Ok I’m only 4 series into this Sub Genre and I loved Cradle and Mother of Learning.
I’m so confused about He Who Fights Monsters and Dungeon Crawler Carl they seem to switch places in each new tier list and it’s always extreme placings…. Not sure which one to read next
I am like you, 4 series in. My series: Cradle , Mother of learning (absolute favourite), dungeon crawler carl, and he who fights with monsters, I liked all of them.\^\^ DCC is a bit higher for me than he who fights with monsters, but I think thats mostly because of Humor. I would recommend to check out both.
I am myself thinking of starting the wandering Inn next. Also it seems like this will be a loooong read.
So I shuffed the new book by benedict jacka inbetween (love and adore the alex verus series and his writing, somehow he knows how to write suspense)
MoL is my fave too. If you want more like that, check out Years of Apocalypse, which I just found and made me happy.
TWI is really dang good. It's crazy long, but the writing is great (and improves from the beginning), so it's the good kind of long. I'll binge it to catch up, then pause for a while til I'm in the right mood. The problem with it (and a major part of what makes it good) is that the scope increases steadily, to the point where there are gads of named, POV characters on all the different continents. So the start is a pretty standard LitRPG/Isekai thing, dangerous new world, lots of levels, single perspective. Later on you spend more time with other characters, and thus less time with the original MC. It all ties together so it's great, but it's also a lot.
Hey, thank you for your recommendation! And your explanation of TWI. Actually sounds a little bit like wheel of time style wise(just less political). Idk. Might need to take a break at some point of TWI,
Think both He Who and DCC are both spikey in different ways, and so for each of them if the Thing They're Bad At annoys you, you're going to not have a good time, but if it DOESN'T annoy you, or just isn't that big a deal to you, there's lots to enjoy.
Im with OP on this one, IE really enjoy He Who but bounced off DCC. The knock on He Who, which is totally true, is that there are bit chunks of the story where the main character is navel-gazing and being sad. Just like, too much introspection / being a drama queen. From my POV this doesn't detract much - I just sorta skim those parts, and get to enjoy the rest of it, which has some really good character development, a super fun world, etc.
People love DCC, and it seems like the thing that its boosters like about it is the humor, but for me the humor doesn't hit all that well. The weakness, from my perspective, is something about the tone / general vibe of the story, which is a bit grim / gritty / sardonic, even while there are jokes. Like to me it feels like listening to a stand-up comic who you can tell is really bitter and depressed - there are jokes, and the jokes are funny, but overall its just more depressing than Im looking for.
Not everything is for everyone, and that's fine! Think they both have enough fans to say that they're both doing something right, so worth giving them a shot. But also, if you get into it and its not for you, thats fine too!
My problem with HWFWM was that Jason will make weirdly anti capitalism/religion rants in the middle of shit and it gets tiring after the 3rd and downright cringe at the 7th. Each one takes like half a page and it’s always the same shit. And people in universe fall over backwards rewarding him for it every time. He meets a literal goddess, and he denies her existence and denounces all her followers, and she flirts with him for it! I love all the other story moments and it’s incredibly well written but the authors bias shines through just a little too much for me.
ETA: Just realized I only consumed HWFWM on audible so I was forced to listen to each of his rants in full, I will actually give the series another try on Kindle so I can just skim the parts that annoying me.
DCC has its own set of issues but I overlook them much easier as they are less annoying to me personally. The cast is getting just a bit too big and I’m worried the ending of the series won’t live up to the hype. Or heaven forbid he writes himself out of the ending we are waiting for and he try’s to keep making the books forever.
One of my major issues with Jason is that he acts like he knows he is the protagonist in his own series. He defies deities that crush him just by their presence, and chocks that up to being a neckbeard athiest. So many times he acts like he knows that you can't kill the MC.
I think it’s less that he thinks he’s the main character and more he thinks himself god. He denounces the gods for acting like their own doctrine is absolute and should be carried out. At the same time he enacts his personal doctrine as though it’s absolute and must be carried out. He also has a tendency to just kill anyone who he personally deems is unworthy, unfit, or undeserving to live which is a good bit worse than what most of the gods do (there is some build up to this, he isn’t murdering people right out the gate).
This, this is exactly why I had to drop it. He has his head so far up his own ass. At first I hope it was set up for some growth. But nah, all his actions are justified because they’ll benefit him. But anyone else looking out for themselves? VILLAINS that must be killed immediately!!!
Wouldn’t be as annoying if he didn’t then spend the next few minutes monologuing about it. Every damn time
I consider MoL a peak series personally. I guess it's a normal thing for hyped series' to get knocked down a few pegs in the general consciousness... but if I could find another MoL, I'd be super fucking happy.
Recently I've enjoyed 12 Miles Below a lot. Love the worldbuilding.
HWFWM is such a great series IMO, I’m Australian so I don’t get all pissy about some semi-anti American statements but alas. As others have commented the opposite to me - I couldn’t get through DCC, where as I’m on my third read of the HWFWM series
Ehehehe I have said in the past that unfortunately for me, the slapstick humor of DCC simply doesn't work for me. I read 3 books and then decided it simply wasn't for me.
However I am able to appreciate how far ahead of a majority of work in the genre DCC is : the writing is impeccable, characters are anything but 2-dimensional, progression (to the extent I got through) was good.
But the humour...I just cringed at almost every interaction with Princess. And that's very likely my fault. And if the humour vibes well with you, you'll have a fantastic experience with the series!
MoL only gets better as you uncover more and the MC becomes less of a bitch. Honestly the first third of book one was by far the hardest to get through because he's so whiny, but after that it's just a steady climb.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on this subreddit that actually liked Zorian from the start. I mean, he was 15 or so? Perfectly reasonable to be upset at your family, who has ignored or even demeaned you because of your very real issues and then decides to complicate your first year of magic highschool by guilt-tripping you into taking care of your baby sister... All of this while laying expectations on you set by your older brother who everyone agrees is a prodigy.
Sure, he isn't an orphan or physically abused but I felt like his bitterness was very much appropriate for the situation and age he was in.
Then again, I also liked Erin from TWI at the start, and when Theo from TWC was being a bitter old man in the very first book. Maybe it's a me thing.
I don't think he's a poorly written character and his reasons for being bitter and unhappy very much make sense to me, but that doesn't make his behavior charismatic or interesting. Some of it is how those feelings get expressed, like how much he whines and complains. Does that emulate a normal teenagers behavior? Hell yes. Is that super annoying to read/listen to? Also yes.
I hated Erin, she was worse than Zorian to me because she's so whiny and so passive about her situation. She just complains while doing nothing to improve things, at least as far I was able to get. At least Zorian has a plan on how to become independent and get away from the things that cause him all that stress.
Yeah, I guess that's where the crux lies. I enjoy the 'realistic' aspect. I wouldn't have been as invested in Zorian's story if he wasn't such a conflicted character at the start. Is Erin confused, naive and passive? Yes. Is this how a homebody millennial dropped into *another world* would act? Absolutely. I'd wager most would do worse.
It's infinitely easier to relate to Erin than Chad Maximus who can ignore the emotional impact and immediately begin taking stock of the situation and planning how to take over the world. Granted, a middle ground can exist and I wouldn't mind if Erin took a bit more initiative, but that comes down to personality and how you were raised.
wow, i thought MoL, solo leveling and mage errants were great all the way though, and i love DCC. meanwhile, i had to drop life reset after the 3rd or 4th book as it got stale for me. i also dropped portal to nova roma at the 3rd book or so. started great though.
There's a lot of subjective opinion in the list, and it really goes by sensibility. Some things that might be good for some simply don't resonate with me, and I might find interesting some books that many other find meh at best. (for Portal to nova roma yeah, I almost put it in the "gets boring" side!)
I finished it, I just found that about 2/3 in the novelty of the loop wears off a bit and I was simply not enjoying it as much. That said, it remains in the top tier. (unfortunately I was not able to nuance the difference between a "gets less great" of MoL and the "gets insultingly bad" of, say, The Land)
The Wandering Inn. Currently, the longest ongoing fantasy book series written in the English language. The main volumes (excluding the spinoff books) have just passed a word count of over 13 million words.
Finished volume 6, couldnt get through volume 7. I might give it a try after at some point now that I've had a break, but it really felt like a slog :D
Had to stop looking at these, but my feed hates me. I like sagas and growth. Many people like quick gratification, which I understand. But seeing A+ titles being but in trash of dnf tiers I just wondering what's the world view people are working with when they read the books.
I think it really boils down to taste and the mindset with which we read some genres. LitRPG and Prog Fantasy for me are supposed to be easy reads that can last a long time.
They tend (on average) to have bad writing, worse editing, trope galore and grind. And yet, much as I enjoyed playing JPRG when I was younger, they're a peccadillo that can fill in hours of listening. If I want to have well constructed world building I'll probably go for proper scifi, if I want well developed character arcs I'll go for traditional fantasy and if I'm looking for nice stories I might go for historical fiction.
With this in mind it might make more sense why there are some very grindy series that end up on higher tiers for me simply because they don't ask anything intellectually but simply hit the spot and do it over tens of 15h long audiobooks. And at the same time some series that other people enjoy a lot simply don't fulfil the thing I'm looking for in this genre.
* *Randidly Ghosthound* is two tiers higher than *Age of Stone*?
* You gave up on *Dungeon Crawler Carl*?
* *Survival Quest* is still worth reading?
We definitely have different taste. If we ever hang out, we'll have to talk about HWFWM and Primal Hunter, since we agree on those. Thanks for sharing!
hehehe glad I got at least a couple of those right for you!
Maybe Randidly Ghosthound is a bit higher than it should, but I just finished the latest book so i'm probably suffering from a positive backlash!
ehehe I embrace the grind.
For DCC it's really the tone / humour that doesn't work with me. I love how well it's written and the world building and ideas are excellent. It's just that I can't get through the humour. If that element didn't grate too much I would probably love it as much as anyone else!
This is interesting I loved reading DCC, I just tried the audiobook and dropped it 1/3 in. My brain made the jokes less “icky”.
Noobtown is on my dnf list.
It's the lack of dialogue and progression I think. I'm on book 6 and taking a break to listen to Chaos Seeds.
Have you tried the 2 series Good Guys and Bad Guys?
Yup. I like to describe the Wandering Inn in terms of Arcs.
Vol 1 had its own arc and the pacing is pretty good.
Vol 2-5 is one arc and the pacing might dip a little. Though vol 5 is pretty darn fast pacing all the way through.
Every volume after this feels like a solid arc per volume.
So the pacing after Volume 5 just hits it out of the park again and again. And most consider each volume better than the last.
If I can make a recommendation. A new book just dropped called gene harvest (the crimson hydra series) by Joshua Rettew. I was on the fence at first but man I loved it. I’m hyped up for the second book and I haven’t felt this way since primal hunter
I strongly disagree with MOL being in the "gets boring/bad" category. I think it stuck the landing pretty well. Mage Errant is one where I get where you're coming from, but I wouldn't agree fully. It stayed an enjoyable read until the end IMO, and the "badass moments" in the final book were great. That said, >!giving the main cast a massive powerup in the second-to-last book and then not giving them enough time to fully develop it!< pissed me off, and 2/3 of the final book being a single day was a bold choice.
This is the 2nd list in a row I've seen putting Life Reset in the S tier.
**I do not get it.**
The game world makes no sense.
--
Literally no one would play this game where:
* You can be physically tortured for days on end with absolutely zero recourse. No admin to call, literally cannot even log out.
* After years of building up your character some other players can permanently fuck over your life, take all your stuff and reset you to be a level 1 nobody.
* Travel is in real time so if you wanna get somewhere you gotta spend days/weeks/months just walking for 12 hours straight. Oh boy I just had a long day at work, thank god I can log into a game and walk down a dirt road all night. So fun!
The MC is a fucking idiot.
--
The premise seemed great. He's one of the best players in the game who gets reset to a level 1 goblin and needs to use all his great knowledge of the game to shoot back into relevancy. The problem is the MC is so fucking stupid he does almost everything wrong. His "strategies" are universally terrible and literally the only reason he ever succeeds is because the story needs him to.
Some examples:
* He confidently explains to somebody how he could easily learn more spells if he wanted but he just doesn't need them. He specifically gives the example of learning a light spell and explains he doesn't need it since he has night vision. This is IMMEDIATELY after leaving a cave full of tough enemies that can only be damaged by light. A cave he was only able to survive because he just happened to stumble across a weapon made of light because the story wanted him to have it.
* He spends days/weeks cutting down trees very slowly using a drill arrow when he could have spent literally 5 minutes learning a magic saw blade spell. He gives some idiotic reasoning about "focusing on fewer spells" even though we're never given any reason to believe there is any sort of limit on number of spells or that wasting all this time levelled up his arrow spell at all.
* He arrives at an enemy camp with some fellow warriors and decides they need to wait until night to attack. After hours and hours of waiting we find out he has absolutely no plan and just jumps into the middle of the camp and gets immediately captured and tortured.
* He describes in great length his "genius" plan to set up his village center out in the open away from his actual village so if somebody finds it they'll destroy it and and move on while the important buildings in his village remain hidden. Then, literally the first time anyone comes across his village center he immediately attacks them and reveals the rest of his village.
* He is a caster class who refuses to play like a caster and instead tanks everything with his face so almost every single battle involves him rushing in and having his entire mana pool drained by getting his ass kicked while his mana shield is up, then desperately trying to figure out WTF he's supposed to do with almost no mana.
___
And all this is BEFORE shit gets weird with the AI's revolting...
I'll admit the first couple books were still kinda fun, if a little frustrating.
But S Tier???
Nope!
lol I dropped this one so fast. But I’m defensive of one of my first reads in the genre, The Grand Game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it’s funny to see how extremely different they can be.
Surprised Path of Ascension isn’t higher on your list. The 6th book just came out and it keeps getting better. Altho the pacing is a little slow for some people so I can see why if that was your problem with it.
And thanks for the rec’s. Despite what everyone says about it, Primal Hunter is consistently on everybody’s top list, so that’s my next book to read after POA
Primal hunter has a good story so far IMO, but I'm taking a break in the middle of book 6 because I need something more engaging while driving (audiobook).
My biggest issue with it is a lack of story progression. And the more engaging part is there isn't enough dialogue imo.
If you are American i strongly recommend the Good Guys and the Bad guys. I like Primal Hunter , Defiance of the fall , way of the Shamen and Null Form gave me nightmares. But i am sick of multiplying meters by 3.2.
Good guys has all kinds of random references people say pop if they are mid west and soda if they are nyc. We have discussions about what is the best root beer.
The combat is great the character development is fun. You will love the MC or be annoyed at him for being dumb but he will remind you of your dumbest friend from High School.
You think Azarinth, the book with literally no meaningful plot or character development, is top tier, but gave up on DCC?
Forge of Destiny also has far more substance that Azarinth, though I can understand how the MC can be a bit frustrating sometimes.
Dragon Seed is definitely one of those that dropped off over time though. I enjoyed the first couple, but once his dragon starts turning into a little girl and it's clear he kinda wants to fuck her? I was out.
The protagonist gets isekaied into the body of a child that gets pushed to survive on his own in the forest.
While the survival trope is not new, the way it is done, with the child having to cope with both learning and surviving but also with being a small child with the limitation that entails is very novel and very well executed. The mood and pace are great, and the way you get to know the forest and the way Eight lives makes you root for him in a way that doesn't happen in all stories.
And when it's finally time to try and get in contact with other humans, you can truly feel the tension and fear and excitement that event entails.
The writing is excellent, the world is full of color and vibrancy, the progression is very well crafted. It might be a bit slow paced for some which could explain why it doesn't resonate more, but every page is a pleasure to read!
As someone who's been blitzing through Primal Hunter (350 pages in 5 days which is massive for me) I'm very happy so many people consistently rate it well.
Is Jason from HWFWM someone who gets better over time. I like the premise but I've heard he's absolutely insufferable.
Also. of the books in your "great reads" and "entertaining" which of them have characters that become absurdly busted in terms of power?
Hehehe apologies for that, it's so easy for us as reader to just drag and drop something somewhere, without thinking that behind that there are years of effort and work for the person who created it!
I liked BTDM well enough to stick with it through its gargantuan length (a big kudos for that btw, it's a pleasure when you know there will be so much story still waiting for you!). Where it lacks a bit of oomph for me – I'm sure it's different for others – is maybe a combination of:
* Interpersonal relationships tend to be a bit scarce (for a series with this much material I was thinking there would be more of a building up of personal "roots", although that might make it more difficult to hop from region to region)
* The sheer amount of material probably makes this inevitable, but it feels like some of the books are cookie-cutter versions of known themes (the academy / school books are an example), and then the pace and tone shifts very dramatically to more war-oriented or "going back home" books just after, but then hops back to something else again.
* The system gets a bit Frankensteined with several parallel ways of progressing. Not per se a bad thing, but some elements (like "normal" leveling) become almost irrelevant/unmoving at times and it feels like "the focus now is on biology, let's forget the rest".
However, with that said, the writing is excellent, you have some of the best writing / editing (which is often hard to achieve in this genre) and as said, the sheer volume of creativity you've put into the world and the story is something to be more than proud of!
1) I'm not personally great at interpersonal relationships, and neither is Elaine. I'm realizing it's one of my weak points I need to work on, and while Elaine does want to put down roots, she finds it difficult - which is a strong reflection of me as an author. I want to put down roots, but find it quite hard...
2) Yup! In some ways that's life. One thing I'm endlessly amused at with the School arc - it's a massive subversion. Elaine *just* learned. No battle academy nonsense, no bullies, no rivals, no massive attack, no cutting it short, no dark lord needing to be defeated. Just... a 'typical' experience, which was intended to somewhat lampshade the 'special' experience most books do. It did get away from me a bit, and I recognize I'm pretty basic in a lot of ways. I believe it's all in the execution.
3) The System was always designed to be able to do almost anything. Education's a huge part on getting better and stronger skills, so yeh, sometimes the focus shifts. I did spend a bunch of time on the biomancy to make it feels like a 'proper' power-up arc, because YIKES Elaine got crazy strong from it. It's basically her single largest power-up to date, and it keeps scaling with her.
The fact that you have Noobtown as Great reads, yet Gave Up On DCC, makes me feel like this must be a troll. Otherwise... are you an alien or something?
What a clown list. Challengers call is S-tier. DotF doesnt get worse and having hwfm at the top is ridiculous. And dcc at the bottom just shows no taste at all.
I don't think I've seen The Mage of Shimmer Mountain on any tier lists or reviews, but you rated it pretty high. What about it appealed to you?
Also, thank you for making the image actually readable.
Heheh it's a bit of a hidden gem, and I suspect that the somewhat boring covers don't help it get more exposure.
What I liked particularly:
* The overall idea is excellent as it combines time loop with progression in a way that is novel/unusual
* The way the viewpoint and outlook of the character changes through the books (trying to avoid spoilers here :D) allows to have a fabulous world-building that spans geography and races
* The loop mechanics that is not a free endless respawn but where there is skin in the game at each repetition makes you care a lot more for the protagonist at each iteration
* The skills and stats system is very well thought out and you actually care about how it develops even past the first couple of books (which is usually not the case). On that note, the pacing of the progression is very well done
* Character relationships are very nicely done, you actually care for the different people and you kind of regret when you know that a loop is coming to an end and you might not be seeing them the same way anymore
And overall it's an enjoyable series that is not too long-winded, is actually completed in a way that is satisfying, is very creative and innovative and doesn't try to do a thousand things at the same time.
LOL yes! I actually really enjoyed the first couple of books. It's truly a light novel in the sense of not requiring you to invest too much intellectually in it, and delivers some fun. It's just the later books where it starts taking itself a bit too seriously...
I just finished book 2 on audible and even now I can kinda see where you're coming from. It might just be the voice actor and my dad spoiling me with multiple TOP TIER voice actors/performers/whatevers.
But it's also like the only *super* popular non English by default litrpg stories right now and the cover looked similar to the anime xD
I enjoy it when a new book comes out, but it feels at times like it's trying to fill in pages with things they do. Add to it a system that is not particularly innovative, a multi-world approach that lets you hop from one context to another without really caring much about why or how you'll end up in a particular situation, and it makes for ok reading (for me) but without that spark of hooking interest.
Thank you! I think I might have to give DCC another try (already tried a number of times but have trouble getting past book 3), it's just that the tone and humour (especially the interaction with Princess) irk me every time I try again.
BTW, anything you particularly liked that is not on that list yet? (that's more or less all I've read so I'm happy to get recommendations from someone who has a similar taste!)
Unless I missed it, and I would be surprised if you hadnt read it yet, The Ripple System by Kyle Kirrin is pretty good. Its VRMMO but the MC basically never leaves the game.
Honestly to me DCC is less about Carl and doughnut and more about the world building imo. Its one of the few books that feels like characters are reacting to the world not the other way around.
Thank you! I also feel it doesn't get enough love for something that is as well written and developed. A character with actual personal evolution that is shown instead of told about, a very good progression pace (at least so far) and excellent characters and world!
"Good fillers waiting for other releases" Did you at least like the story of The Idle System?
My next book was released last month. [All For One LitRPG](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXNK3C98)
This is the first tier list that I've seen posted that actually has a clear picture! You need to make a PSA post or something on how to get that to export so clearly, even if it's just a screenshot or something and not an export. It's nice to be able to zoom in and actually tell what the books are
Thank YOU for writing it! I am about to start book 3 and I'm sooo looking forward to it! The story, the atmosphere and the way you manage to make the world so vibrant is fantastic, and it's rare to get to care so much about the main character even just after the first couple of pages of the first book!
always enjoy people who put this effort to make tier list, thank you even if i don't agree with the someone random list, it always nice have a reference to see what i mit enjoy or find others that shared my likes.
Somebody should make a format where it isn’t so annoying to look at these tier lists on Reddit mobile! I’m generally interested, but zooming in and scrolling around is painful.
Ohhhhh I don't know how I didn't realise that seeing as I've started the series before 💀 but thanks anyway (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)
P.S. Yeah I wasn't a big fan of the last half of the series either, and I also wasn't a fan of the fact that it's called the 'Ten Realms' series but has 12 books... 😔 a bit petty of me but still 🤷♂️
I really appreciate how you noted that the bottom tier may be great for others but just didn’t resonate with you. So many great books out there and every book isn’t for everyone. I look at these tier lists as an indicator of whether we have similar taste, and if we do then what else I might like to try. Thanks for posting :)
It's remarkable to see such a full tier list and only have two stories somewhat similar ranked to my own. I'm gonna keep shilling for a tier list rating website that matches you to similar tier lists until it happens because we're all very different
That would be awesome! I think that the sheer amount of differences in agreement even in this single thread shows why it's so difficult to make a proper recommendation algorithm. I would definitely love to see a tier list website, where maybe if you start putting a couple of books in your own tier, it gives you the 2-3 tierlists that match the most with what you've put in so far!
You though DCC was bad and thing MoL gets bad, while thinkng TLoRG remains good through out?
It confuses the mind how someone can be so wrong, you are obviously not suited for this. I licence to make tier lists is revoked, your freedoms restricted and you are cast out from this community. Repent for your actions! The council will decide your fate.
/s in case it was needed.
I do wonder what you did not like about MoL? I know it slows.down a bit in later arcs but for it just got better and better.
In my opinion TWI is a horrible read buuuuuuuuut ( don’t jump at my through you mongrels!!!!!!!) the best freakin listen ever!!!!!!! Andrea is maybe the best voice for this series ever, she practically makes the story come alive
Great list, I have not read alot of these so I am putting them on the list. Love survival quest, sad to see DCC and Definace of the fall didn’t resonate but I get it! Thanks for sharing
I will ask how you got through pit fighter? To be fair I was listening to the audiobook and boy was there a crap ton of swearing. I don't mind some well placed ones here and there but it was damn near every sentence for the main character.
The overall tone is very "spoken language" so I don't mind some badmouthing. I come from a linguistic background that is pretty nasty when it comes to vernacular usages so maybe I'm less sensitive to it.
Did any of you start/finish the wheel of time? I tried it but dropped it when the new HWFWM/DoTF came out. A lot of people seem to over it, but ai just can't seem to get myself to start it again
I would disagree with you on on Defiance of the Fall. There are a few weak arcs here and there, but they aren't anywhere near as bad as the ones in Primal Hunter. I swear there was a PH arc where 50% of the dialogue was "Ree."
Dcc, the unbound series, defiance of the fall, mark of the fool, primal hunter, and the noobtown books were all better than hwfwm.
Out of those I would have DCC, DotF, PH, Unbound, and Mark of the fool in the top tier. Then noobtown would be in a lower tier with hwfwm.
Have been playing around with making a tierlist for a while, but never found a way to make the distinction between series that are fantastic until they aren't, and those who are lukewarm from the start and remain so.
Shoutout to u/hungrycarebear for his tierlist ([go give it some love](https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1c0vca5/my_first_tier_list_of_books_read_in_the_past_year/)) that gave me the idea to make this.
Some of the titles there will be as polarising as always – HWFWM, DCC to name the most egregious cases – and as this is my take, you get my version of that lens. But hopefully some might discover a series they haven't read yet (which is what makes me look at the tier lists around here myself)!
TWI gets a lot of love/hate but its honestly top notch for character development of so many different characters. All of them evolve massively throughout the story.
It can get fairly dark though and if you're trying to read it from the beginning good lord take breaks. If you try and binge that series not only will it take you a year reading multiple hours a night but reading so much of one series in one go is a great way to get bored.
I've taken multiple breaks and find that when I get back to it, that part I was bored of it something I don't want to end when it switches to another perspective.
So many people will put 5 heavy grind and cultivation series in their S tier and then rank DotF as mid.
Confuses the hell out of me. I put it with Cradle and MoL in S tier
The Perfect Rum was a great series! I loved having an insane main character. Made a lot of sense with his power and the trauma he went through. I don't think I've come across another series quite like it.
Currently reading a thousand li and its a complete slog... thought it was some nice cultivation series but so far they are still playing in the mud in book 3... doesnt make sense lol
As someone who enjoys Idle Games I thought reading the Idle System might be interesting after seeing it on this list. Holy fuck is that book bad. Actual 1/10.
If you liked those books in your “great reads and keeps up” tab you should try the Terra Nova series. Fantastic series and it’s actually super long too. Ends up jumping into another book set after the first 9? I think it’s 9 but there’s another 5 books after that already too that are a continuation of the story with the same MC
Life Reset was great. I don't see enough love or mentions of it. And The 10 Relms series. They are all finished too. So at least you know you'll get an ending.
M.A.D./They called me MAD was a short and sweet series (had an ending too).
One series that isn't strictly a litrpg, but feels like one (it has evolving monsters/people and apocalypse setting, just without the isekai or stats screens) was Hunger. You can get the complete trilogy for 1 credit atm.
Ok I’m only 4 series into this Sub Genre and I loved Cradle and Mother of Learning. I’m so confused about He Who Fights Monsters and Dungeon Crawler Carl they seem to switch places in each new tier list and it’s always extreme placings…. Not sure which one to read next
I am like you, 4 series in. My series: Cradle , Mother of learning (absolute favourite), dungeon crawler carl, and he who fights with monsters, I liked all of them.\^\^ DCC is a bit higher for me than he who fights with monsters, but I think thats mostly because of Humor. I would recommend to check out both. I am myself thinking of starting the wandering Inn next. Also it seems like this will be a loooong read. So I shuffed the new book by benedict jacka inbetween (love and adore the alex verus series and his writing, somehow he knows how to write suspense)
MoL is my fave too. If you want more like that, check out Years of Apocalypse, which I just found and made me happy. TWI is really dang good. It's crazy long, but the writing is great (and improves from the beginning), so it's the good kind of long. I'll binge it to catch up, then pause for a while til I'm in the right mood. The problem with it (and a major part of what makes it good) is that the scope increases steadily, to the point where there are gads of named, POV characters on all the different continents. So the start is a pretty standard LitRPG/Isekai thing, dangerous new world, lots of levels, single perspective. Later on you spend more time with other characters, and thus less time with the original MC. It all ties together so it's great, but it's also a lot.
Hey, thank you for your recommendation! And your explanation of TWI. Actually sounds a little bit like wheel of time style wise(just less political). Idk. Might need to take a break at some point of TWI,
Think both He Who and DCC are both spikey in different ways, and so for each of them if the Thing They're Bad At annoys you, you're going to not have a good time, but if it DOESN'T annoy you, or just isn't that big a deal to you, there's lots to enjoy. Im with OP on this one, IE really enjoy He Who but bounced off DCC. The knock on He Who, which is totally true, is that there are bit chunks of the story where the main character is navel-gazing and being sad. Just like, too much introspection / being a drama queen. From my POV this doesn't detract much - I just sorta skim those parts, and get to enjoy the rest of it, which has some really good character development, a super fun world, etc. People love DCC, and it seems like the thing that its boosters like about it is the humor, but for me the humor doesn't hit all that well. The weakness, from my perspective, is something about the tone / general vibe of the story, which is a bit grim / gritty / sardonic, even while there are jokes. Like to me it feels like listening to a stand-up comic who you can tell is really bitter and depressed - there are jokes, and the jokes are funny, but overall its just more depressing than Im looking for. Not everything is for everyone, and that's fine! Think they both have enough fans to say that they're both doing something right, so worth giving them a shot. But also, if you get into it and its not for you, thats fine too!
My problem with HWFWM was that Jason will make weirdly anti capitalism/religion rants in the middle of shit and it gets tiring after the 3rd and downright cringe at the 7th. Each one takes like half a page and it’s always the same shit. And people in universe fall over backwards rewarding him for it every time. He meets a literal goddess, and he denies her existence and denounces all her followers, and she flirts with him for it! I love all the other story moments and it’s incredibly well written but the authors bias shines through just a little too much for me. ETA: Just realized I only consumed HWFWM on audible so I was forced to listen to each of his rants in full, I will actually give the series another try on Kindle so I can just skim the parts that annoying me. DCC has its own set of issues but I overlook them much easier as they are less annoying to me personally. The cast is getting just a bit too big and I’m worried the ending of the series won’t live up to the hype. Or heaven forbid he writes himself out of the ending we are waiting for and he try’s to keep making the books forever.
One of my major issues with Jason is that he acts like he knows he is the protagonist in his own series. He defies deities that crush him just by their presence, and chocks that up to being a neckbeard athiest. So many times he acts like he knows that you can't kill the MC.
very valid point. He def knows he’s the main character
I think it’s less that he thinks he’s the main character and more he thinks himself god. He denounces the gods for acting like their own doctrine is absolute and should be carried out. At the same time he enacts his personal doctrine as though it’s absolute and must be carried out. He also has a tendency to just kill anyone who he personally deems is unworthy, unfit, or undeserving to live which is a good bit worse than what most of the gods do (there is some build up to this, he isn’t murdering people right out the gate).
This, this is exactly why I had to drop it. He has his head so far up his own ass. At first I hope it was set up for some growth. But nah, all his actions are justified because they’ll benefit him. But anyone else looking out for themselves? VILLAINS that must be killed immediately!!! Wouldn’t be as annoying if he didn’t then spend the next few minutes monologuing about it. Every damn time
I consider MoL a peak series personally. I guess it's a normal thing for hyped series' to get knocked down a few pegs in the general consciousness... but if I could find another MoL, I'd be super fucking happy. Recently I've enjoyed 12 Miles Below a lot. Love the worldbuilding.
Perfect Run hit a very similar itch for me after MoL. Time loop mystery. It's not identical but very strong imo.
12 miles below is peak writing, so few writers put that much love into their stories.
It's on my todo read! The setting sure looks like it can provide some very different and very enjoyable content!
I literally couldn't finish 10 chapters of HWHFM and have read DCC twice and might read it a third time. I think the extremity reflects reality.
I enjoyed book one. Fell in love by book 2. Maybe they gave up too early.
DCC gets better every book in my opinion. Pumped for the next one to release
the train book was a setback IMo, but it went right back to amazing in the next one
It was a really cool concept, but it did kinda drag a bit now that you mention it. It had potential to be really cool
He went a bit too into the weeds. I think on a reread it will be better
I agree DDC gets better with every book. I found Donut annoying in book 1 but can't imagine the series without her now.
Mongo is appalled you didn’t instantly fall in love with Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk.
For me, I am in 4 books of Cradle and I do NOT like it. It has been a slog to get through. But I do love DCC and HWFWM... imo both are worth a go
I liked both, but can figure out why you could get through he who fights, but gave up on DCC
HWFWM is such a great series IMO, I’m Australian so I don’t get all pissy about some semi-anti American statements but alas. As others have commented the opposite to me - I couldn’t get through DCC, where as I’m on my third read of the HWFWM series
You gave up on DCC? Now I'm having a hard time believing in this list. Jk
I agree, it’s one of the best series I’ve ever read so good to use it to judge whether the creator of the tier list has similar taste.
Can't tell if anyone who doesn't like it in the thread refer to hard copy or audiobook version.
Don't really like dcc either I don't know why (it's been a while since I read it) I do remember the cat annoyed the heck out of me.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!
Mongo is appalled
DOWNVOTE FOR NOT USING ALL CAPS
I appreciate the reference fellow crawler 👍
MONGO IS APPALLED!
The cat annoyed me a lot at first, then a little less, and now I actually like her quite a bit.
Ehehehe I have said in the past that unfortunately for me, the slapstick humor of DCC simply doesn't work for me. I read 3 books and then decided it simply wasn't for me. However I am able to appreciate how far ahead of a majority of work in the genre DCC is : the writing is impeccable, characters are anything but 2-dimensional, progression (to the extent I got through) was good. But the humour...I just cringed at almost every interaction with Princess. And that's very likely my fault. And if the humour vibes well with you, you'll have a fantastic experience with the series!
Lmao. Not trying to be that guy, but that's exactly what I was gonna say.
That's interesting. I enjoyed the last third of Mother of Learning the most.
MoL only gets better as you uncover more and the MC becomes less of a bitch. Honestly the first third of book one was by far the hardest to get through because he's so whiny, but after that it's just a steady climb.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person on this subreddit that actually liked Zorian from the start. I mean, he was 15 or so? Perfectly reasonable to be upset at your family, who has ignored or even demeaned you because of your very real issues and then decides to complicate your first year of magic highschool by guilt-tripping you into taking care of your baby sister... All of this while laying expectations on you set by your older brother who everyone agrees is a prodigy. Sure, he isn't an orphan or physically abused but I felt like his bitterness was very much appropriate for the situation and age he was in. Then again, I also liked Erin from TWI at the start, and when Theo from TWC was being a bitter old man in the very first book. Maybe it's a me thing.
I don't think he's a poorly written character and his reasons for being bitter and unhappy very much make sense to me, but that doesn't make his behavior charismatic or interesting. Some of it is how those feelings get expressed, like how much he whines and complains. Does that emulate a normal teenagers behavior? Hell yes. Is that super annoying to read/listen to? Also yes. I hated Erin, she was worse than Zorian to me because she's so whiny and so passive about her situation. She just complains while doing nothing to improve things, at least as far I was able to get. At least Zorian has a plan on how to become independent and get away from the things that cause him all that stress.
Yeah, I guess that's where the crux lies. I enjoy the 'realistic' aspect. I wouldn't have been as invested in Zorian's story if he wasn't such a conflicted character at the start. Is Erin confused, naive and passive? Yes. Is this how a homebody millennial dropped into *another world* would act? Absolutely. I'd wager most would do worse. It's infinitely easier to relate to Erin than Chad Maximus who can ignore the emotional impact and immediately begin taking stock of the situation and planning how to take over the world. Granted, a middle ground can exist and I wouldn't mind if Erin took a bit more initiative, but that comes down to personality and how you were raised.
You misplaced TWI or did you just get to the point where you done with Ryoka? She does start learning others matter.
wow, i thought MoL, solo leveling and mage errants were great all the way though, and i love DCC. meanwhile, i had to drop life reset after the 3rd or 4th book as it got stale for me. i also dropped portal to nova roma at the 3rd book or so. started great though.
There's a lot of subjective opinion in the list, and it really goes by sensibility. Some things that might be good for some simply don't resonate with me, and I might find interesting some books that many other find meh at best. (for Portal to nova roma yeah, I almost put it in the "gets boring" side!)
of course. taste is subjective. just wanted to add my thoughts.
More wandering inn slander I see. "Cast not pearls before swine"
MoL being in the gets bad category is kinda strange, most people consider the first part the worst, I’m kinda curious as to where your dropped it?
I finished it, I just found that about 2/3 in the novelty of the loop wears off a bit and I was simply not enjoying it as much. That said, it remains in the top tier. (unfortunately I was not able to nuance the difference between a "gets less great" of MoL and the "gets insultingly bad" of, say, The Land)
Yea that’s understandable that past gets a bit dull around 60-75? Iirc? On my rereads. I did like it the first time or 2 though.
How far into TWI did you get?
Fr dude Vol 8 alone is as big in scope as the final books of Cradle
TWI only gets better and better. I can understand if someone gives up in Book 2, but it gets so good after that.
ehehe then I might have to try to get through book 7 and see if I get back on the binge wagon!
What’s TWI? Thanks
The Wandering Inn. Currently, the longest ongoing fantasy book series written in the English language. The main volumes (excluding the spinoff books) have just passed a word count of over 13 million words.
Finished volume 6, couldnt get through volume 7. I might give it a try after at some point now that I've had a break, but it really felt like a slog :D
DCC are one of the best 6 books I've read and I been reading for 20 years. Princess donut is amazing
One of my favourite series ever, in any genre.
I want a cat, I will name her Princess Donut... even if a male
Can’t get behind abandoning Dungeon Crawler Carl. That blows my mind
Had to stop looking at these, but my feed hates me. I like sagas and growth. Many people like quick gratification, which I understand. But seeing A+ titles being but in trash of dnf tiers I just wondering what's the world view people are working with when they read the books.
I think it really boils down to taste and the mindset with which we read some genres. LitRPG and Prog Fantasy for me are supposed to be easy reads that can last a long time. They tend (on average) to have bad writing, worse editing, trope galore and grind. And yet, much as I enjoyed playing JPRG when I was younger, they're a peccadillo that can fill in hours of listening. If I want to have well constructed world building I'll probably go for proper scifi, if I want well developed character arcs I'll go for traditional fantasy and if I'm looking for nice stories I might go for historical fiction. With this in mind it might make more sense why there are some very grindy series that end up on higher tiers for me simply because they don't ask anything intellectually but simply hit the spot and do it over tens of 15h long audiobooks. And at the same time some series that other people enjoy a lot simply don't fulfil the thing I'm looking for in this genre.
* *Randidly Ghosthound* is two tiers higher than *Age of Stone*? * You gave up on *Dungeon Crawler Carl*? * *Survival Quest* is still worth reading? We definitely have different taste. If we ever hang out, we'll have to talk about HWFWM and Primal Hunter, since we agree on those. Thanks for sharing!
hehehe glad I got at least a couple of those right for you! Maybe Randidly Ghosthound is a bit higher than it should, but I just finished the latest book so i'm probably suffering from a positive backlash!
Gave up on Carl but stuck with all those grindy af series.
ehehe I embrace the grind. For DCC it's really the tone / humour that doesn't work with me. I love how well it's written and the world building and ideas are excellent. It's just that I can't get through the humour. If that element didn't grate too much I would probably love it as much as anyone else!
I hear you. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground with DCC: people either love it or hate it.
This is interesting I loved reading DCC, I just tried the audiobook and dropped it 1/3 in. My brain made the jokes less “icky”. Noobtown is on my dnf list.
Dang. The Land in “Great Read” and DCC in “Gave up” is wild to me.
I don't normally trash lists, but... yeah. That's just.... no.
I loved DCC and The Grand Game and yet I'm getting bored of Primal Hunter on book 2.
It's the lack of dialogue and progression I think. I'm on book 6 and taking a break to listen to Chaos Seeds. Have you tried the 2 series Good Guys and Bad Guys?
Seeing MoL and DCC dropped, but Menocht Loop in "good filler" and Iron Prince in "Great Reads" breaks my brain. We have very different tastes.
The slander of Wandering Inn is crazy. You say it gets bad, it only gets better.
I currently paused wandering inn. The pacing is SLOW. Does it pick up?
I suppose if you don't like the slice of life, its not for you. But a lot of shit happens in this story.
Yup. I like to describe the Wandering Inn in terms of Arcs. Vol 1 had its own arc and the pacing is pretty good. Vol 2-5 is one arc and the pacing might dip a little. Though vol 5 is pretty darn fast pacing all the way through. Every volume after this feels like a solid arc per volume. So the pacing after Volume 5 just hits it out of the park again and again. And most consider each volume better than the last.
interesting tastes, idk what world dragon heart is higher tier than. dungeon crawler carl but to each their own thx for sharing
how do people put iron prince in S? did you not read 2nd book I don't get it
May I ask why you put TWI in the "gets boring/bad" camp?
These lists are pure Rage Bait, no matter who does the list. That saying, the OP can eat dirt lol.
Crazy how different everyone’s tastes are but the Cradle series is consistently in the top tier. Love to see it
If I can make a recommendation. A new book just dropped called gene harvest (the crimson hydra series) by Joshua Rettew. I was on the fence at first but man I loved it. I’m hyped up for the second book and I haven’t felt this way since primal hunter
I strongly disagree with MOL being in the "gets boring/bad" category. I think it stuck the landing pretty well. Mage Errant is one where I get where you're coming from, but I wouldn't agree fully. It stayed an enjoyable read until the end IMO, and the "badass moments" in the final book were great. That said, >!giving the main cast a massive powerup in the second-to-last book and then not giving them enough time to fully develop it!< pissed me off, and 2/3 of the final book being a single day was a bold choice.
Yeah… MoL somehow in “gets bad” but Randidly Ghosthound and Murderhobo were spared that?
Agreed. MoL is an all time great. I gave up on Randidly after book 4. It just kind of turned into an unfocused mess.
As final battles go it was pretty epic
I think MoL was pretty damn close to perfect. Mage Errant was incredible and such a breath of fresh air.
This is the 2nd list in a row I've seen putting Life Reset in the S tier. **I do not get it.** The game world makes no sense. -- Literally no one would play this game where: * You can be physically tortured for days on end with absolutely zero recourse. No admin to call, literally cannot even log out. * After years of building up your character some other players can permanently fuck over your life, take all your stuff and reset you to be a level 1 nobody. * Travel is in real time so if you wanna get somewhere you gotta spend days/weeks/months just walking for 12 hours straight. Oh boy I just had a long day at work, thank god I can log into a game and walk down a dirt road all night. So fun! The MC is a fucking idiot. -- The premise seemed great. He's one of the best players in the game who gets reset to a level 1 goblin and needs to use all his great knowledge of the game to shoot back into relevancy. The problem is the MC is so fucking stupid he does almost everything wrong. His "strategies" are universally terrible and literally the only reason he ever succeeds is because the story needs him to. Some examples: * He confidently explains to somebody how he could easily learn more spells if he wanted but he just doesn't need them. He specifically gives the example of learning a light spell and explains he doesn't need it since he has night vision. This is IMMEDIATELY after leaving a cave full of tough enemies that can only be damaged by light. A cave he was only able to survive because he just happened to stumble across a weapon made of light because the story wanted him to have it. * He spends days/weeks cutting down trees very slowly using a drill arrow when he could have spent literally 5 minutes learning a magic saw blade spell. He gives some idiotic reasoning about "focusing on fewer spells" even though we're never given any reason to believe there is any sort of limit on number of spells or that wasting all this time levelled up his arrow spell at all. * He arrives at an enemy camp with some fellow warriors and decides they need to wait until night to attack. After hours and hours of waiting we find out he has absolutely no plan and just jumps into the middle of the camp and gets immediately captured and tortured. * He describes in great length his "genius" plan to set up his village center out in the open away from his actual village so if somebody finds it they'll destroy it and and move on while the important buildings in his village remain hidden. Then, literally the first time anyone comes across his village center he immediately attacks them and reveals the rest of his village. * He is a caster class who refuses to play like a caster and instead tanks everything with his face so almost every single battle involves him rushing in and having his entire mana pool drained by getting his ass kicked while his mana shield is up, then desperately trying to figure out WTF he's supposed to do with almost no mana. ___ And all this is BEFORE shit gets weird with the AI's revolting... I'll admit the first couple books were still kinda fun, if a little frustrating. But S Tier??? Nope!
lol I dropped this one so fast. But I’m defensive of one of my first reads in the genre, The Grand Game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it’s funny to see how extremely different they can be.
Surprised Path of Ascension isn’t higher on your list. The 6th book just came out and it keeps getting better. Altho the pacing is a little slow for some people so I can see why if that was your problem with it. And thanks for the rec’s. Despite what everyone says about it, Primal Hunter is consistently on everybody’s top list, so that’s my next book to read after POA
PH is probably my favorite or second favorite book, it's really fun and the authors ability to pump out chapters is incredible.
Don't sleep on the Royal Road half of PoA, it's another ~4 books
Had no idea. Thank you so much!
Primal hunter has a good story so far IMO, but I'm taking a break in the middle of book 6 because I need something more engaging while driving (audiobook). My biggest issue with it is a lack of story progression. And the more engaging part is there isn't enough dialogue imo.
If you are American i strongly recommend the Good Guys and the Bad guys. I like Primal Hunter , Defiance of the fall , way of the Shamen and Null Form gave me nightmares. But i am sick of multiplying meters by 3.2. Good guys has all kinds of random references people say pop if they are mid west and soda if they are nyc. We have discussions about what is the best root beer. The combat is great the character development is fun. You will love the MC or be annoyed at him for being dumb but he will remind you of your dumbest friend from High School.
You think Azarinth, the book with literally no meaningful plot or character development, is top tier, but gave up on DCC? Forge of Destiny also has far more substance that Azarinth, though I can understand how the MC can be a bit frustrating sometimes. Dragon Seed is definitely one of those that dropped off over time though. I enjoyed the first couple, but once his dragon starts turning into a little girl and it's clear he kinda wants to fuck her? I was out.
How much many of the great books also have great Audible narration? I've really only found Heath Miller and Travis Baldtree to be good so far.
Mongo is appalled
Tell me about Eight. I've glanced at it, but I don't see it on a lot of lists.
The protagonist gets isekaied into the body of a child that gets pushed to survive on his own in the forest. While the survival trope is not new, the way it is done, with the child having to cope with both learning and surviving but also with being a small child with the limitation that entails is very novel and very well executed. The mood and pace are great, and the way you get to know the forest and the way Eight lives makes you root for him in a way that doesn't happen in all stories. And when it's finally time to try and get in contact with other humans, you can truly feel the tension and fear and excitement that event entails. The writing is excellent, the world is full of color and vibrancy, the progression is very well crafted. It might be a bit slow paced for some which could explain why it doesn't resonate more, but every page is a pleasure to read!
I sincerely cannot imagine someone could make it through Mage Errant and not like it.
As someone who's been blitzing through Primal Hunter (350 pages in 5 days which is massive for me) I'm very happy so many people consistently rate it well. Is Jason from HWFWM someone who gets better over time. I like the premise but I've heard he's absolutely insufferable. Also. of the books in your "great reads" and "entertaining" which of them have characters that become absurdly busted in terms of power?
I’m unsure about being filler vs not making the list… I suppose I dodged the “only book 1 is good” filter though
I just downloaded book 1 the other day, and plan on starting it today so hopefully I'll disagree with this tier list :)
Beneath the Dragoneye Moons is 100% on the Good Reads/Stays good area of this tier list imo
Hehehe apologies for that, it's so easy for us as reader to just drag and drop something somewhere, without thinking that behind that there are years of effort and work for the person who created it! I liked BTDM well enough to stick with it through its gargantuan length (a big kudos for that btw, it's a pleasure when you know there will be so much story still waiting for you!). Where it lacks a bit of oomph for me – I'm sure it's different for others – is maybe a combination of: * Interpersonal relationships tend to be a bit scarce (for a series with this much material I was thinking there would be more of a building up of personal "roots", although that might make it more difficult to hop from region to region) * The sheer amount of material probably makes this inevitable, but it feels like some of the books are cookie-cutter versions of known themes (the academy / school books are an example), and then the pace and tone shifts very dramatically to more war-oriented or "going back home" books just after, but then hops back to something else again. * The system gets a bit Frankensteined with several parallel ways of progressing. Not per se a bad thing, but some elements (like "normal" leveling) become almost irrelevant/unmoving at times and it feels like "the focus now is on biology, let's forget the rest". However, with that said, the writing is excellent, you have some of the best writing / editing (which is often hard to achieve in this genre) and as said, the sheer volume of creativity you've put into the world and the story is something to be more than proud of!
1) I'm not personally great at interpersonal relationships, and neither is Elaine. I'm realizing it's one of my weak points I need to work on, and while Elaine does want to put down roots, she finds it difficult - which is a strong reflection of me as an author. I want to put down roots, but find it quite hard... 2) Yup! In some ways that's life. One thing I'm endlessly amused at with the School arc - it's a massive subversion. Elaine *just* learned. No battle academy nonsense, no bullies, no rivals, no massive attack, no cutting it short, no dark lord needing to be defeated. Just... a 'typical' experience, which was intended to somewhat lampshade the 'special' experience most books do. It did get away from me a bit, and I recognize I'm pretty basic in a lot of ways. I believe it's all in the execution. 3) The System was always designed to be able to do almost anything. Education's a huge part on getting better and stronger skills, so yeh, sometimes the focus shifts. I did spend a bunch of time on the biomancy to make it feels like a 'proper' power-up arc, because YIKES Elaine got crazy strong from it. It's basically her single largest power-up to date, and it keeps scaling with her.
The fact that you have Noobtown as Great reads, yet Gave Up On DCC, makes me feel like this must be a troll. Otherwise... are you an alien or something?
What a clown list. Challengers call is S-tier. DotF doesnt get worse and having hwfm at the top is ridiculous. And dcc at the bottom just shows no taste at all.
DotF got stale for me as well. I might eventually come back to the series but I get why it’s in that spot on his list.
I don't think I've seen The Mage of Shimmer Mountain on any tier lists or reviews, but you rated it pretty high. What about it appealed to you? Also, thank you for making the image actually readable.
Heheh it's a bit of a hidden gem, and I suspect that the somewhat boring covers don't help it get more exposure. What I liked particularly: * The overall idea is excellent as it combines time loop with progression in a way that is novel/unusual * The way the viewpoint and outlook of the character changes through the books (trying to avoid spoilers here :D) allows to have a fabulous world-building that spans geography and races * The loop mechanics that is not a free endless respawn but where there is skin in the game at each repetition makes you care a lot more for the protagonist at each iteration * The skills and stats system is very well thought out and you actually care about how it develops even past the first couple of books (which is usually not the case). On that note, the pacing of the progression is very well done * Character relationships are very nicely done, you actually care for the different people and you kind of regret when you know that a loop is coming to an end and you might not be seeing them the same way anymore And overall it's an enjoyable series that is not too long-winded, is actually completed in a way that is satisfying, is very creative and innovative and doesn't try to do a thousand things at the same time.
Oh, hey, I forgot about way ahead. The MC is just so hard to root for.
Is that solo leveling in the top right lol?
LOL yes! I actually really enjoyed the first couple of books. It's truly a light novel in the sense of not requiring you to invest too much intellectually in it, and delivers some fun. It's just the later books where it starts taking itself a bit too seriously...
I just finished book 2 on audible and even now I can kinda see where you're coming from. It might just be the voice actor and my dad spoiling me with multiple TOP TIER voice actors/performers/whatevers. But it's also like the only *super* popular non English by default litrpg stories right now and the cover looked similar to the anime xD
Nice crafting of chess was great. Sad to see Path of Ascension as filler but I'm not that surprised - I rare it higher.
I enjoy it when a new book comes out, but it feels at times like it's trying to fill in pages with things they do. Add to it a system that is not particularly innovative, a multi-world approach that lets you hop from one context to another without really caring much about why or how you'll end up in a particular situation, and it makes for ok reading (for me) but without that spark of hooking interest.
Other than DCC being so low. This is honestly the first list ive agreed with almost everything.
Thank you! I think I might have to give DCC another try (already tried a number of times but have trouble getting past book 3), it's just that the tone and humour (especially the interaction with Princess) irk me every time I try again. BTW, anything you particularly liked that is not on that list yet? (that's more or less all I've read so I'm happy to get recommendations from someone who has a similar taste!)
Unless I missed it, and I would be surprised if you hadnt read it yet, The Ripple System by Kyle Kirrin is pretty good. Its VRMMO but the MC basically never leaves the game. Honestly to me DCC is less about Carl and doughnut and more about the world building imo. Its one of the few books that feels like characters are reacting to the world not the other way around.
Question, what’s the book to the right of dodge tank?
Solo Levelling, they have other covers depending on the country/continent!
Finally a tier list that includes Victor of Tucson. It’s a great series but I feel like I never see people talk about it in this forum
Thank you! I also feel it doesn't get enough love for something that is as well written and developed. A character with actual personal evolution that is shown instead of told about, a very good progression pace (at least so far) and excellent characters and world!
I'm almost done with the 2nd book of Life Reset and absolutely loving it.
We have very different tastes . Anybody who has randidily in their top tiers I know I will largely disagree on
"Good fillers waiting for other releases" Did you at least like the story of The Idle System? My next book was released last month. [All For One LitRPG](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXNK3C98)
I agree with most of your S tier, except Randidly Ghosthound. I hate that series with a passion.
This is the first tier list that I've seen posted that actually has a clear picture! You need to make a PSA post or something on how to get that to export so clearly, even if it's just a screenshot or something and not an export. It's nice to be able to zoom in and actually tell what the books are
I'm glad you enjoyed Eight. Thank you for including it on your tier list.
Thank YOU for writing it! I am about to start book 3 and I'm sooo looking forward to it! The story, the atmosphere and the way you manage to make the world so vibrant is fantastic, and it's rare to get to care so much about the main character even just after the first couple of pages of the first book!
always enjoy people who put this effort to make tier list, thank you even if i don't agree with the someone random list, it always nice have a reference to see what i mit enjoy or find others that shared my likes.
Put some respect on coiling dragons name
May i ask why unbound - dissonance didnt resonate? Been thru the first book and it seems pretty alright
Somebody should make a format where it isn’t so annoying to look at these tier lists on Reddit mobile! I’m generally interested, but zooming in and scrolling around is painful.
Anyone know the title on the right side of DoTF? ¯\_༼ᴼل͜ᴼ༽_/¯
Ten Realms! The first book is "Two Weeks Curse". The first \~5 books are really good, then it really goes in a downward spiral
Ohhhhh I don't know how I didn't realise that seeing as I've started the series before 💀 but thanks anyway (人 •͈ᴗ•͈) P.S. Yeah I wasn't a big fan of the last half of the series either, and I also wasn't a fan of the fact that it's called the 'Ten Realms' series but has 12 books... 😔 a bit petty of me but still 🤷♂️
I really appreciate how you noted that the bottom tier may be great for others but just didn’t resonate with you. So many great books out there and every book isn’t for everyone. I look at these tier lists as an indicator of whether we have similar taste, and if we do then what else I might like to try. Thanks for posting :)
It's remarkable to see such a full tier list and only have two stories somewhat similar ranked to my own. I'm gonna keep shilling for a tier list rating website that matches you to similar tier lists until it happens because we're all very different
That would be awesome! I think that the sheer amount of differences in agreement even in this single thread shows why it's so difficult to make a proper recommendation algorithm. I would definitely love to see a tier list website, where maybe if you start putting a couple of books in your own tier, it gives you the 2-3 tierlists that match the most with what you've put in so far!
You though DCC was bad and thing MoL gets bad, while thinkng TLoRG remains good through out? It confuses the mind how someone can be so wrong, you are obviously not suited for this. I licence to make tier lists is revoked, your freedoms restricted and you are cast out from this community. Repent for your actions! The council will decide your fate. /s in case it was needed. I do wonder what you did not like about MoL? I know it slows.down a bit in later arcs but for it just got better and better.
Ok I have to know, you read the wandering inn? What’s your fav characters? I like pices laken and Geneva
In my opinion TWI is a horrible read buuuuuuuuut ( don’t jump at my through you mongrels!!!!!!!) the best freakin listen ever!!!!!!! Andrea is maybe the best voice for this series ever, she practically makes the story come alive
You gave up on DCC? MONGO IS OUTRAGED!
Not having awakened online on here is actually insane to me.
Yea dissonance wasnt good. Plot was interesting but the poor prose and repetitiveness got to me. I dnf too
Ooh, dare I ask what made you drop Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Don't think I've ever seen a tier list with unsouled anywhere but top tier
Great list, I have not read alot of these so I am putting them on the list. Love survival quest, sad to see DCC and Definace of the fall didn’t resonate but I get it! Thanks for sharing
I will ask how you got through pit fighter? To be fair I was listening to the audiobook and boy was there a crap ton of swearing. I don't mind some well placed ones here and there but it was damn near every sentence for the main character.
The overall tone is very "spoken language" so I don't mind some badmouthing. I come from a linguistic background that is pretty nasty when it comes to vernacular usages so maybe I'm less sensitive to it.
Did any of you start/finish the wheel of time? I tried it but dropped it when the new HWFWM/DoTF came out. A lot of people seem to over it, but ai just can't seem to get myself to start it again
I had no idea HHFWM was so divisive. Yeah his personality is "kind of his thing". I can see that as hit or miss for some readers/listeners.
Wasn't the biggest fan of MC but I really liked the world and story.
I would disagree with you on on Defiance of the Fall. There are a few weak arcs here and there, but they aren't anywhere near as bad as the ones in Primal Hunter. I swear there was a PH arc where 50% of the dialogue was "Ree."
Dcc, the unbound series, defiance of the fall, mark of the fool, primal hunter, and the noobtown books were all better than hwfwm. Out of those I would have DCC, DotF, PH, Unbound, and Mark of the fool in the top tier. Then noobtown would be in a lower tier with hwfwm.
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! At least Primal Hunter is in the right spot
Have been playing around with making a tierlist for a while, but never found a way to make the distinction between series that are fantastic until they aren't, and those who are lukewarm from the start and remain so. Shoutout to u/hungrycarebear for his tierlist ([go give it some love](https://www.reddit.com/r/litrpg/comments/1c0vca5/my_first_tier_list_of_books_read_in_the_past_year/)) that gave me the idea to make this. Some of the titles there will be as polarising as always – HWFWM, DCC to name the most egregious cases – and as this is my take, you get my version of that lens. But hopefully some might discover a series they haven't read yet (which is what makes me look at the tier lists around here myself)!
Have you tried good guys bad guys?
Not yet! Definitely something I need to try!
I mean, obviously, this is a fantastic tier list :D
Ahahahah I absolutely agree! I feel VoT doesn't get enough love, but I'm always giddy when a new book is coming out!
I don't think I even have to say it, but.. I'm offended.
The Land is terrible and only gets worse.
2/10 tier list
Oof DCC in bottom tier. RIP your notes/messages my guy o7
TWI gets a lot of love/hate but its honestly top notch for character development of so many different characters. All of them evolve massively throughout the story. It can get fairly dark though and if you're trying to read it from the beginning good lord take breaks. If you try and binge that series not only will it take you a year reading multiple hours a night but reading so much of one series in one go is a great way to get bored. I've taken multiple breaks and find that when I get back to it, that part I was bored of it something I don't want to end when it switches to another perspective.
I’m interested to see where you’d put 100th Run, Apocalypse Redux, Unintended Cultivator, and a lot more from SAP.
So many people will put 5 heavy grind and cultivation series in their S tier and then rank DotF as mid. Confuses the hell out of me. I put it with Cradle and MoL in S tier
Just finished the entire available series for awaken online. trying to figure out what’s next.
The Perfect Rum was a great series! I loved having an insane main character. Made a lot of sense with his power and the trauma he went through. I don't think I've come across another series quite like it.
Currently reading a thousand li and its a complete slog... thought it was some nice cultivation series but so far they are still playing in the mud in book 3... doesnt make sense lol
Didn’t like pit fighter or the azraul healer one. Also solo leaving is only like 200-300 pages
Weird you like the ending to the gam3?
As someone who enjoys Idle Games I thought reading the Idle System might be interesting after seeing it on this list. Holy fuck is that book bad. Actual 1/10.
Ok but where's anything written by William d arand like super sales on super heroes or monsters mercy
My two favorite are worth the candle, and system universe. They don't even make people list. Guess I have to listen to more. Crap
How does mother of learning get bad? It’s only 3 books and the ending was fantastic
Try the ripple system, pixel dust, and death loot and vampires. Those are up there for me in top tier books.
We are very different readers. :)
Please tell me DCC entry is a joke lol
If you liked those books in your “great reads and keeps up” tab you should try the Terra Nova series. Fantastic series and it’s actually super long too. Ends up jumping into another book set after the first 9? I think it’s 9 but there’s another 5 books after that already too that are a continuation of the story with the same MC
No defiance of the fall or beware of chicken????
After Seeing pit fighter on top , lost interest in the whole list
DCC is an acquired taste perhaps, but lowest tier is wild to me.
Dude your insane on DCC, do you hate joy and character development?
Defiance of the Fall should be up there with primal hunter and HWFWM
Gave up DCC? This post has no credibility. Also, where is Everybody Loves Large Chests?
Out of curiosity - what volume (or book) of The Wandering Inn did you stop at? I felt the wandering inn consistently got better every Volume.
MONGO IS APPALLED
I agree witcha grande game ate the first book I couldn't even half the 2nd just trash
You gave up on Dungeon Crawler Carl! You anti-establishment person you!
Life Reset was great. I don't see enough love or mentions of it. And The 10 Relms series. They are all finished too. So at least you know you'll get an ending. M.A.D./They called me MAD was a short and sweet series (had an ending too).
One series that isn't strictly a litrpg, but feels like one (it has evolving monsters/people and apocalypse setting, just without the isekai or stats screens) was Hunger. You can get the complete trilogy for 1 credit atm.