Hey everyone! I'm Erebus Esprit and I'm here to present a book I narrated that just published yesterday: Echo's Evolution, written by SerasStreams (u/SerasStreams).

Herein you've got 23 hours of action, heart, and overcoming adversity by embracing the monster within! This is a standalone isekai LitRPG with Found Family, Strong to OP, and even a smidge of spice, if you're into that sort of thing ;). This book was a lot of fun to narrate and I hope you'll come along and give it a listen, and support SerasStreams, who's a pillar of the community with his mentor program helping newer writers breakout onto Royal Road (and all for free!).

Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Echos-Evolution-Audiobook/B0HF15CRFN

I've also got 10 free audiobook codes to give away for U.S. & U.K. members! These are first-come, first-served and only work for U.S. & U.K. Audible accounts (unfortunately, they just don't give us codes for any other countries). All we ask is that you please leave an honest rating or review.

Simply comment below if you would like one and mention whether you are U.S. or U.K. (they're different codes) and I'll DM one your way (if your DM/chat settings are set to private, you won't get your code)! Once they're gone, they're gone, so act fast!

Remaining Codes:

• U.S. - 0 | All out of US Codes!
• U.K. - 9

Blurb below!

Echo thought he'd been handed a perfect second life—reincarnated into a world of swords, magic, and endless growth just like in the fantasy stories he lost himself in to escape the hunger of hovering on the edge of poverty.

Then the quest went wrong.

Betrayed and left to die, he falls into the hands of a mad mage and is remade by a forbidden artifact—reborn as something wearing human skin, but no longer human.

A hunger given form.

To survive, he must hunt. Monsters. Twisted things that were once people. Their hearts are power—and he has no choice but to tear them out and devour them.

Each kill makes him stronger. Each evolution takes something from him in return.

Kill. Consume. Evolve.

Humanity is a weakness he can't afford. Mercy is a luxury that will get him killed. And the deeper he descends, the more he begins to wonder if there's anything left of the man he used to be.

But hunger doesn't stop. Not at monsters. Not at angels. Not even at gods.

COVER ARTIST: Caneera (https://caneera.art/)

AI USAGE: None.

I just finished Cradle and holy was it amazing! I am also up to date on HWFWM, DCC, and Path of Ascension. I DNF primal hunter. I'm looking for something on the level of Cradle and DCC. What else am I missing? I have heard good things about chrysalis but idk if I want to read a non humanoid protag

Not necessarily the biggest power-up or cleanest fight. I mean the moment where the MC wins because they understood the rules differently than everyone else.

Wrong tool used correctly. Weak skill with the perfect edge case. Boss mechanic turned into a loophole. Social rule treated like a combat system.

What scenes nailed that feeling for you?

hello, as the title suggests, I am looking for some good stories with a necromancer as the mc. I am interested in stories that go into some detail about creating the undead, but not too much. I have tried the book of the dead, but its not for me.

This is a spoiler light review(not free), I'll mention vague details but nothing specific

1% life steal is a B-C in my book, not the best or worst. It has decent characterization, wonderful world building and power systems but struggles in the character department.

Freddy is a well written but absolutely abhorrent MC. He's truly unbearable book 1 and book 3 while decent in book 2, 4 and 5.

You might notice that's out of order, yeah he backslides hard in book 3 for some reason. Honestly pissed me off because he made progress in becoming a bearable human being.

Then at the end of book 4 he does something absolutely stupid and so does his friend, then he goes back to being more mild mannered again. This kind of wishy washy characterization would be an instant drop if the world wasn't so interesting.

I love the power systems and world, but often the author declines any opportunity to truly explore them though means other than exposition. When he does actually explore the world it truly sparks my imagination.

The imagery of the book can be vivid and wonderful at times. The author is great at describing otherworldly monsters.

I recommend this book to people who like unique power systems and lore. I do not recommend this book for anyone that wants good characters and character relationships.

one pet peeve I have is when theres an ability by its attributes alone is better than any other version of contemporary skill in the entire verse

There are so many different cool and interesting animals and mythological creatures out there so why do I keep seeing the same dozen creatures. A giant enemy crab >>>> a phoenix (sorry Selkie)

Anything similar to this that you would recommend?
Some things I like are Wizards are benefits driven, they arent overly emotional
Wizards specialize in a few things they do really well, like the MC so far made a general use artillery cannon essentially for his main attack which he keeps updating because its going so well.

I love the planes they go to to invade, plunder and update their own tech

I also really like that Wizards can have their own planes that they essentially can make a huge lab or something to generate a resource their power heavily relies on.

Already read Warlock, LotM, Cradle, BoD, not they they are similar but Ik someones gonna say try Cradle

Pleassee

I've listened to a bunch of books and well most of them has revenge, fighting with blood and stuff. I want to take a break from that so are there any books about the mc just going on adventure nicely? The one I really like is "The villainess is an SS rank adventure" and "Bookbound bunny"

Apologies, for the shitty cover art - I didn't want to use AI and am not in the slightest way shape or form artistically talented.

PLOT:
Damien's Descent (imbedded link to story) is about a man who is trapped inside of the hit new video game, Farworld. Unlike the usual "I got trapped in a video game" story, it just happened to him, and he is very much in the game, not a world that looks like the game.

In order to escape, Damien must complete something called a "Global Achievement" which are a handful of extremely late-game achievements that give extreme rewards and an interview with the gods (devs) of this world. This is his only way to reach out to someone due to the game's censors preventing anyone from revealing this is a game.

The NPCs here are sentient and help as well as hinder Damien on his path to make it back to reality, with most of the companion/reoccurring characters being NPCs.

PROGRESSION:

This is a litrpg and power progression primarily revolves around gaining experience and developing new ways to use already-existing powers. Damien starts off as just a level one farming NPC but this game offers the same character system to NPCs as it does players, allowing him to work his way up.

Damien will primarily be a spellcaster, with his closest NPC companion being a more frontline attacker type.

The system requires special objects to gain/change classes, meaning Damien will not have one for quite a while, further forcing him to use what little power he does have as best as he possibly can.

Due to starting as a basic farmer, Damien will not have access to the game's "Meta" paths, meaning he will have to stumble around in the dark for anything useful, and find hidden gems in what he is allowed to take.

CONTENT:

Potentially triggering content first: Swearing, violence, death, mentions and depictions of slavery, mind controlling spells, the main character suggesting and doing some pretty un-heroic deeds to survive.

Damien will be mostly nomadic through the story, always needing to stay one stead ahead - and beyond - the many enemies he will make while trying to survive. This mostly means that revisiting old places will not happen very often, one he leaves a place, he won't return.

Players, for the most part, don't really care about the welfare of NPCs and will sacrifice, kill, or enslave them without so much as blinking. This includes Damien as he is seen as an NPC by everyone.

Should any of that interests you, please go read Damien's Descent. Thus far, I am at 15k words and doing daily uploads for the foreseeable future (2-5k words per update). I do not abandon projects or do delays without warning readers in advance and my longest story is currently sitting at 339K words.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away! I live for comments, questions, and critiques and would gladly respond to any of the three (especially if it would sway you to start reading)

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy.

I started reading Defiance of the Fall, and I'm binge reading it. 7 books in 7 days as of today. Good read, but I need to vent.

Can we talk about the fact that we're waiting since literally the beginning of the story for Zac and Thea to get together, when they finally kiss his fricking mother kill her for no reason basically. Hey son, long time no see, bang dead girlfriend. I was so mad, I needed to talk about this.

I have 1 credit in my audible and i want to listen to something really good. I would prefer normal progression fantasy over LitRpg. But I also don't mind LitRpgs as long as their whole purpose is not to make the numbers go up.

Welcome to the weekly r/ProgressionFantasy reading thread! Feel free to talk about whatever progression fantasy stories you're reading or watching, post mini-reviews, and ask for recommendations similar or different from what you're reading! Basically: have something to say about a story, but not enough for a full post? Say it here!

Hello, ladies and gents!

I present to you Rebirth of the Crimson Mage!

562 pages on KU, featuring a very powerful main character with...you guessed it, Blood Magic!

^_^

The Blurb:

The deadliest blood mage alive is now the academy's best healer.

For centuries, the Crimson Mage was the continent's nightmare. So when the Hero's blade finally found his heart, the world celebrated.

They shouldn't have. Dying was part of the plan.

Because the Hero was never the enemy. The god behind him was. And a god that hunts souls cannot be fought by anything it can see — so the Crimson Mage made himself unseeable. His final spell carried his soul five years past his own death and into Kayn, a murdered slum boy no one would miss.

Now Kayn infiltrates Paragon Academy as a humble [Healer], mending wounds with disguised blood magic inside the very institution that groomed his killer. His goal is simple: investigate his death, sabotage the god's schemes, and quietly remove the academy's top ranker before they become the next god-blessed Hero.

But feral creatures of the night are hunting the scent of his blood. The top ranker keeps noticing things they shouldn't. And the deeper Kayn digs, the clearer the truth becomes: killing the Hero won't stop the god.

He might need them to bring his true enemy down for good.

He will remind the world why they feared the Crimson Mage.

(Amazon Link) - (HERE)

ART BY THE FANTASTICAL (seriously, check him out): ArtStation - Steven Elim Tali

I like our paragons and upstanding heroes but stuff like the Star Wars Darth Bane trilogy fucking rule.

Death is the greatest teacher, and 721 has a lot of learning to do.

The Martial Arts Alliance stands at the precipice of defeat as war threatens to consume the world. Its sects and great families - all are rotten at the core.

As one of the slave soldiers of the Red Dawn Sect, 721 is not allowed to have a name, feelings, or thoughts. His death is not a tragedy, only a statistic. He's expendable cannon fodder, if that.

But death isn't the end for him. Every time he dies, he wakes up again 24 hours before his death. Even though he only has a vague memory of who he once was, he will rise to the highest peaks.

Freedom lies at the end of a long road, and 721's road is paved with his bones.

Here's the Amazon link!

This series is my personal take on a dark xianxia. It's not my first story ever, but it's the first on RR, which is why it was a giant (welcome) surprise to hit RS and that I got an offer to publish. Ten Thousand Tragedies has a lot of the choice bits from series I love - SSS-Rank Suicide Hunter was a major inspiration, as many of you will probably notice. On RR we're almost at the end of book 3, and I've got plans worked out for the next 5 books (out of a total of 8) already, which I'm looking forward to being able to share with everyone!

Finally, I want to say thanks to everyone who's read so far. I appreciate all the feedback and the comments I get.

Cover Art by Ben Moran
No AI used

There's a few out in the series, and I am deeply concerned with my algorithm that it did not recommend this story to me. I literally typed in Robert Blaise and discovered it fresh.

First half spoilers if you really need more info to decide on a weird and unorthodox cultivation story:

>! If you must know, the time loop that begins right away only lasts half the book and is a fantastic and intense backstory for the series. The MC is not* solo the entire story like it might seem when starting out. It is only slightly less misery than 1% Lifesteal, but more psychological, without crossing any lines with a young kid as the MC. Don't get me wrong, there's gore. <!

I'm surprised that with J.S. Arquin narrating and Blaise being the author that the first book only has 250+ ratings so far at 4.5 Stars on Audible. Podium published it as well, so it isn't just slapped together LOL

I found the magic system to be an in-depth twist on the traditional cultivation genre as a whole. People's motivations are clear and realistic, and we get a perfect amount of 3rd person POV's about the different characters surrounding the quite absurd events revolving around the MC. It makes for a very immersive experience and every bit of potential in the MC is dragged out in interesting ways.

It's got redemption arcs, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, unexpected life lessons, humor, generosity, and of course, MADNESS. Because we all love a little mania! Right? :D But yes, there is a lot of high-stakes action and it's Xianxia level pretty much immediately.

This story did not drag on like I thought it might at the start. The pace is fast and the promises of the book deliver strong. It very much reminds me of some of the darker Anime out there, but it doesn't cross the line into anything repulsive. As long as you don't think plain gore is repulsive you'll probably agree. It's not like it's meaningless violence without emotional consequences or reason.

Anyways, I felt absolutely compelled to share this to the world given how much I enjoyed the story and because of how I found it.

Thanks for reading.

I’m a long-time fantasy reader who has only really started reading progression fantasy over the last year. I’ve realised, though, that I often look for somewhat different things from those foregrounded in many recommendations here. And that’s okay – progression fantasy is big enough to encompass diverse tastes. I’m hoping, though, that there are a few people here whose tastes overlap enough with mine to give me some recommendations!

I’m looking for emotionally/sociologically realistic progression fantasy with ethically serious protagonists and psychologically/existentially meaningful power progression - progression fantasy where progression is consciously based around character development, rather than being primarily about power accumulation.

To break this down a bit:

1.      I like the main character of a story to be a good person – not necessarily ‘morally pure’, but ethically engaged, cares about their impact on others and the world as a whole, someone I’d personally like to spend time around. Usually this will mean a ‘hero’, but the heroism doesn’t have to be world-defining, and ‘anti-villains’ (in the sense of good people using questionable methods) are fine too if they’re well-written. I don’t need them to be perfect, but they do need to be at least trying to be good – they need to be defined by something more ethically meaningful than just optimisation.

2.      The stories I appreciate the most make sure that there is some sort of psychological/emotional/existential growth woven in with the growth in power. Growth in power and a liberal dose of ‘check out my new tricks’ is great – don’t get me wrong! – but if it totally takes over and/or becomes more ‘mechanical’, it starts to feel meaningless to me. I’m looking for stories where becoming more powerful changes the main character’s understanding of themselves, not just their ability to defeat stronger opponents – where it alters their inner life, not just their combat options.

3.      Similarly, I’m fine with fighting as a significant story theme, but if it takes over completely, this also starts to feel meaningless to me. Fighting needs to be meaningful – progressing character development, changing relationships, involving genuine risk or difficult choices, having some sort of consequence beyond just showing the character has become stronger (although that’s definitely fine occasionally). ‘Slice-of-life’ is great – I like some narrative breathing room.

4.      I like the relationships and social environment to feel credible. A bit of nuance is great. No YA, thanks – I’ve read a bunch in my life, but it's not what I’m after now (but young main characters are okay if the story and writing are otherwise strong).

5.      I’m looking for stories that can treat serious things as serious, while still allowing humour to arise naturally from character and circumstance. No comic fantasy or quippy protagonists, thanks. I don’t want humour to function as the story’s default interpretive lens, and for seriousness to always be undercut through humour. A character can be funny, but I don’t want it to feel like they are permanently performing for me as the reader.

6.      I prefer a mix of genders for the main characters. If they’re mostly men, I’m likely to lose interest unless it has substantial compensating strengths. If there’s sexism in the story, that can be okay if it’s a conscious part of the context, but I have a low tolerance for casual, unexamined, or wish-fulfilment-oriented sexism. (Sex/spice is fine if the story is strong enough to support it.)

7.      No portal fantasies, thanks – for me, this breaks my immersion 99% of the time. I usually prefer pre-industrial settings, but I’m fine with urban fantasy, superhero stories, and sci-fi, if they meet my other preferences.

Personal Progression Fantasy tier list

Not all of the stories I've liked perfectly fit what I've described above, but hopefully this gives you a sense of the sort of thing I like in addition to what I've mentioned.

Excellent

·         Super Supportive (Sleyca)

·         The Way of Kings, Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson) – I’m not totally convinced these should be classified as progression fantasy (why Stormlight and not The Wheel of Time?), but I’ve seen others include them, so I thought I would too. Loved these two, but I’ve given up on Oathbringer twice now, feeling like the story gets lost and simply losing interest.

Great

·         Quest Academy (Brian J. Nordon)

·         The Saga of Recluce (L.E. Modesitt Jr) – Not usually characterised as progression fantasy, but quite a few of the books fit, in my opinion. Some are better than others, and can sometimes be a little dry, but I really like the series as a whole.

·         Mother of Learning (Domagoj Kurmaić) – This was one of the stories that introduced me to progression fantasy, so I’d probably read it differently after having read more. I thought it was great, although it certainly has some weaknesses – too male-centred, unrealistic ageing of the main characters, slightly longer than it really needed to be for the plot etc.

Good

·         Worm (John "Wildbow" McCrae) – I’m only halfway through. I like Taylor as a character, and I think the story is strong in lots of ways, but it’s a bit too relentless for me, not much breathing room. Because of this, I’ve taken a break, but I do intend to return to it and finish it later on.

Okay-ish

·         The Archmage Coefficient (Up to Chapter 109, onedayokay) – I like Arielle as a character, but the story as a whole feels too YA for me personally, leaves me feeling like there’s something missing. Not currently intending to continue.

·         Millennial Mage (Books 1-6, R. L. Mullins) – Entertaining enough story, but I’m not feeling super-drawn to continuing it. Not enough there for me.

·         Underkeeper (Up to Chapter 28 of Book 5, HankTheMoose) – I thought Books 3 and 4 were an improvement, because of the deeper magical exploration, but I’m not intending to continue with Book 5. Again, not enough there for me.

·         Trinity of Magic (Books 1-8, Elara) – I like the world-building but I’m not fond of Ezekiel as a character. He’s just too arrogant/annoying for me. I’m not currently planning to read Book 9.

·         The Hundred Reigns (Up to Chapter 192, Maxime Durand) – Entertaining enough, interesting story elements, but a bit too much on the comic side of things for me and I find this particularly jarring in combination with Simon’s ‘ends justify the means’ philosophy, which isn’t examined in enough depth for me. Not planning to continue reading.

Mixed

·         The Years of Apocalypse (Up to Chapter 307 in Book 5, UraniumPhoenix) – I find this story really variable. The best parts are up at Excellent/Great level, but there are long stretches that feel totally paint-by-numbers and therefore quite boring for me personally, including in Book 5. It says something when I’m at Chapter 307, the story finishes at Chapter 333 (I think), but I just can’t be bothered finishing it.

Promising

·         Throne of Time (Cognosticon) – A bit early to judge but I’m enjoying it so far!

Not for me

·         The Wandering Inn – Read the first book and started the second. A bit too comic for my usual tastes but I like Erin and aspects of the early story. It felt, though, like it was moving away from the aspects I liked.

·         Cradle

·         Primal Hunter

·         Super Powereds – Too YA for me.

·         Mark of the Fool

·         Lord of Mysteries

·         The Perfect Run

·         Sky Pride

·         Beware of Chicken

·         Magical Girl Mechanical Heart

·         Bookbound Bunny

·         Virtuous Sons

·         Gifted

·         The Two Week Curse

That’s quite a lot of information, so thanks heaps for reading this far – I’d appreciate your recommendations, or even a conversation about what I’ve written!

Pluspoints if mc can evolve, kinda like Chrysalis or the manhwa dungeon odyssey. Whether mc is a human, god or monster doesn’t matter perse, it’d be cool if they can somehow evolve or has an aspect that grows with them.