I don’t really know what I was expecting. The reviews made this seem like a bit of a risky pick-up, both because I came looking for this as a LitRPG book and because many of the reviews seemed to paint the story as boring.
I am very happy that I did.
First, before I get to the story, the performance by Jeff Hays was nothing short of amazing. His range was incredible, and he really did a great job of characterizing everyone. It was honestly hard to believe listening that only one person was doing the narration. This is the first title with Jeff Hays as the narrator I’ve picked up, but this book instantly made him one of my favorites, right up there with R. C. Bray.
Now, the story was incredibly fun. I honestly can’t remember a story that I’ve had so much fun with in a while. The main character is definitely an anti-hero, not a villain, and it makes things interesting. He seems like the ultimate utilitarian pragmatist that also has his own strong set of personal morals. They aren’t the SAME set of morals as most other people, but he absolutely refuses to cross them. However, ANYTHING outside of his own morals he views entirely from a utilitarian and pragmatic perspective.
It can make him seem somewhat aloof at times, but overall it serves the character very well.
Honestly, if you enjoy both super heroes and video games, this story is a no brainer. I don’t really think any interest or experience with video games is needed though, as the portions related to that are fairly well explained and not a primary focus.
Now I have to cut this review short here, as I need to go buy the second book immediately.