Dodge Tank

I’ll be honest: I went into *Dodge Tank* expecting another *Ready Player One* knockoff with stats and loot tables. Instead, I got a story that *hurts*—in the best way. Rick Scott writes Ryan’s physical disability with a specificity that’s rare in YA fantasy; it’s not just a ‘flaw’ to overcome for a third-act win, but a constant, exhausting reality that shapes every decision. The VR sequences are visceral (Summerer’s voice *sings* during the tank battles, all rumbling bass and metallic precision), but the real magic is how the audiobook forces you to sit with the silence between sessions—the way Ryan’s mom’s coughing fits or his brother’s sneers linger like background radiation. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle. The *Crystal Shards* lore dumps can feel like mandatory tutorials in a game you just want to *play*, and a side quest involving a guild politics subplot drags. Summerer��s narration mostly sells it, but even his energy can’t fully mask the occasional slog. And while the ending lands emotionally, the final boss fight’s resolution leans a little too hard on ‘gamer instinct’ as a deus ex machina. Still, the audiobook’s strengths—its brutal honesty, Summerer’s ability to make Ryan’s rage and vulnerability feel like *your* rage and vulnerability, and the way it turns VR tropes into something achingly human—far outweigh its missteps. If you’ve ever used fantasy to escape pain (or known someone who has), this one will gut you. Bring tissues and a controller.