Book picks similar to
Gods of Smoke and Stars by Azalea Ellis


lit-rpg
litrpg
science-fiction-fantasy
young-adult

Monster (The Beetle, #1)


Sergey Belsky - 2019
    

Paragon of Blood (Paragon, #1)


Luke Chmilenko - 2022
    A chance to prove himself. A chance to take control of his life. A chance to be more than a lowly D-Tier, the lowest of the low in a world broken by the arrival of an alien, enigmatic being known as The System. And the seemingly endless hordes of Gateborn that accompanied it. But chances are hard to come by in the fallen remains of humanity. A century of decline, of desperate struggle, making just surviving another day challenge enough, let alone striking out to find and challenge an Ascension Gate. Or in Auric’s case, even getting permission to try. But when he finally takes matters into his own hands, that's when he finally gets his chance. A chance that sets of a chain events that no one, let alone him, could have ever anticipated. A chain of events that could very well reshape Reality itself. Unless he can find a way to stop it.

Initialization (Paths of Power #1)


Sean Barber - 2022
    700 miles, no truck and just his loyal dog to accompany him, can he survive in this new world? A world where The System spawns monsters and mutates plants and animals to absorb and refine essence? Let us find out.

EverRealm


Jake Bible - 2017
    They have created the Domains and there they plan to reside forever. Except, the nightmares of reality have followed them into their new quantum dimension and those nightmares threaten to destroy it all! Now it is up to one of them to help navigate the quantum platform known as EverRealm, a fantasy MMORPG of epic proportions, in order to complete a quest he neither wants to complete nor knows how. With the help of his friends, and a lot of luck, he will have to face trials and tribulations like he's never faced as a player! Because now it is no longer a matter of Game Over, but of life or death! Can he survive it all and come out a winner? The only way he'll know is if he plays the game to the bitter end!

Planet Bound


R.A. Mejia - 2018
    Unfortunately, the transport ship he chose is attacked by pirates and he ends up stranded on an unknown planet where the very air is toxic to him. Now John has to team up with the ship’s AI and the two have to survive on this hostile alien world and figure out some way to get off the planet or get a message out for help. Can they overcome their dwindling resources, alien life forms, and hostile space forces? Or will they die together, planet bound? This is a sci-fi survival story with augmented reality, a snarky AI, upgrade mechanics, resource gathering, crafting, alien creatures, and space pirates.

Janus and The Prince: A LitRPG Saga (The Nightmares of Alamir Book 2)


Noam Oswin - 2020
    Reincarnating as a worm in the madness that is Alamir, the man who spat in the face of a god turns and spits in the face of destiny.He ascends, from battle and bloodshed, to find favor in a Witch of the Night just as mad, if not far madder, than he. Baptized on the eve of the genocide of her people, he is bestowed the name Janus - and is reborn with the power to explore the road not travelled.The power to eat his cake and have it, to split the timeline as he desires, and pave his own path towards his chosen future.That chosen future, awaits his bony, skeletal hands.War cometh for the defiant. War between cosmic horrors and ubermensch, apocalypse seekers and twisted messiahs, reincarnated madmen and avatars of extinction -And the man who defied a god, stands in the center."Hero, villain, monster, savior, king, slave, good or evil - all irrelevant when the Nightmares of Alamir come midnight, wielding a dim lantern, rasping with a croaky voice as their unholy fingers rap against your door.""Now, tell the world... How shall you answer?"

Lewd Dungeon: Omnibus II (Books 5 - 8)


Stuart Grosse - 2018
    Through his 'acquisition' of a Warlock, he now has access to demons which he can summon and bind to do his bidding. But what happens when his plan for a demonic shrine becomes far more complicated than he had intended? -------------------------------- Mandatory Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. None of it should be attempted in the real world. None of this should be taken as even tacit approval or support of the actions portrayed herein. This is a story about a rotten bastard who gains power to take bastardry to a new level, and absolutely doesn't care what society thinks of him. This story contains gore, cursing, sex, and all kinds of nasty shit. If you have triggers, consider this your warning. ***This is an Omnibus edition containing books 5 - 8 of Lewd Dungeon.***

Stone Investigations (Stone Series Book 4)


Bob Blanton - 2021
    

Blood & Cupcakes


Taj McCoy El - 2018
     M.I.T. calls her a genius, her mother calls her Cupcake, her buddies call her Princess Cuddle Fluff and she’s here to kick butt and blow stuff up. At least until she realizes she’s stuck. Eleven-year-old Mayah’s just collateral damage in an investigation by a government that’s intent on keeping control of its finances. Now she’s trapped in the Virtual Reality of Ruins of Majesta waging the war for her life the only way she can, by questing, leveling up and sewing. She’s attempting to unravel the mystery of who did this to her and why. She’s angry as shaz and out for blood. The same blood the parental filters won’t let her see. So instead she’d be happy smashing them into a hole with her hammer and tossing in a few grenades for good measure. Involving her in their plans was the worst idea the government cronies ever had. If you’re going to be stupid enough to fight a genius, …DON’T!!! Follow Mayah through the Ruins of Majesta, as she unlocks its mysteries, and tries to escape its deadly clutches. This novel is a combination of big hammers, cats, books, enchanting, snark, necromancy, leveling, government conspiracies, financial revolutions, grandmothers, Evil sentient computer viruses, crafting, duels, getting gear, friendship, Happiness and sweet, sweet XP. Safe for the kids Great for the adults. This book Is GameLit / LitRPG and contains very visible RPG, video game mechanics, and fights that are integral to the story. No blood or cursing, though.

Mageblood


Christopher Johns - 2020
    Gifts from the game gods for every person. The perfect magic for every user.Seth, a popular streamer, can’t wait to see what this new world has in store. It’s sure to be a blast for a guy who always plays a caster, and his friends are going to be right in the thick of it with him! The game boasts algorithms designed to read biometrics and brain patterns to find the perfect magical fit for the user—magic so personalized that no two casters will ever be the same. In fact, the game company is so sure they will always be right that you can’t remake your character.The unthinkable happened. The safeties and the guarantees failed, not just once but apparently only to them. The company has informed them that the system is infallible: there is nothing they will do. Players must use what they are given, so Seth and his team have no other choice—they need to grind it out and evolve their gifts in time to stream.Loading… Welcome to Mephisto’s Magic Online!

Tusk and Blade (Exodus Online) Book One: A LitRPG Novel


Lavelle Jackson - 2020
     Charge your core. Bash some skulls. Logan Sharpe’s life has been a disaster, but that’s finally going to change. As soon as Incessant Technologies heard about his situation, they knew he would be the perfect fit for their new game. Only catch? Once he goes in, there’s no coming back. Without hesitation, he signs the paper and enters the new VRMMORPG world of Exodus Online as a Star Child. As an extra incentive, Logan is given a chance to become what he’s never been before. Something unique, something powerful. Abandoning his old name to go with one that suits his new body, Necro is ready to start over. To face his new reality, Necro must learn to survive in a dangerous, unforgiving world. Even with the help of two daring women at his side, how will he fare while exploring deadly dungeons, facing power-hungry leaders, and leveling his new body? The only certainty is this: Logan is dead, but Necro has risen.

The Wolf King's Lair 1: A Dungeon Core LitRPG Harem tale


Devan Drake - 2021
    

The Starlight Sword


Roman Prokofiev - 2020
    Some of you might have already read its previous version released a while ago by another publisher under the title Cat’s Game. The author has completely reworked the book’s first chapters; he’s also already completed Book Two of the series, fully intending to keep the story going. And we fully intend to release the whole series in English.Rogue Merchant is a classic might-and-magic-style LitRPG series with the elements of manapunk. It’s set in the Sphere of the Worlds: a worldwide multiverse comprised of hundreds of worlds, from horrible Infernos ruled by Demon Lords to mechanical worlds inhabited by sentient constructs, and gigantic markets that have sprouted at the crossroads of trade routes.Players use astral ships to travel between worlds, otherwise they have to venture into the perilous underground tunnels of the Endless Paths. Dozens of powerful clans share this delicious pie, scheming or waging wars against each other.The series’ main character is Cat, a wannabe merchant who specializes in procuring in-game valuables to sell them for real money. He is a Free Merchant, which is both his character’s class and his playing style - as well as his preferred problem-solving method. Cat is a cunning trickster who wriggles his way out of trouble thanks to his quick wit and his trading talents. His credo is, “Anyone can be bought provided the price is right”.Cat starts from scratch, using every opportunity to advance his plans. This book is the story of a common trader’s rise to greatness until he becomes the world’s new legend, the most famous merchant in the entire Sphere of the Worlds.The series focuses on the economics of a game world, including various trade methods such as regular and auction trading, as well as social and political interactions between clans and players. Plenty of intrigue and espionage, betrayal, trade wars, besieged castles and epic air battles of flying ships - all this has already made the fantastical universe of Rogue Merchant popular with thousands of Russian readers.Now it’s your turn to enjoy it.

The Corrupted Core


John Stovall - 2021
    An unusually talented party of adventurers. Both must face the terror that destroyed the kingdom that came before them.Will is the newest in a long line of dungeons born into the world—and he’s a rank higher than any dungeon that preceded. He’s born along with seven other dungeons in a small area, but so many dungeons were born in one place because of a magical disaster… A disaster brought about by the Voidbringers who sought to conquer the world.Now the unthinkable has happened. The Voidbringers have returned, and they have the ability to corrupt dungeons. As a powerful dungeon, Will is one of their targets. He comes under assault by their minions, has to deal with aggressive neighboring dungeons, and of course, adventurers.With the aid of his dungeon fairy, Amber, and an adventuring party run by Gar Adamant, displaced prince of the kingdom destroyed by the Voidbringers, Will must grow his dungeon to become as strong as he possibly can, grow his nearby town, defend himself and the locals, and fend off the enemies that surround him everywhere.A Dungeon Core story.

The Fields of Durandor


Steven J. Shelley - 2016
    No job. No prospects. He lives in one of the most crime-ridden apartment blocks on the west coast. His girlfriend uses him for a place to stay. His father is on life support. Rent is due next week… Games are Nick’s passion. He's played them all - well, the old screen ones anyway. He's never been able to afford an Immersion tank and the amazing games that come with them, but he's seen the web casts. He knows the names of every superstar pixel runner. His heroes. So when he's picked out of the crowd to participate in a competitive, quest-driven dark fantasy RPG, his brain melts. Could this be his opportunity to get ahead? Or will he be chewed up by the machine, just another failed pixel runner by the side of the road? STRENGTH BUILD is a LitRPG serial. The Fields of Durandor is the first episode, with more to come in the coming weeks!