The Code of Survival: Book One: Arizona

The Code of Survival - A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure #1

by Greg Eckert

What if the apocalypse came in the form of a Role-Playing Game? In a near-future world where an all-powerful program known as The System has suddenly overhauled reality, a family struggles to survive.

The story follows Lee, a software engineer, his son Jak (an audio engineer) and his daughter Marie (a brilliant biophysicist and archaeologist.)

As their world transforms into a dystopian LitRPG landscape, Lee and Jak must navigate the chaos of an apocalyptic Phoenix to reunite with Marie in Albuquerque.

They encounter new allies, formidable enemies, and uncover hidden truths about The System to not just survive but master their new reality.

346 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2024

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable Intro to a New Series

Entertaining story jumping straight into things. The main characters are interesting. I especially liked the father son discussions on the reality of their new world and what needs done. A couple of things feel like they came out of nowhere but overall there was a good pace and progression. It’ll be nice to see more family dynamics and character progression from everyone going into the next books. I can’t wait to start on the next one.

[Simon Beresford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good apocalypse novel

I enjoyed this book. It is fairly standard in plot with a system coming to earth and giving everyone stats, abilities and then classes. The characters are sympathetic and there is not too much angst. Will definitely read the next in the series.

[Tina Gautreau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be 5 Stars

Great story and characters! Desperately needs an editor and proofreader. Also, there are ways to say things other than “sarcastically” 😑

[Tory · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like any combination of the following - LitRPG, System Integration, Apocalypse/Ongoing/Post then you will probably enjoy this. The characters are well thought out but don't expect much character growth outside of levels because of the pacing and time frame of the book, it takes place over a short period of time, but the writer gives the characters enough background and depth upfront to hold up well enough and make them interesting. There isn't a ton of world building, again because of the time frame of the book but there doesn't need to be because it references mostly real places any changes from those places give enough detail to have a stable world without too much detail. The combat and encounters are well done and the system is designed well. It could use an additional once over in editing as I came across 3 instances that I noticed where it refers to the main characters both as Lee even though it's Lee and Jax and some other minor things I can't remember exactly, nothing too jarring but I know some readers are picky about that. Overall I enjoyed it and marked the release of the second book in my calendar, If you like any of the categories I mentioned above you pretty much know what you're in for and will enjoy this.

[Brett R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Mr. Eckert's take on the System! I've already purchased #2!

Well constructed story, interesting 2 MCs (father and son), unusual monsters, and great use of Southwestern United States folklore and myths! Can't wait to start book 2.
Needs some better editing, though. Especially needs to have the "s" capitalized when referring to the "System," as in the universe altering entity, not just an operating system or a mundane system.

[Johnie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read

I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression type of books with an apocalypse theme.

[Lisa Rosario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

Never a dull minute. I enjoyed everything about it. The gaming,the animals,everything! Just wonderful. It is so nice to read a book people are trying to help each other out.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this book 4 stars to reward the effort and enthusiasm of the author. As a first book, it is quite an accomplishment. However, the book could greatly benefit from further editing and revisions. The first few chapters that introduced the 2 main characters were extremely awkward, and I might not have continued if I hadn't paid for the Kindle book. I was able to become engaged once the system initiated and felt that the author had excellent ideas for problems that the MC had to overcome. These ideas were underdeveloped, unfortunately. I finished the book feeling that it could have been hundreds of pages longer for the amount of content that was flown through. I am going to continue with this series because of its potential with hopes that the writing will improve with experience.

[Carsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series in the LitRPG Apocalypse genre

I'm not sure how i find this series. It isn't mentioned much (at all) in the groups and frankly that's a shame. This was a fun read. I especially enjoyed the family and party dynamics rather than another op mc. The premise is very relatable, try to reach your daughter after the system apocalypse. Father, soon and evolved house cat make for a great team.
I'm happy to see that more books are available and will surely recommend this nice find.

[Matthew Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining

I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was quick but not rushed. The characters, especially the main trio, were quite entertaining and fun to read. I enjoyed the various dungeons and other action sequences. It kept engrossed in the narrative. I really appreciated and found interesting the inclusion of intelligent non human being originally from Earth and the inclusion of native American culture and history. I hope for more of these.

[Antonio Mckoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but fast and disconnect prob Ai

I thought the story was compelling and interesting but MC and company incredibly strong without much effort. The power progression is too fast. The worst part is I don’t really care about any of the character there’s no emotional investment with anyone and the way the characters speak seems robotic at times. I’ll read the other books if I ever get bored but I’m not in a hurry.

[Roberto Flores · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the end of the world was set to easy mode, this is what you get. Characters just running across endless items. Constantly punching above their weight with no good reason. This is plot armor at its worst.

[Ilana De Rivas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Get an editor

I don’t know if this story is good or not. I DFNed in the first chapter. Info dumping, wrong formatting and an unreadable mush. It might be good, but before it undergoes a deep editing, it’s unreadable.

[Rodney M Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read this first book

Some great ideas and nice touches to this first outing of this series. The world building was fantastic and the MC was pretty good for the most part. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have read in this genre! I love the realism of the characters, the creativity of all the monsters and puzzles, and especially the cat companion. I hope this becomes a long series!

[Junior · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This was SO MUCH FUN! Definitely looking forward to book 2. Heartfelt and great pacing. More words for the KU limit.

note: book 2 is 100% different PoV with characters it's hard to care about so be forewarned.

[Andy L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Litpocalypse

Basic Litpocalypse with all the trimmings. Good classes, stats, dungeons and town building Looking forward to more depth as the series continues

[James Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaky good

I really liked this book. I pretty much inhaled it in an afternoon. Yes, it was that good. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

Highly recommended.

[CHERYL SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent lit book

A perfectly paced and interesting book. Good world building and lovely characters. Can't wait to read the next one!
Anyone who likes little will love it.

[Raymond Chas Castleberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

Plot is good, I like the system mechanics and classes. Can't wait to see more of the town building mechanics. Definitely recommend.

[Donald Thibodeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun new series

This book was fun with good character development and a firm goal for them. Will definitely look for the next.

[Joshua · Rating 1 out of 5]

ai reader

[Cindee S. Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story

This was a very good story, characters are great. Looking forward to the next book. Awesome great, fantastic, keep up the great job