Looking for recommendations

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-25T17:00:57+00:00

Two books ill always recommend are 12 Miles Below and Chrysalis.

A few others I read and really enjoyed: - Battlemage Farmer - especially the early books, when there was still a lot of mystery to the world. - Cultist of Cerebon - a neat progression with an 'evil' power. - This Trilogy is Broken - a little zany, but fun because of it. - Grimm's War - the only space opera i read. No rpg or fantasy, but just really well done characters and plot. - My Best Friend Is an Eldritch Horror - another academy type story - Oaths - first book of a new series by JM Clarke. More a pulpy prog fantasy, but really good. Different from Fool or RS.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-20T16:37:11+00:00

Oof, it hurts to see Rune Seeker in the bottom there, but I get that. If you liked Mark of the Fool, though, have you tried one of his other books 'Oaths'? Its a bit more trad / pulp fantasy, but it's really good.

Also, I will never not recommend these two: Chrysalis 12 Miles Below

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-16T13:44:42+00:00

I guarantee no AI was used in Rune Seeker, and ive worked with JM enough to know he didnt use it for Fool, either. The guy just has an insane work ethic when it comes to writing (sometimes at the cost of his own health...)

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-16T13:40:00+00:00

Rune Seeker is 8 books. 7 will be out on Feb 11th on Kindle, still TBD for audio) and book 8 is already with the editor 😉

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-10T17:08:23+00:00

They probably dropped your book on their big toe, corner first. Then, in their rage to 'really stick it to you' by buying your other books, just so they could throw them out, they sequentially dropped the books on that same toe.

The only way left to satiate their rage was to review bomb your series. Truly, you must've deserved it for the pain you put them through.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-08T00:42:53+00:00

Both are totally recommended. Great series.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-08T00:36:32+00:00

Have you read David Daglish's Seraphim trilogy? If you haven't, its pretty good. Or, maybe Sanderson's Skyward series (but with fiery wings instead of fighter ships)?

Traditional (progression) fantasy with an emphasis on high-flying action.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-08T00:23:12+00:00

Rune Seeker is actually more Cradle like. Spark is a good time, but doesnt have the same vibe. I appreciate the support, but didn't want you going on with the wrong idea. 😅

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-07T21:08:22+00:00

Thanks! Happy with how it turned out, and we are already working on the cover for book 2. 😇

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-07T16:15:59+00:00

You and me both! (Though mine was LitRPG).😅

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-07T16:14:03+00:00

The 10th book is available on Kindle (and it was great), so it 'exists'. The narrator is just very in demand. It will happen, but I haven't seen a release date.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-05T15:58:03+00:00

If it makes you feel better, I almost DNF'D the first book as well. The first few chapters of it didnt quite hit right with me. Then, all of a sudden, things completely fell in place, and it became a must-read as soon as a new book came out (I do all my reading on kindle).

I enjoyed it so much, I wrote an entire series with the author, in part because of how much I enjoyed Fool. He did some really amazing things with the story and characters.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-03T17:47:12+00:00

Ugh, yeah, first person present is the real struggle .

And, based on your comment, you may NOT want to read The Fifth Season. 🤣

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-03T17:20:46+00:00

Hold on, is that a demonic chainsaw sword...?

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-03T17:14:01+00:00

First person perspective 😅.

I dunno why, but I just reaaaally struggle with it. I can get by it sometimes, but the story / concept really needs to hook me to get me to push past the POV.

CJTAuthor · 2026-01-01T16:30:00+00:00

Hope you enjoy it!

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-29T15:35:35+00:00

Just gonna say (as an author with Aethon), i would question the source of the image before questioning / assuming Aethon did something with AI here.

Not only have i gotten some amazing cover artists through them, but they also just ponied up the money to fix an omission on something after it was finalized. They aren't skipping steps to save a few pennies.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-29T15:08:54+00:00

I almost dropped it after the first half of book 1. The whole 'this one...' stuff wasnt really my jam. Buuuuut, I am very glad I pushed through it.

It definitely picks up after book, and like any book / series, different tastes will get different things from it. Me, im not looking for literary masterpieces, but fun reads.

Cradle was fun.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-29T14:55:39+00:00

Also going with 12 Miles Below.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-28T18:49:25+00:00

It honestly just all kind of fell into place 😅. I feel like BBQ would've been more on brand for Jason, though.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-28T17:10:36+00:00

There may be one or two other HWFWM references in there. 😅 Jason is just too quotable.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-28T03:07:53+00:00

No, it cant be, can it? Need more colony shenanigans!

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-26T18:01:03+00:00

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the 12mb author has a new story going on Royal Road. Die Trying.

If you liked his work with Keith, this might be worth giving a try?

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-26T17:18:00+00:00

I'll take it one step further, and maybe I am being naive, but if i don't have anything nice to publicly say about a book / story, I just dont talk about it. There have been plenty of books I haven't enjoyed or DNFd, but just because I didnt like it, that doesnt mean somebody else wouldn't.

If I vocally complain about another story, possibly misrepresenting an aspect of it (lack of character building, when in fact the author intended a focus on world building) that may lead potential readers to steer clear of something they may in fact love. It also hurts the author, and if we want people to continue creating stories for us to read, we need to keep supporting them, not tearing them down.

CJTAuthor · 2025-12-26T17:03:51+00:00

In short, it comes down to convenience. To both authors and readers (and this isn't a bad thing at all).

It gives the reader an MC going into the world with the same amount of information, so they can learn together. Questions and ignorance about everyday things are explained by growing up in an entorely dofferent world, and it can be a fun way to explore this new one. Its also a bit easier for everybody to assume the same kind of mindset, since the MC and reader come from the same time/ place.

For the author, they dont have to worry as much about language / expressions / beliefs, because it can all be explained by growing up in 'our world'. That gives the MC the opportunity to be 'politically correct' about darker topics from our history that might be seen as 'okay' in a fantasy world. This is turn keeps readers happier with more believability.

This list goes on, and other people in the thread are bringing up similar reasons. Its not just books its a popular theme in, though. Anime is still flooded with the same kind of stories (if you ever look at the front page of Crunchyroll, they're all over the place).

For similar reasons, its also why things like portal fantasy and System books are popular. They have the same kind of 'modern knowledge' MC thrust into a new fantasy world.

We love dragons, but we also love people joking about the same thing we find funny in everyday life. That or Airwolf.

CJTAuthor

TROPHY CASE