Heart of Strata Audiobook By G. D. Penman cover art

Heart of Strata

Deepest Dungeon, Book 3 (LitRPG)

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Heart of Strata

By: G. D. Penman
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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Martin dug too deep, he uncovered secrets that the Masters wanted buried forever, and now he must face his punishment.

Trapped inside the game that they once loved, Iron Riot are now faced with a slow death by dehydration as their bodies in the real world are left to rot. The Masters, enigmatic creators of Strata, are willing to let anyone die so long as it preserves their perfect imaginary world.

But there was one thing that they haven’t accounted for: A rat with a plan.

If Iron Riot can finish the game before the timer runs out, defeat the Archdukes, beat the system, and show everyone what they are capable of, then they’ll have the attention of the whole world. The Masters won’t be able to hide in that spotlight. They might be all-powerful, but that doesn’t mean that their hands can’t be forced.

At least, that’s what Martin told them the plan was…

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I enjoyed the character development in this final book of the series. The only issue I had was that the ending did not address many of the subplots brought up in the previous two books, and felt a bit rushed. Still worth listening to the series, though.

Ending leaves some loose ends

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While i enjoyed the story for what it was, this particular book was the weakest, the major point was the ending being… like it was leading into an epilogue but just ended. Jericho seemed more abd more agressive than in the first and even second book to the point i thought him being transformed mentally into a wolf would be a plot point.

Also the parts with the opposing guild seemed like it should have led somewhere.. more.

I feel like this series needed at lesst two more books considering the pacing set in the first two books.

Tldr: ending was weak snd characters bickering might grow annoying but i still enjoyed it for what it was. Even if martin grew a bit too much like the r/iamsosmart kinda stereotype by the end

The weakest of the 3 books

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It felt as if the author had had a disconnect with the mc before writing the third book.

Ending Sucked!!!!

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This series started off with a Bang but ended with a fart. The whole story is a non stop bitch Festival coming from his companions.

meh

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I was really enjoying this series and hopes that it might delve deeper into what was going on, and it ramps up so well…. Only for a really dissatisfying end. It’s a shame since there is so much going for it!

Lackluster Ending

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I will not spoil anything. All I will say was that all the philosophy build up from the last book was pointless and not really maximized.

Not the ending I wanted

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Initially this tale is woven into an engaging tapestry of wonder, horror, and introspection. By the end it falls so flatly on its own face that Voldemort has a long hooked nose by comparison.

Playing off of themes used quite frequently in this genre of books, the first book lays the groundwork for an intriguing story. Was the plot missing some story elements that would otherwise explain key moments? Sure, but that's how you make a setup. Character intros? Some of them definitely lack more than one character trait (the Angy Boi, the Loose Cannon, Healer (tm) and I Don't Understand Social Cues But I'm A Manipulation God (copyrighted)). Overall, a well executed first book.

The second begins to unravel the preconceived notions of the first, laying down room for a deliciously terrifying plot twist that truly sets the stage for some fun. Still some holes, but still acceptable. Have the characters changed? Nope, but that's fine still. Do we have any concept of the inconsistent number system being used for life/damage/stats? Nope, but you never really do in these kinds of books anyways. Have the stakes changed? Actually, yes, drastically so.

And then this book happens.

Stomping in with the same messy characters, the same established meta as the first book only with NO GOING BACK to the real world, and no tug on the ol heartstrings when it comes to plot because everything feels pre-scripted to work out as quickly as feasibly possible, comes our main rat. The rat that, in the first literal 5 minutes of this book, is referred to as a Jesus Rat. Their Messiah. Lo and behold.

The ending feels far too rushed and half baked compared to the rest of the plot. They get to the final boss fight, and you feel all the wind come out of the authors sails when they introduce "all" of the froggies into the fray, minimizing what should be this epic finale. They then have the audacity to make the crow and rat fight, only for a moment, before the rat becomes God (for "reasons", I swear -_-) and arbitrarily brings all his buddies back to life. Where's the final test to see if they're actually dead? Where's the attempting to right the wrongs of the company who killed you, as you promised? What happened to all the events of the 2nd book? At least make it a cliffhanger of sorts if you're not going to answer plot questions and just be done.

Overall, incredibly disappointed with the ending. Not a fan of the narrator generally (some of his character voices are brilliant, but his usual speaking tone is grating), but putting it to 1.5x speed helps make him bearable. The series is worth a read through, but you're better off dreaming up your own twist ending if you're looking for any kind of real completion to the story.

Hold On, What?

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I remember the other books being good and considered going back to listen to them. But I decided not to after getting about halfway through this book.

This book is constant bickering between the characters. I recall some disagreements and eye rolling in the first two books, but it wasn't the whole book. The fights are so slow and drag on. I started fast forwarding during parts to make them end. Hearing "give in" that many times, over such a long duration made me want to throw my headphones and phone to make it stop.

I couldn't finish it

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