Bum Magic: A Tale of Sludge and Slime [Progression Fantasy | Action | Comedy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

As a homeless man, Gus has drank some strange things before -- but nothing as strange as this. After a bottle of wine puts grotesque markings on his hand and gives him the ability to harness the power of slime, he must run from the cult the drink was stolen from and seek revenge on the person who gave it to him.

Progression | Action | Adventure | Comedy

Some of What You Can Expect:

> Wet, sloppy violence

> Sticky situations

> Grimey, slippery, and generally unsavory characters

New chapters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Quotes From Readers

"Get fucked, main character! What a shithead."

-Dude who commented on Chapter 1

"THIS IS GOLD BHAHAHA"

-Dude who made it to chapter 4

Edited relaunch coming October 13th!

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: Gus Whitehall

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 596
Views: 99,781

Chapters(68 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

csantnerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I honestly have to say that I'm really impressed. Right off the bat, I loved the main character. From the first paragraph, I was like, “ok, here we go,” and I didn’t stop until I was caught up. This will definitely be a story I look forward to in future releases.
As far as style goes, the author lets his voice show, and it pays off. You feel the emotions of the characters without getting too much information.
The story is excellent. Very unique. I mean, come on, a bum with powers to slime people? What’s not to love about that? Tell me another book that has done anything close to that, too. I’ll bet you can’t. I think the most challenging part of writing is finding a story that hasn’t been told before, and the author succeeded masterfully with their creativity.
With grammar, I didn’t notice much, and I’m not picky when the story sucks you in like this one. Maybe a solid edit to fine-tune, but I found nothing serious.
The characters are the next strongest part of this story, even in the early stages. They are well thought out, and you feel their emotions. The only thing I would like to see is some more descriptiveness with the characters themselves. Maybe let me know briefly what they look like to finish off how you see them in your mind.
Overall, this is just a great story, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.
Merchant04Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story has been the first to catch my attention to the point of wanting to read the instant it releases just to find out wth is going on next, Gus makes me laugh with the way he acts and talks, he’s just fun and doesn’t give a fuck most of the time. I’m excited to see where this story leads and what exactly Gus will show us with his boogers next. Keep up the amazing work Author!
Polvane the EraserRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'd call Bum Magic gritty except there's no rock in it, just viscous grossness, so I'll call it gluey instead.
Gus McCall is a former burnout and current bum when his stupid co-bum Mickey offers him a drink of unholy powers.
Gus gets powers, all right, but they're disgusting - slime, booger bombs, and glue. Worse, it gets him in trouble with the cult that produced the unholy elixir. Also his body feels weird.
Running for his life and also determined to wreak vengeance on Mickey, Gus is nevertheless forced to team up with Mickey, who has much nicer powers because he understood that the weird tattoos that pop up from time to time are options on which power to get next. Gus has been picking powers at random.
There's a lot of violence, mayhem, and murder in this story. Life is cheap. There is torture of bad guys and bad grandmas. It feels like a crime thriller, one where the criminals are mostly ignorant and hapless but relatively lucky in that they don't die immediately.
Gus starts out a relatively decent bum. He doesn't stay that way for long. He does a lot of bad things in his quests for survival now and vengeance later.
Very enjoyable story, highly recommended.
SnackcakesMcGeeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you like John Dies at the End, but you wish that Dave and John had actual superpowers instead of being dipshits who can occasionally manage what's going on, and you wish that the protagonist would actually make sensible decisions, you'll like this. It involves a chaotic and somehow charismatic asshole who gets a moderately sensible asshole involved in a supernatural conspiracy that gives both of them supernatural powers, all the while being hunted by a cult that actually knows how to use the superpowers they've acquired.
ammonoidsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Who hasn't been there? An unexpected drink turns into waking up with horrifying powers, a fight with a cult, and a road trip... to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bum Magic is irreverent, witty, and action-packed. The pace is fast and the magic system is introduced well. I would recommend it to anyone who likes their fantasy with a large dose of bullets and a pack of dog antibiotics.
Style
This is a first-person point of view with a very distinct voice. I enjoyed Gus's character and found him funny, but the amount of slang/swearing might make this polarizing for some readers.
Story
This is a very character-forward plot, which I prefer. Gus has already acquired what seems like the entirety of the continental united states as an enemy by chapter Three, but the plot does an admirable job of staying focused on just one problem at a time, with some foreshadowing of greater enemies. He isn't too overpowered and we're given a sense of real problemsolving- a genre staple done well.
Grammar
The grammar was well-edited and I did not notice any problems during my read-through.
Character
Characters are all distinct, but many side characters are only briefly mentioned since this is a first person novel and Gus is very focused on vengeance. How they view Gus as a homeless person reflects on his worldview, which I think adds a nice contrast to the humorous/cynical tone of the overall novel. I hope we get more focus on side characters in future.
BlueShearRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TL;DR Version:
If, in a couple of years this isn’t out on audible, I’ll eat my hat. The quality, creativity, and brilliant execution on display here is truly mind boggling. From the very first chapter I was immediately hooked. From its presentation to its pacing, I literally can’t get enough. It practically hogties you to the screen with its atypical main character’s antics, colorful inner dialogue, not to mention the plot, which only seems to be getting more interesting by the chapter. If any new story deserves a spot on rising stars and beyond, it’s this one.
Story: The story is a fairly simple one, but by no means is it any less engaging for all that. Magic religious nuts incensed over the theft of their precious serum? Check! Magic powers as a result of taking said serum? Check! Unscrupulous bum who got them into this mess in the first place? Seriously, f@#% you Mickey! Man, he really is just the worst. The creative addition of our main character’s slime powers is just the icing on the cake. All of it culminating in the most unlikely of underdog stories told in the most character driven way possible.
Character: What can I say except I love this main character? He’s funny, gives not a single damn, and, for the moment at least, is driven as hell. And while on paper, a bum might sound like an unlikely protagonist, in practice Gus brings a much needed splash of personality with him everywhere he goes, no pun intended.
Style: The style is where this story really shines. The way this story is told, from the perspective of the main character, is as true to his nature as it is laugh out loud funny. A can’t remember the last time a web serial actually made me chuckle, but this story telling managed it.
Grammar: Nothing wrong or out of the ordinary comes to mind.
The Aimless PasserbyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The pacing is a little off here and there in some of the earlier chapters but it’s a great amount of dark fun. The MC does a bunch of stupid shit, but he’s both a bum not known for thoughtful planning, and also being influenced by his new magic. That isn’t a spoiler, this will help you understand some of the out of character stuff Gus does. Our undomiciled friend seems to almost intentionally make poor choices and in any other story it would be an obvious idiot ball trope, but all his behavior actually makes sense with his background. Looking forward to more self sabotaging behavior from Slime Bum
ThrillianRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I'll say this - there is nothing quite like this Bum Magic on the Royal Road - and that's probably a good thing.
The book follows Gus, a homeless man who makes the mistake of drinking wine from a cult ceremony and gaining bizarre - and disgusting - slime powers. Now Gus is on the run from said cult, while on a mission to find Mickey, who gave him the wine in the first place.
As evident by the title, "Bum Magic" features a gritty view of homelessness, capturing the hard life many on the streets face. Gus is a fun and resourceful character, and one you instantly root for - especially when the opening chapter sees his life take a tragic turn.
Once the action gets going, however, it shows no sign of slowing down. Gus' powers are disgusting and unpredictable, given an error of mystery and body horror to the proceedings. I also like how Mickey, the target of Gus' vengeance, is also set up as his perfect foil and frenemy.
This is a really fun and unique fantasy. The only issue is I felt some characters were introduced too hastily, feeling a bit too contrived and convenient. But overall, it's an awesome and crazy fever dream come to life - and well worth reading!
Mr~oRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The narrative is engaging, with a strong voice and a gritty, dark humor that stands out. The story keeps readers hooked with its mix of suspense, supernatural elements, and vivid, raw descriptions. While there are moments that could use a bit more tightening, it presents a solid foundation with plenty of room to build on.
The writing style is bold, direct, and filled with dark humor, which makes it highly engaging. The protagonist's voice is distinct and brings a gritty, raw edge to the narrative. At times, the style can get a bit heavy, especially when descriptions become overly detailed or when certain phrases are repeated. However, this roughness adds to the atmosphere of the story, giving it a unique charm. A bit more refinement could help streamline the pacing.
The plot is intriguing and manages to blend elements of supernatural mystery, action, and personal vendetta. The protagonist's journey, driven by a need for revenge and survival, keeps readers invested. The story balances tension well, but there are moments where the pacing dips slightly, and the plot could benefit from a clearer focus on key events. Despite this, the concept is strong and has great potential for further development.
Overall, the grammar is solid, but there are occasional missteps. Some sentences could be restructured for better clarity, and there are a few punctuation errors scattered throughout. These minor issues don’t heavily impact the readability but refining them would elevate the quality of the writing. An additional proofreading pass could easily address these concerns.
The characters are a highlight of the story. The protagonist has a distinct and memorable voice, and his motivations and conflicts are clear and compelling. Supporting characters like Mickey and Beth are also well-drawn, adding depth to the narrative. Some characters, especially secondary ones, could be explored further to avoid feeling one-dimensional, but overall, the cast is dynamic and engaging, contributing
ObrcamerRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I enjoy the concept, but wasn’t buying into the church character introductions. Nice details in terms of characters and descriptions. The bums had good dialogue between each other. I found this from the Roy road Reddit page. Hope this continues and good luck. There’s a lot more for this story.