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Shopocalypse Saga #4
BuyMort: 30,000 Leagues: How I Merged to Become Nu-Earth Affiliated: Shopocalypse Saga, Book 4
With Arizona united under the corporate auspices of Silken Sands, Dearth Local is in retreat—and Tyson has earned himself some nice R and R.
Or so he thought.
Now, just a month after Day 1, mysterious beasts are plaguing his land. A powerful armada tears through the sea. An angry Beholder threatens his workers...
And a powerful tsunami has signaled the arrival of an even more powerful affiliate. A singular monster that assimilates its workers into the ever-growing hivemind that is its corporate structure, Kraken threatens not just to end Tyson and his fledgling affiliate. It threatens to destroy Nu-Earth itself.
As bull markets turn bear and hostile agents vie to corner the local market, Tyson must find a way to not just bankrupt his rivals and hold on to his market shares...
He must find a way to unite the planet.
Or so he thought.
Now, just a month after Day 1, mysterious beasts are plaguing his land. A powerful armada tears through the sea. An angry Beholder threatens his workers...
And a powerful tsunami has signaled the arrival of an even more powerful affiliate. A singular monster that assimilates its workers into the ever-growing hivemind that is its corporate structure, Kraken threatens not just to end Tyson and his fledgling affiliate. It threatens to destroy Nu-Earth itself.
As bull markets turn bear and hostile agents vie to corner the local market, Tyson must find a way to not just bankrupt his rivals and hold on to his market shares...
He must find a way to unite the planet.
Audible Audio
Published January 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 17, 2026
🦈 CORPORATE TAKEOVERS AND AQUATIC APOCALYPSES 🦈
In a multiverse where capitalism is the ultimate weapon, Tyson Dawes is about to find out that the biggest monopolies—and the deadliest monsters—live in the deep.
“A hostile takeover just got a lot more literal.”
🛒 The Vibe Check:
If the chaotic, dark system-humor of Dungeon Crawler Carl collided with the underwater terror of Subnautica and a cutthroat Fortune 500 boardroom meeting, you’d get BuyMort: 30,000 Leagues. It’s a hyper-capitalist LitRPG fever dream that refuses to take its foot off the gas.
📈 The Rundown:
In Book 4, Hanson and Phelps push the boundaries of their insane multiverse. Tyson Dawes has managed to unite Arizona under the Silken Sands affiliate and earn a brief moment of rest. But the BuyMort system never sleeps. A massive tsunami ushers in the arrival of Kraken—a terrifying, hivemind-driven corporate entity that assimilates its workers and threatens to swallow Nu-Earth entirely.
Tyson is forced to pivot from a local desert warlord to a planetary unifier. The stakes transition from merely surviving the apocalypse to mastering the macro-economics of a hostile multiverse, all while fending off armadas, angry Beholders, and rival affiliates desperately trying to corner his market shares.
✨ What Hit the Mark:
The Corporate Absurdity: The in-universe ads, the ridiculous service fees, and the monetization of absolutely everything remain the funniest and most unique aspect of the series. The satire here is razor-sharp.
Action and Progression: Tyson’s power scaling takes a massive leap. The combat is relentless, and seeing the usually reluctant MC go full "murder hobo" when his back is against the wall is incredibly satisfying.
World Expansion: Taking the fight to a sudden aquatic front brings entirely new challenges, monsters, and loot to the table, keeping the core LitRPG elements fresh.
⚠️ A Note for Readers (The Lows):
Economic Scaling: As with many progression fantasies where the protagonist starts moving "billions" in currency, the economic scale can feel a bit dizzying and inconsistent. Sometimes, the drama feels a little manufactured when it seems like Tyson could just throw "Morties" at the problem.
POV Shifts: There’s a brief departure from Tyson's single-POV perspective (like the Whalehunter Salvage sequence). It throws you off for a second, though it ultimately adds a fun, cinematic scope to the world.
⭐️ THE VERDICT:
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.0/5)
In a multiverse where capitalism is the ultimate weapon, Tyson Dawes is about to find out that the biggest monopolies—and the deadliest monsters—live in the deep.
“A hostile takeover just got a lot more literal.”
🛒 The Vibe Check:
If the chaotic, dark system-humor of Dungeon Crawler Carl collided with the underwater terror of Subnautica and a cutthroat Fortune 500 boardroom meeting, you’d get BuyMort: 30,000 Leagues. It’s a hyper-capitalist LitRPG fever dream that refuses to take its foot off the gas.
📈 The Rundown:
In Book 4, Hanson and Phelps push the boundaries of their insane multiverse. Tyson Dawes has managed to unite Arizona under the Silken Sands affiliate and earn a brief moment of rest. But the BuyMort system never sleeps. A massive tsunami ushers in the arrival of Kraken—a terrifying, hivemind-driven corporate entity that assimilates its workers and threatens to swallow Nu-Earth entirely.
Tyson is forced to pivot from a local desert warlord to a planetary unifier. The stakes transition from merely surviving the apocalypse to mastering the macro-economics of a hostile multiverse, all while fending off armadas, angry Beholders, and rival affiliates desperately trying to corner his market shares.
✨ What Hit the Mark:
The Corporate Absurdity: The in-universe ads, the ridiculous service fees, and the monetization of absolutely everything remain the funniest and most unique aspect of the series. The satire here is razor-sharp.
Action and Progression: Tyson’s power scaling takes a massive leap. The combat is relentless, and seeing the usually reluctant MC go full "murder hobo" when his back is against the wall is incredibly satisfying.
World Expansion: Taking the fight to a sudden aquatic front brings entirely new challenges, monsters, and loot to the table, keeping the core LitRPG elements fresh.
⚠️ A Note for Readers (The Lows):
Economic Scaling: As with many progression fantasies where the protagonist starts moving "billions" in currency, the economic scale can feel a bit dizzying and inconsistent. Sometimes, the drama feels a little manufactured when it seems like Tyson could just throw "Morties" at the problem.
POV Shifts: There’s a brief departure from Tyson's single-POV perspective (like the Whalehunter Salvage sequence). It throws you off for a second, though it ultimately adds a fun, cinematic scope to the world.
⭐️ THE VERDICT:
BuyMort: 30,000 Leagues is a massive, action-packed expansion to one of the most original LitRPG series on the market. If you love base-building, dark comedy, and protagonists who fight the system by buying it out, this is a must-read. The Shopocalypse has never been this wet, or this deadly.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.0/5)
March 5, 2024
This one just didn't click with me as much the others. I can't exactly point the finger at it but something is just missing. I'm also starting to have issues with the timescale in these books, but I think that's probably just me. Everything book happens in such a small amount of time which makes for a break neck pace but I feel like the story could use some more time to breathe.
I could also really, really do without the snake sex and I don't need it mentioned every time the MC thinks of her. It's also anatomically weird, yuk.
The mystery with the teslak cooperative is great and I'm intrigued to see where it goes and I know the suits and upgrades are crazy powerful but I'm having issues with how fast the Nu-Earth people managed to punch back. You have these multiverse spanning affiliates with near limitless resources but they can't deal with a bunch of people who are already struggling? The pricing of stuff also often seems off and seems priced that way just to make it convenient for the plot.
I'm rambling here, the book does have it's issues but overall I'd say l liked it, just not as much as the previous installments.
I could also really, really do without the snake sex and I don't need it mentioned every time the MC thinks of her. It's also anatomically weird, yuk.
The mystery with the teslak cooperative is great and I'm intrigued to see where it goes and I know the suits and upgrades are crazy powerful but I'm having issues with how fast the Nu-Earth people managed to punch back. You have these multiverse spanning affiliates with near limitless resources but they can't deal with a bunch of people who are already struggling? The pricing of stuff also often seems off and seems priced that way just to make it convenient for the plot.
I'm rambling here, the book does have it's issues but overall I'd say l liked it, just not as much as the previous installments.
January 20, 2024
Love the series (even though it's narrated by Wayne Mitchell).
At times MC sounds pathetic and whinny like a pubescent male high on hormones... I really miss Molls. Wtf? You are fully engrossed in this awesome post Apocalyptic battle with a kraken and all of a sudden author mistakes this to a MILLS & BOON romance novel and injects his love sick pinning. It's fucking jarring and complety ruins the immersive experience. I love the series coz the MC is murder hobo and not a fucking FABIO.
Lost 2 stars coz of romance bs.
And what's with “Murdering a beholder.”... It should have been "To KILL a beholder". Words matter. Shouldn't have to explain this to an author. Both Murder and Kill concludes a life, but only one of them is criminal. Kill is justice. Murder is not. Lost 1 star coz of this.
At times MC sounds pathetic and whinny like a pubescent male high on hormones... I really miss Molls. Wtf? You are fully engrossed in this awesome post Apocalyptic battle with a kraken and all of a sudden author mistakes this to a MILLS & BOON romance novel and injects his love sick pinning. It's fucking jarring and complety ruins the immersive experience. I love the series coz the MC is murder hobo and not a fucking FABIO.
Lost 2 stars coz of romance bs.
And what's with “Murdering a beholder.”... It should have been "To KILL a beholder". Words matter. Shouldn't have to explain this to an author. Both Murder and Kill concludes a life, but only one of them is criminal. Kill is justice. Murder is not. Lost 1 star coz of this.
May 13, 2025
*** 3.33 ***
August 3, 2025
Listened on Audible
3.5 stars rounded up
I liked this one more than the last just because Molls wasn’t in it as much. I think it’s the narrators voice that’s made me dislike her character.
I think there are too many characters in this. We don’t get enough air time for them. Doofus was mostly forgotten this book and Phyllis has been absent even more so.
I noticed a couple errors in continuity as well which confused me
3.5 stars rounded up
I liked this one more than the last just because Molls wasn’t in it as much. I think it’s the narrators voice that’s made me dislike her character.
I think there are too many characters in this. We don’t get enough air time for them. Doofus was mostly forgotten this book and Phyllis has been absent even more so.
I noticed a couple errors in continuity as well which confused me
August 25, 2023
If you are a Dungeon Crawler fan, this is in a similar style. I enjoyed it and look forward to next in series.
May 30, 2023
This review was originally posted at https://bit.ly/42dJlfl.
Arizona belongs to the warlord and he has decided his next step in taking down BuyMort is possession of all of Earth. However, in order to accomplish this goal Tyson must first play nice with The Church, take over the Dearth Conglomerate on Earth, deal with a top ten affiliate known as The Kraken, and possibly another sentient being that has long overstayed their welcome. Along the way alliances are both made and dissolved, including one that meant a lot to Tyson. Can he keep his affiliate from falling apart at the seams while they face all of these threats?
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have gotten each one of these books from the author as they come out (usually a couple weeks prior to release) and they have never disappointed. This was no exception. While this book was also an ARC with everything I have had going on I haven't had a chance to write the review until now.
In this book we get to see more of my favorite character, Phyllis, and I love that the author has manufactured a way for this badass elder to not only stick around, but take a more active roll moving forward. I am excited to see how Tyson and Silken Sands handle their next threat. It definitely has taken a top priority, although I hated to see that particular death. They were such a sweet and kind individual. Trying to keep it vague so it isn't given away who dies.
While Tyson is known for his act first think later attitude there is significant planning (at least compared to the other books) in this one. I feel that he has definitely grown as a character while still maintaining the things that I liked most about him from the book one. I will say that his Pastafarian attributes are few and far between now versus the beginning. I think I only noticed 2 references to the pasta gods in this book. Poor pasta gods.
While many books begin to lose my interest after the third book as it seems to just be the same information repeated, this is not a series that does that. I fully intend to read every book that comes out in this series and believe I will enjoy every one.
Arizona belongs to the warlord and he has decided his next step in taking down BuyMort is possession of all of Earth. However, in order to accomplish this goal Tyson must first play nice with The Church, take over the Dearth Conglomerate on Earth, deal with a top ten affiliate known as The Kraken, and possibly another sentient being that has long overstayed their welcome. Along the way alliances are both made and dissolved, including one that meant a lot to Tyson. Can he keep his affiliate from falling apart at the seams while they face all of these threats?
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I have gotten each one of these books from the author as they come out (usually a couple weeks prior to release) and they have never disappointed. This was no exception. While this book was also an ARC with everything I have had going on I haven't had a chance to write the review until now.
In this book we get to see more of my favorite character, Phyllis, and I love that the author has manufactured a way for this badass elder to not only stick around, but take a more active roll moving forward. I am excited to see how Tyson and Silken Sands handle their next threat. It definitely has taken a top priority, although I hated to see that particular death. They were such a sweet and kind individual. Trying to keep it vague so it isn't given away who dies.
While Tyson is known for his act first think later attitude there is significant planning (at least compared to the other books) in this one. I feel that he has definitely grown as a character while still maintaining the things that I liked most about him from the book one. I will say that his Pastafarian attributes are few and far between now versus the beginning. I think I only noticed 2 references to the pasta gods in this book. Poor pasta gods.
While many books begin to lose my interest after the third book as it seems to just be the same information repeated, this is not a series that does that. I fully intend to read every book that comes out in this series and believe I will enjoy every one.
August 22, 2026
I remember the previous book being less good than the first two and I couldn't quite place my finger on it. But now? The fourth helped me figure it out.
It's the scale. I tend to get more and more invested in a series as long as there's a sense of real location no matter how big the scale actually is. In this case, we're all over the Earth because it's all-out consolidation time and the survivors need to prevent further corporate takeovers of the market that is the biomass of our poor planet.
I didn't mind the whole Kraken or Beholder angles, but even those battles need to have decent anchoring and I thought proper emotional anchoring was kinda up in the air. Sure, we have Molls and protecting his massively-expanding community and refugee affiliates (read aliens), but I'm missing the whole WHY does he fight so hard, too.
I want to love this. I really do. It's close enough to Dungeon Crawler Carl to generally be right up all those DCC lover's alleys. But aside from the whole capitalistic nightmare vibe (which is great) I'm just hoping it grounds itself a bit before hightailing it right out of the system to brand new markets.
It's the scale. I tend to get more and more invested in a series as long as there's a sense of real location no matter how big the scale actually is. In this case, we're all over the Earth because it's all-out consolidation time and the survivors need to prevent further corporate takeovers of the market that is the biomass of our poor planet.
I didn't mind the whole Kraken or Beholder angles, but even those battles need to have decent anchoring and I thought proper emotional anchoring was kinda up in the air. Sure, we have Molls and protecting his massively-expanding community and refugee affiliates (read aliens), but I'm missing the whole WHY does he fight so hard, too.
I want to love this. I really do. It's close enough to Dungeon Crawler Carl to generally be right up all those DCC lover's alleys. But aside from the whole capitalistic nightmare vibe (which is great) I'm just hoping it grounds itself a bit before hightailing it right out of the system to brand new markets.
September 17, 2024
Fun. Fine. Still loads of gaps and even more typos and grammatically inconsistent paragraphs. They leaned in to the action here and getting storylines wrapped up which makes for better plots.
Some odd choices as the underwater fighting, while cool, seems offwhile trying to be explained away with advanced tech. Kraken was a good monster/bad guy. The whale hunters are still a mystery and how captain Oden got the morties for all the subs and toys he has. Plus no reason to pull that "move" at the end and kidnap/immobilize Tyson. Was a solid plan. No reason to not include him in it. He wouldn't peobly gone along with it instead almost actually killing everyone...
Funny. This series. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But it's an easy read. Not great. Not bad. Kinda fun and silly. And I keep reading
Some odd choices as the underwater fighting, while cool, seems offwhile trying to be explained away with advanced tech. Kraken was a good monster/bad guy. The whale hunters are still a mystery and how captain Oden got the morties for all the subs and toys he has. Plus no reason to pull that "move" at the end and kidnap/immobilize Tyson. Was a solid plan. No reason to not include him in it. He wouldn't peobly gone along with it instead almost actually killing everyone...
Funny. This series. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. But it's an easy read. Not great. Not bad. Kinda fun and silly. And I keep reading
March 14, 2026
I burned through the first 3 books of this series in a matter of days. I was hooked on Tyson’s story and the fate of Nu-Earth. However, the beginning of book 4 felt abrupt. The 1 month time skip felt extreme considering the first 3 books only covered a week of time. The exponential increase in power and responsibility on Tyson’s shoulders made me see the character differently. Like I was disconnected from the story because it went from a small operation where he was involved in every decision and operation, to a birds-eye view of everything. I still liked this book. It certainly got better. But reading the epilogue makes me feel like another big leap is going to happen in book 5.
April 24, 2025
This one was fine. It has plenty of action and while most of the story takes place outside of the Silken Sands haven you still get a healthy dose of the usual suspects. I will continue the series but there is a glowing issue that concerns me moving forward....Tyson is way way over powered at this point. I get early Superman vibes where stories became contrived because the protagonist is never really in any danger. Now the Superman comics eventually solved this power gap by introducing kryptonite, but at this juncture I am not sure what kryptonite they have for Tyson. 3.5/5 stars
March 20, 2023
Really enjoyed this one. The series has been good to-date, but a lot of things happen in this one, and it all held my attention.
The MC has gone through a lot, and the changes to his character from the beginning are significant. Here he realizes that mercy has limited place in the Buymort universe, and the perils of putting off dealing with threats. By the end of this book he has hoisted that well aboard, and one major issue remains as basis for book 5.
The MC has gone through a lot, and the changes to his character from the beginning are significant. Here he realizes that mercy has limited place in the Buymort universe, and the perils of putting off dealing with threats. By the end of this book he has hoisted that well aboard, and one major issue remains as basis for book 5.
January 21, 2024
Loved the book but there were several times I thought to myself 'wait, why isn't he he doing/using/selling/ this or that'? instead of what is atually happening. Still overall i give it 4.5 stars (which Goodreads doesn't offer, Sorry guys!). As always the narrator (Wayne Mitchell) for the audiobook is 10 out of 10 if not 11 out of 10. He is fantastic, doing dozens of voices and always making his narration match the mood/scene.
August 25, 2023
The authors have pushed the supporting cast into the deep background; money is there one minute, gone the next and vice versa; prices never make sense; randos being absurdly rich (maybe some day we'll find out how Phyllis bought her suit)
There are enjoyable ideas and interesting new characters in this, but it's all pretty arbitrary in between combat scenes, which have gotten repetitive.
There are enjoyable ideas and interesting new characters in this, but it's all pretty arbitrary in between combat scenes, which have gotten repetitive.
May 15, 2025
Alright, so I liked the idea of this book. The titan of an enemy, the system standing against them and all the small things that happen no matter how much you wish they’d just disappear. All valid, BUT I just felt like I was running a marathon without.
Also, BEHOLD while I prove that I’m not what I was sold as when introduced! Axel and Jada are the best.
Also, BEHOLD while I prove that I’m not what I was sold as when introduced! Axel and Jada are the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2023
Book four
I read this on Royalroad as it is being written. Really enjoyable and fun.
Just wanted to help out the authors for their hard work.
I'm glad that we get to help out with our comments to make the story even better.
8/10
I read this on Royalroad as it is being written. Really enjoyable and fun.
Just wanted to help out the authors for their hard work.
I'm glad that we get to help out with our comments to make the story even better.
8/10
October 12, 2023
BuyMort book 4.
Wow once again. Tyson goes complete murder hobo on Dreath and Kraken you know how that will turn out.
Not much Molls in this one and more people die hmmm do I sense a double cross coming?
Well time for book 5!
Wow once again. Tyson goes complete murder hobo on Dreath and Kraken you know how that will turn out.
Not much Molls in this one and more people die hmmm do I sense a double cross coming?
Well time for book 5!
March 9, 2024
The series has a lot of promise, but I just can’t take the negatives anymore. The audible narrator makes the main character sound like an idiot sometimes, the character interactions are often not great - think poor video game writing. The romance with Mols is poorly done and just weird.
December 23, 2024
So much time passes in this one, after spending 3 books covering the first week of the Amazon Apocalypse... great to see the MC have to deal with some enemies perfectly tailored to counteract his OPness, and figure out how to overcome it all...
January 3, 2025
fun
Next installment. Not standalone. Tyson faces the Dearth Conglomerate and captures their Earth holdings. He takes out a top ten company that threatens Earth.
The pace is still steady. The story is entertaining. The narrator is wonderful. Please enjoy
Next installment. Not standalone. Tyson faces the Dearth Conglomerate and captures their Earth holdings. He takes out a top ten company that threatens Earth.
The pace is still steady. The story is entertaining. The narrator is wonderful. Please enjoy
April 1, 2023
bigger and better
I’m a big fan of this series. It never fails to entertain. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I thank the authors for writing them!
I’m a big fan of this series. It never fails to entertain. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I thank the authors for writing them!
June 14, 2023
Wonderful book.
The story continues to bring me great joy. I can't seem to put down for long. I eagerly await the next book in the series.
The story continues to bring me great joy. I can't seem to put down for long. I eagerly await the next book in the series.
June 21, 2024
Never Let’s Up
I am obsessed with this story! Or rather serious. Nonstop action and great storytelling and characters. I am on to the next one next.
I am obsessed with this story! Or rather serious. Nonstop action and great storytelling and characters. I am on to the next one next.
December 16, 2024
I love this serie!
May 25, 2025
Just a bit of fun a mind distraction while I do other things. The audible version is not got for a bedtime book as its high paced excitable. But good while doing boring housework.
June 18, 2025
books improve when snake lady leaves
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2025
7.75/10
December 19, 2025
Such a fun time to read. I love the pace of progression.
February 6, 2026
tyson v. kraken, kinda mid nautical stuff
November 17, 2024
The beginning of the series’s decline for me. All the small story of survivors on earth goes away and the books just become info dumps till the next battle scene.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews