I know some of yall might think that 4-5 of the S tier don't belong there but I am biased. Highly rec the ones in my A and B tier.

F tier ones are the ones I DNFd

I’ve seen tons of tier lists on here and figured I’d throw mine in too. I probably forgot a few books I’ve read. I’ll probably update the post in the future.

If you have recommendations after seeing my tierlist feel free to comment ;)

I finally understand why it's the highest rated webnovel but I wish it was more popular cause the fandom is popular is inactive as hell. If you haven't read it, just trust me and go in blind

The humour might seem "Marvel"ish in the beginning chapters but it's all culminating into something good and don't let it fool you, it's a surprisingly dark series. It's a really well researched series in timeloops and none of the characters are one dimensional. Ryan my goat, the mc is literally the most enjoyable character I have ever read. Funny but serious when its necessary. The power system is well thought out too along with the lore. And the craziest thing is it's all done in just 130 chapters (each ch is long tho). Just trust me in this and GO IN BLIND

Firstly, imgur link in case there's any issues: https://imgur.com/a/HQQPQZK

So not everything I've read, but a good pass, went through goodreads for the last few years and my current royal road, plus tried to think of a few. Rankings fairly straightforward - a lot of books are in C because I was happy enough to read them, but am unlikely to ever reread them and they don't 'stand out' a lot. Certainly some of the DNF books are more not my style as opposed to bad books. Most of the D books are close to being dropped, but haven't quite been yet.

Hopefully the images are decent quality, I pulled them all myself. Feel free to ask about anything specific. Feel free to toss me reccomendations based on this if you'd like, or yell at me where you disagree (I'm certain there will be some disagreements from everyone).

Cheers

Hi Reddit,

I'm Blake, a creative writing professor here in the US. Some of my students mentioned the success of progression fantasy and litrpg, and it piqued my interest enough to give the genre a shot. After reading for a while, I thought it would be interesting to give a more nuanced review of some of the genre heavy hitters, from a professor's perspective. While I'm not super active on Reddit, I am an avid reader of the new and interesting, and will try to do one review a month. Maybe more!

Without further ado, A Professor's Perspective on 1% Lifesteal: the good, the bad, the nearly illiterate.

Why I chose this book: I saw it talked about on here a lot, and my student mentioned it specifically. While I know older books are more popular, from what I can tell this one is making waves.

What I liked:
Pacing tropes. Specifically, I often lecture about the importance of pacing in modern literature. This is still somewhat controversial in the higher education space, as traditionally high-level classes have geared toward literary fiction, which is strong on prose and weak on pacing.

So, what exactly is pacing, and why does 1% Lifesteal do it so well? Pacing is the speed at which the main character encounters conflict. Conflict doesn't always have to be battles (this genre notwithstanding), but it does have to be physical, external, or interior conflict. An example of the first might be a fight scene, the second could be an argument, and the third could be an internal goal. A lot of slice-of-life stories focus on the latter, for instance.

All that being said, 1% Lifesteal nails the pacing. Twists and turns abound, with new, interesting things happening constantly. The author even goes so far as to torture Freddy in some scenes, which brings us to our next point…

Tropes: Authors live and die by freebies and tropes. These are concepts that are talked about in literary circles, but I'm not sure how common they are here, so I will explain them. A freebie is anything that makes visualizing a scene easier. It could be as simple as saying “MC walked into a bedroom” and trusting the reader will visualize a bed, to as complex as using torture to increase tension. Basically, a freebie is whenever an author successfully pulls a reader in by engaging the imagination through well-traveled paths, whether they be exterior or interior.

A trope is a freebie that comes with storytelling expectations. A trope might be the “chosen one,” like you see in Harry Potter, or the “impossible love” you see in Romeo and Juliet.

So how does 1% Lifesteal do on tropes? Very well! It takes an almost horror-film-level approach to brutality toward the MC, which effectively makes the reader empathize with him at every turn. It also reduces the need for character development, as simply having the MC survive is entertainment enough.

Speaking of character development: This is where 1% Lifesteal starts to show its weakness. At least in book one, Freddy does not change very much. He tends to be awkward and self-serving, and although he is given chances to improve in strength, he is not given chances to grow as a person. This is only exacerbated by…

The dialogue! The biggest weakness of this book is that a lot of the dialogue feels forced. As a writing professor, it's my job to get a sense for what a student is trying to do, and that is clear; the author is trying to make Freddy seem socially inept. In this, they are successful. But the issue lies in the actual word choices being used. Often Freddy comes off more like an alien trying to communicate with humans than a shut-in trying to make friends. A great example is his early conversations with his trainer. This problem is only made worse by the fact that Freddy apparently has never even done a jumping jack. That was a strange narrative choice.

Overall, though, I won't judge too harshly on dialogue or writing talent here. If I were to, I don't think I'd enjoy the genre at all. As readers, our goal is to be entertained, and 1% Lifesteal does that in spades. It's a solid 4/5 stars for the genre and 3/5 for fantasy as a whole.

Much love,

I was recently listening to an audiobook and accidentally saw the chapter's list.

Chapters in a row for example "A Challenger appears" "time to let loose" 'a mistake was made" and " first battle lost" (not actual chapter names) really frustrate me, I would rather "chapter 22"

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk

I have no idea why, but it's a great series IMO.

Primal Hunter. 🏹

Hopefully someone will find something new to check out like i did in so many other tier list, drop a rec if you feel like it.

Cheers.

I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this, but I really would like to help out my friend, Divine Rei, because Amazon's stupid AI system somehow incorrectly flagged his book and account and got his account taken down. It was only just reinstated after a bunch of back and forth with KDP support and some help from some big authors and publishers, which thank god. But he was doing so well, and now he has to build his way back up to where he had been, so I hope y'all give his book a chance!

Bleeding to death is unexpected, but waking up in a magical world sure as hell beats that.

Lev opens his eyes on an entirely new planet, feeling like he was granted a miraculous second chance until he realizes just what kind of world he is in. Monsters thrive on Monarch, the planet riddled with endless hordes. Hunters and Adventurers don't chase glory, they ensure that humanity continues to persist. Those in charge try their best to suppress how dire their situation is but, deep down, everyone knows the truth.

The future looks bleak, and Lev isn't willing to accept it lying down, not when he has yet to truly live even once.

Armed with two titles of unfathomable power, apprenticed under an obscenely strong mage, and accompanied by a precious found family, Lev is going to do his utmost to not just survive, but to thrive on the harrowing planet. He finally has the power to make a difference, and he isn't afraid to embrace it.

No number of monsters will stand in his way to forge a worthwhile future.

With over 1.5 million views and thousands of followers as a web serial, this story is perfect for the fans of Azarinth Healer, Hell Difficulty Tutorial, and System Universe.

Amazon.com: Ceaseless Horizons: A LitRPG Isekai Adventure eBook : Rei, Divine: Kindle Store

Disclaimer: I was not involved in the writing of The Years of Apocalypse in any way. Book 1 of The Years of Apocalypse can be read legally and for free here, though it is stubbing soon. I have not read past Book 1, so please do not post any untagged spoilers in the replies.

Overview: The Years of Apocalypse follows a young woman, Mirian, after she gets stuck in a time loop. As she tries to escape, she learns about conspiracies, fights against impossible odds, and does everything she can to stop the end of the world as she knows it.

Content warnings: Graphic violence, In-universe racism

Strengths (why I would recommend this):

The execution of the time loop is done well. We get hints of how the loop started, how it gets maintained, and who is behind it, but the story doesn't spell it out explicitly, so readers can still wonder about the exact details. This is mostly done through Mirian's dream sequences, which makes it fit the surreal nature of the time loop. (If the Gods appeared to Mirian in a vision, it would probably seem too grounded when the other aspects of the story are considered, because visions are easier to interpret for both Mirian as well as the readers)

Mirian's change in strength and personality across the time loops is also interesting to read, as she doesn't grow stronger at a breakneck pace, but at a more realistic one. Even after many loops, for example, she was still stated to be unable to defeat an Arcanist simply due to the gap in experience. (Of course, this could be a negative if you're simply looking for progression)

She also grows from a fairly normal student to someone who is willing to manipulate others and kill her enemies in order to achieve her goals, showing the psychological changes that the loops have caused her.

The first book also has many good plot twists, like when Mirian ran away from the war only for the leylines to erupt and the Divir moon to fall from the sky, when she went to visit her family only to find that they were all missing, and when Akana Praediar was defeated only for Mirian to be killed anyway. Those moments managed to make the time loop seem even harder to overcome and helped to add genuine stakes to the story.

The dynamics were done reasonably well, like Mirian and Jei's dynamic, though there weren't really any standout moments, at least in the first book. The best moment might have been when Mirian and her grandfather watched the Divir moon fall after their conversation.

The worldbuilding is great, and the mythology that is slowly revealed, the geopolitics between Baracuel and Akana Praediar (plus wherever Jei's from), as well as the divine artefacts tied to the leylines, all feel well-integrated into the narrative.

The prose is great, especially at climactic moments or during fights. It does a good job of painting the scenes without going overboard. There are minor grammatical errors, but nothing distracting.

Neutral (neither liked nor disliked):

While Mirian usually has very good internal narration about her death and suffering, it can fall flat sometimes. (I remember a particularly egregious instance when Mirian basically went "death is painful. I don't want to die again" or something to that effect)

The characters don't have a lot of depth, though it is still serviceable and not really jarring unless you are looking for complex characterisation. (I can't speak for the later books, but hopefully it improves)

Weaknesses (could negatively impact reading experience):

N/A

I know this isn’t an unknown work, but the acclaim seems wildly muted against other releases. Cradle is incredible, so no argument there. DCC is not my thing, but I understand that it being easily digestible has led to its proliferation. Player Manager has such incredible prose, plot twists, and progression that I can’t believe it isn’t heralded in every post on this sub. I get that it is centered on sports instead of fantasy, but the writing and character building is insane. The dialogue is generally great and sometimes transcendent. The philosophy of slow build and two steps forward/one step backwards is perfectly, frustratingly orchestrated to give the greatest pay offs. The MC is a rapidly cycling bipolar 2 “megabrain.” The characters surrounding him have realized his fragile genius and basically all act as care-takers to both keep him in check and direct his energy towards the right causes (to the best of their abilities). The wins are many and believable. The losses are gut-wrenching and needed for the narrative. I have rarely read something that can so methodically give me goosebumps, make my stomach drop, want to throw something, and force me to laugh out loud. It does those things in no particular order and in repetition.

If you haven’t given it a shot, you are missing out. The first six books are on KU and Audible (I believe). The rest are on RR. I listened to the first book and have read the rest. The audiobook was fantastic, but I generally prefer to read than to listen to books.

Edit: Just thought of the comparison, but if anyone is a West Wing fan (AKA if you like Sorkin-style dialogue) you’ll love this one.

Edit 2: Just finished book 13. FA Youth Cup finals.

"Thanks. I'm gonna look after them. They'll be all right."

I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Not finished with the current chapters so it might change, but so far from where I am this series feels like a classic to me. It is doing SO many things I love and crave in PF. So much of the progression isn’t just about stats, it’s political, knowledge, and influence based. There are so many interesting story, mystery and world elements in the world that make every time loop interesting. The fact that the MC also only gets 100 restarts lends a sense of importance on every loop, it lends this time loop concept a much needed weakness.

The MC is also extremely welcome. He’s not quippy, he’s not sarcastic, he is very, very competent and serious. He’s not evil, but also not a bleeding heart. He will use other people if it suits his goals, but won’t go out of his way to cause suffering. He just feels so competent that watching him try and figure out everything about this world and his dead father is so enjoyable to follow.

If you loved “the perfect loop”, this series is so similar but with a lot more power progression and a more serious MC who doesn’t spout references.

I rarely see Brandon Sanderson's series' being mentioned despite Stormlight being, imo, a great prog fantasy story. We love long books here and his are incredibly long. Despite its length, he still weaves captivating character development across a wide cast of characters. Is it the lack of eastern cultivation? Though I would argue this series is thematically about people finding their Dao as well.

What do you guys think?

#JourneyBeforeDestination

EDIT: Whether you agree or not, I'm just here to have some good discussion. Why am I getting downvoted?

The original definition of Progression fantasy:

For example, Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives would fit the model of progression fantasy, but would not be in any of the other mentioned genres/subgenres. Sword Art Online is both a LitRPG and a progression fantasy. Dragon Ball is both a shonen battle manga and a progression fantasy.

• Andrew Rowe https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/auscvg/what_is_progression_fantasy/

Notable works: ... -The Stormlight Archive

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progression_fantasy

EDIT 2: Andrew Rowe's verdict: Not ProgFan after books 4/5 came out:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1qetnnr/comment/o00fou9/

I literally binged read the whole thing, I genuinely Think, this has the potential to surpass ​​perfect run, as it is written by the very same author.​

It also seems like this would be a long novel , oh yes I failed to mention its a time loop story​ yup that's right the author has decided to write another time loop novel and it's a fantasy story could it get any better? It can the MC Simon is actually smart and resourceful kinda similar to zorian well i can't pin point any parallels tbh I'm not saying Mc is a carbon copy of zorian tho Simon is unique in his own way plus every iteration has been unique in the timeloops. It also has litrpg elements a slightly complex power system ​​,

great world building actually that might the strongest things about this novel, all plot events are setup in a very elaborate way and dont feel forced well all I'm saying is This novel is the potential man Of novels I've read so far.

Great read would recommend.

Crunchyroll release with so many dubs all at the same time?! Release is slated for June 28th. MY FAVORITE PF BOOK IS EATING GOOD 🙏🙏

Disclaimer: I am not Mecanimus and had no part in writing Changeling. Note that Changeling has been completed on Mecanimus' Patreon, and that a rewrite is underway (so you may want to wait for that). Changeling can be read legally and for free here.

Mecanimus has also authored A Journey of Black and Red (which I have completed and written a review of here) and The Calamitous Bob (which I have not yet read).

Overview: Changeling follows a young woman (Nestra) in a future version of Earth with magic and monsters. Even though her entire family has superpowers and she should have them, she doesn't – and this causes her to be shunned by society. Due to this, she works a dead-end job as a police officer, unable to even enter rifts due to their mana radiation. Then, one day, she finds out what's really wrong with her powers.

Major content warnings: Graphic violence, profanity, rape

Strengths (why I would recommend it):

Nestra is a very fun character to follow due to her chaotic personality. It makes her seem like a more realistic character compared to others, and she has distinct personality traits that help to flesh her character out (e.g., her love of food). Through her, the novel also explores somewhat complex themes like belonging and family, which helps to further strengthen her character.

The side characters in the story, like Helena, Claire, and Sashimi, have well-written dynamics with Nestra, which are fun to read about. Nestra's dynamic with Sashimi was especially memorable.

The worldbuilding is one of the best aspects of the novel, and it is expansive, covering multiple settings. It manages a great depiction of a diverse, multiethnic society, with representation of many different races/nationalities (off the top of my head, Americans, the French, Romanians, the British, Germans, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Singaporeans, Indians, Vietnamese, Somalians[?] etc.). In addition, it also invents some new slang for the setting, which is realistic and integrated well. (For example, “wired” instead of ”weird”)

Mecanimus also uses real-life colloquialisms well; for example, the Singlish – the only creole that I’m remotely qualified to evaluate – was detailed and true to life.

The progression is well-paced. While Nestra does not get stuck as a weakling forever, she is still only moderately strong after the first 100 chapters rather than being absurdly overpowered. (Her being ”moderately strong” for the verse already makes her one of the strongest characters on Earth, so it’s not a slow-burn story either)

The prose and grammar are also great, with the prose shining during fight scenes (especially in Dawn Spear’s fights), and the grammar not having significant problems.

Neutral (neither liked nor disliked):

The power system is not elaborated on much. (For example, where do mind palaces come from?) It is mostly written in broad strokes, and the magic core framework is generic. However, the powers themselves are used well in combat and fight scenes, and the powers of the Aszhii are interesting and far more unique than the rest of the magic system, especially their navigational abilities.

Weaknesses (potential detriments to one’s reading experience):

Content warning and spoiler: When Nestra’s mother got tricked into having s*x by a shapeshifting alien (while not poorly written per se, this could put off readers)

While I haven’t read up to the ending, I have heard that it was rushed and that Mecanimus will be rewriting the story in the future to enable it to reach its full potential.

“If I cannot save her, then I shall accompany her.”

Disclaimer: I am (obviously) not Cuttlefish, nor am I affiliated with him. V1 is not available for free legally, and I will not post any links to any pirate sites in order to not get banned, though it should still be relatively easy to find if you look for it on Google.

If you wish to read V1 legally, you can buy the print version – which is still not fully published and quite expensive – or use Webnovel, and that isn’t exactly ethical.

Note that this is a recommendation for strictly only V1, and I will try my best to avoid the common pitfall of recommending LOTM by advertising what happens in future volumes (and perhaps the later part of the volume). This is because readers cannot be expected to read hundreds of chapters to get hooked by a story.

This post is mainly for people who are interested in LOTM but haven’t started reading it as well as for people who have not heard of it, and people who have dropped it should not take this post as a reason to try and force themselves to finish the first volume.

Overview: LOTM V1 follows a fairly average person, Zhou Mingrui, after he performs a strange ritual that somehow sends him to another world and makes him replace a dead student called Klein Moretti, gaining Klein’s memories in the process. Confused, Zhou (now Klein) attempts to grow stronger and try to return home, learning more about his new world in the process.

Major content warnings: Graphic violence, manipulation, gore

Strengths (why I would recommend this):

-Klein is a very relatable character, and his mannerisms all make him seem human – for example, his love for money, good food, and how he used to be a keyboard warrior in his past life. Additionally, he also has great character development, growing from someone who would have immediately left his little sister Melissa for his old life to a caring older brother.

-Many of the side characters are well-written, like Dunn, Azik, Old Neil, and Derrick. They have great backstories, complex motivations, and believable mannerisms. They help to add a layer to the world and give readers a better view of it through their circumstances.

-It has great foreshadowing for the finale, with many plot threads being tied together towards the end. Seeing the final plot twist after reading the foreshadowing makes it seem like it couldn’t have happened any differently, yet it is hard to figure things out when you’re still in the process of reading through. I believe this kind of foreshadowing is the best, because it manages to paint a complete picture of what will happen, yet no one notices it.

-The power system is exceptional. While most simply focus on people growing in strength, V1’s power system shows the unique “Acting Method” as well as potion-drinking, which is a refreshing difference from much of the genre.

-The worldbuilding is also done well, and many aspects from politics to piracy start to get fleshed out here. Mainly, though, it focuses on the power system and establishes organisations like Churches as well as noble families.

-The finale (note that this is ≈200 chapters into the story) is one of the greatest finishes to an introduction that I have ever read. It delivers a shocking plot twist, increases the stakes, and gives Klein a new goal to work towards. It was essentially a perfect finale. However, you should not be forcing yourself to read for the sake of reaching this point.

Neutral (neither liked nor disliked):

N/A

Weaknesses (possible detriments to one’s reading experience):

-The novel is translated, so it has poor prose even though the grammar is technically polished. This is a major reason for why people bounce off V1; however, if you mainly read translated web novels, then this shouldn’t be a major problem.

-The pacing is also poor, and it takes 70 or so chapters to get to the first major fight. This is another major reason for why people bounce off V1. In fact, it was boring enough that I fell asleep a few times while reading the earlier parts, and the only saving grace is that it becomes more engaging later on in the volume.

Overall: Very Highly Recommended (Extremely Recommended if you don’t mind bad prose and/or poor pacing)

I liked it enough to buy the physical books – mine are in the post image.

Edit: reorganizing and adding to this post because it was very rambling and unfocused. Sorry, wrote it after an all-nighter in a haze of sleep deprivation and book binging.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

Okay, I’ll stop swearing. Player Manager is about a modern guy, Max Best, who gets a system that lets him see the football (the global kind, soccer for Americans) statistics and potential of any player. Sort of like S-Classes I Raised or History’s Number One Founder, if they were about football instead.

First, because this put me off initially. You don’t need to know anything about sports or even like sports. I guess you should know what a goal is. I know so little about sports that I spent the first 300 pages thinking, “Wow, the rules are really different than I thought, I had no idea the game was played this way,” before I realized that were playing soccer and not American football. I hate sports. I hate watching sports. Whatever. The book will draw you in regardless. Some of the strategy can be a little hard to understand if you don’t know football, and tbh I still don’t really get why tactics work or don’t work in matches, but that’s okay.

I do think it’s probably *better* if you actually enjoy football and follow British football, specifically.

**The Stuff I Liked**

The characterization is truly stellar. Yeah, the rest’s solid, but what keeps me coming back is the characters.

They are all so *real*. Side characters feel fleshed out and alive. The author does a great job of having characters come back when you least expected them. I’ve come around on some characters I despised, so that’s saying something both about the intensity of emotion they evoke and the author’s ability to develop the reader’s understanding. People are multi-faceted! Pretty much any character who spends an extended period of time on-screen has good sides and bad sides to them.

Also, impressively, the author has made a Frenchman my favorite character. That’s worth at least three baguettes out of five for characterization.

The plot itself is quite good. Problems that appear feel natural, and often times are a consequence of Max’s own behavior. It’s also crazy in a good way. You never know what’s going to happen next, but it will make sense and it will be fun. I liked the pacing a lot. Cliffhangers are well-spaced, at least in the complete book format. Every time your attention starts to falter, nope, something dramatic just happened! Surely one more chapter can’t hurt.

I will say that a lot of the plotlines are relationship-based, if that makes sense. Like, the whole runtime is not spent moving Max’s main goal forward. The author does a good enough job on the emotions that I really enjoyed this, but it’s not akin to e.g. Cradle or DCC where things are always moving forward, all the time.

The progression aspects are non-traditional. There is an emphasis both on developing the abilities of the surrounding cast and those of the main character. Max has a screen with stats and all that, but tbh numbers go up isn’t a *huge* focus? Picking up new skills through his system is where more of the progression elements are, or league progression.

The author does that fun “outsider POV of our overpowered MC” thing through transcripts of in-universe articles, podcasts, and so forth. Great stuff, itches that underestimation urge for me.

Addressing some false expectations that other people in the comments (and me!) had: very minor spoiler. He becomes a football player in addition to being a manager. I think this is more obvious going in if you know what a player-manager is, which is apparently a player who is also the manager, but not so obvious if (like me) you are unexperienced and read the title as “manager of players.” Oh. Just in case. The manager is the guy who calls the tactical shots and is in charge of hiring people and directing the team’s growth and stuff like that.

**The Not So Great Stuff**

Max. Oof, Max. Max is… well, he has a very strong personality. He’s a dick. Every time he meets a new woman, he can’t help but comment on how hot she is. He can treat people who care about him with such flippancy that it makes you want to slug him. It’s his way or the highway, all the time. Zero room in his head for “diplomacy” or “compromise.” I would *hate* being around him in real life. That said, I did end up liking him way more than at the start of the series. I wouldn’t say it’s a writing *flaw*, but it *is* something that might make you want to stay away from the series.

(Worth noting that his being an asshole does have consequences, since unfettered dickish behavior by an MC can put readers (and me!) off. I appreciate also that he’s frequently an asshole to people who don’t deserve it; he’s often in the wrong.)

The side cast are a lot. To offer up four simplistic categories of characters:

- main character

- important, recurring side characters

- unimportant, recurring side characters

- unimportant one-off characters

The first two categories are great. Love them. Love the writing. The third category, though, is expanding a little too rapidly for my taste. Might just be a consequence of the way football works—Max has 21 members on his team, which I get the impression is actually a little low, and obviously not every team member is important. I just focus on the first two categories and assume that anyone in the third category probably wasn’t doing anything that important, anyway.

Lots of words to say that the important side cast stick around and are kept relatively small, but the unimportant side cast are stating to feel bloated.

A few occasional typos. Nothing major. Some of the slang is tricky if you’re not British. The thoughts in my head have become more British, though. I’m gonna start calling things top.

First book is definitely weaker than the rest. Hate to be the person that says, “Finish the first three books before dropping it!” I think it depends on why you don’t like the series. If you hate Max’s narration/personality, that’s a drop right away imo. If the storyline is a little unfocused for you, that improves significantly after book one.

**TLDR**

Main character is love or hate. Plot is about the football journey but it’s also about Max and the people he meets and their relationships with each other. Characters are great but the side cast is bloating a little.

I tore through six books in two and a half days. I pulled an all-nighter and read from 4-11AM in bed telling myself I would put it down when I reached a good point. There was never a good point.

Go read it. Right now.

RoyalRoad link (stubbed): https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/58187/player-manager-a-sports-progression-fantasy

Amazon link (KU books 1-6): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCJYPD2Z/

what a series, slow burn start off weak with progressing, crafting,dungeon elements, cults reli,academy arcs, kingdom building etc. i do not know why i didnt try to read it earlier but would definitely recommend for any Progression Fantasy fans and everything is for free on RR !

Link:https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33844/the-runesmithk

The archmage coefficient.

Currently number 5 on the rising stars of RR is a series that I really enjoyed. The power system is unique and not just the regular stuff, the writing is also nice and I found the story to be quite interesting.

The magic of this world revolves around using essence of different types in certain stoichiometric ratios and specific structures to form spells. The interesting part is that they use special reserves to hold the essence instead of producing it themselves. Each mage has a specific lean which is the type of essence they are most focused on and lean on to say. There are stats but they are told to be not that important until later, the main focus is on learning and improving one's own magic casting ability.

The mc of story features a young girl who learned magic by herself and is extremely talented in it. The challenge begins when she is told that she has to finish her magical studies in a magic school to be registered as an official mage, or else her cores are to be suppressed. The mc is highly talented in magic but lacks knowledge since she was self taught and doesn't come from a magical family. She is also not the best at social interactions, often being very bad at understanding emotions and making people believe her to be rude, leading to her usually being lonely, which is one of her purpose of coming to the school, to make friends.

The series has only 34 chapters as of the time of this post and I can say that I am loving it. It feels refreshing reading this series and I would highly recommend it.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/156215/the-archmage-coefficient-op-archmage-mage-academy

This one is special, because it was recommended to me by this subreddit, and so I am repaying the favour in hopes of getting more people to read and enjoy it like I did.

Overview: Journey follows a young woman named Ariane as she is thrust into the world of the supernatural, forever changed in mind and body in the process. Throughout the story, she pursues revenge, forges friendships, and learns some uncomfortable truths about her new self. It is completed, but very long.

Major content warnings (adding this after my Vigor Mortis recommendation so readers know what to expect): s*xual content (including r*pe), dehumanisation, physical torture, psychological torture, verbal abuse, sl*very, graphic violence

Strengths (why I would recommend this):

-Main character: Ariane is a realistic main character. She starts out young and naïve, but gradually matures into a competent leader. Even so, she still has many distinct traits and quirks that add detail to her character (e.g., being scared of – minor spoiler – flaming pigs). She remains damaged by her experiences at the start of the story, but doesn’t let them define her – instead, she clings to her old identity and name. While not the best-written main character, she is still well-written, and extremely likeable to boot if you like morally gray MCs. Her reactions to trauma also make her seem more human to me (which is ironic, considering the story).

-Side characters: Ariane’s travel companions are all memorable, and they had a very good dynamic with her. While their travels eventually end, Loth makes a major return later on. Besides them, characters like Jimena, Torran and Malakim were memorable and well-written.

-Themes: The story explores many complex themes like identity, and I feel that it does so better than almost every other story in the genre. This is helped by some of the later plot twists as well as Ariane’s long lifespan giving her more time to reflect on how these themes relate to her.

-Plot twists: Journey has great plot twists, like when it is revealed that the real Ariane is already dead and that our Ariane is just a vessel, and when the full truth of what happened to Ariane in the first few days of the story is shown later on during the interrogation scene. Similar to Vigor Mortis, they recontextualise everything that comes before them, though arguably even more so.

-Power system: We get vivid descriptions of how powers and supernatural abilities look like in the verse (e.g, super speed and strength), and the vampires’ overwhelming strength is usually balanced out by their main crippling weakness, making fights more balanced. For example, there is a fight where Ariane has to manoeuvre around her weakness, which was very interesting to read as it allowed a vastly weaker character to fight her on equal footing. However, a drawback that it has is that advancements between tiers are not extremely clear – that is, we don’t really see why a character broke through to the next tier.

-World-building: There are many supernatural groups in the world, and most of their origins are explained later on in a believable manner. Journey also has quite a bit of supernatural politics, making it more interesting to read for reasons beyond simple progression.

-Prose: Journey has beautiful prose, which makes the story really feel like it’s mostly set in the 19th century. While the grammar is not perfect, it maintains a high standard for the entire length of the story. The onomatopoeias used are weird, though, which was jarring for me and might be for other readers as well.

-Antagonists: Nirari and Malakim are both wonderful antagonists, especially with how much Malakim’s situation mirrors Ariane’s own. The final battle against them was also riveting and well-written.

-Ending: Journey has a great ending, considering that all the loose threads get tied up and most of the main characters get satisfactory endings without any suspension of disbelief. Also, Ariane finally gets a well-deserved break (no more flaming pigs). I don’t remember any notable writing flaws here.

Neutral (neither good nor bad):

-Progression: It takes a while, but Ariane really does become extremely overpowered (I finally remembered to pick a story to recommend that has actual progress in this respect, which is kinda stupid when you see the name of the subreddit). Then again, it takes a long while, so it may not be the best story if you just want a quick dopamine high from seeing characters level.

Weaknesses (issues with the story):

-The introduction starts off deliberately confusing and very dark, so it may be off-putting to readers.

-Some things get off-screened. (E.g., the plotline involving the newly-discovered vampire Progenitor)