The Bookwyrm's Review of The Stars Have Eyes by Neven Iliev

Buy on Soundbooth Theater

Series Rating: 10/10 Stars

Synopsis

The universe was a vast, empty, dark, and uncaring place. Then life happened, and the universe was changed forever. Then again, the universe changes forever every second of every day. It is also quite big. So much so that it is shockingly easy for one to lose themselves in its ever-shifting expanse. This is why perspective is vital to happiness and sanity. Worrying about one’s immediate surroundings is often far more tolerable than attempting to contemplate all of existence at once.


Unless, of course, one happens to be an unfathomable cosmic being from beyond the veil of reality.

That’s when things get a bit more… complicated.

Review

I normally don't read or listen to a lot of serialized fiction, finding I prefer to be able to start and finish a book in a few short sessions, not having to wait for new installments. That being said, when I heard Neven Iliev, author of the hilarious Everybody Loves Large Chests LitRPG series was doing a serialized story through Soundbooth Theater, narrated primarily by the Uber-talented Jeff Hays with able assistance by Annie Ellicott, I was sold! That serial ended up comprising The Stars Have Eyes, a 15 episode story taking up 15+ hours of audio recording, and Tells a simple story of boy meets girl, and then they fall in love. Sounds simple, right? Well, when the story is set in a far future on a distant planet in the new British Empire, where the guy, Joe Mulligan, is an ordinary unemployed slob like 99% of the population, and the girl is a Class III extra-dimensional entity named Maggie, short for Mag'rathlak the Observer, who happens to inhabit a meat shell, err, body, that looks just like Melinda Sparklestar, the biggest soap opera star in the galaxy, well, you can see things are going to be a little more complicated than you expected.

These characters just really make this story shine. Joe is just such a lovable schmo, kind of like Shawn from Shawn of the Dead. No ambition, really, just muddling through life but hoping to meet the right girl to share his life with. He's the kind of clueless guy who would answer an ad from what turns out to be a cult, who are looking for a sacrifice, on the chance that they'll help Joe find a girlfriend. And what a girlfriend they find him. When they screw up the ritual summoning Mag'rathlak the Observer, the cosmic entity ends up staying, but not in a form they expected, but instead as the form of Joe's dream girl, Melinda Sparklestar, and Joe is her anchor to this reality. Thus starts a hilarious relationship, as Maggie wants to learn all about being in a physical reality, while Joe, who is just a kind-hearted goof, is happy to help her. It's great seeing both characters grow, as Joe learns he has more to offer than being a teammate in a VR game, and Maggie discovers that life can be complicated, and that even with phenomenal cosmic power, she has a lot to learn about this reality. 

The secondary characters are such a fun bunch. From a government agent who's a psychic who has been assigned as Joe and Maggie's minder, to Joe's friends and his parents, and even Maggie's "sister", another cosmic entity. It's fun listening to their character arcs develop, and discover just who they are. The secrets Joe's parents have are not something I expected, and they force Joe to face some uncomfortable realities, although things go much better than expected. Joe's friends are a ragtag bunch of blokes, but they are the best kind of friends, and add some great humor to the story. Maggie's "sister" is also hilarious, and gives new meaning to the term "man-eater". This is just a great bunch of characters.

The world building seems like a bit of Monte Python in space. The government is a parody of the British government, with self important officials who just try to ignore reality. The Cyborg Queen Elizabeth they describe seems hilarious, and there are so many sly digs on everyday British stuff, and the way the galactic successors to the US, Murica, is described is equally funny. Lots of tropes for various aspects of both the cultures are played up, all in the gentle mocking you'd have expected from someone obviously familiar with Monte Python. All the stereotypical blue collar British stuff is mixed with far future tech in lots of fun ways, and create an engaging world you really get sucked into.

This brings us to the narration, which is performed by the crew at Soundbooth Theater, led by the super talented Jeff Hays. To say that Jeff is one of my top 3 favorite narrators is a bit of an understatement. If they ever make a Mt. Rushmore of narrators, Jeff should be right there on it. He does just a phenomenal job bringing a host of characters to life, especially Joe, who he really gave a sense of wild eyed innocence to. He brings such life to each of the characters, and you can tell he absolutely loved working on this one. Annie Ellicott did an amazing job with her characters as well, nailing that otherworldly quality for Maggie especially. She somehow fused emotionless and wonder in the same voice, and it really sells Maggie's character. The other voice actors brought in later in the series for smaller parts also do an excellent job, and this has to be one of the best full cast books I've ever listened to. 

If you are in any way interested in sci-fi or humor, this is something you should check out. In fact, I can see this appealing to anybody who enjoys a lighthearted story with fun characters, great dialogue, and fun world building. I recommend this series highly, and hope to see more like it in the future. I could definitely see this becoming a popular trend in audio books.