Doesn't die easily and the world seems to move for them, not every protagonist is like that but that's a protagonist alright. Nevertheless, many of them are a little, no, too holier-than-thou. Someone has to put them in their place, but they have a cheat, so that's easier said than done. Enter the hero-killers, built with smarts and the ability to one-up any protagonist, they're what we need.
Novels | World-Hopping Fantasy: Isekai to Many Worlds
I used to only listen to edutainment and scary stories podcast, but then this year I decided to expand my podcast library by a shelf or two. Lately, I've been listening to "Midnight Burger" a scifi audio drama about a time-traveling, world-hopping diner. It's quite a fun listen. This podcast reminded me of a draft of a world-hopping list I made a year ago. Although what counts as a "world" in world-hopping is arguable, I think it includes planets, other dimensions and alternate realities. World-hopping even has offshoots like unlimited flow and quick transmigration. So, here are some stories where the protagonist travels to multiple worlds.
Novels | Breaking Out of RPG/Adventure Party Role Stereotypes
I never really understood what's good about playing support classes in RPG games. I want to be hitting monsters and enemies and see their health bars drained from my attacks, But, I'm also thankful for those people who love support roles. It's nice to know that there's someone who has my back. That said, I don't mind a character that can heal, buff and fight at the same time. If that was ever an option, then solo play all the way.
Non-LitRPG Historical Fiction Novels
I have been on a historical fiction binge-reading streak lately. Before this, I only knew a few titles, but now I have gathered enough to make a list. My only gripe is that I can not find anything that's set way back before the river valley civilizations. I want to read a story about humans before they decided to settle near rivers. I guess... I just enjoy history more the older it is.
Fantasy Novels That Feature a Variety of World Myths
These stories are pretty much a melting pot of different world myths and legendary historical characters. Although, you can't really expect them to be faithful to real world myths. Each of the myths are reinterpreted by the authors to fit into their stories as much as they want, so if you are pedantic about your mythologies, I suggest you skip this list.
Isekai 101: Introduction to the Isekai Genre
I pretty much stumbled into isekai by pure chance. Before that, I used to only read non-isekai Japanese light novels. But 11 years ago, that all changed because of Baka-Tsuki. It was an ever-expanding treasure trove. That's how Mushoku Tensei and I first met which is basically what got me into this rabbit hole. The feeling of sorting through various titles and finding both gold and garbage is great and all, but looking back, a list of recommendations for a beginner like me would have been time-saving to say the least. This list is carefully selected based on my own reading experience. It's probably broad enough to get any newbie aware of what the isekai genre has to offer. Yeah, no satire isekai for now because those are better to read after you've become an isekai veteran.
Science Fantasy Novels
Simply put, they're stories where a bunch of science or pseudoscience is applied to realistically impossible stuff like magic. In this genre, magic is often explained or made sense through scientific explanations although in most cases they're often a load of crap. But... I like to read sciency stuff in fantasy novels, so it's alright.
Novels Whose Protagonist Has an Overpowered Non-Combat Class
Combat classes are expected to excel at fighting, and non-combat classes... to be support. When the latter breaks the mold and outshines the former, that absolutely makes for a more interesting story, doesn't it? Man, this is one of my favorite tropes.
Novels Where the Protagonist Is an Invader
Alien or hell invasion is an extremely popular trope in apocalypse stories, and the protagonist is usually on the side of defending from the invasion. The following novels are the opposite.
Web Novels Inspired by Real Life Games
I'm using "inspired" very loosely in the title. You can argue that some of the novels in this list are just copying content, but I'm not about go jump head first into that can of worms. Personally, I say that these stories are just borrowing ideas from real life games with good intentions, and that the authors are fans of these games.
Iyashi's Long-windedness 