Book picks similar to
Vigor Mortis: Volume 1 by Natalie Maher
fantasy
dnf
first-in-series
fantasy_ya-wtr
AlterWorld
D. Rus - 2013
Whenever you play your favorite online game, beware: your mind might merge with the virtual world and dump its comatose host. Woe be to those stuck forever in Tetris! And still they're the lucky ones compared to those burning alive eternally within the scorched hulls of tank simulators. But some unfortunates - the handicapped and the terminally ill, shell-shocked army vets, wronged crime victims and other society misfits - choose to flee real life willingly, escaping to the limitless world of online sword and sorcery MMORPGs. Once a seasoned gamer and now a terminal cancer patient, Max grasps at this final chance to preserve his life and identity. So he goes for it - goes for the promise of immortality shared with a few trusty friends and the woman he loves. Together they roam the roads of AlterWorld and sample its agony and ecstasy born of absolute freedom.
CivCEO
Andrew Karevik - 2019
The days of running his financial empire have finally come to an end. All because of a stupid heart attack. Now what is there for him to do but to curl up in a corner and die? While Charles is attending a fundraiser, however, something happens and he’s transported into a strange medieval world where magic is real and legendary heroes coexist with mythical monsters. As it turns out, he’s been snatched by a goddess who was in need of a Champion to grow her village. But the goddess made a mistake. He wasn’t the one she was targeting with her spell. Long story short, she departs without even a word of excuse, leaving Charles stuck with no means of going back home. Not one to feel sorry for himself, Charles embraces this new opportunity, especially since the goddess’ magic returned him to his prime during the transfer. On his way, Charles meets the inhabitants of Tine, a modest village that’s been awaiting a sign from the gods for centuries. And after discussing the situation with the Mayor, he decides to help them out by assuming the role of their Champion. Relying on a lifetime of business expertise and the Topsight—an ability that allows him to see and manage the entire village from above—he will have to start back from the bottom and find how to bring this measly Level 1 village to prosperity. One thing is for certain, it will be a long road. As Charles starts looking for any opportunity to generate gold, the problems begin to pile up. Soon, Charles not only has to deal with bandits and other rulers looking to make a profit out of him, he also has to face internal crises that threaten to escalate into a full-blown uprising. Because, as he’ll quickly learn, the Mayor had somehow "forgotten" to tell the villagers of their deal, and now they’re mad at him for usurping the position of Champion without the approval of the gods. And so, they give him an ultimatum: he has one month to prove himself and improve Tine, otherwise it’s the hangman’s noose. Follow Charles as he takes on the challenge of a lifetime. Follow him as he builds roads and shops, hires heroes, develops alliances with neighboring villages…but also fights terrible foes while struggling to maintain the Happiness and Satisfaction levels of his village in the positives.
A Healer's Gift
Tao Wong - 2017
Born in a mining camp, he's unable to still his restless heart and journey's to a nearby Dungeon town to take his first steps as an Adventurer. Follow his journey in a world filled with monsters, dungeons and a leveling system. A traditional fantasy story with LitRPG elements.
He Who Fights with Monsters
Shirtaloon - 2021
At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil.He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need pants.After cementing itself as one of the best-rated serial novels on Royal Road with an astonishing 13 million views, He Who Fights with Monsters is now available on Kindle.About the series: Experience an isekai culture clash as a laid-back Australian finds himself in a very serious world. See him gain suspiciously evil powers through a unique progression system combining cultivation and traditional LitRPG elements. Enjoy a weak-to-strong story with a main character who earns his power without overshadowing everyone around him, with plenty of loot, adventurers, gods and magic. Rich characters and world-building offer humor, political intrigue and slice-of-life elements alongside lots of monster fighting and adventure.
Overgeared
Park Saenal
He even had to do labor in the VR game, Satisfy!However, luck would soon enter his hapless life. His character, ‘Grid’, would discover the Northern End Cave for a quest, and in that place, he would find ‘Pagma’s Rare Book’ and become a legendary class player…
Respawn
Stuart Thaman - 2018
The leader of the famed Blackened Blades, he’s made a name for himself, built a kingdom of sorts, and only had to respawn once along the way. Then a rogue band of jackals sends him all the way back to a dreary tavern in a tiny village to start over at level one. Hellbent on revenge, Kadorax sets out on a path littered with bodies—level up, find the jackals, slay their god!
Monster's Mercy
William D. Arand - 2019
Where the only thing to look forward to was the blessed, if brief, period of time between paying that bribe. Except that very same Monster is and isn’t Rene. It just happened to live inside his own mind and force him to do what it wanted. Rather than being an actual Monster. That was Rene’s entire life until a fateful day changed that. A day that the career as a hitman for hire built on the Monster’s needs will end. Where Rene will be forced to atone for his actions. To be held accountable and judged. Except the verdict is already long since passed and needs no deliberation. His sentence was being sent hundreds of years into the past, into a different world even, where he must live a life for the betterment of others. Every action judged as it happens and weighed out against him. But even this new idyllic life he’s been living in for eighteen years is about to go off the rails and Rene will be forced back into a life lived in the underworld. Armed with a few gifts granted to him by the one who judged him, gifts better suited to a fantasy about living in a video game, Rene has to maneuver his way back to his new life while using all the things he’d learned in his old one. Except using those skills is a double-edged sword. If he’s not careful, he’ll end up right back where he started. Dead and on his way to hell. Warning and minor spoiler: This novel contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/harem, unconventional opinions/beliefs, and a hero who is as tactful as a dog at a cat show. Read at your own risk.
My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World: Volume 1
Tamamaru - 2022
One night after working late, he saves an injured cat from a speeding truck. The cat survives, but Eizo does not... Luckily, that cat turns out to be a god-like being who offers him a second chance in another world! Eizo decides that he wants a slower life, one where he can live off the things he creates with his own hands. So, why not become a blacksmith? He does have one other stipulation: a cat companion for his quiet life. These requests are granted, and Eizo is whisked away to a new world and imbued with blacksmithing knowledge. He soon finds out that his abilities are above average—in fact, his new skills are so overpowered that they’re like cheats. On top of that, his cat companion turns out to be a half-tiger girl! Eizo’s blades soon garner attention, and he realizes that he can turn the tides of battle with his forge and hammer. With so much commotion in store, will Eizo truly be able to enjoy a quiet life?
A Wild Last Boss Appeared!, Vol. 1
Firehead - 2016
A man wakes up in the body of his MMO character 200 years after her defeat during an player-made event in the game, Exgate Online. Now, he's stuck in her body. But this isn’t a game, it’s real. With her reign long over, and her legacy one of fear, Lufas must journey through the world of Exgate, looking for answers, possible comrades, and all the monsters her “death” unleashed upon the world...
Sufficiently Advanced Magic
Andrew Rowe - 2017
Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess. He never returned. Now, it’s Corin’s turn. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess. If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity. The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back.
The Kingdom of Liars
Nick Martell - 2020
Michael is branded a traitor as a child because of the murder of the king’s nine-year-old son, by his father David Kingman. Ten years later on Michael lives a hardscrabble life, with his sister Gwen, performing crimes with his friends against minor royals in a weak attempt at striking back at the world that rejects him and his family. In a world where memory is the coin that pays for magic, Michael knows something is there in the hot white emptiness of his mind. So when the opportunity arrives to get folded back into court, via the most politically dangerous member of the kingdom’s royal council, Michael takes it, desperate to find a way back to his past. He discovers a royal family that is spiraling into a self-serving dictatorship as gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia. What the truth holds is a set of shocking revelations that will completely change the Hollows, if Michael and his friends and family can survive long enough to see it.
An OP Returnee
Stuart Grosse - 2021
That explosion brought magic to the world, spreading across the globe in what would come to be called the Awakening. All around the world, people began to develop magic powers, some of them even turning into creatures of myth like elves and dwarves.With magic came monsters, and other threats to the world. Some of those who had power took up the call, and became adventurers or heroes, fighing back the monsters. Others let their newfound powers go to their heads, becoming villains. Many turned their powers to crafting, and melding magic and technology. And a few began delving into the secrets of magic for knowledge's sake alone.But the blast that kickstarted the Awakening did more than just bring magic to the world. Twenty students, all in the same class, disappeared that day. No trace of their remains was ever found, and no one else in the building was so much as injured. People began calling them the Lost Sleepers, twenty souls who would never Awaken like the rest of the world had.Forty years after the Awakening, one of them returned.
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound
Noret Flood - 2021
Before every person had to deal with the sudden presence of Levels, Skills, monsters, and the very real possibility of death...Due to unusual circumstances, Randidly starts in an isolated Dungeon far beyond his Level, forced to rely on the mysterious Traveler Shal in order to learn and survive with the dangerous new status quo for his world.But survive he does, only to leave the Dungeon and discover that while he experienced several hellish months in the Dungeon, only half a day passed on Earth. Randidly's capabilities are now more than enough to help build a small enclave of survivors, but that doesn't mean balancing his sense of responsibility against the plots of an unfriendly town will be easy.And although he doesn’t know it, he needs to prepare. Because the System has sent down a Tribulation, which waits in the shadows and monitors his every move...Don't miss the start of this hit LitRPG Fantasy series with over 50 Million views on Royal Road. For the first time, The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound is now available with loads of new content on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible narrated by Macleod Andrews.About the Series: Experience a particular flavor of LitRPG/GameLit, where Skill growth and the Path System allow individuals to tailor their growth toward infinite possibilities. There are Classes, Skills, Levels, and Rarities that will feel familiar to any connoisseur of role-playing games. Follow Randidly as he balances his growing power with the worrisome ripples of his existence. The System doesn’t discriminate; when he is ready for more dangerous threats, the rest of humanity better be ready, too. Those who have read the web-novel when it was available online can experience the saga the way it was always meant to be told, fully revised and re-edited, and with tons of new material!
Spellmonger
Terry Mancour - 2011
It was a peaceful, beautiful little fief, far from the dangerous feudal petty squabbles of the Five Duchies, on the world of Callidore. There were cows. Lots of cows. And cheese. For six months things went well: he found a quaint little shop, befriended the local lord, the village folk loved him, he found a sharp young apprentice to help out, and best yet, he met a pretty young widow with the prettiest eyes . . . Then one night Minalan is forced to pick up his mageblade again to defend his adopted home from the vanguard of an army of goblins – gurvani, they call themselves – bent on a genocidal crusade against all mankind. And that was the good news. The bad news was that their shamans were armed with more magical power than has been seen since the days of the ancient Imperial Magocracy – and their leader, a mysterious, vengeful force of hate and dark magic, is headed directly to Boval valley. The good people of Boval and their spellmonger have only one choice, to hole up in the over-sized Boval Castle and hope they can endure a siege against hundreds of thousands.When the people look to him for hope, Minalan does his best, but there are multitudes of goblins, and they want Boval Vale as a staging ground for an invasion of the whole Five Duchies, and only Minalan is standing in their way. Add a jealous rival mage, a motley band of mercenaries, a delusional liege lord who insists victory is at hand despite the hordes at his door, a moody, pregnant girlfriend and a catty ex-girlfriend who specializes in sex magic -- all trapped in a stinking, besieged castle with no hope of rescue, and you’ll understand why Minalan is willing to take his chances with the goblins. All that stands between the gurvani horde and the people of the Five Duchies is one tired, overwhelmed baker’s son who wanted nothing more than to be a simple spellmonger.