Synopsis Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian cashes out of the warrior’s life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city […]
Best LitRPG, GameLit, Progression Fantasy, Cultivation, Slice of Life Books
Bender’s Top LitRPG/GameLit/Progression/Cultivation Reads
Blade of Ghosts (The Lost Sect #1) by Julian Gyll
Spectacular worldbuilding, interesting magic system and likeable characters all tied together with a sublime and immersive prose!
Inspired by the worlds of Xianxia and Wuxia, Julian Gyll brings a fresh, western fantasy take on the burgeoning cultivation genre.
Bender’s Five “Fresh” Urban Fantasy Series for your TBR
Urban Fantasy is quite a popular sub-genre and pretty much self-explanatory. The genre instantly reminds you of books with wizards and witches (or wizardess?) with an attitude bashing up evil and saving good ol’ Earth! However once you move away from that well trodden path and looking for something fresh, here’s a list to get you started.
Review: Bastion (Immortal Great Souls #1) by Phil Tucker
Set in intriguing world of Hell, Bastion sports a fantastic set I’d characters and blends progression and cultivation elements into a wild roller coaster ride of a plot that grasps you from get go till the finale and leaves you screaming for more!
Review: Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
A delightful read! A breath of fresh air and a gratifying interlude, that I immensely enjoyed!
Review: Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S.A. Corey
A good closure to one of the best sci-fi series of all time, but not really a satisfying read.
Review: Artifact Space by Miles Cameron
Fun space adventure!
Monster Hunter International (#1 & #2) by Larry Correia
Monsters are real. But Monster Hunting is [semi] privatized. Enter Monster Hunter International (MHI)! Not all worlds need to be rich and fancy. Sometimes the solution is as simplistically elegant as picking up a gun and shooting a monster in the head. The author describes this as “a conglomeration of B-Movie stereotypes but tackled from the perspective tactical realism” and it’s just that.
Review: The Shadow Sect (Netherdei #1) by Peter Hackshaw
Synopsis Falken Calder dreams of becoming Immortal. But as a mere scullery boy in service of the fabled Ardent Lunar Sect, his chances of rising through the ranks are slim. There is only one way he can take up the title of cultivator – to Awaken before he comes of age. Time is already running […]
Review: Sunreach (Skyward #2.1) by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
delightful must read novella set in Skyward (after Starsight) that furthers the world and plot as we expect events to conclude in upcoming Cytonic.
Review: How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe
An absolutely delightful parody/spoof where almost all tropes of heroes, villains, sidekicks, quests etc are deliciously made fun of. A immensely satisfying short read!