Enduring Good : [The Rationalist's Guide to Cultivation and Cosmic Abominations from Beyond the Stars]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2021

Author

Vitaly S Alexius

• Relocation Notice!
  Jun 4, 2024
• 5: Ascension troubles
  Oct 2, 2021
• 4: Alternative uses of song-jitsu
  Sep 27, 2021
• 3: Anima-breakfast delivery club
  Sep 26, 2021
• 2: Adjusting to the decimation of the future
  Sep 23, 2021
• 1: Administered bipeds
  Sep 20, 2021

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• ozimandiusRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Excellent and detailed world, great characters so far...well paced story that doesn't skimp on the setting.  Interesting and unique, with an unusual pairing of styles and themes. Looking forward to more.
  Also, magic so far is very interesting.  Apparently i have not written enough. Keep up the great work!  Thanks.
• EkmoRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Reviewed at chapter 13.
  Enjoyable read so far, though the first chapter might be a bit rage inducing at how callous the MC is.
  Author claims that it is because MC has no social skills, but later events in the story imply otherwise when MC bluffs and wriggles out of a confrontation.
  At least the art is absolutely gorgeous, and comes almost every chapter!
• WanderWomanRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So imagine being thrown into a post apocalyptic world run by magic from giant Cthulhu monsters. Now apply your ancient 20th century human science and reasoning for the win!
  I thought the start was a little annoying (the urchin is a bit too hyper, like a manic pixie dream girl) but I guess you souls inhabiting the same filthy body might be overwhelming. It gets better, and being taken in by a fox geisha is fun
• Aaron Sofaer (aka Pastafarian)Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall: 5/5 stars for a genre-pastiche that oozes style. It has an aesthetic and it delivers it gorgeously; it has a mission of what exact style of indulgence it wants to indulge in and whom exactly is getting pandered to, and it delivers on those as well. If you aren't turned off by the "I will apply science to this new age" approach, you should absolutely read this story.
  Style: Enduring Good oozes it. Style, that is. The aesthetic is dense and thorough. A sense of scope and scale permeates the story, and the mix of ancient ruins, vastness, eldritch horror, and cultivation is married to Vitaly's signature gorgeously-oversaturated style. The story also has wonderful flow.
  Grammar: Enduring Good is pretty close to flawless on grammar, syntax, and sentence construction. The author occasionally deviates for clear reasons, and rarely commits an outright error. I'd say Enduring Good is among the best stories I've read on RR in this regard.
  Character Score: I love the cast. I love the thieving little Aladdin-esque trouble goblin, I love the Pharmacist, I love the geisha desperate to break her shackles before they break her. They're distinct, they're motivated, they have different views on things. I am, however, hoping that as the story continues, the narrative impetus shifts towards a better balance between the characters.
  Story Score: I think the story leans a little bit too heavily into the "I will do Science to it and this is my route to being the greatest of powers" style. It's not nearly as obnoxious, and it's far better executed, than many other entrants in the style-sphere. That's about my only criticism thus far; I'm enjoying the introductory jaunt through the definitions and areas, and intrigued about where the story's going to go with it. I do hope, though, that at least some of the hypotheses that the character(s) come up with are going to wind up being totally wrong. Not any specific hypothesis; just... make the characters be wrong sometimes, make them fail
• UndauntedRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Not too many chapters yet but the premise is interesting, the whole thing was quite exciting so far as well, and the characters feel nice... i think i like this, but we will see what the future holds! The Author pays attention to commenters, replies to us, and is generally receptive of ideas and/or fixes his grammar mistakes.
  I would say that you can give it a try!
• bingus the wizardRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  This story was surprising to say the least, it puts a unique spin on cultivation, has great worldbuilding and follows a protagonist that isn't, like the author says, a 'murderhobo'.
  While I was stumbling around the Rising Stars, searching for a story that hadn't already been told a thousand times, I came across this and thought 'the art looks nice', so I gave it a read and was hooked from the beginning.
  Thanks powered_by_coffee for making this story.
• drake_azathothRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  The premise of the story so far is really good, and I give the author a lot of credit for leaning into a xianxia setting with a very interesting postapocalyptic sci-fi tilt to it. Like a lot of stories, the story is enlivened by taking a beautifully detailed world and turning it on it's ear with a freak event that could easily change everything.
  That said, while the MC is not an asshole like your typical xianxia protag, or a smug perfect Chad/ette like your typical litrpg protag, they are kind of a lot to take - childish, arrogant, bullying/demanding of her companions, and prone to making references that amuse the reader but seem overblown given nobody in-setting knows them.
  Which actually fits well with Ash-Flame's background as a street urchin gone 'crazy' and perfect protags are awful, but it can get a bit much. I gather her companion is likely to actually talk to her and have her listen at some point soon though - so character development may be forthcoming.
• UmbrapolisRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  The story starts off with an interesting premise that beautifully illustrates a sense of dread and unfamiliarity, with the way gold city's society developed and the remnnants are shown. The atmosphere does not disappoint in most cases, providing a realistic sense of horror in how things have developed after the apocalypse.
  How the author handles the world is excellent that the history of it is smoothly presented by the story, but the visualization or imagination of the environment slowly becomes harder for me the more the story progresses. POVs beyond the MC have become more appealing to me in comparison to the MC as the prevalence of white room syndrome is less prevalent. Though it could be something related to the character development of the MC.
  The grammar is excellent, with barely any blemishes. I say barely since I am not very confident to discern bad grammar, but it is nonetheless very good. There are no jarring transitions, the sentences are well constructed, there are no errors. It is a flawless grammar, worthy of a good story.
  Now, unto the characters and how they developed. Initially I disliked the MC for messing with Celes' plans as I initially liked her more. But eventually, I grew to like her character for the simple fact that it is complex, and realistic. While I found the combination of the immaturity of her character and the toughness she expresses as annoying, how she grew with the knowledge of the pharmacist is a captivating process.
  But recent developments have soured my opinion of the story a bit, as it has this sense of extremity at how it treats individuals, or rather, how Ash treats individuals or people. How her attachments and crudeness defined how she treats and emphathize with the characters shows self-righteousness, while the goal is towards overall improvement which is can be contrasting.
  A major part of why I liked the story is how it is realistic, and how it has acceptable reasons for how things develop and such. Cultivators are viole
• TaviRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  [update is just to correct stars which got messed up on mobile, still the same review.]
  Enduring Good is an unlikely mashup of game, cultivation, post apocalypse, and rationality which I find quite captivating despite its unusual combination of component parts.
  There are only a few chapters out so far, so I can't say for sure how things will be going on, but thus far it has been a fascinating look at a very alien sort of culture. The world lies in ruins as Eldritch creatures stride its surface, cities on their backs where human, inhuman, and long deceased live at the whims of their 'gods'. Bound souls and vast disparity of class paint a bleak picture of society, but our reincarnated MC is so adorably excited at the opportunity to explore and uplift this world of monsters and magic that the darkness never feels overwhelming.
  Grammar is largely good, with some oddities. Author seems responsive to corrections however, so I expect the story to only improve as time goes on. This is the score as of the time I read it, but it will probably be improved by the time you read this.
  The style is not one that I particularly click with. I have had a hard time getting into the author's other stories, but the story and characterization of this one drew me in in a way the others didn't quite manage. That said, it's competent and serviceable, so I have only personal complaints about it.
  Character is hard to judge so far since there are so few chapters out. The main character is great fun, a mix of innocence and experience, wonder and determination. No complaints on that score. Side characters... I have concerns, but they're simply isn't enough to go off of yet to make a solid judgment. The adversaries seem a bit underwhelming. I keep waiting for repercussions that have yet to materialize. It's entirely possible that things will even out and give the side characters a bit more definition and agency, but so far they seem to have only served as minor obstacles rather than genuine threat
• orinaticRoyal Road

  ★★★ 2.5

  Our main character is a street urchin who accidentally fuses with a pharmacist'e ghost. Neither of them have any reason to understand things to the level that they do or be an confident as they are.
  I won't go into specific spoilers, but the MC figures things out far too quickly, in ways that feel un-earned. That combined with the happy-go-lucky attitude in a character who is half "beaten-down street orphan" and half "person from the distant past whose entire life is gone" is, to me at least, incredibly jarring.
  It's a pity, because the world is great. No problems with the grammar, and the supporting cast is fine. The art(!) is great. But the main character feels more like a badly-acted powergamed tabletop character than a fleshed out person, and that's a deal-breaker for me.