Dark forces are threatening everything that Dungeon Lord Edward Wright cares about...and they don’t expect what they’re about to get.
Only a few weeks have passed since the Battle of Burrova, and Edward and his friends are busier than ever improving the Haunt and protecting the surviving villagers.
Sadly, time is a scarce commodity in the world of Ivalis. Soon enough, Ed finds himself thrown in conflict against the man behind the mindbrood’s attack, a man who is seemingly capable of shrugging off mortal wounds and who is willing to unleash a devastating plague of undead against the Haunt and everyone inside.
Only the otherworldly powers of a Dungeon Lord may be capable of protecting the Haunt against the rapidly approaching danger...but can Edward remain the same man if he exposes himself to the corrupting influence of that very same power?
The second installment of The Wraith's Haunt is upon us, and Soundbooth Theater had a blast producing it! In the first book, Annie Ellicott played some of SBT's creepiest monstrosities. But in this book, she's taken on the entire female cast, including Kes and Lavy who were voiced by Jeff Hays originally, and a charming new character, Katarina Locksmith, the clever thief. Annie and Jeff have been honing their vocal chemistry, and the results speak for themselves!
Gadzooks! Where do I begin? How about with the amazing audible talents of Jeff Hays and Annie Ellicott. What wicked warbling this pair doth make together! Hays is far and away my favorite narrator, and Annie has blown my mind with her own skill, talent, and versatility as well. They make a dynamic duo doling out dimensionally vocal magic. They flow into each other's voices effortlessly, and if they did any editing then it was done seamlessly. As much I as love hearing Jeff do female voices I have to say that Annie manages to steal the spotlight quite a few times, and her vocalizations of one thief in particular made me wish I was in Ivalis. You hear that Murmur? In all sincerity this is an impressive pair that not only works well together, but really elevates the story into the stratosphere. I am quite content just listening to Jeff do his manly voices while Annie carries along with the ladies.
How about story? Well, the writing is fast, humorous, and utterly gripping. One thing I noted in the first book was that I appreciated how much Edward used his head more than his hands in a fight. The same thing goes here, at every opportunity he out schemes, outwits, or out plays his opponents. Even when all hope is lost, he doesn't give up and thinks of something that he has in his bag of tricks that he can use to defeat his opponent.
We get to see some of the Keep finally being upgraded, some new monster allies, and a business venture that should put Lord Wraith in the black, if he can stop bleeding long enough to take care of all the red. The characters continue to grow and develop, and each one get a point to shine in their own little spotlight. Edward might carry the story, but his allies come together and survive on their own thanks to his training and the impression he has made on each of them. Ed does find love, but her dad has some issues with anyone but him being around his daughter. Nicholi returns and has a nasty secret surprise hidden up his sleeve for Ed and co. Ha, now that I think of it, Ed has a nasty surprise up his sleeve at the end of the book, too. You need to see it for yourself. I'm not giving anything away.
Basically, the battles and blood balance out the training and building that the team does. The fight scenes are some of the best I've read, and the training should come with some montage music. I'm not sure how long this series is going to go (a long time, I hope) but readers should beware that the next big bad is someone you already know and hate. Book three looks to be epic if the Epilogue lives up to its promise. Can I just as Hugo to hurry along book three and four? Waiting more than an hour or so between books is just murder.
Oh, I have to mention the cover. I love it. I enjoyed the book one cover, too, but this one does its job. It catches you eyes, makes you want to learn more about the story, and is something I would hang on my wall if it were a poster. This is what a cover should look like; dark, dangerous, mysterious, and foreboding. If you are scrolling along it will make you stop and go back to see what the book is about. Great choice on some excellent artwork.
Huesca has created a bevy of interesting characters, each replete with their own drives, goals, and personalities. The story never relents, it is always pushing forward, and the ending is most satisfying. If you are looking for something that is LitRPG, fantasy, horror, or even action then this is the book (and series) for you. You will not regret getting this, although I do suggest reading book one first. So, get book one now if you haven't, and if you have but are worried that the story suffered from a sophomore slump . . .DON'T. No need to fear. This book takes and builds on everything in book one and improves upon it. Don't miss out. Start reading NOW!!! Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.
Even better than the first book. I love the interactions between Edward and Haddon (sp?). The other characters are given more life and depth. Jeff Hays is masterful, as usual, and gave life to the story and characters far beyond what my own inner voice could However, I have to be honest - mostly hoping the narrator reads this and adapts. Annie took me out of the story with her characters quite often. Half of her female voices (aside from Kat and Adriana) had a comically gravely and shrill aspect that grated and seemed far too manic and cartoony (I found myself pulled out of the story either cringing a bit or considering whether the tone seemed out of character). I lost the ability to determine who was talking without context or attribution cues from the writing when these characters were talking.
Overall, I Loved it. The ending was both satisfying and exciting, now that I know who the next minor antagonist might be! Can't wait for the next. Here's hoping Hugo and Jeff the best of luck, inspiration, and health!
I think the author has a good concept and has developed an interesting world. The lore is pretty good too. The main character seems off and the lack of him acting more like a dungeon Lord is missing which is a reason I was interested in the book in the first place. The childlike bravado just seems out of place and miss directed.
I was hoping for a tough dungeon lord and really dive into the mechanics of a dungeon build. What we have is a naïve good guy kind of playing one half heartedly. I kind of see what the author was trying to do, and see that it could work.
I am not sure if the author will keep working on the main character development.
I’m not sure if I’ll give this one another shot. I might wait to see what the reviews are.
I hate to write a tough review and respect the author. It is purely for critical feedback.
I went in with an expectation of one type of story and was disappointed. Others might be looking for something else and it could be right up there ally.
The sequel to Dungeon Lord does not fail to live up to the expectations set forth by its predecessor. The book pretty much picks up where the last one left off, and we finally get to see some upgrades being made to the Keep. Lord Wraith, Edward is better known, has to remain hidden for fear of attracting those pesky players, of whom he used to be one. The one thing that I like the most about this series is that Edward, the Dungeon Lord, relies less on his powers than he does his head. He often manages to outthink, outmaneuver, and out man his opponents in some way. I think that the best, and the most admirable thing about him is that he trusts his people, and relies on them doing what he needs, rather than making them follow his every command to the letter. That is the real strength to this story, not the magic, not the setting, not the magic, but the characters, their personalities, and their interactions with one another. Personally, I think the thing I really respect the most about Edward is he never give up attitude. He never caves when a lesser person would.
The first book had some honest to God creepy horror tones to it, which are lacking here. While the story is full of great new characters, different situations, and a great villain it never really achieves the nightmare tone that pervaded the last third of book one. However, that is fine, because the work that Annie Ellicott did there is absolutely haunting and is not something that you will easily forget. I still linger on it in my mind, and so am glad that this becomes a straight up action adventure novel set in a mystical land that doubles as an MMORPG known as Ivalis to the unwitting Earthlings who play the game. Players who never realize that their actions actually have real-world consequences.
A few things that surprised me is that Edward hasn’t, as of yet encountered anyone that he played with while on Earth. I’m sure that that will pop up in book three, just as the newly revealed villain for book three also looms in the background here as foreshadowed in the Epilogue. I also appreciated the team building that Edward does and was impressed by the fact that he puts himself right on the line when it came to training. I kept waiting for montage music to pop up from Sound Booth Theater, but alas an opportunity was passed by.
As for the narration, Soundbooth Theater really takes this stick and runs with it. Whereas in the first book, Annie stole the show as the sympathetic monster, Jeff dominates and Annie plays the ladies. Jeff really carries this story, although he has handed the reigns of playing the female characters over to Ellicott (since this is just her second book). Annie does play a magnificent love interest for Edward, however, and I would love to see more of that character in the future. Jeff meanwhile manages to pick up his narrator’s role with his chameleon-like voice and steals this book away from Huesca. It might be Hugo’s baby, but Hays makes it grow up fast.
Again, I have to say that the combination of SBT and Huesca rates a five star across the board score. The book makes you want to have the next novel in your hand, and while it is not at the same level as the first book (due to the loss of the utterly insane horror element provided by Ellicott’s voice) it is a powerful stand-alone book that makes me wish I could at least play a game or two of Ivalis, and possibly get an invite from the evil God Murmur to go play on his world. I firmly believe that you will have no problem loving and enjoying this book.
Annie had a shakey start in keeping her characters consistent and distinct (and I don't love the changes to her Lavi) but by the middle she was rocking and it became a really fun listen. Hayes killed it as usual.
I’ve enjoyed the story so far but my one complaint is they decided to do a dual narrative male and female. I’m not talking about this part is Jeff and he does all the narrative section. I’m talking about Jeff to Annie with Jeff reading the thoughts. I love Jeff and Annie is good to but I don’t like them together like that. It was distracting to the point that I’ve lost interest in the story. If the author wants to do a male female duo. Pick one per chapter and stick with it. Wheel of Time did just fine that way and Kate and Michael are my favorites.
This of course is my opinion and strictly based on the audiobook not the story as a whole which I still enjoy.
What happens when one finds oneself immersed in a game and made into an evil dungeon lord? Well lord edward will take that preconception and turn it on it’s head. This dark lord will embrace his powers and use them in ways never before imagined by the residents of the realm. This series is a truly wonderful and novel look at the world of evil and what it can be made into. And as for the narration this series is one of soundbooth theaters masterpieces. A truly wonderful performance that will immerse you fully into the dungeon lords world.
We learn a lot more about the rules of this new universe and the motivations of key players. Definitely going to continue with book 3.
this book felt a little linear, the first book was definitely better. Would have liked to see more development in the dungeon.
Most RPG groups can totally relate to the personalities and wistful inner-dialogue. Fun to listen to and brought back many fun memories of gaming with my core gaming group.
But the speakers performance is amazing! Great voices for the different charakters and amazing laughter/distress/drunken-slurs, etc in the different voices on top of that.