Book picks similar to
The Beginning by Joshua Kern
litrpg
fantasy
dropped
gamelit
Goblin Summoner
Tracy Gregory - 2021
Dropped into a world where sorcerers draw magical power from a deck of cards, summoning monsters and flinging spells, Gareth must adapt to having arcane power at his fingertips. It’s just a shame he’s found himself with the weakest cards around—goblins!Joined by a fallen goddess, a deposed demon king and surly local, Gareth sets out into Acamida. In a realm where experience points and levels are very real, Gareth must grow stronger if he intends to have his second life last longer than his first. With monsters around every corner and dungeons beneath his feet, Acamida is a dangerous place.As Gareth finds new cards and grows in power, the rumbles of war stir in the west. If he’s going to survive Gareth will need to master his deck and find the strength hidden within his goblin allies.
Savage Dominion
Luke Chmilenko - 2021
If he had, he wouldn't have been so worried about kicking the bucket on a date gone even more wrong than usual.Reborn in the wild world of Amaranth, Maulkin finds himself in a hulking demi-human body with a sword of a size to match. Marked as an Eternal, a fledging immortal of boundless potential, Maulkin soon discovers he's been given a mission by the elder pantheon of this new realm:Grow stronger. Ascend to godhood. Spread chaos in their name.Oh and fend off that inbound apocalypse, if he can find the time.Who wants an easy afterlife anyway?
Axiom
Dennis Vanderkerken - 2019
The young forcibly recruited. An old man out for revenge.After his town is put to the sword and the children are taken to replace the fallen, an old man is out for revenge. He’s ready to fail at the most difficult challenge in the world: cultivation.Too corrupted to even take the first steps, the sly old elder simply agreed with those who told him that it was impossible. Then he quietly ignored them, rubbed his hands together, and started anyway. He had always failed in what he did: he lost his way from the academy, his command was devastated by a Mage, he lost his town, and now his last hopes for the future had been stolen by a group of raiders. The only thing that had never failed him was his sharp mind and philosophy. He would cultivate... no matter what it cost him.A lifetime of failure can dull and dampen a soul. A reason to live, a goal, can change that in an instant. It is always darkest just before the dawn.
Patch 17
G. Akella - 2015
With Patch 17, the level of immersion experienced by players in their gaming capsules has made virtual reality indistinguishable from the real world. But every gamer's dream becomes a nightmare for Roman Kozhevnikov after he gets confined to Arkon against his will. And not just to Arkon, but to its deadliest zone--Demon Grounds. Playing, or rather living as his character Krian, it's not just about survival for Roman. He longs to exact revenge for his banishment to the virtual world where the sensation of pain has reached one hundred percent...
A Virtual Dream
Brent Roth - 2015
He dreamed of a life where maintaining his health was no longer a daily struggle, and then when he had lost all hope, he had discovered a new virtual reality game on the horizon. A VR-MMORPG that offered him everything he lacked in real life, everything that had eluded him. A world where he could find adventure, companionship, and success all wrapped up in the singular package of The Dragon's Wrath. The game offered him a chance, a chance for salvation… a glimmer of hope. It was better than a dream, it was a virtual dream.
The Dungeon Traveler
Alston Sleet - 2019
My death was unpleasant and humiliating. However, death is something we all need to go through. A bit like a proctology exam; necessary but never anything one wants to go through while it's happening. However, death was supposed to be the end of it. Either way, the pain, suffering, and failures were supposed to be over. I was supposed to wink out, or perhaps take a trip to a lovely afterlife! No, I ended up as a small stone, strapped to a table, while a pimple-faced teenager rubbed my facets and told me how 'lovely' I was. Last time I checked, birth wasn't supposed to be as embarrassing as death! Life as a dungeon core isn't all bad. I like watching lizard love triangles and snooping on militaristic dwarves; though there is that issue where I'm trying to free myself from the entanglements of the Gods....ok, yeah that last one is a bit of a problem.
Reincarnation
Michael Head - 2021
A man fated to destroy it. There’s a prophecy to ignore.Jim was thrust back in time, returned to his body at the moment he started cultivating. Anyone else might have given up, but Jim doesn’t have that option. He’s already made the mistakes that doomed him in his first life, and he knows what to do to make it right. Jim wants to right the wrongs of the past… or, future? All while a pair of angry gods torture him through lack of sleep.He must find a way to reach the top of the cultivation world without drawing the attention of those who would take his knowledge of the future for themselves. Jim has seen how the world ended, and he is determined to fight his way through the world’s hidden foes and defeat his destiny.Weakened to merely a shadow of his former strength, he quickly learns that fighting alone may not be his best option, even though fate seems to like it that way.Luckily for the world, Jim thinks fate is stupid. He doesn’t care what it wants.
Village of Hawkshead
John Elijah Cressman - 2021
Now he’s been abducted and dropped into a strange world with others who have been taken from their homes. And magic and monsters are real.Now, Ethan is a wizard and must convince his new companions to band together in order to survive in this strange new world as they level up, gain abilities and try to unravel the mystery of why they were abducted and how to find a way home.But things are never easy and soon he and his friends find themselves in the middle of a conflict that could spell disaster to their new home.Oh, and there might be something murdering wizards and sucking out their brains.Could things get any worse?
Arrival
Kenneth Arant - 2019
In this new world, the hero is a once-in-a-hundred-year prodigy, a master Arcanist, and is blessed by the god of magic himself. Renowned for his battle prowess, he has an empire under his control and access to the most powerful Arcana Spirits the world has ever seen.
Sounds great, right? Well, there's just one problem... Our hero isn't the hero.
Our hero is the bad guy with a tragic ending.
Can our hero, armed with only his knowledge of anime and the body of twelve-year-old Aren Ulvani, turn his life around? Or will the events of the anime come to pass regardless of what he does?
From Kenneth Arant, bestselling author of All-Knowing Novice (Clanless Cultivator) and A Snake's Life, comes a brand new adventure that takes every anime trope and flips them on their head!
Publisher's Note:
I'
m the Bad Guy!? Arrival
is a rereleased work, originally published under the same title by the author, Kenneth Arant. This version, published by Shadow Alley Press, has been copy-edited, but no other substantial changes have been made to the story
Ball of Light: Evolution
AR Chen - 2019
Heck, he doesn't know what he is. Despite his spotty memory, he's pretty sure he didn't used to be a floating ball of light. He's also certain that he's not originally from this dangerous fantasy world...maybe. Okay, fairly certain. To make things stranger, he seems to be involved in something big, something magical...a game. Who was he before? Will his memories come back? Why does he have an assistant explaining the game's rules to him? He can evolve? There's a countdown timer? One thing Steve does know is that he needs to figure out what's going on fast, and if he is playing a game, even a deadly one, he plans to win.
Initializing
K.T. Hanna - 2018
Determined to overcome the unexpected setback, she assembles her guild, intent on the coveted #1 spot. Twelve keys stand between her and victory, but finding them is only part of the puzzle.Armed with telepathic abilities, Murmur rises to the challenge. However, old rivals have followed her to Somnia Online desperate for revenge. Intricate quest lines become more dangerous as NPCs absorb powerful artifacts, and Murmur begins to wonder just what sort of AI controls the world. Murmur questions her sanity as the real and virtual worlds mesh together. Everyone is keeping secrets from her, even the AI, and Murmur’s determined to uncover them.
Runic Apprentice
D.L. Harrison - 2020
He has everything he could want. A good master, a wonderful young lady he planned to court as soon as he had the coin to do so, and who cared for him as well.Everything changes in one moment, as he forges his first sword, places his maker’s mark for the first time, and discovers the truth that will turn all his life’s plans, hopes, and expectations into ashes.Olin is a rune mage, and it looked like his life was going to be turned upside down again, as he once more took up apprenticeship duties. He has very little choice in the matter, all mages served the royal family, compulsorily.That won’t be his last surprise either. Join Olin on his path of discovery, as he does his best to forge his own destiny under the yolk of expectations, customs, and traditions of mage society.Note: This is the first book of a trilogy. No major cliffhangers but expect a few unresolved plot threads. This story is told in the third person limited, from Olin’s point of view.
Growth Hero
Brent Tyman - 2021
Out of nowhere, he's whisked away to a fantasy world with game-like stats, monsters that drop loot, gorgeous mages and a Dungeon to explore.With only the clothes on his back and a single skill bestowed upon him, he has to survive this new world and forge a new life for himself.And perhaps work on getting a harem while he’s at it.Authors note: Inspired by light novels, RPG's and mangas. Contains Isekai, light LitRPG/ Gamelit stats, dungeons, magic and a touch of tropes.
The New Journey
Pegaz - 2018
Transmigrating into a new world granted him an opportunity to change his view on life.With power and immortality as new goals, he is willing to pay any price. Unfortunately, there are those willing to take advantage of him and his unfamiliarity with a new world. Shadows behind the curtains, unwilling to reveal themselves, will trick him into doing their bidding.Now, John faces an entire kingdom on his own. Deceived? Conned? They don't care. His actions carry a sin none of them are willing to forgive.With the world as an enemy, John will fight to accomplish his goals. His path will be stopped by no one.Read this novel to enjoy a journey of self-discovery, ambition and revenge. Inspired by classical LitRPG, Xianxia and Fantasy, Idle System is a new take on these genres. If you've enjoyed novels like Ready Player One, Main Character Hides his Strength or Dodge Tank, then you're bound to love this book
Path of Graves (Etinhym, #1)
E.A. Hooper - 2020
The Dark Pantheon rules from below. Together, they defeated the other divine races and became the masters of Etinhym.”Eadric is the son of the Grave Queen, but he was raised in the Crown Realm as part of the alliance between the two pantheons. After reaching the age of eighteen, he’s finally able to choose the Path that will allow him to acquire demigod abilities and explore the many realms of Etinhym. Although his goal is to become a Grave Lord, serving under his mother, he finds himself following the trail of a conspiracy that threatens the Divine Pact that has kept the jotuns, the valkyries, the greater demons, and the dragons from uniting against the gods.Eadric’s story will take him through strange realms—from a spatially disjointed forest that twists and turns on itself to a living ocean of blood and even a skyscape full of floating castles. He’ll also have to face off against strange monsters, corrupted spirits, and even towering abominations. If he fails, then the war that follows will likely be the last war Etinhym ever sees—a war that will surely lead to the extermination of the human race.***This book contains RPG elements, harsh language in a few chapters, and violent descriptions.***