The son of a librarian, Chris M. Arnone's love of books was as inevitable as gravity. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. His cyberpunk series, The Jayu City Chronicles, is available everywhere books are sold. His work can also be found in Adelaide Literary Magazine and FEED Lit Mag. You can find him writing more books, poetry, and acting in Kansas City. You can also follow him on social media (Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, website).
Seth Ring and Blackstone Publishing
Wanting to follow in his heroic family’s footsteps, Mark Fields is eager to join the military and defend the massive fortress city he calls home. Then his older brother returns from deployment a burned-out wreck. As Mark quickly rises to the top of his unit and loves his new life, he doesn’t notice the dangerous friends his brother is making—until it’s too late. From bestselling LitRPG author Seth Ring—creator of the Titan and Battle Mage Farmer series—Advent is the first in an epic new series of alien contact, fast-paced military action, and thrilling adventure that will leave readers hungry for more.
LitRPG has been pretty huge for a while now. If you’re not a regular of science fiction and fantasy, however, you may not be familiar with the term nor some of its biggest successes. Fortunately for you, I’m here with a primer on all things about literary roleplaying games, also known as LitRPGs.
Imagine that you’ve suddenly found yourself pulled into a game. Not just a world and adventure similar to what you’ve found in your favorite video games or tabletop roleplaying games, but an actual game. All of the statistics and rules in this fantasy and/or science fiction game are clear and obvious to you. You know your and your enemies’ hit points. You gain levels and vie for powerups. The criteria for success or failure are as equally transparent. If you’re reading a book that works like this, then you’re reading LitRPG.
While some books, like Marie Lu’s Warcross, feature a game as part of the story, the fictitious games in LitRPG books are central to the story. Characters aren’t just making decisions based on their own complicated and personal motivations, but because they understand the meta of the game that they’re playing. In LitRPG, the game and story are inextricable from each other.
Now that we’re on the same page as to what LitRPG is, how about some great examples of LitRPG books?
Apocalypse Parenting by Erin Ampersand
Meghan is a mom with pretty standard mom worries. Get the kids fed and to their activities on time; look good in front of the other moms, you know. Then aliens decide to make Earth part of an intergalactic reality show. Forget everything she used to be worried about because now she needs to fight to survive. Erin soon learns more about the game and realizes that she has to train her kids to fight, too.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
By far one of the most popular LitRPG series is Dungeon Crawler Carl. Once again, aliens have decided that Earth is more valuable as entertainment than anything else. In a moment, all structures on Earth are leveled, leaving a select few behind to battle for survival and ratings. Among them are Carl and his dead girlfriend’s cat, Donut. Carl doesn’t have pants, but he has the determination to survive.
The Gam3 by Cosimo Yap
After aliens invade and change everything about life as we know it, some people cower in fear and subjugation. Alan, however, is focused on The Game. In this virtual reality construct, Alan finds his calling but also begins to realize that The Game isn’t some simple diversion, but something much more insidious and powerful.
Shangri-La Frontier by Katarina, Ryosuke Fuji
Look, a LitRPG that ISN’T about the apocalypse! Also, it’s a manga. Rakuro is a trash game hunter. In a world of polished VR games, he digs the games that are glitchy and nearly impossible, honing his skills to beat the unbeatable. But after feeling a bit of burnout, he is turned onto a wildly popular game called Shangri-La Frontier and soon finds his trash-hunting skills make him perfect for this game.
Solo Leveling by Chugong
You’ve certainly heard of this South Korean web novel at this point, given its popularity. In this world, humans with supernatural abilities battle monsters to stave off annihilation. After a grueling dungeon in which Sung Jin-woo loses the rest of his party, the enigmatic System selects him as a solo player with capabilities beyond normal hunters. But, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The System Apocalypse by Tao Wong
The world ending and turning into a game is a really common theme in LitRPG, and this series does it really well. John needed a weekend away, hiking and camping and reflecting on life. But when blue boxes fell from the sky, the world ended. Animals evolved into monsters. Armed with his character sheet and incredible skills, he has to reconcile his past and his ex with his dangerous present.
Temple of Sorrow by Carrie Summers
Devon Walker has always seen games as her way up and out of her hard-knock life. So when she’s hired as a salaried player in Relic Online, the hot new game around, she jumps at the chance. But once she jumps into the game, she finds herself alone and powerless, immediately facing a golem the size of a building. And this challenging adventure is only beginning for her.
World War Mech by Jules Kindred Blair
This new series imagines a near-future alternative timeline in which four young souls have to pilot giant mechs to stop the apocalypse. It’s like Pacific Rim meets Mech Cadet meets all the other awesome mech stories out there. It blends LitRPG stats and achievements with anime-inspired storytelling.
What are some of your favorite LitRPG books? How heavy do you like the gaming elements in these books? I want to know!
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