I chose this audiobook based on the title and the front cover. I didn’t read the blurb so I wasn’t expecting a Lit RPG, science fiction, and fantasy. In the past, I’d wondered what it would be like to combine several genres and do it successfully.
Well, Dave Willmarth nails it. I had to listen to the whole audiobook in one sitting, it’s that good.
Mace, voiced by Justin Thomas James, is a coder who was applying for a job at the worlds most popular VR gaming company when the end hits. He is eventually all alone and to deal with the loneliness and bleakness of his current reality, he immerses himself in the game “Alesia”. While in-game he can interact with Non-Player Characters (NPC) which simulates some much needed human contact. Back in the real world, he meets up with Shari, voiced by Laurie Catherine Winkel, who is a med student and has been surviving in the outside world. She joins up with him in the real world and in the MMO game. In order to survive in the real world, they must periodically leave to scavenge as they can only eat sealed or prepackaged food. Almost all animals, humans and vegetation have become tainted so their supplies will eventually run out.
“Alesia”, an MMO and VR game is loosely set in a Dungeon’s and Dragon’s type world. Mace is a drow (an evil elf/sorcerer, for those not familiar with D&D) and Shari is a light elf/druid. Mace is concerned about their survival in the real world and via the VR pods, he hopes to sync their consciousness with the world Alesia is set in thereby extending their lives.
I found myself relaxing while they were immersed in the game Alesia. If they die in the game, they will lose a level but can respawn to try again. In the real world, the threats are deadly and permanent. Those parts of the audiobook were a bit nerve-wracking.
There is a bit of light romance between Mace and Shari, that I had a difficult time relating to. It’s been ages since I’ve been inclined to flirt so that’s probably just me.
This audiobook production has a cast of three voice actors, Justin Thomas James, Laurie Catherine Winkel, and Jeff Hays. James and Winkel voice our two main characters, among others and Jeff Hayes supplies the voices of other minor characters. My inner two-year-old loves having a variety of voices and/or accents in an audiobook (“Read to me again and do the voices!”). The production of The Land of the Undying does this especially well.
From the ending, I’m sure there will be more books chronicling Mace and Shari’s journey. I definitely recommend this audiobook.
P.S. Keep an ear out for the geek references! I had to laugh aloud quite a few times.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.
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