Tall Tales of Bronwic

The Mana Influx, Book 1

De: Mike Parsons

Narrado por: Maks Daniels

How does someone evolving into humanity's most powerful individual make a difference in a world where you can't save everyone?

Bronwic, a recently retired ice hockey enforcer, is trying unsuccessfully to rebuild himself in the remote Milford Sounds of New Zealand when a Mana Influx hits Earth. Danger is everywhere as oversaturated Mana creates wormholes that bring dangerous creatures to Earth. Animals and vegetation are warped and forcibly evolved into a new hostile food chain, and humanity is no longer at the top.

The Sapient Species Alliance intervenes to provide humanity with Mana Interfaces that allow people to gain powerful Classes and Levels, including rare forgotten alien Classes and new ones created from Earth's mythology.

Caught in the highest level, the most dangerous area on Earth, Bronwic desperately struggles to survive and regain his lost sense of purpose.

Tall Tales of Bronwic is the first book in the Mana Influx series. You can expect a fun combination of Classes, levels, galactic invaders, magic, skill selection, progression, game mechanics, attributes, and several scenes in the world's best burger joint.

©2023 Mike Parsons (P)2024 Podium Audio

Pretty solid start

I like the main character enough pretty generic, but not really anything unlikable so that’s good. I do hope in future books we get more characters we care about and just more time with the main character. To much world building not enough character building. I Will continue the series.

Really good

I completely enjoyed the story it does have some small similarities to tao wongs system apocalypse and im not a fan of that just because I don't like that story,. and the narration was really good, honestly I can't wait for book 2

Average

This is an average story with average narration. Not bad but I probably won’t continue to book 2 because its pacing is off and the characters are just along for the ride

An absolute slog

This book takes a complete nose dive at about 40% of the way through. All progression just...stops.

I don't just mean in levels/achievements etc, though that's certainly the case, but character wise too.

It's arguably even more inexcusable.

We're forced to listen to Bronwic be a self-deprecating bore way too often, so much so that, by the end, every time I heard him repeat that he was too weak/one dimensional and needed to get stronger, I started to roll my eyes.

He's not wrong, but after five times of hearing the same thing, followed by doing absolutely nothing to change it, it gets old. Fast.

His moments of personal growth mean nothing, everything feels pointless.

And don't even get me started on the stupidity of using a hockey stick as a weapon.


Ultimately, this story sapped all the best parts out of the genre, and is the worse for it.

For someone who typically loves this genre, and can generally look past a lot of roughness in service of reading more, I recommend passing.