Death March

I've really got to stop reading LitRPG books. I know a lot of people love this genre, but it's not for me.
I had a few free months of Kindle Unlimited and a recommendation for this book, so I thought I'd try.

Tucker never fails to deliver a wild ride. Death March was my introduction to the LitRPG genre, and what a fantastic introduction it was.

Awesome World: +1!
Fist-Pumping Action: +1!
Lovable Characters: +1!

The story has very little fluff. We hit the ground running on page one with Chris being invited to play Euphoria Online for free. He's skeptical of the invitation at first—after all, a weekend pass costs $3,000!—but it comes from his rich gamer ex-girlfriend Brianna.

Chris jumps at the opportunity, since his brother Justin may be facing the death penalty for looting the flooded shores of a future United States of America. If Chris survives six months of Euphoria Online in death march mode, he can ask a boon of the artificial intelligence that rules the world.

Note: That's six months in-game, which is only about a weekend of real-world time. The time dilation aspect of the game is pretty cool and used in some creative ways.

The book reminded me of my days playing World of Warcraft. The fun of new discovery, teaming up with online friends, and strategically trying to optimize your skillset are all here. And even though the constant threat of death looms over Chris, there's quite a bit of humor to balance out the bleakness. I can think of about seventeen reasons why the green liver goblins were amazing.

It's worth noting that I listened to the audio book, narrated by the wonderful Vikas Adam. He enhances an already incredible story and I can't recommend listening to this book enough. I only wish that I could have enjoyed the lovely artwork that comes with physical copies of the book.