LitRpg with a Zombie twist

This was an interesting take on litrpg, one I haven't come across before, in that it successfully combined zombies with the more standard elements of entering a fantasy RPG world. Generally I'm not really into zombie stuff but the way this mixed with a bunch of rpg fantasy stuff worked well. I also liked that it seems like each book will be set in a different type of rpg world, this first one has fantasy, the next probably cyberpunk.

Although I mostly enjoyed this book there were a few elements I did not.
At times I found the main character irritating, he could act in ways that seemed to be wilfully stupid, and I began to have a hard time believing that he would have been capable of surviving a zombie apocalypse. He frequently does things that would be just annoying in a role-playing character, but which become suicidal in the context of a world that he knows can actually kill him, if he was designed as a stupid or oblivious character that would be one thing, but he is clearly written as a survivor with at least some degree of sense and intelligence.

Also a couple of times the violence got more graphic than I personally like (probably because I'm more into fantasy/rpg than zombie stuff) and there were two or three times where excrement bizarrely (and to my mind, unnecessarily) cropped up, one particular bit I felt was especially awful and I really hated. Those elements and a couple of others mean that while I enjoyed the book I'm not sure if I will continue with the series.

Also anyone with a severe spider phobia may want to avoid this title.

While it is not a comic novel there are funny moments and I particularly loved a confused encounter with some river trolls which became my favourite bit of the whole book. I also enjoyed the characters of Bubba (a virtual recreation of a grandmother) and Hollow (a dog who becomes human in the virtual world) quite a lot and would have liked for the story to be more about them.

The narrator, Jeff Hayes, is really good, giving each character a unique voice. I realised as I listened that he also narrated another series of books I've listened to and he's becoming one of my favourite narrators.

I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Great- can’t wait to read the next book!

This is the eighth book I have read/listened to by this author and I would love to listen to more in this series!
I like the concept of the zombie apocalypse and how it infiltrated the gaming world. The main characters are a group of friends (and a dog) from around the world who have managed to connect with each other and plan what they hope to be there escape from the apocalyptic real world. I love the dog, who in the gaming world can talk. Although this is a book about people in a game it is not like some other litRPG’s I have read in that there is no notification of stats. That is not the focus of this book or I imagine, the series. In the different domains created by these friends, there is a different style to the world, people and/or creatures. This book involves them being in the domain of Everrealm. There are NPC characters but because of the infection reaching into the game, they are not behaving as they typically should.
We see a conclusion to the main issue in this story, but the end has a humongous lead into the next book however I would not consider it a cliffhanger.——-
This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator ( Jeff Hays ) and I would definitely listen to another. Fantastic timing and cadence. Great performance. Excellent voices. ——-

There are no explicit sex scenes, there is moderately described violence , there is quite a bit of swearing.——-

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 5/5
Narration 5/5

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level Dead

not quite sure how this works as an l i t r p g may have to give one more book a try this is the first time that I have read anything by this author they may give one of his other books instead

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A great book.

I enjoyed this book, it's a great litrpg, world building is imaginative and well written, there's pleanty of detailing with a great deal of depth to it.
the characters are fun and likeable.
The narration is superb.
I'd recommendations to any one.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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level deceased

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

People who accept information without thinking about it - at all

What was most disappointing about Jake Bible’s story?

Well let's see.. 10 minutes in and we have a dog that apparently only needs vocal cords to be able to form complex sentences, a magical computer that can run pretty much forever, a plague of decaying zombies that never decay enough to actually fall apart but which can perform as well as they did while alive and a girl slave who gets put into an expensive, networked virtual simulation by her captors when she gets annoying?! ... Someone didn't bother with the worldbuilding.

What about Jeff Hays’s performance did you like?

He read the words without cracking up

What character would you cut from EverRealm: A LitRPG Novel?

everything between page 1 and the end

Any additional comments?

Writing a book about an RPG that I can only imagine is aimed at a YA audience doesn't excuse you from having to make a believable explanation for why things are the way they are ... and besides Adults like RPGs too. This however reads like the laziest thrown together concept imaginable.. Errm need protagonist to enter a virtual world.. I know it's the Apocalypse! A Zombie apocalypse, but all the tech works.. hell everyone has seen zombie movies no need to have it make sense.. Throw in a damaged girl as a love interest and a non threatening pet and there we go... A steaming pile of litrpg

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3 people found this helpful