Vigilance

Fallen Lands #1

by C. Peinhopf

Moving to Monterey Bay for college was supposed to be my big adventure, you know, fresh start, new dreams, that sort of thing. But instead of worrying about my first day jitters, I found myself in a real-life nightmare – trapped in a chilling ritual chamber, surrounded by the echoes of cries and the stench of blood and old earth. It was like stepping into the worst horror game, except the iron collar around my neck and the creepy messages flooding my vision were all too real.

Thrown into this bizarre, terrifying world, I had to pinch myself to believe it. Monsters, magic, chaos – it felt like a messed-up dream. But hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, right? My will to survive kicked in big time. I wasn't going to let the darkness, or the monsters, swallow me up.

It was like being lost in a twisted version of a history book – ruined cities, ancient secrets, and here I was, running from demons and dodging danger at every turn. I didn’t even recognize myself anymore, thrust into this strange role, armed with just a smidge of newfound magic. But I learned something out there – when life throws you into the deep end, you either sink or learn to swim real fast.

And trust is a funny thing in a world where everyone's a stranger. I had to rely on others, not knowing if they were friend or foe. But amidst all the fear and uncertainty, I found little sparks of hope and friendship. I knew I had to find out why this happened to me, to chase even the faintest chance of getting back home – a home that was starting to feel like a distant dream.

So, with a deep breath (and maybe a little pep talk), I stepped forward on this wild, scary, but kind of exhilarating path. I was determined to unravel the mystery of my abduction and hold onto the hope of returning to a life that, once upon a time, was just about college applications and what movie to watch on Friday nights.

Genres: Fantasy

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2023

Reviews

[Akshay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vigilance by C. Peinhopf kicks off the Fallen Lands series with an ambitious blend of post-apocalyptic survival and LitRPG progression. The novel attempts to marry intense worldbuilding with RPG mechanics, character development, and gritty realism. While it introduces promising ideas and themes, its execution is a mix of strengths and growing pains.

Worldbuilding and Setting

The story unfolds in a collapsed world where the remnants of civilization are scattered across dangerous, mutated territories governed by RPG-like systems. It’s a hostile land filled with monsters, loot, and ever-present threats—classic LitRPG fare, but with a darker and more grounded aesthetic than many genre counterparts.

Peinhopf deserves credit for creating a believable atmosphere. The post-apocalyptic tone is immersive, and there’s a tactile sense of danger that lingers throughout. However, the mechanics—stats, skills, level-ups—are sometimes inconsistently integrated, breaking immersion in places where the logic of the system isn't clearly defined.

Protagonist and Character Development

The protagonist is pragmatic and layered, motivated not by heroism but survival and guarded loyalty. He’s not an instant powerhouse, and that works in the novel’s favor. Readers are brought along as he earns every improvement—skills are gained slowly, abilities feel hard-won, and every stat point matters. This creates genuine tension and payoff in his arc.

However, side characters often fall into archetypes or fade into the background. Dialogue can also be stiff at times, missing emotional nuance or natural rhythm, which undercuts character moments that should have more impact.

Thematic Depth

Vigilance explores themes of resilience, loss, and the fragility of order. The post-collapse society is less about rebirth and more about the ethics of survival. It’s a morally grey world, and the book does well to portray that in both narrative and decision-making moments.

“Survival isn’t victory. It’s just permission to try again tomorrow.”

Lines like this echo the book’s darker outlook and provide rare, poignant introspection amidst action-heavy scenes. Peinhopf shows potential in wielding deeper philosophical weight but occasionally leans too heavily on exposition rather than trusting the story to speak for itself.

Pacing and Structure

The book starts strong, with immediate conflict and clear stakes. However, the middle section drags slightly under the weight of grind-based progression. Skill descriptions, inventory management, and level-ups can become repetitive and slow the narrative momentum.

Fortunately, the final act redeems some of that lag with a satisfying culmination of character growth, tension, and combat. The climax is gritty and earned, offering a solid lead-in to future installments.

Comparison to Contemporaries

Vigilance occupies a similar space to titles like The Primal Hunter by Zogarth or Savage Dominion by Luke Chmilenko and G. Akella, but with less bombast and more grit. It favors realism over power fantasy, which may appeal to readers tired of overpowered protagonists or endless stat-dumps.

However, unlike top-tier LitRPGs that masterfully blend narrative and mechanics—like Travis Bagwell’s Awaken Online or Will Wight’s Cradle series—Vigilance sometimes struggles to balance its systems with storytelling flow.

Final Verdict

Vigilance is a solid if imperfect entry into the LitRPG genre. C. Peinhopf clearly understands what makes this genre compelling—worldbuilding, risk, progression—but he’s still refining the craft of seamless integration and character nuance. The novel sets up intriguing plot threads and an ominous world that invites further exploration. With more polish and emotional depth, future books in the Fallen Lands series could stand out strongly.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Recommended for LitRPG fans who enjoy post-apocalyptic settings, measured character progression, and darker narrative tones. Not for readers seeking comedic relief, romance, or ultra-fast leveling arcs.

[Fat Frog · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another moron main character. *Sigh*

Childish, stupid, and immediately does everything to get discovered, even though her secret is dangerous and could get her killed or enslaved.

The actions of the MC and crew are very flippant and childish. They chat while fighting, which removes any tension, and makes the fights seem fake.

The stats and levels mean nothing. The MC can shoot laser beams at lvl 3 that incinerate some gigantic lvl 32 flying abominations. The MC assigns stats like an utter moron, randomly putting stats into anything. This includes putting points into a skill that would help her fly an airship... SHE HAS NO AIRSHIP. It is so bad.

I hate when characters literally say they have "plot armor", when they very obviously DO have plot armor.

It feels like this was written by a woman who never plays video game RPGs, but likes to play dungeons and dragons. Someone who doesn't care about numbers, or writing something logical, but someone who just likes cute anime neko girls and sunbeam lasers.

DNF 37%

[Eric Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a few extra Audible credits, and my brother, who is HUGE on litRPG suggested I give this one a try. It's not usually my thing, but I figured why not? I actually liked it quite a bit. I do kind of get annoyed about constant talk about skills, and stats, and leveling up, but this book did seem to keep that sort of thing to an acceptable level most of the time. It was never oppressive, taking up pages upon pages of the book. Beyond that, this is a pretty fun little book. The writing is nothing amazing, but it's not terrible either. It has decent, likeable characters, who don't always make the right or smart decisions. The protagonist isn't completely overpowered, as is a bit of a trend with this sort of book. The world is decently well developed, and the world-building is worked well into the story without too much info-dumping. On the surface it seems like a pretty lighthearted little adventure, about a girl summoned as the hero of a fantasy world. It also gets very, very dark at parts with some pretty brutal body horror near the end as well. I had a good time with it. If you're at all interested in anime or Japanese light novels, you'll probably enjoy this one. I grabbed the second book in the series and will be moving onto that one tomorrow.

[Shannon Luchies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evie was meant to start school in California, only to fall through a portal into a game like fantasy world. Starting as a kitsune slave she escapes during a monster attack, figures out how to get a assigned class, then flees a zombie infested town.

On the road she finds a caravan guarded by adventurers. She meets a ranger, Lilith, who befriends her and helps her start figuring out how the world works.

After fighting off a vampire attack they find Amelie, who is much more into the whole 'Hero' thing. With Lilith and a seamstress Ophelia, they travel to a bigger city to become adventurers.

Solidly decent read. I do find the locals using RPG terms odd, but there's translation magic at work, so maybe they're using local terms and the heroes are just hearing it that way.

3.25 stars. Good, not great....

[Triss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the book. The FMC who is the one dialoguing the whole story is a bit like a child and can be very infuriating and boring. I get not being to into RPG gaming but she did do things I would think someone who doesn’t know what’s going or has apparently never read a fantasy book made her extremely clumsy. The pacing could have been a bit faster and not so boring but it still worked and made a half decent story. Also as a side note everytime she said anything about the notifications I could hear the witcher 3 choir chorus playing in the background.

[Matthew Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Read

I really enjoyed reading this book. Evie is very entertaining and interesting to read. Then bringing in Amalie, Constance and Zoila was a joy to read. The action scenes were great and magic classes and powers were great. I wish we got to see a stat sheet for Amalie, though I understand because she's not the main character but it would have been interesting. I hope you have second installment soon!!



Spoiler!!

I will miss Zoila she was a great companion.

[Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

a legend has emerged

….. cry emoji

The heart break the pain of death and suffering.

This not a happy world this is novel set in a fantasy realm where the hero only beat the big boss but died leaving the hordes of enemies to lived on to cause chaos for centuries now heroes emerge once more.

You’d think that’d be good but sadly this is a world where one misstep lead to the death of thousands who will survive till the end not even the author knows.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic story from a talented author, lots of great world building and excellent character dialogue and interaction. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Charlie Keegan James, EXCELLENT narration and I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from both the author and narrator in the future. Will be finishing out this series as it progresses!

[Elena Hect · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many of my problems would be solved by transmigrating into a foxgirl with lightning powers. Of course, Fallen Lands introduces new ones, but that would not stop me.

Much of this book is slow and meandering and cute, and I got sucked into the same false sense of security that Evie did. Alas, the town of Vigilance has its name for a reason...

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book even though it took me out of my mostly horror phase...or maybe because it was a good, solid fantasy break with enough monsters to hold my interest. I liked Evie as a main character. And enjoyed the world-building. Can't wait to read the next in the series.

(Warning: if you play RPGs of any kind, this may make you want to play.)

[Roberto Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is very much 'a day in the life of' kind of book. It had no direction, and the main character is very shallow. The writing falls short in numerous ways, from the lack of plot to the tropy side characters. This just drags on with no real point.

[ginger kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first kitsune

A young girl gets pulled into an unexpected world she needs to learn to navigate while in a body she does not recognize. What could go wrong? Lots of adventure!! Intriguing characters. Can't wait to see what happens next

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and captivating

Really amazing story and really captivating did not want to put the book down just wanted to keep reading. This is what a adventure book should look like. Thank you this is so worth the read

[Andrew Wentzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This says a lot about society.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

But too obvious, stupid characters, stupid ending.

[Joshua Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of this book, but I will agree with the other reviews that talk about the naiveite of the MC. That did have me feeling frustrated with the character by the end.

[Tom Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aurora?

New item on skills sheet: aurora. It never came up, so I guess I need to read the next book. Winston is terrible. Do not get attached to him.

[Fujukai RZPT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very stupid and naive characters.
Main character is tasked by the official authorities to "investigate" a kidnapping case
she finds the one responsible and instead of punishing that person, imprisoning him or something similar, she flirts with him and promises him a date if he lets his kidnapped victims go.
She does this not for any good reason, but because she wants to prevent "drama".
At least there is a payoff where he tries to kidnap her (and probably later rape her) on their date and one of her best friends dies.

She drinks lots of alcohol and gets drunk while being underage and in hiding while in a public space???