Felt like I was actually there

Wonderful imagery, an intense story of heroism and apocalyptic darkness. It does feel like it’s a prequel to a greater story. I hope it lives up to this potential.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

good build up and a climatic end

one of the best stuck in a video game books I've read or listened to

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Interesting take on post-apocalyptic LitRPGs

This book starts out with an interesting twist on the being in a video game trope. We've always been in a video game, we just didn't know it. It's just that now, the rules have changed, and the world has become much, much darker. It works.
The main character and his family all survive into the start of the new world. It's an interesting change to the main character being alone and all his family just gone pattern that most LitRPGs have. 
Enjoyable book. I listened to it as part of the Free library. I generally like LitRPG series, and this is a single volume, but I gambled because I didn't have to spend the credit, and I listened all the way to the end. Which I don't always do with free library LitRPGs. 

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

good story

would l have liked a bit more of an ending. it felt a bit rushed at the end. there should be more story but it feels like the author didn't want to continue by the end. it was otherwise a good story

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Dang. The one character.

Dang. The one character I liked... also, no book 2. Just left feeling blah and empty.

Good story overall, just sad.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Could have been better...

The story itself isn't bad. I'd give it a 3.5 or 3.8, but the system disagrees. That said, the novel is a bit short, and not knowing the MC's name until the last 3 chapters is a bit baffling. But all things considered, the story wasnt bad. A bit tragic, but it's worth giving a shot.
What I dislike though, is the performance. The performance was really lackluster. The narrator's tone lacked depth, passion, and was generally flat throughout most of not all of the reading. The only character that got their own personality from the narrator was Firebug. Everyone else was read the same ergo sounded the same. It's like there was only Firebug and the MC in the entire novel. I'm not a professional when it comes to rating narrators, but he could have done a better job is all I'm saying. Just dry reading the words in front of you doesn't make for a good experience for the listeners. Even the "This is Audible" dude at the beginning and end of the program does a better job.
That said, I would still recommend this novel. Maybe at the bottom quarter of the reading list, but it's not bad if you have nothing else going on (at least it made it into the reading list 🤷‍♂️). It sucks for the author though, because this could have been in the "above the average" pile with a more "engaging" narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Tricked into a bad story.

Honestly felt like I read the first half and last half of a much longer series. There was so much character development that just got thrown to the wind, disappointing

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Terrific concept, great narration

A few reasons why I enjoyed this:

The concept is really great. For a gamelit title, there was an occasional focus on the skills and mechanics without it becoming too overpowering in the way that a litrpg title might. The skills that Mason chooses and discusses (as MC) are relevant to him, and the skills that the other players have make the series seem innovative in its own way.

The introductory sequence that explains why the world is the way it is and introduces the game mechanics is fresh (at least to me, a relatively new individual in terms of understanding and familiarity with the subgenre) and creative, but everyone still retains their prior way of thinking, and why not? Change is difficult, and the characters still mentally process much of their world as they had prior to the change.

I enjoy the author's application of military experience to the character. I enjoy the descriptions of what items and content the characters come across and choosing to include something as simple as what are essentially hitpoints for each item are appropriate (or seem appropriate given the changes to the world and the reality that items require repair and maintenance and sometimes discarding).

Anyway, if you are a reader / listener who enjoys gamelit / lite litrpgs, who enjoys military, family, cool armor and weapons, and believes that -- in no rpg ever -- it's entirely feasible that strangers don't immediately trust one another because trust is earned through actions, this may deserve a chance on your book-/audiobook-shelf.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great premise, fell short in the end.

The book started out great and the narrator was awesome. There was some writing that was weak, but easily overlooked. Character creation was not great and I found it hard to buy into how they were feeling because there was little depth to them. Just when you start to think the story is going somewhere, it comes to a grinding halt. the engagement at the end feels rushed and force. The ending does not leave you asking questions or waiting for the next book, which feels anticlimactic.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

AMAZING!

Overall an amazing book, and I hope the Series continues.

Not a big fan of the end or the Protagonists wife!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!