Vasily Mahanenko has 24 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 8 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.7★ across 526 ratings. The most-rated is Survival Quest.
Survival Quest
Summary
Barliona: a virtual world jam-packed with monsters, battles - and, predictably, players. Millions of them come to Barliona, looking forward to the things they can't get in real life: elves and magic, dragons and princesses, and unforgettable combat. The game has become so popular that players now choose to spend months online without returning home. In Barliona, anything goes: You can assault fellow players, level up, become a mythical hero, a wizard, or a legendary thief. The only rule that attempted to regulate the game demanded that no player be allowed to feel actual pain. But there's an exception to every rule. For a certain bunch of players, Barliona has become their personal hell. They are criminals sent to Barliona to serve their time. They aren't in it for the dragons' gold or the abundant loot. All they want is to survive the virtual inferno. They face the ultimate survival quest.
©2015 V. Mahanenko. English translation copyright 2015 by Natalia Nikitin (P)2016 Tantor
The Secret of the Dark Forest
Summary
The virtual world of Barliona is a place of rest and entertainment - but not for everyone. It has become a survival arena for Daniel Mahan after he was sentenced to eight years in its virtual jail. Mahan has been through it all: the back-breaking work in the mines, betrayal by other prisoners, and finally, the retrial which has released him into Barliona's common world. What more could one want? Mahan could have kept a low profile and enjoyed relative freedom while serving the rest of his time. But being a Shaman, he can't help himself. Soon he's a clan leader, taking 50 of the continent's top players to claim the secrets of the Dark Forest.
©2016 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2016 by Natalia Nikitin (P)2016 Tantor
The Kartoss Gambit
Summary
A product of the latest technologies, Barliona is a virtual world brimming with fun and entertainment. The government has become the guarantor for the in-game currency, allowing its free circulation. As a result the population floods Barliona in pursuit of easy money. It doesn't take long for the game developers to discover a source of free labor: real-world prison convicts. While their bodies are locked in special auto-maintenance virtual capsules, the prisoners' minds are released into Barliona's virtual mines. Dmitry Mahan has been through it all. Sentenced to eight years' hard labor, he now struggles with an unpopular class - the Shaman - and an equally unpopular profession of a Jeweler. His fight for survival becomes anything but virtual.
©2015 V. Mahanenko. English translation copyright 2015 by Natalia Nikitin (P)2016 Tantor
Shaman's Revenge
Summary
The adventures of the Shaman continue! Daniel Mahan, the legendary Shaman of the Barliona game world, has served his sentence in virtual reality. Eleven months of adventures and battles in exchange for eight years in prison isn't a bad trade-off. And yet Barliona refuses to relinquish its grip on the Shaman so easily, erasing the boundary between his two realities. It turns out that it's not so simple to leave the capsule - the Way must be completed....
©2017 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2017 by Boris Smirnov (P)2017 Tantor
The Karmadont Chess Set
Summary
Mahan's ready for new adventures - just as the gaming world of Barliona thought it was about to reenter its old comfortable rut. The winds of the Dark Forest have finally died down; Altameda has recognized its new owner while Geranika is nursing new schemes of global destruction. Would Mahan be happy with this predictable old life? We think not! New storylines, new monsters, new dungeons, and a new status: Our High Shaman hates the daily grind! He wants a new apprentice? Then he'd better find someone who has no right to summon Spirits. A new ship? It's going to be one of a kind! A new love? Well, we'll have to see, won't we?
©2017 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2017 by Boris Smirnov (P)2017 Tantor
The Phantom Castle
Summary
What can a game clan accomplish without a castle? The answer is obvious: nothing. Therefore, the main objective of any leader in a game world is to acquire a base of operations. Finding himself in exactly this position, High Shaman Mahan, leader of the Legends of Barliona, accepts an offer from the Emperor and the Dark Lord to vanquish the army of Phantoms that has inhabited Altameda, the phantom castle. However, this seemingly ordinary quest sets in motion such a momentous chain of events that the Shaman can do nothing but resort to his intuition and act on instinct. After all, a player who is being hunted by the three top clans of the continent at once can do little else....
©2016 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2016 by Boris Smirnov (P)2017 Tantor
Clans War
Summary
Not long ago, Daniel Mahan, known to everyone as Shaman Mahan, thought that he had taken his sixth and final step in the Barliona gameworld. Yet life has other ideas. The Corporation decides to resurrect the Lord of Shadow and his entire host. The Corporation's CEO personally pushes the reset button. Geranika and his Dragon of Shadow spring back to life as, meanwhile, the Corporation makes an offer the Shaman can't refuse.
©2018 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2018 by Boris Smirnov (P)2018 Tantor
City of the Dead
Summary
There are whole anthologies of stories out there about what humankind does when a game enters their world. But what about when they're living in one where a game arrived thousands of years before? What if they're the survivors of a bloody struggle, having fought for and earned their place on the planet? Tailyn Vlashich was a young nobody far away from all those grander issues. All he cared about was one thing: making his way through a harsh world where the emperor, evil foes, and an impartial god held sway. And the god, of course, demanded nothing less than that all things were done in accordance with its divine will.
©2020 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2020 by Jared Firth (P)2020 Tantor
Start the Game
Summary
Twelve players set off through the online world of Galactogon, lured by the game owners' promise of an enormous payoff. The question is, who will survive to tell the tale? Which of the 12 is a potential hero - or a traitor in the making? Which of them will defend the weak, and who will become the ultimate evil overlord? A knight or a coward? Each of the 12 will have to choose his or her path. Each will keep a poker face. But if the billion-pound prize calls your name, you can't conceal your choice. And you will do everything to lay your hands on it.
©2015 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2015 by Boris Smirnov (P)2017 Tantor
No Mistakes
Summary
Let's go! A new, ultramodern mobile game, and the release is just two days away. Be the best, save the planet! Who's going to fight back the monster invasion if you don't? Prerelease already available, no text alerts or payment required. World of the Changed completely modified human consciousness. The incredible graphics that worked even on the simplest of phones. The intuitive interface that made the game accessible for absolutely anyone. The aggressive marketing campaign that put news about the game on every TV, every phone, every tablet. By the time the launch was a few days away, an entire army of fans was out there waiting for just one thing: Hour X. That was what the mysterious developers were calling the release time. But did anyone have a clue what Hour X would unleash on them? Were they ready to pay the price the game demanded? Mark Derwin, a student, was just one of many to have no idea what kind of fate awaited him in the game. All he cared about was jumping into the prerelease as soon as it came out.
©2019 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2019 by Jared Firth (P)2020 Tantor
In Search of the Uldans
Summary
What could be better than space adventures? Captain Surgeon knows the answer to this question - space piracy! Loot, pillage, plunder, and sell all the lucre - that's the motto of the Galactogon pirates, and Surgeon is doing his best to join their number. But what is to be done when the enigmatic Uldans do not want to leave our swashbuckler in peace and keep laying new mysteries in his path, distracting him from his main goal? How does one become a formidable buccaneer, the scourge of Galactogon's countless star systems, when an indomitable alien invasion is razing empires all across the galaxy? Time and time again, the game hands Captain Surgeon the Black Spot and time and time again, he refuses to take it. It looks like he will have to work extra hard to realize his dreams of piracy and find the answers to all these mysteries....
©2019 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2019 by Boris Smirnov (P)2019 Tantor
Pearl of the South
Summary
Earth was never the same after World of the Changed. Humanity was reduced to two camps: monsters thirsting to kill, and players doing everything they could to survive. The squabbles people had spent their time on before? Gone. If you wanted to live to see another sunrise, you had to work with everyone you could, from other players to game functions. Mark Derwin, the most advanced player through the initial period of the game, knew all too well that his level was no advantage. Far from it - the game owner didn't tolerate anyone who got too far ahead. The only thing the owner wanted was for Earthlings to disappear without a trace, giving up their resources to be extracted. But not everyone was willing to bend the knee before alien intelligence. In fact, some had begun to fight back against the game.
©2020 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2020 by Jared Firth (P)2020 Tantor
Tears of Alron
Summary
The Magic Academy...an institution shrouded in mystery and secrets. People from all over the different empires want nothing more than to enroll, get their hands on the knowledge stored there, become those most respected in the world - mages. Tailyn Vlashich was one of the lucky few admitted without going through the entrance exams. And once inside, he had training, the arena, lessons, and an interesting take on what had happened over 3,000 years to look forward to, all capped off by a dynamic labyrinth that came with a chance to sit down with the provost. After all, that's who holds the key to the secret of the dragon's blood. But how are you supposed to find time to study when your mentor has a problem he can't handle on his own? Once again, Tailyn faces a road very much unlike the noisy halls of the academy, with life itself reprising its role as his trusty teacher.
©2020 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2020 by Jared Firth (P)2020 Tantor
Forest of Desire
Summary
Is there anything better than a quiet life? Well, there's a quiet life surrounded by people you care about, people who love you in return, of course. But Tailyn Vlashich knew nothing of the kind. His parents had died years before, the townspeople stayed well away from the god's favorite, and his guardian just wanted to be rid of him. That was the setting when Tailyn was again placed on the road to uncertainty, beset by terrifying lixes, and hounded by a harsh trainer it was impossible to please. All he can do is bear up and keep pushing forward in the hopes that his wishes will be granted. As legend has it, somewhere ahead lies the Forest of Desire, a place capable of bringing to life one's every wish. For example, returning Valia Levor, Tailyn's betrothed, who was kidnapped. Oh, and does anyone know why Forian Tarn still isn't back from his trip?
©2020 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2020 by Jared Firth (P)2020 Tantor
A Second Chance
Summary
More Barliona adventures from the best-selling author of the Way of the Shaman LitRPG series! Reality is cruel. The rising level of technological development has led to a rising level of unemployment. They're laying off everybody, from teachers to technical servicemen. What's the point of holding onto a person if they can be replaced by an advanced mechanism? But what are the people to do? How are they to live? Where are they to get money from? There is only one answer - Barliona. The official government project is gathering steam, luring more and more people into its net. Who knows how people will behave when they lose everything? Brody West is one such person. Unlike most, he doesn't lose heart. A professional project manager with 30 years in the business simply cannot do that. He has a goal, and a clear understanding of how to achieve it. Nobody can get in his way - not the new class, not the strange friend, and not the unexpected foes.
©2019 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2019 by Colin Parker (P)2019 Tantor
A Check for a Billion
Summary
A check for a billion credits. The prize seemed lost forever, and here it glittered again with all its colors, drawing the couple like a magnet. The pirates, the Uldans, the Zatrathi - none of it mattered now. The final goal was so close. All they had to do was reach out and grasp it. Alas, fortune refuses to land in Surgeon's hand just like that, without a fight. Fortune only comes to those who can prove themselves. Will Alexis and Eunice find their inner strength and go to the end - or will the obstacles in their way force them to give up their search? After all, the most important thing is to find the planet with the prize. And yet faced with an entire galaxy, where do they even start?
©2019 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2019 by Boris Smirnov (P)2020 Tantor
Noa in the Flesh
Summary
The World of the Changed, still going strong! A sister kidnapped, a powerful enemy right around the corner, and Earth under the thumb of the monsters. What else is it going to take to become a true hero and save humanity? The only problem is that Mark Derwin has bigger problems, focused as he is on finding Squirrel, his sister. And he has to make sure she's still the same person she always was rather than a chunk of noa. He's prepared to do anything, go to any lengths to make that happen, including working with the game. But not with the game owner. Mark has quite the litany of questions for that character.
©2020 V. Mahanenko (P)2020 Tantor
Isr Kale's Journal
Summary
These were dark times for Tailyn Vlashich, the 12-year-old alchemist. He'd been banished from the empire. The academy had summarily dismissed him. A deadly killer had been dispatched to hunt him. He'd been dropped all the way down to level one. But while there weren't many adults who would have been able to cope with the litany of problems Tailyn was facing, they weren't him. And he had help - two mentors, his girl, and a friend. Not only that, but there was an ancient journal hidden somewhere in the academy dean's office that held the secret to the location of the dragon's blood. It was time to drop by and get their hands on it. All they had to do was clear one small hurdle: How were they going to get into the planet's most heavily guarded building?
©2020 V. Mahanenko; English translation copyright 2020 by Jared Firth (P)2021 Tantor
Das Geheimnis des dunklen Waldes
Summary
Die virtuelle Welt von Barliona ist ein Ort, der zum Entspannen und zur Unterhaltung gedacht ist - aber nicht für jeden ... Daniel Mahan wurde zu acht Jahren Haft in diesem virtuellen Gefängnis verurteilt, und nun kämpft er um sein Überleben. Nach der Welt der Kupferminen, wo Knochenarbeit ebenso angesagt ist wie andere Häftlinge, die ihm in den Rücken fallen, wird er, unter Beschränkungen, auf Bewährung in die Welt der freien Spieler entlassen. Was mehr könnte er sich wünschen? Mahan könnte in aller Zurückhaltung seine relative Freiheit genießen, während er den Rest seiner Freiheitsstrafe absitzt. Doch er ist ein Schamane - und das zieht ihn in einen Wirbelwind an Ereignissen hinein. Schon bald ist er Anführer eines Klans, und mit der Unterstützung von 50 der besten Spieler des Kontinents begibt er sich daran, die Geheimnisse des Dunklen Waldes zu erkunden. >> Diese ungekürzte Hörbuch-Fassung genießt du exklusiv nur bei Audible.
©2019 Magic Dome Books (P)2020 Lübbe Audio
Die Phantomburg
Summary
Was ist ein Klan in einem Computerspiel ohne eigene Burg? Die Antwort liegt auf der Hand: gar nichts. Deshalb ist es eines der Hauptziele jedes Klananführers in der Welt eines Spiels, eine solche Basis für alle Aktivitäten in die Finger zu bekommen. In genau dieser Position befindet sich auch Hochschamane Mahan, Anführer des Klans der "Legenden von Barliona". Deshalb nimmt er den Auftrag des Imperators von Malabar und des Dunklen Lords von Kartoss an, die Armee der Phantome zu besiegen, die Altameda bevölkern, die Phantomburg. Diese scheinbar ganz gewöhnliche Quest setzt jedoch eine solche Kette von Ereignissen in Gang, dass dem Schamanen am Ende nichts anderes übrigbleibt, als seiner Intuition und seinem Instinkt zu folgen. Was sonst sollte schließlich ein Spieler auch tun, der von den drei größten Klans auf dem gesamten Kontinent gleichzeitig gejagt wird? >> Diese ungekürzte Hörbuch-Fassung genießt du exklusiv nur bei Audible.
©2019 Magic Dome Books (P)2020 Lübbe Audio