
The System Apocalypse Short Story Anthology, Volume 1
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About this listen
A bounty hunting survivor. A Galactic dark elf. A woman who has given up her humanity to become something more.
These stories and more are available in the first short story anthology for the System Apocalypse, covering year one on Earth. When the world ends, humanity steps up, finding new ways to survive in a world with classes, magic, and monsters. The anthology features exciting, new stories by five new writers and a new, never publicly released short story by Tao Wong.
The System Apocalypse world was first introduced in 'Life in the North' and is a LitRPG science fiction and fantasy post-apocalyptic work that features monsters, science fiction technology, character sheets, supernatural races and ancient myths in one heady, LitRPG brew
Stories and writers featured in this anthology include:
Craig Hamilton - "Hunting Monsters" has our protagonist doing what he does best. Finding those who would exploit the System and the people within. Except this time, there are even more complications than normal.
Alexis Keane - "Tooth and Claw" is a heart-warming tale of friendship that knows no bounds of race or distance.
Ix Phoen - "Rebel Within" tells a tale of hardship in South America, where the monsters are not always the ones outside the walls.
Tao Wong - “Debts & Dances” covers the arrival of the System from the perspective of our favorite Truinnar Lord.
R.K. Billiau - “Phoenix Rising” covers an unconventional hero, one whose mind is slipping from him before the apocalypse. Will the apocalypse be his salvation? Or doom?
L.A. Batt - “Overture to Obliteration” brings us to far-off New Zealand to glimpse the wreckage the System has wrought.
©2019 Tao Wong (P)2020 Tao WongListeners also enjoyed...
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When John sets out for a weekend camping trip in the Yukon, he never could have imagined the world would be plunged into chaos by the System–a mystical energy wave that destroys electronics and grants game-like powers to humanity. Suddenly, animals are evolving, monsters are spawning, and John finds himself equipped with a character sheet and incredible, physics-defying skills.
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Great Book! Negative reviews are misleading!
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After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.... Fate, however, had another plan. On his 18th birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is "The Fool". Worst of the marks.
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Finally a Mc that’s not dumb or overpowered
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Life in the North
- An Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse, Book 1)
- By: Tao Wong
- Narrated by: Nick Podehl
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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When John sets out for a weekend camping trip in the Yukon, he never could have imagined the world would be plunged into chaos by the System–a mystical energy wave that destroys electronics and grants game-like powers to humanity. Suddenly, animals are evolving, monsters are spawning, and John finds himself equipped with a character sheet and incredible, physics-defying skills.
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Great Book! Negative reviews are misleading!
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By: Tao Wong
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Defiance of the Fall
- A LitRPG Adventure
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- Narrated by: Pavi Proczko
- Length: 23 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Zac was alone in the middle of the forest when the world changed... The whole planet was introduced to the multiverse by an unfeeling System... or God. A universe where an endless number of races and civilizations fought for power and dominion. Zac finds himself stuck in the wilderness surrounded by deadly beasts, demons, and worse. Alone, lost and without answers, he must find the means to survive and get stronger in this new cut-throat reality.
-
-
Stick with it, you won’t be disappointed
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By: TheFirstDefier, and others
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The Primal Hunter
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- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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It was a day like any other when suddenly the world changed. The universe reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A place where power is the only thing anyone can truly rely on.
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Don't listen to the other reviews
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By: Zogarth
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The System Apocalypse: Australia Books 1-3
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- Length: 37 hrs and 56 mins
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Overall
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No more cute koala bears, bouncy kangaroos, or fuzzy wallabies. Now, everything is mutated and aggressive? Who made the spiders so big? The world's most dangerous continent just got a lot more dangerous, and no one, not even the alien Galactics who arrive, are ready for it.
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Great series, pulled down by dumb main character
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By: Tao Wong, and others
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The System Apocalypse Relentless Books 1-3
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- By: Tao Wong, Craig Hamilton
- Narrated by: Shamaan Casey
- Length: 46 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Hal Mason's still going to find surviving the System Apocalypse challenging. While bringing in his latest fugitive, Hal's payday is interrupted by the translucent blue boxes that herald Earth's introduction to the System - a galaxy spanning wave of structured mystical energy that destroys all electronics and bestows game-like abilities upon mankind. With society breaking down and mutating wildlife rampaging through the city of Pittsburgh, those who remain will sacrifice anything for a chance at earning their next Level.
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Bringing Infrastructure to a new Earth
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By: Tao Wong, and others
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Mark of the Fool
- A Progression Fantasy Epic
- By: J.M. Clarke
- Narrated by: Travis Baldree
- Length: 19 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry.... Fate, however, had another plan. On his 18th birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is "The Fool". Worst of the marks.
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Finally a Mc that’s not dumb or overpowered
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Great!
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Felix's life on Earth had become a series of dead-end jobs, ruined relationships, and rotating apartments smaller than most postage stamps. By all accounts, even his own, he was a coward. Too afraid to move forward, to take risks. Yet when given the chance to choose between risking his life or walking away from a deadly encounter, he didn't hesitate. Moments before his untimely demise, Felix was snatched from earth and thrust into a magical world known only as "The Continent". Empowered by the "System", he learns that he can strengthen himself through combat and dedication.
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I don't think my words can do this justice
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Ritualist
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Ritual is necessary for us to know anything
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Matt plans to delve the rifts responsible for the monsters that destroyed his city and murdered his parents. But his dreams are crushed when his Tier 1 Talent is rated as detrimental and no guild or group will take him. Working at a nearby inn, he meets a mysterious and powerful couple. They give him a chance to join the Path of Ascension, an empire-wide race to ascend the Tiers and become living legends. With their recommendation and a stolen Skill, Matt begins his journey to the peak of power. Maybe then, he can get vengeance he seeks.
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New Pet Peeve in an otherwise good story & listen
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Super Sales on Super Heroes
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In a world full of super powers, Felix has a pretty crappy one. He has the ability to modify any item he owns. To upgrade anything. Sounds great on paper. Almost like a video game. Except that the amount of power it takes to actually change, modify, or upgrade anything worthwhile is beyond his abilities. With that in mind, Felix settled into a normal life. A normal job. His entire world changes when the city he lives in is taken over by a super villain. Becoming a country of one city. A city state.
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Awkward. Painful. A choir.
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Hate your job. Win the lottery. Get a superpower. Roman Martin is a normal guy until he happens upon a winning lottery ticket that grants him an incredible superpower. Unfortunately, Roman has to keep his new power a secret, and in a society that separates superpowereds from half-powereds, that's a big deal. There's also his troubled past, a dark secret that constantly looms over him, his coworker's mysterious death, and the fact that Roman is being blackmailed by two beautiful female spies at war with one another.
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Not great but certainly better than average
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Something
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Luke is an apprentice leather worker, training with his family to one day take over the business. He and his friends Andre, Taylor, and Zed have known each other forever, and swear that nothing will ever tear apart their friendship. Then the Royal Decree comes. With the Dynasty of Dogs invading, and strange monsters appearing in the Hollow Kingdom, a draft has been implemented. Everyone 17 or older is required to be tested for "Potential". If they have it, they will join the mysterious and renowned Ascender Corps. If not, they will be drafted into the Legion as a forced recruit.
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Ridiculous
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Human Insanity
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Story
Rob didn't think of himself as anyone special, but when a pitch-black portal tried to wrap his best friend in chains, he stepped up without thinking and found himself ensnared instead. His moment of heroism results in being torn away from everyone he knew and loved, kidnapped by an unknown force that leaves him with a note in his pocket stating: "Good luck." After being thrown into the wilderness of Elatra, a hostile fantasy world ruled by levels, stats, progression, and bizarre video game logic, he finds himself entirely out of his depth.
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if blood is your drug then everyone's a juice box
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BuyMort: Grand Opening: How I Became the Accidental Warlord of Arizona
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- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
After the arrival of the multiversal monopoly BuyMort, life got brutal. All systems were through BuyMort. All currency was through BuyMort. All sales were through BuyMort. You could resist, you could compete, but it didn’t really matter because in the end you used BuyMort—or you perished. BuyMort be praised. But not everyone’s happy with the new system. Some, even, want to see it destroyed. It’s quick. It’s convenient. And it will help people kill you and your family as readily as it will help them sell you knickknacks for a quick mortie.
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Funny
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What listeners say about The System Apocalypse Short Story Anthology, Volume 1
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Eric Lambert
- 02-16-21
Decent stories with some major flaws.
Most of the stories were decent, but a few very obviously demonstrated that the authors weren't paying attention in the main storyline.
One had a basic class quickly killing a creature with over 70,000 HP. John Lee struggles to do so as a high level Master class.
Another's whole story is around a guy with alzheimer's. Which doesn't make any sense, since the system automatically cures all non-system generated diseases and injuries upon integration. Another story even had some get cured of alzheimer's.
If these stories weren't tied to the System Apocalypse series, they'd be good. But as it is, its like watching a director butcher a novel's concepts because he thinks he can do it better.
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- Nighteyes
- 09-26-20
not bad
wonderful world building!
most of the characters are fun, all are interesting...
the stories and narration are of varying quality, but they are never bad...
if you enjoy the universe, you will enjoy this book...
if you just want the overpowered main character, this might not be for you...
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- Nuri Nelson
- 04-17-20
Sad I slept on it
NGL, not typically a fan of anthologies but this one is pretty epic. it honestly lends a much needed bit of depth to the world that isn't available in the normal series.
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- Eric
- 02-13-22
Pleasant
This book is a collection of stories that I believe listeners will enjoy hearing—all in all, well worth the credit.
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- Jose J. Juarez
- 06-08-22
A High Fantasy/Sci-fi Experience
This anthology does not disappoint. Each one develops their characters and takes the listener on a journey through the System universe.
Besides having a cool RPG gaming theme, the vignettes are carefully crafted to explore the human (and canine) condition.
Pro tip: if you’re a dog lover, the second story will make your heart leap.
Can’t wait for the next volume.
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- James Williams
- 06-27-23
Not Good!
Gave it 2 stars primarily for the companion Dog story. All the other stories were lame! Two were absolute trash.
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- AdvantageofGoats
- 03-20-20
Love this setting, and this does not disappoint!
This series is a great one, and one of the pillars of the LitRPG genre. This set of short stories does not disappoint either!
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- jeffreygill24
- 04-22-20
A Good listen
I really enjoyed the look at system apocalypse universe through a new perspective. I thought many of the stories were a unique take on some old ideas
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- Kindle Customer Char
- 04-30-20
I really enjoyed this book!
I really enjoyed the different stories and how they looked at this world in different ways. All the stories were good. If you are looking for a new book, great series! You should try them out!
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- Nathan P
- 09-03-20
Excellent short stories
All of the stories are great and two did a great job editing and going between them. They all feel like they truly belong in universe and don’t read at all like cheap lazy fan fic. Well done to all of the authors
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