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Zero Car
- Ocean Slayers Racing, Book 1
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
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Zero Car
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Summary
Defective. Fierce. A lonely survivor.
When Oto didn’t connect to the system at adolescence like everyone else, his dreams for racing his way off-planet shattered into a million little pieces.
A chance encounter out in the Wilds will fix his broken parts and set him back on the path to escaping his terrible life - but not in ways he could have ever expected.
With new friends that he’ll have to learn to trust, and a race car to cultivate, Oto’s in over his head. But that’s never stopped him before.
He’s going to go up against the city’s best and most dangerous racers to guarantee, once and for all, that he cannot be ignored.
Zero Car is a sci-fi LitRPG cultivation mix with sentient cars and lots of character.
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What listeners say about Zero Car
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- OB
- 10-06-21
Good if you like racing
The story moved a bit too fast for me and I had to tap out due to it becoming a bit jumbled.
The dude finds an artefact, reboots his cultivation, which is also a litrpg interface, which makes him an awesome driver all of a sudden, which is good because racing important for some reason (???) , and now he's learning martial arts training... (but wait, what about the really valuable artefact from the beginning??)
Feels a bit jumbled, I could have probably gotten behind a few of the aspects like racing and cultivation if the world-building and character motivations made sense, but it was just a bit too much too soon.
The characters were great, and the sci-fi aspects were cool.
Solid narration by Travis as always.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. J. Myers
- 09-06-21
Everything you love in one book.
So, I don’t really know what to say about this book without giving away spoilers.
It has a little bit of everything. An underdog, a love story, betrayal, drama, sword fighting, martial arts, race cars (sentient race cars), bikes, character builds, comprehensive stats and so much more. At times I thought ‘the only thing missing from this story… ‘ and then whatever I thought would be included. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does, it works incredibly well, on so many levels.
Read it, you won’t regret it.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- SystemState
- 24-10-21
Another fresh injection into the genre
Set in the far post-apocalyptic future (where society has fully rebuilt). Zero Car drags you into a world where drivers born lucky enough to have "the gift" (basically a LitRPG interface, that very few people have) interface with their racing cars AI, to race the tracks for prizes.
What I loved about this book, the setting has enough going for it that I continuously want to know more about it and what happened. What happened to humanity and what is the current state. The characters are all interesting and broken in their own way, trying to deal with their own stuff, but are ultimately hopeful in their recovery as they interact and grow with one another. While not really a racing fan IRL, I've often found it exciting in different media (Death race 2000, Initial D etc...) and its great to get that vibe from a LitRPG series.
LitRPG elements are there, but are used with a level of precision meaning the entire book isn't about them, but the RPG elements are part of the world and used when appropriate, rather than levels and levelling up being a goal. People don't discuss needing to be X level to win the race, but skill and capability is often talked in the abstract rather than on LitRPG numbers. I find this really brings focus to the story in this case. (I say this as a fan of the LitRPG genre, that it really works well for this book).
Travis Baldree is spectacular as normal.
Where the book misses. There are times, particularly when describing the world and elements of the systems, where (and I think another reviewer hits the nail on the head) it feels a bit jumbled. It's hard to directly say what's wrong, but it can be difficult to follow and meant that I had to rewind or continue listening feeling like I only understood a shadow of the intent of the author. It almost feels like it assumes you have certain knowledge about some aspects of the world.
Should you buy this? Yes. I'm absolutely looking forward to the next book in the series.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- All the books
- 10-06-21
Awesomeness
I need to start cultivating, I've so much i need to doand if i can get my shitty Dacia to mobe like Ivory then my life will be complete
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anders Jensen
- 15-04-23
Brilliant!
Absolutely a great listen.. i had a good feeling about this book before i started it.. and i was completely captivated by the storytelling only 5 chapters in.
I am definitely not into motor vehicles, but the world building and character stories definitely puts this book into my top recommendations.
Enough said.. i am gonna go buy and get started on the next book in this series right away.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- James glazier
- 01-04-22
brilliant
fantastic book look forward to listening to book 2 next great storyline narrator done an amazing job 5stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sintia
- 25-12-21
Loved it. Can't wait to start the next one.
The story is engaging and well written, the pacing is great. I enjoyed the romance way more than I usually do, the characters and their relationships are so precious.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wayne Knighton
- 21-10-21
I like driving in my car
A refreshing change, this is a LitRPG with a difference.
Dungeon crawl. Yes.
Character advancement. Yes.
Down on his luck protagonist. Yes.
Villans to fight. Yes.
Cars and bikes racing. Actually yes there is indeed.
Well read as ever and not the same old story line.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Christopher William Abram
- 10-10-21
Original take on litrpg
liveship series in car form meets litrpg. amazing new take on litrpg with huge potensial. cant wait to see where this series goes.spoiler: what is the secret behind the living cars? how will the races go? new vehicles? this should be a movie!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-10-21
Really picks up in the second half
Very fast paced for the first half and while I enjoyed it, it sometimes felt a little hard to follow. However once they second half begins and a specific plot point happens the book really comes into it’s own and the fact that it is such a unique take on the litrpg/cultivation genre makes it a very enjoyable read. I definitely recommend!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 07-06-21
A Blast!
I went into this just having finished the three-book binge of Knowles other series The Bright, so I knew what to expect from Knowles. But, I got a lot more than I expected. This time they wrote a book that absolutely blew me out of the water. Now, that’s not me saying that The Bright wasn’t an excellent series – but the Ocean Slayers series has my absolute full attention. I found myself wanting to know more and more about everything as the story progressed.
Knowles is able to write a book that jumps off of the page and really made me think. Zero Car started off a bit confusing (on purpose because the main character was confused and lost) – and as Oto (clever name for someone…) learns about the different stats and different paths people take – things start to make more sense both to him and to me as the reader.
Zero Car introduces a lot of the typical LitRPG elements I’m used to along with some new ones (including different nanites along with the cars having stats and upgradable features). All things that in games that I’ve played make perfect sense, but I haven’t personally read any stories that had elements like this.
So, we get to the point of was it a good story or was it just fun and exciting. Well, I hate to say this, but it was both! Ahh, you thought I was going to say it was one or the other. Nope! Knowles was able to create a character (Oto) and some people around him that you wanted to root for. They had real problems and Oto was able to provide solutions or at least help along the way. He seems to go from alone and wandering to feeling like he has a family and people that care about him – because of this you find yourself loving him more and more. And then you have everything else. Knowles nails it all. They were able to write a story that had all the elements of a great RPG and because of that I flew through Zero Car.
Add in the great narration by Travis Baldree, who is a king in this genre – and boy oh boy did this one cause me to have a good time. Zero Car was fun as hell and I can’t wait to see what happens in this series! Also, how great is that artwork – even knowing nothing about the book I wanted to read it just based on that cover.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Megan Gonzalez
- 26-09-21
Story is way more than racing, but the racing is nice too!
This story is amazing! It considers many elements of the human condition, including what happens when a human is left alone without enough food, human contact, shelter, and a sense of a place in society. Especially with the events of 2020-2021 some of the difficulties the characters deal with resonate quite a bit. That isn’t to say that the racing isn’t great. After all, who doesn’t love high tech toys with some higher risks?
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joshua Ellis
- 20-07-21
A lot of mixed emotions in a good way
This audiobook left me uncertain how to feel for most of the book, not in a bad way but more of an emotional way. It wasn't until I finished the book and was talking to family that I finally realized why.
At points of the story for anyone who was a Nascar fan, it gave off a similar feeling to when Dale Earnhardt passed away at Daytona. The atmosphere that the following races gave off, I felt during this book.
Additionally, the darker part of Alek's past in the current environment in conjunction with situations people I've known have explained from bad events in their past.
All together had a natural feeling love story to it all.
Of all the stories of Travis Baldree's I've listened to, this one felt like it had an excellent display of emotion which made the story even more personal. The story managed to combine racing, cultivation, and a love story without any aspect going overboard. The best part is even if you are not a car person (my wife isn't), you can still follow along as it doesn't go into a depth of details regarding racing.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pam
- 26-12-22
Great book
I am a big fan of the lit rpg this was a new take and I loved it action and fast cars can’t go wrong
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matt
- 24-09-22
best LIT-RPG novel I've heard in a LONG **** time!
A truly original world crafted by someone who obviously loves it. I love scifi and fantasy. I also love motorsports. the pageantry, the emotion, the sights and sounds. Zero Car brings these two things together seamlessly.
Sadly, in the world of literature, Motorsports is something that is seldom focused on.
I marathoned this book, start to finish, in one day. sleep? who needs sleep?
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keith
- 01-04-22
A story worth the credit
This was a different type of sorry for the genre. I've only read one other that used some of the same mechanics but in a different way. So naturally I loved it! I will say that this was a little more "slice of life" than I expected (I thought the pace would be faster) and therefore lowered the experience a little (that's my fault and I won't penalize the review ranking for it). The flip side is that the characters are all well developed with their own backstories that are masterfully explained without taking up chapters of the reader's time. Having the vehicles be their own sentient AI with personalities and choices was great. The magical system is also well thought out and explained. I'll be purchasing bk 2 immediately.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patrick
- 05-11-21
DO NOT STOP AT BOOK 1!
I honestly wasn’t sure about this series when I listened to this book. Like many other listeners of LitRPG, I am not a fan of an insecure MC with love story tones that you’re constantly expecting to turn into a harem. That was this first book. (don’t worry, no harem).
Narration: We all know Travis Baldree is the best narrator of 2021, so there’s no need to discuss how good of a narration he did. No matter the story, he is ALWAYS phenomenal, bringing every world, character, and detail to life.
The Story: The beginning of this series, like many others, is an underdog story. Otto is a scrub, left to fend for himself on the streets with no hopes of having a decent life, until he finds a relic and some unlikely friends that changes everything. Okay…Been done before, but that doesn’t mean it won’t still be good. In fact, it’s really good. That being said, this first book is meant to develop characters, relationships, and bring you into a world where racing is a way of life. What makes this unique is that racing is directly tied to cultivation, and nanites, and LitRPG character growth. Add to that the “Wilds.” It’s an area outside of the main cities with it’s own history that could contain treasures not yet found, and beasts that can allow poorer people to find items they might be able to sell to make ends meet, or fight and develop their cultivation levels. For the racers, it all ties together, and their vehicles have consciousnesses.
The “downside” for lack of a better term: The MC is basically a teenager, used to fending for himself. He is very introverted, socially awkward, extremely uncomfortable around anybody, has zero self-confidence, and does not understand how any of the world outside works outside of surviving to make ends meet. That means he doesn’t understand politics, relationships, the economy, etc. He also falls in love which starts to border on feeling very cheesy, with a lot of introspection about being a loser, messing up every single conversation, letting everyone down, etc. (you get the picture). There are some characters (not the MC) with LGBTQ+ elements as well (which some audible reviewers seem to take issue with), and 90% of the book is drama/love story, with the other 8% high octane racing, and 2% braving the wilds to find anything of value. FYI, the LGBTQ+ portion is not forced like other authors have done, standing on soapboxes, virtue signaling, and being the SJW voice to the masses. No at all. It fits naturally into the future world that Alex has made for us.
DO NOT LET ANY OF THAT STOP YOU FROM FINISHING OR MOVING TO BOOK 2. I promise you if you immerse yourself in the world and finish the book, understanding it is just the beginning, your payoff will be Book 2, and what looks to be even better books in the future. I purposely didn’t review this one until I saw what I was hoping to see in Book 2, because initially I wasn’t going to review this very high. I get it now. Excitedly jumping over to write my review of Book 2 now. Spend the credit(s). This series deserves WAY more attention by the LitRPG/Cultivation community than it’s currently receiving.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kim F.
- 18-10-21
Refreshing and original
A perfect mix of cultivation, litrpg, sci-fi and fantasy. Narration is nuanced and subtle, yet clear and good.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben
- 14-10-21
alright you've got me!
so I'm not a car person, or a racing fan, so I wasn't sure what I'd think. well let me say I was impressed! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! going to have to keep up with this series for sure!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nameless Sage
- 06-10-21
really enjoyed it
it was a little different to what I usually listen too . but liked so give it a try. The narrator is really good as well
2 people found this helpful