Delvers, LLC is an entertaining romp into the LitRPG genre. It’s not too crunchy with stats like some other titles I have heard about, making it a good intro in the genre. This being my first experience, after listening to this book I’m not sure if LitRPG is a style I will enjoy. I have a couple more titles to review next – maybe it will grow on me.
An interesting aspect of LitRPG books is the explicit narrative of progression. After heroes achieve a certain amount of experience, they get “points” to apply to their own skills to improve, or can use the points to acquire new skills. It can be interesting to see how the characters in the book progress, and which skills they pick. This is especially evident when two characters who initially are identical in their base skills choose different skills as they progress, illustrating how individually they can then split off and become unique characters.
In this story, Henry and Jason are unlikely heroes sent into an RPG-like world without a clue on where they are or what they are supposed to do. Henry was my least favorite character – not sure why. His overall attitude sucked. He was brash, crude, rude, and shot off at the mouth when it seems like he shouldn’t have. Jason was the more cool-headed of the two, thoughtful, pensive.
One thing that was missing was a sense of tension. The main characters never seemed in danger… ever. I think adding some hair-raising events where the possibility of a character death would have added a lot to the story and kept interest at a peak. At its core the book is entertaining nonetheless. It was fun to adventure with the characters and watch their progression, both in maturity and in skill.
Jaff Hays is a remarkable narrator. His range of voices is simply amazing. I would listen to anything he read – even a technical manual.
This audio book was gifted to me by the author in exchange for a unbiased review.