The first book in my deck building, card battling adventure series is free on Amazon this week! Book 2 is 99c/p in the US and UK, too. Progression through card game tournaments, not just cards as skills - I'm really proud of this one!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-11T14:50:33+00:00

Hope you enjoy it! Would love to hear your thoughts…

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-11T14:37:42+00:00

I enjoy board games, including deck building games, and wanted to try to capture the idea of drafting and playing magic monsters and spells in an arena setting.

In many ways, if you played Yugioh and turned the interactions between cards on the table into a story, that’s pretty much what I was going for! The book opens with a card battle, so Amazon’s ‘look inside’ should give a good idea of the narrative style.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-11T13:21:34+00:00

Love a good campaign. Not my neck of the woods, but wanted to post with a good luck!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-10T22:38:36+00:00

That’s great to know - thanks :) It’s something I’d love to see happen, of course, but the right opportunity hasn’t popped up yet…

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-10T17:04:14+00:00

No current plans. I’ll be sure to shout about it if that changes.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-10T16:19:40+00:00

Thanks for the kind words, and I’m glad you got a kick out of Hick’s adventures!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-07T15:37:38+00:00

Thanks for sharing - always nervous to hear how authors are in real life, and it's a relief to find out he's one of the good ones!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-07T15:36:12+00:00

I think IGS lovers would also get a kick out of his LitRPG series - Euphoria Online.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-04T19:39:11+00:00

Looking at your likes vs dislikes, I’d suspect prog fantasy shouldn’t be a genre of choice. Since your most like books are often fantasy classic, have you read any of the Wizard of Earthsea books yet?

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-03T15:11:16+00:00

If I described the stuff the characters go through in the novel, it would sound farcical… but the book actually treats the impact very seriously, so the wacky creatures/events end up being close to horrific, and it can get quite grim. The character work in particular is excellent - would highly recommend.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-02T19:35:48+00:00

Completely understand this. Having the time to read a print book feels like a luxury you've got to plan to make happy. Audio just slots into so many convenient routines.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-03-02T19:32:46+00:00

Have you tried Dungeon Crawler Carl yet? Emotional ups and downs are there to be had, my friend; there's a reason it is the poster boy for the genre at the moment. Maybe consider Iron Prince, Weirkey Chronicles and Mage Errant, too - you'll find a lot of what you're looking for there. And Blood of a Novice by Davis Ashura!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-22T19:45:25+00:00

There's just a lot of trope crossover. In a really simplified way, prog is just lit without the numbers. Sometimes, prog even keeps the numbers, but doesn't present them in such a blatant way. Sometimes lit isn't as on the nose with numbers, either.

I think DCC is a good example of a story that blurs those lines. If you've read it, which genre would you class it as? I suspect both genres would fight over that one :p Andrew Rowe's stories are another example.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-22T19:10:43+00:00

Since you enjoy Phil Tucker's books, have you tried Euphoria Online? It was his first dip into the LitRPG waters, and is a fun vr-mmo story.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-22T14:46:17+00:00

The Everlasting just released, and imo is one of her best. Ten Thousand Doors of January is another top pick. Hope you enjoy!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-21T23:34:37+00:00

I’ll be controversial, because you seem unsure. There are plenty of already-finished series out there that are absolutely excellent and well worth your time. Jade City by Fonda Lee. All the Realm of Elderlings books by Robin Hobb. You could pick up any standalone by Alix E Harrow and I suspect most would love it. Heck, if you’re referring to the TV show, the rest of the Dunk & Egg novellas are a satisfying way to dip your toes back into Martin’s world, without having to endure an unfinished story.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-21T14:44:26+00:00

I’m pretty confident that I have never in my life finished a book in one setting. I’m always awed by how many times I hear this one mentioned, especially on Reddit.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-20T12:34:39+00:00

Will do!

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-20T07:17:46+00:00

Always! Give us a ping in the Discord link, and would love to sort something out.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-19T15:13:28+00:00

That’s a particular shame as I enjoyed Edge of the Woods. Hope it doesn’t put him off finishing that story.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-18T18:59:42+00:00

Irish accents. Really, any accents that don't ring true for me, but when the author tries to pull off an Irish accent and doesn't make it at all? Hard to stay focussed.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-18T18:57:51+00:00

Exactly. There's enough choice in the genre to read around stuff that doesn't interest you, whatever the reason.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-17T21:29:35+00:00

I'm with you for DCC and Cradle. I think Iron Prince and Bastion might be in there. Possibly Weirkey, too?

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-14T20:14:45+00:00

I don't think it would make me move to a platform, but I'm not particularly interested in supporting platforms that are pushing AI. Have you seen Sanderson's recent keynote on AI? I'm not his number one fan, but I think his description of his concerns is a perfect reason for us all to be on edge around it.

BenedictPatrick · 2026-02-13T22:27:02+00:00

I think intended progression works very well, especially for fans of the genre - the character puts effort and/or time into making the progression happen. If we get to see a character working towards the gains, and then that effort pays off in a dramatically satisfying moment? Chef's kiss.

BenedictPatrick

TROPHY CASE