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mellhay's review
5.0
This book is a modern setting with Jackson but it's also in a fantasy world, or worlds as he goes along, from the different realms of villains. It's so easy to understand and enjoy. I loved the play on different fantasy themes as it made me smile.
Enjoyable story to listen to. It kept me entertained.
****FULL REVIEW****
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Jeffrey performs with heart, stepping in to the characters minds which breathes life to them. When stories are performed with the emotion the characters are feeling, and the narrator feels as to be having fun, the book is brought to a new level of awesome. Jeffrey accomplished that in this work. Jeffrey speaks with different infliction and personality for each character, which makes it easy to know who's who along with keeping my attention.
At the end of the first prologue, I had to smile. Really. This was something I always thought about, how easy it would be to take down a hero when he's having his "moment". I got a feel of a twist of Grayskull (You know what Grayskull is, from He-Man.) here with other elements mixed in. I like what I get, and it's only a prologue!
Oh my the references of all the great science fiction and fantasy tales!! Really! Even in the titles we get great one lines that we know reference so many. lol. I love listening and pointing out references and what I get the feel of. I'm sure others would pick up on others I've missed. This is the kind of story I would love to listen to with someone who I could talk to on the potential influences. You know, listen at the same time and go geek on what we pick up on! lol.
Okay. The story. I enjoyed how the rules of heroes and villains are viewed and understood in the world. And they still stand and function. M.K. has created a story with a villain that sees those rules and uses then in a way to do what all villains want. And he's talented at his work. M.K. tells us these rules and we see the predicament that Jackson ends up in, and has to find his own way back to his place in the world. M.K. writes a well crafted story of fun while still in the guidelines and takes a villain in the outs and brings him back. Totally awesome work.
I felt I could believe Jackson's thinking and I really liked him. I want to watch movies with Jackson. He would be a hoot at pointing out the flaws in plans, hero and villain. I laughed at the obvious observations pointed out by Jackson in this book. So good and so true! Jackson's written in a way that I liked him even though he wasn't the clean cut good guy. I even felt the fluctuation of praise and irritation of Randy with Jackson - all thanks to Jeffrey's vocal talents and M.K.'s writing.
At my first big surprise in events, I wanted to give M.K. Gibson a big high five. He told me what not to do. He drew me into doing just that. And I was surprised when he used that. AWESOME JOB!! M.K.wrote it so well, I was drawn into the web.
This book is a modern setting with Jackson but it's also in a fantasy world, or worlds as he goes along, because of the different realms of villains. It's so easy to understand and enjoy. I loved the play on different fantasy themes as it made me smile.
As Jackson goes through the fantasy world he's in, working to get to the ruling villain, he points out the fantasy tropes present. And he hits on them all! Totally awesome and fun summary of characters in fantasy tropes. And I can say I read about that. It was great as it was fun in how it's portrayed. M.K. has taken fantasy, brought what we know to our attention, then twists it to his world and makes it fun.
Enjoyable story to listen to. It kept me entertained.
Enjoyable story to listen to. It kept me entertained.
****FULL REVIEW****
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Jeffrey performs with heart, stepping in to the characters minds which breathes life to them. When stories are performed with the emotion the characters are feeling, and the narrator feels as to be having fun, the book is brought to a new level of awesome. Jeffrey accomplished that in this work. Jeffrey speaks with different infliction and personality for each character, which makes it easy to know who's who along with keeping my attention.
At the end of the first prologue, I had to smile. Really. This was something I always thought about, how easy it would be to take down a hero when he's having his "moment". I got a feel of a twist of Grayskull (You know what Grayskull is, from He-Man.) here with other elements mixed in. I like what I get, and it's only a prologue!
Oh my the references of all the great science fiction and fantasy tales!! Really! Even in the titles we get great one lines that we know reference so many. lol. I love listening and pointing out references and what I get the feel of. I'm sure others would pick up on others I've missed. This is the kind of story I would love to listen to with someone who I could talk to on the potential influences. You know, listen at the same time and go geek on what we pick up on! lol.
Okay. The story. I enjoyed how the rules of heroes and villains are viewed and understood in the world. And they still stand and function. M.K. has created a story with a villain that sees those rules and uses then in a way to do what all villains want. And he's talented at his work. M.K. tells us these rules and we see the predicament that Jackson ends up in, and has to find his own way back to his place in the world. M.K. writes a well crafted story of fun while still in the guidelines and takes a villain in the outs and brings him back. Totally awesome work.
I felt I could believe Jackson's thinking and I really liked him. I want to watch movies with Jackson. He would be a hoot at pointing out the flaws in plans, hero and villain. I laughed at the obvious observations pointed out by Jackson in this book. So good and so true! Jackson's written in a way that I liked him even though he wasn't the clean cut good guy. I even felt the fluctuation of praise and irritation of Randy with Jackson - all thanks to Jeffrey's vocal talents and M.K.'s writing.
At my first big surprise in events, I wanted to give M.K. Gibson a big high five. He told me what not to do. He drew me into doing just that. And I was surprised when he used that. AWESOME JOB!! M.K.wrote it so well, I was drawn into the web.
This book is a modern setting with Jackson but it's also in a fantasy world, or worlds as he goes along, because of the different realms of villains. It's so easy to understand and enjoy. I loved the play on different fantasy themes as it made me smile.
As Jackson goes through the fantasy world he's in, working to get to the ruling villain, he points out the fantasy tropes present. And he hits on them all! Totally awesome and fun summary of characters in fantasy tropes. And I can say I read about that. It was great as it was fun in how it's portrayed. M.K. has taken fantasy, brought what we know to our attention, then twists it to his world and makes it fun.
Enjoyable story to listen to. It kept me entertained.
readers_together's review
5.0
This review is going to be on the shorter side, not because I don’t have a lot to say about it, but because I don’t want to write a review full of spoilers and with a number of twists and turns in this book, I would be hard-pressed not to say something spoilery.
MK Gibson has written a book that is not only funny and action-packed but also endearing. This book was hilarious, I don’t remember the last time I laughed this much, and I’m talking laugh of loud in public and getting weird looks sort of laughing. If you like superhero books/ movies etc, I think you’ll like this book, the character of Jackson talks to the listener for the entire book (4th wall breaking at its finest), think Deadpool and it works. It works really well, I think the book wouldn’t have been half as funny without it. Even the chapter headings are humorous. It has a fantasy feel to it, an epic adventure that just grabs the listener’s attention and doesn’t let go. It even has a little romance... yes, I said it, and it’s true. The chapters are short. The pop culture references throughout the book were entertaining.
Maybe you’re looking at the cover right now and thinking ‘meh, not my thing’ well, shush but I thought the same thing, it wasn’t until I listened to the sample and read the synopsis that I was hooked…so give them a shot before counting this book out.
I love the characters in this book. Jackson, of course, was hilarious and I even found myself laughing at things I ordinarily wouldn’t have found funny. His team of heroes was an unlikely bunch which made them all the more interesting, you never know what angle they were working on or if they would find out the truth and abandon Jack. The reveal towards the end was shocking and a character steps up that you’ll never see coming as the evil lord that Jackson must face.
I’ve listened to many Jeffrey Kafer performances and this one really blew me away. His comedic timing was on the mark and the vocal fluctuations really emphasised some key moments. Sometimes with the amount of characters a book like this has, it’s hard to keep track of who is who but that wasn’t the case with this performance, each character was uniquely performed. Kafer never fails to entertain but I think this performance was something special. The overall production was smooth with no issues that I noted.
MK Gibson has written a book that is not only funny and action-packed but also endearing. This book was hilarious, I don’t remember the last time I laughed this much, and I’m talking laugh of loud in public and getting weird looks sort of laughing. If you like superhero books/ movies etc, I think you’ll like this book, the character of Jackson talks to the listener for the entire book (4th wall breaking at its finest), think Deadpool and it works. It works really well, I think the book wouldn’t have been half as funny without it. Even the chapter headings are humorous. It has a fantasy feel to it, an epic adventure that just grabs the listener’s attention and doesn’t let go. It even has a little romance... yes, I said it, and it’s true. The chapters are short. The pop culture references throughout the book were entertaining.
Maybe you’re looking at the cover right now and thinking ‘meh, not my thing’ well, shush but I thought the same thing, it wasn’t until I listened to the sample and read the synopsis that I was hooked…so give them a shot before counting this book out.
I love the characters in this book. Jackson, of course, was hilarious and I even found myself laughing at things I ordinarily wouldn’t have found funny. His team of heroes was an unlikely bunch which made them all the more interesting, you never know what angle they were working on or if they would find out the truth and abandon Jack. The reveal towards the end was shocking and a character steps up that you’ll never see coming as the evil lord that Jackson must face.
I’ve listened to many Jeffrey Kafer performances and this one really blew me away. His comedic timing was on the mark and the vocal fluctuations really emphasised some key moments. Sometimes with the amount of characters a book like this has, it’s hard to keep track of who is who but that wasn’t the case with this performance, each character was uniquely performed. Kafer never fails to entertain but I think this performance was something special. The overall production was smooth with no issues that I noted.
redlikeroses's review
4.0
4 Stars
Ahh, the shadow master books.
I've been meaning to review these gems for awhile now even though it has been awhile since I read them. Even so, I still remember the unique writing style as a would mother memorize her child's face.
The best way I can pitch this book is Deadpool meets a shorter version of [b:Eragon|113436|Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)|Christopher Paolini|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366212852l/113436._SX50_.jpg|3178011] (but where B.S. is actually called out) with a splash of [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1258417001l/4407._SY75_.jpg|1970226].
Sound interesting yet?
Believe me, it is.
So imagine a book where the protagonist is self aware that he is the protagonist and uses the information he has from pop culture to his advantage when dealing with people like Cthulhu.
Unlike some pieces though, this doesn't turn into a one trick pony or gimmick that grows old. It creates an interesting dynamic and adds spice to the dialogue that I don't see in most books.
The characters are fleshed out, settings described well, but I will say it doesn't have the most original of plots. I will say the twist was really cool and had foreshadowing to my delight.
Overall the book was a breath of fresh air and I reread it every year alongside [b:Villains Pride|36629877|Villains Pride (The Shadow Master #2)|M.K. Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511188199l/36629877._SY75_.jpg|58393557] though unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to obtaining [b:Villains Deception|43424039|Villains Deception (The Shadow Master #3)|M.K. Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546282339l/43424039._SY75_.jpg|67471050].
Ahh, the shadow master books.
I've been meaning to review these gems for awhile now even though it has been awhile since I read them. Even so, I still remember the unique writing style as a would mother memorize her child's face.
The best way I can pitch this book is Deadpool meets a shorter version of [b:Eragon|113436|Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle, #1)|Christopher Paolini|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366212852l/113436._SX50_.jpg|3178011] (but where B.S. is actually called out) with a splash of [b:American Gods|4407|American Gods (American Gods, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1258417001l/4407._SY75_.jpg|1970226].
Sound interesting yet?
Believe me, it is.
So imagine a book where the protagonist is self aware that he is the protagonist and uses the information he has from pop culture to his advantage when dealing with people like Cthulhu.
Unlike some pieces though, this doesn't turn into a one trick pony or gimmick that grows old. It creates an interesting dynamic and adds spice to the dialogue that I don't see in most books.
The characters are fleshed out, settings described well, but I will say it doesn't have the most original of plots. I will say the twist was really cool and had foreshadowing to my delight.
Overall the book was a breath of fresh air and I reread it every year alongside [b:Villains Pride|36629877|Villains Pride (The Shadow Master #2)|M.K. Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511188199l/36629877._SY75_.jpg|58393557] though unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to obtaining [b:Villains Deception|43424039|Villains Deception (The Shadow Master #3)|M.K. Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546282339l/43424039._SY75_.jpg|67471050].
thebookedunicorn's review
5.0
I wish i was the one that wrote this book. It was absolutely fucking fantastic
audiobookmel's review
4.0
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I was given the opportunity to try this audiobook. It was described to me as “Comedy fantasy in the vein of Deadpool.” I read the blurb (which is really funny) and decided to give it a try. I had listened to Jeffrey Kafer previously, so I knew I liked his work. I’m so glad that I decided to try this new-to-me author. I really enjoyed meeting Jackson and had a lot of fun with this story.
This book takes on the POV of the villain. Julian “Jackson” Blackwell, aka The Shadow Master, is a consultant to villains everywhere. He is a great strategist and uses this ability to help other villains become the baddest villains that they can and rule their realms. However, when you work with villains, you can’t trust them, no matter how loyal they may seem or what you’ve done for them in the past.
Jackson ends up getting backstabbed by one of his clients (shocking from a villain, right?). He is stuck in another dimension with little access to his powers. He must then work with heroes (You can imagine how hard it must be for a villain to partner with a single hero, much less a group of them) in order to save himself.
This story is full of great pop culture references (especially of the geeky kind) which will make you laugh out loud. Jackson is a great character who is only out to serve himself. He is prone to long monologues (because what villain doesn’t like to hear himself talk) and that doesn’t even include his inner monologues, which are sometimes broadcasted when he’s in his own realm. Oh, there is also some great family drama from Jackson’s sister and nephew.
I’m very much a character driven reader. Give me good characters, and I will generally enjoy the story. This book is full of great characters that are well developed and suited their parts in the story perfectly. As per normal for me, my favorite character was a secondary one, the receptionist, Sophia. While she doesn’t have a large part in this book, I really liked her. I felt she was the perfect fit to help out Jackson. I hope to see more of her in the next book (and I will be on the lookout for the next book).
This book is full of a dry humor, geeky pop culture references, some good dick jokes and a punch to the Oxford comma. I love the mix of the real world and the fantasy worlds that Jackson visits. It is a great escape to have a villain as the main character. I just have to say, check it out.
Narration
Jeffrey Kafer does a great job with this book. I might start off sounding a little dry, but as you get to the know the character, Jackson, you learn that it is Jackson that is dry, not Jeffrey. Jeffrey is plenty expressive with some of the other characters. I think he does a phenomenal job with the voices and tones of all the different characters in this book, even if he does make me cringe a bit with the voice of Jackson’s sister (which I’m sure is completely on purpose on the narrator’s part). I think he really nailed the pacing of the story, speeding up and slowing down as needed for the scene at had. This is the first full length novel I’ve listened with Jeffrey Kafer as narrator (the other book is Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews, which is only two hours long), but it is sure to not be the last one.
**Audiobook was provided to me by the narrator. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the narrator.
I was given the opportunity to try this audiobook. It was described to me as “Comedy fantasy in the vein of Deadpool.” I read the blurb (which is really funny) and decided to give it a try. I had listened to Jeffrey Kafer previously, so I knew I liked his work. I’m so glad that I decided to try this new-to-me author. I really enjoyed meeting Jackson and had a lot of fun with this story.
This book takes on the POV of the villain. Julian “Jackson” Blackwell, aka The Shadow Master, is a consultant to villains everywhere. He is a great strategist and uses this ability to help other villains become the baddest villains that they can and rule their realms. However, when you work with villains, you can’t trust them, no matter how loyal they may seem or what you’ve done for them in the past.
Jackson ends up getting backstabbed by one of his clients (shocking from a villain, right?). He is stuck in another dimension with little access to his powers. He must then work with heroes (You can imagine how hard it must be for a villain to partner with a single hero, much less a group of them) in order to save himself.
This story is full of great pop culture references (especially of the geeky kind) which will make you laugh out loud. Jackson is a great character who is only out to serve himself. He is prone to long monologues (because what villain doesn’t like to hear himself talk) and that doesn’t even include his inner monologues, which are sometimes broadcasted when he’s in his own realm. Oh, there is also some great family drama from Jackson’s sister and nephew.
I’m very much a character driven reader. Give me good characters, and I will generally enjoy the story. This book is full of great characters that are well developed and suited their parts in the story perfectly. As per normal for me, my favorite character was a secondary one, the receptionist, Sophia. While she doesn’t have a large part in this book, I really liked her. I felt she was the perfect fit to help out Jackson. I hope to see more of her in the next book (and I will be on the lookout for the next book).
This book is full of a dry humor, geeky pop culture references, some good dick jokes and a punch to the Oxford comma. I love the mix of the real world and the fantasy worlds that Jackson visits. It is a great escape to have a villain as the main character. I just have to say, check it out.
“Jackson Blackwell, I repeat, how do you plead?”
“I heard you, Lord Protector. I’ve just been ignoring you.” I said as bored as possible. “Lesser beings do not deserve my full attention.” Apparently my chosen approach was asshole.
Narration
Jeffrey Kafer does a great job with this book. I might start off sounding a little dry, but as you get to the know the character, Jackson, you learn that it is Jackson that is dry, not Jeffrey. Jeffrey is plenty expressive with some of the other characters. I think he does a phenomenal job with the voices and tones of all the different characters in this book, even if he does make me cringe a bit with the voice of Jackson’s sister (which I’m sure is completely on purpose on the narrator’s part). I think he really nailed the pacing of the story, speeding up and slowing down as needed for the scene at had. This is the first full length novel I’ve listened with Jeffrey Kafer as narrator (the other book is Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews, which is only two hours long), but it is sure to not be the last one.
**Audiobook was provided to me by the narrator. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the narrator.
lilyelement's review
4.0
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Villains Rule is book 1 in The Shadow Master series. I grabbed this book after seeing a review by Melanie @ HotListens. It sounded so different and I'm so glad I tried it since it turned out to be a fantastic listen.
Jackson Blackwell aka the Shadow Master is not your normal type of leading character. He's the adviser to villains and is working with one that requested he come to his realm to be of assistance. He goes to the fantasy realm but winds up getting double-crossed by the villain and trapped. Jackson has to do the unthinkable, team up with the heroes in order to get his revenge as well as get out alive. The book pokes fun at the fantasy genre flaws, things we see over and over throughout the genre and Jackson winds up using these to his advantage.
Highly entertaining, Villains Rule is a must read! It's not your typical story and I loved how the POV was the villain. Jackson is arrogant and a know it all, but it actually worked for me instead of being eye roll worthy. I was amused while listening and really need to try more of this author's work in the future. If you're a fan of fantasy and humor you'll adore this novel.
The Narrator:
This was my first audiobook narrated by Jeffrey Kafer and won't be my last. I'm slowly listening to more male narrators since I've had issues with a few in the past and I thought Jeffrey did a wonderful job at bringing the book to life. His voice suited the main character very well and I was really pleased.
Villains Rule is book 1 in The Shadow Master series. I grabbed this book after seeing a review by Melanie @ HotListens. It sounded so different and I'm so glad I tried it since it turned out to be a fantastic listen.
Jackson Blackwell aka the Shadow Master is not your normal type of leading character. He's the adviser to villains and is working with one that requested he come to his realm to be of assistance. He goes to the fantasy realm but winds up getting double-crossed by the villain and trapped. Jackson has to do the unthinkable, team up with the heroes in order to get his revenge as well as get out alive. The book pokes fun at the fantasy genre flaws, things we see over and over throughout the genre and Jackson winds up using these to his advantage.
Highly entertaining, Villains Rule is a must read! It's not your typical story and I loved how the POV was the villain. Jackson is arrogant and a know it all, but it actually worked for me instead of being eye roll worthy. I was amused while listening and really need to try more of this author's work in the future. If you're a fan of fantasy and humor you'll adore this novel.
The Narrator:
This was my first audiobook narrated by Jeffrey Kafer and won't be my last. I'm slowly listening to more male narrators since I've had issues with a few in the past and I thought Jeffrey did a wonderful job at bringing the book to life. His voice suited the main character very well and I was really pleased.
traditionson's review
5.0
So where to start with this fourth wall breaking, monolithic piece of writing. Well let us start with the rules, a villain has no friends, friends lead to caring and caring leads to your downfall. All you need is to be aware of what pawns are around you and how to use them. Well, that didn't work out so well for the Shadowmaster in this book.
A brilliant read that really points out the condescending tropes in all fiction writing that I will never be able to look at the same way again after reading this book. A book that has left me laughing out loud multiple times, wishing for more constantly and not actually wanting to put it down. It was a parody of dark humour, tropes, blind narcissistic tendencies as well as pure genius. I finished it and instantly wanted to read it again. I rarely recommend books to others and am already planning on buying it for a friends birthday and recommending it before I was halfway through. A worthwhile and highly fulfilling piece of writing that all who love fantasy books should read.
A brilliant read that really points out the condescending tropes in all fiction writing that I will never be able to look at the same way again after reading this book. A book that has left me laughing out loud multiple times, wishing for more constantly and not actually wanting to put it down. It was a parody of dark humour, tropes, blind narcissistic tendencies as well as pure genius. I finished it and instantly wanted to read it again. I rarely recommend books to others and am already planning on buying it for a friends birthday and recommending it before I was halfway through. A worthwhile and highly fulfilling piece of writing that all who love fantasy books should read.
jasonabbott's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
thefool's review
3.0
This is a nice, simple read that cleanses the mind after a chunkier excursion, which was precisely what I was looking for! The story within isn't particularly coherent, but I loved the exploration of all the mad tropes within. I would love for more fantasy characters to sarcastically embrace some of the more common things they encounter! Might actually spice it all up for once!!
apumaru's review
3.0
Things I liked about this book: It was fast paced, the action scenes were awesome, it was funny, and the plot itself was interesting.
Things I didn't like about this book: the dialogue wasn't completely organic, and it seemed like the author was using the protagonist as a mouthpiece for his own issues (lots of hating on millenials/gen z stuff to the point where it was more annoying than funny).
Things I didn't like about this book: the dialogue wasn't completely organic, and it seemed like the author was using the protagonist as a mouthpiece for his own issues (lots of hating on millenials/gen z stuff to the point where it was more annoying than funny).