Through Adversity: A LitRPG Adventure

Worth the Candle, Book 1

By: Alexander Wales

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Always the Dungeon Master, never the player.

Juniper Smith was always a creator of worlds rather than the one who walked within them…until now.

Somehow, the tables have turned in the most dramatic way possible. Juniper finds himself in a world filled with the wildest fantasies a mind could come up with, and his fingerprints are all over it.

Throughout this world, echoes of his own ideas and plots leave him feeling like he’s always one step behind. He finds bits and pieces of ancient influence strewn about every town he goes through. One thing is clear, though: Juniper walks this magical new world in someone else’s shadow.

It might all add up to something vital...if only he can survive long enough to figure it out.

This top-rated Royal Road-hit with over 3 million views is now brought to you in professionally formatted audio available exclusively on Audible.

©2022 Alexander Wales (P)2022 Podium Audio

Great start to a great series

I read the original web serial and enjoyed it all the way through. I've never had the chance to seriously play DnD but Juniper and his story made me a lot more interested in getting around to it one day. I can't wait to have the entire story in audiobook format.

The full package

Clearly a very intelligent author that masters character depth and development, complex plots and an interesting system. Fantastic narration as well. This series has it all.

Okay if you’ve got nothing better mah

Alittle woke and the mc belabors his regret about committing violence to the point of virtue signaling add in alittle teen angst with decent character development but a plot that runs alittle thin and I give a three out of five

A definitive litrpg work

Worth the candle contains the works for all litrpg stories you'd ever want: action, adventure, leveling, progression, world-building, munchkinnery, casts of characters, backstories, romance etc etc etc etc.

Great Web Serial

The easiest part of reviewing this audiobook is to say that Eric Michael Summerer, the narrator, does a fantastic job. Really no criticisms. The production, too, is top notch. This is a totally professional modern audiobook.

The harder part to review is the book itself, largely because it's not really a book; it's the first part of a long web serial. It doesn't have the normal structure of a story with rising action, climax, and conclusion. Or at the very least those things aren't here in just this volume, there's hints at them coming later but I've not actually read the web series.

Instead, this book has an excellent introduction and from there reads as a sequence of events and adventures that just flow from one to the next. If you go into it understanding this and ok with it, then you're probably going to have a good time.

The author is excellent and the world building is just wonderful. The primary conceit of the book, that the main character is stuck in some kind of game, is played very entertainingly with lots of well designed subversions of all kinds of fantasy and game tropes. There's only a few characters, but they all feel distinct and real (which is in itself a subversion as they begin to question their own agency). The free flow from adventure to adventure does leave the book somewhat lacking in well developed villains, but there's setup to indicate that they are likely coming in future installments.

I blasted through this book quickly, it never felt like a slog or a chore. It was breezy and fun the whole way through which is really just how I like it.

I really wasn't planning on listening to the whole web serial, but now I'm really into it and am at least going to check out the second book. I definitely recommend this to anyone who understands what they're getting into and is still interested.