Yet his return to stasis is fraught with peril as a rogue AI - last legacy of the war that ended life on Earth - slaughters the crew.Once inside the game he realizes his troubles have only begun. Unable to destroy the ship, the hostile intelligence has invaded Argos.Partnered with the most powerful human player, the rogue has introduced a new mechanic: true death. With no way to leave stasis and regain his administrative controls, Michael Hobbes must quest, conquer, and gain allies to take on a seemingly unstoppable guild.Hobbes is no leader and ill-suited to become one, yet the fate of the human race rests on his shoulders, and his only hope of victory is to follow a unique and seemingly impossible quest chain.The Divine Koan.

    The richest and luckiest players of the video game "Thousand Tales" get their minds uploaded to its virtual paradise world, while Stan can barely buy a handheld console. Instead of sulking he plays, and grows, becoming a skilled craftsman and seafaring explorer. The game's ruling AI, Ludo, helps him find the hope and inspiration missing from his real life. When the AI starts asking for favors and having him reach out between the real and digital worlds, Stan has a chance to turn his life into an actual adventure. But first he needs to earn the most valuable prize of all: his freedom. "Crafter's Passion" is part of the emerging "LitRPG" or "GameLit" genre, combining science fiction with the world of gaming. ----- On Island East-2 stood Stan, in the dungeon, with the rickety raft. He dragged it out to the beach, scavenged more wood and some interesting shells, and paddled his way back west. The raft disintegrated just as he got within sight of East-1. He held onto a chunk of wood to help him float but couldn't carry the rest in his pack. All he could do was start swimming! A scary fish swerved into his path but he managed to detour until it lost interest. Finally he sprawled onto the beach with a bunch of stat penalties for being wet and tired. Belatedly he realized, "I probably ruined everything in my backpack." A note said, [Nearly everything you're carrying is safe, like coins and a sealed bottle, but that can be a problem with other items. There are several ways to get waterproofing.] That sounded reasonable. He'd assumed that jumping into the water with a load of items was harmless, but that was his own fault. "Fine." He headed west to Central Island across the bridge. So far he just had that crude backpack full of loot, and he couldn't carry much more without a better pack. He looked over the junky resources he'd scavenged, then the items he'd looted off his party members' bodies. None of the equipment was listed as magical, and the item descriptions were starting to give him more serious labels like [Crude Wooden Bow] for Alaya's weapon. Even he could probably make something better with a little practice. He could make something better! That could be fun. Besides, he'd swiped this gear from people he'd agreed to help, so maybe he could replace or upgrade the stuff by way of apology. Stan headed over to the Crown & Tail's workbench to give it a try. Along the way he jumped around for the fun of bounding up the sunny shore. He tapped the bench of tools and tried to fix up some items, but it buzzed at him. [Equipment repairs require access to improved crafting stations.] The bartender directed him to the "maker workshop" a ways inland from the beach. It looked like an old fort, a squat wooden cabin surrounded by a spiky wall of logs. Why not a giant golden palace? Probably it had been built by the players using the game's own physics. That was pretty neat. He walked right in through the open gate. Inside was a craftsman's playground. Saws, drills and other tools covered some of the tables. A whole corner was devoted to colorful glassware and bubbling fluids. A green-robed figure was busy at that alchemy station, pouring beakers one into another and making puffs of steam. The only other person here was a smith in a leather apron and goggles, making a pleasant rhythmic ringing of metal. Behind him loomed a forge where slabs of metal were glowing cherry-red. Stan looked around and asked, "Is this stuff open to the community?" The alchemist turned around.

    Fresh out of college and lacking a clear direction in life, he’s been asked by his aunt and uncle to travel back to the place he once called home to settle his recently deceased grandfather’s estate. Jack has little to look forward to in regard to his return, outside of a chance to reacquaint himself with Katie, his childhood friend and former crush. When Jack discovers that his grandfather wasn’t broke after all, as he’d been led to believe, he’s surprised. When he discovers that most of the old man’s monetary assets have been left to him, along with the employment contract of a cute, young maid, he’s virtually dumbfounded. And when an old enemy of the Masterson family decides to strike in the wake of his grandfather’s passing, Jack is the natural target. After being turned into a monster by a beautiful woman who claims to be his new broodmother, he’s left with a new outlook on life, one that strides a thin line of moral judgement. Dark magic, enthralling powers, and a thirst for blood that just can’t seem to be sated. Would it really be so bad to give in? WARNING: This book contains graphic sex, a slow building harem, and increasingly disconcerting moral dilemmas.

    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.

    Next thing he knew, he had been transformed into his character, first-level Paladin Hawke Lightseeker, and found himself in a corpse-filled cavern complex crawling with monsters and undead. Armed with a sentient sword, Hawke must learn the rules of a reality where magic and power-leveling are as real as swords and knives, and where you only get a limited number of respawns before you die for good.Follow Hawke as he explores the mysterious Common Realm, meets new friends and foes, battles to survive, and learns more about his growing power and inner strength.Note to LitRPG Fans: This novel concentrates primarily on action-adventure, with a focus on power-leveling and learning new magic and class subsystems. Future novels will deal with town and stronghold management. There is also a harem (fade-to-black, non explicit) subplot that plays a part in the story without detracting from it.

    Tame women. Rule the world. Victor Shelby ends each day wondering when his life is going to get better. His parents are dead, he struggles to pay rent, and his boss at the animal control shelter has him cleaning cages instead of working in the field. His dream of helping animals seems destined to end in a mop bucket. Then Victor is abducted by aliens and deposited on a prehistoric world filled with hungry dinosaurs and beautiful alien women. He doesn’t know why he is here or what his purpose is, but he finds himself fighting for survival. Most men would have been lizard kibble in a few moments, but Victor’s natural ability to empathize with animals has grown stronger, and he finds himself able to control the most docile of the terrible lizards. Victor will have to use his taming powers to provide food, water, and shelter for the three women that he has sworn to protect. Success means they get to live another day, failure means a horrible death in the jaws of Earth’s most deadly predators. Disclaimer: This book has ravaging dinosaurs, a lot of cursing, extreme violence, and a harem of exotic alien women. The novel is not meant for people under the age of 18.