C.O.P.E. Inc.

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Jeremy works an entry-level position for C.O.P.E. Inc., at Mr. Habit’s Retirement Home for the Grandparents of Destiny. He manages meals, acts as the janitor, fixes the AC, and attempts to avoid getting turned into a frog or a chosen one. After two years, he has finally gained the trust of his boss enough to get the promotion he had been seeking. With the promotion comes the opportunity to alter the fate of a loved one.

Cover Art by: Raquel Paolini

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2022
Author: Stabbybaby

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 20
Views: 4,534

Chapters(15 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

S.D.E.R.IRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style:
I’m a big fan of satire, and this story really delivers on that front. There were moments that had me laughing out loud. That said, some of the jokes and references flew right over my head, but I get the feeling that if you’ve spent time in corporate life and are a person of culture, you’ll catch a lot more of the subtle humor. It’s sharp, clever, and unapologetically niche in a good way.
Story:
The opening does a great job of setting the tone and letting you know exactly what kind of ride you’re in for. The pacing is generally on point, though there are moments where scenes feel a bit stretched, mostly due to some over-explaining or extended monologues. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does slow things down now and then.
Grammar:
No complaints here. Everything reads clean, and the technical side of writing is solid.
Characters:
The cast is a lot of fun. The emotions come through clearly, and even when the world is silly, the characters still feel grounded. You can tell there’s real thought behind them.
Overall:
I really like this story, though I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone. It feels like a love letter to both old-school fantasy and the absurdity of corporate bureaucracy. The title might be a bit misleading based on what’s out so far, but with only a few chapters in, I’m curious to see where it goes. It might all come together in time.
JimQuillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is just FUN. It is funny, a joy to read, and deceptively in depth. The setting is wild. There are wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, and probably everything else under the sun. It's so much fun seeing their shenanigans and requests and even lunch break goofs. Don't let the chapter length fool you, each chapter is beefy and full of detail. The setting reminds me of a less edgy Ugly Americans, with its sheer variety and possibility.
Style:
The style is fun and humorous, but it also takes jabs at the readers. It plays off of existing fairytale or fantasy knowledge to throw you for a loop.
Grammar:
I couldn't find any glaring errors, but that was because I was having too much fun reading it.
Story:
The story is told in an interesting way. Showing the MCs day to day and then showing us pieces of his past. There's only a few chapters in at the moment, so I can't say for sure, but the potential of storytelling this story has is staggering. Almost anything can happen with the MC's position.
Character:
The characters are fun. They are so well written, as soon as you meet them you feel like you've known them your whole life. You probably know some people JUST like some of the characters here, but just less... gobliny.
AstraldudeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The book is absurd, so absurd to the point where it has to be adapted into some sort of comedy tv show. The grammar was well and I loved reading the overpowered action scenes. The synopsis itself did kinda dragon me in, which was great! This work is a great masterpiece and that's good. It's fun, creative, imaginative, and the pacing is great while the opening also dragged me in as much as the synopsis did. It is fun, not dull, very chaotic in a sense. The story can usually feel strange and weird at times, but that's what makes it amazing! I loved the Werewolves though, they were terrifying!!!
ammonoidsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Guild of Grandfathers is a unique take on fantasy characters that are well-established, such as Glinda, Sauron, and all kinds of vampires, werewolves (and bears, oh my?). Our main character, the poor helper Jeremy, must jump through all sorts of hoops in order to help them as they age, maintaining their specific meal requests and preventing their escapes. This is written with heart and charm, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to view old favorites with fresh eyes.
Style
Guild of Grandfathers has moments where it's written very well and is both witty and charming (especially in the beginning, where you begin to meet the old folks in the retirement home). However, it can veer into over-exposition, especially in dialogue where characters just start monologuing.
Story
This story has a good setting but lacks a current clear direction; Jeremy wants to make money, yes, but he just got a promotion. I would love a clearer mission for him (an escape that he has to fix, or he'll lose his job? A cursed object that he has to solve a mystery about? etc). Currently I would define it as slice-of-life, a kind of story I typically don't enjoy without a second genre involved.
Grammar
The grammar is typically good but there are a couple of habits from the author that sometimes make it difficult to understand, especially with dialogue being on different lines than the dialogue tags. Only minimal edits would make this five stars.
Character
Jeremy is a little bit flat as a person- I've known him for two chapters and still don't really know his wants or desires, beyond a good 401k match and playing some games on his phone. The elderly folks at the retirement home, however, are endlessly amusing, and we only met them for a chapter. The same goes for the trainers at his new department. I hope to see more in the future!
StudioBunBugRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This book is, thus far, hilarious. It manages to make the maintenance of protagonists and antagonists of Destiny into the kind of routine drudgery office work is known for. To be clear, it’s drudgery for the protagonist, it’s delightful hilarity for the reader. The disputes and resolutions ring true for a decidedly Not The Chosen One man dealing with agents of Fate. Pudding cups result in wizardly lightning storms while failed schemes for world domination are argued over like veteran’s tales. It’s believable, readable, and enjoyable, and will be going on my reading list. There are some grammatical oddities and errors, but by and large they’re not obstructive to enjoying the story. I’m hard-pressed to say what genre it fits in, but any fans of the Laundry Files will enjoy it.
Gregory DaloisioRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
C.O.P.E Inc is a witty satire revolving around capitalism, corporations, and a copious amount of subversive humor. It takes place in a pseudo-fantasy world, or dimension, rather, where corporate America meets mythology and fate intertwines with regular working hours.
For those of you who want the short version of the review to decide whether or not to add this one to your read list, here it is:
C.O.P.E. is full of subversive wit and is quite clever in both wordplay and jokes. I also like to add that while it's definitely a more sophisticated line of humor (without being pretentious), it also doesn't shy away from well-implemented "low-brow" comedy when it needs to.
Additionally, the characters are compelling, the premise is laid-back, and overall, it's quite a fun read. It's not really for those seeking the most action-oriented, in-depth fantasy adventure storylines, but that's not what the author is aiming for. I mean, the MC is working a 9-5 for crying out loud. Even so, it's not all comedy, either. It can get serious when it needs to, and it has its emotional moments, which I won't spoil here.
It's an entertaining and enjoyable read that combines fantasy creatures and deities, and places them in a corporate-style employment setting. I highly recommend giving it a try by going in blind.
Now, for the longer version. This is for those of you who are either on the fence or have already read the fiction and want some introspection.
C.O.P.E follows Jeremy, a regular working stiff who's more concerned with his 401(k) rather than being a chosen one or saving the world. His jaded outlook on life and seen-it-all-before demeanor, combined with his experience and quick wit, make for a fascinating MC that readers can latch onto and likely even relate to.
Seeing as how he's a regular human in a world where thunder gods can eliminate you from existence in an instant and squads of mice can blow your brains out at any moment, you could probably imagine that he's way in over his h
AlexanderScottRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Guild of Grandfathers is a hilarious read, in the slapstick farcical style of Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy. This story starts off with an unflappable MC, Jeremy, working in a retirement home for fantasy creatures, wizards, witches, and demons, sorting out their various idiosyncrasies and strange needs as he goes about his day.
Jeremy's unflappability gains him a promotion to a new position in the "scheduling" department, though what he does next feels very little like scheduling at all. Also, are we still in the Guild of Grandfathers? Not sure, but it's still hilarious. No matter, it's an entertaining journey all the way through.
The writing is strong throughout, and the sure voice of the writer carries the reader through the various pratfalls, more weird characters, and many inside jokes with aplomb. It's a joy to read, and creative, cool concept to boot.
I've only read the first four chapters so far, but the style and voice of the writing continues in every chapter and Jeremy's chill in every scene gives us as readers some confidence that he will navigate whatever comes next without issue. Onward! I can't wait to see where this creative, fascinating story goes next!
Mikoto-kunRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This work masterfully balances dry wit with dark, surreal absurdity, creating a tone that feels both bureaucratically suffocating and chaotically demonic. There’s a steady, sardonic tone that gives Jeremy's narration bite without overplaying the humour. Blends elements of real life with fantasy, without any overpowered action intense scenes, almost drawing parallels from real life experiences.
The story itself unfolds with excellent control. Having introduced complex world-building through action and dialogue rather than exposition dumps, keeps the reader immersed.
The C.O.P.E. feels layered with equal parts Kafka and corporate satire, with just enough menace to make the reader uneasy, even while laughing. The tension between Jeremy and Bealzebubbah crackles, which unfolds into a gassy mess, which adds an interesting flavour of what happens to supernatural creatures when they age. It was a unique take that I haven’t seen in many works.
Overall: The story blends humour, horror, and intrigue in a way that makes it compelling and memorable. It’s smart, weird, and works really well.
Also, some of the chapter titles are just brilliant.
I would say one thing I would like to know (which would be explored in further chapters most likely) if there is a final end goal that the protagonist wishes to reach, or if it would be more along the slice of life genre, but that would most likely be explored with more chapters that come out.
Though I'm hoping chapters come out more frequently, but you can't rush brilliance.
rKlehmRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This is a genuinely fun and inventive story from what's presented in these chapters. It takes the "chosen one" and "epic destiny" tropes and shoves them through a bureaucratic paper shredder, only to reassemble them into something hilariously mundane and chaotically engaging.
The grammar is mostly solid, which makes for a smooth read. There are a few minor hiccups here and there, though, and don't really detract from the overall quality.
The story itself is where Guild of Grandfathers shines. The core concept of a cosmic bureaucracy managing destiny is gold. We follow Jeremy, who is just trying to do his job and get that promotion, as he navigates a retirement home for overpowered granddads of destiny, and then gets promoted to the even more bewildering "Scheduling" department of C.O.P.E. The plot moves from almost slice-of-life absurdity (pudding wars, assassins throwing cutlery) to high-stakes procedural work (evaluating universe-destroying coffee mugs). The escalation is rapid, which keeps things exciting, though sometimes it feels like Jeremy barely has time to process one level of weirdness before another is piled on. The chapter where Beazlebubbah attempts to file Jeremy's paperwork (Ch 5) was a particular highlight for its comedic escalation and look into the dysfunctional C.O.P.E. underbelly.
Worldbuilding is fantastic and imaginative. From the Incident Reduction Equipment (I.R.E.) extinguisher to the Personal Destiny Protective Equipment (PDPE), the details are creative and often funny. The various departments like Scheduling and Hallowed Resources (HR) feel like twisted versions of real corporate environments. We're shown a lot through Jeremy's experiences, which is great, though the sheer volume of new rules, acronyms, and fantastical beings introduced, especially during Jeremy's C.O.P.E. onboarding, can be a bit dense at times. You really have to pay attention to keep up with all the new terms and who's who.
The characters are a real strength. Jeremy is
RohlfingRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
This is another one of those stories where the author takes well-known tales and plays around with your understanding and expectations of them for humorous purposes. As far as humor goes it is middling. While it is occasionally amusing, it is never laugh-out-loud funny. Sometimes it is rather more interesting than amusing.
This is a low fantasy comedy, and as a comedy don’t expect a great deal beyond silly characters poking fun at other people’s stories, along with the occasional slapstick or common tragedy.
Pacing: This is a rather slow-paced story. Some of the chapters seemed a bit longer than necessary to get the point across or get to the point of the chapter. Mostly it reads like a slice of life story.
Story: The rest home for storybook characters premise is not explored very much. The story rather goes on to examine MacGuffins, the modern medical system, and modern technology. Not exactly the most exciting turn for the story, in my opinion.
It’s a slightly novel twist on a well-trod story idea. Not exactly something for those who are looking for a fresh story. I’ve read its like too many times, personally. But it’s fine for what it is.
Style: It does a decent job at being a slice of life, but as a comedy, I would suggest being more funny. Just being silly doesn’t make things funny. If that is unclear, try watching some Studio C or Arrested Development.
Characters: Characters are the one thing I cannot criticize as the author does them reasonably well. So good job with that.
Grammar/prose: I only noticed a few inevitable grammatical mistakes. The prose is nothing poetic or interesting, but it is reasonably professional, so it does its job.
Setting: The setting is very modern and yet clearly fantastical. It’s a blend of modern hospitals, bureaucracy, and fairytale, which is a bit jarring, but was probably meant to be humorous.