Book picks similar to
Dungeon of Envy by Drake O'Keef


litrpg
fantasy
abandoned
series-starters

Vagrant Sword


Darren Hultberg Jr. - 2020
    Built by the greater god Helion, each floor is like a vast and ever changing realm equipped with its own challenges, its own dangers, and its own rewards for those willing to risk it all. And for any strong enough to reach the tower’s peak comes the right to fight for the ultimate prize...Valin Frost was a common thief from earth with little desire to risk his life in the tower. However, a twist of fate plunged him through its large, onyx doors. Now, Valin must join the ranks of the mana wielders, master his abilities, and learn how to fight if he plans on surviving the trials of Helion’s tower... and perhaps, one day carving his name into the book of legends.This is a tower ascension novel with litrpg and cultivation elements.

First Draw


Tim Moon - 2019
    War and rebellion roil the nation, sowing chaos among the surrounding kingdoms. Darkness often finds a foothold when chaos reigns, thriving on the torment of the mortal realm. In times of great need, the light calls upon beings of destiny to stem the tide. Though you may blaze your own path, know that you have the power to shape the future. Choose well.Forced to join a virtual world, Luke Rivers delves into Drezkarn, a land of swords and magic. For a fantasy game, things don't start off the way he imagined and he quickly finds himself in terrible situations. While his frame of reference for fantasy RPGs was limited by a rough childhood, the experience of a life spent fighting for survival pays off.

Warrior Academy: A Hiro's Journey - Episode 1


G.L. Rathweg - 2017
    Now in a world forever changed, a place where magic is real, and monsters have come to life. A place where magic and science blend with pop culture

Asgard's Fall


Robert Hinshaw - 2020
    Even the danger of the experimental full immersion technology didn’t put him off. It beat living in a nursing home and was supposed to let him feel young again, at least until modern medicine and his body gave out.But there was something wrong with Asgard’s Fall. The “gods” running the game didn’t act like AIs were supposed to most of the time. And some of the players took things too seriously, like they knew something about the game that Noah didn’t. Forced to rely on skills he abandoned a lifetime ago and new digital abilities that resemble ancient magics more than modern code, Noah has to unravel the mysteries behind Asgard’s Fall. And in doing so, discover an ancient threat that has forced a world long hidden from mankind into the light.

Veil Online - Book 1 A LitRPG MMORPG Adventure Series (Veil Online #1)


John Elijah Cressman - 2020
    By day he works on the most popular VR game in the world and by night, he slay dragons and saves damsels.Not any more.Today he woke up inside the game and there’s no way out. Worse, he’s not even his high level avatar. He’s a monster. And every time he dies, he jumps into another monster body.Something is wrong. Seriously wrong.Join Jace on a mind-blowing adventure as he desperately tries to unravel the mystery of what has happened to him and most importantly, is he even alive any more?Readers of Fantasy, GameLit and LitRPG like The Land and Hacked will enjoy this series by author John Cressman. And watch for Book 2 in October 2020!

The Sun's Blood: A Progression Sci-Fi Adventure (Heirs of Sun and Storm Book 1)


Jeremy Bai - 2021
    The Counter-Cultivation division investigates, the elite Black Corpses are sent in for the kill. None are spared. Mercy does not exist.But did the cultivators really bring the War of Tribulation? Are they actually responsible for the Heavenly Curse? Are they truly the bloodthirsty psychopaths the government paints them to be?Wang Fan, a homicide detective, believes that officers like himself are tasked with championing the rights of the common citizens. But when a seemingly routine case goes awry, he finds himself dragged into the darkness of the cultivation world. By the time he realizes the Black Corpses have their sniper rifles aimed at the back of his head, Wang Fan has no choice.He has to fight the system to survive.

Mastermind


Steven Kelliher - 2019
    He dreamed of fighting alongside colorful heroes and taking down dastardly villains. In Titan Online, the most popular VR MMORPG going, he finally got the chance to live out his cape-donning fantasies.That is, right up until he was killed by the game's number one 'hero'. A man who serves only himself in a constant grind for money, fame and adoration. Forced to start from scratch due the harsh game mechanics, Karna finds a new mission; bringing balance back to Titan Online.With a strange new power and some unlikely allies, Karna hatches a plan to save the game, and get a bit of revenge in the process.When the heroes can't be trusted, it's up to the villains to save the (virtual) world.

I Overlord


Joshua Done - 2020
    However, what I do know is that my boredom is about to come to an end. The tides of chaos have changed, rifts have opened to other worlds, and unless I miss my guess, nothing will ever be the same. Within the day, a new lord will come to power, and in his path, nations will burn. After being sucked through a dark and mysterious portal while walking his dog Jerry finds himself in a magical duel to the death. With the help of an ancient and unknowable force Jerry finds a way to interact with the magic of the new world as if it were a game. Using this new power he sets out to save as many fellow abductees as possible before they are murdered by this new world’s vicious inhabitants.

Age of Ancients


Aaron Oster - 2021
    Born with a crippling lung illness, he has never been as strong as his father or brother, both of whom have disappeared after attempting to challenge the Trials of Ancients. In the wake of the Tyrant King’s war, his village has come under the control of the Purus, a vicious gang of magically enhanced cutthroats and murderers. The Trials offer the promise of power to any who can clear them, but Dabu has been forbidden from entering.After a violent encounter leaves his family in danger, Dabu faces a difficult decision — either leave the village to challenge the Trials or stay and risk starvation. The Trials are monstrously difficult, filled with dangerous beasts, deadly obstacles, and tribes of challengers who control the areas within. But if he can make it out alive, Dabu will gain the power he needs to finally drive the Purus from his home.This book contains GameLit elements, such as stat sheets, a form of leveling, and experience gain.

Path of the Necromancer


Deck Davis - 2019
    In an RPG-like world, he makes his magic stronger by practising his spells and using them in clever ways. When he takes his first academy assignment, he finds trouble. Cut off from the protection of the academy and in a hostile land, he'll have to improvise if he wants to survive.  He needs to level up, learn new spells, and use them in creative ways. Necromancers have the power to cheat death...but that doesn't mean they can escape it.Read Path of the Necromancer now!

Oliver's Wishes


Cory Gaffner - 2018
     Last week I had an IQ so low that I sometimes forgot how to get home, and could barely stumble through sentences. This week I am the owner of the most advanced space station in the known universe and I wield powers that can alter reality itself. If I have the energy that my power is dependent upon... You see I get more energy every day, it's a set amount. I can stockpile it or burn it all up on one giant "upgrade" as I like to call it. This power comes from one of the wishes I made, yes, on a magical genie's lamp. I know that sounds crazy. So what do a Viking woman from 800AD, a U.S. Army combat veteran, and a fat gaming nerd have in common? Well, they're my team, and if I can save up enough energy I can use my new power to give them superpowers of their own. That's the plan at least. The problem with my plan is that I have some shadow organization looking for me. They'll kill me, my family, my friends, and everyone I have ever loved to get the lamp. What do they want? As far as I can tell they want to rewrite our universe into some kind of communist paradise where freewill comes second to safety and the government. I have to find some way to keep the lamp from the organization going after it that involves more than just hiding up in my space station. I refuse to be a hermit coward. I also have an ingrained need to help people, and now I have the power to do that. I have more resources at my disposal than any law enforcement agency on earth, and a team of people willing to help me. I want to be a hero, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Did I mention I was a barely functioning idiot last week? Content Warning: This book contains foul language, mild gore, and fictional politics.

Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm, Crimson Alliance, The Jade Lord


James A. Hunter - 2019
    After all, he's not one of the handful of lucky lottery winners scheduled for rescue. But he did luck into a NexGenVR capsule, which means Jack can risk a one-way trip to the virtual reality world of Viridan Gate Online, a completely immersive online multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, or RPG. The transition to Viridian Gate Online (V.G.O) is irreversible, and will kill Jack's corporeal form. And once players transition fully into the world of V.G.O., the risks aren't over—from cutthroat fellow players to greedy developers eager to replicate the wealth discrepancies of Earth in virtual reality, V.G.O. is just as dangerous as the 'real world' was. If Jack can’t game the system, he’s going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one… LitRPG books combine tropes and themes from role-playing games with sci-fi and fantasy elements to tell a unique story that's exciting and super-relevant to today's world. Jack's adventures in a cutthroat virtual reality fantasy world will grip fans of Blackmirror, Ready Player One, and The Stormlight Archive alike. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one series you don't want to miss! Included in this box set: Cataclysm (VGO Book 1)Crimson Alliance (VGO Book 2)The Jade Lord (VGO Book 3)

The Sigilist


Andrew Karevik - 2020
    The few patrons who pass through his tavern are often travelers looking for a cold beer and warm bed, but they move on quickly after that. The pretty noblewoman who visits from time to time, owner of the land Lance works, barely notices him, despite his efforts. But what is a peasant to do?One night, a traveler, poor and weary, arrives with nary a coin in his pocket. Lance, ever a man of hospitality, allows him to stay. The weary traveler sleeps in one of the tavern rooms and dies overnight, leaving behind nothing except a book of spells. This spellbook, which talks, explains to Lance that this wizard had no next of kin and sought instead to grant his immense power to whoever took him in first. The spellbook now belongs to Lance, changing everything in an instant.Within the pages of the book are sigils—carefully scribed arcane markings that transfer power. By learning to replicate a sigil in the air, Lance is able to cast spells. Magic is relatively secretive in this world; there are no wizard schools, nor books to explain how it works. All wizards are sworn to secrecy. By gaining the power of the Sigilist, Lance’s opportunities become endless.Will Lance be able to use these spells wisely, helping the world he lives in? Can he use his power to win the heart of the fair noblewoman who has not once paid him any mind? Or will the strange powers that exist in the world lure him to serve the causes of a Sorcerer King who is slowly building his dominion to reign over the land?

Enter System


Tom Larcombe - 2021
    When a message appears in his line of sight, blocking out absolutely everything else, he nearly freaks out. The message warns that the world has been in a variant Natural Laws beta test for millennia and that it's about to revert to the norms.Deciding that even if he is insane, it's not going to hurt anything to try to prepare, he settles in to do so. Despite the atrocious lack of skill the System has with the English language, he manages to work his way through enough help files to get a clue of what's coming. After sharing his discovery with a few friends, they all start to prepare together.Once the change begins, the small group races to create a Safe Zone, an area where monsters will not spawn and where they can gather other survivors in an attempt to rescue as much of the town as possible. Along the way they discover that the new System can award classes that resemble those of the games the group has played, as well as magic for those capable of grasping it.With monsters spawning throughout the town, everyday animals being mutated into dangerous creatures, and a System that desperately needs English language lessons, they'll do their best to save as many of the local residents as they can.This story is approximately 155,000 words long and DRM free.

Foundations


J.D. Astra - 2020
    His acceptance letter in hand, Jiyong is sure nothing will stand in the way of his dreams.When a street brawl lands him in a coma only weeks into the year, his chances of graduating are all but shot. With an unlikely digital companion, he’ll have to rebuild his magic core and catch up on all his classes, or risk being dropped from the academy at the end of the year.But kingdom life is not like the outer-cities, and kingdom kids are far more ruthless about who they’ll allow to climb to the top. Jiyong will have to train hard and fight for every score to make it in this wealthy academy for powerful families, all while supporting his own from afar.From J.D. Astra, author of Viridian Gate Online: Firebrand, comes a brand-new Cultivation Academy series, bursting at the seams with nanites, martial arts, and LitRPG goodness.