Reddit reviews Perilous Waif (Alice Long Book 1)

I think this is closer to munchkin fiction than rational fiction.

It's fun, though, and I also recommend Perilous Waif which I believe is by the same author.

Yeah man... I've been broadening my horizons. Not sure why I'm so addicting to this genre but I keep searching for that next fix. I stumble upon some litrpg-adjacent novels that scratch the itch, like Persephone Rising and Perilous Waif, (those were pretty good) but then I feel the need to read more cybernetics-enhanced battle women books like those and it's back to square one.

If you don't mind sci-fi try Perlious Waif.Alice is most definitely a Mary Sue, and yet this has a pretty good in story justification.

https://www.amazon.com/Perilous-Waif-Alice-Long-Book-ebook/dp/B01NBWXMP9

Scifi. The worldbuilding is very rational, but the protagonist isn't at all.

On the topics you mentioned:

• Young western guy: main character is a preteen asian girl.
  
• Good analytical but piss-poor social skills: she sort of doesn't fit on this axis. Her primary skillset is hurting things, being lucky, and stuff I can't mention because spoilers. Gets along well with basically everybody who knows her.
  
• Dearly held views on science and rationality: also sort of doesn't fit on this axis. Her thinking is more tactical and political. She has a very clannish right-wing attitude toward life. Likes learning things, but mostly because they help her succeed, rather than for love of learning.
  
• Meek but hardworking and philosophical: definitely not meek, very hardworking, not terribly philosophical.
  

Perilous Waif by E. William Brown hits the sweet spot for me. Great characters and setting, and just enough mystery to keep the bigger picture interesting. He really sets up some promising ideas for the future.

this surprised me. Im not sure why I rented it, but it was cool.