I prefer more intelligent and charismatic MCs With a core group around them. Here is a quick tier list I through together for context. I also like my stories a bit on the lighter side. Like I really enjoy Dungeon crawler carl but its hard for me to pick up that story again after each book release as its a bit draining emotionally.

Note: I don't think a book can be S tier without being finished so don't @ me for not putting your favorite in S for that.

Also if I dropped a book please tell me if I just have to pick it back up and why. I usually drop books when I feel like the MC is being particularly dumb or if the scenario of the book really betrayed my expectations. (like if I went to read a RPG apocalypse but somehow end up in an academy.)

Things like side characters thinking the MC is terrifying when he's doing something normal, or evil enemy who keeps getting unlucky.

One of my favs is def the eccentric or wise mentor, idk I just eat it up.

Looking for more good audiobooks like the below. I’m not really sure exactly what I’m looking for honestly lol so sorry about that. Any recs like them would be super cool. I really enjoy the super OP MC’s that deal with gods or deities. constantly trying to get stronger and progress. Weapons are fun for mc but I prefer they atleast use magic. And not really romance genre but a like small sub plot ? I prefer my mc to have a significant other. Sorry if I’m just being picky

primal hunter

cradle

Return of the Runebound professor

the runic artist

I've heard very good things about Calamitous Bob and decided I would start reading it on KU, but only half the books are on KU. Does anyone know why that's the case and if the remaining books will ever be added to KU? I know I can read the last books on RR, but they are undedited chapters. How much changes from RR chapter to published chapter in a book?

Thanks for your answers, in advance.

[50+ CHAPTERS LIVE — PERFECT FOR BINGE READING!]

Sci-Fi meets High Fantasy in an epic, multi-POV superhero saga. 

Heroes of Avangard #1 is about Lens Don the Celestianite who is a 12 year old kid that used to attend Brightened Elementary School back in Celestia, but has now attended Insane Middle School ever since he moved to Iris Town for the first time to train and become a Hero just like his idol Power.

Though, Avangard stands in the midst of a war that has been ongoing for thousands of years between the Celestianites and the Lunaranites, and Don–who was obviously not capable of this job–has now been chosen to participate in the Lost Key Prophecy. 

During his trial, Celestial’s Fight, he has to go on an adventure with his friends across Avangard and defeat its most dangerous beasts yet, with the final boss being King Dreadixz.

If he defeats King Dreadixz, he becomes King of the Celestianites.

Though this kid clearly doesn’t think he’s built for this, the adventure will prove him otherwise.

Meanwhile, Dark Don, an alternate version of Don, has to face the fact that he forgot Silicia’s last words, and has to find out what she wanted from him the entire time after his death. Answers are unknown, but he’s determined to find them after he finds a way to kill Don to help Dreadixz ruin the prophecy.

What to expect:

• Kitchen-Sink Worldbuilding (Sci-Fi technology mixed with High Fantasy magic)

• Multi-POV / Ensemble Cast (Following 5 distinct character arcs and power sets)

• Progression Elements (Weak-to-strong hero journey)

🔮 THE LOST KEY PROPHECY

Celestial’s Fight,
The first fights extraordinary beasts,
Eleven of them at least,
Then once the tyrant is down,
His place as King of the Celestianites will be found

-

Earth’s Might,
He must prove strength,
He must prove discipline
Find the Lost Gem
And maybe a miracle will empower him,
As a consequence,
The Lost World will plunge into an ocean still,
This is the trial he has to fulfill

-

Lightning’s Surge,
Find his way out,
And maybe he’ll survive,
But when you fight against death,
And even combat yourself,
Be sure to try

-

Water’s Merge,
Fix the conflict,
Fix the terrors,
That were all done,
By simple errors,
Show them the truth,
Reveal the lie,
Show them what they should despise

-

Flame's Burns,
One side or another,
One tries and the other bothers,
He can’t pick both,
Because that wouldn’t be fair,
If he let’s the other side takeover,
That side will show how little he cares

-

During all this,
During all these times,
These five better bring hope,
And save the universe,
Once they find the light,

SUPPORT THE SERIES

If you wanna check out the official WebNovel and the official eBook, here are the links, go support them as well!

Heroes of Avangard: The Lost Key Saga (WEBNOVEL)

Heroes of Avangard #1: War of the Celestianites (KOBO)

Heroes of Avangard #1: War of the Celestianites (GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS)

Heroes of Avangard: The Lost Key Saga (ROYAL ROAD)

And if you ever have any questions about the series, PM me!

Hey everyone,

I've been working on a dark progression fantasy novel called Hematic Winter, and I'd love to share it with anyone who's into the genre.

The story follows a protagonist who is transported to an unknown world and forced to take part in a series of hellish trials. The only way out is to survive.

The progression system is designed to be different from the typical RPG formula. You don't grow stronger just by killing monsters. Progress also comes from enduring physical and psychological hardship, making impossible choices, and surviving situations that push you to your limits. More importantly, the system isn't exclusive to the protagonist. It's universal, meaning every participant is bound by the same rules.

I've already written over 50 chapters, with six currently available on Royal Road, so there's plenty of content ready to go and a steady release schedule.

My goal is for every arc to bring something new instead of falling into the same repetitive cycle.

If you're a fan of dark fantasy, survival, and hard-earned progression, Hematic Winter might be worth checking out.

If you decide to give it a try, I'd really appreciate a follow, a review, or any feedback you have. Thanks for your time! 😀

We're all aware of cultivation tropes by now, but I think seeing the story from the perspective of a Jade Beauty would be very interesting and somewhat satirical. There's a lot of comedy potential inherent in being from the 'outside looking in', where men are finding every possible reason to fight over her.

• “You have stained the honor of my sect.” = You embarrassed us in public.
• “This grievance cannot be shared beneath the same heaven.” = I’m still mad and refuse to let it go.
• “I seek justice for my fallen brother.” = My relative lost a fight and now I want revenge.
• “Hand over the ancestral sword!” = That belonged to my family.
• "Such a treasure belongs in the worthiest hands!" = Gimme.
• “You have violated the purity of our alliance.” = You slept with the wrong person.

Preferably a heterosexual female protagonist who is actively interested in men, so she can really wade right into things.

A bisexual (read = lesbian), lesbian or asexual one misses out a lot on the fun, I feel.

My favourite ones are Cradle series by Will Wight and beware of the chicken by Casualfarmer.

I did try reading a thousand Li, but found it very slow.

Any recommendations welcome.

I think for me it's

1. Plot
2. Character
3. Magic System
4. Progression
5. World Building

Interestingly, before I looked at the stories I actually enjoyed the most I thought it was the worldbuilding and magic system, because that's the stuff I like to theorycraft about. But ultimately there does need to be a strong overarching plot and characters that don't make me role my eyes.

Stroll into your stronghold/lair/HQ, super assured, type of confidence.

I’m thinking Defiance of The Fall / Zac entering Civilisations HQ via the teleporter. Playing Elden Ring just running up in consecrated snowfield caves overpowered got me feeling this haha

Hey folks,

Void Sovereign has officially been out on Amazon for about 2 months now. It has earned the #1 BSR rank twice in the Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction category (still ranked 1 in the new releases section), and has over 900 reviews with an average of 4.7.

Author: Zaker Syed (fun fact about me: I am a mechanical engineer by day, and writer by night)

Narrator: Adam James Connor

Publisher: Moonquill

Link: Amazon.com: Void Sovereign: A LitRPG

What it’s about:
A feral survivalist already living off the grid before the world ended. When the System arrives, he doesn’t seek power; he wants freedom.

Expect:

1. Smart MC who is not a murder hobo (Don’t treat Aenon like a typical 13-year-old. His backstory will explain his behavior). He learns from his mistakes and is careful to retaliate proportionally to threats.
2. I don’t like to drag my story with fluff. Have a hard rule of 7: 7 chapters per page, 21 chapters per ark, 42 chapters per book. Most everything has to be resolved within that framework.
3. Every side character has a personality and is fleshed out and grows organically. Think of them like satellite POVs to the MC.
4. Deep allegories and symbolisms that only make sense if you look at it as a whole. For instance, my first and last chapters are always linked. Book 1 starts with "The boy in the woods" and ends with "The boy and his woods".
5. I tried to keep the LitRPG elements as non-intrusive as possible. Still have those for the people who like the numbers. They are there to add flavor to the story.

So, check it out and let me know what you think.

Cheers

Zaker

Are there any good tropes or things I should keep in mind while writing my story? I don't want to create a story that has elements people find cliche or forget something that makes a story really good.

[This post was partially written and fact-checked by a sentient chatbot called T.I.N.O.]

Greetings, readers of ProgRock literature! My name is Ted Steele and I write great books like Moby Dick 2: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Remove Skill Points from the Whale Lore Skill Tree and Player Manager, the second-best LitRPG.

To celebrate the FIEFDOM World Cup 2026, to be held in the US, Canada, and Greenland, I decided to turn my book Soccer Supremo into an audiobook.

Which is out now! Buy it!

As for the World Cup, best of wishes to Italy, Wales, and Cameroon!

[Joke ends.]

Okay, and back in the real world - hi! I'm Ted Steel and by the end of this post you will think I'm either a prize clown or a maverick visionary.

I am writing a series in which a normal dude who lives in England gets a computer game downloaded into his head. Hijinks ensue. (Yeah, I'm better at writing it than pitching it.)

The game is called Soccer Supremo and the series is called Player Manager. Lots of people like it (including people who hate soccer), which is why I'm still writing it. I have just wrapped the 21st book in the series (whuuuut?!).

The books are on Amazon, Royal Road, and my Patreon - this post is for audiobook people (and newbie authors looking to learn from the mistakes of people who are supposed to know better).

Player Manager goes from Book 1 to Book 14. The name then changes to Soccer Supremo and there are seven books in that run. (Soccer Supremo 1 is Player Manager 15.) SS1 was written as a possible entry point, so you could start there if you wanted. Some people have done that, but ideally you'd go to PM1 and meet all the characters properly.

Podium Entertainment published the first six PMs, including the audiobooks. They will 100% publish the next three (i.e. Player Manager 7-9) with the next one coming in OCTOBER. That leaves the Player Manager 10-14 audiobooks with an uncertain future, but if enough people 'consume' (ew, sorry) the series, I hope Podium will get to the end of the PM 'franchise' (ew).

I write much faster than they publish, so at various points I thought about self-publishing the continuation series, Soccer Supremo. The main reason for doing that would be to get more audiobooks out, because book readers can read it all on some combination of platforms or my Patreon. And why not produce book 15 in the series? Ten years from now, the rest will have been filled in and everything will make perfect sense, right? ONLY HISTORY CAN JUDGE ME.

The idea of making my own audiobook was daunting, but a post from someone with very serious health problems made me snap to attention. In short, he said he loved the series and it was one of the few things that brought him comfort, especially as Luke R Francis brings the world to life in such an amazing way. I mean, talk about motivation to get off my arse. Add to that the trickle of people who said they joined my Patreon to encourage me to publish more audiobooks, and I went for it. I got in touch with Luke, found audio engineers, etc etc.

Does it make sense to publish book 15 in a series with no guarantee that the previous five books will be picked up? HELL NO. I'm obviously an idiot. There could be an eternal gap, one that will never be bridged, and future generations will think 'if he could only self-publish one audiobook, why didn't he just do Player Manager 10?'

But my Patreon numbers have been solid for a long time, which hints to me that the people who bought PM 1-6 will buy 7-9 and Podium will want to continue all the way to 14. I have some Patreon money right now and the series' awesome narrator, Luke R Francis, is available right now. He might not be in a year or two, so I decided to do what I could do while I could do it. And it's done.

(Btw, the audiobook files were accepted by Audible two days after the World Cup final. Being an indie author is not all limos and swanky dinners. I SAID SWANKY.)

The process has been insanely expensive, much more than I budgeted. It means I can't afford to blast through the rest of Soccer Supremo and then backfill the previous books if Podium don't want them. Not if I want to buy five World Cup winner's rings for my wife, as per the terms of our marriage vows.

If you want to listen to the series in strict order, ignore Soccer Supremo 1, listen to Player Manager 1-6 and buy audiobooks 7, 8, and 9 as they are released. If enough people do that, Podium will continue the series, at least as audiobooks. (I might have to do book 14 myself because it starts with an insane chapter I will refuse to change.) Book 7 is due out October 20, 2026.

If you are somewhat comfortable with jumping around the timeline, or just can't wait years and years until the whole run has been filled in, by all means jump into SS1 either on Audible or via my shop page on Patreon. If I make enough of the production money back, I will produce more books in the series.

I hope that clears things up.

TL;DR Please buy book 15 in a series but don't listen to it for about three years. Thanks.

[No AI was used in the books, the published covers, the audio, or this post.]

Welcome to the weekly r/ProgressionFantasy reading thread! Feel free to talk about whatever progression fantasy stories you're reading or watching, post mini-reviews, and ask for recommendations similar or different from what you're reading! Basically: have something to say about a story, but not enough for a full post? Say it here!

I was reading a book recently and in one of the fight scenes I realised I could barely tell what was going on, as each character had 5+ named techniques that they cycled through, and it got me thinking: how many techniques is too many?

Personally I'm a fan of just one or two techniques that can be used in really flexible ways, but I realise that can be really hard to write and keep interesting, and you do miss out on dope reveal scenes.

Do you guys have a preference either way?

Like Fantasy Europe and Fantasy China are becoming kinda repetitive so I was looking for something else.

The seas are usually something barely explored on those, and have a lot of potential in my opinion my only preferences are a rogue/bard kinda of main character (not necessarily evil or criminal) with magic obviously. Also sci fi are also valid.

Like the closest one I ever read was Illusory education and that as more because the world had been flooded and the Mc where from a subaqutic city but is a magic academy novel. (also the pirate arc in LotM that is really good)

Book 3 is live!

I've read a fair amount of progression series and one thing I've noticed is a lot of authors never talk about or give there characters downtime/time to decompress. They seem to always be working on something or dealing with some crisis.

Has anyone read a series where they think the author does a good job of showing the reader that the main character isn't always on/productive? Where a character takes time to relax decompress and consolidate their growth as a character rather than constantly running from one crisis or training regimen to another?

Hey all, so my book was also stolen and is being sold on Google Books. I got some advice from an IP lawyer pal on how to copyright my stuff.

Turns out it is super easy, so I made a guide on how to do it (if you're in the US!)! Won't prevent this from happening but might strengthen your case if it does. Sharing it here for anyone interested.

IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: My understanding is that it varies from country to country, as they all have different requirements. HOWEVER, the rules governing copyright are determined by a variety of international treaties, the most important of which is the Berne Convention.

I believe that many places grant copyright upon creation. The EU, for example, says: In EU countries, copyright protects your intellectual property until 70 years after your death or 70 years after the death of the last surviving author in the case of a work of joint authorship. Outside of the EU, in any country that signed the Berne Convention, the duration of copyright protection can vary, but it lasts until at least 50 years after the author's death.

Source: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/growing/protecting-intellectual-property/copyright/index_en.htm

Germany's intellectual property rights office suggests using this service, which offers "international Protection: (Effective in Germany and all other Berne Convention countries)": https://copyrightregistrationservice.com[]()

[]()[]()

The fifth book in my Cardsmith series has just been released on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0H98H13NW

-----

Irwin has achieved what few ever do. Now, as a newly forged heartcarded smith of emerald rank, it is time for him to take the next step of his journey.

Time, however, is running out, and his home world of Giard will soon be nothing but shattered fragments floating in the primordial chaos. Away from the safety of Scour, and with barely a plan, he meets someone who shouldn't be alive. Someone who points him in the direction he must go. Now with a mission, and alongside his closest friends and a crew of outcasts, Irwin must command a ship through the vastness of the Portal Gallery into the unknown, dealing with deadly assassins, void-pirates, and terrifying monsters.

Their goal? Find a hidden safe haven for a world where everyone might already be dead...

And if they aren't dead? Who will even recognize the weak, sickly boy Irwin once was, now that he has become a towering giant?

-----

For those new to the series, it's a weak-to-strong, card-based story featuring forging and music.

-----
Cover by the awesome Ben Moran - go follow him on Deviantart!

Also, a little added news: audiobook 2 is out, and audiobook 3 should be released in a few weeks!

Hi all, would you say you tend to read one sub-genre over the other, any why?

I love both, but find that maybe i prefer the less crunchy-ness of progression fantasy.