R/Fantasy Book Haul

Many of you who have perused Twitter and Reddit fantasy, and saw the big self-published/indie book sale.  The sale is still going on for many titles, and reading, reviewing, and supporting self-published/indie authors goes a long way. I have a whole lot of books for 2021, and here are a few of my purchases. I am super excited about all the fun that I am going to have.

The Great Hearts

By David Oliver

About

The first instalment of a new series, David Oliver’s debut novel features morally ambiguous heroes, mythical beasts and strange magic in an unputdownable, grimdark, coming-of-age adventure. Following in the footsteps of authors such as Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie and Brian McClellan, pick up a copy today and be enraptured by The Great Heart’s melding of gritty, vivid action with the soft, warm purr of a gigantic panther.

Why Did I Grab This?

• One of the quotes called it old school bromance, meets Eragon, meets grimdark. So, definitely sold on this.

Life in the North: An Apocalyptic LitRPG (The System Apocalypse Book 1)

By Tao Wong

About

What happens when the apocalypse arrives, not via nuclear weapons or a comet but as Levels and monsters? What if you were camping in the Yukon when the world ended?

All John wanted to do was get away from his life in Kluane National Park for a weekend. Hike, camp and chill. Instead, the world comes to an end in a series of blue boxes. Animals start evolving, monsters start spawning and he has a character sheet and physics defying skills. Now, he has to survive the apocalypse, get back to civilisation and not lose his mind.

The System has arrived and with it, aliens, monsters and a reality that draws upon past legends and game-like reality. John will need to find new friends, deal with his ex and the slavering monsters that keep popping up.

Life in the North is Book 1 of the System Apocalypse, a LitRPG Apocalypse series that combines modern day life, science fiction and fantasy elements along with game mechanics.

This series contains elements of games like level ups, experience, enchanted materials, a sarcastic spirit, mecha, a beguiling dark elf, monsters, minotaurs, a fiery red head and a semi-realistic view on violence and its effects. Does not include harems.

Why Did I Grab This?

• The cover is gorgeous.
• I love good LitRPG and an apocalypse book.

The Song of the Ash Tree: The Complete Saga

By T L Greylock

About

Raef Skallagrim wants to take the sea road. His ship is fast and sleek, his crew skilled and eager, and they will seek out new lands and win fame in the eyes of the gods. But Raef’s father refuses to allow the journey and when a stranger brings word that the king is dead and a gathering has been called to choose a successor, Raef must set aside his dream for his duty to his ancestral lands and his father.

When factions split at the gathering to choose a successor, Raef finds himself mired in bloodshed and treachery. Forced to make an uneasy alliance with a man he does not trust, Raef must navigate the tides of a war among three kings while seeking revenge for cold-blooded murder.

But winter has come early to Midgard, and even the gods will feel the cold.

Why Did I Grab This?

• Gorgeous cover.
• TL Greylock is the first lady of grimdark.
• Um.. it is grimdark. Plus, Midgard.

Darkmage (The Rhenwars Saga Book 1)

By ML Spencer

About

Darien Lauchlin has already lost everything. Now the only thing he has left to lose is his soul.

The Well of Tears was created to harness the power of the Netherworld to prevent a magical apocalypse. Now Darien Lauchlin is the last surviving mage capable of reversing the destruction the Well unleashed. Darien will be forced to sacrifice everything of himself and everyone around him—all to preserve a nation of people who despise him.

Darkmage is the first installment of the Rhenwars Saga, a sprawling epic set in a morally gray world where there is no clear distinction between hero and villain.

Experience epic battles, flawed heroes, and a brutal struggle where the triumph of good over evil is never guaranteed.

If you enjoy the dark, sprawling world of Steven Erikson, the awe-inspiring magic of The Wheel of Time, and the compelling antiheroes of C.S. Friedman, then you’ll love The Rhenwars Saga.

Why Did I Grab This?

• I hear lots of great things about this book.

Shattered Sword: A LitRPG Adventure

By TJ Reynolds

About

A broke gamer. A deadly online world. Can Dahlia level up fast enough to keep the debt collectors at bay?

Dahlia has to pay off her dead father’s bills or risk her life in the lithium mines. Which… no thank you. Besides, the world is run by tech, and this gamer girl is determined to explore the virtual world her father was so obsessed with and get rich while she’s at it.

So, she sells everything and rents a premium VR pod to play Eternal Online.

Enter the toughest realm available? Check.

Discover the fastest way to loot without dying?… in progress.

But when Dahlia finds an epic quest chain that others have overlooked, she thinks she’s struck gold. What she doesn’t expect is to make friends with two deadly warriors and one powerful creature, or find a world boss gunning for them all.

Experience the start of an Epic LitRPG adventure perfect for fans of Travis Bagwell, Carrie Summers, Outspan Foster.

Why Did I Grab This?

• LitRPG
• Great Cover

Party Hard

By David Petrie

About

The game of their dreams. A flip of a switch. Nightmare mode.

For lifelong friends Max and Kira, Carpe Noctem has become a second home. Max spends his time as a gunslinging Fury, able to deal massive damage in a short amount of time, while his teammate Kira the Breath Mage watches his back and keeps his health topped off. Together, they form a formidable combo. A literal dream team, because before the game hit the market, the average person lost a third of their life sleeping. Now sleep is only seen as the doorway into the game.

Unfortunately, dreams don’t last forever.

After being fired, one of Noctem’s creators sets into motion a plan to bring the system crashing down, and send the real world into economic ruin. To stop the collapse, Max and Kira have to gather their most trusted friends and embark on a quest that will test their absolute limits.

If they want to save the world they love, they’ll have to push their Party Hard to make it through the nightmares that await them

Why Did I Grab This?

• Pink cover. Digging the look of it.
• It sounds like a wild premise

Occultist

By Oliver Mayes

About

Damien thought his exams would be bad enough. Then his mother collapsed with a failing heart.

In a desperate move Damien throws himself into the Streamer Contest of Saga Online, the latest fantasy VR-MMORPG. Winning will provide the funds for his mom’s surgery. Yet early betrayal and a close run in with a vampire almost ruin his attempt before he even begins.

Stuck at the bottom of a dungeon with no gear, no allies and little hope, Damien must embrace the undiscovered Occultist class, master control of his new demon companions and take the contest by storm.

His plan is simple enough. Topple the most famous player in Saga Online.

Summon your imps. Prepare for battle!

Why Did I Grab This?

• LitRPG! I am thinking at this point I need to do a reading challenge.

Ritualist (The Completionist Chronicles Book 1)

By Jonathan Janz

About

A game that puts all others to shame. Magic that has been banned from the world. A man willing to learn no matter the cost.

The decision to start a new life is never an easy one, but for Joe the transition was far from figurative. Becoming a permanent addition to a game world, it doesn’t take long to learn that people with his abilities are actively hunted. In fact, if the wrong people gained knowledge of what he was capable of, assassins would appear in droves.

In his pursuit of power, Joe fights alongside his team, completes quests, and delves into the mysteries of his class, which he quickly discovers can only be practiced in secret. Ultimately, his goal is to complete every mission, master every ability, and learn all of the world’s secrets.

All he has to do is survive long enough to make that happen.

Why Did I Grab This?

• Great cover
• I love the questing aspect of this

Viridian Gate Online: Books 1 – 3 (Cataclysm, Crimson Alliance, The Jade Lord)

By James Hunter

About

If the destruction of Earth and extinction of humanity were imminent, how far would you go to survive? Would you kill your body to save your mind?

Jack Mitchel is willing to risk everything to survive the apocalypse— including his essential humanity.

An EMT in 2042 San Diego, Jack knows he won’t survive the impact of the massive asteroid hurtling towards Earth. After all, he’s not one of the handful of lucky lottery winners scheduled for rescue. But he did luck into a NexGenVR capsule, which means Jack can risk a one-way trip to the virtual reality world of Viridan Gate Online, a completely immersive online multiplayer fantasy role-playing game, or RPG.

The transition to Viridian Gate Online (V.G.O) is irreversible, and will kill Jack’s corporeal form. And once players transition fully into the world of V.G.O., the risks aren’t over—from cutthroat fellow players to greedy developers eager to replicate the wealth discrepancies of Earth in virtual reality, V.G.O. is just as dangerous as the ‘real world’ was. If Jack can’t game the system, he’s going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one…

LitRPG books combine tropes and themes from role-playing games with sci-fi and fantasy elements to tell a unique story that’s exciting and super-relevant to today’s world. Jack’s adventures in a cutthroat virtual reality fantasy world will grip fans of Blackmirror, Ready Player One, and The Stormlight Archive alike. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one series you don’t want to miss!

Why Did I Grab This?

• This looks like so much fun!

Web of Eyes

By Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle

About

A rotten thief. A disgraced knight. Only together can they save the kingdom.

When the young king’s soul is stolen by a cultist desperate to resurrect the Buried Goddess, exiled knight Torsten Unger makes it his sworn duty to get it back. He has one chance to restore his honor. But he can’t do it alone. He’ll need a thief.

Whitney Fierstown planned the perfect heist, one that would have made him a legend among thieves, until he got caught. Now, a knight with a questionable reputation is offering a deal: rot and die in a dank cell or join him on a dangerous expedition to put his skills to good use and earn his freedom.

Whitney and Torsten must put aside their differences and work together to battle unholy cults, demons, rebels, and worse to become the heroes their war-torn kingdom never expected…if they don’t kill each other first.

Buy Book 1 of the Buried Goddess Saga today and experience the adventure of a lifetime! It’s perfect for fans of Kel Kade, Michael J Sullivan, and Will Wight.

Why Did I Grab This?

• I am a huge fan of Kel Kade, and this seems like one of their books.

And Two Books From Before We Go Reviewers!

Red in Tooth and Claw

By Ryan Howse

About

A brutal wilderness.

Hungry, plague-ridden animals.

A winter so cold it snaps wood.

Chemosh, a scout imprisoned by the enemy, agrees to lead the way through this wilderness for his freedom. But both his knowledge and his resilience are put to the test, not just by the wilderness, but by the chaotic, violent man he guides. A man he must rely on if they are to survive.

Duckett & Dyer Dicks for Hire

By G.M Nair

About

Michael Duckett is fed up with his life. His job is a drag, and his roommate and best friend of fifteen years, Stephanie Dyer, is only making him more anxious with her lazy irresponsibility. Things continue to escalate when they face the threat of imminent eviction from their palatial 5th floor walk-up and find that someone has been plastering ads all over the city for their Detective Agency.

The only problem is: He and Stephanie don’t have one of those.

Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.