Look, I need to complain about something before we get into this: 16 hours is a LOT to ask of anyone who isn't already emotionally invested in these characters. And the first two chapters? They tested me. I'm talking 6AM Caltrain, coffee not yet kicked in, wondering if I should just switch back to my comfort re-listen of Project Hail Mary. But I stuck it out because Laura Bailey and Liam O'Brien are voicing characters they literally created, and that's the kind of meta-casting situation that demands my attention.
So here's the deal—this audiobook is basically fan service but make it a novel. If you've watched Critical Role Campaign 1, you know Vex and Vax. You love them. You want to know what happened before Vox Machina became Vox Machina. This delivers that. If you have no idea what any of those words mean, this is going to feel like walking into the middle of someone else's inside joke.
The Voice Actor Advantage (And Its Limits)
Having the actual creators voice their own characters is—okay, it's kind of a cheat code. Laura Bailey's Vex has this particular blend of aristocratic bite and street-smart edge that you can't replicate. Liam O'Brien's Vax carries this quiet intensity, all brooding silences and sudden sharp humor. They've been living in these characters for years, and it shows.
But here's where it gets interesting: Robbie Daymond handles basically everyone else. Every side character, every Clasp thief, every random NPC. And honestly? He carries a lot of weight here. His voice work for the various guild members creates this whole ecosystem of Westruun's criminal underbelly. There's this one character—a Clasp contact—where his voice drops into this oily, too-friendly register that immediately made me distrust everything coming out of his mouth. That's good narration.
The limitation is that this isn't Critical Role. It can't be. There's no dice rolling, no table banter, no Matt Mercer doing seventeen accents in five minutes. It's a novel. A pretty traditional fantasy novel, actually, with chapters and prose and a linear narrative structure. The Last Wish pulls off that same trick—taking beloved characters from another medium and making them work in traditional prose format. Some listeners found this disappointing, and I get it. The energy is just different.
The Pacing Problem (Real Talk)
I'm not going to sugarcoat this: the first third drags. Nijkamp takes her time establishing Syngorn, the twins' childhood, their complicated relationship with their elven father. It's all important backstory, but it moves at a pace that had me bumping up to 1.5x speed around hour three.
The story really picks up once they hit Westruun and get tangled with the Clasp. Suddenly there's momentum—heists, double-crosses, the twins getting pulled in opposite directions. By the midpoint I was genuinely invested, staying on the train an extra stop to finish a chapter. (Kevin texted asking if I'd died. I had not. I was just very invested in a fictional bear named Trinket.)
The final four hours, though—some listeners recommend speeding up, and I can see why. There's a lot of emotional processing happening. Important for character development, slower for plot. Your mileage may vary based on how much you care about the twins' psychological journey versus just wanting cool rogue stuff to happen.
Who Gets the Loot (And Who Should Pass)
Bottom Line: Worth your commute IF you're already a Critical Role fan. Skip if you're not.
This is not a gateway drug. This is a deep cut for people who already know the reference. The emotional payoff of seeing how Vex and Vax became who they are, understanding the scars from Syngorn, watching them navigate their first real conflict with each other—that hits different when you know where they end up. When you've watched them fight dragons and gods and each other across hundreds of hours of actual play.
For non-Critters, this is a competent fantasy novel about half-elf twins in a thieves' guild situation. Solid, not spectacular. The prose is workmanlike, the world-building assumes familiarity, and the character moments land softer without the context. I had similar issues with Wood Beyond the World—solid fantasy that assumes you're already bought into its particular flavor of world-building.
Running the Numbers
Here's my honest assessment: at 16 hours, this is a significant time investment. The voice acting is genuinely excellent—probably the best argument for the audiobook format over reading the physical book. But the slow start and the assumption of prior knowledge limit the audience.
If you're a Critter who's been waiting for more Vex and Vax content, this is worth a credit. You'll get genuine character development, some solid Clasp intrigue, and the experience of hearing Laura and Liam inhabit their characters in a new context.
If you're curious about Critical Role and thinking this might be a good entry point—it's not. Go watch Campaign 1 instead. Or start with Campaign 3 if you want something current. Come back to this after you've fallen in love with the twins the proper way.
I finished this across about eight commutes, speed varying between 1.25x and 1.5x depending on the chapter. By the end, I was glad I'd stuck with it. But I also wouldn't have made it past chapter two if I didn't already care about these characters. That's the honest truth.
