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Parenting in the apocalypse is the worst
Two weeks into the System Apocalypse and the transformations are just beginning. Mutated insects, carnivorous toads and angry drop bears were not on the school curriculum; but when the apocalypse hits, you roll with it. Parenting a teenager has prepared Kira for the worst, she just didn’t expect that to include the end of the world.
A menacing conglomerate of alien hunters is breathing down their necks and new threats lurk just over the hills. Kira and the rest of the Australian survivors of Brisbane must Level up, bolster defenses, and prepare for an incoming invasion none of them foresaw.
In-between all that, she'll need to keep her family intact and functioning. All in a day's work for a single mum, really.
Flat Out is the second book in The System Australia series. Set in the same universe as Tao Wong's the System Apocalypse, it's focusing on the changes in the deadliest of continents, Australia. Fans of the original series, LitRPG, fantasy, science-fiction and post-apocalyptic novels will want to take a look.
Two weeks into the System Apocalypse and the transformations are just beginning. Mutated insects, carnivorous toads and angry drop bears were not on the school curriculum; but when the apocalypse hits, you roll with it. Parenting a teenager has prepared Kira for the worst, she just didn’t expect that to include the end of the world.
A menacing conglomerate of alien hunters is breathing down their necks and new threats lurk just over the hills. Kira and the rest of the Australian survivors of Brisbane must Level up, bolster defenses, and prepare for an incoming invasion none of them foresaw.
In-between all that, she'll need to keep her family intact and functioning. All in a day's work for a single mum, really.
Flat Out is the second book in The System Australia series. Set in the same universe as Tao Wong's the System Apocalypse, it's focusing on the changes in the deadliest of continents, Australia. Fans of the original series, LitRPG, fantasy, science-fiction and post-apocalyptic novels will want to take a look.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2022
162 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Tao Wong
143 books965 followersTao Wong is the author of the A Thousand Li progression fantasy series and the System Apocalypse LitRPG series, among others. His work has been released in audio, paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats, and translated into German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and several other languages. He was shortlisted for the UK Kindle Storyteller Award in 2021 for A Thousand Li: The Second Sect. In 2026, the first three books in the A Thousand Li series will be republished in hardcover by Ace Books.
When he’s not writing or working, he enjoys practicing martial arts, reading, and dreaming up new worlds. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
When he’s not writing or working, he enjoys practicing martial arts, reading, and dreaming up new worlds. He lives in Toronto, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 29, 2022
Part of me wishes that Kira would level up quicker and kick some arse, but at the same time this slow and steady path makes for a gripping read.
Even aliens underestimate the Australian Flora and Fauna. HAH!
Even aliens underestimate the Australian Flora and Fauna. HAH!
February 2, 2022
good development
First, I think this was a solid book. Good entry in the series.
What I was less than pleased with was the way it seemed the MC was being stampeded from crisis to crisis. A loss of agency from the first novel. It may be because there was a lot of setup for the next book.
Still looking forward to the next book.
First, I think this was a solid book. Good entry in the series.
What I was less than pleased with was the way it seemed the MC was being stampeded from crisis to crisis. A loss of agency from the first novel. It may be because there was a lot of setup for the next book.
Still looking forward to the next book.
February 7, 2022
KU Review
I love Tao’s world. It’s really fun that that other authors are investing in it and fleshing out an entire universe of stories.
I love Tao’s world. It’s really fun that that other authors are investing in it and fleshing out an entire universe of stories.
February 26, 2022
If ya can’t beat ‘em, …
More and more challenges pile onto the human survivors of Australia, and the corner we are watching is seeing massive leaps on creature strength, attacks from invading aliens that want their settlement, and mana gone wild as it searches for beings to use it.
The Outback and Australia have always had stories surrounding how deadly Its creatures are and movies show it even more spectacularly. Adding oceans of mana has amplified every effect on native creatures as well as creature that appeared on earth from elsewhere. Mana causes growth, mutations, new abilities, intelligence, and even bindings of creature into one new whole chimeric being.
Koalas as big as cars are not the scariest thing they encounter as aliens attack to take their settlement, while they work with other aliens to improve their chances of survival.
All this and more on the plate of one mum just trying to protect her kids and as many others as possible.
More and more challenges pile onto the human survivors of Australia, and the corner we are watching is seeing massive leaps on creature strength, attacks from invading aliens that want their settlement, and mana gone wild as it searches for beings to use it.
The Outback and Australia have always had stories surrounding how deadly Its creatures are and movies show it even more spectacularly. Adding oceans of mana has amplified every effect on native creatures as well as creature that appeared on earth from elsewhere. Mana causes growth, mutations, new abilities, intelligence, and even bindings of creature into one new whole chimeric being.
Koalas as big as cars are not the scariest thing they encounter as aliens attack to take their settlement, while they work with other aliens to improve their chances of survival.
All this and more on the plate of one mum just trying to protect her kids and as many others as possible.
February 11, 2022
Australia grows more deadly...
The second installment of this series builds upon the strengths of the first. As the world around her grows more deadly and less compressible, Kira has to grow stronger every day just to stay alive. That would be hard enough if she also didn't have 2 kids, a brother, and thousands of people counting on her.
Kira really starts to grow into her powers in this book. We begin to see glimpses of just how powerful she may wind up being. We also see her begin to stretch her definition of humanity a bit as it's not just humans she has under her umbrella anymore.
The familial tension remains and that is one of the shining points of this series. Kira is a mum first and that is influential in her continued development.
Pick this book up. It's well worth it!
The second installment of this series builds upon the strengths of the first. As the world around her grows more deadly and less compressible, Kira has to grow stronger every day just to stay alive. That would be hard enough if she also didn't have 2 kids, a brother, and thousands of people counting on her.
Kira really starts to grow into her powers in this book. We begin to see glimpses of just how powerful she may wind up being. We also see her begin to stretch her definition of humanity a bit as it's not just humans she has under her umbrella anymore.
The familial tension remains and that is one of the shining points of this series. Kira is a mum first and that is influential in her continued development.
Pick this book up. It's well worth it!
February 13, 2022
Confused
I enjoyed this book but almost everything I enjoyed about it also made it incredibly frustrating to read. This book is very realistic and that's a part of what makes it frustrating. The real world is very stressful with all kinds of our thoughts focused on our fears and insecurities and to go through page after page of these thoughts and fears over and over got tiring. I found myself skimming entire sections. I only need to hear about how strong you are because of super mom powers so many times. This is worth reading but you need to understand it is not your typical rpg type of book being more rooted in how normal people handle an extraordinary situation.
I enjoyed this book but almost everything I enjoyed about it also made it incredibly frustrating to read. This book is very realistic and that's a part of what makes it frustrating. The real world is very stressful with all kinds of our thoughts focused on our fears and insecurities and to go through page after page of these thoughts and fears over and over got tiring. I found myself skimming entire sections. I only need to hear about how strong you are because of super mom powers so many times. This is worth reading but you need to understand it is not your typical rpg type of book being more rooted in how normal people handle an extraordinary situation.
February 18, 2022
Good but weird timing.
I love how the authors show the shallow hypocrisy of the main character being beating out by practicality. IE she couldn't believe he brother would use a gun, immediately get stabbed in the side for being in melee and later lusts after a rifle. That stuff is constant. It's a hilarious way to treat a willfully blind and naive overly "woke" character development. It that kind of unique character development I've come to expect from Wong. Other than that, the writing is often a fever dream. It teleports you from one scene to the next often without context or any real sense of time. The time stamp at the beginning of each chapter helps.
I love how the authors show the shallow hypocrisy of the main character being beating out by practicality. IE she couldn't believe he brother would use a gun, immediately get stabbed in the side for being in melee and later lusts after a rifle. That stuff is constant. It's a hilarious way to treat a willfully blind and naive overly "woke" character development. It that kind of unique character development I've come to expect from Wong. Other than that, the writing is often a fever dream. It teleports you from one scene to the next often without context or any real sense of time. The time stamp at the beginning of each chapter helps.
February 4, 2022
Book 22, Flat Out, by KT Hanna & Tao Wong. Ill start by saying I wanted to like this book. I really did. I enjoy the universe that his main story line is written in, and this is a spin off. However...
This book is like eating cotton candy, all fluff with no substance. There are a lot of cool ideas for how harmless Australian critters could be evolved in horrible ways. Like Spider Man, Godzilla, Mothra, Etc, but thats not enough to offset the feeling of an old serial series, where it builds up for weeks before any payoff (And months between episodes).
This book is like eating cotton candy, all fluff with no substance. There are a lot of cool ideas for how harmless Australian critters could be evolved in horrible ways. Like Spider Man, Godzilla, Mothra, Etc, but thats not enough to offset the feeling of an old serial series, where it builds up for weeks before any payoff (And months between episodes).
February 9, 2022
Engaging Story - Loved it
I had the luck to immediately pick this up when it came out… and save it for when I needed it.
I read this book while waiting for my wife to go through surgery, and the love and care of our main character - combined with interesting mechanics and the wonderful system apocalypse world.
The main character is cool, has interesting abilities, and the numerous aliens and monsters make for a fun take on the universe with different problems that require unique solutions.
Plus? Australia. Love it.
I had the luck to immediately pick this up when it came out… and save it for when I needed it.
I read this book while waiting for my wife to go through surgery, and the love and care of our main character - combined with interesting mechanics and the wonderful system apocalypse world.
The main character is cool, has interesting abilities, and the numerous aliens and monsters make for a fun take on the universe with different problems that require unique solutions.
Plus? Australia. Love it.
February 10, 2022
A great follow up!
This was a great follow up, and being able to read K.T.s take on Tao’s world made it an even better treat! Australia hasn’t fully integrated into the System yet, as evidenced by a few spelling glitches in places - not nearly to the level that would draw a Questor’s attention though…. (Seriously, don’t alert them, they’re impossible to get rid of, once they start poking around!)
Well worth the time, especially if you’re having trouble waiting for the SA finale like me.
This was a great follow up, and being able to read K.T.s take on Tao’s world made it an even better treat! Australia hasn’t fully integrated into the System yet, as evidenced by a few spelling glitches in places - not nearly to the level that would draw a Questor’s attention though…. (Seriously, don’t alert them, they’re impossible to get rid of, once they start poking around!)
Well worth the time, especially if you’re having trouble waiting for the SA finale like me.
February 15, 2022
lacking and lack luster compared to original
Same world, same system, but entirely different voice and pacing.
Good enough to read to waste some time, but not the type of good to burn through in a day or two like the original series. Plot point drags on, and the MC is whiney and lost in prattle every other chapter. Characters you want to known more about are used as McGuffins to get out of situations and are never developed.
Same world, same system, but entirely different voice and pacing.
Good enough to read to waste some time, but not the type of good to burn through in a day or two like the original series. Plot point drags on, and the MC is whiney and lost in prattle every other chapter. Characters you want to known more about are used as McGuffins to get out of situations and are never developed.
March 5, 2022
Another Great System Apocalypse book
Loved this book both as the continuation of the System Apocalypse and for the characters and locales that are so very different from the Canadian series.
Love the writing, love the world.
Thanks to K. T. Hanna and Tao Wong for bringing us the next series. And thanks in advance for your hard work on the next, eagerly awaited entry to the series.
Loved this book both as the continuation of the System Apocalypse and for the characters and locales that are so very different from the Canadian series.
Love the writing, love the world.
Thanks to K. T. Hanna and Tao Wong for bringing us the next series. And thanks in advance for your hard work on the next, eagerly awaited entry to the series.
March 10, 2022
Another good book in the branch off a creative series.
In some ways I am liking this series more than the original. Being in the same world, it is fun seeing old favorites and new races pop up, and this one moves more slowly, allowing it to feel more grounded than it's originator. Not to say the original was not a great series, just that this one provides some of what I had been missing from the first couple books. I look forward to the next one.
In some ways I am liking this series more than the original. Being in the same world, it is fun seeing old favorites and new races pop up, and this one moves more slowly, allowing it to feel more grounded than it's originator. Not to say the original was not a great series, just that this one provides some of what I had been missing from the first couple books. I look forward to the next one.
June 17, 2022
Great continuation
Really really enjoyed the continuation of the series. Sped read through part one as I enjoyed it so much ( and forgot to leave a review ..hence my leaving a review here in part 2 ) loved the continuing development of the characters , and the plot line is solid ,the leveling up is good with the connection to the Store really interesting! All in all highly recommend
Really really enjoyed the continuation of the series. Sped read through part one as I enjoyed it so much ( and forgot to leave a review ..hence my leaving a review here in part 2 ) loved the continuing development of the characters , and the plot line is solid ,the leveling up is good with the connection to the Store really interesting! All in all highly recommend
February 15, 2022
Good second book
The series is good but I may need to go back and read System Apocalypse as it seems this one breaks a few rules already established. There is also a lot of spelling, grammar and sentence errors throughout.
Otherwise again good series and I would definitely read more.
The series is good but I may need to go back and read System Apocalypse as it seems this one breaks a few rules already established. There is also a lot of spelling, grammar and sentence errors throughout.
Otherwise again good series and I would definitely read more.
February 28, 2022
Flat out like a lizard drinking?
Well a lace monitor maybe! Action packed with a dash or two of laugh-out-loud moments, this second book by KT and Tao is awesome! Particularly the variety (and imagination ) of monster mutations of the Aussie wildlife, especially, of course, drop bears! Even the aliens are struggling! Looking forward to more in this series!
Well a lace monitor maybe! Action packed with a dash or two of laugh-out-loud moments, this second book by KT and Tao is awesome! Particularly the variety (and imagination ) of monster mutations of the Aussie wildlife, especially, of course, drop bears! Even the aliens are struggling! Looking forward to more in this series!
January 15, 2026
Engaging grind
Alternate universe, system apocalypse, survival, base building, leveling, alien races
Kira and company work hard as the flora and fauna continue to mutate and grow faster and stronger than the humans living in Garden City. Excellent editing. Still absorbing action and adventure through a mom's perspective.
Alternate universe, system apocalypse, survival, base building, leveling, alien races
Kira and company work hard as the flora and fauna continue to mutate and grow faster and stronger than the humans living in Garden City. Excellent editing. Still absorbing action and adventure through a mom's perspective.
February 4, 2022
Great book
I think the second book is even better than the first. The world is complex and interesting. Like the series has a world that is not simplified. It has complex themes that keep dragging you in. Only bad thing I can say is that now I have to wait for the next book.
I think the second book is even better than the first. The world is complex and interesting. Like the series has a world that is not simplified. It has complex themes that keep dragging you in. Only bad thing I can say is that now I have to wait for the next book.
February 5, 2022
Good addition to the system apocalypse universe
Well written and keeps a decent pace throughout. It's also a focus on different aspects of life after the system apocalypse which is always nice.
Well written and keeps a decent pace throughout. It's also a focus on different aspects of life after the system apocalypse which is always nice.
February 5, 2022
A good continuation
I love the universe created by Tao Wong and the new highlighted experiences which are being crafted by KT Hannah. The twisted tour of strange Australia coupled with great characters gets me excited to read more of this series.
I love the universe created by Tao Wong and the new highlighted experiences which are being crafted by KT Hannah. The twisted tour of strange Australia coupled with great characters gets me excited to read more of this series.
February 12, 2022
great visit to the world of System Apocalypse
This series continues to impress as the dangers of the System coming to earth pale in comparison to the threat posed by the deadliest continent. Great action, characters and city building.
This series continues to impress as the dangers of the System coming to earth pale in comparison to the threat posed by the deadliest continent. Great action, characters and city building.
February 13, 2022
Great Book 2
It was another well paced entry in the series. Continues to have a nice personal and base building story with slow introduction of new players that are real characters with some depth.
It was another well paced entry in the series. Continues to have a nice personal and base building story with slow introduction of new players that are real characters with some depth.
February 27, 2022
great read
I enjoyed this one more than the first. It seemed like there was less action, but also less time in Kira’s head. Also learned more about mana and saw new and old alien races. Can’t wait to see how it ties into the main series as they start exploring wider areas!
I enjoyed this one more than the first. It seemed like there was less action, but also less time in Kira’s head. Also learned more about mana and saw new and old alien races. Can’t wait to see how it ties into the main series as they start exploring wider areas!
November 20, 2024
The series is just getting better and better
This fascinatingly interesting story continues to evolve in book 2. I’m very much looking forward to book 3. I highly recommend this series!
This fascinatingly interesting story continues to evolve in book 2. I’m very much looking forward to book 3. I highly recommend this series!
February 4, 2022
Different, Interesting LitRPG
Good story with lots of amazing Australian mutations that a joy to read. Story nothing major happens, but the monsters are the true stars ifvthe book.
Good story with lots of amazing Australian mutations that a joy to read. Story nothing major happens, but the monsters are the true stars ifvthe book.
February 6, 2022
Solid follow-up, it takes some to get used to aussie slang but interesting characters (albeit the aliens are actually more interesting than the humans, go figure...)
February 11, 2022
meh
Overall, not a terrible read. Story is somewhat slow and uneventful, lacks complexity. If food, it would be gas station food.
Overall, not a terrible read. Story is somewhat slow and uneventful, lacks complexity. If food, it would be gas station food.
February 14, 2022
fantastic read
I love the Australia theme monsters.
It is nice addition to the litrpg genre.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading litrpg fantasy.
I love the Australia theme monsters.
It is nice addition to the litrpg genre.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading litrpg fantasy.
February 16, 2022
A great side of the Apocalypse world books
I do believe this is a great addition to the Toa Wong universe and I can't wait to see more of them.
I do believe this is a great addition to the Toa Wong universe and I can't wait to see more of them.
March 17, 2022
Good story, I'm liking this offshoot of the system apocalypse series. Looking forward to more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews