Godclads

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Professionally edited and published versions of volumes 1 and 2 can be found on Kindle and as audiobooks on Audible!

Avo was born to destroy New Vultun. In a twist of fate, he’ll become its only hope for salvation.

The gods were the enemy. The slaver. The chains. With dreams of paradise, humanity slaughtered them and stole their powers, opening the path to become more – to ascend.

Instead, they nearly destroyed the world.

Vast hive cities serve as the final bastions against the crumbling of reality. New Vultun is the greatest of them all, and within its borders, ascenders wage war to determine the laws of existence itself.

The world descends ever deeper into ruination.

Avo was born a weapon, a slave to his instincts and his masters. He and his brothers were made to burn New Vultun to ashes. Everything changes when Avo gains immortality and becomes heir to an impossible legacy.

He must ascend the megacity of New Vultun. He must challenge the very tyrants that usurped the gods.

He must finally free the world from chains.

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Chapters are usually around 2.5 to 3k words.

Disclaimer: Expect detailed descriptions of violence, cannibalism, and cursing.

Expect: Monster mc, magitech, cyberpunk, implants, atrocities, oppression, non-human protagonist, reality-warping powers, and combined arms warfare.

Do not expect: Smut, romance

If you develop a sudden outbreak of rash after reading Godclads, it's not the story. But go see a doctor. Just in case.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2022
Author: OstensibleMammal

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 6,062
Views: 4,401,492

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

AshmalechRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An incredibly imaginative setting that comes together really well. A lot of thought and love clearly went into it. Really interesting characters that develop and change in very satisfying ways. It's already good right from the start but it really takes off after a while and it seems to be only getting better as it goes on. I could hardly put it down.
RawMuffinRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Godclads is a brilliant fusion of cyberpunk, grimdark, and progression fantasy that exceeded all my expectations. The setting, New Vultun, is a sprawling, decaying megacity, and the author’s attention to detail makes it feel alive, gritty, and oppressive. The world-building is phenomenal, with layers of lore and history that unfold naturally as the story progresses. It’s clear a lot of thought went into creating this complex, dystopian universe, where humanity has slaughtered the gods and stolen their powers, only to bring the world to the brink of almost destruction.
Avo, the protagonist, is one of the most unique characters I’ve come across. He starts as a weapon created to destroy, but his transformation into a force fighting for the future of New Vultun is compelling. His journey to ascension, navigating the twisted politics and power struggles in the city, is full of intense moments and thoughtful introspection.
The progression system is well-balanced and satisfying, with Avo’s growth feeling earned rather than rushed. The grimdark tone, combined with cyberpunk aesthetics and eldritch horror undertones, creates an atmosphere that keeps you hooked. If you love a story where the stakes are high and the world is beautifully complex, Godclads is a must-read!
SilchaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is so genuinely original and unique, from the mc to the world to the power system. The mc is a well written inhuman character who is still sympathetic and interesting to follow. The Eldritch cyberpunk dystopian setting built on the backs of dead gods is so damn original that I don’t think anything else on this site comes close to matching that description, and this story delivers on the vibes promised by that tagline in spades. The Eldritch power system is similarly a blend of genres that is well executed and fascinating. Overall absolutely worth the read if you want something original.
Textual DeviantRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For those sci-fi-inclined of you who aren't easily disturbed, I would highly recommend Godclads. It is an incredibly dense, beautifully worldbuilt, and rather self-disturbed cyberpunk novel about gods, sci fi, and some kind of flesh ladder everyone is fighting over- it's better explained later, but it'll be funny until you actually find out exactly what it is. Then it's less funny.
Anyway, the protagonist isn't entirely human and literally unalives (bad) people very early into the novel with basically nothing except their biological implements (known as teeth and claws) in a decidedly brutal fashion. The protagonist eventually goes on to permanently and fatally fracture the very consciousness of other, living beings, and perform mass murder in a similar manner.
I would, however, place it very high on any tier list despite these things. In fact, it's probably because it's unafraid of these things. Hell, even the most barebone characters can be seen joking about these things; the silent gangwars that bristle in the underbelly, the mundane amount of human trafficking, the incursion of manmade horrors from literal shadow portals almost indistinguishable at times from normal shadows... all of this? This is probably one of the best ways anyone can make a fundamentally-flawed world feel real- by making the denizens more conformed to it. If the citizens on earth dealt daily with gods, centuries-past oligarchies, time-travelling always-on-a-drug-high women for decades, being forced to bend so as to not break under the pressure, would you feel all that depressed about it? Hell no.
What I think you would do in that situation? Get up for work in the morning.
Try showingRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
In this extraordinary novel, the author ingeniously flips the script by casting a captivating monster as the protagonist. Through the creature's eyes, we witness a profound exploration of otherness, empathy, and the universal quest for belonging. The narrative skillfully challenges preconceived notions, weaving a tale that not only tugs at the heartstrings but also prompts introspection about what it truly means to struggle. A brilliant and original take on storytelling, this novel proves that even monsters can illuminate the deepest corners of the human experience.
jayfiction99Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story has a lot of good going for it. Being a wonderfully brutal mix of eldritch magic, cyberpunk chrome and viseral gore. It illustrates a world that combines the worst of Night City from Cyberpunk and Throne from Kill 6 Billion Demons into a caleidoscope of carnage that dances to a beautiful tune the author weaves with their words.
The MC is a really well done monstrous protag. Being a living weapon biologically programmed for sadism and psychopathy who is really trying to be a good person. Or at the very least a person. The author doesn't ever let you forget *what* the MC is, but also never makes him so horrible its impossible to root for him.
The magic and world is a lot more esoteric and alien than what you usually see and it works well. With Transhumanism, Cosmic Apotheosis, Necromancy/Netrunning, and brutal Sci-Fi tech running together in a interesting mix.
One warning though, the story is very gory at times and that might put some people off. Personally I found it logical to the world and not gratuitous, but I understand some people might not enjoy it.
kriegRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is another of RR best and is a shame is not forward in the rankings few can compare with what this story delivers.
Before I praise both the work and the author further, I need to mention that the first few chapters are kind of rough. But I promise you that it will get better, truly no meme, this is a story that deserve that.
I myself believe that the story really started when the ghoul awoke in the crucible chapters 2-1 (chapter 4 if you skip index and what would be the prologue).
In fact each new arc is an improvement compared to the previous one. However, there are people that claim that you should try to keep reading until the end of the "crucible arc" or the "milk run arc".
I will explain the problem that you might run reading this story at the end of the review for the ones interested.
Here we have our favorite cannibal MC Avo, being a gift both to the reader and to his world. True monster MC that isn't also super edge, interesting character all around with even side characters like fucking Chambers and Zein are just amazing to read, only here we have what I thought would be boring characters to be that fun to read, even when one of them is doing copious amounts of drugs. Meanwhile as even the villains aren't simple murderhoobs and idiot youngmaster for the most part, they all have unexpected deep and emotions that is breath of fresh air.
However, mammal is a gift that keeps giving. The long and interesting action scenes where twist and turns are at every corner and intelligent use of the environment not only on the horizontal level but in verticality and even on the unique environment of this setting the "nether". Meanwhile the setting is spralling and complex interconnected system that isn't your generic cyberpunk or fantasy city, there is also deep to it and a soul that is unique to this setting, that manege to mix with such skill technology and theology or how they like to call it thaumaturgy. Here might indeed be a city where your dream come true whe
nathandlerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A lot of stories grab that Traumatizing Content tag, but trauma is pretty subjective. In this case it's really not. This story gets dark, and life is the cheapest resource in this world.
A lot of antiheroes just seem like edgy teenagers, but Avo is definitely not one of these. Half of his internal monologue is him talking himself out of eating everyone he sees. Good MCs have their place, but I'm definitely rooting for Avo.
CalabanVIIIRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Cool book with nice stuff in it. Cyberpunk story with depth and mechanics and worldbuilding that puts a smile to my face.
I really enjoyed what I found and hope to see more.
I can't tell much about the characters so far but the MC atleast seems logical, and portrayed like an actual psychopathic cannibalistic Monster, that somehow integrated into society.
Great work Author
IchorMortisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is easily the wildest content on royal road today.
Utter madness. Cyberpunk as a genre wishes it has the balls to do what this story does on the regular.
Little confusing at times but that's to expected. Im def buying the full edited version and buckling the fuck up