Easy listening and interesting.

If the world was to end, this is a direction I could see people trying to go. The characters are easy to like and build good relationships with the reader fast. I am excited for the next two.

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Pretty good listen

This was a great story, makes me wish MMO's where that immersing and good these days.

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Sob story

This book was brutal. The narrator did a good job with what she was given. The whole book is a series of woe is me crap as the main character is just fillers of self doubt and pity. The fact she harps on code this and code that ugh... frustrating.

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"heading optional, but also required"?

The voice actress is great in the role of Aby but imo does not pull off any of the male voices well, they feel very forced and just take me out of the storycompletely. Aby also comes across as alot more unsure nervous and scared in this series while in the main series she does still have some of these traits but she is overall a much stronger character in the main series. idk personally won't continue with the firebrand series but VGO, is overall a fun story.

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Amazing story but the narrator kind of sucks

the story is riveting and I love how it ties into what we have already experienced in the first series but from a different perspective.

narrator honestly sucks and the voices just aren't very good. they should have got the same narrator as the original viridian gate series had got.

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Doesn't Quite Live Up To Hunter's Standards

The first-time author status of J.D. Astra is pretty evident with this LitRPG adventure based in James Hunter's VGO reality. In the story, programmer 'Abby Hollander' commits to her new reality as a permanent MMORPG character - essentially downloading her consciousness into a game (as the IRL World is destroyed by a comet strike). The protagonist has discovered that the purported savior of mankind (CEO of Viridian Gate Online 'Robert Osmark') has built in some secret algorithms that give him - and some unscrupulous real-world cronies - ridiculous advantages in the virtual world. Abby makes it her mission to correct that injustice.
Sound familiar? Yes? That's because it's the overlying plot of James Hunter's main VGO Series. Astra basically riffs on Hunter: writing this spin-off back story for Jack Mitchel's biggest ally like a dutiful student.
Don't get me wrong.. the dialogue/description/characterization/plotting is serviceable; Astra's interpretation of the game design is excellent (including a fun array of races, skills, spells, and NPCs); and the game mechanics are well-described (XP, point-buys, and character/inventory screens).. just don't expect anything new - or to be blown away by great writing. The Quest-based Character Advancement plot (Grind-Skills-And-Learn-New-Powers) is handled capably but straightforwardly. Astra demonstrates strikingly imitative storytelling chops.

Also disappointing for audiobook afficianados: Emily Woo Zeller reads the book cartoonishly. Her diction is professional, her timbre & cadence are comfortable, and her tone is admirably interested - but caricaturish character interpretations render the overall performance distinctly subpar.

'Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand: A LitRPG Adventure' merits 6.5 stars out of 10. If you can download it as a 'Plus' selection, it's a great distraction for a couple of lonely night shifts. Spend your Credits on James Hunter's entries rather than this one if they ask for money, however. It's a *great* series.

[NOTE: Abby's evolving philosophical realization that creatures and individuals in the virtual world may (or may not) be worth more than their existence as "just code" is the most thought-provoking, mature aspect of the book]

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this book is fine.

I love these books. I don't understand all the hate. I would give anything to get into one of those pods damn. if you liked the other books you'll probably like this one too

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Amazing!!! Got me into a new series :)

I have been looking for a new series to start listening to and this is perfect . I great story line. The only thing that could be improved is to make all boys of the same race so the same cause I hope in the future they could be a lil different. But everything else is great and don’t listen to the hate

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narrator is super annoying

it is a pain to listen to. i can't follow anything because of the narrator

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