Book picks similar to
The Dungeon Shop: A Light Novel of Wares for the Weary Adventurer by Chris Ford
fantasy
litrpg
not-interested-in-sequel
dropped
Extra Credit
J. Arthur Klein - 2021
If you answered yes to the third, well… my mother taught me not to say mean things to people… even if they do deserve it!Money, as they say, is the root of all evil. Not having money that is. When budget cuts at the high school where JT teaches threaten his mortgage, he’s forced to seek an alternative source of income.Using the latest VR technology that lets the body rest while the mind is at play, our digital entrepreneur dives into the latest VR MMO game Argos Online with a potentially exploitative character build no one saw coming: the Kobold Necromancer.He’s got all of Spring Break to see if he can grind the system for all it’s worth… or end up Spring Broke in search of a new place to live with his wife and young son.YES: Stats, Cursing, Kobolds, Slice of LifeNO: Harem, Explicit, Pineapple on Pizza
Giantlands
Aaron Oster - 2020
As a pal-tee, a distant cousin to the dwarves, he, and all others of his race, absorb traits from the very first item they touch upon birth. Instead of absorbing the essence of stone, or steel, like most others in his town, Zundy accidentally absorbed those of a beetle. Those who are different, are often treated poorly, and for Zundy, this was no exception.His time in the small town is coming to an end though. The Great Journey, the time when all pal-tee youths of age set out in search of their race's most valued treasure, is upon them. Beyond his small town, Zundy will discover a world far grander and fantastic than he ever could have imagined.Travel to the Green Sea, the last know sighting of the Viridian Core will be far from easy. Before he can even lay eyes on the sprawling ocean, Zundy will first need to pass through the Giantlands, and with powerful Guardians blocking his path, the task seems impossible. Zundy was never one to give up and quit though, and to him, there is no greater thrill than facing a challenge and coming out the victor.Warning: This book contains GameLit elements, such as stats sheets, a form of leveling and experience gain.
Tales of a Sea God: A 4x Lit Series (Ocean's Heart Book 1)
Andrew Karevik - 2020
Surprised by the sheer violence of the attack, they are no match for their foes and are killed one after the other. As Sepios’ body sinks into the depths of the ocean, mere seconds from breathing its last breath, he manages to transfer a shred of his divine essence into the pearl of a giant oyster. When he finally comes to, it is to find that ten thousand years have passed. The creator god is but a shadow of his former self. Weak, with no more worshipers to chant his name and fuel his power, he barely has enough strength to see past the shell of his oyster. Worse, the world he now inhabits has turned into hell on earth. Not only has the ecosystem been completely disrupted, with the ocean being ravaged by parasites and monsters, powerful storms and abnormally high temperatures are not making it any easier for gentler life forms to survive. And that’s just what’s happening below the surface. As he sets on a mission to restore the balance, Sepios will have to contend with a cruel sea witch, giant horrors from the depths, as well as Inquisitors—the representatives of the new gods on earth. He will have to find a way to expand his domain and create sea villages… but more importantly still, he will need to bring people to him and gain their devotion. And to do that, Sepios has a plan: to build field zones for adventurers, that he will fill with treasures, so as to test the mettle of these men and reward their bravery. In short, he first needs to become the master of the sea if he is to ever regain control over the land above. But Sepios must beware. Under no circumstance may the usurpers or their Inquisitors learn of his presence, or else he might not be so lucky as to escape death this time around… Tales of a Sea God is a kingdom building, 4x lit series with hints of dungeon core.
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.
Factory Core - The Dwarven Secret Weapon: A Dungeon Core Epic
Jared Mandani - 2019
Bursting out of the breach they created is a horde of powerful demons that only know one thing: to destroy. Fast-forward a few months and the war rages on. Unfortunately for them, despite their bravery, the dwarves are no match for the sheer numbers and ferocity of their adversary. In a last-hope attempt to save their kind, they decide to activate a secret project their engineers had been working on: a mobile factory made of bricks, brass, magical runes and soul gems. That sentient machine is not only capable of observing and learning from its foes, it can also produce the required weapons necessary to strike back. This Factory Core—as they call it—will need to build units and defensive mechanisms to repel the demon army and prevent it from razing the city. But this will prove to be an almost impossible task as the invaders, led by a vicious commander, have more than one trick up their own sleeve…
The Apprentice to Zdrell
David K. Bennett - 2018
Master Silurian, though not a zdrell master himself, has been fighting demon magic all his considerable life and hoping against hope that a new zdrell master would enter the world. Now as the demons and their wizards are nearly ready take over the continent and cement their hold over the entire human race, Jonny is discovered by Silurian, a boy, who untutored is able to manipulate magic like the zdrell masters of old. Can Silurian train this boy and keep him alive long enough for him to become a new zdrell master before the demons sweep the continent and gain control of the entire world?
Savage Cultivator: A Xianxia Cultivation Series (Broken Path Book 1)
Burt Wrenlaw - 2020
But while his mother can walk the Path of Verdure (to make plants grow faster) and his grandfather the Path of Ash (to move the earth around), Hei Louw is just unable to cultivate Qi in his core and has to make do with his limited abilities. And so the three of them are tending the fields one afternoon, bickering as usual, when they see a black fog descend upon them from the sky. They try to protect themselves from this thing, but the dark miasma kills everything it comes in contact with. As it turns out, every living organism—be it animal, plant or man—that was able to cycle the ambient Qi is slain on the spot. Now alone on his mountain, in a strange world that keeps on mutating, Hei Louw the Qi-cripple has to fend for himself and use his knowledge of plants to survive. Taking it one day at a time, he manages to build a small hut and slowly recreate some semblance of normalcy. However, one night, as he’s eating by the fire, he’s attacked by some monstrosity that seems to have been affected in disturbing ways by what he has come to call the ‘Blight’. Right away he knows that he will be no match for the corrupted beast which is larger, stronger and much more fearsome than the dog it used to be. His life hanging by a thread, Hei Louw decides to go for broke: he opens up his core to the Blight and lets the foul poison fill him up. That suffices to grant him enough power to best the beast. And thanks to his condition as a Qi-cripple, he manages to eject the Blight from his core before it has a chance to reduce him to a pile of rotting meat. That night, Hei Louw makes a promise to himself; he will turn that former weakness of his into absolute power. And so he embarks on a journey to test and master this new ability. He will use the Blight just like former cultivators used Qi, and learn to walk a new, Broken Path. But if the corrupted dog was only one of many dangerous beasts lurking within the mountains, and Hei Louw sets on a mission to hunt them down, he must beware. The mutated creatures are not the sole threat to his existence. Not only can the Blight kill him if he’s not cautious, the vile substance has a tendency to infest the mind and turn people crazy. That will reveal to be all the more problematic when Hei Louw finally stumbles upon other survivors…
A Grim Demise and Even Worse Resurrection (Boneknight, #1)
Tim Paulson - 2020
It might be worth it if he made any money but he doesn't. Unfortunately for him, his fate was sealed before he was even born and it's way worse than working part-time in a coffee shop.Confronted out of the blue by a cackling demonic entity from another world, like a lot of things in his life, Max doesn't take it seriously. So when he's yanked by his bones into that world, he's given every disadvantage the demon can dish out.When Max finds that he's fallen feet first into an old RPG game his dad played on the NES back in the 90s, he's immediately given two quests: Find the imprisoned girl with the green eyes, and survive. He's not sure which one's worse.Enter the world of Boneknight in this humorous take on dark fantasy litRPG
The Valiant
J.J. Green - 2020
One of them is Taylan Ellis.Driven from her home in the West Britannic Isles by an invasion and severed from her children, Taylan enlists with the Britannic Alliance, hoping she can help regain her homeland and find her kids.But decades of internal conflict and terrestrial and space warfare have left the BA on the edge of collapse.Then its battleship, the Valiant, picks up a distress signal. The rescuers break into a sealed chamber and find the apparently mummified remains of an Iron Age chieftain. Disappointed, they're about to leave when they discover the ‘mummy’ has a pulse.Taylan suspects she knows who the mystery man is and what he’s capable of. If she’s right, can she convince her superiors and save the BA, her country, and her children?The Valiant is book one in J.J. Green’s new space fantasy series, Star Legend.
The Dwarf, The Mine, and The RPG Apocalypse: Dwarf Smith From Earth
Constantin Step - 2021
Mana Daemons
Chris Vines - 2020
A dying alien brings a dire warning, information, and aid. Will it be enough? The group is informed that the Essence Wave of the Daemon invasion is coming. The friendly aliens have modified the incoming Daemon attack to give mankind a chance by turning it into an augmented reality game system, but their warning may be too late. Along with the warning, the aliens leave a final, inconceivable gift—magical nanotech armor that may just be the key to saving the world.
Thief's Bounty
D.B. King - 2021
This one moment will change Kraken Island forever.Marcus the Exile thought his life was done for. Until he found a dungeon faerie with immense power on offer.Now, he's the owner of pocket dungeons that spontaneously evolve whenever items are left inside them. Scum on a boot? That's a monster. A sword left by an adventurer? You bet that's gonna be a monster.But this power of evolution isn't just happening to the dungeon and its creatures. It's happening to Marcus, and anyone near the dungeon. No one knows why, least of all Marcus.If he's not careful, Marcus might end up becoming the most powerful man on Kraken Island.This LitRPG Dungeon Core novel contains multiple interior illustrations of characters, monsters, and scenes. Expect to find an intelligent main character, consistent progression, and a unique Age of Discovery setting.
Dungeon Bunny
Richard J. Hansen - 2021
Sometimes all fate gets is a bunny. She is a dungeon creature bound by the rules of the dungeon. Her job is to do bunny things, like eat and hop, and eventually fall prey to larger creatures. A bunny need do nothing more. However, she cannot help herself. Everyday as adventurers pass through the cave that she calls home, she sees them wielding strange and fascinating magic but more importantly hears them talking. Their words are wonderful, and she learns as many as she can while trying to ignore the epic tragedy of her life. She is just a bunny, and there is no way that a bunny could ever be like an adventurer, no matter how many words she knows. This story is inspired by the Dungeon Core and the litRPG/gameLit genres.
Death is the Destiny of All (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series, #4)
Kip Terrington - 2020
In his mind, Joe has become a nuisance that must be squashed. How will Joe’s castle prevail when not one, but two armies march upon it?Joe and Zoya no longer have a shield of ignorance to hide behind. If they face Rook, it will be with the full knowledge of their own true mortal peril. They may be Champions, with near-immortality, but they are still just two micro-sentients facing a god-like being.The adventure continues as Joe and Zoya journey back to their kingdom in hopes of bringing order to a dungeon that has been falling into chaos. How will they prioritize which fire to put out? Or will everything they have built burn down to ashes?If Joe and Zoya don’t build levels, strength, and abilities quickly, then the kingdom will fall.From an Amazon Bestseller in Superhero Science Fiction, Kip Terrington continues The Twenty-Sided Eye Series. Combining his various passions, this series involves: world building, an Artificial Intelligence, LitRPG / GameLit, merging with the machine: Cyberpunk, science fiction, fantasy, character development, booger humor, and some moral dilemmas to boot.