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Ghost in the System #1
Ghost in the System: Book 1
The System is here! Most of the population of the planet were suddenly turned into zombies, while the rest acquired new abilities. Abilities that let them run from the zombies, save themselves, hide, and try to survive. But it only takes one bite that almost always means death.
Our hero was standing in line when the apocalypse came. He was lucky at first to be caught in a crowd when the zombies tried to bite him on the leg. Really lucky, because those trials unlocked new abilities for him. He got to be one of the first to choose his character class. He had to do it quickly, before someone else got the best one . . .
Considering he was introverted, maybe even a little antisocial, the choice was easy. Master of Shadows? Nope, already taken. Okay, Master of Darkness! Also taken.
Okay, Ghost class also works. And it is a gold class, even though the bonuses you get are a little . . . questionable.
Our hero was standing in line when the apocalypse came. He was lucky at first to be caught in a crowd when the zombies tried to bite him on the leg. Really lucky, because those trials unlocked new abilities for him. He got to be one of the first to choose his character class. He had to do it quickly, before someone else got the best one . . .
Considering he was introverted, maybe even a little antisocial, the choice was easy. Master of Shadows? Nope, already taken. Okay, Master of Darkness! Also taken.
Okay, Ghost class also works. And it is a gold class, even though the bonuses you get are a little . . . questionable.
- GenresFantasy
Audible Audio
First published August 15, 2024
758 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 5, 2024
Editor's nightmare
The underlying framework of a good story is present... unfortunately the work needed to turn that framework into an actual good story is absent.
The premise of a ghost-like character and powerset inside of a system story was interesting, and I could see it going over well if more effort had been made. However, there are too many things going wrong.
Poor/vapid dialogue choices, with juvenile and repetitive vocabulary. This extended to the narrative as well, with MASSIVE chunks being almost incomprehensible due to the choice of nonsense "stream of consciousness" vocabulary. Numerous grammar mistakes throughout gave a general sense of "please edit me for the love of [insert god]".
A seemingly random author choice to censor certain curse words with a "*" in place of a single letter, or series of them in place of the whole word... despite not doing this consistently for all curse words.
None of the characters who appear -especially the MC- have any direction or growth, except maybe Nikolai (Cole), such as it is. The narrative itself has no sense of direction. MC is your quintessential "murder hobo" through and through. No back story, no tangible connection to the world around him. Here's some powers and away we go.
Everyone who appears in this story (excetion for the single child that appears) is an Asshole with only two available options. Either; selfish and stupid, or murderous and "Grapey". No variation at all. The MC seems to float between the two categories, while complaining/lamenting/insulting the same traits in the people he meets, without any sense of irony.
The world building is nonexistent, so you have no framework of reference for a viewpoint on where this is happening, or figure out why people are behaving this way. To put it another way in gaming terms since we're gameLit; think "Map 1, generic city scape" and that is where this story takes place.
A total of maybe 5-8 days pass by the end of the book (this is a guesstimate, as no real effort is made to give the reader any grounding indication of how much time passes) and yet the things that happen suggest a much larger span of time and decay with no real references. The MC mentions losing track of time but still makes no effort to fix that, despite eventually being able to with technology and just common sense of day/night cycles. It was extremely disorienting and made no sense for continuity of events.
The ability system as far as the end of this book... has no foundation or rules outside of random loot drops, be they potatoes(?) Orbs, Books, Scrolls or b*stards(?). We have a mandatory appearance of the generic tropes "MC vs the system" & "the system is stingy and vague", but beyond that? Nothing.
Never mind struggle bus, this is a struggle factory in mass production mode. Send help.
The underlying framework of a good story is present... unfortunately the work needed to turn that framework into an actual good story is absent.
The premise of a ghost-like character and powerset inside of a system story was interesting, and I could see it going over well if more effort had been made. However, there are too many things going wrong.
Poor/vapid dialogue choices, with juvenile and repetitive vocabulary. This extended to the narrative as well, with MASSIVE chunks being almost incomprehensible due to the choice of nonsense "stream of consciousness" vocabulary. Numerous grammar mistakes throughout gave a general sense of "please edit me for the love of [insert god]".
A seemingly random author choice to censor certain curse words with a "*" in place of a single letter, or series of them in place of the whole word... despite not doing this consistently for all curse words.
None of the characters who appear -especially the MC- have any direction or growth, except maybe Nikolai (Cole), such as it is. The narrative itself has no sense of direction. MC is your quintessential "murder hobo" through and through. No back story, no tangible connection to the world around him. Here's some powers and away we go.
Everyone who appears in this story (excetion for the single child that appears) is an Asshole with only two available options. Either; selfish and stupid, or murderous and "Grapey". No variation at all. The MC seems to float between the two categories, while complaining/lamenting/insulting the same traits in the people he meets, without any sense of irony.
The world building is nonexistent, so you have no framework of reference for a viewpoint on where this is happening, or figure out why people are behaving this way. To put it another way in gaming terms since we're gameLit; think "Map 1, generic city scape" and that is where this story takes place.
A total of maybe 5-8 days pass by the end of the book (this is a guesstimate, as no real effort is made to give the reader any grounding indication of how much time passes) and yet the things that happen suggest a much larger span of time and decay with no real references. The MC mentions losing track of time but still makes no effort to fix that, despite eventually being able to with technology and just common sense of day/night cycles. It was extremely disorienting and made no sense for continuity of events.
The ability system as far as the end of this book... has no foundation or rules outside of random loot drops, be they potatoes(?) Orbs, Books, Scrolls or b*stards(?). We have a mandatory appearance of the generic tropes "MC vs the system" & "the system is stingy and vague", but beyond that? Nothing.
Never mind struggle bus, this is a struggle factory in mass production mode. Send help.
August 21, 2024
I wanted it to be good
I wanted to like this book, but i couldn't. The MC is not remotely likable, at least for me. There are quite a few parts where the perspective changes with no indication. It's jarring, to say the least. Finally, the damn cliffhanger endings have got to stop. Especially since this author and publishing company will probably not release any more of this series on KU, nor will they allow libraries to purchase the.
I can not recommend this book in good conscience.
I wanted to like this book, but i couldn't. The MC is not remotely likable, at least for me. There are quite a few parts where the perspective changes with no indication. It's jarring, to say the least. Finally, the damn cliffhanger endings have got to stop. Especially since this author and publishing company will probably not release any more of this series on KU, nor will they allow libraries to purchase the.
I can not recommend this book in good conscience.
September 8, 2024
Broken
Some interesting concepts and world views but overall just nasty. The main character and 90% of those introduced are just evil bastards. If humanity turns out this way then it deserves to be eradicated.
Some interesting concepts and world views but overall just nasty. The main character and 90% of those introduced are just evil bastards. If humanity turns out this way then it deserves to be eradicated.
July 13, 2025
A sociopath in a world of hateful people. A system crippled by randomness. I mean, it's gotta be a Russian LITRPG, right?
The main character is incredibly unlikeable, makes poors choices, is lazy, and appears to have zero empathy. I can enjoy an anti hero and even an "evil" hero works in the right work, but here he's just mean and stupid.
Our Guy:
In an early interaction he sees a group of bullies preparing to apparently rape a woman. His first thought is "great! I can steal from them while they are raping her!" That's our guy!
When he learns that killing other humans is beneficial, he makes a plan. He'll only kill about 50 to get a good advantage, and then switch to monsters.
His inventory is overflowing with cheap food, so he regularly throws it away. He frequently meets people who are literally starving, but it doesn't occur to him to offer them food.
He has an ability that lets him attack monsters and escape quickly, but never even considers helping people that are stranded in trees or cars and swarmed with monsters. He could just stand near by, shout "hey zombies!", and escape, but he never even considers it.
Nearly everyone he meets is just as bad, or worse, than him.
The system:
Loot is random and 99% useless junk. The main character gets a couple of "rare" drops, and they turn out to be specialized for specific classes. Some doodad that makes necromancers slightly better -- that sort of thing.
In short, there's no one to root for and nothing to like. There's no progression other than one random fight after another, with nothing significant to show for it.
Ugh. it's frustrating! I wanted to like it.
The main character is incredibly unlikeable, makes poors choices, is lazy, and appears to have zero empathy. I can enjoy an anti hero and even an "evil" hero works in the right work, but here he's just mean and stupid.
Our Guy:
In an early interaction he sees a group of bullies preparing to apparently rape a woman. His first thought is "great! I can steal from them while they are raping her!" That's our guy!
When he learns that killing other humans is beneficial, he makes a plan. He'll only kill about 50 to get a good advantage, and then switch to monsters.
His inventory is overflowing with cheap food, so he regularly throws it away. He frequently meets people who are literally starving, but it doesn't occur to him to offer them food.
He has an ability that lets him attack monsters and escape quickly, but never even considers helping people that are stranded in trees or cars and swarmed with monsters. He could just stand near by, shout "hey zombies!", and escape, but he never even considers it.
Nearly everyone he meets is just as bad, or worse, than him.
The system:
Loot is random and 99% useless junk. The main character gets a couple of "rare" drops, and they turn out to be specialized for specific classes. Some doodad that makes necromancers slightly better -- that sort of thing.
In short, there's no one to root for and nothing to like. There's no progression other than one random fight after another, with nothing significant to show for it.
Ugh. it's frustrating! I wanted to like it.
May 19, 2025
Giving this a try because the author co-wrote some other books I enjoyed. I was also told it is close to An Ideal World for a Sociopath.
This is exactly like that book I named. The protagonist has some form of issues that makes him not care much for his fellow man.
Apocalypse hits (always with these half the population magically turns into zombies with these Russians), and he flourishes.
It's longer than the other Russian books I read recently, but was overall a meh for me.
I also thought the protag would start collecting the crystals from the chest. He just leaves them there, for the bodies to get more putrid.
Don't know if I will read the sequel or not. The tasks he went out to do (collect the gems from the controller zombie) is still left undone.
It's like he is scatter brained. Then that stupid cliffhanger ending.
I don't know if I will read the sequel.
We will see.
3/5 Stars
This is exactly like that book I named. The protagonist has some form of issues that makes him not care much for his fellow man.
Apocalypse hits (always with these half the population magically turns into zombies with these Russians), and he flourishes.
It's longer than the other Russian books I read recently, but was overall a meh for me.
I also thought the protag would start collecting the crystals from the chest. He just leaves them there, for the bodies to get more putrid.
Don't know if I will read the sequel or not. The tasks he went out to do (collect the gems from the controller zombie) is still left undone.
It's like he is scatter brained. Then that stupid cliffhanger ending.
I don't know if I will read the sequel.
We will see.
3/5 Stars
February 10, 2025
DNF @79% it just got disjointed and hard to follow. Turned into endless "battle" scenes with no continuity. Where are we? Who is here with us? What is happening? Just not sure. And then I just didn't care to continue.
-1 for namby-pamby censoring of swear words. If we can't say Fuck then we shouldn't say F*ck, either.
-1 for namby-pamby censoring of swear words. If we can't say Fuck then we shouldn't say F*ck, either.
October 10, 2025
MC is a Ghost and with not a lot upstairs.
So. The title says it all. If you like ghosts with weird powers and an MC that is mentally challenged then you will like this series. I really enjoy progressive litRPG stories. This story was converted from Russian to English. Usually I have no problem with it but sometimes the ideas don’t all translate accurately. At times, if feels like the author is actually drunk and just keeps spiting out story. I want to like the story but the MC is just too scatter minded. There are lots of points in the series where you read one word describing the action: “Boom”, etc. I think the author could have done better but it keep the plot moving along. The scattered mind of the MC is clever in that it removes responsibility from the Author to make more sense of the action, plot, RPG rewards, etc. The use of system initiated events allows impossible situations to be overcome and hide plot holes. I am not too keen on capture the flag/settlement building event in LitRPG since it doesn’t seem to contribute to overall reason for the system to have caused the zombie apocalypse in the first place but maybe something is reveal in later unpublished books.
So. The title says it all. If you like ghosts with weird powers and an MC that is mentally challenged then you will like this series. I really enjoy progressive litRPG stories. This story was converted from Russian to English. Usually I have no problem with it but sometimes the ideas don’t all translate accurately. At times, if feels like the author is actually drunk and just keeps spiting out story. I want to like the story but the MC is just too scatter minded. There are lots of points in the series where you read one word describing the action: “Boom”, etc. I think the author could have done better but it keep the plot moving along. The scattered mind of the MC is clever in that it removes responsibility from the Author to make more sense of the action, plot, RPG rewards, etc. The use of system initiated events allows impossible situations to be overcome and hide plot holes. I am not too keen on capture the flag/settlement building event in LitRPG since it doesn’t seem to contribute to overall reason for the system to have caused the zombie apocalypse in the first place but maybe something is reveal in later unpublished books.
July 19, 2025
not bad, pretty good. clearly a translation. interesting MC
Clearly a translation from another language to English based on odd word choices. Grammer is pretty good with minor errors here and there but not enough to distract too much.
Story is interesting, and the MC is atypical and anti-social. The writing is a bit stream of consciousness. He clearly isn’t a bad buy but his morals are about him and his first and he is more interesting this way.
The ending was pure cliffhanger and would have deducted another star for that if the second book was out. Will I read the next book or move to something new? Probably something different but will hold this for filler when I need something already in progress.
Clearly a translation from another language to English based on odd word choices. Grammer is pretty good with minor errors here and there but not enough to distract too much.
Story is interesting, and the MC is atypical and anti-social. The writing is a bit stream of consciousness. He clearly isn’t a bad buy but his morals are about him and his first and he is more interesting this way.
The ending was pure cliffhanger and would have deducted another star for that if the second book was out. Will I read the next book or move to something new? Probably something different but will hold this for filler when I need something already in progress.
September 22, 2024
Book one
Seems to be set in the same world as An ideal world for a sociopath.
Now I got an ARC of this book to check the translation from Russian to English and I have to say, this book had the most mistakes in it that I have ever gotten from an ARC.
I also know that this book was published before the publisher could fix the very long list that I sent them.
While I did enjoy this story I don't like the MC as much as I do the one from An Ideal World For A Sociopath. Things are just to easy for the MC.
I'm still going to read the next one though.
6/10 Hope they fixed those mistakes!
Seems to be set in the same world as An ideal world for a sociopath.
Now I got an ARC of this book to check the translation from Russian to English and I have to say, this book had the most mistakes in it that I have ever gotten from an ARC.
I also know that this book was published before the publisher could fix the very long list that I sent them.
While I did enjoy this story I don't like the MC as much as I do the one from An Ideal World For A Sociopath. Things are just to easy for the MC.
I'm still going to read the next one though.
6/10 Hope they fixed those mistakes!
February 11, 2025
Good story. Unique and interesting.
Some translation and editing issues, they were minor but noticeable. The main character was an unknown of an anti-hero or sociopath or a narcissistic clueless introvert. The story started gaining more depth midway, however there were many patches where the plot line jumped or skipped in logic. Quite a few plot holes in trying to tell a narrative of an entire city. Overall though enjoyable, fast paced, easy read and interesting. I look forward to book 2!.
Some translation and editing issues, they were minor but noticeable. The main character was an unknown of an anti-hero or sociopath or a narcissistic clueless introvert. The story started gaining more depth midway, however there were many patches where the plot line jumped or skipped in logic. Quite a few plot holes in trying to tell a narrative of an entire city. Overall though enjoyable, fast paced, easy read and interesting. I look forward to book 2!.
September 4, 2024
I received a review copy of this book.
Ghost in the System I don't think I've seen another LitRPG story with this kind of system in it. Pretty interesting, and rather amusing at times too. Looking forward to more in the series.
Ghost in the System I don't think I've seen another LitRPG story with this kind of system in it. Pretty interesting, and rather amusing at times too. Looking forward to more in the series.
November 20, 2024
editor needed
The story is there but grammar errors, wrong tense, repeat words etc abound. Made reading this difficult but it was interesting enough to slog through it with the help of a bottle of aspirin. Yeesh. Writer please read your work out load saying each word as written, or have someone read it to you and fix this mess.
The story is there but grammar errors, wrong tense, repeat words etc abound. Made reading this difficult but it was interesting enough to slog through it with the help of a bottle of aspirin. Yeesh. Writer please read your work out load saying each word as written, or have someone read it to you and fix this mess.
September 8, 2024
Fun story
Greed is good. Gordan Gekko would love this book. Fun story but the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Absolutely no epilogue and the final sentence was a cliff hanger. Unprofessional work like that should always be derided.
Greed is good. Gordan Gekko would love this book. Fun story but the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Absolutely no epilogue and the final sentence was a cliff hanger. Unprofessional work like that should always be derided.
October 15, 2024
Wow 😮 so good 💯😊
I absolutely love the main character 😀😍. He is just good 👍 enough to not be evil but bad enough not to be boring. The story is gripping. The characters are amazing. I love ❤️😘 it
I absolutely love the main character 😀😍. He is just good 👍 enough to not be evil but bad enough not to be boring. The story is gripping. The characters are amazing. I love ❤️😘 it
October 2, 2025
Freaking Awesome
This story of a guy getting the Ghost class as the System takes over was a fantastic read. Our guy is a little Dexter and a little Primal Hunter kind of guy. Great stuff
This story of a guy getting the Ghost class as the System takes over was a fantastic read. Our guy is a little Dexter and a little Primal Hunter kind of guy. Great stuff
October 3, 2024
decent story
But don’t ever end a novel on a cliff hanger. It just upsets people. Won’t be continuing the series. No thanks.
But don’t ever end a novel on a cliff hanger. It just upsets people. Won’t be continuing the series. No thanks.
October 14, 2024
MC is intolerable.
I usually give good reviews or not at all. I hope the author reads his reviews because why did you create such a psychotic, unlikeable, character?
I usually give good reviews or not at all. I hope the author reads his reviews because why did you create such a psychotic, unlikeable, character?
October 14, 2024
looking forward to the next book
I can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out and I can see why other craziness Kasp gets into.
I can’t wait until the next book in the series comes out and I can see why other craziness Kasp gets into.
October 21, 2024
Very good read
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books
I enjoyed reading this book very much and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books
January 8, 2025
Very enjoyable
A very enjoyable book to read fast moving well written and a strong story can only say give it a go
A very enjoyable book to read fast moving well written and a strong story can only say give it a go
April 25, 2025
This book was awesome
I like the MC and his social anxiety and how he deals out justice without whining about it over all I really enjoyed this book I look forward to reading more
I like the MC and his social anxiety and how he deals out justice without whining about it over all I really enjoyed this book I look forward to reading more
May 8, 2025
Won't be doing book 2.
August 30, 2025
This book is surprisingly different from other LitRPGs. It has a good flow to it and the "ghost" class is a very interesting one.
October 13, 2024
Neither the characters nor the setting are particularly appealing.
February 17, 2025
The plot, world and the main character are very similar to the "a perfect world for a sociopath" series.
It is debatable if the the protagonist is likeable given his many morally ambivalent choices. He is a sociopath and very egotistical. He lacks compassion and is ready to kill for minor transgressions.
I didn't like that the changes of the world happened too fast and the monsters evolved too fast as well depriving most humans of any chance to adapt and survive.. The same goes for the challenges..
I was no fan of the ending as i found that Kasp acted like an utter moron..
It is debatable if the the protagonist is likeable given his many morally ambivalent choices. He is a sociopath and very egotistical. He lacks compassion and is ready to kill for minor transgressions.
I didn't like that the changes of the world happened too fast and the monsters evolved too fast as well depriving most humans of any chance to adapt and survive.. The same goes for the challenges..
I was no fan of the ending as i found that Kasp acted like an utter moron..
February 20, 2025
This is interesting per the events of the apocalypse unfold and seeing a take on the System, but the protagonist seems very resistant to interaction. So, if you don’t like him from go then leave it be since the majority of this is in his head/his musings.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews