You’ve finished all the Dungeon Crawler Carl books.
Your reward? More books!
After devouring this hilarious yet thrilling series, you’re probably looking for more otherworldly stories featuring hapless main characters and their unconventional sidekicks. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with litRPG and sci-fi audiobook recs that will pull your heart strings, quicken your pulse, and even tickle a funny bone or two.
But before we get into that, let’s consider why we love stories like Dungeon Crawler Carl so much.
Unlike high fantasy or hard sci-fi, litRPG (and role-playing games in general) typically pair more serious concepts like corruption and good vs. evil with more hapless, realistic characters. Instead of “chosen one” style heroes who can do no wrong, you get a protagonist falling backwards into every challenge. Instead of grandiose warfare and political intrigue, you’re faced with puzzling dungeons and unlikely allies found along the way. Loftier themes are brought to eye level, showing the reader how universal their own struggles really are.
Explore the litRPG genre more in our blog, LitRPG Unwrapped: Crunchy vs. Creamy!
Don’t get us wrong, we love a good sweeping saga as much as the next person. But sometimes, a story will resonate more when it reflects a normal person’s life or struggles. An untouchable hero is certainly fun to read about, but they may not reflect what the reader feels or may be going through. And how about those wild adventures? It may sound really cool to fight against an all-powerful and infinitely corrupt hegemony, but a “regular” person may never get a chance to do something so drastic.
You’re probably thinking, “But isn’t that kind of the point?”
We would have to say yes and no.
Sure, the whole point of science fiction and fantasy is to escape into another world entirely. However, especially in times of socio-political unrest, it’s also important for the story to encourage and reflect the reader turning the page. For example, in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, Carl is just a normal guy who’s been thrust into a situation he had no control over. He and his feline sidekick, Donut, are forced to crawl through a series of dungeons for the entertainment of an alien race who’s invaded Earth.
They, along the misfit party they collect along the way, grow more relatable with each completed level because they don’t do anything perfectly or even on their own. Like the reader, they’re just trying to do their best with what they have to survive each day in this new reality.
Science fiction can play with characters and themes in a similar way. In Project Hail Mary, an award-winning space opera adventure from Andy Weir, the main characters never asked to be heroes. In this story, Ryland Grace, a junior high school teacher turned astronaut, wakes up with amnesia 12 light-years from home on a mission he’s likely doomed to fail. Nonetheless, he unwittingly becomes Earth’s final “Hail Mary” to save its sun from being consumed by a star-eating organism.
While on this mission, he encounters another intergalactic sojourner, affectionately named Rocky, whose unlikely alliance quickly becomes the heart of the story. As they connect with each other in spite of extreme biological and communication differences, Project Hail Mary becomes more than a cool science fiction story. Now, it’s a story about friendship, trust, and bridging the gaps between ourselves and those who are different than us in order to make the galaxy a better place.
You see, out-of-this-world stories don’t have to be so unlike our own lives to be effective “escapist” reads. In fact, the more commonplace aspects of both of these stories are what make them so special!
Read on for litRPG and fantasy audiobook recommendations that are available everywhere (on Earth) you like to listen!
LitRPG
Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Volume 1
Book #1 i the Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill series
Written by Ren Eguchi, narrated by Jason Vu
“Ginger-Fried Pork and the Legendary Beast”
Mukouda Tsuyoshi was nothing special in modern Japan…
So when he was summoned to a world of swordplay and sorcery, he thought he was ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Too bad the kingdom that summoned him only got him by mistake!
Dungeon Runner 1
Book #1 i the Dungeon Runner series
Written by Dustin Tigner, narrated by Jackie Meloche
In a virtual fantasy world made real, perilous dungeons hold untold loot. Can he exploit them for coin and save a destitute orphanage?
If you like unconventional dungeons, utility skills over combat, and youthful romance, then you’ll love Dustin Tigner’s exhilarating adventure.
Check out Dustin Tigner’s Arachnomancer series, starting with Wrong Divinity: Oh Sh*t! I F*cking Hate Spiders!
Technomagica
Book #1 i the Technomagica series (Book #2 coming soon!)
Written by Vitaly S. Alexius, narrated by Keith Brown
A terrible accident. A new fantasy World. A complex Magic System to master.
The life of a bio-weapons designer Vladislav Kerenski ends with a bang… only to be reborn in a realm of gods and monsters.
Don’t miss this new Progression Fantasy LitRPG—featuring a rational MC, giant monsters, wholesome moments, a detailed magic system, slow-build progression, and tons more!
Resonance
Book #1 i the D.E.D. Exorcist series
Written by Jonathan Smidt, narrated by Austin Rising
“A LitRPG Adventure”
D.E.D. Exorcists is the latest Augmented Reality mobile game focused on capturing, collecting, and training teams of Digitally Energized Demons. For an ordinary college student like Henry, who has always loved monster-taming RPGs, it looks like the perfect game. At least, until he downloads it.
Science Fiction
Practical Guide to Evil
Book #1 i the Practical Guide to Evil series
Written by David Verburg, narrated by Amber Dekkers
The Empire stands triumphant.
For twenty years, the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this golden age, threats to the empire are rising. One of those threats is an orphaned girl living in the heart of the conquered lands.
Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.
Of Monsters and Mainframes
Written by Barbara Truelove, narrated by A Full Cast!
Spaceships aren’t programmed to seek revenge—but for Dracula, Demeter will make an exception.
Demeter just wants to do her job: shuttling humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri. Unfortunately, her passengers keep dying—and not from equipment failures, as her AI medical system, Steward, would have her believe. These are paranormal murders, and they began when one nasty, ancient vampire decided to board Demeter and kill all her humans.
Sunken Spaceship
Book #1 i the Sunken Spaceship series
Written by Anthony J. Melchiorri, narrated by Paul Heitsch
Ex-Army paratrooper Griffin Fin Brooks thought he left danger behind when his battlefield injuries forced him to pursue a new career in marine biology.
But one fateful night off the coast of South Africa, a ship nearly crashes into him and his loyal golden retriever, Jacques. Not just any ship. A starship.
Though its alien pilot is dead, the rare extraterrestrial animal inside is not.
Annihilation Aria
Book #1 in the Space Operas series
Written by David Verburg, narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla & Caitlin Kelly
Max is a cheery xeno-archeologist from Earth, stranded and trying to find a way home. Lahra is a stern warrior of a nearly extinct race, searching for her peoples heir. Wheel is the couples cybernetic pilot, running from her past and toward an unknown future.
On Wheels ship the Kettle, the trio traverses the galaxy, dodging Imperial patrols and searching ancient temples and ruins for anything they can sell.
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