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Twelfth Cataclysm #1
What the Shell!?: Twelfth Cataclysm, Book 1
Phac wakes up in a nest of giant killer crabs in a new world. Good fricking morning!
When Phac finds himself in a world of magic, monsters, and blue screens, he must fight tooth and nail to survive. Unfortunately, falling into an overpowered crab nest doesn’t help. Neither does homemade quicksand under his boots. Worst of all, a snarky blue screen insists on calling him “Phac”.
Armed with wit, brawn, dynamite temper, and crab-themed powers, Phac will carve his own adventurous path through the vibrant world of Peras. He will befriend sharp-tongued orcs, clash against manipulative masterminds, and stand up for what he believes in.
In the end, he will either become a greater hero than the world deserves...or crustacean fast-food on day one.
Don't miss the start of this Isekai LitRPG series from Valerios, author of the Cultivator vs. System series. With a mysterious system, action, adventure, leveling, and plenty of laughs, it has everything LitRPG listeners could ask for. Grab your copy today!
When Phac finds himself in a world of magic, monsters, and blue screens, he must fight tooth and nail to survive. Unfortunately, falling into an overpowered crab nest doesn’t help. Neither does homemade quicksand under his boots. Worst of all, a snarky blue screen insists on calling him “Phac”.
Armed with wit, brawn, dynamite temper, and crab-themed powers, Phac will carve his own adventurous path through the vibrant world of Peras. He will befriend sharp-tongued orcs, clash against manipulative masterminds, and stand up for what he believes in.
In the end, he will either become a greater hero than the world deserves...or crustacean fast-food on day one.
Don't miss the start of this Isekai LitRPG series from Valerios, author of the Cultivator vs. System series. With a mysterious system, action, adventure, leveling, and plenty of laughs, it has everything LitRPG listeners could ask for. Grab your copy today!
Audible Audio
First published December 16, 2022
208 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Valerios
23 books54 followersValerios enjoys letters and numbers. One day, combining them crossed his mind, and now he spends most of his time placing one after the other until something pleasant appears.
Besides transforming words into worlds, Valerios also enjoys moving figurines over chess boards, spending quality time with quality people, and stubbornly trying to convince machines that cats are not, in fact, dogs.
Besides transforming words into worlds, Valerios also enjoys moving figurines over chess boards, spending quality time with quality people, and stubbornly trying to convince machines that cats are not, in fact, dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 10, 2023
Book one
Tries to be funny and just isn't. Drops a lot of f bombs, so if you don't like cursing be warned.
The stats don't mean anything. The MC at level one kills a crab that is huge and level 13 by flipping it over. He never should have been able to lift it. MC should have died more times than I can count. Why would he puke over a dead crab and feel bad about it? The bone sword also didn't make sense. But crabs in this world have bones just so the MC can have a weapon.
The boss fight made no sense as well. If you have ever played a video game you know that if you're A level 4 and you run into anything level 25 boss or not you are going to die. MC handles it with a few broken bones.
Yeah other people may like this but I find it to be pretty bad. There isn't any logical reason for any of the above points. I dropped the story and won't be reading anymore of this series.
If you are going to write a book based on game style playing, shouldn't the book follow actual game logic?
1/10
Tries to be funny and just isn't. Drops a lot of f bombs, so if you don't like cursing be warned.
The stats don't mean anything. The MC at level one kills a crab that is huge and level 13 by flipping it over. He never should have been able to lift it. MC should have died more times than I can count. Why would he puke over a dead crab and feel bad about it? The bone sword also didn't make sense. But crabs in this world have bones just so the MC can have a weapon.
The boss fight made no sense as well. If you have ever played a video game you know that if you're A level 4 and you run into anything level 25 boss or not you are going to die. MC handles it with a few broken bones.
Yeah other people may like this but I find it to be pretty bad. There isn't any logical reason for any of the above points. I dropped the story and won't be reading anymore of this series.
If you are going to write a book based on game style playing, shouldn't the book follow actual game logic?
1/10
December 21, 2022
A man wakes up on a sandy beach in a new world. He has no name, no memories, and no idea where he is.
Then he falls into through a sand trap into a nest of giant crabs. He doesn't have any weapons besides his own two hands.
That's the setup for this novel. After a lot of swearing at the system he soon discovers, he is name Phac for fairly obvious reasons.
I'm not going to spoil what happens next. This is a portal fantasy with a heavy emphasis on battle, whether it's against giant crabs or other things. Phac isn't unique in any way really, other than he doesn't like to give up.
As for the world he's in, it's fairly unique as well. There is an antagonist, but we won't see Phac face off against him until book 2. The stats are fairly straightforward, and the editing is decent as well.
What grabbed me was the unknown man in an unknown world. Once that ended and they started in on a quest, I felt that the book dropped down a notch as it followed tropes already well worn by other authors. I came close to giving this 4 stars, but I like to support new authors. I never had to force myself to get through the book, which is a good sign, but by the time we're into the second quest I was yawning a little.
I'm hoping for better in book 2. I'd also like to see Phac on his own, as he shines when it's just him figuring out problems. When he's with others it becomes a team effort, and they become another adventuring team in another novel in another fantasy world.
The beginning reminds me a little of Easy Meat by Arthur Stone, just far less brutal than that story. I hope we get to see more of it.
A generous 5/5*
Then he falls into through a sand trap into a nest of giant crabs. He doesn't have any weapons besides his own two hands.
That's the setup for this novel. After a lot of swearing at the system he soon discovers, he is name Phac for fairly obvious reasons.
I'm not going to spoil what happens next. This is a portal fantasy with a heavy emphasis on battle, whether it's against giant crabs or other things. Phac isn't unique in any way really, other than he doesn't like to give up.
As for the world he's in, it's fairly unique as well. There is an antagonist, but we won't see Phac face off against him until book 2. The stats are fairly straightforward, and the editing is decent as well.
What grabbed me was the unknown man in an unknown world. Once that ended and they started in on a quest, I felt that the book dropped down a notch as it followed tropes already well worn by other authors. I came close to giving this 4 stars, but I like to support new authors. I never had to force myself to get through the book, which is a good sign, but by the time we're into the second quest I was yawning a little.
I'm hoping for better in book 2. I'd also like to see Phac on his own, as he shines when it's just him figuring out problems. When he's with others it becomes a team effort, and they become another adventuring team in another novel in another fantasy world.
The beginning reminds me a little of Easy Meat by Arthur Stone, just far less brutal than that story. I hope we get to see more of it.
A generous 5/5*
April 10, 2023
Amnesia on the Beach
Waking up on the beach with no memory was not a good start to the day. He didn’t know who he was, where he was, and how he ended up on beach. As he started looking around, the sand below him disappeared and he fell. This was not a good start. Something starts talking to him and it is like he is in a video game with an announcer. He is asked to choose his name and is told he is about to enter a dungeon called King Crab’s Lair with a recommended level of 15. He is also given a ‘boon’ since he dropped to critical health within a minute of awakening. The boon is the title “Born to Die” and gives +2 to constitution.
Just to add to his injuries a bunch of sand landed on his face. He couldn’t move, between his back and the sand. His vision started to blur and darken at the edges. He woke up hours later and saw he was in the same place but there was moonlight. He seemed to have recovered. He slowly moved around and noticed a blinking exclamation point in his lower left vision. He focused on it and it told him that he had thought of Phac (as he was blacking out, good thing it misunderstood him) as his name and due to an activity his name has been confirmed. Also since he dropped to critical health twice within a minute of awakening, he earned the title “Unlucky” which provided him with +2 in luck.
As he thought about his situation more, he realized that between the screens and what he recalled as attributes, it really was like a video game. He didn’t know what a video game was but he knew things like attributes were familiar. He thought that maybe he could work with this. After going through his screens and trying to figure out what else he could do, he realized he was trapped and the only way out was through the dungeon. Crabs can’t be that bad, right?
Waking up on the beach with no memory was not a good start to the day. He didn’t know who he was, where he was, and how he ended up on beach. As he started looking around, the sand below him disappeared and he fell. This was not a good start. Something starts talking to him and it is like he is in a video game with an announcer. He is asked to choose his name and is told he is about to enter a dungeon called King Crab’s Lair with a recommended level of 15. He is also given a ‘boon’ since he dropped to critical health within a minute of awakening. The boon is the title “Born to Die” and gives +2 to constitution.
Just to add to his injuries a bunch of sand landed on his face. He couldn’t move, between his back and the sand. His vision started to blur and darken at the edges. He woke up hours later and saw he was in the same place but there was moonlight. He seemed to have recovered. He slowly moved around and noticed a blinking exclamation point in his lower left vision. He focused on it and it told him that he had thought of Phac (as he was blacking out, good thing it misunderstood him) as his name and due to an activity his name has been confirmed. Also since he dropped to critical health twice within a minute of awakening, he earned the title “Unlucky” which provided him with +2 in luck.
As he thought about his situation more, he realized that between the screens and what he recalled as attributes, it really was like a video game. He didn’t know what a video game was but he knew things like attributes were familiar. He thought that maybe he could work with this. After going through his screens and trying to figure out what else he could do, he realized he was trapped and the only way out was through the dungeon. Crabs can’t be that bad, right?
January 7, 2023
Decent gimmick that transitions to typical isekai
The intro crab stuff was humorous as was the amnesia. But, once the MC leaves the crab cave things go downhill.
The backstory of a Dreamworld and societal collapse was facepalm-worthy as was the attempt at some sort of deep philosophical wisdom about how modern society is constricting and the world of death and monsters was freeing, conveniently forgetting such things as famine and difficulty of life out in the boonies without modern manufacturing and logistics. But whatever.
When the story goes into questing and leveling and such, it turns into a fairly typical LitRPG with a bit of isekai. Nothing special. The crab theme stops playing a role in how things go and it's just bad storytelling.
The writing lacks inspiration and lacks detail, suspense, and energy. Combat is largely glossed over with this and that happening so now things were in a dire situation. Grammar is passive and usually fairly wordy which detracts from a feeling of urgency. Stuff is happening, but it doesn't feel like it when you read it.
The intro crab stuff was humorous as was the amnesia. But, once the MC leaves the crab cave things go downhill.
The backstory of a Dreamworld and societal collapse was facepalm-worthy as was the attempt at some sort of deep philosophical wisdom about how modern society is constricting and the world of death and monsters was freeing, conveniently forgetting such things as famine and difficulty of life out in the boonies without modern manufacturing and logistics. But whatever.
When the story goes into questing and leveling and such, it turns into a fairly typical LitRPG with a bit of isekai. Nothing special. The crab theme stops playing a role in how things go and it's just bad storytelling.
The writing lacks inspiration and lacks detail, suspense, and energy. Combat is largely glossed over with this and that happening so now things were in a dire situation. Grammar is passive and usually fairly wordy which detracts from a feeling of urgency. Stuff is happening, but it doesn't feel like it when you read it.
April 16, 2024
Bumbling idiot trope, this book is the worse kind of isekai, it has all the good starting tropes, but then just devolves into this bumbling idiot getti g lucky trope, it's clear that the writer changed what they had planned from the start, I am guessing they wanted to go with mc dropped in high level area, then gets op slowly and is unleashed on the world, instead what we got was a bumbling idiot with amnesia and a bunch of really annoying side characters that do not help the book.
This book while possibly salvageable is not a good book, and if u think that this is a good one, then I am really sorry for you, and I mean this in the most sincere way possible, my first audio book was called "without law", it had a sexy cover and my teen brain just could not help it, and it was fun and so epic to me at that time, but I was finally give the same advice, that it's shit and I should not waste my time on it, and a few years latter I finally realised how shit it was, i now understand why it was a waste of time.
This book while possibly salvageable is not a good book, and if u think that this is a good one, then I am really sorry for you, and I mean this in the most sincere way possible, my first audio book was called "without law", it had a sexy cover and my teen brain just could not help it, and it was fun and so epic to me at that time, but I was finally give the same advice, that it's shit and I should not waste my time on it, and a few years latter I finally realised how shit it was, i now understand why it was a waste of time.
January 18, 2023
So lately I have been on a litrpg kick and I don't know if my streak is over or I just really hated this book. I could not finish it. There are just too many zealots in one story for me. The priest who believes the system is God, the orc whos all about the forest and animals, the adventurers who are all about the mercenary life, the elfs who are all about the pure bloodline, and thats not counting the necromancer master who has his own agenda. It was just too much. Plus i reeeeaaaalllyyy HATE flashbacks. These flashbacks weren't even the MC remembering his lost memories they were just randomly thrown in. It could be decent plot line if maybe all the conflicts were spread out in different books or something. Just not my taste. Sorry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2022
Talk about a bad first week in a new world
Phac hasn’t had much luck since he woke up with amnesia in a foreign world and it’s been one fight for survival after another for him. He ends up befriending an orc Hunter and they end up on a Quest together to save the forest.
There is a corruption afoot in the forests and they both work to get to the bottom of it for different reasons. The zombies are definitely new to the swamp they’re heading for, if only Phac knew that their bite was diseased.
Read on as a new world invades Earth in a new and fascinating way, through their dreams. However death is too real in these dreams and there is no escaping them for humanity.
Phac hasn’t had much luck since he woke up with amnesia in a foreign world and it’s been one fight for survival after another for him. He ends up befriending an orc Hunter and they end up on a Quest together to save the forest.
There is a corruption afoot in the forests and they both work to get to the bottom of it for different reasons. The zombies are definitely new to the swamp they’re heading for, if only Phac knew that their bite was diseased.
Read on as a new world invades Earth in a new and fascinating way, through their dreams. However death is too real in these dreams and there is no escaping them for humanity.
December 21, 2022
I have to assume the final chapter (and all the related pieces of the book will have some impact on future books in the series, because honestly, this story would have been much better with those left out.
On the other hand, I'm expecting the second part to become highly relevant at some point, and then we'll see how it all relates.
Well, one can hope.
Anyway, good story, and I think most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one.
On the other hand, I'm expecting the second part to become highly relevant at some point, and then we'll see how it all relates.
Well, one can hope.
Anyway, good story, and I think most LitRPG fans will enjoy this one.
January 13, 2023
KU Review
Silly and irreverent but definitely entertaining. It also has a surprising depth and correlation to real life issues. Great book.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Silly and irreverent but definitely entertaining. It also has a surprising depth and correlation to real life issues. Great book.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
December 20, 2022
Another great addition by Valerios
I started reading Valerios with the Cultivator vs System series. After that, I went to RoyalRoad and read this. The novel does a great job balancing the humor with seriousness.
It’s a great start to a new series!
I started reading Valerios with the Cultivator vs System series. After that, I went to RoyalRoad and read this. The novel does a great job balancing the humor with seriousness.
It’s a great start to a new series!
December 21, 2022
Plot twist
Well written but followed the well worn LitRPG formula for most of the first half of the book. Then hints of something different kept appearing until the surprising twist at the end. So, not world shattering but worth the ride.
Well written but followed the well worn LitRPG formula for most of the first half of the book. Then hints of something different kept appearing until the surprising twist at the end. So, not world shattering but worth the ride.
December 23, 2022
Good, but with issues
I did enjoy this book, though it felt like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It felt like a comedy half the time and a standard litrpg in others. I have hope that they will clean this up in the next one.
I did enjoy this book, though it felt like it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It felt like a comedy half the time and a standard litrpg in others. I have hope that they will clean this up in the next one.
December 28, 2022
Not bad.
The general premise is fairly simple, A man out of time finds himself in a strange world without memories. But as the story progressed connections to the 'real world' are revealed. Tom out
The general premise is fairly simple, A man out of time finds himself in a strange world without memories. But as the story progressed connections to the 'real world' are revealed. Tom out
December 31, 2022
Amazing book!
Wow! What an ending I can’t wait for more! Great book for those in love with the LitRPG genre. Great characters and an even better plot line to tie it all together. Great decisions made by the author as a foundation for future books as well.
Wow! What an ending I can’t wait for more! Great book for those in love with the LitRPG genre. Great characters and an even better plot line to tie it all together. Great decisions made by the author as a foundation for future books as well.
December 28, 2023
Wow!
Holy crap this is crazy what o thought started as a joke book turned put to be funny inspiring and introspective. Really came out there at the end. Great mysterious undercurrents. Best read in a while.
Holy crap this is crazy what o thought started as a joke book turned put to be funny inspiring and introspective. Really came out there at the end. Great mysterious undercurrents. Best read in a while.
January 27, 2024
Fun start to a series. I liked the game mechanics of the world and the world itself. I really hate the NC’s name. There are some funny moments but sometimes the humor feels forced like with the name. The was a good plot to this book that is mostly resolved by the end of rhetorical book.
January 20, 2023
Unique to this new genre.
A little confusing at first, but the duality becomes clear later. I liked it, and I will continue the series.
A little confusing at first, but the duality becomes clear later. I liked it, and I will continue the series.
February 12, 2023
Wow
Great book and I can honestly say I cannot wait for the next one. Well written and a great world. Honestly the end surprised me a lot.
Great book and I can honestly say I cannot wait for the next one. Well written and a great world. Honestly the end surprised me a lot.
February 15, 2023
I did not expect that ending but I liked most of the story.
March 23, 2023
Brilliant!
Great dungeon fun. With a thought provoking twist of worlds. A crabby man comes out of his hermit to new worlds. I hope to sleep and dream per chance to dream of Pergas.
Great dungeon fun. With a thought provoking twist of worlds. A crabby man comes out of his hermit to new worlds. I hope to sleep and dream per chance to dream of Pergas.
April 19, 2023
good start
It was good start. Lots of action and I like the MC. Not some brainless goofball. I would say give it a go.
It was good start. Lots of action and I like the MC. Not some brainless goofball. I would say give it a go.
January 15, 2024
Thats a big dnf from me. Cool concept, poor execution.
July 28, 2024
The author named his character 'fuck' just so he could curse in his novel. What a waste.
September 28, 2025
Half decent comedy litrpg with somewhat interesting lore. Hints of something larger towards the end
January 18, 2023
I think this book will work for you if the humour does. Did not for me, I’m afraid.
February 1, 2024
I loved this book. Right from the get go. Although it's not for everyone 'cause the fbomb is used a lot! Hell even the main character's name is Phac (yeah, it really is pronounced just the way you think.) But for me that only added to the charm. For a hot minute I was afraid the joke would be taken too far, except Valerose used the right touch, and only used the amount needed.
I seriously believe that Daniel Wisniewski had a blast narrating this! Because it shows up on the narrator's stream, when he gave out a superb performance.
I seriously believe that Daniel Wisniewski had a blast narrating this! Because it shows up on the narrator's stream, when he gave out a superb performance.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews