For the first 2/3 of the book, I was hopeful that the main character, Orin, was intentionally written to be unlikeable so that he’d have the opportunity to grow in compassion and affability. After finishing the first book, I can sympathize with his first guild, who wanted to ditch him.
Orin certainly doesn’t qualify as a hero, but neither is he an anti-hero. He’s a luke-warm protagonist at best – he’s self-serving, self-centered, greedy, and has a pretty hard time learning from mistakes. I’m hopeful the author will grow where his subject has not. This was obviously a multi-book series from the start, and there’s still time for Orin to grow into a personality less likely to cause us to cringe with each social interaction. If this narrative wasn’t a first-person perspective, I suspect this would matter far less.
The game world, mechanics, and overall plot are intriguing and unique enough to hold my interest, and the writing quality of an adequate capability.
The most spectacular aspect of this audiobook is its narrator, Jeff Hayes. This won’t surprise anyone familiar with his work, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the reason most ended up listening to Life Reset. Six months ago I had never even heard of LitRpg. Thanks to Jeff Hayes, I have several hundred hours of listening under my belt, all thoroughly enjoyed due to his superb talent. That man could make reading a hospital cafeteria menu a thrilling adventure. I’ve listened to well over 2,000 hours of audio on audible alone, performed by dozens of different narrators, and I can say with confidence that I believe he is the most talented voice actor in this industry, quite likely the best that’s ever been.