Wholesome blast

Dead Tired - Ravensdagger - Narrated by Justin Thomas James and Soundbooth Theater
TLDR; An all powerful lich gets woken up from his nap and goes looking for a book to read so he can go back to sleep(no seriously that's basically the plot). Fantastic story, excellent narration, funny, PUNiSHINgly good (two puns in one word).
Who might not like this: People without a funny bone. (Okay I'll go more into details later, but I couldn't resist the pun).
Themes: Wholesome, comedy, OP MC,
Okay with the abridged review done lets get dive into the review.
Background on the author:
If you are unfamiliar with Ravensdagger, you should know that they have a tendency of writing wholesome litrpgs or fantasy books (they are wonderful and fun).
What's it about:
Having become an all powerful lich on the path of scientific study, our villainous protagonist decided to tear apart the gods to study what made them tick. With that done and having hit max level, his next plan was a good nap. Sadly after sometime had passed, a flesh bag accidentally made the fatal error of waking him up. Awake now he decides to do what any self respecting scientist and bookworm would do and go looking for something new to read before he returns to his slumber, only....the world is now rather different and what is this 'cultivation' everyone is now talking about. It's not scientific, that's what it is!
What I enjoyed about it:
The entire story is an act of love towards litrpgs and progressive fantasy, Ravensdagger has fun gently RIBBING each while merging the two major progressive fantasy formats. The story is chocked full of puns and bad/good humour, and while silly it still maintains a captivating plot. While the MC is OP, power is not the primary focus of this book, but instead exploration and personal relationships, so rather his power detracting from the story it instead works as a source of dramatic irony and humour (I hope I got the definition correct), as our beloved Skellie Dad encounters the pride of cultivation sects. It's lovely to read the main party develop and interact with one another as their relationships develop. It's just overall a compelling an entirely enjoyable tale. I also really like the "grumpy old man" sterotype 😊
Let's talk about the narration. The first time I wrote review about JTJ I believe I basically said his voice invokes the image of "a man sat in a library with a lit fire, wearing a smoking jacket holding a glass a port", there is a smoothness and measure to his narration that is a delight to listen to and is perfectly matched to this story. Combined with the wonderful talents of Dorrie Sacks, Tiana Camacho and Jeff Hays, I found myself immersed in the story.
What you might not enjoy about it:
If you are looking for a serious story of struggle and conflict, with high stakes and repercussions. This may not be the book for you. Also if a lich being referred to as Bone Daddy by one of his creations doesn't make you chuckle, this might not be for you.
Overall:
I loved it and eagerly await the next instalment. The narration is perfect with some wonderful moments where the MC reflects on his actions and his own humour which JTJ really brings to un-life. Simply put an entertaining and well put together light story.

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1 person found this helpful

Fantastic

Absolute fantastic. I love this book quite funny in places but I wish there was another one

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Great performance

Wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this but was immediately drawn into the story by the characters and the performances of the cast. I tried to take my time with it but ended up smashing through the story in a few days. Now I just have to wait for the next one.
Good job.

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Great story, much potential, and of course legendary narration, as per usual!

Ravens dagger… man I member when cinnamon bun first came out, and raven’s books still bang.

Soundbooth shot the narration through the roof, round the world, then back- AS TO BE EXPECTED. Now get back in whatever dungeon you all work in and get to narrating (with much love and adoration).

Overall, it was fun, no big complaints, though I will admit that at times it did feel as though it lacked substance, though clearly this first book is a precursor to much adventure, and even more substance- and even still, this was quite the fun listen.


Ps.
I haven’t tried the peanut butter cookies yet, but I assure you I shall, and they too will be legendary.

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some cracking bone puns ;)

enjoyable and refreshing take having a lead who isnt conventionally good, no apologising or pandering to virtuous ideals just does what he wants. Great listen well reccomended to any who are looking for a darker but funny take on the whole gamelit genre

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Good easy read, nice puns

I'm glad I got it based on another recommendation. A little exaggerated on puns, some more enjoyable than others, I believe this is subjective though. Story didn't detract my attention from my activities but still good enough to have on in the background while listening to the character go off on his adventures to satisfy his curiosity although some rather morally questionable character behaviour does happen throughout the story. The characters had unique personalities that felt like some thought had gone into them. Voice acting was good although I would have cringed if anyone overheard me listening to the female voiced lines which felt forced and unnatural, despite that I can't seem to imagine what the character would sound like other than that now I've heard it. I would call this more a casual read than an intellectually fulfilling work of fiction so I wouldn't recommend to people who like complex stories with lots of twists and turns, hard to notice details that have greater significance later in the story etc, but good enough to keep you occupied, accept the book for what it is and you'll have a good time, have high expectations and expect to complain about being dissappointed. I can only speak for the first vook though.

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Great narration, no real story

There is no story or ending to the book, but I still loved it due to the awesome narrator.

I will still be buying book 2 as I want to know where the pun laden lich wizard goes and what fun he has 😅

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Light hearted fun

Another charming book from Ravensdagger. A little darker than others but throughly enjoyable. Main characters are really interesting, and breaks the 4th wall / and tropes in a wonderfully whitty manner. Extremely good audio performance brings it to life, and looking forward to the next one.

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Simply amazing

My expectations were mediocre at best when getting this book but oh boy was I wrong. The performance and storytelling alone is top notch, not just in litrpg but in general.
I simply can’t say anything else than if you’re into the genre and have a sense of humor, this is one of the books/series you really shouldn’t overlook!

10/10 to the voice actors and their performances
10/10 for the story, characters and world building

In short, 10/10 overall from me

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Great narration and Good Story!

First things first! Another hit out the park with quality and production of the narration from everyone at SBT.

I really enjoyed this book. It's my first full listen/read through of any of his books.

The book kept me entertained throughout. I didn't hear any major flaws in the story. There where a couple of minor inconsistencies at the start that bugged me, but they didn't carry on and I didn't notice any more while I was listening. I didn't hear any major plot holes either, which is always good, as that can be off putting.

The story progressed well and at a good pace. The world building was good and there where a good selection of characters in the book not just the same 4/5 throughout.

The narration as per usual with the SBT team is outstanding. Justin knocked his voices and reading out the park. You can definitely here him improving from book to book with his voices. His narration was fluid and easy to listen to.

My only issue with the audio was one of the characters voices Limpets. it was fine at first. But you then find out some information about her character and the voice chosen by Dorrie started to annoy me by the end of the book due the known info. It certainly wouldn't put me off listening to future books. But I feel it would be better if her characters voice matured as she gets wiser and more experienced in future books


Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to listening to the rest of the books in the series!

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