Science Fiction Litrpg

Year 2197. Earth is suffering from the consequences of an environmental catastrophe. Cities the size of continents are drowning in a toxic industrial fog. Max Bourne is a typical teenager. Like billions of other people, he is forced to live in the protective shell of the individual life support module. His habitat is the virtual Layer. But one day, circumstances force the young man to leave the in-mode. He has no idea that fate will lead him through unimaginable hardships, bring him face to face with military AIs, and teach him to survive in the distant Outlands.

Yesterday, Altai was a war hero. Today, he is a prisoner who chose exile to Rhapsody instead of death. This planet, the Range, knows no mercy. Here, thousands of prisoners fight each other for a place under the strange, cold sun. Here, the leftover alien biomechanisms and out-of-control Terran war machines roam in the ruins, and human life is measured in virtual experience that can be exchanged for armor and implants. Surviving in the Limbo slaughterhouse, upgrading to the 10th level, and getting into the Green Zone is all any dead man can hope for. Except not everyone succeeds.

As a C-Tier Lifeblade, Ethan keeps his head down, works hard, and always hits his mark. His skills might not be flashy, but they get the job done—and in SlayerCorp's cutthroat portal acquisitions industry, reliability makes you valuable. He’s built a solid rep as the go-to healer who can hold his own in any situation, with a resume that's earned him the respect and admiration of his peers. But Ethan's biggest challenge isn’t in the dungeons he clears or the creatures he fights. It’s Lily Chen.

To claim his powers as Founder and secure their freedom, Hal and his cohort must fight to build a Sanctum where no other living kingdom dares to tread. The search for a Manaseed to serve as the Sanctum’s heart will take Hal and his caravan to distant, strange lands, and force them to weather vicious beasts and Manastorms alike. To survive the trials ahead, Hal crafts weapons enchanted with rare loot and sates his appetite for monster essences...all while struggling to balance the price of his corrupting, otherworldly powers and securing a foothold in an unforgiving land.

Reclaimed by Shadows. Driven by Fate. In the wake of a devastating battle, Admiral Frost and his crew’s journey is far from over. Rescued by one of Eboni’s children, Everest, and her advanced conscious intelligence (CI) Atayu, Troy faces new perils and complex alliances. The mysterious Atayu is not only connected to his past but also to his future. As Troy uncovers more about Eboni’s enigmatic origins and her seven children, he realizes the stakes are higher than he ever imagined. Every decision he makes could either unify a powerful force or doom his crew to oblivion.

It seems like a lifetime ago that Thedeim was a mortal man. After a fatal accident, he was transported to a strange realm to begin again as a living low-level dungeon. But he didn't stay small for long. With a powerful will, he built his dungeon self into a force to be reckoned with, full of minions, creepy crawlies, and a hedge maze to die for. Except Thedeim isn't a place where delvers die. He's a different, friendlier kind of dungeon, which suits both him and his many allies just fine. But being a nice dungeon means taking on some not-so-nice entities.

With the newly hatched Nishari at his side, it is finally time for Hump to face his fate in Drakalyn, home of the wolf dragons, but to get there he must venture through the Fallen Lands—a realm lost to dungeons and monsters. Only, time is not on his side. The Book of Infinite Pages has awoken, and if Hump fails to master his manifested soul, others will seek to claim it. Even in these distant lands, a new danger approaches, and it seeks the blood of a goddess. The Dragon Keepers are all that stand between Celaine's people and death. The White Flame must blaze again.

After getting reincarnated as a dungeon, Theodor thought he’d finally get some rest and relaxation. That changed when a bumbling old hero stumbled into him and died, making Theodor the target of adventurers everywhere. Masquerading as a house in the small town of Rosewind, Theo must now do whatever it takes to remain unnoticed… even if it means creating an avatar to interact with people or go on a mission set by the annoying Earl Rosewind!

The Integration didn’t just change the Earthen Union—it tore it apart. Monsters, mayhem, and madness turned civilization into a battlefield. Yet, while the world crumbled under the weight of despair, David felt something unexpected: he felt at home. Even after being forced into the [Cleric] Class, David refused to yield. He adapted, turning his unwanted gifts into tools of both healing and destruction, forging himself into a battle-hardened healer unlike any before.

Victor Sandoval—now hailed as the legendary Lord Victor—has leveled up his rank and skills like no other Sojourner in memory. He now has thriving lands, ever-increasing power, and a new love, the warrior woman Valla. That is, until she decides she needs a bit of space—away from Victor's, shall we say, expansive shadow—to discover herself. But when you may live for millennia, you don't want to rush into a romantic commitment anyway, right?

Forgotten oaths stir in blood-soaked soil as bones rise from hallowed ground. Not a lone hero reborn, but a guardian forged of countless warriors’ final breaths. A silent champion shackled to the last desperate command that ended an age: Hold the line. Protect them all.

When he awakens ten years in the past, Kiden Coldsteel dedicates his second chance to becoming a legendary mage to prepare for the terrors to come, when the Acolytes of the Old Gods are destined to shroud the world in darkness forever. Kiden does not have the benefit of years of training as a mage. His martial skills aren't enough alone. He must rely on his method of Law of the Opposites, approaching magic in a way that goes against every established theory. Until then, he must locate the strongest mage humanity has ever produced and earn his support, or else humanity won't stand a chance…

The best of the year's science fiction and fantasy stories as selected by the multiple award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan. Distant worlds, time travel, epic adventure, unseen wonders, and much more! The best, most original and brightest science fiction and fantasy stories from around the globe from the past 12 months are brought together in one collection by multiple award winning editor Jonathan Strahan.

The battlefield realm: a realm where sects rise and fall. Where the ground trembles under the feet of fighters from the higher realms. Where riches are gained and empires lost. This is where Erik and Rugrat must go, if they want to increase their strength and the strength of Alva. They say that fortune favors the bold. This is the ten realms. To the victor go the spoils. The fourth realm will change their lives...or end them.

Jane King’s life was a dumpster fire of bad luck. Unpaid bills, dead-end jobs, and a constant raincloud over her head. So, when she wakes up in a vast, deadly desert with a mysterious glowing menu floating in front of her face, she makes a desperate gamble. She dumps every single one of her available stat points into the one thing she’s never had: Luck.

You'd think being isekai'd to a new existence would be fun, especially when you find out you're the lord of a new kingdom. Except this kingdom is at war, and the stakes are the fate of humanity. Now, Matt’s going to have to figure out how to rule a Magic Kingdom at War, with magical elemental creatures, buildings that form out of the very fabric of reality and Heroes at his command against a never-ending horde of monsters. Not the reincarnation that he expected, but it's still better than working in an office cubicle.

After inadvertently triggering the start of Developmental Phase 4 with the destruction of The Citadel, Thaden learns from his squirrel companion, Sadia, what the Wildlands has in store for him and the other Contenders. Unfortunately, despite his incredible power as a largely solo healer, he quickly discovers that in order to succeed in the final Phase, numerous additional people will need to participate.

The gods should have agreed to fight the giants and let Ragnarök run its course and bring about the end of time. For a new world could only rise from the ashes of the old. But because the gods prophesied to die refused to take part, Yggdrasil - the World Tree - was forced to act before the stalemate led to the annihilation of the nine worlds and its very existence. And so I was born. One of the many seeds dispersed by the mighty World Tree, I was teleported through different planes and universes to find a new home where to settle.

Betrayed by the Gods, bearing unwanted Blessings which stain his soul with their foul divine taint, Orodan faces pursuit as the hostile divinities of Inuan seek to reclaim what they see as theirs. Dire odds, even for a time looper. And if unwanted godly attention wasn't enough, the ever-present threat of the Eldritch Avatar and the world's inevitable corruption draws nearer as always. Facing danger right from the beginning of each loop, Orodan must fight, die and repeat. Too bad he's never been one to quit; and never been one for planning and clever schemes.

Finding himself on the run from the law, Freddy will need a safe place to hide. His target? A borderline lawless subordinate territory of the Empire; a land of cruelty, vigilantism, and mountains of ice—the Northern Belt. Despite having acted in self-defense, Freddy knows that, should the law catch up with him, he stands no chance of being declared innocent. If he wants to remain free—or even alive—he needs to find somewhere he can hide long enough to bury the trail. His first choice ends up being the infamous, crime-ridden area of the Northern Belt.