Apocalypse Redux, Book Four

Apocalypse Redux #4

by Jakob H. Greif

Humanity is circling the abyss, to reap or to ruin. Only one man can determine its fate.Monsters that can destroy cities have appeared. The most highly leveled humans begin to abuse their power. And as levels rise, individual people start to reach the kind of power where they can rival militaries all by themselves.

Time traveler Isaac Thoma has seen this dance before and vowed to never allow it to repeat itself, working tirelessly with his team to uncover the secrets of the System. Yet no matter what he’s achieved so far, his work is never done, and he knows there are countless more threats awaiting him in the future.

There is a sanity-destroying Dungeon he needs to hunt down, the next Event is right around the corner, and there won’t be a chance to rest for months on end. An impossible pace, yet one he has to keep up, even as things stir in the dark …

Genres: Litrpg, Fantasy, Magic, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Dystopia

574 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt]

This is a system apocalypse series that builds over time. Read in order.

I'm still down with this, though it is becoming a little predictable. The power fantasy is still my biggest draw and Isaac continues to deliver the goods there.

We get a new villain group in this one that looks like its going to be the big-bad for a while. We get a bit of their PoV (which I find clunky in the first place), so we know they're delusional idiots setup by the dark gods with promises of an afterlife of hedonistic pleasure. I always wonder how that kind of thing works. I mean, dark gods want you to destroy the world. That's literally your gods-given goal. And you believe them when they tell you that you'll get this super-cool reward afterwards? These are objectively evil beings who hate humanity. What makes you believe these promises of theirs? I mean, I believe there might be people who fall for this, but it seems like a system guaranteed to bring in the stupidest of dupes, not people capable of pulling off strict signal discipline and cleverly hiding and manipulating from the shadows.

So this drops back to three stars. Still solid. But not outstanding, really.

A note about Chaste: Yeah, Isaac is still completely uninterested in any relationships outside of his family and colleagues. There is zero steam. Very chaste. Unnaturally so, even.

[Russell Gray]

This was another great addition to the series. Book 4 seems to be a falloff point for me with a lot of series, so I'm optimistic after finishing this volume. The author's strengths are on display here and the story feels consistent. Many regression stories run out of steam after the first couple of volumes, but it feels like we're still gaining speed with this series.

Similar to how time-loop stories can expose poor characterization, I think regressor stories can trip up authors who launch themselves at an early premise without thinking deeply about various plot signposts down the road. The author here has done a great job so far of steadily building on system and story elements. While the plot might fall into the 'slow burn' category and not be for everyone, I think this is one of the best examples of a story that explores the nooks and crannies of a unique and interesting system while still moving the plot forward. It's a delicate balance and there were a few blips along the way, notably in Volume 2, but this one felt solid.

I can't wait to see what the next escalation is in the next book!

[Mason]

Disappointing

The book was okay, in terms of plot quality. It had ups and downs and never really stayed consistent. Too much of the book is dedicated to stat sheets. There is only one reason that one single skill should have an eight paragraph explanation and that's to provide filler in place of content. To put it into perspective, the last 8% of the book is just a full stat sheet review. The author also has started making weird, edgy political commentary in the book. Which, of itself, is not a problem but it becomes off-putting because of its one-sided nature. Just put it on your Twitter page, man.

[George Rokkos]

Great book can’t wait for the next one.

[Steve]

Here the shadowy threat gets partially exposed, so we see some of what the MC is up against. Fails to clear my 5th-star barrier, but a soild, if slightly clunky, book.

[Sabion]

If you've gotten this far you know what you are getting from this world and its characters. The story continues to hold up and the action can be intense and fun. I really enjoy the peak into germanic folklore and the way the 'system' is dealt with from the perspective of police and politicians. The BBEG is getting more time and feeling like a real threat but the MC continues to gain power to oppose it. Good stuff.

[Timothy McGowan]

I really like that they’ve finally circled back to some plot lines to tie them together, it was feeling disjointed until this

[GaiusPrimus]

Another really good novel in this series. Quickly growing to be a favorite.

[Roberto Flores]

This is really starting to gain momentum.

Story is progressing smoothly, those hints are paying off big time. The day to day still feels good, nothing is getting boring. The power curve is being managed nicely. All in all this has really hit its mark.

[Lana]

Dr Isaac Thoma, the one who came back from the past into a future with so much previous knowledge and experience and adamant he'd save the world this time around. He works tirelessly to protect the cities now beset with monsters who have gained such enormous powers, as well as humans who have also levelled up to such an extent that they could take on armies single handed. Many of these very powerful humans are also abusing their powers, a group of which has even dared to attack their own office buildings, a group of cultists doing the work for a dark god believing they would be saved if they wiped out the world. Can Thoma and his crew of dedicated researchers, police officers and others save their world from extinction? Sometimes Isaac uses means which are not exactly ethical, however he believes that anything offering protection goes at this point in the game. As usual no matter the dangers people searching for more power will stop at nothing to acquire this but Isaac will stop them even if he has to ally himself with dubious characters. I love the thrill of these books, their constant action and the battles fought in places like the sanity-wrecking dungeon and facing so many other monsters. The book leaves us at a very difficult point for Isaac Thoma so I cannot wait to read the next book!

[Jeffing]

I'm halfway convinced the series will end with the MC inviting the final bosses to a meeting and he drowns them with paperwork and government regulations, but I don't care to find out. thankfully I'm finally done with the books I idiotically bought during a sale before starting the series and needless to say, I'm not going to but anymore. the writing and a few aspects were done well enough that I was willing to keep reading to see if the series ever got on track, but I just didn't enjoy it at all. if you work in academia or in an office then you might enjoy with how much of your everyday life is present in these books, or maybe you'll hates it even more than me because you probably read to escape that stuff. I honestly don't know who's enjoying this series but someone is, so maybe I'm just an idiot and asshole. /shrug

[Steve]

Rating 4.0 stars

This is a solid series. I am not sure how else to describe it. When the book comes out, I am not rushing out to pick it up, but I always enjoy the end product. The magic system is still interesting, and the German aspect is new to me. I kind of wish the author focused at least a little on relationships. Guy is the last man in the world and goes back in time to save everyone. In earlier books it was explained why he didn't connect with people from his old life. All he is doing is working though. While that is needed it does end up being a little bit depressing. I would like something to develop between Isaac and Amy. Don't get me wrong I still like it. I really like the "I know more than everyone else" angle that is a defining characteristic of Isaac.

[Nathan]

divine chess

The entire series is slice of life: rather than sweep the board and reset the world with the coming of the [System], the world stumbles but keeps on going. Magic and tech, two sides of the same coin, bonds of society, of working together and supporting self rule rather than the tyranny of levels.

This book shows a bit more about the puppet masters behind scenes, and it seems that dark gods are promising an afterlife to their chosen. So maybe everyone gets wiped out, their souls sent to their rewards and the gods make more people, but why?

I realized that setting this in Europe, you avoid the US original sin of (recent) colonization: all the myths and deities are native to their country. Although where are the Abrahamic classes? Will we see them pop up?

[Travis]

Apocalypse Redux #4) keeps the story going strong. Isaac is beginning to have trouble predicting events, since things are changing from the world he knew. Whether that's good or bad is still up for debate, but he's doing the best he can, and working hard to make a better world. He has some truly epic battles, some not so epic battles, and of course, the ever present political issues. If you've read the other books, then feel free to dive right in, you won't be disappointed with this offering.

[Jake]

Great continuation to the series

Isaac has some absolutely stellar adventures in this one. I can't say how much fun I had reading this. There were several plot points that I didn't even see coming that had me actually shout out when they went down.

The way that Isaac works with his team in this part of the series makes it so much fun to read and see how much he can help them.

I don't so spoilers but man is this story absolutely action packed and a thriller that definitely deserves to be read

10 out of 10

[Jason W]

Lacked direction

This book was kind of boring. Very little action and very little plot progression. The MC basically runs around doing paper work and training people. It reads like a series of unrelated tasks as opposed to a fantasy novel. The author is getting way too much in the weeds. I hope the next one is better.

[J.D. Glasscock]

Another hammer to nail installment

Very happy for the author and shadow press and James.... Very beautifully written story of struggle, tackling an apocalypse in an innovative and creative way of time travel and manipulating gods.... Highly recommend
JD Glasscock
Author of the Series Blood Brothers and the Dream

[David Phipps]

This is book 4 in a fantasy LitRPG series with a system apocalypse set on Earth. Not really an apocalypse at this point as humanity is chugging along mostly. Isaac is still trying to prevent the possible future downfall of humanity. This book also focuses on dealing with system events and giving us more info on hidden threats.

[Jake Thompson]

One of the best series it there period.

Really well thought it narrative that's written and edited very well. Main character is intelligence and the scope of the series is incredibly well conceived. A must dead for the genre!!

[Richin109]

The series keeps getting better

The series has a unique take on litrpg. The idea of jobs instead of classes. The main character has chalange makes mistakes and isn't perfect. So glad I started reading the series

[Louise]

Still fun

Still a fun story. I guess it's about time thing started going pear shaped for Issac. Some of it is a bit long winded. Could do without the ever repeating stats pages and the LONG skill explanations, but whatever. I get it. Still like the story.

[William Howe]

logical

How does the MC keep trouncing his enemies? Because he knows the dance. Because they can’t help themselves.

Of course, they only need to get lucky once.

Going to buy 5 now

[Ray Ritchey]

Amazing World Building

The classes are amazing! This book has the most well thought out world building that is logical, and with lots of action.

[Travis Neuman]

good book

Good series. Well written with interesting dynamics and real characters. Worth reading. Look forward to next book and evolution. Enjoy.

[Knight]

good book

I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out. I’m now going to head to Royal Road in and start listening to the story there.

[Thomas]

great continuation

This one was just as good as the three before it, and I’m already looking forward to book 5. Thanks for the great read.

[Miles]

3.5☆

[Shaft]

Continues to impress a very unique take on litrpg, systems and a hero charged with saving the world. Can't recommend this series enough.

[Kevin]

This was okay.

I'm still enjoying the series, even if the direction wasn't what I expected in book one.

Will read the sequel.

3/5 Stars

[Mike Goodman]

Great Series

This story of a guy getting a redo to help Humanity survive the System is fantastic. He is a German and most of the story is in Europe.