Escape from Virtual Island by John Lutz

Escape from Virtual Island Reviews

• 
  Jeff

  Obviously, 'Escape from Virtual Island' is voiced by some very talented people, so I won't waste any time talking about the various performances. Everyone was stellar and is probably why I listened to the whole thing.
  
  I'm actually a fan of John Lutz. He wrote and acted in 30 Rock (my favorite show of all time), SNL, and various other shows. Surprisingly, this was probably the worst thing he's done that I've seen/listened to. The whole story was super boring and there was so much potential for this idea. I wanted to LOVE this, but I just can't... The pure predictability of the story line was something a child could figure out (although, this is definitely a Mature title).
  
  I don't think I've ever given a book or Audible Original this bad of a grade, but I have to be honest; the story gets an F on my grading scale and the cast gets an A.
• 
  Sabi

  Didn't believe it would turn out to be a five star read when I started it... Definitely a strong recommendation for people who like adventure-comedy movies.
  
  
  
  Things I liked:
  
  🧡 The voice-over performances: The actors and productions really did a great job!
  
  🧡The idea: It's so unique!
  
  🧡The storyline: Even had some twists that I couldn't guess! So original!
  
  ⭐⭐⭐ Recommendation⭐⭐⭐
• 
  Mburrows

  As funny as you would expect from all 30 Rock producers , writers and actors.
• 
  Huston

  YIKES.
  Based on the ensemble cast I was super excited about this.
  HOWEVER...
  1.) Didn’t laugh once, 2.) Story is borderline exhaustive with plot points that just never seem to end and aren’t enticing to begin with 3.) What are supposed to be endearing repetitive character quirks end up being overplayed and annoying. 4.) about 1/4 of the way through I knew what the “big reveal” was going to be, and spent the remainder of the story waiting for it to just HAPPEN already!
  
  I’ll be returning this title. If you’re into Audio experiences I recommend Heads Will Roll by a million over this.
• 
  Karen

  This is one of these things that you start off not sure if you will like and then find yourself all in on. This was very much like the radio shows of the '30s in a lot of ways. The characters were really good and fun to listen too and that comes down to the great voices behind the characters. The story was very well done with just the right amount of highs and lows to keep you following along and waiting for that next little gem.
  
  Enjoy this wonderful play with some wonderful actors bringing it to life!
• 
  Sarah

  DNF. So many great actors in this one, but the material they had to work with just wasn't that funny or entertaining. After getting over halfway through, I realized I hadn't laughed once, so I gave up.
• 
  Aarann

  I get the hate for this audio adventure, I really do, but I liked this one. A lot. For one thing, you put Jack McBrayer (who, yes, seems to have a very limited range, or is just plain overly typecast, but always cracks me up) and Paul Rudd in a project and I'm probably going to love it no matter what it is. For another thing, it got a couple of laughs out of me and that's not always easy to do, especially when I'm listening to an audiobook (most of the time things are funnier in my head).
  
  Derek (Rudd) is the heir to a virtual reality smorgasbord built by his mother, who was always too busy to pay attention to him growing up -- there's a very "Cat's in the Cradle" story alluded to there. When a client goes missing, he teams up with his lead programmer (and ex-girlfriend), his mother's assistant (McBrayer), and head of security, to go in and track the man down. Once inside, they come across an emotionally needy sentient program and wackiness ensues.
  
  Without going into too many details, because really this thing wasn't that long, with the exception of the ex-girlfriend/programmer, I really enjoyed this one. That woman, however, for all her intelligence, made some very strange life choices (hence, why this gets on the TSTL list). (My brain kept thinking, Do you want Skynet lady? Because that's how you get Skynet!) Personally, toward the end, I kinda wanted Rudd's character, who changed and grew over the course of the story, to ride off into the sunset in a bromance with McBrayer instead of reconciling with the programmer.
  
  It was fun. I liked the form of storytelling, similar to old radio dramas with multiple actors and sound effects, with maybe a few exceptions of clunky dialogue that were obviously put in to try to explain things that were happening. The performances were all 5 stars. Yeah, several of the plot points were pretty obvious early on, but honestly that made me feel all smart, so I was fine with it. :-)
  
  All in all, if you think you want to listen to an Audible drama, this is a good place to start... although maybe a little light in content for a full credit.
• 
  Meghan (TheBookGoblin)

  DNF at 50%
  
  The voice acting and production value is good but honestly I care nothing for the story and it can’t even really be called a “book” because there’s only dialogue. Decent for a pod drama but I’ve listened to free ones that are much better so this was just a waste of an Audible credit to me.
• 
  Wiebke (1book1review)

  This was a fun audiobook. The full cast narration really made it fly by. Perfect distraction with a lot of silliness and a light dip into mother-son relationships.
• 
  Kirby

  I was getting burnout on serious audiobooks and needed something light and fun, and this was perfect for getting me out of my slump.
• 
  Soo

  Notes:
  
  Currently on Audible Plus
  
  Great narration but flat story. I think it would be more funny for a kid? Nahhhh.
• 
  Angus McKeogh

  I’ll have to side with the batch of reviews that basically sums up this radio play as “kinda sucked”. The play relied too heavily upon the one-liner or the silly pun at the expense of telling an entertaining story. The voice acting was serviceable with the script they were working with. Just not very funny and marginally interesting at best. I was just wanting it to end. Needless to say I didn’t like it.
• 
  Дмитрий

  Забавно.
• 
  Vickie

  I had fun listening to this audiobook. I love old radio shows and this was exactly like listening to one. Fab voice choices for the cast too. Paul Rudd, Jane Krakowski, Kenan Thompson, Olivial Wilde.....and many more.
  Yes, it was silly, but I knew that going in. I was entertained by the story of a future with the ability to create virtual worlds to play and party in. There's a son who has abandonment issues and escapes to the virutal world his mother and his ex-girlfriend created. There's a salty-mouthed head of security, a sweet-minded assistant who I adored. Beasley was my favorite character. He sees the best in everyone and just wants to help. And he made me laugh.
  I can recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh and escape.
• 
  Babinka

  I’ve listened to multi cast audiobooks before and didn’t enjoy them as much as a single narrator. This was fantastic though! It’s very silly and inappropriate humor which was fun, but got a little old in the middle. However this is a 4 star for me because of the talent and the ending. I thought I solved the mystery, but there was a twist!
• 
  Chelsea

  Very silly but fun short adventure in a virtual reality world. It combines childish jokes and moral lessons with dirty jokes to make an adult story perhaps meant to be harkening back to childhood fun, which is odd, but it works well enough. Plus it doesn’t hurt to have a stellar voice cast!
• 
  Shawn Campbell

  This production was just what I needed: a humorous, carefree escape from my reality (ie a dystopian world infected by a virus).
• 
  Gilbert Stack

  I flirted with buying this book for about a year before Audible put it in its “included” list and I finally scooped it up. It was pretty much everything I was hoping for. A wealthy client of Virtual Island has disappeared from the simulation and the staff has to go into his fantasy to find him. Then things get very much worse, very fast. There’s a brand new accidental AI in the computer and it’s got some issues. Perhaps that wouldn’t have been so bad if the staff didn’t have even bigger issues of their own.
  
  Derek, owner of the island, has parent and relationship issues deriving from his mother’s total lack of interest in him. His new head of tech and failed love interest is a little too like his mom—she can’t get her head out of her work. His head of security is brutally impulsive and offensive all the time. And his mother’s assistant is a basket full of additional problems. The story can be pretty well summarized as a giant chase through multiple virtual reality settings with the AI getting increasingly angry and frustrated with the staff who are mostly fleeing from it.
  
  So, not much in terms of plot, but a lot in terms of fun. The whole book is one joke after another with a very talented group of voice actors making the jokes. I figured out the end during the second episode, but that didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the story.
  
  If you liked this review, you can find more at
  www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
  
• 
  Biffy

  I really wanted to like this book. The narrators were good. Paul Rudd has that easy, familiar voice that was great to listen to. I liked the thought that this was the sort of entertainment my grandparents used to listen to on the radio before tv was a thing. As much as I wanted to like it, I found the story obnoxious and most of the jokes too corny. Maybe I would have been more involved in the story if more time had been spent on developing likable characters from the beginning. Truthfully, the whole thing seemed like a big mess.
• 
  Ralph

  2 Stars - Reminiscent of a caffeinated version of an old-time radio play complete with a stellar cast. However, more misses than hits.
  
  One might think that a creative premise, fast-moving plot, and a very talented cast of characters would make for a great experience. It didn't for me. It was a pleasant enough way to keep me occupied as I exercised, but all the fart and sex jokes that peppered the story were over done.
  
  
• 
  Nicole (bookwyrm)

  DNF @ 11%
  
  I went into this hoping for a funny sci-fi story. At this point, there has been not-funny body humor, a glimpse at sci-fi stuff (and attempts at retro tech jokes), and way too many unneeded sound effects. The voice acting is amusing, but not enough to get me to keep listening.
• 
  Carmen

  A fun little read, though dorky and perhaps not the best written. The real triumph is the cast of the audiobook- totally star studded with a lot of fun, recognizable voices. It felt like a movie I watched rather than a book I read. Super fun!
• 
  Wendi

  What a fun ride. If you enjoy dramatizations, this one is a must to add to your list. An amazing cast of actors and characters make the comedic timing of the writing and delivery seamless. Every chapter had me laughing out loud.
• 
  Emily Parr

  This audio was star studded and everyone’s performance was great. There were several silly moments but overall the humor fell flat for me. The story was repetitive and seemed like the author had one idea and not enough supporting plot themes to go with it. As a result, the characters just kept repeating the previous chapter in a new setting. This was not something I would recommend.
• 
  Mahlon

  Fun premise but far too over the top by the end
• 
  Michele

  awesome audio cast
• 
  Rob

  Great cast, well done. Nothing exceptional, but amusing enough for a commute or 3 .
• 
  Janet Hockey

  Super entertaining listen with a hilarious cast!