Wow I am so the target audience for this as someone who just loved DCC as my first ever Lit RPG. So many of these sound so fun, and I love a great audio narration too so that sounds like a huge bonus with them as well!
THANK YOU so much for doing these litRPG videos. I'd been aware of the genre for quite some time but hadn't gotten around to delving into it until a couple months ago when I ended up with recurring car trips from Colorado to New Mexico. I started listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl and found it to be "just right" in terms of tone and "weight" for long drives. I have since shifted gears to writing a litRPG series based upon my own Human Flavor board games in lieu of continuing work on my epic fantasy trilogy. With all the stuff going on in my life right now I think writing something with less heft and more light-heartedness is just what I need both in reading AND writing. Your videos are proving quite instructional in helping me learn more about the genre.
I started with DCC, jumped to HWFWM. It was good but i was slightly underwhelmed. Hard to keep pace with carl though. Just started Wandering Inn. I know its a different vide than DCC, but im here for it.
Those numbers are nuts. I knew LitRPG was wildly popular but seeing raw numbers on these books is eye-opening. Lots of trad pub books don't have that kind of readership. I really do need to try Dungeon Crawler Carl and Cradle. Great video, I love that you included numbers to underscore the reception of the books you picked!
I am truly excited to start my LitRPG journey. I'm definitely starting with DCC as that seems to be the consensus of where to begin. This is a great reference video Brian, if DCC lands well with me I can come back and check out some of these other recommendations you mentioned. Cheers, good friend.
Great video! I love seeing Litrpg’s getting some long overdue attention….so thanks for shining a spotlight on the genre. I think it could really hit for a lot of people if they would give it a chance. I’ve read most of the books you highlighted and really enjoyed them all, and now I have to add The Good Guys (15 books) and the Bad Guys (11 book) to my TBR….. Thanks a lot, Brian!!! LOL
I just discovered, lit RPG, and I am obsessed! I finished the first book in the bad guys, series, scamps and scoundrels, and I loved it! I think I finally found my fantasy genre.
@@BrianBell7I’m an audiobook girl since I can listen while I work. So yeah. I listened to it and it was awesome. I have the Good Guys book 1 coming. I remembered in your first video you said to read it first but I couldn’t wait to jump in lol.
@@lizzybug196 Awesome! They both have amazing casts that really expand as we get into books 2 and 3 in each series. The book 1's are really intro books. Super glad you're loving it!
Never thought I would be so tempted to try LitRPG, but ever since finding your channel I have been looking into it more and more! Awaken Online and He Who Fights With Monsters are the two that stand out to me the most. But holy smokes, those sales/review numbers are crazy high. Gotta get on the hype train before it's too late and I lose my chance at being one of the cool kids, haha 🤣
The way you power through books Esmay, I don't doubt you will NOT miss any hype trains if it's a genre you decide you enjoy. It's not for everyone, but for those who like it, they usually really like it. Andrew is going through that now :)
Thanks for all the recs, Brian! I read Vigil's Justice by James A. Hunter without knowing anything about LitRPG, and now I'm hooked! I'm constantly on the lookout for a new series that's as good as that one was, so I will be checking out a bunch of these! 👍
Thank you for the video! Im a gamer first and recently movies and shows havent been doing it for me. So the fact that lit rpgs are a thing is exciting for me. He who fights monsters and life reset are the two that grabbed my attention
The Good Guys is probably my favorite LitRPG series outside of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and its close. Montana is soooo damned good. He just oafs his way to victory and theres no finesse, just a guy smashing things and im all about it. I agree with you the humor is right up my alley and after 15 books (i think 15 books?) now, im just as invested.
I knew there'd be something for you here Usman. Lmk if you have specific questions between a couple choices and I can steer you based on audio or visual.
I'm on book 2 of dungeon crawler Carl and honestly I can't see Any other RPG Being a more perfect fit for me than this But I'll see what you have to say and take a look Some of that
I used to talk about LitRPG on my channel and no one really wanted to watch, but I struggle getting people to watch my videos whatever i post 🤣 Subbed for more:)
Thank you for the sub! I think the overall desire for more content on LitRPG will only grow, so if you are still posting, I wouldn't give up on it. Thanks for being here!
Have you listened or read any of the Vigil Bound books by James A. Hunter and narrated by Luke Daniels (love him). I have binged the first 2 and am starting the 3rd right now
I haven't, but I have read other Hunter books and yes, Luke Daniels rocks! Listened to many series he's narrated! I'll check out the Vigil Bound books.
Beneath the Dragoneye Moons by Selkie Myth (book 1 is "Oathbound Healer"). Fairly crunchy LitRPG, currently up to book 14, with the main character System-bound (by her own choice) to a variation of the Hippocratic Oath, where she starts in a fairly misogynistic society (not quite at the "women are property" stage, but VERY close; a woman being beaten by her husband has no legal recourse, for example). Healers are honoured and protected - but as a woman, she is thus expected to be a trophy wife, with her System trait choices chosen in part by her husband. And under some circumstances, she is Oath-bound to heal her enemies. Elaine (the protagonist) retains much of her medical knowledge from her life on Earth and becomes an exceptional healer - and runs away from home. It's a very different litRPG than the usual dungeon-crawling fare, and the healer angle changes the dynamic considerably.
So many recommendations I've never heard of, thanks Brian! I had a question. If you could recommend one that you think is well written (in terms of prose), which would you go for? The few litRPGs I've sampled have felt a bit lacking in that department, and I feel it's a symptom of the fact that they tend to be very serial based
generally speaking, it's been my experience that prose gets pushed out in place of humor in a lot of LitRPG. Life Reset might have a higher level than some of the ones on this list. I agree with you, I don't care for serials that much. The only serialized series on this video is He Who Fights With Monsters. Eric Ugland's strength in Good Guys / Bad Guys isn't so much high quality prose, as it is, knowing how to write funny - and that's something that many authors who excel at prose, miss entirely.
Great list. Seeks biased towards first era of English litrpg (2017-2020). Very world of warcraft/everquest western mmorpg mechanics. Recommend some cultivation mechanic series, based on Chinese fantasy, and the Tao. Cradle by Will Wight is baby’s first cultivation series for Americans. Reborn Apocalypse great entry to cultivation with reincarnation. Michael Chatwin 10 Realms series another good one. I can tell from your list (of which I have read everything) that you would love Dragon Heart series from Kiril Klevanski. Translated from Russian. About to finish series. This one is the most badass fighting litrpg, and has a cultivation style progression system. Left off the greatest gamelit series, as well as greatest fantasy series I have ever read: The Wandering Inn. Portal fantasy with cozy slice of life, survival. Later themes expand to cover genocide, racism, cosmic horror, violence. Expands to epic fantasy by volume 3. Kindle books usually half a volume, or can read free at website.
I generally don’t get into much cultivation litrpg. I’m one of the few who doesn’t like Cradle. Good suggestion for the one you recommended for me, I’ll add it to my tbr, thanks!
Great list. Would love to see a similar list for progression fantasy. I know there's alot of overlap, but maybe the type that don't use literal stats and game mechanics.
@@Timoburnhamm generally speaking, cultivation style isn't my go-to. I'm more of a gamelit / litrpg guy. But if you haven't yet read Andrew Rowe's "Arkane Ascension" series and it's spinoff "Weapons & Wielders", that'd be up your alley.
As someone that listened to a lot of the series you recommend, I think I might find a few gems in there I didn't know about. I got curious about the lack of recommendation for Awaken Online's audiobook. It sounds like a series I'd very much appreciate, but I tend to only go for audiobooks, and this had me questioning whether I should give this a go.
Here's my two cents on Awaken Online audiobook. The first several are good. In fact, there are many other sub series within Awaken Online (the Tarot series for sure) that all work great. My problem is when you get about where I am in it, just about current, the narrator is blending too many voices to sound together. So a companion from a faction you've been following for several books all of a sudden sounds like a companion you've been following on the other side of the world.. Which isn't a problem, until the groups meet up... Give it a good on audio and see what you think. David Stiffel as an actor isn't bad - I just am not sure about how many distinct characters he can pull off in one series.
@@BrianBell7 Just wanted to come back and say I just started Awaken, and I'm definitely in for the ride. I understand the comment about the narrator - his voice is smooth as silk, and very pleasant to listen to, but doesn't seem like he has much range. I feel like I can only say this because I've been absolutely SPOILED by Jeff Hays that somehow manages to voice both Carl and Donut, which I was absolutely certain was two different voice actors.
@@Xgya2000 RIGHT?! I was sure Carl and Donut were two different actors.. Keep me posted on how you like Awaken! Once you finish the book, should you decide to continue, I can help with the reading order. The audio really doesn't get murky until maybe 8-9 books from now.
@@BrianBell7 Back after a long while. Things... didn't go as planned. I finished listening to the first book, but then had already downloaded the first book in the Completionist Chronicle, so I listened to that instead... and binged the whole series. I didn't like switching narrators mid-series, but the series as a whole was definitely my jam, so thanks again for the suggestions. As for Awaken, I just started the second book, so it definitely stayed on the watch list, just not quite at the top :P
Well that lots of books to read and thats great, i think one of these might get me afte DCC, and I think i go first with Good Guys first since it has great Audiobook, and i'm more Into great audiobooks And DCC audiobook is great with Jeff hays masterpiece narration
@@BrianBell7 Yeah i think i will like his narration, Audiobook with great narrations always make feel great, And finding great audiobooks feels like achievement to me lol:) also Thanks for recommendations incredible channel for finding books, keep it up
I want to make a novel, I have created a story concept and characters, But I still have difficulty adding the litrpg system to the novel, do you have any advice? Or can you make a video about a good and unique litrpg system? Thank You
As I'm not an author, I can't meaningfully speak on writing, but I'm happy to make a video that talks about what I like and don't like in LitRPG systems!
I would also recommend most of those series (I haven't read the Mahanenko series). A couple of exceptions: Dungeon Born is quite good, but the Divine Dungeon series drops off as it goes on. Right now, the series is a soft DNF for me. The Land starts very well, but after about 5 books it starts to go downhill. And it seems that Aleron Kong has lost interest in the series as well (last book was 4 years ago, and it didn't end at a natural stopping place for the story. Too bad, because it started so well. Others I would recommend (there are quite a few more; I'm tracking about 70 LitRPG series right now): Guardians of the Flame, Joel Rosenberg - Quite old at this point (the first book came out more than 40 years ago). This series takes a serious look at what life in a typical magical world might be like. Then the group sets out to fix it's problems and/or return home. Rosenberg was a brilliant writer before his untimely death; highly recommended. The Ten Realms, Michael Chatfield - Empire building with engaging characters. Series complete, though I haven't read the last two books yet. Hedge Wizard, Alex Maher - A minor wizard's mentor dies, leaving him to make his way in the world. Excellent plot and characters. All the Skills, Honour Rae - Deck building, with a strong world, good plotting, and engaging characters. And dragons. Bushido Online, Nikita Thorn - Japanese themed, with excellent plotting and world building. Codename: Freedom, Apollos Thorne - Here the RPG is a training sim for people resisting an upcoming alien invasion Defiance of the Fall, J.F. Brink - Rather similar to the conceit of Dungeon Crawler Carl, but serious rather than comedic. Skyrealms Online, Troy Osgood - Military focused empire builder Divine Apostasy, A.F. Kay - Begins as a school-based story, but rapidly moves to existential threat fantasy Warlords of the Circle Sea, Ember Lane - Empire building done quite well. Mark of the Fool, J. M. Clark - A twist of the usual Chosen One fantasy. And a few cozier series: A Thousand Li, Tao Wong Unorthodox Farming, Benjamin Kerei Battle Mage Farmer, Seth Ring Beware of Chicken, Casualfarmer
I KNEW you'd come through for us Doug!! Agreed on Dungeon Born - for this list it's mainly to give people a taste of a dungeon core genre book. I actually just listened to Soundbooth Theater's new dungeon core book "Dungeon in the Clouds: The Rise of Kers". I'm not a big dungeon core guy, but it wasn't bad at all. I have Guardians of the Flame somewhere around here. I DNF'd Defiance of the Fall, but will probably try it again. I just couldn't get into the MC about 50% through book 1. Thousand Li is too cultivation for me, but liked System Apocalypse by Wong (at least most of them). But yeah, you've got new ones I've now added to TBR Mountain... so thank you? ;)
Hi - thank you for the suggestion! I really prefer more gamelit / litrpg style over the cultivation that I think wuxia usually focuses around, but if I come across anything I enjoy, I for sure talk about it. Welcome!
Hey Brian I have completed reading chaos seeds after watching your video and i loved it! I just want to suggest couple books to the list if anyone wants more options, they are absolutely addictive 1. Victor of Tuscon (Book 1 Pit Fighter) by PlumParrot - Completely powerpacked action adventure great wording 2. Ends of Magis (Book 1 Antimage) by Alexander Oslon (Give them a shot if you have time brian, I'm sure you'll love them)
Several years ago, 6+ years at least, I remember bouncing off Aleron Kong's The Land series so hard I thought all of the litrpg genre was not my thing. It was almost an instant and very strong dislike. Years later I happened across Shirtaloon's HWFWM and after laughing and cheering my way through book 1 I realized it was just Kong's book I didn't connect with, rather than the whole genre. I am now so much of a fan of litrpg I have read nearly everything on this last, plus a lot not on this list. I am even upto date on The Wandering Inn's current chapter, currently early in Book 10. For context about TWI, Book 1 to Book 9 has 11 million words. The full 14 book series of Wheel of Time had 4.4million words (that's a lot of braid pulling!).
all the braid pulling and skirt smoothing! That's awesome you've hit the genre so hard. Lots of books I've read that aren't on this list but that'll be for future videos. I wish I had time to get more into TWI but it's just gonna have to be a slow-roll for me with Sun Eater, Malazan, Wars of Light & Shadow all on the horizon still.
@@BrianBell7 That is some fun reading ahead of you. I loved the Malazan series. It is not for everyone but some moments from that series stick with me even now. Personally I also really enjoyed all the Esslemont books also set in the Malazan world. I read and enjoyed the first book of Sun Eater but I am waiting for the final book before I do a full series read. I have never read Janny Wurtz though, I'll put it on my evergrowing list.
@@grumble8549 Sun Eater has been mostly very good for me. My issues have been more in books 4 and 5, but nothing series-breaking. Throw "To Ride Hell's Chasm" on your TBR by Janny Wurts. It's a standalone fantasy that delivers in almost every way imaginable (at least it did for me). It's a great book to decide if you like her writing.
@@gryftkin I sight-read that series. I had it recommended to me by someone (a long time ago) and liked it a lot. It's an entirely different perspective. You'll also get some POVs from the adventurer's themselves.
So many compelling choices for someone like myself who’s never read any LitRPG. I still can’t decide lol. Imagine I’m a billionaire and paying you an exorbitant sum to recommend me one series to start with, which one would you recommend? Also, love the Goodreads and Amazon animated graphics.
Depends if you are sight-reading or audio. If sight, Catharsis (Awaken Online), if audio either Dungeon Crawler Carl or One More Last Time (The Good Guys)
Brian, are you a fan of the isekai anime genre? Nearly all the litrpg books I've heard about sound EXACTLY like much of that genre of anime - I bet you'd dig it if you've never checked it out!
Hi, I really haven't explored any anime at all. But yes, I too have heard that isekai anime is a lot of the premise in many, many LitRPG series. What's a good one to start with?
@@BrianBell7 right on - isekai anime tends to have its own tropes that you may or may not be into, and I've found I don't really enjoy a ton of them personally, but some I'd try might be: Solo Leveling (latest hot thing, very good), Re:Zero (dark, crazy plot twists), Rising of the Shield Hero (more of standard videogame world), Overlord (more comedy), or Ascendence of a Bookworm (more lighthearted/slice of life/warm and cozy). Sword Art Online is the basically the poster child videogame isekai anime, but it's pretty hit and miss in terms of quality from season to season in my opinion
@@BrianBell7 I hope you find something you like! :) isekai's tend to be a dime a dozen unfortunately (there's literally like 30+ new isekai anime releasing every year at this point lol) but there are definitely some standouts that are really good!
The System Apocalypse by Tao Wong is pretty unique (Sci Fi). I'd have to think a little bit about the best way to define "unique." As in, unlike any others (be it good or bad) or something entirely original (harder to find)
I think I'll have a better sense of where I'm at with the narration of Awaken Online after I listen to the most recent one. I just felt that David Stifel started repeating voices within the story between different characters and it became confusing. On the books with the more "normal" size Awaken Online cast, it's no problem. But in the book where all the factions met up, there was noticeable overlap in the voices to my ear.
@@BrianBell7 He's no Jeff Hays, but I don't think I mind him much. I don't know, I rarely struggle with telling people apart just based on the narration. Either way the writing makes up for it, and I personally can't be bothered to focus on the same thing long enough to read it (besides already own all the books on Audible).
I didn't enjoy listening to the Wandering Inn. I wish I would have sight read it instead. The story is good, but one of the voices the narrator chose just grated on me personally.
@@comokazijeff I listened to maybe 40% of the first Defiance of the Fall and it just was probably bad timing as I wasn't feeling it. Many of my LitRPG friends have told me to return to it, so I probably will.
@@BrianBell7 It's one that is only really worth it if you get into the world building of later books. It's my favorite world out there. However, it can definitely be a commitment. If you haven't tried Beware of Chicken or Heretical Fishing I'd recommend those instead. I just finished the latter and it was very funny. Same narrator as HWFWM, Heath Miller.
hey ... I'm currently looking for an alternative for "System Apocalpyse - Life in the North". I really love the idea of the setting, but I can't stand the MC for multiple reasons. He sometimes acts like an asshole, sometimes like a maniac and personally, I don't like bi sexual main characters and that this so much focused on. Any ideas what comes very close to the setting?
yeah, John Lee is a little rough.. especially in the earlier books. It does improve, but maybe give a try to this relatively undiscussed trilogy called "The GAM3" by Cosimo Yap, book one is called "Opening Moves". Warning, I think the author quit writing after this trilogy if that matters. Most of the LitRPG I've read leans more on the fantasy side than the sci fi side, like System Apocalypse.
I dont know why but every time a character is just playing a game it feels like there are no stakes no matter how hard the author tries to create some. :/ Loosing a character sucks, loosing a character only sucks and that is all it is... Riveting.... -_-
for me, it depends on the series. if they are only playing a game, then yes. but if they are trapped, transported, or otherwise stuck - then I feel like the stakes get raised.
Wow I am so the target audience for this as someone who just loved DCC as my first ever Lit RPG. So many of these sound so fun, and I love a great audio narration too so that sounds like a huge bonus with them as well!
hey, it might be an opportunity for you to listen to your first Neil Hellegers if you do One More Last Time (The Good Guys)
THANK YOU so much for doing these litRPG videos. I'd been aware of the genre for quite some time but hadn't gotten around to delving into it until a couple months ago when I ended up with recurring car trips from Colorado to New Mexico. I started listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl and found it to be "just right" in terms of tone and "weight" for long drives.
I have since shifted gears to writing a litRPG series based upon my own Human Flavor board games in lieu of continuing work on my epic fantasy trilogy. With all the stuff going on in my life right now I think writing something with less heft and more light-heartedness is just what I need both in reading AND writing. Your videos are proving quite instructional in helping me learn more about the genre.
I'm really glad you like the videos. And congrats on your own work!
I started with DCC, jumped to HWFWM. It was good but i was slightly underwhelmed. Hard to keep pace with carl though.
Just started Wandering Inn. I
know its a different vide than DCC, but im here for it.
Glad you are liking it! It certainly has a ton of material to get through in that series to keep you busy!!
Those numbers are nuts. I knew LitRPG was wildly popular but seeing raw numbers on these books is eye-opening. Lots of trad pub books don't have that kind of readership. I really do need to try Dungeon Crawler Carl and Cradle. Great video, I love that you included numbers to underscore the reception of the books you picked!
Thanks! I really wanted to bring the backup!
Really interesting summaries of all these various books. Thanks for pulling these together. -Palmer Pickering
I'm sure it's just part 1!
I am truly excited to start my LitRPG journey. I'm definitely starting with DCC as that seems to be the consensus of where to begin. This is a great reference video Brian, if DCC lands well with me I can come back and check out some of these other recommendations you mentioned. Cheers, good friend.
I think you will absolutely love the audio of DCC Chris!!
Great video! I love seeing Litrpg’s getting some long overdue attention….so thanks for shining a spotlight on the genre. I think it could really hit for a lot of people if they would give it a chance. I’ve read most of the books you highlighted and really enjoyed them all, and now I have to add The Good Guys (15 books) and the Bad Guys (11 book) to my TBR….. Thanks a lot, Brian!!! LOL
I really hope you do audio for those two series. Neil Hellegers rocks them both.
Another to consider reading and reviewing is Michael Chatfield’s “A Ten Realms Tale” which is up to book 12.
Cool, I will check it out! Thank you!
I promote Threadbear as a series. It's fantastic.
I also super enjoyed He Who Fights With Monsters.
Cool, I'll check that one out too! Haven't heard of it. Love getting new recs!!
I just discovered, lit RPG, and I am obsessed! I finished the first book in the bad guys, series, scamps and scoundrels, and I loved it! I think I finally found my fantasy genre.
I'm so happy to hear that!! Don't forget to also do "The Good Guys" because they interconnect. Are you listening to audio or sight-reading?
@@BrianBell7I’m an audiobook girl since I can listen while I work. So yeah. I listened to it and it was awesome. I have the Good Guys book 1 coming. I remembered in your first video you said to read it first but I couldn’t wait to jump in lol.
@@lizzybug196 Awesome! They both have amazing casts that really expand as we get into books 2 and 3 in each series. The book 1's are really intro books. Super glad you're loving it!
Never thought I would be so tempted to try LitRPG, but ever since finding your channel I have been looking into it more and more! Awaken Online and He Who Fights With Monsters are the two that stand out to me the most. But holy smokes, those sales/review numbers are crazy high. Gotta get on the hype train before it's too late and I lose my chance at being one of the cool kids, haha 🤣
The way you power through books Esmay, I don't doubt you will NOT miss any hype trains if it's a genre you decide you enjoy. It's not for everyone, but for those who like it, they usually really like it. Andrew is going through that now :)
I’m definitely looking forward to diving into many of these series!
keep me posted which you try. You are so well-read, it'll be interesting to see which works for you.
Thanks for all the recs, Brian! I read Vigil's Justice by James A. Hunter without knowing anything about LitRPG, and now I'm hooked! I'm constantly on the lookout for a new series that's as good as that one was, so I will be checking out a bunch of these! 👍
Awesome to hear!! Do you prefer sight reading or audio? Some of the best litrpgs have amazing audio. Glad to have you here!
Unfortunately I get distracted too easily when listening to audiobooks, so it's sight-reading for me, lol!
Thank you for the video! Im a gamer first and recently movies and shows havent been doing it for me. So the fact that lit rpgs are a thing is exciting for me.
He who fights monsters and life reset are the two that grabbed my attention
both are fantastic on audible if you do audiobooks.
@@BrianBell7 I do audio books a lot too, it's great for work! Thanks for the heads up
I love the litrpg content!
nice! There's usually some every month and always in my monthly TBRs and recaps!
Never read a LitRPG before, but now I know where I could start. Thanks Brian!
You’d like dungeon crawler carl if you do audio
I think you’d also like he who fights with monsters
@@BrianBell7 Thanks for letting me know. I'll definitely check them both out.
The way you described Dungeon Born reminded me of the Dungeon Keeper game.
The Good Guys is probably my favorite LitRPG series outside of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and its close. Montana is soooo damned good. He just oafs his way to victory and theres no finesse, just a guy smashing things and im all about it. I agree with you the humor is right up my alley and after 15 books (i think 15 books?) now, im just as invested.
Just started bad guys two lies two thrones today! lol oafs his way to victory! Love that
@BrianBell7 yeah, Montana and Clyde are shiznit!!
Thank you for providing this! I’ve not read any LitRPG yet but this will be good for reference and recs!
For sure Matt! I think with the kinds of big material you normally read, some of this might fit great for you at times!
Just finished "Industrial Strength Magic" a couple days ago and it was great! Super Hero based post-apocalyptic world.
cool! I"ll check it out, thanks!
Great list! I am still super new to LitRPG (have not even read Dungeon Crawler Carl yet) but looks like a lot of good options here
Thanks Tom! Let me know if any of them spark your interest and I can help set a path! If you like audio tho, DCC is top tier
This is perfect, lots of great recommendations here! Just what I needed after finishing book 6 of DCC 🤘🏽
I knew there'd be something for you here Usman. Lmk if you have specific questions between a couple choices and I can steer you based on audio or visual.
LitRPG is new for a lot of us! It's scratches a different itch that I didn't know I had! I had most of these o the TBR, but I still added a couple.
Excellent, Chris!
I'll need a second life to read all the intriguing books Brian has introduced me to. (And a third to read the Wandering Inn).
Right?! Me too!
I'm on book 2 of dungeon crawler Carl and honestly I can't see Any other RPG Being a more perfect fit for me than this But I'll see what you have to say and take a look Some of that
Keep going through DCC! So good!
I used to talk about LitRPG on my channel and no one really wanted to watch, but I struggle getting people to watch my videos whatever i post 🤣
Subbed for more:)
Thank you for the sub! I think the overall desire for more content on LitRPG will only grow, so if you are still posting, I wouldn't give up on it. Thanks for being here!
@@BrianBell7 Thank you so much!
Kinda late but I’ll watch anything with litrpg! I’ll go sub and comment for the algorithm. Keep making em!
@@bakad7424 wooo!
Have you listened or read any of the Vigil Bound books by James A. Hunter and narrated by Luke Daniels (love him). I have binged the first 2 and am starting the 3rd right now
I haven't, but I have read other Hunter books and yes, Luke Daniels rocks! Listened to many series he's narrated! I'll check out the Vigil Bound books.
Beneath the Dragoneye Moons by Selkie Myth (book 1 is "Oathbound Healer"). Fairly crunchy LitRPG, currently up to book 14, with the main character System-bound (by her own choice) to a variation of the Hippocratic Oath, where she starts in a fairly misogynistic society (not quite at the "women are property" stage, but VERY close; a woman being beaten by her husband has no legal recourse, for example). Healers are honoured and protected - but as a woman, she is thus expected to be a trophy wife, with her System trait choices chosen in part by her husband. And under some circumstances, she is Oath-bound to heal her enemies.
Elaine (the protagonist) retains much of her medical knowledge from her life on Earth and becomes an exceptional healer - and runs away from home.
It's a very different litRPG than the usual dungeon-crawling fare, and the healer angle changes the dynamic considerably.
I’ll check it out. You’re right in that healers are rarely, rarely the main class of the MC
Primal Hunter is a must read. Still ongoing 10 books as of now. Book 11 will be coming soon.
I love it. Starting Primal Hunter 2 next month! Loved book 1
I second this!!!
HWFWM is my favorite!
I want Shade to follow me around and remind me things I forget :)
DCC brought me here to learn more about this genre. DCC = GOAT
Awesome! (and I agree!)
So many recommendations I've never heard of, thanks Brian!
I had a question. If you could recommend one that you think is well written (in terms of prose), which would you go for? The few litRPGs I've sampled have felt a bit lacking in that department, and I feel it's a symptom of the fact that they tend to be very serial based
generally speaking, it's been my experience that prose gets pushed out in place of humor in a lot of LitRPG. Life Reset might have a higher level than some of the ones on this list. I agree with you, I don't care for serials that much. The only serialized series on this video is He Who Fights With Monsters. Eric Ugland's strength in Good Guys / Bad Guys isn't so much high quality prose, as it is, knowing how to write funny - and that's something that many authors who excel at prose, miss entirely.
Great list. Seeks biased towards first era of English litrpg (2017-2020). Very world of warcraft/everquest western mmorpg mechanics.
Recommend some cultivation mechanic series, based on Chinese fantasy, and the Tao. Cradle by Will Wight is baby’s first cultivation series for Americans. Reborn Apocalypse great entry to cultivation with reincarnation. Michael Chatwin 10 Realms series another good one.
I can tell from your list (of which I have read everything) that you would love Dragon Heart series from Kiril Klevanski. Translated from Russian. About to finish series. This one is the most badass fighting litrpg, and has a cultivation style progression system.
Left off the greatest gamelit series, as well as greatest fantasy series I have ever read: The Wandering Inn. Portal fantasy with cozy slice of life, survival. Later themes expand to cover genocide, racism, cosmic horror, violence. Expands to epic fantasy by volume 3. Kindle books usually half a volume, or can read free at website.
I generally don’t get into much cultivation litrpg. I’m one of the few who doesn’t like Cradle. Good suggestion for the one you recommended for me, I’ll add it to my tbr, thanks!
Great list. Would love to see a similar list for progression fantasy. I know there's alot of overlap, but maybe the type that don't use literal stats and game mechanics.
are you thinking more cultivation fantasy like Cradle or something else?
Arkane Ascension is a little bit like you are talking about where it's sort of half fantasy half LItRPG
@BrianBell7 yep, cultivation style books or just progress stories without the game stats/pop up winds etc.
@@Timoburnhamm generally speaking, cultivation style isn't my go-to. I'm more of a gamelit / litrpg guy. But if you haven't yet read Andrew Rowe's "Arkane Ascension" series and it's spinoff "Weapons & Wielders", that'd be up your alley.
About book length on Audible. I feel like it can only be a plus due to how credits work, and how easy getting a refund is.
I agree. It can be a big plus value-wise for sure.
As someone that listened to a lot of the series you recommend, I think I might find a few gems in there I didn't know about.
I got curious about the lack of recommendation for Awaken Online's audiobook.
It sounds like a series I'd very much appreciate, but I tend to only go for audiobooks, and this had me questioning whether I should give this a go.
Here's my two cents on Awaken Online audiobook. The first several are good. In fact, there are many other sub series within Awaken Online (the Tarot series for sure) that all work great. My problem is when you get about where I am in it, just about current, the narrator is blending too many voices to sound together. So a companion from a faction you've been following for several books all of a sudden sounds like a companion you've been following on the other side of the world.. Which isn't a problem, until the groups meet up... Give it a good on audio and see what you think. David Stiffel as an actor isn't bad - I just am not sure about how many distinct characters he can pull off in one series.
@@BrianBell7 Just wanted to come back and say I just started Awaken, and I'm definitely in for the ride. I understand the comment about the narrator - his voice is smooth as silk, and very pleasant to listen to, but doesn't seem like he has much range. I feel like I can only say this because I've been absolutely SPOILED by Jeff Hays that somehow manages to voice both Carl and Donut, which I was absolutely certain was two different voice actors.
@@Xgya2000 RIGHT?! I was sure Carl and Donut were two different actors.. Keep me posted on how you like Awaken! Once you finish the book, should you decide to continue, I can help with the reading order. The audio really doesn't get murky until maybe 8-9 books from now.
@@BrianBell7 Back after a long while.
Things... didn't go as planned.
I finished listening to the first book, but then had already downloaded the first book in the Completionist Chronicle, so I listened to that instead... and binged the whole series. I didn't like switching narrators mid-series, but the series as a whole was definitely my jam, so thanks again for the suggestions.
As for Awaken, I just started the second book, so it definitely stayed on the watch list, just not quite at the top :P
@@Xgya2000 Welcome back! Love it. Completionist Chronicles are amazing. I'm still a book behind in it! Joe the Ritualist!!
Dungeon Born is a great take on the genre.
Yep I liked it as far as dungeon core books go!
Well that lots of books to read and thats great, i think one of these might get me afte DCC, and I think i go first with Good Guys first since it has great Audiobook, and i'm more Into great audiobooks And DCC audiobook is great with Jeff hays masterpiece narration
love it! Jeff Hays is the GOAT!! Truly incredible. I think you'll love Neil Hellegers too in the Good Guys.
@@BrianBell7 Yeah i think i will like his narration, Audiobook with great narrations always make feel great, And finding great audiobooks feels like achievement to me lol:) also Thanks for recommendations incredible channel for finding books, keep it up
I want to make a novel, I have created a story concept and characters, But I still have difficulty adding the litrpg system to the novel, do you have any advice?
Or can you make a video about a good and unique litrpg system? Thank You
As I'm not an author, I can't meaningfully speak on writing, but I'm happy to make a video that talks about what I like and don't like in LitRPG systems!
I would also recommend most of those series (I haven't read the Mahanenko series). A couple of exceptions:
Dungeon Born is quite good, but the Divine Dungeon series drops off as it goes on. Right now, the series is a soft DNF for me.
The Land starts very well, but after about 5 books it starts to go downhill. And it seems that Aleron Kong has lost interest in the series as well (last book was 4 years ago, and it didn't end at a natural stopping place for the story. Too bad, because it started so well.
Others I would recommend (there are quite a few more; I'm tracking about 70 LitRPG series right now):
Guardians of the Flame, Joel Rosenberg - Quite old at this point (the first book came out more than 40 years ago). This series takes a serious look at what life in a typical magical world might be like. Then the group sets out to fix it's problems and/or return home. Rosenberg was a brilliant writer before his untimely death; highly recommended.
The Ten Realms, Michael Chatfield - Empire building with engaging characters. Series complete, though I haven't read the last two books yet.
Hedge Wizard, Alex Maher - A minor wizard's mentor dies, leaving him to make his way in the world. Excellent plot and characters.
All the Skills, Honour Rae - Deck building, with a strong world, good plotting, and engaging characters. And dragons.
Bushido Online, Nikita Thorn - Japanese themed, with excellent plotting and world building.
Codename: Freedom, Apollos Thorne - Here the RPG is a training sim for people resisting an upcoming alien invasion
Defiance of the Fall, J.F. Brink - Rather similar to the conceit of Dungeon Crawler Carl, but serious rather than comedic.
Skyrealms Online, Troy Osgood - Military focused empire builder
Divine Apostasy, A.F. Kay - Begins as a school-based story, but rapidly moves to existential threat fantasy
Warlords of the Circle Sea, Ember Lane - Empire building done quite well.
Mark of the Fool, J. M. Clark - A twist of the usual Chosen One fantasy.
And a few cozier series:
A Thousand Li, Tao Wong
Unorthodox Farming, Benjamin Kerei
Battle Mage Farmer, Seth Ring
Beware of Chicken, Casualfarmer
I KNEW you'd come through for us Doug!! Agreed on Dungeon Born - for this list it's mainly to give people a taste of a dungeon core genre book. I actually just listened to Soundbooth Theater's new dungeon core book "Dungeon in the Clouds: The Rise of Kers". I'm not a big dungeon core guy, but it wasn't bad at all. I have Guardians of the Flame somewhere around here. I DNF'd Defiance of the Fall, but will probably try it again. I just couldn't get into the MC about 50% through book 1. Thousand Li is too cultivation for me, but liked System Apocalypse by Wong (at least most of them). But yeah, you've got new ones I've now added to TBR Mountain... so thank you? ;)
@@BrianBell7 Happy to "help".
8-)
Request - If you ever read any wuxia/xianxia please give suggestions! Thank you in advance!
Hi - thank you for the suggestion! I really prefer more gamelit / litrpg style over the cultivation that I think wuxia usually focuses around, but if I come across anything I enjoy, I for sure talk about it. Welcome!
Try Beware of Chicken
River of fate by David North.
Hey Brian I have completed reading chaos seeds after watching your video and i loved it!
I just want to suggest couple books to the list if anyone wants more options, they are absolutely addictive
1. Victor of Tuscon (Book 1 Pit Fighter) by PlumParrot - Completely powerpacked action adventure great wording
2. Ends of Magis (Book 1 Antimage) by Alexander Oslon
(Give them a shot if you have time brian, I'm sure you'll love them)
Thank you! Always on the lookout for new series I haven’t tried! Keep me posted what you jump into next!
I need to try HWFWM
I think that's way more up your alley. Or The Good Guys on audio. There's no online element in either of them.
Several years ago, 6+ years at least, I remember bouncing off Aleron Kong's The Land series so hard I thought all of the litrpg genre was not my thing. It was almost an instant and very strong dislike.
Years later I happened across Shirtaloon's HWFWM and after laughing and cheering my way through book 1 I realized it was just Kong's book I didn't connect with, rather than the whole genre.
I am now so much of a fan of litrpg I have read nearly everything on this last, plus a lot not on this list. I am even upto date on The Wandering Inn's current chapter, currently early in Book 10. For context about TWI, Book 1 to Book 9 has 11 million words. The full 14 book series of Wheel of Time had 4.4million words (that's a lot of braid pulling!).
all the braid pulling and skirt smoothing! That's awesome you've hit the genre so hard. Lots of books I've read that aren't on this list but that'll be for future videos. I wish I had time to get more into TWI but it's just gonna have to be a slow-roll for me with Sun Eater, Malazan, Wars of Light & Shadow all on the horizon still.
@@BrianBell7 That is some fun reading ahead of you. I loved the Malazan series. It is not for everyone but some moments from that series stick with me even now. Personally I also really enjoyed all the Esslemont books also set in the Malazan world.
I read and enjoyed the first book of Sun Eater but I am waiting for the final book before I do a full series read. I have never read Janny Wurtz though, I'll put it on my evergrowing list.
@@grumble8549 Sun Eater has been mostly very good for me. My issues have been more in books 4 and 5, but nothing series-breaking. Throw "To Ride Hell's Chasm" on your TBR by Janny Wurts. It's a standalone fantasy that delivers in almost every way imaginable (at least it did for me). It's a great book to decide if you like her writing.
I feel like everyone is talking about Dungeon Crawler Carl BECAUSE you keep talking about it :D
I hope so! :)
@@BrianBell7 Ok, you sold me... I may have to try out Dungeon Born. That looks interesting.
@@gryftkin I sight-read that series. I had it recommended to me by someone (a long time ago) and liked it a lot. It's an entirely different perspective. You'll also get some POVs from the adventurer's themselves.
So many compelling choices for someone like myself who’s never read any LitRPG. I still can’t decide lol. Imagine I’m a billionaire and paying you an exorbitant sum to recommend me one series to start with, which one would you recommend?
Also, love the Goodreads and Amazon animated graphics.
Depends if you are sight-reading or audio. If sight, Catharsis (Awaken Online), if audio either Dungeon Crawler Carl or One More Last Time (The Good Guys)
@@BrianBell7 Thank you! DCC it is!
Brian, are you a fan of the isekai anime genre? Nearly all the litrpg books I've heard about sound EXACTLY like much of that genre of anime - I bet you'd dig it if you've never checked it out!
Hi, I really haven't explored any anime at all. But yes, I too have heard that isekai anime is a lot of the premise in many, many LitRPG series. What's a good one to start with?
@@BrianBell7 right on - isekai anime tends to have its own tropes that you may or may not be into, and I've found I don't really enjoy a ton of them personally, but some I'd try might be:
Solo Leveling (latest hot thing, very good), Re:Zero (dark, crazy plot twists), Rising of the Shield Hero (more of standard videogame world), Overlord (more comedy), or Ascendence of a Bookworm (more lighthearted/slice of life/warm and cozy). Sword Art Online is the basically the poster child videogame isekai anime, but it's pretty hit and miss in terms of quality from season to season in my opinion
@@NerdLevelRisingawesome! Will check them out! Thanks!!
@@BrianBell7 I hope you find something you like! :) isekai's tend to be a dime a dozen unfortunately (there's literally like 30+ new isekai anime releasing every year at this point lol) but there are definitely some standouts that are really good!
Do you have any recommendations for litrpg that have unique systems?
The System Apocalypse by Tao Wong is pretty unique (Sci Fi). I'd have to think a little bit about the best way to define "unique." As in, unlike any others (be it good or bad) or something entirely original (harder to find)
Although it's not strictly litrpg Quest academy silvers has a unique system.
back in the day my gunner's name was Brian Bell, small world huh?
Nice, I think there's a famous rock drummer with the same name too. Welcome!
You don't seem to have made a comment about what's up with the Narration of Awaken Online.
I think I'll have a better sense of where I'm at with the narration of Awaken Online after I listen to the most recent one. I just felt that David Stifel started repeating voices within the story between different characters and it became confusing. On the books with the more "normal" size Awaken Online cast, it's no problem. But in the book where all the factions met up, there was noticeable overlap in the voices to my ear.
@@BrianBell7 He's no Jeff Hays, but I don't think I mind him much. I don't know, I rarely struggle with telling people apart just based on the narration. Either way the writing makes up for it, and I personally can't be bothered to focus on the same thing long enough to read it (besides already own all the books on Audible).
I struggle with online style games
Dungeon core sounds cool but not exactly my thing
I didn't enjoy listening to the Wandering Inn. I wish I would have sight read it instead. The story is good, but one of the voices the narrator chose just grated on me personally.
That’s a long listen if you aren’t feeling it!! I have no idea when I’ll get back to wandering inn. I just read book one last month. Was so so for me
@@BrianBell7 I'd love to hear your thoughts on Defiance of the Fall. It's my favorite and I didn't see it in either "starter guide" videos.
@@comokazijeff I listened to maybe 40% of the first Defiance of the Fall and it just was probably bad timing as I wasn't feeling it. Many of my LitRPG friends have told me to return to it, so I probably will.
@@BrianBell7 It's one that is only really worth it if you get into the world building of later books. It's my favorite world out there. However, it can definitely be a commitment. If you haven't tried Beware of Chicken or Heretical Fishing I'd recommend those instead. I just finished the latter and it was very funny. Same narrator as HWFWM, Heath Miller.
@@comokazijeff awesome. Love Heath Miller. I"ll check it out!!
Omg is that batman no man's land novelization
it is!
hey ... I'm currently looking for an alternative for "System Apocalpyse - Life in the North". I really love the idea of the setting, but I can't stand the MC for multiple reasons. He sometimes acts like an asshole, sometimes like a maniac and personally, I don't like bi sexual main characters and that this so much focused on. Any ideas what comes very close to the setting?
yeah, John Lee is a little rough.. especially in the earlier books. It does improve, but maybe give a try to this relatively undiscussed trilogy called "The GAM3" by Cosimo Yap, book one is called "Opening Moves". Warning, I think the author quit writing after this trilogy if that matters. Most of the LitRPG I've read leans more on the fantasy side than the sci fi side, like System Apocalypse.
I dont know why but every time a character is just playing a game it feels like there are no stakes no matter how hard the author tries to create some. :/ Loosing a character sucks, loosing a character only sucks and that is all it is... Riveting.... -_-
for me, it depends on the series. if they are only playing a game, then yes. but if they are trapped, transported, or otherwise stuck - then I feel like the stakes get raised.
Dungeon Core around horrible to me. I'll pass
Dungeon core books usually aren’t my thing
Skip "The Land". The guy will never finish it.
Yeah, it's a tough one for sure!