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An Undead Glitch: Patch 1.0 of The Corrupted Campaign: A LitRPG Nightmare
Seth Willard is broke, sick, and running out of time.
A single dad drowning under bills and a cancer diagnosis, his last chance comes from a desperate taking a job as an NPC in a real world, fully immersive zombie survival experience. The nanites injected into his body that will project the game’s experience into his senses will also cure his cancer as he safely sells supplies to rich players out killing monsters that aren’t really there.
At least, that’s the plan. His sense of humor ain't getting it done, that's for sure.
A glitch drops him into the streets of the game environment as a player instead, looted hatchet in hand, surrounded by the stench of decay and the teeth of the undead. The wounds, the hunger, the terror—it seems all too real. And if Seth dies here, he loses his job, the nanites shut down, and not long after… so does his real body.
But death isn’t the only danger. The deeper Seth fights into this popular “game,” the clearer it this isn’t just a job, and it isn’t just a harmless simulation. Someone built this world for more purposes than entertainment—and it holds terrors darker than the digital zombies clawing through its ruins.
Seth’s survival isn’t just about levelling up, gaining skills and finding loot. It isn't about living another day in the game. It’s about uncovering the truth—and carving out a future for his sons and maybe a whole lot more people—before the glitch that should save him destroys him for good instead.
Fans of Chris Philbrook's 16 book long Adrian’s Undead Diary will love this fast-paced, raunchy LitRPG/GameLit zombie adventure packed with action, gore, sarcasm, a whole lot of heart, and a terrifying twist.
'I like video games, zombies and dystopian world building and this brings all three wrapped up into an old play style wrapper. The characters are fleshed out, their backstories are real and lived in. I really wish that there were more zombie fantasy out there and this brings it to life.
The Undead Glitch feels like 'The Expanse, mixed with Dungeon Crawler Carl.' Super easy read, I started with the sample and had to demand the whole book!' -Michael Chatfield, author of The Ten Realms, and Restarting the Apocalypse.
A single dad drowning under bills and a cancer diagnosis, his last chance comes from a desperate taking a job as an NPC in a real world, fully immersive zombie survival experience. The nanites injected into his body that will project the game’s experience into his senses will also cure his cancer as he safely sells supplies to rich players out killing monsters that aren’t really there.
At least, that’s the plan. His sense of humor ain't getting it done, that's for sure.
A glitch drops him into the streets of the game environment as a player instead, looted hatchet in hand, surrounded by the stench of decay and the teeth of the undead. The wounds, the hunger, the terror—it seems all too real. And if Seth dies here, he loses his job, the nanites shut down, and not long after… so does his real body.
But death isn’t the only danger. The deeper Seth fights into this popular “game,” the clearer it this isn’t just a job, and it isn’t just a harmless simulation. Someone built this world for more purposes than entertainment—and it holds terrors darker than the digital zombies clawing through its ruins.
Seth’s survival isn’t just about levelling up, gaining skills and finding loot. It isn't about living another day in the game. It’s about uncovering the truth—and carving out a future for his sons and maybe a whole lot more people—before the glitch that should save him destroys him for good instead.
Fans of Chris Philbrook's 16 book long Adrian’s Undead Diary will love this fast-paced, raunchy LitRPG/GameLit zombie adventure packed with action, gore, sarcasm, a whole lot of heart, and a terrifying twist.
'I like video games, zombies and dystopian world building and this brings all three wrapped up into an old play style wrapper. The characters are fleshed out, their backstories are real and lived in. I really wish that there were more zombie fantasy out there and this brings it to life.
The Undead Glitch feels like 'The Expanse, mixed with Dungeon Crawler Carl.' Super easy read, I started with the sample and had to demand the whole book!' -Michael Chatfield, author of The Ten Realms, and Restarting the Apocalypse.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 7, 2026
About the author
Chris Philbrook
85 books447 followers About Chris Philbrook
I am the creator and author of Tesser: A Dragon Among Us as well as Elmoryn's The Kinless Trilogy, Colony Lost, Adrian's Undead Diary and the Darkness of Diggory Finch.
I've gone to a LOT of college. I've got a Business degree as well as a Psychology degree, and I've done the full program at the school of hard knocks. I've been a printing press operator, bouncer, purchasing agent, bodyguard, customer service representative, mental health counselor, and more. I can write about weird shit because I've done weird shit. Trust me.
I call the wonderful state of New Hampshire my home, but I love to travel. I love to read, write, play role playing games, miniatures games, video games, and Magic: The Gathering. When I find the time to be active, I like to hike, play basketball, and play football. I am married to a wonderful woman, and together we have two wonderful daughters.
I am the creator and author of Tesser: A Dragon Among Us as well as Elmoryn's The Kinless Trilogy, Colony Lost, Adrian's Undead Diary and the Darkness of Diggory Finch.
I've gone to a LOT of college. I've got a Business degree as well as a Psychology degree, and I've done the full program at the school of hard knocks. I've been a printing press operator, bouncer, purchasing agent, bodyguard, customer service representative, mental health counselor, and more. I can write about weird shit because I've done weird shit. Trust me.
I call the wonderful state of New Hampshire my home, but I love to travel. I love to read, write, play role playing games, miniatures games, video games, and Magic: The Gathering. When I find the time to be active, I like to hike, play basketball, and play football. I am married to a wonderful woman, and together we have two wonderful daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 11, 2026
This was fun
March 13, 2026
I wanted to quit this so bad that I think I was self-flagellating by continuing. But at the same time, some of the story is fine - if it was just a zombie apoc story. But all the "You have achieved level 8" and "You have received the Self-Hate achievement: flavor text!" and talking about skills and whatnot was just very annoying. This was my first real LitRPG (My last audiobook Soulsmith is very very close but not quite) and I guess it's just not a genre for me. At least it was an easy going light listen that I could half pay attention to while I worked.
April 8, 2026
Fun. My first LitRPG. Reminded me of my time playing Diablo II. Look forward to the sequel and hope it's part of Audible Plus.
January 6, 2026
Undead Glitch: Patch 1.0 of The Corrupted Campaign: A LitRPG Nightmare (The Corrupted Campaign, Book 1)
By: Chris Philbrook
Publisher: Chris Philbrook
Published Date: January 7, 2026
ASIN: B0FTMLB9G2
Page Count: 511
Triggers: cancer diagnosis, medical themes, gore, body horror, zombies/undead, violence, death, grief, single-parent stress, high-stakes survival, hopelessness themes
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀💀💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A “safe” immersive zombie game where the monsters are supposed to be pretend… except the universe hits Seth with a glitch like a folding chair. Suddenly he is not a cozy NPC behind a counter. He is a player in the street, bleeding, starving, and one bad choice away from dying in the game and clocking out of real life shortly after. Also, the world has vibes. The bad kind. The “someone built this for reasons” kind.
Here’s What Slapped:
The hook is cruel in the best way: a broke single dad with cancer betting everything on a miracle job, then getting tossed into the deep end with undead teeth.
The LitRPG stuff is actually fun, even if you are new to the genre. Skills, loot, leveling, and that constant “ok but how do I survive the next five minutes” pressure.
The pacing does not politely stroll. It sprints, trips, gets back up, and keeps sprinting with a hatchet.
The humor lands because it is survival humor, not sitcom humor. Seth’s sarcasm is a life raft.
Heart, under the gore. The stakes are not “save the world because plot,” they are “my kids need me to come home.”
What Could’ve Been Better:
At 511 pages, it is a full meal. If you prefer your zombie chaos in snack size, you might feel the occasional “we are still running, huh” moment.
The game world is mean. If you want cozy apocalypse, this is not that. This is “drink water and clench your jaw” apocalypse.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Zombies with rules, plus glitches that break them
LitRPG/GameLit mechanics that actually add tension
Snarky survival narration and gritty action
Dystopian worlds with a deeper, darker agenda
Found-family energy, but make it feral
Sum up:
I came in new to this genre and walked out fully converted, lightly traumatized, and weirdly emotional about a man with a hatchet trying to earn one more tomorrow for his kids. It’s brutal, sharp, and way more heartfelt than it has any right to be, then it turns the screws and reminds you the real monster might not be the undead at all.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
By: Chris Philbrook
Publisher: Chris Philbrook
Published Date: January 7, 2026
ASIN: B0FTMLB9G2
Page Count: 511
Triggers: cancer diagnosis, medical themes, gore, body horror, zombies/undead, violence, death, grief, single-parent stress, high-stakes survival, hopelessness themes
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀💀💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A “safe” immersive zombie game where the monsters are supposed to be pretend… except the universe hits Seth with a glitch like a folding chair. Suddenly he is not a cozy NPC behind a counter. He is a player in the street, bleeding, starving, and one bad choice away from dying in the game and clocking out of real life shortly after. Also, the world has vibes. The bad kind. The “someone built this for reasons” kind.
Here’s What Slapped:
The hook is cruel in the best way: a broke single dad with cancer betting everything on a miracle job, then getting tossed into the deep end with undead teeth.
The LitRPG stuff is actually fun, even if you are new to the genre. Skills, loot, leveling, and that constant “ok but how do I survive the next five minutes” pressure.
The pacing does not politely stroll. It sprints, trips, gets back up, and keeps sprinting with a hatchet.
The humor lands because it is survival humor, not sitcom humor. Seth’s sarcasm is a life raft.
Heart, under the gore. The stakes are not “save the world because plot,” they are “my kids need me to come home.”
What Could’ve Been Better:
At 511 pages, it is a full meal. If you prefer your zombie chaos in snack size, you might feel the occasional “we are still running, huh” moment.
The game world is mean. If you want cozy apocalypse, this is not that. This is “drink water and clench your jaw” apocalypse.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Zombies with rules, plus glitches that break them
LitRPG/GameLit mechanics that actually add tension
Snarky survival narration and gritty action
Dystopian worlds with a deeper, darker agenda
Found-family energy, but make it feral
Sum up:
I came in new to this genre and walked out fully converted, lightly traumatized, and weirdly emotional about a man with a hatchet trying to earn one more tomorrow for his kids. It’s brutal, sharp, and way more heartfelt than it has any right to be, then it turns the screws and reminds you the real monster might not be the undead at all.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
May 11, 2026
An Undead Glitch hooked me from the very first chapter. The setting feels like a not-so-distant future where a single dad will do anything to afford the medical care he needs to stay around for his kids: including taking a seemingly danger-free job as an NPC in an immersive zombie game for the company’s healthcare and medical nanites.
Only things don’t go the way they should (when do they ever? 😅), and he ends up entering as a player instead… quickly realizing he’s part of a much bigger game 😳 As the game mechanics start going completely wonky, Seth finds himself relying on a rag-tag crew of in-game friends for both his virtual and real-world survival.
Only things don’t go the way they should (when do they ever? 😅), and he ends up entering as a player instead… quickly realizing he’s part of a much bigger game 😳 As the game mechanics start going completely wonky, Seth finds himself relying on a rag-tag crew of in-game friends for both his virtual and real-world survival.
January 18, 2026
I've never been a video game player but add zombies I had to check it out plus I love Philbrook's books. Seth Willard is broke, sick and needs a break so he takes a job at NPC and a glitch puts him in the game. Now he needs to survive the zombies ,level up and with friends he has met along the way, he is doing just that. He finds out along the way it's not just a game, someone built this world for other purposes and he means to bring them down. As usual in a Philbrook book there is also humour throughout the book.
May 17, 2026
Fun. I don’t know if I’ll continue the series but it was well written. The author is very good at making you feel like you’re in an actual scene (there were some gross moments that made me viscerally react and that’s good writing to me)
Not a fan of the emotional cheating, I think there should have been clearer lines drawn before writing in new potential love interests
Lots of corny jokes which can be fun to some readers
Not a fan of the emotional cheating, I think there should have been clearer lines drawn before writing in new potential love interests
Lots of corny jokes which can be fun to some readers
May 16, 2026
My first foray into LitRPG, and I am ready for more. Chris has an enjoyable and simple writing style that is crass and sarcastic, and I find I can breeze right through his books. I can't wait for book 2.
January 9, 2026
Best book I’ve read in a while! I was devastated to see it was just released and I’ll likely be waiting a bit for 2.0 :(
Adored the nostalgic references!
Adored the nostalgic references!
January 11, 2026
Very entertaining.
If you squint really hard you can see the DCC there. But it has enough unique features to be fun on its own.
If you squint really hard you can see the DCC there. But it has enough unique features to be fun on its own.
January 14, 2026
We need more zombie litrpgs. Good to see this come from the same writer as one of my favorite zombie novels(Adrian's undead diary).
January 20, 2026
Felt like a story about stats, effects and penalties, rather than a character.
didn-t-like-it
February 2, 2026Note to self: didn’t do it for me.
February 4, 2026
The fun and comedy of Dungeon Crawler Carl mixed with the zombie brilliance of Adrian's Undead Diary.
February 16, 2026
This book is an absolutely fantastic read! I need more!
February 17, 2026
So yeah...very interesting. Not sure what I was gonna endure...was super surprised. The humor was great, the plot intriguing, and the sound effects were spot on. Loved it.
March 7, 2026
Being a huge gamer, this book hits all the RPG boxes! It kept me engaged and wanting more every chapter. I loved all the plot twists!
March 18, 2026
this book exceeded my expectations and I can't wait until the next one
May 15, 2026
Good start to a litRPG series, slightly different storyline than some for how the character gets into the RPG world. Enjoyable read/listen.
January 6, 2026
Undead Glitch: Patch 1.0 of The Corrupted Campaign: A LitRPG Nightmare (The Corrupted Campaign, Book 1)
By: Chris Philbrook
Publisher: Chris Philbrook
Published Date: January 7, 2026
ASIN: B0FTMLB9G2
Page Count: 511
Triggers: cancer diagnosis, medical themes, gore, body horror, zombies/undead, violence, death, grief, single-parent stress, high-stakes survival, hopelessness themes
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀💀💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A “safe” immersive zombie game where the monsters are supposed to be pretend… except the universe hits Seth with a glitch like a folding chair. Suddenly he is not a cozy NPC behind a counter. He is a player in the street, bleeding, starving, and one bad choice away from dying in the game and clocking out of real life shortly after. Also, the world has vibes. The bad kind. The “someone built this for reasons” kind.
Here’s What Slapped:
The hook is cruel in the best way: a broke single dad with cancer betting everything on a miracle job, then getting tossed into the deep end with undead teeth.
The LitRPG stuff is actually fun, even if you are new to the genre. Skills, loot, leveling, and that constant “ok but how do I survive the next five minutes” pressure.
The pacing does not politely stroll. It sprints, trips, gets back up, and keeps sprinting with a hatchet.
The humor lands because it is survival humor, not sitcom humor. Seth’s sarcasm is a life raft.
Heart, under the gore. The stakes are not “save the world because plot,” they are “my kids need me to come home.”
What Could’ve Been Better:
At 511 pages, it is a full meal. If you prefer your zombie chaos in snack size, you might feel the occasional “we are still running, huh” moment.
The game world is mean. If you want cozy apocalypse, this is not that. This is “drink water and clench your jaw” apocalypse.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Zombies with rules, plus glitches that break them
LitRPG/GameLit mechanics that actually add tension
Snarky survival narration and gritty action
Dystopian worlds with a deeper, darker agenda
Found-family energy, but make it feral
Sum up:
I came in new to this genre and walked out fully converted, lightly traumatized, and weirdly emotional about a man with a hatchet trying to earn one more tomorrow for his kids. It’s brutal, sharp, and way more heartfelt than it has any right to be, then it turns the screws and reminds you the real monster might not be the undead at all.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
By: Chris Philbrook
Publisher: Chris Philbrook
Published Date: January 7, 2026
ASIN: B0FTMLB9G2
Page Count: 511
Triggers: cancer diagnosis, medical themes, gore, body horror, zombies/undead, violence, death, grief, single-parent stress, high-stakes survival, hopelessness themes
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Skull Dread Rating: 💀💀💀
What Did I Just Walk Into?
A “safe” immersive zombie game where the monsters are supposed to be pretend… except the universe hits Seth with a glitch like a folding chair. Suddenly he is not a cozy NPC behind a counter. He is a player in the street, bleeding, starving, and one bad choice away from dying in the game and clocking out of real life shortly after. Also, the world has vibes. The bad kind. The “someone built this for reasons” kind.
Here’s What Slapped:
The hook is cruel in the best way: a broke single dad with cancer betting everything on a miracle job, then getting tossed into the deep end with undead teeth.
The LitRPG stuff is actually fun, even if you are new to the genre. Skills, loot, leveling, and that constant “ok but how do I survive the next five minutes” pressure.
The pacing does not politely stroll. It sprints, trips, gets back up, and keeps sprinting with a hatchet.
The humor lands because it is survival humor, not sitcom humor. Seth’s sarcasm is a life raft.
Heart, under the gore. The stakes are not “save the world because plot,” they are “my kids need me to come home.”
What Could’ve Been Better:
At 511 pages, it is a full meal. If you prefer your zombie chaos in snack size, you might feel the occasional “we are still running, huh” moment.
The game world is mean. If you want cozy apocalypse, this is not that. This is “drink water and clench your jaw” apocalypse.
Perfect for Readers Who Love:
Zombies with rules, plus glitches that break them
LitRPG/GameLit mechanics that actually add tension
Snarky survival narration and gritty action
Dystopian worlds with a deeper, darker agenda
Found-family energy, but make it feral
Sum up:
I came in new to this genre and walked out fully converted, lightly traumatized, and weirdly emotional about a man with a hatchet trying to earn one more tomorrow for his kids. It’s brutal, sharp, and way more heartfelt than it has any right to be, then it turns the screws and reminds you the real monster might not be the undead at all.
Reviewed by Robin for Robin’s Review
March 7, 2026
Undead Glitch is on the mechanics-heavy end of LitRPG; there's no shortage of stats, bonuses, leveling, and flavor text. It took some getting used to as a reader new to the genre. The audiobook really sold me on these details with character voices, RPG sound effects, and voice filters. The narration goes above and beyond to create a cool semi-immersive experience. I recommend taking the audiobook for a spin if this book piques your interest.
I grabbed the paperback at AuthorCon VI but knew after hearing that the audiobook went all out that I wanted to start there. Thanks so much to the author for the audiobook hookup and the great chat about LitRPG!
I grabbed the paperback at AuthorCon VI but knew after hearing that the audiobook went all out that I wanted to start there. Thanks so much to the author for the audiobook hookup and the great chat about LitRPG!
January 17, 2026
Really enjoyed the narrator, the little sound effects, and the unique setting. Was free in Audible Plus. Will listen to the next if it is also free.
January 26, 2026
Best fuckling book ever.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews