Mother of Learning
ARC 1
by Domagoj Kurmaic · first published 2021
81% recommend19% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Time-loop progression fantasy about a young mage at a magic academy, often named the best all-around in its genre. Suits fans of HPMOR, Worm, or Cradle; free online and also on Kindle.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2018–2023Jade City
Fonda Lee
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 65 recommend · 6 mention5 recommend · 65 recommend
2016–2022All the Birds in the Sky
Charlie Jane Anders, Laurent Queyssi
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 64 recommend · 6 mention4 recommend · 64 recommend
2022–2026Dungeon Crawler Carl
Matt Dinniman
Recommended by 43 · mentioned by 7243 recommend · 72 mention43 recommend · 7243 recommend
2010–2026Elantris
Brandon Sanderson
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2615 recommend · 26 mention15 recommend · 2615 recommend
2010–2026The Fall of Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Recommended by 20 · mentioned by 3620 recommend · 36 mention20 recommend · 3620 recommend
Malazan Book of the Fallen : Books 1-4
Steven Erikson
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 6742 recommend · 67 mention42 recommend · 6742 recommend
2007–2026Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
Recommended by 29 · mentioned by 5429 recommend · 54 mention29 recommend · 5429 recommend
2009–2026The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
Recommended by 128 · mentioned by 260128 recommend · 260 mention128 recommend · 260128 recommend
I just finished a Web Serial that's in the process of being edited and published called Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic. So far, only the first arc has been formally published, [0] but the entire story is available for free online. [1] It's a fantasy story about a young mage attending an academy to…
on “Ask HN: What Books Do You Recommend Reading for 2022?” ↗Two series that helped me immensely during some rough times that finally ended in 2023: “Beware of Chicken” “Mother of Learning” Read those in the hospital with my son. I found them to be excellent stories and they gave me a lot to think about as far as major decisions I was making. A trilogy I ended up finally reading and really…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗…reading something that you can just pick up and enjoy, there are better series out there. If you're looking to try some stuff outside the Sanderson/Rothfuss bubble, some of my personal favorites are Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic and Cradle by Will Wight. The former is a fantasy time loop story about a young academy student who becomes stuck in a month long time loop and has to figure out how to get out of…
on “Ask HN: What Are Your Hobbies?” ↗…"The Last Echo of the Lord of Bells" by John Bierce * "Scion of Storms" by Samuel Hinton * "Waybound" by Will Wight * "Mark of the Fool" by J.M. Clarke * "Harper Hall of Pern" by Anne McCaffrey * "Mother of Learning" by Nobody103 (Domagoj Kurmaić) * "Silvers" by Brian J. Nordon * "A Coup of Tea" by Casey Blair Wrote a blog post with reviews and honorable mentions at the end: https://learnbyexample.github.io/escapist-reviews/lists/2023...
on “Ask HN: What was your favorite content or book in 2023?” ↗…It's a fun genre that really tickles the same part of my brain that building munchkins in D&D does. Progression fantasy is just very satisfying to read. (In case anyone is looking for recommendations, Mother of Learning is the best all-around, Delve is probably my favorite, and Worth the Candle is incredible if you can stomach how much of a crapsack world the protagonist is dragged through)
on “A journey into Kindle AI slop hell” ↗…also more of web fiction (including fan fiction). I was impressed by how effectively the VSI books (at least most of them) convey a large amount of understanding in that small space. I also discovered Mother of Learning (web fiction) and Brutal Harry/Harry Potter and the Natural 20 (fan fiction) in 2017, and realized there's a whole new form of fiction content that I'd been missing out on. I think (and hope) I'll be…
on “Ask HN: What new podcasts and books are you planning to listen or read in 2018?” ↗…the Rings, the banter of a good comedy, the rising anticipation of a good thriller and all whilst having an ever intriguing world that is being slowly revealed. You'll like it if you've ever read Worm, Mother of Learning, or HPMOR. Though mainly I'd say it's for people who want to read truly interesting complex characters, as well as enjoys the intellectual stimulation of trying to figure out what the protagonist should…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…Previously I thought that most web serials were on par with fan fiction in quality and subject matter. That being said another free audio book that is also a web serial (not sure if it's complete just yet) is Mother of Learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjR6qnMXU9o&list=PL1R6q3pUbd...
on “Free Audio Books: Download Great Books for Free” ↗If you like the time-loop genre I can recommend: https://www.fictionpress.com/s/2961893/1/Mother-of-Learning
on “Before ‘Groundhog Day’: The Time-Loop Novel That Started It All” ↗The two books I usually recommend for HPMOR fans are Worm (https://parahumans.wordpress.com/) and The Mother Of Learning (https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21220/mother-of-learning) Both considered to be a part of "rational fiction" sub-genre the same as HPMoR.
on “Unsong, a fantasy novel where the universe is programmable with Hebrew (2015)” ↗Also, if you liked CRADLE, I recommend MOTHER OF LEARNING by nobody103, Iron Prince by Bryce O'Connor (first book is out, second book comes out in 2023), and Arcane Ascension series by Andrew Rowe. All three of those are fantastic and in the vein of progression…
on “Sanderson shares intimate details about contracting with publishing industry” ↗…circumstances. They prove themselves by their work ethic or cleverness, not by being born to a powerful family. Most works in this category are rehashes of CRPG or Xianxia tropes. I'd personally recommend Mother of Learning as the best progression fantasy I've read.
on “The Disappearance of the Hit-Driven Business Model” ↗…read Cradle? Cradle is not litrpg, but everyone likes it and those who don't are considered to be strange lepers (assuming you enjoy litrpg or progression fantasy at all) Other honourable mentions.. Mother Of Learning Dungeon Crawler Carl
on “Reddit Is Down” ↗Your "random" example is currently the #2 ongoing fiction on there, and was #1 until a couple days ago when the guy who wrote Mother of Learning released his new fiction.
on “Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI and Meta for copyright infringement” ↗If you haven't already read Mother of Learning you really should, you would absolutely adore it.
on “Reel Inequality: Charting the Vanishing Middle Class of Movies” ↗