Audiobook Review: Pirates, Parley, Plunder! (Dungeon Runner) by Dustin Tigner, Narrated by Jackie Meloche

Pirates, Parley, Plunder! is the second book in the Dungeon Runner series by Dustin Tigner, the audiobook is narrated by Jackie Meloche. This book picks up right where the first left off, and I highly recommend reading them in order.

Entin’s guild flourishes, eager to face the untamed dungeons of Eternal Fantasy Online. These dangerous places are worlds within worlds, each presenting unique themes that truly stretch the definition of what a dungeon should be. All seems well until Entin meets a young woman by the name of Aymie Avys. She brings a wealth of knowledge and secrets that challenge everything he thought he knew. There is something dark in this world, a festering corruption that might hold the answers to questions no one is asking. But pursuing these answers could threaten everything Entin and his Runners have built and force him to choose between who he was in the past life and who he is now.

Pirates, Parley, Plunder! is a much more cohesive and engaging read than the first book in the series for me, mostly because it was written to be. I enjoyed getting to know the characters more and seeing them grow as individuals and as a team. I am glad that the author continued to give us the story through several points of view. This gave me a much better understanding of the bigger picture and each character's emotions well before the rest figured things out. I like that while there is romance, and in some sections very important, I like that the book did not become all romance. The pairing off did not derail the other aspects of the story, instead just made the mundane interactions more intense and important.  I think readers that enjoy fantasy and Game lit will enjoy this very much. I am grateful that the author unearthed the stories that became the first book in this series and continued it. 

Pirates, Parley, Plunder! is a fabulous follow up to the first runners book. I cannot wait to see what Entin, Aymie, and the rest get up to next.

Audiobook Review: Exploit, Extract, Exit! (Dungeon Runner)by Dustin Tigner, Narrated by Jackie Meloche

Exploit, Extract, Exit! is the first book in the Dragon Runner series written by Dustin Tigner, and the audiobook is narrated by Jackie Meloche. This is a collection of six novellas set in the same world with connected characters.  There should be two more books coming in this series. 

Eighteen-year-old Entin Soroy was supposed to be the cogging best fighter pilot of the Garentin space colony. But after an unthinkable terrorist attack forced the colony to digitize to survive, he finds himself thrust into a world repurposed from a rushed video game: Eternal Fantasy Online. This new reality might be beautiful. It might be full of endless wonder for its new immortal inhabitants. But the developers, in their haste, failed all those who lost their families and were too young to be given starting resources. Now Entin is a market Runner, working for copper chyps delivering packages to earn what little he can for the orphanage. It’s grueling, thankless work. That is, it was until a far more lucrative job found its way to him, revealing a new path forward. But nothing is ever easy. There are risks involved with going into the Wilds, a place of monsters and dangerous mysteries. Is the loot worth it? What price will he have to pay to succeed where others have failed? Full of adventures, puzzles, and unusual paths to success.

Exploit, Extract, Exit! is not quite what I had expected when I started listening, but that is because I read the author's name and not the description. This is not related to the Arachnomancer series- this is a different game world, with different characters and rules. Once I got past my own expectations I was able to get drawn into the story much more. I thought the characters and world building were well done, and I enjoyed getting to know new aspects of the world along side the characters. I thought the dynamics on Entin and his circle of friends and found family were fantastic, and I enjoyed that those relationships grew and changed without making it the focus of the story. I really liked the development of the main character of the alternating stories, and think she shows a great deal of growth in her stories as well. I liked the world building, and while the author admits in the forward and afterward of the book that it comes off as a little disjointed, because of the format the stories were originally written in, I think it still is very much worth the read, and I look forward to reading more to find out how everything comes together.

Audiobook Review: Wrong Divinity: Oh Sh*t! I F*cking Hate Spiders! by Dustin Tigner, Narrated by Qarie Marshall; Reba Buhr

Wrong Divinity: Oh Sh*t! I F*cking Hate Spiders! by Dustin Tigner is narrated by Qarie Marshall and Reba Buhr. It is the start of a new GameLit series that balances comedy with serious themes. It's an isekai—a portal fantasy—to the spirit realm. Join Dhane, our underdog, as he explores his new world, a world full of unique characters, RPG mechanics, and spiders—ugly, terrifying spiders—while he learns what it means to be an Arachnomancer.

Dhane kicked the bucket in spectacular fashion, every bone crushed, every organ popped against the full force of a 40-ton garbage truck speeding through a red light. The only part of him intact—whole—entirely unaffected by the grisly affair was his soul. Souls are durable things, you see, like kids: they bounce. And bounce he did, into the abyss between worlds, drifting until one excited soul watcher fished him out and found him a new home, a heaven for gamers and nerds and everything in between. It was all he could have ever wanted in the afterlife, down to choosing his class, killing mobs, and exploring a beautiful fantasy world chock full of mysteries yet to be discovered. At least…it would have been those things if that first day had gone a little tiny bit differently. Instead, he now finds himself locked in the middle of an eternal conflict between Light and Shadow—humans and monsters—potentially being the enemy to all.

Wrong Divinity is a fun and entertaining listen. I enjoyed Dhane's voice and personality, and hope I would be half so entertaining in his place. I thought the world building was well done, and followed the rules of most online sand table top games so that anyone with a basic understanding or enjoyment of either could really enjoy hat aspect of the story without leaving those with a less than extensive knowledge lost since explanations are made well and brief. I was quickly drawn into Dhanes drama, eager to see how everything paned out for him. Even after finishing the listen I am left hoping to dig into the next installment so I can see how everything works out. I thought the narrators did a great job with the book, but I think that most listeners will find their attention drifting during some of the stat building stuff, which I find much easier to tackle on paper. There is a PDF with that information for those looking to delve in.  My only real complaint is that while I enjoyed Dhane's character and some of his creative cursing, that was one phrase- that while it made me smile the first time- I found to be used way too often and started to get annoying by the end of the book. I think if there had been one other phase so that they alternated that would have made me happier. However, that was my biggest complaint and I greatly enjoyed the listen on several levels. I think there is a great audience for this style and subject and that they will enjoy the series.