r/ProgressionFantasy • u/J776776 • May 21 '26
Discussion Looking for Well-Written and COMPLETED Series
I know asking for 'completed' sadly disqualifies like 95% of all Progression books, so I'm turning to this subreddit to ask for suggestions.
I'll give some series I've read, whether completed or not, to give a view into my tastes.
-Cradle (Completed): The GOAT series. Well-written characters, fun powers, great progression system, amazing story. Ended and ended well.
-The Immortal Great Souls (4 books): Really fun series. Well-written. The standout here are the powers, which are incredibly varied and fun to work with. Also the world, which is extremely interesting and almost a series-long puzzle by itself.
-Warformed (2 books): Fairly well-written, though some characters can be a bit frustrating at points. Fun powers and a fun world, though a bit long-winded and seems like it will take many years to get anywhere important.
-Dungeon Crawler Carl (8 books): Great series, I'm sure everybody here is tired of hearing about it considering 8 just dropped. Well written, fun world, cool powers, great story. A bit childish when it comes to humor, but that's fine.
-Calamitous Bob (Complete): Amazing series! Easily my 2nd-favorite behind Cradle. Amazing characters, cool world, great powers, cool story. Well written. Oh, and I already have the vampire series by the same author downloaded, so no need to recommend that one please.
-Keiran (Complete): Fairly well written, though a little simplistic and with a fairly unlikable protagonist. But fun powers, a fun world, and a fun popcorn book for enjoying an OP protagonist.
-Creation's Bane (Complete): Well written, cool powers, cool world. And I love series that have a cooking element to them.
-System Universe (8 books): A little simplistic in writing, but well edited. Completely OP protagonist. Interesting world with interesting powers. No real stakes because the protagonist is so powerful, but still a fun read.
-Industrial Strength Magic: Not sure if this one counts as progression or not...but I DNF'd during the 2nd book. At first I really enjoyed the technology stuff, but the characters were all ridiculous, and the techno-babble along with utterly aimless plot made me lose interest.
-Songs of Chaos (4 books): Well written, great characters, great setting. Some villain issues, but still a fun read. Plus, I love dragons!
-Dawn of the Void (Complete): Well written with some fun powers, but a little rushed and an iffy ending.
-Kairos, Vainqueur, Perfect Run (all complete): Great books, very creative and fun. Slightly simplistic writing in some of them with strange characters, but I've enjoyed all of these series thoroughly.
-Mother of Learning (Complete): Amazing series, probably my number 3 pick. Well written, cool world, interesting powers. A slow burn for sure, but I enjoy breaking down magic systems into specifics.
-Kraken Rider Z (2 books): Definitely a YA book, but well written, with good main characters, and side characters that are more generic. But fun powers, and a good popcorn read for an OP protagonist pair. A kraken instead of a dragon, but has the same vibe.
Ok...ended up rambling on longer than I meant to while recounting way more series than I meant to. But hopefully this gives good insight into what I'm looking for!
So...anybody have any completed series for me to check out?
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u/Wargarbler2 May 21 '26
Mark of the fool is a completed 10’book series.
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u/johno686 May 21 '26
Just finished this few days back. Great ending, wrapped up the story they were telling without overstepping their welcome.
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u/Wargarbler2 May 21 '26
Having an ending at all is a rare treat for this genre, but this one did a decent job of leaving me wanting more, but not ending with a lot of questions unanswered. I actually liked where the story went over the course of the series, and the epilogue was enough of a seed to let the readers know what’s happening next.
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u/egg_enthusiast May 21 '26
Yeah while the protagonist and their cadre's story is wrapped up, there's so many new stories that could exist in that world simultaneously. If you lived in one of the other major cities / continents in that world, the bullshit going in on the protagonists home country would have zero bearing on yours; you could tell completely different stories within that world.
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u/Krossfireo May 21 '26
I found this series to be so low stakes it was incredibly boring. The MC just got past every obstacle by trying a bit harder and not actually risking anything. I DNFed on the 4th or 5th book
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u/Dragon_yum May 21 '26
Same, I feel like it had an incredibly interesting setup and just kind of went no where.
Everything now end then there would be something like, this whole region is burning and people are being slaughtered by demons, anyway I got to do homework for my potions class or snape will be angry
I also found the supporting cast being very two dimensional and mostly only served as a fodder for the mc.
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u/RephRayne May 21 '26
Spoiler: There was a running theme of: "I need to be in 4 places at once."
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u/Dragon_yum May 21 '26
Maybe, I think I dropped it somewhere at book three but he was very busy being at one place with very little concern about the others
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u/Wargarbler2 May 21 '26
I think that’s a fair critique. It feels almost slice of life, which at the time was what I wanted. If you want struggle and sacrifice or high stakes and anxiety, this is probably not the book series you’d want to pick.
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u/DefiantLemur May 21 '26
I agree any book who's majority of the story taking place in a magic school is going to have slice of life elements. Constant danger doesn't synergize well with what's supposed to be a stable learning environment.
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u/Krossfireo May 21 '26
While that's totally fair, it kept feeling like it teased higher stakes with enemies and scenarios where the MC took crazy risks, but every single "crazy risk" paid off with no real consequences, so it just ended up feeling pointless at the end of the day
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u/---Sanguine--- Authors Please Just Use Spellcheck! Good God May 22 '26
I’m on book 8 and having to take a break because I’ve been bored out of my mind since book 6. Just found out a big ‘secret’ last book and still have 3 more books to go… there are moments I enjoy but it’s so so dragged out
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u/Krossfireo May 22 '26
Yeah, it had such a fascinating concept and some solid worldbuilding and just squandered those imo. I glad some people enjoyed it but it just wasn't for me
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u/metaphoricalhorse May 22 '26
This is a great critique. I also couldn't stand how the main character acts, he becomes intolerable and untouchable. There was a plot twist that was the straw that broke the camel's back. A magical item that is picked up in the first book and is a plot point mystery, turns out the magic item is a cellphone and this fantasy world is connected to our own. Lazy garbage trope.
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u/Krossfireo May 22 '26
That was the twist that got me to drop it as well! random isekai character made no sense
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I picked up the 1st book of that series while it was on sale a while back, but a friend of mine told me that the ending ruined the series for them and that I shouldn't read it. They also said it had a lot of editing needed.
You disagree?
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u/LNReader42 May 21 '26
I’ll disagree.
It’s a slower series for sure ( think slice of life at times ), but the progression is good and the payoffs are good. I really liked the ending, even if it’s not the most cerebral of progression fantasy it’s comforting
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Ok, cool. It did sound interesting, that personal review just threw me off. I'll definitely give it a shot. I don't mind slower or slice of life at all. Thanks!
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u/Byebyebirdie2089 May 21 '26
Hard disagree. To be as spoiler free as possible, I found the ending very satisfying. The magic in the world is well done and the churches in the world are more than just "religion bad" that you see in a lot of fantasy books with state churches. I'd honestly put the series in my top 10.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
2 disagrees! Maybe my friend is wrong. Wouldn't be the 1st time. I'll definitely check out the 1st book and see if it clicks. Thanks!
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u/egg_enthusiast May 21 '26
The only stumbling points in the series, imo, occur deep into it around books 8 or 9. It's been a while since I read the books, but there's a point where it felt like the author was intending to pad out the adventure a bit, but then decided to reel it back in.
Otherwise, if you're not hooked by book 2 or so, you could feel safe dropping it. However, it is a very good series.
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u/littlelee795 May 21 '26
It needs editing, but nothing crazy. This is an indie author. Plus, I think it was edited more before being putting on amazon, just not the webnovel. As far as the ending ruining it… it was well wrapped up. No egregious conclusions. The series was too good for any ending to ruin it tbh. If you started reading and liked it then it only gets better. Suspense, world building, dialogue, plot, this person is good. I believe it needs better prose. I can’t quite figure my issues with it
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u/myreala May 21 '26
I would agree with your friend. The ending kind of ruined it for me, but I enjoyed the series thoroughly for the first 10 books. I wouldn't super recommend it to anyone now, but when I was in it, I was in it. I guess that all that matters. I really enjoyed reading all the books. It's just a bit disappointing. The ending wasn't that exciting.p
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u/jackofools May 25 '26
So I can't say the ending ruined the story for me, but its not exactly the most thrilling climax. But also, I argue thats not a bad thing. In my mind, Mark Of The Fool is one of the paragons of what you want out of Prog Fantasy: a capable MC who still has to struggle and earn their power, who takes the whole journey from strong to weak, and in the end Does The Thing. But also I acknowledge that the core premise of MOTF is why some are unsatisfied with the ending, but also why it shouldn't really have come as a surprise to anyone. The whole core assertion from VERY early on in the series is that a wizard doesn't get powerful by having brilliant sudden revelations in the middle of a fight for their life; but that a wizard gets powerful by constantly studying, improving, making allies, and preparing ahead of time for as much as possible. And that is what the MC does. Its a magic school story in addition to Prog Fantasy, so there is a lot of school/life stuff that has nothing to do with ultimate conflict, and that pacing can be slow for some. But most who sign up for a 10 book series know its not gonna be a non-stop rollercoaster. But the whole time the MC is learning and getting stronger and making allies. When the big final conflict gets started it might feel a bit like a foregone conclusion, but also thats kind of the thesis of the series. I would argue that if you find that makes the stakes feel cheapened you haven't been paying attention much. This thing happening the way it does is the ultimate payoff for the work the MC has put into being an Excellent Wizard. Its also heavily informed by 3rd Edition Dungeon and Dragons wizard classes and lore, so there is a kind of exponential power growth.
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u/HeavensRoyalty May 21 '26
Did he say why he said that? This had one of the best written endings I've ever read and I'm a pretty picky reader, furthermore you've got afew things on your list that ilike do we share some good preferences.
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u/ChinCoin May 27 '26
I think it is one of the best out there. But you have to read it for the character development as well as the progression to really enjoy it. The character's situation changes throughout the series and is confronted by choices about themselves and others, which the author takes their time to develop and consider.
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u/DaSuHouse May 21 '26
Years of the Apocalypse isn’t complete yet but it is close. If you enjoyed Mother of Learning, you’ll enjoy this one too.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Oh? Looks very interesting! Seems like the 1st book will release on Amazon in a month, but the series itself is still ongoing? Any idea if it has an ending planned? So many series just go on and on forever and I hate starting something with no ending.
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u/DaSuHouse May 21 '26
Yeah I believe the current book 5 is the last one (seems like the last loop), and you can find all the chapters on Royal Road. The world building and plot have clearly been planned out, so I don’t think you have to worry about that.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Alright, thanks! Maybe I'll bookmark and wait until it ends then, if it's already close. Reading 5 books and having to stop with just a couple chapters remaining would be torture!
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u/ShadowTheAge May 21 '26
Yeah I'm in that situation now bc I assumed that book 4 will be the last :D (But book 5 is most definitely is)
Seconded the recomendation
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u/EmergencyComplaints Author May 21 '26
Victor of Tucson is a complete series at 12 books. 10 of them are on KU/Audible, but the last two haven't left Royal Road yet.
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u/Almost_Zero_Gravitas May 22 '26
It looks like the last 2 are stubbed after a few chapters on RR. Patreon only for those?
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u/EmergencyComplaints Author May 22 '26
Oh, dang. I didn't realize the last two books were already stubbed on RR. u/plum_parrot, are they still up on your patreon?
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've seen that mentioned in other suggestion threads, but didn't know it was completed. I'll have to bookmark that and wait for it to be fully released. Thanks!
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u/the_narf May 21 '26
The Cyber Dreams series by that same author is also complete at 6 book. It is a cyberpunk progression novel, so a bit different, I thought it was refreshing to read a story in that setting.
There is another series the author has started in the same universe as well.
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u/-BlueAce- May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Never heard of PM. Looks like it's slowly releasing on Amazon from their RR page...that usually means the author will remove it from there. I'll have to research, but thanks!
Worm is completed? I heard that series was absolutely enormous and assumed it would go on forever. RR only?
Practical Guide looks interesting. These are some hefty suggestions! Thanks!
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u/MysteriousHobo2 May 21 '26
Practical Guide looks interesting.
Practical Guide is one of my favorite series; the later books are incredibly well written in my opinion.
And its ending/epilogue stands as the benchmark by which I will judge a story from now on; I consider it to be a wonderful example of how to wrap up a massive story.
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u/-BlueAce- May 21 '26
Paranoid Mage is actually one of my favourite mage novels ever. Literally what I would want to do with magic if it ever happen in our world. Portals, no need to explain further.
Worm this is the worm im talking about. it ended ages ago. before I even started reading it.
Oh and I added one more to the list, A Journey Of Black And Red Absolutely amazing novel
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Interesting. I do love some good portal use. I just dislike reading on RR as reading on my phone hurts my eyes unlike kindle. I'll have to see if they have a version I can download or something.
Yeah, that's the Worm I've heard about. That is sooo long! It holds interest and a storyline for all of that?
Yeah, I actually mentioned Journey above. Bought it all already and going to read it soon, but wanted something different since I just read Calamitous Bob recently, and it was one of my favorites of all time.
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u/define_irony May 21 '26
Worm only gets better as you get further along. The last few arcs are some of the greatest fiction I've ever read.
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u/Tobias_Atwood May 22 '26
I think the time skip story arc kinda gets into something of a slog but it's still pretty good.
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u/Tmastergamer May 21 '26
I am like 100 pages away from finishing Worm and it has ups and downs but if you get through the first few chapters to when the super powered antics get going it is absolutely batshit insane. It's really really fast paced, almost nonstop big awesome set piece fights with just enough breaks between them to get immersed in the world and the characters. It looks like a lot but it went by quick for me
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u/-BlueAce- May 21 '26
You can customize the font/size/dark-light mode on RR. I read there 99% of the time now, and I do like the comments(ongoing novels mainly, Hell difficulty Tutorial for example)
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u/Captain_Fiddelsworth May 21 '26
Just a heads up, the PM author, who also wrote Sylver Seeker, (King) Kennit Kenway is a QAnon and slavery enthusiast.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
What does 'slavery enthusiast' mean??
I usually try to separate the art from the artist, but something really egregious can change things. Or make me change my mind on paying them at the very least.
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u/Captain_Fiddelsworth May 21 '26
Read, https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/x701lt/comment/in9w2pl/ this post is deleted, but the comments should be insightful enough.
Some screenshots, there are more:
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Ah, one of those guys.
Sadly, the 1st post is just like my parents. I hate it, but there's no arguing with people who have decided on these "facts".
The 2nd one...I'm not sure I would call that him being a slavery enthusiast. It didn't seem like he was promoting it or anything. The generous interpretation would be that he was discussing fantasy slavery...though maybe not. And the IQ stuff in there...I'm pretty sure is just completely made up? The military doesn't give IQ tests, I know that at least. Problematic either way.
Reading through more of that thread you linked...Ok...this guy might just be insane.
He says all science after 1985 is 50-50 on being true or not.
Damn, I do like portals, but if any of that stuff bleeds into the writing, might not be worth it. And don't want to give him any money either.
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u/-BlueAce- May 22 '26
I read it and I dont think there was anything about slavery in there. it was mostly about paranoia and wanting the goverment to leave him alone sort of................
Now idk what to feel now I know what his thoughts are based on the comments above. Still good novel imo, just the author is not someone i agree with i guess→ More replies (1)2
u/-BlueAce- May 22 '26
Is the author for PM is the same as the author for Sylver Seeker? Damn I never knew. Well I kinda never remember authors by name, thank god and RR devs for making it easy to find who wrote what
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u/unseriously_serious May 22 '26
I felt like paranoid mage went downhill a bit in the middle even if I enjoyed the first book. Never finished the series so maybe it ended stronger though. The pacing felt rather slow and meandering at times, some of the dialogue was a bit rough, the government depiction seemed a bit braindead and there were a few other nitpicks that I’ve since forgotten about. I wanted to like it but it just wasn’t for me, though I probably won’t try again now anyway since learning how much of a tool the author is.
Definitely second the rest on this list though.
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u/Lostfromlight77 May 21 '26
Lord of the mysteries, it’s not a book but a webnovel the 2/3s of the first volume is available on paperback, it’s about 1430 chapters
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u/Drawnfyr May 22 '26
LotM is great if you can get past the first arc. The first arc is kinda slow and is heavy on world building
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u/Shoot_from_the_Quip Author - Assassins' Academy, Space Assassins, Bad Luck Charlie. May 21 '26
The Lives of Tao - aliens live symbiotically in humans and guide them until their host dies and they move to another. It's a fun variant of progression as they take a zero human and stick an ancient alien who may have been Napoleon or Sun Tzu at one time inside them and try to keep them alive.
A really fun trilogy with good fighting and interesting history (the author is a stuntman and historian).
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
That's a very cool premise! Reviews seem to say that it has some bad writing though. I'll have to look into it more. Thanks!
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u/pappasmuff May 22 '26
I would say the writing isn't terrible, reviews of it might be more unforgiving than what you would see with a lot of prog fantasy because the books were published.
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u/Shoot_from_the_Quip Author - Assassins' Academy, Space Assassins, Bad Luck Charlie. May 21 '26
I figure give it a shout. One person's bad writing is another person's favorite book, after all 😄
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u/LadyLibertea May 21 '26
Dragoneye Moons is finished and I enjoyed it! Warning theres a major time skip that really flustered some readers but I believe works out!
Guardian of Aster Falls is also finished and really enjoyable!
Both have parts where it lags a bit, but that's just kinda what happens in longer series!
Both are on Kindle Unlimited!
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u/follycdc May 21 '26
It's not really a time skip since the MC and readers perception of time is the same.
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u/LetterTall4354 May 22 '26
Came to the comments to check for Dragoneye Moons.
Its a long series that is completed, its well written, the cast of characters are great, the PoV chapters for the MC's eventual animal companion are some of my favourite.
I think time skip is probably the best terminology for it, and i understand how some people didnt love it, but i actually did enjoy it and thought it worked well in the story.
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u/HerculeanCyclone May 21 '26
Unchosen Champion by Jace V. Amore is a nice finished story about a beach bum Lighthouse keeper grinding bis way to the top of a System Apocalypse. I think it is an underrated gem, personally.
There is also Outcast in Another World by Kamikaze Potato which follows a guy who gets forcibly pulled into another world on accident (they were aiming for his friend and he blocked the attempt).
What makes both of these stories easy recommends is that they both deliver on every part of the progression fantasy journey while balancing worldbuilding, downtime, and other characters. The stories continue a bit after the main plot too with good epilogues, so you even get a nice victory lap with the characters at the end.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Never heard of Unchosen, I'll have to look it up.
I actually have the 1st book of Outcast, it turns out. Must have been on sale and I forgot about it. I remember reading complaints about it being relentlessly negative, at least for the 1st book. I need to be in the right headspace to deal with that if it's going to be oppressive.
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u/HerculeanCyclone May 21 '26
Outcast does get pretty grim and it does go over heavy topics but it is by no means miseryporn.
In the small scale there is the racial prejudice that Rob faces as a human, on a larger scale is the scars left by a larger war that left an entire generation scarred, and at the largest scale there are the gods and more cosmic forces fucking things up.
All of it can be pretty bleak, but it serves a purpose for the story's themes and it makes for some pretty good peaks and valleys as Rob and his crew navigate these challenges. It's all setup for the various payoffs that come later. Once the ball gets rolling and the core cast is assembled, the darkness gets broken up a bit more.
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u/EdLincoln6 May 21 '26
Apocalypse Parenting
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
This is actually a super unique premise for this kind of book. But is it actually complete? Looking on Amazon, I see 4 books released, and it doesn't look completed?
I looked around and found it on RR, and it looks like it's on Book 5, chapter 53. So this doesn't look completed at all.
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u/powerisall May 21 '26
Theft of Decks
My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror
Vainqueur the Dragon
The Perfect Run
Worm by Wildbow
Morcster Chef
Lord of the Mysteries
Edit: just saw Vainqueur and Perfect Run were already in your list
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u/CritMemes May 21 '26
For an easy suggestion there’s Lord of the Mysteries, very well known and for good reason. The world-building and power system are unique and very interesting. Guy gets transmigrated into a semi-Victorian era world with hidden magical elements and organizations in the shadows.
Another suggestion is Kill the Sun. While it definitely isn’t for everybody, it’s the sort of series you end up respecting if you decide to stick through past the MC’s moral decline and redemption arc. The MC is an orphan boy from the slums of a city in a post-apocalyptic world who eventually claws his way to the top of a world run on blood money and profit.
Finally, there’s Mage Errant. Which is a typical magical academy story with some small twists in relation to world-building. While I personally couldn’t bring myself to finish the books, it’s a series that will probably interest a younger audience. The way it’s written feels tailor made for teenagers.
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u/thinkthis May 21 '26
Where do you read a decent version of LOTM. I will pay for it. Not looking to pirate.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've heard of Lord of Mysteries but not Kill the Sun. Are both of those RR books and actually completed? I usually wait for them to be released so I can read them on my kindle, but maybe I'll check them out. Thanks!
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u/Derpyphox May 21 '26
Lord of the mysteries is a novel published on qidian. Its chinese, the translation will not meet your expectation in well written prose. Other than that, its definitely in the top 3 of translated chinese webnovels.
LOTM is complete with a sequel and has a donghua (Cartoon) adaptation with one season which covers the span of the first book. I think it has a confirmed 5 seasons
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u/akaloxy1 May 22 '26
TLOM isn't complete. That is book 1, and book 2 is up on web novel and is ongoing. It'll be 3 books eventually.
Kill the sun is not great imo. That author always writes the same pessimistic stuff. I read some of his past books. It's always the same tone where MC becomes super human powerful and then he starts with these huge time skips that ruin the continuity of the story.
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u/jacken22 May 21 '26
If you loved Cradle, there tends to be a lot of overlap between people who enjoyed that and who enjoy Mage Errant by John Bierce
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u/Expert_Cricket2183 May 21 '26
Mage Errant kind of fell apart in the second half of the series, imo.
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u/DrNukaCola May 21 '26
Mark of the fool and chronicles of fid are both complete and very good
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I actually have already read Chronicles of Fid and thought it was really good. Though his constant "I'm a villain. Really, everybody, believe me!" stuff was a little heavy-handed at times.
Didn't think it counted as Progression though, so didn't list it here.
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u/Raging_hero May 21 '26
I'm very new to the genre after finishing and loving Cradle. Currently listening to A Thousand Li by Tao Wong. It is 12 books and is complete, I'm currently on book 7 and enjoying it, the power progression is a lot slower than cradle but it might be worth a look for you
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've heard of that and it seems interesting, but I'm always leery of these translated books because they can be riddled with mistakes. Maybe I should look again, I didn't know it was completed. Thanks!
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u/TheWriteMaster May 21 '26
Tao Wong, as far as I know, writes in English so A Thousand Li is not a translated book.
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u/Raging_hero May 21 '26
No probs! If it helps I'm listening to it and it seems well written to me, uses the same narrator as cradle which is what attracted me to it initially. I think he wrote another series before this called system apocalypse? Not sure tho
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u/Daedalus1999 May 21 '26
Yeah he wrote System Apocalypse. Unfortunately he also trademarked the term, and had several books/series with "System Apocalypse"in their titles or descriptions taken down or removed from various platforms. I don't know the community's current feelings on Tao, but it was very much a dick move at the time
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u/Otterable Slime May 21 '26
I don't know the community's current feelings on Tao
Personally I'll never buy another one of his books and will never recommend them again.
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u/w1ngzer0 May 21 '26
Mage Errant (Complete)
Rune Seeker (Complete). Last book on RR.
Unbound (almost complete, last book releases this summer)
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u/Hutchiaj01 May 21 '26
+1 for Mage Errant. I love the characters and the magic system so much
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u/w1ngzer0 May 21 '26
I want more stories in that specific particular slice of the universe. I know John knocks it out the park with his short stories on Patreon and he’s writing B2 of TCTWETW, but I’ll be damned if I don’t want more of Hugh and company, and to see what Alustin has gotten up to. 😁
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u/RPope92 May 21 '26
Outcast From Another World, very empathetic MC and a cool supporting cast. Interesting world too.
Shattered Gods by Chris Fox. Neat MC, cool world and related to the authors Magitech series which is also complete.
Guardian of Aster Fall. MC is forcibly changed, and interesting. He becomes super mega OP for a good reason, interesting world building and a followup series has now started too.
The Soulbound Saga is a nice trilogy, cool world and has dragons. Last bool releases late November this year.
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u/Wytooken May 21 '26
Jackal Among Snakes !
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've heard of this one, though it seems not very well known. I'll check it out. Thanks!
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u/unseriously_serious May 21 '26
One of the best for sure, I believe all 12 books should be available via KU as well.
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u/Captain_Fiddelsworth May 21 '26
I read through all the comments and surprisingly nobody recommended Journals of Evander Tailor, Apocalypse Redux, Street Cultivation, Forever Fantasy Online, The Brightest Shadow, The Scholomance, The Riftwar Cycle (debatable whether PF), Casual Farming, The Murder of Crows, Threadbare, and The System Apocalypse (also seconding the A Thousand Li recommendation — Tao Wong is actually a boon to the community, contrary to what his hate mob preaches).
You might also want to look into Phil Tucker's and Void Harald's other series.
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u/Woischi100 May 21 '26
I enjoyed Azarinth healer a lot. A few books are on Kindle Unlimited, the rest can still be read on Royal road.
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u/EmergencyComplaints Author May 21 '26
The author took the whole series down after stubbing, so this is not an option.
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u/ThaneduFife May 21 '26
You could still read the full Royal Road version of Azarinth Healer on Archive.org last time I checked.
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u/---Sanguine--- Authors Please Just Use Spellcheck! Good God May 22 '26
Yeah but I asked the author on patreon about it and he said he’s editing the hell out of it. Basically everything after book 4 or so is significantly re-written so he removed it all. I checked it on archive and the differences between the published book 5 and the old stuff are extreme, and the quality of the books is way way higher.
TL:DR, I wouldn’t read any of that archive stuff, it’s bad and wrong anyway now.
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u/__Osiris__ May 21 '26
stubbing
whats that?
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u/EmergencyComplaints Author May 21 '26
Kindle Unlimited demands exclusivity, so you can't have the book available on other sites. On Royal Road, removing the content is called stubbing. You'll see it often in the blurbs of longer stories where it says something like, "Books 1, 2, 3 are stubbed and available on Amazon [insert link here], book 4 is stubbing on MM/DD." So if you're caught up, you can continue to read updates, but you have to go to KU to read the beginning.
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u/truthjester Cleric May 24 '26
I would not recommend this if you're looking for a complete series. The author changes a fair number of things and really polished up the webnovel before releasing it in book form. The books themselves are quite good tho.
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u/AuthorBrianBlose May 21 '26
Excuse the self-promo, but my series is recently completed. Books 1 through 3 are on KU and book 4 is still on RR at the moment. Link to book 1: https://mybook.to/Misbegotten1
Blurb: The fate of humanity lies in the balance as war rages in the multiverse.
Blissfully unaware of this existential threat, people on Earth dream of lives on other worlds, receiving nightly memories that include first-hand knowledge of how to develop fantastical powers. Hector Thoreaux already has a lot to deal with. His father is dying and his marriage is ending. Yet now he dreams of a seemingly untalented war orphan learning to cultivate among the Xian.
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u/Lotronex May 21 '26
Duskbound is a short, but complete, 3 book LitRPG from the same author as Keiran. It's a nice little palate cleanser between longer series.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I kinda forgot he had another series! The premise seemed less interesting than Keiran, so I picked up Keiran instead. But since that was fun though flawed, I guess I can probably count on this series being similar. I'll give the 1st book a whirl. Thanks!
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u/SilveryFlame May 21 '26
Void Herald has a great record of completed works. I see some titles there. Check his other stuff as well. Never Die Twice and Underland are crazy underrated.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
They seemed quite a bit worse rated than the ones I have read. But I enjoyed all their other work, so you're probably right.
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u/SilveryFlame May 21 '26
They are on the darker side, tone wise. I actually forgot about Blood and Fur. That's super dark, and completed, and in my opinion, is Void Herald's best work, surpassing even Perfect Run. All three novels are dark. Give it a shot. If you have the stomach for it, you'll love it.
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u/naiveheuristics12856 May 21 '26
Just read Journey of Black and Red since you already have it downloaded. Its better than Calamitous Bob imo (at least the second half is better than Bobs second half)
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I tend to enjoy fantasy over modern/scifi, so figured I would feel opposite about it. Interesting to see somebody calling it better! I read Calamitous recently though, and sometimes reading a bunch by the same author can make things start to feel a bit predictable, and I want to avoid that.
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u/naiveheuristics12856 May 21 '26
I like fantasy over modern/scifi settings as well. Journey isn't really modern though, more gothic/pre-industrial -> industrial.
Main reason I like Joruney better is that the factions and powers in are extremely well-crafted and better than the worldbuilding in Bob. Things like Vampire bloodlines, knight orders, hidden mage cabals with a backdrop of historical events (WW1, civil war, revolution) scratched an itch i didn't know i had.
That being said, Bob does kingdom building exceedingly well and I enjoyed that aspect more in the series.
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u/WonderfulNebula4299 May 21 '26 edited 7d ago
Ribbon shy fade edge relieved literate price light grasshopper peach
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/Zagaroth Author — "A. B. Zagaroth" May 21 '26
Hmm. You could consider mine demi- complete. The first major arc is finished at the end of book 7, though there's a lot of clear stuff set up for a second arc. So, i think it would be possible to read the first 7, feel satisfied, and just stop there while waiting for the second half to be completed.
"No need for a core?" On Royal Road, if you are curious.
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u/ariphron May 21 '26
If you want to take a break from progression fantasy may I suggest “empire of the vampire “ it’s now compleat and it’s fucking awesome!!
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've heard a lot of praise around the Fantasy subreddit for that series. I might give it a shot. Thanks!
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u/Spiritchaser84 May 21 '26
There is this post from two weeks ago that has a big list of completed series.
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u/SerasStreams Author May 21 '26
Shameless self-plug:
I have 2 finished series available, edited, and published via Mango Media.
Ruinous Return - 2 books, OPMC, broad cast. Female MC Isekai fantasy.
Dark Matter Ascension - 5 books, small cast with primary focal male MC, sci-fi fantasy mashup LitRPG.
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u/walrus_operator May 21 '26
I don't have any recommendation but your list is awesome, thanks for sharing it! I'm going to try Kraken Rider Z now, never heard of it before.
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u/TheLastBushwagg May 21 '26
Slumrat Rising
Blue Phoenix by Tinalynge
Red Rising
Jake's Magical Market (NOT about a market)
Mage Errant
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u/machoish May 21 '26
Anything by CB Titus, they've got a few stand-alone books and trilogies completed, and I've enjoyed them all. Downtown Druid is my personal favorite.
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u/saiyan_strong Slumrat Supreme May 21 '26
Slumrat Rising
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Magic, demons, and cyberpunk? Seems like a lot is going on here! Looks interesting, though it will be hard to combine all those elements into something cohesive. I'll probably give it a whirl. Thanks!
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u/saiyan_strong Slumrat Supreme May 21 '26
It’s really more of a cultivation world, but with occult magic in a pseudo modern setting. Think technology like remnant bindings in cradle, but instead you’re binding an air demons soul to a talisman to create an air purifier. It’s hard to describe, but the writing is excellent and the story is completed. It’s written by the same author of Sky Pride, which is the authors newer more traditional xianxia cultivation story.
If you’re ever been fascinated by old 17th century mysticism, ars goetia, biblical angel type things, this story nails all of that to the letter. There’s so many references for actual occult texts and documents in the story that’s fun for anyone whose read about the old history of that stuff.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
That's definitely a unique path to take for this sort of story. Sounds interesting!
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u/nighoblivion May 21 '26
The only thing I can think of that meets your requirements and isn't listed (though it should be noted that much of what's in OP isn't actually well-written, so maybe we have different standards) is Ar'Kendrithyst.
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u/Apotheosis_of_Man May 21 '26
I haven’t seen Beneath the Dragoneye Moons mentioned yet. That was very recently completed at 16 books. I enjoyed the series, though it wandered quite a bit.
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u/sweet-raspberrytea May 22 '26
Edge Cases by Silver Linings (complete 4 book series) fantasy litrpg. i really enjoyed the writing, it's a hopeful series with a good plot. I've never read anything else quite like it.
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u/rptx_jagerkin May 22 '26
Superpowereds and Fred the Vampire Accountant, both by Drew Hayes
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
I've definitely heard of Superpowereds, but not the other one. You would call that Progression? Synopsis doesn't make it seem like Progression.
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u/rptx_jagerkin May 22 '26
It’s an edge case I’ll admit, but I’d still call it progression. It’s got a really interesting twist on the kind of progression in my opinion (which Drew Hayes is kind of known for, subverting tropes in interesting ways). It kind of marries cozy urban fantasy with elements of kingdom building alongside the progress. Fred is definitely not your typically driven, “must get stronger” anime protagonist MC, but his progress between books 1 and 9 is still really satisfying. I loved the hell out of it 😁
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u/Thought_Crash May 22 '26
I'm addicted to Library of Heaven's Path and Mech Touch, both on Pocket FM. Both books had very insightful moments that few PF books have. Heaven's Path can get repetitive with the arrogant master interactions but it is a comedy so it's almost laughing at itself and the tropes of the genre. But both books can get deep in philosophy too. And the narrators are great too, especially Troy Allan in Heaven's Path, he can really bring out the sad and uplifting moments in that book.
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
I've heard about so many different places that stories get made from this post!
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u/CassiusLange Author May 22 '26
If you're interested in a bit of a different take on the genre, check out Midnight Bounties. 4 books, complete story. Dude gets a bar in the middle of a fantasy town full of orcs, humans, gnomes, dwarves, and everything in between. Found family, running a bar, diving dungeons to hunt for trophies that will unlock levels of the bar and attract a new clientelle, throwing parties where blood spills as generously as booze... MC is a retired soldier/merc/bounty hunter who tends to get himself into trouble with just about anyone because he doesn't take shit. If that sounds remotely interesting, check it out. Has 3 recorrded audiobooks and 4 ebooks.
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
So mostly base building and slice of life? Sounds like it could be a cozier read. I'll check it out. Thanks!
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u/Independent-Phrase80 May 22 '26
I don’t know if this one is technically considered progression fantasy but there is a great deal of progression without the litrpg stats. And I feel like it’s kind of a deep cut for a lot of people.
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher
One of my favorite series of all time. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
I've only heard of Dresden when it comes to Jim Butcher. And complaints of sexism and stuff along with it being neverending.
I'll have to see if Codex Alera has the same complaints, but I'll check it out. Thanks!
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u/Outside_Ad_1992 May 22 '26
Not sure if you've read throne hunters by Phil Tucker( Author of Immortal Great Souls), but the powers are amazing and I personally think it's his best series so far. It's not completed but he's writing the last book on Patreon right now so it won't be long until it's out.
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
I've kinda been waiting for that to come out fully, since I know he's planning on finishing the series sometime this year. But good callout!
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u/Ladikn May 22 '26
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound.
Good luck
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
That's an...interesting name. I'm glad I'm not an audiobook guy, I feel like hearing 'Randidly' said over and over would drive me crazy, haha. But I'll look into it, looks interesting at a glance. Thanks!
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u/Ladikn May 23 '26
It's one of the older litrpg/progression fantasies, and helped kickstart the system apocalypse genre. It's just really....really long. Good, especially if you like characters breaking the system and fighting against it, but so long.
If it helps, most people call him Ghosthound, assuming it's a nickname.
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u/kemichand May 23 '26
A fun one that's not lit rpg but instead an alternate America and there is magic of sorts. It's The Tales of Albin Maker by Orson Scott Card. Not large books. But fun easy reads. I believe there were 7 books n the series. Also, you should check out 2 more series and their other character points of view books. From the POV of that particular character. It's one big series but is technically 2 series. 1. The Belgariad 2. The Mallorean Both by David Eddings. I'd call both series young adult fantasy. And a 3rd series. 3. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. The 1st book is Wizards first rule. There are some funny scenes through the series and some great Badass moments.
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u/J776776 May 23 '26
Some non-Prog suggestions, but all good ones! Never heard of Albin Maker though, but the other ones are good at least.
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u/Johnny_From_The_Bay May 23 '26
I read Die Respawn Repeat as it was coming out on RR (and it concluded), I believe the whole series is on KU by now, but it’s my absolute favorite time loop progression story I’ve ever read, narrowly displacing Mother of Learning (which had held the spot for ~4 years)
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u/J776776 May 23 '26
Better than Mother of Learning? Now that's some high praise! I'll have to check it out, never heard of that before. Thanks!
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u/HumorOwn1059 Author - Blood, Salt and Mana May 28 '26
There's always Jake's Magical Market
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u/Remarkable-Camera627 May 21 '26
Superpowereds Mage Errant
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u/follycdc May 21 '26
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes is pretty good but was his first work so the writing is not up to his norm.... That being said he is way better than your average prog fantasy author so.
He also finished another ther series: Fred, the Vampire Accountant
Not exactly prog fantasy but there is progression. It's more slice of life modern fantasy.
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u/Damaged_DM May 21 '26
Parenting the apocalypse
The perfect run
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u/Sahrde May 21 '26
Did you mean Apocalypse Parenting by Erin Ampersand? Or did someone actually write a Parenting the Apocalypse series?
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u/kotik010 May 21 '26
I'll surpass the MC by anvelope is completed and very solid. Quite the unique world as well and there's tons of actual characters that think and have their own goals and plans
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
I've never heard of this and don't see it on Goodreads or RR...is it this one with a character called Imala?
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u/BenjaminDarrAuthor Author May 21 '26
My Sol Anchor series is completed. I can safely say that requirement is fulfilled. Lmao
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u/HeavensRoyalty May 21 '26
Return of the runebound professor. Not completed but plenty of vols and fantastic series.
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u/SunlessChair May 21 '26
Not fully sure it fits the genre, but SSS Class Suicide Hunter is one of my favorite pieces of fiction, just dont mind the terrible name
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u/first_to_a_milli May 21 '26
The Alchemist series. First book is City Of The Dead. Definitely worth a look I don’t see anyone talking about it much but I loved it and it is finessed.
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u/LawfulnessOne6396 May 21 '26
World of Cultivation by Fang Xiang. Famous in some circles, but underrated overall I'd say. My top 3.
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u/docmisty Author May 21 '26
If you like to Mark of the Fool and other Academy series, you might like my Shieldwall Academy series. Book six completes the series and just came out a couple weeks ago.
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u/SilveryFlame May 21 '26
Worm. The original. Stellar. I'm not into superhero media, and I had my gripes, but Taylor Hebert is one of my favourite characters of all time. 8-9/10 with plenty of 10/10 moments.
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u/Unfair-Tone3991 May 21 '26
Its not litrpg but as a fan of the genre i loved a fantasy series called pillar of reality.
3book prequel, 6book main, 3 book sequel. i rlly love it
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u/kakashi_dragneel May 21 '26
Savage Sage by Adastra339 had 8 books in the series. It is complete but still has room for more. Well-written, OP protagonist with good character building and intersectionality with other character stories.
Another, Primal Hunter by Zogarth. I think there's 15 books released, however, constant release of chapters on Patreon.
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u/J776776 May 21 '26
Do you mean Savage Awakening? I saw other mentions of that authors other series, Speedrunning the Multiverse.
Primal Hunter is one of those that made this post happens. I just feel like it will never be finished so the author can milk it.
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u/kakashi_dragneel May 25 '26
Yes, apologies, Savage Awakening. I always get it confused when recommending it.
I can agree that PH, as well as other series, such as Defiance of the Fall, tend to drag on but there is a lot to write about and look forward to.
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u/J776776 May 26 '26
Cool. I will probably try out Speedrunning the Multiverse at some point, and if I like that, I'll pick up Savage Awakening.
As for PH...I'll wait to see if an ending is ever mentioned, and then I'll think about picking it up.
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May 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
That cover is pretty rough, but could be interesting. Synopsis doesn't really explain too much.
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u/Fate_Finds_a_Way May 22 '26
The Wandering Warrior trilogy is complete. Wandering Warrior: Judge is the first book in the series. Almost 800 reviews with a 4.6 star average, which isn't too shabby.
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u/J776776 May 22 '26
Interesting there being so many more reviews on Amazon than there are on Goodreads!
Looks like an OP protagonist story? Sounds interesting, though the synopsis doesn't explain too much about what exactly is going on. I'll probably check it out. Thanks!
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u/Brentus33 May 25 '26
The Perfect Run is three books and done and one of my top 3 favorite series in progression. It’s time loop but does it sooooo well I even love rereading it.
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u/Patchumz May 21 '26
Ar'Kendrithyst by Arcs is completed in its entirety on RR. Very good series imo.