Video Game Plotline Tester

Dark Herbalist Series, Book 1

De: Michael Atamanov

Narrado por: Eric Michael Summerer

Would you be prepared to work for free? How would you like to bust your hump for a large corporation 60-plus hours a week without a wage or a single day off for the vague promise of some mysterious perks in the distant future?

You'd refuse point blank, wouldn't you? But what if the job in question was playing a state-of-the-art fantasy MMORPG game? And what if this was the only thing you're really good at? Especially considering that your in-game partner is someone really special to you - and this person already lives a virtual life?

Knowing all this, would you consider the mysterious future bonus worth your while?

©2017 M. Atamanov; English translation copyright 2017 by Andrew Schmitt (P)2017 Tantor

Entertaining but not groundbreaking.

Good book with a fun story that has potential to become a really good series.

Realize what you're getting in to before you start

To help you know what you're getting in to before buying the first book in this series, I'm going to point out a few things.
This was one of those stories I found myself thinking about how I'd review it as I listened to it.

First the positives:
What a great story. The title had me a bit cautious but the description got me. I didn't listen to the sample first but I wanted a new story for my daily 1.5 hour each way commute.
If you like the stories about gaming from the users perspective, immersive thought provoking worlds, a bit futuristic utopian, and 'some' character depth (more on that later), and some familiarity with online MMORPG gaming terminology - then you should like this.

The voice actor Eric Summerer - His character voices are distinct and consistent. When a character is given a voice that allows me to picture the being not just through description but vocal characteristics, I really enjoy the depth of the story much more. Eric Summerer pulls this off well with the material he's given in the story.

So, I also have some negatives but for me it hasn't been enough of a deal killer for me not to purchase successive books and continue the story.
First is I think the translation. This was originally written in Russian? and translated to English. I don't think everything translates perfectly and some words sound out of place - like, is that really what they meant to say or would it work better if that was slightly rephrased for the translated version? Some of it may also be cultural slang and it may be a bit awkward.
Speaking of cultural and awkward. - Many if not almost all of the female characters in the series come across as very shallow, catty, manipulative, and materialistic - whether it's a 'real' person or a game NPC It keeps you guessing about how the characters will react to such attitudes, but again this might be due to translation and cultural differences that I don't understand.

In all, the story is really good. I am in process of listening to the 4th book and don't know if the story will wrap up or if there's going to be a 5th. If so, I will most likely be purchasing it when it arrives.

this author IS The Next BIG Thing. Want MORE!

the directness of character interaction is this authors' greatest gift. The refreshing and unique view point on character interactions...so very Russian, so very real, so completely rewarding. Warning! exposure to author may lead to addiction;)

Makes you want to play WoW or Asherons Call again!

Great listen that anyone who has ever played a MMORPG can relate to. cant wait to read the other books!

Great story, great narrator

I was afraid the rpg stuff would be over my head and drag it down, but it was great. I loved the characters both in game and out of game. This is the first book I've gotten narrated by Eric Michael Summerer. I'm a fan of his podcast and loved his narration as well.

wow

what a good book i hope Michael Atamanov does not stop with just 3 books
maybe they will make A movie.

So fun!

Really a great book. I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are interesting and the world is very cool.

Quirky, silly, yet serious all at once

I've never played an MMORP game, and I don't intend to. Too time consuming. But this story makes me want to play one. If Audible ever does a performance version of this book, it would be amazing.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

You might be tempted, even though it is a shallow judgment, to judge this book simply by its cover. It is fun art but admittedly, when compared to some of the other book covers which are super fancy, it doesn't hold up. As the other reviewers of clearly stated this is nowhere indicative of the content. This is a absolutely fantastic and fun story. I highly recommend it to any other reader..

Well written

this story is one that draw many of the same themes of the LITRPG genre in to focus. Overall the story is really well written and beautifully narrated. It is as I would say worth your money.