A Fractal Divide

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2020

Author

hmdrake

• Chapter 10 - Drinks
  Nov 16, 2020
• Chapter 9 - Backgrounds
  Nov 14, 2020
• Chapter 8 - Orientation
  Nov 13, 2020
• Chapter 7 - Questions
  Nov 12, 2020
• Chapter 6 - Planning
  Nov 10, 2020
• Chapter 5 - Introspection
  Nov 9, 2020
• Chapter 4 - Caught
  Nov 8, 2020
• Chapter 3 - Interviews
  Nov 6, 2020
• Chapter 2 - Prospects
  Nov 5, 2020
• Chapter 1 - Adrift
  Nov 4, 2020
• Prologue
  Nov 3, 2020

Reviews

Community Reviews(4)

• D.M. Rhodes (Razzmatazz)Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I liked this one. As of this posting there are 9 chapters and I’ve read all of them!
  So we follow a few different characters however the one that seems to be crystallizing themselves as our protagonist at this point is a young man named Deilan. Deilan lives in the city of Lesivar, which is a quickly developing place due to newfound innovations in runework and magic that are allowing rapid ‘technological’ progress in a sense. Deilan is particularly apt in this field, especially in the older and deeper aspects of the trade. However he is almost to a point of detriment caught up in his focus, as his societal skills and general life knowledge are rather lacking which makes him an awkward, but charming character.
  At the same time however, there are political forces at work here involving the many noble houses and other influentials of the city who are all vying for either control of this brave new world or doing their best to slam on the brakes in order to preserve the old structures of power. Deilan, in his search for employment, quickly finds himself wrapped up in this web of intrigue. How this will develop we have yet to see, but I expect it to continue to be as interesting as it has been thus far.
  There is a strong sense of worldbuilding as the author takes the time to not only explain how these new inventions are changing the city, but also to show us through the eyes of the characters.
  Regarding grammar and spelling I have not been able to find any mistakes. The writing has a smooth flow and there was nothing particularly jarring that threw you out of it. The characters, up to this point, are believable and solid and leave you interested in knowing more about them.
  All in all these are still early days, but I dare say that this is a good read and you should give it a shot!
• D.N. NewynRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  A Fractal Device by hmdrake is a meticulous, well-written piece of work. The author maintained a fine mix between faster action scenes and in-depth character building + world building to keep me invested throughout the four chapters they have.
  The writing style of this story definitely resonates with me. Most sentences are very efficient and I can see that the words have been carefully chosen. I really like the beginning of the chapters--lovely sentences that set the scenes immediately. Maximum efficiency and no redundant words.
  If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to make sentences more active. The author uses many phrases like 'seem like' or 'tend to be' which makes the sentence slower. I feel like in writing, it's often that the more definite it is, the better--especially in third-person where we are not restricted to a person's viewpoint and don't have to closely report the doubts the characters might have.
  On to the story and characters. The story is told under the POV of three different people (but there seems to be only two so far), and they are all very interesting so far. Malia is sent straight into the action sequence, which is a nice contrast to the slow build-up in Deilan's POV. I enjoyed Deilan's POV better because I get to learn more about the world, and there are more interaction with other people too.
  Grammar in general is neat; however, there are a few places where the comma is in the middle of the clause, where they shouldn't be.
  Overall, a great book for fans of fantasy with a magical twist.
• Hi_Im_RenRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you’re questioning whether you should pick this up, you absolutely should. I guarantee you will be hooked by the end of chapter 3. This is a fiction that deserves a lot more attention than it has.
  Style:
  The style of this book is consistent. There are no significant issues when it comes to POV. There are no mid-chapter POV switches that leave you incredibly confused. There are dividing lines between scenes to help manage the flow of reading. However, one thing that personally isn’t my to my taste is some of the vocabulary choices. There’re many words chosen that seem unnecessarily complicated. I understand that this is a more divisive opinion as a lot of people enjoy that kinda thing. As such, I don’t factor this into my rating.
  It was effortless for me to get absorbed into the writing. By the end of chapter 1, I had found my reading speed increased as I began consuming each sentence meticulously. This was a fantastic feeling and one that I haven’t felt for a little while. The kind of engagement that makes a day disappear as I would realize I spent all my time reading a novel. Please give me another 40k words right now… I’m kidding, of course. Please take your time.
  Story Score:
  The MC is obsessed with the magic system of this world. He spends his time trying to acquire “runes,” which can be combined in various ways with a layer of visualization on top. (It faintly reminds me of Bloodborne’s Caryll runes.) It seems that one’s power within this world is determined by the number of runes known and their ability to combine them together in various ways. The MC’s primary motivation is acquiring these runes, which leads him to attempt to get a job at a noble household. This leads us to the inciting incident. He accidentally gets caught breaking into the library in search of restricted runes.
  This story is well-written none of the plot elements seem particularly out of place or jarring. The world is believable and feels lived in. One vehicle that the world is explored
• aralbairRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Academically brilliant but common-sense-bereft Deilan was fired from his first job when his novel addition to a rune incription caused a small explosion. At his parents' urging, he's resigned himself to working a boring job as a noble's servant.
  But he soon realizes that networking is mandatory, and the only group willing to back him may ask more of him than he bargained for.
  Runes, which historically have been intrinsic tools and weapons, are increasingly becoming inscribed -- common tools that can be bought, sold, and used by anyone. The story hasn't been very politically heavy -- it's mostly focused on a couple of characters at the ground level -- but there are clear hints that the political machinations behind the scenes are well thought out.
  The factions aren't one-note cliche groups, but instead have a mix of stances on different aspects of progress, from economic democratization to the fringe idea of making dangerous restricted runes freely available. It'll be interesting to see how this develops, as the characters are set up to be drawn much deeper into these shadowy battles.
  The characters are drawn well and likeable. Even side characters with very little screen time quickly win the reader over.
  The magic system is complex and is slowly being revealed in the story at a good pace. Doesn't get bogged down in exposition.
  The writing is great. Grammar is top notch and everything flows smoothly. The pacing is a little slow, but quite a lot has happened in 10 chapters so it's not that slow. The action scenes were competent and are made extra fun by the unique magic system.
  The one issue I had with the story is that the characters tend to be really honest and straightforward when talking to each other.
  The scenes that come to mind are: the one where Malia tells Deilan (a stranger whom she currently has in the palm of her hand) incriminating information about herself, and the various introduction scenes. A lot of characters tend to give very detailed and unflatteri