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Nullform #1

Nullform #1

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In this world, everyone starts with no memory and no recollection of their past life. In this world, you have nothing — even your limbs are rented, and you'll have to pay up every day. In this world, you must complete tasks assigned to you by the System or be fined and stripped of everything, including your arms and legs. In this world, you're under unrelenting supervision. But in dark corners hidden from the System's watchful eye, violence, brutality, and lawlessness abound.

In this world, you're assigned a number. You're a volitional Nullform. Now it's up to you to adapt to this reality and try to survive without ending up crippled. Just don't mess up, or you'll be wishing you were dead as you dig yourself deeper into an endless pit of debt. This world will not take pity on you. You'll have to work tirelessly to earn the right to live another day…

Read the first book in a new series from the author who brought you Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones.

An author who helped create the cult LitRPG genre.

An author who never ceases to amaze!

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2021

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About the author

Dem Mikhailov

52 books51 followers

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5 stars
127 (50%)
4 stars
75 (29%)
3 stars
37 (14%)
2 stars
8 (3%)
1 star
7 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Leo.
5,152 reviews665 followers
July 24, 2021
I honestly do not know what litRPG stands for but I enjoyed the story. Very entertaining and exciting to listen to. Liked the little bit of a darker read than most books I've read lately and I would like to try to read more by Dem Mikhailov sooner rather then later
Profile Image for Akshay.
984 reviews4 followers
June 6, 2026
🦾 DEBT, BODY HORROR, AND SYSTEM NIGHTMARES 🦾


Imagine waking up in a dystopian hellscape with zero memories, a number stamped on your chest, and the terrifying realization that you don’t even own your own arms and legs. Welcome to the grim reality of Dem Mikhailov’s Nullform.



“The System doesn't offer a tutorial; it just demands your daily rent.”




⛓️ The Vibe Check:
If the brutal survival stakes and dark tone of Dungeon Crawler Carl collided face-first with the dystopian body-rental horror of Repo! The Genetic Opera, you would get Nullform #1. It is a bleak, uncompromising, and highly unique RealRPG that subverts the standard "power fantasy" trope into an agonizing battle for basic bodily autonomy.




📖 The Deep-Dive & Plot Brief:
Our protagonist wakes up on a cold floor with no recollection of his past life, under the relentless, watchful eye of a universal "System." He is assigned a number (eleven) and categorized as a volitional Nullform. In this society, you own absolutely nothing. Even your limbs are considered leased property from the System.



The core mechanics are terrifyingly simple: complete the grueling tasks assigned to you by the System to generate currency, or face compounding interest. If you fall too far into debt, the System doesn't just issue a fine—it physically strips you of your arms and legs, leaving you to crawl through the dirt like a worm. Renaming himself Elb, the protagonist refuses to accept a fate of physical mutilation. Left with an initially frail, malfunctioning body, he must navigate an anarchic underbelly filled with lawless gangs, brutal exploitation, and predatory systems, relying entirely on his wits to keep his limbs attached for another day.




🔥 Why the Progression Works:

The Dystopian Stakes: Most LitRPGs motivate characters with cool loot or magic spells. Mikhailov motivates the reader through sheer, visceral anxiety. The dread of the "daily limb rent" creates a ticking clock that keeps the pacing breakneck.
Fascinating Fantasy Subversion: The book incorporates classic fantasy races (Orcs, Goblins, Elves, Zombies), but heavily re-contextualizes them through a grim, cyberpunk-adjacent lens. They aren't magical creatures; they are just different cogs in a horrific social machine.
An Earned Protagonist: Elb isn't an overpowered hero with a broken cheat skill. He is stubborn, calculated, and willing to do the absolute grittiest work to survive. His progression is incremental, painful, and deeply satisfying.




⚠️ A Note for the System (The Critiques):

Unapologetically Grimdark: This book is not a lighthearted popcorn read. It deals heavily with dark themes—including exploitation, systemic cruelty, and visceral body horror. If you prefer cozy LitRPGs or optimistic sci-fi, this nightmare alley will be too bleak for you.
Translation Nuance: As a translated work from Russian, a few stylistic phrasings can feel slightly stark or dense, though the fast-moving plot quickly smooths over any minor narrative friction.





⭐️ THE VERDICT:

Nullform #1 is a phenomenal, spine-chilling entry into the RealRPG space. Dem Mikhailov has crafted a genuinely unsettling setting that redefines what survival means in a gamified universe. It is tense, dark, and utterly impossible to put down.



Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
Profile Image for Clint Young.
849 reviews
March 28, 2021
First, my review, then it’s time for a new copypasta:

“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”

I am not a bot even though my reviews are identical. Of course, that is what a bot would say trying to pass itself off as human. But I would argue that trying to pass as human is enough to at least qualify as a reviewer.

I enjoyed this book, so my goal is to promote it and help the author. I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. It is my opinion that Art needs to be experienced at an individual level. You are the only one that can determine what you like and don’t like. Don’t let others make that decision for you. You should definitely read the book and completely ignore all of the reviews. Or not if you don’t think this book is for you. That choice is all yours and the beauty of art appreciation. You are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.

As always, I am open to debates and arguments, but also vain enough to seek acknowledgement, so feel free to roast me or applaud my efforts. Either is acceptable, because if you are paying attention to me then you are at least considering the book. And THAT my friends is exactly why you see my comments here.

Cheers
111 reviews3 followers
July 9, 2021
New and gripping take in LitRPG

Very interesting approach. The story starts of without the reader or the MC knowing much about anything, some things become clearer throughout the story but at the end of book#1 many many questions remain option, so I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
It is a very dark and confined setting with the MC brining some light to it all..
Profile Image for ♥Xeni♥.
1,232 reviews80 followers
November 29, 2024
I picked this one up a few nights ago when I couldn't fall asleep. What a strange litrpg. It's got to be the most incredibly boring written work I've read recently. Is it the constant long-form musings? Is it the weird info dumping where Elb / Eleven just finds a random person to antagonize until he gets a question answered and so the work makes us feel exhausted? Is it the fact that this feels like the most post-capitalistic society ever created and it is incredibly demotivating? Or, is it that I couldn't fall asleep and read it all in a haze of exhaustion myself?

Also, the story takes a turn for the strange about 85% of the way through. It's like the previous characters were overwritten with a whole new personality. Yorka, who woke up Elb in the opening scene, is a hardass, a take-no-shit kind of woman. And then she feels like a one-dimensional weakling who'll do anything Elb wants no matter what he demands.

On the topic of Elb, he starts out a giant weakling. Instead of organically getting stronger, it's like a switch flips and he turns into a narcissistic, brutal asshole as soon as he gets a little bit of power / respect from those around him. The funny thing is that the narrative calls him out on this as well. Elb has some musings that amount to "someone else might see me as a narcissistic asshole, but I'm definitely not one so no one should see me that way". Which is the most bullshit I've read in a while.

In any case, while I am incredibly curious for the reason given for this world to exist, I don't think I have the stamina to finish reading the series. I won't even pick up the second book. Elb turned into a seriously annoying character to read by the end of this work. I can't imagine more works will solve the issues of endless boring thought-monologue, weird expositions, or the bullying, brutal tactics that Elb clearly will embrace.
Profile Image for 5foot3-Marie.
57 reviews
February 15, 2026
I'm giving Nullform 3.5 stars.
My other half has been trying to get me into LitRPG for some time and Nullform might well have persuaded me.
Surprisingly I found this on my own without him recommending it to me. It sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a go and I've recommended it to him :0))
I think he will enjoy Nullform...Me? I'm still a little on the fence.

I didn't and don't expect much from this genre and maybe that is why I was pleasantly surprised. I struggle with the levelling aspect behind litRPG stories. Luckily in Nullform there is very little of this and what there is in the story makes sense and is pretty straightforward.

The world is interesting and centres around Elb, a guy who wakes up in a world/system with someone else's arms and legs sewn to his body and that he has to pay rent every single day or he will become a worm...shudder!
The author pushes that disturbing premise to the macabre (which is why I liked that part a lot.)

Think dystopian Mad Max meets, A Space Odyssey 2001, meets Frankenstein's monster and you are kind of there.

But, and here is the chink in Nullforms' armour - the dialogue structure is atrocious!
It's Very childish and unfortunately, the story is made up of a lot of this bad dialogue structure and it makes the characters (particularly one of them) annoying!
It's like the guy who wrote Nullform has never had a conversation with an adult.
You can regrettably feel the amateurish nature of the author in the way Nullform is written, but like I said the story outline has an interesting premise and I'm forgiving (to a point) of authors I don't expect to much from and litRPG are such authors, so...On to book 2.
1,240 reviews16 followers
December 24, 2021
The story reminds me of the old computer game Planetscape Torment as the protagonist is awakened (presumably after his death) in a body consisting of seemingly random sewn-together body parts. Without much introduction he is thrown into a truly dystopian underworld to fend for his continued existence.

The serie started very mysterious and with huge potential. However, after finishing the third book i must say that i am a bit underwhelmed. There are no really stunning or even more than mildly interesting revelations or discoveries so far and the characters stay very two dimensional. When you compare the series to similar series (for example the Metro 2033 series) the Nullform series is even quite boring unfortunately. The increasing drug abuse of the main character (at mostly really inconvenient times) in book 3 to get back some memories was rather anticlimatic for me as it did not (as intented by the author) make him more interesting to me but rather show that he is not the great tough leader he pretends to be but only an irresponsible junkie.

The whole concept of amputating limbs for laziness seems quite counterproductive if the system needs worker drones desperately. There would be way better ways to motivate workers.
Profile Image for Travis.
3,050 reviews51 followers
March 30, 2021
I received a review copy of this book.
Not your typical LitRPG book. There's levels (of a sort), experience (of the school of hard knocks variety), and plenty of action to keep any fan turning the pages. It's a bit odd, which I suppose isn't unusual, but it is unique in that ranks aren't assigned due to xp, but due to the character's actions and decisions. It's almost entirely different from any other LitRPG books I've read, and for some that will be great, while for others it will be confusing and uninteresting, but what it does have going for it is the fact that it's an interesting story, and for that, I can forgive a lot.
Profile Image for Sherron Wahrheit.
634 reviews
August 10, 2021
Up until chapter three I was enjoying figuring out what was going on. A grim world, where the main character wakes up tabla rosa has to piece together his current predicament. In chapter three that the clues start coming on hard and it became clear that this is just another stupid RPGlit novel. I just peeked at a three star review here on GR that says the book ends with a cliffhanger. That’s an acceptable ending for a chapter, but not for a novel. I’m out.
219 reviews6 followers
November 14, 2021
I wish I liked this. The concept is interesting but the execution, the characters, and the dialogue...I hated it all.

Blow up and die I guess.
Profile Image for Daria.
18 reviews
June 6, 2026
A great dark survival story

This story is grim and dark in its portrayal of human nature, but it’s also a heartwarming one. There were many moments where I found my self smiling at Elevens clever actions (and at times antics). The story building and descriptions of the System and the rundown, gritty environment the gang lives in is vivid and graphic. It captures you quickly and the book flows from beginning to end with nearly no hitch. You don’t have to have read books in the litRPG genre before or have knowledge of rollplaying mechanics to grasp and understand the operational behavior of the System and how it affects Eleven and the gang.

Eleven and his companions story quickly grew on me and I can’t wait to see what more the apocalyptic world has in store for them.
Profile Image for Fred.
607 reviews
September 22, 2021
Minor gaming elements in what feels like a post apocalyptic world/possibly space colony. Some of the core tech feels almost altered carbonesque.

Outside some ... Frustrating some comments from MC ... Especially about women (minor but annoying, the world of the MC feels like a penal colony; some tropes are there but all the folks in the colony don't have their memories so some of the comments about gender roles were odd considering) it was really fun story and I look forward to the next one.

Would recommend to anyone who enjoys apocalyptic worlds.
Profile Image for Nate.
315 reviews
January 31, 2022
This started off a little slow/vague for me, not mentioning character attributes and whatnot, just a broken body in a bleak world. I kept reading curious to see if it would perk up, and it started to come along around 50% in. Next thing I knew I could barely put it down (for curiosity, not excitement).
Profile Image for Abby.
214 reviews36 followers
March 17, 2023
Surprisingly good!

I had a hard time getting through the beginning because the poor MC's life sucks so much but keep going! It gets better soon! The mc is very clever and capable and learns how to deal quickly. I loved it! And I laughed out loud at several parts! What a unique good story!
Profile Image for William Sullivan.
94 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2021
Great book

A unique story and very entertaining. The first 20 percent of the book moves a little slow and then takes off. Great mc and supporting cast. Really looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Aviar Savijon.
1,220 reviews19 followers
April 12, 2023
Nullform

A RPG series starter book that beats squid games by a factor of 1000. Well written by Dem Mikhallov. A very dystopian setting with nilism and down right cruelty. I loved it and awaiting to read the rest in the series.
Profile Image for Johnny.
2,239 reviews86 followers
April 2, 2021
This was an extremely interesting read. The mystery of why things are the way they are and who the MC is pulls you along and doesn't let you go.
71 reviews5 followers
May 14, 2021
This was an excellent book. I was unable to put it down. This book reminded me of an old role playing game from the 1980s called Paranoia.
3 reviews
July 6, 2021
Decent

I found the start of the book rather slow. I like the author so kept at it. Around the 35-40% mark it picked up and I enjoyed until the end.
1,163 reviews9 followers
August 13, 2021
Excellent

Very creative excellent world building with a lot of uniqueness. Much better than I expected. Story flowed nicely. Finished in a day.

331 reviews6 followers
February 4, 2022
Weirdly fantastic

There is absolutely nothing like this book. Can't describe it, can't explain it. A truly unique tale that must be experienced!!! Go for it.
Profile Image for GiGi.
1,005 reviews5 followers
June 1, 2022
Slow start, wasn't engaging till halfway through. Then the stakes, action and vibes went through the roof. Explosive ending, I will definitely be continuing the series.
Profile Image for Scott Shjefte.
2,400 reviews75 followers
January 13, 2024
Incredible universe of harshness with literal individual body and team body building. Purchased this edition on January 8, 2024, from Amazon for free. Read Kindle book using Alexa audio asset.
42 reviews
June 6, 2024
What an amazing first book. It's a very interesting concept with the system taking your limbs and having to earn them back.
3 reviews
March 3, 2026
I wish I could say this book has no understanding of the real world, but war is real and desperation creates monsters out of men. The less hope the more depravity.
Profile Image for Da$h.
19 reviews
December 27, 2023
I didn't expect anything much when I started reading the Nullform books, but in the end I was blown away by the world building and character development as the story progressed. I really can't recall reading anything similar (well maybe "Drive-In" by Lansdale. It also had a lot of outlandish crazy S happening).
Every book in the series added more depth to the story and things got more and more interesting as the story progressed. Zero boring parts, no Fs given about political correctness or censorship. Maybe a tad slow, but very engaging and rewarding storytelling.

Things you may want to know about Nullform-books before starting reading:
Currently (10.2023) only 7 of 10 books were translated from Russian to English.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/324293

The last 10th book ends in a major cliffhanger in a VERY unsatisfactory way.
The unfinished story continues in the ongoing direct sequel called "Infer" consisting currently of 9 books with yet another book called "The Locked" being a great side story
https://www.goodreads.com/series/324291

I did read all books in the series and they are all pretty good with not a single one being boring filler material. Cant wait for the next book.
A must read for all litRPG fans.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews