What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dark Profit Saga #4
Crypt Currency: a Lesson in Orconomics
On Arth, the future of finance revolves around deep politics, hidden interests, and dark magic. Notably absent is actual money.
Crypt currency is the future. The enchantments are reliable. The aethernet infrastructure is sound. And despite the fact the currency is stored in something called a pocket crypt, relies on phantoms of the dead, and often involves a worrying green glow, experts agree it has nothing to do with necromancy. All of the big crypt magnates say so.
Then pocket crypts unleash sorcerous chaos at a funeral. Then a necromantic blight begins rotting the countryside. Then Gorm Ingerson, guild auditor and professionally skeptical Dwarf, starts following the money that isn’t money, and learns that economics is far more deadly than advertised.
Along the way, Gorm will discover that there are no real experts in noncorporeal cash, Dwarven cultural identity, nor matters of the heart. He’ll need to navigate all three if he and his friends are to survive a crisis that’s rapidly becoming less financial and more apocalyptic. Because when crypt currency crashes, the dead don't stay dead—they come to collect.
A novel set on Arth, the world of the Dark Profit Saga
Crypt currency is the future. The enchantments are reliable. The aethernet infrastructure is sound. And despite the fact the currency is stored in something called a pocket crypt, relies on phantoms of the dead, and often involves a worrying green glow, experts agree it has nothing to do with necromancy. All of the big crypt magnates say so.
Then pocket crypts unleash sorcerous chaos at a funeral. Then a necromantic blight begins rotting the countryside. Then Gorm Ingerson, guild auditor and professionally skeptical Dwarf, starts following the money that isn’t money, and learns that economics is far more deadly than advertised.
Along the way, Gorm will discover that there are no real experts in noncorporeal cash, Dwarven cultural identity, nor matters of the heart. He’ll need to navigate all three if he and his friends are to survive a crisis that’s rapidly becoming less financial and more apocalyptic. Because when crypt currency crashes, the dead don't stay dead—they come to collect.
A novel set on Arth, the world of the Dark Profit Saga
567 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2026
About the author
J. Zachary Pike
12 books988 followersJ. Zachary Pike was once a basement-dwelling fantasy gamer, but over time he metamorphosed into a basement-dwelling fantasy writer. By day Zack is a web professional and creative-for-hire, but at night he returns to his lair to create books, films, and illustrations that meld fantasy elements with offbeat humor. A New Englander by birth and by temperament, Zack writes strangely funny fiction on the seacoast of New Hampshire.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 27, 2026
I love J. Zachary Pike
and if he's ever in Croatia (PLEASE COME TO CROATIA!) he will have at least one drink on me.
The way this man writes, the ease with which he spins the yarn, the way in which he makes economics interesting and understandable and funny, is simply amazing.
Oh and the ending! God the ending! He made my heart swell at least 4 sizes. I am in awe.
Also, I CAN'T WAIT for my physical copy to arrive! I NEED IT! I need to put notes in it, i need to mark it, I need to add smiles and hearts and WOW and THE FUCKS! as I always do to the margins.
Well done, sir, well well done!
also - when is the next one coming? I know this one JUST came out, but.... please?
and if he's ever in Croatia (PLEASE COME TO CROATIA!) he will have at least one drink on me.
The way this man writes, the ease with which he spins the yarn, the way in which he makes economics interesting and understandable and funny, is simply amazing.
Oh and the ending! God the ending! He made my heart swell at least 4 sizes. I am in awe.
Also, I CAN'T WAIT for my physical copy to arrive! I NEED IT! I need to put notes in it, i need to mark it, I need to add smiles and hearts and WOW and THE FUCKS! as I always do to the margins.
Well done, sir, well well done!
also - when is the next one coming? I know this one JUST came out, but.... please?
June 9, 2026
A pleasant one off form the main series line. This one had a lot more investigation (and, rare I add, some romance mixed in) and a lot less hack and slashing. I was fine with the change in style but the story did take a little while to pick up. I also would have liked a bit more appearances form the heroes of the original trilogy. Still, the satire was spot on and I did enjoy the story.
May 27, 2026
Honestly, I was not thrilled to see that Zack decided to return to Arth and Gorm in his latest book. I was hoping for something different, something fresh. Alas, it looked like I was not getting what I wanted. But having promised that I would give him my money as soon as he wrote something new, I had little choice.
As you have probably surmised, this is the part of the review where I genuflect humbly and admit my mistake (giddily). I expected many things from this book. None of my expectations were met but were exceeded. The result? Out of the four books set on Arth I’ve read, this is the one I enjoyed the most. Squeee-level enjoyment.
My words are not wording today, but let’s say that my feelings and general disposition while reading, and now, after finishing it, were a crossover between an expensive perfume commercial and a scene from a shojo anime where the female character is overly excited (don’t be a pervert, I wrote shojo very clearly).
I do wish y’all could have a glimpse at the messages me and my reading buddy exchanged when we realized we had but two chapters left. Existential dread, my guys. Severe panic. (We agreed on the next book, we’re fine now).
Now, you’re wondering when I will start reviewing. Well, I’ll have to throw another “Alas” at you, poor Yorick. Because if I told you what I enjoyed about Crypt Currency the most, I’d be spoiling it for you (even though none of it is plot-related, but more experiential). If I told you what I didn’t like – well that just wouldn’t be fair.
Here’s a piece of advice, instead: if you liked the Dark Profit trilogy, don’t read about Crypt Currency – read Crypt Currency.
The following message is for J. Zachary Pike:
As you have probably surmised, this is the part of the review where I genuflect humbly and admit my mistake (giddily). I expected many things from this book. None of my expectations were met but were exceeded. The result? Out of the four books set on Arth I’ve read, this is the one I enjoyed the most. Squeee-level enjoyment.
My words are not wording today, but let’s say that my feelings and general disposition while reading, and now, after finishing it, were a crossover between an expensive perfume commercial and a scene from a shojo anime where the female character is overly excited (don’t be a pervert, I wrote shojo very clearly).
I do wish y’all could have a glimpse at the messages me and my reading buddy exchanged when we realized we had but two chapters left. Existential dread, my guys. Severe panic. (We agreed on the next book, we’re fine now).
Now, you’re wondering when I will start reviewing. Well, I’ll have to throw another “Alas” at you, poor Yorick. Because if I told you what I enjoyed about Crypt Currency the most, I’d be spoiling it for you (even though none of it is plot-related, but more experiential). If I told you what I didn’t like – well that just wouldn’t be fair.
Here’s a piece of advice, instead: if you liked the Dark Profit trilogy, don’t read about Crypt Currency – read Crypt Currency.
The following message is for J. Zachary Pike:
May 18, 2026
I think anything J Zachary Pike writes is an instant read for me. It was fun going back to good old Gorm and meeting a bunch of new characters, too.
There were a few paragraphs at about the 80% mark that had me standing up to applaud.
There were a few paragraphs at about the 80% mark that had me standing up to applaud.
Want to Read
April 9, 2026OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING. EVERYBODY STAY ******* CALM.
July 22, 2026
Just read it, trust me. It will make you feel better.
Also... can I please have some more?
Also... can I please have some more?
May 24, 2026
This book is highly clever in many ways, and some of those many ways are puns. The unique world building still somehow works as the basis for brilliant satire of the real world.
July 19, 2026
The Dark Profit Saga has always melded D&D with aspects of economics. In this book J. Zachary Pike takes on Cryptocurrency. But the D&D adventures are virtually nonexistent: the entire book takes place in the city of Andarun, with nary a dragon or a cave troll in sight. That’s unfortunate: I’ve always enjoyed the adventure aspects of this series more than the economic satire, even if “Crypt Currency” is a great fantasy take on cryptocurrency. But this book insists on describing in great detail how “Crypt Currency” works. It’s mind-numbingly boring, and hard to follow to boot.
The book brings other modern inventions into the fantasy realm: PC’s (”Phantasmal Cogitators”), the internet (”Ethernet”), emails (Sprites), online games, and so on. Mr. Pike has traded Orcs for office work, to our detriment. I’ve seen this dynamic before: Terry Pratchett has had a wildly successful run of books where he would introduce concepts from our modern world into the Discworld, such as newspapers or the telegraph. But eventually the shtick grew so stale that I didn’t even read the last few Discworld books Mr. Pratchett wrote. I hope it doesn’t come to that with J. Zachary Pike’s books!
The main character is our favorite Dwarf, Gorm Ingerson. As Chief Auditor of the Hero’s Guild, he’s responsible for policing the excesses of adventuring parties. But now he finds himself investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of our least favorite Dwarf, the banker Fenrir Goldson. This ties into Crypt Currency, so Gorm enlists the help of an “Astralist” called Myla, an expert in the subject. Together they investigate the companies and individuals in the Crypt Currency space, who bear a large resemblance to cryptocurrency figures in our own world. I especially enjoyed crypto mogul Samwise Fried-Beet Yam (aka Sam Bankman-Fried).
And then, a surprising thing happens: Gorm starts to find excuses to spend more time with Myla. Could it be?! Is it Spring in Gorm’s heart? This was the part of the book I enjoyed the most, because it shows real character growth from Gorm (his clan would not approve of this). Along with the romantic subplot we get oodles of references to romantic media in our world, such as a very funny reference to “Say Anything”, and the friend group in “Sex and the City”. There’s even a Mr. Big! (Here called “Mr. Pinnacle”.)
I’ve written a lot of criticisms so far, so why did I give the book four stars anyway? Because it’s enjoyable most of the time. Pike is a good writer, and the book contains lots of jokes. Consider Gorm’s assistant, the Goblin Mr. Pibble, who munches on Gorm’s office supplies when he gets nervous. I also really liked Gorm and Myla. I hope those crazy kids (Gorm is probably 100 years old) make it work! I also hope that Pike dials down the modern technology in future books: I don’t want freaking DEBUGGING in my humorous fantasy novels.
The book brings other modern inventions into the fantasy realm: PC’s (”Phantasmal Cogitators”), the internet (”Ethernet”), emails (Sprites), online games, and so on. Mr. Pike has traded Orcs for office work, to our detriment. I’ve seen this dynamic before: Terry Pratchett has had a wildly successful run of books where he would introduce concepts from our modern world into the Discworld, such as newspapers or the telegraph. But eventually the shtick grew so stale that I didn’t even read the last few Discworld books Mr. Pratchett wrote. I hope it doesn’t come to that with J. Zachary Pike’s books!
The main character is our favorite Dwarf, Gorm Ingerson. As Chief Auditor of the Hero’s Guild, he’s responsible for policing the excesses of adventuring parties. But now he finds himself investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of our least favorite Dwarf, the banker Fenrir Goldson. This ties into Crypt Currency, so Gorm enlists the help of an “Astralist” called Myla, an expert in the subject. Together they investigate the companies and individuals in the Crypt Currency space, who bear a large resemblance to cryptocurrency figures in our own world. I especially enjoyed crypto mogul Samwise Fried-Beet Yam (aka Sam Bankman-Fried).
And then, a surprising thing happens: Gorm starts to find excuses to spend more time with Myla. Could it be?! Is it Spring in Gorm’s heart? This was the part of the book I enjoyed the most, because it shows real character growth from Gorm (his clan would not approve of this). Along with the romantic subplot we get oodles of references to romantic media in our world, such as a very funny reference to “Say Anything”, and the friend group in “Sex and the City”. There’s even a Mr. Big! (Here called “Mr. Pinnacle”.)
I’ve written a lot of criticisms so far, so why did I give the book four stars anyway? Because it’s enjoyable most of the time. Pike is a good writer, and the book contains lots of jokes. Consider Gorm’s assistant, the Goblin Mr. Pibble, who munches on Gorm’s office supplies when he gets nervous. I also really liked Gorm and Myla. I hope those crazy kids (Gorm is probably 100 years old) make it work! I also hope that Pike dials down the modern technology in future books: I don’t want freaking DEBUGGING in my humorous fantasy novels.
May 16, 2026
In an ideal world, J Zachary Pike wouldn't just be as well known as Matt Dinneman; he'd be more so, because in his books, he uses LitRPG tropes but for an end far beyond themselves. His original trilogy became a retelling of the financial housing crisis, all done through the idea of dungeon horde investing; now, with Crypt Currency, he returns to Arth, giving us a story of crypto currency as seen through the undead, Heroes Guild politics, inter-species tension, and more - all while being funny, smart, satirical, and just plain great.
You don't have to have read the original Dark Profit trilogy to read Crypt Currency (but you should, just because it's great); all you need to know is that you're in a fantasy world governed by the rules of the Heroes guild, where quests are offered, loot is sanctioned and taxed, and for many "Shadowkin" races, your best bet is to become a Noncombatant Paper Carrier - an NPC, of course.
Mind you, does that tell you that there's also a recurring Sex and the City riff in this book? No. No it does not...but there is, and it's great. As is the trenchant commentary on what happens when you separate morality from money.
But here's what you really need to know: Pike operates in the tradition of Terry Pratchett, spending equal amounts of time on his characters and his world as much as he does in his ideas, and both halves work all the better for the other one. Without the ideas, the realization of how even these elaborate evil villain plots are so universal wouldn't hit; without the characters, though, I wouldn't care about the outcome of the efforts to stop the plot. But with Gorm back, and this world returning, and the humor as sharp as ever, and the characterization rich (and, unlike my feelings on DCC, the humor actually clever and not obvious)...I was just delighted to come back to this.
If you like DCC, Pike is a no-brainer. And if you DON'T like DCC, you should come over and hang out with the cool kids who are reading Pike. He's if Pratchett wrote LitRPG about financial markets, and it's so much funnier and richer than you expect that combination to be.
You don't have to have read the original Dark Profit trilogy to read Crypt Currency (but you should, just because it's great); all you need to know is that you're in a fantasy world governed by the rules of the Heroes guild, where quests are offered, loot is sanctioned and taxed, and for many "Shadowkin" races, your best bet is to become a Noncombatant Paper Carrier - an NPC, of course.
Mind you, does that tell you that there's also a recurring Sex and the City riff in this book? No. No it does not...but there is, and it's great. As is the trenchant commentary on what happens when you separate morality from money.
But here's what you really need to know: Pike operates in the tradition of Terry Pratchett, spending equal amounts of time on his characters and his world as much as he does in his ideas, and both halves work all the better for the other one. Without the ideas, the realization of how even these elaborate evil villain plots are so universal wouldn't hit; without the characters, though, I wouldn't care about the outcome of the efforts to stop the plot. But with Gorm back, and this world returning, and the humor as sharp as ever, and the characterization rich (and, unlike my feelings on DCC, the humor actually clever and not obvious)...I was just delighted to come back to this.
If you like DCC, Pike is a no-brainer. And if you DON'T like DCC, you should come over and hang out with the cool kids who are reading Pike. He's if Pratchett wrote LitRPG about financial markets, and it's so much funnier and richer than you expect that combination to be.
June 7, 2026
This is a hard one to review. I guess for me it didn't have the emotion or thrill that the previous books had. Mr. Pike did an admirable job, but it felt like he had a good writer's list of all the things a stellar story needs and he checked off every item, and yet it didn't ring true for me.
I think the MacGuffin for this book was a bit too high-concept for a work of this length. The idea of cryptocurrency in a fantasy world like Dungeons and Dragons is unique and fits with the overall theme of then Dark Profits universe, but...
This was 400 pages of exposition about how crypt currency works, and why it works. The inclusion of the subplot with the gnoll delivery cart person felt like it was there for social commentary, as opposed to being a element that we should really care about. Most of Pike's ancillary character usually play a bigger role and ultimately interact with main characters. In this case, you could easily remove all of the segments about Berk from the book and you would never miss her.
Gorm's social/sexual inhibitions seem to be played for a laugh at first before they become part of the main sub-plot. Maybe that was a me thing, but it seemed mean-spirited rather than funny.
And speaking of funny. There was a lot less of the humour I've come to expect from this series. Disappointingly, the author tried to make up for this by adding in footnotes a la Terry Pratchett. I felt that they broke into the narrative without adding all that much.
By and large the writing was good, as was the world building, characterization, and all the things you look for in a good book. The plotting was handled so deftly that you don't realize that there's hardly any action for the first 80% of the book.
This should have been a five star review, but it just didn't come together the way Pike's other books in the series did.
I think the MacGuffin for this book was a bit too high-concept for a work of this length. The idea of cryptocurrency in a fantasy world like Dungeons and Dragons is unique and fits with the overall theme of then Dark Profits universe, but...
This was 400 pages of exposition about how crypt currency works, and why it works. The inclusion of the subplot with the gnoll delivery cart person felt like it was there for social commentary, as opposed to being a element that we should really care about. Most of Pike's ancillary character usually play a bigger role and ultimately interact with main characters. In this case, you could easily remove all of the segments about Berk from the book and you would never miss her.
Gorm's social/sexual inhibitions seem to be played for a laugh at first before they become part of the main sub-plot. Maybe that was a me thing, but it seemed mean-spirited rather than funny.
And speaking of funny. There was a lot less of the humour I've come to expect from this series. Disappointingly, the author tried to make up for this by adding in footnotes a la Terry Pratchett. I felt that they broke into the narrative without adding all that much.
By and large the writing was good, as was the world building, characterization, and all the things you look for in a good book. The plotting was handled so deftly that you don't realize that there's hardly any action for the first 80% of the book.
This should have been a five star review, but it just didn't come together the way Pike's other books in the series did.
May 22, 2026
The Orconomics Trilogy holds a beloved place on my bookshelf. I absolutely adore J. Zachary Pike's Arth world and his Terry Pratchett-esque humorous satire writing of modern day economics. This book was instant read for me. The fantasy style language of coding had me in stitches, and all the lampooning of crypto and bitcoin. To my surprise, there was a deeper delving into dwarf culture and a romance arc. I should not have been surprised as all of his books have real heart and emotion beneath the laughter. New heroes and characters emerge and a few old ones, though I wish we could have had more shoutouts to the old beloved ones.
I love Gorm Ingerson and I wish J. Zachary Pike would write more books set in this world!
I love Gorm Ingerson and I wish J. Zachary Pike would write more books set in this world!
May 27, 2026
This was a book the arrival of which I was eagerly anticipating for some time - it does not disappoint.
JZP is the closest author we have to STP, which is not something to be said lightly. There are so many parallels that it's sometimes hard to remember I'm not reading STP, rather JZP! It was interesting seeing Gorm take on the Sam Vimes role, Poldo cast as the Patrician, and various others.
JZP has written another great story, with his trademark deftness bringing to life yet another aspect of the modern financial 'system', this time the focus on the superficiality and fragility of cryptocurrencies. Not every metaphor works, and it gets a little muddled in a couple of places, but it carries well to the end and ties in some nice new concepts.
I want more!
JZP is the closest author we have to STP, which is not something to be said lightly. There are so many parallels that it's sometimes hard to remember I'm not reading STP, rather JZP! It was interesting seeing Gorm take on the Sam Vimes role, Poldo cast as the Patrician, and various others.
JZP has written another great story, with his trademark deftness bringing to life yet another aspect of the modern financial 'system', this time the focus on the superficiality and fragility of cryptocurrencies. Not every metaphor works, and it gets a little muddled in a couple of places, but it carries well to the end and ties in some nice new concepts.
I want more!
June 18, 2026
Gorm's story continues and it is as engaging as it needs to be :). I kind of suspect that readers who don't share the author's view on "crypt currencies" (wink, wink) might not find the book as fun, as his satirical and somewhat sarcastic writing might not be for everyone. Yet just like the "The dark profits" trilogy Zachary Pike is able to make a story about a financial assets, place it in a fantasy world and make it entertaining. And it works amazingly well.
Fun book, witty humor, somewhat cliche of a story, but the humor and the writing are the thing that shines here ;)
Fun book, witty humor, somewhat cliche of a story, but the humor and the writing are the thing that shines here ;)
May 28, 2026
Another wonderful addition to The Dark Profit Saga, my favorite financial fantasy satire series out there (is there another one??). Seriously, I don’t know how this author writes heartfelt, hilarious tales of fantasy and adventure with so much modern financial mumbo jumbo interwoven without bogging everything down, but he friggin’ does! He must be like a good writer or something I dunno. ೭੧(❛〜❛✿)੭೨
Tl;dr - Another good story! Can’t wait until the next one!
Tl;dr - Another good story! Can’t wait until the next one!
June 4, 2026
crypto currency, get it?
A little too on-the-nose making fun of cryptocurrency and the high tech world, wrapped up in fantasy humor. I imagine a year or two out from here, most of the references in the story will be lost to time. It’s a humorous fantasy story with romance thrown in.
A little too on-the-nose making fun of cryptocurrency and the high tech world, wrapped up in fantasy humor. I imagine a year or two out from here, most of the references in the story will be lost to time. It’s a humorous fantasy story with romance thrown in.
June 19, 2026
If I've said The Dark Profit Saga is awesome once I've said it at least three times previously. Like the first three books in the series, Crypt Currency, is jam-packed with great characters, wonderful plotting, tons of economic theory, and some great real-life references. I quite enjoyed the new characters introduced, especially Elm and Maila.
May 30, 2026
This book confirms Pyke as the top author in the humorous economic fantasy romance adventure satire genre. A cleverly plotted and entertaining tale, laced with messages about our own world, should you care to heed them. I can’t wait for the next Arth adventure.
July 10, 2026
So good! I really missed this world, it feels great to be back with Gorm. Fantastic satire that feels so on point to the feelings so many of us have today while not compromising on the humour in the slightest.
Here to hoping for more stories in this setting.
Here to hoping for more stories in this setting.
May 21, 2026
Loved reading about the work life of Gorm, A really fun read absolutely peppered with easter eggs. Super keen for the next instalment.
May 30, 2026
Spectacular book in a spectacular series.
May 31, 2026
Great Read!
Another great read! Really enjoyed Gorm’s story in this one and was great to see him get a happy ending!
Another great read! Really enjoyed Gorm’s story in this one and was great to see him get a happy ending!
June 2, 2026
An exciting read from beginning to finish, could not wait to find out what happened next. Also a delight to return to the world of Arth.
June 8, 2026
Really fun! Nice to be back!
June 16, 2026
I really enjoyed another adventure with Gorm Ingerson. This was another great installment for anyone who has enjoyed the series so far.
June 23, 2026
Love love love. I am, once again, exactly Pikes target audience
July 8, 2026
Easy 5 star. Loved this so much.
July 14, 2026
The power of money
Like Orconomics this book explores the effect of money and capitalism in a fantasy setting. Not quite as good as the original, but still lots of fun. Tom out
Like Orconomics this book explores the effect of money and capitalism in a fantasy setting. Not quite as good as the original, but still lots of fun. Tom out
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews