AlterWorld

Play to Live, Book 1

By: D. Rus

Narrated by: Michael Goldstrom

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A new pandemic - the perma effect - has taken over Earth of the near future. Whenever you play your favorite online game, beware: your mind might merge with the virtual world and dump its comatose host. Woe be to those stuck forever in Tetris! And still they're the lucky ones compared to those burning alive eternally within the scorched hulls of tank simulators. But some unfortunates - the handicapped and the terminally ill, shell-shocked army vets, wronged crime victims and other society misfits - choose to flee real life willingly, escaping to the limitless world of online sword and sorcery MMORPGs. Once a seasoned gamer and now a terminal cancer patient, Max grasps at this final chance to preserve his life and identity. So he goes for it - goes for the promise of immortality shared with a few trusty friends and the woman he loves. Together they roam the roads of AlterWorld and sample its agony and ecstasy born of absolute freedom.

©2014 D. Rus (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

The setting is more powerful than it's plot.

What did you like best about AlterWorld? What did you like least?

The concept itself was wonderful. The idea that a dying man uses a video game to extend his lifespan was enough to really get me into the plot at the start of the book, but as time went on it became obvious that this was some oddly themed power fantasy.

The main character, Max, remains almost unchallenged throughout the entire book in any real sense. Sure, there are action scenes, but these are always of him simply playing the game to level up. Even his impending death problem in the beginning of the book was glossed over. Most other characters like him instantly or are awed by the simplest of his ideas, he gets a girlfriend his first week there without any real drama at all, villains are almost non existent or don't show up until the very end of the book, even the game itself starts rewarding him for the simplest of actions.

Max's journey is so easy that the plot drags like crazy, it would have been boring if the setting wasn't so well thought out and the ending not promise some real issues in the next book.

Would you be willing to try another book from D. Rus? Why or why not?

Yes, because if I didn't everything in this book would have been a waste of time. I want a story, not what currently amounts to a blog of someone else's video gaming adventures

What does Michael Goldstrom bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not much. His telling of the story was steady, but almost too steady. There are parts that hint at dark issues in the story but the way he voices the characters reactions make them all seem disturbingly fine with those moments. In fact, the character almost seem more emotional over losing points and video game items than over the important stuff.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe, but only for the special effects.

Any additional comments?

"Alterworld: Play to Live" was fine, but I was expecting more based on the scenario and setting. The ending does promise an interesting and actual conflict that matters for the next book so I'll be picking that one up. Hopefully the story will as cool as it's setting on the second book "The Clan: Play to Live".

Quest Failed! Did not find a story in AlterWorld!

What did you like best about AlterWorld? What did you like least?

Best - the potential of this world. The narrator.
Worst - absolutely no story to bind it all together. Complete mishmash of unrelated random quests and battles. If you like watching other people play video games you may enjoy this. I sometimes do, but I didn't this time. If you want a story you may not. Even the living characters felt like they were video game characters, which is somehow ironic.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Not this series...

What does Michael Goldstrom bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A superb storyteller, he more than once prevented me from moving to my next book.

Do you think AlterWorld needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

For more random unrelated quests? No.

There's better LitRPG out there

An interesting world building premise, and I enjoyed reading some LitRPG from a non-English author, but the misogyny and racism are enough of a detriment, coupled with the lack of interesting character building/problem solving, that I'm going to drop the series after book one.

#LITRPG #ScienceFiction #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

One of the best reads I've had in a long time!

I loved every second of this book. It really captured the world of MMORPG's. The idea of perma-stuck is fascinating and I'm excited to start The Clan ASAP!

Great, except for all the stuff the narrator said wrong

mana is MAN-uh. Not mahnah.
If you run into e.g. you don’t say the letters, you say “for example”

Coup de grace is not coo duh grahs. It’s coo de graw

Shaman is shah-man. Not shayman.

Full Immersion EverQuest

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. What I like about this story is that the MC is relatable. He is terminally ill and chose to start his new life as an Elven Death Knight in a fully immersive MMORPG called AlterWorld. Because he's not rich, he has to actually use his brains and plan out his point distribution, gear selection, and endgame strategy. Unlike some other LitRPGs out there (like Viridian Gate Online, True Hero, etc.), the game mechanics, classes, and abilities for this series actually makes sense. They are similar, in my opinion, to EverQuest.

A couple of things to know before spending your credit:

- This is a LitRPG series. It is about a guy living in a video game, cranking out levels, and doing quests. If you don't like MMOs or think the premise is silly, then I suggest passing on this book.

- This series is translated to English from Russian. The translation is pretty good, however the names, values, and culture might be a little different than what you are used to and some leeway should be allowed.

- As the series progresses, the MC will transition from a solo player to a guild / raid leader. I lost interest when this transition happened as I was never into raids. Just know that his solo leveling will eventually end once he starts his guild.

Very Russian weird translation issues. Still ok.

So this book is ok. But it is very Russian and the English translation feels off. There are lots of weird awkward phrases English. So it loses a star for that reason. The book has fun lit rpg troops game mechanics, finding exploits, endless stats etc. I found it fun when he spends like 3 hours getting around the game safeties to make cigarettes and sell to other players lol. The author and narrator did a fine job but the transition was clearly weird and a little off and it distracts from the story.

Amazing for the innergamer that dwells in us all

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes and actually I already have recommended it to some friends.

What was one of the most memorable moments of AlterWorld?

The entire idea is well executed.

What does Michael Goldstrom bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is pretty good at portraying the characters.... Not bad at all... he is no R.C Bray but still very good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I just had to listen to it all in one sitting!!! i cannot explain it it just gripped me hard.

Any additional comments?

Seriously i bought this out of a random boredom because I have to wait for some books that are still in preorder status. And boy was I surprised. What a story!!! for some reason It keeps pulling my inner gamingnerd. I haven't been playing for years but for some reason i now want to play again just to try to relive the nicely portrayed story.

If you have some gaming experience then this is a really good book. Non gamers might have some trouble but if you set aside some of the more complex gaming expressions and just listen to the story then everyone can enjoy this series.

I just LOVE, LOVE this audio book!

So to start off with: I LOVE this book and series. This book is the one that got me into the whole gamelit and litrpg genres. This book is one of those that I love to reread and listen to all the times. Thankfully the narrator is one of the good ones and did not mangle the story.

Great book. end had a bit of a strange thing

was really good. cant wait to see what the second book has in store. but a great listen