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Shopocalypse Saga #1
BuyMort: Grand Opening: How I Became the Accidental Warlord of Arizona
Some predicted that the AI singularity would result in robots destroying the world. None of them ever understood that it was the sales algorithms they had to be afraid of.
After the arrival of the Multiversal Monopoly BuyMort, life got brutal. All systems were through BuyMort. All currency was through BuyMort. All sales were through BuyMort. You could resist, you could compete, but it didn’t really matter because in the end you used BuyMort — or you perished.
BuyMort be praised.
But not everyone’s happy with the new system. Some, even, want to see it destroyed.
It’s quick. It’s convenient. And it will help people kill you and your family as readily as it will help them sell you knickknacks for a quick mortie.
Because BuyMort doesn’t care about anything except the bottomline.
Enter Tyson Dawes, a no-cares slacker with a traumatic past, two wrinkled bucks in his wallet and a crap job caretaking a crap campground in the desert sands of Arizona. He had a deal with the world. He didn’t change it, and it didn’t change him. Seemed simple enough.
He liked it, anyway.
BuyMort changed all that the moment it let loose a torrent of alien entrepreneurs upon his planet, intent on selling everything that hadn’t been tagged through the system and classified as his private property.
When a man has little, he cherishes it.
When that little is lost . . . he’ll do whatever it takes and change into whatever he needs to be able to get that little bit back.
BuyMort - GrandOpening
This story features an amalgamation of Amazon, Walmart, every service fee, sales algorithm, membership perk, advertising jingo, Microsoft mascot, and insane discount that you have ever experienced in your life, coupled with the madness of the multiverse, a dash of invisible hand monopolism, feudalism, straight-up cronyism and LOTS of profanity.
This MC is unlike others you may have read before. He starts as a Slacker, Pacifist, Human Pinata type who reluctantly is drawn into saving the people around him and fighting against the machine. There is fantasy violence, base-building, tons of market loot, monsters, a dungeon, affiliate and credit levels, and progression. It is single POV and has no harem elements.
After the arrival of the Multiversal Monopoly BuyMort, life got brutal. All systems were through BuyMort. All currency was through BuyMort. All sales were through BuyMort. You could resist, you could compete, but it didn’t really matter because in the end you used BuyMort — or you perished.
BuyMort be praised.
But not everyone’s happy with the new system. Some, even, want to see it destroyed.
It’s quick. It’s convenient. And it will help people kill you and your family as readily as it will help them sell you knickknacks for a quick mortie.
Because BuyMort doesn’t care about anything except the bottomline.
Enter Tyson Dawes, a no-cares slacker with a traumatic past, two wrinkled bucks in his wallet and a crap job caretaking a crap campground in the desert sands of Arizona. He had a deal with the world. He didn’t change it, and it didn’t change him. Seemed simple enough.
He liked it, anyway.
BuyMort changed all that the moment it let loose a torrent of alien entrepreneurs upon his planet, intent on selling everything that hadn’t been tagged through the system and classified as his private property.
When a man has little, he cherishes it.
When that little is lost . . . he’ll do whatever it takes and change into whatever he needs to be able to get that little bit back.
BuyMort - GrandOpening
This story features an amalgamation of Amazon, Walmart, every service fee, sales algorithm, membership perk, advertising jingo, Microsoft mascot, and insane discount that you have ever experienced in your life, coupled with the madness of the multiverse, a dash of invisible hand monopolism, feudalism, straight-up cronyism and LOTS of profanity.
This MC is unlike others you may have read before. He starts as a Slacker, Pacifist, Human Pinata type who reluctantly is drawn into saving the people around him and fighting against the machine. There is fantasy violence, base-building, tons of market loot, monsters, a dungeon, affiliate and credit levels, and progression. It is single POV and has no harem elements.
533 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2022
638 people are currently reading
685 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
July 28, 2025
This is so nihilist and dark, it's like Hunter S Thompson meets lit-RPG. I enjoyed this series for a while, need to get back into it. Very different from the usual fare. Peak Late Stage Capitalism? Not until you read this!
October 1, 2022
DNF
This is a fun idea poorly implemented. The first half is boring with random things just happening showing no direction or control. The writing is chaotic and makes reading difficult. It stutters forward in a haphazard manner. The MC starts with a comment of how he is a warlord then spends the next two hundred pages as a mindless sheep. The system is rough and lacks any cohesion. At the halfway point I did not care about the characters or the world or the story.
This is a fun idea poorly implemented. The first half is boring with random things just happening showing no direction or control. The writing is chaotic and makes reading difficult. It stutters forward in a haphazard manner. The MC starts with a comment of how he is a warlord then spends the next two hundred pages as a mindless sheep. The system is rough and lacks any cohesion. At the halfway point I did not care about the characters or the world or the story.
December 27, 2022
acid trip + GameLit apocalypse + Amazon
This was more of a system book like Black Tech Internet Cafe, Astral Pet Store, or Universe storage box. In these system books the MC doesn’t level so much as they just get better and better stuff from the system as time goes by. Is a different subset in the GameLit genre that I would love to see more of.
The story itself was a trip in every way. The MC is crazy and the story was refreshing. So many new and novel ideas. I highly recommend!
This was more of a system book like Black Tech Internet Cafe, Astral Pet Store, or Universe storage box. In these system books the MC doesn’t level so much as they just get better and better stuff from the system as time goes by. Is a different subset in the GameLit genre that I would love to see more of.
The story itself was a trip in every way. The MC is crazy and the story was refreshing. So many new and novel ideas. I highly recommend!
December 12, 2022
Much better than I thought
Slow ramp up at the beginning, but it does get good. It's a unique story and unique perspective. I think I really enjoyed the fact that economically and socially this was fairly realistic. While reading it all I was thinking was "Yeah, actually I could totally see this happening in real life".
Decent humor, rather fun. Just the right amount of drama.
Slow ramp up at the beginning, but it does get good. It's a unique story and unique perspective. I think I really enjoyed the fact that economically and socially this was fairly realistic. While reading it all I was thinking was "Yeah, actually I could totally see this happening in real life".
Decent humor, rather fun. Just the right amount of drama.
September 24, 2022
Fantastic story with a great spin on the genre
Apocalyptic Litrpgs tend to be fairly formalaic Buymort manages to take those formulas and produce something completely original with them. Even the main character seems pretty typical at first, a disillusioned loner with a hidden talent for violence but he turns out to be much more having a deep empathy and ethics that are much less common in the genre.
Apocalyptic Litrpgs tend to be fairly formalaic Buymort manages to take those formulas and produce something completely original with them. Even the main character seems pretty typical at first, a disillusioned loner with a hidden talent for violence but he turns out to be much more having a deep empathy and ethics that are much less common in the genre.
December 12, 2022
A random find, but a fortuitous one. The MC takes a while to get his shit together, but considering what happens to/around him that's hardly surprising. Pacing and characters are good, action is interesting though brutal to the MC in particular. Looking for more of his buried talent to re-surface in book 2.
September 25, 2022
This review was originally posted at https://bit.ly/3f8zVis.
Welcome to the BuyMort family. Your life has just been upgraded to this interstellar family where you can buy and sell everything you could ever need with just a thought. Why wouldn't you love it? Tyson was a maintenance man at a RV park in Arizona until BuyMort arrived. Now, with Sleem and all kinds of other aliens running around he must forge a new life in this buyers market.
I received a copy of this book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review. This book is exciting and fun to read from the beginning. I received it a few days before release and I have book 2 now. I will be starting it soon, and I already can't wait!
While I would hate to actually have to deal with BuyMort I love how Tyson managed. He has a unique sense of humor and I loved the writing style. We follow a first person account of Tyson while he deals with this new shopping and selling opportunity placed in his, and everyone else's, mind. He quickly learns that exchange rates aren't exact. With BuyMort's appearance comes alien life: priests as well as affiliates who follow BuyMort as they spread their joy. His previous boss, Mr. Sada, has already started cashing in by getting a MortBlock to prevent anyone else from selling anything that belongs to him. However, there are plenty that want to take over, because conquest is an accepted transaction method with BuyMort.
The pending interspecies romance that seems to be budding between two characters is weird to me, but that could be more from being unsure how that could possibly work than anything else. Normally, I am completely fine with human and alien relations. We shall see if this becomes a thing as we progress. I genuinely hated Mr. Sada in this book. We did literally nothing productive during the entire book, often making things more difficult than they needed to be.
I can't wait to see how Tyson, Rayna, Molls, and (my personal favorite) Phillis continue in the BuyMort family. Phillis is a woman over 90 who loves getting high and is one of the biggest supporting characters in this book. It would not have been the same without her and I hope they find a way to keep her as a long-term character despite her age. While book 1 was just released on August 31 Amazon says book 2 will be out on November 10th! Just enough time to grab your copy of 1 before 2 comes out.
Welcome to the BuyMort family. Your life has just been upgraded to this interstellar family where you can buy and sell everything you could ever need with just a thought. Why wouldn't you love it? Tyson was a maintenance man at a RV park in Arizona until BuyMort arrived. Now, with Sleem and all kinds of other aliens running around he must forge a new life in this buyers market.
I received a copy of this book from one of the authors in exchange for an honest review. This book is exciting and fun to read from the beginning. I received it a few days before release and I have book 2 now. I will be starting it soon, and I already can't wait!
While I would hate to actually have to deal with BuyMort I love how Tyson managed. He has a unique sense of humor and I loved the writing style. We follow a first person account of Tyson while he deals with this new shopping and selling opportunity placed in his, and everyone else's, mind. He quickly learns that exchange rates aren't exact. With BuyMort's appearance comes alien life: priests as well as affiliates who follow BuyMort as they spread their joy. His previous boss, Mr. Sada, has already started cashing in by getting a MortBlock to prevent anyone else from selling anything that belongs to him. However, there are plenty that want to take over, because conquest is an accepted transaction method with BuyMort.
The pending interspecies romance that seems to be budding between two characters is weird to me, but that could be more from being unsure how that could possibly work than anything else. Normally, I am completely fine with human and alien relations. We shall see if this becomes a thing as we progress. I genuinely hated Mr. Sada in this book. We did literally nothing productive during the entire book, often making things more difficult than they needed to be.
I can't wait to see how Tyson, Rayna, Molls, and (my personal favorite) Phillis continue in the BuyMort family. Phillis is a woman over 90 who loves getting high and is one of the biggest supporting characters in this book. It would not have been the same without her and I hope they find a way to keep her as a long-term character despite her age. While book 1 was just released on August 31 Amazon says book 2 will be out on November 10th! Just enough time to grab your copy of 1 before 2 comes out.
September 23, 2022
I wanted to give it five stars
Because it ends up being a really solid story. But.
This was written as a serial. And it felt like some of the ideas about the direction the story was going to go weren’t fully developed until later in the book. It’s something that may not be noticeable when you’re reading it chapter by chapter as it is released. Because the time between chapter 1 and chapter 20 may be two or three weeks.
It also took a bit too long to fully invest the main character. He stays a sad sack for a bit longer that is good for a novel.
Down towards the end it actually develops into a solid story. I feel that with a good content editor (which is exceedingly hard to find) this could easily have been five stars.
I am somewhat interested in future developments. But this takes a long time to find its feet.
Because it ends up being a really solid story. But.
This was written as a serial. And it felt like some of the ideas about the direction the story was going to go weren’t fully developed until later in the book. It’s something that may not be noticeable when you’re reading it chapter by chapter as it is released. Because the time between chapter 1 and chapter 20 may be two or three weeks.
It also took a bit too long to fully invest the main character. He stays a sad sack for a bit longer that is good for a novel.
Down towards the end it actually develops into a solid story. I feel that with a good content editor (which is exceedingly hard to find) this could easily have been five stars.
I am somewhat interested in future developments. But this takes a long time to find its feet.
October 10, 2023
BuyMort: Grand Opening takes you on a rollercoaster ride through a dystopian future ruled by an AI-driven sales algorithm. Tyson Dawes, the somewhat irritating and ignorant protagonist, goes from a slacker to a reluctant hero in a world dominated by BuyMort. This unique litRPG story combines fantasy violence, base-building, market loot, and more. If you're up for a fast-paced adventure with a flawed but compelling main character, this book is a must-read.
January 23, 2024
Pretty gross, a fair bit of nothing in the middle. Interesting concept, but NOT a complete story arc. I'm probably curious enough to read the next one, though not sure how far that curiosity will take me.
June 9, 2025
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Shopocalypse series. I borrowed this on audiobook from audible.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this; there is a lot of dark humor in here, which I loved. While it is not as good as Dungeon Crawler Carl, at times it has similar vibes and I think those that enjoy DCC will get a kick out of this book as well. This is a LitRPG, but the user interface is more of a shopping interface. So, the character building is different than most traditional LitRPGs.
Tyson is a slacker serving as caretaker at a crappy campground in Arizona. Then BuyMort happens and suddenly his quiet crappy little piece of life becomes a torrent of alien entrepreneurs trying to sell out the whole world underneath him. It'll take some quick thinking and some smart shopping to survive this odd Shopocalypse. The human population is dying off fast, and Tyson is hoping he can create some sort of stability.
This book is full of crazy characters and even crazier situations. I love Phyllis the old woman who accidentally summons herself a battle mech suit when trying to open a jar. She is just one of the many insane characters in this book. Tyson is smart and resourceful when he wants to be, and he is set on building a community one crazy deal at a time. It is fun to watch.
There is a lot of dark humor in here and a lot of gore as well. Please keep that in mind if either of those things bother you. There is also an absolute ton of drug abuse (painkillers, marijuana, alcohol, and other strange foreign things). This is not a wholesome world or a cozy one.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek theme to the story of a corporate takeover literally being an apocalypse. While this story is action packed and highly entertaining, it also takes some stabs at American shopping culture and particularly some of the bigger retailers. The analogy is well done; even if it is done in a way so ridiculous it is darkly hilarious.
One thing I did not like in the story early on was the blatant objectification of women. Lots of admiring breasts and discussing breasts...Tyson is definitely a breast man. However, as the story continues, it looks like this objectification is related to one woman in particular. There are some awesome and capable women introduced as the story continues, which balances out the story more. Again, just an FYI, if you are sensitive to that.
I listened to this on audiobook, and Mitchell does a great job reading this in an over-the-top style that matches the story well. Character voices are well done, emotion is conveyed nicely, and it is an engaging listen. I would definitely recommend this audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and plan to continue to the series. This is an over-the-top and darkly hilarious story about a interstellar store causing an apocalyse on Earth. The scenarios are just as ridiculously hilarious as the characters. However, this isn't a book for the faint of heart or those easily offended. There is a lot of drug use and gore, among any other number of things that could be called offensive. While this isn't as good as DCC, I think fans of DCC will find a lot here to like.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this; there is a lot of dark humor in here, which I loved. While it is not as good as Dungeon Crawler Carl, at times it has similar vibes and I think those that enjoy DCC will get a kick out of this book as well. This is a LitRPG, but the user interface is more of a shopping interface. So, the character building is different than most traditional LitRPGs.
Tyson is a slacker serving as caretaker at a crappy campground in Arizona. Then BuyMort happens and suddenly his quiet crappy little piece of life becomes a torrent of alien entrepreneurs trying to sell out the whole world underneath him. It'll take some quick thinking and some smart shopping to survive this odd Shopocalypse. The human population is dying off fast, and Tyson is hoping he can create some sort of stability.
This book is full of crazy characters and even crazier situations. I love Phyllis the old woman who accidentally summons herself a battle mech suit when trying to open a jar. She is just one of the many insane characters in this book. Tyson is smart and resourceful when he wants to be, and he is set on building a community one crazy deal at a time. It is fun to watch.
There is a lot of dark humor in here and a lot of gore as well. Please keep that in mind if either of those things bother you. There is also an absolute ton of drug abuse (painkillers, marijuana, alcohol, and other strange foreign things). This is not a wholesome world or a cozy one.
I loved the tongue-in-cheek theme to the story of a corporate takeover literally being an apocalypse. While this story is action packed and highly entertaining, it also takes some stabs at American shopping culture and particularly some of the bigger retailers. The analogy is well done; even if it is done in a way so ridiculous it is darkly hilarious.
One thing I did not like in the story early on was the blatant objectification of women. Lots of admiring breasts and discussing breasts...Tyson is definitely a breast man. However, as the story continues, it looks like this objectification is related to one woman in particular. There are some awesome and capable women introduced as the story continues, which balances out the story more. Again, just an FYI, if you are sensitive to that.
I listened to this on audiobook, and Mitchell does a great job reading this in an over-the-top style that matches the story well. Character voices are well done, emotion is conveyed nicely, and it is an engaging listen. I would definitely recommend this audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and plan to continue to the series. This is an over-the-top and darkly hilarious story about a interstellar store causing an apocalyse on Earth. The scenarios are just as ridiculously hilarious as the characters. However, this isn't a book for the faint of heart or those easily offended. There is a lot of drug use and gore, among any other number of things that could be called offensive. While this isn't as good as DCC, I think fans of DCC will find a lot here to like.
January 29, 2024
That was surprisingly great. I feel like it drags just slightly during the middle part but other than that a really solid read. The BuyMort shop system has a ton of potential and I'm really looking forward to where the authors are going to take it. The thing with the snake lady is a bit weird though, I'm having trouble to picture her and the main character finds her hot but it's still have a hard time picturing her. At one point the mc even says she has pink undies on, but how does that even work with a snake? Especially considering she's supposed to be really long? Weird.
The way everything is commericialized puts a great spin on the loot theme and makes it different enough from other stories. Seems like all loot can potentially be bought but it looks like there's a twist with actually finding the right items/stores. We'll see where this goes.
Overall, very good book, fun characters, great hook, tons of potential. Hopefully the next book irons out some the (minor) kinks but it's already off to a great start.
The way everything is commericialized puts a great spin on the loot theme and makes it different enough from other stories. Seems like all loot can potentially be bought but it looks like there's a twist with actually finding the right items/stores. We'll see where this goes.
Overall, very good book, fun characters, great hook, tons of potential. Hopefully the next book irons out some the (minor) kinks but it's already off to a great start.
February 7, 2024
Save the world. Burn down your local walmart
September 4, 2024
*** 3.44 ***
A solid start to a LitRPG series. The apocalypse is not what we all thought. The aliens are led by an IA Bot combo of Amazon and eBay! Everything is for sale! It is chaos....
A solid start to a LitRPG series. The apocalypse is not what we all thought. The aliens are led by an IA Bot combo of Amazon and eBay! Everything is for sale! It is chaos....
March 7, 2025
Funny and quirky idea! The voice acting on audible was also great, excited to continue the series.
April 24, 2024
(So I listen to the audio version of this book and my review and stars reflect heavy on the audio version)
So all and all it's not a bad story i would say even good.
HOWEVER the over the top screaming and the poor imitation of accents and not to mention the voice you can barely understand are one of the absolute worst narration that I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a audiobook.
Now I did finish the book because the story is interesting and while not completely unique had some fun aspects it's unfortunate that the author did not listen to the book because the narration for this is horrible not sure if I will be picking up the second book or not I may actually read the second book instead of listening to it on audio it really is just that bad.
So all and all it's not a bad story i would say even good.
HOWEVER the over the top screaming and the poor imitation of accents and not to mention the voice you can barely understand are one of the absolute worst narration that I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a audiobook.
Now I did finish the book because the story is interesting and while not completely unique had some fun aspects it's unfortunate that the author did not listen to the book because the narration for this is horrible not sure if I will be picking up the second book or not I may actually read the second book instead of listening to it on audio it really is just that bad.
August 2, 2024
While awaiting the next installment of Dungeon Crawler Carl, BuyMort is often suggested as something similar to scratch that itch. So BuyMort in its own right is a decent novel with an interesting premise. However, it's hard not to compare it to Dungeon Crawler Carl, and it feels very derivative and not very original.
It almost feels as if Hanson read DCC and decided to write his own, less good version. I feel like it would be hard for most writers to match the charm, characters, and goofiness of DCC, so most writers wouldn't try.
Maybe it's not fair to BM to compare it to DCC, but it's kind of hard not to. As far as continuing on, I probably will when I am in the mood for something goofy.
It almost feels as if Hanson read DCC and decided to write his own, less good version. I feel like it would be hard for most writers to match the charm, characters, and goofiness of DCC, so most writers wouldn't try.
Maybe it's not fair to BM to compare it to DCC, but it's kind of hard not to. As far as continuing on, I probably will when I am in the mood for something goofy.
October 3, 2022
It's a good book, it has the potential to be great, but this 1st volume is not a wooooow.
Things I liked:
- the shopapocalyse and the critic to mercification of people by large shops
- the characthers
- the subtle s3xual tension between MC and Molly
- the "base building"
- the cover (one of the best EVER)
- the star armour & Mc skills (no spoiler)
what could be improved:
- the pacing: i like slow building books, but in this one lack well defined arc, and it s a bit a drag here and there...
- the tension and epicness: the MC does a LOT of stuff and while it's part of his character being chill the story could have more tension and release.
Things I liked:
- the shopapocalyse and the critic to mercification of people by large shops
- the characthers
- the subtle s3xual tension between MC and Molly
- the "base building"
- the cover (one of the best EVER)
- the star armour & Mc skills (no spoiler)
what could be improved:
- the pacing: i like slow building books, but in this one lack well defined arc, and it s a bit a drag here and there...
- the tension and epicness: the MC does a LOT of stuff and while it's part of his character being chill the story could have more tension and release.
June 30, 2025
mols is the worst thing in the books don't bother continuing if you can't get past her being worthless.
November 26, 2024
"BuyMort: Grand Opening" by Damien Hanson is a unique and intriguing entry in the post-apocalyptic humor genre, blending elements of LitRPG, satire, and speculative fiction to create a narrative that stands out in the crowded field of apocalyptic literature. As the first book in the "Shopocalypse Saga" series, it sets the stage for a world where consumerism has taken on a whole new meaning in the wake of societal collapse.
Plot and Premise:
The story follows an unnamed protagonist who becomes an accidental warlord in a post-apocalyptic Arizona. Set in a world where Earth has been conquered by a shopping empire called BuyMort, the narrative explores a unique concept where commerce becomes both a means of survival and a source of conflict. The BuyMort system allows individuals to buy and sell items through a bizarre process involving sky-descending pods, adding a surreal element to the already chaotic post-apocalyptic landscape.
Themes and Genre:
Hanson's work delves into several compelling themes:
Survival and Adaptation: The protagonist's journey highlights the human capacity for resilience in the face of drastic change.
Leadership and Responsibility: As an accidental warlord, the main character grapples with the moral dilemmas that come with power.
Humor in Adversity: The book employs satire to provide a unique perspective on post-apocalyptic life.
Critique of Consumer Culture: Through its exaggerated portrayal of a shopping-dominated world, the book offers a sharp commentary on modern consumerism.
Falling within the post-apocalyptic humor genre, "BuyMort: Grand Opening" also incorporates elements of LitRPG and progression fantasy, where characters develop new abilities over time.
Comparison to Contemporaries:
When compared to other works in the post-apocalyptic humor genre, "BuyMort: Grand Opening" stands out for its unique premise of a retail-dominated apocalypse. While books like Ling Ma's "Severance" and Kira Jane Buxton's "Hollow Kingdom" also blend humor with post-apocalyptic themes, Hanson's work is distinctive in its focus on commerce and consumerism.
The series has been compared to "Dungeon Crawler Carl" for its humorous approach to serious themes in a post-apocalyptic setting. However, "BuyMort" carves out its own niche with its retail-themed apocalypse, offering a fresh perspective on societal collapse and human adaptation.
Writing Style and Narrative:
Hanson's writing style is characterized by its blend of humor and speculative fiction. The narrative employs satire to critique consumer culture while maintaining an engaging storyline. Some readers have noted a chaotic writing style, which may be intentional given the nature of the post-apocalyptic setting.
Character Development:
The protagonist's journey from an ordinary individual to an accidental warlord forms the core of the character development. While some readers have praised the depth of the main character, others have noted issues with initial character development. The inclusion of diverse characters, including evolved Earth species and alien races, adds complexity to the narrative.
World-Building:
One of the strongest aspects of "BuyMort: Grand Opening" is its world-building. The concept of a shopping empire dominating a post-apocalyptic Earth is both original and intriguing. The BuyMort system and the inclusion of various species create a rich, albeit bizarre, world for readers to explore.
Reception:
The book has received generally positive reviews, with ratings of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads and 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Readers have praised its originality, humor, and unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. However, some have criticized its pacing, particularly noting a slow start.
Conclusion:
"BuyMort: Grand Opening" offers a fresh and satirical take on the post-apocalyptic genre, blending humor with a critique of consumer culture. Its unique premise and world-building set it apart from contemporaries, making it a noteworthy addition to the genre. While it may not appeal to all readers due to its unconventional approach and occasional pacing issues, those who enjoy speculative fiction with a heavy dose of satire will likely find it an engaging and thought-provoking read.
For fans of post-apocalyptic humor and readers looking for a unique spin on the genre, "BuyMort: Grand Opening" is certainly worth exploring. It challenges readers to consider the absurdities of consumer culture while providing an entertaining journey through a world where shopping has become the ultimate survival skill.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
July 27, 2023
I'll be honest...DNF
Maybe the book gets better! So take this with a grain of salt and read some other reviews too.
However for me, this book was outright disgusting. I felt physically repulsed by this book as I read it. The main character is a waste of human space. Like if he had been shot and died, and a new character came in 200 pages in. I'd had been happy for it!
Example? First day of the Shopocalypse, he finds out random junk is selling for extreme prices due to being rare and never sold before. Also that there are no real rules yet on who can sell what. He lives on a campground with tons of RV campers around and a town nearby. SOOOO of course he's going to sell all the RVs and go to town and start selling whole stores and make boco bucks right? Any moron with half a brain cell would start selling stuff when they see that .....right...RIGHT?
No, this ...utter trash of a character pretending to be a human MC. Instead goes to his 90 year old neighbor to smoke some weed, then go take a nap...The MC , the Stories main focus and one you root for. Spends the first day of the apocalypse...high and sleeping. It's not like he didn't know first to sell make tons of money so it could be forgiven. He found out right away!
It's like a MC in a LITRPG learning that first people to do things like first kill, first to level five or even first 1000 to level 5 get super powerful achievements and the MC being like...I think i'll make a sandwich and go watch TV. Who the freaking hell wants to read about that? Someone who had a chance and threw it down the toilet for no reason other than...not caring? If I wanted to read a story about Ted down in HR, I'd ask to read HIS FREAKING FAN FICTION!
I noped out about the point when the MC starts having sexual dreams about the 'snake person' and it starts to describe her sexual organs. Scalies... really? I don't care if you want to show your love of furries but when you start to into detail and drone on and one how attracted he is to a giant snake with breasts.....I'm out. Nope, im out.
So that's as far as I got, Wasted trillions in no selling stuff, Got all hot over a giant snake with breasts, and I don't mean a humanoid person with snake features. I mean a huge tail leading to a body naga like snake person with breasts...No thank you.
Maybe the book gets better! So take this with a grain of salt and read some other reviews too.
However for me, this book was outright disgusting. I felt physically repulsed by this book as I read it. The main character is a waste of human space. Like if he had been shot and died, and a new character came in 200 pages in. I'd had been happy for it!
Example? First day of the Shopocalypse, he finds out random junk is selling for extreme prices due to being rare and never sold before. Also that there are no real rules yet on who can sell what. He lives on a campground with tons of RV campers around and a town nearby. SOOOO of course he's going to sell all the RVs and go to town and start selling whole stores and make boco bucks right? Any moron with half a brain cell would start selling stuff when they see that .....right...RIGHT?
No, this ...utter trash of a character pretending to be a human MC. Instead goes to his 90 year old neighbor to smoke some weed, then go take a nap...The MC , the Stories main focus and one you root for. Spends the first day of the apocalypse...high and sleeping. It's not like he didn't know first to sell make tons of money so it could be forgiven. He found out right away!
It's like a MC in a LITRPG learning that first people to do things like first kill, first to level five or even first 1000 to level 5 get super powerful achievements and the MC being like...I think i'll make a sandwich and go watch TV. Who the freaking hell wants to read about that? Someone who had a chance and threw it down the toilet for no reason other than...not caring? If I wanted to read a story about Ted down in HR, I'd ask to read HIS FREAKING FAN FICTION!
I noped out about the point when the MC starts having sexual dreams about the 'snake person' and it starts to describe her sexual organs. Scalies... really? I don't care if you want to show your love of furries but when you start to into detail and drone on and one how attracted he is to a giant snake with breasts.....I'm out. Nope, im out.
So that's as far as I got, Wasted trillions in no selling stuff, Got all hot over a giant snake with breasts, and I don't mean a humanoid person with snake features. I mean a huge tail leading to a body naga like snake person with breasts...No thank you.
November 13, 2023
This was a book with some great ideas and interesting moments, but also just as many that I felt let the story down. The concept of an intergalactic shopping network slowly taking over the universe and its arrival on Earth creating an apocalypse-style event was a creative one that I think has a lot of promise to go to some interesting places. Sure enough, this story was at its best when it concentrated on that.
Where the story was weaker was when it relied on some played-out tropes in this sort of light-hearted adventure story. I'm talking about things like every character being an arsehole to the main character for comedy purposes while the main character just sits back and takes it for... reasons unknown. And therein lies the issue with that trope. When every character treats the protagonist like an arsehole, it's hard to care for that character or that relationship because what is there to like about them when their actions are so hateful?
Another example is the trope is action for the sake of action. It's tedious and meaningless, which is frustrating because every time it gets to that part of the story I just zone out and end up waiting for it to be over so the story can get to the meaningful parts between the action. Good action should always advance multiple story elements rather than just existing for the sake of being an action scene.
My final gripe is one that I have not marked this novel down for in the score because it's not really the novel's fault; the audiobook narration. This narrator really needs to learn the art of subtlety. The character voices were so over the top that it was incredibly distracting. In some cases, they were almost unintelligible, which hampered my ability to enjoy this book to no end.
However, all that said, I did enjoy this book for the most part. It was light-hearted, had an interesting concept, and it not only kept me reading to the end but also made me want to read the next book in the series. Overall though, this is a 3.5-star read that just about scrapes its way into a 4-star story. I hope that the next book addresses some of the issues I have with this book or the rating might not be so high next time.
Where the story was weaker was when it relied on some played-out tropes in this sort of light-hearted adventure story. I'm talking about things like every character being an arsehole to the main character for comedy purposes while the main character just sits back and takes it for... reasons unknown. And therein lies the issue with that trope. When every character treats the protagonist like an arsehole, it's hard to care for that character or that relationship because what is there to like about them when their actions are so hateful?
Another example is the trope is action for the sake of action. It's tedious and meaningless, which is frustrating because every time it gets to that part of the story I just zone out and end up waiting for it to be over so the story can get to the meaningful parts between the action. Good action should always advance multiple story elements rather than just existing for the sake of being an action scene.
My final gripe is one that I have not marked this novel down for in the score because it's not really the novel's fault; the audiobook narration. This narrator really needs to learn the art of subtlety. The character voices were so over the top that it was incredibly distracting. In some cases, they were almost unintelligible, which hampered my ability to enjoy this book to no end.
However, all that said, I did enjoy this book for the most part. It was light-hearted, had an interesting concept, and it not only kept me reading to the end but also made me want to read the next book in the series. Overall though, this is a 3.5-star read that just about scrapes its way into a 4-star story. I hope that the next book addresses some of the issues I have with this book or the rating might not be so high next time.
April 8, 2025
Buymort is more of a satirical sci-fi progression story with system apocalypse than a LitRPG. Tyson is a slacker managing a campground in Arizona when an alien system arrives in the form of Buymort.....an ultra-predatory and intrusive shop where anything can be bought and sold. Like Amazon on steroids. Ads pop up in your vision just by thinking about something and your subconscious can automatically buy things while you sleep. As you might imagine, tons of people die from nightmares come to life much less all the alien factions that follow Buymort and try to take advantage. Very heavy on the satire and it does feel overly silly at times. I came very close to just giving up on this book/series after about 10 chapters. Tyson is not very likable and he hardly ever gets a break. He is always reacting to crazy stuff going on. Early on he is often saved by an item he purchased or by someone else. Each of the first three books only cover a couple days and so much keeps happening.
On the plus side of things I like it when the protagonist wants to rebel or fight against the system and Tyson is definitely working towards that. I like Tyson's found family of alien friends that help him to build and secure a settlement. Each of the three books I read start out a little weak but they get better as the book goes on. And the problems I had seemed to also get better with each book. The conclusions of each book did a good job of making me want to continue to the next one. However, after reading three books and with four books to go I just don't feel like continuing. I would like to know what happens with Tyson going forward but not enough to buy and read the rest of the books. So initially I had a hard time getting into this series, it got better, but not quite enough to keep me reading all the way to the end.
If I was giving an honest review just for me I would probably rate the first three books as 3 stars. I liked them even though I still had some problems with them. However, I'm going to rate them as 4 stars on Goodreads to combat their rating algorithm that hurts indie authors.
On the plus side of things I like it when the protagonist wants to rebel or fight against the system and Tyson is definitely working towards that. I like Tyson's found family of alien friends that help him to build and secure a settlement. Each of the three books I read start out a little weak but they get better as the book goes on. And the problems I had seemed to also get better with each book. The conclusions of each book did a good job of making me want to continue to the next one. However, after reading three books and with four books to go I just don't feel like continuing. I would like to know what happens with Tyson going forward but not enough to buy and read the rest of the books. So initially I had a hard time getting into this series, it got better, but not quite enough to keep me reading all the way to the end.
If I was giving an honest review just for me I would probably rate the first three books as 3 stars. I liked them even though I still had some problems with them. However, I'm going to rate them as 4 stars on Goodreads to combat their rating algorithm that hurts indie authors.
May 26, 2023
Audio book review
Shopocalypse Saga is love/hate type of series that is difficult to review. First off, this is not your typical apocalypse but I wish it was. I now hope that the end of days will consist of aliens and demons coming to earth to kill and enslave us. Shopocalypse, was more dirty and I felt uncomfortable by the end of book one. Like your typical system apocalypse, some powerful A.I. comes to earth and changes the world by stealing your freedoms and selling back to you in tiny small piece at time. I don't know what to explain it but you have to read to get it. The system A.I. is an unholy union of all the online, data stealing software that exists to sell you things that you don't need. The system is always "ON" even when you sleep. So your dreams could buy things that you don't need or want. Also, everything is on sale. Yes, you can buy all the weapons and other junk but bread cost like 15 grand. Like a said, you actually have to read the Shopocalypse saga to get what I mean.
The MC is total loser. They drop hints that he is a natural killing machine since birth. However, in almost every scene he is a slave to everyone, push over and pretty much gets his ass beat in every real encounter. He also falls for the first alien woman he meets and becomes a simp almost immediately. He sounds like a burnt out stoner and is horrible with his resources. He stumbles across 50 million bucks and spends 49 million in 10 minuets. Most of it is impulse buy. That's when I just skipped to the end. He is also a big downer. My biggest issue is, all the constant aggressive ads and talk about business. Also get ready to hear the word "BuyMort", as it will appear in every 5 seconds. Pretty much every sentence is buymort this and buymort that. Becomes pretty annoying, fast.
Shopocalypse Saga is love/hate type of series that is difficult to review. First off, this is not your typical apocalypse but I wish it was. I now hope that the end of days will consist of aliens and demons coming to earth to kill and enslave us. Shopocalypse, was more dirty and I felt uncomfortable by the end of book one. Like your typical system apocalypse, some powerful A.I. comes to earth and changes the world by stealing your freedoms and selling back to you in tiny small piece at time. I don't know what to explain it but you have to read to get it. The system A.I. is an unholy union of all the online, data stealing software that exists to sell you things that you don't need. The system is always "ON" even when you sleep. So your dreams could buy things that you don't need or want. Also, everything is on sale. Yes, you can buy all the weapons and other junk but bread cost like 15 grand. Like a said, you actually have to read the Shopocalypse saga to get what I mean.
The MC is total loser. They drop hints that he is a natural killing machine since birth. However, in almost every scene he is a slave to everyone, push over and pretty much gets his ass beat in every real encounter. He also falls for the first alien woman he meets and becomes a simp almost immediately. He sounds like a burnt out stoner and is horrible with his resources. He stumbles across 50 million bucks and spends 49 million in 10 minuets. Most of it is impulse buy. That's when I just skipped to the end. He is also a big downer. My biggest issue is, all the constant aggressive ads and talk about business. Also get ready to hear the word "BuyMort", as it will appear in every 5 seconds. Pretty much every sentence is buymort this and buymort that. Becomes pretty annoying, fast.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2024
Walmart on Steroids
Tyson is just your typical everyday slacker, living in his Lincoln parked in Mr. Sada's Happy Trails campground in Arizona. Actually, Tyson is really Mr. Sada's gofer, in exchange for his campsite, he basically runs everything at Mr. Sada's behest.
That is, until the fateful day that BuyMort invades Planet Earth. When the Shopocalylpse happens, every human is turned into a virtual Storefront and, with a flick of an eye to the upper right, the Universe's wares are available to buy and sell with the blink of an eye.
Damien Hanson and Joseph Phelps have created a unique, hysterical, wildly creative, satirical science fiction novel that will alternately keep you howling, grimacing, flinching and screaming with laughter.
Rich in American cultural references, filled with the most outrageous marketing practices, BuyMort features predatory Alien Slime; BuyMort "Church" priests who come as a customer service feature, but can try to take over your property; and makes everything, and I do mean everything, for sale.
BuyMort is undoubtedly the best new sci-fi I've read this year, and I can't wait for the sequel. I literally can't imagine where these two wild and crazy authors are going to take this story next. But I bet it'll be fabulous.
Tyson is just your typical everyday slacker, living in his Lincoln parked in Mr. Sada's Happy Trails campground in Arizona. Actually, Tyson is really Mr. Sada's gofer, in exchange for his campsite, he basically runs everything at Mr. Sada's behest.
That is, until the fateful day that BuyMort invades Planet Earth. When the Shopocalylpse happens, every human is turned into a virtual Storefront and, with a flick of an eye to the upper right, the Universe's wares are available to buy and sell with the blink of an eye.
Damien Hanson and Joseph Phelps have created a unique, hysterical, wildly creative, satirical science fiction novel that will alternately keep you howling, grimacing, flinching and screaming with laughter.
Rich in American cultural references, filled with the most outrageous marketing practices, BuyMort features predatory Alien Slime; BuyMort "Church" priests who come as a customer service feature, but can try to take over your property; and makes everything, and I do mean everything, for sale.
BuyMort is undoubtedly the best new sci-fi I've read this year, and I can't wait for the sequel. I literally can't imagine where these two wild and crazy authors are going to take this story next. But I bet it'll be fabulous.
May 8, 2024
Great start to a solid series. Thought the world was well crafted, a few plot holes that are fixed up either in this book or in the rest of the series but a really fun read. Love the overall story and would definitely recommend to others. In the middle few books, the character creation gets a bit lost, but still a good read.
Throughout the series sometimes its a hard balance between action and character creation and moving the plot along. The author did a decent job of balancing. Can't wait for the final book in the series.
My rating system:
5 stars: I will eagerly read this again in a few years, and then again a few years later. I want a physical copy in my house.
4 stars: I would recommend this book to my friends, but will not read again.
3 stars: Some people will enjoy it, but its not for me, and I would not recommend to my circle
2 stars: Needed lots more work before publishing, I probably didn't finish the book.
1 star: I dont know if I have ever rated one star, but its bad.
Throughout the series sometimes its a hard balance between action and character creation and moving the plot along. The author did a decent job of balancing. Can't wait for the final book in the series.
My rating system:
5 stars: I will eagerly read this again in a few years, and then again a few years later. I want a physical copy in my house.
4 stars: I would recommend this book to my friends, but will not read again.
3 stars: Some people will enjoy it, but its not for me, and I would not recommend to my circle
2 stars: Needed lots more work before publishing, I probably didn't finish the book.
1 star: I dont know if I have ever rated one star, but its bad.
November 11, 2025
I was recommended this series after reading quite a few LitRPGs. While it definitely has the feel of a progressive fantasy, I don't see it as a LitRPG... not traditionally. There isn't a true leveling system, there are no rules in BuyMort, and there aren't really any skills/explanation of skills. (It's just Amazon taking over, heh.)
I am 3 books into the series now, and am going back to review it as I have found some frustrations.
I remember debating whether I wanted to complete this series. I usually read along on Kindle with the audiobook playing, but the narrator is awful! I have to take breaks away from his terrible female imitations.
Also, there were unresolved concepts that the authors abandoned midway through the story. *Example: Tyson's parents flew him all over the world to try and figure out his anger issues. Just to come across some martial art leader who says "bro just has a violence within him"...okaaay... break that down more authors.* We then get to know Tyson after he's been "suppressing this violence" for years. It's like the trope of a shitty action movie, but they abandoned it almost immediately and then they switch the whole subplot to insta-love instead.
Imma still read it though... I have an end-of-year quota to meet.
I am 3 books into the series now, and am going back to review it as I have found some frustrations.
I remember debating whether I wanted to complete this series. I usually read along on Kindle with the audiobook playing, but the narrator is awful! I have to take breaks away from his terrible female imitations.
Also, there were unresolved concepts that the authors abandoned midway through the story. *Example: Tyson's parents flew him all over the world to try and figure out his anger issues. Just to come across some martial art leader who says "bro just has a violence within him"...okaaay... break that down more authors.* We then get to know Tyson after he's been "suppressing this violence" for years. It's like the trope of a shitty action movie, but they abandoned it almost immediately and then they switch the whole subplot to insta-love instead.
Imma still read it though... I have an end-of-year quota to meet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
I'm giving this 5 stars for originality. The concept of this story had me from almost the beginning, seeing all the characters navigate the changed world in their own way was great. A lot of reviews stated it's slow in the middle, I didn't think so, it added much needed character and plot development. Other reviews say this was far fetched, it's a novel about the world changing to a system that runs the whole universe. Of course it's going to be a little far fetched in places. To sum up, if you want an original story, with an interesting array of characters app thrown into a scenario none of them expected, along with a lot of humor, violence and the beginning of a possible romantic interest, then READ THIS BOOK!
February 10, 2023
Didn't really like anything except the premise. Pretty much unlikeable MC who doesn't like his boos, but still continues to work for him through an apocalypse no less, repeatedly putting his life on the line for some unknown reason. Starts perv'ing an "well endowed" alien snake lady on first sight but that turns into a budding romance within two days in a cringeworthy haters to lovers trope and the AI (which I was most excited about) being more annoying than interesting or funny. A perrennial loser at loser, but secretly a suppressed savant.... *roll eyes*! DNF at 55%.
Writing is good, but needs lot of work on characterization and plot.
Writing is good, but needs lot of work on characterization and plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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