to do a better job of keeping the pace consistent and the plot driving forward. If you’re a GameLit fan this is worth a credit. With any luck some decent sales will give this new author the opportunity to make the next book live up to the potential that is represented in his first effort.