Fool's Play

System Apocalypse: Kismet, Book 1

By: Tao Wong, David R. Packer

Narrated by: Michael Norman Johnson

Not everyone falls during an apocalypse. Some rise to the occasion.

For Fool and Jackal, the System Apocalypse was a chance to start again. A chance to rise, and be who they were meant to be.

Now, they're trying to offer others the same opportunities as part of a secret organization helping humanity survive the System.

Today's mission? Nothing big, just your typical save-the-princess quest.

But when you're the Acolyte of a Trickster god, typical is the last thing you should expect.

Just ask Fool's cat.

Fool's Play is the first book in a new series in the System Apocalypse universe. Written by David R. Packer in Tao Wong's bestselling post-apocalyptic LitRPG universe, System Apocalypse: Kismet follows a different path through a post-apocalyptic world, one of hope, redemption, and second chances.

©2023 Tao Wong and David R. Packer (P)2023 Starlit Publishing

Best series in the meta-series

After the original series, this co-author is by far the best. Great action and characters. Good plot and powers.

I love the System Apocalypse books

I enjoyed the first series a lot but I really prefer hearing the stories while the characters are still in the lower levels. the lower level characters are much more fun to hear about since everything has not become so blown out of proportion. I truly enjoy listening to the characters learn how to use their skills and abilities to make it in this new world.

Great World Expansion

This story introduces new characters and classes trying to survive in the system apocalypse. I enjoyed hearing about their experiences!

Very good. Surprising and interesting

Very good story. Deep and surprising. Much better than 'grit' and cleatly much better than the stupid 'australia' series . The narrator is reasonable, althoghe missing some character differentiation capabilities. Highily expectant fo the next book.

A new take on the existing world

Rather than starting with the system's coming, we're now 3 years into the system and Fool and Jackal are making the best of it. Working for a somewhat mysterious Foundation, they are fighting back to ensure humans have a place on Earth. Overall a great story and really enjoyed having a non-super-fighter as the MC. Yes, Jackal is a high level fighter, but Fool handles the planning and healing. Of course, a lot of his plans seem to amount to start.. then wing it.

Not for Newcomers to the Genre

This book was an okay listen, but I found it to be a bit of a challenge due to a few key issues.

The biggest problem for me was that the story seems to assume the reader has an existing knowledge of the genre. It drops you right into the world without explaining many of the common tropes and mechanics, which made for a frustrating experience at the start.

In addition, while the main characters were serviceable, it took time to get to know them, which made the beginning of the book feel jarring and distant. The lack of an immediate connection made it hard to get invested in their journey early on.

This is a book that might be a good fit for seasoned fans of the genre who are looking for a straightforward story and can fill in the blanks on their own. However, if you are new to the genre, this may not be the best place to start.