Alchemical Dreams

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Cover by Silverstorm4444

This first volume has been completed and rewritten as of 12/29/24. Thanks for giving the story a try. Have a series of better days.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2023
Author: Stabbybaby

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 16
Views: 23,683

Chapters(52 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(4)

HirambeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
"Alchemical Dreams Session One" by Stabbybaby with a down-to-earth review.
Writing Style: Stabbybaby has a descriptive and engaging writing style that draws you into their world. The way they describe the gods' game and the interactions between characters keeps you hooked and curious about what's coming next.
Grammar: The grammar is on point, very few grammatical and punctuation errors. 1-2 per chapter, not enough to downgrade from 5 stars.
Story: The story is intriguing from the get-go. The concept of gods playing a game with broken pieces that melt into the table is unique and captivating. The dual narrative between the gods and the Goomer adds depth and curiosity to the plot. Even though we're just scratching the surface, it's clear there's more to uncover, and that's exciting.
Character: The characters have their own quirks and personalities that make them interesting to follow. From the gods' banter to Gomm's curiosity, you get a sense of each character's role in the story. The dynamics are engaging, and you want to see how they evolve as the narrative progresses.
In conclusion, "Alchemical Dreams Session One" is a promising start to a story that holds your attention with its creative premise and well-crafted writing style. It's a tale that blends mythology with intriguing characters, leaving you eager to explore more of the worlds Stabbybaby has created.
Not a fan of the book cover art, it doesn’t do justice to its content.
Silverstorm4444Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Alchemical dreams is just a good time. It's a mix between an absurdist comedy and a grounded story, swapping between humorous passages and the more grounded, thought provoking ones pretty seamlessly. Between that and some weirdly comforting author's notes, it's worth a read.
Style: The style noticeably grows up between the earlier chapters to the later ones. The beginning does have some of those tells where the author is just writing to enjoy themselves, but starting around chapter 7, it gets its plot together and really takes off.
Grammar: All good here. Tenses stay consistent, I didn't notice any misspellings or punctuation marks.
Story: Fantastically absurd. You've got aliens, an exhausted farmer character that I love, military shenanigans, and even a group of gods pulling at the strings. Things flow in a way that makes it clear it was planned out, but you really have to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Characters: there's a lot of these little guys. My favorite are actually the aliens, they're just very innocent and fun. It can be a little hard to keep track of everyone, just because there are so many, but everyone that's here has clear motives and fleshed out personalities.
Overall, give it a read. I recommend reading it late at night out loud to a group of friends. The jokes need to be shared.
SundayravenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Alchemical Dreams is a unique yet cozy fantasy story with some very enjoyable non-human characters.
The style takes some getting used to and some of the humor references sometimes feel out of place in the fantasy setting, but as the story goes on, it really finds its feet. I think the story's style might be its biggest draw or its biggest detractor, depending on your personal tastes. The sense of humor is wry and referential, with some good setups and payoffs. I found the descriptions to be immersive and clear. The writer is good at making you feel like you are there.
Grammar is overall good, with only a few errors that don't significantly detract from the reading experience. The biggest issue that I noticed is the formatting of dialogue and dialogue tags, which can be somewhat confusing and occasionally makes the narrative feel choppy. Other than the dialogue issues, the story is easy to follow and immersive.
The story itself starts out slowly and seems to lack a solid direction in the first few chapters besides Goom shenanigans (which are fun to read about!). Even though I think it could benefit from some stronger story hooks in the beginning, in some ways, the slower pace works well for it, and by Chapter 5, things begin to pick up.
The characters are one of the story’s strengths, especially the Gooms. Far from being the usual fantasy race menaces, they are adorable and mischievous, and it's impossible not to root for them. At the same time, the farmer's annoyance with the pests is completely understandable and relatable. Having non-human viewpoints was a great choice for this story, and I really like the Gooms.
Overall, this is a fantasy story with a unique style and a cozy, comfortable feel. If you like quirky humor and adorable critters, you won't be disappointed.
VeneerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overview: This story is probably not for everyone. It's a comedy, a category which has a rough reputation on Royal Road, and it's very nontraditional. Nonetheless, I've had fun reading it, and it's definitely worth checking out. I'll be continuing to read it, myself.
Style: Third person limited, multi-POV. It's mostly executed well, though I will say I once or twice found myself confused about the order of events and which characters had been where.
Story: Too early to judge, but looks fun so far. Clearly creative and original, which counts for a lot in my book. This is going somewhere, and the author knows where. It's deliberate and planned, which is more than I can say for most RR novels.
Grammar: The grammar is good. The prose is mixed, some chapters feel very good and professional while others can be a little bit difficult to read. Some run on sentences, weird punctuation, things that just make the brain trip for a half-second, though not dramatic mistakes.
Characters: I'm not very far in, but I'm not all that impressed by the characters. A lot more work has gone into the setting and story than the characters at this point, as far as I'm concerned. Gomm is curious and likes to explore, Jenkins just wants to farm and be alone and keep his crops safe. That's basically all we have in terms of character development. Probably more will come later, but for now I don't find myself caring very much about these people.