A Hard Reset

The System Integration Chronicles, Book 1

By: Drew McGunn

Narrated by: Joshua David Palpallatoc

The world didn't end. It just leveled up in this epic LitRPG adventure.

Fourteen-year-old Caden Taylor was more worried about his grades than his stats. But that was before the universe hit the reset button. Now, the world he knew is gone, replaced by a new reality governed by a game-like System. With stats, skills, and quests, it's the ultimate Gamelit challenge where survival is the only goal.

When the timer hits zero, the world he knew is deleted. Monsters straight out of a nightmare now prowl his suburban neighborhood, and the chaos pulls his father, a game warden, into the heart of the storm.

Now, with only his ride-or-die best friend, Jayden, and Jayden's sharp-witted older sister, Hanna, at his side, Caden has to level up, pick a class, and learn the rules of this new System. Together, they begin the ultimate base-building challenge: turning their ruined neighborhood into a defensible fortress.

But as they fortify their settlement against goblins and other System-spawned monsters, they learn a hard truth: something truly massive is carving a path of destruction across the land. It’s an apocalyptic force that dwarfs any monster they've faced, and it's coming straight for them.

Experience the start of a new hit series perfect for fans of Tao Wong, Shirtaloon, and Zogarth. It’s a must-listen for anyone who loves action-packed stories with detailed game mechanics, a relatable main character, and a world where every single stat point matters.

©2025 Drew McGunn (P)2025 Drew McGunn

Meh

All of the reviews are right. The story is all over the place and the MC is a mess at times. That made it hard for me to enjoy because the wave was in and out of my enjoyment zone. I have tried finishing this for months but im out with an hour to go. Not worth it atp, no need for the teenage love arc.

Pretty good

First want to clarify that I know everything seems to think reviews need to be 5 stars or it's trash, but I disagree and feel all the stars should be used for nuance. The definition given for 3 stars is "pretty good" and that's what I think this is. Pretty straight forward content for the genre and for those like me who have rapidly run out of top tier content, it provides.

For narration, the narrator is clearly very competent because when a character is actually saying something I feel like they nail it, they can do a great job with different voices and intentions, however I found the voice used for general narration, the system, or internal monologue doesn't hook me. It sounded somewhat listless, slow, and doesn't seem like it's spoke with real intention behind the thoughts, just reading off what is happening without strong opinions. Because the other voices are done so well, I have to believe this is just a stylistic choice, but for me it didn't work.

A pretty decent first book of a new series.

I really liked the more team based aspect of the story versus traditional litrpgs' soloing, any deaths felt abrupt and shocking as they should, and I liked the more survival aspect of the world as well. That said, chapter 2 has some strange audio issues, albeit brief, and the MC gets responsibilities that feel out of place considering he is just a kid; some of the story's flow is awkward as well in that brief time skips happen without warning.
I did enjoy my time with the book, all things considered though, and will be looking for the sequel.

Mod swings are crazy

The Mc is a 14 years old and the mood swings drastically from yay lvl up to this isn't a game I killed things people are dying

Definitely no Shirtaloon or Zogarth

Average at best! Story is a bit all over the place and very inconsistent. It does have great potential, hopefully the author can pull it together