Harmon Cooper

author of The Feedback Loop, The Cozy Abyss, Doom System, and so many more

About A Pub in the Underworld

Death is only the beginning for one warrior as he encounters adventure, friendship, and romance in the afterlife in the epic first book of this cozy LitRPG.

There are three levels to the afterlife. The best level is the Celestial Plains at the top. At the bottom is the worst level, known as the Chasm. And in between lies the Underworld. That’s where Sylas Runewulf, a brave soldier who gave everything to his kingdom, finds himself after he dies.

Following the guidance of a mysterious blue prompt, Sylas journeys to the town of Ember Hollow to breathe new life into a quaint local pub. Along the way, he meets a clever apothecary named Mira, who helps him acclimate to the ins and outs of the realm, and Patches, a corpulent cat who’s slightly… shall we say, unusual.

Dubbing the pub “The Old Lamplighter,” Sylas hopes it will be a safe haven for other weary souls. Of course, it doesn’t feel that safe when the prompt reappears with a warning: [You have 89 days until the invasion.]

As Sylas works to decipher the troubling message, he faces more challenges, travels far and wide, and befriends wayward demons, magical creatures, and lost warriors. He also builds a community around his humble pub—one that he must soon defend, or they’ll all face a fate much worse than death . . .

Blending fantasy LitRPG with a slice-of-life story about starting over, A Pub in the Underworld is the first adventure in Harmon Cooper’s Cozy Abyss series. Join Sylas and Patches on their charming journey of discovery, friendship, and defense against the unknown in a world where even the smallest decision could shape the fate of a community caught between realms.

Blending fantasy LitRPG with a slice-of-life story about starting over, A Pub in the Underworld is the first adventure in Harmon Cooper’s Cozy Abyss series. Join Sylas and Patches on their charming journey of discovery, friendship, and defense against the unknown in a world where even the smallest decision could shape the fate of a community caught between realms.

Review

After years of listening to LitRPG, my day was made when I found A Pub in the Underworld by Harmon Cooper. I had listened to 100s of hours of LitRPG and some brushed the edge of “cozy” but no one brought it fully into a game-like system, at least that I know of, before Harmon Cooper’s Cozy Abyss series.

The world (or underworld rather) is well developed, but that development is slow going…meandering if you will. This building up mirrors Sylas’ slow journey to re-build a pub. There is a little bit of action, but mostly it is breezed over. The main conflict is that there is going to be an “invasion in 89 days”. Secondary conflicts are brought over from the living world through a long waging war, the same war that Sylas died in.

Because of the slow pace, the characters are well developed and their relationships with one another are fully explored, which makes for a fun and relaxing read.

The LitRPG and Cozy fantasy combination worked very well and I can’t wait to see more like it.

Also, Patches the pub cat is awesome. I cannot give enough praise to Matthew Wolf who narrated this (and Delemhach’s House Witch books).