Gary Simmons

Puns, Dragons, and (Mis)Adventures

Revisado: 07-03-23

I've just finished this audiobook for the first time, and I enjoyed myself overall. For a reference-heavy humor in a dragon-laden RPG, I'm surprised there's been absolutely no Skyrim references. If that's on purpose, then kudos to Mr. Baldwin for not taking the obvious approach.

The music and production are fantastic, as expected of Soundbooth Theater, and as for the story itself... it does feel transitional to a degree. Hector has a longstanding quest to save the world, and it would take a book or two to accomplish this *even if* he didn't have people standing in his way. So, you know, it is what it is.

There is a small amount of spicy content in this book, but it's nowhere near the focus of the story. This isn't a harem novel, and although it seemed Hector was going to have an inappropriate sexual encounter, it gets interrupted. I hope to find in book 5 that they both decidedly move away from introducing sexuality into their dynamic.

I don't believe I received this book as a review copy, but in full disclosure, I did receive books 5 and 6 for review purposes.

Also, when I do a thorough review, 4 stars means "it's good! No real complaints". So, three stars on story isn't bad at all. If you've enjoyed the series so far, I think you should stick with it. No sharks were jumped.

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Spearman's Story Starts Strong

Revisado: 04-18-23

This has to be one of my favorite LitRPG series of all time! There's murder chickens, dragons, love, betrayal, an excellent and unique class... we've got it all here. Lots of pop culture references. This LitRPG has a good mix of drama, exciting combat, nerdy min-maxing, and humor. And, this book ends on an exciting note that makes me say, "OOH. I can't wait for what's next!" Good thing books 2-5 are already out, then, eh?

It's a bit surreal that this book came out just before the Pandemic hit, given that the world's background is a world war mixed with a pandemic. I had pneumonia while listening to this book for review purposes, too, which was even more poignant.

The lists of options for races, classes, and skills are interesting enough that I bookmark them to go back and relisten to make sure I know the options Hector had, and what he chose and did not choose; Noobtown is one of the few other series where I bother with that.

The audio quality is top-notch. My only quibble with this book is that some words of relevance are mispronounced, and since they're major terms for the book, consistency requires sticking with those pronunciations for Drachen, dragoon, and geas. Still, that's a minor complaint overall. If I had to pick a second complaint: I find that remembering Hector's skills isn't easy. Which ones are AoE? Which ones restore HP or AP on hit? I dunno. Which ones chain together in a combo? Eh, I should physically list them so I remember.

In short: if you want a unique isekai/LitRPG experience with unique races and combat, plus (later on) dragons: give this one a go. Lancers don't usually get the limelight, and this series fills that niche well.

Notes: 1. I consider 4 stars to be 100 points out of 100, with five stars being utterly exceptional. 2. While I did not receive this title for free, I am receiving codes for other books by Soundbooth Theater in exchange for reviews, including (eventually) book five of this series.

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Music, Malarky, and Moose-Taming

Revisado: 12-13-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Justin and Laurie knock this book out of the park. Laurie is not only expressive in distinguishing her characters; she excels at voicing an AI or system. These two vocal powerhouses pair well, just as they did in James Osiris Baldwin's Archemi Online series.

I received this audiobook for free on promise of a review, and it’s my first exposure to this series. As such, I have no idea why the main character never logs out, and a few other plot elements are unclear to me. That said, the book’s title says it all, really: the MC becomes not only a bard, but one that does the dance of politics well.

Bards are often a joke class, and very few have portrayed them as competent, in my experience. (Mel Odom’s Threat From the Sea trilogy and Richard Lee Byers’ Haunted Lands trilogy being other exceptions.) Here we have a person who can make rhymes for rap battles, play the violin well, and has spellcasting that has “doesn’t suck” poured all over it! Not only that, he has an awesome chameleon animal companion, which I find the most interesting mechanic of all.

Michelle’s recording of the violin parts is a treat to the ears, and I’d never heard Justin’s singing voice before. He has some pipes!

Anyway, if you enjoy LitRPG wherein a bard may thrive specifically by being a bard, with good voicing and music, then this is a good series to pick up.

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Bravado. Intrigue. Ascension

Revisado: 11-20-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

East meets West in the best pairing since Reese's peanut butter cups. OK, maybe not THAT good, but it IS a good book.

This is a Western cultivation novel set in a parallel Greco-Roman world. Zach voices the moody Roman well, and Justin fits the more playful Lio. This was a perfect casting choice, and the pair of characters have the grumpy-and-happy dynamic you find in, say, Michael J. Sullivan's Riyria Chronicles (download the Professional Integrity short story for free!). Emma does well for the female cast; all around, a great production.

So, let's get into the nitty gritty here: I consider Tao Wong's A Thousand Li to be the standard for traditional cultivation novels; in gamer terms, it's half leveling/grinding/crafting, and half questing. Combat is detailed and heavy on martial arts. By comparison, Virtuous Sons is more divided between intrigue (and drinking) and questing. Combat is not as detailed, which is one weak point I'd like to see improved on in a sequel, and I think there could be a deeper exploration of how cultivation works in this setting.

Overall, this is an excellent book if you like cultivation, the classical era, or just good audiobooks. In full disclosure, I received this book for free on promise of a review; and I also am somewhat trained in classics. This book has some literary gems in it, such as the Greek sea shanty, the interlude called The Reinholder, and the battle hymn of the Legion. There is more ART in the writing here than most books of The Nerd Metagenre (LitRPG, Cultivation, Isekai).

Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars, which means it's above average. To me, this is 100/100. Check out Virtuous Sons!a

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Manling! Read this for me!

Revisado: 12-21-20

Herein lie the misadventures of an unlucky fella from earth who dies and is reincarnated in another world. He quickly finds himself pressed into service by an amoral narcissist with scales and wings. Hilarity ensues.

It's a good story, often told from the perspective of the dragon. If you enjoy Everybody Loves Large Chests for the patently inhuman perspective, you will likely also enjoy this book. The story stays interesting and is of a good length -- plus, there's an hour of bonus content in the form of short stories.

This book has a clearly talented author, and the narrator knocks it out of the park. All the characters seem well-voiced, and most especially His Majesty Vainqueur Himself [long may He reign].

There is one serious flaw with this book, however: phrasing in English is sometimes imprecise. This is a translation from French, and (I think) the author's first published book. I can give him a pass for that, but a native speaker who is good with words should do editing & proofing on further volumes.

Overall: this book is worth a listen or a read. It's PG-13 at most, with some mild sexual humor. If ELLC is too raunchy for you, but you like the basic premise, this will be more to your liking. Enjoy!

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Don't Poke the Bear!!!

Revisado: 08-29-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Book two more widely opens the social dimension of this story on the interpersonal level: more adventurers are sent against Milton & his dungeon. To summarize: we continue with the same blend of action, humor, and above all -- discovery -- as in the first installment, though the scope of the storyline begins to widen as Milton's impact on the planet leads to repercussions that upset the economy and politic of the world he's stranded on.

After much experimentation, dungeon building, and resource gathering, parties of enemy adventurers find their way to the dungeon to threaten Milton's existence. At the same time, resource gathering leads to accidentally poking a figurative (and partly literal) bear -- an opponent far above Milton's level to handle. Additionally, we finally have a murky scene with the Schemer, the true enemy of the series.

The main flaws are consistent throughout the series: the need for an editor to clarify imprecise language (e.g. "gracefully offered" as opposed to "graciously offered") and to smooth over redundancies. The practice of having subchapters of stats when a new creature or person is introduced makes navigating the Audible by chapter darned near impossible. I wish Audible consistently labeled chapter titles -- the author did so originally.

In summary: yes; you should continue this series. Book two is where the story begins to really take off, and we're introduced to far more of the main cast and also get our feet wet regarding the magic system.

I was kindly given codes for all five books in this series, and my honest review is my way of giving back. Thank you.

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A great start to a Dungeon Core series

Revisado: 03-08-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I'm going to start this review as accessibly as possible for those not familiar with terms such as isekai, dungeon core, gamelit, etc.

So, if you're not familiar with the concepts I've mentioned, please let me say this: the main character is an average gamer guy who gets kidnapped and conscripted into an intergalactic war by high-tech pacifists.

Something went wrong, though, and the ship that abducted him and a handful of other humans was damaged. Our main character, Milton, had been transformed into an AI processor to field troops and traps in defense of said pacifists.

Now, he's crashed on an unknown planet after hurtling through space for some time. His only companion is an adorable, foul-mouthed virtual intelligence that was meant to be assistant, akin to Siri or Cortana.

Much of the first book is a man vs nature story, or AI versus nature, if you prefer. Milton and his friend Alana set long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals and, unlike some other main characters of books (cough RICHTER cough) actually sets out to achieve those goals.

Gather resources. Repair. Above all: survive.

Near the last quarter or so of the book, two more main characters are introduced, and while man vs nature is still a heavy element, there's now a social dimension to the story with a looming threat of powerful natives who would exploit our dear Milton if they knew of his existence.

That's enough of a summary, I think. I'll say that I enjoy the characters. They seem meaningful and not precisely one-dimensional cut-outs. Milton makes interesting creatures and traps, and the villainous minions that encroach in this book are named people with unique personalities, and perspective shifts to them at times.

I greatly appreciate that.

Now, if I had to name a major flaw of this book, it is the need for proofing and editing. Sometimes the grammar is blatantly incorrect, or just awkward. For instance, in the second book (currently listening), a generator can power anything within a 20-ft radius, but it's written as "anything within 20 feet of its area of effect" -- implying that Horseshoes Rules apply. Another example from book two: "instead of the remaining creature, he instead saw twenty..."

The mistakes are there, but despite that being a thing I care about, I can overlook it. Editors are expensive, but editing is necessary.

This is a dungeon core gamelit book, akin to Bone Dungeon, Divine Dungeon, Dungeon Lord, and several others. All of those mentioned are excellent, in my opinion, and worth a listen -- and so is this series.

There is no Taoist cultivation element present, though personal progression happens via resources and experience. So, it is rather "crunchy" gamelit as far as stat dumps go.

On that note: the author kindly separates most tables of data or stat dumps into separate chapters so listeners can skip, if needed. I try to follow that info, but it kinda goes in one ear and out the other. I'd need a physical notecard or pdf or something for reference. So, the option to skip that is a bonus.

I received a code for this book for free with the request that I review it, and I gladly do so. Please enjoy

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No Super is an Island

Revisado: 12-25-18

Surprisingly, an excellent spinoff between years 2 and 3. I read this after finishing the origimal quartet, and loved the change of setting yet consistent world. Owen takes the bull by the horns and redeems himself, partly through his own determination, and partly through the influence of others. This others-improve-us vibe is not one-way, either.

5/5 would team up with Titan again.

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Great story and performance. Bad audio

Revisado: 06-12-17

At several points, the audio is spliced. It is frustrating that Audible accepts such scrambled recordings.

Nonetheless, this is book two of my favorite trilogy. The splices are minor enough that the book is comprehensible.

Meat is meat.

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Slow start, but worth the ending

Revisado: 05-22-17

An alternate to the book of Genesis is always a complicated endeavor. That said, the authors do a decent enough job. I had trouble being drawn in to the story, even with the conspiracies and mysteries. However, if you love Dalglish's other works, this one provides excellent background.

And, as I said, the ending is quite interesting.

The narrator is quite good, also. I do recommend getting this book if it is on special.

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