What do you think?
Rate this book
MAD #1
They Called Me Mad
I was in my garage when the space elves addressed the whole world.
They didn't call themselves space elves, of course. Most humans struggled to pronounce Khjurhnalva, so we opted for the easier version. They had a message for us: forces that had eradicated their species' males were now heading for Earth.
Hungry for our resources, the alien hordes annihilate everything that stands in their way. The space elves offered us access to the System and asked for very little in return. After all, cooperation was vital to the survival of both our species.
I, Mathew Alexander Dunphy, know all of the above is bullshit. I saw the truth with my own eyes and heard it from their beautiful, delicate, deceitful mouths. No one believes me, though. They call me mad.
What reason could the space elves have to lie?
Planet-wide survival reality show?
Ridiculous.
Don't miss the start of a fun new LitRPG Series in a system apocalypse setting and featuring mad scientist powers along with plenty of laughs. Oh, and killer aliens. Lots of em.
About the MAD world: Not all game-mechanic systems hand out levels, stats, and skills. Sometimes it offers super powers and leaves the progression up to the user. What is LitRPG without the fan-favorite blue boxes, though? Instead of STR, DEX, AGI, expect them to house crafting-based notifications.
They didn't call themselves space elves, of course. Most humans struggled to pronounce Khjurhnalva, so we opted for the easier version. They had a message for us: forces that had eradicated their species' males were now heading for Earth.
Hungry for our resources, the alien hordes annihilate everything that stands in their way. The space elves offered us access to the System and asked for very little in return. After all, cooperation was vital to the survival of both our species.
I, Mathew Alexander Dunphy, know all of the above is bullshit. I saw the truth with my own eyes and heard it from their beautiful, delicate, deceitful mouths. No one believes me, though. They call me mad.
What reason could the space elves have to lie?
Planet-wide survival reality show?
Ridiculous.
Don't miss the start of a fun new LitRPG Series in a system apocalypse setting and featuring mad scientist powers along with plenty of laughs. Oh, and killer aliens. Lots of em.
About the MAD world: Not all game-mechanic systems hand out levels, stats, and skills. Sometimes it offers super powers and leaves the progression up to the user. What is LitRPG without the fan-favorite blue boxes, though? Instead of STR, DEX, AGI, expect them to house crafting-based notifications.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2021
413 people are currently reading
396 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 86 reviews
April 2, 2021
Book one
Mistakes: Rather childish start, but overall a decent story. The infighting didn't ring true either.
Plot: Kind of a silly and shallow plot.
Characters: Interesting powers that aren't really used to there full potential. Self loathing for killing someone trying to kill you always puts me off.
5/10
Mistakes: Rather childish start, but overall a decent story. The infighting didn't ring true either.
Plot: Kind of a silly and shallow plot.
Characters: Interesting powers that aren't really used to there full potential. Self loathing for killing someone trying to kill you always puts me off.
5/10
April 6, 2021
Very different litRPG/gamelit. Lots of fun.
April 2, 2021
There are a lot of apocalypse/post apocalypse LitRPG stories out there, so any new book is bound to share some similarities with the books that Tao Wong, David Willmarth, or others have written.
Having said that, this book does have some key differences. There is a bigger emphasis on crafting, with the MC (Matt) having the technogogue upgrade that lets him make weapons and technology for the entire group. Some of the tropes that are used are that the apocalypse is now a show for the galaxy to view, and there is the sort of equivalent of a system shop (except this time it's an egg that gives you clues or helps upgrade you. All for a price.)
The book starts out with female aliens landing on the planet. They announce that they are here to save everyone, but in fact are putting a limiter on Earth's population. As everyone begins to receive their upgrade, they don't realize that they are limited to a C grade upgrade. They are also having mental commands to dismiss the threat the alien elves are to humanity.
As a start, it's a good one. Earth is rearranged using hexagons, meaning that if you're in NYC, you might suddenly see the Rocky mountains next door. That kind of thing.
Matt of course doesn't receive the limiter because he's dressed up as Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future. He's put aluminum foil in his hair, and that seems to be enough to avoid the limiter.
Here's where we have a problem: if all it takes is aluminum foil, why doesn't Matt try putting aluminum foil (or the tech version) on his friends who don't believe the the alien elves aren't on their side? It's never mentioned, and a pretty big plot hole.
From there the group learns how their powers work, and start killing mobs. Killing mobs gives crafting gear, and you can see how the cycle continues. They grow in power, and Matt crafts ever bigger and badder devices making the team that more deadly. Because of the plot hole, what happens to the team is pretty easy to figure out.
The story is written as if the characters are in London, but it comes across as if it's an American trying to sound British, or a Brit trying to sound not too British. It's weird, but it only affects the first twenty percent of the book.
The notifications are mostly related to crafting materials, not upgrades to your stats.
I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to book 2. Recommended. 5/5*
Having said that, this book does have some key differences. There is a bigger emphasis on crafting, with the MC (Matt) having the technogogue upgrade that lets him make weapons and technology for the entire group. Some of the tropes that are used are that the apocalypse is now a show for the galaxy to view, and there is the sort of equivalent of a system shop (except this time it's an egg that gives you clues or helps upgrade you. All for a price.)
The book starts out with female aliens landing on the planet. They announce that they are here to save everyone, but in fact are putting a limiter on Earth's population. As everyone begins to receive their upgrade, they don't realize that they are limited to a C grade upgrade. They are also having mental commands to dismiss the threat the alien elves are to humanity.
As a start, it's a good one. Earth is rearranged using hexagons, meaning that if you're in NYC, you might suddenly see the Rocky mountains next door. That kind of thing.
Matt of course doesn't receive the limiter because he's dressed up as Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future. He's put aluminum foil in his hair, and that seems to be enough to avoid the limiter.
Here's where we have a problem: if all it takes is aluminum foil, why doesn't Matt try putting aluminum foil (or the tech version) on his friends who don't believe the the alien elves aren't on their side? It's never mentioned, and a pretty big plot hole.
From there the group learns how their powers work, and start killing mobs. Killing mobs gives crafting gear, and you can see how the cycle continues. They grow in power, and Matt crafts ever bigger and badder devices making the team that more deadly. Because of the plot hole, what happens to the team is pretty easy to figure out.
The story is written as if the characters are in London, but it comes across as if it's an American trying to sound British, or a Brit trying to sound not too British. It's weird, but it only affects the first twenty percent of the book.
The notifications are mostly related to crafting materials, not upgrades to your stats.
I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to book 2. Recommended. 5/5*
April 12, 2021
A Delightful rpg apocalypse
Our protagonist and his friends find themself at the end of the world in which they're granted powers in the world gone mad attempting to get stronger faster sooner. This is probably my favorite genre, and this is extremely well written, with a great system, terrific characters, and excellent action
Our protagonist and his friends find themself at the end of the world in which they're granted powers in the world gone mad attempting to get stronger faster sooner. This is probably my favorite genre, and this is extremely well written, with a great system, terrific characters, and excellent action
October 24, 2021
Edit.. Did not finish.. Too stupid of a Main Character for me.
Um so yea.
Scratching my head over this. The MC is a moron.. Has the opportunity to swipe a space ship/attack the evil aliens/try and stop them planting the killer nests..... but decides that punching his roommate in the head is a better choice. Even though his roommate would not know he was punched.
WTF ? Really .. WTF ? That entire scene made no sense at all.
So yea.. Scratching my head here ...........Maybe that was the authors goal?
Um so yea.
Scratching my head over this. The MC is a moron.. Has the opportunity to swipe a space ship/attack the evil aliens/try and stop them planting the killer nests..... but decides that punching his roommate in the head is a better choice. Even though his roommate would not know he was punched.
WTF ? Really .. WTF ? That entire scene made no sense at all.
So yea.. Scratching my head here ...........Maybe that was the authors goal?
March 30, 2021
This is a well-written and engaging post-apocalypse story.
The grammar and plot are good. There are blue boxes but they are not annoying like many other stories and only present when needed. The characters are well described and well written. The descriptions of various devices, monsters, plot twists, all of them are damn interesting. The story has a lot of promise. Can't wait to see where the author takes this story.
The grammar and plot are good. There are blue boxes but they are not annoying like many other stories and only present when needed. The characters are well described and well written. The descriptions of various devices, monsters, plot twists, all of them are damn interesting. The story has a lot of promise. Can't wait to see where the author takes this story.
March 30, 2021
Great Read, and Unique Take
This was a fun read with an interesting take on the LitRPG genre. Think 'The Truman Show' combined with Dungeons and Dragons and then add a dash of Alien Invasion. The character mesh well and have understandable reactions based on the circumstances.
This was a fun read with an interesting take on the LitRPG genre. Think 'The Truman Show' combined with Dungeons and Dragons and then add a dash of Alien Invasion. The character mesh well and have understandable reactions based on the circumstances.
April 13, 2021
Very intense in a good way
This book is fantastic. the part that to me was the most... inspiring, i suppose, was how the group’s insecurities boosted them to strengthen themselves, in the process, allowing them to overcome and move past those insecurities. It’s a very sweet and warm gesture, made more so by the contrast of the hardcore adventure, terrifying enemies and insane inventions. Read this book. It’s bloody fantastic
This book is fantastic. the part that to me was the most... inspiring, i suppose, was how the group’s insecurities boosted them to strengthen themselves, in the process, allowing them to overcome and move past those insecurities. It’s a very sweet and warm gesture, made more so by the contrast of the hardcore adventure, terrifying enemies and insane inventions. Read this book. It’s bloody fantastic
April 13, 2021
Fun story
A few typos at the start but those don't last if Tutsis breaker for you.
Overall I'm a big fan already.
A few typos at the start but those don't last if Tutsis breaker for you.
Overall I'm a big fan already.
April 16, 2021
A good read overall, so worth a 4 in my books. I like to see books set in the UK, by UK authors, as they have a different flavour than the American or Russian/Ukrainian lit-rpg books. A prime example is the improvised weapons; there were hardly any mentions of guns in the book, an the main characters didn't have any, nor easy access to them.
I think I need a new shelf tag, something like "aliens fucking with us" or maybe just "system apocalypse" since there are enough of these books to be a sub-genre at least. Anyway, there's supposed to be a sequel to this so I'll check that out.
I think I need a new shelf tag, something like "aliens fucking with us" or maybe just "system apocalypse" since there are enough of these books to be a sub-genre at least. Anyway, there's supposed to be a sequel to this so I'll check that out.
April 11, 2021
Ok book
Made it to 80% but could not continue.The characters started to get on my nerves to much to care about them!! Maybe to much weakness in them?
Made it to 80% but could not continue.The characters started to get on my nerves to much to care about them!! Maybe to much weakness in them?
April 6, 2021
Great wee find
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. There’s a great story with an interesting premise here and the fact it’s a UK or European setting is a nice touch. Although it’s wording at times seems to suggest a touch of Americana, i.e. Mall and not shopping centre!?
However the characters are interesting and their talents interesting and diverse. The books world is also interesting and well set out at the start so we know what’s going on.
It’s also well edited and runs along at a nice pace as the characters develop and discover more of the world.
I look forward to more so enjoy 😁
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. There’s a great story with an interesting premise here and the fact it’s a UK or European setting is a nice touch. Although it’s wording at times seems to suggest a touch of Americana, i.e. Mall and not shopping centre!?
However the characters are interesting and their talents interesting and diverse. The books world is also interesting and well set out at the start so we know what’s going on.
It’s also well edited and runs along at a nice pace as the characters develop and discover more of the world.
I look forward to more so enjoy 😁
April 10, 2021
Fun Ride
J Pal kicks off their newest series with They Call Me Mad: A LitRPG Apocalypse Story. Great start, hopefully it will keep rolling with book two slated for a July 20th release.
J Pal kicks off their newest series with They Call Me Mad: A LitRPG Apocalypse Story. Great start, hopefully it will keep rolling with book two slated for a July 20th release.
April 5, 2021
Maddeningly good
Although I’ve read similar litrpg where we are used as entertainment in a system apocalypse. There are enough differences to make this an enjoyable read. The main characters powers aren’t S class and overpowered and it’s nice to see the character grow into his leadership role.
Although I’ve read similar litrpg where we are used as entertainment in a system apocalypse. There are enough differences to make this an enjoyable read. The main characters powers aren’t S class and overpowered and it’s nice to see the character grow into his leadership role.
April 6, 2021
Excellent story, an excellent blend of thriller and LitRpg. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 5, 2021
Excellent!
Fantastic read! I absolutely loved it! I can not wait for the next one to be release! Such great characters in this book!
Fantastic read! I absolutely loved it! I can not wait for the next one to be release! Such great characters in this book!
April 2, 2021
Unique the on litrpg
Lots of cool sci to references 😁a unique level system and story is a hybrid litrpg and end of the world story. This makes this book stand out
Lots of cool sci to references 😁a unique level system and story is a hybrid litrpg and end of the world story. This makes this book stand out
April 1, 2021
A great read!
An entertaining read, with an interesting setting and story! I look forward to the next book in this series, and will be getting it when it releases!
An entertaining read, with an interesting setting and story! I look forward to the next book in this series, and will be getting it when it releases!
April 2, 2021
Interesting and fun
This is a great book to read the protagonist is interesting the premise is new for the system apocalypse genre. A nice quick read.
This is a great book to read the protagonist is interesting the premise is new for the system apocalypse genre. A nice quick read.
June 25, 2021
Great start! Cool new litrpg
Going through the Madness (😁) in this book, I am loving the upgrade and perk systems. A ton of options to choose from with cool stuff for everyone.
Good character writing as well.
Going through the Madness (😁) in this book, I am loving the upgrade and perk systems. A ton of options to choose from with cool stuff for everyone.
Good character writing as well.
June 13, 2021
Wonderful!!!!!
It's been a long time since I've really enjoyed a RPG story from start to finish MAD is really mature acting in this story not lost in accepting his role in his new life fight Onn
It's been a long time since I've really enjoyed a RPG story from start to finish MAD is really mature acting in this story not lost in accepting his role in his new life fight Onn
May 17, 2021
The book starts off extremely stupid. The setup makes you think that it's going to be a harem, but it isn't. The premise for the whole book is dumb dumb dumb. I hate it so much. Right from the beginning, the Space Elves say they are in a war with aliens that killed all their men, so they've come to earth for human male seed. Seriously. That is almost the exact wording. You quickly find out the truth that it's a lie, but come on. The true motives and reasons behind the aliens coming to earth has been done before. Just see Emerilia by Michael chatfield and The Good Guysby Eric Ugland.
The whole concept that tin foil on your head or hair interrupts enemy signals is just about the stupidest reason for MC OP abilities that I've ever heard. Like what about everybody inside any kind of aluminum building or inside an airplane or anything I don't know? Tinfoil is dumb. Annoyingly dumb. And it doesn't only apply the one time. Dumb.
The main character gets three special choices of class choices. They're all pretty decent but there are two really powerful ones and the main character doesn't choose them because they might take a little bit longer to get stronger. And because they sound difficult. It sounds like really bad reasoning to me for choosing a less superior class. And then, oh look, the girl next door has one of the strong powers and is not being hampered in any way.
The main characters Technogogue power is just kind of dumb It's like here's a bunch of random bullshit and it and some magic power and bam super technological doodad. I get that it's magic and all but it's dumb. He becomes a technological enchanter/crafter support class. How original.
Then at the end of it the book is only 6 hours long when listening at 1.5x. The one saving grace is that the narrator is pretty good. I have zero interest continuing the series.
The whole concept that tin foil on your head or hair interrupts enemy signals is just about the stupidest reason for MC OP abilities that I've ever heard. Like what about everybody inside any kind of aluminum building or inside an airplane or anything I don't know? Tinfoil is dumb. Annoyingly dumb. And it doesn't only apply the one time. Dumb.
The main character gets three special choices of class choices. They're all pretty decent but there are two really powerful ones and the main character doesn't choose them because they might take a little bit longer to get stronger. And because they sound difficult. It sounds like really bad reasoning to me for choosing a less superior class. And then, oh look, the girl next door has one of the strong powers and is not being hampered in any way.
The main characters Technogogue power is just kind of dumb It's like here's a bunch of random bullshit and it and some magic power and bam super technological doodad. I get that it's magic and all but it's dumb. He becomes a technological enchanter/crafter support class. How original.
Then at the end of it the book is only 6 hours long when listening at 1.5x. The one saving grace is that the narrator is pretty good. I have zero interest continuing the series.
May 18, 2021
Aliens are coming to wipe us out or are they?
Aliens are hovering over Piccadilly Circus. Are they here to help? Are they going to dominate? Harvest our resources? The aliens look like female elves or at least the ambassadors do. They have been working with the governments and are going to hold a press conference around noon.
People are dressing up in different sci-fi costumes like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. At the press conference, the ambassadors announce that there are aliens on the way to attack Earth. They destroy all the male population. They had been hoping by destroying the FTL (faster than light) engines, they had given us enough time to ramp up technology and defenses with their help. But the aliens found ancient worm holes and are on their way in the next month.
The ambassadors tell the world they are going to push a upgrade to humans. Right then and there, they push the upgrade to most humans. Most of the people freeze and can’t be awakened. But there are some that seem to be immune from the ‘upgrade’. Matthew is one of the ones who is not impacted. He has a bad headache, but is able to not be fully frozen. He hears two elves talking about making his zone a yellow zone, planting 3 nests and that the viewers will be happy. What is this a galactic reality show? None of his friends believe him. And they call him MAD (Matthew Alexander Dunphy).
Aliens are hovering over Piccadilly Circus. Are they here to help? Are they going to dominate? Harvest our resources? The aliens look like female elves or at least the ambassadors do. They have been working with the governments and are going to hold a press conference around noon.
People are dressing up in different sci-fi costumes like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. At the press conference, the ambassadors announce that there are aliens on the way to attack Earth. They destroy all the male population. They had been hoping by destroying the FTL (faster than light) engines, they had given us enough time to ramp up technology and defenses with their help. But the aliens found ancient worm holes and are on their way in the next month.
The ambassadors tell the world they are going to push a upgrade to humans. Right then and there, they push the upgrade to most humans. Most of the people freeze and can’t be awakened. But there are some that seem to be immune from the ‘upgrade’. Matthew is one of the ones who is not impacted. He has a bad headache, but is able to not be fully frozen. He hears two elves talking about making his zone a yellow zone, planting 3 nests and that the viewers will be happy. What is this a galactic reality show? None of his friends believe him. And they call him MAD (Matthew Alexander Dunphy).
May 29, 2021
What a Hoot! This is a delightful romp under the guise of a gamelit Apocalypse! And yeah, I loved Matt, aka Mad (the MC) and his roommates as they struggle to survive. Initially, Matt is the only one who sees behind the deceptive lies the aliens have fed the population. Mad's trying to reveal the truth: the truth that they're all now stars of an alien race's reality survival show! Everyone thinks he's, well... mad. To add to this already wonderfully-odd story, there's these weird scene (commercial) breaks that only the viewing audience would see, and these breaks only serve to enhance how beautifully oddball this story really is!
Gary Furlong gave a fantastically nuanced narration performance too!
There's lots of pop-culture references throughout, and if you're fans of the movie Back to the Future, Doc Brown or even Rhett Bruno's newest book "Vicarious", then this will be a great treat for you!
... Man, I Needs me the next book... Badly! 😊👍👍👍
Gary Furlong gave a fantastically nuanced narration performance too!
There's lots of pop-culture references throughout, and if you're fans of the movie Back to the Future, Doc Brown or even Rhett Bruno's newest book "Vicarious", then this will be a great treat for you!
... Man, I Needs me the next book... Badly! 😊👍👍👍
May 28, 2021
This was quite an enjoyable read with a "System Apocalypse" premise I quite like.
That of
If you're worried about being inundated with stats/skills and the like, this is not a series that focuses on that aspect and is more about crafting. In particular, the end results and how they are used.
This first in the series, mostly just sets the scene and the eventual end goals of the protagonists.
The story moves along at quite a clip so there is not much time to really get to know the characters too well but as time goes on I imagine that will come.
All in all, a good read and I look forward to the net.
That of
If you're worried about being inundated with stats/skills and the like, this is not a series that focuses on that aspect and is more about crafting. In particular, the end results and how they are used.
This first in the series, mostly just sets the scene and the eventual end goals of the protagonists.
The story moves along at quite a clip so there is not much time to really get to know the characters too well but as time goes on I imagine that will come.
All in all, a good read and I look forward to the net.
May 30, 2021
This review is for the audiobook version. This resembled a ‘dungeon crawler Carl’ or a ‘reborn apocalypse ‘ book, so if you liked those or traditional litRPG post-apocalyptic books then this is for you. It was very lighthearted and I actually liked the MC’s ability, it is not often that I read about technopaths/gadgetiers in this setting. It felt much shorter than it actually was and although the story wasn’t anything too complex I enjoyed it nonetheless. Would definitely read book 2 (may wait for the audio version though).
April 18, 2021
Entertaining but lacking
While the story is entertaining, it is full of inconsistencies, forced arguments for the sake of a bit of drama and forced situations for the same purpose. The plot is rather weak and while the powers are pretty good the "tin foil hat bloks psychic powers" and only a hand full of humans in the world had them on when the aliens landed is more than ludicrous. In conclusion while the story was entertaining it's problems and unsatisfactory ending left me frustrated and not in the mood for another one.
While the story is entertaining, it is full of inconsistencies, forced arguments for the sake of a bit of drama and forced situations for the same purpose. The plot is rather weak and while the powers are pretty good the "tin foil hat bloks psychic powers" and only a hand full of humans in the world had them on when the aliens landed is more than ludicrous. In conclusion while the story was entertaining it's problems and unsatisfactory ending left me frustrated and not in the mood for another one.
May 19, 2021
The Mad-ness of waiting for the next book
When I picked this to read it was mostly because of the cover, then I read the description and started reading. Now I'm glad to have since I now hope for around 7-8 books in this series, if you like Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and Litrpg, then this series is for you...the beginning had me laughing with the "Albans" reason for coming to earth but by the end of the book it was portraying a world that truly was an apocalypse. (don't quote me on that its just how I feel at least)
When I picked this to read it was mostly because of the cover, then I read the description and started reading. Now I'm glad to have since I now hope for around 7-8 books in this series, if you like Back to the Future, Doctor Who, and Litrpg, then this series is for you...the beginning had me laughing with the "Albans" reason for coming to earth but by the end of the book it was portraying a world that truly was an apocalypse. (don't quote me on that its just how I feel at least)
May 2, 2021
Amazing book
I like the story it is fresh and fun.The charters are real and unexpected. The flow was great it was hard to put down.I am glad for seeing the second book is ready. So thanks for the hard work and I am off to be reading book two
I like the story it is fresh and fun.The charters are real and unexpected. The flow was great it was hard to put down.I am glad for seeing the second book is ready. So thanks for the hard work and I am off to be reading book two
May 24, 2021
Super zany
The premise behind this book is brilliant. Enough mechanics to feel litRPG, but light enough to read without interruption. The story is great, and a couple of pacing issues aside, is a very fun book to sink into.
The premise behind this book is brilliant. Enough mechanics to feel litRPG, but light enough to read without interruption. The story is great, and a couple of pacing issues aside, is a very fun book to sink into.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews