Science Fiction Litrpg

He thought it was the end, and his gun sat ready to make sure. But an oddball offer from his last friend comes at the literal last second. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he finds himself sucked into iNcarn8, a game claiming to be a whole new life. Now, as Montana, the larger-than-life tank warrior, he has one more last time to get his life right.

Cursed and dying, Thorn has landed at a crossroad. He can either give up and die, or walk a path he never wanted to touch. Reluctantly accepting that his only chance at life rests in corrupt magic, Thorn soon finds himself exploring a world of ancient mysteries, all while trying to hide his tracks from those who want to hunt him down. Pursued by bounty hunters intent on dragging him back in chains, Thorn soon discovers the plot is deeper than he thought. Even the Tardoff clan, one of the powerful challenger families, is intent on capturing him and extracting his knowledge of ancient runes.

Su Fang arrives in a realm of cultivation unprepared—no skills, no knowledge, and no backing. Like everyone else in this new world, he is given a blessing from the Heavenly Dao to help him success, but Su Fang's blessing isn’t power over the elements or mastery of profound arts. No, it takes a brutal lesson to teach him that he’s been ‘blessed’ with repetition. Every time he dies, he returns to the moment of his arrival. The young cultivator uses each reset to grind skills, refine his inner essence, and empower his very soul, using only the memories of countless failures.

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!

Vir is in chaos, and soon Amber will be at the center of it all. The Sacred Forest, that is Amber’s destination after her attempted exile in the capital. But her journey won’t be simple. The Black Rose wants her for an important plan that will happen at her destination. A plan that will endanger those involved, and unbeknownst to her draw the ire of an Archmage—a mage capable of using Level 400 magic. And as if that wasn’t enough trouble, a high-level member of the Arcane Council wants something from her.

Vainqueur Knightsbane is your average dragon: a giant, fire-breathing lizard who loves to take naps on his golden hoard, kidnap princesses for fun, and make the life of adventurers miserable. Vainqueur's only pleasure in life is to watch his treasure get bigger, one coin at a time. So when a would-be thief turned unwilling minion tells him about "classes," "levels," and "quests," Vainqueur wonders if maybe, just maybe, he should consider a career change. After all, why bother hunting monsters for free when you can get paid for it?

Randidly Ghosthound built a Class with his own hands. Although he may now Level and rapidly earn rare Skills, the System isn't done with him yet. As the final hurdle to becoming accepted by the System, Randidly must lead a group of Zone 32's best into the Raid Dungeon and complete the assigned Quests. What starts as a simple horde survival mission becomes complicated when the Creature begins meddling again with his Fate.

The battle of Hammon's Bog is over. The town is free, the undead destroyed, the Witches slain, and the surviving villagers are picking up the remains of their lives. Despite his scars and constant nightmares, Brin is doing his best to move on from the battle against the undead. He's looking to the future, but his past might not be done with him yet. Soon Brin will learn that not every Witch who tormented him is gone for good, and he won't be able to depend on Hogg and Lumina to protect him in places they cannot reach.

An Affinity. Most humans never get one, but the Goddess gives everyone the opportunity when they turn 16. With an Affinity, humans are given access to their internal energy and skills. Magical powers that allow you to interact with the world in ways you could never imagine. When Terrence receives his Affinity, he is shocked to discover it has never been seen before within the kingdom. Worse yet, his Affinity reinforces the thing he was made fun of for his entire life.

Efrem "Coleslaw" White is a video game tester and college student. He was on a tropical vacation with a diverse group of strangers, classmates, and friends when disaster struck. The next thing he knew, he was standing before a huge, floating man introducing himself as the god Dolos, and being given a second chance at life. There was a catch, though. There is always a catch.

What happens when you suddenly find yourself in a reality of untold possibilities, in a place where technology and magic are indistinguishable? Every game location is a transformed physical world connected to others through an interstellar network of portals. Every player "avatar" is a living physical body with incredible survival traits. Once in this dreamscape, it would be unwise to not seize the moment! There are, however, a couple of catches.

As the fight for Boran-al's Citadel draws to a close, Dave's learned one important lesson: To protect what he cares for, he's going to have to become stronger. He can't just sit back in Cliff-Hill and take things easy. Emerilia is filled with danger as well as possibilities. It's time that Dave becomes a Master Smith.

After growing far stronger throughout her time on Tartarus, Scarlet is finally ready to move on. To return to Earth. And to finally join the war between the humans and demons. But first she has to figure out how to return home. And to do that, she may have to take up a Demon Lord's offer. Will she be able to return and join the war? Or will she remain stuck on Tartarus?

Adam isn't isn't even given the chance to lick his wounds after a deep betrayal before a mysterious force pulls him into into a new, fantastical world. He doesn't mind much. Penniless, luckless, and aimless, Adam wasn't particularly fond of his old world anyway. Maybe this can be the fresh start he needs. First, he'll have to deal with being attacked by shadowy monsters, imprisoned by guardsmen, and pressed into service by the resident nobility. But unlike Earth...he's not entirely powerless.

Derek has saved villages and maybe even cities from overflowing dungeons. He later helped with the capture of one of the most despicable noblemen in the entire kingdom. After that, he, at the request of Prince Edgar, helped prevent upcoming danger by clearing a raid dungeon and keeping it from overflowing into the kingdom. Then, he and Silvi joined a war effort that began while he was clearing the dungeon.

Rising from the ashes, Ashlock fully accepts his new reality as a tree. However, he is still surrounded by an antagonistic demonic sect that is too big a threat to face by himself. With no way to run, he must stand his ground and fight. But not alone. It's time for him to gather dependable allies and form his own sect. But a sect is more than the sum of its people. Not only must he gather talented individuals, but he will also need to build a place he can proudly call home in this crazy world.

On Karell, you are either blessed by the gods, granted a unique power and the ability to gain experience and levels, or you are forgotten. Micah Silver was a boy picked for greatness. Chosen by the gods to bear a mythic power, he longed to take his place among the heroes and legends he grew up reading about.

When Alex joins Gamemakers Online, she finds there are no newbie areas, no tutorials, and nothing but vicious critters hunting her down. This seems like an impossible task, but Alex is a veteran platinum achievement hunter who has solved previously unwinnable scenarios. She won't give up now. As she delves deeper into the game, she discovers it hides sinister secrets. If she can't survive the first year in Gamemakers Online, then she'll lose more than her own life.

Sorry... Really? Thrust? Anyway, Danny Kendrick was a down-on-his luck performer who always struggled to find his place. He certainly never wanted to be a hero. He just hoped to earn a living doing what he loved. That all changes when he pisses off the wrong guy and gets sucked into a fantasy realm straight out of a Renaissance Fair.

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.