Initializing

Somnia Online, Book 1

By: K. T. Hanna

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover the class you were born to play.

Wren, a seasoned healer, is dismayed when Somnia Online automatically assigns her character, Murmur, to the Enchanter class. Determined to overcome the unexpected setback, she assembles her guild, intent on the coveted number-one spot. Twelve keys stand between her and victory, but finding them is only part of the puzzle.

Armed with telepathic abilities, Murmur rises to the challenge. However, old rivals have followed her to Somnia Online desperate for revenge. Intricate quest lines become more dangerous as NPCs absorb powerful artifacts, and Murmur begins to wonder just what sort of AI controls the world.

Murmur questions her sanity as the real and virtual worlds mesh together. Everyone is keeping secrets from her, even the AI, and Murmur’s determined to uncover them.

©2018 Katie Hanna (P)2018 Katie Hanna

amazing

I felt like I was playing EverQuest with my friends again. great story and cool characters. can't wait for more.

Damn Good Story And A+ Writing

I am a bit nervous about my next book, because counting this one, my last three LITRPGS have been amazing.

Original story line, well developed characters that cause you to get invested, great game mechanics, and nice twists.

wonderful

a much more developed story line and execution then I am use to seeing in litrpgs. great book! I WANT MORE!!!!!

A great LitRPG

Initializing is a book in a new LitRPG series (Somnia Online) from author K.T. Hanna and it definitely comes into the genre with some very interesting differences from the competition. The book deals with new VR technology and the game that takes over the world and some of the lives it touches. This is the start of what could seemingly be a long series and doesn't feel the need to rush anything. It delves into the life of Wren and her band of misfits, while also telling another story about the development and release of Somnia Online. Each chapter starts with a small scene at some point in the development or release of the game and those running it. As the curtain is slowly pulled back you learn more about those running things and some of mysteries revolving around the game as well.

The bare bones for LitRPGs are fairly known now, and while this book doesn't break the mold in those, it does have some things that set it apart for me. The biggest thing for me is that the book actually takes its game elements in the LitRPG genre seriously, and doesn't just use the setting to tell a story with some "stats" thrown in. K.T. Hanna has the characters having to do many things I don't feel many other books in the genre do, like going more in-depth in encounters and what is needed to win a battle or fight. Generally, books in the genre are very vague and just skip over mechanics of fights, boss encounters, pulls or raids. These things get expanded upon much more and are done in a way where it didn't take away from any of the action for me.

There is a mystery that is slowly rolled out throughout the book and has revealed that come in both the game and the real world. The story is well intertwined and never makes either section seem unneeded. If I had a complaint it would be where the book ends. The main "twist" which I don't think is supposed to be a twist for the reader since it is hinted at throughout the whole book, seemed to be a point for great emotional and personal conflict to emerge for the characters. We don't get that payoff right now because the book just kind of ends with the reveal, which I guess makes you definitely want to read the next book, but left me a little disappointed, but only slightly.

The narration by Andrea Parsneau was fantastic as always, and I am enjoying all of her work. She is a great narrator and brings all the action to life, while giving every character their own strong voice and affectations.

A great LitRPG with fantastic narration, and I look forward to the rest of this series.

I received a copy of this audio title in exchange for an unbiased review

The audiobook you we're born to listen to

I enjoyed this audidobook version of Somnia Online. the characters we're well acted and the story was fun to listen to, even for the second time.

Awsome!

A wonderful and interesting story about the world of gaming and how we perceive the world. What will your class be?

Very Entertaining But Internally Inconsistent

I will start off by saying that I was entertained the whole way through. The first thing I did after the end of the book (and the end of the drive to work) was buy the sequel.

That being said, the main party of players in the game are portrayed as hardcore gamers and they really aren't. They play like super casuals that just happened to be logged in a lot.

As an example, it's super common for the main character to tell the other players in the group how to play their classes. Hardcore gamers don't need to be told by people from other classes how to play their own classes.

The game also seems to be reminiscent of a late 90s MMO with VR added and the main character, many years into the future, is constantly inventing strategies that were invented back in the late 90s in the real world in this other MMO. The book tells you these players are veterans of past games, but you get the idea from listening like they never played any past games. Not saying that it's important to be a gamer historian or something, but "hardcore gamers" far into the future should have some knowledge of past game basics.

An example of that would be the main character being a crowd control type, but she is learning the basics of CC by stumbling around in game and she seems not to have seen or heard of anyone in any past game ever doing basic CC. The main character casts spells and stuff in ways that it would be suicidal for a CCer to do. It also works out better than it would in other real MMOs every time.

The only thing that really makes them sound hardcore at all is how little everybody appears to be sleeping in RL. It should be a requirement that somebody has knowledge of basic MMO group tactics before you can call them hardcore. Especially so if they are veterans of past MMOs as they are portrayed here.

The main character also really tries to micromanage everybody else, telling people after like 10 sec to start doing something any self respecting hardcore player would have started doing 10 seconds before on their own without being told.

I think all these complaints could have easily been avoided without detracting at all from the story. If the players in the group just played competently and they weren't just stumbling around learning everything like it was a completely new concept every time then the story would have been just fine.

TLDR, the story is interesting and the characters are interesting and if you aren't really a gamer at all then you probably don't see anything wrong with any part of the story, but if you are a gamer you will probably ask yourself "Really?" a lot when you hear the characters being complete newbs when they are portrayed as hardcore.

Lit RPG has another contestant!

If you haven’t read any Lit RPG or you are look for another great one to add to your collection stop looking and download now. This book has your great characters, awesome story arch, and the grind that all gamers love. Outside of the game world K.T. Has created you get invested on what happens “behind the curtain” and inside the world of Somnia the author brings a new world to a great prospective with exquisite detail. A must have. Keep em coming K.T.

So good, need book 2!

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I initially picked this book up because I am a huge fan of Andrea Parseanue as a narrator. In my opnion, she's one of, if not THE best female narrator on Audible. As a newly mented fan of the LitRPG genre, this was a no brainer. The best part is, it totally delivered. This was a great book with a cool premise and good game mechanics and story telling. Coupled with Andrea's narration, this is a must have for any fan of sci fi, fantasy and/or LitRPG.

I like the story and will get book 2 for sure

I really like the story, the only problem I have with the book is how the chapters are set up. It's so annyoing that it start with a parth from "irl" in every chapter. It disrupt the flow of the book. It would be better if u put the "irl" parths in only a few chapter starts and not in everyone or just put them in their own chapters. I really like the book tought and will follow the series.