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Hey all!
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, is currently on sale on the US Kindle store for 1.49.
Sadly, it only appears to be for the US store right now. (Amazon is the one that put it on sale, not me.)
For those of you who haven't heard of the book, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a love letter to Japanese RPGs ("JRPGs") like Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Tower of Druaga, Tales of Symphonia, Fire Emblem, and Azure Dreams. It also has similarities to some shonen anime, most notably Hunter x Hunter.
The content of the book is split between dungeon crawling sections - some solo, some with a small group - and sections where the central protagonist is learning magic at a magical academy.
The series has a heavy focus on learning the rules of magic and how to exploit them. As such, there's a tremendous amount of magic system detail, which may not be fun for everyone. If you enjoy trying to figure out how a magic system can be used in creative ways, you might like this sort of thing. If you tend to prefer more whimsical and open-end magic, it's probably not for you.
We have frustratingly little insight into how soulfire works from Uncrowned. I think that (perhaps barring the missing archlord vault scene) it's my biggest disappointment with the book. Lindon never once mentions how it's used, how it feels, how he plans to get more, whether he's running low...Soulfire is weirdly absent from every scene.
What we do know from Underlord is that overlords use gigantic techniques, presumably fueled by their superior soulfire. We also know that at each step in the lord stage, the body is "reforged" again in the more powerful soulfire. Just speculating here: maybe the quality of natural treasures consumed needs to be higher? Or it could be a matter of enlarging soulspace to make room for more and more soulfire until some critical mass has been achieved, and it can be "crunched" down akin to Lindon's transition from foundation > copper.
Edit: In Heroes Wanted, the short story anthology where Will has a short story about Ziel, there's this line: "He had been bathed in soulfire, reborn thrice, emerging an Archlord."
At over 10,000 pages, this is probably the longest, most complex, richest fantasy series ever written. Tons of characters, god, cultures, and plot lines with some of the most detailed world building ever created. It’s a monumental journey to read all 10 books, as they’re not light reading, but if you’re up for it, they are almost universally acclaimed.
The Complete Malazan Book of the Fallen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HL0MA3W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_f-Z4CbPE4RZ6G
(This self-promotion post was pre-approved by moderators.)
Six Sacred Swords is my first book in the new Weapons and Wielders series. The story follows Keras Selyrian, a talented swordsman who begins a journey to seek out the titular Six Sacred Swords. The story is heavy inspired by Japanese adventure and role-playing games, such as Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, and Ys. This one in particular is most strongly inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and you'll see some obvious Zelda influences in there if you're a fan of the franchise.
This is much more of a adventure focused book than most of my previous novels, with most of the story involving exploring dangerous uncharted wildernesses and dungeons. It's also a smaller scale story in terms of the size of the cast and the focus - it's more about an individual adventure than something of world-scale importance. (At least for now.)
This book takes place in the same setting as <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, but years earlier. You can read the series in either order. Notably, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is currently on sale for 0.99 on the US and UK Kindle stores to celebrate the launch of Six Sacred Swords. If you're trying to figure out where to start, Six Sacred Swords is more of an adventure with characters that are already very powerful, and Sufficiently Advanced Magic is better if you're in the mood to start with younger characters that are coming of age and just learning magic.
Thanks to /r/fantasy for the amazing support you've always given my books, and feel free to post if you have any questions!
Hey all! <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> is the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, and it's currently on sale for $1.49 in the US Kindle store.
The sequel, <strong>On the Shoulders of Titans</strong>, just came out earlier this week, so it's a great time to pick it up if you're interested.
For those of you who aren't familiar, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a mix between a dungeon crawler novel and a magical school story. It focuses on Corin Cadence learning magic and attempting to climb the Serpent Spire, a colossal tower that his brother vanished into five years before.
Stylistically, the series is heavily inspired by Japanese role-playing games like Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, the Tales series, and The Legend of Zelda. The magic system is strongly inspired by the job class system in some of the Final Fantasy games and Bravely Default.
This means the story deliberately includes a lot of game-like elements, but explains them within the context of the setting. So you'll see justifications for things like respawning monsters, ever-changing dungeons, and analogues to character classes and leveling up.
If you like game-like fiction, you might enjoy this. If you tend to prefer for your magic to be more mystical and unexplained, you probably will not like this book. There's a huge emphasis on learning the rules of magic and figuring out tricks with them, which isn't for everyone.
Thanks to everyone who has supported my books so far, and I hope anyone who checks the books out enjoys them!
That would be Cradle by Will Wight. Love it.
​
https://www.amazon.com/Unsouled-Cradle-Book-Will-Wight-ebook/dp/B01H1CYBS6
Hey all,
I know some of you enjoyed <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> and have been waiting for the sequel to come out on audible. It's out today!
If you're not already familiar with the series, my Arcane Ascension books aren't full-on LitRPGs. Instead, they're more of an epic fantasy series that takes place in a world that runs on RPG-like mechanics (but those mechanics are treated as a normal part of that world and integrated into society). There are no "players" from our world, and it's not actually in a video game - it's just a fantasy world that runs on game-like physics.
For example, there are gigantic dungeons with respawning monsters and treasure, but those are explained from an in-universe perspective and integrated into the local society and culture. Similarly, there are analogues to character classes called "attunements" that can be leveled up over time - but the levels are generally measured based on the color of your aura, rather than a numeric value. (Measurements for things like mana levels do exist, though, and they're plot relevant).
All and all, it's a game-like world, but not quite what most people would call a LitRPG.
Anyway, if you're in the mood for that sort of thing, feel free to take a look, and I hope you enjoy it!
The Erogamer on QQ is probably the best story in that genre that I've read.
Something that borrows some of the elements is Threadbare, by Andrew Seiple, which was first posted as a web serial on SV. Not exactly rationalist, but still a fun read.
Also it's free. Here's the link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0825H8H5T/
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The chapter in question is The savior of Garden's gate. And it's the best. Ziel is the best.
Saw someone mention my book here earlier and I remembered that some people in the subreddit might be interested.
For those of you who aren't already familiar, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a novel with a mix between dungeon crawling and time spent learning magic at an academy.
It's set in a world that's heavily inspired by Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy and the Tales series, but where game mechanics are treated like normal elements of the world. For example, there are justifications for respawning monsters, dungeons with rooms that constantly changing, character classes, levels, etc.
There's a heavy emphasis on learning the rules of how magic works. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you might like these books.
Hey all!
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> is the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, a novel series inspired by Japanese role-playing games (e.g. Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Lufia, Fire Emblem, etc.) and similar anime.
It's told from the perspective of Corin Cadence, a seventeen year old who is seeking to climb the Serpent Spire, a colossal structure filled with monsters and traps. His primary goal is to find his brother, Tristan, who disappeared into the spire five years before.
To do this, he'll need to learn magic, and find all the help he can get.
The content of the novel is split between dungeon crawling sections in the spire (and other locations) and Corin learning magic at a university. As a fair warning, the magic system discussion gets extremely detailed. My style is to try to make sure that all of the spells, items, etc. the main character uses to solve his problems appear to be properly explained in advance. This type of style doesn't appeal to everyone.
Due to the JRPG inspiration, the magic and the setting come across as very RPG-like. This is deliberate; my intent was to draw from RPG tropes and create a setting where these tropes are organically integrated into the setting in ways that make sense. This isn't going to appeal to every reader, either.
If you're still reading and interested, you can check the book out here!
Hey all,
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, is currently on sale for 0.99 on the US and UK Kindle stores.
The Arcane Ascension series focuses on a group of magical university students who are training for military service and entering colossal dungeons called "Spires". Our central protagonist, Corin Cadence, has a personal reason for wanting to do this - his brother, Tristan, disappeared into the Serpent Spire five years ago and never returned.
The series focuses on a mix of learning magic at a university and dungeon crawling. It's strongly inspired by anime and Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Ys, Lufia, and Azure Dreams.
This sale is also a part of my launch celebration for my latest book, <strong>Six Sacred Swords</strong>, which takes place in the same universe at an earlier period of time. That book focuses on Keras Selyrian, a veteran swordsman from another continent, searching for the legendary Six Sacred Swords. It's similar in style to the above, but a little more adventure focused, and the protagonists are powerful characters from the start.
Since you're welcoming shameless plugs, my book, Into the Labyrinth, is YA coming of age fantasy set in a mage school with a labyrinth beneath it! It's pretty similar to Sufficiently Advanced Magic, and has a hard magic system. It's also on Kindle Unlimited.
Best of all, the sequel should be out in January!
https://smile.amazon.com/Into-Labyrinth-Mage-Errant-Book-ebook/dp/B07J675X2C
Threadbare by Andrew Seiple is a story that follows the growth of a stuffed bear golem. It’s one of the best litrpgs out there, IMO.
Without any doubt, Into the Labyrinth by John Bierce. Its heavily inspired by SAM, and its the absolute closest ive found. Only downside (in this sub) is that it is even lighter on the litPRG than SAM.
The Storm King, and Forge of Desitiny on RRL also comes to mind. Both have a school setting, and both are wuxia (so what SAM is inspired by).
Mother of Learning is another masterpiece of writing. I wouldnt claim its litRPG though.
The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan (sp?) is another great one, not LitRPG in the slightest though.
Into the Labyrinth, the first book in my Mage Errant series (and my debut novel), follows the adventures of Hugh of Emblin, an incompetent, friendless student mage. When an unusual mage picks him as an apprentice, however, his life begins to take a turn for the better- and the stranger.
When writing Into the Labyrinth, I really wanted to contrast Hugh with all the other socially outcast orphans out there, who tend to be tough, self-reliant, and capable. Hugh's very much not these things- he's got serious mental health issues he has to grapple with, including depression, cripplingly low self confidence, and severe social anxiety. He hasn't handled his difficult past with anywhere near the aplomb you tend to expect from a protagonist, and he really just wants to be left alone and stay out of people's way. Of course, Hugh seldom gets what he wants.
Into the Labyrinth features a fairly complex hard magic system, for those who enjoy those. The sequel, Jewel of the Endless Erg (which features a truly egregious number of dragons), is already out, and I'm currently in the middle of writing book 3.
Seconding Mother of Learning, Will Wight (I recommend his Cradle series first, then his others), and Andrew Rowe (Arcane Ascension first, then his other stuff.)
I'm also writing a series like that- Mage Errant. The first book, Into The Labyrinth, is already out. Book 2 comes out in January! Check out the others first, though, because they're all amazing and influences of mine. https://www.amazon.com/Into-Labyrinth-Mage-Errant-Book-ebook/dp/B07J675X2C
That's very kind of you!
All my books are on there. The most popular one is <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>. It's a RPG inspire magical academy novel. If you like detailed magic systems and an emphasis on people studying the rules of magic, you might like it!
If you enjoy that type of setting then I highly recommend Mage Errant, I've read the first three books and they are only through 2 years of schooling (albeit they start at like 16). But lots of learning, training and improving.
Into the Labyrinth: Mage Errant Book 1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J675X2C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KFYXDbX0H4XEY
You are looking for the newish genre LitRPG. A tremendous example of which is Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe on here as /u/salaris
Here is the blurb from GoodReads.com: >Five years ago, Corin Cadence’s brother entered the Serpent Spire — a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess.
>He never returned.
>Now, it’s Corin’s turn. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
>If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.
>The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back.
It is incredibly readable, I couldn't put it down. There are definitely some criticism to be made of it, but no more than a lot of other fantasy stuff that is well regarded and eminently readable.
Oh, Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer
Use Shirtaloon's He Who Fights With Monsters as your case study.
He spent 20 months writing his first volume offline (roughly 350k words) then started posting on RoyalRoad with a large backlog for patreon. After he'd written and posted roughly one million words of content for free he published to Amazon through Atheon.
Obviously, he put a ton of work in and nearly two years of his life before even putting the story up for free, but he's been very successful now.
I'm not well-read in the genre so I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but Will Wight's Cradle series sounds as though it might interest you. The series isn't complete, but there are five completed novels in it.
Amazon link for the first book, Unsouled
Amazon link for the first three as a package deal.
I would recommend it if you're a fan of cultivation, spiritual techniques, and the zero to god journey. It also has a more western style prose that for me was more enjoyable to read.
I recommend Threadbare which is a series of three books and about ~320K words. Completed and on Amazon, also available on SpaceBattles and Sufficient Velocity.
Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic might fit the bill., though plays with the formula a bit.
It is a fun mix of LitRPG (it's fantasy world contains elements of litrpgs but that are just part of the world) and Xianxia.
It has one male MC and POV.
The MC does get some special advantages (but not always seen as such), and I assume this increases as the series goes on.
And the ebook is on sale at amazon right now for $1.49!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XBFD7CB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Hey all,
Just wanted to give you a heads up that the Kindle version of Sufficiently Advanced Magic is on sale in Canada right now.
No other regions at the moment, sorry - Amazon Canada picked the book out for a sale, so I have no control over it. I'm hoping to put it on sale in the US and UK through a Kindle Countdown deal within about a month or so, but I don't have a specific date yet.
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> is a JRPG inspired epic fantasy with lots of world building and magic systems detail. Most of it takes place at a magic academy, but there's also some dungeon crawling through a JRPG-style dungeon.
The RPG inspiration is pretty obvious, so if you're not into that kind of thing, you might want to skip this. It's also very heavy on magic system details.
Here's a quick synopsis:
Five years ago, Corin Cadence’s brother entered the Serpent Spire — a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess.
He never returned.
Now, it’s Corin’s turn. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.
The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back.
If you're not in Canada, but you're interested in checking it out, you can find the US version here and it should be available on all other Amazon stores as well. The book is also available through Kindle Unlimited if you have that.
The Dao of Magic is a more westernized type cultivation story. The Dao of Magic has some pretty interesting ideas, and for the most part is a great read. It is not without its flaws though, but they give the story character in their own way.
Unsouled is the first book in an ongoing series of wuxia/xianxia inspired books that is released on Amazon. I feel it is really well written, though I got bored halfway through the released books. It's still great, it's just hard for books to keep my interest, and is nothing against the author/story.
I haven't really read many English stories that are purely wuxia/xianxia though, but I have noticed wuxia influence in all manner of fantasy webnovels nowadays. I know there are many more wuxia/xianxia original English stories though; I just can't think of them off the top of my head.
On a continent where humans are granted magical marks that supposedly contain the power of a goddess, young nobles attend a university with their retainers, learning magic and swordplay while they form connections with other nations.
Fire Emblem? No, I'm talking about my own <strong>Arcane Ascension</strong> books.
When I first saw the trailer for Three Houses, I laughed like mad because of how similar it sounded. My books are heavily JRPG inspired, so it makes sense, I was just tickled by the whole goddess mark thing and some of the similarities between the nations.
In spite of the similarities, there are some significant differences as well: my books have a very significant focus on magical research, and my protagonist isn't a teacher like Byleth. His focus is more on learning how magic works and training to rescue his brother, who disappeared into a giant tower five years earlier. If I had to compare my protagonist to someone in Three Houses, he's probably closest to someone line Lindhart in terms of skill set, but with a very different personality.
Aside from my own books, I'd also highly recommend Mage Errant, Mother of Learning, and Forge of Destiny - they're all magical school stories that have some of the elements you'd probably find similar to Three Houses.
Ohhhhh.. sorry. It's in the "Heroes Wanted" anthology!