A spoiler free review!
General Impression;
I will start out this review by giving a general impression. Mostly for people who love tldr; versions. The book is well worth a credit, following the now extremely popular trend of litrpg. We start out with a group of (online) friends clearing a certain part of the game. At this point everything feels as a mostly generic litrpg start, and I felt something needed to happen to really catch my interest in the story. Fortunately for me (and you! 😉 ) something did happen to give this story a unique twist. Of course I am not going to spoil that for you, so it’s something you have to figure out yourself!
Narration;
One of the most important ingredients for a successful audiobook, is of course, the narration. Well, Jeff Hays does it again. This time he teamed up with Laurie, and they do make an excellent team. I can imagine some people being deterred after seeing this book has a double narration, but I have learned to appreciate the synergy it can lead to after listening to ‘The Way of Kings’. If you feel hesitant seeing this has multiple narrators, don’t be, it can add an extra dimension as in this case. Jeff Hays is quickly becoming one of my favorites, with his wide vocal range and talent. My compliments!
Story;
In all honesty, there were times when everything felt a bit too slow. The progression in the story felt halted somewhat when the characters were ‘exploring’ certain areas of the world. Everything always leads up to something though and even the slower parts were building blocks for something new and bigger. It might just be that I was impatient, or that others share my opinion, but I think it would serve the story well to increase the pace somewhat.
However! The story is solid as we switch from ‘real life’ to the gaming world. Both worlds are explored and sometimes I felt conflicted in my desire to learn more about the two. As the first book in what I hope will at least be a trilogy, there was mostly world and conflict building, as well as some story progression. The story itself was interesting, fun(ny), and quite a joy to listen to. It has a lot more depth than one might imagine at the start of the book.
Characters;
The main character is clever, passionate and honestly a good gamer. All good qualities for a litrpg. He is accompanied by a group of friends, his father, and a few NPC’s which might be a bit too clever for their own good. They are all solidly written. I can’t imagine anyone who is a litrpg fan not loving the them, or at least appreciating them. I especially loved the choice of having Laurie narrate one of the ‘male’ characters, she gives him so much personality he has quickly become one of my favorite characters! *pewpewpeeeeeew*
To buy, or not to buy?
Simple, if you are not starving for food, but for listening material, buy it! It might be a tiny bit generic, but with over 14 hours it is well worth the credit! Honestly, I am starving for new reading material almost every single week, and this has kept me satisfied, wanting for more. As this is only the first book on audible by Dave Willmarth, I am sure we can expect many more great works from him.
**Special Notice** There are some references and such to other works. One that made me laugh out loud, rewind to check if I heard it correctly, and then laugh again, was a reference to ‘The Land’. Somewhere during a certain ‘event’ in the city, when everyone was shouting the same phrase over and over, there was one guy just randomly shouting; GNOMES RULE!
Disclaimer;”I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.”