Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I wasn't sure I was going to get into this but ended up liking it a lot more than expected! I was a little thrown off as I've never been the type of person into video games so a book set in a video game-ish world is new to me, but I enjoyed listening to this. The writing was decent and the narrator did fine. I'd read more of this in the future.

My kid loved it, I was less impressed. The main character is meant to be a man in his 40s transported back through time to occupy his younger self's body, but he doesn't act like a 40yo. He's just a 20yo with knowledge of the future. The story is fine, but the storytelling is odd and the first person POV bounces around randomly between characters and often ignores the fact that the lead character can't have known things since he wasn't there. I won't be reading the rest of the series

I've read a few LitRPGs in the past and I have to admit, that anime-esque cover on the audiobook was the biggest reason why I started listening to System Fall. While it was a fun story for the most part with interesting characters, world, and set up, a few smaller things bothered me throughout the story. I enjoyed the premise of our protagonist, Nick Vandal, going through the world over again, sharing his insights of the game as the readers experience it for the first time. The mechanics were clearly explained and the first half went at a nice pace. Nick's quest to become a god in order to defeat the evil Admin was clear and I was interested in his motives in his quest. The other characters were interesting, despite many of them only being around for short spurts of time. This world was developed well, built in from the remains of the old world to get a MMO RPG feel to everything, and while not everything made sense right now, I'm sure it will be explained down the line. I do think some of the items could have been more clearly explained. The pacing started to slow in the second half though, and it started to feel a bit sluggish, like it was just all the introductory setup for an extended series and I'm concerned how many books this might go for. There was also a few chapters that went into third person suddenly that threw me for a loop. But overall, I am intrigued to see where this story winds up going.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This book gave me Sword Art online and squid game vibes, and follows the main character who goes thru the game befriending other player to further the progress in the game while helping others stay alive. Learning and having to accumulate skills from the start whether it’s cooking, fighting or medical . Learning how to start over from a post apocalyptic world, and no laws or rules , though there are one safe zones were people can eat their fill but if they are gluttonous or start fights then the safe zone disappears.

I’m giving this 5 stars because I was thoroughly entertained. This is a LitRPG story (I Gad to look up what that meant). I don’t think I’m the demographic they are targeting. If you’re into gaming and leveling up you will love following Nick on his quest to survive people and monsters trying to kill him. He can wield a sword and is a death machine himself. The final chapters he meets his nemesis Lidia. She’s a bad person. They are in an epic battle and then… the cliff hanger. We have to wait for Vol 2. I’m 61 years and shouldn’t get into LitRPG but I did. I think the narrator Pete Cross made it enjoyable for me. I highly recommend if you love Sci-Fi and Fantasy. This is my first Kaz Hunter book and I need vol 2 to know what happens.

I want to thank Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review

This is a fun, action packed adventure. If you have ever played any sort of MMO or if you have ever read Ready Player One I think you’ll love this book. My one complaint that isn’t really a complaint is that it does explain a lot of the mechanics of what “in-game” items are and how they work. I understand the need to explain for those who aren’t used to this type of media but for someone versed in gaming it can get a bit tedious. Overall, a good book that will keep you entertained!!