Joshua Anderle

Anderle, Joshua, and Michael Anderle. Initiate. E-book ed., Lmbpn Publishing, 2018. Animus 1.
Michael and Joshua Anderle are, I think, a father-son writing team. Michael has a substantial list of science fiction and fantasy titles. The 12-volume Animus series comprises the bulk of Joshua’s output. Initiate, Animus 1, is set in a reasonably near future in which we have recently contacted alien species, not all of whom are friendly. Our hero, Kaiden Jericho, applies for a job as a bouncer in a dive bar, where he comes to the attention of an officer from an elite military academy that trains warriors with virtual reality technology. He is given a sarcastic upgraded AI that hones his combat skills. In the Audible version, the AI has a growly Western drawl that reminds me of Sam Eliot. Some readers find the snark a bug. For me, it is a feature. The plot is a standard litRPG affair in which the characters care more about the contest than the reader. Give it a strong three stars.… (meer)