Welcome to Midgard

Contender Saga, Book 1

De: Dave Willmarth

Narrado por: Jessica Threet, Eric Jason Martin

A simple farm boy in a mundane medieval world turned soldier after his home and family were destroyed. Mere steps from achieving his vengeance after years of fighting, a lucky sword strike ends his life.

His soul is transferred against his will by one of the gods to another medieval world, one filled with magic, monsters, and races out of his childhood fairy tales. Our farm boy is now a Contender! Brought to Midgard to fight and kill other Contenders, to grow strong enough to ascend and become a Champion.

The magic is wondrous, and he's excited about becoming a mage. But he's had enough fighting and feels no obligation to kill for the unknown gods of Midgard. Instead, he seeks to grow stronger by completing quests and killing forest beasts and monsters. And he must get stronger, as everyone from his internal guide to the citizens he meets warns him that should other Contenders find him, they will try to kill him.

Narrated in duet style.

©2022 Dave Willmarth (P)2025 Podium Audio

fantasy

loved it dave willmarth is great and one of the best authors I follow great job once again

Solid

For me I really enjoyed this. It wasn’t out of this world inventing something new. I appreciated that and it was a solid story of growing in strength and learning a new world. A+

Surprisingly Excellent

This is one of the better books I have listened to in quite a while. Very good litrpg. It is not too crunchy on the stats and the MC is likeable. The narration is very good.

This is well worth a credit.

Surprisingly lazy

I don't often levy such a claim, especially against such an experienced author, but I can't help it. I have no other explanation.

I have issues with this story aside from objective critique, but I'll get that out the way first.

If you're going with a premise of your protagonist being a farm boy turned soldier from a medieval society, make sure he talks, speaks, acts and has the knowledge of one. That's why I specifically say 'lazy.' The protagonist reads like he was isekaid from a college campus in 2025, rather than the uneducated peasant he should be.

Then there's the stats. Listen, if you can't be bothered to have your character at least assign the stats that have been awarded, don't write a LitRPG. I don't think there's anything more infuriating than watching him go through life and death struggles knowing he has points banked, and hasn't used them.

if your argument is they wouldn't make a difference... why are they even in the story?

It's even more frustrating when I'm subjected to him pissing and sh*tting himself in terror...

And that leads nicely into my personal pet peeves, or more subjective criticism. I have a lot to say, but as I was getting ready to type it all out, I realised there was a much simpler way to describe my issues.

The protagonist is too much of a pu**y. Nauseatingly so.

How we went from warrior screaming and charging on the battlefield to this colossal dipsh*t that repeatedly gets his head kicked in (and should die) because he gives mercy to people who try and kill him first.

I can't be the only one that doesn't find it 'charming' when the protagonist-after being explicitly told by an antagonist that he'll RIP HIS HEART OUT AND EAT IT RAW-offers to buy him safe passage away because he feels bad for them.

Feels bad, basically, because they're psychopathic thieves who see no issues with killing and plundering, but when they FAFO'd, they got what they deserved.

Ugh. I'm getting annoyed again. I obviously won't be getting the sequel. I do not recommend.