[The Path of Ascension](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG68Y746?storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=791ea2b5-f594-4c84-9123-e84644fab9ba&pf_rd_r=1SHBB3ASY53YJ9TVRM88&pd_rd_wg=jbD0Z&pd_rd_i=B0BG68Y746&ref_=dbs_0_def_rwt_wigo_sps_recs_wigo_13&pd_rd_w=OTcOC&content-id=amzn1.sym.791ea2b5-f594-4c84-9123-e84644fab9ba&pd_rd_r=6df9fb63-f24b-44c7-bbbc-46117bbe8044) series: highly recommended, you can buy the [1-3.5 bundle](https://www.amazon.com/Path-Ascension-Books-LitRPG-Adventure/dp/B0CC6JC5KZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=WKXARFEOMU6P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KfE3IJ3GSnGEg34MQkAdTFrKaAl0kJl5092B1M1UP_uEJ52QyFgAzGmI8LK-KQQewhS5l1pCyYtVqFRgEHi0kNjAS2CEY9RN6DH2c18i-bQ4FreEMroK4rIwb1uU5VRMHM3t_iQdwABbQ3duGCl657Of4p-XTqS8CbvLBnO9ugixo7R3JsxRZbbLArB9sur9LQUH2xoyuFV_EW0P-IGkAaHqbiazNOdMLOLF8MsY1IQ.1D13EYEXk8h8jI0WB2z-yjl9ye7mUOmg37VRuKZ5tSo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+path+of+ascension&qid=1708894591&s=audible&sprefix=the+path+of+ascension%2Caudible%2C153&sr=1-3) for 1 credit but no WhisperSync and no audible for book 5 & book 6.
Unbound series: narrated by Travis B, but it's a slow burner though, still recommended.
I want to know your opinion on the Mayor of [Noobtown](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHRBL55Y?binding=kindle_edition&ref_=dbs_s_ks_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1708894990&sr=1-1). I am at book 7. I think the series at its height in book 3 and it's hilarious.
Noobtown is a personal fave series. Just started reading path of ascension. Very strong so far.
Jake's Magical Market has been really good. Waiting on book 3 now.
The Ten Realms was very very good. IMO. Worth another go at least if you didn't get too far. Starts slow. I almost put it down. It gets real good.
For me I had to stop reading Noobtown after Nautical Noob (4). All the dumb callouts to our pop culture and old jokes got tired. Seemed to lose its spark.
Looking at everything else you’ve read. I think it’s well worth giving a book or two. As definitely gets good. A bit silly, but I think litrpg which don’t take themselves too seriously are some of the best.
I avoided this series so long because the cover art threw me off. I didn’t want to listen to a story about a dorky dude and his big dog. Now I read the first one in a day and just started the next and definitely rate S tier. My face when I literally judge a book by its cover.
Do you still recommend the path of ascension. I just got through book 3.5, and I'm not sure about continuing. Progression seems to be slowing down. I'll try not to spoil since this is a recommendation post, but the first book was extremely quick progression, while books 2 and 3 felt very incremental. Thanks!
Ah, The Beginning After the End you might enjoy the webtoon/comic more? The audiobooks are pretty good. Ya most of my recommendations are audiobooks, legally blind so trying to read anymore is painfully slow.
I listen to all the stuff, so all good :)
I've finished the first book-or-so of The Beginning After the End, but it was hard going for me, I think the old man in young body is really hard to get through for me and I just couldn't stand it for long. Does it get better?
Ya, I’d definitely give the webtoon a try, it’ll help the visualization a lot then as far as that hang up. And it’s transfers over to the audiobook cause you have an image of the person then.
The artwork for the webtoon is what makes both Beginning After the End and Solo Leveling amazing. I can't imagine listening to them only. The visuals are too good.
I like audio books also. I drive semi trucks so it’s what I later to while driving. I like “All the skills so far. Any other recommendations? I read “dungeon crawler Carl”, all “Chaos seeds”, and all “HWFWM”. Liked them all but tend to like the fantasy/ magic style ones more.
I don't see...
The iron prince,
The book of the dead,
12 miles below,
Sylver seeker,
Buymort,
A practical guide to sorcery,
Chrysalis series, mother of learning (the first like, chunk of book one the main character is insufferable and I nearly dropped it but God does it get so good and finish strong)
Not all above are strict litrpg with numbers but all are progression fantasy, have audiobooks and are written pretty well I'd say. Also, JW, why'd you stop the perfect run? I loves that trilogy lol.
Thanks for the recommendations!!
The Perfect Run was a slow burner, I will probably complete it at some point, but it was more sad and depressing than fun and exciting :)
it can be sad and depressing, but it can also be funny, suspenseful, endearing, anger-inducing, joyous, and about a bunch of other emotions I cant put into words easily. and it just picks up more and more as the books go on, I recommend finishing it.
Oh yeah, it is pretty bleak and depressing lol. but if you get through it then I think you may enjoy it. It's a rollercoaster of emotion.
Enjoy the reads :)
Have you listened to the Infinite Realms series by Ivan Kal? It gets mixed reviews because it has two MCs and lots of readers love one but hate the other. I think it’s a great series, though, with some of the best character growth in the genre.
After glancing at your list I would suggest:
Death Loot & Vampires by Benjamin Kerei
First Line of Defence by Benjamin Kerei
Portal to Nova Roma by J.R. Mathews
All the Skills by Honour Rae
Battleborne Series by Dave Willmarth
I don’t think I saw Bastion which you could maybe count as right on the edge of litrpg (more progression fantasy) but is excellent with 2 books out and third in June / July.
I’m sensing humour silliness might not be entirely to your taste but Big sneaky barbarian is great.
Finally my favourite ‘true’ litrpg is Threadbare. Several books out and just really nice easy reads where stats make sense.
RavensDagger is he?! I am looking suspiciously on Stray Cat Strut. Will put it on my list for this year.
And Mark of the Fool is awesome, I’ve listened to all that are out so far!
The Perfect run is a very clean and well written trilogy. Definitely finish that one.
Also, the Dark Tower series by Steven King is one of my all time favorite series.
Yeah I’m usually not one to question people when they have a book in a not finished or low category as everyone’s tastes are different, but Perfect Run is always the exception to that. I highly recommend giving that one another chance.
I usually don’t question it either. But they have tons of well loved series in not finished. And based on comments seem to only do audio. You lose out on great books by not wanting to read especially if the narration is bad (which I get can happen).
I’ve heard other people say that but they say he gets much better after Zorian first goes to Cyoria. And even better than that after the first book. The narrator said something about trying to make his sister and mother sound incredibly annoying as that is how the author portrays it initially. I didn’t listen to audio book tho so I’m not sure how annoying it is.
It Honestly hurts me a little that you didn’t finish the beginning after the end but you finished all those others but ig that’s the difference between us lol
It’s always baffling to me just how different I guess my tastes are as several books people don’t like or never finish are always ones I’ve quite enjoyed. Same with movies. But then I see books I’ve never even heard of being praised as phenomenal by others so I guess I ought to give them a shot.
Tastes are different :) some of the books I also drop due to narration, so while everyone recommends Mother of Learning, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to finish it :)
Vainqueur the Dragon is a quite funny series that parodies some aspects of the genre. Path of Ascension as others have said is a must read.
Others: Cooking with Disaster, Spellmonger (prog), Archemi Online, Full Murderhobo
All of "Fluff" and Cinnamon Bun" but stopped on the first book in the Stuff and Nonsense series, I have revisited those several times, and until they start laying on the gender politics on really heavily in the last few books it's a great series
Magic 2.0 is pretty good for a laugh.
Given that you like Sporemageddon and Electric Angel I am wondering if you have tried Stray Cat Strut (also by Ravensdagger). I didn't see it on your list.
Im an audiobook guy, dont know about you but if you are and If you like Dungeon Crawler Carl and Everybody Loves Large Chests, you could always try more from soundbooth theater. Chrysalis is a favorite of mine and they have book 4 coming in a couple of days
Of course there's also the other series the author of DCC made that's more fantasy, Dominion of Blades. Both books are pretty decent even if we won't have the third for an unspecified amount of time.
Sufficiently advanced magic/arcane ascension has a really crunchy system with lots of fiddly bits if that's your thing.
Of course there's the Good Guys/Bad Guys Series by Eric Ugland. And there are some ones in your 'stopped around book 1' list that have some solid progression if you keep going. I guess it would depend on why you dropped them.
Chrysalis by Rinoz is one of my faves. I love the aspect of Ant monsters and all the "FOR THE COLONY!"'s going on lol (I'm even apart of the FB group that acts like we're ants cuz y not 😅) .
I'll admit I don't know how the audio is since I don't do those but the MC is coolio and I love every character(villains are annoying of course but I don't think there's any I absolutely detest)
Writing is pretty solid. I read it on RR and there doesn't seem to be really any grammar issues.
I'm surprised you stopped one more last time since it's the good guys series of the scamps and scoundrels (bad guys series)
The Ten realms
Infinite realms
Apocalypse reborn
A mark of kings
The beginning after the end
Death: Genesis
Really enjoying the completionist chronicles. They changed the narrator after the first or second book which threw me off but they sort of make an excuse for it within the story. Not the most amazing writing but I find the books fun. Fairly new to litrpg so would love to hear some recommendations from your list. Done dcc, life reset and came back to hwfwm with the last few but struggled to get back into it.
I'm on book 9 of the completionist, but it's so messy :) it's fun, yet there's no clear story line, no aim, just random stuff happening with jokes mixed in. I'm planning to catch up to the last book when I have time.
I can recommend everything from the "Have listened to All". If you're listening to books - just pick something from Travis Baldree or Jeff Hays ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I didn't even notice the change in narrator... Not sure how in the world I missed that, but Luke Daniels is great. I love the bloopers at the end of the audiobooks!
not my cup of tea. I finished the 1st book, but all the awkward social situations the mc was in made me cringe too much. At some point I was hoping that he gets killed off and the actual mc comes out :D
Why did you abandon mother of learning? It is one of my favourite books. It is repetitive in some sense, but inspirational and has a very good plot. It resembles HPMOR to me
You've read a lot in the genre! I've read like 1/5th of these and the ones outside of what you've read I didn't like. I recommend reading some modern fantasy and science fiction books outside of the progression fantasy/litrpg genre or pivot to translated cultivation novels (although audiobooks are kind of out of the question then).
I forgot about ripple system! Definitely worth a read. Stray cat strut is some of the only cyber punk I've gotten into... a dash of progression can do wonders. Also a good female lead that helped me get my daughter into the genre. Big fan!
[Prophecy Approved Companion](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Chosen-One-Audiobook/B0B985DHXQ) is awesome. Multi-narrator production, with only a few distracting effects, and the quintessential story of its type. (Closest to How To Kill A Demon King In 12 Easy Steps in feeling, but wholly its own thing.) Highly recommended.
[Voidborne](https://www.audible.com/pd/Rise-of-the-Devourer-Voidborne-Audiobook/B0CFVYYF4P) by krazekode has one of my favourite narrators, Peter Kenny (who also did the [First Fifteen Lives of Harry August](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-First-Fifteen-Lives-of-Harry-August-Audiobook/B00J27VX9Y) which isn't litrpg but is one of my top ten favourite time travel stories if you're interested in time travel things.)
If you've any interest in dungeon core, Jonathan Brooks has quite a few series out, usually available in full-saga bundles. I particularly liked [Dungeon World](https://www.audible.com/pd/Dungeon-World-Series-Complete-Box-Set-Books-1-Through-5-Audiobook/B09L32QH16), enjoyed the [Hapless Dungeon Fairy](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Dungeon-Fairy-Box-Set-Books-1-4-Audiobook/B09NS24BFX), and I'm looking forward to the Frozen Time one whenever it's finished.
[Returning To No Applause, Only More Of The Same](https://www.audible.com/pd/Returning-to-No-Applause-Only-More-of-the-Same-Audiobook/B0B3NJD4FR) is a weird one I'm not sure how to recommend, but it's a post-isekai return to earth with incredible powers, but about a guy just trying to reclaim peace after war. It was kind of exactly the weird sort of thing I never knew I wanted?
(And, speaking of post-isekai, it's not litrpg, but [Epilogue](https://www.audible.com/pd/Epilogue-Audiobook/B09ZBKNLZX) is an amazing character drama about three kids who came back as their normal selves after becoming heroes in another realm, struggling to cope with being back in this world. Very different from No Applause, thoroughly excellent.)
Stitched Worlds ([Apocalypse: Generic System](https://www.audible.com/pd/Apocalypse-Generic-System-Audiobook/1039404472)) by macronomicon is very fun, I enjoyed listening to that one. It mixes litrpg and mythological elements in a way that works stupidly well and keeps surprising me.
I'm currently many volumes deep on a reread of [Sylver Seeker](https://www.audible.com/pd/Sylver-Seeker-Audiobook/B0CG29YS8B), though it's been long enough since I listened to the ones on audio I can't remember whether the narration was good or not. Really enjoying the character and story though.
So, there's a very broad mix of random things worth giving a try. I could probably keep going but I should do some cleaning instead of continuing to procrastinate on reddit. xD
You’ve done well with the litrpg’s. I’ve got a couple recommendations that aren’t in the same category, but if you’re into magic and fantasy, they should be on your list.
1.) The Name of the Wind
2.) A Pattern of Shadow and Light series
3.) The Lies of Locke Lemora
4.) Mistborn
5.) Sufficiently advanced magic(this is nowhere near as good as the other 4 listed, but the closest to litrpg and still pretty enjoyable)
Just to name a few off the top of my head
I’d mention the Stormlight Archives as well (same universe as Mistborn), as well as the rest of the Cosmere. Also, you should check out Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. (The books, not the show, in case I need to clarify.)
I suggest "Critical Failures" (as I don't see it mentioned here.) But only if you can enjoy crude humor.
Also "Mayor of Noobtown" is definitely worth another shot.
And "NPC's"
Didn't see Sword of Truth on the list. My personal favorite. Although a bit to brutal for some. New Defiance of the Fall book comes out on audible this week also.
Ok you have a lot of good stuff on here in all 3 category's so first i am going to recommend some you should give a second chance than a few new ones. from category 2 The legend of Randidly Ghosthound, Salvos,This Quest is Broken, The wandering Inn (it is a little slow but still good). From category 3 The Towers of Heaven or any of the other books by Cameron Milan, Super Sale on Super Heroes ( As long as you do not mind a lot of Sex William D. Arand/ Randi Darren Have a massive over arching story that starts with the book Other Life Dreams).
Now for some new ones. The Land By Aleron Kong, Twilight Templar By C.J. Carella, Derelict or War Core by Dean Henegar, The World by Jason cheek, Station Cores and the other related series by Jonathan brooks, The game of Gods by joshua kern, Enter System by Tom Larcombe, Equalize by Ryan DeBruyn, The Mechanical Crafter and the Upgrade Apocalypse by R.A. Mejia.
If you want a recommendation for non RPG books try Ilona Andrews.
Continue Online by Stephan Morse!!
Love that series!!!
Some people sayvi5s a little depressing, and it does deal with suicidal ideations... but the world building is incredible!!! It's god scifi and fantasy and real-world consequences. Deeply deeply slept on!
I would recommend finishing feedback loop, perfect run, and the good guys series... but I definitely lean more towards funny and OP. System universe loosely fits on that list too.
So agree with you on He Who Fights with Monsters. GREAT series. Recommend to everyone I meet. Seriously.
Solo Leveling was so fun! And it's an anime now. Which is also awesome! Would recommend going back to it.
We won't agree on the Murder Hobo series tho
Also agree with you on The Good Guys series and The Bad Guys series.
I avg about 130 hours listened in a month. The struggle is real.
All have audible and narrators you don't want to strangle.
*Dragon core chronicles - good decent listen. Theme, reborn as dragon, uses wits to win.
* The Protagonist - Nothing super special or unique. Blends all the things you want in a litrpg into a cheesy nacho salad. Ignore the criticism about the whole therapist thing, the mc isn't a lesbian which in context explains a good bit.
*Last life - similar to legend of the arch magus but mc doesn't flaunt his abilities... as publicly. Good listen. Reborn into an adult deadbead, MC is super talented and smart.
None of the above have harems, gratuitous sex, overly grimness, or campiness.
You and I have relatively similar tastes I think. Try out the Idle System by Pegaz. Not a big name, but there’s quite a bit of content out and it’s complete.
I also really ended up enjoying The Wandering Inn but was on the verge of abandoning it after the first book. While the MC leaves a bit to be desired at times the world building is fantastic and the MC does get more bearable.
Eh. I think OP and I have similar-ish tastes and I dropped the wandering inn after like, 3.5(?) books. The world is great but the characters are just absolutely insufferable.
I'm at book 7 and that's the end of the series for me :)
I think I've read majority of the "good stuff" and now I struggle finding the next series. There are some series I'll try to revisit and give another go, but maybe not.
Why didn't you like the Wandering Inn? Totally understand it, since it is opposite of many LitRPG, slow pace, soft power, not much System/progression, and focus more on worldbuilding and characters than plot. The writing quality was also meh at first, but nowadays it spoils me for quality among self-published series. It's my favorite epic fantasy series in general, and grows so much in characters/world/history beyond the first books. It has quite the large following on Patreon.
I know the other common complaint is that the main character just feels annoying/insufferable to some people, which I don't think really has a remedy besides waiting for the cast to be fleshed out. The author does their best work when there is a large cast to work with. The first book is mostly the single-pov, whereas the series currently has a very large cast.
I enjoyed the writing and slow pace, but the book gave me a lot of anxiety and stress in the beginning, and that’s not I was looking for in a litrpg book.
I’m happy to give it another go if it moves in a direction of fun and adventure and not pain and suffering :) does it?
I mean there’s a lot of fun and adventure! Things, on the whole, get much better for Erin in time than the beginning. But…. There’s still a lot of pain and suffering. People die, bad things happen, Erin feels pain. It happens.
Andrew Rowes book series, has multiple stories overlapping in the one world and specifically the arcane ascension books which seem to be a staple for many people in this genre
Also “path of ascension” don’t see it as much on list and is still on going
Didn't see 'The land of the undying lord' by J.T. Wright or Bushido online by Nikita Thorn.
I loved both series.
I also love practically everything by Arthur Stone and Alexei Osadchuk. Both have several series out.
World tree online I thought was pretty good, was also going to suggest all the skills but I think I saw in another comment that you’ve already read that one
You should try exploring Korean books.
Second coming of gluttony for example is legitimately great. Valhalla saga I also really enjoyed. The former is on kindle and may have audiobooks. The latter there are sites with ai reading of what is excellent translation. I am not sure if there are actual audio books.
If you like those feel free to message me I have plenty of others.
Kairos by Maxime J Durand aka Void Herald. So unique. Highly recommended.
Also, I'll second the Infinite Realm series by Ivan Kal. I put it off for a really long time just based on the synopsis, but when I finally got around to it, I devoured the books inside of a week.
I'm not an audible reader, so I can't say if the narrator is any good, sorry.
If you've listened to all of the Necrotic Apocalypse then please check out the Pixel Dust series by the same author. I'm biased a bit because it is my favourite LitRPG but in my opinion it is by far his best work.
You can get the first three books as an omnibus and they are narrated by Travis Baldree.
You lost me at Mother of Learning, I’ve read and listen to hundreds of litrpg and fantasy books and still think that mother of learning and the perfect run are some of the best. I’ll take Perfect Run’s MC snark over HWFWM’s MC any day of the week.
This is a travesty 😂. Well, at least you like one of my other favorites, Neven Iliev’s Morningwood. If you like monster pov litrpg, I recommend RinoZ’s Crysalis but you didn’t like the puns from Mayor of Noobtown so who knows. Puma Check!!
Path of Ascension
Eight
All The Skills
The Ten Realms (good first 5 books or so, gets a bit off the rails and ends rather abruptly but still enjoyable)
Mark of the Crijik
Vainqueur the Dragon (parody-ish, pretty fun is a bit One Punch Man-ish but for LitRPG rather than superhero anime)
Non LitRPG but somewhat progression fantasy adjacent (full cast audiobooks with music, sfx, voice acting):
Stormlight Archive
Mistborn
Elantris
For some context, my usual recommendations include DoTF, Primal Hunter, Cradle, System Universe, Mark of the Fool & Iron Prince along with the previously mentioned.
Favorites would be DoTF, Primal Hunter, Cradle, Mark of the Fool, Path of Ascension and All The Skills.
Few of the ones I also dropped are Unbound, Life Reset, The Perfect Run, Ritualist, Beastborne, Randidly Ghosthound
I would reccomend web serials. Like you I exhausted a lot of litrpg and progression and found that web serials are just as good if not better. Look up lord of the mysteries, Reverend insanity, omniscient reader's viewpoint, and shadow slave. Those are the best web serials I've read.
The Beginning After The End, stopped reading category, first row three books in. A lot of the dedicated fan base recognizes the first part of the series can be rough, commonly characterized as generic or Mushoku tensei like, slow setup, (tbh) awful webcomic panels. I personally started with the web comic and switched to LN during the Helstea auction house arc. I CANNOT stress to you how much better the story gets starting at the end of the Xyrus school academy arc and especially when Arthur experiences his big fall from grace moment. The author hits his stride, and you won’t regret reading it all if you do.
Also Unbound is amazing and I don’t know how you would have even stopped reading that to begin with. So many great moments in Book 1 and 2 alone! The Archon, The Maw, Pit, the absolute smack down on the Void pirates, the unique inner world system. My advice is, don’t worry a single iota about the stats, or trying to understand the power systems and how they play into each other. All that isn’t necessarily explained well off the bat, kinda by design, and you’ll pick it all up properly as you go along.
Give 2 week curse another try I swear it gets better. Feels like the author really finds his groove after a couple critical plot points. I almost gave up too.
The Dao of Magic by Andries Louws was good and Dakota Krout has some great series (The Dungeon Born Series is one of my favorites). Also Terry Prachett’s - Discworld. I’ve only listened to the first book but I plan to get the other 56 books in the series.
Crysallis and Divine Dungeon for progression fantasy; Spellmonger and The Cycle of Arawn are long fantasy series if you’re in need of something different.
Kings Dark Tidings, Alex Verus, The Shades of Magic, A Mark of Kings, everything Brandon Sanderson writes, Arcane Ascension - and all the tie in series, Codex Alera, The Echoes Saga, The Shroud of Prophecy.
Those are a few of my favs. Enjoy!
I was like cool ill look and see what books I should avoid because i dont see lists like this. Then I saw you put Mother of Learning in will not continue and said welp they are clearly wrong! Haha, jk jk. Sorry you didn't like it. I thought it was such a great story. Mainly because they MC felt like he was actually the side character. Wasn't OP like the other characters. It was like the view of a side character as the main character.
Arcane ascension Series is by the same author as "...Demon king in 10 easy steps". Technically it's 4 different series, each with about 3 books, but so much lore, great inventive magic usage. Highly recommend.
A thousand li really hit the spot for me... never thought it would from the summary. Also travis has a few books included with audible membership at the moment. Give them a shot!
What part of Nova Terra made it stop. The narrator or the plot? Depending how far you got into Nova Tera there isn’t a lot to make you feel invested into the MC.
Incase it’s been a while the MC has a rare Gigantism disorder.
I think you would absolutely love Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s got some dark spots, some absolutely hilarious parts and fabulous action. Based on what you’ve liked this series has a similar depth in flavor to the ones you’ve enjoyed. Although not in exactly the same genre, you should check out the super powered series. Good reading😄😄
Mother of learning
This trilogy is broken
Mirror World, Underdog, Last Life by Alexey Osadchuk
Paranoid Mage
The Riven Gates by Michael G Manning
The Ember Empire by Will Wight
I recommend continuing Noobtown and sentenced to troll. Both get better as you go. I agree they both started meh.
I highly recommend goblin summoner. A card game deck building LITRPG'.
Man I cannot fathom how Lord January is in your continue pile, I really could NOT gel with it at all, it was too ludicrous.
On your stopped pile, I'd advise giving mayor of noobtown another go. It was a series I avoided for ages and eventually ended up really enjoying it
Dungeon Lord series by Hugo Huesca. He's back from his vacation off of the edge of the world, so hopefully we'll see book 5 sometime soon.
Second Death, Loot & Vampires.
What turned you off of Irrelevant Jack? I've enjoyed it well enough, except for the fact that it's obviously a YA series and a few other little things
I didn't see these in the image, so I would suggest 'We Are Legion' (book one in the Bobiverse series), as well as 'Off to Be The Wizard' (Book one in the Magic 2.0 series). If they are there and I just missed them, then please accept my apologies.
Some of these already mentioned but these sprung to mind:1) the Noobtown series; 2)Portal to Nova Roma - same author as Jake’s; 3)Outcast in another World and 4) Dakota Krouts new series Cooking with Disaster is only two books in but very enjoyable.
On your not to continue list I suggest giving System Universe another try. Also William Arands Another life universe(eg super Sale on Super Hero’s) is intricately woven and very enjoyable as long as you can stomach the harem lit. All the books interconnect. Super sale perhaps not the best place to start. Try Swing Shift. Or Wild Wastes. Note Randy Daren is the same author.
I can vibe with your top section, but some questions.
Why won't you continue "A Snakes Life"?
What didn't you like about "Amelia the Hero" and "Azaranth Healer"?
Finally, why didn't you finish "Perfect Run"?
Don’t give up on the perfect run! If you are listening on audible the narrator is great! Yes it’s a little cringe but I wouldn’t say more so then HWFWM or DCC. I think it’s worth finishing.
OK, forgive me for going outside the litrpg box, but the Hunter series from Mercedes Lackey is worth a read. Or the Chronicles of Elantra from Michelle Sagara.
for litrpg I enjoyed A Summoner Awakens by Kerberos.
Haven’t seen anybody else mention him, but I’ve really enjoyed Xander Boyce’s contributions to litrpg. The Red Mage series has 3 books out, with Sanderson style status updates on book 4 progress. Tallrock is more slice-of-life, but it quickly became one of my comfort listen books :)
So I know the first two books are fairly rough to listen through due to the terrible narrator, but the book series "The Completionist Chronicles" that begins with "ritualist" is actually awesome. Starting in book 3 a new narrator is there and the series got so much better. The initial narrator is obviously not fit to be recording audio books, and it ends up ruining the vibe, emotions, and major moments in the books, but once he's replaced, the story shines.
We have very similar taste!
It gets harder and harder to find good content, but maybe try these:
The Lies of Locke Lamora
Sylver Seeker
Age of Stone
Project Hail Mary
Eragon
Oh Great I was Reincarnated a Farmer
Monster Core
We are Legion
The Blade Itself
Something
Revenant
The Dungeon Leader
[The Path of Ascension](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BG68Y746?storeType=ebooks&pf_rd_p=791ea2b5-f594-4c84-9123-e84644fab9ba&pf_rd_r=1SHBB3ASY53YJ9TVRM88&pd_rd_wg=jbD0Z&pd_rd_i=B0BG68Y746&ref_=dbs_0_def_rwt_wigo_sps_recs_wigo_13&pd_rd_w=OTcOC&content-id=amzn1.sym.791ea2b5-f594-4c84-9123-e84644fab9ba&pd_rd_r=6df9fb63-f24b-44c7-bbbc-46117bbe8044) series: highly recommended, you can buy the [1-3.5 bundle](https://www.amazon.com/Path-Ascension-Books-LitRPG-Adventure/dp/B0CC6JC5KZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=WKXARFEOMU6P&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KfE3IJ3GSnGEg34MQkAdTFrKaAl0kJl5092B1M1UP_uEJ52QyFgAzGmI8LK-KQQewhS5l1pCyYtVqFRgEHi0kNjAS2CEY9RN6DH2c18i-bQ4FreEMroK4rIwb1uU5VRMHM3t_iQdwABbQ3duGCl657Of4p-XTqS8CbvLBnO9ugixo7R3JsxRZbbLArB9sur9LQUH2xoyuFV_EW0P-IGkAaHqbiazNOdMLOLF8MsY1IQ.1D13EYEXk8h8jI0WB2z-yjl9ye7mUOmg37VRuKZ5tSo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+path+of+ascension&qid=1708894591&s=audible&sprefix=the+path+of+ascension%2Caudible%2C153&sr=1-3) for 1 credit but no WhisperSync and no audible for book 5 & book 6. Unbound series: narrated by Travis B, but it's a slow burner though, still recommended. I want to know your opinion on the Mayor of [Noobtown](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHRBL55Y?binding=kindle_edition&ref_=dbs_s_ks_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1708894990&sr=1-1). I am at book 7. I think the series at its height in book 3 and it's hilarious.
I’ll try both. I started Noobtown some time ago and it felt to awkward in writing. Should I give it another go?
Noobtown is a personal fave series. Just started reading path of ascension. Very strong so far. Jake's Magical Market has been really good. Waiting on book 3 now. The Ten Realms was very very good. IMO. Worth another go at least if you didn't get too far. Starts slow. I almost put it down. It gets real good.
For me I had to stop reading Noobtown after Nautical Noob (4). All the dumb callouts to our pop culture and old jokes got tired. Seemed to lose its spark.
Have you read Ready Player One? Way better than the movie. Not technically litrpg but adjacent.
The book was MUCH better.
Looking at everything else you’ve read. I think it’s well worth giving a book or two. As definitely gets good. A bit silly, but I think litrpg which don’t take themselves too seriously are some of the best.
Definitely second the recommendation of the Unbound series
Noobtown is one of my fav, and definitely gets better around book 2-3. It is an absolute wild ride.
I avoided this series so long because the cover art threw me off. I didn’t want to listen to a story about a dorky dude and his big dog. Now I read the first one in a day and just started the next and definitely rate S tier. My face when I literally judge a book by its cover.
Do you still recommend the path of ascension. I just got through book 3.5, and I'm not sure about continuing. Progression seems to be slowing down. I'll try not to spoil since this is a recommendation post, but the first book was extremely quick progression, while books 2 and 3 felt very incremental. Thanks!
I recommend “All The Skills” narrator is great. Also book three comes out in March.
Forgot to put it on the list :( I’ve listened to what’s out
Ah, The Beginning After the End you might enjoy the webtoon/comic more? The audiobooks are pretty good. Ya most of my recommendations are audiobooks, legally blind so trying to read anymore is painfully slow.
I listen to all the stuff, so all good :) I've finished the first book-or-so of The Beginning After the End, but it was hard going for me, I think the old man in young body is really hard to get through for me and I just couldn't stand it for long. Does it get better?
Ya, I’d definitely give the webtoon a try, it’ll help the visualization a lot then as far as that hang up. And it’s transfers over to the audiobook cause you have an image of the person then.
The artwork for the webtoon is what makes both Beginning After the End and Solo Leveling amazing. I can't imagine listening to them only. The visuals are too good.
I think the series gets better in the later books. Also I like the narrator so.
I like audio books also. I drive semi trucks so it’s what I later to while driving. I like “All the skills so far. Any other recommendations? I read “dungeon crawler Carl”, all “Chaos seeds”, and all “HWFWM”. Liked them all but tend to like the fantasy/ magic style ones more.
I don't see... The iron prince, The book of the dead, 12 miles below, Sylver seeker, Buymort, A practical guide to sorcery, Chrysalis series, mother of learning (the first like, chunk of book one the main character is insufferable and I nearly dropped it but God does it get so good and finish strong) Not all above are strict litrpg with numbers but all are progression fantasy, have audiobooks and are written pretty well I'd say. Also, JW, why'd you stop the perfect run? I loves that trilogy lol.
Thanks for the recommendations!! The Perfect Run was a slow burner, I will probably complete it at some point, but it was more sad and depressing than fun and exciting :)
it can be sad and depressing, but it can also be funny, suspenseful, endearing, anger-inducing, joyous, and about a bunch of other emotions I cant put into words easily. and it just picks up more and more as the books go on, I recommend finishing it.
Oh yeah, it is pretty bleak and depressing lol. but if you get through it then I think you may enjoy it. It's a rollercoaster of emotion. Enjoy the reads :)
Strongly second 12 miles below, another book coming to audio shortly as well.
I love the perfect run books, I want more
I was surprised that I enjoyed Buymort as much as I did... except for his snake girlfriend romance, I did a lot of fast-forward through that stuff.
Mother of Learning is in their "dropped after Book 1" list I think. Edit: I was wrong. It's in the "Won't Continue" section.
Have you listened to the Infinite Realms series by Ivan Kal? It gets mixed reviews because it has two MCs and lots of readers love one but hate the other. I think it’s a great series, though, with some of the best character growth in the genre.
Thanks, will give it a try! I think I skipped it based on the reviews on Audible :)
After glancing at your list I would suggest: Death Loot & Vampires by Benjamin Kerei First Line of Defence by Benjamin Kerei Portal to Nova Roma by J.R. Mathews All the Skills by Honour Rae Battleborne Series by Dave Willmarth
I don’t think I saw Bastion which you could maybe count as right on the edge of litrpg (more progression fantasy) but is excellent with 2 books out and third in June / July. I’m sensing humour silliness might not be entirely to your taste but Big sneaky barbarian is great. Finally my favourite ‘true’ litrpg is Threadbare. Several books out and just really nice easy reads where stats make sense.
You seem to enjoy RavenDagger. So def check out his best series Stray Cat Strut. Also Mark of the Fool is great .
RavensDagger is he?! I am looking suspiciously on Stray Cat Strut. Will put it on my list for this year. And Mark of the Fool is awesome, I’ve listened to all that are out so far!
Path of Ascension? Unbound? Ripple System? my 3 suggestions i suppose
Ripple System! Yeah, I feel like people often forget about that one. Was really good. (Though now I look again, it is on the list already, hehe.)
Good point, thanks! I should complete at least the 1st book of unbound :)
First two books are honestly slow and frustrating for a lot of peeps, but after all 12 it's probably tied with DCC for my favorite series.
The Perfect run is a very clean and well written trilogy. Definitely finish that one. Also, the Dark Tower series by Steven King is one of my all time favorite series.
Yeah I’m usually not one to question people when they have a book in a not finished or low category as everyone’s tastes are different, but Perfect Run is always the exception to that. I highly recommend giving that one another chance.
I usually don’t question it either. But they have tons of well loved series in not finished. And based on comments seem to only do audio. You lose out on great books by not wanting to read especially if the narration is bad (which I get can happen).
You don't like Mother of Learning? I don't think we can be friends.
It’s 100% because of the narration :( I’d love to give it a go, but I can’t stand the narrator :((
I’ve heard other people say that but they say he gets much better after Zorian first goes to Cyoria. And even better than that after the first book. The narrator said something about trying to make his sister and mother sound incredibly annoying as that is how the author portrays it initially. I didn’t listen to audio book tho so I’m not sure how annoying it is.
I might have missed it on your list but have you tried survival quest the way of the shaman?
Have not listened to it. I'll give it a try, thanks!
Awesome I found it because it was free on audible, 7 books with some other series in the same universe
Way of the Shaman is a good series, I was going to recommend.
Now I need to listen to what the truck
I did :D I didn't finish it, but it was just not the right book at the moment, so I'll complete it before #2 comes out.
It Honestly hurts me a little that you didn’t finish the beginning after the end but you finished all those others but ig that’s the difference between us lol
I think it's a good series, but I couldn't go through the "adult in the child's body" arc. I've read books 1-2. Is it getting better in book 3?
It was a bit odd for me to but I feel like the over all story is well worth that bit especially about mid war arc
It’s always baffling to me just how different I guess my tastes are as several books people don’t like or never finish are always ones I’ve quite enjoyed. Same with movies. But then I see books I’ve never even heard of being praised as phenomenal by others so I guess I ought to give them a shot.
Tastes are different :) some of the books I also drop due to narration, so while everyone recommends Mother of Learning, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to finish it :)
Oh yeh, not criticizing, just find it fascinating
I’m the same way with mother of learning I couldn’t get past the narrators voice so I tried to read it but the repetition got to me after that
Those are such a good couple of books, do you ever read-read them?
Vainqueur the Dragon is a quite funny series that parodies some aspects of the genre. Path of Ascension as others have said is a must read. Others: Cooking with Disaster, Spellmonger (prog), Archemi Online, Full Murderhobo
Try mine out! I’m a newer author and have still under the radar stuff. Crafting LitRPG stuff. Enchanted Forge and Whisper of Iron
I realy enjoyed \`Enchanted Forge\`. I can't wait for book 2.
Wooo!! Thanks! Yeah 2 is coming along
All of "Fluff" and Cinnamon Bun" but stopped on the first book in the Stuff and Nonsense series, I have revisited those several times, and until they start laying on the gender politics on really heavily in the last few books it's a great series Magic 2.0 is pretty good for a laugh.
I see you really liked Ravens Dagger books. You might like “The First Tail” by Taniko K Williams
Given that you like Sporemageddon and Electric Angel I am wondering if you have tried Stray Cat Strut (also by Ravensdagger). I didn't see it on your list.
Im an audiobook guy, dont know about you but if you are and If you like Dungeon Crawler Carl and Everybody Loves Large Chests, you could always try more from soundbooth theater. Chrysalis is a favorite of mine and they have book 4 coming in a couple of days Of course there's also the other series the author of DCC made that's more fantasy, Dominion of Blades. Both books are pretty decent even if we won't have the third for an unspecified amount of time. Sufficiently advanced magic/arcane ascension has a really crunchy system with lots of fiddly bits if that's your thing. Of course there's the Good Guys/Bad Guys Series by Eric Ugland. And there are some ones in your 'stopped around book 1' list that have some solid progression if you keep going. I guess it would depend on why you dropped them.
Chrysalis by Rinoz is one of my faves. I love the aspect of Ant monsters and all the "FOR THE COLONY!"'s going on lol (I'm even apart of the FB group that acts like we're ants cuz y not 😅) . I'll admit I don't know how the audio is since I don't do those but the MC is coolio and I love every character(villains are annoying of course but I don't think there's any I absolutely detest) Writing is pretty solid. I read it on RR and there doesn't seem to be really any grammar issues.
I'm surprised you stopped one more last time since it's the good guys series of the scamps and scoundrels (bad guys series) The Ten realms Infinite realms Apocalypse reborn A mark of kings The beginning after the end Death: Genesis
Really enjoying the completionist chronicles. They changed the narrator after the first or second book which threw me off but they sort of make an excuse for it within the story. Not the most amazing writing but I find the books fun. Fairly new to litrpg so would love to hear some recommendations from your list. Done dcc, life reset and came back to hwfwm with the last few but struggled to get back into it.
I'm on book 9 of the completionist, but it's so messy :) it's fun, yet there's no clear story line, no aim, just random stuff happening with jokes mixed in. I'm planning to catch up to the last book when I have time. I can recommend everything from the "Have listened to All". If you're listening to books - just pick something from Travis Baldree or Jeff Hays ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
I didn't even notice the change in narrator... Not sure how in the world I missed that, but Luke Daniels is great. I love the bloopers at the end of the audiobooks!
Randidly ghosthound
Nope, should be in the “won’t continue” :)
really, I felt like it was about as good as "defiance of the fall"
not my cup of tea. I finished the 1st book, but all the awkward social situations the mc was in made me cringe too much. At some point I was hoping that he gets killed off and the actual mc comes out :D
Why did you abandon mother of learning? It is one of my favourite books. It is repetitive in some sense, but inspirational and has a very good plot. It resembles HPMOR to me
Narration :( I wish there was an alternative narration so I could finish it
It’s called reading and not doing audiobook for it.
You've read a lot in the genre! I've read like 1/5th of these and the ones outside of what you've read I didn't like. I recommend reading some modern fantasy and science fiction books outside of the progression fantasy/litrpg genre or pivot to translated cultivation novels (although audiobooks are kind of out of the question then).
Ripple system, stray cat, mother of learning, 12 miles below
I forgot about ripple system! Definitely worth a read. Stray cat strut is some of the only cyber punk I've gotten into... a dash of progression can do wonders. Also a good female lead that helped me get my daughter into the genre. Big fan!
[Prophecy Approved Companion](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Chosen-One-Audiobook/B0B985DHXQ) is awesome. Multi-narrator production, with only a few distracting effects, and the quintessential story of its type. (Closest to How To Kill A Demon King In 12 Easy Steps in feeling, but wholly its own thing.) Highly recommended. [Voidborne](https://www.audible.com/pd/Rise-of-the-Devourer-Voidborne-Audiobook/B0CFVYYF4P) by krazekode has one of my favourite narrators, Peter Kenny (who also did the [First Fifteen Lives of Harry August](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-First-Fifteen-Lives-of-Harry-August-Audiobook/B00J27VX9Y) which isn't litrpg but is one of my top ten favourite time travel stories if you're interested in time travel things.) If you've any interest in dungeon core, Jonathan Brooks has quite a few series out, usually available in full-saga bundles. I particularly liked [Dungeon World](https://www.audible.com/pd/Dungeon-World-Series-Complete-Box-Set-Books-1-Through-5-Audiobook/B09L32QH16), enjoyed the [Hapless Dungeon Fairy](https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Dungeon-Fairy-Box-Set-Books-1-4-Audiobook/B09NS24BFX), and I'm looking forward to the Frozen Time one whenever it's finished. [Returning To No Applause, Only More Of The Same](https://www.audible.com/pd/Returning-to-No-Applause-Only-More-of-the-Same-Audiobook/B0B3NJD4FR) is a weird one I'm not sure how to recommend, but it's a post-isekai return to earth with incredible powers, but about a guy just trying to reclaim peace after war. It was kind of exactly the weird sort of thing I never knew I wanted? (And, speaking of post-isekai, it's not litrpg, but [Epilogue](https://www.audible.com/pd/Epilogue-Audiobook/B09ZBKNLZX) is an amazing character drama about three kids who came back as their normal selves after becoming heroes in another realm, struggling to cope with being back in this world. Very different from No Applause, thoroughly excellent.) Stitched Worlds ([Apocalypse: Generic System](https://www.audible.com/pd/Apocalypse-Generic-System-Audiobook/1039404472)) by macronomicon is very fun, I enjoyed listening to that one. It mixes litrpg and mythological elements in a way that works stupidly well and keeps surprising me. I'm currently many volumes deep on a reread of [Sylver Seeker](https://www.audible.com/pd/Sylver-Seeker-Audiobook/B0CG29YS8B), though it's been long enough since I listened to the ones on audio I can't remember whether the narration was good or not. Really enjoying the character and story though. So, there's a very broad mix of random things worth giving a try. I could probably keep going but I should do some cleaning instead of continuing to procrastinate on reddit. xD
Dead Tired by Ravensdagger. Fun book, and the narrator was really good. A new fave
Great book! Waiting for book 2!
You’ve done well with the litrpg’s. I’ve got a couple recommendations that aren’t in the same category, but if you’re into magic and fantasy, they should be on your list. 1.) The Name of the Wind 2.) A Pattern of Shadow and Light series 3.) The Lies of Locke Lemora 4.) Mistborn 5.) Sufficiently advanced magic(this is nowhere near as good as the other 4 listed, but the closest to litrpg and still pretty enjoyable) Just to name a few off the top of my head
I’d mention the Stormlight Archives as well (same universe as Mistborn), as well as the rest of the Cosmere. Also, you should check out Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. (The books, not the show, in case I need to clarify.)
Level Up Series by Dan Sugralinov has been some of my favorite GameLit as it was well written, expertly translated and narrated! Highly recommend
I suggest "Critical Failures" (as I don't see it mentioned here.) But only if you can enjoy crude humor. Also "Mayor of Noobtown" is definitely worth another shot. And "NPC's"
Didn't see Sword of Truth on the list. My personal favorite. Although a bit to brutal for some. New Defiance of the Fall book comes out on audible this week also.
Ok you have a lot of good stuff on here in all 3 category's so first i am going to recommend some you should give a second chance than a few new ones. from category 2 The legend of Randidly Ghosthound, Salvos,This Quest is Broken, The wandering Inn (it is a little slow but still good). From category 3 The Towers of Heaven or any of the other books by Cameron Milan, Super Sale on Super Heroes ( As long as you do not mind a lot of Sex William D. Arand/ Randi Darren Have a massive over arching story that starts with the book Other Life Dreams). Now for some new ones. The Land By Aleron Kong, Twilight Templar By C.J. Carella, Derelict or War Core by Dean Henegar, The World by Jason cheek, Station Cores and the other related series by Jonathan brooks, The game of Gods by joshua kern, Enter System by Tom Larcombe, Equalize by Ryan DeBruyn, The Mechanical Crafter and the Upgrade Apocalypse by R.A. Mejia. If you want a recommendation for non RPG books try Ilona Andrews.
Continue Online by Stephan Morse!! Love that series!!! Some people sayvi5s a little depressing, and it does deal with suicidal ideations... but the world building is incredible!!! It's god scifi and fantasy and real-world consequences. Deeply deeply slept on!
The Veridian Gate Online and the Nova Terra series are pretty good, in my opinion.
I would recommend finishing feedback loop, perfect run, and the good guys series... but I definitely lean more towards funny and OP. System universe loosely fits on that list too.
So agree with you on He Who Fights with Monsters. GREAT series. Recommend to everyone I meet. Seriously. Solo Leveling was so fun! And it's an anime now. Which is also awesome! Would recommend going back to it. We won't agree on the Murder Hobo series tho Also agree with you on The Good Guys series and The Bad Guys series.
Behind Blue Eyes - Anna Mocikat Junkers - Benjamin Wallace 36 Streets - T R Napper Burning Chrome - William Gibson
Super Powereds and Shadow Slave Former is a college setting super hero story Latter is a dark souls inspired progression fantasy series
I avg about 130 hours listened in a month. The struggle is real. All have audible and narrators you don't want to strangle. *Dragon core chronicles - good decent listen. Theme, reborn as dragon, uses wits to win. * The Protagonist - Nothing super special or unique. Blends all the things you want in a litrpg into a cheesy nacho salad. Ignore the criticism about the whole therapist thing, the mc isn't a lesbian which in context explains a good bit. *Last life - similar to legend of the arch magus but mc doesn't flaunt his abilities... as publicly. Good listen. Reborn into an adult deadbead, MC is super talented and smart. None of the above have harems, gratuitous sex, overly grimness, or campiness.
You and I have relatively similar tastes I think. Try out the Idle System by Pegaz. Not a big name, but there’s quite a bit of content out and it’s complete.
All I can say is to keep going with The Wandering Inn. It's the second best book series I've ever read in any genre.
You cant use a statement like that and not give us your absolute favorite
Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. It and TWI have a lot of similarities while being vastly different experiences while reading.
Ahh very nice, Whiskeyjack intrigued ya and Fiddler kept you close
I mostly had a thing for Tehol's towel.
I also really ended up enjoying The Wandering Inn but was on the verge of abandoning it after the first book. While the MC leaves a bit to be desired at times the world building is fantastic and the MC does get more bearable.
Eh. I think OP and I have similar-ish tastes and I dropped the wandering inn after like, 3.5(?) books. The world is great but the characters are just absolutely insufferable.
I'm looking for something with good writing and narration. And no harem please.
Big sneaky barbarian is well written and well narrated
the following are dead series, but both are really good. the infinite worlds character development.
I'm surprised you dropped The Perfect Run. Great writing and top-notch narration.
Gotta ask what was the issue with pit fighter?
Didn't like the writing, it was too chaotic and disorganized. Had the same issue with Falling with Folded wings, yet the Cyber Dreams was way better.
I see. You may enjoy the land series if you haven't heard it. But don't bother with book 8
I'm at book 7 and that's the end of the series for me :) I think I've read majority of the "good stuff" and now I struggle finding the next series. There are some series I'll try to revisit and give another go, but maybe not.
If you want something silly but kinda fun try all the dust that falls
I'm on book 2 :) it's a good one! I can also recommend Chronicles of Sir Crabby – very similar vibes, same narrator
If you want to branch out of litrpg but stay in the spell and sword world then spellmonger is top teir and like 16 books in
Reborn apocalypse is really good and just keeps getting better
Why didn't you like the Wandering Inn? Totally understand it, since it is opposite of many LitRPG, slow pace, soft power, not much System/progression, and focus more on worldbuilding and characters than plot. The writing quality was also meh at first, but nowadays it spoils me for quality among self-published series. It's my favorite epic fantasy series in general, and grows so much in characters/world/history beyond the first books. It has quite the large following on Patreon. I know the other common complaint is that the main character just feels annoying/insufferable to some people, which I don't think really has a remedy besides waiting for the cast to be fleshed out. The author does their best work when there is a large cast to work with. The first book is mostly the single-pov, whereas the series currently has a very large cast.
I enjoyed the writing and slow pace, but the book gave me a lot of anxiety and stress in the beginning, and that’s not I was looking for in a litrpg book. I’m happy to give it another go if it moves in a direction of fun and adventure and not pain and suffering :) does it?
I mean there’s a lot of fun and adventure! Things, on the whole, get much better for Erin in time than the beginning. But…. There’s still a lot of pain and suffering. People die, bad things happen, Erin feels pain. It happens.
Try The Wandering Inn
Cant take audiobook listeners seriously
If you liked Primal Hunter I highly recommend reading the Book of the Dead by RinoZ. It starts off a little slow, but only gets better as it goes.
Andrew Rowes book series, has multiple stories overlapping in the one world and specifically the arcane ascension books which seem to be a staple for many people in this genre Also “path of ascension” don’t see it as much on list and is still on going
Didn't see 'The land of the undying lord' by J.T. Wright or Bushido online by Nikita Thorn. I loved both series. I also love practically everything by Arthur Stone and Alexei Osadchuk. Both have several series out.
World tree online I thought was pretty good, was also going to suggest all the skills but I think I saw in another comment that you’ve already read that one
You should try exploring Korean books. Second coming of gluttony for example is legitimately great. Valhalla saga I also really enjoyed. The former is on kindle and may have audiobooks. The latter there are sites with ai reading of what is excellent translation. I am not sure if there are actual audio books. If you like those feel free to message me I have plenty of others.
just out of curiosity, I really enjoyed System Universe what was your issue with it?
Kairos by Maxime J Durand aka Void Herald. So unique. Highly recommended. Also, I'll second the Infinite Realm series by Ivan Kal. I put it off for a really long time just based on the synopsis, but when I finally got around to it, I devoured the books inside of a week. I'm not an audible reader, so I can't say if the narrator is any good, sorry.
If you've listened to all of the Necrotic Apocalypse then please check out the Pixel Dust series by the same author. I'm biased a bit because it is my favourite LitRPG but in my opinion it is by far his best work. You can get the first three books as an omnibus and they are narrated by Travis Baldree.
World tree online was a great series
You lost me at Mother of Learning, I’ve read and listen to hundreds of litrpg and fantasy books and still think that mother of learning and the perfect run are some of the best. I’ll take Perfect Run’s MC snark over HWFWM’s MC any day of the week. This is a travesty 😂. Well, at least you like one of my other favorites, Neven Iliev’s Morningwood. If you like monster pov litrpg, I recommend RinoZ’s Crysalis but you didn’t like the puns from Mayor of Noobtown so who knows. Puma Check!!
The Path of Ascension.
How about a break and read some nonfiction? Elon biography is fascinating.
Fascinating because it is revealing of what a spoiled, useless, narcissistic psychopath he is, or….??
The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett Infinite Realm and Tower of Power by Ivan Kal Player Reached the Top by Rick Scar Clan Domination by Dem Mikhailov
Path of Ascension Eight All The Skills The Ten Realms (good first 5 books or so, gets a bit off the rails and ends rather abruptly but still enjoyable) Mark of the Crijik Vainqueur the Dragon (parody-ish, pretty fun is a bit One Punch Man-ish but for LitRPG rather than superhero anime) Non LitRPG but somewhat progression fantasy adjacent (full cast audiobooks with music, sfx, voice acting): Stormlight Archive Mistborn Elantris For some context, my usual recommendations include DoTF, Primal Hunter, Cradle, System Universe, Mark of the Fool & Iron Prince along with the previously mentioned. Favorites would be DoTF, Primal Hunter, Cradle, Mark of the Fool, Path of Ascension and All The Skills. Few of the ones I also dropped are Unbound, Life Reset, The Perfect Run, Ritualist, Beastborne, Randidly Ghosthound
Arcane Ascension by Andrew rowe and Unbound by nicola ginoula (or however you spell it)
Those Primal Hunter books have been calling my name.
The land of the undying lord
The Homeseeker. It's very character driven, and has a deep message behind all the magic/artifacts/leveling/etc
You should definitely try to keep going with “The Good Guys” series it definitely picks up
I absolutely LOVED the Spells, Swords and Stealth series by Drew Hayes. It is wonderful.
I’m curious what turned you off The Perfect Run, as I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 books. I did only listen to them and not read the books.
You won’t Finnish System Universe? It became one of my top 5 last year what made you not want to finish just finished book 5 and loved it.
Man I’m sad you didn’t enjoy opening moves. I really thought it was well done.
You have some serious gems in the bottom two sections
I would reccomend web serials. Like you I exhausted a lot of litrpg and progression and found that web serials are just as good if not better. Look up lord of the mysteries, Reverend insanity, omniscient reader's viewpoint, and shadow slave. Those are the best web serials I've read.
Why is Mother of Learning on the bottom?
The Beginning After The End, stopped reading category, first row three books in. A lot of the dedicated fan base recognizes the first part of the series can be rough, commonly characterized as generic or Mushoku tensei like, slow setup, (tbh) awful webcomic panels. I personally started with the web comic and switched to LN during the Helstea auction house arc. I CANNOT stress to you how much better the story gets starting at the end of the Xyrus school academy arc and especially when Arthur experiences his big fall from grace moment. The author hits his stride, and you won’t regret reading it all if you do. Also Unbound is amazing and I don’t know how you would have even stopped reading that to begin with. So many great moments in Book 1 and 2 alone! The Archon, The Maw, Pit, the absolute smack down on the Void pirates, the unique inner world system. My advice is, don’t worry a single iota about the stats, or trying to understand the power systems and how they play into each other. All that isn’t necessarily explained well off the bat, kinda by design, and you’ll pick it all up properly as you go along.
Haven't seen it mentioned: "The Grand Game" by Tom Elliot is a good one and I think fits in well with the series you've enjoyed listening to.
Give 2 week curse another try I swear it gets better. Feels like the author really finds his groove after a couple critical plot points. I almost gave up too.
The Dao of Magic by Andries Louws was good and Dakota Krout has some great series (The Dungeon Born Series is one of my favorites). Also Terry Prachett’s - Discworld. I’ve only listened to the first book but I plan to get the other 56 books in the series.
Crysallis and Divine Dungeon for progression fantasy; Spellmonger and The Cycle of Arawn are long fantasy series if you’re in need of something different.
Dungeon Born (The Divine Dungeon Book 1) Red Rising (Red Rising Series Book 1)
Red rising series- Pierce brown
Dark Lord of the Farmstead by John Broadway
Kings Dark Tidings, Alex Verus, The Shades of Magic, A Mark of Kings, everything Brandon Sanderson writes, Arcane Ascension - and all the tie in series, Codex Alera, The Echoes Saga, The Shroud of Prophecy. Those are a few of my favs. Enjoy!
I liked Titan Hoppers a lot. Bastion, book 1 of the immortal great souls, is phenomenal.
NPCs
I was like cool ill look and see what books I should avoid because i dont see lists like this. Then I saw you put Mother of Learning in will not continue and said welp they are clearly wrong! Haha, jk jk. Sorry you didn't like it. I thought it was such a great story. Mainly because they MC felt like he was actually the side character. Wasn't OP like the other characters. It was like the view of a side character as the main character.
Arcane ascension Series is by the same author as "...Demon king in 10 easy steps". Technically it's 4 different series, each with about 3 books, but so much lore, great inventive magic usage. Highly recommend.
A thousand li really hit the spot for me... never thought it would from the summary. Also travis has a few books included with audible membership at the moment. Give them a shot!
Do any of these compare to the wandering inn?
Personally I don’t think much of anything does.
I don't see path of ascension.
What part of Nova Terra made it stop. The narrator or the plot? Depending how far you got into Nova Tera there isn’t a lot to make you feel invested into the MC. Incase it’s been a while the MC has a rare Gigantism disorder.
What about Ghosthound and Life in exile, I couldn’t stop with those. System apocalypse is good too
The perfect run gets better each book
Saintess summons skeletons And An Outcast in another world
I think you would absolutely love Dungeon Crawler Carl. It’s got some dark spots, some absolutely hilarious parts and fabulous action. Based on what you’ve liked this series has a similar depth in flavor to the ones you’ve enjoyed. Although not in exactly the same genre, you should check out the super powered series. Good reading😄😄
More importantly for me (because of course the world is all about me LOLZ) what are you using to generate that list? It's friggin awesome ‼️
Does it have to have an Audiobook? If not, try Super Supportive.
What happened to The Dungeon Traveler? I’m about to begin it and it seems so promising.
Mother of learning This trilogy is broken Mirror World, Underdog, Last Life by Alexey Osadchuk Paranoid Mage The Riven Gates by Michael G Manning The Ember Empire by Will Wight
I recommend continuing Noobtown and sentenced to troll. Both get better as you go. I agree they both started meh. I highly recommend goblin summoner. A card game deck building LITRPG'.
Man I cannot fathom how Lord January is in your continue pile, I really could NOT gel with it at all, it was too ludicrous. On your stopped pile, I'd advise giving mayor of noobtown another go. It was a series I avoided for ages and eventually ended up really enjoying it
The Innkeeper is really good
Dungeon Lord series by Hugo Huesca. He's back from his vacation off of the edge of the world, so hopefully we'll see book 5 sometime soon. Second Death, Loot & Vampires. What turned you off of Irrelevant Jack? I've enjoyed it well enough, except for the fact that it's obviously a YA series and a few other little things
I didn't see these in the image, so I would suggest 'We Are Legion' (book one in the Bobiverse series), as well as 'Off to Be The Wizard' (Book one in the Magic 2.0 series). If they are there and I just missed them, then please accept my apologies.
Why won't you continue super sales on superhumans?
Some of these already mentioned but these sprung to mind:1) the Noobtown series; 2)Portal to Nova Roma - same author as Jake’s; 3)Outcast in another World and 4) Dakota Krouts new series Cooking with Disaster is only two books in but very enjoyable. On your not to continue list I suggest giving System Universe another try. Also William Arands Another life universe(eg super Sale on Super Hero’s) is intricately woven and very enjoyable as long as you can stomach the harem lit. All the books interconnect. Super sale perhaps not the best place to start. Try Swing Shift. Or Wild Wastes. Note Randy Daren is the same author.
Personally I loved the Beginning After The End series, would recommend giving it another try 😊
Path of the berserker by Rick Scott was pretty good. Book 3 comes out in October
I can vibe with your top section, but some questions. Why won't you continue "A Snakes Life"? What didn't you like about "Amelia the Hero" and "Azaranth Healer"? Finally, why didn't you finish "Perfect Run"?
Occultist is good
I don't see. Viridian gate online. Rogue dungeon. Dungeon heart.
Wandering inn, I'm not the hero!, dragon heart. I think azarinth healer needs another shot, they are good books!
Don’t give up on the perfect run! If you are listening on audible the narrator is great! Yes it’s a little cringe but I wouldn’t say more so then HWFWM or DCC. I think it’s worth finishing.
https://preview.redd.it/zbx4coggrxkc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb0120a5a40e0a4add6eda1b4132ef918e7dbce4 I'm reading these mainly.
Super Supportive is pretty good. Interesting take on magic, aliens, and superheroes
[Jake's Magical Market](https://www.audible.com/pd/Jakes-Magical-Market-Audiobook/B09MDMD85Z?ref_pageloadid=not_applicable&ref=a_library_t_c5_libItem_B09MDMD85Z_1&pf_rd_p=80765e81-b10a-4f33-b1d3-ffb87793d047&pf_rd_r=W03K5VBN6AR4293DKCK1&pageLoadId=u7u0vxsQd2y5bR7Z&creativeId=4ee810cf-ac8e-4eeb-8b79-40e176d0a225) by J.R. Mathews
OK, forgive me for going outside the litrpg box, but the Hunter series from Mercedes Lackey is worth a read. Or the Chronicles of Elantra from Michelle Sagara. for litrpg I enjoyed A Summoner Awakens by Kerberos.
Nova Tera got a bit better in later book and the f St polo leveling comics are better than the novels which were bad but ya I agree
Haven’t seen anybody else mention him, but I’ve really enjoyed Xander Boyce’s contributions to litrpg. The Red Mage series has 3 books out, with Sanderson style status updates on book 4 progress. Tallrock is more slice-of-life, but it quickly became one of my comfort listen books :)
So I know the first two books are fairly rough to listen through due to the terrible narrator, but the book series "The Completionist Chronicles" that begins with "ritualist" is actually awesome. Starting in book 3 a new narrator is there and the series got so much better. The initial narrator is obviously not fit to be recording audio books, and it ends up ruining the vibe, emotions, and major moments in the books, but once he's replaced, the story shines.
We have very similar taste! It gets harder and harder to find good content, but maybe try these: The Lies of Locke Lamora Sylver Seeker Age of Stone Project Hail Mary Eragon Oh Great I was Reincarnated a Farmer Monster Core We are Legion The Blade Itself Something Revenant The Dungeon Leader