A Chronicle of Lies (High Fantasy/Isekai)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Paperback and ebook are available for purchase !Link.

Vincent Cordell, a college student with schizophrenia, doesn’t want to be different. He just wants to lead a normal life, something his condition has never let him have. Voices whisper, walls bleed, eyes sprout in strange places. Getting a degree in electrical engineering is hard enough without worrying about falling into the abyss of his own madness.

But one dark night, the abyss pulls him in...

A supernatural entity strikes, and a simple car accident becomes anything but as Vincent finds himself thrust into a majestic, alien world where dragons stand on two legs, living and dying like men. And, thanks to a painful, impossible transformation, he is now one of them, stuck in a body he doesn't even know how to use.

An ancient evil stirs. Strange storms leave terrors in their wake. The natives of this world think Vincent has the power to save them. But he doesn't want anything to do with them or their myths. Dragons and prophecies are the products of a broken mind...aren't they?

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If I were to describe A Chronicle of Lies in a single sentence, I would describe it as "Thomas Covenant meets The Dark Crystal and Neverending Story".

I grew up with those films, fell in love with those worlds. They both terrified and enchanted me. I want to recreate these feelings in the reader. I want you to be enraptured one moment... and I want to scare the crap out of you the very next.

I'm also a fan of Stephen R. Donaldson's Magnum opus. Though the idea of somebody with schizophrenia being transported to a fantasy realm was one I had for years, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant has a tangible influence on my work.

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What to expect:

*A world rich with detail and flowing descriptions. I love immersing myself in fantastical settings and I want my readers to feel what I feel.

*Characters that feel real, that live and breathe on each page.

*A grandiose epic. (even if it takes a while to take off.)

*A troubled, sometimes difficult protagonist who finds himself transported to a majestic, beautiful world, and he doesn't know how to react to it. He is distrustful of its beauty.

*I go for a somewhat authentic portrayal of schizophrenia (hopefully). Because of this, the narrative is at times, fragmented and dreamlike in the beginning. Vincent's thoughts can be incoherent and so, the prose can be surreal to match. This is a stylistic choice in order to give gravity to a plot development that occurs in chapter 12.

"Movie" rating: R-restricted. While I strive to enchant people, this can be a dark, eerie work at times. There is graphic violence, profanity, and it tackles heavy themes such as mental illness and trauma.

Black and white cover art by Intricatevision/Circadiancrunch

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Release schedule: Sundays

Want to buy me a coffee?https://ko-fi.com/mekanipthewriter

Want to support me on Patreon?https://www.patreon.com/MekanipWrites

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Mekanip

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 1,602
Views: 421,983

Chapters(94 total)

What readers say about A Chronicle of Lies (High Fantasy/Isekai)

“(Note: I have read an earlier version of this book in its entirety, which goes beyond what is currently posted.) Being turned into a "dragon" sure hits different when it's not what you're into. While I can't say I'd complain, I can certainly admit that I'm…”
TyphinRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“The story is a dark fantasy with the main character having schizophrenia. And becuase of it he had a ,let's just say not a good life. And to top it of he was tranformed into a humoined dragon and thrown into a world with humoined dragons living and havin…”
DeathwingminionRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

TyphinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
(Note: I have read an earlier version of this book in its entirety, which goes beyond what is currently posted.)
Being turned into a "dragon" sure hits different when it's not what you're into. While I can't say I'd complain, I can certainly admit that I'm not exactly typical in that regard. I'm sure I'd have more than a few complaints about things if I was in Vincent's place, too. Poor guy just cannot catch a break!
Overall - This has been a thoroughly enjoyable read. I was hooked from the start when I discovered it, and remain so. I'm eagerly looking forward to the second book. That being said, it is a bit on the longer side, I think. While not a problem for me, that might be an issue for some. I would highly recommend sticking with it, even if it's longer than one would normally go for. In my opinion, the length does not detract at all, and I relish getting to see as much of this world as possible.
Style - The writing flows quite well. In a published version, or the PDF version I originally read, the voices of the "phantoms" (Vincent's schizophrenic hallucinations) got to be scattered about on the page, including different sizes. It added a bit of extra flavor that I would like to see reintroduced, but I can appreciate it being something Royal Road doesn't really allow the author to replicate. The lack of it doesn't detract enough to be more than a mild impact. Word choice is quite excellent, and conversations feel believable. Descriptions are thorough, allowing me to paint a pretty accurate mental image of the scenes, without being "An entire page talking about a single blade of grass" levels of minutiae.
Story - It does an excellent job of mixing elements played straight and turned on their head. There have been a few times where I thought I was able to predict what was happening, only to find out that I was completely wrong. There's familiar themes, but I didn't get the feeling that they were overdone, or done poorly, or forced, or otherwise han
DeathwingminionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is a dark fantasy with the main character having schizophrenia. And becuase of it he had a ,let's just say not a good life. And to top it of he was tranformed into a humoined dragon and thrown into a world with humoined dragons living and having their own society's ( after a tragic car accident.) This book is very slow in the beginning, and show a almost realistic portrayal of schizophrenia and what it likes to be Isekaied, and what it can do to person. As is reflected in Vincent’s fragmented and dreamlike and bit annoying perspective at the start of the story...
The writing style mirrors his disjointed thoughts, making the narrative both challenging and deeply immersive. Also really like the worldbuliding, probably my favourite part of the story. Love the new and unique creatures the world has and society of the humoined dragons... not many story do that...
Vincent is a good protagonis but is deeply distrustful of others and is unwilling. At first I found him annoying, but has story grow he kinda grow on me. This reluctance adds depth to his character and makes his journey all the more compelling. However, As i said the story’s pace may be slow for some especially in the beginning, as the story takes time to fully unfold....
And This is my gripe about the story that it's to slow. It doesn't have to explain everthing, I think story should always take care of his characters and worldbuliding, but not to the extent that it feels like chore to read....
This a is an dark fantasy, particularly those who appreciate psychological depth and flawed and realistic characters.
Anyway, it's a good story i highly recommend it....
KamKunaMatataRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really well written story that contradicts the wonder of being isekai’d into a high fantasy world by having the main character believe that it can’t be real due to his schizophrenia, his internal war of trying not to trust the beautiful world he is in creates a unique and heavily engaging reading experience. I have encountered no problems in the writing itself and heavily recommend this to others.
KarasaphRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I do like dragon stories and this is a world of anthro dragons.
The first part of the story deals a lot with the illusions and the disorder Vincent experiences to set up his character. His constant denial are a character trait. The fact that he wakes up in an alien body and can't even control his body correctly is very unique for an isekai.
His manerism clash with the cultrue of the new fantastic world, that is so incredible and unbelievable like I have never seen before. The way the author describes facets of different animals, flora and fauna, the smells and tastes is already nice.
But the best part is that the species, Vincents body inhabits, has their own manerism, idioms, culture, history and furniture.
The world is so alien, that experiencing it from Vincents perspective made me feel just as clueless as him. Especially when words are slung around. The characters in their world have their own lives and Vincent happens to fall into it.
The veil of mysteries of his role in this world to play have not lifted in Chapter 45, but his journey is more of an adventure. Despite having little agency of where he goes on his own two feet, he still has choices. Fights are rare, the main focus of the story is Vincent and his experience. The way his clumsyness and foreign behavior clashes with the what he knows is fun. To see him in different situations, experience a walk through a city or him sharing knowledge with a bright mind, it is all filled with tention with the looming cataclysm happening in the background.
Is there magic? Well, something like that.
Style: Slow at the start (and really a slob to get through), but consistent. There are setup and payoffs, a lived in fantastic world that is vibrant and alive. One that I would be intersted even without Vincent there. There is beauty and horror.
Story: I still have no real idea where the story takes us. It's an incredible journey of someone coping with his own illusions. It's a very non-mainstream concept and the story alwa
Nomad195Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love absolutely everything about this book. It is easily apparent how much effort the author puts into everything. The psychological elements are also a unique twist on a classic genre, and it adds a ton of interest. I know that RR has this tagged as on hiatus.Still, Read it anyway! You will not be dissapointed.
R. R. FoxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't often write things like this but I just wanted to say that after reading the first book as a paperback it quickly became one of my all time favorite books / series. It is amazingly written and has some of the best worldbuilding I've read before. I'd honestly play a video game or watch a movie set in the book's world.
RabarbraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is of exceeding quality for a web novel. If you are looking for a well-written story with a unique perspective, hardship and strife, and you don't shy away from some disturbing scenes and psychological trauma, this is definitely a worthy read.
Grammar: 5/5
The writing in this story is about as immaculate as you can get from a web novel. Typos are few and far between, the vocabulary is rich without being pretentious. The prose holds up to professional standards, and while it's a bit on the simpler side, it's leagues above most contemporary writing on the site.
Style: 5/5
The author's choice to write in such a unique perspective is something I personally appreciate, and it's done respectfully and believably. There's a feeling of surrealism which comes across well in the writing, but there are occasional moments of confusion which detracts from the score. (Edit: The author got back to me and addressed this complaint, so I'll give full marks and spoiler it.)
For example in a scene with multiple characters speaking, it was difficult to keep track of who is saying what due to lack of unique character voices; not a major issue as the characters in question are minor side characters.
The setting is very intriguing, without forcing itself on you. Promises and implications are made that hint at a much wider world, while a lot of detail is given to the smaller things that make the world feel real.
Story: 4.5/5
The story is a bit of a slow burn, but nevertheless feels well paced. There are always developments happening, and promises being made and delivered. There is foreshadowing that hints at things to come in a way that intrigues, and I am excited to see where those things lead. There are some things that personally detract from my rating, such as logical inconsistencies in Vincent's reasoning. Whether this is a genuine mistake or Vincent being willfully ignorant is not made clear, but this and other minor unanswered questions and inconsistencies is enough to detr
Siuil_cheRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let me begin by saying I am so glad I got to find this story.
Much like the protagonist, you truly get transported into this new, exotic, sometimes terrifying or confusing but ultimately magical world. It’s an intriguing story that takes the « teleported into a fantasy world » idea and makes it feel real, realistic and immersive.
It’s written for adults (no young adults books cliches, yippee!) and people who expected more and are disappointed by this genre.
Chronicle of Lies is one of the rare novels you can actually to someone not into anthropomorphic animals.
It’s not good because furry uwu. It’s good because the creatures the author populated their world with have stories, lore, clothings, traditions, idoms, beliefs and different ways of living that make them unique, bizarre and fascinating to learn about.
Give this a chance.
Blorgh the muppetRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So havent even finished chapter 2
the reason i write this review anyways is simple:
author invented a videogame, its a shooter with objectives abilities and vehicles, looks hella fun and i havent quite seen anything like it on the market.
yeh thats the level of writing were talking about, an interesting new concept that sounds hella fun, and it was a throwaway that doesnt even last 1/3 into the 2nd chapter. gonna update it if story turns to shit
TFD123Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This series definitely stands apart from other works I have read. The world is well rendered and thought out. There are moments of pure childlike wonder you would find in a traditional fairy tale, and there are other moments that would fit solidly into the grimdark category, with the story often switching between the two. This really sells the fact that the environment the MC finds himself in isn't inherently good or bad, just different and alien.
The grammar is pretty good, with only a few minor mistakes. The characters are diverse and believable and the world is immersive and enticing. I really want to see where this story goes next. The only reason I'm not giving full marks is because of the minor difficulty I had getting through the first chapters:
By far the boldest choice the author made when writing this was to make the MC both obnoxious and lacking in any real character development for the entire first half of the first book. This cements just how broken the MC's mind and attitude are and makes their development after that point that much more satisfying to read, but while I don't think that basic structure should be changed it will put up a big hurdle for certain readers to get over. The first 12 chapters especially were a slog to get through. The biggest reason I was willing to put up with it myself was because several comments claimed the story picked up the pace after that, and because the author claimed in their notices that the character would eventually move towards redeeming themselves. This leads me to believe that while improvements can still be made which don't risk the story losing it's uniqueness, an immediate band-aid solution would be to have a Deus Ex Machina, or a preamble, by which the author can directly adress the reader and assure them that the reward for sticking it out is worth it.