What do you think?
Rate this book
Natural Laws Apocalypse #1
Enter System
What do you do when the world as you know it changes dramatically with little notice? When the Natural Laws no longer apply in all cases and the only thing to explain why is a “System” that seems to have access to everyone in the world?
Marc's home from college on break, spending his time laughing about some of the crazy news stories he's found online, and gaming. When a message appears in his line of sight, blocking out absolutely everything else, he nearly freaks out. The message warns that the world has been in a variant Natural Laws beta test for millennia and that it's about to revert to the norms.
Deciding that even if he is insane, it's not going to hurt anything to try to prepare, he settles in to do so. Despite the atrocious lack of skill the System has with the English language, he manages to work his way through enough help files to get a clue of what's coming. After sharing his discovery with a few friends, they all start to prepare together.
Once the change begins, the small group races to create a Safe Zone, an area where monsters will not spawn and where they can gather other survivors in an attempt to rescue as much of the town as possible. Along the way they discover that the new System can award classes that resemble those of the games the group has played, as well as magic for those capable of grasping it.
With monsters spawning throughout the town, everyday animals being mutated into dangerous creatures, and a System that desperately needs English language lessons, they'll do their best to save as many of the local residents as they can.
This story is approximately 155,000 words long and DRM free.
Marc's home from college on break, spending his time laughing about some of the crazy news stories he's found online, and gaming. When a message appears in his line of sight, blocking out absolutely everything else, he nearly freaks out. The message warns that the world has been in a variant Natural Laws beta test for millennia and that it's about to revert to the norms.
Deciding that even if he is insane, it's not going to hurt anything to try to prepare, he settles in to do so. Despite the atrocious lack of skill the System has with the English language, he manages to work his way through enough help files to get a clue of what's coming. After sharing his discovery with a few friends, they all start to prepare together.
Once the change begins, the small group races to create a Safe Zone, an area where monsters will not spawn and where they can gather other survivors in an attempt to rescue as much of the town as possible. Along the way they discover that the new System can award classes that resemble those of the games the group has played, as well as magic for those capable of grasping it.
With monsters spawning throughout the town, everyday animals being mutated into dangerous creatures, and a System that desperately needs English language lessons, they'll do their best to save as many of the local residents as they can.
This story is approximately 155,000 words long and DRM free.
616 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2021
1719 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Tom Larcombe
27 books249 followersTom Larcombe was introduced to fantasy books at a young age. Those that were aimed more at children hooked him in, but not well enough for him to remember their names at this point in his life. Their draw led him to books aimed more for the adult reader and so he found himself, at around age eight, starting in on the Steven R Donaldson 'Thomas Covenant' series and the Hobbit, followed shortly thereafter by The Lord of the Rings books.
His reading tastes have never looked back, although they have broadened to include science fiction and the occasional non-fiction book.
He lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with his wife, two daughters, three cats, and a variable number of chickens.
His reading tastes have never looked back, although they have broadened to include science fiction and the occasional non-fiction book.
He lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with his wife, two daughters, three cats, and a variable number of chickens.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews
July 11, 2023
This was exactly what I was in the mood for, but I'm dnfing anyway. The dialogue is just so clunky and the plot is very nearly present and the characters aren't all that interesting. Which adds up to a giant, multi-tiered meh. I think the characters are what finally tanked me. Jeff is a selfish jerk, Marc (sole PoV as far as I got) is a passionless dweeb, Felicia is a stereotypical female arbiter of social norms and, um, the fourth guy is so generic I forgot his name. Rob? And what I'm saying is that I found none of them engaging and actively disliked Jeff.
Anyway, I'm giving this one star for ruining a story I thought I was in the mood for. The issues are the kinds of things authors tend to grow better at, so maybe I'll check back in a few years...
Anyway, I'm giving this one star for ruining a story I thought I was in the mood for. The issues are the kinds of things authors tend to grow better at, so maybe I'll check back in a few years...
July 22, 2022
2.5/5
No Tension, No stakes and nothing interesting
DNF at 25%
Never have I ever read a apocalyptic litRPG book with this much dull progress. Main Characters acts like it's not much of a big deal. No panic or nothing. Seriously though there's just nothing to make me keep going.
No Tension, No stakes and nothing interesting
DNF at 25%
Never have I ever read a apocalyptic litRPG book with this much dull progress. Main Characters acts like it's not much of a big deal. No panic or nothing. Seriously though there's just nothing to make me keep going.
August 27, 2021
Definitely a book with words in it
This proceeds very linearly, without tension or interest. The main character pulls off a world first or two, which feels really incredible given how he and his party act. There’s a missing sense of drive, spark, urgency… instead they more or less meander, it feels lackadaisical. The world is full of people, some of them incredibly driven, talented, and motivated. This party’s attitude and composition just doesn’t feel world-leaderboard quality. If aiming for that then you’d need some kind of arbitrary advantage to propel them, like the lucky roll from the beginning of Defiance of the Fall where the protagonist defeats a vastly overleveled threat through pure luck in a context where skills and stats are don’t apply.
The MC (Marcus) seems incapable of making decisions, and his ill-defined relationship with his childhood friend consists mainly of calling her over to make decisions for him. There is no sense of intimacy or relationship, Felicia is essentially an NPC.
One bad decision that I just can’t get out of my head is how Marcus passed up wall lighting because he needed 10 more “metal” when he had just gathered 1000 for the expansion. What made the expansion so urgent that you couldn’t find 10 more? And other times the resource counters capped out were hiding more resources behind them, but not this time? Fine.
“Metal” is a one size fits all resource, but Marcus keeps buying e.g. “fertilizer” from the store as a special resource. This doesn’t really make sense. It feels like a game system, but also like a few different games resource systems have been crossed together, starting with a less complex one and then using more complexity for flavor without bringing those complexities back to the beginning. It feels inconsistent.
This proceeds very linearly, without tension or interest. The main character pulls off a world first or two, which feels really incredible given how he and his party act. There’s a missing sense of drive, spark, urgency… instead they more or less meander, it feels lackadaisical. The world is full of people, some of them incredibly driven, talented, and motivated. This party’s attitude and composition just doesn’t feel world-leaderboard quality. If aiming for that then you’d need some kind of arbitrary advantage to propel them, like the lucky roll from the beginning of Defiance of the Fall where the protagonist defeats a vastly overleveled threat through pure luck in a context where skills and stats are don’t apply.
The MC (Marcus) seems incapable of making decisions, and his ill-defined relationship with his childhood friend consists mainly of calling her over to make decisions for him. There is no sense of intimacy or relationship, Felicia is essentially an NPC.
One bad decision that I just can’t get out of my head is how Marcus passed up wall lighting because he needed 10 more “metal” when he had just gathered 1000 for the expansion. What made the expansion so urgent that you couldn’t find 10 more? And other times the resource counters capped out were hiding more resources behind them, but not this time? Fine.
“Metal” is a one size fits all resource, but Marcus keeps buying e.g. “fertilizer” from the store as a special resource. This doesn’t really make sense. It feels like a game system, but also like a few different games resource systems have been crossed together, starting with a less complex one and then using more complexity for flavor without bringing those complexities back to the beginning. It feels inconsistent.
September 13, 2021
Failed to suspend disbelief.
Spoiler alert
Couple of major issues. The WORLD has 3 days to prep and only 4 teen kids are ready to challenge the apocalypse. Nope. Just nope.
The setting is odd and difficult to visualize. Is this a small town USA? Or a rural area? Or is it a suburban area. Each of these would face different obstacles based on the population density. Food- water and supplies. Where are the riots and or mass gatherings. Also generally a highschool is the first gathering point for emergency situations. That school would have been flooded with emergency personnel.
Guns. Ok These kids have guns! Effective or ineffective they have guns! Why are they running around with spears! As a secondary weapon absolutely but only using them is nonsense.
Tom, I've read most of your books they generally have a good overall setting and world building. The stories are fun and clever. This is not. Luck on your next book.
Spoiler alert
Couple of major issues. The WORLD has 3 days to prep and only 4 teen kids are ready to challenge the apocalypse. Nope. Just nope.
The setting is odd and difficult to visualize. Is this a small town USA? Or a rural area? Or is it a suburban area. Each of these would face different obstacles based on the population density. Food- water and supplies. Where are the riots and or mass gatherings. Also generally a highschool is the first gathering point for emergency situations. That school would have been flooded with emergency personnel.
Guns. Ok These kids have guns! Effective or ineffective they have guns! Why are they running around with spears! As a secondary weapon absolutely but only using them is nonsense.
Tom, I've read most of your books they generally have a good overall setting and world building. The stories are fun and clever. This is not. Luck on your next book.
August 20, 2021
A good idea not executed well.
So this is your standard system apocalypse book. No new twists, no deviation from standard storylines. This needs good characters, it does not have them. It has flat, generic characters written with the social grace of a fifteen year old. The choices are anticlimactic. The interactions are stilted. The growth and base expansion is boring. All the characters are forgettable and easily interchangeable. There is nothing here for the foundation of a series.
So this is your standard system apocalypse book. No new twists, no deviation from standard storylines. This needs good characters, it does not have them. It has flat, generic characters written with the social grace of a fifteen year old. The choices are anticlimactic. The interactions are stilted. The growth and base expansion is boring. All the characters are forgettable and easily interchangeable. There is nothing here for the foundation of a series.
January 22, 2022
Ugh, another one of these generic gamelit books with moronic characters. I made it 300 pages (50%) deep before finally throwing in the towel.
Character - 3/10, Plot 5/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 5/10, Writing 4/10, Enjoyment 2/10
Have you ever sat and listened to a bunch of 1st graders having a conversation? Evidently, the author did and then modeled his characters after the experience. The characters are all twenty-something, but you wouldn't know it from how they acted or talked. The dialogue is wooden and cringe, with the characters calling each other by name multiple times in the same conversation and basically just stating the obvious. Subtext? Not in this book. Low-IQ characterization is something often mentioned in reviews of this author's other works. Unfortunately, it's still the case here.
The plot is your run-of-the-mill system apocalypse. There is nothing too memorable or too wrong with it. The setting and game mechanics are the same, though just very derivative. The only thing attempting to be different is the idea that magic resembles math equations, but the idiocy of the characters doesn't really let any of this shine.
A person who doesn't know much about basketball wouldn't normally write a story about basketball, so it felt a bit cringe that the MC was supposedly an English minor and even received an English Major and Creative Writer subclass. I can't help but expect that this is a reflection of the author and it makes it that much more awkward that the writing of this story is below average.
Periodically, the typical mistakes you see in gamelit reared their ugly head: missing punctuation, poor subject-verb agreement, and other basic grammar issues. Then on the tactical layer of writing, there was an absence of creative writing technique. There's an example of this even in the opening scene. It's mentioned that Jeff attacks with the party's strongest weapon...and this does nothing for the reader who tries to visualize the scene because the actual weapon (a gladius), isn't mentioned until the following sentence. These are amateur mistakes that may not bother the average litrpg reader much, but if you are an experienced reader, then beware.
My standards are honestly not the highest when I pick up a litrpg book. I mostly look to relax and unwind. The mediocre system apocalypse plot allowed me to go as far as I did into this book before I couldn't take the poor characterization any longer.
Character - 3/10, Plot 5/10, Setting/Game Mechanics - 5/10, Writing 4/10, Enjoyment 2/10
Have you ever sat and listened to a bunch of 1st graders having a conversation? Evidently, the author did and then modeled his characters after the experience. The characters are all twenty-something, but you wouldn't know it from how they acted or talked. The dialogue is wooden and cringe, with the characters calling each other by name multiple times in the same conversation and basically just stating the obvious. Subtext? Not in this book. Low-IQ characterization is something often mentioned in reviews of this author's other works. Unfortunately, it's still the case here.
The plot is your run-of-the-mill system apocalypse. There is nothing too memorable or too wrong with it. The setting and game mechanics are the same, though just very derivative. The only thing attempting to be different is the idea that magic resembles math equations, but the idiocy of the characters doesn't really let any of this shine.
A person who doesn't know much about basketball wouldn't normally write a story about basketball, so it felt a bit cringe that the MC was supposedly an English minor and even received an English Major and Creative Writer subclass. I can't help but expect that this is a reflection of the author and it makes it that much more awkward that the writing of this story is below average.
Periodically, the typical mistakes you see in gamelit reared their ugly head: missing punctuation, poor subject-verb agreement, and other basic grammar issues. Then on the tactical layer of writing, there was an absence of creative writing technique. There's an example of this even in the opening scene. It's mentioned that Jeff attacks with the party's strongest weapon...and this does nothing for the reader who tries to visualize the scene because the actual weapon (a gladius), isn't mentioned until the following sentence. These are amateur mistakes that may not bother the average litrpg reader much, but if you are an experienced reader, then beware.
My standards are honestly not the highest when I pick up a litrpg book. I mostly look to relax and unwind. The mediocre system apocalypse plot allowed me to go as far as I did into this book before I couldn't take the poor characterization any longer.
November 4, 2021
This was a little slow getting into the details and levelling up... but it looks like a promising series.
August 13, 2021
Rating 4.0 stars
Pretty good. Sort of a weaker version of The Shadow Sun series though IMO. It started off kind of weak and then picked up. The MC is the son of a roman historian and has some of those type weapons in his house when the system starts. He is able to upgrade his father pilum which is a roman short spear. Whenever he got into combat the author repeated that word over and over again. It felt a little pretentious to me, I felt at some point he would have just used the generic spear term to describe his weapon. I didn't feel the loss that I felt in the Shadow Sun Series. There wasn't much emotion in the writing and things worked out just a little too easy for the MC and his group for my taste. There was decent amount of action, magic and settlement building. Overall I enjoyed the book because I enjoy the genre but there was nothing new here. Still a good read for someone into this type of book.
Pretty good. Sort of a weaker version of The Shadow Sun series though IMO. It started off kind of weak and then picked up. The MC is the son of a roman historian and has some of those type weapons in his house when the system starts. He is able to upgrade his father pilum which is a roman short spear. Whenever he got into combat the author repeated that word over and over again. It felt a little pretentious to me, I felt at some point he would have just used the generic spear term to describe his weapon. I didn't feel the loss that I felt in the Shadow Sun Series. There wasn't much emotion in the writing and things worked out just a little too easy for the MC and his group for my taste. There was decent amount of action, magic and settlement building. Overall I enjoyed the book because I enjoy the genre but there was nothing new here. Still a good read for someone into this type of book.
March 17, 2023
It’s not that I don’t like video games, or books written to imitate them. It’s not that I have a huge problem with flat characters, although they’re not my favorite. It’s not even that I have a problem with long books — I happen to love long books.
It’s that I have a problem with books where the writing is so bad that I can’t get far enough into the story to find out if the story’s worth it.
Terrible grammatical mistakes, made more ironic by the fact that the main character is an English minor (and we’re reminded of this every five pages). Terrible characters who give us no reason to care about them. Terrible telling-not-showing (it told us EVERYTHING and showed NOTHING).
Sorry. I tried. I really did. I gave up about three times a chapter, but I kept convincing myself that the story and worldbuilding would be worth it. Nope. I got about 10% of the way in before I gave up for real.
It’s that I have a problem with books where the writing is so bad that I can’t get far enough into the story to find out if the story’s worth it.
Terrible grammatical mistakes, made more ironic by the fact that the main character is an English minor (and we’re reminded of this every five pages). Terrible characters who give us no reason to care about them. Terrible telling-not-showing (it told us EVERYTHING and showed NOTHING).
Sorry. I tried. I really did. I gave up about three times a chapter, but I kept convincing myself that the story and worldbuilding would be worth it. Nope. I got about 10% of the way in before I gave up for real.
October 18, 2021
Meh
While the book has potential for the genre, it is extremely childlike in a number of ways. An infantile view of people, social interaction and combat, to be exact. Also, there are disconnects in the story. If food, it’d be a bad gas station burrito.
While the book has potential for the genre, it is extremely childlike in a number of ways. An infantile view of people, social interaction and combat, to be exact. Also, there are disconnects in the story. If food, it’d be a bad gas station burrito.
February 18, 2024
4.5 stars. I am quite encouraged by this the first book in this series. I have read several series recently, and most have focused on more antisocial MCs. Marc has established a team and looks to improve others as well as himself. Writing style flows and isn't bogged down with fights lasting chapters. I am excited to purchase the next book.
October 20, 2025
This is a good base building Litrpg book with simple story.
The main characters are pretty under developed, but ok, there are minimal battles and almost no tension.
If you like base building, development and management then this is the book.
The main characters are pretty under developed, but ok, there are minimal battles and almost no tension.
If you like base building, development and management then this is the book.
May 22, 2022
Very, Very Juvenile
To be fair, I didn't even get half way into the first chapter, due to the writing. It wasn't grammar or spelling or other typical problems of books in this genre. Rather, it was the very juvenile writing.
The book starts with the typical blue screen warning of an impending System incoming, and the resulting change in the laws of physics. So far, so standard.
The MC is not overly startled or concerned with the sudden blue screen filling his vision. In fact, he at first thinks that he's seeing the typical BSOD on his computer. Umm... how often has his computer's BSOD actually filled his entire vision? Mine never has, and I've been using computers since the 1970's! I know that if my vision was completely obscured by a blue screen... I'd likely freak out a little. But not the MC. He acts like it happens twice a week, and three times on Sundays. In fact, he tries to think of who might be doing this to him as a prank. Maybe his friends? Um .. just who are these friends that could have this ability? Does he pal around with Star Trek's Q or something?
There's no way that *anyone* would react like this! Suspension of disbelief is immediately out the window. Unless this book is aimed at elementary school children, I don't see how this pulls anyone in to the story. And almost 5 stars?? Who did the author pay for the awesome reviews?? It makes no sense that these are genuine reviews.
I don't think that I have ever posted a review this harsh. This book is simply unreadable, in my opinion.
To be fair, I didn't even get half way into the first chapter, due to the writing. It wasn't grammar or spelling or other typical problems of books in this genre. Rather, it was the very juvenile writing.
The book starts with the typical blue screen warning of an impending System incoming, and the resulting change in the laws of physics. So far, so standard.
The MC is not overly startled or concerned with the sudden blue screen filling his vision. In fact, he at first thinks that he's seeing the typical BSOD on his computer. Umm... how often has his computer's BSOD actually filled his entire vision? Mine never has, and I've been using computers since the 1970's! I know that if my vision was completely obscured by a blue screen... I'd likely freak out a little. But not the MC. He acts like it happens twice a week, and three times on Sundays. In fact, he tries to think of who might be doing this to him as a prank. Maybe his friends? Um .. just who are these friends that could have this ability? Does he pal around with Star Trek's Q or something?
There's no way that *anyone* would react like this! Suspension of disbelief is immediately out the window. Unless this book is aimed at elementary school children, I don't see how this pulls anyone in to the story. And almost 5 stars?? Who did the author pay for the awesome reviews?? It makes no sense that these are genuine reviews.
I don't think that I have ever posted a review this harsh. This book is simply unreadable, in my opinion.
June 7, 2022
Poorly executed
System Apocalypse happens. Group takes it in stride. Even though planes crashed and people died.
Then the author *insists* on using Proper Terminology for Roman weapons and armor. Which gets a bit tiresome fast.
Then, one member of this small group of ‘friends’ starts keeping secrets. And the MC doesn’t call him on his bullshit.
That’s ignoring the repeated ‘The System had bad grammar’ thing, even though the grammar isn’t really that bad. I mean, translating to English from an *ALIEN* language and it’s still clear enough to understand. The MC is jonesing over petty grammar bullshit when survival is at stake.
Also, other people don’t seem to exist until the plot needs them. But the group doesn’t seem to notice or care.
This is all self-insert, D&D gaming. It’s just ridiculously weak when compared to the tent post System Apocalypse series.
DNF
System Apocalypse happens. Group takes it in stride. Even though planes crashed and people died.
Then the author *insists* on using Proper Terminology for Roman weapons and armor. Which gets a bit tiresome fast.
Then, one member of this small group of ‘friends’ starts keeping secrets. And the MC doesn’t call him on his bullshit.
That’s ignoring the repeated ‘The System had bad grammar’ thing, even though the grammar isn’t really that bad. I mean, translating to English from an *ALIEN* language and it’s still clear enough to understand. The MC is jonesing over petty grammar bullshit when survival is at stake.
Also, other people don’t seem to exist until the plot needs them. But the group doesn’t seem to notice or care.
This is all self-insert, D&D gaming. It’s just ridiculously weak when compared to the tent post System Apocalypse series.
DNF
September 12, 2021
KU Review
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. 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
“This was a fun book. I am glad that I read it. You should try it too.”
I am not going to share my reasoning, thoughts on the book, or any opinions that would influence your decision to read it. I am simply saying that I liked it. I would like you to read it and make your own decision. After all, you are a much better judge of what you will like than anyone here.
I will happily discuss the book with you on Goodreads if you are so inclined. 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
February 21, 2022
*audiobook review*
Hard to finish a cringeworthy story. Characters were stilled with no real personality. The MC (while educated with military background and a gamer) is a total moron. There is nothing worse than a character with all the experience be unintelligent. Especially, when opturnities fall on his lap (this includes romantic situation). This is all disappointing because the author did okay in his other novel (light online). I got the feeling the author was forced to a system apocalypse rather than wanting to write his own thing. Trust me, it is not worth it. Also, to all the people who has been 5 stars...WHY do this? The author shat the bed; don't give him a reason to write horrible stories.
Hard to finish a cringeworthy story. Characters were stilled with no real personality. The MC (while educated with military background and a gamer) is a total moron. There is nothing worse than a character with all the experience be unintelligent. Especially, when opturnities fall on his lap (this includes romantic situation). This is all disappointing because the author did okay in his other novel (light online). I got the feeling the author was forced to a system apocalypse rather than wanting to write his own thing. Trust me, it is not worth it. Also, to all the people who has been 5 stars...WHY do this? The author shat the bed; don't give him a reason to write horrible stories.
October 4, 2021
Book one
Ok so I have apparently read this book before and never left a review. You still won't get one as I've no plans to re-read it and am moving on to book two.
I don't know why I gave it a four star rating the first time I read it. Must have been better than just decent. Enjoy!
8/10
Ok so I have apparently read this book before and never left a review. You still won't get one as I've no plans to re-read it and am moving on to book two.
I don't know why I gave it a four star rating the first time I read it. Must have been better than just decent. Enjoy!
8/10
June 1, 2022
How to Live in a Game World Apocalypse
This was great from the very 1st page. The end is funny and a suprise. The middle is fighting monsters and saving humans. What more does it take to want to read this fun, exciting, loving, intense, satisfying, and adventurous story?
Read in 3 days
This was great from the very 1st page. The end is funny and a suprise. The middle is fighting monsters and saving humans. What more does it take to want to read this fun, exciting, loving, intense, satisfying, and adventurous story?
Read in 3 days
August 17, 2021
English majors for the win?
Correct the systems bad English and win a cool new talent. I have to admit I found this approach unique, interesting, and mildly annoying. I was glad the translation got worked out quickly. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.
Correct the systems bad English and win a cool new talent. I have to admit I found this approach unique, interesting, and mildly annoying. I was glad the translation got worked out quickly. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.
February 13, 2022
Solid entry into the post-apocalypse genre. Even more solid entry into the base-building genre.
August 17, 2021
From the author of Light Online Farmer, we get a new apocalypse novel. It's set in a town in the Midwest I believe, although I don't recall any names being given.
Having been on a LitRPG apocalypse kick while taking a few days off from work to get some writing done, I picked this up.
The book is a tough one to judge. It's almost as much about base building as it is about the apocalypse, and it definitely takes a very light touch when it comes to how gory an apocalypse could be for unaware humans. We see a few deaths, but none of the adventuring teams lose a single person. d
That's pretty amazing. Or again, a very light touch.
Adrian (our MC) tends towards overthinking things, as was the case in the last Alpha Physics book. We spend a lot of time in his head as he thinks things through, and while he's decently proficient with some things, he's oblivious to others.
I'm not going to even mention the awkward relationship with Felicia. These kids might have been in college before the apocalypse happened, but at times they act like they were in high school.
The first half of the book was the best part for me, as a lot of time is spent adventuring and trying to save other people who might be trapped by monsters. In doing so Adrian begins finding monster cores, which fuels the safe zone in the high school that he creates.
From there, his main focus is to expand, expand again, and expand even further. More people join the group, and while they create a few programs to get people acclimated to the system, it's piecemeal. Adrian also picks up a hidden class (I won't spoil what it is), but from this he should be doing a lot more to organize the safe zone than he is.
I get it. He's a college student, and some of them are introverts and shy. The problem is that it becomes awkward for the reader when you can think of a dozen or more areas where he should be doing things that he's ignoring, from taking inventories to creating a second safe zone (they had this opportunity midway through the book with another school, but never even commented on it) to acquiring key assets in the city before the accelerated destruction makes them useless. And a lot more. Your list may differ from mine, but a bigger safe zone doesn't mean a better safe zone necessarily.
In this way it's similar to the Shadow Sun Survival series by Dave Willmarth, and I mean both the good and the bad.
Anyway, enough said. Eventually base building is going to come to a stop due to lack of resources available, and not a single member of the team has thought about what they're going to do then.
I have high hopes for this series, and while it does border on YA, there is just enough meat on the bones for adults to enjoy too.
4/5*
Having been on a LitRPG apocalypse kick while taking a few days off from work to get some writing done, I picked this up.
The book is a tough one to judge. It's almost as much about base building as it is about the apocalypse, and it definitely takes a very light touch when it comes to how gory an apocalypse could be for unaware humans. We see a few deaths, but none of the adventuring teams lose a single person. d
That's pretty amazing. Or again, a very light touch.
Adrian (our MC) tends towards overthinking things, as was the case in the last Alpha Physics book. We spend a lot of time in his head as he thinks things through, and while he's decently proficient with some things, he's oblivious to others.
I'm not going to even mention the awkward relationship with Felicia. These kids might have been in college before the apocalypse happened, but at times they act like they were in high school.
The first half of the book was the best part for me, as a lot of time is spent adventuring and trying to save other people who might be trapped by monsters. In doing so Adrian begins finding monster cores, which fuels the safe zone in the high school that he creates.
From there, his main focus is to expand, expand again, and expand even further. More people join the group, and while they create a few programs to get people acclimated to the system, it's piecemeal. Adrian also picks up a hidden class (I won't spoil what it is), but from this he should be doing a lot more to organize the safe zone than he is.
I get it. He's a college student, and some of them are introverts and shy. The problem is that it becomes awkward for the reader when you can think of a dozen or more areas where he should be doing things that he's ignoring, from taking inventories to creating a second safe zone (they had this opportunity midway through the book with another school, but never even commented on it) to acquiring key assets in the city before the accelerated destruction makes them useless. And a lot more. Your list may differ from mine, but a bigger safe zone doesn't mean a better safe zone necessarily.
In this way it's similar to the Shadow Sun Survival series by Dave Willmarth, and I mean both the good and the bad.
Anyway, enough said. Eventually base building is going to come to a stop due to lack of resources available, and not a single member of the team has thought about what they're going to do then.
I have high hopes for this series, and while it does border on YA, there is just enough meat on the bones for adults to enjoy too.
4/5*
November 6, 2025
I have now read all 8 books in this series and this is more of a series review than a book review.
The series was enjoyable enough that I kept reading it so better than a lot of series yet never great. If you want a relaxing read with a decent mix of action and slice of life this might be for you.
The Good
1 The books are entertaining. The story is good and there is consistent progression.
2 The books are very low stress and relaxing to read which I liked mostly.
3 The characters are likable for the most part and have decent character development
4 It is not stat list heavy. I think there might even be whole books where we are not slammed with a wall of stats which is greatly appreciated when listening to audio book.
5 The MC and his crew are good guys and that is nice. There is one shady member of the party but he is mostly a good guy.
The Bad (/rant)
1 The MC is an idiot. He does things which are very well thought out and make since then he turns around and does stuff that is absolutely stupid. As the trusted party leader he consistently ignores standard party tactics like letting the rogue go 1st to look for traps. The system itself likes to talk to him but every time it does he acts like a spoiled teen listening to his dad tell him something all the while complaining because there is to little info on how the system works. He handles many social situations very poorly even after his social starts are super human because he just doesn't like dealing with people. He consistently does thinks in ways that just don't make since and usually there is a fairly obvious better way to handle it.
2 While many interesting characters are introduced they are almost always abandoned to never be a part of the story again. It makes the book feel off. The MC should be doin things to strengthen these relationships but nah, he don't like people.
3 There is lots of civ development and repeated text on selecting buildings and requirements but it is done in such a way that I have no idea what the town even looks like, feel like, etc. It's really just background noise instead of an integral part.
4 Other than the MC complaining about the citizens of his civ in a general fashion they are pretty much nonexistent. There are only like 7 semi and regularly mentioned non core citizens that get mentioned more than a couple times in all 8 books combined. In a large community with hundreds of people by the end I am pretty sure only 10 or 20 people live there.
5 The story does get bogged down a bit in the Slice of life parts that occasionally seem to have no point.
The series was enjoyable enough that I kept reading it so better than a lot of series yet never great. If you want a relaxing read with a decent mix of action and slice of life this might be for you.
The Good
1 The books are entertaining. The story is good and there is consistent progression.
2 The books are very low stress and relaxing to read which I liked mostly.
3 The characters are likable for the most part and have decent character development
4 It is not stat list heavy. I think there might even be whole books where we are not slammed with a wall of stats which is greatly appreciated when listening to audio book.
5 The MC and his crew are good guys and that is nice. There is one shady member of the party but he is mostly a good guy.
The Bad (/rant)
1 The MC is an idiot. He does things which are very well thought out and make since then he turns around and does stuff that is absolutely stupid. As the trusted party leader he consistently ignores standard party tactics like letting the rogue go 1st to look for traps. The system itself likes to talk to him but every time it does he acts like a spoiled teen listening to his dad tell him something all the while complaining because there is to little info on how the system works. He handles many social situations very poorly even after his social starts are super human because he just doesn't like dealing with people. He consistently does thinks in ways that just don't make since and usually there is a fairly obvious better way to handle it.
2 While many interesting characters are introduced they are almost always abandoned to never be a part of the story again. It makes the book feel off. The MC should be doin things to strengthen these relationships but nah, he don't like people.
3 There is lots of civ development and repeated text on selecting buildings and requirements but it is done in such a way that I have no idea what the town even looks like, feel like, etc. It's really just background noise instead of an integral part.
4 Other than the MC complaining about the citizens of his civ in a general fashion they are pretty much nonexistent. There are only like 7 semi and regularly mentioned non core citizens that get mentioned more than a couple times in all 8 books combined. In a large community with hundreds of people by the end I am pretty sure only 10 or 20 people live there.
5 The story does get bogged down a bit in the Slice of life parts that occasionally seem to have no point.
July 6, 2022
This first volume of the Natural Laws Apocalypse is well organized, thought out and written. It is like watching a live stream pro team on Twitch. Not much excitement, or breaks (changes in the action level), it´s like a team of sentient-zombies would be the main characters and then they would just repeat and repeat their actions from their previous days (in other words, it tends to be boring).
Some things that are positive are that there is no profanity, no sexual assaults or themes that completely turn everything into a living hell (dystopia). Main character and retinue are organized, methodical and fair. If a person or group of people to do not carry their own weight, or endanger the group, they are removed from the safe zone. Main character, Marc, is college age, above average intelligence and with a better game knowledge than most.
Some of the questions that go unanswered, are the big why-es? Why the apocalypse, why did the people that created this "apocalypse" create a "game like world"? Why is this novel series so localized (centered around a very small town) so no news or information about the rest of the world, to get more of a World Apocalypse feel. Why were fantasy monsters used and not like a zombie-apocalypse instead?
I feel everything comes way to easy for the main characters, there is barely anything that they cannot do. Problems like dehydration, food supplies, healing trauma or sickness from lack of proper hospitals or doctors, etc. are solved by the system and the safe zone store without a second thought. So no major conflicts or duress.
The first volume is close to 600+ pages long, with 34 chapters (an average of almost 20 pages a chapter which tends to mean that the "safe zone" development is good and that the author deepens the personalities of the characters (their emotions and reasoning). Although the names of the characters and their abilities (profession or job in the system) is about what the author writes about each character. Marc is having a relationship with Felicia, they don't really talk, hardly ever spend time together, etc.
This story is straightforward, but needs a lot more polish and details. This series has 4 volumes so far. The fourth volume, was published on April of 2022, so probably it is an on-going series.
Some things that are positive are that there is no profanity, no sexual assaults or themes that completely turn everything into a living hell (dystopia). Main character and retinue are organized, methodical and fair. If a person or group of people to do not carry their own weight, or endanger the group, they are removed from the safe zone. Main character, Marc, is college age, above average intelligence and with a better game knowledge than most.
Some of the questions that go unanswered, are the big why-es? Why the apocalypse, why did the people that created this "apocalypse" create a "game like world"? Why is this novel series so localized (centered around a very small town) so no news or information about the rest of the world, to get more of a World Apocalypse feel. Why were fantasy monsters used and not like a zombie-apocalypse instead?
I feel everything comes way to easy for the main characters, there is barely anything that they cannot do. Problems like dehydration, food supplies, healing trauma or sickness from lack of proper hospitals or doctors, etc. are solved by the system and the safe zone store without a second thought. So no major conflicts or duress.
The first volume is close to 600+ pages long, with 34 chapters (an average of almost 20 pages a chapter which tends to mean that the "safe zone" development is good and that the author deepens the personalities of the characters (their emotions and reasoning). Although the names of the characters and their abilities (profession or job in the system) is about what the author writes about each character. Marc is having a relationship with Felicia, they don't really talk, hardly ever spend time together, etc.
This story is straightforward, but needs a lot more polish and details. This series has 4 volumes so far. The fourth volume, was published on April of 2022, so probably it is an on-going series.
April 18, 2025
I kept hoping that this series would improve at some point, but I had to bow out around 1/3 of the way into book 2. It's vapid slop, but I guess it's marginally better than this author's other series (Light Online) based on the sole fact that the MC isn't quite as cringeworthy in this one.
To start off, there is no plot in this book. Full stop. There is no build-up. There is no climax. There is no character growth. It's episodic fluff that doesn't even manage to make the characters have interesting personalities or develop any kind of compelling sub-plots at any point. Instead, the 'plot' is entirely replaced by lukewarm progression in the system, which is just your typical run-of-the-mill terrible litrpg mmo clone that no one would play in real life.
Somehow the main character and his party of adventurers remain the top dogs throughout the book despite spending half of their time sitting around in a safe zone. The other half of the time they piddle around fighting some monsters in fight scenes that are yawn-inducing at best. There's no reason to pay attention to the plethora of minor details that get thrown at you during these fights, because none of them matter.
The 'romance' is basically doormat guy has a crush on his cookie cutter girl next door lady friend, and she tells him what to do all of the time. And somehow likes him, too, I guess. Anyway, they get together almost immediately with zero character development in an "I guess we're together now!" sequence of events.
The dialogue is also garbage, which is especially not good because the main character is -never- alone. He does everything in a group with his party.
If all of that isn't bad enough, the main character also can't ever make any decisions on his own without consulting his party-mates. He's like the ultimate doormat hero who just does whatever people tell him to do.
...there's a lot more that sucked and bothered me about this series, but I've already given it more time than it deserves. 0/10 would not recommend unless you enjoy losing brain cells.
To start off, there is no plot in this book. Full stop. There is no build-up. There is no climax. There is no character growth. It's episodic fluff that doesn't even manage to make the characters have interesting personalities or develop any kind of compelling sub-plots at any point. Instead, the 'plot' is entirely replaced by lukewarm progression in the system, which is just your typical run-of-the-mill terrible litrpg mmo clone that no one would play in real life.
Somehow the main character and his party of adventurers remain the top dogs throughout the book despite spending half of their time sitting around in a safe zone. The other half of the time they piddle around fighting some monsters in fight scenes that are yawn-inducing at best. There's no reason to pay attention to the plethora of minor details that get thrown at you during these fights, because none of them matter.
The 'romance' is basically doormat guy has a crush on his cookie cutter girl next door lady friend, and she tells him what to do all of the time. And somehow likes him, too, I guess. Anyway, they get together almost immediately with zero character development in an "I guess we're together now!" sequence of events.
The dialogue is also garbage, which is especially not good because the main character is -never- alone. He does everything in a group with his party.
If all of that isn't bad enough, the main character also can't ever make any decisions on his own without consulting his party-mates. He's like the ultimate doormat hero who just does whatever people tell him to do.
...there's a lot more that sucked and bothered me about this series, but I've already given it more time than it deserves. 0/10 would not recommend unless you enjoy losing brain cells.
October 9, 2021
It's fun, but it's fluff.
I enjoyed the book and completed it in one sitting (not terribly unusual on a day off). However, now, five weeks past when I read it, I couldn't really point out anything that particularly stood out as being great. That is, good ... but nothing special.
The main character gets a few interesting abilities, but he really doesn't seem suited for the leadership role that he finds himself in. Of course, the girl-slash-love-interest becomes the healer (though she does at least buck a few tropes by being able to hold her own in combat, mostly because she ain't afraid to use a gun).
Sadly, the character with the most personality is a bit character, the little girl the MC hires to run messages around his new base. Amy's great, but she only seems to shine a light on how bland Marcus, Felicia, Rob (or is it Ron? There's two main supporting characters with a name one letter apart. Bad planning on the author's part!), and Jeff really are. Boring off-tank, boring tank, boring thief, boring healer.
I really don't understand what prompted the "secret class" of English Major. The system's "Engrish" wasn't really that bad, certainly not enough for all but the most nitpicky to complain about ... and Marcus really didn't have the time to complain about minor grammatical faults in system messages when they're technically fighting for their survival. Perhaps an editor fixed too many intentionally written errors in sections that needed to have the errors left in?
The combat seemed well-written but not especially memorable (book two does a better job with that). The base building was ... present ... and seemed to almost be a token attempt to justify a keyword. Yeah, the collected resources and expanded the base, but beyond the initial improvements to the main building, none of the expansions really came into focus at all.
I enjoyed the book and completed it in one sitting (not terribly unusual on a day off). However, now, five weeks past when I read it, I couldn't really point out anything that particularly stood out as being great. That is, good ... but nothing special.
The main character gets a few interesting abilities, but he really doesn't seem suited for the leadership role that he finds himself in. Of course, the girl-slash-love-interest becomes the healer (though she does at least buck a few tropes by being able to hold her own in combat, mostly because she ain't afraid to use a gun).
Sadly, the character with the most personality is a bit character, the little girl the MC hires to run messages around his new base. Amy's great, but she only seems to shine a light on how bland Marcus, Felicia, Rob (or is it Ron? There's two main supporting characters with a name one letter apart. Bad planning on the author's part!), and Jeff really are. Boring off-tank, boring tank, boring thief, boring healer.
I really don't understand what prompted the "secret class" of English Major. The system's "Engrish" wasn't really that bad, certainly not enough for all but the most nitpicky to complain about ... and Marcus really didn't have the time to complain about minor grammatical faults in system messages when they're technically fighting for their survival. Perhaps an editor fixed too many intentionally written errors in sections that needed to have the errors left in?
The combat seemed well-written but not especially memorable (book two does a better job with that). The base building was ... present ... and seemed to almost be a token attempt to justify a keyword. Yeah, the collected resources and expanded the base, but beyond the initial improvements to the main building, none of the expansions really came into focus at all.
October 22, 2021
Potential, but very shakey
The first half of this book drew me in, despite some annoying flaws.
Really interested in the idea of the intent based system, that kind of helps you but is super vague at the same time. Also really enjoy the idea behind some of the MCs class abilities and experiments with magic.
There are some interesting and really weird style choices though. Excessive use and odd placement of the word "also" in sentences. I know that sounds silly but trust me it is extremely noticeable. The characters voices get jumbled because of other choices like this, to the point they mostly end up sounding like the same person later in the book. There are a few exceptions but not many. On top of that, the dialogue is generally stillted and doesn't read realistically for a group of 20 somethings in the main group, or the rest of the cast, and suffers from conversations being repeated between several groups. This is really a shame as it tends to happen at points where , as the reader, you'd want and expect the pace to pick up or keep going but instead gets bogged down with characters repeating things.
The irony is, the author gave the MC a pet peeve against the System for its weird/incorrect grammar and syntax and even based part of their abilities on that... then made a bunch of weird grammar and syntax choices.
Second half of the book really gets mired in base building and the pace drops almost to a stand still. Most annoying part is, once again, a lot of it repeats the same info for incremental base upgrades and feels like it could have been summarised in favour of character arcs.
All that said, I am enjoying the story that is there behind the flaws, and hope the author works these things out in the next book.
The first half of this book drew me in, despite some annoying flaws.
Really interested in the idea of the intent based system, that kind of helps you but is super vague at the same time. Also really enjoy the idea behind some of the MCs class abilities and experiments with magic.
There are some interesting and really weird style choices though. Excessive use and odd placement of the word "also" in sentences. I know that sounds silly but trust me it is extremely noticeable. The characters voices get jumbled because of other choices like this, to the point they mostly end up sounding like the same person later in the book. There are a few exceptions but not many. On top of that, the dialogue is generally stillted and doesn't read realistically for a group of 20 somethings in the main group, or the rest of the cast, and suffers from conversations being repeated between several groups. This is really a shame as it tends to happen at points where , as the reader, you'd want and expect the pace to pick up or keep going but instead gets bogged down with characters repeating things.
The irony is, the author gave the MC a pet peeve against the System for its weird/incorrect grammar and syntax and even based part of their abilities on that... then made a bunch of weird grammar and syntax choices.
Second half of the book really gets mired in base building and the pace drops almost to a stand still. Most annoying part is, once again, a lot of it repeats the same info for incremental base upgrades and feels like it could have been summarised in favour of character arcs.
All that said, I am enjoying the story that is there behind the flaws, and hope the author works these things out in the next book.
September 16, 2021
I was a bit disappointed with this book. There is very little world building done outside the safe zone requirements. We have no idea where this book is taking place, and don't even get much description of what the characters even look like. Just a bunch of names. Furthermore, the fact that they have access to the internet still at the very beginning, and there is a brief note that the governments restricted travel then nothing. Even if the internet goes down quickly because of the computers and such being too complicated a machine and deteriorating quickly, the lack of certain things doesn't make sense. For example, if everyone in the world saw the screen that killed so many in the first couple pages, then why wasn't it all over the news and internet before things started deteriorating? And people seeing the screen while driving or doing something risky doesn't explain why there are so few survivors. Particularly families. If the town is big enough to have a separate middle and high school, there should be a lot more families. Even with monsters attacking some. Basically, there is potential here, and I enjoyed the ending. But there is a lot missing here that just didn't add up, so the next book either needs to provide a lot of answers, or this book needs a revision.
December 25, 2023
Complete lack of storytelling, dialogue is juvenile, characters are one dimensional, MC's significant other is just a demanding person bringing nothing to the relationship table while expecting to influence or contol every aspect of MC's life while making no commitments or contributions of their own. Suspense of disbelief in this book relies on you to have gradeschool level reasoning and life experience. Seriously expected to believe that some college student is being exclusively relied upon by the [system], which contols all aspects of reality and has been around since the beginning of time, for grammar checking the prompts and help files if the system. +1 star for not being a thinly veiled harem/wish fulfillment fantasy. Minus the rest of the stars for the aformentioned reasons and portraying every female as infallible while every male is untrustworthy and/or generally incompetent at everything. System rules appear inconsistent from chapter to chapter like its just a plot device when its convenient to spend a few extra pages explaining why the obviously irrational actions were the only way to accomplish whatever the new goal of the moment is (usually expanding an already indefensible 'safe zone'). I cannot recommend this book at all.
October 16, 2023
All chew, no flavor
To be fair, I enjoyed this book. It was straightforward and realistic. Well, as realistic as could be for a sci-fi LitRPG type book.
But it left out so much. There were things gamers would expect, such as NPC's and quests that were not even hinted at. Since the entire conflict of the book centered around creating a Safe Zone the lack of guilds was a huge hole.
Speaking of conflict, there was none. A lack of materials? Bah. And anyone who actually questioned or stood up to Marc he either killed them or banished them.
There was also a serious lack of character development. Usually all they were was a name and a skill. Often they were nameless.
One final thing bothered me. Normally I try to ignore typos and grammar errors. Goodness news I'm guilty of more than my fair share of boo-boos.
But when an author makes the protaganist a grammar Nazi who earns a "Secret Class" thanks to trolling the System help files he had better be exceptionally careful of mistakes.
Will I read the second book in the series? Yes. It was fun and I think the series will pick up.
Read every day and read often!
To be fair, I enjoyed this book. It was straightforward and realistic. Well, as realistic as could be for a sci-fi LitRPG type book.
But it left out so much. There were things gamers would expect, such as NPC's and quests that were not even hinted at. Since the entire conflict of the book centered around creating a Safe Zone the lack of guilds was a huge hole.
Speaking of conflict, there was none. A lack of materials? Bah. And anyone who actually questioned or stood up to Marc he either killed them or banished them.
There was also a serious lack of character development. Usually all they were was a name and a skill. Often they were nameless.
One final thing bothered me. Normally I try to ignore typos and grammar errors. Goodness news I'm guilty of more than my fair share of boo-boos.
But when an author makes the protaganist a grammar Nazi who earns a "Secret Class" thanks to trolling the System help files he had better be exceptionally careful of mistakes.
Will I read the second book in the series? Yes. It was fun and I think the series will pick up.
Read every day and read often!
March 19, 2025
This is a pretty solid litrpg (not sure if that's the right word) story. My main problem with the story is that there's almost zero character descriptions. I have no clue exactly how old the main guy, Marc, is - what color his hair or eyes are, how tall he is or what his body type may be. And that goes for every other character in the book, so I don't feel very connected to any of them. I do know that Marc and the three people who make up his group are college age. He was pursuing a major in math and a minor in English and Jeff was going for an Engineering degree, but I have absolutely no idea what Rob or Felicia were doing or really anything about any of them personality wise - except that Marc has problems relating to people on a social level and Jeff is massively annoying.
All of that makes it sound like I can't stand the book, but that isn't the case, it's just that I usually like to be more emotionally invested in a story than this one allows for. It's a solid story and watching the progression of them building a safe zone and themselves up is pretty satisfying, so I'm going to at least read the next in the series.
All of that makes it sound like I can't stand the book, but that isn't the case, it's just that I usually like to be more emotionally invested in a story than this one allows for. It's a solid story and watching the progression of them building a safe zone and themselves up is pretty satisfying, so I'm going to at least read the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 214 reviews