Seeker: A LitRPG Adventure

A Troubled World, Book 2

By: Stephanne Payne

Narrated by: Erin Bateman

After making a difficult decision, Nikole finds herself back in the world she thought she had escaped. She's been gone longer than her instincts suggest, but her first order of business is to reunite with her friends, determine if she needs a new companion, and determine her purpose for being back.

But this time, she's not the only one who has crossed into this other realm. Another Outlander seems to be making his mark, but divining his intentions isn't easy. Will Nikole and her band of friends be able to figure out this new player before her suspicions break up her friendships?

Don't miss book 2 of an exciting new LitRPG series from Stephanne Payne. Elvish archers, mages, and more...what else could a listener want?

©2022 Aethon Books (P)2022 Aethon Audio

Great story to listen to, just excellent!

When we first met Nikole in The Sentinel, she was traumatized badly by the recent death of her son. On her way to work one day, she is catapulted into a fantastic new world: Hadria, due to a near-fatal car wreck on her way to work. And, more importantly, her main skill: is being unskilled.

Book 2 starts with Nikole back in the "real world," but she is near death from the car wreck. Sometimes she feels like she can still dimly see Tako and the Nonpareils from Hadria, where she defeated the Dragonsai and saved the world from war.

Then, as Earth grows dark around her, she returns to Hadria. But she's changed. Now she is Nikole the Seeker, not the Sentinel. She is a blue, pointy-eared Outland Fay. And she has retained her skills, but all of her possessions are gone. She also discovers that in her new lite LitRPG world, time passes a lot faster than on Earth, and a bunch of time has passed since she returned home. Did she die on Earth? She's not sure.

Now, given a new task by the Goddess, she is trying to figure out if Elandria's arch-enemy, her sister, is trying to hide another Outlander - strangely, also from Earth, who is trying to build a huge power base and take over Hadria. By brainwashing everyone with a philosophy of equality - while some are evidently more equal than others. Sound familiar? Can Nikole and the Nonpareils unravel the great riddle in time?

This adventure is every bit as good as the first, and in some ways better. There is enough of a light touch of the LitRPG that it provides framework and structure and adds to the entertainment to support a riveting tale.

All of the Nonpareils are back except one - who has been reeled in by a great pretender, whom Nikole has identified from Earth as an evil villain indeed. His crimes - multiple murders. Will the Nonpareils survive? Will Nikole find a new companion/familiar with Mojo, the ghost cat gone? And is she truly dead on Earth? How can she possibly survive, let alone succeed in her newly appointed role as the Seeker?

This book builds a lot on the first book. It means that rather than introducing and building on characters, we can focus more on getting to know them and solving all the tasks and impossible challenges Nikole, Tako, and the elite Nonpareils and dragons face.

This was another excellent and engaging read and listen. I both read the book and listened to the audio version, which was expertly and very enjoyably narrated by Erin Bateman. Her accents, tones, intonations, and expressions do a superb job of personifying the characters. She clearly "gets" Nikole and her story. Her narration really captured the different moods and emotions of the characters. I listened to the book after having started reading it on a very long 11-hour drive, and it was a perfect long-drive listen. It really kept me absorbed and entertained for the entire drive.

I am truly hooked on Nikole and the Nonpareil's story, and I can't wait for Book 3: The Survivor coming out soon.

Stephanne Payne has delivered the goods on this, her second book. My hat's off to Aethon Publishing; they know how to pick excellent authors.

I recommend this enjoyable and engaging book to anyone interested in a lighter version of LitRPG and a book full of characters that seem drawn from real life that you will really get involved with.