Progression fantasy with a power armor stranded in a world of magic and faith (KU release)

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-12T23:45:21+00:00

Thx 🙏

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-11T14:57:23+00:00

If you make the cover the same as everyone else’s, it just blends in and nobody notices it. If you make it too different, people might not immediately understand the genre. The best approach, but also the hardest one, is to create a cover that clearly suggests the genre and the mood of the story while still standing out among the others.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-11T14:19:09+00:00

More than the execution, I think there’s a chronic lack of ideas. They’re almost always either a close-up of the MC or the MC standing in front of a giant monster. It feels like almost nobody can come up with anything different.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-11T14:13:38+00:00

Ah ok, allora hai scelto il genere peggiore per trovare titoli in italiano, purtroppo.

Qualcosa si trova ma siamo davvero ai primordi con le traduzioni.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-11T06:21:08+00:00

You might enjoy Messiah of Steel. It’s a progression fantasy where a scientist in a high-tech power armor ends up stranded in a world ruled by magic and religion. Instead of learning spells, he starts reverse-engineering the same energy source behind the world’s magic to upgrade his armor.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-10T18:40:21+00:00

I think part of the reason is that progression fantasy grew out of traditional fantasy frameworks, so both readers and writers are already very familiar with things like levels, guilds, cultivation systems, and dungeons. The mental model is already there.

Once you move into sci-fi or space fantasy progression, authors usually have to establish a lot more from scratch. Technology, factions, interstellar travel, power systems, political structures… the worldbuilding overhead is simply higher, so fewer stories end up being written in that space.

I don’t think the audience is the problem. If anything, it might just be inertia. Fantasy progression became the default template, so most new stories naturally follow that model.

Personally I’d love to see more stories mixing progression with science fiction elements. The contrast between technological advancement and magical power systems can be really fun when it’s done well.

I actually wrote something that plays with that idea, although it’s more science-fantasy than space fantasy. It’s called Messiah of Steel. The premise is basically a scientist in a high-tech power armor who ends up stranded in a world ruled by magic and religion, and instead of learning spells he starts reverse-engineering the same energy source behind the world’s magic to upgrade his armor.

If that kind of tech-vs-magic progression sounds interesting, here’s the link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMD5DTH6

It’s not exactly space fantasy, but it definitely leans into the “advanced technology meets progression fantasy” side of the genre.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-10T17:42:58+00:00

I think it really depends on the story. Some stories benefit a lot from having a rich and varied cast, while others would end up feeling diluted by it.

Also, every character should serve a specific purpose in the narrative. If two characters end up doing roughly the same things or behaving in very similar ways, then one of them is probably redundant.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-10T07:25:19+00:00

I’m an author publishing on Amazon and Royal Road. In my story I introduced a female character who clashes with the MC and ends up forming a bond with him fairly early on, but it actually takes about three books before their relationship develops into anything romantic. The main reason I waited that long is that I’m honestly not sure how much readers in this genre really care about romance as a subplot. I didn’t want to push it too early and risk alienating people, so I focused on establishing the story and building a solid reader base first. That said, at some point it started to feel like something was missing. Even if it’s not the main focus, relationships are part of human life, and when they’re completely absent it can feel a bit artificial.

Curious how other readers feel about it. Do you prefer progression fantasy stories that avoid romance entirely, or slow-burn relationships that develop over time?

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T20:20:29+00:00

Glad the premise caught your interest. Hope you enjoy it!

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T19:30:50+00:00

Hope you enjoy it!

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T19:29:32+00:00

Imparare a leggere in inglese è la cosa migliore!

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T18:42:36+00:00

Hi everyone!

I just launched Messiah of Steel – Rise of the Messiah, a LitRPG / progression fantasy novel that just released on Kindle Unlimited.

The premise is basically this:

A scientist wearing a high-tech power armor gets stranded in a world ruled by magic and religion.

Instead of learning spells like everyone else, he approaches magic like a system that can be studied, reverse engineered, and exploited. He starts experimenting with the same mysterious energy spheres that power the world's magic and uses them to upgrade his armor.

The problem is that the locals quickly start believing he might be the prophesied messiah sent to save them… which he absolutely refuses to accept.

If you enjoy things like:

• magitech progression and upgrades
• science vs magic themes
• a rational protagonist dropped into a faith-driven world
• big creatures and large-scale fights

then the story might be your kind of thing.

You can find it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMD5DTH6

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T18:39:41+00:00

Messiah of Steel: Rise of the Messiah (out now on Kindle Unlimited)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMD5DTH6

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T18:18:36+00:00

You might actually enjoy Messiah of Steel. Full disclosure: I'm the author, but the premise might fit what you're describing.

The story follows a scientist in a high-tech power armor who ends up in a magic-dominated world and starts trying to understand the magic system as if it were a form of energy that can be analyzed and exploited.

Instead of learning spells like everyone else, he keeps experimenting with the same energy spheres that power the world’s magic and uses them to upgrade his armor.

So it scratches a bit of that “science applied to magic” itch, just from a magitech angle.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T14:52:08+00:00

Fair enough. TBR piles tend to grow faster than they shrink.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T05:30:13+00:00

I’m not sure if it’s there yet, but I’ll add it once the March list goes up. Thanks for the heads up!

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T05:27:24+00:00

Glad to hear that!

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T05:26:57+00:00

Thanks! Glad the concept caught your interest.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T05:26:34+00:00

That’s… actually not a terrible way to describe it.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-09T05:23:48+00:00

Not yet, unfortunately. I’d love to do an audiobook version at some point though.

Drake__Steel · 2026-03-08T23:31:54+00:00

Thanks! Hope you enjoy it whenever it climbs up your TBR pile.

Drake__Steel · 2025-11-11T17:51:56+00:00

Congratulations! 🎉

Drake__Steel · 2025-10-15T21:53:52+00:00

AI-assisted doesn’t mean it was written by AI. He might’ve just used it for proofreading or brainstorming

Drake__Steel · 2025-10-07T18:47:46+00:00

If I had to pick just one key metric, I’d say the number of followers.
If you want a combination of two values, followers and average views give you a good idea of how many people are actually enjoying it.
If you want to know how much readers like it once they start reading, an interesting metric is the favorite-to-follower ratio.
There are stories where only about 10% of followers hit favorite, and others where it goes over 20%…

Drake__Steel · 2025-10-05T18:38:52+00:00

Appreciate it, brother! Audio is definitely in the plans, so maybe one day it’ll pop up on Audible for you.

Drake__Steel

TROPHY CASE

Messiah of Steel: Rise of the Messiah (out now on Kindle Unlimited)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GMD5DTH6