Changeling

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Magic came to our world. Portals opened all across the planet, releasing mana and dangerous monsters on the unsuspecting population. Wonder turned to horror. Society was on the verge of collapse, until heroes rose to face the catastrophe. Those fearless men and women wielded the power of mana to enter the portal worlds, plundering their treasures and slaying beasts bullets barely harmed. Through their efforts and sacrifices, mankind stepped into the future. They were called users, or raiders, and they became the champions of mankind. That was more than sixty years ago. Now mana users represent almost a fifth of mankind's surviving population. Nestra isn't one of them. She was born without a core. In the new city of Threshold, baseline humans like her are being forced out of law enforcement. MaxSec is one of their last holdouts and Nestra, one of its last members, but it cannot last. With Nestra addicted to mana and her job one of the only chances at getting close to portals, she is heading for disaster. Threshold is a mighty city dominated by corpos and powerful users. It takes very little to become collateral damage, unless Nestra can finally figure out what's wrong with her, of course.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Mecanimus

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 11,693
Views: 4,336,730

What readers say about Changeling

“An absolute treat! The people, organizations, and societies in Changeling feel so much more real than those in almost any other sf/f I’ve read in a good while — and that’s considering more than just the progression and litrpg, which can be a little light on…”
A slothRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“'Changeling' thrusts us into a world where magic disrupts our reality, unleashing portals and monsters, and rewriting the course of history. The narrative kicks off more than sixty years after the upheaval, in a society where a significant portion of humani…”
Hero FodderRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

A slothRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An absolute treat! The people, organizations, and societies in Changeling feel so much more real than those in almost any other sf/f I’ve read in a good while — and that’s considering more than just the progression and litrpg, which can be a little light on those things at times. Nestra as a character is a delight, as well; I love her acceptance of her own…straightforward approach to problem solving and how she’s still able to move past that at times through the powers of asking for help and annoying the right people.
Hero FodderRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
'Changeling' thrusts us into a world where magic disrupts our reality, unleashing portals and monsters, and rewriting the course of history. The narrative kicks off more than sixty years after the upheaval, in a society where a significant portion of humanity has evolved into mana users, wielding powers beyond imagination. It's a setting that's part urban fantasy, part cyberpunk, with a dash of The Gate.
At the story's heart is Nestra, a young police officer navigating a world where might rules, and the line between law and anarchy blurs. Her effectiveness in this mana-dominated society is hampered by a mysterious disease that has left her without magical potential. The initial chapters set the stage for what appears to be a familiar narrative, a tale of the underskilled struggling against overwhelming odds.
However, 'Changeling' takes an intriguing twist, shattering our preconceptions and reshaping Nestra's character. The early chapters serve as a foundation, introducing the world and characters while setting the stage for the pivotal twist. Nestra, post-revelation, must now find her place in a world turned upside down. Will she uphold the law or take a vigilante path to reform a decaying society?
Personally, I've found 'Changeling' to be an engaging and enjoyable read, but it may not suit everyone's taste. The story paints a bleak picture, so don't expect a typical power fantasy. However, if you relish mysteries and character introspection, 'Changeling' is worth exploring. It's a story that reveals that some people are more than meets the eye.
The world-building in 'Changeling' is admirable, creating a unique and immersive universe that balances new elements with familiar aspects. The author expertly introduces these elements through small interactions, allowing readers to gradually absorb and appreciate the complexities of the world.
Nestra, the protagonist, is a character of remarkable depth and complexity. Her journey of self-discovery unfolds organically, and
AnotherW4NRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TLDR: I was expecting Shadowrun and got Cyberpunk, oh no? Just read it.
The characters are all interesting enough and the story is currently heading into a promising direction. A worry I had was that the main character isn't that close to anyone, she has friends and family who she cares a lot about but no close friends/lovers. Recently however it looks like a character has been introduced to remedy that and in hindsight it feels obvious that they were always going to become close friends. Before anyone gets annoyed at me for the term 'lovers' I am aware the MC is asexual, I assume she can still form a romantic relationship were she to meet the right person. Correct me if I'm wrong I guess.
My main and only real issue with this work is that the first few chapters are setting up a different kind of story than what it actually ends up being. Don't get me wrong I personally enjoyed both the beginning and the rest of the story but it wouldn't surprise me at all if a decent chunk of people stopped reading as the tone of the story shifted away from what was initially established, very well too might I add.
Without getting into spoilers the setup is that of a struggle for a good life in a realistic futuristic setting. Threshold seems quite good overall, the MC just happens to be in some of the roughest parts of it for very compelling reasons. It later turns into a more traditional, for this site, progression type of story. Its still much better than most of those as it manages to maintain an air of importance/impact while still having sillier moments. If none of that bothers you then I can't recommend it enough.
AAvve23Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Am really enjoying this book, world building is really good. Lots of details that immerse you into it. Love the varied cultural nuances too - from Korean to Cantonese and even to Singaporean Singlish lingo (which you have to get a local to help with or live there for a while to get familiar). I especially like the MC hoarding mana rich food/ingredients from portal visits and going home to cook them. Magic system seems really interesting, as we only get some glimpses of an explanation here and there, the slow reveal of that and the MC’s development is good. I’m very invested in this story, good job!
Ab AeternoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I came here from the patreon to say that while the story is 5* worthy from the first dozen chapters, it only gets better as it progresses. The plot thickens, new and very appealing character are introduced and explored, it gets emotional, funny and intriguing. Nestra experiences growth in her character, agency and impact and to summarize, all I can really say is:Please read this masterpiece in the making, you won't regret it!Edit: (addendum and clarification) This is Mecanimus' take of the Korean Portal genre, that when taken at face value brings nothing new to the genre. This changes as the story progresses, although it doesn’t need to. The author takes the genre as a setting and expands on it. The story's main hooks are the plot, world building and characters, instead of the genre itself. And oh boy does the story deliver on those hooks.
Commissar_PopsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is very good so far, the characters are very believable and interesting. I love how the main character is this demonic type thing instead of being some badass stereotypical warrior good guy character. Nestra is a very cool and interesting character the concern she has for herself and her new stuff is intriguing and funny. The writing and characters keep me coming back for more.
only downside is i have to wait for more chapters when all i want to do is sit down and read more and more.
CrushowRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really great new story from Mechanicus. Love the female Mc and how she discovers her abilities and interacts with the world around her. If i had to name the single negative point, the dungeon passages rather blur into one mesh after the while. Hope these parts will be short in future chapters.
Fall-From-GloryRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really enjoyable read! There aren't many stories like it, this is definitely one worth turning notifications on for. Everytime a new chapters posted I make sure to take time out of my day to read it ASAP.
I really like the premise and world building behind the story it feels like the world is well established and alive around the characters rather than waiting for them to arrive for the story to take place.
The characters each have their own personality and feel like they all have their own room to grow and possible stories of their own.
I'm not a good enough writer myself (though an avid reader across all genres) to really give this story the review it deserves but honestly read it you won't be disappointed.
Thanks Mecanimus!
GronchioRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is perhaps one of the best stories I’ve read on RR, at the moment of this review the story as only just begun but it’s still a really enjoyable read and I hope that the quality will not drop as the story progresses.
The main character is really interesting and the world around her is quite dynamic, there aren’t that many side characters for now but the one’s present are intriguing and have actual depth to them.
HikinBearRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is an apocalypse story. Roughly 25 years ago the world changed when Portals opened all over the world and monsters came out. This also started flooding the earth with Mana, and with the increased Mana some people changed; becoming stronger and adept in using Mana. These Mana Users learned to not only fight the monsters, but use the new Portals. Society changed to became dependent on Mana Users and Portals with baseline humans now second class citizens.
The Main Character, Nestra, is introduced as a broken Mana User who is basically baseline because she has no Mana Core. Her life as a Peace Officer is nearly over because of attrition and she is at a crises in her work life.
The story really begins when the MC Awakens to her True Form; a Grey Demon. The MC now has to learn her new body, which works very well with Mana. How does the MC stay alive in a society that kills monsters? And who is her benefactor?
The world building is unique and excellent. The characters are mostly well drawn and individual. The MC is flawed and is starting at the bottom power-wise in a world full of dangerous people. The grammar is very good to excellent.
This has quickly become my favorite story on RR. I became a Patreon subscriber because the Author has MANY more chapters there. I highly recommend this.