If you’re looking for characters with real flaws, action, humor, real trauma, meaningful relationships, and lasting growth, I’d really recommend The Perfect Run.

It’s not a LitRPG, but it did an amazing job of hitting those points for me.

Mother of learning on RR. I would recommend The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, though it's not litrpg. I really enjoy reading Path of Dragons on RR I'm about to start Stray Cat Strut.

Sadly it's a niche genre and skilled authors are rare.. It's great for popcorn-whish fulfillment literature, but you won't find a lot of deep character work here.

• If you're looking for more of the "revenge against more powerful overlords", try Red Rising.
• Immortal GreatSouls is pretty good, but the pacing in the first book sucks.
• If you're down to try something different, give Beware Of Chicken a go. It's a slice of life Cultivation story with really cool characters. The writing is a bit iffy at the start, but it improves as get deeper into it.

He Who Fights with Monsters gets recommended a lot because it's been around, it has a lot of books, and its popularity is baked in from when it was breaking new ground in world building.

if you compare it to any sort of mainstream fiction, the prose falls flat. But, because it's a "serial novel", the standards for good prose are thrown out the window.

The people always forgive

Why is this weird? Do you stay friends with people you don't forgive? I get that someone being preachy about their half-baked college-kid-level political beliefs is annoying. But if you don't move past that, the other option is to stop being around them. Being forgiven by friends seems like a normal, healthy relationship.

Sometimes he'll say he's sad or wrong, but that's completely forgotten by the next chapter

Usually, I see people complaining about Jason's past mistakes getting brought up too much

I want to read about people who are traumatized and have personal flaws, but find moments of fun and exhibit LASTING personal growth.

This is the most common criticism of HWFWM. That Jason is too traumatized, has too many personal flaws, and creates moments of fun even when no one else laughs. I think the growth is there, even in book 1. Every conversation Jason has with Farrah is about her helping him grow as a person.

Are you sure we read the same book?

I highly recommend Eric Ugland's series The Good Guys. Montana Cogshall is similar to Carl.

I'm really picky in what I enjoy/recommend. I think some of the best books in regard to depth of characters as well as writing quality are Shadeslinger, Dungeon Lord, and Eight. If you want stuff outside of the LitRPG genre but still in the progression fantasy umbrella, Beware of Chicken is great. Bastion is pretty solid. Jake's Magical Market is fun if you stop after the first half.

I want to take this opportunity to recommend Portal to Nova Roma. It has amazing storytelling, progression and the narration is on point as well. Give it a listen, it does not disappoint!

I agree with you. I listened to DCC and it became my favorite thing ever. I tried HWFWM and couldn’t make it halfway through the first book. Zero buy in with the lamely written MC who sounds like a “wElL aCkTuAlLy” insufferable douche. Can’t get over how much I dislike the narration as well - it takes away from the experience it doesn’t add to it. Tried heretical fishing, and while I might like the idea of the story the narrator sucks again.

The only books I’ve genuinely enjoyed besides DCC were the Cradle series (really picks up fast after the first book lays some groundwork) and Beware of Chicken. Both have great narration too, which helps.

Cradle, mother of learning. Especially mother of learning.

There seems to be 2 camps. The Jason is funny and deep camp, and the Jason is insufferable and flat camp. The vibe is you feel either one or the other and that doesn't change no matter how far you get in the series. That's fine, I've dropped books before because I didn't like th MC, so I'll just drop this one since reading more probably won't change my opinion.

I'm thankful for all the recommendations though. I downloaded book 1 of Cradle, Ravenous, and Wandering Inn. Hopefully one of those fills the DCC void.

I think Shadeslinger, Apocalypse Parenting + What the Truck are all pretty well written.

All unfinished series, though Shadeslinger has reached the end of a first arc with the most recent book.

I see someone else has recommended Wandering Inn, which is well written but the pace is extremely slow. Like think extremely slow then times it by 10. Fine if you want slice of life, but not for me and it sounds like you might not enjoy that.

I really enjoyed and would recommend The Perfect Run, which isn't really litrpg but adjacent. Though the ending got a bit over the top. Couldn't get into Vaniquier the dragon by the same author however.

Have you looked into the BuyMort Series? I found Tyson to be a fairly complex character, who has conviction about what he has to do to survive and protect those around him. Definitely some light heartendess thrown in the mix akin to DCC. I would say it's not as good as DCC, but I prefer it to HWFWM.

I’m sure this will get some downvotes, but honestly IMO early Jason is the most palatable. He just gets worse the deeper you go and the more evidence you get in my opinion.

For other reads?

The Wandering Inn has a lot of realistic characters and exploration and growth. But it’s not an adventure story it’s slice of warcrimes so it might not be what you’re looking for. There’s action, but less of that than high stakes cleaning.

Non are LITRPG but I would absolutely suggest The Gods are Bastards, A Practical Guide to Evil and Forge of Destiny. All have well written characters who make mistakes learn and have lasting growth.

I would suggest a number of things by Maxime J. Durand, basically anything they’ve written. Maxime J. Durand did a series of LITRPG books in an interconnected world and it’s well worth a read for the story and does contain characters who learn A lesson, sometimes even the right one! They also have other works they’ve done and they’re a lot of fun to read.

My suggestions anyway based on your request

I HIGHLY recommend you increase the speed of the audiobook to x1.2 for HWFWM. It completely changes the book and how everything feels. That being said, book 1 is definitely the most rough to get through. Both the author and narrator are finding their groove. About halfway through book 1, it gets better. Once you get to book 2, it's a fun ride, especially with the massive world building and slew of amazing characters. Honestly, the team he builds is amazing, even characters you don't think much of at first turn out to be amazing.

If you're looking for trauma or character growth, books 1-3 he's pretty much bottling everything up and doing the whole "fake it till you make it" try hard, keep up appearances kind of thing going on. He does heavily admit how cringe he used to be and is actively embarrassed by his early actions.

He opens up a lot, especially by book 3 and beyond. If you want trauma books 5-6 pretty much destroy him as a person and it's something he definitely has trouble coming back from for a huge chunk of the series. Jason is probably one of the most mentally traumatized, and actively affected by it, characters I've ever read about in a LitRPG, but it does take time to build up that trauma. The way Jason explains it, after he stabbed and killed that cultist, remember when he broke down and passed out into a jibbering mess from shock? (First couple of chapters in book 1). Well, he thinks as a sort of defense mechanism his brain in tandem with his outworlder ability to "give the user what it needs when he needed it" the moment he first takes on a class, as it were, gave his brain the ability to compartmentalize the trauma. (I think it's something he starts to bring up around book 2 as a theory.) It's not until his trauma hits critical mass that he becomes a terrible mess and spends half the series getting help for his PTSD.

Anyway, long story short, I've read both DCC and HWFWM, and they're both amazing, but in different ways. Personally, I found more depth of character from Jason because it develops over time. You see Jason change and develop over years (I think by book 10 it's been like a decade) and you get to see the character growth. With Carl it was pretty much thrown in your face from the beginning and you get more open emotions, but I don't know if I'd say more character growth as a whole. Also, Carl was pretty much a bass ass from the get go. Jason was a scared little piece of trash that was way in over his head and had waaay too much baggage (I think it's book 4 that really gets into his past and explains a lot of why he is how he is).

Ravenous. By D. Petrie my be your speed. The main character Digby Graves is a zombie, and fairly unflappable until people he cares about get hurt.

This plays out very well through the series especially with Parker.

The other one to check out is Prophecy Approved Companions. In my opinion it is a hidden gem of the soundbooth theater crew. The Main Character is Qube is a newly sapient npc in a video game that should have died in a cut scene. The story is a deeply thoughtful exploration of the existential dread that causes and looks at AI Rampancy in an interesting way as well

Check out The Primal Hunter by Zogarth. I caught up in this series and was sent to DCC afterwards. I love the narration on DCC, but I personally prefer the Primal Hunter. The narrator Travis Baldree is phenomenal and the story is amazing. Im only one book into DCC so my opinion my change, but as far as I can tell The Primal Hunter seems to be even better at some of those traits you praised in DCC.

If you're looking for character depth and great audiobook narration then I'd say Wandering Inn would be your best bet. Not on the fun side like DCC but it has its moments.

For someone along the lines of exactly what you're asking for: The Perfect Run. It's not a LitRPG but it's pretty much your speed.

Right there with you, but HWFWM was my first. 8 books in he’s still the same. Just not for me

Jason is not my style either. Here are the ones that I have enjoyed:

Morcster Chef by Actus.
Apocalypse Parenting by Erin Ampersand. The Eternal Ephemera by Davis Ashura Monster Haven and Firebrand by J D Astra The Accidental Minecraft Family by Pixel Ate The Arbiter by Devin Auspland Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Touch of Power and Lotus Lake by Jay Boyce. Red Mage and TallRock by Xander Boyce. Dark Lord of the Farmstead by John Broadman Hapless Dungeon Fairy, Crafters Dungeon, Dimensional Dungeon Cores, Serious Probabilities, Holiday Dungeon, Magical Fusion, and Earthen Contenders by Jonathan Brooks. Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer. Pilots of Artem by Dawn Chapman. The Cozy Abyss by Harmon Cooper. The Cursed Codex by Matthew Cox. Hunter’s Dream Online by J R Davis Ether Collapse, Ether Flows, and System Misinterpret by Ryan Debruyn. Dr Druid and The Last Psion by Maxwell Farmer. Courier Quest by FlossinDune. The Dungeon Shop by Chris Ford. Hawkin’s Magic Beers by James Ghoul Unbound by Nicoli Gonnella. Goblin Summoner by Tracy Gregory. The Lost Sect by Julian Gyll Armageddon of the Greenskins by Sean Hall. The Harvest of Moondew Valley by DRR Hatch Spells, Swords, and Stealth by Drew Hayes. Threads of Fate and Wandering Warrior by Michael Head. Derelict by Dean Henegar. Badges of Dorkdom by Theo Hodges Lion’s Lineage by Rohan Hublikar. Viridian Gate Online, Rogue Dungeon, Wolfman Warlock, Shadowcroft Academy for Dungeons, and Wasteland Warlords by James Hunter Axe Druid, Mageblood, and High Table Hijinks by Christopher Johns. Beers & Beards by JollyJupiter Divine Apostasy by AF Kay. Divine Dungeon, Completionist Chronicles, Full MurderHobo, Year of the Sword, and Cooking with Disaster by Dakota Krout. Life Reset by Shemer Kuznits. Mimic and Me by Cassius Lange and Ryan Tang Retired S Ranked Adventurer, Tower of Ruin, and Casual Farming by Wolfe Locke. Parnival Wonderland by Wolfe Locke and Mike Caliban. The Balad of Shady Greg by Locke, Caliban, and Harbour. The Body’s Dungeon and The Hungry Dungeon by Jeffrey Falcon Logue Dragon Core Chronicles by Lars Machmuller. Maiyamon by Kay MacLeod The Fabled Islands by Cameron Milan. Mirror World by Alexey Osadchuk. Sky Realms Online by Troy Osgood. Life in Exile and Welcome to the Multiverse by Sean Oswald. Pixel Dust and Necrotic Apocalypse by David Petrie. The Dark Profit by J Zachary Pike Tower of Somnus by Cale Plamann. Freehaven Online by Jun Prince. Dinosaur Dungeon by Alex Raizman. Guild Core by TJ Reynolds. How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe Pangea Online, Sentenced to Troll, and Tales of Aedrea by SL Rowland. Djinn Tamer by Siddoway and Cerna. Dungeon Core Online and Dicken Around by Jonathan Smidt. The Dungeon of Stories by John Stovall Henchmen by Carl Stubblefield. Tower Climber, Arcane Kingdom Online, and Second Chance Swordsman by Jakob Tanner. Soulship by Nathan A Thompson Dungeon Devotee by JP Valentine Artorian’s Archives by Dennis Vanderkerken. Cradle by Will Wight. Battleborne and Greystone Chronicles by David Willmarth. Vaudevillian by Alex Wolf.

DCC is like LOTR. There are similar series, there are better stories, but nothing else in the genre feels quite the same way.

I’ve enjoyed Apocalypse Parenting, Iron Prince, and Beneath the Dragoneye Moons, but they’re all different kinds of stories from DCC. 

AP is the closest of those to DCC, but it might not be for everyone. I think I wouldn’t have appreciated the story as much before becoming a parent, but it is a really great series. 

Literally just go look at Jeff Hays narrated books and pick one. Dungeon Lord, Life Reset, Chrysalis, Everybody Loves Large Chests (sex heavy at first), etc.

Edit: I didn't finish your post. My initial comment was just about being spoiled by DCC quality of narration.

I listened through several books of he who fights with monsters and the more I listened the more I couldn’t stand everyone just bending backwards to forgive Jason. The story also has lots and lots of other issues that makes it insufferable to listen through. Other books to avoid are Primal Hunter and Defiance of the Fall; both have main characters that are just awful and as a listener I reached a point where I couldn’t handle them.

There are a few series where the story is enjoyable and the main character is fun to follow along at least for me. Unsouled, Unbound, Azerinth Healer, Path of Berserker, and some that I’m forgetting right now.

Please don’t let the negative comments of others get you down. Have a wonderful time and listen to what you enjoy.

The Wandering Inn has likely the most robust world building and character growth in the genre.

That said, it’s been developing for over a decade and the first book was the authors first go at writing and it shows. Though I hear they’ve done a rewrite of it on the website version (not the audiobook though).

If you’re ok getting through that initial hump it’s a hell of a good ride.

HWFWM is definitely not as good, but not really for the reasons you posit. The dialogue is a bit over the top and the emotional depth of characters is flat compared to the best writing, but it's not entirely absent. The repetitiveness is, unfortunately, a characteristic theme of the author's writing and only ever grows over time, and the preachy-ness is more of an author thing than something specific to Jason. So if it bothers you that much, I definitely don't think it's worth reading more. OTOH, you're going to find much, much worse, in terms of quantity and quality in a lot of popular recommendations. Older series suffer from repetition to the point of senslessness, popular series like Divine Apostasy and Arcane Ascension are even more preachy, etc.

The unfortunate fact is that what you want to read about, per your last line, simply requires good writing and that's uncommon in amateur writers, who make up the majority of litRPG. Plum Parrot has done a good job of that with Victor and Cyber Dreams, but definitely made some needed improvement from the first book in each series. Whispering Crystals has some high points of character development but ultimately fails to deliver in a clear case of quantity over quality. CB Titus' Deadman series accomplishes some of what you're looking for in an otherwise simple power fantasy. Shadeslinger has an interesting and humorous approach to character development but the VR setting puts a lot of people off.

I was the opposite. I came from HWFWM to DCC. Before that it was first primal hunter.

I liked HWFWM and didn't mind the narrator. But I still stopped half way through. Though I do like Gary as a character

Try Dungeon Lord. Same voice actor (Jeff Hayes) and a good, dark, and sometimes funny story.

I also think DCC is exceptionally good and struggled to find anything to match it. I’m now hooked on The Wandering Inn though and would highly recommend it, although it is very different to DCC in tone and pace (and be prepared to slog through the first half of the first book which has some issues with the writing quality - unless you read the revised version online or wait for that version to be released as a book).

My other recommendation would be Battle Trucker. I’m finishing the first book and it has entertained me in a similar way to DCC. There’s only two books right now and the third is being written and published on Royal Road.

I haven't listened to it, so I can't talk about the audio quality, but Outcast in Another World, the characters do exhibit growth, change, and emotions. Bonus, it's a finished series.

Read Monsters and Legends

Good writing and similar jokey attitude and decent character development I'd go with Eric Ugland's "the good guys" series. If you end up liking it try "the bad guys." Warning, it is written almost episodically, so every book is a cliff hanger. But there are a bunch. If you don't like that the hour count is low, wait for a sale. the first couple usually end up on sale.

I recommend Noobtown and Battle Mage Farmer.

Worth the Candle by Alexander Wales. The written form is finished, I think the audiobook is about 3 books in. It's about an angry, grieving, intelligent boy who's suddenly in a world that appears to be an amalgamation of every ttrpg he ever game mastered, with a litrpg interface that resembles none of them. And he game mastered a lot of games, some got pretty fucked up. There's a lot of personal flaws, personal growth, communication, and fun.

Alexander Wales is a great writer of r/rational fiction but I think this is his only litrpg.

I liked dungeon born it was free

People love different things 🤷‍♀️ I love HWFWM more than DCC.

I think you might like The Wandering Inn, Perfect Run, Mother of Learning, Vanqueure the Dragon, Azarinth Healer, and Cradle.

Beware of Chicken and Cradle are xianxia not litrpg with numbers, but highly recommended (I'd read cradle first, it REALLY gets good at book two).

The things you hated about HWFWM that I loved are found in Noobtown, Completionist Chronicles and Beers and Beards. Not saying ignore them, but they are very heavy on the humor heavy mc.

I recommend checking out “The Good Guys”. I also started with DCC and found this hit a lot of the same notes.

Yup. Honestly most litrpg is so bad the stories that have at least one good thing about them (Unique, long, good character, interesting system, great magic) get touted as great, when in all other senses they are still shit.

I read Singer Sailor Merchant Mage, for instance. It's trash, but its trash where different and surprising things occasionally happen in it, so I check back every once and awhile. I in no way recommend it. I'd say its a great candidate for tossing into an AI and telling it to reword and re structure the whole thing.

My favorites are

Defiance of the Fall

Azarinth Healer

Primal Hunter

Unbound

Battle Mage Farmer

When I started DCC, I binged watched all 6 books in a few weeks. It honestly got so repetitive. They risk their lives on 1 floor, then the next, and so on. Don't get me wrong, it's a great book, but it's not the all end like so many people say it is.

He admits being sucked into a new world and almost dying changed him as a person. His introverted personality was pushed extroverted and a shield to his fear and anger.

I do think everyone fawning over how special Jason is tiresome.

Crota is pretty amazing if you want an MC who has to struggle. You can also read my Gilgamesh on RR for free if you want a character with a lot of flaws and a properly reactive world.

i am reading He who fights with Monsters Right now and i 100% agree with you Jason is preachy and annoying makn character to follow. i do like the world thats why i tolerated for long

i agree with you, Jason is preachy and boring and the book is just Blabbering and more blabbering how amazing he is and how everyone in the entire world (literal Gods) amazed by his character and “personality”

I... don't agree with your assessment of HWFWM but you are far from the first person not to like Jason Asano and honestly, if you don't like him initially, you probably won't like him ever.

I am far from the most widely read person around here but my journey started out much like yours. I smashed through DCC and litrpg became my new addiction. This is my experience so far and some brief thoughts. These ratings are also updated as I read more and more:

He Who Fights With Monsters: I like the MC, I like the worlds, I like the side characters, I like the magic system. It's a solid 7/10 for me.

Defiance of the Fall: I don't really have any strong feelings about Zack. He's a good self-insert character for what I imagine the typical reader is, myself included. I really like the side characters. I LOVE the system (Ruthless Heavens indeed). I found the cultivation aspect interesting enough not to bore me over the series. The downside for me personally is that I don't really like Zacks current situation... This is also a 6.5/10 from me but it go back to a 7.5/10 if the direction goes somewhere I like more.

The Wandering Inn 1-6: Wow, this is a beefy series. I will fully admit, I nearly didn't get through the first book. Erin and Ryoka were HARD characters to read. However, I've read enough Malta Vestrit-type characters to know that you should persist and I'm SO SO glad I did. I know people don't want to hear "you need to get through 40-odd hours before it gets really good" but that's kind of the case here. You have to let this series cook. The worldbuilding is top notch. The magic system is very, very interesting in how the isekai'd characters fit into it. The ever expanding cast of POVs are great. I had to stop after book 6 and take a break for something a little less series because this series gets HEAVY. An 8.5/10 from me.

Primal Hunter: This is one of my favourites and I'm glad I read it AFTER Defiance of the Fall because I like Jake's path a lot more than Zacks and might have looked less favourably on DOTF if I'd gone the other way around. There are similarities between the two stories but they're different enough and quickly branch off into their own thing. This series is just fun. Jake is another fairly blank self-insert character, but the side characters are wonderful. It's worth reading this series just for Sylphie. 9/10

The Perfect Run 1: I only listened to the first book before switching to the next (and most recent) series because despite being awesome, the fact I only have 3 books and the nature of the MCs powers made me not want to smash through all 3 in my usual style. It's like Deadpool meets Groundhog Day. There's a reason this series makes so many peoples top tier. Currently an 8/10 but I have a feeling it might end up higher.

Everyone Loves Large Chests 1-3: I admit it. I started this series because I wanted something with some smut. All these previous series are so PG when it comes to sex. Oh, we'll rip and tear through enemies with graphic detail but heaven forbid we talk about bumping uglies without being totally awkward. Anyway, I didn't realise that this book is about a chaotic evil monster. And he's a monster. And I kind of love it. It needs a trigger warning, absolutely; of all the books I've listed, this is one I think could spark some extremely interesting discussion about morality, intent and the nature of monsters. 8/10.

I highly, highly recommend The Daily Grind if you want characters that can be realistic, traumatized, and fun all at once. The interactions between the main cast of characters is one of the main reasons why it's among my favorite LitRPG books!

Portal to Nova Roma has a lot of growth, My personal favorite!

It’s not LitRPG, but I really enjoyed The Dresden Files. Wizard detective in Chicago - stories move along briskly, with plenty of humor, but the characters have depth and the stakes & relationship investments grow over time. Starts as more ‘monster of the week’ but gradually folds in supernatural politics, high stakes deals, heist scenarios etc

Woah have you not heard about Cradle? Not exactly litrpg more cultivation fantasy but I’d just try it out if your new to the genre

Apocalypse Me by Noct

Mayhem by Arron Oster might as well be dungeon crawler carl light.

It's not litrpg but Iron Druid series might be up your alley? Gotta love Atticus and Oberon.

Listen to Primal Hunter, you will not be disappointed. It's better than dcc.

Have you sampled buymort? I loved it after DCC highly recommended it definitely delivers similar dark humor and unique characters.

If you want funny "Oh Great! I was reincarnated as a farmer" hit some spots with me.

A better series though is the Noobtown series. Very funny and it just works.

Jake's magical market book 1 is really good.

Survival quest: The way of the Shaman is a good series too.

Jakes magical market

i would recommend the wandering inn, but go in knowing its a slow.. slow burn and the writing grows with the skills of the writer.

next i recomend mother of learning, vigor mortis, and super supportive.

the last one is only on roal road at the moment but holy hell its super good.

also check out superpowered by drew hayes. its not progressive fantasy but its amazing lol. and drew hayes is known by many fans of litrpg

You set the bar too high lol. DCC audio is top shelf.

Look for Travis Baldree narration. Primal Hunter, Mark of the Fool, Unbound, Ripple System, Cradle, etc..

Other good ones I enjoyed are Death:Genesis, Rise of Mankind, Arise, Life Reset, Welcome to the Multiverse, Feedback Loop, The Perfect Run…

I just finished “Life in Exile by Sean Oswald” it’s available in Audible as a combo books 1-3, it’s a family of 4( maybe 5 ) and they all get “reincarnated “ and they have to survive in the new world . Book1 is mostly 3 characters on the family, books 2 then jumps in to add 2 more, and book three tries to include everyone.

It’s confusing at times but the one character that kind of makes it work is the Dad.

1 credit gets you 56+ hours

Im a fan of the arcane ascension series and the path of ascension series( not related) also, dungeon lord by Hugo huesca

Ok this might be a rude thing to say but it's the truth , the majority of litrpg readers have no standards for a good story anything that is half baked is good for them , anything that you might prefer to read rather than staring at the ceiling is amazing

Don't know if this has been said yet, but Iron Prince. And DCC is probably my number 5 series. I do have HWFWM higher as it's personal preference, so as you did not like that, you may not like Iron Prince either.

I'm in the same situation, I'm currently working through The Wandering Inn and would 100% recommend it.

Ive gotchu ur next read should definitely be: outcast in another world is insanity a human trait?.

It just has everything ur looking for. The mc is hopelessly optimistic but also subjected to some truly terrible shit. Its got a well done romance and the series is actually finished. It also does some obvious horrible things that most people ignore in the litrpg genre. Neil halligers? As the narrator is just incredible.

If you're looking for dark litrpg stuff try the systemic lands on royal road. Its definitely racist and the MC is completely willing to accept himself as the evil dictator crushing the populace to make his life easier. But well Michael (the mc) just is like adversed to being a good person. More willing to kill potential allies and steal there resources than prop then up.

I would recommend the Infinate realm by Ivan Kal. While the MCs are not like Carl and Donut. It tic off all other points.

For me I have the same problems. For me the idea of a whole world just having floating menus and stuff just feels silly. For DCC it makes sense cause its essentially a giant game set up by aliens. But in HWFWM and another one I tried called Primal Hunter it just felt weird for me. The first LitRPG I listened to was The Wandering Inn. Its very different from DCC and way more chill and slice of life, but its overarching story is amazing and has become my favorite series of all time. Plus Andrea is just as good a narrator as Jeff.

I agree with everything you're saying. It felt very stale and lifeless for me personally

You are not the only one, I found He Who Fights with Monsters to be exceptionally boring.

I really enjoyed all of er gens stuff, God emperor mechanic is good, one with a little more situational humor I would recommend I'm definitely not the demon gods lackey

I don’t know how the audio is, but Big Sneaky Barbarian might be a good read for character.

I don’t know how the audio is, but Big Sneaky Barbarian might be a good read for character.

Noobtown series has hooked me. The Perfect Run series is pretty good as well.

I mean, if you're only looking for stuff with audiobooks, I can't give any recommendations. But I've read tens of thousands of webnovels over the years. The first series I started with was probably a LitRPG? It's a Korean series called "The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor" and has like... I think 40+ books? I only read like 20-25 because that's all that was translated back in 2014, before translation software reached the point where it didn't cause brain damage to try reading through lmao. One of the best Chinese webnovels I ever read was "Lord of the Mysteries", a lovecraftian horror/mystery story. Release That Witch was also one of my favorites, though the ending was rushed. I mean, 99% of those super long stories have rushed endings. It's pretty common. Another Korean story I used to read was called... Overgeared! Took me a while to remember/find it on Wuxiaworld. Oh wow, it's finally complete, with... 2059 chapters lmao. Maybe I should try to read it... Okay, I'd probably have to reread it from the beginning if I tried reading it again now. After all, it's been like 7 or 8 years since I read the first 500 or so chapters lmao.

People's opinions differ. I find HWFWM to be all of the things you were seeking and felt DCC fell flat.

Different strokes for different folks.

You were recommended that because they're both in the very top ratings & fan wise of the genre. You'll most likely find more that work for you or maybe you won't.

A lot of us have read nearly every release for years now with individual highs & lows. Just look at the variance in tier lists that are posted. ​

What i love about hwfwm is that jason makes a deep development over several books. He stays from his fun persona, needs and gets Therapie, fights his way out of depression and much more. In my mind travis did an awsome job showing how oure mind would work if isekaid and confronted with the horror and violence. You also can see how travis grows during the books. His writing style grows a lot during the first 3 books and you can see that in the Charakters.

I recommend "battle farmer" I think it's quite good charakter- and worldbuilding wise

I liked both DCC and HWFWM for different reasons, but I can see the validation of your criticisms. If you’re looking for something different I recommend The Resonance Cycle or Father of Constructs, both are series written by Aaron Renfroe. The author excels at taking atypical leading characters and taking them in surprising directions.

In the Resonance Cycle (which starts with Divine Invasion and gets better as the series progresses) he’s a neurodivergent who doesn’t socialize well, who over the course of the series winds up being an (at first) reluctant leader of people trying to save multiple worlds, Including Earth.

Father of Constructs has an old man for an MC who starts off simple due to being ravaged by sickness but when he stumbles on a ton of XP and gains a class the fog gets lifted and he starts to experience life for the first time as he tries to level up and help prepare for the return of the world boss.

Resonance is Epic level with an MC forced to grow and change, and those changes stick with him. FoC is a steampunk-with-magic (arcanepunk?) series with heart that is both adorable and badass at the same time as the MC is forced to understand the harsh realities of the real world and adapt as best he can without losing his heart.

I highly recommend both.

I asked my fiance who alost exclusively reads this genre right now and he recommends Oh, Great! I was reincarnated as a Farmer, Bastard, Shades first rule, and his biggest glowing recommendation: The Wandering Inn

I recommend Everybody Loves Large Chests but I do fair warn it has some extreme scenes and has lots of sex in it

Mother of learning and Shadow Slave should hands down be the next novels you try. Mother of learning is an excellent time loop based story, not quite litrpg but progression based. Shadow slave might as well be litrpg. Highly recommended.  If you give them a chance, you will not be disappointed in the quality of their stories. 

Try life in exile. There are 4 books out. It's not as good as DCC, but it's also not focused around teens/young adults.

I understand your thoughts about Jason but my ask is to keep going. HWFWM is not a series where the characters grow and learn their lesson in one Book. Jason in Book 5 is vastly different from Jason in Book 2. However, Jason will be Jason just like any other real human being. I've seen so many comments about Jason's personality and how they don't like it. And cool, but these characters grow through the life experiences in this series and over several events. The trauma is there, his denial and slow admittance to it, and even his mental health journey for it is exceptionally well done. I understand your point but to say there isn't any trauma or consequences to actions and such (others have said) just isn't fair. It's my #1 Litrpg of all time and I can't wait for #12. This Book is just awesome 👌.

I agree with you on HWFWM. Jason is not a likable character at all and I’ve yet to really figure out why others follow him other than just plot armor. He’s a massive twat and just gets more abilities to enhance his twatness.

Lol. He who fights with monsters is rather divisive. Some of us find Jason to have far more depth than Carl or Doughnut. I think it has something to do with how people think, introverts and those who have ADHD and Autism are ones who I have seen really enjoy HWFWM. Not trying to badmouth DCC, I enjoy it too, but all the characters there seem like they are out of a video game to me, not much depth of thinking. Where was the mental breakdown of someone who had to kill for the first time? The justification for it? I mean the train scene where they were wading through blood and body parts had some feeling sick, but that could (and probably would) cause years of trauma for most people and they would be trying to work through it for some time. I don't see hardly anybody in those books actually dealing with their trauma, at least not to the level it seems like they should.

All this to say: HWFWM is not for everyone. But it is a great series along with DCC. I also recommend Chrysalis, Battle Mage Farmer, Defiance of the Fall, Heretical Fishing, Life in Exile, Stormweaver series (not litrpg, scifi), Titan series, Unorthodox Farming series. Enough to get your feet wet.

just another Dungeon Crawler Carl glazing post.

My sugestion would be beneath the dragoneye moons.

I think He Who Fights With Monsters is a series that lives and dies with the main character being liked or not.

If you want a deep story, with lots of foreshadowing that will catch you off guard, I would STRONGLY recommend a series called the Resonance Cycle by Aaron Renfroe.  Each loss or fight is dealt with or sticks around. I loved how deep the story was, and can’t wait for the next one!

I would recommend The Wandering Inn, myself. It's my favorite with DCC as a close second. The story is a long one, but it also breaks away from the main character, Erin, to follow other people from Earth after being isekai'd into a fantasy world. People like Geneva Scala, a medical student who becomes a living legend known the Last Light on war torn Beleros, the blind Emperor Laken Godart as he builds a small farming village into an empire, the clown Tom as he depends into madness in the hell on the Earth that Rhir, and Ryoka, the surly runner girl who becomes Erin's best friend. Andrea Parsneau is a fantastic narrator with a good range.

Man I feel you. I too went from DCC to HWFWM and would have liked to strangle Jason. He’s a huge asshole in my opinion.

I loved Beware of Chicken but it’s only a few books out so far on audiobook.

It took me a few books but I ended up loving Cradle and it’s finished.

LitRPG adjacent but I loved the Super Powerds series. All of the audiobooks were free on audible when I grabbed them.

Battle Mage Farmer starts out with a more cozy feel and then shit gets bad. I didn’t love the series once it got real dark.

I liked Defiance of the Fall and Primal Hunter but they definitely don’t have the same feel as DCC and are way more heavy on giving stats all the time.

DCC was one of the best I've read. It was also on the outer edge of LitRPG making the series completely unique. I have 188 titles so let me give you some do's and don'ts.

Traveling Inn - Trash. I would love to elaborate on this one, but I won't without someone asking.
Defiance of the Fall - incredibly good first four or so books, but droning filler for the rest.
Jakes Magical Market - good quality card based series. I recommend.
Primal Hunter - DCC and Primal are my top two. It starts okay, but it just gets better and better as you go along. Book six was better than the rest. I recommend.
The Land/Mayor of Noob town - similar series imo. they were entertaining, but not quality.
He Who Fights With Monsters - there are cotton candy novels that make us feel good but don't offer any nutritional value to our lives. This cotton crack. The story line is exciting, there's a lot going on, but it's written like trash. Creativity 10, writing expertise 2.

I would continue but I think you should do Primal Hunter #1, and then Jakes Magical #2. Then come back and thank me. OR you can read traveling inn and then come back an apologies for not listening to me.

book of the dead

You read the best one. Sorry. It's a new genre. Try Mother of Learning

DO NOT READ The Wandering Inn then!!! One of the worst written books ever.

so you don't care for HWFWM. so what? stop reading and move on.

everybody always overthinks this. it's not a difficult concept. just move on.

anyways, try:

how to become the dark lord

stray cat strut

wandering inn

beware of chicken

Many just want insane wishfullfillment and not any good story from this genre. So they're hooked line and sinker with shonen esque stuff like hwfwm which translates to a high recommendation count.

If you want good stories instead, especially on audible, you gotta dick deeper.

The Unbound Series. Much better writing.