Book picks similar to
Questing Sucks! by Kevin Weinberg
fantasy
not-even-if-you-paid-me
not-interested
responsible-shaming
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?
King of the Gods
J.A. Cipriano - 2018
That was the first rule of adventuring. It was right before never, ever pick up the ancient artifact inside and quickly followed by don’t get sent back in time. Luke Peters did all of those things. Now, this college student turned magic-flinging werewolf has a choice. Will he use his newfound powers to stop a gang of escaped mummies, rescue a priestess and the goddess she serves, and defeat an ancient evil from taking over Egypt? Or will he leave the world to its fate? Yeah, he didn’t think it was much of a choice either.
ADAM
A.K. Stone - 2012
That warning was the only thing protecting the child. Why? Perhaps because he was abandoned without parents or AI-implants, when almost everyone else has them. Perhaps because the rest of humanity is connected mind-to-mind to compete with pure robotic AIs, but bio-extremists see deadly threat in his power. Or perhaps because they wonder at the mystery of his origins when humankind reaches for the stars, only to find something out there watching, and waiting. All Adam wishes for is what most teenagers want: a home, to find out who he is, maybe even some friends & family. But forces at work in our little corner of the galaxy ensure he’ll be forced on to a journey that is far more exciting - and dangerous - than he ever could have imagined. “…truly brings about the question of what you define as "human"...one of the best sci-fi novels I've read!" (–C Hsu, ‘Ethereal Pages’.)What Readers Say About “ADAM” (from 133 reviews Amazon.uk, and 311 ratings Goodreads):★★★★★ ‘Wonderfully crafted sc-fi…if A.K.Stone isn't a pseudonym for an already acknowledged master of the sci-fi genre, then I have to say that I am amazed…The quality of the plotting and writing is superb…filled with complex imagery and concepts….extraordinary vision...’★★★★★ ‘Fabulous…A great journey from the first chapter to the last, with great character development.’★★★★★ ‘A wonderfully rich sci fi, full of twists and fascinating technology, a great read…’★★★★★ ‘Excellent…This book is as good as it gets…’★★★★★ ‘engaging, imaginative and beautifully written.’ ★★★★★ ‘Clever, different, gripping…’★★★★★ ‘Awesome story!! a very magical and detailed reality. The reading flows and the more you go on, the more you want to read.’★★★★★ ‘Science Fiction of the first order.’★★★★★ ‘Every so often you come across a little known book where it seems a crime that it should be unknown and this gem is one of those books.’★★★★★ ‘Excellent…big galaxy spanning story, with a lot of heart and soul.’★★★★★ ‘Couldn’t put it down…a plot that twists and turns, taking you on an exciting and sometimes emotional journey.’★★★★★ ‘This is literature, a beautifully crafted novel…One to savour,…’★★★★★ ‘Great Great read…I’m a really fussy sci-fi reader and this ticked all the boxes.’★★★★★ ‘Absorbing and thought provoking, Adam pulled me into to its world and stayed with me long after I had finished the book.’★★★★★ ‘Brilliant, Aliens, AI and a mystery. Tell me there is a book 2!!’ ★★★★★ ‘Excellent. Brilliant plot. Wonderful language. Amazing ideas and tech…’★★★★★ ‘Fantastic What a great book. Very different from the normal. Intelligent and fascinating. A real page turner!’★★★★★ ‘The ultimate underdog story …gargantuan space ships…and an enemy that will make humans, Aliens and AIs quake!! Read this!’★★★★★ ‘Best this year. Why is this not a film? Great read , could not put down, mysterious and thought-provoking. Get your teeth into this adventure.’
Dravincia
Blake Severson - 2019
A Goddess is stirring up trouble, and Arthur happens to be the one caught up in the action. After an unfortunate encounter, Arthur is given a second chance in a new world. To his surprise, this new world has mechanics that remind him of Role-Playing Games from Earth. He has been given a simple directive from the Goddess, to help the people of the world and spread her name. He quickly discovers this will not be an easy task. The world has been overrun with bandits, who work for the lords of the land and cause all the denizens to live in abject ruin. Can Arthur tame Dravincia and push back against these forces or is he destined to fail spectacularly and have to hope for another try?
The Cheater's Return
Brian McGoldrick - 2018
In the chaos following World War III, the Patriarch of the Church of the Resurrection rebuilt Earth's society into a collection of over 500 independent city-states. With alien technology that gave him complete control over the Earth's orbital space, the Patriarch outlawed war, and introduced the Constructed Reality MMORPG Primacy Online. He only allowed the city-states to engage in military conflicts with one another inside of the game. City-state leaders that attempted to ignore Church Canon were destroyed, along with their armies, by the Church's orbital particle cannons. For more than a thousand years, there have been no wars fought on the Earth's soil. The release of Primacy Online VI: Legacy of Balor signals the beginning of World War IX. Each city-state will lock 50,000 draftees into cryogenic capsules and upload their minds into a character sheathe in the game. Until the armistice conditions have been reached, they will play Primacy Online in War Mode, with the death of the character sheathes meaning their real deaths, but this time there is a twist to the World War. Every still living perma-banned cheater from Primacy Online will be a special draftee for World War IX. They will be organized into a special contingent in the service of the Church of the Resurrection. Patrick Armagh is terminally ill. Like a large number of other Primacy Online players, he is afflicted with an incurable nervous system disorder. He has less than five years to live and should be exempted from the draft, but five years ago, he was given a permanent ban from Primacy Online for cheating. Along with the other perma-banned cheaters, he will be forced to play Primacy Online VI: Legacy of Balor in War Mode, but Patrick's actual method of cheating was never discovered. Morgan Danan, Speaker of the City of Mann, and the acknowledged number one player of Primacy Online has deal for Patrick. With her help and his undiscovered cheat, he has the chance to become a virtual God within Primacy Online. When you are already as good as dead, there is nothing better than the chance to spend your last days as a living god. What could possibly go wrong?
Ragnarok Rising
Edmund A.M. Batara - 2017
Revised and Edited. July 2018.With bonus content - "In Ymir's Halls" (short story)*********************************************************************An epic fantasy on another world. With a modern twist.What if you fell through a crack in reality? Like those people disappearing in plain sight you have read about.What if you find yourself in a strangely familiar world? A world full of Earth’s mythological beings, lost civilizations, and people from its primitive and brutal past? Where magical energy still exists. Where gods play games among themselves, with the fate of mortal men as pawns. A land where a sword is deadlier than a five-inch thick contract drawn by a hotshot lawyer. Would you survive?That's Tyler West. Alone, lost and bewildered, the three moons in the sky made it clear he wasn’t on Earth anymore. It is not a game. It’s real. And there's no coffee, pizza, fries, or his favorite show on HBO.
Galaxy
Christopher Johns - 2021
Sealed paths opened. Let the hijinks begin!Sergeant Marcus Bola and his platoon flew to a newly uncovered temple in the desert while deployed overseas; an unheard-of mission. Something in the ruined holy place had killed many, and the survivors met an unfortunate ambush just before reaching safety. The attack left Marcus wounded and medically discharged from the only life he’s known… but something wasn’t right. None of it was.Laying low and waiting for answers, Marcus decides tending bar is as good a way to stay afloat and off the radar. Turns out slinging cocktails, singing karaoke, and talking to the patrons isn’t as easy as he thought it would be: gods, monsters, and devils are showing up to try the mixers.The vessel has been chosen. Something inside him is calling the shots--and we’re not talking about tequila!
Dao Disciple: A Fantasy Cultivation Novel (The First Immortal Book 3)
Bruce Sentar - 2022
Apocalypse Knights 1
D.B. King - 2022
With promises of wealth beyond his imagination, his squad mates managed to convince him. Max isn’t a Knight, so he has no magical equipment or spells that could help him against monsters. What he does have, however, are the sword forms he learnt at the Blade Academy. These forms are formidable martial arts that make him the match of Level 0 monsters. But Level 99 monsters? He doesn’t stand a chance. When something goes horribly wrong inside the dungeon, Max meets the legendary hero: Artur Brightblade. This hero grants him something he never dreamed of: a unique class and the ability to become a Knight. Armed with this new class and the powers it provides, Maximo is going to clean up the Knights-Errant and solve the mystery of the dungeon. He’ll have to learn how to cast spells, work within a cohort, level up most effectively, and craft wargear worthy of his class. If he doesn’t, the apocalypse will destroy everything he knows and loves.
Slime Tamer's Chronicles: Volume 1 (Slime Tamer 's Chronicles)
Nata Valerio - 2017
Our protagonist lives a closed off life but not a NEET's life. He trains everyday until finally he was ready. Killing his father he made sure that his mother who divorced was paid back for what his father did to them all. Walking away to who knows where and dying from an accident. Now follow the daily life of our MC as she tries to adapt to her new life in a new body and in a unique world. (This is not a translation. This is original in English)
The Hero of the Valley: Volume 1
Gary Spechko - 2021
Chosen by the Gods, he is thrust into a world he knows little about and must grow stronger to face powerful invaders from other worlds.
The Sorceress of Ashtown, Part I
Brandon Varnell - 2017
Only nobles, people with power and prestige, are allowed within these hallowed grounds—which explains why Caspian Ignis del Sol is hated by everyone. He's not a noble, or of even slightly noble lineage. As payment for being enrolled in the academy, Caspian is sometimes given tasks to perform that take him outside of the academy walls. This time, his job is to deliver a letter to a Sorceress living in Ashtown, but when the train that he’s riding on is attacked by a mysterious band of thugs in cloaks, he’ll find that there is a whole lot more to this quest than he first imagined.
Soulbound to a Dragon
Kurtis Eckstein - 2019
In her case, her father was an Elderfel, a cat-like humanoid that despises all other races, making her an abomination in their eyes. The only reason she’s still alive is because her mother sacrificed everything to buy her eighteen years of safety in the magically protected forest of the elves. But now that time has come to an end. Her birthday present from the elves is her permanent exile. Riella must now face the outside world for the first time, along with the dangers and discrimination that come with it. However, unknown to her, the Elderfel have been waiting all this time for her to reappear. Her life means more to them than a simple mixing of the races. She is more than just an abomination. Will her magic be enough to defend herself? Or will the Elderfel take her life and steal her soul along with it? Buy the paperback and get the Kindle edition FREE through the Kindle Matchbook program. Prologue Really, I felt like I hadn’t truly been living until now. And I wasn’t about to go back to a life of solitude just to keep this body breathing, while my heart slowly withered away in loneliness. I needed to feel, to be alive, even if it did ultimately lead to an early death. I looked up at him with renewed determination, only to realize he wasn’t focused on me anymore, and his expression had changed drastically. He had a look in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before, and I hoped to never see it directed at me. Pure hatred. I turned around, almost expecting him to be looking at the elf, only to see that all three of them were facing the other way too, swords halfway drawn. I gazed further on, trying to understand what was happening, finally seeing it for myself.