Turret Mage: An Isekai Litrpg

A teenage mechanic must battle nightmarish creatures and create formidable weapons to defend his new home from dark forces in this thrilling portal fantasy.

When Ryan Kotes awakens on an alien planet, his mind is a complete mess. But even with his memories ground into a fine paste, he’s pretty sure he would remember having a metal arm . . . not to mention the flashing messages that keep playing across his vision.

Anyone in Ryan’s position would have a few questions. It’s too bad the System tutorial meant to guide him through the vulnerable start to his new life on Ralqir has gone slightly insane, and his arrival may have kicked off this world’s version of the apocalypse.

Not everything is doom and gloom though. Because Ryan discovers he’s an Exotic: an ascended being with a connection to the great cosmic machine known as the System. What could stand in his way? Well, other than having a skill set that is not suited to combat. If things come down to fighting, his abilities to shape metal and infuse objects with mana won’t cut it.

To survive the coming end times, when the dead will walk and the darkness will feast on the living, Ryan will need to get creative, transforming his crafting Class into something deadly. Building fearsome munitions, he must hone his mind itself into a weapon and use his mechanical know-how to usher in a new age of warfare.

The first volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series--with almost 900,000 views on

Royal Road--now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

J. Drude is the author of the Turret Mage series, originally released on Royal Road. In addition to writer, he has at various times undertaken the roles of cook, computer jockey, soldier, and professional tabletop game master--yes, that last one’s a real job; no, it doesn’t pay well--but his most challenging and rewarding position to date has been that of a husband and father. J. Drude lives in Texas with his wife, two children, and a menagerie of creatures (only some of which are actually domesticated and at least one of which is most certainly plotting his death).