What do you think?
Rate this book
Savage Awakening #1
Savage Awakening
Zane was driving home from work when the world changed.
Thousands of dungeons full of magic and monsters spawned at once, taking up every inch of Earth—including the road he’s driving on. He wakes up to a totaled car and a broken leg, facing down a goblin trying to spear him through the guts. And that's just the start of it.
But to Zane’s surprise, he finds himself enjoying this brutal new world. While others cower and hide, he goes on the hunt. He unlocks a rare and unique Berserker skill—the more damage he takes, the stronger he gets.
Soon he’s beating down monster hordes, solo clearing dungeons, unlocking powerful Skills, and striking out to conquer more and more...
Thousands of dungeons full of magic and monsters spawned at once, taking up every inch of Earth—including the road he’s driving on. He wakes up to a totaled car and a broken leg, facing down a goblin trying to spear him through the guts. And that's just the start of it.
But to Zane’s surprise, he finds himself enjoying this brutal new world. While others cower and hide, he goes on the hunt. He unlocks a rare and unique Berserker skill—the more damage he takes, the stronger he gets.
Soon he’s beating down monster hordes, solo clearing dungeons, unlocking powerful Skills, and striking out to conquer more and more...
855 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2024
1605 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
April 30, 2024
At first glance, this looks like a pretty standard system apocalypse LitRPG with a combat fiend main character. And maybe that's all it is and that'd make it a fine power fantasy. But I found Zane engaging from the start and that helped me accept the premise and immerse into a fast paced, great action story.
It doesn't hurt that Zane has more depth than he realizes. Yeah, he starts as something of a waste with a lowly warehouse job since a college wrestling injury took away his one joy. He knows he doesn't have the enthusiasms of other people except that one area that really gets him focused and intense and just accepts that he's emotionally muted. Which makes him kind of tailor-made for a system apocalypse where fighting becomes an easy thing to find. And also where his first level heals him of that pesky former injury holding him back.
I liked his consistent deferral any time he saved people who wanted him to be their leader. I like both parts of that statement because Zane isn't someone who sits idly by when bad people do bad things. He's constantly saving people from monsters, both human and not. And then finding creative new ways to shirk the responsibility they want to put on him to look after them. This trait saves him from being a Gary Stu, frankly, because it's strong even in places where it is inconvenient or makes his path harder. People react realistically to that is what I'm saying.
And I particularly like the few companions he picks up for brief stints. Avery is a hoot. And I just love the developments with Reina who is crushed when she attaches so strongly to him only for him to leave her behind tasked with running the territories he conquers. She gets the hard jobs and the heart ache of unrequited attachment and still works hard to make everybody's lives better. And I even like that the author .
Anyway, I was thinking four stars throughout, but I laughed out loud enough that I'm going to bump it to five. It's a fast paced story with a main character the author stays true to even when it would have been so much easier to compromise those things they put at the core of his character. Plus, he stomps evil every chance he gets and I'm always going to love that in my power fantasies.
A note about Chaste: There are shenanigans. Sexual shenanigans. They happen behind closed doors, however, so this is pretty chaste with only vague references to, er, intimate workouts.
It doesn't hurt that Zane has more depth than he realizes. Yeah, he starts as something of a waste with a lowly warehouse job since a college wrestling injury took away his one joy. He knows he doesn't have the enthusiasms of other people except that one area that really gets him focused and intense and just accepts that he's emotionally muted. Which makes him kind of tailor-made for a system apocalypse where fighting becomes an easy thing to find. And also where his first level heals him of that pesky former injury holding him back.
I liked his consistent deferral any time he saved people who wanted him to be their leader. I like both parts of that statement because Zane isn't someone who sits idly by when bad people do bad things. He's constantly saving people from monsters, both human and not. And then finding creative new ways to shirk the responsibility they want to put on him to look after them. This trait saves him from being a Gary Stu, frankly, because it's strong even in places where it is inconvenient or makes his path harder. People react realistically to that is what I'm saying.
And I particularly like the few companions he picks up for brief stints. Avery is a hoot. And I just love the developments with Reina who is crushed when she attaches so strongly to him only for him to leave her behind tasked with running the territories he conquers. She gets the hard jobs and the heart ache of unrequited attachment and still works hard to make everybody's lives better. And I even like that the author .
Anyway, I was thinking four stars throughout, but I laughed out loud enough that I'm going to bump it to five. It's a fast paced story with a main character the author stays true to even when it would have been so much easier to compromise those things they put at the core of his character. Plus, he stomps evil every chance he gets and I'm always going to love that in my power fantasies.
A note about Chaste: There are shenanigans. Sexual shenanigans. They happen behind closed doors, however, so this is pretty chaste with only vague references to, er, intimate workouts.
December 17, 2025
This book feels like the author took the Primal Hunter series and Defiance of The Fall, then mashed them together. However, it doesn't have the depth of either and that makes it feel hollow.
June 17, 2024
A clone of Defiance of the Fall. Placed in a remote area when the world changes straight into battles? Check. Can go murder hobo? Check. Battle system majorly around Laws? Check. World ranking system? Check. Other planets and battles at a larger scale? Check. City building? Check. MC being overpowered mostly due to luck? Check
It really does not add a ton from Defiance of the Fall, other than a couple of different supporting characters and the MC being in a relationship (with the first non ex-gf woman he meets, of course). But the system that Defiance of the Fall has is so good that copying it still remains a very enjoyable book.
Plot pace is solid, power creep is balanced for now, side characters are good, and dungeons are fun. But the author clearly had no interest in writing a relatable main character, or a main character with any meat to its bones, with this premise of one who does not feel / acts like a brute / bad at social interactions / only has thoughts for fighting etc. I think in the latter half the author realized their mistake but the damage was done, but attempts to fix him were well received.
I'm going back to the original.
It really does not add a ton from Defiance of the Fall, other than a couple of different supporting characters and the MC being in a relationship (with the first non ex-gf woman he meets, of course). But the system that Defiance of the Fall has is so good that copying it still remains a very enjoyable book.
Plot pace is solid, power creep is balanced for now, side characters are good, and dungeons are fun. But the author clearly had no interest in writing a relatable main character, or a main character with any meat to its bones, with this premise of one who does not feel / acts like a brute / bad at social interactions / only has thoughts for fighting etc. I think in the latter half the author realized their mistake but the damage was done, but attempts to fix him were well received.
I'm going back to the original.
June 28, 2024
Caricatures
Bare bones power fantasy where every character is a caricature. I did make it through. It was hard.
The progression is rapid and feels unearned. None of it is satisfying since it comes so fast and free and every item dropped is perfect for MC.
A worse version of every other story of its type.
Bare bones power fantasy where every character is a caricature. I did make it through. It was hard.
The progression is rapid and feels unearned. None of it is satisfying since it comes so fast and free and every item dropped is perfect for MC.
A worse version of every other story of its type.
May 14, 2024
This is a simple power fantasy with no real plot. The protagonist is not relatable – I suspect the author didn't want to describe a warm and fuzzy inner life and so cast a man-shaped robot as the protagonist.
February 8, 2025
I think I might have given the author too much credit and hyped myself up for nothing.
I liked the beginning. I thought it was a story about a chronically depressed, mentally ill, psychopathic, yet functional, killer finding his road to joy through his lust for the thrill of battle or something. A bit edgy, but atleast it was something new.
I liked how up and personal the main character got with his violence in his fights. It felt appropriate for the 'savage' title.
I liked how happy he seemed to bet his life in every battle.
I liked how, outside of battle, he seemed depressed, faded, and broken.
I found his meeting with his ex and bully a bit comedic because of how cheesy, dumb, and pointless it was. But whatever
Then my bubble was popped. He entered his third dungeon and Reina was introduced as 'distractingly beautiful' or something, which imidiatly raised red flags for me.
Mainly because this was obviously not the main character's thoughts, but the author setting up her value as a romantic partner.
This is lazy and annoying. But I was still holding out hope that this 'beauty' would miraculously remain a background character.
Sadly not. She says she wants to help him fight the boss, to which he says no before saying yes...
OK author... do you have any awareness of the character you have set up? He is a battlemaniac who almost exclusively cares for the thrill of risking his life in a duel between him and the enemies... why the f* would he EVER accept the help of another person to win his battles? Especially when not even 5 chapters ago he explicitly denied the help others offered for a boss that he almost died fighting.
The entire scenario is so incredibly manufactured to begin with. He has done this before but now it's suddenly different because you won't allow him to magically win the battle? Incase you are wondering, she falls for him when he throws himself infront of her to save her from an attack... yea, the psychotic main character sacrifices his battle to save an individual who he shouldn't really care about or have accepted as a team member to begin with.
Even if you must write a romance into the story why would you make it so incredibly bland, uninteresting, and stereotypical? "Oh the main character should get the hottest and most desired babe around! Isn't he cool now?" No....
You've written him to be a broken man ffs. Give him a broken woman or something interesting good lord, make her unappealing, unkempt and rogueish. Give her a self-centered motivation for following the main character instead of "Oh it was love at first site", make their romance a slow burn. Or, you know, just something interesting and less forced!
I liked the beginning. I thought it was a story about a chronically depressed, mentally ill, psychopathic, yet functional, killer finding his road to joy through his lust for the thrill of battle or something. A bit edgy, but atleast it was something new.
I liked how up and personal the main character got with his violence in his fights. It felt appropriate for the 'savage' title.
I liked how happy he seemed to bet his life in every battle.
I liked how, outside of battle, he seemed depressed, faded, and broken.
I found his meeting with his ex and bully a bit comedic because of how cheesy, dumb, and pointless it was. But whatever
Then my bubble was popped. He entered his third dungeon and Reina was introduced as 'distractingly beautiful' or something, which imidiatly raised red flags for me.
Mainly because this was obviously not the main character's thoughts, but the author setting up her value as a romantic partner.
This is lazy and annoying. But I was still holding out hope that this 'beauty' would miraculously remain a background character.
Sadly not. She says she wants to help him fight the boss, to which he says no before saying yes...
OK author... do you have any awareness of the character you have set up? He is a battlemaniac who almost exclusively cares for the thrill of risking his life in a duel between him and the enemies... why the f* would he EVER accept the help of another person to win his battles? Especially when not even 5 chapters ago he explicitly denied the help others offered for a boss that he almost died fighting.
The entire scenario is so incredibly manufactured to begin with. He has done this before but now it's suddenly different because you won't allow him to magically win the battle? Incase you are wondering, she falls for him when he throws himself infront of her to save her from an attack... yea, the psychotic main character sacrifices his battle to save an individual who he shouldn't really care about or have accepted as a team member to begin with.
Even if you must write a romance into the story why would you make it so incredibly bland, uninteresting, and stereotypical? "Oh the main character should get the hottest and most desired babe around! Isn't he cool now?" No....
You've written him to be a broken man ffs. Give him a broken woman or something interesting good lord, make her unappealing, unkempt and rogueish. Give her a self-centered motivation for following the main character instead of "Oh it was love at first site", make their romance a slow burn. Or, you know, just something interesting and less forced!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
A might-makes-right fantasy.
Childish views on good and evil. Enemies are all defined as being pure evil. And the MC kills them without a second thought. All associated solders are just considered evil too, and therefore everyone deserves to die.
MC is stereotypical anti-social loser who can't relate to anyone.
After killing more than 100 people.. the MC thinks: "Well. That was neat."
The mental disconnect is a bit hard to take. The language just doesn't fit.
Neato burrito duuude, lets go kill more people.
I hate this main character. While he is saving tons of people from slavery, cutting their chains and setting them free, he is thinking "waaah all I want to do is go to the dungeon today... waaah I can't go to the dungeon".
Constantly the MC is like "i'm so bored". Whenever he's not busy killing people for making fun of his girlfriend, he's sooo bored. He's making me bored.
I think this book is aimed at 13 year olds. Maybe they could possibly consider this MC to be cool....
DNF 60%
Childish views on good and evil. Enemies are all defined as being pure evil. And the MC kills them without a second thought. All associated solders are just considered evil too, and therefore everyone deserves to die.
MC is stereotypical anti-social loser who can't relate to anyone.
After killing more than 100 people.. the MC thinks: "Well. That was neat."
The mental disconnect is a bit hard to take. The language just doesn't fit.
Neato burrito duuude, lets go kill more people.
I hate this main character. While he is saving tons of people from slavery, cutting their chains and setting them free, he is thinking "waaah all I want to do is go to the dungeon today... waaah I can't go to the dungeon".
Constantly the MC is like "i'm so bored". Whenever he's not busy killing people for making fun of his girlfriend, he's sooo bored. He's making me bored.
I think this book is aimed at 13 year olds. Maybe they could possibly consider this MC to be cool....
DNF 60%
January 6, 2025
The MC read very flat, the "relationship" he formed was weird and based on absolutely nothing, his magic was really cool but it wasn't enough to make me even slightly invested in the storyline.
December 23, 2024
my favorite of 2024
This has got to be my new favorite book of 2024. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but the cover intrigued me. But it has everything you need in an awesome book. Monsters, an apocalypse, a main character who doesn’t take himself seriously but is just here to kind monsters into sand, light romance, better bromances, AND a full story you can really sink your teeth into.
This has got to be my new favorite book of 2024. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but the cover intrigued me. But it has everything you need in an awesome book. Monsters, an apocalypse, a main character who doesn’t take himself seriously but is just here to kind monsters into sand, light romance, better bromances, AND a full story you can really sink your teeth into.
May 17, 2024
Great Start to a Series!!
A good read, a very interesting storyline with an interesting take on leveling. The( main character is portrayed as one dimensional but is more emotionally complicated than even he wants sometimes.
A good read, a very interesting storyline with an interesting take on leveling. The( main character is portrayed as one dimensional but is more emotionally complicated than even he wants sometimes.
January 1, 2025
First book of 2025. Started with a bang!!!
September 16, 2024
I'm dropping this one into my "stopped reading" shelf. There's... nothing here. It being a bland empty void gives it the dubious honor of 2 stars, having failed to even make me dislike it.
MC is one dimensional, immediately lucks into a tree of experience fruit and jumps from level 1 to level 4 in about four sentences. He finds [i]another one[/i] an hour later and jumps another several levels, even tricking a boss and hiding the last fruit in his mouth, eating it during the fight for a level up and full heal.
I'm pretty sure he found another tree a chapter or two later, but I'm honestly not sure because I could barely keep myself from tuning it out it was so boring. By the time he encounters other humans, he's level 28.
This is all by chapter 7 (of 102).
MC is one dimensional, immediately lucks into a tree of experience fruit and jumps from level 1 to level 4 in about four sentences. He finds [i]another one[/i] an hour later and jumps another several levels, even tricking a boss and hiding the last fruit in his mouth, eating it during the fight for a level up and full heal.
I'm pretty sure he found another tree a chapter or two later, but I'm honestly not sure because I could barely keep myself from tuning it out it was so boring. By the time he encounters other humans, he's level 28.
This is all by chapter 7 (of 102).
October 12, 2024
If I could sum up this book in one word it would be: annoying. The narration is annoying, with several of the voices being high pitched and a pain to listen to.
I was so let down by this book because I thought the premise was so intriguing. I have been wanting to listen to more power fantasies but this was not it. The battles were full and rushed which takes away from the fun.
The main character was not likable at all or hateable, I just found him annoying.
I was so let down by this book because I thought the premise was so intriguing. I have been wanting to listen to more power fantasies but this was not it. The battles were full and rushed which takes away from the fun.
The main character was not likable at all or hateable, I just found him annoying.
November 20, 2025
rtc after a reread of the whole series... maybe soon.
December 28, 2024
It's worth checking out
I had just wrapped up the latest Primal Hunter when this book was recommended to me. Sit down, got about six chapters in, and was so bored to tears that I let it go and moved on to something else. Found myself flat on my back sick as a dog just in time for Christmas. I picked up the path of the Berserker and Blitz through the three books that are available. Upon getting to the end, I was recommended this series again. Haven't given it in a second shot. It turns out I got hooked on chapter 7 funny enough. I do try and take it easy on the first book of any new series, as in my experience, they tend to be shaky even from tried and true authors. I also try and separate my personal feelings from the quality of the work. The authors writing is good. The book does come off a little like three separate stories mashed together and I could definitely see why Amazon and others would recommend this series to me having been a fan of Primal Hunter and now path of the Berserker. There is some commonality between the three books. Our main character is a little thick in the skull, although you could also argue that he has some sort of mental condition or emotional defect. He still comes off like a good guy even if the author has him declare in the story that he's not. I would equate him to the kind of person you'd see as a CIA operative. On the good side and completely loyal while being willing to do some of the nastiest things. Being sick and all I let Alexa take over in a couple of places. She does all right, but the Titan steel treeant became the tri tan seal trent. At the end of the day I think everybody who had a hand and bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers, is deserving of a round of applause. As of the time of this review first four books or up in ebook form with the first three being available in audio. I've come across the narrator past performances and he does a good job. I got no reason to believe he'd do any less with this story. It is a solo narration however.
I had just wrapped up the latest Primal Hunter when this book was recommended to me. Sit down, got about six chapters in, and was so bored to tears that I let it go and moved on to something else. Found myself flat on my back sick as a dog just in time for Christmas. I picked up the path of the Berserker and Blitz through the three books that are available. Upon getting to the end, I was recommended this series again. Haven't given it in a second shot. It turns out I got hooked on chapter 7 funny enough. I do try and take it easy on the first book of any new series, as in my experience, they tend to be shaky even from tried and true authors. I also try and separate my personal feelings from the quality of the work. The authors writing is good. The book does come off a little like three separate stories mashed together and I could definitely see why Amazon and others would recommend this series to me having been a fan of Primal Hunter and now path of the Berserker. There is some commonality between the three books. Our main character is a little thick in the skull, although you could also argue that he has some sort of mental condition or emotional defect. He still comes off like a good guy even if the author has him declare in the story that he's not. I would equate him to the kind of person you'd see as a CIA operative. On the good side and completely loyal while being willing to do some of the nastiest things. Being sick and all I let Alexa take over in a couple of places. She does all right, but the Titan steel treeant became the tri tan seal trent. At the end of the day I think everybody who had a hand and bringing the story to us, the Amazon readers, is deserving of a round of applause. As of the time of this review first four books or up in ebook form with the first three being available in audio. I've come across the narrator past performances and he does a good job. I got no reason to believe he'd do any less with this story. It is a solo narration however.
November 6, 2024
I respect this one punch man. He's doing his best to do his best. Which is fight stuff. That's what he's good at. Poor man but I respect it. Third person is a really good way with this one punchman type character. And his love of fighting and throwing down. He's so unemotionally intellgent but I get it. And I'm not gonna be mad at it because at least he didn't dexter. About an hour and half in the story turns the corner and it stops being what I thought it was.
update- one punch man meets goku smashed with mob 100. he loves fight like goku but with more of a killer edge, he's over powered like one punchman and he flips out when his friends are in trouble like mob 100. He's a dang near perfect example of how you get more out of a flesh out character then yet another broody empty edgelord. I get it on a lot of levels. And Z just grows and grows in this story and my smile gets wider. I wish for a little more looting and crafts because I'm a nerd who completes the game. But I'm digging it and lore wise it's interesting what it's hinting at.
update for series - I'm on book 4 and I've wildly enjoyed it. It's meaty head one punchman, mob 100, dbz goku meat head nonsense but I love it. I love the side characters, love the female lead. Love the sus moments. Enjoy it fully. shockingly, I don't get to say this enough in this genre due to harem habits and when I say harem habits. I mean a man who doesn't meet the emotional and physical needs of 1 women yet wants to have a harem of it. Then they introduce like 7 women into the mix who get very little character arcs back story or anything and it makes no sense. Meanwhile there's this huge plot and other things that are more interesting and the author just dumps it for more harem stuff. So no I don't get to say this enough for the genre and so far this doesn't have a harem. But I respect the author enough to think they would actually be able to pull it off if there was one. And so here we go. I'd actually reread this series (audiobook) again. Which for me is normal the sign that I really really enjoyed it.
update- one punch man meets goku smashed with mob 100. he loves fight like goku but with more of a killer edge, he's over powered like one punchman and he flips out when his friends are in trouble like mob 100. He's a dang near perfect example of how you get more out of a flesh out character then yet another broody empty edgelord. I get it on a lot of levels. And Z just grows and grows in this story and my smile gets wider. I wish for a little more looting and crafts because I'm a nerd who completes the game. But I'm digging it and lore wise it's interesting what it's hinting at.
update for series - I'm on book 4 and I've wildly enjoyed it. It's meaty head one punchman, mob 100, dbz goku meat head nonsense but I love it. I love the side characters, love the female lead. Love the sus moments. Enjoy it fully. shockingly, I don't get to say this enough in this genre due to harem habits and when I say harem habits. I mean a man who doesn't meet the emotional and physical needs of 1 women yet wants to have a harem of it. Then they introduce like 7 women into the mix who get very little character arcs back story or anything and it makes no sense. Meanwhile there's this huge plot and other things that are more interesting and the author just dumps it for more harem stuff. So no I don't get to say this enough for the genre and so far this doesn't have a harem. But I respect the author enough to think they would actually be able to pull it off if there was one. And so here we go. I'd actually reread this series (audiobook) again. Which for me is normal the sign that I really really enjoyed it.
September 15, 2024
The book does improve as it progresses, but you'll need to push through a lot of clichés and heavy-handed characterization in the first hundred pages. While there are fewer as the story continues, the clichéd characters never fully disappear. The protagonist is the stereotypical antisocial male whose main motivation is fighting, with a backstory involving an ex-girlfriend and a bully. Predictably, the ex-girlfriend tries to reconnect, and the bully is eventually put in his place. Few characters have real depth, and the details about their pre-integration lives didn’t add much to their development.
As a woman, I found the level of interest women showed in the protagonist—and how quickly it happened—exhausting, leading me to think the story may resonate more with a male audience. I mean, the concept of leveling up a girlfriend through sex? It felt like wish fulfillment.
The story's rapid progression didn't feel earned, with the protagonist unlocking new laws too easily and without much buildup or tension. While it's meant to highlight his talent, it hurt the pacing and overall engagement.
That said, I enjoyed the factions, though they took a while to develop, and some of the monsters were interesting. However, these positives weren’t enough for me to continue the series. I only finished the book because I had both the audiobook and Kindle versions.
Despite my reservations, I’d recommend this to LitRPG fans who enjoy power fantasies and action-heavy fight scenes. It might not have helped that I’ve recently read Primal Hunter and reread Defiance of the Fall, which set a higher bar for me.
The narrator did a solid job with male voices and system messages, but I wasn’t impressed by the female voices.
As a woman, I found the level of interest women showed in the protagonist—and how quickly it happened—exhausting, leading me to think the story may resonate more with a male audience. I mean, the concept of leveling up a girlfriend through sex? It felt like wish fulfillment.
The story's rapid progression didn't feel earned, with the protagonist unlocking new laws too easily and without much buildup or tension. While it's meant to highlight his talent, it hurt the pacing and overall engagement.
That said, I enjoyed the factions, though they took a while to develop, and some of the monsters were interesting. However, these positives weren’t enough for me to continue the series. I only finished the book because I had both the audiobook and Kindle versions.
Despite my reservations, I’d recommend this to LitRPG fans who enjoy power fantasies and action-heavy fight scenes. It might not have helped that I’ve recently read Primal Hunter and reread Defiance of the Fall, which set a higher bar for me.
The narrator did a solid job with male voices and system messages, but I wasn’t impressed by the female voices.
May 13, 2025
Savage Awakening: A Strong Lead with No Direction
I made it to Chapter 51 of Savage Awakening before throwing in the towel. Here's why...
Premise & Protagonist
I enjoy a strong male lead—intelligent, decisive, fearless, realistic in his thinking, and unburdened by a hero complex. Zane, on the other hand, is physically strong but lacks any real substance beyond that. He’s average in every other aspect—his personality, decisions, and ambitions are as plain as a frozen lake.
Strengths
Despite its flaws, the book does get some things right. The pacing is excellent, keeping the story moving without dragging. The fight scenes are intense and gripping. If you’re here purely for action, Savage Awakening delivers.
Weaknesses
- Character Depth: Zane's personality is one-note. He exists only to fight—no deeper ambitions, no internal conflicts, just an endless cycle of smashing things.
- The System & Laws: The way power is distributed feels unbalanced. The laws seem to dictate strength arbitrarily, making progression frustrating rather than rewarding.
- Plot Engagement: A great book gives the protagonist a goal—something to strive toward. Think of any great book, trilogy, or series, where the reader becomes invested in how the protagonist reaches his objective, the obstacles he faces, and how he overcomes them. Here, there’s no such guiding purpose. I don’t know what Zane is meant to achieve, and that lack of direction makes the story lose its grip fast.
Final Thoughts
If you love pure action with no real depth, Savage Awakening might be worth a read. But if you’re looking for a protagonist with real drive, intelligence, and a meaningful goal, don’t expect much.
I made it to Chapter 51 of Savage Awakening before throwing in the towel. Here's why...
Premise & Protagonist
I enjoy a strong male lead—intelligent, decisive, fearless, realistic in his thinking, and unburdened by a hero complex. Zane, on the other hand, is physically strong but lacks any real substance beyond that. He’s average in every other aspect—his personality, decisions, and ambitions are as plain as a frozen lake.
Strengths
Despite its flaws, the book does get some things right. The pacing is excellent, keeping the story moving without dragging. The fight scenes are intense and gripping. If you’re here purely for action, Savage Awakening delivers.
Weaknesses
- Character Depth: Zane's personality is one-note. He exists only to fight—no deeper ambitions, no internal conflicts, just an endless cycle of smashing things.
- The System & Laws: The way power is distributed feels unbalanced. The laws seem to dictate strength arbitrarily, making progression frustrating rather than rewarding.
- Plot Engagement: A great book gives the protagonist a goal—something to strive toward. Think of any great book, trilogy, or series, where the reader becomes invested in how the protagonist reaches his objective, the obstacles he faces, and how he overcomes them. Here, there’s no such guiding purpose. I don’t know what Zane is meant to achieve, and that lack of direction makes the story lose its grip fast.
Final Thoughts
If you love pure action with no real depth, Savage Awakening might be worth a read. But if you’re looking for a protagonist with real drive, intelligence, and a meaningful goal, don’t expect much.
June 8, 2024
A very good book but yet a challenge to read
This is certainly not a perfect book but a very good book to read. The author has created a world that is brutal and real in vivid color. A world where people show their true colors when thrown into very difficult situations. And you see how people act when given true power of life and death over others. This main character is NOT one of those truly good guys who you can follow easily like heroes in a comic book or DC/Marvel movie. He’s a social awkward, mentally challenged young man who loves to fight. And happens into doing the right thing more so than choosing to do the right thing. There are times that you think he’s an idiot bull in a china shop trying to light a candle with a blow torch so he can see his way out the door down the stairs in the basement filled with boxes of dynamite.
And other times, he is truly the hero you need own time and ready to play. There will be times that you love what he’s doing and other times you can’t stand the utter, complete stupidity of the man child.
Somehow this author manages to maintain this balancing act between good and annoyance. I almost didn’t make it past the first few chapters, I was so annoyed with this MC. Thankfully the world building keeps you engaged enough to continue reading past the MC’s shortcomings. Now I’m very interested to see what happens in the next book.
This is certainly not a perfect book but a very good book to read. The author has created a world that is brutal and real in vivid color. A world where people show their true colors when thrown into very difficult situations. And you see how people act when given true power of life and death over others. This main character is NOT one of those truly good guys who you can follow easily like heroes in a comic book or DC/Marvel movie. He’s a social awkward, mentally challenged young man who loves to fight. And happens into doing the right thing more so than choosing to do the right thing. There are times that you think he’s an idiot bull in a china shop trying to light a candle with a blow torch so he can see his way out the door down the stairs in the basement filled with boxes of dynamite.
And other times, he is truly the hero you need own time and ready to play. There will be times that you love what he’s doing and other times you can’t stand the utter, complete stupidity of the man child.
Somehow this author manages to maintain this balancing act between good and annoyance. I almost didn’t make it past the first few chapters, I was so annoyed with this MC. Thankfully the world building keeps you engaged enough to continue reading past the MC’s shortcomings. Now I’m very interested to see what happens in the next book.
September 10, 2024
This is pretty much your standard system apocalypse LitRPG, but the MC Zane, reads as on the Neurospicy Spectrum to me, especially in his relation to those around him. He doesn't know how to relate to people, but this new system is fun for him, because he likes the fights (monster or a'holes.) Zane is a tank character and seems to power through this book, but he's also one-dimensional. He's literally only interested only in fighting and levelling up.
My problem is I like more than just fight scenes and powering up. I would have liked a bit more intercharacter relationships, but all of the side characters are just there for Zane to pass his responsibilities onto. My favorite characters were Avery and Evan as they seem to be the only characters Zane seems to have a normal relationship with and I would have liked to have seen him team up with each of them more, but it doesn't happen in this book, fingers crossed for book two?
Overall, I found the single OP MC powering through all of the dungeons and rival factions, alone to be boring. The best parts of the book, IMO, were when Zane teamed up with other players. However, if you like Over Powered, morally grey main character who levels up super fast and takes on all comers, this is totally the book for you.
My problem is I like more than just fight scenes and powering up. I would have liked a bit more intercharacter relationships, but all of the side characters are just there for Zane to pass his responsibilities onto. My favorite characters were Avery and Evan as they seem to be the only characters Zane seems to have a normal relationship with and I would have liked to have seen him team up with each of them more, but it doesn't happen in this book, fingers crossed for book two?
Overall, I found the single OP MC powering through all of the dungeons and rival factions, alone to be boring. The best parts of the book, IMO, were when Zane teamed up with other players. However, if you like Over Powered, morally grey main character who levels up super fast and takes on all comers, this is totally the book for you.
October 7, 2024
Honestly one of the worst books I've read in the past few years. The bullies are all so cartoonishly evil as to be a joke. I would be fine with that and consider the book more of a kids book but the gore and blood is at a level I wouldn't think anyone younger then a teen would be reading this. The MC never really struggles for anything and is constantly going "wow why is everyone else having a hard time." On top of that you have the "hot girl" just throwing herself at him and when he doesn't respond "she's not used to people turning her down." I felt like my eyes were about to roll out of my head it was so dumb.
At the end of the day this is a book with an author who is clearly working through some things and decided to write a book about how amazing they would be in an RPG world and how everyone would be into them and they could get revenge on everyone who was ever mean to them.
I apologize for the incredibly negative and mean spirited review. I'm sure there are some people who will get some genuine joy from reading this but for the common person I must strongly suggest you go elsewhere.
At the end of the day this is a book with an author who is clearly working through some things and decided to write a book about how amazing they would be in an RPG world and how everyone would be into them and they could get revenge on everyone who was ever mean to them.
I apologize for the incredibly negative and mean spirited review. I'm sure there are some people who will get some genuine joy from reading this but for the common person I must strongly suggest you go elsewhere.
January 1, 2025
This is the first book in a fantasy LitRPG series with a system apocalypse set on Earth. Zane starts off in a dungeon and quickly develops into a berserker archetype that goes with his love of fighting.
I have some quibbles about how the author designed the system such as how quickly people can level, how fully healing upon level up allows someone like a berserker to abuse it, and how the Laws seem to override everything. I thought Zane was progressing quickly and I was amazed that it seemed like others in the world seemed to be going even faster. Zane seems to often progress or have breakthroughs during or right before fights that would have killed him otherwise. There are also some cliches or male fantasies here where at least two beautiful women seem to immediately fall in love with Zane. Also Zane gets back at his old high school bullies. All of these are more minor concerns and I enjoyed the book. The book length was good and I thought this first book ended at a really good point. I would not call it one of my favorites at this point but I'm glad I read it and I will continue reading the series.
I have some quibbles about how the author designed the system such as how quickly people can level, how fully healing upon level up allows someone like a berserker to abuse it, and how the Laws seem to override everything. I thought Zane was progressing quickly and I was amazed that it seemed like others in the world seemed to be going even faster. Zane seems to often progress or have breakthroughs during or right before fights that would have killed him otherwise. There are also some cliches or male fantasies here where at least two beautiful women seem to immediately fall in love with Zane. Also Zane gets back at his old high school bullies. All of these are more minor concerns and I enjoyed the book. The book length was good and I thought this first book ended at a really good point. I would not call it one of my favorites at this point but I'm glad I read it and I will continue reading the series.
July 4, 2024
Basic but fun OP MC LitRPG. 3.5+ stars in the genre. The second half is somewhat better than the first half—the first 20% is particularly bland.
The writing is professional, our MC isn’t really all that likable—but he does evolve over the course of the story (there’s no subtly to this evolution), there aren’t too many eye-rolling moments, and the pacing is great. The dialogue is above average (trust me… I’ve read a lot of self published garbage over the last five years), and given the amount of time we spend inside the MCs head, and how dull the beginning is, I’m somewhat surprised I liked it enough to finish it and want to read the next.
That being said the plot is entirely “find dungeon, beat boss, level up”/”wash, rinse, repeat” and predictable. The world/system is uninspiring. The supporting cast is one dimensional. And after the first few battles I started skimming most of the repetitive combat text.
The writing is professional, our MC isn’t really all that likable—but he does evolve over the course of the story (there’s no subtly to this evolution), there aren’t too many eye-rolling moments, and the pacing is great. The dialogue is above average (trust me… I’ve read a lot of self published garbage over the last five years), and given the amount of time we spend inside the MCs head, and how dull the beginning is, I’m somewhat surprised I liked it enough to finish it and want to read the next.
That being said the plot is entirely “find dungeon, beat boss, level up”/”wash, rinse, repeat” and predictable. The world/system is uninspiring. The supporting cast is one dimensional. And after the first few battles I started skimming most of the repetitive combat text.
August 12, 2024
Gritty, down to earth pummeling at its best is how it starts for Zane
He soon realizes that he can fight monsters in dungeons to gain levels, gaining skills and elemental connections are all part of surviving and becoming stronger in this apocalyptic earth.
Zane is a big lug of a human, emotionally he’s shallow as a puddle unless you are talking rage and a love of a good physical fight and beat down. He isn’t above taking a beat down either as long as it helps him progress and in this new version of reality, he will need all the strength he can get. So on to the next fight and the next and the next he goes, he also helps some people and somehow ends up with a safe zone on his shoulders. He meets the woman he never knew he needed and wanted and then makes her deal with all that ruling stuff while he goes to smash stuff. It’s a good story and a fun read and I look forward to the next!
He soon realizes that he can fight monsters in dungeons to gain levels, gaining skills and elemental connections are all part of surviving and becoming stronger in this apocalyptic earth.
Zane is a big lug of a human, emotionally he’s shallow as a puddle unless you are talking rage and a love of a good physical fight and beat down. He isn’t above taking a beat down either as long as it helps him progress and in this new version of reality, he will need all the strength he can get. So on to the next fight and the next and the next he goes, he also helps some people and somehow ends up with a safe zone on his shoulders. He meets the woman he never knew he needed and wanted and then makes her deal with all that ruling stuff while he goes to smash stuff. It’s a good story and a fun read and I look forward to the next!
April 4, 2025
** Edit: 4th April 2025 **
I will leave my original review below if you're interested in my first impressions of this book, but on a second read, I have a very different point of view. All I can think is that I was so forgiving of this book the first time because it had done one thing better than a lot of other LitRPG novels that I had been reading at the time, and I think that I overcompensated for that as I went in with far too low expectations.
The truth is that this is not a 4-star read, nor even a 3-star read. This book is a brick wall of mindless action, with the actual story elements being the bare minimum of mortar holding it all together. The protagonist is nothing more than a single-minded automaton with no interests other than fighting for the sake of fighting, and it is incredibly hard to get into his story as a result, as there are no human elements about him to relate to.
The action scenes aren't even interesting, as the protagonist has only one plan of action: attack directly and either overcome the challenge with his superior might, or have the plot gift him a powerup to overcome the challenge with his new superior might.
I reread this book to remind myself of the story before picking up the next book in the series. Instead of achieving that goal, this reread has put me off wanting to read another page of this series.
** Original Review **
This book nearly scraped its way into a 4-star review. Considering the overwhelming majority of this story was mindless action, in all rights, it should have been down at a 2-star level, along with so many other books in this genre that take the same approach. However, this book does something vital that those other books miss, and it proves just how big of an impact that thing can make on a novel.
This book made a supporting cast of characters for the protagonist to play off.
It sounds obvious, but that is a common flaw that LitRPG novels make when writing their stories. They take their protagonist, and they shove him into a dangerous world on their own and leave them that way for the majority of their opening novel. When they finally do introduce extra characters, they literally exist to serve the plot and for no other reason. The problem here is that unless the author is a master at character studies, the protagonist simply can't carry the weight of a story on their own.
This book has a very brief solo section that initially got me worried, but soon started bringing in extra characters. Don't get me wrong, they were very convenient characters to the story being told and were still in service to the plot in some way, but they were each unique in their own right, added some excellent contrast to the protagonist and the story that was being told around him, and made the novel richer on almost every level.
This is especially necessary for this protagonist, who is so one-dimensional. He's interested only in fighting and levelling up. That is definitely not the sort of character who can work on his own because he is missing far too many humanising qualities for audiences to connect with him. However, that's no longer so much of a problem because there are plenty of people around him who can bring those qualities to the story, and it makes the novel much more engaging as a result. That includes good antagonists as well, another thing missing from most of this kind of story where authors like monsters and faceless dungeons to be the enemy. This character needs evil characters to make him look better than he is, and this story simply would not worked without these additional characters.
That being said, though, this still is far from a masterpiece. Like I said earlier, this novel is almost all action for the sake of action. I'm not going to lie; my brain started switching off for the action scenes, and it only came back alive again in the character and story-building scenes in between. The fact that I have a good understanding of the protagonist's skills, the plot, the world-building and pretty much everything else about this story at the end of this book, despite mentally ignoring all that boring action, shows exactly why action without meaning shouldn't be in novels. Action is only interesting when it is used as a tool to tell a story, not as filler content to put between story-telling chapters.
That being said, though, despite this, I finished this book wanting to read more and was disappointed that there wasn't another novel ready and waiting. That's the reason I wanted to give this book a 4-star rating, but in all honesty, this isn't a 4-star book. I'd put it on par with the weaker entries in the Defiance of the Fall, Randidly Ghosthound and Primal Hunter series. I single out those series specifically because they are easy-reading background stories that can get a little too caught up in action for action's sake at times, much to their detriment. However, I also pick them because if you've read those books, you'll find a lot that is familiar in this story. It feels very much like an amalgamation of those series, though it never crosses the line of outright copying, so for now, I'll give it a pass. I would like for it to further stand apart from those series in future books though, and try to find its own identity.
Overall this was a mixed bag. It's better than a lot of LitRPG novels I have read recently, and was good enough that I'll definitely be checking out the next edition when its out. However, objectively speaking, there's a lot of work needed to make this a genuinely good story. The potential is there, but the author needs to dial down the action, up the character work, plot and world-building, and try to give this story a little bit more of its own personality.
For now, it's 3.5 stars, and I can recommend it to fans of the previously mentioned series.
I will leave my original review below if you're interested in my first impressions of this book, but on a second read, I have a very different point of view. All I can think is that I was so forgiving of this book the first time because it had done one thing better than a lot of other LitRPG novels that I had been reading at the time, and I think that I overcompensated for that as I went in with far too low expectations.
The truth is that this is not a 4-star read, nor even a 3-star read. This book is a brick wall of mindless action, with the actual story elements being the bare minimum of mortar holding it all together. The protagonist is nothing more than a single-minded automaton with no interests other than fighting for the sake of fighting, and it is incredibly hard to get into his story as a result, as there are no human elements about him to relate to.
The action scenes aren't even interesting, as the protagonist has only one plan of action: attack directly and either overcome the challenge with his superior might, or have the plot gift him a powerup to overcome the challenge with his new superior might.
I reread this book to remind myself of the story before picking up the next book in the series. Instead of achieving that goal, this reread has put me off wanting to read another page of this series.
** Original Review **
This book nearly scraped its way into a 4-star review. Considering the overwhelming majority of this story was mindless action, in all rights, it should have been down at a 2-star level, along with so many other books in this genre that take the same approach. However, this book does something vital that those other books miss, and it proves just how big of an impact that thing can make on a novel.
This book made a supporting cast of characters for the protagonist to play off.
It sounds obvious, but that is a common flaw that LitRPG novels make when writing their stories. They take their protagonist, and they shove him into a dangerous world on their own and leave them that way for the majority of their opening novel. When they finally do introduce extra characters, they literally exist to serve the plot and for no other reason. The problem here is that unless the author is a master at character studies, the protagonist simply can't carry the weight of a story on their own.
This book has a very brief solo section that initially got me worried, but soon started bringing in extra characters. Don't get me wrong, they were very convenient characters to the story being told and were still in service to the plot in some way, but they were each unique in their own right, added some excellent contrast to the protagonist and the story that was being told around him, and made the novel richer on almost every level.
This is especially necessary for this protagonist, who is so one-dimensional. He's interested only in fighting and levelling up. That is definitely not the sort of character who can work on his own because he is missing far too many humanising qualities for audiences to connect with him. However, that's no longer so much of a problem because there are plenty of people around him who can bring those qualities to the story, and it makes the novel much more engaging as a result. That includes good antagonists as well, another thing missing from most of this kind of story where authors like monsters and faceless dungeons to be the enemy. This character needs evil characters to make him look better than he is, and this story simply would not worked without these additional characters.
That being said, though, this still is far from a masterpiece. Like I said earlier, this novel is almost all action for the sake of action. I'm not going to lie; my brain started switching off for the action scenes, and it only came back alive again in the character and story-building scenes in between. The fact that I have a good understanding of the protagonist's skills, the plot, the world-building and pretty much everything else about this story at the end of this book, despite mentally ignoring all that boring action, shows exactly why action without meaning shouldn't be in novels. Action is only interesting when it is used as a tool to tell a story, not as filler content to put between story-telling chapters.
That being said, though, despite this, I finished this book wanting to read more and was disappointed that there wasn't another novel ready and waiting. That's the reason I wanted to give this book a 4-star rating, but in all honesty, this isn't a 4-star book. I'd put it on par with the weaker entries in the Defiance of the Fall, Randidly Ghosthound and Primal Hunter series. I single out those series specifically because they are easy-reading background stories that can get a little too caught up in action for action's sake at times, much to their detriment. However, I also pick them because if you've read those books, you'll find a lot that is familiar in this story. It feels very much like an amalgamation of those series, though it never crosses the line of outright copying, so for now, I'll give it a pass. I would like for it to further stand apart from those series in future books though, and try to find its own identity.
Overall this was a mixed bag. It's better than a lot of LitRPG novels I have read recently, and was good enough that I'll definitely be checking out the next edition when its out. However, objectively speaking, there's a lot of work needed to make this a genuinely good story. The potential is there, but the author needs to dial down the action, up the character work, plot and world-building, and try to give this story a little bit more of its own personality.
For now, it's 3.5 stars, and I can recommend it to fans of the previously mentioned series.
May 22, 2025
Frustrating Read
I loved parts of this book, and I hated parts of it. I loved the system and levels; I loved how some leveled up quickly and others lagged behind. The characters were diverse and multifaceted, but as the story went on Zane lost me. I hated his friendship/situationship with Reina. I hate were character and personality. Her duality and moods involving him from strong to needy to just plain thirsty.....pushing and taking anything she good get until he gave in and they had sex. It made me dislike her and him; the whole relationship felt weird. I think I would've liked it if he had a relationship with Avery instead of Reina. If there's A book 2, I won't be reading it. As much as I liked the world and system the author created, I disliked some of the characters too much to continue.
I loved parts of this book, and I hated parts of it. I loved the system and levels; I loved how some leveled up quickly and others lagged behind. The characters were diverse and multifaceted, but as the story went on Zane lost me. I hated his friendship/situationship with Reina. I hate were character and personality. Her duality and moods involving him from strong to needy to just plain thirsty.....pushing and taking anything she good get until he gave in and they had sex. It made me dislike her and him; the whole relationship felt weird. I think I would've liked it if he had a relationship with Avery instead of Reina. If there's A book 2, I won't be reading it. As much as I liked the world and system the author created, I disliked some of the characters too much to continue.
August 4, 2024
Power of pure focus
This reminds me a bit of the Good Guy series in a bruiser with a decent (but not pure) heart that succeeds via absolute focus and determination. He might come across as simple-minded at times but keeps pushing forward. He makes a number of eccentric but capable friends that liven up what would otherwise be a bit of a dreary slog with emotion and humor. The antagonists are a bit over the top, but the dungeon monsters are about right.
There were no noticeable grammar issues, and the pacing was excellent. Intense with just the right emotions and humor. Particularly where the MC blushes upon finding the B-grade "dual-cultivation guide" ;-)
Overall, a nice bit of mind-candy that was difficult to put downside, so binged it in a single day.
This reminds me a bit of the Good Guy series in a bruiser with a decent (but not pure) heart that succeeds via absolute focus and determination. He might come across as simple-minded at times but keeps pushing forward. He makes a number of eccentric but capable friends that liven up what would otherwise be a bit of a dreary slog with emotion and humor. The antagonists are a bit over the top, but the dungeon monsters are about right.
There were no noticeable grammar issues, and the pacing was excellent. Intense with just the right emotions and humor. Particularly where the MC blushes upon finding the B-grade "dual-cultivation guide" ;-)
Overall, a nice bit of mind-candy that was difficult to put downside, so binged it in a single day.
May 17, 2024
I have trouble rating this one. 4.5 stars. I'm sure a lot of people really like it. I enjoyed it, mostly.
Like: less emotional stuff than a lot of books. Solid writing. It got a lot better once a certain character is introduced that just calls the mc out on being an idiot. Good humor.
Dislike: Mc lacks emotional intelligence to a truly absurd degree. His addiction makes him fuckin stupid pretty regularly. It's almost TOO simple in terms of the world building and attitude of the MC.
Only thing that might have gotten it a down vote is the dichotomy of him being supposed to think more tactically given his special trait. This is offset by the obvious addiction he's prone to giving into.
Like: less emotional stuff than a lot of books. Solid writing. It got a lot better once a certain character is introduced that just calls the mc out on being an idiot. Good humor.
Dislike: Mc lacks emotional intelligence to a truly absurd degree. His addiction makes him fuckin stupid pretty regularly. It's almost TOO simple in terms of the world building and attitude of the MC.
Only thing that might have gotten it a down vote is the dichotomy of him being supposed to think more tactically given his special trait. This is offset by the obvious addiction he's prone to giving into.
May 24, 2024
Lol, this is a good one, it's like a homegrown copy of a mishmash of, the primal hunter and defined of the fall, lol the book even has similar characters in similar situations, but it works, what does not work, and what makes those two books 6 out of 5, is the mc, in this book the mc is a true unga bunga huh huh character, he is literally addicted to fighting and not in a good way, he sorta is willing to let people die and go out of his way to avoid helping anyone, all cause he does not want to waste and afternoon without fighting a dungeon boss.
Still it's a good book, I do not see myself continuing it any way tho, the plot is super rushed and the mc is too caveman for me to like.
Still it's a good book, I do not see myself continuing it any way tho, the plot is super rushed and the mc is too caveman for me to like.
July 4, 2024
It’s an OP fantasy that’s mostly fights and nearly friction free leveling. I should have been bored (and, all right, there were stretches where I kinda was) to tears.
So why the 3 stars?
I think it comes down to the characters—thin though they are. I was charmed. I liked the meathead robotic MC because his motives are pure (Fight stuff. Get stronger. Fight more stuff) and he wipes out oppressors. Also, I enjoyed the few characters who win his loyalty and affection.
Sure, there are some dippy cliches. Some clunky writing. It’s not a masterpiece, but it was a pretty good time for what it is.
So why the 3 stars?
I think it comes down to the characters—thin though they are. I was charmed. I liked the meathead robotic MC because his motives are pure (Fight stuff. Get stronger. Fight more stuff) and he wipes out oppressors. Also, I enjoyed the few characters who win his loyalty and affection.
Sure, there are some dippy cliches. Some clunky writing. It’s not a masterpiece, but it was a pretty good time for what it is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews