One of the most popular genres you may have heard about this year is called LitRPG. While LitRPG isn’t technically new by any means, it was originally coined in 2013 if you can believe it, thanks to a little series called Dungeon Crawler Carl it has absolutely soared in popularity this year.

What is LitRPG? It combines role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons with fantasy and science fiction novels. That’s it. That’s the hook. The main element that LitRPG brings to the table is the inclusion of things like statistics (intelligence, damage, experience) and other in-game elements, and more intentional interaction between the main character and the game. If your patrons have been asking for recommendations, here are some titles to help them level up!

Books You Should Know About

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Buy the Dungeon Crawler Carl ebook in Marketplace here

From your OverDrive DCL: It seemed appropriate to start with the series that started this mayhem. Imagine that Earth has collapsed, anyone indoors during the collapse has not survived. You just finished rescuing your ex-girlfriend’s show cat from a tree, inadvertently saving both of your lives. Now you’re entering an alien reality show masquerading as a dungeon and fighting to survive. If you make it to the 18^th floor? You reclaim the planet. By the way, no one has ever made it to the 18^th floor.

On the surface this story is about a man with no pants, hearts on his boxers, and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, who now talks, trying to survive an alien reality show. But don’t be fooled by it’s ridiculous premise. Inside you’ll find some of the strangest yet most loveable characters who become each other’s only family and produce some of the most emotional, heartfelt writing that I’ve seen in a long time.

Welcome, crawlers, to the dungeon.   

Depths of Vanalf by Brady Hunsaker

Buy the Depths of Vanalf audiobook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: Hallik has been training his whole life to become a Grimnir, a magic-wielder who can aid in keeping their island safe from the monster hordes outside the shield protecting them. Hundreds of years ago, Grimnirs created a shield around their island. Hallik has waited his whole life to become one of the elite Grimnir who can keep their enemies at bay.

But when monsters start showing up on the island, it appears they aren’t as safe as they thought. They’ll need more Grimnirs to ensure their safety, but to become a magic-wielder, they’ll need to traverse the depths of Vanalf, a cave system that connects the realms, making it the most dangerous place imaginable. Fortunately, there’s one ragtag crew that’s up to the task.

The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba

Buy The Wandering Inn ebook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: “No killing Goblins.”

So reads the sign outside of The Wandering Inn, a small building run by a young woman named Erin Solstice. She serves pasta with sausage, blue fruit juice, and dead acid flies on request. And she comes from another world. Ours.

No pIt’s a bad day when Erin finds herself transported to a fantastical world and nearly gets eaten by a Dragon. She doesn’t belong in a place where monster attacks are a fact of life, and where Humans are one species among many. But she must adapt to her new life. Or die.

Heretical Fishing by Haylock Jobson

Buy the Heretical Fishing ebook in Marketplace here

Buy the Heretical Fishing audiobook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: When summoned to a fantastical world and granted powers by a broken System, most freshly minted protagonists would strap on their big-boy boots and get ready for their stats to start climbing. But Fischer isn’t like most MCs. In fact, he doesn’t want to be a hero at all.

Fame? Fortune? Power? He had enough of all that in his old life. Discovering forbidden fishing techniques and petting every cute animal that comes within scritching distance? Now that’s a good time.

Unfortunately for Fischer, cosmic forces rarely care for mortal feelings. He’s hounded on all sides by inept cults, conspiring nobles, and more magical misunderstandings than those of a preteen relationship. Even his dutiful pet crab is firing energy blades like an anime antagonist.

So grab your fishing rod and a good snack and pet your dog for me. The catch of a lifetime awaits!

Discount Dan by James A. Hunter

Buy the Discount Dan ebook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: All Dan wants is to find a way home. He’d settle for a beer, a bite to eat, and a place to sleep off his hangover.

But, in an endless, ever-changing dungeon cobbled together from twisted carnivals, abandoned shopping malls, janky laundromats, and condemned insane asylums, getting a bit of shut-eye is harder than it sounds.

Dan has accidentally “Noclipped” into the Backrooms—a bizarro, extra-dimensional Alice-in-Wonderland world, overrun with horrific nightmare creatures known as the Dwellers. No one ever gets out. Hell, forget about leaving, if Dan wants to survive the week, he’s going to need to harness the strange game-like magic of the Backrooms, make some very sketchy allies, and carve out a little safe haven to call his own.

And he’s going to need to do it fast because Dan is being hunted. The Flayed Monarch of the 999th floor has marked him for death, and no one walks away from the Skinless Court with their hide intact.

The Inn Side Shop by Gil Hess

Buy The Inn Side Shop audiobook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: Fourteen-year-old Wren Alder never planned to be an adventurer. He just wanted a place to tinker in peace. But when his great-aunt hands him the key to a forgotten supply room at the Crossroads—a sleepy outpost perched between dungeons, cities, and the deep wild—Wren inherits more than a dusty shop.

Because this shop… levels up.

Each sale unlocks new features. Each discovery stirs old magic. A ledger learns to write back. A dungeon wakes beneath the roots. And a boy who thought he wanted quiet finds purpose in the chaos of travelers, quests, and growing friendships.

The Order of Architects by Oleg Sapphire

Buy The Order of Architects audiobook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: I used to be the greatest Earth Mage in my world. The head of the entire Order of Architects. But the older you get, the more you come to realize that at some point, you need to retire, so that you can have the chance to enjoy a peaceful life and to cede your place to the young, some of whom have already turned two thousand years old . . .

So that’s what I did. I had everything I could ever want, and even more besides. But I failed to account for one thing: during the course of my long life, I’d accumulated too many enemies, and they had decided to spoil my retirement. So they died along with me. And I hope their deaths were final. But mine was not!

I’ve been reborn in a strange new world, and I now need to start over. I still have all my experience and memories, but what about my power? I’ve managed to climb to the top once already; I can do it again! And it’s crucial that I do so before this world is consumed by the beasts from the Shadow Plane.

Hard Reset by Jonathan Yanez

Buy the Hard Reset audiobook in Marketplace here

From the publisher: In this world, life begins in a coffin, cars float, a good ray gun is your best friend, and computer displays are activated with a flick of the wrist. It all feels so real, so right … and it all feels so wrong.

Some things remain the same in every reality: People with power crave more power. You’re free to live your life as long as you don’t challenge the status quo.

Tom doesn’t like the status quo. Never has. Never will.

With a smart-mouthed computer program, a quick-shooting bounty hunter, and a pissed-off stranger as his allies, Tom takes on a corrupt, authoritarian government.

All the while, in another world, someone is studying his every move and thought. Tom may hold the key to humanity’s future. If he can survive the game … without being reset.

Looking for more recommendations? Check out our full list of LitRPG Reads!

Thank you for joining us on this week’s round up of LitRPG! Reach out to your Digital Content Librarian or Account Manager for more information on how to provide the best content for your community.

About the author: Sarah spent 10 years in public libraries answering reference questions, providing community outreach to seniors, and even helping run Nerf nights for teens. At OverDrive, she spends most of her time helping public libraries utilize their digital collections and making some of the fun lists you see on Libby! In her spare time she loves to read, cross stitch, and crochet. She can also be found spoiling her 4 year old lab mix, Buddy, and his brother, a 4 year old cat, Franklin.