About the Series
Scorio wakes in the ancient city of Bastion with no memory of his past life. He learns he is a Great Soul, one of the legendary defenders reborn to fight the city’s infernal foes, and that the Academy will train him with every privilege while he rediscovers his powers. Then he is betrayed, and the series follows his climb back from a death sentence toward vengeance and the truth about Bastion.
The series opens as an academy story and widens into a grim progression fantasy across the layers of hell, with faction intrigue and power that Scorio earns the hard way. Book 1 shares its title, Bastion, with the city at the center of the story, and many readers call the whole series Bastion.
This works for readers who want a dark academy-to-war progression story with a protagonist rebuilding from betrayal. Four books are out and the series is ongoing. The tradeoff: the tone is grim and the books are long, so the commitment is substantial. If you want a completed series, this isn’t it yet.
Reading Order
- Bastion (2021)
- The Rascor Plains (2023)
- LastRock (2024)
- The Lost Cube (2025)
If You Like This Series
- Cradle by Will Wight. Faster pace with similar “underdog in a ranked system” structure; less dark, equally satisfying progression
- Mother of Learning by nobody103. Rewards mechanical attention the same way; different structure (time loop) but similar intellectual satisfaction
- Iron Prince by Bryce O’Connor & Luke Chmilenko. Academy combat progression, similar “lowest-ranked becomes powerful” arc, sci-fi setting
- Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar. Cultivation with political depth and meaningful advancement choices
- Art of the Adept by Michael G. Manning. Methodical magic progression with political undercurrents; finished at five books