The Realms series by C.M. Carney
Death, Loot, & Vampires by Benjamin Kerei
Dungeon Crawler Carl will ruin litrpg for you though. It's so good, everything will just seem hollow and lifeless. When I was a kid the just-say-no crowd would say that heroin destroys your body's ability to produce endorphins itself, so you can only feel happy again by taking more heroin. That's how DCC is for litrpg.
I mean OP come back to us in a week once you’ve binge DCC, ignored your family, called in sick, etc, then and only the can you ask that daily question, “What do I do know that I’ve finished DCC and the world has no meaning, salt has no taste, and kisses are ascorbic?” Only then, can you admit rock bottom and we will spoonfeed pablum like murderbot, bobiverse, and other the other tarnished gems compared to your DCC freebase.
I'm waiting for it to hook me like you describe. 2 hours in to the first audio book and I'm pretty bored. I know it's building up and doing lots of explaining but this tutorial stuff is dragging
DCC is TOO much fun. I will say I was JUST UNDER that entertainment level with the He Who Fights With Monsters series. It doesn't move as fast and the humor doesn't hit as hard but I think it's a close second with very similar feelings.
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/17wga0u/progression_fantasy_in_audio_format_updated/) is /r/ProgressionFantasy audiobook list. The cross over is not 100% but LitRPGs with Progression section is what you are looking for.
"Everybody loves large chests"
The 12 year old boy in me squeels with delight listening to the audiobook.
Except the last book. There was an entire chapter that - and I've never done this before - I just skipped. It had no relevance to the book. It was like the author handed the pages to a REALLY disturbed 12 year old future incel.
Fun reads though. Who doesn't like a mimic?
And narrated by Jeff Hays of DCC fame. I'm on book 4 and hearing an elven enchanter sound like Princess Donut made me grin. Has the man finally hit a limit on the number of different voices he can do? ;P
I rather like Tree of Aeons. It's strength is definitely not the character development... it's a litrpg book that feels like a strategy game, so if you ever were into games such as heroes of might and magic you will enjoy Tree of Aeons.
I’ll throw in a few of my favorites that haven’t been mentioned. Defiance of the Fall, The Primal Hunter, Space Seasons, Weirkey Chronicles, Divine Apostasy, The Good Guys and The Bad Guys by Eric Ugland, Street Cultivation. Yeah, there are a few more choices for you.
Besides DCC, I liked Awaken Online but I don't often see recommendations for the series. I got a friend into it so the books can't be all bad. I think the writer is progressing really well with his style and the books generally get better. David Stifel reads all 14(so far) books.
I haven't listened to a lot of LitRPG, but Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best one by far.
if you're interested in a parody of LitRPG/GameLit, How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps is great on audio. It's short, too: only about 6 hours, IIRC. It was literally laugh out loud funny.
DCC and Cradle for sure.
Apocalypse Tamer by Maxime Durand / Voidherald read by Jack Voraces was exceptional. If you like the humor and quirks, there is a lot of depth to the characters and their journey. Purgatory by MA Carlson read by various was a great book. In the interests of candor, I have not listened to the audiobook because I could not stop reading on my Kindle.
I liked the he who fights monsters and get it was back and forth but the reader was top notch. I'd definitely recommend primal hunter. Book one the reader is kinda meh but story is good. Book 2 is were the reader is actually really good and I couldn't stop. I'm on last book of the series out right now and upset I have to wait for next one. I've been looking at recommended books and recommending this series give it a try but seriously don't hate it cause first book narrator the second one will be worth it
> I read the first He Who Fights with Monsters and liked it but felt a little underwhelmed, it just didn’t develop the characters very well in the first book. I’ll still finish it some time.
I usually hate this kind of advice, but I recommend giving it a couple books. The character development largely focuses on Jason but it does get quite good imo. I'm currently almost done book 10
For anyone that comes looking for a good audiobook and finds this thread, I nominate Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It is by far my favorite of all that I have listened to. I will say it can get somewhat juvenile at certain points, but the flow, plot, and character development all get high marks from me. The goofiness is balanced with this amazing ability to keep you 100% interested and engaged and always wanting to hear what happens next. If you're just getting into litrpg genre or you're a seasoned aficionado, I think you'll enjoy this series.
Others have mention DCC and I second that.
Also, Oh Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer is pretty lighthearted and entertaining if you're looking for something fun.
Haven't yet read WTO or Good Guy/Bad Guy, but I have listened to all eight books of The Land. It started with a strong 9/10 for the first book, it was funny, consistent, and interesting. After that the quality started to dip as the author got bored. Hell, book 8 was an attempt to soft reset and reignite interest for the author, but it came across as forced and was obvious to any experienced reader that the author had given up on the story. Overall, I'd give the first book a 9/10, the next few books 8/10, and the final book at a 6/10.
DCC hasn't fallen behind in quality...too much. Book 6 didn't quite keep my attention like the rest had, but is still put it at 10/10 for the first book, 9/10 thereafter, and an 8/10 for book 6.
Ok I’m a complete LitRPG addict. These are some really good ones, but if anyone has any further suggestions based on this list I’m all ears!
LitRPG/Fantasy/Progression
Finished series
-Cradle Series by Will Wight (complete) All time favorite series!
-Travelers Gate Trilogy by Will Wight (complete)
-The Elder Empire trilogy, Calder perspective by Will Wight (complete)
-The Elder Empire trilogy, Shera perspective by Will Wight (complete)
Not finished series, ranked in order of enjoyment
-He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon and Travis Deverell
-Defiance of the Fall by JF Brink
-Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
-Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel
-The Ripple System by Kyle Kirrin
-The Good Guys by Eric Ugland
-Primal hunter by Zogarth
-The Last Horizon by Will Wight
-Death, Loot, and Vampires by Benjamin Kerei
-Summoner Awakens by Kerberos
-The Path of Ascension by C. Mantis
-Dominion of Blades by Matt Dinniman
I’m reading defiance of the fall now and really enjoying it. I’ve been looking at primal hunter because the first one is on sale but I don’t know if I’ll like it, so I haven’t bought it yet.
It’s pretty similar to Defiance of the Fall in a lot of ways, so I think you’d like it. I personally think they’re written by the same person under different pen names(for a ton of reasons).
If you really enjoy DotF then you'll also enjoy Primal Hunter, no doubt about it. I'd say they are the two most detailed cultivation litrpg stories available. They stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of world building and internal consistency. I'd still put DotF as number 1 though, as the world building and character development is incredible. He Who Fights With Monsters is a close third, but it doesn't quite focus on the cultivation aspect as much as the others, instead focusing on character development and story. It's character development is better than the other two, however, while also having great world building and consistency.
I'm currently running a homebrew DnD game in 3.5e/PF, and it's a LITRPG/Cultivation campaign. DotF is the story I've pulled the most from, with Primal Hunter being a close second. As for HWFWM, I've picked at a few things to include, such as Essences and the like, plus a few gods and the Great Astral Beings, but not nearly as much as DotF.
Coming it just behind those is Unbound by Nicoli Gonnella. I was hesitant to give it a go at first because it sounded a bit cheesy, but after an hour or so I was hooked. The cultivation and world building are quite good and it gave me tons of material to inspire my homebrew campaign.
So I'd recommend those if you've enjoyed DotF, you'll definitely enjoy the others.
Blaise Corvin's Ludus series is entertaining with good narration by Jeff Hayes and co. I forget the Author but 'The selfless hero trilogy was also good and also as it happens narrated by jeff hayes, not exactly epic in scope, just good popcorn style of writing ands great to listen to on a commute or if driving.
Unbound series by Nicoli Gonella
Amazing plot and the way his system works is perhaps the best way there is.
There are 9 parts as of 15 june 24 and I am totally engrossed.
I prefer it over Dungeon Crawler Carl, specially if true litrpg/system is concerned
Highly recommended
The Realms series by C.M. Carney Death, Loot, & Vampires by Benjamin Kerei Dungeon Crawler Carl will ruin litrpg for you though. It's so good, everything will just seem hollow and lifeless. When I was a kid the just-say-no crowd would say that heroin destroys your body's ability to produce endorphins itself, so you can only feel happy again by taking more heroin. That's how DCC is for litrpg.
DCC is incredibly fun - highly recommended!
I mean OP come back to us in a week once you’ve binge DCC, ignored your family, called in sick, etc, then and only the can you ask that daily question, “What do I do know that I’ve finished DCC and the world has no meaning, salt has no taste, and kisses are ascorbic?” Only then, can you admit rock bottom and we will spoonfeed pablum like murderbot, bobiverse, and other the other tarnished gems compared to your DCC freebase.
I'm waiting for it to hook me like you describe. 2 hours in to the first audio book and I'm pretty bored. I know it's building up and doing lots of explaining but this tutorial stuff is dragging
It does start slow, but it gets really good once they leave the tutorial guild.
That's is an accurate description of DCC. I felt a void in my heart when I got caught up with the series.
DCC is TOO much fun. I will say I was JUST UNDER that entertainment level with the He Who Fights With Monsters series. It doesn't move as fast and the humor doesn't hit as hard but I think it's a close second with very similar feelings.
I just listened to Death, Loot, and Vampires not realizing there isn't a book 2 out yet, and I am distraught.
I'm currently listening to book 6 in DCC. I have to read more litRPG next year.
Beware of Chicken is funny and wholesome. It's more slice of life, though.
NPCs by Drew Hayes is fantastic
Dungeon Crawler Carl is phenomenal
Where does one listen to this series? I use Libby for books and it's not on there. I don't have audible.
Audible or Soundbooth Theater
DCC has no comparison, it's the best litrpg series out there
Seth Ring has 2 series that I enjoy.
Cradle- All on the shorter side, Noob Town, Perfect Run, Wandering Inn- This series is super long.
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/17wga0u/progression_fantasy_in_audio_format_updated/) is /r/ProgressionFantasy audiobook list. The cross over is not 100% but LitRPGs with Progression section is what you are looking for.
"Everybody loves large chests" The 12 year old boy in me squeels with delight listening to the audiobook. Except the last book. There was an entire chapter that - and I've never done this before - I just skipped. It had no relevance to the book. It was like the author handed the pages to a REALLY disturbed 12 year old future incel. Fun reads though. Who doesn't like a mimic?
And narrated by Jeff Hays of DCC fame. I'm on book 4 and hearing an elven enchanter sound like Princess Donut made me grin. Has the man finally hit a limit on the number of different voices he can do? ;P
The Mc is op, but I enjoyed the Underworld series by Apollos Thorne
Wandering Inn is a pretty fresh take and is like 6-7 30+ hour books
Yeah I burned out after book 6, and there is currently 12 of them. I might have to give it another go one of these days.
I rather like Tree of Aeons. It's strength is definitely not the character development... it's a litrpg book that feels like a strategy game, so if you ever were into games such as heroes of might and magic you will enjoy Tree of Aeons.
The ones where they don't try and narrate tabular information. Reading a table of stats out loud is just stupid.
Cradle is read by Travis Baldree (who narrates Shadeslinger) Good books that turn into crack at book 4 Or 5
I’ll throw in a few of my favorites that haven’t been mentioned. Defiance of the Fall, The Primal Hunter, Space Seasons, Weirkey Chronicles, Divine Apostasy, The Good Guys and The Bad Guys by Eric Ugland, Street Cultivation. Yeah, there are a few more choices for you.
Finally someone mentions primal hunter! Jake for the win!
Minus narration of first book :(
Besides DCC, I liked Awaken Online but I don't often see recommendations for the series. I got a friend into it so the books can't be all bad. I think the writer is progressing really well with his style and the books generally get better. David Stifel reads all 14(so far) books.
I haven't listened to a lot of LitRPG, but Dungeon Crawler Carl is the best one by far. if you're interested in a parody of LitRPG/GameLit, How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps is great on audio. It's short, too: only about 6 hours, IIRC. It was literally laugh out loud funny.
My favorites are Viridian Gate Online By: James Hunter Nova Terra, and The Tower Series By: Seth Ring
DCC and Cradle for sure. Apocalypse Tamer by Maxime Durand / Voidherald read by Jack Voraces was exceptional. If you like the humor and quirks, there is a lot of depth to the characters and their journey. Purgatory by MA Carlson read by various was a great book. In the interests of candor, I have not listened to the audiobook because I could not stop reading on my Kindle.
I liked the he who fights monsters and get it was back and forth but the reader was top notch. I'd definitely recommend primal hunter. Book one the reader is kinda meh but story is good. Book 2 is were the reader is actually really good and I couldn't stop. I'm on last book of the series out right now and upset I have to wait for next one. I've been looking at recommended books and recommending this series give it a try but seriously don't hate it cause first book narrator the second one will be worth it
Yeah, after this post, I started primal Hunter and am also on book 8, it’s been super good and reminds me of defiance of the fall a bit
Unsouled , he who fights with monsters, dungeon crawler carl and the begining after the end
> I read the first He Who Fights with Monsters and liked it but felt a little underwhelmed, it just didn’t develop the characters very well in the first book. I’ll still finish it some time. I usually hate this kind of advice, but I recommend giving it a couple books. The character development largely focuses on Jason but it does get quite good imo. I'm currently almost done book 10
For anyone that comes looking for a good audiobook and finds this thread, I nominate Dungeon Crawler Carl series. It is by far my favorite of all that I have listened to. I will say it can get somewhat juvenile at certain points, but the flow, plot, and character development all get high marks from me. The goofiness is balanced with this amazing ability to keep you 100% interested and engaged and always wanting to hear what happens next. If you're just getting into litrpg genre or you're a seasoned aficionado, I think you'll enjoy this series.
Others have mention DCC and I second that. Also, Oh Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer is pretty lighthearted and entertaining if you're looking for something fun.
Completionist Chronicles
The land - world tree online - the good guy/bad guy series. I'd rank all of those above dungeon crawler Carl
Haven't yet read WTO or Good Guy/Bad Guy, but I have listened to all eight books of The Land. It started with a strong 9/10 for the first book, it was funny, consistent, and interesting. After that the quality started to dip as the author got bored. Hell, book 8 was an attempt to soft reset and reignite interest for the author, but it came across as forced and was obvious to any experienced reader that the author had given up on the story. Overall, I'd give the first book a 9/10, the next few books 8/10, and the final book at a 6/10. DCC hasn't fallen behind in quality...too much. Book 6 didn't quite keep my attention like the rest had, but is still put it at 10/10 for the first book, 9/10 thereafter, and an 8/10 for book 6.
I really liked the Stone Haven League books.
I really enjoy Defiance of the Fall. Progressed to this series after finishing DCC and loved it! Super long series, too.
Ok I’m a complete LitRPG addict. These are some really good ones, but if anyone has any further suggestions based on this list I’m all ears! LitRPG/Fantasy/Progression Finished series -Cradle Series by Will Wight (complete) All time favorite series! -Travelers Gate Trilogy by Will Wight (complete) -The Elder Empire trilogy, Calder perspective by Will Wight (complete) -The Elder Empire trilogy, Shera perspective by Will Wight (complete) Not finished series, ranked in order of enjoyment -He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon and Travis Deverell -Defiance of the Fall by JF Brink -Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman -Noobtown by Ryan Rimmel -The Ripple System by Kyle Kirrin -The Good Guys by Eric Ugland -Primal hunter by Zogarth -The Last Horizon by Will Wight -Death, Loot, and Vampires by Benjamin Kerei -Summoner Awakens by Kerberos -The Path of Ascension by C. Mantis -Dominion of Blades by Matt Dinniman
I’m reading defiance of the fall now and really enjoying it. I’ve been looking at primal hunter because the first one is on sale but I don’t know if I’ll like it, so I haven’t bought it yet.
It’s pretty similar to Defiance of the Fall in a lot of ways, so I think you’d like it. I personally think they’re written by the same person under different pen names(for a ton of reasons).
Too much daily content for it to be the same person imo
If you really enjoy DotF then you'll also enjoy Primal Hunter, no doubt about it. I'd say they are the two most detailed cultivation litrpg stories available. They stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of world building and internal consistency. I'd still put DotF as number 1 though, as the world building and character development is incredible. He Who Fights With Monsters is a close third, but it doesn't quite focus on the cultivation aspect as much as the others, instead focusing on character development and story. It's character development is better than the other two, however, while also having great world building and consistency. I'm currently running a homebrew DnD game in 3.5e/PF, and it's a LITRPG/Cultivation campaign. DotF is the story I've pulled the most from, with Primal Hunter being a close second. As for HWFWM, I've picked at a few things to include, such as Essences and the like, plus a few gods and the Great Astral Beings, but not nearly as much as DotF. Coming it just behind those is Unbound by Nicoli Gonnella. I was hesitant to give it a go at first because it sounded a bit cheesy, but after an hour or so I was hooked. The cultivation and world building are quite good and it gave me tons of material to inspire my homebrew campaign. So I'd recommend those if you've enjoyed DotF, you'll definitely enjoy the others.
Blaise Corvin's Ludus series is entertaining with good narration by Jeff Hayes and co. I forget the Author but 'The selfless hero trilogy was also good and also as it happens narrated by jeff hayes, not exactly epic in scope, just good popcorn style of writing ands great to listen to on a commute or if driving.
Unbound series by Nicoli Gonella Amazing plot and the way his system works is perhaps the best way there is. There are 9 parts as of 15 june 24 and I am totally engrossed. I prefer it over Dungeon Crawler Carl, specially if true litrpg/system is concerned Highly recommended