Irshad Karim

Solid conclusion to an excellent trilogy

Revisado: 04-30-24

One of the most difficult things about creating sequels is striking a balance between holding to that which made the previous entry great, while also giving the reader something new and exciting to chew on.

Often these can be at odds, but Pantheon Online does such a good job of laying foundation early on that the twists and surprises mesh well with the existing story, despite really pushing the boundaries. It'll throw things at you that admittedly seem pretty out there, but thanks to the seeds planted earlier, you're surprisingly willing to roll with it.

Each book provided something new while holding to the core spirit of the series, and this one is no different. Perhaps what I appreciate most though is just how tightly this final entry wraps things up, tying up all of the loose ends and providing a genuinely satisfying conclusion, even when it threatens to leave you hanging right to the last second.

Great narrative, lots of excitement, and so many characters that you can't help but love. I whole heartedly recommend this one.

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As fun of a ride as the first one

Revisado: 04-01-23

My only complaint is that I now have to go back to waiting for the sequel in the series, but I'll certainly be awaiting it with baited breath. This book was packed with interesting heists and adventures, and the author's approach to telling those parts felt particularly cinematic. The narrator also did a great job.

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Exactly what I wanted

Revisado: 01-16-23

This book is to me right in line with what LitRPG should be. It wasn't overly complicated, it didn't oversell itself, but it was full of little reminders that the author planned out a narrative intentionally, with lots of twists at just the right moment, and story beats that circled back around to give a deeply satisfying experience.

As far as the narration goes, it was well done with good variety to the characters. I did have one complaint, but it was more specific to me. I don't have a lot of spare time in the day so I'll often listen to audiobooks in the shower on a bluetooth speaker. It's not a great speaker, but I generally don't have issues with its clarity while showering. In this case however, I found that the narrator's voice often tended deeper than most, which did at times harm the clarity in this particular situation.

Of course, with half decent earbuds or headphones this was not an issue. I only mentioned it because it's not something I've run into until now.

Anyway, this story was very enjoyable, and I'm excited for the next.

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Soft, gentle, and delightful

Revisado: 08-23-22

This was quite simply an excellent listen. The story was wonderful - nothing too heavy but perfectly paced for its length. Travis' narration was solid as well, although his voice is a touch deep for those of us listening on an awful speaker in the shower, but that's really just a me problem.

If you've got a few hours, you owe yourself the treat of listening to this book.

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As great a listen as always

Revisado: 06-02-21

I don't understand how PirateAba does it, but the story is as engaging as always. Andrea Parsneau's narration is lovely as well. All that's left is to wait for the next one!

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Good conclusion to the story

Revisado: 05-05-21

This was a solid follow-up to God Mode. I was quite pleased to find that the author decided to wrap things up in two books instead of shooting for a trilogy. It kept the pacing tight and momentum going.

Pacing was actually a big worry here - the tournament format can be repetitive, but it was handled quite well and didn't get stale.

As always, Pavi did a great job with the variety of voices.

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Really solid read, good characters/conflicts

Revisado: 04-20-21

This book has been a drink of water in a desert of disappointing LitRPG. I mainly picked it up because I have a soft spot for Pavi Proczko as narrator, and he certainly didn't disappoint, but the story as a whole got me more and more interested, the further in I got.

I especially enjoyed the fact that while it was a fairly quest-driven narrative (something I hate in most books, simply because a fictional story inside of a fictional story is too removed from me to really get me to care), the quest in this story served only as a way to give the characters direction. The meat of the tale all fell on the interaction between the players - just the way I like it.

I'm excited for the next one, and already bought it before finishing the last chapter.

Side note: great cover illustration! Doesn't look like the author/publisher skimped on that front, which is always great to see.

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Fantastic

Revisado: 03-21-20

This was way better than I expected it to be, and worth way more than the single credit I paid for it. It's about 5:30am (I've been listening while pulling an all-nighter), so I'm a bit too drowsy to write that much of a review, but this book definitely deserves a glowing one. I'm not going to say it was the best story I've ever heard, but I found it engaging, relatable, and interesting at every turn. The ending was predictable, but not in any way that took away from how satisfying it was.

On top of a solid story and characters for whom I'd developed a fondness, the narration was quite well done. Kudos to Mikael for the bits of singing, too. While singing isn't necessarily his strong suit, I think the book would have been just a touch weaker without those bits.

Needless to say, I strongly recommend this book - especially if you've only got one credit to hold you over for a bit.

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An enjoyable listen

Revisado: 02-27-20

I had a pretty good time with this one. Sometimes you listen to audiobooks and they're nice and all, but you only listen to them during set times throughout the day, like during your commute to and from work. This was one that spilled over that boundary, and I found myself reaching to listen to it far more than just that - while I was working, while showering, etc. That's definitely a sign that the story is engaging.

I usually prefer books that take place both in a video game as well as in real life, striking a balance between them and exploring the story as a whole in its impact across both. This one was definitely more inclined towards things happening within the game world and could have stood to explore more of Lucas' real life, but I did appreciate what little time was spent outside of the VR capsule.

When it comes to Soundbooth Theater, their work is usually fairly good, though I'm not generally the biggest fan. I think this wasn't their best work overall, primarily when it comes to the music being overdone (which frequently made the narration difficult to hear), and some of Justin Thomas James' characters felt a bit over-exaggerated.

I did admittedly feel my interest waning by the end of the book, but conveniently it was coming to a close, and overall I felt that I had a good time with The Heroic Villain. I don't think I'll be picking up the sequel however, partially because of my waning interest, and partially because I'd heard from other reviews that the second book takes a bit more of a harem turn, and that isn't really my thing. I could definitely see it poking through a little here (that may have actually contributed to my growing disinterest).

All the same, I think this book stands up pretty well on its own, and ties up its major plot points fairly neatly for those of us who aren't interested in pursuing the sequel.

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Unexpectedly and Surprisingly Enjoyable

Revisado: 11-24-19

I did some cover work for the author years ago, for one of his superhero fiction novels. Not really my cup of tea, but he was a great client. It took me five years before I decided to pick up one of his books (one more in my realm of interest and in audiobook format, thankfully). It might be a bit rude to say, but I did not expect a lot.

I'm glad to have been wrong. Horde was actually a lot of fun. The adventure itself was engaging, the characters were amusing, and the jokes were, though admittedly pretty dumb, still pretty hilarious. I feel like the book successfully grabbed me and my standards and dragged us both down in the mud to meet it. I came out a bit messy, a bit humbled, and chuckling like a fool.

I did have some issues with a few choices the author made - like Elvish just being French - but it didn't come up often enough to really grate on my nerves. All in all, I had a great time.

I'm not sure I'd pick up Ian Thomas Healy's usual stuff (again, not my cup of tea), but I'd absolutely be down for another fantasy romp. I'd even want to get in on doing the cover illustration for one.

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