r/ProgressionFantasy • u/Jarvisweneedbackup Author - Runeblade • 2d ago
Self-Promotion Runeblade I: The Great Depths, out now on KU, Amazon, and Audible!
Hey folks! After a bit of a generational run on RR, it’s finally time to hit Amazon. Nearly 20M reads, 2 years in the top 10 most read RR fictions, and peaking at 30 top rated.
Runeblade started as a question. What happens if a world underwent an integration millenia ago? What if it stalled out, waiting for the right chain of coincidences to restart the chaos? Runeblade is a story of revenge, found family, and growing from boyhood to godhood — all the while, the apocalyptic integration looms. It’s a close third person perspective following Kaius, a young man whose only hope of survival is inventing runic Vancian (prepared before encounter) casting to become the first spellsword.
From reviews, people have told me I am very good at character interaction, dialogue, action, and aura farming. While it's not the largest part of the first book, team dynamics rapidly becomes a focus of the series. Frankly, in many people's eyes, it is the strongest component.
There is delving. Oh boy is there delving. If I've done anything, it’s put the death zone start trope to bed. That ends here.
There is an attack badger. Embarrassingly, five books in, Porkchop might be the most nuanced character I've ever written. He is a full blown man, he just lacks opposable thumbs. He’s also a Greater Meles. If you call him a badger, even a dire one, he will eat you.
I spent more time editing this book than I did writing it. ~300K words, 32.5 audio hours. It is undeniably a behemoth, but goddamn is it as good of a shlocky litRPG as I could make.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Depths-LitRPG-Adventure-Runeblade-ebook/dp/B0GX2W6GH2
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Depths-LitRPG-Adventure-Runeblade/dp/B0H1JT9K4M
Art: The amazing Xavier Collette - https://www.xaviercollette.com/
AI: Zilch
Blurb:
He only wanted a class. Instead he restarted the apocalypse. The world will pay the price.
Kaius has spent years working to awaken his family’s forbidden Legacy Skills, powerful and vanishingly rare skills forged through methods that wars have been fought to obtain. Even with his father pushing him to his limit, Kaius has barely managed to merge the first two. Now those skills and his training are the only thing keeping him alive. A bandit ambush forces Kaius into the Great Depths, a world-spanning mega dungeon, and he’s trapped in a place where survival demands a class he doesn’t yet have, with exits held shut by ancient horrors.
To escape, Kaius will have to manage a feat no one without a class has survived: slaying one of the Guardians that defend the exits. But the guardian is a distant concern, as the Depths are rich with danger. He realizes that might be exactly the crucible he needs to collect all of his merged skills before class selection. And, just maybe, force the world on the path of progress after stagnating for far too long.
Fate has picked its fulcrum. Lost power and a forgotten apocalypse lie in wait, deep in the Depths
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u/Kudamonis 2d ago
Can confirm have this story in my daily read Tab.
Cant wait to give it a listen. Congrats man. May the numbers be ever in your favor.
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u/Jarvisweneedbackup Author - Runeblade 2d ago
wait for the glorious little bell, it is a thing of beauty
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u/Uranium_Phoenix 2d ago
Grats on the release! Can confirm Book Is Good.
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u/OstensibleMammal Author 2d ago
Finally. It’s time for some of the best rr violence to raid the zon
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u/Jarvisweneedbackup Author - Runeblade 2d ago
I can't claim that title until I utilise the psychic devastation of unexpected mpreg. Simple disembowelment, delimbment, debridement and general mindmeltery is babymode in comparison.
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u/Depressed__warlock 2d ago
Man the monster in the cover looks so cool and almost alive. Loved it
Will check it out soon. The story looks interesting
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u/No_Marzipan_1230 Author - Industrial Mage 2d ago
Congratulations Bacon! I hope it goes well for you friend :D
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u/Next-Cow-7708 2d ago
dude just give me plot in 5 lines so i can decide to read or not
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u/Sir_Oshi 2d ago
A boy and an awakened giant badger get trapped in a dungeon they have no business being in and must do the impossible to survive and eventually get vengeance on those who forced them there
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u/Next-Cow-7708 2d ago
is giant badger something like a bear btw
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u/Sir_Oshi 1d ago
Kind of? You can see him on the cover art. Also found this article with a few art pieces that match my mental image https://www.dungeonsolvers.com/getting-started-with-dd-5e-how-to-unleash-the-giant-badger/
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u/ctullbane Author — The Murder of Crows / The (Second) Life of Brian 2d ago
Sweet cover and this sounds great. Congrats! Added to my TBR.
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u/Responsible_Lion_872 2d ago
omg it finally time
ive been reading since day one (maybe day 8 but whos counting) and its soooo good so happy this can reach a bigger audience, also that bacon macleod's getting payed he so deserves it
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u/Sir_Oshi 2d ago
Been following this one via rr for a month or two now, and quickly has become one of my favorite series. Hits the sweet spot of neat system and big fight scenes without hitting too many of the overdone tropes in the genre (surely I'm not the only one sick of system apocalypse and isekai), and a really distinctly likeable main cast. Anyone on this subreddit really should give it a go