State of the LitRPG Address – 2020 (Reposted with permission from Sean Oswald, FB)

Editor’s note: This was in response to a request for a list of new LitRPG and GameLit series and novels of note.

I’ve loved Brightblade–

it has a unique feel and despite being from across the pond the author appears to actually be a good guy Jez Cajiao.  Another Brit in Kevin Sinclair’s Condition Evolution is to me something very different in terms of motivation and how the game world is carried out.

If you look at these threads you will also see that AF Kay’s – Divine Apostasy (Shade’s First Rule) is one I recommend repeatedly. I know these have already been mentioned but are worthy of further support.

To me there are a ton of new things that have come out in the past year or so that are worthy of inclusion- they have some different angle or just plain need to be read.

Dungeon World by Jonathan Brooks – I mean you get a dungeon core that walks around as an adventurer and raids other dungeons- I’m oversimplifying but wow- great book series.

Fragment of Divinity by Jamey Sultan – loved it. The MC has trouble maintaining his attention and that is literally a real issue that people have -but the author portrays it excellently as well as the impact it has on him.

Its been out a little longer than a year but Sky Realms Online by Troy Osgood we are through 4 books and the characters have only made it to like level 9. There isn’t any of the first few levels are easy thing. This was a different take for me and made for a more story driven book rather than a simple stat/level fest. (Not that I don’t like those at times)

Not getting his due all the time- because people like Jez are nailing it as new authors this year- but maybe the most talented new litrpg author in terms of pure writing ability this year has been TJ Reynolds The Shattered Sword Trilogy is great. Female MC’s sometimes have a harder time of it- for whatever reason, but Dahlia is such a great character. Then if that wasn’t enough he gave us Guild Core which is blow your mind awesome. My favorite litrpg of the past few months. Get dungeon elements with litrpg and cultivation flavors. Just can’t get enough of it.

Speaking of female MC – you can’t possibly go wrong with Siphon by Jay Boyce which may not be brand new- but is a great perspective. The way the MC grew from the girl defined by her illness, her separation from people to quite literally being defined by her connections with those around her was amazing. I loved the perspective the author brought to those growth issues- seeing things that I wouldn’t have seen.

Also not new but Jakob Tanner’s Tower Climber has lit it up in the past month. Great new series and if you like it then you can always go back and check out his Arcane Kingdom series.

As I was typing I thought of other authors worthy of mention for doing something different. Dawn Chapman is hardly new but she had a new series this year that was released by Mountaindale Press- Space Seasons. Very well thought out and brings that sci-fi touch to litrpg.

Another different approach has been made by K.t. Hanna in her new Last Chance Series. It has a completely different and dark take on litrpg and explored death in a way that I was sucked into.

Also offering this new way of looking at things was Rob Billiau’s Primeverse trilogy. The initial set up is quick and then the character finds himself dumped into an incomplete world. It isn’t like many of the VR or Isekai series where the world is complete and fleshed out – waiting to be discovered. Here it is more of a matter of creating the world by the actions the MC takes.

Litrpg with a truly epic fantasy feel is too far and few in my opinion. Maybe that has to do with the way litrpg is written or the audience but Aaron Roland Holloway does a great job with Ethria of making a truly epic world guided by litrpg stats.

Damien Hanson and Nolan Locke’s – Glitchworld is just plain hilarious and not like anything else that you may have read. Full admission, I found the first book to be the worst of them- but who doesn’t love a series that only gets better. The authors are really finding their stride in getting funnier all the time.

BF Rockriver shows us more of the life from the mindset of the NPC and what that might be. Left me waiting for book 2.

I’m sure that I’m missing some- but as you can see there is plenty of new and creative litrpg out within the past year or so. And of course we still have the tried and true producers of great litrpg- but I won’t name them because you already know who they are.

EDITOR’s NOTE – Find LitRPG and GameLit books of all sorts at the LitRPG Storefront on Amazon!

Sean Oswald is a great guy and a hell of an author. Check him out more at his Patreon to get sneak previews into the mind of the pleasant mad man!