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  • The Bystander

  • The Game at Carousel, Book 1
  • Written by: Rob M. Lastrel
  • Narrated by: Adam Sims
  • Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (4 ratings)

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The Bystander

Written by: Rob M. Lastrel
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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Publisher's Summary

In a town where horror movie tropes come to life, one’s only chance to survive is to play their role, in the first book of a spine-tingling gamelit series.

When horror-obsessed Riley Lawrence and his group of college friends arrive in the small town of Carousel for their Centennial Celebration, the few decrepit cars parked in the street don’t scare them. But when they enter a locked building, an animatronic usher hands them each a ticket, and the lights dim, Riley realizes they’ve entered the inescapable patchwork of a horror movie set. And they’ve each been assigned an archetype—Scholar, Athlete, Eye Candy, Final Girl—to play out as the curtains rise.

Assigned the Film Buff archetype, Riley’s doomed to repeat a pattern: knowing exactly who the killer is but never surviving the attacks himself. After all, film buffs may know what’s coming, but they’re always the first to be hunted down. Until, that is, Riley learns he can avoid a death or two by exploiting the Oblivious Bystander trope. It seems monsters and killers won’t harm him as long as he can convincingly pretend he hasn’t noticed them.

To make it through this deadly game, Riley and his friends will need to leverage their tropes effectively to determine what’s trapping them there in the first place. But as the rounds continue and escape seems farther and farther out of reach, they’ll be forced to ask themselves: Would they survive in a horror movie?

The first volume of the hit LitRPG horror series—with more than three million views on Royal Road—now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

©2024 Rob M. Lastrel (P)2024 Podium Audio

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Prose, Pacing, world building, mystery

This is one of the most imaginative approaches to the genre of LitRPG and Progression Fantasy there is. The idea at first, may turn you off if you’re not a horror film fan, but please don’t let it. If you’re a fan of mystery, world building, pop culture or intrigue then you’re a fan of this.

This book is right among the top the genre has to offer, you will only be letting yourself down if you miss out on this.

If you’re curious enough to read this review, let me take choice out of your hands just get it and enjoy.

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