Desert Runner

Puatera Online, Book 1

By: Dawn Chapman

Narrated by: Andrea Parsneau

Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

An NPC story.

With her pain potions in short supply, Maddie accepts a deadly run, picks up a package in Trox City, and crosses the desert plains to Port Troli. The only issues - an unwanted passenger and Tromoal breeding season.

©2017 Dawn Chapman (P)2018 Dawn Chapman

BOX SET OUT NOW

Great book, had me wanting more. My only complaint is that I need more book.

So get the dang box set Lol

also audible you need to put those sets where people can find them. Was not in the suggested books or the series page, had to go to the author page to find it.

The trials of an NPC in a Mad Max MMO

I'm a big fan of Dawn Chapman's THE SECRET KING and am anxiously awaiting her to release the audiobook for its sequel rather than just novellas. However, I was interested in her doing a LIT-RPG story which stars a woman who exists in a Mad Max MMO as an NPC. Apparently, everyone is an A.I. in there and they're aware of it to an extent but not much can be done about it. Kind of horrifying in a Westworld sort of way.

The protagonist is remarkably cheerful, though, and does her best to survive despite the fact she's trapped in a cycle of dealing with neverending hordes of monsters and fetch quests.
Maddie is a likeable heroine, more the brides than Furiosa and eventually the book becomes a love story when she meets up with a player who is interested in her more than a bunch of pixels on a screen. Thankfully, this world seems to work on virtual reality.

The story is a bit on the short side but there's a lot of drama and it's interesting to see the view of the people in a World of Warcraft-esque world from the perspective of the starting dungeon. I think the author could have done a bit more joking around on the fact it is a video game but I really was interested in how the world worked.

Andrea Parsneau does an excellent job narrating and captures the protagonist's trials and tribulations. In conclusion, this is a great little book and enjoyable popcorn fiction to listen to.

wanted more.

was pulled in from the first chapter. by the end I was dying for more.

So good but too short

So I absolutely loved this entire series.

But several of the books in the series are closer to novella than novels. These first few books really are one book, and the three books involving the sisters could also have been one book. Because of that I can't recommend you spend credits on these shorter books.

But if they are on sale or you have them on kindle and get the bundle discount, or if the author/publisher bundles the shorter related books into single credit arrangements definitely get these books. Or if you just aren't worried about that and simply want quality content, you could do far worse than this series.

On to the actual review, Puatera Online is a gamelit series that focuses on the npcs and their roles in the world, and how messed up life can be when you're an npc that knows you are an npc. That's right self aware npcs they get that Travelers are people who come from another world to play in their world and don't think the residents of this world are real.

These first few books focus on Maddie who is a Runner, sort of a transporter/mercenary/adventurer kind of thing. Think shadowrun meets mad max and that's pretty close. Maddie is an awesome hardcore professional with a steely reputation, but she's also very devoted to her community and a bit of a softy. She gets pulled into some political shenanigans and gets a big job thrust on her, and has to spend a bunch of time hanging out with a player... There is a lot of snarky dialogue and some really good action the plot builds steadily and most of the groundwork is done through these books that focus on Maddie.

Anyway it's great, the character development and slow reveal of the plot and game events build suspense very well there are a handful of clever plot twists and few easily recognizable tropes.

The narrator is excellent I really liked her voice for maddie and wished she would have continued into Akillia's book.

Quite intense.

Andrea Parsneau brings extra punch to an emotionally gripping story. I liked the voicing of both the main character and several male characters. By the end of this I was caught by where's the next part as I can tell even with all the characters have faced getting here, the real adventure is just starting. Congrats to both the author and narrator. I think this is a great match.

Oops! Somehow I overlooked reviewing this book!

O.K. I have read this and the first follow-up book in the series. Book 1 lays out a very fine world and occupants of this world. The lead character is a very strong women who has "bite". There is a little off-color language, so I'd say a reader would need to be a 15 year old. I can recommend this series, and I'm looking forward to book 3. Now for the obligatory: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Way better than expected

I did not know how you could write a book about an npc and have it be as engaging as other LIT rpg books. Well Dawn has shown me how. Very good story and I was really pleased with this Audiobook. I immediately picked up books 2 and 3.

Narration was very good as well.

Blown away.

I was not prepared for how much I would love this story. Rich characters and a great blend of genres and worlds.

A Solid Introduction To The Puatera Series

I have been aware of the GameLit genre for a while, but DESERT RUNNER was my gateway book to read/listen to. I hear the genre can be hit or miss, but this particular title was very entertaining. While little more than a fetch quest, it was a solid story and acted as a good introduction into the world and the characters. I immediately jumped into the second book upon finishing (which wasn't hard as the first several books in the series are relatively short).

One pitfall I have heard about GameLit books is that they sometimes get bogged down with lists and lists of character stats and inventories. This is especially problematic in an audio version since the reader can’t just skim past and is forced to listen to every detail. This is not a problem with DESERT RUNNER. The mention of stats is rather infrequent. When they are included, it is limited to only one or two stats and they are presented in a manner similar to the ship’s computer on STAR TREK reading off diagnostics. It doesn’t interrupt the flow in the least.

Disclaimer: I received a free promotional code for this title from the author or distributor. However, no review was required in exchange for the code and receipt of the code did not affect the contents of my review (except for the inclusion of this disclaimer, of course 😉 ).

Great story with atmospheric narration

What made the experience of listening to Desert Runner the most enjoyable?

The characterization is voiced very well by Andrea, her intonations make them come to life.

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

As mentioned above, she really brings the characters to life and her smooth voice is easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. Very yes.

Any additional comments?

Cannot wait for the next ones