Dungeon Lord: Nightmare Kingdom

The Wraith's Haunt: A LitRPG Series, Book 5

By: Hugo Huesca

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Annie Ellicott, Dorrie Sacks, Ryan H. Reid, Gary Furlong, Lucky Byfleet

Length: 29 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Edward Wright is the Dungeon Lord, a Dark champion chosen by the Dark god, Murmur, to lead armies of minions against the forces of the Light in the eternal battle for the soul of the world of Ivalis.

After barely surviving the Endeavor of the Factory of Nightmares, Dungeon Lord Edward Wright was banished back to Earth.

Stranded in a world without magic, the Dungeon Lord must now find a way to return to the magical realm of Ivalis. If his enemies realize he’s disappeared, they’ll undoubtedly fall upon his dungeon like vultures.

Worse yet, he’s not alone on Earth. The Silver Knights, the order of the ancient warriors that defeated Lord Sephar long ago, are back and ready to vanquish another Dungeon Lord. Behind them hides an individual who may connect Ed to the mighty Heroes, the unbeatable machines of the Light.

Meanwhile, Ed’s friends and allies face the wrath of the Inquisition, as well as the raids of evil Dungeon Lords looking to claim Lord Wraith’s secrets for themselves. It is only a matter of time before one of their foes to get lucky and draw blood.

War brews in the horizon of Starevos, and the threat of the reborn Lord Sephar lurks in the shadows. Only Ed stands in the middle of the terrible clash of the Dark and the Light.

This time, if Ed wants to protect those dear to him, he’ll have to unleash war and take a crown for himself.

If he dares to pay the price.

©2024 Hugo Huesca (P)2024 Soundbooth Theater

So good

This series of books is truely a gem. I've read and listened to hundred of books in this and similar genres over the last decade and Dungeon Lord stands head and shoulders above nearly every one of them. The MC is not someone wh9 is overpowered or has anything handed to him. He has to struggle constantly and use wit to overcome impossible odds. He is a deeply thoughtful character who has to make hard choices that sometimes leave him scarred physically, emotionally, and spiritually. His is a story of struggle with morality and sense of self as much as with outside forces. There is real depth to the MC as well as the other characters.

In fact all of the side characters have depth to them as much as the MC. They are are not just fluff. They are characters that you can relate to and care about. They also grow as the books progress rather than just being wallpaper. They are a part of what makes Dugeon Lord so great rather than just being filler.

The first book was strong both in writing and performance from Soundbooth Theater. Then I witnessed how both of them grew with subsequent books. Sadly there was a long pause after book 4.

I didn't know what happened to Hugo and was worried about him. I was sad thinking this story would end unfinished. To my surprise and great joy I learned that Hugo was alright and book 5 was being released after so many years. Let me tell you was worth the wait.

Book 5 in terms of the writing and performance is the best of the series. I'm trying to write this without any kind of spoilers so I will just say that there was plenty of action on a much larger scale than previous books. There were also parts that were sad, but that's a sign of a great writer when readers are emotionally invested in the character. Soundbooth theater also stepped up their game with more actors, sound effects, and music that add to the story without being obtrusive. This really is a masterpiece in audio books.

If you enjoy fantasy or Sci fi you will enjoy this series and book 5 especially I think. Honestly one of the best stories I've read since I started reading 50 years ago. I wish Hugo the best of health and a long life. I can't wait to see what he has for us next.

Great series

Great series after 5 year break from book 4 to 5 just too bad it feels like the story ends here I hope it doesn't but I'm feeling like it does

amazing all around

amazing writing and amazing narration I feel in love with the dungeon lord books from the other audiobook by soundbooth and when I heard the 5th book was coming out I just had to re listing and read the whole series over so after listening to this one I must say hugo and soundbooth didn't disappoint can't wait for book 6

I'm pleased 🙂

I'm satisfied even after the wait. Thanks for your perseverance, Mr. Author Man.
i just need to say that your intro said that Ed worked at a hardware store and that was weird and wrong. I just assume it was supposed to be "repair" store and hardware ended up being the word.

Return in blaze of Glory

Story had me chomping at the bit for every second. I enjoyed every minute and the twist and turns were exhilarating! Note I love the recap, helps since it was a minute.
Narrators: As always Soundbooth did and amazing job and even elevated the experience with background sound!
Author: I’m glad you are back and better. I felt that this book was dead but you came back with a nail biter… keep up the good work

Triumphant return to Ivalis

I had lost hope that we would get another book in this series, finding this felt like a Winterfest miracle from Hogbus himself. Loved the story and thing everyone who is a fan will enjoy this chapter in the epic rise of Dark Lord Edward Wright.

Only reason for 4 instead of 5 was that it felt like the Cephar's Bane storyline was artificially sidelined this book. In the last you kind of had a buildup that all was coming to a head but in this one the only thing Ed had to focus on was getting home and defeating the Empire in Staravos. Because of this the stakes felt smaller and less urgent in comparison to the last book.

As for the performance they went all out with sound effects and soundtracks. I am not a big fan of this kind of enhanced audiobook since I find most of this distracting and lesser to the image I am forming in my head with a good narrator, however for what it was this was high quality and added to the emotion in the storyline.

worth the wait

amazing book, was dreading it will be a ending but this feels like we have a lot to come and hopefully the next book will be soon. stories fun and char writing was amazing. felt solidly grounded in how the stories been going and really does a amazing job writing the fighting and war scenes along with a solid plot line!

almost perfect

I loved the story It both pushed the narrative and setup gor the next book(which I can't wait for). the additional voice actors added some variety I didn't know we needed so that was nice, sometimes switching or adding more people isn't always gor the best especially this late into a series.

my one and only complaint is all the sound effects. half the time I couldn't hear a character talk because they were wearing a helmet or they were in the middle of combat. I think they went overboard this time around.

Worth the wait! Best series so far!

One of the best war depictions I have ever heard. I am happy that the five-year wait was worth it. This series started off as more of a lighthearted comedy, and has really grown into serious Grim dark, world built adventure. Thank you Hugo Huesca. Thank you Sound Both.

a stellar return to Ivalis

If you liked the first four books in the series you'll like this one. Hugo Huesca brings his saga to the next level with the newest entry and it was worth the wait. The whole crew at Soundbooth Theater did an amazing job, with an extensive cast and over-the-top sound effects. I eagerly await book 6