Bone Dungeon

Elemental Dungeon, Book 1

By: Jonathan Smidt, Portal Books

Narrated by: Will M. Watt, Annie Ellicott, Jeff Hays, Laurie Catherine Winkel

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ryan doesn’t remember much about his life before becoming dungeon core. Only that he had a bit of a disagreement with the church - something to do with a beheading?

Now reborn, Ryan begins to arm his darkness dungeon with devious traps, bestial zombies, and ill-named skeletal creations, without doing anything too evil. Well, mostly. Some adventurers just deserve a stalactite to the head.

But Ryan quickly learns being a darkness dungeon isn’t all loot and bone puns. With a necromancer on the rise and the Adventurer’s Guild watching his every move, he must prove that not all darkness dungeons are malevolent...even if they do have a few skeletons in their caverns.

Sadly, all of these issues keep distracting him from his own guilty pleasure, skeletal fight club. But don’t tell his fairy about that.

©2019 Portal Books (P)2019 Portal Books

background music?

throughout the story there are fights were background music starts and it annoying. background noises can enhance the story and pull your attention in more, but background music doesn't do the same its jarring and pulls you out of the story since it not part of the story.

Please, Get Rid of the Music, It's Terrible!

The music is painful. The sound effects are sub-par. They distract and detract from an otherwise pleasant story.

hate music and random sounds

I just dont get why people add music it just takes away from a book

I lasted about 2 hours

There's nothing necessarily wrong with having annoying characters.

The issue arises when the author doesn't seemingly realise how annoying they are, and writes the world around them accordingly.

I dipped out so early that I can't remember the Fairy's name, let's just call her Na'vi. No connection. I swear.

As I said before, there's nothing necessarily wrong with annoying characters. I take huge issue with annoying characters that aren't treated/ acknowledged as annoying. The protagonist's voice is the vocal equivelant of 'walking on egg shells,' he's extremely awkward, eager to please annoying strangers and, frankly... he comes off like a puppy. Not in a good way.

Combine these two and you get an annoying fairy with nonsensical mood swings and a nothing protagonist falling over himself to please and constantly apologise to her.

The fairy also serves no purpose, just adding salt to the wound. She's supposed to be a 'helper,' but all Ryan (the protag, who has selective amnesia but a fully formed vocabulary and mind, save the memories of his past life) is told to do is basically 'will x into existence.'

At one point, an adventurer is bemused by the lack of traps. Ryan then asks 'what are traps?'

...

The fairy then proceeds to ridicule him and give a textbook description of traps... which Ryan then wills into existence...

You see what I mean? She serves no real purpose, the author just wanted a side kick and created something truly unbearable. As someone who values dialogue above almost all else, it's pretty damming when I say I'd have much preferred Na'vi be deleted and every scene with the protagonist be internal monologue.

I hate internal monologuing...

This is a hard pass from me, will be getting my credit back.

Pg version of dungeon born.

A lot of bad puns and cringey dialog. I wish Jeff Hays was the main narrator. Fairy voice is super annoying. While I won't return the book, I won't buy the next one.

Missed Potential

What to listen to this review instead of reading? Hit the play button below.
(Play button Removed for Audible.)

Narration
What the hell was that? Honestly, when I saw the name of Jeff Hays, I did a point, click, and buy without further scrutiny. The narrator is Will Watt, not Jeff Hays as it clearly states. That's my bad. The narration was fine, I really don't have any complaints there, but then there's the music and some of the sound effects. WTF? Why is there circus music during combat? Why is there fart sounds during item descriptions? Yeah, would have been better without sound effects.

Basic Summary
Ryan is unjustly executed by corrupt clergy of the Goddess of Justice. Said goddess reincarnates him as a dungeon core as some sort of apology for his unjust punishment. Soon his celestial dungeon fairy comes to offer up guidance and Ryan’s options for the type of dungeon he can become. He inexplicably chooses darkness, something to do with the church not liking it. Carving out rooms, collecting bones, creating bone squirrels and zombie rats later, Ryan is open for business.

Ryan has survived scrutiny by the church and now the Adventures Guild is building a town just outside. Skeletal fight club is up and running, Ryan is steadily growing stronger, and so is his favorite advenuring team. What could go wrong? Well there is that overpowered necromancer.

The Good
The undead dungeons have been mentioned in almost every dungeon core book thus far, but this marks the first one actually about one. There are some unique world building bits in here, mostly to do with the symbiotic relationship between mortals and the dungeons, that just don’t really exist in other books. Also, some of the references are awesome.

The Bad
The writing is ok mechanically, there is some word repetition on occasion, but it’s not bad. The puns really aren't that great and after the first few chapters, the fairy is basically useless as a character. The relationship between Ryan and his fairy is kind of weird and completely forced. One last thing, Jack is basically Hans from Divine Dungeon.

Final Thoughts
I did enjoy this book, the best dungeon core story out there it is not. The narration was kind of a disappointment considering it was by soundbooth theater, though that might be solely the fault of the music and sound effects.

Review by rcdaviswrites, 01/10/2020

not good.

three only redeeming quality of this book is that they got sound booth to read it. the story is boring and childish. the characters have the emotional depth of a third grader and the plot does nothing until the last couple of chapters. it's campy and overly sappy.

If you enjoy dungeon core books give this a try

I love this book! I like to imagine that the dungeon in this book is just another dungeon set in Dungeon born series, having its own cool adventure. In terms of story it is different enough from dungeon born to be enjoyed for what it is, I love the reference to other Lit RPG stories. Sound booth killed it with great quality and good Male and female narrators. The music choice may put some people off but it did not really bother me. I won't spoil anything but I really like the direction this series is heading at the end of this book. Great start for first book I recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed the dungeon born series.

buttercup, are you kidding me

i got a good ways through this book it was ok nothing special just background music would've gotten a three overall its just okay wouldn't return it but as the book goes along, the fairy gets more and more annoying. my breaking point was buttercup i have very rarely stopped a book and returned it but this is just unbearable. i would not recommend

Great

Truly an interesting take on the dungeon core genre. I found myself loving this corny but good-hearted MC who only wants to enjoy his skeletal fight clubs and expand his dungeon. But of course, those who would do evil expect him to serve them and when he refuses they do everything in their power to end him.

Kinda like dungeon born but for 12 years old

The book itself is fine, it's just a complete copy past of the core of dungeon born,
changed the names of thing a bit and added a new (worse) plot.
The moral of the dungeon was annoying, you're a dungeon your purpose is to kill adventurers not to cry when they die, especially considering he doesn't remember his previous life.

The fairy felt worse than useless and more like hindrance for the dungeon development for most of the book, she's a cry baby and obviously hae short attention span as well as forgetting to give important information many times in the book.
The relationship between the fairy and the dungeon seemed preety toxic to me, filled with lies manipulations and physical abuse. (getting slapped every time you say something the other party doesn't like is not OK, whether it's a male or female)

The characters were nice, I liked them and they felt pretty real with their faults and strengths, the only complaint is that they are all unique and special while background characters are basic which gave a deus ex machina effect. That effect is prevelent in the entire book.

About the narration, as always sound booth theater did an amazing job with the the narration (mostly) the only complaints are;
1) they used the wrong music at the wrong time twice in the book, both were emotional or dangerous and risky and were supposed to give you a feeling of dread, while spooky spooky skeletons played in the background. Yea, that chearfull chippy tune...
2) when the whisp, sorry, *fairy* squealed, she SQUEALED it was to a point where I couldn't listen in the car on stereo as it would make me jump and it was dangerous, nor could I play it in my room on speakers as it sounded very sexual and made me feel uncomfortable.
Both the male narrator did an amazing jub and the female as well for the most part.

Even after all that the book was fine, I can see myself recommending it.
its a fun junkfood litrpg, to crave your needs and then feel bad about yourself

Very simple version of the divine dungeon

It's like divine dungeon but for a younger age group.
Seems like they tried to copy alot from the divine but just not as well.

Enjoyed it more then divine dungeon

Its practicaly the same as dakota’s divine dungeon but better ? Well in some ways, there is not as much drama and political stuff in this book, other then that its kinda the exactly the same.

Really great work for the narrator but the editing should add in a mute sound option cause that cringy background sound is like supermariobro’s/skyro/zelda?/pirate thene. It sounds and feels terrible and makes the epic dungeon diving much less epic. Imagine your in a game and there’s always this one zone/place/dungeon/whatever where everybody mutes the music, this is like that. Don’t know why Shadow sun seems to be the only book from
Soundbooth that nails the background theme fight scene song. Mute background music button plz.

Other then that its great, I kinda want more and even thou i hated the background song, id still recommend it, definitely going to listen to the next one, hope the dungeon says “skeleton fight club” more on the next one.

Story good but music and sound effects run the experience

I enjoyed the story, but I often listen to audiobooks when I'm walking my dog or before heading to bed so the music and especially the sound effects really make me feel disconnected from the story.

No offense to the person who put in the work to add them but in this case I would have preferred a version without them.

Watch out for stalactites

This is a brilliant book. It was a fresh breath withing it genre. I absolutely love this one. Ok, now I just give it too much praise - but just can't help it.. It's a little straight forward - easy to guess, but what fantasy dungeon book isn't.. One of the funny books, and love the sound production..

fantastic

what a book I am just hoping the other books are just as good and hopefully better

It's a good listen until the music begins

the music is extremely anoying. it makes it hard to listen to the narrator's. only lisened about two hours, but the music and sound effects ruins alot, no offence to the maker, just not for me. i will try to push throu the sound effects, because. the story is good so far.

The music is piss annoying ;)

whenever it gets exciting, this weird combat music thingy starts. Not mybfovourite i daresay.
Best regards Ken Denmark

Great story, Team performed perfect together

loved each aspect of the creation and running of the dungeon, I've brought the second book but want to know when the 3rd book is going to be released on audible.

the narrating team worked so well together they really brought the book to life and you could see yourself there. you don't want to stop listening but at over 70 chapters long you really need too, to take it all in in full form.

perfect job all round guys.

Great story

Fantastic story and soundbooth preforms it well with great voices but if I hear those damn cricket sound effect again I'll scream.