New Arcadia: Stage One

By: Eric Jason Martin

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin, Matthew Mercer, Erika Ishii, Dave Fennoy, Sam Riegel, Dana Snyder, Andy Merrill, John DiMaggio

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

New Arcadia: Stage One is an epic journey back to the year 199X, an ancient era where you must use your fists, your wits, and your pager to survive. 

In real life, the year is 2023, and life is not great. John Chambers is a middle-aged man in a dead-end job, trapped in his home in the desert. But in the immersive virtual world of New Arcadia, John becomes Blaze, a young urban fighter in a retro beat-‘em-up city. Blaze has incredible speed and strength and absolutely zero lower back pain. 

John/Blaze must team up with Kevin (a.k.a. Iceman) to save a mysterious woman named Jessica from the Spankers, a violent street gang in their gritty new neighborhood of Satan’s Pantry. But Jessica is not nearly as helpless as they believe. These loners must learn to come together and stop the deadly Drug X from taking over their city. 

Meanwhile, back in the real world, New Arcadia creator Lucas Dekker battles enemies of his own - including game-breaking bugs. The fate of his virtual city - and the real world itself - is at stake. 

Strap on your fanny pack, and get ready for the fight of your life. 

Starring:

Eric Jason Martin (Heads Will Roll, Bubble) 

Matthew Mercer (Critical Role) 

Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead) 

Erika Ishii (Cyberpunk 2077) 

Sam Riegel (Critical Role) 

Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) 

Andy Merrill (Space Ghost: Coast to Coast) 

and John DiMaggio (Futurama, Gears of War) 

With Marin Ireland, Scott Brick, Suzanne Elise Freeman, P.J. Ochlan, Tara Sands, Justin Michael, Betsy Sodaro, DC Pierson, Neil Hellegers, Johnny Heller, and Ron Butler. 

New Arcadia Theme by Lloyd Cole 

Original Soundtrack by Casey Trela 

Post Production by Mumble Media 

©2021 Eric Jason Martin (P)2021 Sound Off Productions

Fantastic!

If you like ready player one, litrpg, jumanji, full cast audiobooks, and nostalgia then you will get a fun kick outta this book! Definitely inspired by ready player one. I wouldn’t say it’s as good as that but it’s very entertaining. Check this one out!

Such a fun book.

LitRPG's aren't usually this good. The protagonist and supporting cast of this novel are fully realized characters you will commiserate with.

This book!

This book! This performance! Everything I love this book. Sounds like there will be more yes please!

Great story! Great performance! Gimme a Sequel!

From a nerd standpoint this book was perfect! It's plot has inspiration from Ready Player One (One of my all-time favorite SciFi books. The cast was perfect and some of my favorite voice actors made this a FULL CAST AUDIO! It's been WAY too long since I heard one of those! The sound effects, the music, even the grunting and acting kept me locked in and focussed the entire novel! I LOVED IT!

Such a fun listen!

I'm not a gamer but I really enjoyed this multi-cast production. It flew by and I listened in 2 days.

Derivative

Seems like a cash-in for Ready Player One and other popular LitRPG books; just okay.

More please...

I loved this book! It was so much fun. I have not listened to / read something so inventive and colorful for a long time. It really was just a joy. And clever. So clever! I laughed out loud... Artisanal candles!
Aside from the story - which is great- the production itself is fantastic. The music, the voice talent... this is quite a cast.
Eric Jason Martin is a major talent and if you are not an enemy of fun - you should definitely check this out.

Hilarious, fantastic narration, need the next!

There's nothing like excellent voice work to make any story interesting, and this one has that in spades. I binged it over two days, I loved it so much. The story wasn't groundbreaking, a little predictable to be honest- but it was well-paced and I loved the soundscape. I can't wait to revisit New Arcadia!

Ready for Stage Two!

The story and performances were fun and engaging. Didn't want it to end, which is always a good sign.

Ready? Player, Won!

Unlike other 80s and 90s nostalgia stories, Eric Jason Martin weaves 21st century mindfulness - current events’ effects included - into an heroic story that encourages the listener to reflect and opine instead of retrospect and resign.

New Arcadia has a bevy of cheeky Gen X/Y in-jokes, and hilarious call outs specifically aimed at the outstanding cast of Voice Actors’ previous works, along with direct dialogue and description. This makes EJM’s story a Level Up from other 8-bit works which sought to capitalize the wholesome feeings of societal, suburban dreamscapes while glossing over the harm that insular one-sided stories cause to others’ tales.

Instead of overlooking the harm and damage any “beat-em-up” can cause, New Arcadia is told through the amazing voices of very relatable characters, and voiced by some of the best of our current days. They humanize their actions and the consequences of them to all within the story. EJM spares no one and crafts a take that considers everyone in and out of the world made.

Looking forward to Stage Two, and I think you will too.

it is ok, imagine a Poundland Ready Player One

it is ok, feels very short, does feel a lot like Ready Player One but from a discount shop, follows a lot of the same story elements but not quite as good

irritating

I found the "sound effects" highly irritating. it is neither am audiobook nor a play, but something in between which, in my opinion, makes it the worst of both worlds.

Whether it was just this or the story line really was weak, I just couldn't get into it and have up about a quarter the way in.

Radical to the MAX

outstanding performance, sound quality and story.
i can't wait for the second book to come out.

Such a gripping begging to a series

So good, i finished on the day i began. So many fascinating and terrifying ideas introduced in this. It feels like an ode to my youth and yet it deals with some real evocative worries i have when "normality" resumes. Give me more!