A Summoners Story: A Study of The System

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Notice 2/24/2026: I have struggled with returning since the loss of my mother. I tried my hand at writing again for a short story challenge which I will upload soon, but I have yet to touch this again.

"The world wasn't always like this..." The last words of an ancient emperor, whose final breath encapsulated a history long forgotten, and a world long since gone.

August Trajan Castellane was born to the noble Imperial House of Castellane. The Castellane family has existed for hundreds of years, their nobility recognized even before the advent of the Empire they helped usher in. Their name is synonymous with magical superiority, military might, and most of all, Summoning.

August is a good kid, a kind boy, and one of the most talented Summoners to ever grace the Castellane family, and the empire as a whole. His love for Summoning and magic in general, the resources he has access to, and his unquenchable thirst for knowledge make him the scion for a new age. The only problem is, that Augie would rather learn about magic and The System that governs all, than lead armies to conquer the known world.

Join Augie as he grows from an eager youth to a powerhouse at the dawn of a new age, and the Castellane family as they grow with the tides of change.

Most of all, pray they can find the truth behind the system before the knowledge is lost forever...

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: A.Crowne

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 18
Views: 4,501

Chapters(9 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(7)

DuckyQueenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Details and way things are explained are super helpful. You're given enough information to be able to see the images in your head while you read it, but not too much where it feels dry. (If you know, you know) The characters and the interactions between them are honestly some of my favorite I've ever read. I love how you can feel the emotions that the characters are going through and how the story really pulls you in. The Author has a great writing style and I look forward to reading more.
BluesycobaltRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of my favorite things about A Summoner's Story is that it has that kind of omnipresent magic that feels like the imagination at play. Things like duck-kin servants bearing their charges on magically inflated feather-stretchers really give the story the vibes of something like Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia married to the system-crunching of LitRPG. The result is really interesting and unique.
Style - Pretty much everything I said above applies here. I really like this almost storybook style. Although don't let that fool you into thinking it's a childrens' book. The plot hooks established in the first several chapters feel almost more in line with something like Dune.
Grammar - The only error I noticed was a little bit of present-past tense shifting that happened enough to stand out to me. Other than that it's very well-edited.
Story - So far we're following the young son of a duke who happens to unlock powers beyond what he should have access to and outside of the usual de jure pathways, threatening a balance of power in court. Hence the Dune comparison. Although it is clearly moving in very different directions. Regardless, the early plot hooks and stakes are well-established and have you wanting to read the next chapter immediately.
Character - I have liked all the characters so far, which is impressive considering most stories can usually only manage to flesh out the main character in the same amount of time. The fresh, imaginative quality of the writing has the unique ability to endear you even to servant characters who only appear for a few paragraphs. Very impressed with the economy of storytelling on the character front.
Overall this story treads a very interesting line: Being in a fun, imaginative space while also having quite a bit of lore meat to sink your teeth into. Usually stories struggle to even get one of these elements off the ground in the opening chapters, but A Summoner's Story somehow manages to pull both off in an exciting
Florian HannemannRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: The writing style is engaging and immersive. The sentences are very varied in their cadence and lenght, which makes for a smooth read. There is a good balance between dialogue, action and introspection. I found myself literally flying through the pages. The only thing that I personally didn't like too much was the jumping in the POV's. At times it switched from one person to the next relatively quickly, which caught me a little off guard. However that is a minor, and as I said, personal preference.
Grammar: Didn't find any mistakes.
Story: The story is the strongest point for me. I really love the world building and the way the author slowly reveals aspects through August eyes. Especially the hooks on the first few chapters really made me want to keep reading. I'm personally a big fan of the Summer genre and I think the author does a fantastic job of portaying it.
Character: The characters are well-defined with distinct voices and personalities. I like the interaction between the characters, in which the author manages to really highlight the connection between them. Especially the father son interactions feel really wholesome for me and just draw me more into the world and make me root for the characters.
Overall this seems like a great start to a promising story. I can't wait to see what comes next!
One Way JusticeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Story: Our protagonist August is quite the specimen, endowed with elite-level magic potential... he is set to make his mark on the world and on history, certainly after his run-in with the mysterious System. And I will say, I am a sucker for the nobility trope... with the political intrigue and the benefits from high status and the forcible decorum that comes with it... it gives a grand scale to the story that is so satisfying when explored well. And in this story it is!
Style: The prose is accessible but still enjoyable to read. Descriptions are well done and the world feels real and immersive. It’s almost an understated style that really lends itself to giving the story precedence—not ordinarily my cup of tea but in this case I did not at all mind it.
Character: Here is where the story stands out for me—August has such good character development that it is fun to see how he handles both himself and his newfound powers in this world with high expectations of him (both nobility- and magic-related). The supporting cast, like the duke and the emperor add spice to the mix, and they feel like proper characters instead of just vehicles for plot purposes.
Grammar: Sentence structure is varied, so that any minor flaws or inconsistencies do not detract at all from the enjoyment.
Allen_ClayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I find this story punching above its weight. It had good pacing, good world building and characters. Here are my thoughts about how the story is written. I will not try to spoil information as much as I can.
The style is perfectly portrayed, the fathers POV and the son's. It clearly displayed their relationship as family by reading the dialogue between the two.
I have also no problems with the grammar and I find no problems with it. The flow of the story is good which is backed by the author's good understanding with the language.
The characters were well described and it really identifies the father and the son as the spotlight of the story.
For four chapters I find this story having a solid foundation in its narrative. Keep up the good work!
That's all for my review and thanks also for introducing to me your story!
CosmicSlimeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
As of chapter five, this story already shows an nsane amount of potential. While some of the typical fantasy elements are there, it doesn't seem as if this story is going all the way with the well established tropes and if I had to give a reason as to why, it would have to be because of the characters.
The Main protagonist, August is still a child at this point but he does seem a bit mature for his age. However, his character blends well with the rest of the cast and it especially shines through in his interactions with his father. The only thing that kinda holds back their interactions is that they sometimes feel a bit like an info dump but thats just a minor issue.
Overall the story has a lot of potential, Keep It Up!
The Writer MeaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I am happy with the style as it is easy to read and the story moves at a consistent pace. Although the story is not a masterpiece, it is remarkable and intriguing. There are minor errors in grammar. From what I've seen, the characters are written above average. I see no reason not to give this story a chance.