LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_076.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_075.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews: Critical Failures IV, Tower of Ruin, Delvers LLC: Golden Handcuffs
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_074.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews some naughty harem stories.
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_073.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews: CivCEO, Cole Blooded, The Forgotten Faithful
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_072.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week, Ray reviews: Homebrew, Shattered Sword, Irrelevant Jack 2
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_071.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews audiobooks of: The Wandering Inn Volume 2, The One-Armed Warlock: Book One, Battleborne
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_070.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray updates his situation and reviews: Altered Realms, Bad Guys Books 1-4, The Good Guys Books 5-9
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_069.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews: Noobtown Book 4, UnderVerse, Hero of Thera 2
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_068.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews the audiobooks: Afterlife Online 4, Completionist Chronicles 5, Adventurer Academy
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LitRPG_Audiobook_Podcast_067.mp3
litrpg audiobook podcast
This week Ray reviews the audiobooks: The Dungeon Fairy, Grim Beginnings, Realm Walker: Blade and Shield
info_outlineLitRPG Audiobook Podcast 057 - NPCs, Puatera Online Book 8, Dungeon World 4, Dark Elf Chronicles Book 3
You can read the full reviews and show notes if you visit us at:
https://litrpgpodcast.com/litrpg-audiobook-podcast-057
“Hello everyone. Welcome to the LitRPG Audiobook Podcast. I’m Ray. I’ll be reviewing some recent and classic LitRPG Audiobooks for you. I’ll begin with: ”
War for Maicreol: The Final Battle: Puatera Online, Book 8 (00:27)
Score: 8.4 out of 10
Dungeon World 4 (07:54)
Score: 8.4 out of 10
NPCs: Spells, Swords, & Stealth (19:18)
Score: 8 out of 10
Soundbooth Spotlight
Pathways: Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 3 (28:19)
Score: 8.4 out of 10
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War for Maicreol: The Final Battle: Puatera Online, Book 8
By: Dawn Chapman
Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau
Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
Pause
So, in the spirit of talking about NPC’s I have to bring up one of my favorite NPC heroines, who I no longer think actually qualifies as an NPC just because of her complete and utter awesomeness, and that would be Maddie the original star of the series. Maddie’s return is just one of the things that this finale has going for it, the other two are Dawn Chapman’s deft storytelling abilities, and the ever incredible narration of Andrea Parsenau. Seriously, aside from the great Duchy/Dooky debacle of 2017 has she ever been anything but perfect?
This book marks Maddie’s return, only for her to find out that she is not alone in her quest, but that she also has Akilla, Lila, Dahlia, and Jessica to help her take care of business, so this really is the culmination of all the preceding novels and it brings them together in a very nice and cohesive storyline that can’t help but grab your attention. Also, this has been a very unique series in that it started out with one MC and then went and added more players as it went on. The entire concept was new, and it was played out brilliantly.
So let me say one little thing about the narration. I absolutely adore Andrea Parsenau, and it was such a treat for her to return to close out the series that she and Dawn started together, it is very fitting and honestly it would not have felt right otherwise, BUT, BUT I would have really loved to have had the other narrators, or at least one of them, come back to voice “their” characters. For example, Annaliese Rennie would have been brilliant to have snuck in a cameo, as would Suzanne Barbetta who did just as many of the Puatera books as Parsenau. I realize that monetarily it was probably not possible, but I do want to give a tip of the hat to the other ladies who kept this series going while Andrea was elsewhere, although I have to say that keeping Maddie solely as Andrea’s character was very fitting. I honestly had hoped that Andrea would return before the close of the series, but had no idea if she would. For me, Andrea is a conundrum. She’s like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way, but every time I listen to her I hear something new. She continues to improve and evolve as a narrator and she simply blows me away every time she narrates.
Chapman, has played some cards very close to her chest because you really will be surprised who the big bad is. There is a change in perspective as we bounce between Maddie’s POV and that of Lila. Now Spoiler, we don’t get a real happy ending. We get one that is tangled in real life, something that doesn’t come with clean fairytale endings even though the resolution to the problem could be considered fairytalish in nature. In other words, Lila manages to get a resolution, but you have to ask if it is something that she can live with, and I like that. I like books that don’t just wrap things up in a neat little bow and pretend that the real world doesn’t have emotional cures. I can’t really say much without spoiling things but I have to say that this is Dawn at her absolute best. She crafts an excellent tale and brings it to life with dashes of the way things really are. It is definitely an edge of your seat fast paced story that unspools its secrets at just the right time. The only bad thing about it was that it was only 12 hours long.
Final score 8.4 stars. Hell of a way to wrap up a series.
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Dungeon World 4
By: Jonathan Brooks
Narrated by: Miles Meili
Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
Pause
Well, it seems like this is the penultimate book in the Dungeon World series, and while it is amazingly good it is also a bittersweet pill to have to swallow since this is, without question, my favorite series that Brooks has written or is writing to date. On that note, I think the primary reason I am not head over heels with some of his other series is the fact that I didn’t read them, I listened and narration is the name of the game in audio; so a great book can be deflated by the person reading. Miles Meili is a perfect fit for Brooks, and I just wish he’d see that. I don’t want to disparage but in my upcoming review of his dungeon horror story I detail exactly what I mean.
Meili provides a certain tone that just resonates with the story of Fred and his motley crew of shards. It is an intangible thing, and I liken it to the way that James Marsters is the voice of Harry Dresden novels or Bronson Pinchot in the Grimnoir Chronicles. To put it in Lit terms its like Jeff Hays playing Boxy or Quantum Hughes, Annaliese Rennie as the dragon Scarlet in Radioactive Evolution, Andrea Parsenau as Sin on Somnia Online or Gothy in Apocalypse Gates. They own the series and the characters, and that is exactly what Miles does here. He embodies the work brilliantly, I really enjoy him on this series and think that everything fits together flawlessly between writing and narration.
Speaking of writing, Brooks is in over drive. I just don’t know how he has so many series out and focused all on Dungeons. Clearly he loves the genre and always seems to create detailed and interesting stories and this one just keeps getting more intriguing as Fred initiates an all out war between himself and the council of dungeons, finds a surprising ally, learns a lot of his true history, and does a crap ton of fighting along the way.
This is a book in which Brooks really shines as he manages to give each character some screen time, so to speak, highlight Fred’s virtues and flaws, and instill the concern that the dungeons have over what Fred represents without making it feel like fluff or filler. There is no waste of space here. The story is set at a nice pace, it is tempered and doesn’t seem to run in spurts made up of action and then events to advance the plot forward. I really think that Brooks is an incredible writer and don’t understand why he isn’t a bigger name in the community. The man has multiple series, has a record of excellence, and is highly active. Right now he sort of feels like a big dog in the corner that no one sees as much as they should. He is quickly becoming a touchstone for Dungeon based novels.
My final score. 8.4 stars. The book does everything it should and goes a step better in most cases, and as we are getting near the end it is also revealing a lot of secrets and surprises about the world and Fred himself. The revelations Fred gets are shocking and help him define his character as he adjusts to the “truth” of what happened to him and his family. I can’t wait to see how Brooks ends this.
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NPCs: Spells, Swords, & Stealth
By: Drew Hayes
Narrated by: Roger Wayne
Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
Pause
I listened to this book a good while ago and was trying to figure out if I should have used it in my Izzit Lit spot or just run with it, and I’ve finally decided that this qualifies as being gamelit as the characters are NPC’s who recognize that they are completely different from certain types of people.
Anyway. This is the kind of book that I enjoy. It is light hearted, but tempered with a gravity that keeps things very real. There are consequences and the NPC’s actions are not promised positive outcomes. For example, the NPC’s here have to actually act as if they are PC’s in order to stop horrible things from happening. What I loved about the book were the characterizations and the whole fact that the NPC’s don’t take the obvious paths when they decide to pick classes. That went a long way. Also, there was an initial reluctance to attempt their gambit, just as I think real NPC’s would feel when faced with altering their roles. They make hard decisions. Then they deal with the problems those decisions create, humorously. That is very important, because this book could have just been a straight up joke, or supremely serious in its tone, but Hayes manages to keep it all in balance so that the story works like a well-oiled machine.
The characters are interesting, and have very vibrant personalities. They act like real people who are put into a situation that is beyond their control, and roll with whatever fate deals them. It is an interesting bit of footwork that they do when they finally realize what is going on with the magic items, and it was one heck of a fun ride.
Roger Wayne narrates, not to be confused with Wayne Rogers from MASH fame because he died in 2015 but the book was released on audio in 2014 which made it possible for him to have done the narrating. Confused yet? Not as much as I am. I don’t have circular reasoning so much as a Tire with a slow leak variant of reasoning. Roger Wayne does a really nice job, he makes every character standout, although you just have to love his voice for the gruff old barkeep more than anything, and does a great job keeping the humor funny. I know it is crazy when I say that, but the funniest line misspoken falls flat every time. Wayne manages to keep the flow of the tale going along with the funny, which is more situational in nature than one liners flying every two minutes, and believe me conveying situational humor with just your voice isn’t easy.
Personally, I think it was pretty smart to do a series based on the viewpoint of game characters that you never really think about. Sure, nowadays NPC’s seem to be getting some attention nowadays with films like Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds coming out, but Hayes was way ahead of the curve with this one. Either way the book has a huge following, and is something to give a listen if you are so inclined. Final score 8 stars.
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Pathways: Dark Elf Chronicles, Book 3
By: Dave Willmarth
Narrated by: Justin Thomas James, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel
Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
Pause
Just when the getting was getting good. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. I am going to start off this
review with a disclaimer. This is the last book in the series, Master Willmarth will not be
continuing his adventures with this world or these characters due to sales, and that is no
reflection on the storytelling. This is one of the best series I’ve ever read, and a rare one in
which the real world story was just as compelling, and maybe even more so, than the story set in
the game. It was just intense and amazing and it gripped your attention the whole way through.
Honestly, if you haven’t read there go and get them, even lacking a conclusion it is well worth it.
Just please, do not contact Dave Willmarth and ask him to just pen a finale. I know, bold words
for a one-eyed fatman who basically did the exact thing I caution you against to Charles Dean
and his Bathrobe Knight Series. If you need to contact him, just thank him for giving us such an
amazing set of books.
That said, DE 3 really does begin to blossom into a rough and tumble tale of survival, which can
be heartbreaking, per the mother and kid scene, and adventure, per the MC setting himself up as
the ruler of a new land. This book is like being in a knife fight. Some of the cuts are quick and
painless, and others drive in so slowly that when you finally feel it it is far too late to do anything
about it. Then there are stretches of furious flurries of strikes and parries that are fascinating to
behold. No matter what you think the book is fun, but you are coming out of it bloody. That
speaks a lot to Willmarth’s writing style. He knows just what buttons to push (Dakota) and when
to hit them. He creates vibrant characters that you connect with so easily that it is scary.
This book we see the MC finally close out one of his quests, and then begin building a new
homeland for himself and the oppressed people he suddenly finds himself surrounded by. Also,
dangers in the outside world start getting a wee bit more dangerous for the survivors and there
are a few close calls for everyone. That’s the saddest part, we were really getting some of the
most intense writing in a post apoc world as you could get.
As a certified SBT product we get several incredible narrators to help board up the doors and
windows against the zombie apocalypse. The first being the man known to the world as JTJ, or
Justin Thomas James, the man with a voice like smooth bourbon on a chill night who narrates
and voices the main male players. I personally am a huge fan of JTJ, and I am sad that he seems
to be losing some of the best series. I know that this closes out the Dark Elf Series, Afterlife
online is concluding soon, and He no longer does the Cherry Blossom Girls. At least he has the
Hawke books and Archemi online to work with. He just does an amazing job. LCW, or Laurie
Catherin Winkle as she is better known, voices the lovely ladies, and damn if she can’t be sexy or
silly, or both at the same time. I always enjoy her being paired with Justin as the two have a
dynamic chemistry that is hard to find. Laurie clearly has fun with the characters and is so easy
to listen to. I could literally listen to her read the phone book to me. Jeff hays leaps in and plays
a few minor NPC roles, and I like that he manages to keep a hand in each production of
Soundbooth. Hays, as I repeatedly state is my favorite narrator and I am always overjoyed to get
to hear his voice however limited an engagement it is.
Like I said, this is a sad thing to see end, but it well worth the journey. Final Score 8.4 stars. I
will really miss this book.
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Thanks oh so very much for watching everyone, I do appreciate you taking the time to watch or listen to the show. If you want to support us, you can like the LitRPG Podcast facebook page or the YouTube Page, or just share and like the video. I’m going to ask for more suggestions for the ‘Is it LIT’ segment, I’ve got a good one for next time, but will always need ideas. Please leave comments or suggestions in the comments below, and feel free to tell me whatever you like. I enjoy the feedback.
For LitRPG Audiobook Podcast, I’m Ray. Keep listening!!!
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