• Continue Online Part One: Memories

  • By: Stephan Morse
  • Narrated by: Pavi Proczko
  • Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,740 ratings)

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Continue Online Part One: Memories  By  cover art

Continue Online Part One: Memories

By: Stephan Morse
Narrated by: Pavi Proczko
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Publisher's summary

A man broken by despair and depression, Grant Legate finds himself in a once-in-a-lifetime situation after receiving an Ultimate Edition copy of Continue Online. All he wishes for is a distraction from the thoughts plaguing his waking hours. He dives in headfirst, unknowing of the AI's intentions. They offer him the chance to play as one of their own, a NPC deserving of a proper send off. What he discovers during the journey shakes Grant to his very core.

©2015 Stephan Morse (P)2017 Stephan Morse

What listeners say about Continue Online Part One: Memories

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Theater of the Mind lives on!


Once in a while a really good story is written by an author that is not that well known. This is certainly one.

I have heard Orson Scott Card talk about the audio book being the best medium for reading his books. My understanding of what he speaks of is that a movie takes all the imagination and places it on the director/producer to tell the story. The written book requires the engagement of the mind to decipher the letters on the page to bring the story to life. The audio book, on the other hand, allows the listener/reader to sit back and take in the story and let it play in the “theater of the mind”.

I listen to a lot of books and really enjoy most of them. But once in a while, one comes along that truly creates Card’s “theater of the mind” experience. This book was one of those for me.

The narration was not up to par. The character voices were not well differentiated although the narrator did not really just drone on. I got used to the narrator by the end of the book but think it would have been an even better experience by someone else.

The story however, was well above par. This is one that draws you in and don’t let go. The character development was well done with good pacing and did not leave you wondering who was who and what was going on. The story is about a video game that is so completely immersed in reality that while in the game it is easy to forget who you were before you entered. This audio book has such an experience in the “theater of the mind” that it is just like the game in the book. It is easy to get lost in the story and forget reality for a time.
Although this book stands alone as a complete story, it is the first book in a series and is a great introduction into the world for the stories to come. Can’t wait for more and if this book is any indication worth every credit I will be spending on the rest of the series.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audio book by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Depth

This is book one in the Continue Online series, and it's unlike any LitRPG novel I've read so far. Grant Legate works with an AI companion to repair virtual reality capsules. Grant throws himself into his work to distract from his recent loss and bouts of depression. When he's gifted a copy of the virtual reality game Continue Online, he finally takes the time to explore the game that the rest of the world is obsessed with. Once he does, he faces questions about the concept of reality and AI.

The author created an absolutely fascinating virtual reality world, and I can't wait to see Grant explore more of it. This wasn't a traditional LitRPG novel with hack and slash action scenes, level stats, and awesome gear. This book was more intellectual and explored more mature concepts. Like James, it asked more questions than it answered. It was very character driven, Grant was a broken man and it didn't shy away from showing the depths of his pain. While that could be difficult to read at times, it was deep, and real, and so worth reading.

The narration was well done, it fully immersed me in the story. His character voices aren't overacted and dramatic and they don't detract from the actual story. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Potentially the Worst LitRPG I Have Read

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I suppose someone who reads suspense or autobiography would like this book. It was notably lacking in RPG, Fantasy, and Sci-fi. Their was some future tech and some fantasy, but it did not feel like anything.

What could Stephan Morse have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Replace the entire William Carver story and get to the game. And tone down the depression thing, we all have problems and I want to read a book without being reminded that I'm probably depressed to. Instead of a having a story of overcoming an obstacle like his memories and mental problems the main character stays pretty much the same through the entire book and you might say he did one exciting thing the whole time. I didn't care about him, his sister, his niece, or his personal psychologist AI. In fact the only humor to be found was by the little dragon killing little animals. If the series gets better then it would be a good move to bundle this piece of crap with the better sequel.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Pavi Proczko?

sure, he made no mistakes and relayed the story well

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Don't buy this book. Look into authors like; Aleron Kong (one book on audible, terrific litrpg which was funny enough for me to read the rest of his books on kindle), Vasily Mahanenko‎ (Shaman series is good, and Galactagon is better ), Alexey Osadchuk (Daily grind series which is good with a misleading cover), Michael Atamanov ( Perimeter Defense series of which the first and third are very good), D. Rus (Alterworld series of which all of it was good and especially after book 2. Very funny and terrific writing with expansive world), Andrei Livadny (Phantom Server was a decent series), Cosimo Yap (Gam3 and its sequels which are all good), and last is Blaise Corvin ( Delvers LLC series which is not technically Litrpg, but it deserve recognition and has the level-up aspect and a unique plot and set of characters who are both funny and vivid).

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A mixed bag

Pros: The overall story is very interesting. Unlike many books in this sub-genre, there is little to know discussion of character sheets. You will not have to listen to a bunch of number that have little to do with the story. The stats mentioned here only serve to underline what the protagonist and the reader do not know, which is the point.
Cons: certain phrasing, emotional hooks/character motivations/back story are used over and over. The author is not subtle in his writing.
Take away: I liked it and will likely listen to the second book.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

An overly winded prequel!

At most this entire book should have been compressed into five chapters. The ridiculous amount of filler in this book would make anyone puke. I had to finish the latter half at 1.20x speed. Took the author forever to get around to telling us why the heck we should give a crap. Let me put it this way by the end of the book I really wanted the main character to fail. Enough said.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I want to live in this future

I love books about the future, especially a future with cool technology and artificial intelligence. This is once of those book that you should probably listen to a sample to see if you a) like the narrator and b) can follow along with the story for a few minutes to see if it's your cup of tea. I liked it right away.

I liked how two scientists fought passive-aggressively to call an artificial intelligence "it" or "she" and each refused to budge on the personal pronoun. It seemed like Stephan Morse was illustrating that prejudice won't end in the future; it will just change from race, religion and color to whether you're born human or not. It reminds me of some of the themes that Gene Roddenberry toyed with in Star Trek: TNG days in terms of crew not treating Data with equality at times because he was a form of AI.

Going into this book without knowing a lot is the best way to go. You'll either dig it or you won't. I'm a future-lover, so I loved everything about it, including the fact that it didn't get so hung up on gadgets or tech that it lots its main focus of human emotions and the struggles people face, which never seem to change no matter how much time goes by, Highly recommended for a nice escape from reality.

I should mention that I was provided this free review copy audio book by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

definitely going to listen to the rest

Grant Legate had a good life until his fiancé unexpectedly died in an accident. Then his world fell apart. After a couple of suicide attempts and a stay in a mental hospital, Grant is slowly putting his life together with the help of his twin sister and young niece.

Work is Grant’s life now. Grant and his robotic coworker repair machines that allow people to experience virtual alternative realities. In these machines, called ARCs, anyone can be anything they want to be.
Just about everyone has an ARC and there is plenty of work in repairing them.

Grant spends so much time at work that he gets way more work done than his colleagues and because of this, his boss gives him a gift. A copy of Continue Online, the Ultimate Edition. At first, Grant is hesitant to accept the gift and not sure that he wants to play. But his boss makes him take some of the vacation time he never used so, Grants gives the game a try.

Pretty much everyone plays Continue Online however only a handful of people are able to get a copy of the Ultimate Edition which has many unique features not offered to regular players. Once in the game, Grant is offered an unusual opportunity by the Voices of the game. The Voices are basically gods within the game. He takes the opportunity and what he learns helps him to move forward with his life.

Continue Online Part One: Memories is not what I have come to expect from a LitRPG book. In most LitRPG books, there’s a lot of talk about hit points, stamina, and other stats pertaining to the game. While there are mentions of those in this book, the plot is much more action driven. You hear more about the character’s lives and what they are actually doing. There is much more interaction between the characters and their environment. In my opinion, Memories is the perfect starter book for someone who is just starting out reading LitRPG.

Overall Pavi Prozcko does a good with the narration and characters voices. When I first started listening his voice sounded a bit monotone, however, once the book got to the main human characters, the narration was very good. Production quality was high, no audible hisses or pops.

Stephan Morse was able to take all the action and adventure from the LitRPG genre and make anyone feel like they are in the Continue Online game. Even if the reader has never played that type of game before. I definitely going to listen to the rest of this series.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lit Rpg meets Slice of Life - Amazing adventure

Great story. There's a subtle message about living life, but not in a preachy way. The story allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.

The story is centered around a man who performs maintenance on pods used for full immersion virtual reality.

We learn he has experienced tragedy, loneliness, and depression. Once an accountant, he now works hard in this new life to escape his past. The fact that Artificial Intelligences are advanced enough to take over accounting makes that choice easier. He works with an AI with his work and he seems have a good relationship.

His hard work earns him an ultimate edition of the game 'Continue Online' and a couple weeks off.

Relationships between NPC's, travelers (players), the AI's, as well as a special bond he forms with an extraordinary NPC are emphasized within Continue Online. Those expecting a traditional Lit RPG story will get confused. There is a slice of life aspect here.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book.











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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

depressed man plays as old dying npc the book

the summary for this book needs to be changed for the life of me I can't see why this book has so many high reviews,
it's just about a guy with depression that jumps into a virtual realities machine to role play as a old dying npc who can't even walk far without having to stop and rest.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Unique spin on virtual reality and AI

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Memories is the first book in the Continue online series by Stephan Morse. It follows Grant Legate, a man who lost his wife and has now thrown himself into his work while most everyone else has become obsessed with the latest Virtual Reality "pods" that allow people to fully immerse into fantasy worlds. When Grant finally catches up with the rest of the world and tries the most popular Fantasy game, Continue Online he finds more than he expected and gets to experience the game in a unique way.

Overall I enjoyed this book and while this plot has been done before, I felt that Memories put enough of a fresh spin on it that it kept it interesting and unique. The story provides enough mystery and intrigue throughout to keep my interest. There were times I felt that the plot was moving a little slow but not enough to really diminish my enjoyment of the story, though it came close a couple times.

As a long time gamer and MMO player, there were a couple elements that bothered me throughout the book. First off Grant is employed by the company who makes the Virtual Reality systems as well as the hottest game "Continue Online", yet seems to know very little about the game and some of the VR systems functions. Before even trying the game Grant goes online to learn about the game but finds nothing useful. It is later hinted at that any specifics about the game put online have been deleted or taken down but it is not very well explained. The game also has no manual or instructions what-so-ever, yet millions of people including young teens are able to figure out the game easily - still, Grant seems to be completely lost despite being a gamer in his youth and working for the very company who makes the VR system AND game!

I was also a tiny bit frustrated that the end of the book barely answered any questions presented in the story, not even the main mystery that drives the protagonist throughout the story. I get it, this is a series and you want to leave some threads dangling to entice readers to continue reading the series but when none of the mysteries are answered it ends up accomplishing the opposite effect. I am more hesitant to jump into Book two as I do not want to invest my time into another book and find myself at the end of that book with still no answers! This has happened to me enough times before that I can often recognize the signs and this book has several of them. I will likely give book two a chance mainly because I am interested in the plot and world enough to give it a shot.

I listened to this story in Audiobook form, narrated by Pavi Proczko. At first, I was not sure about the narration as it felt a little robotic and dry... but there is a reason for that which I will not give away here as to not spoil anything. Once the story was underway and more characters were introduced the narration started to shine through and I was overall satisfied with the performance and would be willing to listen to more of Pavi's works and see other sides of his narration.

I would recommend this book to people who like Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Role Playing Games, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence.

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

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