Zero Car

Ocean Slayers Racing, Book 1

By: Alex Knowles

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Defective. Fierce. A lonely survivor.

When Oto didn’t connect to the system at adolescence like everyone else, his dreams for racing his way off-planet shattered into a million little pieces.

A chance encounter out in the Wilds will fix his broken parts and set him back on the path to escaping his terrible life - but not in ways he could have ever expected.

With new friends that he’ll have to learn to trust, and a race car to cultivate, Oto’s in over his head. But that’s never stopped him before.

He’s going to go up against the city’s best and most dangerous racers to guarantee, once and for all, that he cannot be ignored.

Zero Car is a sci-fi LitRPG cultivation mix with sentient cars and lots of character.

©2021 Alex Knowles (P)2021 Alex Knowles

Refreshing and original

A perfect mix of cultivation, litrpg, sci-fi and fantasy. Narration is nuanced and subtle, yet clear and good.

really enjoyed it

it was a little different to what I usually listen too . but liked so give it a try. The narrator is really good as well

alright you've got me!

so I'm not a car person, or a racing fan, so I wasn't sure what I'd think. well let me say I was impressed! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! going to have to keep up with this series for sure!

a solid win of a story.

I greatly enjoyed this hybridization of a cultivator story and a thrilling racing world. it was well written and well narrated. overall I am very pleased with my sojourn into this new subgenre, and look forward to more.

Engrossing

I completely fell in love with this story and this world building. The narration was, as always phenomenal. TRavis Baldree brings these words and characters to life beautifully with a subtle touch and lots of intensity.

This needs to be an animated series or movie. Would be super cool. Can’t wait for the next book!

Can't wait for more...

I was skeptical about a street racing cultivation/litrpg at first, but I picked it up because Travis Baldree narrated it. I ended up staying up almost all night listening, then finishing up the last hour or so when I woke up.
I'm eagerly awaiting book 2.

Good yet frustrating

First off Travis Baldree is an amazing narrator and did well with this book, just didn’t feel he was right for this story.I have listened to a lot of books narrated by him and it feels like certain voice tones remind me of other stories.
Second I love cultivation novels, this has a great approach but…… it didn’t feel like a sci fi cultivation novel.
The book cover art is badass!!

(Spoiler)
It felt more like a self doubting MC that is handed everything and it felt like a teenage love story with some aspects of racing in it. By the the end of the book I was in a bad mood sigh I hate leaving a review like this, I will purchase the next book cause it does have a interesting universe, just hope there is more cultivation and racing and not the head over heels love story.

A Blast!

I went into this just having finished the three-book binge of Knowles other series The Bright, so I knew what to expect from Knowles. But, I got a lot more than I expected. This time they wrote a book that absolutely blew me out of the water. Now, that’s not me saying that The Bright wasn’t an excellent series – but the Ocean Slayers series has my absolute full attention. I found myself wanting to know more and more about everything as the story progressed.

Knowles is able to write a book that jumps off of the page and really made me think. Zero Car started off a bit confusing (on purpose because the main character was confused and lost) – and as Oto (clever name for someone…) learns about the different stats and different paths people take – things start to make more sense both to him and to me as the reader.

Zero Car introduces a lot of the typical LitRPG elements I’m used to along with some new ones (including different nanites along with the cars having stats and upgradable features). All things that in games that I’ve played make perfect sense, but I haven’t personally read any stories that had elements like this.

So, we get to the point of was it a good story or was it just fun and exciting. Well, I hate to say this, but it was both! Ahh, you thought I was going to say it was one or the other. Nope! Knowles was able to create a character (Oto) and some people around him that you wanted to root for. They had real problems and Oto was able to provide solutions or at least help along the way. He seems to go from alone and wandering to feeling like he has a family and people that care about him – because of this you find yourself loving him more and more. And then you have everything else. Knowles nails it all. They were able to write a story that had all the elements of a great RPG and because of that I flew through Zero Car.

Add in the great narration by Travis Baldree, who is a king in this genre – and boy oh boy did this one cause me to have a good time. Zero Car was fun as hell and I can’t wait to see what happens in this series! Also, how great is that artwork – even knowing nothing about the book I wanted to read it just based on that cover.

Story is way more than racing, but the racing is nice too!

This story is amazing! It considers many elements of the human condition, including what happens when a human is left alone without enough food, human contact, shelter, and a sense of a place in society. Especially with the events of 2020-2021 some of the difficulties the characters deal with resonate quite a bit. That isn’t to say that the racing isn’t great. After all, who doesn’t love high tech toys with some higher risks?

Great start for a new cultivation series

A fun twist on the LitRPG genre, this story features a protagonist that struggles with his own demons as he tries to find love, acceptance and his path to the future. The cars are beautiful, the races tense and the emotions resonate.
Travis Baldree nailed this story! I have enjoyed all of his work lately, and this one was another hit.

This is the start of a new setting and it feels like it. You are introduced to lots of things but it will take time for all of them to develop in an organic manner. I am desperately waiting for the next installment!