Book picks similar to
Nothing but Bones: The Wasteland by John Carrarn


litrpg
fantasy-zombies-apocalypse
gamelit
p-china

Hold the Line


Dean Henegar - 2021
    For decades, the governments of our world have been fighting a desperate and secret battle to keep hordes of alien invaders away from our planet. When the guardian of the United States falls, a new champion must be chosen. Sadly, the choice of a champion isn’t ours to make, and the Galactic Conflict Authority selects a human, seemingly at random, to lead the United States of America’s efforts at holding back the tide. Hugh Logan is in the middle of teaching a class when he is taken against his will and informed that he is now the newest member of Earth’s defense against alien invasion. He must give up everything to become our champion. He must give up everything to prevent our destruction. He must become… a War Core. War Core is a Dungeon Core series with LitRPG and RTS elements.

Dark Cultivation: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG


Avery Stevenson - 2019
     Elliot is transported to Eden because he's their last hope: A man filled with a power not seen in centuries. He has the rare ability to learn talents from all talent trees, not just one. Only he's not the man everyone thinks he is. Downtrodden his entire life, he's been harboring dark desires deep inside him for years. And now he's finally been given the opportunity to live them. Instead of a hero's journey, Elliot is about to embark on the ultimate villain's journey. Dark Cultivation is a work of fiction exploring what happens when a dark character takes power, not endorsing it. There's sex, violence, gore and profanity. Don't read if you trigger easily.

Rise of the Glass Cannon Mage


Atlas Kane - 2021
    The changes were more than anyone could have dreamed of: magical powers, a stronger body, and a call to adventure.And it should have been a paradise. Gifted the ability to combine spells with my Meta Bracer, I should have had an easy climb to the top.Maybe it was just me, Jory Mitchels, previously middle management in a start up from hell. The change was supposed to make life better for the humans of Earth, but something went wrong. An anomaly occurred involving my previous boss, a misguided man child billionaire who believes in the healing power of crystals and essential oils.On a quest to clean up the bastard's mess, with a beautiful sorceress and a brimstone burping monster at my side, this second life as a glass cannon mage is off to a memorable start.(Contains unconventional relationships and adult situations.)

Reborn: Apprentice: A LitRPG Adventure (Reclamation Book 1)


Luka Petrov - 2019
    Being an avid RPG player, Ed excelled at logic and reason, and when he enters the afterworld, he is met with a figure who offers him an appealing proposition, to reincarnate as Edward MacAra, a black magic user. The only stipulation, Edward must save the universe from being taken over by the Demon Lord, Abraxas. Abraxas is thought to be dormant, but he is slowly taking over the surrounding villages, and Gilmore is next. Ed risks losing his own soul in the process if he is not able to prevent Abraxas from claiming the universe. After deliberation, Ed reincarnates to the village of Gilmore as Edward MacAra, an 8-year old boy. Does Edward have what it takes to become a black magic user? Find out if Edward can save the village of Gilmore in Reborn: Apprentice.

Planet Bound


R.A. Mejia - 2018
    Unfortunately, the transport ship he chose is attacked by pirates and he ends up stranded on an unknown planet where the very air is toxic to him. Now John has to team up with the ship’s AI and the two have to survive on this hostile alien world and figure out some way to get off the planet or get a message out for help. Can they overcome their dwindling resources, alien life forms, and hostile space forces? Or will they die together, planet bound? This is a sci-fi survival story with augmented reality, a snarky AI, upgrade mechanics, resource gathering, crafting, alien creatures, and space pirates.

Into a Dark Adventure


Belart Wright - 2016
    Inspired by a dark masterpiece. Twenty years into the future, an independent virtual reality developer named Fulton Milner creates a VR program that is so immersive that it truly fools the mind. His program, a virtual resort, created such pleasurable immersion that he is soon recruited by a renown games studio. Here, one of Milner's projects, a virtual fantasy game, catches the eye of some investors and he is finally given the approval he needs to begin the project that would define his career. It's a dark fantasy adventure simulator known only as Project DH. Sam Nagai thought testing videogames would be a dream job until he got saddled with a ton of barely playable mobile games that used very wonky holographic gimmicks. The lack of fun in these games and small pay makes Sam typically reluctant whenever he gets a call for a new gig, but customers for his art commissions have been scarce and Sam needs all the money he can get. He finally gets a call for a new gig with potential bonus pay, but not much else is known about the game itself. From what he does know, it sounds sort of interesting. Virtual reality, dark gothic fantasy world, role playing game mechanics, and uber hard difficulty? Sam's all in for that. After all, even if he gets in over his head, the simulation isn't truly real so there's not really any danger. Join Sam in a virtual sword and sorcery role playing adventure where the main goal is survival at all costs. It's an adventure that's filled with diverse starting classes, customizable combat options, upgradeable weapons and armor, upgradeable statistics, open ended questlines, realistic NPCs with classically trained voice actors, a dark and atmospheric immersive game world, multiplayer content, eye popping creature designs, and so much more. Players say its the perfect blend of simulation and fantasy, where their imaginations can truly run wild. **Note to readers: If any of you are sensitive to swearing, then this book isn't for you. There is copious swearing from the main character, Sam, that's mainly played as a character flaw/trait for laughs and dramatic effect.

Terra Nova


Vowron Prime - 2021
    Like a machine. But when his family’s life is on the line, that’s something else. That calls for the kind of warm-blooded vengeance that scorches earth and summons tungsten rods from space, leaving a whole lot of melted flesh and no one to tell the tale.It should've been a blue milk run. As by-the-book as it gets. With his sister Nina out safe and the opposition decimated by hypersonic gunfire, Magnus wonders where they got the guts to even try. Then something hits him. Lays him out cold, and leaves him waking up to a fantasyland with nothing but his armor and a half-written note to guide him.It's a strange place where even stranger predators eye him for their next meal. Where his life’s on a timer, and where the darkest horrors haunt his dreams, painting visions of death.There's no right day to mess with Magnus Cromwell. But the universe sure managed to pick the absolute worst one.Experience the start of a kickass LitRPG/GameLit Saga from debut author Vowron Prime.About the series: Embark on a jam-packed action adventure with an overpowered protagonist that seamlessly merges epic battles with mystery, survival, and elements of Lovecraftian horror. Dragons, magic, and medieval fantasy meet cyberpunk technology in this rollercoaster of a ride that starts fast and never lets up. Experience a unique take on a LitRPG system whose true, gory nature is uncovered bit by bit as Magnus progresses through his epic journey in a land of horrors. And with four detailed art scenes of fantastical locations inspired by an author who has journeyed from Antarctica to Kilimanjaro, you won't want to put the book down!

Broken Worlds: The Complete Series


Jasper T. Scott - 2019
    SCOTTAll three books of the bestselling Broken Worlds series now available for one low price for a limited time. Broken Worlds takes you on a tense thrill-ride through a frightening future with new mysteries and twists on every page. Fans of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica will love this new series: a dark, gritty space opera with unexpected twists, complex characters, and nightmarish antagonists.In this set:Broken Worlds: The AwakeningBroken Worlds: The RevenantsBroken Worlds: Civil WarSynopsis From Book One...THEY WENT TO SLEEP ON EARTH, BUT WHERE DID THEY WAKE UP?Darius Drake is desperate to save his daughter, Cassandra. So desperate he's willing to risk their lives in cryo-sleep to give her a future. But the dark, freezing vault where he wakes up is nothing like the luxurious Florida hospital he remembers. Everything about this place is alien to him, even the language. Little does he know how alien it really is.Darius and his daughter go exploring their new surroundings with a few others from the cryo pods, and they soon discover frozen, mutilated bodies everywhere. The dead are wearing strange uniforms, and they seem to have used some kind of energy weapons to defend themselves, but it wasn't enough. Adding to the mystery, all the doors of the facility have been ripped open, and there are claw marks around them--but what could shred through reinforced metal like paper?The answer to that question proves more terrifying than any of them could have guessed. There's a war raging, and they've woken up in the middle of it.

Black Dawn


Nathan Ameye - 2021
    But when a solar storm reconnects Earth to the Fae Nexus, the world is engulfed in magical energy, altering the laws of nature… violently. Fuel, ammunition, and electronics explode, leaving the world in a dark apocalypse.As the flames die down, demons emerge through the Fae Nexus, swarming Gage’s hometown and enslaving the survivors.To fight back, Gage and his reunited friends harness Fae powers, becoming the Wizard, Ranger, and Fighter they’ve always played in their favorite roleplaying game.With the help of a pair of moonshiners turned Alchemists and the ghost of a long-dead gunslinger, Gage and his friends have to level up fast to free their families and defend their home against the demonic horde.He may have walked away once, but this time the only thing Gage is leaving behind are his regrets and a pile of dead demons.

Ascension


B.F. Rockriver - 2020
    For Eli Miller, it was never a choice.Most of Eli’s life has been spent running, doing everything in his power to protect his family. His world is plagued by war, wild magic, and unimaginable monsters. But none of these threats are more dangerous than the immortal beings known as Adventurers. They are players and Entarra is their game. Its citizens aren’t real. Yet, to the billions of near-sentient AI that live there, the game world is the only one they will ever know. It is where they are born, live, and die. Eli is no different. After being attacked with a strange weapon, Eli awakens as the thing he fears most: an adventurer. Struggling to cope with his new reality, he finds himself in the middle of the most nefarious plot of all: His world, and everything he loves, is about to be deleted.

Raiya: Early Game - A LitRPG Saga: Archon's Chosen, Book Two


Russell Wilbinski - 2019
    Joining the fiery Captain Fenna Lis and her no-nonsense first mate Hawkins, Skree finds plenty of opportunities to grow in skill and strength. With few options available to him, Skree must provide a haven for his friends and the last survivors of the Kobold race. Luckily, Captain Fenna knows just the right guy to solve their problem, but it won't be easy. Or cheap. Will Skree and Priestess be able to find a home of their own, and if they do, will they be able to protect it from harm in the harsh world of Raiya? Who are the mysterious servants of Abrenacht and why do they want him dead? Can Skree overcome these challenges, level up and beat the game so he can return to his own world? But a bigger question lurks at the back of his mind: Does he even want to go home?

Heroes of Last Resort


JK Galioto - 2021
    

Bard to the Bone


Cid Banks - 2018
    James didn't expect a quick foray into an MMO game to last this long. He's fantasized about being a rock star but has never held a tune. Now he's stuck as a bard. Forever. Lesser mortals would despair, but there's only one option: Becoming the most kickass bard ever. Armed with just his wits and a lute, James must survive in a game world where everything wants to kill him. Teaming up with a pair of gorgeous, lethal women is first on the list. Next is conquering the world. Authors Note: This LitRPG novel contains harem elements, detailed game mechanics, a complex fantasy world filled with monsters, intrigue, and nonstop action!

ChronoTemplar


Burt Wrenlaw - 2021
    unless you're a pawn for an eldritch horror that: (A) can bend time, and (B) is a sore loser.Justin Thyme is not a good man, nor one destined for glory. He was meant to die in obscurity, yet another level 82 Templar that was just about to get chewed up by a horde of skittering monstrosities clawing at humanity's last enclave.One short conversation with a time-splitting monstrosity later, and Justin finds himself flung five years into the past—right when the Earth was first chosen to host the 9,947th Gladiatorial Games.Justin must now do all that he can to help save the world from crumbling under the twin pressures of monsters and murderers. But it's not all about grinding experience, gaining the most levels, and kicking the most ass. He can’t even stand out too much, lest he draw the attention of the other eldritch horrors observing Earth’s struggles for their amusement.No, it’s all about making the right connections, sowing the seeds of hope, culling the pests causing despair… oh, and exploiting the hell out of the System with his ‘borrowed’ ability to tweak time to his advantage.*ChronoTemplar is a dark, crunchy litRPG with lots of stats, skills and battles, for those who love action and complex characters.

Luxury Cafe Owner


Andrew Reise - 2019
    As he walked around looking for help wanted signs, a series of unfortunate accidents occurred resulting in him entering a coma. When he woke up, he discovered he'd been granted a mysterious system. Moreover, the system finally provided him with some direction about what he should do with his life. Follow Alan as he explores his new found calling!