Audio Book Review: Magic and Mayhem by S.L. Rowland

Magic and Mayhem by S.L. Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We return to the world with Esil as he starts his new job and has moved out of the boxes to the town with so much more to offer.

Esil sees how many here live and how everyone he knows lives in the boxes. He wants to help them all. He does start saying things to people, hoping and wanting to make a difference for so many. He starts to see that he can't help the masses at once. He starts with those he knows and can move from there to help everyone as he learns more.

This is a book where we are in the gaming world. Esil's new job is a new set up for gaming... He's in a tank of nanites and gel/liquid to make a full emersion experience in a new world. Esil can feel things in the world like real. When he gets hit, he feels that pain. The world is directed by his actions and the AI adapts to his responses and action, creating the world, quests, and events around him. The NPCs he meets feel like friends and he wants to help them as thing change in the world.

The way the story is written, it feels like Esil does see them as friends, and they to him.

I listened to the audio of this book. I really enjoyed it. There are 3 voices to add depth and life to different characters. We also have light sound effects when things happen. They add to the story and I really like that they are light in the background, that way they don't distract from the story telling. Well done! And fun! The audio brings the story and characters to life for us.

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Audio Book Review: Death and Axes

Death and Axes

By:  S.L. Rowland

Publish Date:  September 30, 2017, Audiobook Release March 7, 2018

Format:  Audiobook - 7 hrs 33 mins
Narrated By:  Justin Thomas James & Laurie Catherine Winkel

Genre:  Fantasy, LitRPG

Series:  1st in Pangea Online series

Impression:  Playing the game to help a friend.

Synopsis:
Everything has a price. Pangea Online is no different.

Esil has spent the past year toiling in the mines of Pangea while the more wealthy traverse its myriad of gameworlds. His luck changes forever when he stumbles upon a legendary Developer's Chest, containing an invaluable Worldpass, which grants him unlimited travel to all gameworlds.

Now, Esil isn’t just stuck watching as others explore Pangea. He can finally level up.

But his in-game actions have real world consequences and failure online threatens everything he holds dear.

First Sentence:
My life sucks.

Purchase At:
Amazon 

Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.


Two narrators, for the story and male characters then a female for female voices. I started listening to the audiobook and never thought twice about the voices. There was no distraction from the story or characters as Justin narrates. I felt Justin was an excellent pick as Esil's voice along with the story. The female voices are voiced by Laurie and it fits. I liked hearing a woman voice the female characters as the story went. Both added accents or different enunciation to the characters to differentiate them. The best part, there was NO delay in the audio. The pacing felt to fit together as Justin and Laurie voice the characters. Maybe they acted out those scenes together? I don't know but it was done!

I love how Esil is new to the adventure field, even though watches streaming of adventures. He's a miner in the Pangea world, and when he gets to go on adventures, he's gun ho but he's a bit green around the edges. Not only does he have to level up and learn, but he's not done this before. This is perfect for me! This gives a feel to the book that newbie players or those that don't game as much can listen and feel for Esil.

This is a cool arrangement with the gaming world. The real world is described for us to know why people work in the game. Sometimes the game gives something special back. Esil is one of those fortunate enough to find it, a chest of valuable items.

The first chapter mentions what Esil will work for through the book. I wasn't sure if it was a strong motivator in the book, but the more I got to know Esil the more I realized what a great person he is. And the drive to help works extremely well for him. Esil is a nice person. I like what he brings out in those around him. By helping others, he creates great friendships. He doesn't ask for anything in return, he's just an honest and kind person. This is the kind of person you like to see improve in life.

Esil surrounds himself with great people who feel the same in return. Buzz, Grayson, and Aleesia and her band of dwarves. All are great and kind to him, even if they have similar or different stations in life. I feared one would turn on him and take all he had or would give, but things aren't that way with the people Esil finds and confides in. Buzz is a great friend for Esil, not wanting anything but a friend and to help Esil because of the help Esil is offering him. Grayson is an old miner that has experience in some things around the game world. Grayson gives great advice. Aleesia, she's a great character and new friend for Esil. She could even be a romantic interest for Esil, in time. (I'm so thankful we didn't jump into romance but let them get to know each other.)

The story is a gentle one as we go. It's Esil meeting people and getting to know them along with learning how things go in learning to play quests in Pangea to get to his end goal.



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