Protector of the Grove: An Apocalypse LitRPG (Path of Dragons Book 1)
When Earth is transformed into a realm of myths and monsters, one man finds both purpose and power in the fight for survival, in this fantasy adventure.
Elijah Hart is dying. Wracked by cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, all he wants is to spend what little time he has left with his sister and her family in Washington. But fate has other plans. When the mysterious World Tree extends its branches to Earth, Elijah’s Seattle-bound flight crashes into the Pacific Ocean and a game-like system takes hold—reshaping humanity’s future as well as his own destiny.
Waking up on an island in the Pacific Northwest, Elijah finds himself suddenly gifted with magical powers and an innate connection to the natural world. As a Druid, he has the ability to wield Ethera and harness the power of nature . . . if he survives long enough to master it. The influx of magic has rendered most technology useless, throwing humankind back into a preindustrial age. But the world hasn’t just changed; it has expanded, in both scope and danger.
Now Elijah must level up quickly, learn how to control his powers, and adapt to his new abilities to take on the forms of powerful beasts. Because Earth is under siege: Reptilian Voxx emerge from dimensional rifts, wreaking chaos and destruction. Desperate humans battle for resources, seeking to harness Ethera for their own survival. Even worse, dragons and other ancient beings with the strength to destroy the planet on a whim are beginning to stir.
With each trial he faces, Elijah becomes healthier, stronger, and more powerful. But will it be enough to save himself—let alone the world?
The first volume of the hit LitRPG apocalypse series—with more than 15 million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
From the Publisher






ASIN : B0F3XXHR3Z
Publisher : Podium Publishing
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : May 6, 2025
Language : English
File size : 8.8 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 451 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1039472211
Page Flip : Enabled
Book 1 of 4 : Path of Dragons
Best Sellers Rank: #13,372 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #122 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Kindle Store) #168 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Books) #195 in Dark Fantasy Horror
Customer Reviews: 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,128) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
$5.99
When Earth is transformed into a realm of myths and monsters, one man finds both purpose and power in the fight for survival, in this fantasy adventure.
Elijah Hart is dying. Wracked by cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, all he wants is to spend what little time he has left with his sister and her family in Washington. But fate has other plans. When the mysterious World Tree extends its branches to Earth, Elijah’s Seattle-bound flight crashes into the Pacific Ocean and a game-like system takes hold—reshaping humanity’s future as well as his own destiny.
Waking up on an island in the Pacific Northwest, Elijah finds himself suddenly gifted with magical powers and an innate connection to the natural world. As a Druid, he has the ability to wield Ethera and harness the power of nature . . . if he survives long enough to master it. The influx of magic has rendered most technology useless, throwing humankind back into a preindustrial age. But the world hasn’t just changed; it has expanded, in both scope and danger.
Now Elijah must level up quickly, learn how to control his powers, and adapt to his new abilities to take on the forms of powerful beasts. Because Earth is under siege: Reptilian Voxx emerge from dimensional rifts, wreaking chaos and destruction. Desperate humans battle for resources, seeking to harness Ethera for their own survival. Even worse, dragons and other ancient beings with the strength to destroy the planet on a whim are beginning to stir.
With each trial he faces, Elijah becomes healthier, stronger, and more powerful. But will it be enough to save himself—let alone the world?
The first volume of the hit LitRPG apocalypse series—with more than 15 million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
From the Publisher





ASIN : B0F3XXHR3Z
Publisher : Podium Publishing
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : May 6, 2025
Language : English
File size : 8.8 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 451 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1039472211
Page Flip : Enabled
Book 1 of 4 : Path of Dragons


dillon sapp –
Great Start
This was a surprising great read, I’ve had it on the back burner for a long time and glad I finally got to it. Haven’t read much for Druids in the genre and this was a fun ride. Author is not afraid to kill seemingly important characters as well. MC is lucky sometimes but isn’t OP in the slightest. Going straight to book 2!
Amazon Customer –
A New Universe Done Right
This is easily one of the best LitRPGs I have ever read, hands down. The mystery is compelling, the world building extremely deep and interconnected, and the action gets your heart thumping without dragging on. Extremely cool and varied classes with a multiversal culture and economies based off of the System show how much thought the author has put towards this amazing world he has created. The action and intrigue only continue to climb as the series goes on, and Elijah turns into a truly one of a kind Druid that is insanely fun to follow along with
VS-PA –
Great entertainment
I really liked this book and believe it’s a start to an amazing apocalypse series, but while it started out strong, the repetitive internal monologue and information that reader already knows makes it clear that this started out as a web serial and not a novel. It was slightly frustrating to keep hearing the same internal thoughts and reasoning as to why or how the mc is able to do a certain thing or accomplish a task. I will keep reading, but hope this is addressed in future installments.
Lichemporer –
Ah the beginning
It’s been a long time and I’m glad this got published. This series has a great consistency and improvement with an author trying to make a great story for people to actually enjoy.I highly recommend this series as book 15 is currently being worked on and guarantees a quality series of releases
Sam –
A satisfying slow burn
This book is 1 of a long series that I’ve been reading chapter by chapter. It has been fun reading the main character’s motivations move from mere survival to becoming strong without sacrificing others. The side characters help cement his motivations and do an excellent job showing how the world is adapting to the changes in the book without detracting from the main character’s story. If you like progression LitRPG, this is one of the best series I have found. I look forward to new chapters releasing on RR every day, and I’m happy to see the author was able to publish successfully.
johnathan glasscock –
Beautiful
This is the second of his series I’ve read, love both, the other being death Genesis…. Great creator of systems, characters and storyHighly recommendJD GlasscockAuthor of the Series Blood Brothers, Nocturne and Warborn
Penina Lopez –
Good and Engaging Story
If you are a fan of the genre I would recommend this book. I am currently up to date on Royal Road and it keeps or maintains its quality in all aspects. The author is very good at moving quickly through portions of the story that slare important but less interesting and is good at highlighting character interactions. Which I believe is one of thr strengths of the story.
JonB –
It’s a good read
The story is captivating. The distasteful, merit badge plugs up front tempered any 5 star urges. I was at the point of dropping the story if one more showed up…none did enabling me to enjoy the rest of the read.
Amazon Customer –
I’ve followed this series for a while, and can attest that it continues a satisfying and creative plot, with fun world building, high stakes and meaningful progression (both in power and character).Give it a chance, and I’m certain you’ll enjoy this book as much as a vacation on beach.
Kindle Customer –
Excellent characterisation of both main characters & a very human reaction to the world ending really sell this book.Seeing the MC essentially rebirth himself with the world ending is common for Apocalypse LitRPG’s but it’s handled so well here it’s my new standard for that particular trope.I’d strongly recommend picking it up, there’s always negatives as with any story but the execution and positives far outweigh them here.
Cliente de Kindle –
I have read all of the RR content until now (around book 10) and it has not disappointed yet! Keep the good work
Dragonlord –
Usually, i don’t really like survival or apocalypse story’s, but this one caught my attention and I decided to give it a try and it’s safe to say I’m really loving it so far. It has good main character which i often don’t like in these kinds of story’s. It also feels very well paced and natural, it doesn’t rush things and takes it’s time to show what would happen in a apocalypse realistic ideas. I often see some story’s like these just become a power fantasy with OP MC in the long terms, so fingers crossed it stay the same way.The side characters are good with their own little story’s that I like. I really love the worldbuliding, it doesn’t give away much, but when it does you just want to know more of it. I really like the slice in life story within a apocalypse. Also really unique power that the MC have never seen much durid story’s in the apocalypse, or any at all period. All in all a great story and I highly recommend it. I’m thoroughly enjoying this story and would highly recommend it to others seeking a fresh take on the survival genre. With engaging characters, thoughtful pacing, and a very good worldbuilding
A. Schultz –
I started to read this book because I played a Feral Druid back in Vanilla WoW and Burning Crusade. It didn’t disappoint.