Grand Harvest

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Slow burn slice of life fantasy adventure. Updated daily.

One day, the Scramble broke magic in Velonea.

The farming village of Böndelheim is one of the few places not affected. Having renounced magic centuries ago, they are enjoying the best harvest they have ever seen. The fields shine like polished gold, and it's only spring.

An old dwarf tries to take care of the village that accepted him and his kin when they were on the run. Two mages journey, searching for runes to remake magic.

The mages think he's a hick. He thinks all mages are evil.

To survive, Böndelheim needs all three of them.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: kzzh

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 68
Views: 5,937

Chapters(14 total)

What readers say about Grand Harvest

“tl;dr This is an instant favourite of mine on Royal Road. There are many good stories here. Many good fantasy stories. Grand Harvest is undoubtedly one of them. If you only look at the chapters set in Böndelheim, we might think the story is a cosy mystery.…”
tataToniaRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I went through this again and have more to add to the review. To start, the flow, style, and overall feel is lovely. Truly lovely. I'll be honest, the genre is not usually my cup of tea. Specifically, slice of life. But with that said, I really enjoy the wr…”
John Stax (Fobywoby)Royal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(8)

tataToniaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
tl;dr This is an instant favourite of mine on Royal Road.
There are many good stories here. Many good fantasy stories. Grand Harvest is undoubtedly one of them.
If you only look at the chapters set in Böndelheim, we might think the story is a cosy mystery. Miraculous crops entice all farmers from a village to plant more wheat, thus attracting bandits. But there's something wrong with the harvest and no one quite knows what it is.
But, hey, there are other chapters, set elsewhere! And we learn more about the world itself. Magic has been banned. Before or after the runes went all wrong? This hasn't been revealed yet.
The unveiling of information is perfectly mastered. Even though a lot of effort has been put into the worldbuilding, the reader only learns things gradually, all the while feeling at ease in the environment. We're not lost, we're intrigued. We want to know more. There's some foreshadowing, and hints to past events, and the mystery is compelling.
Excellent pacing, excellent style. Dialogue is good. Sentences flow well in all situations. Hardly any editing problems. I did see one "her" instead of "his" and... I think it's all, the rest looks perfect.
All characters have a backstory and a personality. Most of them are really likeable, and they feel human, even the dwarves. I can't wait to learn more about Fregi's past.
And did I mention it's funny? I forgot that. Well, Grand Harvest is funny, too. Clever use of a potato that would make RR lore proud.
More, please!
John Stax (Fobywoby)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I went through this again and have more to add to the review.
To start, the flow, style, and overall feel is lovely. Truly lovely.
I'll be honest, the genre is not usually my cup of tea. Specifically, slice of life. But with that said, I really enjoy the writing style here. And the pace rapidly speeds up.
The author has a great grasp of their craft. Was a very smooth read. You are immediately immersed into the village and their politics.
The dialogue is pretty real and feels between friends.
The stakes grow throughout. It reminds me in a way of the early chapters of LOTR. And by chapter two, we are into the action.
No notes on grammar. I didn't find anything distracting, which is a huge plus point.
The characters are distinct and have their own feel to them.
The word choice throughout is enjoyable.
Also, I like the premise on the issue with magic. It's a little slower than I usually like.
Personally, I need a little more magic early on. But that personal taste.
What I am most interested in -
What is happening with magic?
How will they handle it?
What larger effects is this having on the world?
cszahnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
First, a somewhat shallow remark - this cover is wonderful. I adore it. The concept ties in with the title in such a clever way.
Second, the pacing. Well-done, very nicely rounded. It doesn’t drag, and it doesn’t go too fast (meaning you aren’t thrown into scenes and forced to try to figure out who everyone is and what is going on while action is going on to establish a sense of excitement).
The grammar is well-done too, and the style in some ways reminds me of authors like Robin McKinley, where you don’t even notice how quickly you’ve been reading and enjoying until you have nothing left to read. The characters are especially interesting, and even though it’s still early on, I already want to know more about them. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a cozy fantasy story that focuses more on the story than just the fantasy. What I mean to say is it’s just a darn good read.
CarbonCopyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
You must read this. ...just maybe have a lighthearted story in reserve for when the story turns dark and you need a pallet cleanser.
Don't believe what you read. This story is psychological horror! It's funny with well developed characters who have flaws, dreams, and ambitions that even work against each other. There is no antagonist (so far). But events conspire against this sleepy little town filled with broken, but healing people. The world at large without malice has unleashed a natural disaster that has wrapped up even this town that should be immune to it. It's scary wrapping up good people who have done nothing wrong and breaks your heart (and if it doesn't you don't have a heart!).
Fantastic premise. Great execution. My only complaint is the authors fondness of the word "said."
Marc MeaneyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Grand Harvest is pulling me in - casting a spell. A slow reveal that keeps on building as details emerge and the world grows a little more clear, the characters more detailed.
The village of Böndelheim has a problem - it just does not know quite what it is... but readers have enough of a hint to guess... and that is part of the intrigue. How will the story progress to reveal what is happening... how do the events of the small farming village relate to the big changes in the wider world.
As one character says - 'we should pay more attention to the outside world" ... or words to the effect.
This is really compelling psychological drama too - how wishful thinking, hope, and a run of good luck can put people on a dangerous path. At least that is what the atmosphere is building towards. Everything is too good to be true, despite the small hints of trouble ahead.
This is a well written yarn that I'm enjoying immensely. Give it a read and a follow like I have.
WinterwispRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
In Forest of Wheat, we begin by meeting the local dwarf, Fregi, who’s living with a few other of his kin among humans. This year, it looks like wheat will be a big seller, and the entire village decides to take a chance on the crop this year, so they pool their resources. Meanwhile, two mages are doing repetitive tests to see what magic still works, but they have only been introduced as far as I have read.
Overall, the story appears to be a slow-building tale of life as a farmer in a fantasy-world, sprinkled with some underlying tensions and change on the way. As a slice-of-life, I don’t expect large action set-pieces, but there’s short scuffle with bandits, who seems to be the immediate antagonists. It's easy to pick up and read, so I recommend taking the first few chapters for a swing, to see if you like it.
Style
I’m not much of a slice-of-life reader ordinarily, but I think the slow pacing is fitting for the genre. The chapters are purposefully made short, which makes it an easy read to pick up. Exposition is a bit stilted; often told through narrative text, rather than environmental descriptors or dialogue, which reminds me that I’m being told a story, not experiencing one. Even with short chapters, this could be improved.
Story
Not a lot have happened in the first 7 chapters I’ve read, so I’m only judging based on that. Given the genre, I think it is a decent start, with some seeds sown for the future. No spoilers, but the story hints at something’s going wrong in the farmlands, which will probably prompt the main characters to meet.
Grammar
My measuring stick for grammar is whether I’m distracted by it when I read, and that happened a few times during my read. Overall, it’s perfectly understandable, but occasionally there will be a wrong preposition, a missing word, or the wrong turn of phrase. Nothing catastrophic, but it could get tightened.
Character
There are a lot of characters here. At this stage, I know who Fregi is, and the immediate one or two closes
dainxxonRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
STYLE
I’m not really a huge fan of the slice-of-life genre, but it’s nice to read and watch one once in a while. The story’s concept was nice. It revolves around a community where dwarves and humans live and stick together. The story was balanced through a well-detailed narration in a 3rd person point of view and through characters having conversations with each other. However there are parts of the dialogues that tend to feel repetitive, especially the use of the word “said” almost every time when a character is talking. Try not to use it when necessary, or rather use other synonyms of it.
STORY
The story was progressing slowly which fits the genre. Conflicts were hinted by the two mages that will happen in the future chapters which will get the plot moving forward.
GRAMMAR
There were no issues with grammar or typographical errors so far. The way the narration was delivered was natural and easy to read.
CHARACTER
The introductions of multiple characters felt overwhelming to me. Lots of characters were mentioned but not everyone hooked me other than Fregi & Granite. Their physical looks were described, but it was lacking in the personality section. This could be improved by adding distinct characteristics to the characters which can make them relatable and memorable to the readers.
Overall, it was a decent story. I recommend it to the slice-of-life enjoyers to check it out!
nickspacemanRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
I'll start with the fact I don't really read horror, and would not have picked up this story if i knew it was one, but i'd say this sure is a good one. the dawning horror of whats going on is cruel. if you like horror, i think you'll enjoy this, if your looking for what i'd call the "normal" slice of life, this very much so isn't that.