What do you think?
Rate this book
Dawn of the Void #1
Dawn of the Void Book One
Tragedy had reduced James to a nobody. Washed up and homeless in NYC, he thought his life was over.
Then a message appeared in his vision:
60,000 year countdown has ended
Nemesis 1 released
Please acknowledge
As the world falls apart, as billions die, as society collapses and all hope seems lost, James discovers a powerful truth: he was wrong to think himself a nobody. Summoning every ounce of grit and determination, he'll help forge a resistance that will defy humanity's near omnipotent enemy by taking the fight from the streets of NYC to the stars themselves.
And with the dawn of the Void, he'll become the most important person to have ever lived.
Then a message appeared in his vision:
60,000 year countdown has ended
Nemesis 1 released
Please acknowledge
As the world falls apart, as billions die, as society collapses and all hope seems lost, James discovers a powerful truth: he was wrong to think himself a nobody. Summoning every ounce of grit and determination, he'll help forge a resistance that will defy humanity's near omnipotent enemy by taking the fight from the streets of NYC to the stars themselves.
And with the dawn of the Void, he'll become the most important person to have ever lived.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2023
1377 people are currently reading
1368 people want to read
About the author
Phil Tucker
46 books1,236 followersThanks for visiting my page! I'm Phil Tucker, a Brazilian/Brit who currently resides in Asheville, NC, where I resist the siren call of the forests and mountains to sit inside and hammer away on my laptop.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
September 13, 2023
This is a System Apocalypse with a lot of unique features. The best of these is our hero, James. James has been homeless for the last seven years and that past is stunningly well-characterized. Faced with a demon coming to eat his face, he steps up briefly to take it out. Him and all those in the "First Wave". And thus begins the questions. How many waves? Do they grow? Who will be tapped and why? And, as always, what is this system with stats and abilities and promises of growth through killing things?
I was immersed in this nearly immediately as James does his best to find answers. And I'm relieved that I found that, while this has dark elements and many people dying to this apocalypse, I found this to take those elements seriously, even while avoiding the drop into grimdark. People respond with the greed and grace that people do and I was engaged with this wholly.
Some of people stepping up is enabled by the magical ability "arete". In this system, that ability measures your connectedness to, well, yourself more-or-less. James, experimenting with the thing he least understood, discovers that arete, in addition to fueling anti-demon auras, helps give perspective on your motivations and prevents the self-deceptions humanity is prone to with the help of our egos. Which means that James processes his past during this story in ways he couldn't while still deeply embedded in his head. This could easily have been facile or surface, but Tucker is an outstanding author and I think he managed to pull off a deep (and satisfying) character study with both James and his kinda gal-pal Serenity.
Add action with a spanking pace, government entities that behaved how you'd expect (with both folly and flashes of brilliance), a system that held together for the most part, and nerd power harnessed for butt-kicking goodness and you have a story I thoroughly enjoyed. It's probably not perfect (the number of demons seems way high given that each initially represents a human death), but I didn't find any serious faults, so I'm giving it all five stars.
A note about Chaste: James is deeply hung up on his dead wife and uninterested in sexual relationships in general. Add that an apocalypse isn't a time for shenanigans and there's no sex in this story. His relationship with Serenity may develop in that direction in future, and I'd totally be down with that, but so far, the story is pretty chaste.
I was immersed in this nearly immediately as James does his best to find answers. And I'm relieved that I found that, while this has dark elements and many people dying to this apocalypse, I found this to take those elements seriously, even while avoiding the drop into grimdark. People respond with the greed and grace that people do and I was engaged with this wholly.
Some of people stepping up is enabled by the magical ability "arete". In this system, that ability measures your connectedness to, well, yourself more-or-less. James, experimenting with the thing he least understood, discovers that arete, in addition to fueling anti-demon auras, helps give perspective on your motivations and prevents the self-deceptions humanity is prone to with the help of our egos. Which means that James processes his past during this story in ways he couldn't while still deeply embedded in his head. This could easily have been facile or surface, but Tucker is an outstanding author and I think he managed to pull off a deep (and satisfying) character study with both James and his kinda gal-pal Serenity.
Add action with a spanking pace, government entities that behaved how you'd expect (with both folly and flashes of brilliance), a system that held together for the most part, and nerd power harnessed for butt-kicking goodness and you have a story I thoroughly enjoyed. It's probably not perfect (the number of demons seems way high given that each initially represents a human death), but I didn't find any serious faults, so I'm giving it all five stars.
A note about Chaste: James is deeply hung up on his dead wife and uninterested in sexual relationships in general. Add that an apocalypse isn't a time for shenanigans and there's no sex in this story. His relationship with Serenity may develop in that direction in future, and I'd totally be down with that, but so far, the story is pretty chaste.
July 27, 2025
After his awesome and superb Immortal Great Souls trilogy, Phil Tucker has cemented himself among my favorite LitRPG/ Progression Fantasy authors.
This series is certainly among of the best I've ever read within it's subgenre or the even the best I dare say. I'm tempted to immediately go bezerker on the rest of his complete bibliography instantly (and I just might).
More thoughts to follow but still...highly recommended.
This series is certainly among of the best I've ever read within it's subgenre or the even the best I dare say. I'm tempted to immediately go bezerker on the rest of his complete bibliography instantly (and I just might).
More thoughts to follow but still...highly recommended.
February 3, 2023
4.5/5
Dawn of the Void excels at the litRPG world with a visceral portrayal of an Apocalypse
I have already read about 150 chapters of Dawn of the Void on RR and I must say I had a blast with it.
LitRPG elements are heavy on this one but that never took the focus from the main aspects of this book like broken people putting themselves together, doing the things they hate for the greater good and bonding over the loss etc...
I also love how it feels very different from other litRPG books out there. It was unique.
This book is Dark but not Grimdark. Some unfortunate things... Like catastrophically bad things happen to our main characters but this book is all about getting better. So I'm glad it's on the pages.
Overall, I will definitely continue my support for the series on RR and also upon its release.
Dawn of the Void excels at the litRPG world with a visceral portrayal of an Apocalypse
I have already read about 150 chapters of Dawn of the Void on RR and I must say I had a blast with it.
LitRPG elements are heavy on this one but that never took the focus from the main aspects of this book like broken people putting themselves together, doing the things they hate for the greater good and bonding over the loss etc...
I also love how it feels very different from other litRPG books out there. It was unique.
This book is Dark but not Grimdark. Some unfortunate things... Like catastrophically bad things happen to our main characters but this book is all about getting better. So I'm glad it's on the pages.
Overall, I will definitely continue my support for the series on RR and also upon its release.
February 15, 2023
Phil Tucker excels at world-building and stand-out characterization. And he delivers yet again with this unique take on LitRPG.
If I were to find comparisons, I guess I could liken it to a mix of Tom Clancy meets Doom Eternal meets Kaiju Battle-surgeon. But, the book is so much more. There are fantastic characters. Situations that calls for group and army level cooperation - unlike any other LitRPG I have read. And the best part is that you feel that you are part of something big and not just being told - that army took that objective (like so many other LitRPGs do)m you see it from the perspective of a person on the ground.
I started reading it quite late and I didn't stop until my kindle fell from my hands, because I had fallen asleep. And then I got up in the morning and finished it, even before doing anything else. It is that gripping.
A couple of minor gripes - the interlude broke my immersion and the character development gets a teensy bit sappy at a couple of places. These gripes stood out for me just because the rest of the book is just so good.
Read this book even if you aren't into LitRPGs. It is a fantastic read that will suck you in, grind you in its action, and spit you out exhausted and wanting more.
If I were to find comparisons, I guess I could liken it to a mix of Tom Clancy meets Doom Eternal meets Kaiju Battle-surgeon. But, the book is so much more. There are fantastic characters. Situations that calls for group and army level cooperation - unlike any other LitRPG I have read. And the best part is that you feel that you are part of something big and not just being told - that army took that objective (like so many other LitRPGs do)m you see it from the perspective of a person on the ground.
I started reading it quite late and I didn't stop until my kindle fell from my hands, because I had fallen asleep. And then I got up in the morning and finished it, even before doing anything else. It is that gripping.
A couple of minor gripes - the interlude broke my immersion and the character development gets a teensy bit sappy at a couple of places. These gripes stood out for me just because the rest of the book is just so good.
Read this book even if you aren't into LitRPGs. It is a fantastic read that will suck you in, grind you in its action, and spit you out exhausted and wanting more.
March 27, 2023
This is the first book I've read by this author.
I'll start by saying that I wanted to like this. I'm a big LitRPG fan and an even bigger apocalypse fan. And at first, the book does work. I won't recap the countdown or the first demons because that stuff is fine. The problem is with the main character and how the story goes off the rails.
James is the MC, a homeless man who gets in early on the dawning apocalypse. The book is set in NYC, which isn't a city I'm familiar with, but that's fine. For reasons that aren't explained he's visited by a more advanced demon who explains things to him because he's a nexus of the resistance. Because of this he's given a military rank and suddenly has the ear of the mayor.
All of this is fine. I was on board at this point. The problem is that the book becomes too cool for the story its telling. I started to skip pages about 45% in, and then I started skipping even more. However good James was at killing demons early on, now it doesn't matter as everyone is using a Ma Deuce and mowing down the waves of demons as they arrive.
I'll be honest. Amazon shows that I finished the book, but I didn't. After the 70% mark I skipped to the end, fed up and ready to read something else. I'm not trying to convince anyone not to read the book. Take a chance and give it a go and form your own opinion. For me, this was a miss.
The editing is average, and the stats are okay. I stopped caring so I can't say much about either.
3/5* and I have no intention of reading book two.
I'll start by saying that I wanted to like this. I'm a big LitRPG fan and an even bigger apocalypse fan. And at first, the book does work. I won't recap the countdown or the first demons because that stuff is fine. The problem is with the main character and how the story goes off the rails.
James is the MC, a homeless man who gets in early on the dawning apocalypse. The book is set in NYC, which isn't a city I'm familiar with, but that's fine. For reasons that aren't explained he's visited by a more advanced demon who explains things to him because he's a nexus of the resistance. Because of this he's given a military rank and suddenly has the ear of the mayor.
All of this is fine. I was on board at this point. The problem is that the book becomes too cool for the story its telling. I started to skip pages about 45% in, and then I started skipping even more. However good James was at killing demons early on, now it doesn't matter as everyone is using a Ma Deuce and mowing down the waves of demons as they arrive.
I'll be honest. Amazon shows that I finished the book, but I didn't. After the 70% mark I skipped to the end, fed up and ready to read something else. I'm not trying to convince anyone not to read the book. Take a chance and give it a go and form your own opinion. For me, this was a miss.
The editing is average, and the stats are okay. I stopped caring so I can't say much about either.
3/5* and I have no intention of reading book two.
April 22, 2023
America and its horniness for guns. Even LitRPG books aren't spared them. I ask you American authors to stop for a moment and think. Just stop. And think. Are you seriously asking me to believe that a system capable of invading the planet, a system probably designed by civilization hundreds of times more advanced, is only capable of sending bitey little goblins as its army while brave American folk shoot them all with their beloved guns? Have a word with yourself.
April 6, 2024
Interesting, but will cause division
Dawn of the Void is Phil Tucker's unique touch on the LITRPG and progression fantasy genre. A lot of readers will either love this series or lose interest in it completely. The main attraction to this series will be the realism that Phil Tucker weaves into the story and while some of it creates interesting tension throughout, most of the realism will slow down the progression of the main protagonist. In a subgenre like progression fantasy? That could be a death wish.
The novel is a character-driven book where you will either love both of the leading characters due to the realism, or you will hate their decision-making when one of them decides to do a line of coke during the middle of an invasion; your mileage may vary. The two leading characters are heavily flawed in different ways before the apocalypse, to then find themselves talking with important government officials while simultaneously leading troops into battle to defend NYC.
You will find this series to be an oddball among the 'system apocalypse' genre, but I would recommend giving the novel a chance if you want something a lot more realistic than what is currently circling the genre.
Dawn of the Void is Phil Tucker's unique touch on the LITRPG and progression fantasy genre. A lot of readers will either love this series or lose interest in it completely. The main attraction to this series will be the realism that Phil Tucker weaves into the story and while some of it creates interesting tension throughout, most of the realism will slow down the progression of the main protagonist. In a subgenre like progression fantasy? That could be a death wish.
The novel is a character-driven book where you will either love both of the leading characters due to the realism, or you will hate their decision-making when one of them decides to do a line of coke during the middle of an invasion; your mileage may vary. The two leading characters are heavily flawed in different ways before the apocalypse, to then find themselves talking with important government officials while simultaneously leading troops into battle to defend NYC.
You will find this series to be an oddball among the 'system apocalypse' genre, but I would recommend giving the novel a chance if you want something a lot more realistic than what is currently circling the genre.
July 22, 2025
This was a gamified apocalypse book which I thought I would enjoy but I just didn't. The main character is sort of hollow and emotionless robot which made investment hard. New characters are often introduced in batches of a dozen or so at a time which I struggled with too.
I get that the author was going for a more grounded book but knowing nothing about guns the constant discussion of different gun types, ammo types, etc. just passed me by. What's the point of having a close combat specialist if everyone just sits there firing machine guns? Moreover there was too much politics and military stuff in this for me. "We're making you a major so you can requisition ammo more efficiently for your unit" sort of stuff (not a direct quote). I appreciate that if there actually was an apocalypse then things might play out like this with political squabbles, meetings, TikTok campaigns, logistics issues etc. but for me that was tedious.
The story had it's funny moments and I laughed out loud occasionally but it just didn't really have any joie de vivre or much camaraderie which can make or break a book like this. The protagonist teams up with a group in the first few chapters but they are never heard from again for no reason and he never seems to care. Without good interpersonal relationships to contrast the horror of the plot the book feels a bit flat.
The writing was solid and I can't fault the audiobook narration but I won't continue with this series when I don't care about the characters.
I get that the author was going for a more grounded book but knowing nothing about guns the constant discussion of different gun types, ammo types, etc. just passed me by. What's the point of having a close combat specialist if everyone just sits there firing machine guns? Moreover there was too much politics and military stuff in this for me. "We're making you a major so you can requisition ammo more efficiently for your unit" sort of stuff (not a direct quote). I appreciate that if there actually was an apocalypse then things might play out like this with political squabbles, meetings, TikTok campaigns, logistics issues etc. but for me that was tedious.
The story had it's funny moments and I laughed out loud occasionally but it just didn't really have any joie de vivre or much camaraderie which can make or break a book like this. The protagonist teams up with a group in the first few chapters but they are never heard from again for no reason and he never seems to care. Without good interpersonal relationships to contrast the horror of the plot the book feels a bit flat.
The writing was solid and I can't fault the audiobook narration but I won't continue with this series when I don't care about the characters.
July 12, 2024
First time trying out a LitRPG and absolutely loved it. Phil Tucker does such a great job with pace, and building through action in all of his series. Pairing this with an RPG model that the reader can follow really makes this interactive and fun from a progression standpoint. Like Bastion, he sets up the story really well for what will be most likely a very cool series to finish out. 4.5 stars.
February 8, 2023
I have been an avid reader of Phil Tucker and consumed almost all of his books by this point, so I was a little apprehensive when he provided his ARC readers with a litRPG which was different from his other works. I'm pretty open to new styles and approaches, and this entry does not disappoint.
Combining the mechanics of a video game/leveling system with the depth of a mysterious story, relatable characters and realistic scenarios where appropriate is a fantastic balancing act. The story is "sci-fi" where appropriate, but the reactions and interactions of humans placed into fantastic situations were authentic and reasonable.
The progression aspect (leveling) of the story's characters is very entertaining and really helps one relate to the growing power of everyone/thing involved. This was extremely well done and never came off as a poor imitation or lazy exercise - the mechanics were well thought out, creative, and consistent.
The pacing was superb - while I can enjoy a slower paced plot, reading this felt like having candy over and over again. No dead passages, no fat on the bone, just what you need to keep your attention for multiple reading sessions.
Thank you again Phil - excellent entry and congratulations on this new series. I cannot wait until the next entry and look forward to watching this story expand while remaining an absolutely fun experience.
Combining the mechanics of a video game/leveling system with the depth of a mysterious story, relatable characters and realistic scenarios where appropriate is a fantastic balancing act. The story is "sci-fi" where appropriate, but the reactions and interactions of humans placed into fantastic situations were authentic and reasonable.
The progression aspect (leveling) of the story's characters is very entertaining and really helps one relate to the growing power of everyone/thing involved. This was extremely well done and never came off as a poor imitation or lazy exercise - the mechanics were well thought out, creative, and consistent.
The pacing was superb - while I can enjoy a slower paced plot, reading this felt like having candy over and over again. No dead passages, no fat on the bone, just what you need to keep your attention for multiple reading sessions.
Thank you again Phil - excellent entry and congratulations on this new series. I cannot wait until the next entry and look forward to watching this story expand while remaining an absolutely fun experience.
April 23, 2024
Great change of pace book. Action packed, fun, entertaining, and keeps you turning the page. I finished this in a couple days, it was addicting. What surprised me was that even better than the action I found myself really enjoying how well Tucker dove into the logistical planning that the events of this book would take. The management of supplies, people, communication between organizations, and overcoming of bureaucratic issues that coordinating the feats in this book would require are not ignored and were incredibly entertaining.
Take those elements, add in some interesting and likeable characters, military/band of brothers camaraderie, a few funny moments, and you end up with an extremely enjoyable book. Not at the level of DCC but gave me some of those same good reading vibes.
Take those elements, add in some interesting and likeable characters, military/band of brothers camaraderie, a few funny moments, and you end up with an extremely enjoyable book. Not at the level of DCC but gave me some of those same good reading vibes.
April 15, 2024
My first true Litrpg read and I'm sad to say I didn't click with the genre much mainly because I'm not a video game player and the constant talk about levels, ranking and stuff went over my head half the time. It also took me out of the overall story which was quite good.
I love action scenes in my fantasy stories but this story has too much gun violence which I'm not a fan of. If it had more scenes featuring fights using swords or katanas or just plain magic then I would have enjoyed it much more.
Overall a good experience especially because of the awesome audio narration.
I love action scenes in my fantasy stories but this story has too much gun violence which I'm not a fan of. If it had more scenes featuring fights using swords or katanas or just plain magic then I would have enjoyed it much more.
Overall a good experience especially because of the awesome audio narration.
September 24, 2023
Its Ok but not much more than that.
If one of your pet peeves are EMO main characters, well then this book is probably a No Go for you.
The math also doesn't make sense as pertains to kills. Around the 4hour mark (audiobook) the mc keeps going on about having killed single maybe low double digit thousands when as described it ought to have been well north of a hundred thousand.
The lack of understanding of numbers and volume and the like just annoyed me no end.
If one of your pet peeves are EMO main characters, well then this book is probably a No Go for you.
The math also doesn't make sense as pertains to kills. Around the 4hour mark (audiobook) the mc keeps going on about having killed single maybe low double digit thousands when as described it ought to have been well north of a hundred thousand.
The lack of understanding of numbers and volume and the like just annoyed me no end.
September 25, 2023
So good. Unique take on the apocalypse genre.
February 14, 2023
This is my ARC review.
Phil Tucker hits with an incredible and unique story once again. In this series, the "unknown" comes to the Earth and shatters people's ordinary lives. The main heroes are "no ones" who manage to survive and are good enough to start leading humanity ahead. This book does so many things right (and interesting) that I can't count all of them, but I'll speak about the things that impressed me.
* The influence of social media in the modern world. It's too easy to forget that it can be a powerful tool;
* The feeling of being more alive and useful during a disaster than, i.e., routine life;
* The horror of the things that are happening;
* The breaking fabric of society. We take many things for granted - food, infrastructure, and many other things;
* The bureaucracy and that you can't get away from compromises;
* The fact that one shouldn't discount military and government agencies. It is too easy to pretend that they are useless... but they were created to be of use, and they work (even if not as well as possible);
This was a fantastic story, and I look forward to reading more in the future.
Phil Tucker hits with an incredible and unique story once again. In this series, the "unknown" comes to the Earth and shatters people's ordinary lives. The main heroes are "no ones" who manage to survive and are good enough to start leading humanity ahead. This book does so many things right (and interesting) that I can't count all of them, but I'll speak about the things that impressed me.
* The influence of social media in the modern world. It's too easy to forget that it can be a powerful tool;
* The feeling of being more alive and useful during a disaster than, i.e., routine life;
* The horror of the things that are happening;
* The breaking fabric of society. We take many things for granted - food, infrastructure, and many other things;
* The bureaucracy and that you can't get away from compromises;
* The fact that one shouldn't discount military and government agencies. It is too easy to pretend that they are useless... but they were created to be of use, and they work (even if not as well as possible);
This was a fantastic story, and I look forward to reading more in the future.
February 8, 2023
I received an ARC in return for an honest review.
This is my third litRPG book i've ever read so i am basically a newbie for this genre. Being said so, i really enjoyed this book.
The books starts on a timer to doomsday and creatures attacking humans on waves just like a game does. The humans on the other hand try and kill as many creatures as possible and try to avoid the doomsday being the extinction of humans. By killing the creatures, humans can get points and can level up with those points to get more perks.
Even though, the story immediately jumps on the plot and it is very fast paced, the characters development has been done on the background. The main concern for me was since its litRPG, i wondered about character development and flaws. Being said so, the characters are flawed, seeking for a connection, and trying to get together for the sake of humanity as a whole. I really liked this aspect of the story and the author made me care about them very much.
I enjoyed this so much that I really want to read more on RR but i am restricting myself so that i wont finish them very quick. I want to savour them as the next books comes.
This is my third litRPG book i've ever read so i am basically a newbie for this genre. Being said so, i really enjoyed this book.
The books starts on a timer to doomsday and creatures attacking humans on waves just like a game does. The humans on the other hand try and kill as many creatures as possible and try to avoid the doomsday being the extinction of humans. By killing the creatures, humans can get points and can level up with those points to get more perks.
Even though, the story immediately jumps on the plot and it is very fast paced, the characters development has been done on the background. The main concern for me was since its litRPG, i wondered about character development and flaws. Being said so, the characters are flawed, seeking for a connection, and trying to get together for the sake of humanity as a whole. I really liked this aspect of the story and the author made me care about them very much.
I enjoyed this so much that I really want to read more on RR but i am restricting myself so that i wont finish them very quick. I want to savour them as the next books comes.
July 30, 2024
sexy lumberhomelessjack
Uhh I don’t even know what to say.
I binged this. I was skeptical but everyone raved over it and I understand why.
I really like the character development and the relationship development, (all mostly platonic)
Uhh I don’t even know what to say.
I binged this. I was skeptical but everyone raved over it and I understand why.
I really like the character development and the relationship development, (all mostly platonic)
February 18, 2023
Fantastic Read
I really enjoyed the book. The story and magic system are well thought out. The writing, especially the dialogue, is superb.
I really enjoyed the book. The story and magic system are well thought out. The writing, especially the dialogue, is superb.
March 11, 2023
solid
It’s weird. I struggled to keep reading this. And it’s *really* good.
I think I struggled because the MC has some issues with depression, and it…I don’t need more depression in my life. So I swapped out for a bit as a palate cleanser.
Don’t think it’s all mope-y and emo. The MC is starting from rock-bottom, a homeless alcoholic with serious tragedy in his past. And the writing brings him out slowly, with clear purpose.
This is really good. Just maybe not what *I* should be reading. Gonna probably get the next book anyway.
It’s weird. I struggled to keep reading this. And it’s *really* good.
I think I struggled because the MC has some issues with depression, and it…I don’t need more depression in my life. So I swapped out for a bit as a palate cleanser.
Don’t think it’s all mope-y and emo. The MC is starting from rock-bottom, a homeless alcoholic with serious tragedy in his past. And the writing brings him out slowly, with clear purpose.
This is really good. Just maybe not what *I* should be reading. Gonna probably get the next book anyway.
April 6, 2024
3.5/5 Nice litrpg but just at times tiring with all the military stuff and politicking.
September 9, 2024
How did I forget how much I like Phil Tucker's writing?
March 10, 2023
KU Review
Another good one I had trouble putting down. Wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the mc at first but his character drew me in. Different take on the system apocalypse theme but it worked well.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
Another good one I had trouble putting down. Wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the mc at first but his character drew me in. Different take on the system apocalypse theme but it worked well.
As the title says this is a review for Kindle Unlimited and as such is a reflection of my enjoyment of the book and in no way reflects cost to value analysis.
March 10, 2023
Book one
Mistakes that I have found will be posted on Goodreads.
Little heavy on religion for my taste, but rather enjoyable nonetheless.
I'd like an update on the character in Japan. Her situation was interesting.
7/10 I'll check out book two
Mistakes that I have found will be posted on Goodreads.
Little heavy on religion for my taste, but rather enjoyable nonetheless.
I'd like an update on the character in Japan. Her situation was interesting.
7/10 I'll check out book two
August 30, 2023
Finally a fun book! I was getting bored of litrpg.
Doesn't retread powers
Doesn't explain what comes next
Doesn't go PC
Great mix of grit, humor, realism of desperate personalities.
Dumb reviews saying MC pines after his Bonnie(ref: Clyde) didn't really read to the end of book one. Stupid fake reviews
Doesn't retread powers
Doesn't explain what comes next
Doesn't go PC
Great mix of grit, humor, realism of desperate personalities.
Dumb reviews saying MC pines after his Bonnie(ref: Clyde) didn't really read to the end of book one. Stupid fake reviews
March 9, 2023
Not the usual system apocalypse book.
The unique set up and focus on the human element really make this an interesting read. The staged power creep keeps the whole thing from being obvious in its direction. This is very original, I can hardly wait for book two.
The unique set up and focus on the human element really make this an interesting read. The staged power creep keeps the whole thing from being obvious in its direction. This is very original, I can hardly wait for book two.
July 22, 2024
[I don't see the point in reviewing individual books in a serial like this. These comments refer to the full trilogy.]
Dawn of the Void starts as an unusually grounded system-apocalypse novel: mysterious demons appear and start murdering people; killing them allows our hero (homeless widower James Kelly), and others, to "level up" and earn special powers. But the odds are against them and only by marrying new abilities to the might of the US military can they hope to survive. There's a bit of base building and a lot of military fiction to go along with the LitRPG.
I found the grimderp misery of the first half to be quite a slog; happily, and unusually for progression fantasy, this isn't an endless serial. It's going somewhere, and by the third book our heroes have transcended conventional weaponry started investigating the source of the system.
While I suspect that anyone who loved the military fiction/HFY at the start will be less than impressed at the change in focus, to me this was much more interesting. It comes to a satisfying conclusion that might even justify the time spent to get there.
Dawn of the Void starts as an unusually grounded system-apocalypse novel: mysterious demons appear and start murdering people; killing them allows our hero (homeless widower James Kelly), and others, to "level up" and earn special powers. But the odds are against them and only by marrying new abilities to the might of the US military can they hope to survive. There's a bit of base building and a lot of military fiction to go along with the LitRPG.
I found the grimderp misery of the first half to be quite a slog; happily, and unusually for progression fantasy, this isn't an endless serial. It's going somewhere, and by the third book our heroes have transcended conventional weaponry started investigating the source of the system.
While I suspect that anyone who loved the military fiction/HFY at the start will be less than impressed at the change in focus, to me this was much more interesting. It comes to a satisfying conclusion that might even justify the time spent to get there.
October 28, 2024
A mature game-litRPG set in contemporary NYC during the launch of a "system-induced" apocalypse. It's about hope, grit, and redemption, and guns, and violence, and bad-ass attitudes, and grief, and pain, and all that's bad for the soul.
Expect to find lots of drugs, alcohol, graphical violence, and physiological trauma. When one is missing others will take its place. Expect vivid PTSD and panic-attack episodes every other page.
Except the good-souled hobo-tramp power-couple protagonists, caught in their worst rock-bottom moments, their coping with deep existential traumas, and their lucky yet cathartic survival in the new end-of-the-world scenario, there's nothing worth noticing. Same old system, trials, waves, violence, levels, abilities, classes, mobs, and boring plot.
Too much gore and physiological suffering for me. I won't continue the series.
Expect to find lots of drugs, alcohol, graphical violence, and physiological trauma. When one is missing others will take its place. Expect vivid PTSD and panic-attack episodes every other page.
Except the good-souled hobo-tramp power-couple protagonists, caught in their worst rock-bottom moments, their coping with deep existential traumas, and their lucky yet cathartic survival in the new end-of-the-world scenario, there's nothing worth noticing. Same old system, trials, waves, violence, levels, abilities, classes, mobs, and boring plot.
Too much gore and physiological suffering for me. I won't continue the series.
February 15, 2023
Dawn of the Void by Phil Tucker is a highly addictive adrenaline rush fueled by a constant wave of dopamine to the brain. I can’t possible understate this.
When Phil reached out and offered me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), I jumped at the chance.
It’s a beefy book, clocking in at 150,000 words, or roughly 600 pages. At first, this seemed daunting, but I quickly realized it’s far too short.
Dawn of the Void grabbed me from Page 1, but really sunk it’s claws in around the 10% mark. I don’t remember the exact moment I realized my absolute obsession with this book, but it was somewhere between vicious, lethal gremlins and a vaporizing aura that turns everything to ash.
Before I get side-tracked, let’s jump into the review.
What is it about?
Dawn of the Void follows a homeless man by the name of James Kelly. At first, the reader doesn’t know anything about the circumstances that turned James from a dedicated EMT into a bum looking to survive the day.
As the story unfolds, you’ll learn more about James and watch as his character grows in front of your eyes, both emotionally and physically.
James awakes one day to a digital prompt in front of his eyes asking him to acknowledge a 60,000 year plan in the making to release Nemesis 1s into the world. He does, just to get rid of the message.
A second later, a demonic-looking gremlin-like creature steps out of the subway and chases him into a bar where it attacks him. The only problem is that no one else can see it and think he’s crazy.
He manages to survive the attack and winds up in the hospital to discover hundreds of others experiencing the same problem where he meets Serenity. They decide to get a drink together upon leaving the hospital and form an unlikely team of drug addict and homeless bum.
When James’s EMT instincts kick in, Serenity records him issuing some tips for surviving encounters with the gremlins and the video goes viral on TikTok. And just like that James Kelly has become the face of the resistance against what soon becomes a worldwide apocalypse.
Plot & Setting
Dawn of the Void takes place in Brooklyn, New York, though the events of apocalypse occur across the entire world.
Upon surviving his first attack against a Nemesis 1, James is alerted via prompt that Nemesis 2s will be released in 4 days, and The Pits open in 90 days.
The world quickly discovers that Nemesis 1s that kill their “summoner” roam free to attack and kill others. James and Serenity take it upon themselves to save others by killing these free roaming gremlins and discover they can level up and learn new skills to aid them in their war against the Nemeses.
But when a second wave hits even larger than the first, and then a third, and a fourth, they quickly realize they can’t save the world by themselves.
The two and their ever growing crew of allies must deal with exponentially more difficult threats each and every day.
LitRPG Elements
Dawn of the Void is a LitRPG, which stands for Literary Role Playing Game. In short, it’s a video game book. There are stat sheets, but they aren’t exhaustive or overly crunchy.
Each person that defeats a Nemesis 1 unlocks personal statistics. Each level grants them 5 points to spend toward bolstering their stats. Increase strength, and your biceps grow larger and more defined, enabling you to carry heavier things.
Increase your agility, and hand-eye coordination is improved as well as grace in movement.
But most interesting is Arete, which is a Greco-religious term roughly meaning the realization of one’s true potential. This statistic affects outlook on life, the capacity to make better life choices, etc.
Perhaps more importantly, it also affects the users Aura. James, and the world, quickly learns that Aura is the key to fighting the Nemesis and dumping all his points into Arete might be the craziest and smartest decision James makes.
What is an Aura? In short, it’s a shield against the Nemeses. At first, it burns them, and at higher powers can straight up disintegrate the little guys.
There are also Benedictions, which are skills unlocked at levels 5, 10, and 20. These skill choices directly influence the class each character will eventually adopt, though classes aren’t revealed in this book.
The most interesting item, though, is Aeviternum Points. Each point allows the character to fully self-heal from the brink of death when used, and replenishes itself every day at dawn. These points are expensive and rare, but a crucial tool needed for survival in the dark world around them.
In addition to classes, Virtues and Miracles are items on the stat sheet that we fail to learn anything about in Dawn of the Void. We’ll have to wait for a future book to explore these areas.
Dawn of the Void Review
I read an ARC of Dawn of the Void, and while I loved it, it is fraught with typographical errors. To me, it felt like the book had only received a cursory glance of proofreading, without the benefit of a dedicated editor.
That being said, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story at all. Sure, I noticed every time one came up, but the story is so good I didn’t care at all. I only share it on the off chance this bothers some.
Because this is an ARC, it’s also highly probable a good portion of these will be fixed before the final version goes live.
As for praise for Dawn of the Void, all I can say is that I’ve been really struggling to read lately. My average time to read a 350 page book is 3 days. Lately, it’s been taking me around 5 days.
I read Dawn of the Void, a whopping 600 pages, in under 48 hours. The last time I got fully absorbed into a book like this… well it might have been when I read Phil Tucker’s Death March.
If you’re a fan of LitRPG, this absolutely MUST be on your reading list because it’s going to be THE series to read for years to come.
When Phil reached out and offered me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC), I jumped at the chance.
It’s a beefy book, clocking in at 150,000 words, or roughly 600 pages. At first, this seemed daunting, but I quickly realized it’s far too short.
Dawn of the Void grabbed me from Page 1, but really sunk it’s claws in around the 10% mark. I don’t remember the exact moment I realized my absolute obsession with this book, but it was somewhere between vicious, lethal gremlins and a vaporizing aura that turns everything to ash.
Before I get side-tracked, let’s jump into the review.
What is it about?
Dawn of the Void follows a homeless man by the name of James Kelly. At first, the reader doesn’t know anything about the circumstances that turned James from a dedicated EMT into a bum looking to survive the day.
As the story unfolds, you’ll learn more about James and watch as his character grows in front of your eyes, both emotionally and physically.
James awakes one day to a digital prompt in front of his eyes asking him to acknowledge a 60,000 year plan in the making to release Nemesis 1s into the world. He does, just to get rid of the message.
A second later, a demonic-looking gremlin-like creature steps out of the subway and chases him into a bar where it attacks him. The only problem is that no one else can see it and think he’s crazy.
He manages to survive the attack and winds up in the hospital to discover hundreds of others experiencing the same problem where he meets Serenity. They decide to get a drink together upon leaving the hospital and form an unlikely team of drug addict and homeless bum.
When James’s EMT instincts kick in, Serenity records him issuing some tips for surviving encounters with the gremlins and the video goes viral on TikTok. And just like that James Kelly has become the face of the resistance against what soon becomes a worldwide apocalypse.
Plot & Setting
Dawn of the Void takes place in Brooklyn, New York, though the events of apocalypse occur across the entire world.
Upon surviving his first attack against a Nemesis 1, James is alerted via prompt that Nemesis 2s will be released in 4 days, and The Pits open in 90 days.
The world quickly discovers that Nemesis 1s that kill their “summoner” roam free to attack and kill others. James and Serenity take it upon themselves to save others by killing these free roaming gremlins and discover they can level up and learn new skills to aid them in their war against the Nemeses.
But when a second wave hits even larger than the first, and then a third, and a fourth, they quickly realize they can’t save the world by themselves.
The two and their ever growing crew of allies must deal with exponentially more difficult threats each and every day.
LitRPG Elements
Dawn of the Void is a LitRPG, which stands for Literary Role Playing Game. In short, it’s a video game book. There are stat sheets, but they aren’t exhaustive or overly crunchy.
Each person that defeats a Nemesis 1 unlocks personal statistics. Each level grants them 5 points to spend toward bolstering their stats. Increase strength, and your biceps grow larger and more defined, enabling you to carry heavier things.
Increase your agility, and hand-eye coordination is improved as well as grace in movement.
But most interesting is Arete, which is a Greco-religious term roughly meaning the realization of one’s true potential. This statistic affects outlook on life, the capacity to make better life choices, etc.
Perhaps more importantly, it also affects the users Aura. James, and the world, quickly learns that Aura is the key to fighting the Nemesis and dumping all his points into Arete might be the craziest and smartest decision James makes.
What is an Aura? In short, it’s a shield against the Nemeses. At first, it burns them, and at higher powers can straight up disintegrate the little guys.
There are also Benedictions, which are skills unlocked at levels 5, 10, and 20. These skill choices directly influence the class each character will eventually adopt, though classes aren’t revealed in this book.
The most interesting item, though, is Aeviternum Points. Each point allows the character to fully self-heal from the brink of death when used, and replenishes itself every day at dawn. These points are expensive and rare, but a crucial tool needed for survival in the dark world around them.
In addition to classes, Virtues and Miracles are items on the stat sheet that we fail to learn anything about in Dawn of the Void. We’ll have to wait for a future book to explore these areas.
Dawn of the Void Review
I read an ARC of Dawn of the Void, and while I loved it, it is fraught with typographical errors. To me, it felt like the book had only received a cursory glance of proofreading, without the benefit of a dedicated editor.
That being said, it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story at all. Sure, I noticed every time one came up, but the story is so good I didn’t care at all. I only share it on the off chance this bothers some.
Because this is an ARC, it’s also highly probable a good portion of these will be fixed before the final version goes live.
As for praise for Dawn of the Void, all I can say is that I’ve been really struggling to read lately. My average time to read a 350 page book is 3 days. Lately, it’s been taking me around 5 days.
I read Dawn of the Void, a whopping 600 pages, in under 48 hours. The last time I got fully absorbed into a book like this… well it might have been when I read Phil Tucker’s Death March.
If you’re a fan of LitRPG, this absolutely MUST be on your reading list because it’s going to be THE series to read for years to come.
February 22, 2023
I felt like the story itself was okay. It was good at the beginning, but then towards the middle of the book I started losing interest in it. I think I was losing interest because the book was slowing down, and James was…changing. Becoming more reckless, and taking on too much by himself with no regard for how others might help him. He amended his ways towards the end, so that was good. I still felt like he had lost something though. I’m not sure what, but I started to dislike him as a character.
I don’t really enjoy apocalypse books most of the time, but I figured I could try this book because I have read this author’s work before and liked it. But…I didn’t really like this one.
I don’t really enjoy apocalypse books most of the time, but I figured I could try this book because I have read this author’s work before and liked it. But…I didn’t really like this one.
September 1, 2024
Meh
I like this book at first because you got fully flashed three-dimensional feeling characters. However it immediately got plodding when there was too much of that. The main characters are deeply flawed and always traumatized and always breaking down about it. And their powers don't make any sense. The main character uses a skillet as his main weapon for too much of the book in a world where everybody else is using guns. There's no reason why he can't use his Aura power and guns, there's nothing that competes. So it just felt very contrived and the dialogue took up 60 to 70% of the book.
I like this book at first because you got fully flashed three-dimensional feeling characters. However it immediately got plodding when there was too much of that. The main characters are deeply flawed and always traumatized and always breaking down about it. And their powers don't make any sense. The main character uses a skillet as his main weapon for too much of the book in a world where everybody else is using guns. There's no reason why he can't use his Aura power and guns, there's nothing that competes. So it just felt very contrived and the dialogue took up 60 to 70% of the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews