Fear Not Death [HWFWM Fanfiction]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

I've somehow ended up in another world (just the soul though). Memories are a bit hazy, I may have an imaginary friend, and I'm definitely suppressing some deep internalized trauma. But hey, I've got some cool new magic powers. If only I can figure out a way back to my original world so my parents stop wasting money on my comatose body's medical fees. Can I return before they go bankrupt? Is my degree completely worthless? Is my soul-trip isn't the result of some larger plot at play? Nah, surely not. (This is a fanfiction based off of the He Who Fights with Monsters series by Shirtaloon. And definitely a self-insert. Some internal magic theory may not be accurate. This is set in a different world but with similar concepts, since making a new world map, month/week/day terminology is a pain. Cover art is AI.)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: BowlOfRice

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 672
Views: 697,487

Chapters(260 total)

What readers say about Fear Not Death [HWFWM Fanfiction]

“This is a great work of fiction, adapting from the parent work, the author seamlessly adds to the original world surrounding Jason and gives us a new spin on it while staying true to the original premise. Definitely give it a go whether or not you have read…”
Danmcc131Royal Road5.0 / 5
“What if He Who Fights With Monsters were not the story of Jason Asano? What if it instead was another person to get drawn into a world of essences, powers, ranks and adventures? Starting in a different way, waking up in a world that is not the same as the o…”
Fivefold HummingbirdRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(6)

Danmcc131Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a great work of fiction, adapting from the parent work, the author seamlessly adds to the original world surrounding Jason and gives us a new spin on it while staying true to the original premise. Definitely give it a go whether or not you have read HWFWM!
A couple of spelling mistakes throughout but nothing glaring and definitely not enough to bring the rating down.
Fivefold HummingbirdRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What if He Who Fights With Monsters were not the story of Jason Asano? What if it instead was another person to get drawn into a world of essences, powers, ranks and adventures? Starting in a different way, waking up in a world that is not the same as the original, awakening different powers and meeting different people? All while weaving another plot, some of the dynamics and greater patterns being recognizable while others are refreshingly new?
All those 'what ifs' seems to be recognized in Fear Not Death, where our protagonist is forced onto quite a different route towards another world, one brimming with the dangers of losing oneself yet also hinting just a glint of potential.
If you enjoyed the world building and system of the parent work, then I am sure you will enjoy this as well. It is obvious that BowlOfRice is very well versed in the many essences and their mechanics, carefully crafting multiple sets of powers and combination that impress and intrigue that still gives the feeling of balance and making sense.
Our protagonist is a decent, reflecting person trying to make sense of a new world, remaining logical while also appreciating the passions of others. Alongside is built a cast of diverse characters giving rise to enjoyable banter and interactions, one that I am very pleased that I get to follow as they grow during their adventures.
If I have one thing I would have liked to see more of, it would have been taking a bit more time in the beginning when our protagonist arrives in the world, to further get to know her enigmatic benefactors. But I can also see why it was written as it was, instead quickly taking us along to the good stuff of the genre; the powers.
Overall, Fear Not Death is a thoroughly enjoyable read. And as someone who continues to enjoy the original work, this is just a win-win. Because with a 'what if?' like this, I get the privilege to read them both.
one_true_kingRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a wonderful fanfiction that I would happily pay for. The MC or MFC is decent in that her backstory is interesting and I want to keep following along on her journey; but I think that she needs to be given more introspection moments so that we the reader can get a better understanding of how her past in the Astral is still affecting her.
The moments of banter are very good and each of the main characters seems to have unique ways of showing their personalities, but the dialogue can also be a little flat at times so it is not always perfect even if mostly they are entertaining.
My only big complaint is that I am sensitive to spelling and grammar so the few times that they show up stick out to me, but again that does not take away from the overall story which is getting better with each chapter.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
LucyDarkRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Like, I haven't really read many of the chapters, but if I take it and compare it to the mother work, it just doesn't have the same vibe, what I remember liking immensely at the beginning of HWFWM, was Jason's VERY HARD level beginning , how he chose the most ominous essences possible, because the circumstances led to that, here in Fear No Death, we simply don't have that, we have an MC who goes through a drugged travel experience through the Astral universe and then conveniently falls into the hands of people who give her everything, the exact Essences she needs, Awakening Stones, Skill Books, there's just no tension at all, and I imagine that will change later on, but it just didn't hold my attention, still. I give it 4 stars, because despite my personal opinion, it's a great story, with great grammar and everything!
luda305Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
It's fine, though I do feel like it's two very different stories.
To begin, I should clarify that I have never read HWFWM. Though oddly this is the second "fanfic" I've looked at from that universe.
There are I think two very different stories here.
First, you have chapters 1-3 (yes, it's only three chapters, but they're beefy, so it seems longer). There we have an isekai where the translocation itself is very interesting on multiple levels. In short,
When she was taking a nap, her soul get eaten by an Eldritch outer god, and she ended up frayed and confused in the deep astral realm. She gets picked up by another god-like entity and taught how to get herself back to the material plane.
That's really quite a good segment there; five stars all around. What kind of throws it off is that
the criteria the ritual uses to return her home is only temporal, not spatial, so she ends up gods-knows-where, but at least she's within 2 months of when she left.
Which is just weird. Like it gives it a really Sisyphean quality. But like why couldn't it do both? There was some complaint in-universe that greater precision required more time, though it was also noted that time wasn't a factor, other than boredom.
Anyways, so that first arc ends on a bit of an odd note.
Then we get to her being isekai'd on a planet in the material plane. This is where all the HWFWM stuff comes in. And it's fine, but very vanilla and it almost seems like that first arc is getting ignored. Sure, there's some references to it and how it affects her abilities, but it's a very light touch for somewhere that she spent an eon. And so we're onto a second training arc (already), even though we had a long training session in the first arc. There's a strong hamster wheel feel here.
misssaturnRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
A good story, I must confess that I haven't read HWFWM, but the proposition given is nice enough.
Pros:
- Full of discoveries and excitement
- Nice magic system. There are so many combinations and builds, each person's power brings new things
- Good side characters' stories. Each one has their own description, some more than others
- Very funny. The puns and dialogues are quite hilarious
Cons:
- Those skill screens are so annoying, they break the flow of battles so much that I ended up preferring if there were no battles at all
- Should add a multiple POVs tag, because they change quite a lot. I usually don't like that, and the way it's done here, it's like we are playing a turn base game
- How she gets back to Earth feels so premature and out of nowhere
- Quite a few grammar errors
Overall a good read. But as the story progressed I got more and more annoyed with some parts of it, with the last abrupt change being a deal breaker for me. I will pause for now and maybe come back to it later.