Gamers across the globe are devouring books in this genre that is just now getting some global attention and even more importantly US attention. The Genre has been called several different things but it all started in Russia from what several sources on the web indicate. Japan also has played a big rule in getting the genre attention they have their own names for what they call the genre and sub genres. Anime and Manga have played a major rule in the development of the genre and getting authors and readers in the US excited about it. It’s all very close to what we have in the US known as Portal Fantasy. The main difference with LitRPG / GameLit or what ever you want to call it is that the story takes place in a world that has game mechanics or makes heavy use of an actual video game or other game that is integral to the plot.
So where should you start as a reader?
Below I’m going to list some books you should check out and see if they are of interest. This genre is made up of a bunch of sub genres so go into the game store and find yourself your next book to play.
The Divine Dungeon by Dakota Krout
A powerful dungeon. A sheep-herder turned Noble. Their path to ascendance through cultivation. Conquering dungeons and using them to grow has long been the most efficient way to become a powerful adventurer. The only thing keeping the process from being easy is the Beasts that inhabit these places. Questions plague those entering this particular place of power: Where do the ‘rewards’ of weapons, armor, and heavy gold coins come from? Why is a fluffy bunny charging at me? For abyss-sake, why are there so many monsters?
Cal has all of the answers to these age-old questions for a very simple reason. He is a Dungeon Core, a soul forced against his will into a magical stone. With the help of an energetic friend, Cal grows a dungeon around himself to bring in new sources of power.
When a threat he doesn’t fully comprehend bares its many teeth, Cal is determined to survive the attempt on his life. Unfortunately for adventurers, the only way for him to achieve his goal is to eat anyone that enters his depths.
Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell
A spellbinding adventure perfect for fans of Ready Player One. Are you tired of video games and books where you always hear the hero’s tale? Perhaps it’s time to embrace your evil side!
Jason logs into Awaken Online fed-up with reality. He’s in desperate need of an escape, and this game is his ticket to finally feeling the type of power and freedom that are so sorely lacking in his real life.
Awaken Online is a brand new virtual reality game that just hit the market, promising an unprecedented level of immersion. Yet Jason quickly finds himself pushed down a path he didn’t expect. In this game, he isn’t the hero. There are no damsels to save. There are no bad guys to vanquish. In fact, he might just be the villain.
Fayroll by Andrey Vasilyev
In the Land of Fayroll total immersion virtual reality doesn’t just exist, it thrives! An epic life-changing fantasy series starts with More Than A Game! Tasked with a new assignment, journalist Harriton is given explicit orders to write a series of articles on the virtual world of Fayroll and its developers. Harriton grudgingly accepts the assignment, but soon finds himself enthralled by its amazing quests, unpredictable challenges, and nearly endless possibilities.
As Hagen the Warrior, he skeptically enters the fantasy world, filled with wizards, demons, dragons, secrets, and mystery, where the thirst for success and vanity of high-level players in pursuit of legendary objects spills into the real world. Here, high-stakes bets are made on the success of the virtual characters. Events and decisions that Harriton makes in the virtual space as Hagen now start to affect his own reality. More Than a Game will exceed all expectations of fans of epic young adult fantasy fiction.
His unpredictable character, perseverance, and excitement draw the attention of powerful gamers and influential elite with a devouring interest in Fayroll’s outcome. It is not long before he realizes that this fantastic world conceals many dangers.
Will he be able to pass all the tests? Start reading now!
Eden’s Gate by Edward Brody
When Gunnar Long is transported into the first fully-immersive virtual MMORPG, he finds himself in a new world filled with magic, mystery and adventure.
No more 9-to-5 job. No more studio apartment. No more reality TV. Finally, he’s in a place where he can call home, a place with people he can call friends.
But as more people want to trade their real world lives to get inside Eden’s Gate, the government of the outside world wants the “game” shut down at all costs. Gunnar must learn to survive, grow in power and find a way to send a message back to his old home. “We’re fine. We’re alive. Eden’s Gate is real.”
Continue Online by Stephan Morse
A man broken by despair and depression, Grant Legate finds himself in a once-in-a-lifetime situation after receiving an Ultimate Edition copy of Continue Online. All he wishes for is a distraction from the thoughts plaguing his waking hours. He dives in headfirst, unknowing of the AIs intentions. They offer him the chance to play as one of their own, a NPC deserving of a proper send off. What he discovers during the journey shakes Grant to his very core.
Everscape Online by Dylan Keefer
Celina has long adventured in the mystical world of Everscape to balance the dreariness of her everyday life. When the Quest for the Heavenly Seal Staff begins, those she had thought to be friends, turn on her. Their guilds war against one another for the prize. She must use her wits and magic to overcome insurmountable odds. Deadly enemies both large and many, hold her hostage finding new allies is the only way she can reclaim her life both inside and outside of Everscape.
Traitor of Golden Blaze is the first book in the Everscape Online Trilogy, A Fantasy GameLit RPG Adventure series set in the world of Everscape Online a MMORPG.
Everscape Online
Traitor of Golden Blaze – Book 1 of 3
Queen of Ragnarok – Book 2 of 3
Champion of Everscape – Book 3 of 3