LISTENER

Anonymous

  • 59
  • reviews
  • 43
  • helpful votes
  • 178
  • ratings

Was about to quit but final chapters got better.

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

Reviewed: 07-07-25

Ok, 6th verse just like the first!!!!! At least till the last chapters. I was done with the book and thinking of turning it back in but at the end there was some good story and plot progession. Enough that I will buy the next book to see if it continues on.

Spoilers:
He tells Drestra “he’s sentient” then she says “why is he going to attack” and then Alex says “oh yea she doesn’t know he’s sentient?” Ugggggg Exactly why would she be aggressive? Why would he think she is dangerous? Weird?

All the confrontation about asking if he’s the fool is just agony of stupidity to listen to.

Cedric being mad way to long. Getting irritating. Though believable.

I was curious about the economics of the world and how they didn’t make sense. Then I had to suffer for I don’t know how many pages of the most idiotic monetary fantasy until I just started skipping chapters. I mean he established the minimum wage is 1 silver a day and he negotiates his new job at 50 gold. Literally if 1 silver was say $50 dollars a day then he negotiates a wage of $25,000 a day as a part time apprentice. On top of that a town-home in the cheap part of the city is 60k gold. So projecting the value that would be $30,000,000…???? If you are going to put numbers in a story then at least try and keep them in the realm of realistic function. And all this while fighting a god, a church, and cultists, oh and going to college full time and doing a full time internship and planning foreign trips. Fn hell this book is basically fantasy version of Fast n Furious 10 crossed with DBZ. Ugggggg I better go shove a blue crayon up my nose into my brain if I want a chance to enjoy these books. Seriously shouldn’t have the job or spend time screwing around with these silly side quests.

Employers in this world can physically beat their employees? Even in the most expensive civilized city? It is believable in really hostile horrible areas but civilized? It’s just weird?

And again bakeries can use rotten ingredients to make stuff and hide it with sugar? These side quests plots are really stupid.

Alex wanting to hire minions to fight in hell so his trustworthy friends don’t get killed? Cowardly and stupid.

Seriously? Drestra was hiding she was a dragon? That was her embarrassing secret? Uggggg. More explosions. More CGI. This is a stupid plot.

Oh thank Cthulh we finally got some plot progression. I was done with these books and their wandering nonsensical side quests, then at the end there was some plot progression and interesting story. The new characters were interesting though they were apparently red shirts. Which is still dumb. But I will buy the next book now to see where it goes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

continuation of a pretty good story.

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

Reviewed: 06-30-25

Second verse! Same as the first! Continuation of the story. Interesting story though Alex is a bit of a Marty Stu and uses plot armor instead of intelligence but he's a hero so it works. The other characters are interesting and fairly fun. Added a couple things that don't make sense. I'm still trying to figure out the value of potions and their ingredients. He drinks them like a sailor in port so has lots but the rest of the world doesn't so how much money is he chugging and where is he getting the ingredients? Not important but curious. The second one is huge weapons. Stories always run into this problem of adding something powerful then having to ignore it. Poked at it being used but it's so simple that logically it will be used against them which plot armor will keep from happening..... or there will be an awesome explanaion why not? Tune in next week young fools to find out lol.

Spoiler notes:

Ahhhhh the age old error of bringing weapons of mass destruction into the story without also answering how each side would logically react to them existing. I hope there is a decent explanation because the idea the enemy hasn’t been using them for thousands of years and just sitting on them is stupid. Even if it is a big surprise, there are hundreds of people who know about it and how easy it is to achieve. It will take 3 seconds for the enemy to have the technology.

Wonder why he didn’t tell his boss to use Dungeon cores for Golums.

Why did they kill the spy for being a spy? He got caught by his own side? I really don’t get it.

Exactly why isn’t the chancellor destroying dungeons?

Nobody explores the great big windmill next to the encampment and finds the monsters lol.

Alex not getting any help to go fight last battle is just stupid.

Chanting, “Think, Adapt” stops time to think and can overcome any problem lol.

He’ll summon all of the demons and elementals to give rewards? He’s got the names of all of them?

Ok dancing in pale moonlight was funny.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Looking at the cover I think there might bea golum

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-26-25

Prettymuch the same plot holes as the first book but with interesting characters and monsters. Little bit of a Marty Stu in making his Golum. “You had to know that was a spoiler from the cover.” I mean I would have expected him to make a few little ones or toys or something to learn first but he apparently doesn’t need any of that growth or learning stuff. Same with the battles. The whole jump into the deep end teaching and learning method is kinda cool but in a pool there is a bit more of a chance to survive over the fights they train in. I guess that's what plot armor is for. I also don’t get the economics yet. Though that’s probably ok. They are confusing enough to not jump out to bad, but they do jump out. I mean it is established that minimum wage in the podunks in 1 silver a day and that golums have been sold for 20,000 gold and he ends up working for 2 gold a day but learns the ability to make golums??? I think I’d be making golums in my spare time instead of working after I learned but that’s a dumb thing to get caught up on. The story is much broader than that and worth reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Rotten eggs can be used to make cake???

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-26-25

Ok book. Better than most. Not as good as others. It has weird logic and plot holes and pretty stiff plot armor to push the plot along, but sometimes the characters are actually smart and do the intelligent thing like getting help or running away instead of the good old Mary Sue ideals that ruin so much of entertainment this last decade. And most important, the characters are interesting. Sometimes you will hit fast forward when they spend 10 minutes wondering about nonsensical things but the action and plot and jokes are pretty good.

Spoilers:
It starts out with Alex getting revenge on his boss by tattling to the popo that he uses rotten eggs to make his cakes???? Just a weird and stupid plot line. No amount of sugar can cover up the taste of rotten eggs. Why the hell would that even be a possibility? I mean are eggs like $100 each or something? It made me about turn the book in worried that most of the plot would be like that. Spoiler alert. It is. But amazingly enough there is enough humor and good decisions that you can still turn your brain off a little bit for the stupid stuff and enjoy it. I mean he finds out he is cursed and immediately asks his best friend to help him instead of just running away alone. The whole plot bounces back and forth between good choices and just plain weird ones. But in the end it’s worth reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Constant funny low brow humor and no plot.

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

Reviewed: 05-09-25

Ummmmmm meh. This book was written for 12 year old boys and rugby players. A constant stream of jokes and one liners, which to be fair are pretty funny. No plot beyond something for a 2600 video game. No clever planning or thinking, Just the usual old, “My anger and luck can overcome any lack of talent or intelligence or planning!” So basically the same as every anime the last 30 years.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Dime novel.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-20-25

Writing and story are actually pretty good by common standards. Not a classic or masterpiece by any stretch but worth reading. Takes forever to really get a plot and I about stopped reading several times but made it to the end. I was beginning to think there wasn’t any redemption arc. It was Al Capon fighting Hannibal Lecter who had hired Jafar to torture and kill people. Only Al Capon brought some happiness by supplying alcohol to the masses where Lock just took from the rich and…. dropped it in a hole??? Then finally there is a redemption arc where he saves the children and the most horrible feudal society in the most frustrating, and stupid, and heroic way possible. Then the set piece showdown once again proves that anger and hatred can overcome any level of ability, skill, strength, and intelligence. Ugggggggg. Yea read it if you got nothing else but better re re-read any Pratchett or Douglas Adams book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Total Marty Stu but in a good way.

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-07-25

Was about to chalk these books up to low hanging drivel but I hung in there and found the story is actually interesting and the characters are fun. I don’t think they are read a second time books but they are fun to give a read through once. Having said that the morals presented in the books do bug me.
Spoilers:

I get running out to save your pet all emotionaly charged up, but then torturing the ANIMAL that was killing your pet that was invading the ANIMAL'S territory and was killing members of its family??????

Two slaves are horrible criminals and are now being used as forced labor instead of killing them by a slaver sadist then kill the horrible slaves and then work with the sadist???

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

More political meetings please. Uggggg

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

Reviewed: 01-23-25

Second book is a continuation of the first as far as weak plot. Spoilers: Worst part so far is Corrin is a sailor, and they are being attacked by pirates and he makes an impossible shot using magic that blows up the pirates and all the sailors cheer in celebration that they won’t die, or be tortured, or slaves!!!! No they don’t, No, No they don’t do that. They immediately hate and mistrust Corrin and kick him off the ship as soon as they can for being a wizard in a world where wizards are treated like royalty????? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Just…… ugggg.
Nest stupid thing. Two murderers try and kill him and rob him so he knocks them out and lets them go? Where does the idea that it’s good to let murders go so they can kill other people come from? Most writers and directors think the good guy must let the murder go? That makes the “good” guy a moron and a coward and an accomplice for all the people the murderer will kill in the future.
Again Corrin won’t shoot the running murderers that attacked the caravan. I don’t think I’ll be buying any more of these stupid books.
Caravan throws away the expensive chain that the bandits used to block the road? Why? Don’t know.
I'm done. Cheated and looked at the reviews of the next book and apparently it won't get any better but will actually get worse.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Comedy of errors when it's not a comedy.

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-21-25

Spoilers:

Hiding boys’ power from him because he might use it? Stupid this is never addressed in any meaningful way.
Queen brushing off the idea the bear was being controlled after a wizard told her it had been? Why? Stupid?
Manipulated the princess cleverly.
The queen arguing that they shouldn’t protect the kingdom with arms is stupid. Need to give a reason why she is a stupid b^&$&. Guess kinda did that her husband was killed. So she’s just stupid. Hate her.
The a#$%^ priest is irritating but within believability. Corrin is a moron to confide in him though.
Corrin is an idiot quite a bit in order to move the plot along.
Saying not to love because you grow older slower? Stupid.
I remember now why I stopped reading this book. The comedy of errors and stupidity to make the plot move along is painful. The queen, the general, everybody that says or overhears anything, the hero, all must be complete morons to move the plot along. Even the smart wizard must fumble and say the stupidest things at the right moment for the plot to advance. Weak writing.
The queen knows Corrin is a wizard and the only hope for her kingdom, so when her daughter is almost assassinated by a gargoyle pushed off the roof, she looks across the courtyard to where Corrin is being arrested as a coward because the general is an idiot and yells that it’s all Corrin’s fault for being a Jinx. The guards told to get Corrin to protect him decide that their orders were to arrest him and throw him in the dungeon. And the errors go on and on and on. My Cthulhu but the plot is weak with this one. Morons don’t stay in power when there is true danger and everyone has to be a moron in the book for the plot to work. It’s irritating as hell to read. They keep saying they have to hide his power from himself but still haven’t heard a logical reason why. Even though when he’s fighting a wizard he uses his power to stop a fireball??? I guess the plot is they made stupid decisions that cause the catastrophe. Sooo whatever. If I wanted a story about everyone making stupid decisions that cause all the problems I’d just watch the news.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Loathed the characters.

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

Reviewed: 01-19-25

I wrote a long review of this book going through its plot holes and unbelievable characters, but it's not here anymore??? Odd. Loathed this book. Multiple characters acted in ways that no human ever would.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!