Dungeon World Drifters

System Apocalypse - Relentless, Book 2

By: Craig Hamilton, Tao Wong

Narrated by: Shamaan Casey

The hunter becomes the hunted

Bounty hunter Hal Mason is doing well for himself, a year after the System converted Earth into a lawless, apocalyptic Dungeon World.

Now, though, old friends have come calling with a new opportunity and with it, the murky politics of Galactic interests and overlapping contracts. Hal must protect the first train to cross the new wildlands of the American Midwest.

Broken terrain, monsters, Galactic renegades, and even System enhanced weather all plague the journey. With pressure building from external forces, hidden agendas threaten to tear the expedition apart from within.

Will Hal persevere or will he be consumed by the System?

Dungeon World Drifters is the second book in the System Apocalypse - Relentless series. Set in the same universe as Tao Wong’s best-selling post-apocalyptic LitRPG, the System Apocalypse, it’s another glimpse into what humanity will do when the chips are down and the monsters are crawling from the shadows.

©2022 Starlit Publishing (P)2022 Starlit Publishing

Action Packed LitRPG World

Hal Mason is not your typical bounty hunter or hero type. Mason’s job is to protect the first train to cross the new wildlands of the Midwest in an apocalyptic Dungeon World of fantastic creatures and beings. Nothing is easy in this job. Mason must not succumb to the monsters, the barren terrain, or the system that wants to consume him. Nothing is as it seems, and he must discover the truth.

The authors, Craig Hamilton and Tao Wong do an excellent job of building a unique LitRPG world. Colorful characters and a twist in the location the story takes place – a train that is limiting and requires a lot of creative solutions. Each character was well-defined and diverse. The thoughts Mason walked through in his mind about surviving, weighing his opponents, and not being consumed by the system reminded me of how I think when I play my games which helped me follow the story much better. The authors did a solid job of writing this story clearly and with plot twists that kept the audience listening.

The narrator, Shamaan Casey brought the character of Hal Mason to life! His deep voice and steady deliverance set the stage for who Hal Mason was going to be. His skillful accents, voices for each character, and delivery were well done! I have not had the pleasure of hearing a performance by Shamaan Casey but am looking forward to hearing more from him.

This was an action-packed book that moved at a quick pace. If you enjoy LitRPG, then you will enjoy this!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Who Knew Guarding A Train Could Be This Awesome?

4.25 out of 5 stars

Dungeon World Drifters is an excellent follow-up to the first book in System Apocalypse – Relentless series, which I eagerly anticipated. The main character, Hal Mason, stood out in both books for his professional and efficient approach to his work, utilizing his skills and abilities rather than being overpowered. I think this makes him more “believable” while also slowing the story’s progress (instead of just overpowering each enemy like I did when building out any RPG character doing all side quests first.)

Tao Wong and Craig Hamilton strike an outstanding balance in their writing styles. Dungeon World Drifters’ pacing is well done, keeping me engaged throughout the story, even in a book that almost eclipses 15 hours. The plot centers around Hal guarding the first train to cross the new wildlands of the American Midwest. Dungeon World Drifters is full of action, humor, and enjoyable surprises that add depth to the story.

Shamaan Casey knocks this one out of the park (as always); his deep and smooth voice lends itself to particular circumstances. And fortunately, the entire Dungeon World Drifters book is one of those circumstances. He was able to take a really enjoyable book and make it even more enjoyable.

Overall, this sets up nicely for future installments, and I’m eager to see where the series goes next. While also setting up this specific story’s place within the larger Apocalypse universe. It was a story and a performance I thoroughly enjoyed, and I can’t wait to dive into future stories.

Very Cool!

I really enjoyed this book! I'm interested in learning more about this universe and loved the hint of the Old West with the train, new weapons and enemy herd encounter along the way. Loved the narration as well, Shamaan Casey's deep tone is fitting for the bounty hunter Hal Mason and he also made good changes to make the other characters sound distinct. I look forward to the next one!

Fantastic book two

Really enjoyed the second book in this series and I am very much looking forward to book three! I like the character Hal

Not John

First, I'm a bit biased. I am a huge fan of Tao Wong's LITRPG world this is set in. I'm not finished with all of the offshoot books, but I loved the main series and the two in this series by Craig.

What struck me most about the first book was the differences between John Lee, the main character of the primary storyline by Tao, and this story's focus, Hal Mason. Seeing how another character adapts to their world changing around them in unique ways made this a fun read. Enjoyed the story a lot. Same for the second book. This felt more like a complete story, rather just being along for the ride as the world transforms into chaos around someone. Well done.

The narrator was a great pick as well. Shamaan Casey made the characters come alive. It's tricky to thread the needle between making distinct voices for various characters and just sounding silly but I think he nails it.

To the author's: Keep up the great work!

good addition to the system

as a big fan of the system apocalypse series, this was a great addition and explored many of the areas of the dungeon world that we did not get to see in the main storyline.

World of Warcraft meets Mad Max

“Dungeon World Drifters” is the second audiobook in the “System Apocalypse – Relentless series”. This latest audiobook takes the LitRPG and post-apocalyptic genre to an even high level than the previous one. The story is a continuation from where the first audiobook left off, but this one felt more refined and elevated. The series is a blending of fantasy RPG questing and a fair amount of monster hunting. Yet, the story is placed in a modern-time world where aliens have taken control of the Earth and things have deteriorated into a dystopian society. Here the strong struggle to survive and the weak do not last long, including both players and monsters. The series is jointly authored by Craig Hamilton and Tao Wong. The audiobook edition is rather well narrated by Shamaan Casey, whose deep voice helps to set the overall feel of the story world. For those that like their LitRPGs a bit more unique than traditional fantasy, I would recommend you give this series a listen as there is a bit for everyone in here.

What could be more action packed than to have a world taken over by aliens that enslave the inhabitants requiring them to fight for survival much like the movie Running Man. Most of all, the planet is our own planet Earth. Add to this some rather powerful boss monsters, modern day weapons, and a decent leveling system, and you have a template for a well-written and engaging tale. What I found enjoyable was the use of many fantasy tropes and creatures to create humor in what could be a very dark story. Including creatures such as kobolds, gnomes, minotaurs, and even a dragon alongside other wild creatures found in most post-apocalyptic worlds, the blending of genres felt natural. I always find it welcoming when a series includes a prelude chapter catching one up on what has happened previously. Here the authors did a great job getting a listener up to speed rather quickly. However, I would always recommend people not skip previous audiobooks in a series just because there is a prequel. Book one was also reviewed and recommended to listeners.

The writing and world of this story felt well described and the characters seemed realistic. There were a few places where the main character appeared invincible, I would have liked a few more close calls or vulnerabilities during the fights making me wonder if this is the end. This series starts off with the character at level forty, but often when one levels up there are bigger and nastier monsters to overcome as quests become ramped up as well. There was some of this in the story, but I would have like to have seen more. The world felt like a combination of World of Warcraft meets Mad Max and it works. A portion of the story takes place on a train which added some additional complexity to the quest as well. I found that equipment could degrade based on the material or creature being fought. I always hatted in my RPG experiences having to repair gear, but again, this made it interesting as the risk of not maintaining it could have severe consequences.

Let me turn my thoughts to the audiobook’s narration. I have reviewed quite a few of Mr. Casey’s narrated audiobooks and I have enjoyed each of them. He has narrated a variety of genres, and each feels natural for his voice. It shows just how diverse he can be with his narrations. While listening to his voice, I feel engaged and involved with the story. Each of the characters feels unique and even some of the accents (including aliens) sound right for this series. Based on his inflection, you can hear that he knows his material and the audio itself is of high quality. I noted one or two small places where I believed there may have been an edit, but it was nearly unnoticeable if you were not listening for it. I would recommend the other audiobooks from this narrator, and it should not be hard to find one you could enjoy.

For parents and younger listeners, this audiobook does contain some vulgar language and graphic violence. Nothing apart from what one could expect from an RPG experience, such as in a video game or role play session. I think the series at this point could be enjoyed by teenagers and older audiences, or younger listeners that are not easily offended by the use of profanity.

In summary, the story kept me involved and I found the narration to meet my expectations for a dystopian story. The leveling system was managed well as some LitRPGs too heavily focus on this aspect over story. I would have like to have a main character that appears more vulnerable, but overall, he is a likable character that fits his surroundings. It was a fun listen and one that I look forward to continuing in the future.

Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided at no charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for posting as non-bias review.

Hal Mason is a great character

I have enjoyed following Hal's adventures in the system Apocalypse. I am looking forward to hearing the next installment of his adventure.

Couldn't finish it.

Book 1 was good but book 2 really went nowhere. I tried listening to it several times but it couldn't hold my attention. The MC, characters, and adventures were fine but the book went nowhere in regards to any main plot.