Aaron Hathaway
- 16
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
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Heretical Fishing 3: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 3
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Try as he might, Fischer still can't catch a break. Tropica's forces have just perpetrated the fantasyland equivalent of crashing the king's party, kicking over the punch bowl, and making a series of rude gestures on their way out. Unfortunately, they're about to learn firsthand that when you take a bully down to the mat, it's best to make sure they don't get back up. Because their enemies are unearthing long-forgotten powers, and if those dabbling in the resulting destructive chi succeed, they could become even more annoying than the time Corporal Claws hid all of Fischer's pants.
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Most feel-good isekai I’ve ever read!
- By Aoife on 11-12-24
- Heretical Fishing 3: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 3
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
Intriguing and Satisfying
Reviewed: 12-11-24
You’ve listened to the first two right? This one is even better. What are you waiting for? Get it now!
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Meet Your Maker: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG
- Meet Your Maker, Volume 1
- By: Seth McDuffee, Johnathan McClain
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 21 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Bruce Silver is the author of the Riftbreaker novels, one of the most popular, beloved fantasy book series of all time. He's got everything he's ever dreamed of having: freedom to tell the stories he wants to tell, legions of enthusiastic fans who wait eagerly to see what he'll write next, and a really nice car. But despite all that, Bruce finds himself dissatisfied, battling an ennui he can't quite put his finger on. So he decides to do what anyone would do in his situation: burn it all down by unexpectedly killing off Carpathian Einzgear, Riftbreaker's cherished hero.
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Quit After an Hour and Returned
- By Long Distance Hiker on 11-11-24
- Meet Your Maker: An Epic Fantasy LitRPG
- Meet Your Maker, Volume 1
- By: Seth McDuffee, Johnathan McClain
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
Legendary
Reviewed: 11-06-24
This was an absolute dream to see the author and narrator from my favorite series, Big Sneaky Barbarian, team up to write a book together. Expectations were very high, and this book did not disappoint. Can’t wait for more!
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1 person found this helpful
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Blackflame
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Lindon has a year left. When his time runs out, he’ll have to fight an opponent that no one believes he can beat. Unless he learns sacred arts the right way, from scratch, he won’t have a chance to win...and even then, the odds are against him. In the course of their training, he and Yerin travel to the Blackflame Empire, where they fight to master an ancient power left behind by a fallen clan. This is Lindon’s chance to learn a true Path, but there are those who do not wish to see these lost techniques revived.
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I need more.
- By charles on 01-02-19
- Blackflame
- By: Will Wight
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Finally hooked
Reviewed: 10-08-24
I kept hearing how amazing this series was, and this was the book that finally drew me in. I love Travis Baldree’s voice, always A+ work, but the story took three books to start really running. If you’re not sure about continuing on and you see this, this should be the tipping point.
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Jake's Magical Market 3
- Home Sweet Home
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 36 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Last time we saw Jake, he was [redacted to avoid spoilers] with [redacted] in order to travel to [redacted]. He had finally learned [redacted] and [redacted]. He was just starting to [redacted]! So join him now on his new adventure as he [redacted! redacted! redacted!]. Ok, no spoilers allowed, but be prepared for a life-changing, world-spanning, time-twisting conclusion to Jake's story!
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What a crybaby mc
- By Amazon Customer on 06-22-24
- Jake's Magical Market 3
- Home Sweet Home
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
A most satisfying and perfect ending to this monumental trilogy
Reviewed: 07-25-24
A standing ovation. Mathews has outdone himself. All these myriad loose ends tied up in a very satisfying way.
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Jake's Magical Market 2
- A Trek Through Time
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The long-awaited sequel to Jake’s Magical Market is finally here—and now with more market! Well, not quite yet. First, Jake has to survive a perilous trek through time if he ever hopes to return home to his friends, his market, and his former world. The last time we saw our intrepid hero, Jake had barely managed to escape being trapped on a dead version of his own world. Using a combination of his new powers, he threw himself backward through time, back to when the god that trapped him first rose to power.
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disappointing tbh
- By Jacob Daniel Aubrey on 02-18-24
- Jake's Magical Market 2
- A Trek Through Time
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: John Pirhalla
After the first 90 minutes I had forgotten completely about the narrator change
Reviewed: 04-22-24
This book is much more moderately paced compared to book 1. And it think that’s exactly what you’d expect of any progression title. Similarly it speaks to and answers many questions from the first novel, how the cards came to be, what the gods had stopped from the multiverse. Give this book a go, the next book is said to be the conclusion of the series, if I recall correctly, and releases not long after this book.
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Heretical Fishing: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 1
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
- Length: 23 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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When summoned to a fantastical world and granted powers by a broken System, most freshly minted protagonists would strap on their big-boy boots and get ready for their stats to start climbing. But Fischer isn't like most MCs. In fact, he doesn't want to be a hero at all. Fame? Fortune? Power? He had enough of all that in his old life. Discovering forbidden fishing techniques and petting every cute animal that comes within scritching distance? Now that's a good time.
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The Plot Armor is Unreal
- By Warren on 03-18-24
- Heretical Fishing: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself
- Heretical Fishing, Book 1
- By: Haylock Jobson
- Narrated by: Heath Miller
If you liked Beware of Chicken you’ll absolutely adore this one! Don’t sleep on this cozy title.
Reviewed: 04-01-24
What can I say, I enjoyed every moment of this cozy book. Heath Miller’s dulcet Aussie tones were a delight.
Yes there’s cultivation but it’s not the focus of this slice of life Isekai fishing tale. There’s no harem and instead of the heavily Asian theme of most Xianxia cultivation novels this is more of an 1800’s European vibe.
I was grinning madly so often in sure I probably caused several mothers to grab their children and rush them away from the unhinged man.
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Good Boy
- By: Seth McDuffee
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Hank Merrick was a pretty unremarkable guy - until the world went and got itself destroyed. Unspeakable horrors now wander around ruined cities, claiming what little is left of the old world, and only the dead and forgotten are left to tell the tales. Freshly expired himself, Hank’s spirit begins a mysterious misadventure - finding purpose in the afterlife. Using guile, a bit of iron, and his shambling corpse companion named Maw, Hank sarcastically slogs through the nightmare landscape.
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Short but delightful
- By IllusiveLemon on 11-19-21
- Good Boy
- By: Seth McDuffee
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
Short but great
Reviewed: 08-14-23
Don’t spend a credit on this, buy it directly, should be less than the cost of a credit. I quite enjoyed this short post apocalyptic jaunt. Be sure to checkout Seth’s second audiobook (series), Big Sneaky Barbarian, it’s what brought me to this great book, that and Travis who is always great.
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Azarinth Healer: Book Two
- By: Rhaegar
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
- Length: 19 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Still haunted by her encounter with the Taleen Praetorians, Ilea makes her way south to join the Shadow’s Hand and hone her skills. Having fought alongside members of the infamous mercenary order, she hopes to meet kindred spirits who share her completely reasonable passion for battle, adrenaline, and near-death experiences.
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About what I expected
- By O. C. Stevens on 04-28-23
- Azarinth Healer: Book Two
- By: Rhaegar
- Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
Slight lull in the middle but pulled me right back in, excellent!
Reviewed: 07-04-23
Another amazing entry in this series. If you liked the first book then don’t hesitate to grab this one too. There’s a bit of a lull in the middle but it picks right back up!
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Portal to Nova Roma: Venice
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland
- Length: 20 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Alexander and his growing legion have managed to escape Nova Roma and, more importantly, learned that the rest of the world may not be as ravaged by monsters as they had all thought. Join them as they set sail for ancient Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic, to try to learn more about the wider world outside Nova Roma. Along the way, they'll encounter a growing plague of deadly pirates, deceitful old merchant families out to quash any new competitors in the region, mysterious new allies, and much more.
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Very fun read, met expectations from book 1
- By Kindle Customer on 10-22-22
- Portal to Nova Roma: Venice
- By: J.R. Mathews
- Narrated by: Christian J. Gilliland
Highly Enjoyable! J.R. Mathew’s does it again.
Reviewed: 05-31-23
Mathews strikes a fine balance between power and challenge. Looking forward to the rest of this series.
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Big Sneaky Barbarian: A LitRPG Novel
- Book 1
- By: Seth McDuffee
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 20 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Gabe Skelter has a temper, which he likes to imagine has the effect of causing people to fear and respect him. On the contrary, his pudgy, underdeveloped body and negative personality make him more your standard outcast teenager. Worse still, he kinda knows what a jerkweed he actually is. Then, in the middle of a class trip, Gabe finds himself spirited away to Regaia: a world of magic, mayhem, and nerd-tastic adventure. Naturally, he’s completely ill-prepared. But in this realm, he’s a monstrous, muscular man of action.
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is this a joke?
- By MaDonna Wesberry on 12-10-22
- Big Sneaky Barbarian: A LitRPG Novel
- Book 1
- By: Seth McDuffee
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
Big Sneaky Barbarian is one of the funniest books
Reviewed: 02-23-23
I recently read a review for this audiobook that is so perfectly written that I've reached out to the reddit user and obtained permission to use it here, as well as the narrator Johnathan McClain's direct response to this review
Reddit user /u/californiagovernor writes:
I’ve seen reviews swinging either way with this one but I’m going to say that without a doubt, the best new offering in this genre is Big Sneaky Barbarian.
While it has been posted on Royal Road since early 2022, it wasn’t published as a book/audiobook until December of 2022. With that: my god this book is good!
The short of it: Big Sneaky Barbarian is an unbelievably funny LitRPG written by Seth McDuffee and featuring a short tempered teenage metalhead who encounters error after error in a fantasy world after choosing to become a barbarian orc. It’s stuffed to the brim with mayhem and foibles and is really, under it all, a story about the transformation of the main character into a better person.
On the one hand, it’s one of the funniest books I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Full stop. Not just in LitRPG. Period.
I listen to audiobooks while I commute to work and this is not an exaggeration, there was a legitimate danger to my health and safety because I had to pull my car over from laughing so hard. Multiple times. Rather than rely on cheap puns or tired memes, the author has crafted a tale filled with actual honest-to-goodness fresh jokes. If not belly laughing at the dialogue, you’re chuckling at the main characters' descriptions and metaphor.
There’s little doubt that McDuffee could make a name for himself in the writer’s room of the next big syndicated comedy, but decided to hang out with us here in the meantime. This is further enhanced by the narrator Johnathan McClain who absolutely mops the floor with comedic narration. McClain’s ability to polish even the roughest material and make it shine is well-known, but the content he was provided in Big Sneaky Barbarian allows him to show off what it means to be a masterwork narrator. It gave me the impression that he enjoyed narrating this book as much as I enjoyed hearing it. The audiobook is a marriage of two superpowers and it is a feast.
While the delivery was excellent it is the writing that takes the majority of the credit for it being such a worthwhile read.
While being hilarious is a fantastic merit for a book to achieve, it’s only a piece of what sets this apart from anything else in the genre.
The other hand is what actually makes it such a compelling story. Not satisfied with just being a comical romp of misdeeds, Big Sneaky Barbarian brilliantly cleaves through the usual tropes and stereotypes of the genre and subverts them over and over. McDuffee weaves a tale that is full of mischief and full of woe, but also an extremely self-aware and thoughtful story that effortlessly blends the humorous and the tragic resulting in an outstanding overall experience.
The shift from hysterical pandemonium to deep sorrow within the pages is a dime turn and the author navigates this expertly. One minute you’re chortling and the next you’re sobbing. I was wholly shocked (at first) with how meaningful the narrative was. I laughed, yea, but I also had tears welling up during certain sections.
Big Sneaky Barbarian deals in wit and it deals in trauma and I can’t help but to feel as though this is an important book, made all the better knowing it’s crafted by a powerhouse writer. Again and again, the story pivots its tone with a masterful hand and it is genuinely hard to believe that this is, of all things, LitRPG.
The best works of literature hit a theme or strike a chord that resonates with the reader in a way that creates a strong lasting emotion. It’s easy to see the effect this book has already had on folks because the reviews seem to be either extremely positive, or passionately negative. Yet, even so, the majority of the negative reviews call attention to the book being well written and that the predominant gripe is with the main character Gabe/Loon himself. Which seems to be the point of the whole thing. This MC is written so that you can watch him improve.
Read this book, damn it.
It is an actual work of art. You might hate the main character, but that will have changed by the end.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Big Sneaky Barbarian will sit with the classics. It’s far too genius not to.
The narrator Johnathan McClain who goes by reddit user /u/ihatethisappthemost reponds:
“It gave me the impression that he enjoyed narrating this book as much as I enjoyed hearing it.” Yes. I am Johnathan McClain and I am going to break the 4th wall here and say yes. Twice. I did an AMA with Seth because I want everyone to read this book. Listen, read, whatever.
I’ve narrated a couple hundred audiobooks, been on a few dozen TV shows, a couple of movies, acted in maybe 100 plays, and also written some TV, a movie, and a handful of books and I say this with all sincerity … Big Sneaky Barbarian is one of my top 10 favorite creative experiences. Ever.
So. Tell people I said so. Because I just did. This book is fu**ing wonderful and balances comedy with genuine human emotion against a backdrop of the absurd and a delicate handling of a classic antihero with a skill you don’t see very often.
Read it.
(Also, this is a wonderfully written critique. Like, it’s nice that it’s positive, but even more than that, it’s just beautifully constructed and thoughtfully wrought. Well done, you.)
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2 people found this helpful