Two debuts headline this week alongside new entries in five continuing series. Aaron Shih’s Brainpunch opens a superhero progression fantasy built around a single low-rank power used with lethal precision, and the Mana Mirror series reaches its fifth book with The Third Portal.
New Series
Brainpunch by Aaron Shih
Vivian gains a telekinetic power that lets her apply ten pounds of force at any point she can see. That ranks near the bottom of the hero registry on paper. Ten pounds placed inside a skull ends a fight for good, and her first night out leaves a man dead. Brainpunch is a superhero progression fantasy that follows her through a government hero program, college debt, and corporate handlers as she learns to aim a small ability at vital targets. Aaron Shih writes this for readers who like the grounded superhero progression of Super Supportive, the academy pressure of Iron Prince, and the moral weight of Worm. First book in the series.
Last Save Dave by Michael James Ploof
Dave Deranger is a middle-aged plumber, a former Nintendo champion, and an Olympic boxing silver medalist whose recent challenges run more toward quitting smoking. A childish deity named Tyme drafts him into an intergalactic scavenger hunt with Earth as the stake. He carries a 44-pound cast-iron pipe wrench and a save-and-reload mechanic: he can mark a checkpoint and return to it when he dies, as long as he holds the talismans that pay the cost. This is a comedic LitRPG, and the save mechanic gives the action a puzzle quality as Dave spends checkpoints to brute-force his way past problems. First book in a new series.
Continuing Series
The Third Portal by Tobias Begley
Mana Mirror is a progression fantasy that follows Malachi Baker, apprenticed to the occultist Orykson, who treats him as a useful instrument and sets steep conditions before granting real instruction. The magic rewards careful theory and experimentation, in the vein of Sarah Lin’s Weirkey Chronicles, with a setting closer to classic wizardry. The Third Portal is the fifth book and continues Malachi’s work toward mastery of his inherited craft. The series suits readers who want a magic system they can reason about and a protagonist who earns each step. Fifth book in the series.
Spell Weaver 3 by OverXelous
Alex builds magic from the ground up in this progression-focused LitRPG. Across the series he studies Mana Threads, and in this third volume he assembles a new framework he calls Spell Circles. The progression stays grounded in rules the reader can follow, with runes, party building, and steady gains in capability. Spell Weaver 3 is for readers who enjoy watching a character engineer a magic system and then stress-test it in combat. Third book in the series.
Industrial Mage 2 by Nectar
Ethan, an engineer from our world, wakes in the body of Theodore Lockheart, a disgraced and indebted noble. His edge is the ability to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct runes, which no one else in the setting can do. This isekai crafting LitRPG continues with dungeon incursions, court politics, tax collectors, and city building as he applies engineering logic to a world of skills and levels. Nectar writes it for readers who like a smart isekai protagonist with a crafting focus and kingdom-building stakes. Second book in the series.
All the Skills 6 by Honour Rae
All the Skills runs on a card-based magic system. Arthur collects spell cards and builds decks, growing stronger by assembling the right combinations around a Legendary card tied to him. The world sits under a sky of guardian dragons and their riders, which gives this deck-building LitRPG a Dragonriders of Pern texture. Book six continues Arthur and Horatio’s story for readers who like collectible mechanics and creature companions. Sixth book in the series.
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Wish Upon the Stars 12 by Malcolm Tent
This cultivation LitRPG gives its progression an unusual engine. Shane carries the bloodline of the Wishmaster and can grant wishes on a principle of equivalent exchange, trading one thing for another of similar worth. Cultivators here gain stats and skills based on how the world perceives their actions, so reputation and perception drive growth. Book twelve continues a long-running series for readers who want cultivation with a distinctive ruleset. Twelfth book in the series.
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