Crystal Gunslinger - The Obsidian Outlaws

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

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The Warped Scorch is known as the most dangerous area on the continent of Lux for good reason.

Ever since a strange meteor hit the land and transformed it into a crystal hellscape, all four bordering nations have been trying to establish a foothold in the extremely dangerous new territory and lay claim to its many treasures. Cyrus is a crystal gunslinger, one of the individuals that face the horrors of the Scorch on a daily basis in order to make a living. With his trusty ruby repeater and plenty of experience, he is prepared to deal with whatever challenges the strange creatures and deadly environment can throw at him.

But Cyrus will soon learn that the true horrors of the Scorch are much more human in nature, and no matter how hard he tries, escaping his past will be nearly impossible.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: Oliver Laws

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 62
Views: 22,920

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

DestroyatronMk8Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I was pretty impressed with this one. Probably the best Western story I've seen on this site, fantasy or otherwise. The author's not really breaking the mold with a gunslinger trying to escape his past, but the execution is excellent and the characters are well crafted, as is the world they inhabit. If you're just checking to see if this one's worth a read, you should stop reading reviews and jump in. I don't think you'll regret it.
STORY: The wandering gunslinger is an old trope, but a hard one to do well. This one nails it. Grim setting, harsh but beautiful environment, and dangers at every turn. Complex characters with differing motivations and hints of wider stories and a vaster world beyond the moment your'e being shown. It's well paced, with a nice balance of tension, action, and downtime.The worldbuilding is top-notch, unfolding bits of the landscape and scraps of lore as the story requires, but without the info-dumps that are a common pitfall in a fantasy setting.
STYLE: It's first person POV. Who's telling the story changes on occasion, but it's pretty easy to follow.
GRAMMAR: I didn't notice a lot of mistakes, and the wording flows nicely.
CHARACTERS: You can see Cyrus is competent, smart, and dangerous, but he's also young and not good at dealing with people, leaving him at a loss in some situations and vulnerable to manipulation in others. He is not the grim, hyper-competent protaganist one usually expects in this sort of tale. Each of the characters is nuanced like this, with depth and history that make them feel like real people. They are relatble and easy to like. You get the impression there's more going on with each of them than just what you see at the moment.
THE VERDICT: I've read a fair number of western type stories on this site, fantasy and otherwise. This is the best one I've seen so far.
S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From what I've gone through a great read. Writing is spot on. The MC's narration has so much personality; serious, stern and knowledgeable. No grammar issues to be found.
The fantasy/sci-fi is a joy to go through. There's a lot of potential for a deep and immersive world.
Definitely worth checking out.
Kevin YanceyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What a great story so far! I really enjoyed the characters interactions with each other and the dialogue was spot on. I really enjoy the western flair mixed with fantasy and look forward to reading more! The setting of the Warped Scorch reminds me of a Mad Max meets medieval which is a mix of my two favorite genres. I'm really curious to find out what is going to happen to Cyrus at the end of the last chapter and if he will find Kate. Great job with the whole thing and you tell a very compelling story! With so many stories out there that are LitRPG (not my thing) I have to say that this kind of story was exactly what I was looking for. Your characters feel alive and really have a connection with each other that details how close they've become. The use of tech in the place of common fantasy weapons was a good touch and I'm anxious to learn more about that too. The addition of artwork is a great idea and something I might have to include in my own fiction. Are you going to have more drawings in the future or was that a one time thing? Either way, it really makes the story unique and combined with your prose is perfect.
NexileRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
We have a merc. We have glittering gems. We have a magical wasteland. And everything is so deadly I’m surprised breathing doesn’t kill. This is a western-style story with a magical horror twist that had me rethink things and learn to love a genre I’ve ignored previously. Best of all? We see this great world through the eyes of our wonderful Cy – a professional, fun and lovable mercenary.
GRAMMAR: Nothing much to say here. The author is very diligent in eliminating any mistake that might have slipped by.
STYLE: The writing is simple and easy to read, and it makes going through the chapters a breeze. The world is beautiful (our poor characters who have to live there might disagree), and it’s portrayed nicely through action and dialogue, and despite there being the occasional info dump, it didn’t feel as such (could be my bias because I tend to like those from time to time, but they didn't slow down the story for me at all). Pacing? How could we live in the wasteland if things aren’t always happening. Never got bored once.
STORY: The story essentially follows Cy as he tries to survive day to day in the Scorch (the magical wasteland), at first going on what should be a regular mission. That changes when he meets Kate, a university researcher. From then on his solo life ends – wrong word choice… but maybe not for long? Either way, this new companionship quickly runs into trouble presumably due to outside forces wanting something with our lovely researcher. The story is still setting things up at this point, and that can only mean we’re in for something terrific pretty soon.
CHARACTERS: Speaking of characters, we have our two main characters Cyrus (Cy) and Kate. For those of you who like mysterious professionals, you’ll find one in Cy, but you’ll also find the slightly awkward boy that living in the Scorch hadn’t quite managed to snuff out. To me, it only made him more endearing. Then we have Kate, an enthusiastic researcher, who is probably always overdosed on curiosity
Gen0meRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Exploring The Scorch, a mysterious wasteland inhabited by dangerous crystalline monsters through the eyes of badass gunslinger Cyrus is a blast. Laws has created a vivid world that he skillfully depicts through punchy actions scenes and dialogue that flows naturally.
The worldbuilding is adeptly layered in a way that gives a unique feel to the gritty setting. It's very quickly apparent that the author has created a rich history for this world. Most impressively he seems to have a knack for revealing the details with subtlety.
Cyrus is established early as a capable character with hard-earned experience. He is literally well equipped to deal with the many dangers of The Warped Scorch. His talent as an expert craftsman showcases the crystal-based technology spawned from the wasteland nicely.
Kate being a researcher just arriving gives us a fresh look at the wasteland. The characters contrast well and have a natural chemistry that is super fun to read.
One thing Laws sets up effectively is The Warped Scorch as a region ripe with rewards that warrant confronting the perils. Almost like a gold rush era wild west with a twist. The Lovecraftian mystery at the heart of the land aligns perfectly with my tastes in scifi/fantasy.
After reading the first five chapters, I'm very much interested in reading on and seeing how the different nations interact in The Scorch. Cyrus has a unique perspective because of his tragic backstory—it makes him the perfect character to explore the landscape with. I'd definitely recommend this story to those looking to go on an adventure through a fascinating new world.
Indian_SageRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I would say it out loud. This book is interesting and worth reading.
The MC is quite an interesting fellow with a mysterious past. The author had done a fine job in getting me interested in the life of the MC with the fight in Chapter-1 and the world background.
Although there is not much to know about how the world that which this story takes place in, it is understandable as the novel had just started serializing.
But what I am very interested in finding out what kinds of fights would take place between a magic user and a gunslinger like our MC.
xaimRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Definitively a very promising start.
Style: Easy to read, no flaws that a non-native speaker could see. Even though the chapter length is above the average on RR (I think), you keep wishing for more.
Story: The premise of an astroid being responible for great changes to earth is probably not unique - The resulting changes to the ecosystem are. The crystal beasts we encountered so far are unique, the crystal weapons too.
Main charakter is competent, knows his limits and already has enough of a backstory that makes me wish for more. There are hints about a tragic past and a dark secret. Also a good friend of the parents in the prologue, hope we see more of him in the future.
Possible antagonist also was introduced in Chapter 3, seems like we can see both the hero and the antagonist grow.
Grammar: As written above, no obvious mistakes to be seen. Quality is top notch.
Charakters are believable and act consistantly - not an everyday occurance on this site! Also, all the introduced main characters so far are quite likeable.
All in all, a very interesting story, one I can only recommend!
Missing half stars are due to length of the novel, will come back after more chapters to adjust (upwarts, if the trend continues like this 😊).
BjorneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
The first chapter or two were a little off. Not in the story but in grammar and formatting but after that the Author quickly improved.
He has created an interesting concept that only seems to be scratching the surface on what could be possible.
The setting is great. The idea of crystal monsters, and only crystal monsters besides the humanoid variety may seem a bit dull but so far it's not and Olipie has already mentioned other places in the world. It could go a lot further than the Scorch.
The MC. He seems confused at times, stuck between his life as a loner but seems to be wanting something a bit more out of life. A diehard professional that takes his job seriously and knows the dangers of the landscape without being completely OP. He is more powerful than some but not all.
Plot. It's a shame that it's cut off at chapter 9 and hope it restarts. I look forward to seeing where this goes.
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Granted, I feel that some parts could've been written better. The initial set-ups weren't too promising, though the later chapters did seem to lead into more mystery. Seems pretty great overall. Personalities could be shown in a deeper level though. 4.5/5 from me. Might change in the future if changes are made to the stories
DisasterdylansRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I have yet to read the complete novel however what is currently available is really gripping. I love the setting going for a western/fantasy vibe in an inhospitable wasteland. It is interesting seeing how people go about making their lives out in someplace so uninhabitable and what drives people to try.
The monster encounters so far have also been entertaining with some clear thought going into the monster designs and abilities, creating something quite unique rather than standard fantasy affair (although I am sucker for typical fantasy beasts too). This is accompanied by some artwork which I think looks great. I am normally hesitant about artwork in novels as I find it can disrupt my mental image of what is going on. However, in this case the images are notebook like sketches of what the creatures look like rather than an interpretation of the scene, so I find that does not disrupt my reading.
Getting some feel for the characters now and they do feel as if they are written with a different writer’s voice which is always good. Would like to see more of the story for the characters to be fully fleshed out.
Some glimpses into the wider world is also interesting, without getting too exposition heavy, the writer has created some other places which I look forward to seeing more of in this novel or a future one. Plus, the most important role of describing the rest of the world, is that it really puts into perspective the harshness of the Scorch.
Overall the setting - how people live here, what creatures inhabit it, the wild west feel. All these things are the strongest aspects of the story so far so if you want to experience a atypical fantasy setting I highly recommend.
Other aspects such as characters still need a little fleshing out however as only a couple chapters are currently uploaded that is understandable and I look forward to seeing how they develop.
I really look forward to seeing what comes next and I will be keeping my eye on this one.