Preview
  • Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm

  • The Viridian Gate Archives, Book 1
  • By: James Hunter
  • Narrated by: Armen Taylor
  • Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,122 ratings)

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Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm

By: James Hunter
Narrated by: Armen Taylor
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Publisher's summary

If the destruction of Earth and extinction of humanity were imminent, how far would you go to survive? Would you kill your body to save your mind?

Jack Mitchel is willing to risk everything to survive the apocalypse — including his essential humanity.

An EMT in 2042 San Diego, Jack knows he won't survive the impact of the massive asteroid hurtling towards Earth. After all, he's not one of the handful of lucky lottery winners scheduled for rescue. But he did luck into a NexGenVR capsule, which means Jack can risk a one-way trip to the virtual reality world of Viridan Gate Online, a completely immersive online multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, or RPG.

The transition to Viridian Gate Online (V.G.O.) is irreversible, and will kill Jack's corporeal form. And once players transition fully into the world of V.G.O., the risks aren't over — from cutthroat fellow players to greedy developers eager to replicate the wealth discrepancies of Earth in virtual reality, V.G.O. is just as dangerous as the 'real world' was. If Jack can’t game the system, he’s going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one....

LitRPG books combine tropes and themes from role-playing games with sci-fi and fantasy elements to tell a unique story that's exciting and super-relevant to today's world. Jack's adventures in a cutthroat virtual reality fantasy world will grip fans of Ready Player One and The Stormlight Archive alike. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one series you don't want to miss!

©2017 James A. Hunter and Shadow Alley Press, Inc. (P)2017 James A. Hunter and Shadow Alley Press, Inc.
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Featured Article: Level up with 25+ awesome litRPGs


LitRPG means Literary Role Playing Game. Simply put, it’s the book version of watching someone play a video game, usually one that’s set up like an MMO (massively multiplayer online) RPG. It’s a blend of sci-fi and fantasy, depending on how it comes to be that our main character ends up living inside a virtual reality. the point of LitRPG is not how we get there, but that we get to be in this virtual reality period, living life as a badass video-game character. Beat the grind and submerse yourself in these addictive LitRPGs.

What listeners say about Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    6,192
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great story

i like the narrators performance really brought the highs and lows to life. the story well il leave that for the reader to hear. but it is a great litrpg book

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome Audible

I thoroughly enjoyed this audible. It was a great story with action and intrigue. It was also narrated very well. I'll be listening to the next one for sure.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Do yourself a favor and start this ride

I have been a huge LitRPG fan for some time. For me sometimes the stories instantly grab my attention and I’ll listen almost non stop while others I can’t finish. Well Viridian Gate falls into the former in a big way. First the background story is extremely unique and sets this book apart from the LitRPG pack from the beginning. The characters are well fleshed out and extremely likable, which can be a deal breaker for me if they’re not. But even more enjoyable are the creatures. Mr. Hunter should be a creature creator for a major Hollywood studio because while you’ll find enough typical fantasy creature fare to make VGO feel familiar, there are so many completely unique monsters you could fill a guidebook(seductive spider-women anyone?).

I hate comparing authors to one another,so I’ll simply speak to the quality of writing and I would put Mr. Hunter well within the same league as Aleron Kong, D. Rus, or Travis Bagwell. So if you’re like me and enjoy the aforementioned authors please do yourself a favor and give this series a try.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Loved this series. Great plot, characters and magic. Conflict among gods who chose players to fight for them.

This series has some great social discussion and explores the ethics and power structure of a VR of all society as the real world is destroyed. A true examination of what is actually evil and what is good.

Amazing MOBs, quests, weapons and quests.

Gripping. Don’t miss it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Awful British Accent

The narrator might have the most laughably bad British accent I can recall ever hearing. That being said I enjoyed this audiobook.

As for the story, I believe the setup and world are very relevant to our times today so it lends itself well to capturing the imagination. This entire book seems to be a way of laying a foundation for a story to come. Lucky for you if you listen and enjoy this because the next few are also included with your audible for free!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I don't understand the negative reviews!?

I'm hooked on VGO! I started off, oddly, with the Firebrand series and Abby, which overlaps with this story too, and I have no complaints! love the story, love the characters, and LOVE the setting of course. Nothing wrong with the voice acting, though I understand getting "used to" certain narrators, but after a few chapters I got used to Mr. Tylor as well. I feel that the bad reviews are overly picky myself, but we all know what opinions are like.... and we do all have them. Personally I'm glad there's so much more VGO to go!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book, very well done

This book was a treat. There were just a few small things that kept this from a perfect score.

The narrator sounded odd during things that were supposed to be screamed. They came off more as whispers than yelling. I understand you can't scream in a recording booth, but the whispered screams broke the immersion for me every time.

Outside of that, the narrator had a nice crisp clear way about him. He managed to even do certain difficult voices in ways that were still comprehensible, which was great. Solid narrator all around.

The Story itself took a little bit to get going for me. It was hard to grasp that the main character was advancing, when it felt more like jumps in progress that didn't quite line up. I may just be used to the typical LitRPG format of watching characters fight for every experience point, so I don't really hold this against the author.

Outside of that, this was a great story. The author managed to end in a way that definitely makes me want to continue the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone else interested in the GameLit/LitRPG genre.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Entertaining Action/Adventure, for a Few Books

There's a mixed review coming - positives first. Like many, I'm writing this review while listening to book 3 - lovingly available via Audible Plus. I've absolutely gotten good entertainment from these books! There's a good pacing, plenty of action, a world full of opportunities for plot, imagination to discover, and just plenty to like - and I heartily recommend at least the first couple of books as worth your time though perhaps not a full credit.

Note that this pace is similar to what you find in (for example), the Forgotten Realms books. But similarly, with these books you are not listening to that vein of the modern fantasy with believable characters who have story arcs and sophisticated design. Instead, our color characters are the stereotypical generic Texan, the stereotypical generic jaded thief, and then the mad scientist alchemist.

And I agree with the reviewer who states: this series is less than it could be. I write this in midst of feeling deep frustration about a conversation between the supposedly intelligent former company CEO and the supposedly intelligent main character in book 3, where the villain lapses into megalomaniac formula speak, while the main character mopes and never thinks to bring up the 3rd party that could end up an enemy of both of them. (sigh). This entire subplot of cross-faction conversation could have been written and planned out in such a more rich and rewarding way - but it's not. We get a formula villain instead of an interesting one.

And that's what we'll find in this series. Listen for the situations and adventure, not the character work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Decent story -Superb voice acting

We enjoyed this book as a family. I believe there were a few swear words though.

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Amazing books

I loved this book. As a gamer, and a big time rpg player this book was spot on for me. The second book in the series is just as good, and I’m starting the 3rd tomorrow at work. Taking all I have not to start it right now lol

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