I started listening to audiobooks (not this one) about 5 years ago, after a job transfer that meant driving 2 hours a day, in slow traffic, with little attention needed (due to a tunnel repair that will likely take decades).

Keep in mind that I was some time ago an avid reader, capable of devouring an entire book in a single night. But for a decade or so I found myself feeling eye fatigue while reading and I just stopped reading books altogether.

Driving and listening to audiobooks just works for my brain, in a way that radio's unoriginal music or taking hosts or podcast do not. Without listening to audiobooks, driving is boring, frustrating, tiring. When I listen to an audiobook, I become attentive, focused, wide awake, and most importantly it transforms a bad part of my day into a part of the day I genuinely enjoy.

As long as the book is engaging and narrator is good.

Now my first exploration into the format was 'The Expanse' series, then 'The Siege' trilogy, and maybe a dozen more, including non-fiction like 'Longitude'.

English is not my first language and I found that while original french audiobooks can be great (I really enjoyed 'La Bête' trilogy by David Goudreault) I found that translation are generally very bad for audiobooks.

Eventually I had the pleasure of listening The Bobiverse Series, engaged on the subreddit and saw a recommendation for DCC. Then another and another.

The premise seemed so ridiculous. The litrpg 'genre' appeared horrifyingly bad and off-putting. And yet I kept seeing it over and over again, so I tried the first book.

Now it won't be a surprise to any seasoned reader that it's not the genre, the premise or the author that makes a good book. It's a lot more personal, in the genuine connection with the soul the story can generate, through humor and horror, hope and fear, love and hate, curiosity and ehat I like to call 'brain tickling'. And, for me at least, Matt has done this at a level I've never felt before, with a guy in boxers and a talking cat, no less.