Audiobook Review – Morningwood (Everyone Loves Large Chests, Book 1) by Neven Iliev, Narrated by Jeff Hays (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Humor
Length: 13 hours and 17 minutes
Publisher: Podium Audio
Release Date: July 18, 2023
ASIN: B0C832HZPC
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Shopocalypse Saga
Source: Bought Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“Large chests are said to encompass all manner of hopes and dreams. Men covet them. Women envy them. But one fact holds true – everyone wants to get their hands on some big ones.
The same holds true for one intrepid adventurer – a strapping young lad by the name of Himmel. Armed with his grandfather’s trusty longsword and the dream of being the strongest, he sets out on the journey of a lifetime! It is sure to be a long and dangerous road, fraught with danger! And it all starts with a simple test – reach Level Five in the dungeon called the “newbie zone” and earn the right to become a full-fledged adventurer!
However, such things get hopelessly derailed when his adolescent mind beholds an exposed chest for the first time – a fateful meeting that would inevitably lead his life in a direction he never even dreamed of!”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Everyone Loves Large Chests series. I borrowed this for audiobook from Audible.
Thoughts: This was better than I thought it was going to be; not quite as funny as I hoped but just as crazy and ludicrous as I expected. I loved how it stayed true to the mimic being…well…a monster. I also loved how luck played a ridiculous role in the mimic becoming more and more powerful. I picked this up in the quest to find another LitRPG to read that was funny and entertaining while I wait for the next Dungeon Crawler Carl book.
It all starts with a young lad named Himmel who tries to open a treasure chest, a chest that happens to be a mimic. Through dumb luck, the mimic stabs Himmel with his own sword and thus is created a mimic…with a weapon…and a bit too much intelligence for his own good.
This is definitely an adult book. It’s very gory and there are lots of lewd jokes (not that the mimic gets any of those). Also the mimic’s familiar is a succubus, so three are a few very explicit (and disturbing) sex scenes as well.
I got this thinking it would be hilarious…and it is funny, but more in a darkly ironic way. I do like watching the mimic develop more sentience and intelligence. Watching him gain minions and try to figure things out is intriguing. Some of the huge repercussions that the mimic’s actions have on the human world are darkly hilarious.
Unfortunately, I never really engaged with the mimic as a character and even the familiars he summons are a bit too stupid and silly for me. The world-building is fairly weak as well…although to be fair we are seeing most things from the mimic’s perspective and it mainly wants to eat things.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narration is well done. I am on the fence about whether or not I will continue the series. Some of it was just a bit too silly for me. I am enjoying BuyMort and DCC a lot more and am not sure I need to add yet another LitRPG to the list of series I am reading.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall this was decent and much better than I expected. I liked watching the mimic gain power, sentience and intelligence. I also liked some of the dark irony behind how its actions affect the human world. However, I had trouble engaging with the mimic as a character and thought the world-building was weak. A lot of this was just a bit too silly and ridiculous for me. At this point, I probably won’t continue this series. I didn’t enjoy it as much as BuyMort or DCC. However, if you are look for a silly very adult LitRPG you might find this entertaining.
