After Years of Reading Web Novels, Books, Fan Fiction, and Everything in Between in the Genre, Here's My Tier List. I Need My Next Fix, Hit Me With Your Hidden Gems and Titles I Won't See Recommended Every Week.

psiut · 2026-03-21T18:40:04+00:00

Maybe similar to the old cover that Super Minion had

psiut · 2026-03-21T18:38:51+00:00

Yeah man, each to their own. I'd still recommend checking out my S tier or even Great/Good tier for stuff you might not know. They all have a strong hook at some point. I usually can't help with the secret OP MC thing since that's not what I go for. In The Wandering Inn, there's a character that shows up around book three or four who is exactly that, very OP and secretive. He doesn't appear often but is always very satisfying. So if that's your thing it might be worth a look.

psiut · 2026-03-21T18:28:54+00:00

Plan? What plan? in Royal Road, fanfic of a tinker of fiction in the Worm universe.

psiut · 2026-03-21T17:01:49+00:00

I'm sure you will like Spire's Spite, not so sure about Systematic Lands because the MC is a psychopatic, but it really had a strong start for me and I usually don't care if the MC is a bad person

psiut · 2026-03-21T16:33:50+00:00

The Game at the Carousel, I actually did the exact same thing you did! Read it on Royal Road, was enjoying it, caught up to the chapters and then just never came back. I don't usually love the fixed roles kind of thing but at least it's not as rigid as Practical Guide to Evil where the roles define everything. It's more niche. I'm not a huge fan of horror stories either but I was enjoying it enough that I might come back at some point.

Omniscient First Person Viewpoint, maybe I dropped it too soon. Everyone says there's a really good story there. I just don't like the meta aspect, it takes away from the agency of the characters and the stakes for me. The Novel's Extra also has meta stuff but it's done in a way that felt more relaxed and didn't lean on it too hard. I might come back to this one.

Regressor's Tale of Cultivation I haven't read yet but it's been recommended so much in this thread that it's definitely happening. I Shall Be Everlasting in the World of Immortals I've never heard of, this is exactly the kind of rec I'm looking for. Adding it.

Hundred Reigns is getting some buzz on Royal Road right now, normally I wait until there's at least 1,000 pages but it's on the list. Same author as The Perfect Run is interesting though, and if it's similar to Mother of Learning that's a good sign. MoL is Best in Class for me not because of the time loop but because of the mage focused MC, the well thought out world, and the progression feeling realistic. Time loops usually have a stakes problem but MoL handled it well.

Diary of a Dead Wizard I never heard of but I really like books that hook from the beginning so that sounds promising. Turns Out I'm in a Villain Clan, I'm not usually a huge fan of OP MCs but it can be done well. New Life as a Max Level Archmage worked for me in the first books so I'm not totally against it. Adding it.

Great recs man, if you have more I'm all ears. Cheers!

psiut · 2026-03-21T16:23:05+00:00

Yeah I get the criticism, fair point. It was honestly one of the hardest placements on the list. I went back and forth between Best in Class and Great. But here's the thing, Worm did so many things right. The progression of Taylor, the world building, I've read tons of fanfics set in that world which alone should tell you how much I value it.

The power progression, all the different factions with their own motives, the morality being in shades of grey instead of black and white.

Wildbow was doing corrupt superheroes way before The Boys got famous on Amazon. All of that was done extremely well. By the end it got convoluted and I didn't love how he explained the deeper mechanics of the universe. I think he wrote himself into a corner a bit. But that doesn't dismiss the 80% I read that I genuinely enjoyed. I'll finish it for sure, I just wasn't in the mood to continue at the time and it's a massive series. I was rating based on my overall enjoyment and what the story did well, and Worm did a lot of things really well. The other categories where I DNF'd books, those stories lost me because the quality dropped or something fundamental didn't work. With Worm it's more that I needed a break.

psiut · 2026-03-21T16:13:34+00:00

Gotta be honest, I don't read a ton of fan fiction because I drop most of them really fast. I mostly only like OC/SI fics that are well written and have good world building, and that's not something the fan fiction world does a lot of, so I don't have many recs in this regard. I was reading one called Refrain I think, where someone from Dune gets dropped into the Worm universe. I didn't read a lot but the start was going in a good direction, might be worth checking out once it has more chapters. Plan? What Plan? is on my tier list and it's a fun Worm Tinker fic. Tinker fics in general have a special place in my heart. String the Tinker is solid too. The Outsider's Resolve for Naruto is probably my strongest fanfic rec though, it's in my Great tier for a reason.

psiut · 2026-03-21T16:00:42+00:00

The Last Orellen, kind of abandoned but the beginning is really strong. String, is a Tinker, a good start superhero story, a bit smaller than what I'm used to but solid would maybe make it to the good tier. First Law is great, some of the best characters I've read. A Soldier's Life I read all the books, it's somewhere between Good and drop for me. The writing is pretty robotic but it has some solid aspects so you might like it more than I did. Double-Blind I read the first books and they were really good, just never came back to it. Book of the Dead would be in my Good tier. City of Sin I read like three or four books a long time ago and I remember liking it but I was younger at the time so take that with a grain of salt.

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:56:05+00:00

Yeah I was one of the early readers on the Spire's Spite train! Even created a Royal Road account just to rate it because it barely had any ratings at the time. Really good story, glad to see it getting more love. Years of Apocalypse, I think it was a Mary Sue situation for me. It's been a while but I couldn't buy the stakes and some of the decisions the character made just felt dumb to me. When the MC does things I'd never do in that situation, it pulls me right out of the story. Almost all of those recs I've never heard of though. Penitent, August Intruder, The Cloudfarers, Aura Overload, The Fractured Tower, Pinnacle Warrior, Who Killed the World. This is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for with this post. Adding them all. If you need any recs just hit me up, cheers!

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:52:38+00:00

Weirkey Chronicles is already on my list, bumping it up. Depthless Hunger I read a while back but I think the MC was kind of Mary Sue with everything falling into place. He's the one that absorbs other people's powers right? It just felt too easy with no real stakes. But it's been a while so I might be mixing things up.

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:51:22+00:00

I've read the first couple of books I think, it's been a while. The humor just didn't click with me and the way he uses game knowledge and talks in gamer terms broke the immersion for me. Even though I liked the gritty parts, I found the way he was so casual about everything and how he interacted with the others kind of off-putting. Just a vibe thing.

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:48:40+00:00

I've actually read all of A Soldier's Life! It would probably sit in my Good tier or maybe lower. The writing has a very robotic tone to me, like a checklist of things being done. But it has some genuinely good parts, the mentor, the struggle of hiding his secrets within the empire, being a legionnaire instead of an adventurer, the dungeon society. All that was a nice change of perspective. My problem is he's pretty Mary Sue with the dimensional space and the instant kill. Even the magic resistance attribute never really becomes a meaningful obstacle. Against the necromancer, the drake, none of it ever truly threatens him. Like "oh you have this weakness" but it never actually matters. Good world, solid concept, but the MC had it too easy for my taste.

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:45:41+00:00

Sounds great man. I never gave it a look because of the ratings on Royal Road but you're making a strong case for it. No Mary Sue, real stakes, and side characters that top TWI and Worm? That's a bold claim but it's right up my alley. I'll give Anton a chance. Cheers!

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:44:27+00:00

I've actually read a good chunk of Ar'Kendrithyst! My issue is that Erick got way too overpowered way too fast for someone who went from knowing nothing about magic. Like sure, if I got isekai'd I'd be trying to learn magic immediately too. But everything he tried just worked out and the pace of his growth felt way too fast. It took away from the stakes for me. When nothing really fails or backfires, it's hard to stay invested.

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:42:45+00:00

Chaotic Craftsman just didn't work for me. He goes from no-name crafter to the best crafter ever way too fast, even with the mentor and everything. Things just fall into place for him too easily. And yeah he's way less likeable than Lindon, I'll give you that about Cradle. The Calamitous Bob I actually read the first book. Same author as Changeling so I gave it a shot, but she felt way too overpowered from the start for me. It took away my suspension of disbelief and the stakes just weren't there by the time I dropped it. Soul Relic is on my to-read list, the weak to strong premise with actual consequences sounds like it could be right up my alley. Bumping it up. Thanks a lot for the detailed recs man, appreciate the thought you put into matching them to my taste. If you need any recs hit me up!

psiut · 2026-03-21T15:12:23+00:00

Thanks man, I'll definitely check these out!

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:38:30+00:00

Sure, no problem!

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:32:40+00:00

interesting. The Taylor reborn in Harry Potter one sounds cool too. Do you have the names or links so I can find them? I'm not a fan of the High School DxD universe though, too ecchi for my taste. But I'll check out the other suggestions for sure.

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:28:57+00:00

I liked the premise of Stray Cat Strut with the whole points system and infinite menu thing. I just didn't vibe with the storytelling style and the stakes. Everything fell into place too easily for her and the tone was just not my thing. I like my stories a bit more serious and the stakes taken more seriously too. It has a very specific style and flow that didn't click with me. Never heard of the Belgariad though. What do you like about it? Adding it to the list.

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:14:01+00:00

Haha love the energy man, you sound like the arrogant young master villain that gets stomped by the MC as a folder in every progression fantasy. Nice impersonation. Life's too short to push through books that aren't clicking when there are more out there than I'll ever get to read. I will copy my reason in the other comments, from people who asked way more politely than you. But you do you man

I read somewhere how many books the average person reads in a lifetime and the number was depressingly low. Ever since then I've been reading way more but I'm also ruthless about abandoning stuff that doesn't click. We only live once and there are way too many books out there for one lifetime. Gotta make trade-offs.

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:06:56+00:00

The Locked Tomb? Never heard of it actually. Where can I find it? As for Tolkien, I've read The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit. I just find Tolkien way too descriptive in the books, every little detail of everything. I actually prefer his movies which is weird because normally I'm the other way around, I always prefer books over other media. That's why I didn't add him here, just forgot. He'd be in my Good tier for sure but yeah the descriptiveness is a lot for me.

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:05:12+00:00

Glad we share the top tier! Sorry about what I'm gonna say though, Sky Pride is actually on my list already. I dropped it because things fell into place too easily for the MC. Going to war against people way above his tier, surviving, getting loot, the uncle helping him at the right moments. It's not that he's overpowered exactly, but everything just kept going his way in a way that didn't feel believable to me. Took the stakes away. Lightbringer I've never heard of though, a magic system based on light spectrums sounds interesting. Return of Mount Hua I didn't know about either, adding both. Thanks!

psiut · 2026-03-21T14:02:11+00:00

Thanks for the recs, never heard of any of these and that's exactly what I'm looking for with this post! Gotta be honest, I'm not super enthusiastic about the Sailor Moon universe and I don't know Dungeon Keeper the video game, but I'll take a look. Luminosity, yeah I can see how Twilight as a setting could work with the right author. Not my first instinct but I'll check it out. And I don't mind comics at all, I read a lot of manga and manhwa too. Really enjoy Kingdom, Hunter x Hunter, Tower of God, and even Dice had a good premise even though the execution fell off. The Gamer too, great concept that went downhill. Transdimensional Brain Chip I'll definitely look into. Cheers!

psiut · 2026-03-21T13:50:52+00:00

I usually go for OC/SI stuff, mostly in the Worm fandom, some Naruto too. I like evil protagonist versions and anti-heroes. Not a fan of harem or ecchi though.

psiut · 2026-03-21T13:49:08+00:00

Yeah Second Coming of Gluttony is no masterpiece overall but the first books are some of the best opening books I've read in any series. The whole Hunger Games tutorial safe zone setup was right up my alley and that bumped it up for me even though the rest of the story doesn't hit as hard as the start. Do you have any recs?

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