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Progression fantasy has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the major sources of male-written, male-marketed fantasy, popular on sites like RoyalRoad and KindleUnlimited.

If you’re a long-time fantasy reader, you may wonder whether progression fantasy is written well, with 3D characters, or if it just feels like video game fanfic with reader-inserts.

I tried 8 progression fantasy novels, and 3 of them are actually among my favorite reads of the past few years! I’ll break down what sets this subgenre apart and share some mini reviews of the ones I tried. I hope you find some great reads.

1. What is Progression Fantasy?
   1. Top 12 Progression and LitRPG Novels
   2. What’s the Difference Between Progression, LitRPG, GameLit, and Cultivation Fantasy?
2. Mini Reviews of 8 Progression Fantasy Novels
3. Common Complaints with Progression Fantasy
4. My Verdict: Give Progression Fantasy a Try!

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What is Progression Fantasy?

Progression fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that focuses heavily on the successive advancement of a character’s power, skills, and position. There’s usually a hard magic system (clear rules, limitations, and methods for training), with articulated benchmarks the character is trying to reach.

Goals can be external (unlock the next level of the tower, defeat the next boss) and internal (earn a new skill, expand my mana pool). Reading these stories offers the same satisfaction as checking off a to-do list, but much cooler! Readers march steadily along with the protagonist toward each goal, enjoying frequent, small-scale victories. That’s one reason this genre works so well in a serialized format.

Here are some of the most common tropes within this genre:

Top 12 Progression and LitRPG Novels

These are the 12 progression fantasy novels I’ve seen most discussed and ranked on Goodreads, r/progressionfantasy, RoyalRoad, and elsewhere.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Unsouled (Cradle #1) by Will Wight
He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon
The Primal Hunter by Zogarth

Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic
The Wandering Inn (The Wandering Inn #1) by Pirateaba
Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke
Into the Labyrinth (Mage Errant #1) by John Bierce

Defiance of the Fall by JF Brink
Iron Prince (Warformed: Stormweaver #1) by Bryce O-Connor and Luke Chmilkenko
Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe
Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer

What’s the Difference Between Progression, LitRPG, GameLit, and Cultivation Fantasy?

This is somewhat difficult to articulate, and doesn’t really matter so long as you can search for the books you want to read. As I understand it, there are essentially 4 categories – the umbrella term of progression fantasy, and the increasingly specific subgenres of LitRPG, GameLit, and Cultivation fantasy.

Progression

Many progression fantasy novels feel much like other high fantasy or urban fantasy, just with a greater specificity in the training sequences. Examples: Mark of the Fool and Mage Errant.

Some readers have even started using the term “progression-adjacent” fantasy to refer to “regular” fantasy that contains explicit advancements in individual power. For instance, the Knights Radiant in The Stormlight Archives have set levels of power, with oaths they must take to reach each. Lightbringer by Brent Weeks, The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher, and The Will of the Many by James Islington are also described as such.

LitRPG

LitRPG gained its name from tabletop role-playing and video games, and as such includes explicit game mechanics: user interfaces, popup notifications, experience points that can be put into different stats, named abilities that can be unlocked, and an inventory with endless holding potential.

Examples: Dungeon Crawler Carl and He Who Fights With Monsters.

GameLit

GameLit, on the other hand, refers to stories that actually involve games, whether the characters are sucked into a video game, or competing in a virtual reality. OR GameLit just features game elements and tropes like crafting, respawning, and dungeons. There is apparently still much disagreement on this, but the game mechanics are less detailed.

Examples: Ready Player One and Sword Art Online.

I took this to mean that GameLit feels more like watching a cut-scene in a game than arguing about rolls and hit point damage with your DM. I actually used to think it was the other way around – I thought LitRPG would feel like heroic quest fantasy, and GameLit referred to stories that use actual game systems. But this post in r/litrpg convinced me otherwise – I’m still relatively new to reading this genre, so I defer to them.

LitRPG = specific NUMBERS. GameLit = we’re IN a game OR the vibe is inspired by video games.

Cultivation

Cultivation fantasy is based off of Asian magic systems like mana, the search for immortality, and the use of martial arts and meditation to cultivate inner strength. This is called Xianxia (wuxia is a related genre), and is almost always in a historic setting.

Examples: the Cradle series and A Thousand Li: The First Step.

Mini Reviews of 8 Progression Fantasy Novels

I didn’t set out to “try the popular progression fantasy novels,” though I have read 4 of the 12 listed above. I organically stumbled into the genre through my interest in anime and Chinese dramas (*cough* Untamed/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), my foray into Webtoons (Solo Leveling), and browsing on KU for quick, entertaining reads.

I’ve listed these in the order I read them, and will share some brief thoughts, and mark which subgenre of progression fantasy they are!

Unsouled (Cradle #1) by Will Wight

My rating: DNF’d at 30% – 3 stars

I couldn’t get into this story. Probably because by the time I tried it, I had watched so much anime that it felt repetitive. It could be the setup to any number of shounen shows. There wasn’t anything about the main character that made me care about him. Aside from being clever, and really wanting power, there wasn’t much to him. He didn’t seem close with anyone either, and the lack of relational dynamics and stakes beyond, “but I want this,” made me feel ambivalent.

One of my best friends loves this series, especially the larger interconnected plot with mysteries and mind-blowing reveals. I wanted to keep reading to experience that, but there are so many books in the world. Virtuous Sons and Ironbound caught me in the very first chapter. Since there are books out there like that, I don’t like “slogging” through others in the hopes I’ll eventually connect with them.

Paranoid Mage by Inadvisably Compelled

My rating: 4.5 Stars!

I love Callum and his unique combination of practicality, paranoia about the government, and curious intellectualism. He embodies the best of what it means to be an American. Some readers might find the plot a little slow, since much of it orients around Callum’s discovery of his magic. I personally found this very satisfying, with intricate details about his experiments, based in his understanding of mathematics and physics. And it doesn’t take long for him to start tangling with evil vampires, fae, and mages, becoming a reluctant vigilante.

The writing felt clunky at times and some of the sentences run on and get rather technical. It improves as he goes, though, and I didn’t think it detracted much from the story. I also read it for free on Royal Road, and I don’t know if the author hired a copyeditor to clean it up before publishing it on Amazon.

Read the full review here.

Virtuous Sons by Y.B. Striker

My rating: 5 stars!

This story alternates between Griffin and Sol’s perspectives, both written in first person, which can take some getting used to. They’re the best warriors of their generation and they know it. As a result, they’re unbelievably audacious and delighted in the worthy challenge the other presents. I laughed so much while reading this story. Griffin is cavalier, spoiled, restless, and thirsty for a fight worthy of him. Sol is depressed, rigidly disciplined, aloof, and quietly confident in his own superiority. Sol starts out as the family’s slave, but that doesn’t last long, because Griffon wants him as his blood brother – so they both bust out.

Striker presents an alternate version of Mediterranean history – the gods are dead and their names have slipped from the minds of men. And Rome… got crushed? He also weaves in an alternate magic system based upon the Chinese cultivation. I tore through this book and the two sequels, and there’s definitely a massive mystery lurking in the background. The only thing I wished was different was the exposition dump at the start of each chapter. But this remains my favorite fantasy buddy story!

Read the full review here.

Rise of the Shadow Mage by James Haddock

My rating: 3 stars

This was a fun standalone to read in a night, but the main character was OP to the point of being flat. He had no weaknesses, made no mistakes, had no difficulty overcoming any of his problems, and picked up skills with little effort. There wasn’t really any character development here – just power development.

His magic was extremely powerful, but had no side effects or limitations. He picks up skills in such quick succession that we don’t get to enjoy them before he moves on to the next one. Each ability is really cool, but the fights are a letdown because no one stands a chance against him.

Still, I loved the leveling-up, the details of how he grows his business, and the humor of how he deals with his enemies, coming across almost as a trickster mage. If at least one of the enemy mages had put up a good fight, and given us a dramatic showdown, the ending would have been much more satisfying. A brain candy read.

Ironbound by Andrew Givler

My rating: 4.5 stars!

I enjoyed that Castor’s strengths lie in his leadership skills and practical cleverness. He gains astounding power too, but his foundation is still one of resourcefulness and people skills. I hate mc’s that have a cool, distant bravado, like nothing shakes them (*cough* Solo Leveling). In Ironbound, Castor wrestles with guilt, grief, the resentment of his friends, and the weight of secrets and oaths. He has arguments with his friends, makes mistakes, and has to find forgiveness and learn to trust his new commanders. This relational focus is what made this story so compelling for me.

I was also incredibly impressed by the pacing. These characters suffer a lot, but the author balances it with mini victories that make every part of the story satisfying. These characters have a meta enemy, but also smaller antagonists who break up the overall story. It’s rare for me to read a story where I felt like every chapter started and ended at just the right moment and every new problem and character came at the right time. I immediately read the sequel and am eagerly awaiting the third.

Read the full review here.

He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon

My rating: DNF’d at 44% – 3 stars

I don’t prefer the isekai trope or system interfaces, but I picked this one up (despite knowing both going in) because it’s one of the iconic works in this genre. And because it’s hard to find adult mc’s, rather than just coming-of-age stories. I actually really enjoyed the first arc here, especially the humor. And I liked that the world felt like a high fantasy world, not a game-inspired world.

I loved the banter between the party and the quirkiness of the mc. It’s rare to find a slightly awkward mc who’s also incredibly socially proficient in his own way. The opening conflict was a great mix of action, investigation, and leveling, but pretty soon we switched to a lot of info dump with the mc sitting in a city getting taught by his new friends (rather than learning on the job), and it honestly got kind of boring.

The Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke

Rating: 3 stars

This one’s a bit strange. The writing is bloated, and cutting 10K words would have dramatically improved the enjoyment of this story. By the end of the first book, I wouldn’t have really cared if any of the main characters died. Unlike another, shorter books on this list whose ending wrecked me. Yet, Mark of the Fool is highly bingeable. It’s a 10 book series, and I read 8 of them in one week despite continuing to feel like each one deserved only 3 stars (except 4 stars for book 6).

The pacing is all over the place, with some lectures in class, school competitions, and lunches with friends dragging on too long. But the action scenes are great, the dialogue between friends is witty and relatable, and it’s incredibly satisfying seeing Alex master various skills. Everything from sales techniques, body language, memorization techniques and speed reading, to sculpting and dancing. The variety is part of what kept me reading, I think, while at the same time I think Clarke could have cut out 1-2 entire books worth of content to focus more tightly on the intrigue of the meta plot, and the stakes of Alex’s relationships. I do mean to finish the series, so this just goes to show that a story doesn’t need to be a masterpiece to be a fun read.

Into the Labyrinth (Mage Errant #1) by John Bierce

My rating: stalled at 30% – will give another try

I liked this one and mean to go back to it. A magical library and a bullied young mage with a secret room behind the stacks. An eccentric professor who likes to walk backwards through the bookshelves as he lectures his students. It had a nice whimsy to it, and then it hit me in the feels without warning. There was a really intense scene of the mc isolating himself for 2 full days, not eating, because of his depression, and fears after a lifetime of neglect and abuse by his foster family. It had me tearing up when one of his new friends came in and helped him learn to trust a little.

Usually this genre is “fun and games” but I like it because there’s always more serious issues at play – bullying, trauma, grief, the burden of responsibility for the whole world, revenge, friendship unto death, and so on. However, I stalled while reading this one because the training was actually kind of vague, without the satisfying benchmarks and details that progression fantasy is known for. I imagine it’ll pick up once they start training for their final test, but the relationship development had stalled a little too. I’ll see if I can get back into it.

Common Complaints with Progression Fantasy

“B-Movie” Vibe

As with any genre, there are both strengths and weaknesses. This is a genre which prioritizes entertainment, cool action, and memorable heroes. Which doesn’t mean to say they can’t be moving and inspiring at times – just like the characters of Marvel and DC comics who have captured the world’s imagination for over a century.

Plenty of romantasy is brainless but full of feels, and plenty of progression fantasy is brainless but packed with aura farming, humor, and epic showdowns.

If you’re wondering where all the adventurous “boy books” went, especially in the young adult bracket, here’s where you’ll find them. Authors took their stories online since publishers wouldn’t buy them. But many of them, like Dungeon Crawler Carl and Cradle, were republished by traditional presses after they found great success.

Writing and Storyline Quality

The stories serialized online do tend to start out poorly written, but all early drafts do. The later iterations that have incorporated reader feedback and a freelance editor’s touch can be as polished as any other novel.

The greatest flaw with this plot format (leveling into extreme power), is that eventually nothing can challenge the main character. Fights can become boring and repetitive, and when the stakes are low, the emotional impact on the characters and readers diminishes.

I like OP characters, though, and often these worlds or civilizations are facing apocalyptic-level threats, so the mc ends up having to be that strong. What does bother me, and will make me drop a book, is if there is nothing to the character except his power.

2D Characters

Most of the protagonists in progression fantasy are 16-24 year old males who start out as resourceful, but kind of lame underdogs with a knack for making people like them. They have one burning desire and a lot of grit, like most shounen or YA characters, but don’t have much personality to set them apart from other young heroes.

That’s just a common issue with any coming-of-age books – part of the story is the character’s self-discovery. But the books I rated the highest have genuinely unique characters who approach the world differently, or develop compelling dynamics with other characters that make the story richer.

Female Characters

Another real complaint is how women are represented in this genre. They easily slip into “harem” territory. If you scroll through the “LitRPG and GameLit Bestsellers” list on Amazon, you’ll see plenty of book covers featuring anime girls with their breasts spilling out.

However, none of the books on this list had that issue, and ones like Mark of the Fool actually have a number of quite well-developed women who are significant to the plot. Just avoid the ones with those covers, just like you’d avoid romantasy with “bodice ripper” covers if you don’t want smut.

My Verdict: Give Progression Fantasy a Try!

You probably noticed that of the 8 books I tried, all were general progression or cultivation fantasy, except one LitRPG which I dropped. I’ve definitely started with the “softer” options that feel closer to regular fantasy.

I’ve read a lot of Webtoons and manhwa (and watched anime) with full-blown LitRPG elements (The Gamer, Solo Leveling, Demonic Tree, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), which I enjoyed in that format. But when it comes to reading novels, I prefer a greater sense of realism. The user interfaces tend to pull me out of the story a bit, and the worldbuilding doesn’t feel as natural.

It’s actually pretty hard to find progression fantasy without isekai, dungeon break, or a popup game system – except in Cultivation fantasy. Those are some of the most popular features of this genre. But they’re out there! If that’s what you want to start with, you can search with tags like “historical,” “kingdom building,” or “original world.” RoyalRoad lets you filter out tags as well.

These are my top 2 recommendations:

If you like ancient times, brotherhood, mystery, and coming-of-age, give Virtuous Sons a try! It’ll also introduce you to some cultivation elements without you having to learn a whole new mythic system (the hierarchy of Chinese immortals, demons, gods), because it’s based in Greece.

If you like contemporary fantasy, supernatural monsters, older mc’s (30), vigilante heroism, clever leads, and magic combined with science, give Paranoid Mage a try! The series is also complete, thank goodness!

Have you read any progression fantasy? What are your favorites?

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