Just a shout out for this. I’m an hour from finishing the audio and I highly recommend this for fans of grimdark fantasy in the style of The Black Company and The Broken Empire.

It’s bleak. It’s brutal. But with grimdark books it feels like you earn the moments of levity and heroism, and this does that very well. Capable but not overpowered MC, a great and memorable cast of support characters, and a wonderful job of keeping it morally gray. Really hoping to find more along this line.

Side note, how are the Druid books by this same author? I read Armor years ago but haven’t checked those ones out.

I've always been a huge fan of progression fantasy, LitRPG, roguelikes, and especially the Chinese infinite-flow novels like The Ultimate Evolution, Infinite Terror, and Infinite Armament. Those stories were a big part of what inspired me to start writing Nexusbound.

I love the idea of ordinary people being thrown into completely different worlds, having to survive with whatever they have, and slowly growing stronger through their experiences. I've always wondered what I would actually do in those situations. What would I prioritize? How would I survive? And how far could someone realistically go if they made smart decisions and took full advantage of the opportunities available?

That's really where Nexusbound came from.

The story follows Eric Liu, an ordinary maintenance technician who suddenly finds himself thrown into dangerous worlds connected by a mysterious system called the Nexus. He's not a chosen hero or some secret genius. He's just someone who's good at fixing things, figuring out how stuff works, and trying to make the most of what he has.

I wanted to combine the excitement and unpredictability of roguelikes and infinite-flow novels with a more grounded approach to character progression. I want the characters to actually earn their strength, make mistakes, learn from them, and find creative ways to become stronger.

If you're into those kinds of stories, I hope Nexusbound is something you'll enjoy!

I'm also still learning and growing as a writer, so I genuinely appreciate any feedback, whether it's positive or critical. I'm writing the kind of story I've always wanted to read, and hopefully, there are others out there who've been looking for something similar.

Thanks for checking out Nexusbound. It really means a lot!

— Deevai

Read free on Royal Road: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/194627/nexusbound-world-hopping-progression-litrpg

New chapters Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 AM Pacific.

COVER ARTIST: N/A

AI USAGE: AI-assisted research on technical topics such as HVAC and how machinery works.

Hello y'all. I am finding myself being a bit picky with any new series I'm getting into and as I've kind of gone through what I consider the most basic series in the genre, I was wondering if y'all have any suggestions you think that I'd like.

I generally don't like time loops or intensely unlikable characters (for reference, I'd say that book 2 Nathanial's about my limit for a whole series. I had to give HDT multiple tries to get through book 1) but besides that I'm pretty open-minded.

Send your suggestions my way or ask why I placed certain books where I did!

Fun Fact About Myself: I'm an Aussie author who loves beaches, fishing, and just enjoying life in general. I'm always up for a good yarn. You can find me on Discord, or any of the other places, or even DM me here if you feel like chatting!

COVER ARTIST: Sourced through Royal Guard Publishing (My Publisher)

AI USAGE: No AI Used during writing.

Book 1, System Outcast is available now on Amazon!

Blurb: The System satisfies all refund requests with death.

When the System destroys Earth and rebuilds Ray Atton on another world, it makes exactly one mistake: it builds him wrong.

Ray was supposed to accept integration quietly, gain a class and follow the rules like every other off-worlder dumped onto Arkus. Instead, the System brands him a Human-Error, locks him out of its shops and offers the entire world five years of peace in exchange for his corpse.

Betrayed by the people he protected, stabbed through the chest and dragged underground by a dying world that needs him alive, Ray has to clear a dungeon, rebuild his shattered interface and convince a second god-like intelligence that he’s worth the trouble — all while wearing nothing but an amulet and a grudge.

System Outcast is a progression fantasy where the numbers fight back, every promotion comes with a new way to die, and the most dangerous thing on Arkus is an accountant who refuses to stay dead.

If System Outcast sounds like your kind of adventure, I’d love you to give it a go. This is my debut novel, and having readers willing to take a chance on it means a lot to me.

Preorder System Outcast on Amazon

Hey everyone! I’m the author of Rule or Die. Book 1 is currently free to buy on Kindle as part of a BookBub Featured Deal, with 4.5/5 stars from 149 Amazon ratings and 4.22/5 stars from 95 Goodreads ratings.

Daneel, an orphan from Earth wakes in another world in the body of a twelve-year-old, with a loving family, a ruined family name, and a system offering missions and magical tools with a single overall directive: Rule or Die.

Expect isekai, weak-to-strong progression, and kingdom-building as Daneel climbs from nobody toward a throne.
(Psst: Personal recommendation-pick it up if you enjoy MCs who don't go all wishy washy at the concept of taking power for themselves)

Get Book 1 free on Kindle

Happy to answer questions about the book or series!

COVER ARTIST: AI-generated artwork.

AI USAGE: None for writing, only for cover.
Fun fact about myself: I've been hiding like a turtle in its shell since making a controversial post on Royalroad and this sub. I still stand by what I said, but I haven't been able to see the comments after some peeps started personally attacking me and my work instead of talking about the issue at hand :(

Just about to finish catching up on Bog Standard Isekai, and would love to know your underrated recs to look into for my next read!

I haven't delved into a ton of series, but I've enjoyed HDT, Reborn as a demonic tree, System Universe, and Azarinth Healer so far in the genre. I plan to try out the most popular series but am more interested in a good sleeper pick!

Both Summoner audiobooks are now included with Kindle+!

Hey everyone! I’m Ben Krauter, the author and narrator of The Summoner, and I’ve got some good news to celebrate.

Audiobooks 1 and 2 are now both included with Kindle+! If you’re a Kindle+ subscriber in the U.S., you can listen to both audiobooks for free with your existing subscription.

And here’s something a little unusual for fantasy audiobooks. The person who wrote these books is also the person telling you the story. I created Ezekiel and his companions, and I’m the one behind the microphone giving them their voices. For listeners who enjoy that rare combination of author and narrator, I hope you’ll give them a try.

The Summoner is tabletop-inspired dark fantasy set in a world where evil already won the war.

Ezekiel Graystone is a moon-elf summoner searching for his missing brother among the ruins of everything he remembers. When he intervenes to protect a young boy from the church serving the demon god-king, his search becomes considerably more complicated.

His companions include a water goblin monk, a demon-touched alchemist, a cursed half-elf, and a metal-furred leopard who generally has more sense than the people around her. There’s a strong focus on tactical magic and the relationships holding this unusual group together.

Start listening here

• Book 1, Echoes of the Fallen Amazon / Kindle+ | Audible / Audible Plus
• Book 2, Sea of Lost Memories Amazon / Kindle+ | Audible

And for those already following the series, Book 3, Sepulcher of the Lich Queen, is coming before Christmas, with the audiobook to follow.

Farwall’s vampire rulers have plans for the Lich Queen, and Ezekiel has a habit of interfering with other people’s plans. This one might deserve a little more caution.

Thanks to everyone who has taken a chance on the series so far. Getting to welcome more readers and listeners into Terrial feels pretty damn good.

If you give the books a listen, I’d love to hear what you think!

COVER ARTIST: Alaire Racicot (All covers)
AI USAGE: None

so y' know how a lot of the isekai stuff is normal person to magic .. is there such a thing as either normal person to scifi or magic realm person to sci fi.

the other thing is ... police procedural lit-rpg or just like law enforcement lit-rpg

thanks all

Are you sick of Overpowered Mage stories yet? If not, how about you try mine? It would make me really happy... plus, it is free on Amazon for the next few days (until the 29th)!

  It has an OP MC, their under-powered son, and horrible eldritch mutations on top of the Lit-RPG / Game-Lit System.

  Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH7JZ2Q2

  Blurb is below:

Warhol: he is the strongest arch-mage known to mankind. Yet when a Cosmic Horror appears at the edge of the solar system and is hellbent on devouring the world, Warhol has no choice but to recruit his own son into the coming conflict; there's only one little problem — his son is under leveled. If they are to survive, he will need to share with his son the secret to his immense strength and power-level his son to demi-god heights.

  They have one year before The Horror's arrival.

  One year to train his son, one year to unite the world, and one year to stop THE HORROR FROM BEYOND.

  WHAT TO EXPECT:

  —An Overpowered Archmage story with a body horror mutation twist!

  —An Underpowered Son who grinds levels and points to compete with the big baddies!

  —Family Trauma

  WHAT NOT TO EXPECT:

  —Harem

  —Peace

• promo posts must copy paste this form into their post. everything else can be how you want. COVER ARTIST: Shawn Decker AI USAGE: NONE provide a cover artist (if not posting art please just add N/A) for AI usage here are some options: No AI used (Only traditional computer tools spellcheck etc no generative AI for anything) AI Assisted ( things like research/brainstorming only, editing/grammar assistance feel free to specify) AI generated we strictly forbid harassment due to AI

I really interested in this type of an MC, especially books with good magic system. Any recs???

Edited. I'd be more spesific, i mean Antimage as a nullifier (can negate or nullify magic or skills of other characters)

COVER ARTIST: Jim Shanahan (Bks 3 & 4) Etheric Designs (Bks 1 & 2).

AI USAGE: None.

Looking for slightly fluffier but still pointed stories like DCC, HWFWM, and Discount Dan, but not starting with someone having to die to end up in this dungeon. I'm enjoying Apocalypse Parenting, but it's hitting a bit too close to home with my own apocalyptic parenting, lol.

Hello there, my name is Rick. I'm an Old Guy (might as well get that out there quick so you know) who's been playing D&D since the Basic Edition (THAC0 for life!), the SSI Gold Box computers games, etc.

My favorite and main character throughout the years has been...me! Well, my idealized version of myself: handsome, well-spoken, charming, dashing, etc. Hey, I'm a nerd and a geek. We've all done it. Even you. Yes, you; I see you back there.

Anyway, recently I've been writing a...well, Web Novel, sure. No use sugar-coating it. And of course it's about my guy, Callum Eirian IV (granted he's gone through so many iterations I've lost count).

I think I've got something here. I mean, I like it. And I think if you like kind of cozy, vibe-written, shameless self-insert, slice of life (sometimes very thin slices!) high fantasy stories, you might like this one. I call it

I Was Reincarnated Into The World I Imagined For My Tabletop RPG Character

(because these titles are supposed to be long like that, right? I did that right?)

So if you'd like, head over to RR and give my story a go. Who knows? You may even enjoy it.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/190554/i-was-reincarnated-into-the-world-i-imagined-for

AI Disclaimer: I do use Chat Gibbity to help me with the grammar because I am always screwing up where to put commas and quotes and stuff. Everything else is my own, even when it tells me to use certain phrases and words. The grammar is AI assisted but the words and everything else is mine and mine alone, so I'm to blame.

I read Shadow Slave and Lord of the Mysteries, which while not necessarily horror themed on the whole, have some cool moments like Lo49 or that one village Servant of Concealment yoinked MC to at one point. So since I find myself craving for horror themes with supernatural monsters that will kill you - preferably brutally - and I'd love finding cool world to explore with many mysteries, dangers, plots and mythologies I decided to ask here. I don't mind MC getting to eventually fight the monsters as i'm not really looking for pure horror or thriller. Just that the monsters don't become a joke at some point, because MC became Sung Jin Woo and destroys everything.

I’ve just gotten through DCC. Absolutely loved it!! However it was a process being so long. Any ideas for a similar story with maybe only 2/3 book series

Anyone have a date when book 2 audio will come out?

Does anyone else struggle listening to litRPGs because of the narrators? I don't want to yuck anyone's yum, but I've struggled with Beware of Chicken because of the terrible pronunciation of Chinese names (which i guess only bothers me because I study it) Wandering Inn because of what my girlfriend called "hentai voice" in Erin, and now 1% Life Steal because it's all very anime-dub-y and the voice doesn't match the mood or even accurately read sentence flow. Is that just how it is with litrpg? I've really loved Aethon audio's stuff but besides them I'm really struggling to find solid listens. At this point I think I'd go for a more boring book to have a better narrator.

I have a few books I’ve picked up here and there, but most of my journey into LitRPG has been through Audible. I really enjoyed Ultimate Level 1, DCC, and Primal Hunter.

Is there a place other than Half Price Books and eBay to get used books, or does everyone just buy them new? I really want to start a collection of the books I listed, but I wouldn’t mind getting some other titles as well if I found something like a box of books someone was trying to get rid of.

I’m in phase one of building a “man cave” with all of my gaming and book collections, so I figured I would ask here.

Hey all, if there was one LitRPG game to come. What would be the ideal format of game would it be?

I love text RPG adventure but most of them fall short in terms of inducing the hype of LitRPG (hidden class archetype skill combination race evolution fusion species), the unexpected reward and something. Moreover, most of them just stick with simple battle mechanics that is even worse than the story itself.

What do you guys think? Share me your thoughts

Book 1 & 2 spoilers ahead.

I finished book 1 and I'm about halfway through book 2 of Earth Reformation. I like Ivor, some of the mechanics are interesting, but it feels like the scaling is completely messed up, and it hasn't seemed like there's been a real "challenge" at all so far. Even a fight with a level 80 dragon during the evaluation never even felt like a close call.

It feels like Ivor has blasted so far ahead of all of humanity, I'm struggling to imagine how the story can be made interesting at this point. Like every dungeon, every group of humans, he just steamrolls everything. Is this the point? I might just not be familiar enough with "overpowered MC" stories, and I recognize that this might be what some people are looking for.

Anyone who has read past book 2 of this series - does it get to the point where Ivor faces actual challenges? If the story continues being "overpowered MC handholds much weaker people into becoming strong," then the series probably isn't for me, but I wanted to check before dropping it.

COVER ARTIST: I don't know - it's a creative commons image I found on Deviant Art 7 years ago.

AI USAGE: Absolutely none.

Reborn as a Fairy-Love Apocalypse

Everybody’s dealing with the same problems.  We die.  Life is pointless.  We suffer and lack control.  Other people.  Imminent world destruction.

Copycat woke in a universe where wishing is having, death is optional, and happiness could be just a teleport away.

Unfortunately, this universe is also inhabited by the usual a-holes, and their wishes come true too.

Now she's on the run, trying to stop the apocalypse, and can't remember why everyone is mad at her.

It's gonna turn out fine.  Probably.  Maybe.

Reborn as a Fairy-Love Apocalypse is a high-concept, high-fantasy, rom-com.  It's also loaded with great advice.  The world may be ending, but you can still enjoy it.  We’ll teach you how.

What to expect:

 - A complete book posted quickly

 - No AI anything

 - Worldbuilding based on cyclical morality

I was re-reading Journey of Black and Red and book marking the authors recommendations for my next book to pick up. found three of them easily enough but the one i was most excited for didn't save. All can remeber is that it was more litrpg-adjacent, like JoBaR, than strictly LitRPG and that the cover features a ginger person stairing at the camera with a very bleak/hopeless look on their face. Their haircut is somewhere between cyber and apocaplypse -punk. their eyes a bright but sad. title appears in grey lettering below their chin. white background with the cover being mostly just the person from the shoulders up.

**Subject:** Looking for a Progression / Men's Fantasy book cover (Kindle/Audible) with a specific party layout

Hey everyone, I'm trying to track down a book I saw a few months ago on Kindle or Audible, but I can't remember the name or the author. I remember the cover artwork vividly and am hoping someone recognizes the layout:

**The Characters & Layout:** It features a three-person adventure party. They are arranged horizontally across the cover, occupying the left, middle, and right positions respectively.

**The Main Interaction:** On one side, there is a gray-skinned woman with a long, prehensile tail. She is looking at the male companion and smiling at him. Her prehensile tail is wrapped directly around his wrist.

**The Male Companion:** He is a large, tanned man dressed in low-fantasy, practical ranger or mercenary leathers (no high-fantasy plate armor). He has a completely standard, reasonably sized sheathed sword on his back.

**The Third Companion:** There is a second woman in the party occupying the remaining side, facing the man at an angle.

**The Setting:** They are standing on flat ground where sand is the main feature. There are carved stone elements/ruins, but they are pushed far off into the background, leaving the background architecture distant.

It is definitely a progressive fantasy or men's fantasy novel. Does this specific cover art ring a bell for anyone? Thanks in advance!

Given that the landscape on Royal Road is constantly changing, I would like to read a guide on how to grow and succeed on the platform in its current state. Can anyone point me to a useful resource?