Real-Time Starcommander

A Strategy Gamelit Novel

By: Tracy Gregory

Narrated by: Graham Mack

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Yesterday a wannabe pro-gamer, today an alien admiral.

Evan was desperate to hit the big time playing Star Commander, the world’s most popular real-time strategy game. While Evan works hard to get the pros to notice him, it's very different eyes that are captivated by Evan's progress.

The Kirran Hegemony is at war. Outclassed at every step, the aliens turn to the most warlike race they know - humanity! Abducted from Earth, Evan finds himself fighting for his life, using his skills to command Hegemony forces in desperate battle.

Now, helped by fellow humans, Evan must prove victory can be grasped from the jaws of impossible odds.

©2021 Tracy Gregory (P)2021 P.W Hillard Fiction

Worth a read

Wasn’t sure about a novelized RTS, but was an enjoyable read! Will be getting the next in the series.

Overall a Solid Book

I was given a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story. Nice premise....reminiscent of The Last Starfighter. At times the book was slow, but I understand the need to provide the story for future books.

Overall I recommend the book to Sci-Fi fans.

"Place your hands into the hollotank..."

Evan was a keen war games played, and he was good. Not bri!liant, just good, and spent all of his available time trying to improve and move into the Diamond league. Instead, he is kidnapped by aliens, along with an handful of other earth kids, to play the game for real to save the Hegemony, and with it, the Earth.

This is a quick and easy book to read but somehow it did not inspire enthusiasm of commitment in this reader: the characterization was just too flat and the unnecessary training insufficiently inspiring. Although new and original, it felt as if it had all been done before, and better. Narration by Graham Mack was fine but a little slow, much improved by increasing playback to 1.25.

My thanks to the rights holder who, at my reqjest, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. I had expected to really enjoy this book but somehow it just wasn't what I wanted. It is however, an amusing read and undemanding.

Something different, a LitRTS

The LitRPG genre is pretty ubiquitous, so it was only a matter of time before a LitRTS came about. What's next, a Lit4x? God I hope so.

An RTS as a story is a much more difficult proposition than an RPG, given the lack of a central perspective. Using the trope of an alien force recruiting humans for our martial prowess (using video games as a screening tool) the story quickly moves into build order, micro and macro strategy and base management.

The story never really does anything unexpected, but it was easy to listen to and fun for an RTS fan. The narrator did an excellent job with the story, although he may have played the protagonist as a little too much of a jerk.

Interesting take on the litrpg genre.

Great story with an interesting twist to the LitRPG genre. Looking forward to the next book to come out.

boring

Super boring, uninteresting story, flat narrator that sounds like he's reading a car repair manual.

Interesting Gamelit Concept

This is the first RTS Gamelit that I have come across. It definitely gave me flashbacks of play Starcraft back in the day. The characters were fun and the novelty of the book made it very interesting to me. The narration was very well done. It helped bring some life and personality to the characters.

Enders game meets galaxy quest

About the best way I can describe it (see above) a small group of humans have been taken by an ancient alien race. They are getting their butts kicked in a war with an unknown enemy. The wars are fought with drone ships. The human gamers take to the tactics immediately. But can this handful of humans make a difference in a galaxy spanning war that is already half lost? Really well written, lost of action, character development and large group space tactics. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

Really good litrpg for RTS fans

This was fun from start to finish. Great story with an equally impressive performance. The author does some of the best LitRPG I have heard.

The author's creativity in bridging the characters' proficiency with a video game to control of real forces is what makes it for me. Each battle is explained in such a way that I can imagine that I'm watching a game of Starcraft or similar, and yet there is room for real initiative to be taken by some of the controlled units.

I'd continue, but I would just be gushing. Get the book, thank me later.

Overall a good Gamelit Novel space book.

Overall a good Gamelit Novel space book. A good fun space adventure. The tactics helped to make the book more enjoyable. The MC was not too OP, or overly unrealistic. Plenty of action, and there were reasons for the action in the plot. You did have to suspend your disbelieve at a few points, but over all the plot works.
I highly encourage the author to look into the actual physics of how ships would move in space, and how distance will affect weapons fire due to the speed of light delay. Too many authors neglect this. This book did not have too many holes in this regard, but if the second book has many space battles this could be an issue.

I hope to see what happens in the next book.

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