Cycles of Power

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Riva is a sapient dungeon trying to survive and discover where she came from. But no one exists in isolation. Will Riva be able to survive the adventurers and intrigue to come? Who is this human in her visions? Will Riva ever reclaim her past and secure a future?...

Thousands of years ago wild dungeons appeared out of nowhere and conquered the world. Armies could not hold back the infinite hordes of spawned monsters. The sapient races barely eked out survival in the corners of the world. Only the infighting between the savage dungeons allowed the sentient races to outlive these dark ages. Out of this struggle, adventurers were forged. By conquering weaker dungeons, adventurers discovered how to capture life energy to perform great feats of strength and create magic.

Now, as adventurers pushed back dungeons, population boomed again. But with rising numbers comes new factions, greed, and war. Caught among these powerhouses lies Riva.

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On hiatus for the foreseeable future. I finished the first arc, improved my writing a lot, and learned I want to write from a humanoid perspective. Currently building up chapters for new series.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2019
Author: Emliss

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 224
Views: 43,573

Chapters(17 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(5)

Jangofet54Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This has the makings of something truly amazing. Already I find myself intrigued with the MC and I'm looking foward to learning more about the world. I would love to see this novel get more support and to see it become a truly amazing work and a fine addition to this site that I think it could become.
(Warning below is just my little rant on favorite dungeon novel stuffs)
My only suggestion and this is based only off of my preference for technical thing-a'magiggers is that you may wish to add more detail about how things work. One of the series that I enjoyed made use of this in a jungle themed floor wherein he (the dungeon) wanted to make a miniature water cycle for the floor complete with rain and everything. So he added heating elements via heat runes and when the water slopped off to the side it would hit the heating element and turn to vapor thus rising to the top of the floor several hundered feet up where it would cool, condense, and rain thus creating a foggy jungle where it would rain. I just love that sort of stuff.
claRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I enjoyed the early chapters but am really loving the latest chapters. Great dungeon, character and plot development. I'm tempted to wait until you are done and then binge read, but I want to see what happens next. I'll keep reading if you keep writing. Really impressive for a first fiction.
AmphitriteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Cycles of Power by Emliss takes a unique approach to the dungeon-core genre, offering readers the perspective of Riva, a sapient dungeon grappling with survival, lost memories, and the chaos of a world still haunted by the rise of monstrous dungeons. The premise is intriguing, blending dungeon-building mechanics with introspection and mystery as Riva unravels her origins and contends with the threats adventurers and power-hungry factions pose.
The world-building stands out, particularly the dark history of wild dungeons and the evolution of adventurers as humanity’s last line of defense. This rich lore provides a compelling backdrop for Riva's struggle, with the tension between sentient races and dungeons adding stakes to her survival. Riva's introspective moments and her mysterious visions of a human figure give the story an emotional anchor, adding layers to the dungeon’s otherwise mechanical existence.
However, the story’s dungeon-core perspective—while fresh—can be limiting. Readers may struggle to connect with Riva on an emotional level due to her abstract, non-humanoid form. Additionally, the pacing occasionally falters as the narrative balances world-building, dungeon mechanics, and intrigue, sometimes at the cost of momentum. The author’s hiatus leaves the future of the story uncertain, which may deter some readers from investing in Riva’s journey.
Cycles of Power is a creative addition to the dungeon-core genre, offering mystery, lore, and a unique protagonist. While it shows clear potential, the narrative's perspective and unresolved threads might not appeal to all readers. For fans of dungeon-centric stories who enjoy rich
Mister BillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Fun little dungeon story. Well worth a read. Certainly a pretty unique take on the dungeoncore genre. It might move in more traditional directions in a while but I doubt.
Instead, it looks like it’ll stay fun and unique for quite a while. It’s basically what I wished that dungeon world book was like.
luda305Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
It's a bit of an interesting dungeon core story. Riva as a character seems fairly well-fleshed out and interesting, without the murderousness common to many dungeon stories. And the dungeon building/interaction is fairly well executed.
There are I think two significant flaws.
One is that the story gets too invested in the flashback memories to Riva's former human life. The author admits in their last update that the human life chapters were the most interesting for her to write, and they had their own merit, but it didn't square with the premise of the book.
The second is that some of the battle sequences are pretty stilted.