The Good Guys, The Bad Guys, and All Great Reads

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If you haven’t been living under a rock you are likely familiar with a new sub-genre of fantasy/scifi novels sweeping the internet and tantalizing readers all over the world. I am of course talking about LitRPG. The premise is simple: Literary Role Playing Game novels combine the conventions of computer RPGS (such as Baldur’s Gate, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and Pillars of Eternity to name some recent ones) up to and including all the stats, items, abilities, quests, and gameplay that have become a catchall for fantasy gaming fans around the world.

The sub-genre has been steadily gaining steam since the early 2010s, but I believe one of the best examples has been the work of Eric Ugland. His “Good Guys” and “Bad Guys” series are already up to 17 books and still going strong. The novels possess a strong cast of characters, an expansive world with lore and mechanics reminiscent of the games mentioned above, and viscerally portrayed magic and actions scenes that grip you and don’t let you go until you have finished the newest book eight hours after it was just released (and yes, I am speaking from experience…multiple times). So if you are interested in new fantasy novels, and/or the LitRPG sub-genre, I cannot recommend these two series more highly as a way to get your feet wet. Trust me, if you pick up one of them, you will soon find yourself in the deep end of LitRPG.

BOOKS

1. One More Last Time (The Good Guys #1): “A ruined life. A broken heart. He thought it was the end, and his gun sat ready to make sure. But an oddball offer from his only friend comes at the literal last second. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he finds himself sucked into iNcarn8, a game claiming to be a whole new life. Now as Montana, the larger-than-life tank warrior, he has one more last time to get his life right.”
2. Heir Today, Pawn Tomorrow (The Good Guys #2): “Montana’s new life in Vuldranni, the medieval fantasy game world he lucked into, isn’t quite the tranquil extended fishing trip he’d been hoping for. But you gotta admit, he’s doing pretty well for himself. Now he’s Montana Coggeshall, heir to a dukedom. If he can get his crew to Osterstadt and claim it in time.”
3. Dungeon Mauling (The Good Guys #3): “Just when Montana thought he had life in Vuldranni figured out, the rug is pulled out from under him. He’s alone once again, but now he’s in the crosshairs of the man who would be emperor, and a whole host of people are counting on Montana to provide a safe haven for them. Montana has one hope of actually completing his quest of forming a dukedom: he needs to bust Nikolai out of prison. A prison that no one has ever escaped alive. A prison whose only exit is little more than rumor and probably doesn’t even exist — through a sentient dungeon, hell-bent on causing torture, inflicting pain, and extracting the ultimate price: life. Montana and his hirðmen are down to their last chance. So they get themselves arrested and enter Osterstadt prison. Can the Good Guys do good by going bad?”
4. Four: The Loot (The Good Guys #4): “Montana Coggeshall, duke of Coggeshall, defeater of dungeons, he of far fewer intelligence points than is probably recommended, is finally ready to start building his dukedom. He just needs one more thing before he can leave Osterstadt: a few hardworking friends to join him on this adventure. Well, and some lumber. And nails and whatnot. And enough food to get through the winter. And probably some more gold. All Montana needs before he can leave Osterstadt are some friends, some building materials, food, and money. But he did promise to retrieve some magic texts from a cemetery for Emmeline. And he really should try to help the lost little boy who keeps following him around. And all the undead in that basement crypt aren’t going to re-kill themselves. Maybe Montana’s taken on a few too many side quests.”
5. Dukes and Ladders (The Good Guys #5): “When Montana first started playing in iNcarn8, his new game life, he just wanted to be one of the good guys for a change. But despite his impressive stats and incredible heroics, even his followers are just plain scared of him. Trouble keeps pouring down Montana, even in the remote, supposedly safe holding he’s building into his dukedom. All that will have to change if Coggeshall is going to survive. Walls go up and homes get built, but Montana can’t shake the feeling that none of it will be enough to keep out the problems of the Empire. Or the world of Vuldranni.”
6. Home, Siege Home (The Good Guys #6): “Montana Coggeshall is feeling the squeeze — and not just because of his new leather pants from the goddess Eona. His little safeholding in the ruthless world of Vuldranni is under siege. On both sides. At the front is Lord Caticorix, a grade-A Imperial flunkey if there ever was one. He’s clearly ridiculous, but the army he brought with him might not be. Plus they’re bent on blocking Coggeshall from getting any food or supplies from the outside world. And at the back are the ursus, the larger-than-life bear people who’ve traditionally called this valley home. They’re none too pleased with Montana for taking in a few ursus refugees, and would like the 400-lb Goldilocks and her followers out of their house now, thankyouverymuch. Battles are brewing, and the entire town is being held hostage. And despite all his strength and ability, Montana needs to do some serious training to get Coggeshall out of this. There are actual stakes this time — children could starve, his friends have gone missing — and Montana’s not sure he has what it takes to save everyone. This video game world is starting to feel way too much like reality.”
7. The Bare Hunt (The Good Guys #7): “As usual, Montana Coggeshall is hell-bent on doing what’s right, even if what’s right isn’t exactly what’s wise. So he embarks on a quest to vanquish the corrupted ursus, a threat so large they could destroy the entire world of iNcarn8. Does Montana head out after months of training for cold weather conditions, amassing an army, and strategizing with his top aides? Not really. It’s more like he just walks out of his holding one day with a guide and the members of his hirð. They’re just a bunch of angry teddy bears, right? Montana is acting on pure instinct, tinged with a healthy dose of rage. He’s stripped bare, and soon finds himself without food, supplies, a key magic weapon, or even his most loyal friends. Still, he continues. Montana Coggeshall is on the hunt.”
8. Eastbound and Town (The Good Guys #8): “Freshly respawned. Far from home. All alone. Up until now, Montana’s journey really only went one direction: up. But now he’s back at square one, stuck on top of a mountain with only the most basic gear to help get him back to Coggeshall. It’s going to be a loooong walk.  But not a boring one. In one of LitRPG’s most legendary medieval fantasy road trips (and also possibly the only one), Montana encounters a pack of just-this-side-of-feral wolf people; a town straight out of the Wild West – complete with heavy-handed sheriff; a lion desperately trying to take down a colossal fish monster; ancient cursed ruins; and a giant flying frog. Eastbound & Town is an epic story full of combat, loot, and achievements. You better believe Montana is loaded up and truckin,’ and gonna do what they say can’t be done. Hit the road with Montana today!“
9. Four Beheadings and a Funeral (The Good Guys #9): “We join Montana, recently returned from an impromptu study abroad trip, a bit wiser, a bit broader in perspective, and a lot freaked out by the once-dead person who’s currently in his bedroom. Possible zombie sightings aside, he’s finally ready to take his job as Duke seriously. And just in time too — not only are the politics of the capital rapidly closing in on Montana’s little valley holding, but there are also goblins to negotiate with. Plus, that cult threatening to take the lives of his citizens. Montana will have to pull off the impossible — walk amongst the highest levels of Vuldranni society to influence world politics, and slaughter a few goblins in the process.”
10. East, Slay, Love (The Good Guys #10): TBD February 25, 2021!!

1. Scamps and Scoundrels (The Bad Guys #1): “Just yesterday, Ben was a petty criminal getting by on fleecing New York’s one-percenters. Today, he’s got a new face, a new name, and a new world to navigate. And Ben’s thinking maybe this time around, he’ll use his skills at disarming and deceiving to help out people other than himself. Maybe. Watching a medieval City Guard fight off a 20-foot-tall ooze that crawled up from the sewers will make you think twice about life decisions. Tomorrow, he’ll need to save a girl, steal a crown, join a guild, and most importantly, convince an innkeep to make a decent bacon egg and cheese.”
2. Second Story Man (The Bad Guys #2): “’Has your life here been so difficult? You seem to fail upward at every opportunity.’ So says Careena, the hag teaching Clyde Hatchett how to use magic. It certainly doesn’t feel like that to Clyde, who’s still got a day job scraping mud (at least he hopes it’s mud) out of monster pits, and whose “thieves’ guild” is more concerned with baking cookies than with protecting him against a rival gang. He keeps accumulating roommates – like a freed sex slave and a retired paladin – who make him nervous, but for very different reasons. And let’s not get started on the mimic that’s taken up residence by Clyde’s shower, or the supposedly-tame grimeling in his closet… And yet even with all the annoyances, distractions, and occasional death threats, Clyde’s found himself at the center of a massive conspiracy to kill the Emperor. He’s the only one with proof that could save the man, and take down an entire network of corrupt nobles, evil slavers, and power-hungry despots. Clyde really hopes Careena is right about him – the fate of the entire Empire depends on it.” 
3. Skull and Thrones (The Bad Guys #3): “Clyde Hatchett: last man standing. Well, he’s the last elf standing. It’s confusing not being human anymore. But being the only living member of the Biscuit’s Union has its benefits. No need to take on shifts baking cookies, for one. No one telling Clyde what to do. No one… You have been offered a quest by the Biscuit’s Union: Rebuild the Guild Reform the guild by having at least eight (8) members in good standing by the end of one (1) week. Reward for success: survival of the guild, unknown, XP Penalty for failure (or refusal): the death of the guild Yes/No Okay then. So in order for any of the work Clyde’s put in to matter, for any of the numerous deaths he’s gone through to count, he has to keep the guild going and remain its leader. Which means he’s got a busy week ahead of him. 7 Days. 8 Guild Members. Countless Problems.”
4. War of the Posers (The Bad Guys #4): “It could all be over before it even begins. Clyde Hatchett and the rest of the Skull & Thrones better play their cards right — otherwise their newly-formed guild will fall in a war with the Iron Silents, the overpowered immortals fond of spawn-camping and well, anything that puts them ahead. So much for resting on laurels, huh? To keep his dreams alive, and his newfound family safe, Clyde is committed to do whatever it takes. His usual thieving tactics are all well and good, but this time he’ll also throw magic, his ties to the prince, and even a few kobolds at the problem. He just hopes it’ll be enough.”
5. Seas the Day (The Bad Guys #5): “Kidnapped and sent sailing by his own girlfriend. Clyde Hatchett hadn’t planned on running away to become a pirate — that’s just what happened. Now he’s on a seaside mission far from Glaton, desperate to find the only mage capable of freeing Clyde from the corpse-king taking over his body. Get ready for a nonstop joyride full of secrets, betrayal, loot — and mermaids! Oh and on the way, Clyde will have to rescue his tjene’s sister from marrying a murderous slave owner. The winds of ill-fortune may be blowing directly at Clyde, but our down-on-his luck rogue assembled the best team in the business to help him succeed: a libertine swordsman who keeps getting arrested, a mohawked captain whose crew is perpetually on the brink of mutiny, and a salty old seadog who’s very nice and has a lot of… well, he’s very nice, and that has to count for something, right? Add Hellion the mimic and Grim the little grimeling to the mix, and there’s no stopping this dream team. Not even the mermaids.”
6. High Gloom (The Bad Guys #6): “It all comes down to this: kill or be corpsed. Clyde Hatchett has known he’s had a corpse-king inside him, slowly trying to take over his body and raise an army of undead for a while now. And while that may seem like a rather, um, urgent matter to attend to, it’s only now, after being forced out of Glaton by his best friends and then having to rescue someone’s sister from a bad marriage, that he’s actually in a place to deal with it. And he better deal with it quickly, since his entire left hand is starting to look like it belongs to the Crypt-Keeper. But Gloomguard, where the mage Clyde needs lives, operates on a completely different plane than anywhere else in Vuldranni. Everyone is out for themself, and there’s no such thing as doing a favor. So in order to even talk to the mage, Clyde must embark on a series of preposterous quests he doesn’t have time for and isn’t guaranteed to survive.”
7. Back to One (The Bad Guys #7): TBD August 12, 2021!!

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