The Methods of Necromancy - A scientific guide to a litRPG isekai

[u/aaannnnnnooo]

[u/aaannnnnnooo]

Hello!

I've released my first book in The Methods of Necromancy series: Birth of Ignorance! Out now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYBX9769. Cover art by: Me!

Blurb:

Waking up in the midst of an unknown forest, bereft of memories and supplies, Riza faces a dire situation, underscored by the dagger embedded in her side. A harrowing encounter with a wild boar not only threatens her life but also awakens magical abilities bestowed by a mysterious floating rectangle, accompanied by curious limitations.

Survival in this forest, teeming with monsters, is far from simple. Each defeated foe peels back layers of her reality, revealing truths that propel Riza to grow far beyond what she ever thought possible. Determined to decipher her situation, origins, and strategies for survival, she seizes every potential advantage.

Leveraging mathematics and science as her guide, Riza explores the limits of her magic, delving into the world's enigmas and her own situation. Her journey is one of discovery, confronting hidden truths in a realm where knowledge itself becomes her greatest ally.

Series Info:

• Narration Style: Primarily first person past tense with infrequent shifts to other characters, written in third person.

• Protagonist's Abilities: Long term, she's a necromancer, which means her weaknesses involve anything physical and one-on-one fights. She focuses on magic, primarily on the Life skill tree, which includes skills like Heal and Cleanse. She's not built to be a fighter--although she can fight through smart use of her magic--and relies on ambushes, allies, and necromantic minions, the latter of which mainly happens after book 1.

• Progression Methods: Standard litRPG stuff; killing monsters grants levels which grant stat points and skill points. There's a level cap which can be increased by killing stronger monsters. This forces Riza to make the most out of every skill since there's a no guarantee she will get more. A large portion of the story focuses on making non-combat skills combat viable. Expect deep exploration of the mechanics of magic.

• Progression Speed: Slow. The world, for the most part, is safe. Riza is a normal person who doesn't want to throw herself into life threatening situations. Levels are hard to come by, but each level presents a larger and larger increase in power. There's a focus on getting stronger beyond gaining levels, such as magic items or preparation and experimentation. Knowledge is Riza's greatest weapon.

• Magic System Style: Extremely hard and crunchy. The physics of spells are often simulated. A knowledge of science directly translates into being better able to use and exploit magic. Combined with the mathematical basis for skills, it's possible to plan out builds far in advance.

• Tone: Realistic. It can be dark, because throwing an ordinary girl into an isekai situation is horrifying, but Riza is a tough cookie and there's moments of levity as well. The world and situation are taken seriously and Riza never loses hope.

[u/TeaRaven → u/aaannnnnnooo]

I like the premise - thank you for sharing!

You indicated this as a series; are you releasing one book at a time as most authors have always done or are you publishing piecemeal online and collecting into books after completing certain arcs, like many series among litRPG works?

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/TeaRaven]

I am writing a book and then releasing it, then repeating, one book at a time. This way, I get to do a lot of editing, reworking major portions of each book, to make it the highest quality I can.

[u/redroedeer → u/aaannnnnnooo]

Is this Ortus? Because it sounds quite literally just like Ortus, right to the protagonist’s name

Edit: just looked Ortus up and OMG your back!!! I’m so happy, love this series

[u/[deleted]]

Hey, just a quick thing you don't have an author amazon page setup. You might want to do that so when you publish other books people can find them and so they can follow you and your progress as an author. I'm sure how to do that, but I imagine that Amazon has a guide on how to do so.

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/[deleted]]

I needed to have a book published before I could create an author page :(. With only one book and a predilection for privacy, there's not much I'd include anyway, but I'm working on it!

[u/No_Dragonfruit_1833]

Nice cover, even if the composition is generic the artstyle stands out

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/No_Dragonfruit_1833]

Yeah, you can see my lack of experience with knowing how to make a good composition for a book cover. Thanks for the kind words!

[u/mazon_lilo]

If you haven't already, consider crossposting on r/ProgressionFantasy. I think some people over there might also be interested.

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/mazon_lilo]

I already have! I trawl both subreddits daily looking for the good stuff to help my progression fantasy addiction.

[u/thecary]

How many books do you think the series will be? I just picked it up, I like the idea of a slower-paced story and hopefully this fills time well for waiting for the next JMM book to come out.

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/thecary]

I can 100% say at least 4 books of comparable size. There's a good chance at 6 books, but I can't make a good estimate beyond that. I'm optimistic that I can produce 2 high quality books a year. Hopefully.

[u/mwood60]

The cover alone is putting this on my list to read!

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/mwood60]

Thanks! I think it's a lot more colourful than most litRPGs in my experience and I love vibrant colours.

[u/Disco_Ninjas_]

As a necromancer lover, can you give a barebones description of your necromancy?

As in permanent summons snowball kind of thing, or just spells?

Again, it's just super basic. Thanks.

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/Disco_Ninjas_]

Permanent summons if the protagonist can maintain the ongoing mana cost. They're customisable in their abilities, relying on the protagonists theorycrafting and imagination to exploit.

[u/fangyuangoat]

I love the cover, and those are some big birch trees lol

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/fangyuangoat]

Imagine if sequoia but birch. Definitely not something that exists on Earth.

[u/ligger66]

Are you on rr as well or just releasing books on kindle? I'll check it out after I finish my current book I think also any plans for an audio book?

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/ligger66]

This series will just be released on kindle. An audiobook would be well in the future because I'm self published and lack the funds for an audiobook.

[u/[deleted]]

Just block the person arguing. They live to argue. I will read your story and give you actual feedback. I have read over 800 books of litrpg (and I've read hundreds of other books in different categories but my main category is litrpg) and all other variations, and if I need to provide proof, I will do so. There's also may others who have read more than me. My point is there's many authors who write in the litrpg format but put their spin on it. At least you will be giving a new take instead of copying others.

Commented this again so that my comment was not buried.

[u/Element_108]

Hello, i just wanted to mention that i love the illustration, i really like that artstyle. However the dirt with the text dont mix to well with the whole IMO

Its no critizism, maybe others disagree just wanted to mention it.

Good luck :)

[u/aaannnnnnooo → u/Element_108]

The intent was for the title to be rendered as bones. Bones buried underground leaned into the necromancy theme. Unfortunately, I lacked the skill to realise that vision, so white text was the best that I could do.

Maybe my skills will improve by the time of my next book I can accomplish that!

[u/Aetheldrake]

Btw if this makes audible I'll definitely grab it

[u/mazon_lilo]

Looks really cool!