Book picks similar to
The Chosen by Jakob Tanner
litrpg
fantasy
dropped
sci-fi
Daisy's Run
Scott Baron - 2018
They were still alive, after all, which was always a plus in her book. Now if only she could figure out who, or what, was endangering her return home, things would be just peachy. It had been one hell of a way to start the day––being rudely snapped from a deep cryo-sleep, and in the middle of a ship-wide crisis to boot––but Daisy was pleased to note that the ship had not decompressed, the crew hadn’t been blasted into space, and, most importantly, they hadn’t simply blown up. At least not yet. So, they had that going for them, but being stuck on a damaged ship in the inky depths of space as it limped toward Earth was not exactly the relaxing trip home she’d imagined. With the powerful AI supercomputer guiding the craft beginning to show some disconcerting quirks of its own, and its unsettling cyborg assistant nosing into her affairs, Daisy’s unease was rapidly growing. Add to the mix a crew of mechanically-enhanced humans, any one of whom she suspected might not be what they seemed, and Daisy found herself with a sense of pending dread tickling the periphery of her mind. Something was very much not right––she could feel it in her bones. The tricky part now was going to be figuring out what the threat was, before it could manifest from a mere sinking feeling in her gut into a potentially deadly reality.
The Feedback Loop
Harmon Cooper - 2015
His life changes when a mysterious letter arrives one morning from a woman named Frances Euphoria, the first human player he has made contact with in a very long time. Once Frances appears, members of a murder guild known as the Reapers begin surfacing in The Loop, hoping to capture Quantum or worse -- kill him. To further complicate matters, The Loop itself is doing everything it can to stop Quantum from finding the hidden logout point by turning everything in the virtual dreamworld against him.With time running out, will Quantum break free from his digital coma before he's captured or killed by the Reapers? Who is Frances Euphoria, and what does she actually know about how long Quantum has been trapped? The Feedback Loop Series takes place thirty years before the Life is a Beautiful Thing Series. It shares the same world, but is a standalone series that focus on dream-based virtual reality worlds and the people who are trapped in them. The next book in the series will be called Steampunk is Dead, and will be released in the fall.
The Killing Fog
Jeff Wheeler - 2020
Now the nobleman, and collector of rare artifacts, has entrusted Bingmei and the skilled team with a treacherous assignment: brave the wilderness’s dangers to retrieve the treasures of a lost palace buried in a glacier valley. But upsetting its tombs has a price.Echion, emperor of the Grave Kingdom, ruler of darkness, Dragon of Night, has long been entombed. Now Bingmei has unwittingly awakened him and is answerable to a legendary prophecy. Destroying the dark lord before he reclaims the kingdoms of the living is her inherited mission. Killing Bingmei before she fulfills it is Echion’s. Thrust unprepared into the role of savior, urged on by a renegade prince, and possessing a magic that is her destiny, Bingmei knows what she must do. But what must she risk to honor her ancestors? Bingmei’s fateful choice is one that neither her friends nor her enemies can foretell, as Echion’s dark war for control unfolds.
The Singing Mountain
David Sanchez-Ponton - 2020
That, however, was not meant to be. A single choice changed his fate, and his soul was forced to live again as a dungeon. Reborn but shackled to the heart of a mountain, this old soul has lost everything—and more.In a world of gods and demons, there is no room for a weak newborn dungeon. Now with a new name, Smit and his creations will have to carve out their own place. The path may be long and dangerous, but with a soul hardier than stone and a will stronger than iron, will he be able to forge his own destiny?
Huntress Initiate
Jamie Davis - 2019
How did they expect her to play the game if she didn’t even understand the rules?
Abandoned as an infant, Quinn Faust is about to discover she’s not just a normal human being.Bounced from foster home to foster home, she came to rely on her street smarts, martial arts skills, and the tiny silver amulet that was the only link to her lost family.Hired by a video game company to test new Virtual Reality gear to train soldiers, Quinn quickly learns there’s more to the game than they told her.Now strange happenings reveal a world hidden in the shadows, the existence of supernatural creatures, magic and mystical powers.Does Quinn have what it takes to claim the birthright of long-lost Hunter clans?Find out! Scroll back up and click “Buy Now” or “Read for Free” to start the adventure!
The Laboratory
Skyler Grant - 2017
When her systems are booted up she finds herself in control of a long-abandoned facility in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The world is filled with dangerous threats granted great powers by the same cataclysm that befell the world. Emma must balance safety with the desire for test subjects as she brings herself back fully online and stakes out a place in this new world.
Temple of Sorrow
Carrie Summers - 2018
A half-wit ogre, a legion of overgrown jungle beasts, and a power-tripping AI are trying to stop her. Relic Online is the hottest new game out there, and it’s Devon Walker’s best hope for escaping her hard-knock life. Thanks to her rocking achievements in other games, she’s been hired as a salaried player. Even better, her new position comes with cutting-edge implants that turn RO’s virtual reality into a full sensory explosion. Her only task? Drive the game’s creator AI to the outermost limits of its creativity. Sounds easy, right? But when Devon logs in, her expectations shatter like an ice golem hit with a sonic blast. Wearing nothing but a cloth tunic and ragged pants, she spawns inside a ruined city overgrown by steamy jungle. With zero skills and nothing in her inventory but pocket lint, she immediately runs afoul of the city’s guardian, a stone golem the size of an apartment building. The encounter does not go well. And Relic Online is just getting started with her. For lovers of LitRPG, GameLit, Fantasy, and video games. Scroll up and click 'buy now' to jump into the adventure
Accidental Thief
C.J. Davis - 2017
His wife's a successful engineering executive while his IT help desk job led nowhere. Even his daughter's daycare teacher thought he was a loser. He couldn't catch a break.Then a strange woman at a flea market sells Hal a bootleg early release of the highly anticipated Fantasma game. It is just what he wished for and he can't wait to play it during his long weekend home alone. His luck has finally turned around, right? Hal should be careful what he wishes for.Whisked away into the game he only wanted to play for a weekend, Hal enters a world desperate for a hero.Is Hal Dix that hero?Join the adventure in this first book of an epic LitRPG fantasy trilogy. Play along with Hal and his new friends in Fantasma, as he becomes an Accidental Thief, and perhaps, a mythical hero of prophecy.
More Than a Game
Andrey Vasilyev - 2014
Tasked with a new assignment, journalist Harriton is given explicit orders to write a series of articles on the Virtual Gaming World of Fayroll and its developers. Harriton grudgingly accepts the assignment but soon finds himself enthralled by the virtual fantasy world and its amazing quests, unpredictable challenges and nearly endless possibilities. As 'Hagen the Warrior', he skeptically enters the fantasy world where the thirst for success and vanity of high-level players in pursuit of legendary objects spills into the real world. Here, high-stakes bets are made on the success of the virtual characters. Events and decisions that Harriton makes in the virtual space as Hagen now start to affect his own reality. More Than a Game will exceed all expectations of fans of epic fantasy fiction and online gaming. His unpredictable character, perseverance and excitement draw the attention of powerful gamers and influential Moscow elite with a devouring interest in Fayroll's outcome. It is not long before he realizes that this fantastic world conceals many dangers. Will he be able to pass all the tests? Start reading now! ****** Andrey Vasilyev is a prominent and acclaimed author that writes intricately crafted, action-packed heroic fantasy and adult epic adventure. Moreover, he is one of the founding fathers of the relatively new, yet insanely popular, LitRPG and Gamelit genres that blends cyberpunk, classic sci-fi and fantasy. His debut novel More Than a Game was chosen the "Best Book of the Year" in 2014 in Russia, the birthplace of LitRPG!
Beyond The Wall
Pwyll Duggan - 2019
Like one moment you’re drinking your coffee and the next you are naked in what looks like a medieval village. And worse, the coffee is gone. Must be a Monday. Paul Walsh really didn’t need this. Divorced, Wrong side of 40 and not exactly what you would call fit. Now some mystical force has set him up as today’s hope to save a village. Kill Monsters, Harvest their Souls and Power their Wall. A magical wall of black energy that stretches further than the horizon and up higher than the clouds. It keeps the monsters out and lets those selected thru. And he’s one of a thousand that have been selected to go forth in the last 3 years. New ones get selected only if the previous never returns by nightfall. No pressure. No pressure at all. Paul’s definitely too old for this sh.. At least there’s Orcs, Centaurs, Elves, Lamia, Harpies and the odd Spider. He also runs into the Dead, Night Ones, Dryads, Driders and Troublesome Nobles. To comfort him there are Fair Maidens, Noodles and yummy Rice Balls. Warnings and Minor Spoilers: This is an Isekai (Portal Fantasy) novel with Adult themes, Swearing and Graphic Violence in its many forms, set in a Medieval style Society, with cultural values to match. Adult relationships with Societal Harem themes that slowly disappear as the story progresses. Please Read with that in consideration. And watch out for the Snotters, they bite.
Crafter's Passion
Kris Schnee - 2018
The richest and luckiest players of the video game "Thousand Tales" get their minds uploaded to its virtual paradise world, while Stan can barely buy a handheld console. Instead of sulking he plays, and grows, becoming a skilled craftsman and seafaring explorer. The game's ruling AI, Ludo, helps him find the hope and inspiration missing from his real life. When the AI starts asking for favors and having him reach out between the real and digital worlds, Stan has a chance to turn his life into an actual adventure. But first he needs to earn the most valuable prize of all: his freedom. "Crafter's Passion" is part of the emerging "LitRPG" or "GameLit" genre, combining science fiction with the world of gaming. ----- On Island East-2 stood Stan, in the dungeon, with the rickety raft. He dragged it out to the beach, scavenged more wood and some interesting shells, and paddled his way back west. The raft disintegrated just as he got within sight of East-1. He held onto a chunk of wood to help him float but couldn't carry the rest in his pack. All he could do was start swimming! A scary fish swerved into his path but he managed to detour until it lost interest. Finally he sprawled onto the beach with a bunch of stat penalties for being wet and tired. Belatedly he realized, "I probably ruined everything in my backpack." A note said, [Nearly everything you're carrying is safe, like coins and a sealed bottle, but that can be a problem with other items. There are several ways to get waterproofing.] That sounded reasonable. He'd assumed that jumping into the water with a load of items was harmless, but that was his own fault. "Fine." He headed west to Central Island across the bridge. So far he just had that crude backpack full of loot, and he couldn't carry much more without a better pack. He looked over the junky resources he'd scavenged, then the items he'd looted off his party members' bodies. None of the equipment was listed as magical, and the item descriptions were starting to give him more serious labels like [Crude Wooden Bow] for Alaya's weapon. Even he could probably make something better with a little practice. He could make something better! That could be fun. Besides, he'd swiped this gear from people he'd agreed to help, so maybe he could replace or upgrade the stuff by way of apology. Stan headed over to the Crown & Tail's workbench to give it a try. Along the way he jumped around for the fun of bounding up the sunny shore. He tapped the bench of tools and tried to fix up some items, but it buzzed at him. [Equipment repairs require access to improved crafting stations.] The bartender directed him to the "maker workshop" a ways inland from the beach. It looked like an old fort, a squat wooden cabin surrounded by a spiky wall of logs. Why not a giant golden palace? Probably it had been built by the players using the game's own physics. That was pretty neat. He walked right in through the open gate. Inside was a craftsman's playground. Saws, drills and other tools covered some of the tables. A whole corner was devoted to colorful glassware and bubbling fluids. A green-robed figure was busy at that alchemy station, pouring beakers one into another and making puffs of steam. The only other person here was a smith in a leather apron and goggles, making a pleasant rhythmic ringing of metal. Behind him loomed a forge where slabs of metal were glowing cherry-red. Stan looked around and asked, "Is this stuff open to the community?" The alchemist turned around.
The Mayor of Noobtown
Ryan Rimmel - 2019
You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon. After dying and being reborn into a world that's built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in a very old world style new player zone for low level adventurers. Unfortunately, the zone fell out of use centuries ago, and no one told the monsters they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs. Even worse, the only new player around is Jim. Jim has been given an opportunity, and he'll do his best to take advantage of it.
Secondborn
Amy A. Bartol - 2017
Secondborns are the property of the government. Thirdborns are not tolerated. Long live the Fates Republic.On Transition Day, the second child in every family is taken by the government and forced into servitude. Roselle St. Sismode’s eighteenth birthday arrives with harsh realizations: she’s to become a soldier for the Fate of Swords military arm of the Republic during the bloodiest rebellion in history, and her elite firstborn mother is happy to see her go.Televised since her early childhood, Roselle’s privileged upbringing has earned her the resentment of her secondborn peers. Now her decision to spare an enemy on the battlefield marks her as a traitor to the state.But Roselle finds an ally—and more—in fellow secondborn conscript Hawthorne Trugrave. As the consequences of her actions ripple throughout the Fates Republic, can Roselle create a destiny of her own? Or will her Fate override everything she fights for—even love?
Raising Stony Mayhall
Daryl Gregory - 2011
Wrapped in the woman’s arms is a baby, stone-cold, not breathing, and without a pulse. But then his eyes open and look up at Wanda — and he begins to move.The family hides the child — whom they name Stony — rather than turn him over to authorities that would destroy him. Against all scientific reason, the undead boy begins to grow. For years his adoptive mother and sisters manage to keep his existence a secret — until one terrifying night when Stony is forced to run and he learns that he is not the only living dead boy left in the world.
Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones 1
Dem Mikhailov - 2020
He had no specific plans for his new character. Little did he know that his new nickname Rosgard would become the game's next greatest legend.Even the game's Crèche zone may contain items of interest if you're observant enough. Rosgard's find didn't just change his own life drastically — it enveloped an entire game world in a turmoil to boot! The adventuring player becomes a valued prize for Waldyra's leading clans. Our hero has to conceal his real name, since he's in danger in real world as well, and that's no game anymore. There are millions at stake — and the currency in question isn't Monopoly money. Rosgard holds the key to wealth and power in both worlds.Should you play your own game or throw in your lot with the strongest? This is the question that needs to be answered by the protagonist, whose luck is incredible. Whose side does one take without becoming a pawn in anyone's game?Clan Dominance: The Sleepless Ones is a perfect example of a classical LitRPG novel. The events in the virtual world and the events in the real world mesh closely together as the plot thickens and becomes more and more dynamic from one book to another. The series has thousands of diehard fans in Russia! Now in English — for every true fan of the genre!