Justin and Laurie knock this book out of the park. Laurie is not only expressive in distinguishing her characters; she excels at voicing an AI or system. These two vocal powerhouses pair well, just as they did in James Osiris Baldwin’s Archemi Online series.
I received this audiobook for free on promise of a review, and it’s my first exposure to this series. As such, I have no idea why the main character never logs out, and a few other plot elements are unclear to me. That said, the book’s title says it all, really: the MC becomes not only a bard, but one that does the dance of politics well.
Bards are often a joke class, and very few have portrayed them as competent, in my experience. (Mel Odom’s Threat From the Sea trilogy and Richard Lee Byers’ Haunted Lands trilogy being other exceptions.) Here we have a person who can make rhymes for rap battles, play the violin well, and has spellcasting that has “doesn’t suck” poured all over it! Not only that, he has an awesome chameleon animal companion, which I find the most interesting mechanic of all.
Michelle’s recording of the violin parts is a treat to the ears, and I’d never heard Justin’s singing voice before. He has some pipes!
Anyway, if you enjoy LitRPG wherein a bard may thrive specifically by being a bard, with good voicing and music, then this is a good series to pick up.