The title and summary description are somewhat misleading. Yes, there are some big ‘ol boobs in this one, but you learn right off (no spoiler here) that the main character is not Himmel, but actually, a shape-shifter disguised as a treasure chest. Through sheer dumb luck and many, many accidental successes he begins to go from a low-level demon character designed to challenge newbies, to a full-fledged magic wielding menace.
This R.P.G. (role-playing game) book uses a lot of health points, level up and the usual list of player skills and abilities. What is unique, is that the main character is a challenge object that works his way out of the background and his dungeon prison into the main world. It is a great premise and innovative idea, the trouble is, it takes most of the book to get him to a level that makes him even vaguely interesting to the listener. There is a not-so-subtle erotic element to the book that is more juvenile than truly erotic. Perhaps geared to a young adult R.P.G. audience, it just didn’t resonate with me that well.
It is a satirical book that doesn’t take itself all that seriously, definitely saving the story. A treasure chest that kills skilled warriors is pretty funny. It would have been more fun if the listener could find some reason to care more about the characters. I just didn’t get that, maybe it took too long to get there. There are plenty of magical battles, potions, spells, and some really big boobs to keep the puerile male listening though.
Jeff Hays performs the story well. He gets out of the way, letting the story lead the listener. His character voices are generally good, and easily discernible, though all the females sound like California valley girls. Still, a good job that is easy to listen to and enjoy.
If you like the R.P.G. genre and would like a twist on a pretty crowded field, you might give this a listen. Highly geared to the young adult male audience, if the title and description don’t make that readily clear. It is clearly book one, and now that the stage is set, book two promises to be better. Perhaps it is best to think of book one as a long introduction. The murderous chest finally gets interesting when the book ends. I haven’t listened to book two, so will have to reserve judgment in that respect. Probably best to get both volumes and listen continuously, and then decide how you like them as one.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
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