Levi Werner, author of the World of Magic series, grew up on a farm before earning a degree in mechanical engineering — a background that fuels the logic and structure in his LitRPG worlds. His stories blend grounded realism with imaginative magic, drawing readers into adventures that feel both vast and personal.
In this interview, Werner discusses Redemption’s Cost — a tale of sacrifice, second chances, and what it truly means to earn forgiveness in a world ruled by power.
Redemption’s Cost opens with a player unexpectedly trapped in the undead
body of a lich — a bold and unusual starting point. What sparked the idea for Lich Lord, and how did you decide to center the story around a character often cast as the villain?
The idea came to me when I saw an article talking about how terrible people can be in video games when there are no societal pressures controlling them, how they will do things in a fictional setting they would never do in real life. While I thought they had somewhat of a point when it came to some of their conclusions it seemed to me that they completely ignored the side of video gaming that is escapism, that and that it is fiction and what is morally ‘right and wrong’ would have to be different in a world with magic.
So I set out to create a character who kind of embodied that idea by creating a character that had been using the ‘fictional’ video game world to blow. Of course the it turns out to be far more than that and now that he was stuck in it with the choices he had already made what would that entail. I won’t pretend to be some great philosophical mind or anything like that, but I tired to put myself in Zeke’s head and think what would
someone actually do in that situation.
In Redemption’s Cost, Zeke is caught between identities: once human, now undead; once a gamer, now part of the game world itself. How did you approach writing a protagonist who embodies both hero and monster?
I truly see him walking down the path of balance, I guess to use a very broken system people are familiar with he will truly embody lawful neutral in the dnd alignment
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By the time we reach Vindication’s Path and Absolution’s Steps, Zeke has grown into his power but also into his sense of purpose. How do you see his moral compass evolving across the series?
I truly see him walking down the path of balance, I guess to use a very broken system people are familiar with he will truly embody lawful neutral in the dnd alignment system.
The Lich is such a classic figure in fantasy and gaming lore. How did you balance honoring that archetype while giving your own spin to what “lichdom” means?
That is kind of a hard one. Lich’s are something that are not directly found in the mythos of our world, the closet we get are mummies in Egypt with their phylacteries. In pop culture Lich’s are almost always necromancers who in their search for power gave up their humanity, sometimes this drives them made and sometimes it doesn’t. Zeke’s case is a little different, because while he is a Lich he truly wasn’t some power made necromancer, he was just some guy. On top of that instead of being a super power entity he has to start over.
So I guess I stay true to the lore by how his power function and how people seethem. But I put more own twist on it by having the use of those power be controlled byhow a regular guy would actually use those kinds of powers.
There’s a strong theme of reclamation and self-definition throughout the trilogy — Zeke choosing who he is, rather than what he’s been made into. Was that something you planned from the start or did it evolve naturally through his journey?
“Romans 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” This was a large part of my impetus for this theme. As we go through our lives we all struggle to keep our feet on the straight and narrow path, and we all fail more often than we succeeded. But the important part is we keep trying to follow that path. Zeke had a lot of questions and burdens had had to bear but the important part was he didn’t give up.
The magic and necromancy systems in Lich Lord are intricate but also deeply tied to emotion and will. Can you walk us through how you developed the mechanics behind lich magic and Mercy, Zeke’s weapon?
So truly if you want a more in-depth explanation of how the magic works people should read my other series, World of Magic, since the stories take place in the same world. I don really get into the details of the mechanics behind the magic in this series because Zeke is not the type of caster who gets into that, at least not at this point in his story. My other main character, Lox, literally has a magical class that allows him to work with the fundamentals of magic and make custom spells, even if he does it wrong a few times and blows himself up.
There are fundamental rules that govern all of it, but explaining them in a concise way it hard. Those rules do get bent a little when it comes to soul’s but, which is why Mercy is a little special, but the rules are never broken. World building is one of my strong suits and I take pride in creating worlds that make internal sense.
So answer your question precisely. I took the rules of the magic and applied them to both Zeke and his weapon, I didn’t really create a custom set of magic for him.
Looking back on the Lich Lord series, what moments, decisions, or revelations in Zeke’s journey are you most proud of, and where do you hope readers’ imaginations take them after the story ends?
One of my favorite moments comes at the end of the first book when Zeke comes to terms with who he is, what he is done, and what he wants to do. He might not know exactly where he is going yet, the metaphysical sense, but he is willing to find that path.
The moment is so important because in a very real way it doesn’t matter what mistakes we have made or damage we have done in our past we can always pick ourselves up and try again. The important part is that we keep trying to be better even when we fail over and over again.
Early morning writing or late-night sessions — what’s your rhythm?
early morning
Which NPC or minor character deserves their own spin-off story?
I thought about doing a buddy cop inspired stories with Fryer Brown and
Vito, with Brown being the good cop and Vito being the bad cop.
If you found yourself reincarnated as a lich tomorrow, what’s the first spell you’d learn and the last one you’d give up?
Create undead, free labor for the win!
Also create undead, we always need free labor!
What’s your favorite video game or RPG, and how has it influenced your writing?
Strategy games, it has made my world building better.
Do you create the rules of your fictional game world first, or do the story and characters come first?
Yes, that is how to make a world that makes sense. You don’t need it fully flushed out but at least a general idea.
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How do you avoid overwhelming readers with too much technical detail about the game systems?
I listen to audio books and have listened to several that over did the stat sheets. So I try to keep that in mind, if it would be boring to listen to then it is probably too much data.
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How do you handle the balance between humor and seriousness in your books?
I like smart humor and quick witted characters. Working it in carefully where then reads chuckles at some cleaver thing but isn’t pulled out of the story is my goal.
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What’s your favorite genre mash-up for LitRPG (fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, etc.)?
Sci-fi and magic, I actually have written a full book in that setting, but I am not sure it will ever see the light of day since it isn’t a super popular combination.
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How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?
I have a bottle of very expensive scotch I have a drink from.
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Which of your books or characters would you recommend as a starting point for new readers?
World of Magic explains a lot of that universe but it was my first series and definitely has its issues. I personally like Lich Lord better, so that is where I would start.
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Have any real-life locations inspired the settings in your books?
I grew up in Washington state has so much natural beauty it is astounding, I didn’t appreciate it until I left. So yes where I grew up definitely inspired my imagination.
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What’s your favorite part of hearing from readers?
The support, I had one person telling me my characters resonated with their own life and made something hard they were going through a little more bearable.
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Have you ever snuck a favorite quote or line from another book into your own work?
Yes, many times.
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Get Author Spotlight: Levi’s amazing book, Redemption’s Cost and available now on Amazon
Reincarnated in the body of a Lich. An enemy to all. And that’s just problem number one…
Well, now he’d done it. Zeke was only playing the villain to blow off steam, now he was stuck in the body of one.
Trapped in a hostile world, Zeke must flee his former guild. The problem is, he can only flee into a holy kingdom ruled by the Church of Olattee. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Only his power is gone, and he must start over.
Well… Mostly anyway. He is still a lich after all and he still has his weapon, Mercy, which is more powerful than even he knows.
The real question is, is he now a villain or not? And will he survive long enough to find out?
Don’t miss the next action-packed LitRPG / GameLit series by Levi Werner, the bestselling author behind World of Magic. It’s perfect for fans of Sylver Seeker, Book of the Dead, and The Ritualist.
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