Reviews - The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour

895 reviews for:

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour

Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy

4.64 AVERAGE

895 reviews for:

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour

Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy

4.64 AVERAGE

ebbiebooks's review against another edition

4.0

This one is heavier than the other volumes, both as an object made of 300+ glossy paper and in where the story go emotionally for the 3 main characters.

And I have to confess, this arc wasn't my favorite as a podcast, which always felt like I was missing something that other people got somehow. But reading it, now I got it. And yet I'm sure some very die hard fan of this arc might be a little disappointed that this or that very specific bit got quickly pass over, I really enjoyed that more time was giving to the emotional-er stuff and to the mysterious-ish overarching... mystery.

I liked seeing the PC becoming more of a bunch of fully formed character, as in feeling their feelings fully vs feeling their feelings through someone playing their role in a game.

This volume was solid, though yes, maybe since it's a bit more emotional for the main characters, the goofs, even though they are there, don't hit the same way as with the previous ones. I was ok with that trade as it served the story better imo.

I did enjoy how they played with the paneling and the chapters layout, and made it connect to the concept of this arc.

Looking forward to the next arc as I feel like it's going to be so much fun seeing it on page

minchowski's review against another edition

5.0

funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition

5.0

LOVED this one. One of my favorites so far. The storyline just makes sense thematically.

g_a_denholm's review against another edition

5.0

Amazing! So much fun. Best one yet. The adaptations to the graphic novel were masterful!

anaodaniel's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

moonsickn3ss's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mars2k's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

So... I don’t listen to The Adventure Zone any more. I don’t hate it, I don’t think it’s awful, I just lost interest and moved on to other podcasts. I bring this up because my no-longer-a-fan status is relevant to my experience reading this book.

I remember The Eleventh Hour being my favourite Balance arc. I loved Roswell, I was thrilled to learn more about the PCs’ backstories, and the imagery of the purple worms cutting through the red-orange clay stuck with me. I also appreciated the arc being more focused on puzzles and problem-solving rather than combat, with the time limit imposing a sense of urgency. It’s a good arc, is what I’m saying.

That said, there are aspects of The Adventure Zone that I’ve come to dislike. I noted in my review of the Petals to the Metal graphic novel that there’s a tone issue, with goofy jokes and sombre moments coming up against each other and clashing. I think the problem runs deeper than punchlines/gut punches not landing, however. The way these contrasting moods are all tangled up makes it difficult for the listener or reader to know what to care about. One death will be mocked, while another will be mourned. One act of violence will be treated as harmless fun, while another is meant to be brutal. In the end you just have to turn your brain off and wait to be told how to react. Which I don’t like. But... it grew on me.

The Adventure Zone: The Eleventh Hour is mindless fun. A backhanded compliment, maybe, but it’s a compliment nonetheless. If you’re able to not think too hard about what’s going on and just let the scenes play out in front of you, you’ll have a good time.

It’s quite Taako-heavy, but I’m not complaining – I like Taako. Magnus and Merle have their moments. Roswell is indeed there!

The artwork is good. Some sequences are a little hard to follow and there are an absurd amount of sound effects, but the character designs and their expressions are solid. And I really like the way Taako’s hair looks in this one.

So yeah, it’s pretty decent! Heart-worming, even.

CONTENT WARNINGS: fire, death