Of Gods & Grunts

By: Kyrell Kendrick

Narrated by: Anthony Tuell

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

I always believed in what I could see. Sure I was raised in one of those Christian non-denominational churches by my parents and a very strict Mimi, but my beliefs were not exactly solid. That all changed when I found myself rocketing through the cosmos after hitting an ambush while on patrol in the sandbox. I landed in a magic circle made by an Archmage bent on world domination. Spoiler alert, Fantasy Hitler isn't bulletproof!

Now I'm in a foreign land full of humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes. No electricity, no decent music, and worst of all, basic hygiene isn't a concept these backward idiots have figured out. I'm doing my best to survive and find a way home. I've got a limited supply of ammo to feed my M4, a limited amount of batteries to power nods, two frags, and one claymore.

My name is Staff Sergeant Kevin Holden, and this is my story.

Warning: Contains very offensive language and dark humor.

©2020 Kyrell Kendrick (P)2023 Kyrell Kendrick

Great book

Has a realistic tactical approach. The author knows that he’s talking about and it’s an awesome book.

Turned into a great listen…

I did not know what to expect after reviewing the synopsis. Then when the book began I found the voice annoying and was not sure I was going to be able to get through it, I’m glad I did not give up on it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narration was great. I immediately purchased book 2 and now can’t wait for book 3.

Criticisms from other reviews valid, but I liked it anyway

I probably shouldn’t have liked this book. I almost returned it in the beginning, actually. It becomes so ridiculous, so early, that I thought I couldn’t make it. Realism is not something I care about. At all. But this one you REALLY have to suspend disbelief. A few minutes in it was “HUH?!” “You MUST be joking.” Surely this is a dream or acid trip or head injury or something. Some things are so bizarre it’s hard to follow, you find yourself thinking, “wait, what?!” Rewinding to make sure you heard right. Very Alice in Wonderland-y.
And yes, the protagonist is overly snarky, to the point of eye rolling.
And the narrator does do the basic “narration voice” in a tone that is haughty and flippant and utter-jack-ass-sounding
(BUT, he is also very good at varying pitch and cadence, distinguishing voices , that overall it makes for an interesting and varied listening experience. He’s one of the few that varies voices well enough to distinguish who’s talking without being told. )

But despite all that there was something endearing about it that captured me and kept binge listening and wanting to know what happened, rooting for the characters. I also like that for the most part he didn’t behave stupidly. He saw “ploys” happening as they were revealed, he displayed awareness and forethought. Didn’t allow himself to be separated from his weapon and gear. EVER. There were NOT times when I kept rolling my eyes thinking, you dumbass, wake up! Or NO NO NO don’t DO that, how could you be so stupid. Mostly it was “AH! Good for you! That’s my dude!”
Idiocy was not a plot-point.

I’ve never been in the military, but if I had to venture a guess there was a fair bit of inside knowledge and jokes that other military would appreciate.

If you tend to like this kind of genre / hero military book— as long as you like fantasy I would recommend giving it a try. Don’t let the reviews deter you on the details. You may find yourself liking it “against your will”.

Made for the servicemember

This book was made for the disgruntled service member that is stuck in the field on sentry duty.

this was a fun story.

seriously, this was a fun story. I like the writing style and I can't wait to read the next book

Enjoyed the POV

Although the writer was either “a” or heavily influenced by a uni browed slope skulled mouth breathing dirt rat army poge. I had to get at least one in for the FMF! I was a fleet medic Navy green side. Some of those marine jabs were spot on. Aside from the service jokes. This story had me rolling as I understood each and every gripe or moan. I hope to see more from this author. And remember Purple tastes like crayon!

Entertaining, but a very slowly read

The story is very entertaining - especially as a military member into sci fi or fantasy stories. The mix is interesting and engaging. It's unique. That said, it is a bit low-brow and cringey at times, but fully bearable and arguably in character. The performance though, while good, is read excruciatingly slowly. I played the entire thing at 1.2x speed, and it sounded perfectly normal. That's not normal. I couldn't listen to it otherwise. But, it's worth the listen for the story!

Perfect

This is one of the best books i have listed to, perfection on everything. Good job.

A completely new twist to facts and fantasy

A 11B grunt transported to a world of magic and mystery was a refreshing new way of looking at two different worlds. I liked the fact the author used German to make up names for his characters.

What a great story

I love fantasy and military sci fi. This book is mostly fantasy and is a great fish out of water story. For years I've played dnd and other rpg games and have wandered what would happen if I could have modern equipment to fight some of the monsters. Well this book answers that pretty well. I also love the world it is set in. There is conflict between nations, politics and monsters. This book has it all. I can not recommend it enough.