Nicole G.

Everything was good except for the kah-NAYps

Revisado: 09-23-21

This is another great book in a humorous series. The characters are engaging. Conversations are dynamic. The atmosphere is well described, and I can sink in and build the mental movie.

The narrator is great, too. The character voices are distinct. And the female voices sound plausible! Even some of my favorite male narrators struggle with female voices, so it's always nice to encounter the ones that can make me forget it's a man voicing a woman.

The only thing that threw me was during the short story at the end, when canapés was pronounced kah-NAYps. Now, maybe this is intentional. It could be that it's supposed to be that way because of small town, Midwest dialect quirks. But this is one of those times where the audio version might be unable to convey what text intended.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Overall, an excellent, engrossing story.

Revisado: 09-30-19

My only complaint is that there eye a few minor editing issues. A few times in the story, it was clear that a story element had been written one way in a passage, then referenced again, slightly differently, a few paragraphs later. These issues were just glaring and frequent enough for me to knock off a star.

I really enjoyed the narrator's skill with voices. Andrea Parsneau did an amazing job.

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A beloved old favorite.

Revisado: 07-17-19

I first read this book back when I was maybe 10yo. I was a precocious brat, and would read anything I could sneak off of my parents shelves.

Maybe nostalgia gives me some rose colored glasses, but I still like the story. Sure, 25 years later I can see where the story could use some polish.

Still, I like the darkness, and the unique world the author built. I must have read the hardback a dozen times or more over the years. In odd moments, the 'R' words for Moloch-class dragons still pop up in my head. 'Recusador,' 'redactamos,'... And I dream of dragons that you fly like a fighter jet.

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First freebie I wanted to listen to

Revisado: 07-06-19

This was the first monthly free Original offer that intrigued me enough to listen. It was funny and informative.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

An okay story.

Revisado: 05-21-19

It's not a bad story. I did enjoy the use of ancient Egyptian aspects as inspiration, vs the more common Norse/Celtic. It just never manged to grip me. The characters all felt just a little bland.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Poorly written, bad narrator, tinny audio.

Revisado: 05-20-19

This book is, in every way, a prime example of the value of a good editor. An editor could have guided the author to expand and refine their story. Instead, this reads like a very rough first draft.

There were so many places where the author uses awkward side comments.
~"I was dazzled by one thing. (This is embarrassing.) The money changers. Above the clerk's was a sign of glowing lights that changed colors that changed on it's own. Magic? I stared for a while but thought some guard might take it the wrong way. (I was wrong by the way, they wouldn't have cared what a surfacer would try, and fail, at.)"~

With just a little effort, this poorly written section could have become 2 or 3 paragraphs of world building is instead this narrative bludgeon.

After blandly describing the crowds the main character encounters upon first entering this new world, he both dismisses a real life health issue, and throws away what could have been a good story building character element.
~"I decided I would learn to ignore my fear of crowds."~
If this was a genuine issue for the character, he wouldn't be able to just choose to switch it off. If it isn't, this line is not just unnecessary, it's insulting. The character may as well have been a paraplegic realizes he's still paralyzed in game. Upon discovering there are no wheelchairs, this character would have just said "No biggie. I'll just drag myself around with my arms."

The narrator makes no effort to separate dialog and narrative. The dialog itself never seems to match the emotions or personality of the characters that are speaking. In some places, the emphasis is on the wrong words in the sentence. It's so bad at times, I had to listen to the sentence again, just to understand what was being said.

To add insult to injury, the audio quality itself was bad. The narrator's voice was tinny, as if it was recorded by some guy with a cheap microphone. If I could have compelled myself to continue listening, I wouldn't have been surprised to hear bits of background noise.

I rarely give up on a book, let alone before the end of the second chapter. The combination of bad story and bad narration was just too much for me to overcome. I've listened to, and reviewed, some really GOOD LitRPG. This is the first that was so bad, I feel compelled to warn people to stay away. Don't waste your credit on this.

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Twilight for incels

Revisado: 12-20-18

I rarely return books. This was one of the few. I coasted through over half the book, waiting for something. Anything. I had to give up when the story started describing prostitutes as women who all just love putting out for money and gifts.

The main character frequently describes himself as "average, maybe a bit above." Except he becomes this all powerful Vampire with an instinctual excellence. The story starts with him instantly ending up in a relationship with a beautiful, perfect woman who has been searching for him for years, as he is the reincarnation of her dead Lord and lover. She embodies everything the MRM, red-pill, incel community finds ideal.

Then she dies, he feels a bit sad, and finds himself on an alien planet.

Wait. What?

Yeah, now it's aliens. And our former professor, (who was a great teacher and all the kids loved him, BTW) also happens to have a treasure trove of survival skills.

This character never truly struggles. The whole 'diary' angle seems like a cheap excuse to forgive lazy writing. This story is nothing more than a lonely man's poorly written fantasy.

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Misleading cover. Excellent, funny story.

Revisado: 12-20-18

I avoided this series for a long time. Let's face it, everyone judges books by their cover/title. The cover and title made me think this was going to be about not assuming all big busted chicks are bimbos, while set in a D&D type environment.

The only thing I got right was the D&D environment.

This is the story of a mimic chest, and how it goes from being a simple monster, to a more complex sentient being.

It's fun thinking about how little actions and events effect this mimic. This story does a great job of weaving comedy with an underlying thread of chaos theory and what it means to be sentient vs. sapient.

Now, this is a "mature" comedy. If you really dislike fetishes, this isn't a good series for you. I was vastly amused by all the kinks that showed up, but this could be triggering for some. Obviously, this also makes this a terrible choice for younger readers.

If you're looking for something with humor, that has an engaging, well-written story, and aren't bothered by mature subject matter, this is worth the listen. It reminds me of an adult version of 'Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.)'

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You glorious man

Revisado: 10-28-16

This series is fantastic. Brent Weeks is a great author. The characters are relatable and REAL. I love how I can see how a great figure is forming from a real person, dealing with reality and all of its harsh ugliness. I need more of this.

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Dull and unengaging

Revisado: 03-28-16

The story just didn't capture my attention. I played it through, but I always found myself tuning out. The relationships between the main character and everyone he encounters are tainted by negative emotions; controlling, self-centered mentors he doesn't want, female characters who make a game of feeling constantly burdened by his presence, people lying and manipulating and never ecplaining their motives. The only time I found myself feeling anything for a character was my disgust for the pathetic snivelling of the main character. I greatly dislike when characters moan about how "None of this would have happened if I hadn't been here!" It cheapens the actions of the other characters, and lessens any feelings of happiness I have for the positive outcomes of the character's actions.

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