Artem: Underdog - A dark Cyberpunk LitRPG [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2023

Author

moulder666

• Book 1 is DONE!
  Jun 17, 2023
• Announcement! This is not just a story. It's a shared universe.
  Mar 5, 2023
• Prologue
  Feb 28, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• rycudaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The characters have some actual character! It doesn't stray into singularly clever self insert character! People are flawed! Things go wrong!
  I'm a little sad about how predictable it was that Zilla was going to get fridged. I'd hoped that she'd at least have a bit more agency in her inevitable death.
  That first arc spoiler niggle aside this is consistently enjoyable. The world is coherent, and sufficiently different to the established literature as to not feel like a carbon copy. The plots are solid, the action engaging and even managed to seek a feeling of actual peril for the protagonists. I'm going to be here and eagerly reading along for a good while yet.
• Jez CajiaoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  First of all, so different reading a cyberpunk from the perspective of the hacker!
  I'm more of a 'shoot them shoot them again, and shoot them a third time, just in case' kind of a follower normally, but seeing Aug-World and the insane level of changes that are so close to reality already?
  It’s believable because its so close to where we are already, that another 10-15 years and we’ll all be living in Aug-World as well.
  Also, loved the team, the way they all pull in around Bo, the burgeoning romance I'm placing bets on and yeah, gotta love the way they lock in on anyone that crosses them!
  Can't wait to read more, especially seeing the same carver from different perspectives, and Trevor?
  Yeah that goblin’s got issues. Serious issues.
  The way that Bo and his team work to blend hacking with social engineering and occasionally just the right amount of blind luck, panic and muscle? Yeah! Really enjoyed that!
  I especially liked the way that Lazy and Matt are always ragging on Bo, with Ragga practically burying her head in her hands all the time at their antics. You’ve got to love small, close knit team dynamics!
• JolligreenRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  A thoroughly enjoyable and high quality piece of cyberpunk with a compelling and complex MC who makes believable mistakes without being written into a cringey corner, interesting and complex comrades, enemies who are, well, sometimes lacking in dimension but certainly worth struggling against, and excellent pacing & plot. One of the better reads on RR in this genre.
• LeoDRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Hiya. Just wanted to throw some love and respect your way for this novel. You've been hitting every interesting area I love about the cyberpunk genre and doing it with style and elan! You make it look easy which it really isn't. My favourite bit of your writing, which very few novels on this website and even professionally published novel series do well, is your pacing. It's so nice to read something where it feels like the story has time to breathe, and we can spend months (and now years) with characters and see how they develop and grow. It's a relief not to read 200k words spent in a 1 month period for once, hahah. Keep up the great work!!
• LordB13Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a cyberpunk story so expect it to be dark and gritty with a struggle to be the top dog. Loving what I have read so far and looking forward to more. The characters are fleshed out very well with goals and problems for each of these youngsters being wide and varied. I have been bouncing back and forth between all 4 of the stories set in the same world and each author brings more to the table filling in the details of this crazy setting.
• Dao_DestroyerRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Good writing, amazing storytelling and immersive world building. First of a kind co op writing with other authors. A good little of dose of anarchy in an already interesting world. Needs bits of research in continuous story telling part.. U can't just go from don't mess with the corpo to let's fuck the corpo. Need some other  kind of then pity in an already bleak world
• Sean Oswald David BurkeRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If I had one complaint it would be that this story is a bit darker than I generally read, but maybe that's a good thing after a steady diet of power fantasies.
  Style- The author gets across the grim setting wtihout going overboard. I marked it down to 4.5 simply because it isn't my preference of style, but I'm not gonna knock it. That is just a matter of personal preference.
  Story- It's compelling and drew me in. I quickly binged what was available. I will be looking forward to the release of more chapters. I also understand this is part of a shared universe with three other authors. I can't wait to see how they are all woven together. SInce this is the first part of it that I've read, I can only say that it's looking like a very detailed and complex world.
  Grammar- Nothing leapt out at me, so either I was completely sucked into the story and didn't care or this is pretty flawless grammar.
  Character Score- The characters came across as very believable and real. They were people making the best of the bad hands they had been dealt and the moderately dark world they live in.
• SinkyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I’m a huge fan Bowdoin.  He’s got guts,  he’s got brains and he’s got principles, but not necessarily in that order. But seriously if you like your MCs smart and capable, your world building next level and immersive, then check this out. It’s set in the same universe as a book I’m currently writing, and reading along has helped me immensely to envisage the world through different and often much clearer eyes.
  The world is the pits for most who live there, but for those with a bit of savvy and a bit of hunger, many things are possible, and Bowdoin is no exception. With the help of his eclectic and diverse team that cover each other weak spots I wonder how far these guys can go. Especially Ragga! I wont spoil her, but she really carries the team at times : D all of the team mates have skills and mods that set them apart and make for an awesome team dynamic.
  If you like Cyberpunk and hackers and modifications, and all kinds of sci-fi craziness, along with smart moves and fighting back against the mighty corporations then this is a definite recommend! You’ll find everything you need here.
• SkrmnMrgsmRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Another great work from a great author! Writathon has plenty of good content to get stuck in to, but this has got to be worth a read even amongst that! If you like cyberpunk, and can handle a little grit in your story oatmeal, then you should get started right away!
• SweetbunRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I will say this, I binged the story from beginning to current end. I loved (almost) every moment in it but even sad parts make stories better in some ways. It has action, it has humor, it has drama, and while it is concidered a litrpg its less numbers go brrr and equipment stat increases which I like. Do I recommend this story? Yes. Should you drop everything to read it? That is up to you. I cannot promise the story will hit the same for everyone, but I can say it won't be a waste of time