Aaron Lemons

Fantastic

Revisado: 11-16-23

LitRPG has been my favorite genre for years. After a while, the genre tends to get a little formulaic. Just when I start to give up, something fresh comes along. Arrival is the breath of fresh air I needed! Parsons does a stellar job with the character development and foreshadowing future roles. The mix of action, drama, and humor kept me locked in. Book 2 cannot get here soon enough!

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Fantastic

Revisado: 06-07-22

TLDR; Great book!

After discovering the LitRPG genre a few years ago, I was captivated. It was the same feeling I had in the early 90’s when, after constant bombardment by the hair bands/pop groups that permeated the 80’s, bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden parted my hair with a sound like nothing I had ever heard before.

While the novelty of the genre slowly wore thin, plot lines began to feel formulaic, and the overall quality of writing in the genre found its decline, despair for something fresh set in.

This series was just the breath of fresh air for which I had been searching.

The story arc is still in its infancy which foreshadows many books yet to come. The author’s natural flow of dialogue, well-crafted character development and consistency, cinched together with raw, unfiltered humor synchronizes into a series that has left me craving more!

The narration takes this book to the next level. It’s as if KamikazePotato wrote this book with Neil Hellegers dictating in his head.

I’m hooked.

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Oh Geez…

Revisado: 07-05-21

This entire series has had me laughing out loud. My family has questioned my sanity as I cackle maniacally.

This LitRPG series hits every point that, in my opinion, shows true literary talent. In addition to the episodic stories, the overall story arc develops well. The character development is spot on. The reader/listener gets to watch the characters grow while maintaining their personalities. Keeping actions and dialogue consistent with character development is tougher than one may think. Matt Dinniman does not take the easy way out with a “Deus ex machina” in any of the plot developments.

I resonated deeply with the humor as well. Some may call it sophomoric or crude, but I just call it funny.

As a fan of Jeff Hays already, this series is likely some of his best work yet. The range of voices, accents, tonality, and sheer brilliance of interpretation and delivery of the author’s voice was outstanding. It was such a natural pairing that it’s almost as if Dinniman wrote the book with Hays in mind to begin with.

The next book cannot get here soon enough.

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Oh Geez…

Revisado: 07-05-21

This entire series has had me laughing out loud. My family has questioned my sanity as I cackle maniacally.

This LitRPG series hits every point that, in my opinion, shows true literary talent. In addition to the episodic stories, the overall story arc develops well. The character development is spot on. The reader/listener gets to watch the characters grow while maintaining their personalities. Keeping actions and dialogue consistent with character development is tougher than one may think. Matt Dinniman does not take the easy way out with a “Deus ex machina” in any of the plot developments.

I resonated deeply with the humor as well. Some may call it sophomoric or crude, but I just call it funny.

As a fan of Jeff Hays already, this series is likely some of his best work yet. The range of voices, accents, tonality, and sheer brilliance of interpretation and delivery of the author’s voice was outstanding. It was such a natural pairing that it’s almost as if Dinniman wrote the book with Hays in mind to begin with.

The next book cannot get here soon enough.

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Enjoyable

Revisado: 02-16-21

Pros: An excellent imagining of the superhero genre! The underdog theme played well with well-developed characters and a good story arc. I highly appreciate stories that lend themselves to a series. This gives the author time to truly flesh out the individual characters as well as how they function as a group.

Cons: In my opinion, a lot of the dialogue felt unnatural, not just for the age range of the characters, but for anyone. People just do not talk about “mingling” at college parties. They simply do it. The exposition through conversation felt forced.

Overall: This book was fun! I will definitely continue the series!

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Love it!

Revisado: 06-14-19

Meyer has done it again! This series has been one of my favorites. The character development, the convoluted twists and turns, and the laugh out loud comedic writing synchronized beautifully!

Luke Daniels was born to narrate this series. The range of voices as well as his timing in delivery take this book to the next level.

I only wish the book was longer.

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Alanson does it again!

Revisado: 10-01-18

Just when I think this story could not get any better, Craig Alanson drops the next maser beam blast to my brain.

The situation of the Merry Band of Pirates early on in the book had me laughing at the sheer luck (or lack thereof) that follows them around. The side-by-side perspectives from Perkins to Bishop and the way in which everything is connected really creates depth.

The method of exposition in the writing had me screaming "Dammit, Alanson!" out loud in my car. A few minutes later, I cranked the expletives up to 11. The evocation of an emotional and vocal response really seals Craig Alanson's place as one of the best Sci-Fi writers of the current age.

Of course, it almost goes without saying (but I will) that R.C. Bray has delivered another masterful performance. Bray reading Alanson has created a true author/narrator synergy. He captures nuance and subtlety that would be lost by anyone else!

At times, I wondered how many takes Bray had to do in order to get through some of the comedic situations that had me cackling out loud.

I greatly look forward to the next installment!

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Beginning of Awesomeness

Revisado: 09-25-18

Tl;dr - Fantastic adventure, chock full of humor, performed by an amazing narrator!


I stumbled across this series while perusing through my recommendations. The first time listening through, I found it to be enjoyable. After listening through books two and three, I was hooked. I found myself constantly checking to see if and when the next installment would be released. It wasn't until book 7 that I realized what a true gem Aleron Kong really is.

There were so many cultural references throughout the series that I went back and listened through the entirety a second time to see what else I might have missed! This review is being written after completing my 3rd venture through this series.

Kong lays on the foreshadowing so deep that elements of this book do not even show up again until much later in the series. The dialogues between characters seem to flow naturally and the development of each remains true.

The elements that comprise this story are vast. Just when things seem fun, it gets serious. When the tension is built to the boiling point, Kong drops a humor bomb. The array of emotions evoked through this book, let alone this series, will keep me coming back for more.

The only times I found myself losing interest were during the review of statistics and Richter's character sheet. However, those moments are required to stay true to the nature of the LitRPG genre, so I don't necessarily see them as negative. Had I been reading the book rather than listening, those moments might have moved a little faster for me.

Nick Podehl captures the author's voice with such synergy that the story really becomes three dimensional. I've been a fan of Podehl for a long while now, but this series is by far his greatest. It's as if these books were written specifically for him. One can easily hear that Podehl is enjoying himself.

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Perfect Synergy

Revisado: 07-10-18

Kong has done it again! This installment of The Land is by far Kong's finest undertaking. Foreshadowing from previous books come to fruition nicely. The nods to pop culture through surgically precise interjections left me realizing that I may have to go back and re-listen to the whole series in the event that I missed something the first time around!

While I personally could have done without all the statistics reviews, I do understand that they were necessary to advance the story while staying true to the LitRPG genre.

Ultimately, the character development through the series has been quite refreshing as each one stays true to his or her nature. Reactions, statements, actions...all of it stayed true for each. And the sheer depth of each character! Wow!

I'm already a fan of Nick Podehl but his performance was above and beyond. The nuanced inflections that he gave certain phrases took this book to the next level. I marveled at how many innocuous statements and quotes would have simply been background noise had I been reading rather than listening.

Regarding the length of this book, I was excited before I ever hit play since it clocks in at over 40 hours. Too many stories are rushed, leaving little time to truly develop plotline and enrich the characters. This was not. Matter of fact, when I finally finished the book, it felt like I had just barely even started.

Keep up the great work, Kong! I am eagerly awaiting the next installment!

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Outstanding

Revisado: 06-03-17

Fantastic! Alanson and Bray delivered again! The well-placed mix of comedy, suspense, drama, and overall character building kept me enthralled. Now begins the wait for the next installment.

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