An Unexpected Hero Audiobook By Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle cover art

An Unexpected Hero

A LitRPG Adventure

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An Unexpected Hero

By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Justin Thomas James, Annie Ellicott, Ian M. Walker
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About this listen

Some men are born heroes. Others have heroism thrust upon them?

Sorry... Really? Thrust? Anyway, Danny Kendrick was a down-on-his luck performer who always struggled to find his place. He certainly never wanted to be a hero. He just hoped to earn a living doing what he loved.

That all changes when he pisses off the wrong guy and gets sucked into a fantasy realm straight out of a Renaissance Fair.

Getting used to a new world is tough. It's even tougher when you're surrounded by axe-wielding barbarians, super hot elf assassins, strange magic, and a jaded System that doesn't appear interested in being charged with yet another companion.

Danny must adapt fast, turn on the charm, and learn to accept his given Class if he hopes to master it and survive this dangerous new place.

But he has a knack for finding trouble. Gifted what seems like an innocent ancient lute after making a questionable deal with a Hag, Danny becomes the target of mysterious factions who seek to claim its power.

It's up to him, Screenie, and his new barbaric friend, Curr, to uncover the truth and become the heroes nobody knew they needed. And maybe, just maybe, Danny will finally find a place where he belongs. Perhaps, even where he'll thrive.

Jump into this fantasy isekai LitRPG Adventure filled with unforgettable characters, loveable companions, unlikely heroes, slow-build power, progression, and plenty of comedy. It's perfect for fans of Dungeon Crawler Carl, Scott Meyer's Off to be the Hero, and This Trilogy is Broken!

Come for the Adventure, stay for the Laughs!

©2024 Aethon Books (P)2024 Aethon Audio
Cyberpunk Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Humorous Fantasy Funny Witty Elf Fiction

About the Creator

Rhett C. Bruno is the USA Today and Audible #1 Bestselling Author of The Circuit Saga, Children of Titan Series, The Buried Goddess Saga, and The Luna Missile Crisis; among other works. Dead Acre is his Weird Western debut. He was nominated for a Nebula award for his short story, Interview at the End of the World. After leaving his job as an architect, Rhett helped found Aethon Books and is currently a full-time author/publisher living in Delaware with his wife, daughter, and dog Raven.

About the Creator

Jaime Castle is the Washington Post, #1 Audible Bestselling author of The Luna Missile Crisis, The Buried Goddess Saga—which includes the IPPY award-winning Web of Eyes—and more. Hailing from the great nation of Texas, he lives with his wife and two children and enjoys anything creative. Castle co-hosts Keystroke Medium, a popular podcast devoted to reading, writing, and everything in between. His office looks as if Marvel and DC vomited on his walls and he refuses to clean it up.

About the Creator- Jeff Hays

About the Performer

Jeff Hays is a voice actor with tremendous range, a producer and narrator of over 200 audiobooks—including the beloved Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—a musician and composer, and founding CEO of Soundbooth Theater. His creativity coupled with unrelenting ambition led him to launch Soundbooth Theater at the crossroad of these mediums.

Critic reviews

"Is it funny? No. It's effing hilarious!"—Matt Dinniman, author of Dungeon Crawler Carl

"A fun and musical take on isekai LitRPG. I'm loving it!"—J.M. Clarke, author of Mark of the Fool

"A rollicking good time, and now I know where my ulna is."—Eric Ugland, author of The Good Guys

What listeners say about An Unexpected Hero

Highly rated for:

Humorous Story Engaging Characters Unique Premise Entertaining Adventure Clever Writing Stellar Voice Acting
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spoiled by the narration

loved it could not wait to listen to more finished it in to 2 days. litrpg this should be the goal for all narrations out there. and the story is good.

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Screenie is fantastic!

definitely enjoyed this audiobook and it was so well done I felt like I was listening to an audio play! screenie is pretty amazing and they really did a great job with all of the voice actors for the characters.

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funny!

I enjoyed all the different characters, the story, and the music. it would be an enjoyable movie as well!

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An exemplar of the medium

This easily is one of the books that shows why you might prefer an audiobook to just reading. The cast and production truly elevate the material. To be honest I found it a little slow to truly find its’ footing, but about 2/3 of the way through the book I was already checking to see if there were more to the series ready.

Pop culture references can be a turn off for me honestly and they are definitely plentiful here. The MC starts off annoying as well, but he does mature as the book goes on. It feels logical that he was in a state of arrested adolescence as well given his prior life. These would usually be turned off, but I do feel that the story of eventually overcomes them without completely abandoning the foundation.

The production also is truly top notch. A story of a bard that just says “he played an amazing tune” doesn’t hit the same. Looking forward to seeing where this goes in the future.

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Really resting spin

Really enjoyed this story, the MC is funny and has a cast of interesting side kicks. I’m still fairly new to the LitRPG genre but I really enjoyed the humor and character interplay in this story. Looking forward to book 2!

As for specifically the audible, I really enjoyed the full cast and music, it was a really fun departure from my usual audiobook listening.

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different pace than most

but I liked it. gives me that D&D progression vibe, which really gives level gains more substance even tho levels in this series take the backseat while skill checks reign supreme. good take on a unique class, which Ive avoided in every rpg I've ever played. can't wait for book 2.

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Listener received this title free

Bardic Inspiration

An entertaining and humorous story about a struggling musician turned adventurer. A great addition to the starved genre trope that is The Bard. Lighthearted with plenty of action and drama, there’s just enough mystery and intrigue to keep you wanting more. Who IS this sarcastic, slightly-untrustworthy, aptly named A.I.? Is it true that whoever smelt it, dealt it? Never make a deal without reading the fine print. Great narration and musical performances, plenty of rhyming, and more than enough critical fails. Does the wand choose the wizard, or the other way around? Find out when you listen to An Unexpected Hero!

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Great first book can’t wait for more

The story was very well written, and I love the main character and how he deals with being thrown in a new world. It’s refreshing to not have some one be OP from the start.

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Hilarious Twist on Litrpg

This has all the elements of your favorite Litrpg only presented in fantastical and hilarious ways. Highly recommend this story as a pallet cleanser between novels or as a way to regain the love you have for the genre

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Damn!

That was so good I nearly listened to the whole thing straight through from start to finish with no breaks. I can’t think of a single point in the story where I felt bored or anything less than amused. Can’t wait for more!

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