A Tale of Broken Blades: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

How does a man become a god?

In an Earth warped by a System that can turn any animal into a horror beyond imagination, the answer isfight.

Ares Hellblood, the Immortal Sword of Zeus, Slayer of the Troll King, Wielder of the Molten Blade, the Scourge of the Undying and Breaker of Empires was once a boy.

His name was Ghul, and he was an urchin without a home. A child that survived on begging for scraps and petty crime. Until one day, he went out of his way to save the life of an innocent. He couldn’t have known it yet, but his act of heroism would set him on the path to changing the world.

His name was Ghul, and there was no hint of who he would become. No clue that one day he would sit on a throne of bones and command legions in Zeus's name. No prophecy foretold his arrival, and nothing was left unchanged in his wake.

[A fantasy story with LitRPG elements, featuring a main character with a few unfair advantages to begin with that'll gradually get more powerful. Updates Monday/Wednesday/Friday, with intermittent bonus chapters.]

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: oldastronomer

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 53
Views: 21,327

Reviews

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Community Reviews(4)

Five6212Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Total: 5/5
As a consumer and writer of medieval fantasy myself, I can tell you wholeheartedly that this story is fantastic. The descriptions, the characters, the tension, intrigue, dialogue... everything is on point and I enjoyed it so much. So if you’re here and you’re wondering whether to check it out or not, I’m telling you to check it out, it’s a fabulous story that’ll make you stay for more.
JR CastleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The more I think about this story, the more I'm impressed by it. The world, the writing, and the characters are all working in tandem to create something really special, and there were multiple times halfway through a chapter where I thought to myself something like "Man, I wish I would've thought of that." Really doesn't get better than that.
***
Style
I think this is probably the weakest part of this story, but I have to stress that this is not at all due to a lack of effort or talent. The narrative is contexualized as being told by the main character at some indeterminate point in the future, and while in general I would say that the prose itself is actually really impressive, I'd say it doesn't quite take full advantage of that reflective narrative context and in some ways even undermines it.
Still, the quality here is nothing to sneeze at. Being first-person, you get a real good sense for Ghul, the protagonist and storyteller. Expressive and introspective without being gratuitous, and the action is told clearly while also presenting itself with appropriate weight. If the story was a more straightforward first-person, I wouldn't have anything to complain about, and as it stands I barely do now.
Story
Here's where things start popping. I think the worldbuilding here is exceptional, a sort of post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy inspired by ancient Greco-Roman aesthetics. Definitely a mouthful, but the whole thing feels surprisingly natural and well-realized, and there's a depth to its socio-political systems that arise directly from those fantasy elements in a way that I think is truly hard to pull off. In some ways this part of the story goes beyond surface-level fantasy fare and stretches into genuine speculative fiction.
The plot is pretty simple, but in this case I'd argue that's all you need. Just a likeable protagonist going on an adventure in an interesting world that slowly opens up as the story goes along, and obviously there is a heavy emphasis on progressio
JoshbrownvtRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I am really enjoying the story the author is weaving. It is entertaining and a fun read. I have always been a fan of physicaly big MC's so that's a plus. I havn't noticed any major grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Keep it up author and I am eagerly awaiting the next chapters.
MoonlightGardensRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
A good start to a story overall, with a promise of future adventures.
Style (4/5)
There are several instances of forced information that really weren’t that important to understand everything. At least when they were said, they held little to no meaning to what else was happening—it would’ve been better to find a more natural place to put them should the information be required. Along these lines, there were also instances of unnecessary information. However, the author does describe the characters’ actions and surroundings well.
Story (4.5/5)
The story follows our MC from his humble beginnings to him becoming a soldier. It reads like the MC is telling the story to you, for the most part—something casual with a few moments of hindsight showing. That style of storytelling doesn’t really excuse the forced exposition mentioned in Style, though.
Grammar (4.5/5)
I spotted a couple of minor errors while I was reading, though they weren’t necessarily frequent or affected the reading experience too much.
Character (4.5/5)
The author did a good job at characterizing the MC right from the start. The rest of the characters follow, though not with the kind of depth that we can discern from the MC. The difference is probably a mix of the first person POV—giving a closer look into the MC’s thoughts—and the fact none of the other characters seem to be too important just yet.