Robert V

Great concept and characters

Reviewed: 08-07-24

I really like this concept, some little without the normal vrmmo setting, with cultivation not being the main focus. I'm not a fan of strictly cultivation novels, but I can take it as an accent or addition. The characters are great, the setting is great, and overall the series is incredibly enjoyable. The narrator is tolerable but not the best I've listened to. I'm pretty picky when it comes to narrators so he at least passes enough that I've listened to the first four books in the series.

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Surprisingly good

Reviewed: 10-18-21

My listening experience in the litrpg genre has be a little hit or miss. I'm new to the genre and there seems to be several nuances that I am not super familiar with. Terms like "cultivation" and the frequent "isekai" reference to anime and manga that I just don't particularly like.

That being said, I know mmorpg's. That's the real reason that I got sucked into this genre and this book has a fantastically unique perspective into that. The MC is a bit of a wounded bird, which I like, but not in a whiney obnoxious way. The characters are fantastic, and I would put this up against any larger names in the genre without blinking an eye.

This is the first book that I've listened to by Travis abs he's a great narrator, I'm a bit peevish about how a lot of narrators pronounce things (secreted being at top of the list) but I've only noticed maybe one word (sluice) that made me cringe.

Kyle is pro as well. After getting book two, which I highly recommend, I joined his discord and found him highly responsive to his fans, welcoming them all and chatting openly with them. I find his level of engagement refreshing and it just makes me more of a fan.

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Great series, great author

Reviewed: 10-18-21

I really enjoy this series, the characters are great and have a good amount of depth. They all have their flaws and seem a lot more real. The MC isn't overpowered like many in the genre, maybe irl but in the game this isn't the case to me, he struggles line everyone else. Very few books make me chuckle openly like these do.

These were the first books that I've listened to that Travis narrated and I really like his narration. Combined with the fact that Kyle, the author, is very down to earth and approachable makes the combined experience great. I'm eagerly awaiting book three and will listen to the entire series again once it hits audible.

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Seriously?

Reviewed: 05-08-21

Let me preface this with the fact that I enjoy a gritty tale. This certainly fits in that category, but I think that the level of gritty was taken a little to the extreme in this book. The greatness of the previous books that Dr. Kong wrote were the depth of not only the main character but the incredible level of interplay with the supporting cast of characters.

This book really has very little of that, instead it is replaced with a excessive amount of brutality just for the sake of brutality. We got the fact that the world is brutal in the first couple chapters, the rest just made the book less and less interesting and left me with less and less interest.

The writing is great, mechanically, and I love everything that I've heard Luke Daniels perform. I'm seriously hoping that the next book gives us a little more effort by Dr. Kong.

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Fantastic! Refreshing!

Reviewed: 01-25-21

While I didn't like the narrator as much as some others, the story itself was compelling and prevented me from giving up early on like I usually do. The story is rich, new, and a wonderful blend of modern fantasy and faerie tales. It's certainly not the run of the mill sword and sorcery tale that so many other authors fall into.

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1 person found this helpful

Stunning

Reviewed: 09-28-20

This book did not disappoint. So many series build up and up and then fall flat at the end, but this book was true to the continuous momentum of this series. There were a few times that I even got a little choked up. Wonderful series!

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Who knew?

Reviewed: 08-20-20

Before listening to the Red Mage: Advent book by Xander Boyce I really was unfamiliar with the litrpg genre and what it was referring to. I've read fantasy and sci-fi my whole life but that term was completely new to me. Who knew how much I would enjoy it? This book is by no means an exception. Luke Daniels did a great job narrating the book and having played mmos since their earliest inception the story feels comforting and familiar. Can't wait to start book two!

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Fantastic

Reviewed: 08-26-19

I have read several books in the past that tried to convey this concept but none have truly done it justice until now. The book was fun and exciting and at no point was I bored or lost. As a gamer, hand designer, and lifelong nerd, I'm really excited to see where he takes us and what he adds in the second book.

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1 person found this helpful

Pronunciations and Pacing

Reviewed: 07-22-19

This is always the big issues, narrators that are incapable of pronouncing common fantasy terms like scimitar (pronounced by this guy as skimitar), winding not like winding a clock but like wind the movement of air... and the way he pronounces Ghul just kills me, not only the "ga-hool" but the tone he takes when he does it. Terrible.

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Pacing and Pronunciation

Reviewed: 06-27-19

Dennis L McKiernan is one of my top five favorite authors and fortunately so because this narrator has an odd way of pronouncing a lot of words. It's not just the odd nuanced names that DLK gives to the foul folk, it's things like "winding", "draught", "scimitar", and several other words. Added to the disjointed and randomly timed pauses in the middle of sentences would make this audiobook intolerable to listen to if written by a lesser author.

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