Hero of Thera

By: Eric Nylund

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

Be a hero in the ultimate game.

Are you a top-rated gamer?

Then you might have the skills to play the Game...where players are sponsored by actual demon lords, gods and goddesses, or Lovecraftian nightmares.

Enter Thera, a real kingdom at the crossroads of many other worlds, but with all the augmented-reality interfaces, character progression, and game mechanics that players know and love.

And the stakes of the Game?

Nothing less than Creation - every world in every universe and reality.

So...no pressure.

Thus Hector Savage, gamer extraordinaire, comes to Thera. Nothing can prepare him, though, for the schemes of Abyssal Lords, rampaging barbarian ghosts, and a host of nefarious forces who want him dead - before he can even make fifth level!

©2017 Eric Nylund (P)2017 Eric Nylund

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Picked this up a but reluctantly and I am so happy I did!
Fantastic world and character building with a wonderful narrator. This title went by very fast and I am desperate to hear more. I greatly look forward to see where this author goes with this story.

I do not try to summarize the story or characters in a novel because I am terrible at it, this was a good LitRPG and if you enjoy the genre I believe you will enjoy this one too.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

litRPG with a great story and masterful narration

The story itself is well crafted. Interesting game elements. Fantasy based instead of VRMMO. I'd put this somewhere between Bill the Vampire and Harry Potter. The narration is by Jeff Hays. He's why I bought this audio book. Jeff does wonderful character voices and has an easy to listen to narrator voice.
I thought the author's note at the end of the story, read by the author, was a nice touch. A little bit of dessert after an excellent meal.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Wonderful in book and audio formats!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If your a fan of fantasy and video games you can not go wrong listening to this wonderful audio book. Hero of Thera is the type of book/audio book that you just want to keep reading/listening to to the very end, then start it up again. The characters are well written and like-able allowing you to enjoy the journey along with them.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy following Hector on his journey and seeing how he reacted to the world around him.

What does Jeff Hays bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jeff Hays narrates Eric Nylunds wonderful story perfectly. Engaging from the first moment to the very end. His voices he used were spot on for the characters and made the story even better.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I just really enjoyed it. As a game and avid reader of fantasy / sci-fi it hit the spot!

Any additional comments?

If you have enjoyed any of Eric Nylunds other titles like the mortal coils series this is a must read/listen.

I received a copy of the audio title for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

One of the best LitRPG' out there

One of the few LitRPG's I've done in one sitting. Well structured, well written and leaves you wanting more. Excellent work Mr. Nylund. Jeff doing an outstanding performance as always.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Yes. Yes! And More Yes!!!

I enjoyed this book imensly. The characters were fun and interesting. the story was top notch, the progression system was awesome and the narration was superb! I can't wait for book 2!

I received this book for free in exchange foe an honest review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

About as Good as it Gets

If you could sum up Hero of Thera in three words, what would they be?

A real story

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, likely because the story is from his perspective, so you really get to know him well.

What does Jeff Hays bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He grants the story a sort of Noir feel to it, and lends each character an excellent, distinct voice.

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

The Devil Will Have His Due? The Great Game? I'm not really good at this sort of thing.

Any additional comments?

In my opinion, the best in the genre, hands down. It is short but oh so sweet, and goes ahead at a break neck pace. The character succeeds by gaming the system, so to speak, and while he gets lucky with his companions, the conceit makes perfect sense, and leaves you feeling giddy rather than irritated.

Overpowered hero? Girls throwing themselves at the hero? Insane early game loot? He wishes. If your tired of lit rpg novels that don't match up to your recollection of the slow climb of a real RPG, if you need a real story with a breathless pace, look no further. The only disappointment with Hero of Thera is how quickly it ends, and that the next installment isn't here yet.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

One of the better Litrpgs.

I've been through a lot of these recently, and I had just finished a series i really liked and was looking for more. So I tried 5 different books, and wasn't really too impressed until I tried this.

The game world that's actually real is cool, and reminded me of Delvers, and how powerful creatures use this world to settle power disputes reminded me of the Gam3, which was also good. The premise was very interesting, as were the characters, and so much is at stake, which is important to make you really care about the outcome of a game.

Jeff Hay's narration is fantastic as always. And this book is most definitely in my top 5, surpsising since I didn't really hear much about it. But definitely worth a try for any litRPG fans.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Solid start for new LitRPG series.

Hero of Thera is the first book in a new LitRPG series by Eric Nylund. Though he has written multiple series and well over a dozen novels, I know him best for his Halo novels. I enjoyed not only the stories he told but his writing style as well. So when he came out with a LitRPG book, a genre that is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, I knew I'd have to check it out. And I was not disappointed.

I won't post spoilers about the story itself, but I will tell you that Eric hits all the obligatory tropes of the genre while still putting his own unique/fresh spin on things, from how and why our main character enters the game to the type of character class he chooses. As I said, no spoilers. but think Jade Empire-esque. Eric weaves a compelling tale with interesting characters. It's a bit darker/serious than most LitRPG novels tend to be, but that is also part of its charm. I'm definitely looking forward to the next in the series.

The book is performed by the incredibly talented Jeff Hays. As always Jeff gives each character their own unique voice and personality. He truly brings the books he narrates to life.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

good good good

great story and great narration. i hesitated to get this book but Jeff Hays does great work and the author definitely took this story places i never would have thought of.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great addition to the LitRPG genre

Let me start by saying I would listen to Jeff Hays read a grocery list in all the amazing voices he come up with while narrating any story. Now that that's out of the way, the story of Hektor St Savage is a great tale that I don't want to give too much away but it is an interesting premise being inserted into a "game" that actually takes place on a planet in another universe and the people that would normally be simple NPCs are not. they are living on this planet with no idea a "game" is being played by different clans and/or gods in the middle of their everyday lives. I will be checking out more work by Mr. Nylund (who used to work on game stories for Microsoft) and definitely be finishing this series as it continues.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

heroes of thera

another good LRT RPG novel looking forward to see what this offer has install for this book next a good read I very much enjoyed it give it a try