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Aaron Hathaway

  • 16
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  • 4
  • helpful votes
  • 93
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Intriguing and Satisfying

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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Legendary

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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

Finally hooked

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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A most satisfying and perfect ending to this monumental trilogy

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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After the first 90 minutes I had forgotten completely about the narrator change

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

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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If you liked Beware of Chicken you’ll absolutely adore this one! Don’t sleep on this cozy title.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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Short but great

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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Slight lull in the middle but pulled me right back in, excellent!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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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Highly Enjoyable! J.R. Mathew’s does it again.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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 is one of the funniest books

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

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