Westley Giles

Gumshoe detective stuff for those who love it.

Reviewed: 06-15-25

Ben Mankiewicz shocked me in the end. I know him from Turner Classics and TYT, but here he’s a writer… the more you live, the more you learn.

Well done by all involved. I enjoyed it. If you’re into Gumshoe pulp stuff, you’ll like this, too.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Well done overall

Reviewed: 05-27-25

No Game for Knights is an overall very solid anthology/ short story compilation that introduces you to various authors. However, as with anything done as a group, there are a some standout authors out of the lineup. To me, those are Larry Corriea, Laurel K. Hamilton, Michael Haspil, and Griffin Barber & Kacey Ezell.

Hamilton’s Squirrel Wizard is memorable and extremely engaging. I believe Haspil wrote the story with the mummy versus the vampires, which stood out to me. Griffin and Ezell wrote the story with the former angelically powered bouncer (cool concept btw). And Larry finishing it up with his Monster Hunter International leaning short story grabbed me because of the perspective he chose to tell the story from. The others were solid, but these four really stood out to me.

Worth your time as a whole, but these four really stood out.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Book 5 and the finale

Reviewed: 04-29-25

The last book…maybe? Well, by the end of this book, I say the possibility of a branching series is very possible. Something akin to Prism Academy and War God For Hire. The building blocks are all in place for it. The story ended well. I remain intrigued by the story overall.

The narration is well done and the book stuck the landing enough that I have the desire to listen to it again at a later date.

Well done, Mr. Burke. Well done!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

David Burke doesn’t disappoint!

Reviewed: 04-24-25

The omnibus is worth your credit if you’ve ever read David Burke before. And if you haven’t, it’s still worth it as a jumping on point. As a Prism Academy fan, I was excited for this one. It’s NSFW, so headphones are advised if you intend to listen to this series anywhere that you’re not alone.

The narrators do a great job, making it even more NSFW. Enjoyable and story rich. Very enjoyable overall.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

This is a tragedy

Reviewed: 04-11-25

A tragedy is written here. Bronson Pinchot did his thing. A compelling story and performance. Well worth the time and money.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A very good first book!

Reviewed: 04-09-25

I’m convinced that this book is a very solid first in the series. Good even. The story is cyberpunk, but is more character study and not heist driven. It was enjoyable to see how the MC interacted with the androids he found himself surrounded by.

The narrator does a solid job as well. A great performance overall with a solid story. Worth the price of admission.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Gygax, cultivators, harems, and betrayal… oh my!

Reviewed: 03-31-25

Let’s get to the good stuff. David Burke is putting out awesome books in my opinion. This progression fantasy is more LitRPG than something like the Cradle Series, but is just as good in its way, if not equals. The narrators were as good as ever and the story is simply a really good listen. Sadly, I’ll have to wait for the next book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A great series. Worth every single minute!

Reviewed: 03-25-25

What a series! 13 books worth of dopeness! The magic is hard enough to keep track of while being soft enough that it was useable as both a means of solving problems or as a point of wonder. That’s a crunchy system! The characters are pretty consistent until maybe right in book 13’s ending sequence. That’s pretty good for a full two series omnibus. Few authors have the ability to keep up the feeling of consistency and interest for so long in the same series/universe.

The narrator is solid. He brought much more life than I’d expected to every character. I would’ve preferred a secondary narrator for the women, but it’s not a normal thing to do. It’s a preference.

I liked the progression of the series. I enjoyed most of the author’s choices and am very intrigued by any further works he’ll release. Great job!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Solid short story

Reviewed: 02-21-25

A solid bit of storytelling. And a good introduction of the next generation. Well worth the time. Short and sweet.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A 4.5 out of 5 series so far

Reviewed: 02-08-25

I have to admit, some LitRpg books have way too much numbers to follow easily. This series is one of those, but I understand the point and need for them. However, let’s talk about the fun stuff for a guy like me. The characters growth that happens almost without you noticing it.

Frank and Ned have quite the bit of character development in this book in particular and throughout the series overall. Frank almost recognizes that he doesn’t want to be taken from Ned. That’s regardless of how much another person was fun to be around. Ned is highly invested in the world, but his guild friends matter more than he expected them to ever be. A loner kid who actually likes not being alone. Who enjoys being with his guild friends every chance he gets.

He’s still crazy for never leaving the game and how he isn’t dead yet is beyond me. However, I refuse to let that pull me out.

Travis Baldree is continuing to play the role with gusto. His depiction of Darling makes you almost forget he’s actually not a girl. Though that’s a mashup of the writing of Kyle Kirrin and his performance combined. I’m wondering will Ned actually never want to see her in real life? Well, time will tell.

It’s been a page turner overall. I used all of my credits to get the whole series. I’m off to book 4!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!