Sigil Online: Paragons

By: Jeff Sproul

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Loss was nothing new to an orphan like Riley. But when the online persona he'd spent years building was ripped away by a monster with unbelievable power, everything changed.

As a gamer who made a living from Sigil Online, losing his character meant losing his job and any means he had of paying his bills.

Now, he had to start from the beginning, just like any other player joining Sigil Online for the first time. All the fame and fortune of a high-level character was gone.

Experience the harrowing quest that will leave Riley changed forever, as he's molded by the pursuit of the monster that took everything from him.

©2016 Jeff Sproul (P)2017 Jeff Sproul

SuperLit!!!

Great story and narration!

Riley makes a living as a professional gamer in a supers virtual online game, at least he did until a strange new monster kills his character. Having to start over from scratch, he finds out what others really thought of him and who his friends really are. As he struggles to develop new superpowers and to level up, he must decide what he will stand for.

This one was fun!

I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Went in as a sceptic.

This book was suppose to be background noise while i was at work. while listening the book drew me in, grab me by the shirt collar and shoved all my game knowledge and thoughts i have down my throat. loved the book and cant wait even another day to get the next book. edge of the seat excitement.

Need book 2 ASAP! Please

Can't wait for the next book. Love the ideas represented in this book. If you have ever played an MMO I highly recommend. Great listen!

a small-time gamer could connect

My original Paragons audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Orphaned at a young age and solely independent, Riley has one option available to him – be a gamer on Sigil Online – a computer game in which one enters a virtual reality world. Once there, one can earn enough cash to live in the real world. That is if they can survive encounters with deadly creatures and players who kill other players! Believing himself to be invincible, Riley learns what it's like to lose in Sigil. As he reboots, he learns the value of friendship, teamwork and to pay his debts when he encounters a mysterious bug-like monster who makes playing Sigil Online a whole new experience.

I wasn’t sure I would like this book given I am not a real gamer at all. I play video games occasionally, I am familiar with the language and role-playing but I wasn’t sure. I am delighted I had the opportunity to hear this audiobook. The storyline flowed smoothly and was well developed as were the characters. Even someone like me, a small-time gamer could connect with the story and the characters without a struggle. Jeff Sproul brought to light just how a gamer evolves – how easy the path is to become a selfish, egotistical and single-minded a gamer evolves. Sproul’s dialogue was accurate as well and contributed to the steady movement of the plot, action, and suspense.

Jeff Hays, the narrator, performed the audiobook effectively by providing each character with their own personality. I enjoyed his performance as he did not have to compete with other sounds – I dislike “dramatic” performances as other things get it in the way – and this is one book that could have gone either way. I enjoyed Hays’ smooth, calm voice with just the appropriate level of emotion when needed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction, action, and gaming.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.

Hays makes it worth a listen.

Narrator is amazing. Story is bearable and kind of drags out fight scenes with more tedious explanation than is necessary. I understand the value of good description but when I am 75% through the book I don't need the vivid detail of an action that the main character has already done multiple times. I get it, he shoots his spear and absorbs a glowing essence and the buffs someone else, but then we get in great detail about how he does it 5 more times through out a fight almost back to back. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book and Jeff Hays did an outstanding job, I just found myself screaming "GET ON WITH IT!" after a while.

Dark Souls on hard mode

What made the experience of listening to Sigil Online: Paragons the most enjoyable?

Everything. The reading was very well done. The flow made it extremely enjoyable.

What did you like best about this story?

The game. The game is what made the story for me. The game world was so well built.

What about Jeff Hays’s performance did you like?

The voices and the speed of reading and the use of pauses.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Paragon's sigil

Any additional comments?

I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the narrator in exchange for an honest review through Audiobook boom.

Gamer must read

I enjoyed this very much. Gamers will love it. I might even listen to it again one of these days. Different.

Ready Player One without the nostalgia

Paragons tells the story of an Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), Sigil Online, somewhat similar to a steroids version of World of Warcraft. Set sometime in the future the game is played using virtual reality sets that allow the player to move their characters and 'experience' the game. Sigil Online has become so massive and renown that the currency in the game is able to be traded for money outside the game, allowing people to make a living through playing the game. It is also so large that television news is filled with stories about the game - deaths of major players, updated to the game etc.

This is not too dissimilar to Ready Player One, the recent smash hit revolving around an MMORPG. However in Ready Player One the outside world's obsession with the game is explained through a huge monetary prize for finishing a super-quest. The reasons for Sigil Online being as famous as it is isn't given in the story.

Riley is one of the Sigil Online players making a living from the game, while playing with a major, well-known character. When that character is killed Riley is suddenly back to Level 0 and back to having no income and almost no way to get it. He has to build up a new character, all while finding new friends, discovering old friends weren't actually friends, and that his old online persona was generally disliked for being a selfish jerk.Riley is given a second chance to remake himself, not just his character.

The online story is interesting, and the action is well told. The powers hte characters have a diverse and interesting. The story is breakneck and has a few good twists in it, and it's all a little tense... until you remember that it is a game and it doesn't actually matter that much. Sure Riley makes money form the game and needs it to survive, but it is stated he has several months savings so that risk is not imminent. It never really gives much details of the world outside the game and how he lives and what other opportunities he might have if he didn't play. The outside world is so vague that the risk of him being forced into the 'real world' isn't really there. Add this to the fact that several character actually do say it doesn't matter if they die because they have other income and just play for fun. There is therefore no tension with them.
If this was real characters in a fantasy universe it would have been great, but adding the extra MMORPG layer that means the effects on half the characters aren't real really reduced the impact.

The pacing of the book is a little off too. While it is clear throughout what the climax will be about, it doesn't actual build the tension to it. It just is suddenly there. And then it is done and there is almost no details of the aftermath (at least not for the characters, there is an 'afterward' presented as a news story showing how Sigil Online will change).

Narration by Jeff Hays is great. Well paced, and very easy to listen to. He performs the book, not just reads it. Voices, emotions, comedic timing, building tension. It is all there and well done.

He makes the book better through his narration.

A story of self realization set in a gamer world

Would you consider the audio edition of Sigil Online: Paragons to be better than the print version?

Yes. The narrator did an excellent job of conveying the main character's emotions as well as the many colourful people who are all linked with him in the world the author built.

What other book might you compare Sigil Online: Paragons to and why?

Critical Failures series but with less over the top humor. This is an in game world story mostly and more mature than that. The world building and action in the game are entertaining as well.

Which character – as performed by Jeff Hays – was your favorite?

Riley the main character is the orphan whose work is this game to survive in the real world. He starts the journey of self discovery a bit callous and jaded and ends it mature in multiple ways.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Self discovery through online gaming.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher. This is my honest and unbiased review

Sigil Online Paragons

I was given a copy of this audio book so that I could listen and provide hopefully a helpful review. If you are a gamer, chances are you will like this book. I used to play Worlds of Warcraft so the story line was familiar to me. The story is about an online gamer and what happens to him after being careless in a 'raid'. The narrator did a good job and the story was entertaining. I would have gladly used a credit to listen to this book.