The Primal Hunter

A LitRPG Adventure

By: Zogarth

Narrated by: Travis Baldree

Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

On just another average day, Jake finds himself in a forest filled with monsters, dangers, and opportunity....

It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on.

Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities.

His new reality should breed fear and concern. His fellow coworkers falter at every turn. Jake, however, finds himself thriving.

Perhaps... This is the world Jake was meant to be born in.

Don't miss the start of this hit LitRPG fantasy series with millions of views on Royal Road. Grab your copy of Primal Hunter today on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, or Audible (narrated by Travis Baldree).

About the Series: Experience an apocalypse LitRPG with levels, classes, professions, skills, dungeons, loot, and all of the great traits of progression fantasy and LitRPG that you've come to expect. Follow Jake as he explores this new vast multiverse filled with challenges and opportunities. As he grows in power and slowly transforms from a bored office worker to a true apex hunter.

©2022 Aethon Books (P)2022 Aethon Audio

One of the best LitRPGs I have ever listened to!

Primal Hunter is a Fantasy LitRPG that follows the paths of a group of office workers that are taken from their work place suddenly and transported to the Multiverse, in which they have to survive a period of time within a designated tutorial scenario. Within this scenario, are 1200 participants, each in the groups that have been taken (groups of 10).
Within our main group is one of the major characters of the story, Jake Thayne. The story mainly focuses on Jake’s story, with only minor segues to the other characters in Jake’s group, and later in the story, we do get to meet some other characters (but I am not going to give spoilers).
Jake is a fascinating character from the start – we get introduced to him in his office environment, and learn that he is a bit of a loner, has difficulty with social situations, but is intelligent, and motivated when he wants to be. When he is transported to the tutorial, he quickly picks up on what is going on, and when presented with the different classes from Fantasy style systems (Warrior, Archer, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard etc), in which he has to choose from, he picks Archer, as he has previous archery skills.
Being that this is a LitRPG story, there is a high degree of RPG material, but this is handled well, never overloading the reader, and providing us with a great amount of information, but also not giving away too much at times so that we can go on the journey with the Character as they unlock the various aspects of their new skills and attributes.
Jake learns early on, that he is a bit different, in that he has a Title – Bloodline Patriarch. This entitles him to some unique abilities that help him at the start as he his adjusting to the sudden shift from office worker to Archer in a fantasy world.
It should be noted, that each of the people has been told that they have 2mths to survive in the tutorial, gather as many ‘Tutorial Points’ as possible, by killing beasts and each other, last one standing wins kind of thing.
At the start of this story, it is fascinating reading how the different personalities of the members of Jake’s group are affected by the sudden change in their lives, the characters they chose to be, and how they respond to the need to both survive, and to have to kill other things – initially the beasts in the world they now inhabit so that they can gain experience, but later actual people.
With so many of these stories, there is often the person dropped in to this scenario – or a group, and they all seem to suddenly know what to do, because they have played online games, etc, or they just cope with violence etc.
But Zogarth has really thought about the social aspects and psychology of this with a lot more depth for his characters, providing a really fascinating and intriguing story, that is so much more in-depth than the normal LitRPG or Fantasy story of this genre. Jake, having done archery, and with his particular personality, adapts very quickly to things, and realises that this is not a game, ‘Tutorial’ means that this is just the start, they need to learn, and fast, that danger is all around them. Very quickly, he has assessed his group, and worked out all of their strengths, and too many of their weaknesses.
Others in the group don’t cope, as would be expected, just thinking they are going to go back to the ‘real’ world, that they can just wait it out, hope for the best. Their mentality is infuriating as it means certain death, but at the same time, it is so understandable from a social aspect.
As the story develops (and I am not going to give away spoilers), the characters meet other groups, there is obviously combat (there is a LOT of combat), but again, there is some exceptional character work from multiple different angles.
This is an incredibly intelligent and well thought out LitRPG story, and easily one of the best I have ever read. I could not put it down (I have the audiobook, and was listening to it everywhere I could), but I highly recommend having the book, as it helps with some of the LitRPG elements), once you start, you just have to know what happens – I can’t wait for book 2.
As well as the character work being just so exceptional, Zogarth has put a lot of time and thought into their LitRPG system, as well as the world building, which is just outstanding. There was a lot of depth to the character levels, skills, attributes etc, so much detail it would make a brilliant accessory to the book. The world they are living in is beautifully detailed, you can easily place yourself in the locations that are being described so that you are there with each of the characters.
As mentioned, there is a lot of combat, as is expected in this type of story, and Zogarth provides creative, at times brutal, but always entertaining and stunning descriptions that are incredibly detailed of the combat, melee and magical.
When you pick this up, you kind of expect to read about a psycho archer (the pic on the cover, Primal Hunter, the blurb), but this story is so much more than that, Jake is so much more than just the ‘Primal Hunter’. The story and adventure he goes on is utterly fascinating.
If you love LitRPG, Fantasy, or just a really great thriller with exceptional character building – then this is for you. This is one of the best LitRPG’s I have ever read, and certainly the best for 2022.
Travis Baldree is a new Narrator for me, but he was absolutely brilliant. Baldree has a very clear and concise speaking voice that is easy to understand, but more than that, his voice is very easy to listen to, you can really just get caught up in his narration and lost in the story due to the wonderful way Baldree tells the story.
He has an exceptional range of character voices, both Male and Female, but he can also produce a wide ‘range’ of voices, allowing him to create different character voices for each of the characters. As such, you can distinguish each of the characters just by the voice he uses (male or female), without having to be told. It makes for a much clearer and easier reading style without a constant ‘He said/She said; X Said, Y Sad”, breaking up the conversation. Baldree’s Narration is very smooth, clear and easy to understand.
As well as the brilliant character voices, Baldree really conveys to us the emotional state of his characters when needed, so that as the story is being told, we know when they are upset, frightened, angry, happy, elated, etc.
Baldree’s Narration is extraordinary, I was unable to put it down, listening to this in only a few sessions over a 48hr period. The story was utterly captivating, but it was told so well – this is one story in which the Narration makes it an absolute MUST listen!!

Captivating

An amazing book and have started the next of your into isekai or magical apocalypse books with a great story and characters read this!

it was good

it was good but sometimes I feel like the story was just long-winded like it just kept going on and on and the fact that they didn't finish the fights between him and the people I feel like just lazy

Love it but a little flawed

Minor Spoiler Warning
Love the book classic epic progression fantasy Travis is wonderful as well. I only have two issues worth mentioning, the first issue is they’re doing a trial for two months I wish the author put a current time left in the trial at the beginning of each chapter I’ve gotten lost so many times just because of that. My second issue is with how many times the MC will talk about getting injured and having to stop doing his favorite sport. He literally brings it up maybe 7-8 times in the book but he never said the injury was just that it was bad. But what makes it even worse for me is that MC has two bad experiences that shape him the author gives him a flashback for one and not the other and when you combine that with nonstop talk about it but overall still love the book

Great Performance and Setting - Boring MC

The "supporting" cast have more personality than the MC. Character development itself is focused on everyone else but them and frankly when you are reading about him it's like reading what somebody does in their downtime for the majority of it.

He acts like a loner and hermit so I may be judging it too harshly when I complain on his introspections of himself when he overcomes adversity with traits that were shown he had from the beginning.

The drama of the other survivors are far more entertaining and where both the narration and narrator shine which the MC's relation too are a catalyst but his actual part in are tangential at best. I wouldn't get it at full price but worth it if you catch it on sale or use a credit.

great book bad cliff hanger

can't wait for the next book the ending just kinda happened out of no where.

Zogarth and Baldree are a new powerhouse tandem

I enjoyed the well rounded balance of performing parts, from the setup and character formation to the path to power and Travis's narration being top notch as always.

Wow

I get oretty tired of System novels but man this one was a ride. Can't wait for the next one!

Love the honest responses

Loved this story, except it ended right in the middle. I can't wait for the next book. I loved the responses.

This right here.

This was done very well and I hope the mode and mideset the author had continued for a great amount of this story. I hope this can go very far.
Excellent LitRPG.
Also cant go wrong with Travis.