The Battle

Play to Live, Book 5

By: D. Rus

Narrated by: Michael Goldstrom

The Russian cluster. The ground shakes as the enemy approaches. The angered gods frown as they look down from the sky.

Intelligence agencies are locked in a brutal fight. Hundreds of thousands of sentient beings happily slaughter each other. This is no longer a game quest nor a petty fight between clans over some land rich in resources. This is war! A war of civilizations, religions, and all the dimensions of the world.

The Earth weeps in pain. The astral beings turn away in horror. Burning castle towers collapse to the ground. Stones melt in the heat. The enemy is coming. Refugees flood the Valley. Alliance members are joining forces.

Max is not just a clan leader anymore. He is the Chief, the head of the resistance. And you have no choice but to fight; you are the hope of the children and the thousands of innocents. They have entrusted you with their lives.

©2014 D. Rus; Translator Alisa Bogodarova 2015 (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

too short

It was surprisingly short. I feel the last 2 books could have been put together to make 1 book

good story, frustrating writing

Still good, but I think the author has taken the story to a scope he isnt comfortable or experienced with. he switches between the large number of characters and events in sloppy and very confusing ways that make it hard to follow the action.

That said the book still retains much of the flavor and love for RPGs that made the early books so fun, which only makes the sloppy writing that much more frustrating. I would suggest only the most avid fans of the in depth RPG elements continue with this one.

Blah, not the best in my opinion.

Had a hard time following this one. It felt like a way too long interlude from the story. I keep being told that the next thing will be this big war but it doesn't seem to come. I fear this was the weakest in my opinion. Probably didn't help that it dropped as an audible on the same day as the follow up. I felt a bit cheated to have to pay twice. So all and all not a great story. I hope the next is better or I fear I'm done with this story line.

Well-written, but sexist

Overt sexism (blatantly stating women belong in supporting roles to men) in otherwise great story

Jumped around too much

The story jumped around too much. It was often not clear what scene you were transitioning to, and with narrator, it was often not clear that you were transitioning scenes at all.

Not Strongest in the Series

I am still enjoying the overall story of this series. However, this book didn't seem as satisfying as the others. It kind of felt more like a placeholder or a sort of intermission, without the big payoff. we also see some of the prominent characters sort of fade into the background without the development in previous books. If you are already invested in the series, it is still a good listen for the continuation of the story. If you are a newcomer, this will not likely offer much to get you hooked. Michael Goldstrom continues solid narration.

Spoiler alert

"The Battle" DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN THIS BOOK! I enjoy this series, but this has to be one of the most amateurish authors I've ever come across...

Loosing interest

I've been listening since book one and the story is consistently getting harder to follow.

Not bad

good story, the narrater was well done. it could have been better but still well done.

Another hit

D Rus has another hit in his collection i look forward to the next installment of this series.