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The Way Ahead cover art

The Way Ahead

By: NorskDaedalus, Kaleb England
Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
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Publisher's Summary

A physics student’s talents are put to the test when he’s transported to a world of magic and alchemical mysteries in the first book of a new fantasy series.

Fact one: Edwin Maxlin has fallen out of the sky and landed in a strange forest. Fact two: messages keep appearing in his line of vision, informing him that he has leveled up in various Skills—including some truly thrilling abilities such as Walking and Breathing. Fact three: this is most definitely not Earth.

Now Edwin, one-time student of material physics, must make his way through an unknown world, collecting Skills, upgrading his Class, embarking on life Paths, and most importantly, staying alive. But surviving in the land of Joriah isn’t as simple as increasing mana and learning how to become a Firestarter.

Edwin soon finds himself going toe-to-toe with an angry clan of dwarves and their even more disgruntled ruler, Lord S’fashkchlil. It will take all of Edwin’s wit, ingenuity, mathematical know-how, and charm to form new alliances, navigate a complicated political landscape, and keep from getting enslaved by Clan Blackstone. Fortunately, his otherworldly expertise is even more valuable than Edwin realizes…

Filled with humor, adventure, and unforgettable characters, The Way Ahead is a must-listen for fans of epic fantasy, role-playing games, and the scientific method.

©2022 Kaleb England (P)2022 Podium Audio

What listeners say about The Way Ahead

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Strong start but trips at the finish

I enjoyed this story for the most part, the start and middle being quite enjoyable especially as the MC learns and experiments however the ending put me off so hard. I couldn't sit through the last hour and a half as it felt so far removed from the rest of the story. MC has a minor mental break then... gets really confident out of nowhere, gets clapped and is still cocky??? Narrator was very good, no complaints.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good

The story is great though the fights tend to drag not to say they are boring just they go a little to long.
The mc is fantastic. A real scientist at heart.
Story is enjoyable
Honestly I really like this book and can’t wait to get the 2nd

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good book

The book is far to short for my taste but it’s still great. With great characters and progression throughout the story it kept me engaged till the end. The voices were great with plenty of emotion and range over 10/10

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

interesting take, but not my jam

I really wanted to like this series; the world and system is interesting, and trying to apply the scientific method to a magical world seemed like an idea with a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I disliked a main character so much. Constantly flipping between self-assured and anxious/self-depreciating to the point of breaking down in situations that don't feel like they make sense, sometimes arrogant without really having any basis for it and other times throwing himself a pity party at how his life has been so hard because... other people don't like him? All the while blatantly engaging in the behaviour he knows is inconsiderate, like just straight up regularly zoning out in conversation and ignoring people, 'testing' people for whether they're really his friends or not by his own arbitrary standards, blaming his behaviour on being 'introverted' or on other people instead of accepting responsibility for his actions and trying to do anything about it.

I was hoping this series was like Mother of Learning, or Wheel of Time, where the characters start off immature, but struggle, grow, sometimes misstep and regress, but eventually come into their own and give back to the people who helped them along the way. But it's not. The main character might grow more competent in terms of his magic/practical capabilities. But emotionally, him managing to throw off his mental hangups and toxic behaviour is the finish line for the series rather than the midway point.

I imagine that kind of story probably appeals to some people, but even as someone who's struggled with anxiety and depression and should 'get' this kind of character, he was unsympathetic throught the series and the ending was just not rewarding.

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Solid

Though I didn't always agree with the actions of the main character, the story and characters were interesting and compelling, and the narration was wonderful.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

protagonist is horrible

Most of the book is the main character reading his stats over and over. When he has dialog with someone he just zones out and ignores them which gets real annoying. The small bit of story in-between Stat reading is ok. Narrator did an excellent job.

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