The week’s new releases land on June 16 and 17. The one debut is Uranium Phoenix’s The Years of Apocalypse, a time-loop progression fantasy that built a following on Royal Road and now arrives in print, joined by new entries in four continuing series.
New Series
The Years of Apocalypse by Uranium Phoenix
Mirian Castrella is a senior at a magical academy, training as an artificer to bring in money her family needs. An invading army ends that plan when it launches a surprise attack on her country, and Mirian dies. Then the day starts over. The Years of Apocalypse is a time-loop progression fantasy that hands her repeated runs at the same stretch of days, which she spends building magical skill, mapping the invasion, and working out why she keeps dreaming about the Elder Gods. The loop rewards careful study and planning the way Mother of Learning does, with a school setting and a long arc ahead of it. Uranium Phoenix wrote it as a Royal Road serial, and Aethon now publishes it in print and Kindle. First book in the series.
Continuing Series
Return of the Runebound Professor 9 by Actus
Noah Vines died on Earth and woke in the body of Vermil, inheriting the man’s runic talent and his long list of enemies. Resurrection drives the series: when Noah dies, his body reforms, so lives work as a currency he can spend. The magic gives the reader real rules to track. A practitioner inscribes seven rank-one runes in the soul, fuses them into one rank-two rune, and repeats, so the combinations a character chooses matter. Noah merges Vibration, Wind, and Ash into Pyroclastic Resonance, which lets him drive wind and ash with a whistle. Book nine continues a long progression fantasy by Actus, who also writes Vigor Mortis and Stray Cat Strut. Ninth book in the series.
Skill Eater 4 by Magnus Grey
Edge starts at the bottom of the food chain. A magical disaster drops him into a monster-infested wilderness, and a Core called Skill-Eater gives him his route up: he can take the skills of the monsters, beasts, and people he beats. Cores let their holders use the planet’s magic here, Skills grant superhuman abilities, and kaiju roam the wilds. The Skill Devour mechanic charges a price each time he uses it, which keeps his growth from coming free. Book four continues Magnus Grey’s action LitRPG for readers who like scavenging, bottom-up progression and a protagonist who fights for every advantage. Fourth book in the series.
Rules of Biomancy 2 by NJ Buller
Elijah spent close to fifty years with his Core sealed, running a quiet alchemy shop at the edge of the slums and drawing no attention. Two young people left half-dead in an alley change that. He unbinds his magic to save them, which puts a powerful biomancer back in the open. Rules of Biomancy is a LitRPG built around a healer whose biomancy works through plants and the body, and book two follows what happens once Elijah stops hiding. NJ Buller writes it for readers who want a healing-focused magic system and a high-level protagonist deciding when to act. The series is planned at three books. Second book in the series.
Apocalypse Unleashed 3 by Chris Ford
Aiden works against a clock in this apocalypse LitRPG. His immortal Patron is holding on inside the Void, and if she slips, Aiden and Leyla die with her. Book three adds a request to free Tiamat and Kyriall from their eternal duties, plus a warmonger whose actions make the job harder. Apocalypse Unleashed runs on system mechanics and divine patronage, and the stakes climb as Aiden’s obligations stack up. Chris Ford, who also writes Dungeon Shop, aims this at readers who like apocalyptic system progression with gods and patrons in play. Third book in the series.
For series you can read start to finish, see our running list of completed Gamelit series. To get this roundup and our recommendations by email, sign up for the newsletter.