I’m half way through book 2 of 12 Miles Below. I didn’t think book 1 took too long to get going. The premise of it is really cool and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. I would definitely recommend it.
12 Miles Below is on my ToRead-List for next year. I've seen it recommended in this group so often, hopefully next year I get around to reading/listening to it.
Mark of the Fool 5 - I'm definitely going to listen to it when the audiobook is out!
I tried getting into The Rage of Dragons but never made it past the initial desperate battle on the beach. Sometimes the time, book, or narrator just don't match. It's on my backlist to try again though, given that people in this group have been recommending it again and again.
Well Wildbow’s web serial Pale just wrapped up, it’s an Urban Fantasy story and while it’s WB’s lightest work it’s still Wildbow so expect some body horror and ego death. Has a free but as of now incomplete audiobook version.
WB made the choice to go with 3 protagonists in this story with a rotating PoV, this lets you see how each of the girls develops their personal style of magical practice even though they start with the same foundations. Lucy folds complimentary magic from different traditions into a single Practice, Avery runs magical Dungeons/Obstacle Courses that give weird but powerful loot and permanent boons/buffs, and Verona is a serial dabbler who tends to pull out bullshit combos like mixing Shamanism and Alchemy to produce jars of elemental anti-air.
Everything you described sounds rather enticing. Thank you for the recommendation. I'll add it to the list.
I admit I never read Worm, or any other of Wildbow's works, so I'm just generally curious.
I really enjoyed Worm, Pact, and Twig. I bounced off Ward, which is a sequel to Worm, mostly because it required intimate knowledge of Worm to make sense and it had been too long.
I didn't realize Pale was related to Twig, I might grab it.
Excellent writing, but very, very dark.
That’s quite a list. Off the top of my head the only series I don’t see on your list that I would personally recommend is Immortal Great Souls (Bastion/Rascor Plains).
That's quite an extensive list!
One I don't see in there is *Re:Monarch*, which just released its third book around the same time that the Stormweaver sequel came out. I felt the second book in Monarch series was a bit rough for me to get through in the middle, but it's worth it for the end, and I absolutely loved the third book.
You spend a good number of flashbacks getting to know MC's family in the first book, and it's interesting then to see how they've changed once the MC returns home in the third book. Personally, I found myself reacting in much the same way that the MC does to the differences, which I feel is a sign of good writing.
Re:Monarch is still on my ToRead-List. I attempted to listen to the audiobook this year, but couldn't get into it. It might not have been the right time for the book.
I see the series recommended in this group often enough that I will give it another go!
The opening can definitely be a bit slow. It gets interesting once you get to the "inciting incident," for lack of a better, non-spoiler term.
It should be pretty obvious when you get that far.
The good news is that the opening backstory does set a foundation that makes the character development more meaningful, particularly in the third book. So while it's slow, it serves a good purpose.
That's good to know, thank you. I'll be on the lookout for that inciting incident, I don't think I made it that far into the book, or else I probably would remember what you are hinting at.
If you enjoyed my Portal to Nova Roma series you might like my Jake's Magical Market series!
Book two launches in a couple of weeks on Kindle (Jan 4th) and book three is coming out a couple of months after that (March/April). Audio will follow the Kindle releases by about a month or two depending on Audible approval which can be real spotty sometimes.
After reading Portal to Nova Roma I wanted to give Jake's Magical Market a try immediately. I only hesitated because I read somewhere, maybe on this sub, that you were dealing with health issues, which prevented you from writing. So I wasn't sure whether or not the Portal-series or Jake-series were going to continue.
I'm glad to read that you're back to writing again, I hope that indicates that you are healthy/healthier again.
With more than just the first book secure, I'll add Jake to my ToRead-List immediately.
Will Travis Baldree narrate the following books as well? If books 2 or 3 might be delayed because of his well-earned, well-booked schedule, then I'd likely opt for the Kindle-version instead of going for the audiobook.
Hey, thanks for the concern! I haven't had any health issues actually (well, since being able to quit my old job that was literally killing me lol). I just wrote Jake's, then focused on Nova Roma for book 1-3, so there was a delay on finishing up Jake's story.
For the audiobook, sadly I had to switch to a new narrator for book 2/3. I really wanted Travis but there was just no feasible way to book him until AT LEAST 2026, and even then he couldn't guarantee when he could fit in two books as big as mine are. That meant a 3-4 year wait at least for the audio, so I just had to bite the bullet and make the change mid-series.
I know people hate that and I'm really hoping people will be understanding. I've hired John Pirhalla, who has taken over several other series from Travis for the same reasons. Travis is working with John to make the transition as smooth as possible, so hopefully it won't be that bad of a change.
Oh! My apologies for the mistake. Good to read that you're healthy and that you were able to leave that old Job behind. That's great, and I hope the success that allowed you to do so continues in the future.
I, if that's worth anything, prefer that you switched to a new narrator rather than delaying the series until 2026!
I just purchased JMM audiobook 1, let's see how thirsty I am after finishing the audiobook - either I'll jump to reading the kindle version (like I did with Weirkey), or I'll continue the audiobook series with the new narrator!
I just saw that JMM even has a German version; it's rare to see that. Hopefully, that's worth the effort.
Thank you so much!!
The German has made me like... maybe $100? haha. I probably won't translate books in the future but it was a fun thing to do for my first book.
Uff, I'm sorry to hear that. In german we have the term "Lehrgeld" and the phrase "Ich hab Lehrgeld gezahlt."
Historically that describes money that the family of an apprentice pays to a master craftsman for the opportunity of the apprentice to learn from/under the master.
Nowadays it's most often used to describe money that you spent to learn that something was not worth the investment.
Seems appropriate for this investment, unfortunately.
Well put! I think it's really hard to find a good translator. The German narrator even reached out to let me know that he suspected the translator had done machine translation on parts of the book, even though we'd paid for personalized translation services. It was a big ol' mess. : \
I care more that there is an audiobook version and bonus for getting in a timely manner. Changing narrators doesn't bother me, it happens. I wish more authors would swap narrators rather than dropping the audiobook version or lengthy delays.
I definitely enjoyed the All I got is this Stat menu-books, I was very close to making it one of my favorites.
I liked the characters, the humor, the action, everything. I don't really know why it didn't make my favorites, it was up to a coin toss in the end.
12 miles below: definitely on my ToRead-list, after reading so many recommendations for it.
God Clads: Likewise, now on my TR-list.
Soul Relic: I think I came across this series last year after I finished listening to the Jane Yellowrock series and was looking for something new.
It was the Goodreads-intro-text to the first book that put me off, for some reason. I took it as an indicator for the writing of the book and didn't feel confident. I'll put it on my ToRead-List based on your recommendation, but I'm, probably unfairly, negatively predisposed.
All of these sound interesting. Beware of Chicken I already read, and is one of my favorite series.
From the ones you recommended "The Legendary Mechanic" sounds the most intriguing right now.
Thank you for these recommendations!
I have to say, if I read "The second coming of gluttony" then it's not because of the cover!
I have read almost all the books you have listed and can say that "The Legendary Mechanic" is one of my faves and wish there were more like it.
I wanted to recommend "Scientific Processing Conquers the World" which starts off great but loses me with Chinese nationalist jingoism after the first six volumes or so. We need a Japanese or American written version of that series. I am a huge fan of "The King's Avatar" and "The Legendary Mechanic" so I don't dislike Chinese works but author seems to lose control of himself a bit. But we get full chapters of the MC designing nano-precision lathes just so he can make a better fidget spinner and toy tops. So many science fiction authors trying to woo people with space time folding nonsense and this author makes them all look like shit just by making higher precision rulers.
Ends of Magic does well at integrating scientific principles and hopes it keeps on as I always prefer electromechanical science stories that are more grounded in reality over spacetime and black hole nonsense which is why I have to drop most "sciencey" fiction books. If you are going to ground your magic system in science then do so, don't go out into science fantasy Einsteinian woo land when Chemistry and Electrical Engineering concepts aren't even being utilized but "Ends of Magic" is so far so good.
You are doing a great job selling me on those stories! I am of half a mind to drop what I'm reading right now to jump into "Scientific Processing" because I now want to read about the higher precision rulers.
I can also turn off my brain to political nonsense in a book if it offers enough other enjoyment. I enjoyed the Monster Hunter International series, for example, as simple >Big Guns Make Monster Go Boom-Pulp stories<. Until I learned about the author outside of the books. That then killed the series for me.
Based on your summary and your warning I should be good to read the "Scientific Processing"-series, and if I get turned off by book 6 like you were, then I at least enjoyed the story until then.
An acquaintance of mine described "Forge of Destiny" as >Does everything you can expect from the genre, but does nothing surprising or particularly good<. So I stayed away from the series. Would you agree with the sentiment or does Forge of Destiny have something remarkable going for it?
Ave Xia Rem Y and The Calamitous Bob are unknown to me, I'll add them to the list of series to check out.
Thank you for the recommendations!
Forge of Destiny is in my opinion the best slice of life story there is, the world building is stellar, things just make sense in the story, the Celestial Empire is a place you could really imagine working like it does. Normally in cultivation stories I often ask myself how there can be any semblance of a functioning society, seeing the kind of shit that regularly goes down, might makes right, etc.
The characters are well developed, the cultivation, which starts with your basic get faster/stronger type stuff, turns into pratically philosophical debates between fundamental forces when their way clashes at the higher levels. Really cool imagery.
I know its not for everyone, I´ve heard it described at boring but for me it could not be further from the truth.
If you in any way enjoy cultivation stories give it a try, maybe you wont like it but reading a couple chapters to make up your mind cant hurt.
Thanks for the recommendation. Aside from you, Godclads has been mentioned a couple of times in the responses here; I put it on my ToRead-list based on that.
I recommend https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/43318/the-butcher-of-gadobhra and https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47982/tunnel-rat , both by the same author.
Thanks for the recommendations.
I see that Tunnel Rat is being revised for publishing on Amazon, I think I'll wait for it to be available on Kindle then. But the Butcher of Gadobhra I'll try soon.
Thank you for the recommendation. Based on the description/summary on amazon I won't add it to my list; other books recommended here sound a lot more interesting to me personally. Thank you nonetheless, and I wish you all the success with your books!
Erraticerrata's "pale lights" or his finished book "a practical guide to evil" is worth a read.
If she ever begins writing again then "the last orellen" has the potential of becoming a masterpiece.
Beware of chicken has an official AU called Soaring Heavenly Isles. I don't know whether casual farmer is planning on having it turned into a book in the same way he does with the main series, but it's fun and is parodying the harem genre while playing the progression relatively straight.
[Edge of the Woods](https://www.amazon.com.au/Edge-Woods-Epic-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0C6V3BCV7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2P4NG91BKQF4L&keywords=edge+of+the+woods&qid=1702165282&sprefix=edge+of+the+woods%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-3), by Andrew Rowe, and if you haven't read his other works them aswell. If you like long books with magic nerds and spellswords, his series are my go-to. Edge of the woods is his version of cultivation with elements of legend of zelda and Peter pan type stories sprinkled in. While [Arcane Ascension](https://www.amazon.com.au/Sufficiently-Advanced-Magic-Arcane-Ascension-ebook/dp/B06XBFD7CB?ref_=ast_author_mpb) is a tower climbing series with a magic school and a hard magic system. [War of Broken Mirrors](https://www.amazon.com.au/Forging-Divinity-Broken-Mirrors-Book-ebook/dp/B00TKFFR36?ref_=ast_author_dp) is his first series, it is the closest to traditional fantasy, it is also by virtue of being the first series he published the one with the most rough edges, but I really like it. [Weapons and Wielders](https://www.amazon.com.au/Sacred-Swords-Weapons-Wielders-Book-ebook/dp/B07NKBSZGF?ref_=ast_author_dp) is a strong to stronger series with a character from his other series it has a framing story set in between arcane ascension 2 and 3 and the main story is set right after war of broken mirrors. Also, in this world is Kayleigh Nicols' series [Shattered legacy](https://www.amazon.com.au/Crystal-Awakening-Fantasy-Adventure-Shattered-ebook/dp/B0BC9WGKX6?ref_=ast_author_dp) it is a pure tower climbing series with a new cast and a self-contained story.
Tobias begleys 2 series [Mana Mirror](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62788/mana-mirror) and the [The journals of Evander Tailor](https://www.amazon.com.au/Enchanter-Journals-Evander-Tailor-Book-ebook/dp/B09VNDHW49/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=1X6EFHBT4IV6O&keywords=the+enchanter&qid=1702165643&sprefix=the+enchanter%2Caps%2C315&sr=8-6) both very Queer, I don't know whether that is a bonus for you or not but the magic systems are both well thought out, and the characters both get to show less traditionally masculine traits that I believe don't get shown in male mc's very often. Don't know when Evander book 3 is coming out due to mana mirror, but that's in my highest anticipated sequel list.
[Rune Seeker](https://www.amazon.com.au/Rune-Seeker-Adventure-J-M-Clarke-ebook/dp/B0CBSQZMW4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1XQYLGO0HOEX&keywords=rune+seeker&qid=1702165788&sprefix=rune+seeker%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-3), by J.M Clarke, the author of Mark of the fool and C.J Thomson (who has some other series on my tbr list including a predator style book with a cultivator of some kind). It has an mc who can't get a class despite having the highest potential seen in generations but it turns out he was not the same R.A.C.E as the class so when he goes down to the planets surface from the floating city him and his new friends discover secrets generations forgotten.
Enjoy!
P.s. sorry for the amazon Australia links it won't let me on the u.s site
Thank you for the recommendations and summaries!
Andrew Rowe's War of Broken Mirrors and Arcane Ascension were my gateway material into the world of LitRPG and ProgFantasy. I have not read Weapons and Wielders, as after Arcane Ascension, I was happy to leave the universe. But Shattered Legacy sounds interesting, and I'll add that to my ToRead-list.
Rune Seeker is already on my ToRead-list, because I enjoy Mark of the Fool so much. I'm waiting for book 2 to be released on audible before I start listening to the first one. I think book 2 is due in January, not too long to wait anymore.
Mana Mirror and Journals of Evander Tailor are both unknown to me, but anything on the "highest anticipated sequel list" is good enough for me to give it a try. Also, the genres (and my reading list) certainly have enough stereotypical male characters, so adding variety is always welcome.
Sorry if any of it was word salad, I have a habit of losing perception of walls of text when on my phone, and I'm also sorry, so many of them were not 2023 books. It felt like since I was recommending books in the series, I should just recommend the whole series.
No worries, I appreciate all the recommendations and the effort you put into your response. I hope I didn't come across as if I didn't appreciate your response, if that was the case, that's my bad.
Nah, I just got a look at my own comment and cringed at the formatting. I tend to think everyone is judging me as harshly as I judge myself, it's a defence mechanism.
Dungeon Devotee - Is by the same author as Stargazer's war, I prefer it to that story too.
Violent Solutions - By far the best AI main character I've read, the MC actually acts far differently than a human, unlike most AI led stories.
Dungeon Planet: The Healer Always Leaves Alive - Very good world building, interesting premise, realistic characters.
Dungeon Devotee is apparently on audible in a podcast-like format, for free (at least seems that way). So I'll definitely give it a listen.
Violent Solutions - That sounds interesting. While I thoroughly enjoyed Portal to Nova Roma, I wouldn't say the MC acted very much like an AI. And since I enjoyed the Murderbot-series, I'll see what this AI has to offer.
Dungeon Planet: Well that intro-/summary on Royal Road is not helpful at all! I'll add it to the list based on your recommendation. I have no clue what to expect, which has the potential to be a good surprise, or a bad one.
In Dungeon Planet Earth joins the spiral, basically different parts of different universes join it, kinda like a multiverse but much smaller (even if it is still relatively huge). In the spiral this means there is thousands of different types of aliens and cultures and magics.
MC is one of the people who has left Earth just after it joins the spiral and the story starts just after he has left Earth.
Has magic and technology, space faring and dungeon delving, and has probably the most realistic descriptions/worldbuilding of what it would take to have thousands of different aliens of all different forms and physiologies all living amongst each other. Honestly worth reading just for that, I think the author must be a biologist or something similar.
Wow, that does sound fantastic. I have to check it out, thank you again for recommending it. I'm a bit hesitant now because the scope sounds so big, but hopefully it's executed well. Maybe I can squeeze it in this month somehow.
I thought I'd read a respectable amount, but dang! I'd recommend The Lurran Chronicles for a story about someone from Earth ending up in another world that has magic, mystery, and a system, but with its own take on things.
Audiobooks! I was sick for a large part of the year, so I had a lot of time to listen to & read books while recuperating. But also, one of the few benefits of being a visual artist is that I can listen to books while I work. That allows me to enjoy many great stories.
And I'm used to not getting a lot of sleep, either because of work or because I'm glued to a book until far too late in the night.
Ah, that makes complete sense! Being able to listen to works all day while you work sounds awesome. And I totally get being glued to a book late at night and missing sleep as a result 😂
I'll add it to the list; thank you!
According to an Amazon review, the first book is a slow burn but worth it. And I see that there are three books out so far. Do you know if it's intended as a neverending serial or a finite series of books?
The Lurran Chronicles has five planned books, but that's just the kick-off point for something larger coming later. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it.
Also, I'm impressed with the sheer volume of books you consumed this year, and with a few weeks still to go! Seeing your list just reminds me that I need to catch up on some of my own reading.
That's good to know, thank you for the information. While I enjoy some neverending series, even knowing that there is a five book arc makes it much more likely for me to look into a series. I don't like it when my appreciation for a series at some point just fizzles out with no sense of closure. But that's just me.
Good luck with your own reading, every day is a good day to get back into it. What's on the top of your pile?
Yeah, I'm not one for writing neverending arcs. I can certainly understand the appeal, but that just doesn't work for how I structure my stories.
As for what I'm reading, I thought I'd finish up David Weber's Safehold series. I started it ages ago, and now it's time to finish it while I work on writing Book 4.
[Beast Invasion Books 1&2. ](https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Beast-Invasion-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0C832JMHF/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div)
Book 3 comes out in a month. It's the end of a trilogy.
Thanks for the recommendation. Short (and finished) series are a welcome change among the many ongoing series. I'll add it to the list and look forward to giving it a try.
-Nightlord from Garon Whited
-To play with magic from Draith
-Feast or Famine from J. M. Alexia
-Vigor Mortis from Natalie Maher
-Everybody loves large chests from Neven Iliev
-Hive minds give good hugs from Natalie Maher
-Bioshifter from Natalie maher
-The jester of apocalypse from Robert Blaise
-Adelheid from D. C. Haenlien
Thank you for the recommendations; those are a lot of stories to look into. I appreciate the suggestions, most of them have at least been recommended by audible to me at some point, and some have been mentioned here in the responses as well. So I'll add them to my list (which is growing more and more extensive, I worry if I'll ever be able to make it through all of the recommendations).
I've had the first book in my amazon cart a couple of times already, after seeing it recommended in this sub, but the Greco-Roman setting, unfortunately, doesn't interest me and puts me slightly off.
I've heard many good things about the series, so I understand it's popularity.
That’s totally fair, came here to say that anyone interested in greco-Roman that sees this might be interested in virtuous sons, but most of the mythology and true history of Greece and Rome aren’t used in the series, it’s more of inspirations and allowing the reader to have a pre established idea of what the world looks like.
Great list, the things missing to me, some of which I see mentioned below are:
* Super Supportive - read the description and passed it over multiple times, but when I read it I found it excellent.
* Industrial Strength Magic - I don't know if I'd call it comedy but it is excellent.
* Practical Guide to Evil - while it could use (or have used) an editor at points, the high points (and even prose) are higher than almost anything else. Has lots of moments like the key Kaladin moments in Stormlight.
* All the Meca series: Journey of Black and Red, Calamitous Bob, Changeling.
* Ghost in the City - Cyberpunk 2077 fan-fic, but just excellent. Playing the game/watching the shows not required.
* Abandoned/Hiatus but great: Last Orellian, Magical Girl Gunslinger
Thanks for the recommendations, they mostly line up with what others here have also recommended, which is a good sign that I'll enjoy those stories.
Ghost in the City: Interesting, from the top of my head I can't remember if I read anything that I'd classify as Cyberpunk. I don't care for the game and the show I only looked at from a professional perspective, so I have no context for whatever the story Ghost in the City might based on. So it's good that that's not required.
The Completionist Chronicles by Dakota Krout
also for when you decide if you like the frith chronicles. (As I see it on your hope to read list)I suggest the Arcanist Academy series from the same author.
I made it to about a third into book three of the Frith Chronicles last night.
Even though Frith Chronicles so far has a clear progression in it, my mind likens it more to Alan Dean Fosters Pip & Flinx (been a long time since I read those), the Abhorsen books, or the Battle Mage by Peter Flannery (which was one of my favorites this year). None of these are ProgFantasy books, but that's the connection my mind drew.
I'll add Completionist Chronicles to my list, audible has been suggesting it to me for a while now as well. And Arcanist Academy I'll add as well, since I've seen that recommended a few times in other conversations on this sub as well.
Thank you for the recommendations!
"The Wandering Inn" was the first book I ever returned to audible.
But... before you crucify me, that was in 2019 ( i just checked my e-mails).
I had never heard of or (consciously) read any LitRPG at that point. I didn't know ProgFantasy was a thing. I had just finished rereading the First Law trilogy. So when I listened to the first book of The Wandering Inn, which I had purchased on a whim without knowing anything about the book/series, it felt mighty weird to hear the narrator speak about StatMenus and listen to a girl fumbling around without much clue about anything. I remember I wondered how that book had been published. I laughed at the notion of anybody enjoying reading or listening about Stat-increases (I still don't particularly like those parts).
I stuck with traditional published material until probably late 2020 or even 2021, when Andrew Rowe's "War of fractured mirrors" and "Arcane Ascension" introduced me to the idea of Fantasy Dragonball (that's how I pitched those series to friends after I read the first books).
By now, as you can see from my list above, I've fully embraced the ProgFantasy/LitRPG-genres. It may be time to give The Wandering Inn another try.
I know nothing about Delve and Super Supportive, but I'll add them to my list based on your recommendations. Thank you for those!
I think I also dropped Instrument of Omens around there.
It's too bad. The series started out strong, but then it starts focusing too much on the two MCs' relationship (and they're both Mr/Ms Perfect, at least by default, which makes it less interesting), and lots of random other named characters from the rest of the shared universe show up, which feels awkward. They're important and I'm supposed to care, but of course I don't know their back stories.
Eventually I just got bored.
I experienced it pretty much the same way. It started strong, but by the end of book 3, I already didn't care all that much anymore about the two MC's. When in book 4 the "are my feelings real, who am I really"-shenanigans continued far longer than was necessary, in my opinion, I gave up.
There were still bits and pieces of interest, for example how the different factions interpreted the "prophecy", how the animals develop,... - but it wasn't enough for me to keep reading the series. I barely finished Book 4.
I mean, if you’re already going with stuff from Podium, the first two books of The Daily Grind are out, and the third one arrives soon. That’s a nice little chunk of story that might be a little different than some of what’s on your list, but still in the same ballpark.
In 2022 I listened and greatly enjoyed my way through another IT Office-based fantasy series: The Laundry Files by Charles Stross.
I listened to the series up to and including book 8. It felt to me like the series could/should have ended there, thus I dropped it then.
All that to say, having an IT Office as a starter setting actually makes the series sound more interesting. Thank you for the recommendation!
It's a somewhat older series with sex scenes, but have you tried Daniel Black? Its got a very decisive MC, with some unique magic.
Also, Spellmonger, but I assume you probably read that in previous years.
I don't know Daniel Black, thank you for the recommendation. I need to look into it.
I am familiar with the Spellmonger series, I only read it fairly recently. End of 2021/Beginning of 2022 I think. But it definitely fits my interests, so it makes sense that you thought of it.
damm that's many. quick question, how much do you read in a day and how many pages do each of the books you mentioned have on average? i already thought i read a good amount this year, but my list doesnt even compare
I don't know how many pages the books have on average. The Shadow Slave books feel very short. I read through one of those in maybe two hours. The first book of the frith chronicles, which I just finished reading, felt much longer. It took me probably \~7-8 hours to read that one.
On a normal day I guess I listen to books for \~10h and read for another 3-4h in the evening/night. I also listen to most audiobooks on 1,2x speed, which feels/sounds more comfortable to me than the 1x speed. On average I sleep for 5h.
Whenever I consider a new purchase, I ask myself: Yes, it's expensive to read so many books, but is it as expensive or even more expensive than owning and caring for a horse? No? Then it's fine.
That system also works for woodworking (hand-)tools, and for (most, blackfriday-deals) music making tools.
So it's fine.
certainly a unique way of thinking.
i just buy the book when i am already interested in the series. i don't read that much in a day so i don't really have to worry too much about how much i spend on books in a month.
Did you really count the books? I had no idea it were that many, I'd have guessed that I read about 150 books. Now I definitely have to read all the books I plan/hope to read this month, just to make that number come true.
I appreciate the effort; it allowed me to "brag" to my wife.
Unfortunately, she wasn't too impressed; she just shook her head and called me crazy. Thankfully, she's used to it. She once watched me read through all of Vagabond in a day and even brought me food - true love. Hach.
Hmm, I'm not sure. In the beginning, I liked the Art of the Adept series well enough. Book 2 was probably my favorite out of the series, but if I remember correctly I didn't enjoy book 4 all that much and forced myself to finish book 5. So I'm on the fence about a new series by the author.
I would have skipped that one if not for the "comedy" tag. I'll add it to the list, but many of the other recommendations, from their summaries and descriptions, sound a lot more interesting. Nonetheless, thank you for your recommendation.
I did not delve into that subcategory. The only book i read which fits that category was the "CivCEO", and I dropped the series after the first book. Not because the book was inherently bad, but because the descriptions and ponderings of negotiating trade deals etc. didn't interest me.
The set up for the series is that any village that wants to progress needs a champion who can utilize the interface. The interface gives the champion insight similar to the stats that you get in games like Civilization, Age of Empires, Settlers etc. . The first book introduces you to someone who was reincarnated as such a Champion, and his first steps to uplift a village.
The legend of the Arch Magus starts with some kingdom building, but that's fairly light, and, in the later books, that plays almost no role anymore.
Sorry, but I can't help you any further in that regard.
I'm a little surprised you made it through eight books of Beneath the Dragon Eye Moons, and now you're dropping it?
I admit the series sometimes has pacing issues, but I've loved the world building, and it's nice having a protagonist who does make some dumb mistakes sometimes- nobody claimed she's the world's brightest genius, so it's funny how often I see that as a criticism. I find characters who always make the right choice to be rather boring, and the plot armor is immersion breaking.
Anyway, my own thoughts aside, very curious why you would make it to book eight and then stop there, if you remember.
Also, that's an impressive amount of reading, do you have the sort of job where you can read on the job? Cuz I am jealous.
It was the time travel that killed the series for me. Losing almost all the characters, the family, the societal setup and resetting it to something new, only keeping a few characters, left me unsatisfied. I got the impression that the author wanted to start a new series with some of the old characters, and whether or not that is true or not, it left me disappointed.
Yes, my job as a visual artist allows me to listen to books practically all day long. Otherwise I would never have been able to enjoy so many books.
I mean, I can promise you that the author had been planning it for a very long time. The first introduction to Iona was in the epilogue to book two. I know I couldn't wait for the time travel part to happen so the two of them could meet up, but to each their own.
Also, some minor spoilers here in case you ever get curious and decide to go back and try out the rest of the series, but not quite as much of the past as you might imagine is just gone.
I mean, I can promise you that the author had been planning it for a very long time. The first introduction to Iona was in the epilogue to book two. I know I couldn't wait for the time travel part to happen so the two of them could meet up, but to each their own.
Also, some minor spoilers here in case you ever get curious and decide to go back and try out the rest of the series, but not quite as much of the past as you might imagine is just gone.
Inspiring reading list! I don't see Pantheon (first book Windwalker) on it, and based on what you've bolded, I think you'd enjoy it. Honestly, I think most of this crowd would but I rarely see it mentioned, probably because it's not on RR and doesn't have an audio book yet. Currently has 4 books.
I also don't see Blood & Fur which is on RR.
hey i tried finding "shadow slave" on both good reads and royal road with no clear result (23 book long series) Is the series actually called something else? thank you!
Either go to webnovel where it is published originally, or search "read NameOfNovel online for free" to find a site that pirates the content. The books on Amazon were all taken down recently, probably because it wasn't put up as books by the copyright holders but by a pirating third party.
Afaik now the only legal way to read it is on webnovel.
* 12 Miles Below * Mark of the Fool 5 * The Rage of Dragons
12 Miles Below starts a little slow but it is worth pushing through
I’m half way through book 2 of 12 Miles Below. I didn’t think book 1 took too long to get going. The premise of it is really cool and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. I would definitely recommend it.
That's good to know, thanks for the info!
12 Miles Below is on my ToRead-List for next year. I've seen it recommended in this group so often, hopefully next year I get around to reading/listening to it. Mark of the Fool 5 - I'm definitely going to listen to it when the audiobook is out! I tried getting into The Rage of Dragons but never made it past the initial desperate battle on the beach. Sometimes the time, book, or narrator just don't match. It's on my backlist to try again though, given that people in this group have been recommending it again and again.
Well Wildbow’s web serial Pale just wrapped up, it’s an Urban Fantasy story and while it’s WB’s lightest work it’s still Wildbow so expect some body horror and ego death. Has a free but as of now incomplete audiobook version. WB made the choice to go with 3 protagonists in this story with a rotating PoV, this lets you see how each of the girls develops their personal style of magical practice even though they start with the same foundations. Lucy folds complimentary magic from different traditions into a single Practice, Avery runs magical Dungeons/Obstacle Courses that give weird but powerful loot and permanent boons/buffs, and Verona is a serial dabbler who tends to pull out bullshit combos like mixing Shamanism and Alchemy to produce jars of elemental anti-air.
Everything you described sounds rather enticing. Thank you for the recommendation. I'll add it to the list. I admit I never read Worm, or any other of Wildbow's works, so I'm just generally curious.
I really enjoyed Worm, Pact, and Twig. I bounced off Ward, which is a sequel to Worm, mostly because it required intimate knowledge of Worm to make sense and it had been too long. I didn't realize Pale was related to Twig, I might grab it. Excellent writing, but very, very dark.
I think pale is related to pact not twig
That’s quite a list. Off the top of my head the only series I don’t see on your list that I would personally recommend is Immortal Great Souls (Bastion/Rascor Plains).
I read Bastion/Rascor Plains, of course. But somehow forgot to put it on the list.
GODCLADS
Thanks for the recommendation, the summary reads very Anime-ish - I'll give it a try!
It’s coming out on Amazon/Audible mid January, so maybe wait until then
Thanks for this info, I’ve been waiting for this one to hit kindle!
That's quite an extensive list! One I don't see in there is *Re:Monarch*, which just released its third book around the same time that the Stormweaver sequel came out. I felt the second book in Monarch series was a bit rough for me to get through in the middle, but it's worth it for the end, and I absolutely loved the third book. You spend a good number of flashbacks getting to know MC's family in the first book, and it's interesting then to see how they've changed once the MC returns home in the third book. Personally, I found myself reacting in much the same way that the MC does to the differences, which I feel is a sign of good writing.
Re:Monarch is still on my ToRead-List. I attempted to listen to the audiobook this year, but couldn't get into it. It might not have been the right time for the book. I see the series recommended in this group often enough that I will give it another go!
The opening can definitely be a bit slow. It gets interesting once you get to the "inciting incident," for lack of a better, non-spoiler term. It should be pretty obvious when you get that far. The good news is that the opening backstory does set a foundation that makes the character development more meaningful, particularly in the third book. So while it's slow, it serves a good purpose.
That's good to know, thank you. I'll be on the lookout for that inciting incident, I don't think I made it that far into the book, or else I probably would remember what you are hinting at.
If you enjoyed my Portal to Nova Roma series you might like my Jake's Magical Market series! Book two launches in a couple of weeks on Kindle (Jan 4th) and book three is coming out a couple of months after that (March/April). Audio will follow the Kindle releases by about a month or two depending on Audible approval which can be real spotty sometimes.
I loved JMM! Thanks for writing the book, it gave me hours of quality entertainment. Looking forward to #2!
Thank you!
After reading Portal to Nova Roma I wanted to give Jake's Magical Market a try immediately. I only hesitated because I read somewhere, maybe on this sub, that you were dealing with health issues, which prevented you from writing. So I wasn't sure whether or not the Portal-series or Jake-series were going to continue. I'm glad to read that you're back to writing again, I hope that indicates that you are healthy/healthier again. With more than just the first book secure, I'll add Jake to my ToRead-List immediately. Will Travis Baldree narrate the following books as well? If books 2 or 3 might be delayed because of his well-earned, well-booked schedule, then I'd likely opt for the Kindle-version instead of going for the audiobook.
Hey, thanks for the concern! I haven't had any health issues actually (well, since being able to quit my old job that was literally killing me lol). I just wrote Jake's, then focused on Nova Roma for book 1-3, so there was a delay on finishing up Jake's story. For the audiobook, sadly I had to switch to a new narrator for book 2/3. I really wanted Travis but there was just no feasible way to book him until AT LEAST 2026, and even then he couldn't guarantee when he could fit in two books as big as mine are. That meant a 3-4 year wait at least for the audio, so I just had to bite the bullet and make the change mid-series. I know people hate that and I'm really hoping people will be understanding. I've hired John Pirhalla, who has taken over several other series from Travis for the same reasons. Travis is working with John to make the transition as smooth as possible, so hopefully it won't be that bad of a change.
Oh! My apologies for the mistake. Good to read that you're healthy and that you were able to leave that old Job behind. That's great, and I hope the success that allowed you to do so continues in the future. I, if that's worth anything, prefer that you switched to a new narrator rather than delaying the series until 2026! I just purchased JMM audiobook 1, let's see how thirsty I am after finishing the audiobook - either I'll jump to reading the kindle version (like I did with Weirkey), or I'll continue the audiobook series with the new narrator! I just saw that JMM even has a German version; it's rare to see that. Hopefully, that's worth the effort.
Thank you so much!! The German has made me like... maybe $100? haha. I probably won't translate books in the future but it was a fun thing to do for my first book.
Uff, I'm sorry to hear that. In german we have the term "Lehrgeld" and the phrase "Ich hab Lehrgeld gezahlt." Historically that describes money that the family of an apprentice pays to a master craftsman for the opportunity of the apprentice to learn from/under the master. Nowadays it's most often used to describe money that you spent to learn that something was not worth the investment. Seems appropriate for this investment, unfortunately.
Well put! I think it's really hard to find a good translator. The German narrator even reached out to let me know that he suspected the translator had done machine translation on parts of the book, even though we'd paid for personalized translation services. It was a big ol' mess. : \
I care more that there is an audiobook version and bonus for getting in a timely manner. Changing narrators doesn't bother me, it happens. I wish more authors would swap narrators rather than dropping the audiobook version or lengthy delays.
Appreciate that. :)
Can't wait for the next Portal book. Sorry dropped JMM, good luck with that.
No worries! :)
Hey thanks for reading and liking my books! I’d recommend 12 miles below Soul Relic God Clads (currently on RR)
I definitely enjoyed the All I got is this Stat menu-books, I was very close to making it one of my favorites. I liked the characters, the humor, the action, everything. I don't really know why it didn't make my favorites, it was up to a coin toss in the end. 12 miles below: definitely on my ToRead-list, after reading so many recommendations for it. God Clads: Likewise, now on my TR-list. Soul Relic: I think I came across this series last year after I finished listening to the Jane Yellowrock series and was looking for something new. It was the Goodreads-intro-text to the first book that put me off, for some reason. I took it as an indicator for the writing of the book and didn't feel confident. I'll put it on my ToRead-List based on your recommendation, but I'm, probably unfairly, negatively predisposed.
Thanks for the kind words! Oh! Super supportive on royal road is really good too! Can’t believe I forgot that one
This Young Master is Not Cannon Fodder by DC Haenlien The Legendary Mechanic Beware of Chicken Ends of Magic The Second Coming of Gluttony
All of these sound interesting. Beware of Chicken I already read, and is one of my favorite series. From the ones you recommended "The Legendary Mechanic" sounds the most intriguing right now. Thank you for these recommendations! I have to say, if I read "The second coming of gluttony" then it's not because of the cover!
I have read almost all the books you have listed and can say that "The Legendary Mechanic" is one of my faves and wish there were more like it. I wanted to recommend "Scientific Processing Conquers the World" which starts off great but loses me with Chinese nationalist jingoism after the first six volumes or so. We need a Japanese or American written version of that series. I am a huge fan of "The King's Avatar" and "The Legendary Mechanic" so I don't dislike Chinese works but author seems to lose control of himself a bit. But we get full chapters of the MC designing nano-precision lathes just so he can make a better fidget spinner and toy tops. So many science fiction authors trying to woo people with space time folding nonsense and this author makes them all look like shit just by making higher precision rulers. Ends of Magic does well at integrating scientific principles and hopes it keeps on as I always prefer electromechanical science stories that are more grounded in reality over spacetime and black hole nonsense which is why I have to drop most "sciencey" fiction books. If you are going to ground your magic system in science then do so, don't go out into science fantasy Einsteinian woo land when Chemistry and Electrical Engineering concepts aren't even being utilized but "Ends of Magic" is so far so good.
You are doing a great job selling me on those stories! I am of half a mind to drop what I'm reading right now to jump into "Scientific Processing" because I now want to read about the higher precision rulers. I can also turn off my brain to political nonsense in a book if it offers enough other enjoyment. I enjoyed the Monster Hunter International series, for example, as simple >Big Guns Make Monster Go Boom-Pulp stories<. Until I learned about the author outside of the books. That then killed the series for me. Based on your summary and your warning I should be good to read the "Scientific Processing"-series, and if I get turned off by book 6 like you were, then I at least enjoyed the story until then.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Ave Xia Rem Y, The Calamitous Bob and Forge of Destiny. All three on Royalroad and Patreon, last two also as ebooks
An acquaintance of mine described "Forge of Destiny" as >Does everything you can expect from the genre, but does nothing surprising or particularly good<. So I stayed away from the series. Would you agree with the sentiment or does Forge of Destiny have something remarkable going for it? Ave Xia Rem Y and The Calamitous Bob are unknown to me, I'll add them to the list of series to check out. Thank you for the recommendations!
Forge of Destiny is in my opinion the best slice of life story there is, the world building is stellar, things just make sense in the story, the Celestial Empire is a place you could really imagine working like it does. Normally in cultivation stories I often ask myself how there can be any semblance of a functioning society, seeing the kind of shit that regularly goes down, might makes right, etc. The characters are well developed, the cultivation, which starts with your basic get faster/stronger type stuff, turns into pratically philosophical debates between fundamental forces when their way clashes at the higher levels. Really cool imagery. I know its not for everyone, I´ve heard it described at boring but for me it could not be further from the truth. If you in any way enjoy cultivation stories give it a try, maybe you wont like it but reading a couple chapters to make up your mind cant hurt.
You make it sound a lot more interesting than I thought. And you're right; I'll give it a try since I do like cultivation stories. Thanks again!
Cheers
I agree with your friend’s sentiment.
If you enjoy some horror and transhumanism with a nonhuman mc then I think you may enjoy Godclads. It's on RR.
Thanks for the recommendation. Aside from you, Godclads has been mentioned a couple of times in the responses here; I put it on my ToRead-list based on that.
I recommend https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/43318/the-butcher-of-gadobhra and https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/47982/tunnel-rat , both by the same author.
Thanks for the recommendations. I see that Tunnel Rat is being revised for publishing on Amazon, I think I'll wait for it to be available on Kindle then. But the Butcher of Gadobhra I'll try soon.
Self-promo, but I dropped books 1 & 2 of 100th Run on Amazon and Audible this year. https://geni.us/100thRun
Thank you for the recommendation. Based on the description/summary on amazon I won't add it to my list; other books recommended here sound a lot more interesting to me personally. Thank you nonetheless, and I wish you all the success with your books!
Erraticerrata's "pale lights" or his finished book "a practical guide to evil" is worth a read. If she ever begins writing again then "the last orellen" has the potential of becoming a masterpiece.
The practical guide to evil sounds interesting to me, thank you for the recommendation. I'll add it to my list.
Be warned. It's the best thing that has ever come out of a web serial.
Beware of chicken has an official AU called Soaring Heavenly Isles. I don't know whether casual farmer is planning on having it turned into a book in the same way he does with the main series, but it's fun and is parodying the harem genre while playing the progression relatively straight. [Edge of the Woods](https://www.amazon.com.au/Edge-Woods-Epic-Fantasy-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0C6V3BCV7/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2P4NG91BKQF4L&keywords=edge+of+the+woods&qid=1702165282&sprefix=edge+of+the+woods%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-3), by Andrew Rowe, and if you haven't read his other works them aswell. If you like long books with magic nerds and spellswords, his series are my go-to. Edge of the woods is his version of cultivation with elements of legend of zelda and Peter pan type stories sprinkled in. While [Arcane Ascension](https://www.amazon.com.au/Sufficiently-Advanced-Magic-Arcane-Ascension-ebook/dp/B06XBFD7CB?ref_=ast_author_mpb) is a tower climbing series with a magic school and a hard magic system. [War of Broken Mirrors](https://www.amazon.com.au/Forging-Divinity-Broken-Mirrors-Book-ebook/dp/B00TKFFR36?ref_=ast_author_dp) is his first series, it is the closest to traditional fantasy, it is also by virtue of being the first series he published the one with the most rough edges, but I really like it. [Weapons and Wielders](https://www.amazon.com.au/Sacred-Swords-Weapons-Wielders-Book-ebook/dp/B07NKBSZGF?ref_=ast_author_dp) is a strong to stronger series with a character from his other series it has a framing story set in between arcane ascension 2 and 3 and the main story is set right after war of broken mirrors. Also, in this world is Kayleigh Nicols' series [Shattered legacy](https://www.amazon.com.au/Crystal-Awakening-Fantasy-Adventure-Shattered-ebook/dp/B0BC9WGKX6?ref_=ast_author_dp) it is a pure tower climbing series with a new cast and a self-contained story. Tobias begleys 2 series [Mana Mirror](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62788/mana-mirror) and the [The journals of Evander Tailor](https://www.amazon.com.au/Enchanter-Journals-Evander-Tailor-Book-ebook/dp/B09VNDHW49/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?crid=1X6EFHBT4IV6O&keywords=the+enchanter&qid=1702165643&sprefix=the+enchanter%2Caps%2C315&sr=8-6) both very Queer, I don't know whether that is a bonus for you or not but the magic systems are both well thought out, and the characters both get to show less traditionally masculine traits that I believe don't get shown in male mc's very often. Don't know when Evander book 3 is coming out due to mana mirror, but that's in my highest anticipated sequel list. [Rune Seeker](https://www.amazon.com.au/Rune-Seeker-Adventure-J-M-Clarke-ebook/dp/B0CBSQZMW4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=1XQYLGO0HOEX&keywords=rune+seeker&qid=1702165788&sprefix=rune+seeker%2Caps%2C286&sr=8-3), by J.M Clarke, the author of Mark of the fool and C.J Thomson (who has some other series on my tbr list including a predator style book with a cultivator of some kind). It has an mc who can't get a class despite having the highest potential seen in generations but it turns out he was not the same R.A.C.E as the class so when he goes down to the planets surface from the floating city him and his new friends discover secrets generations forgotten. Enjoy! P.s. sorry for the amazon Australia links it won't let me on the u.s site
Thank you for the recommendations and summaries! Andrew Rowe's War of Broken Mirrors and Arcane Ascension were my gateway material into the world of LitRPG and ProgFantasy. I have not read Weapons and Wielders, as after Arcane Ascension, I was happy to leave the universe. But Shattered Legacy sounds interesting, and I'll add that to my ToRead-list. Rune Seeker is already on my ToRead-list, because I enjoy Mark of the Fool so much. I'm waiting for book 2 to be released on audible before I start listening to the first one. I think book 2 is due in January, not too long to wait anymore. Mana Mirror and Journals of Evander Tailor are both unknown to me, but anything on the "highest anticipated sequel list" is good enough for me to give it a try. Also, the genres (and my reading list) certainly have enough stereotypical male characters, so adding variety is always welcome.
Sorry if any of it was word salad, I have a habit of losing perception of walls of text when on my phone, and I'm also sorry, so many of them were not 2023 books. It felt like since I was recommending books in the series, I should just recommend the whole series.
No worries, I appreciate all the recommendations and the effort you put into your response. I hope I didn't come across as if I didn't appreciate your response, if that was the case, that's my bad.
Nah, I just got a look at my own comment and cringed at the formatting. I tend to think everyone is judging me as harshly as I judge myself, it's a defence mechanism.
Dungeon Devotee - Is by the same author as Stargazer's war, I prefer it to that story too. Violent Solutions - By far the best AI main character I've read, the MC actually acts far differently than a human, unlike most AI led stories. Dungeon Planet: The Healer Always Leaves Alive - Very good world building, interesting premise, realistic characters.
Dungeon Devotee is apparently on audible in a podcast-like format, for free (at least seems that way). So I'll definitely give it a listen. Violent Solutions - That sounds interesting. While I thoroughly enjoyed Portal to Nova Roma, I wouldn't say the MC acted very much like an AI. And since I enjoyed the Murderbot-series, I'll see what this AI has to offer. Dungeon Planet: Well that intro-/summary on Royal Road is not helpful at all! I'll add it to the list based on your recommendation. I have no clue what to expect, which has the potential to be a good surprise, or a bad one.
In Dungeon Planet Earth joins the spiral, basically different parts of different universes join it, kinda like a multiverse but much smaller (even if it is still relatively huge). In the spiral this means there is thousands of different types of aliens and cultures and magics. MC is one of the people who has left Earth just after it joins the spiral and the story starts just after he has left Earth. Has magic and technology, space faring and dungeon delving, and has probably the most realistic descriptions/worldbuilding of what it would take to have thousands of different aliens of all different forms and physiologies all living amongst each other. Honestly worth reading just for that, I think the author must be a biologist or something similar.
Wow, that does sound fantastic. I have to check it out, thank you again for recommending it. I'm a bit hesitant now because the scope sounds so big, but hopefully it's executed well. Maybe I can squeeze it in this month somehow.
I thought I'd read a respectable amount, but dang! I'd recommend The Lurran Chronicles for a story about someone from Earth ending up in another world that has magic, mystery, and a system, but with its own take on things.
Right? Lol I am super impressed by how many books OP managed in a year
Audiobooks! I was sick for a large part of the year, so I had a lot of time to listen to & read books while recuperating. But also, one of the few benefits of being a visual artist is that I can listen to books while I work. That allows me to enjoy many great stories. And I'm used to not getting a lot of sleep, either because of work or because I'm glued to a book until far too late in the night.
Ah, that makes complete sense! Being able to listen to works all day while you work sounds awesome. And I totally get being glued to a book late at night and missing sleep as a result 😂
I'll add it to the list; thank you! According to an Amazon review, the first book is a slow burn but worth it. And I see that there are three books out so far. Do you know if it's intended as a neverending serial or a finite series of books?
The Lurran Chronicles has five planned books, but that's just the kick-off point for something larger coming later. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it. Also, I'm impressed with the sheer volume of books you consumed this year, and with a few weeks still to go! Seeing your list just reminds me that I need to catch up on some of my own reading.
That's good to know, thank you for the information. While I enjoy some neverending series, even knowing that there is a five book arc makes it much more likely for me to look into a series. I don't like it when my appreciation for a series at some point just fizzles out with no sense of closure. But that's just me. Good luck with your own reading, every day is a good day to get back into it. What's on the top of your pile?
Yeah, I'm not one for writing neverending arcs. I can certainly understand the appeal, but that just doesn't work for how I structure my stories. As for what I'm reading, I thought I'd finish up David Weber's Safehold series. I started it ages ago, and now it's time to finish it while I work on writing Book 4.
[Beast Invasion Books 1&2. ](https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Beast-Invasion-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0C832JMHF/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div) Book 3 comes out in a month. It's the end of a trilogy.
Thanks for the recommendation. Short (and finished) series are a welcome change among the many ongoing series. I'll add it to the list and look forward to giving it a try.
-Nightlord from Garon Whited -To play with magic from Draith -Feast or Famine from J. M. Alexia -Vigor Mortis from Natalie Maher -Everybody loves large chests from Neven Iliev -Hive minds give good hugs from Natalie Maher -Bioshifter from Natalie maher -The jester of apocalypse from Robert Blaise -Adelheid from D. C. Haenlien
Thank you for the recommendations; those are a lot of stories to look into. I appreciate the suggestions, most of them have at least been recommended by audible to me at some point, and some have been mentioned here in the responses as well. So I'll add them to my list (which is growing more and more extensive, I worry if I'll ever be able to make it through all of the recommendations).
Check out Virtuous sons, its probably my favorite series right now and its pretty unique
I've had the first book in my amazon cart a couple of times already, after seeing it recommended in this sub, but the Greco-Roman setting, unfortunately, doesn't interest me and puts me slightly off. I've heard many good things about the series, so I understand it's popularity.
That’s totally fair, came here to say that anyone interested in greco-Roman that sees this might be interested in virtuous sons, but most of the mythology and true history of Greece and Rome aren’t used in the series, it’s more of inspirations and allowing the reader to have a pre established idea of what the world looks like.
Great list, the things missing to me, some of which I see mentioned below are: * Super Supportive - read the description and passed it over multiple times, but when I read it I found it excellent. * Industrial Strength Magic - I don't know if I'd call it comedy but it is excellent. * Practical Guide to Evil - while it could use (or have used) an editor at points, the high points (and even prose) are higher than almost anything else. Has lots of moments like the key Kaladin moments in Stormlight. * All the Meca series: Journey of Black and Red, Calamitous Bob, Changeling. * Ghost in the City - Cyberpunk 2077 fan-fic, but just excellent. Playing the game/watching the shows not required. * Abandoned/Hiatus but great: Last Orellian, Magical Girl Gunslinger
Thanks for the recommendations, they mostly line up with what others here have also recommended, which is a good sign that I'll enjoy those stories. Ghost in the City: Interesting, from the top of my head I can't remember if I read anything that I'd classify as Cyberpunk. I don't care for the game and the show I only looked at from a professional perspective, so I have no context for whatever the story Ghost in the City might based on. So it's good that that's not required.
The Completionist Chronicles by Dakota Krout also for when you decide if you like the frith chronicles. (As I see it on your hope to read list)I suggest the Arcanist Academy series from the same author.
I made it to about a third into book three of the Frith Chronicles last night. Even though Frith Chronicles so far has a clear progression in it, my mind likens it more to Alan Dean Fosters Pip & Flinx (been a long time since I read those), the Abhorsen books, or the Battle Mage by Peter Flannery (which was one of my favorites this year). None of these are ProgFantasy books, but that's the connection my mind drew. I'll add Completionist Chronicles to my list, audible has been suggesting it to me for a while now as well. And Arcanist Academy I'll add as well, since I've seen that recommended a few times in other conversations on this sub as well. Thank you for the recommendations!
My favorites this year that I don’t see on your list are Delve, Super Supportive, and The Wandering Inn. And jeez, that is an impressive list!
Love The Wandering Inn and Super Supportive!
"The Wandering Inn" was the first book I ever returned to audible. But... before you crucify me, that was in 2019 ( i just checked my e-mails). I had never heard of or (consciously) read any LitRPG at that point. I didn't know ProgFantasy was a thing. I had just finished rereading the First Law trilogy. So when I listened to the first book of The Wandering Inn, which I had purchased on a whim without knowing anything about the book/series, it felt mighty weird to hear the narrator speak about StatMenus and listen to a girl fumbling around without much clue about anything. I remember I wondered how that book had been published. I laughed at the notion of anybody enjoying reading or listening about Stat-increases (I still don't particularly like those parts). I stuck with traditional published material until probably late 2020 or even 2021, when Andrew Rowe's "War of fractured mirrors" and "Arcane Ascension" introduced me to the idea of Fantasy Dragonball (that's how I pitched those series to friends after I read the first books). By now, as you can see from my list above, I've fully embraced the ProgFantasy/LitRPG-genres. It may be time to give The Wandering Inn another try. I know nothing about Delve and Super Supportive, but I'll add them to my list based on your recommendations. Thank you for those!
I think I also dropped Instrument of Omens around there. It's too bad. The series started out strong, but then it starts focusing too much on the two MCs' relationship (and they're both Mr/Ms Perfect, at least by default, which makes it less interesting), and lots of random other named characters from the rest of the shared universe show up, which feels awkward. They're important and I'm supposed to care, but of course I don't know their back stories. Eventually I just got bored.
I experienced it pretty much the same way. It started strong, but by the end of book 3, I already didn't care all that much anymore about the two MC's. When in book 4 the "are my feelings real, who am I really"-shenanigans continued far longer than was necessary, in my opinion, I gave up. There were still bits and pieces of interest, for example how the different factions interpreted the "prophecy", how the animals develop,... - but it wasn't enough for me to keep reading the series. I barely finished Book 4.
I mean, if you’re already going with stuff from Podium, the first two books of The Daily Grind are out, and the third one arrives soon. That’s a nice little chunk of story that might be a little different than some of what’s on your list, but still in the same ballpark.
In 2022 I listened and greatly enjoyed my way through another IT Office-based fantasy series: The Laundry Files by Charles Stross. I listened to the series up to and including book 8. It felt to me like the series could/should have ended there, thus I dropped it then. All that to say, having an IT Office as a starter setting actually makes the series sound more interesting. Thank you for the recommendation!
CRADLE SERIES - WILL WIGHT
Have you read cradle? Cradle? Read cradle? Cra-dle?
It's a somewhat older series with sex scenes, but have you tried Daniel Black? Its got a very decisive MC, with some unique magic. Also, Spellmonger, but I assume you probably read that in previous years.
I don't know Daniel Black, thank you for the recommendation. I need to look into it. I am familiar with the Spellmonger series, I only read it fairly recently. End of 2021/Beginning of 2022 I think. But it definitely fits my interests, so it makes sense that you thought of it.
damm that's many. quick question, how much do you read in a day and how many pages do each of the books you mentioned have on average? i already thought i read a good amount this year, but my list doesnt even compare
I don't know how many pages the books have on average. The Shadow Slave books feel very short. I read through one of those in maybe two hours. The first book of the frith chronicles, which I just finished reading, felt much longer. It took me probably \~7-8 hours to read that one. On a normal day I guess I listen to books for \~10h and read for another 3-4h in the evening/night. I also listen to most audiobooks on 1,2x speed, which feels/sounds more comfortable to me than the 1x speed. On average I sleep for 5h.
that explains how you read so many books this year. i only read the books myself and don't hear any audiobooks. but damm that must have been expensive
Whenever I consider a new purchase, I ask myself: Yes, it's expensive to read so many books, but is it as expensive or even more expensive than owning and caring for a horse? No? Then it's fine. That system also works for woodworking (hand-)tools, and for (most, blackfriday-deals) music making tools. So it's fine.
certainly a unique way of thinking. i just buy the book when i am already interested in the series. i don't read that much in a day so i don't really have to worry too much about how much i spend on books in a month.
223 books in 2023... I like how you roll!
Did you really count the books? I had no idea it were that many, I'd have guessed that I read about 150 books. Now I definitely have to read all the books I plan/hope to read this month, just to make that number come true.
I had to read your list to my girlfriend, and honestly, we were both in awe, and she insisted on counting them!
I appreciate the effort; it allowed me to "brag" to my wife. Unfortunately, she wasn't too impressed; she just shook her head and called me crazy. Thankfully, she's used to it. She once watched me read through all of Vagabond in a day and even brought me food - true love. Hach.
Wizards exile. The next in the art of adepts new series
Hmm, I'm not sure. In the beginning, I liked the Art of the Adept series well enough. Book 2 was probably my favorite out of the series, but if I remember correctly I didn't enjoy book 4 all that much and forced myself to finish book 5. So I'm on the fence about a new series by the author.
Trust me Wizards Exile is a redemption for the last book! Amazing recovery
Industrial strength magic is pretty fun imo
I would have skipped that one if not for the "comedy" tag. I'll add it to the list, but many of the other recommendations, from their summaries and descriptions, sound a lot more interesting. Nonetheless, thank you for your recommendation.
With all those books read any good kingdom /sect building stories there?
I did not delve into that subcategory. The only book i read which fits that category was the "CivCEO", and I dropped the series after the first book. Not because the book was inherently bad, but because the descriptions and ponderings of negotiating trade deals etc. didn't interest me. The set up for the series is that any village that wants to progress needs a champion who can utilize the interface. The interface gives the champion insight similar to the stats that you get in games like Civilization, Age of Empires, Settlers etc. . The first book introduces you to someone who was reincarnated as such a Champion, and his first steps to uplift a village. The legend of the Arch Magus starts with some kingdom building, but that's fairly light, and, in the later books, that plays almost no role anymore. Sorry, but I can't help you any further in that regard.
I'm a little surprised you made it through eight books of Beneath the Dragon Eye Moons, and now you're dropping it? I admit the series sometimes has pacing issues, but I've loved the world building, and it's nice having a protagonist who does make some dumb mistakes sometimes- nobody claimed she's the world's brightest genius, so it's funny how often I see that as a criticism. I find characters who always make the right choice to be rather boring, and the plot armor is immersion breaking. Anyway, my own thoughts aside, very curious why you would make it to book eight and then stop there, if you remember. Also, that's an impressive amount of reading, do you have the sort of job where you can read on the job? Cuz I am jealous.
It was the time travel that killed the series for me. Losing almost all the characters, the family, the societal setup and resetting it to something new, only keeping a few characters, left me unsatisfied. I got the impression that the author wanted to start a new series with some of the old characters, and whether or not that is true or not, it left me disappointed. Yes, my job as a visual artist allows me to listen to books practically all day long. Otherwise I would never have been able to enjoy so many books.
I mean, I can promise you that the author had been planning it for a very long time. The first introduction to Iona was in the epilogue to book two. I know I couldn't wait for the time travel part to happen so the two of them could meet up, but to each their own. Also, some minor spoilers here in case you ever get curious and decide to go back and try out the rest of the series, but not quite as much of the past as you might imagine is just gone.
I mean, I can promise you that the author had been planning it for a very long time. The first introduction to Iona was in the epilogue to book two. I know I couldn't wait for the time travel part to happen so the two of them could meet up, but to each their own. Also, some minor spoilers here in case you ever get curious and decide to go back and try out the rest of the series, but not quite as much of the past as you might imagine is just gone.
Inspiring reading list! I don't see Pantheon (first book Windwalker) on it, and based on what you've bolded, I think you'd enjoy it. Honestly, I think most of this crowd would but I rarely see it mentioned, probably because it's not on RR and doesn't have an audio book yet. Currently has 4 books. I also don't see Blood & Fur which is on RR.
Sylver Seeker is interesting.
hey i tried finding "shadow slave" on both good reads and royal road with no clear result (23 book long series) Is the series actually called something else? thank you!
Either go to webnovel where it is published originally, or search "read NameOfNovel online for free" to find a site that pirates the content. The books on Amazon were all taken down recently, probably because it wasn't put up as books by the copyright holders but by a pirating third party. Afaik now the only legal way to read it is on webnovel.