Have you tried Astra Falls by David North? It’s more serious and straightforward. Dont get me wrong there are still silly parts but I think it’s fits. Randidly Ghosthound could be another. But it still has that sidekick comic vibe at points.
Yeah that was kinda what I was getting at. But you both are right I was thinking about book 6 but even in that it still has it… Well I’ll see myself out 😅
Yeah it’s been on my list for a long while, since I read a good review of it. The 2 sequels are at the top of my list now that I’ve picked up #1 in that last sale.
Tower of Heaven is a complete trilogy by Cameron Milan. One of the earlier regression stories but still interesting enough that I read it every couple of years.
Violent, gruesome and very dark. Like if 'Seven' was crossed with human centipede and Pacific Rim
Somehow, it's still really quite good.
It's also just one book, wrapped up nicely.
It's essentially torture porn and set in a VR world. The base idea is interesting tho, I can't really recommend it, it's uh... Yeah... It was okay for this kind of experience but was more than enough.
It's a phenomenal book but, yes, it does indeed have a character like one you're trying to avoid. He's not in the entirety of the book, and isn't really quirky, but I think it may be too much for you in that "weird sidekick" you're avoiding.
It eats him alive repeatedly and kills him slowly by eating his intestines non stop. Imagine something more the size of a snake torturing some ine. Its definitely not cute and making light hearted jokes.. Its put in him to cause massive amounts of pain.
Transcendent green though it is not completed. The most comic relief is a cute wild cat kitten who is funny because kitten. Not completed but the 3rd or 4th book (can’t remember) is coming out June 30th.
A lot of them don't have comic relief characters or a snarky system, though usually the MC is. I can actually think of one where the system is outright malevolent. Now, finding a completed story is harder.
Forever Fantasy Online, Savage Dominion, Sunflower, Hellscape, and Royal Bodyguard are my recommendations. All very different.
The Grand Game doesn't have any that I can recall.
Edit: I guess there technically sorta is one in the first book but they dont get much screentime, and arent a permanent character.
While I agree with you about the talking cat, the savage seven don't really play a big enough role in the story to warrant complaints about Kung fu chickens.
(I'm sure OP is referring to different chickens, but the savage seven are the only chickens I remember from any of the series I've read)
Also the savage seven are from Divine Apostasy for anyone who's curious.
No, snarky is the last word I would use for him. But let's face it: the thought of a kung fu chicken is rather quirky. And Jin has a whole menagerie of quirky and absurd. But it was done well, in my opinion, and made me smile.
I put it off for quite a while; the synopsis just made it sound so meh. But, personally, I found it to be quite unique and very enjoyable, and I am now eagerly awaiting book 4.
I really like it, with the exception of the "soul space" chapters. No joke, the MC and everything that's happening around him is interesting. But when he gets introspective about the System and his Soul damage, snooze fest. But it's usually only a half chapter or one chapter. I don't think it's ever been two chapters in a row.
I put it off for quite a while; the synopsis made it seem pretty mwh. But I thought it was pretty great, personally, and am now waiting eagerly for book 4.
Yeah, I love Ogras now, and he's got the best worldbuilding in the genre. I think he knows that Zak is the "idiot savant" trope and plays into it for comedy sake. We're not laughing at Zak's jokes, but we're laughing at how Zak makes a joke out of all these preconceived notions of "the way to do things"
>...talking cats, kung-fu chickens, shoulder demons and goblin capes; to system messages full of sarcasm, or jokes and references to current earth...
It's been a long while since I've read a few of these but from what I can remember they avoid the "talking cats, kung-fu chickens, shoulder demons, goblin capes" part, I'm *fairly* certain they avoid the "system message full of sarcasm", however there may be references to current Earth (and possibly jokes as well... like I said I forget):
* Afterlife Online Saga (Book 1 - Reboot)
* Viridian Gate Online (Book 1 - Cataclysm: The Viridian Gate Archives)
* \*Alpha Test: Angromoria, Book 1
* Armor (by C.B. Titus)
\*Note: Even though Alpha Test was written in a manner as to continue into future books, the author unfortunately passed away and so there is only the one book. While not perfect or super amazing, it's a pretty decent read and helpful filling the gaps between finding books. Also, I think it's free on Audible.
Similarly Armor is a one-and-done book, and I believe there's a note from the author out on some forum somewhere about him deciding to not continue the series.
VGO has many books in the series in addition to "side adventure" books. Each book and the series as a whole was fairly satisfying to me. This was one of the earlier LitRPG series I listened through, so I'm not sure what else has come out since this finished, but it feels like there *could* be a sequel series if the author ever wanted to write one. It doesn't feel like there needs to be one though (pretty much everything wraps up pretty nicely).
The first three in the list are (obviously) VR-style books, and as such will have mentions of Earth. I forget how much it's brought up/referenced, but I don't believe it was all that common (and even then it felt like it was at least pretty decently far off into the future).
I would say the new world by monsoon117 is great the system isn't snarky or more or less adversarial. There is one goofy character but I would say he's not the quirky sidekick but more the lovable idiot cause he does lock in for combat but when it's safe he's a goodball
I’ve been liking the ripple system “shadeslinger” is the first book. Sidekick is a talking axe/guide that hates the MC and constantly screws him over by giving bad or limited info. Oh yeah and he hates mages and wants to kill everyone. I’ve been liking it.
Mayor of Noobtown
https://www.amazon.com/Mayor-Noobtown-Book-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B07PPDN1ZP?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=994f5cd5-e8ce-4ca8-9497-833e2d80511a
Have you tried Astra Falls by David North? It’s more serious and straightforward. Dont get me wrong there are still silly parts but I think it’s fits. Randidly Ghosthound could be another. But it still has that sidekick comic vibe at points.
Second Aster Falls. Randidly Ghosthound definitely has sidekick syndrome.
Randidly is the sidekick
Yeah that was kinda what I was getting at. But you both are right I was thinking about book 6 but even in that it still has it… Well I’ll see myself out 😅
Aster Falls is one of my favorites! Love the crafting monologues and the fighting
Astray Falls is superb - and there’s lots of them too!
Yep. Big thumbs up to this
Will check out Aster Falls, thanks.
Randidly was the first one that came to mind for me. There is occasionally a bit of quirky sidekick but it's pretty darned rare
Youre looking for a more realistic series. Try The Hedge Wizard, if you havent already, its perfect.
Will do, thanks
Seconding Hedge Wizard it’s great!
Nova Terra (Titan series) by Seth Ring
All of Seth Ring’s books are worth it. Great reads
Nova terra was great. He’s got some off shoot books for some of the supporting characters. It’s a good read.
Will do thanks
Portal to nova roma.
Excellent series. Not completed yet, but eagerly awaiting the next
Apocalypse Redux is a serious story. What story has goblin capes?
Life Reset series has a goblin cape.
Correct. To be fair, Vic is an okay sidekick about 50% of the time, but the other 50% are ball jokes
Tbf, oren did make it very easy.
Second this. Also, what is a goblin cape?
Player Manager. It is really good!
Thanks for reminding me, it’s on my list already
Yeah it’s been on my list for a long while, since I read a good review of it. The 2 sequels are at the top of my list now that I’ve picked up #1 in that last sale.
Tower of Heaven is a complete trilogy by Cameron Milan. One of the earlier regression stories but still interesting enough that I read it every couple of years.
Kaiju battlefield surgeon
This has to be one of the most disturbing LitRPG books. And I’m not sure if that’s a complaint or recommendation.
Disturbing how?
Violent, gruesome and very dark. Like if 'Seven' was crossed with human centipede and Pacific Rim Somehow, it's still really quite good. It's also just one book, wrapped up nicely.
It’s just dark. Would 10/10 recommend if you don’t want something silly. The soundbooth theater theatrical audio version is really great as well.
It's essentially torture porn and set in a VR world. The base idea is interesting tho, I can't really recommend it, it's uh... Yeah... It was okay for this kind of experience but was more than enough.
Reading the Goodreads description > a pet tapeworm named Bansky Sounds exactly what I am trying to avoid
It's a phenomenal book but, yes, it does indeed have a character like one you're trying to avoid. He's not in the entirety of the book, and isn't really quirky, but I think it may be too much for you in that "weird sidekick" you're avoiding.
It eats him alive repeatedly and kills him slowly by eating his intestines non stop. Imagine something more the size of a snake torturing some ine. Its definitely not cute and making light hearted jokes.. Its put in him to cause massive amounts of pain.
Good point, what is with the snarky AI/System messages? Where did this originate?
Maybe people really want to have Glados in their books?
It's easier to write it like that. It leaves options for future plot anchors and such
Dungeon Crawler Carl made them ubiquitous.
It’s an immediate DNF for me if The System is snarky/sarcastic. It just feels wrong 😑
Dungeon lord the wrath's haunt. No system talking to Mc and no dumb sidekicks. Everyone contributes.
Sounds fun, thanks
Natural Laws Apocalypse
Ivan Kal has a cultivation series that is really good can't recall the name Omniscient reader's viewpoint might if you're into webnovels
Apocalypse Reborn
Transcendent green though it is not completed. The most comic relief is a cute wild cat kitten who is funny because kitten. Not completed but the 3rd or 4th book (can’t remember) is coming out June 30th.
[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/77046/path-of-dragons-a-litrpg-apocalypse](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/77046/path-of-dragons-a-litrpg-apocalypse)
Ar'kendrithyst It's completed, it's on RR, no snarky system or comic relief sidekick.
A lot of them don't have comic relief characters or a snarky system, though usually the MC is. I can actually think of one where the system is outright malevolent. Now, finding a completed story is harder. Forever Fantasy Online, Savage Dominion, Sunflower, Hellscape, and Royal Bodyguard are my recommendations. All very different.
Emerilia.
Victor of Tuscan, he eventually gets a talking axe but she doesn't say much and isn't comedic or quirky.
Do you know the author? Can't seem to find this one.
My bad I spelled it wrong. [Victor of Tucson ](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/52889/victor-of-tucson-a-litrpgprogression-fantasy)
The Grand Game doesn't have any that I can recall. Edit: I guess there technically sorta is one in the first book but they dont get much screentime, and arent a permanent character.
Janus and Oblivion, it's great
Might want to explore stories that lean more to the progression side of things. Give mage errant a try (completed).
Apocalypse Parenting
Is this series complete? I have it on my TBR pile, but I thought it was still ongoing
No, it isn't complete yet. Great read tho, am almost done with book 2.
knights of eternity by Rachel Ní Chuirc is pretty good
Absolutely
While I agree with you about the talking cat, the savage seven don't really play a big enough role in the story to warrant complaints about Kung fu chickens. (I'm sure OP is referring to different chickens, but the savage seven are the only chickens I remember from any of the series I've read) Also the savage seven are from Divine Apostasy for anyone who's curious.
I believe OP is talking about Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer
But, that kung fu chicken is not snarky? Nor is he comic relief. The river bass and female love interest however...
No, snarky is the last word I would use for him. But let's face it: the thought of a kung fu chicken is rather quirky. And Jin has a whole menagerie of quirky and absurd. But it was done well, in my opinion, and made me smile.
That was my assumption as well because of the name, although I've never considered reading that one.
I put it off for quite a while; the synopsis just made it sound so meh. But, personally, I found it to be quite unique and very enjoyable, and I am now eagerly awaiting book 4.
Red Mage. Not complete Delve. Not complete They Called Me MAD!. Completed
They called Me Mad! is absolutely a quirky series. It may not have a silly sidekick but that’s because the whole story is supposed to be ridiculous.
How could you forget Dozer? JK, not sure if he counts.
How is delve? I’ve been thinking about trying the audiobook podcast on audible but seems like a lot of hassle
I really like it, with the exception of the "soul space" chapters. No joke, the MC and everything that's happening around him is interesting. But when he gets introspective about the System and his Soul damage, snooze fest. But it's usually only a half chapter or one chapter. I don't think it's ever been two chapters in a row.
Sovereign Soul was pretty good. I'm dying for a second audiobook
I put it off for quite a while; the synopsis made it seem pretty mwh. But I thought it was pretty great, personally, and am now waiting eagerly for book 4.
[Wandering Warrior ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178798024-judge) the stat screen is half a page
Defiance of the Fall if you want straight up dry characters and zero humor.
False. Ogras and Calrein are great. But yes. Everyone else is dry and Zac is dumb as a rock.
True, it took several books for Ogras to grow on me. I think I like every character more than Zak tho.
Yeah, I love Ogras now, and he's got the best worldbuilding in the genre. I think he knows that Zak is the "idiot savant" trope and plays into it for comedy sake. We're not laughing at Zak's jokes, but we're laughing at how Zak makes a joke out of all these preconceived notions of "the way to do things"
Primal Hunter has Villy, but he only really pops up in occasional conversations. Not finished, but like 9 books deep.
...and I'm not sure how he would feel about being called a "sidekick"...
I think Jake would do it.
Queen in the Mud. It's only one book as the author stopped writing it, but it is nicely self contained and worth a read.
>...talking cats, kung-fu chickens, shoulder demons and goblin capes; to system messages full of sarcasm, or jokes and references to current earth... It's been a long while since I've read a few of these but from what I can remember they avoid the "talking cats, kung-fu chickens, shoulder demons, goblin capes" part, I'm *fairly* certain they avoid the "system message full of sarcasm", however there may be references to current Earth (and possibly jokes as well... like I said I forget): * Afterlife Online Saga (Book 1 - Reboot) * Viridian Gate Online (Book 1 - Cataclysm: The Viridian Gate Archives) * \*Alpha Test: Angromoria, Book 1 * Armor (by C.B. Titus) \*Note: Even though Alpha Test was written in a manner as to continue into future books, the author unfortunately passed away and so there is only the one book. While not perfect or super amazing, it's a pretty decent read and helpful filling the gaps between finding books. Also, I think it's free on Audible. Similarly Armor is a one-and-done book, and I believe there's a note from the author out on some forum somewhere about him deciding to not continue the series. VGO has many books in the series in addition to "side adventure" books. Each book and the series as a whole was fairly satisfying to me. This was one of the earlier LitRPG series I listened through, so I'm not sure what else has come out since this finished, but it feels like there *could* be a sequel series if the author ever wanted to write one. It doesn't feel like there needs to be one though (pretty much everything wraps up pretty nicely). The first three in the list are (obviously) VR-style books, and as such will have mentions of Earth. I forget how much it's brought up/referenced, but I don't believe it was all that common (and even then it felt like it was at least pretty decently far off into the future).
I know three of those. What is the shoulder demon?
Mayor of Noobtown
Speedrunning the multiverse by adastra339 perhaps? There is a quirky sidekick, but she shows up in book 3 and the first two books are great.
I would say the new world by monsoon117 is great the system isn't snarky or more or less adversarial. There is one goofy character but I would say he's not the quirky sidekick but more the lovable idiot cause he does lock in for combat but when it's safe he's a goodball
Dreamers throne - by Seth Ring Not completed but defienetly a more serious series. Book 4 comes out on Wednesday.
Nice rec, I am literally reading book 1 right now! This thread was just to line up the next one lol
You're gonna love it. It's nice to read a more serious book.
Have you read System Apocalypse by Tao Wong? It’s long, complete, and checks all those boxes.
I’m sort of drawing a blank because a lot these have a snarky system or a quirky side kick. A good one though is the Idle System.
Savage Awakening might meet your needs.
I’ve been liking the ripple system “shadeslinger” is the first book. Sidekick is a talking axe/guide that hates the MC and constantly screws him over by giving bad or limited info. Oh yeah and he hates mages and wants to kill everyone. I’ve been liking it.
Frank is the definition of a quirky sidekick, which the OP wanted to avoid...
Idk If i would consider frank “quirky”. His traits aren’t peculiar or unexpected. Donut in DCC. Those traits are quirky.
Yeah I wouldn’t call frank quirky. Princess donut is quirky from DCC. Franks just an asshole.
Mayor of Noobtown https://www.amazon.com/Mayor-Noobtown-Book-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B07PPDN1ZP?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=994f5cd5-e8ce-4ca8-9497-833e2d80511a
Literally has a demon sidekick called Shart.
That’s the one with the annoying demon. No thanks.
PH
Cradle. But, you will have to wait for a few books to get the snarky side kick part.
Dungeon Crawler Carl
OP says they don’t want talking cats and you recommend princess donut?
I've counted three comments that suggest the exact opposite stories that the OP is looking for.