Bender’s Best LitRPG reads of 2024

So, 2024 turned out to be the year of LitRPG. Usually, I’d spread by reads across, fantasy, sci-fi and GameLit, but this year it has been 99.9% of LitRPG’s. Discovered new releases, caught up on popular classics and tried pretty much everything I found interesting. Here’s are some of the series that really caught my attention that I want to highlight. In no particular order…

Note: I have not added in new books for existing series that I have read before (e.g. Beware of Chicken, Defiance of the Fall, He Who Fights with Monsters etc.

Nameless Sovereign by Nameless Author

Amazon: https://amzn.to/40hUI8C

Synopsis:

Gods. Devils. Men. Red will surpass them all.

Red wakes without memories in a cursed prison – the moonstone mines. To escape, he embraces a dark power that would put him in the crosshairs of cultivation sects if discovered. He must disguise his true abilities while racing to advance his cultivation – outpacing the moonstone mines’ deadly curse.

But cultivating is more than just a pursuit of survival. Red seeks the strength to understand the nature of his mysterious power and the truth behind his own forgotten past.

Review:

Well, start with my favourite of the year. I picked this up simply because the cover was awesome. (Unfortunately, there seems to be some cover changes, which are still good….but just not what caught my eye). Still, I’m glad I picked this up.

As the blurb states, the story starts off following Red, a mysterious kid in the deadly moonstone mines. It is a ruthless world, where Red has to survive not just the other prisoners but also unknown monsters lurking in the shafts. How he navigates the situation and unravels the mystery behind his own past set up the plot for the series.

To start with, the prose is neat and tidy. It is descriptive in the right places, immersive and conveys the reality and the horrors of the setting really well. The character work is stellar too. Red especially is a superbly written character. The experience of surviving in the mines made him a headstrong and ruthless characters, but also one who shows the right emotions so as to have not lost his humanity. The balance between his casual disregard for life and violence and his near emotionless but continuing support for this sect-mates is just perfect. The side characters all have been etched well and have their own personalities and roles to play and stand out without blending into the background just for support.

The series starts off well, but picks up pace about 35% and then takes it to whole new level of brilliance. Book 2 just kept it piling on!

Unfortunately the author has taken a hiatus due to personal issues and is expected to be back 2025. However despite this, I urge you all to pick this one up. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

My rating: 11/10

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Return of the Runebound Professor by Actus

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4iWz2Gh

Synopsis:

For Noah Vines, death isn’t the end. It’s a weapon.

After standing around in the afterlife for thousands of years, Noah is all out of patience. When the opportunity to steal a second chance at living arises, he doesn’t hesitate. Reincarnated into the body of a dying magic school professor, Noah finds that he took more than just a second chance. He got infinite. Every time he dies, his body reforms. Lives are a currency, and Noah Vines is rich.

With countless variations of runic magic to discover and with death serving as only a painful soul-wound rather than a final end, Noah finally has a chance to wander the lands of the living once more. This time around, he plans to get strong enough to make sure that he never has to wait around in the afterlife again.

Review:

Well, I love books by Actus. Read most of them and usually like what I read. Picking up this one is as default as sun rising.

And, Actus has not disappointed. He has scored a home run here. This is a reincarnation story like no other. Noah gains the ability to come back from deaths being (permanently) unkillable is sure a big advantage. A good mix of traditional Cultivation elements mixed well with runes, gods, demon and what not…this sure is a delicious hot pot for any reader in this genre.

The character work is stellar. Noah, Moxie, Lee are all standout characters that I can love and follow. Not just them, but pretty much every character who makes an appearance leaves a impression. The plot begins quick and flows well quickly. There’s nary a chapter that drags the series down. The immediate plot which meshes well with the plots of Gods and Demon given an intriguing tangent and adds so much depth to the plot.

My rating: 10/10

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CivCEO – The Accidental Champion by Andrew Karevik

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4h1AvJz

Synopsis:

When Charles Morris is forced into retirement, the old multinational company CEO has to accept that it is all over. The days of running his financial empire have finally come to an end. All because of a stupid heart attack. Now what is there for him to do but to curl up in a corner and die? While Charles is attending a fundraiser, however, something happens and he’s transported into a strange medieval world where magic is real and legendary heroes coexist with mythical monsters.

…

Follow Charles as he takes on the challenge of a lifetime. Follow him as he builds roads and shops, hires heroes, develops alliances with neighboring villages…but also fights terrible foes while struggling to maintain the Happiness and Satisfaction levels of his village in the positives.

Review:

A proper village building series that took me back to my childhood gaming era playing, Settlers, Civilization etc. I’ve read other books which had facets of city building, but this is one of the few that I have come across where it becomes the primary plot.

The books are short, sweet and superbly written. The plot is surprisingly detailed and has enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. It still is a feel good fantasy, so you don’t really get booged into any grimdark elements and things always works out well for the MC in the end. It’s a series that genuinely made me happy and really wanting to be transported to the land of Tine, so I can live my fantasy too!

This may not be book of epic complexities, grey characters making morally dubious decisions…but that is what scratched the itch for me. I’ve had enough of battles & bloodshed, so saving the world, but making a trade deal just was perfectly up my alley!

My rating: 10/10

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First Necromancer by Coldfang89

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gLDSof

Synopsis:

In just seven days, the world will crumble. The System’s Descent will usher in a new era of chaos: wild animals mutating, monstrous creatures emerging, and the cessation of modern technology. Humanity will be left defenseless.

Drew Wright knows none of this. At least not until he is rudely ripped from his bed and thrust into a white room to undergo a taser-happy ‘Tutorial’. Turns out, he is one of a thousand randomly selected people to be forewarned of the approaching apocalypse. Now he faces the delightful task of convincing his wife and mother of the devastation hurtling towards them.

As the System’s Descent draws near, Drew scrambles to prep supplies, fortify his home, and drag his elderly, TV-addicted mother away from her ‘shows’ long enough to listen to him. With monsters knocking at the door, the question becomes; how far is Drew willing to go to save those closest to him?

The dead rise to combat the encroaching darkness as Drew Wright taps into the only power that might save his loved ones, becoming Earth’s first Necromancer.

Review:

This is a Post/Apocalyptic Earth LitRPG similar to Shadow Sun, Phase Shift etc.

It’s a well written book with a engaging prose, interesting characters and a gritty realistic take. The first 50% is a bit slow paced as the book takes it’s time to set the stage for the integration, but at around halfway mark, it kicks up a notch and we get a more action packed second half. Though the MC has some OP powers, he does not come across as OP from the get go and has it easy. The decisions he has to make are gritty, believable in real world perspective and showcases the balance between the good and bad.

The thing I liked the most is the treatment of gods & religion. Set in a rural Oklahoma where people are religious, the impact of the integration brining various Gods, the crisis of faith is done very well. A close second favourite of mine is the different treatment of the MC class which is not just a typical raise the dead Necromancer, but also having the aspects of Charon ferrying souls to the God of afterlife. The facets blend seamlessly and is something I’ve not read in any other books.

On the flip side, many other aspects of the plot are something we have seen in other books in this genre (there are even some outright nods to other books) and comes with a feeling of familiarity.

My rating: 9/10

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An Outcast in Another World by KamikazePotato

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4fL4vZ2

Synopsis:

Rob didn’t think of himself as anyone special. But when a pitch-black portal tried to wrap his best friend in chains, he stepped up without thinking and found himself ensnared instead. His moment of heroism results in being torn away from everyone he knew and loved, kidnapped by an unknown force that leaves him with a note in his pocket stating: “Good luck.”

After being thrown into the wilderness of Elatra, a hostile fantasy world ruled by levels, stats, progression, and bizarre video game logic, he finds himself entirely out of his depth. Armed with nothing but a sword and the clothes on his back, he sets out on his the first day, and almost dies. On the second day, he almost dies again. On the third, he began to notice a worrying trend. And almost dies. It doesn’t get any easier from there.

Review:

A surprisingly great read that I picked on a whim. The plot and story are engaging and the MC is surprisingly realistically written despite OP powers. The world building is brilliant and the concept of transported to a world where all humans have been exterminated was quite novel.

The progress of MC being the last human in a world where humanity was feared and thus slaughtered was quite unlike anything I’ve ever read before. There’s no glory to the wins, no fawning supporters flocking around his banner….it’s just a gritty tale of redeeming humans and humanity as a whole, all the while unravelling the secrets behind the genocide inducing great war of the past.

Despite some OP powers, MC is kept surprisingly down low all through and it becomes more of a case of redemption than outright heroism. The politicking between the factions as well as the power play between the characters adds a delicious layer of intrigue all through.

Overall, this is a must read for fans needing a good OP but not over the top MC and a gritty storyline.

My rating: 9/10

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Well, we can’t have a list with a honorable mention…so here we go!

Homicidal Aliens are Invading and All I Got is This Stat Menu by J.J. Ackerknecht

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gEds7H

Synopsis:

Infinite power at your fingertips, and a target on your back.

Anya Nowicki, along with thousands of people around the globe, has found herself a host for alien technology known as the Archive. The Archive allows its hosts to alter their minds and bodies in an instant through holographic menu systems. With the touch of a button, anyone can become super strong, gain magical abilities, purchase a giant robot, or become a master in any of an almost infinite number of skills that range from advanced combat techniques to fidget-spinning. However, Anya has also become the target for nightmarish, shape-shifting creatures that have come to Earth following the newfound extraterrestrial tech. The Archive can grant their hosts great power, but it may not be enough to survive the horde of murderous aliens hunting them down.

Review:

This books plays to a variation with the powers of MC leaning more towards superhero than traditional warrior/mage/archer classes. MC gets powers from an “Archive” is we don’t know much about, but is alien in nature. Plus there are other Aliens who want to invade Earth for their own nefarious purposes. Earth has become a battleground with not just these Archive chosen superpowered people but also with regular military reacting to it. Many books in this genre are set immediately post an apocalyptic event (Red Mage, Phase Shift, Shadow Sun etc), but this is one of the few books (like Phil Tucker’s Dawn of the Void) which happens during the Apocalyptic event.

The powers also are a mix of magic and alien weaponry with both fantasy and sci-fi elements thrown in. You can summon robotic battle bots and throw some good ol’ fireballs at them adding a fascinating layer to the dynamics.

The writing is good, descriptions immersive and characters well etched. The flow is also realistic as Governments and general public gradually become aware of the changing landscape and react to it as expected.

The reason this didn’t make the main list was because despite all the good things, the book still failed to grasp me. I just didn’t care about the Aliens and the oomph in the drama was missing. The way the stage has been set needs more work I was struggling to get invested in the conflict itself. I kinda get why things are happening, but the book deals too much in the micro and add that with a antagonist that is too mysterious that we can never take it seriously…it slightly falls apart.

Still, there’s a LOT of great things in this book and I just wanted to highlight it, so maybe someone else may find it more up their alley.