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  • NPCs

  • By: Drew Hayes
  • Narrated by: Roger Wayne
  • Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (708 ratings)
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NPCs cover art

NPCs

By: Drew Hayes
Narrated by: Roger Wayne
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Summary

What happens when the haggling is done and the shops are closed? When the quest has been given, the steeds saddled, and the adventurers are off to their next encounter? They keep the world running, the food cooked, and the horses shoed, yet what adventurer has ever spared a thought or concern for the Non-Player Characters?In the town of Maplebark, four such NPCs settle in for a night of actively ignoring the adventurers drinking in the tavern when things go quickly and fatally awry. Once the dust settles, these four find themselves faced with an impossible choice: pretend to be adventurers undertaking a task of near-certain death or see their town and loved ones destroyed. Armed only with salvaged equipment, second-hand knowledge, and a secret that could get them killed, it will take all manner of miracles if they hope to pull off their charade. And even if they succeed, the deadliest part of their journey may well be what awaits them at its end.

©2014 Andrew Hayes (P)2014 Tantor

What listeners say about NPCs

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great adventure (and gaming) story

Would you listen to NPCs again? Why?

Yes - the narrator was very good and I think I'd pick up more references on a second listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of NPCs?

It was in the final scenes, so I don't want to spoil the story.

Have you listened to any of Roger Wayne’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, but will be looking out for them in the future: he narrated the book well and included a great range of character voices.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The characters' initial decision to leave, and Thistle's backstory.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to getting the next book in the series!

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3 people found this helpful

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

Loved it! It definitely scratches that DnD itch.

Lovable characters, good story. If you play any kind of tabletop RPGs this is definitely for you.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Perfectly good but missing the usual spark.

I've read many of Drew Hayes novels: The Fred the Vampire Accountant series, Second Hand Curses, The Five Minute Sherlock books. All of these have been really fun stories that I enjoyed a lot.

This book, was perfectly good. I had good characters, there was no angst, the plot made enough sense, there were jokes and yet it lacked the spark that I've gotten from his other works that really made them special. A few of other reviews mentioned D&D in-jokes and as someone who's never played D&D I probably missed all of them.

Maybe I just wasn't the right audience for this one. I don't regret spending a credit on it but I won't read subsequent entries in the series. It just felt too flat compared to the liveliness of the other Hayes novels. The narration was good.

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1 person found this helpful

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

thoroughly enjoyable

yet another series from Drew Hayes that I seriously enjoyed if you're wondering I listened to superpowerds multiple times plus it's spin-off

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

Light and entertaining

Entertaining. This isn't brilliant writing or anything, but as a budding DnD player I really enjoyed it. Gave me some fun ideas for future characters. Well narrated.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Light hearted entertainment

A fun tale of how the NPCs on the other side of an RPG see and interact with their world.

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1 person found this helpful

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

D&D like novel

Really enjoyed this book, was a cool and entertaining viewpoint on a 'classic' D&D type based world.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Amazing

This is an amazing story 👏🏻 the characters are perfectly written, I connected with them straight away, the story left me on the edge of my seat and laughing out loud. Wonderful twists and turns. Narration by Roger Wayne was immersive, I loved each characters voice, perfect choice.
Would definitely recommend!!!

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1 person found this helpful

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

Really enjoyed it

So I thought this book was going to be about “real life players” trapped in a game world, but it was a very clever twist on that. I really enjoyed it and have already purchased the sequel. Can’t wait to start it.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Entertaining and demanding of an entire series

The flip of archetypes
the 4th world aspect
and the progress of all characters have earned my commitment to purchasing a second book 😄

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1 person found this helpful