Guns and Magic [1st Draft]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Final draft: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/62486/guns-and-magic-in-the-light-of-the-scarlet-sunset

Blake is a retired soldier with PTSD syndrome and a dark past, living in the early twenty-fourth century. The only medicine that helps to cope with the symptoms is a VR game. «Guns and Magic» is an exceptional game created with the Government’s and the Ministry of Defense’s support, where players use old, twentieth-century weapons to achieve their own goals, but magic is just at an arm’s length too. “Thalack” is a unique virtual world where levels without skills mean nothing, with complex mechanics of moral choices and huge penalties for death. In the struggle to be the best, the developers offer to fulfill the top player’s wish. Blake accepts the developers' challenge and becomes Ronnie. Ronnie is character who combines the rare craft of a gunsmith with the deadly shot of a sniper. With his trusty Barrett M107A1, he’s ready to take on the world.PS. This is the first draft. Soon I will publish rewrite, in which I have changed a lot, thanks to the advices of readers and reviewers.

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2021
Author: Golenishchev Andrey

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 113
Views: 72,613

Chapters(79 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

reverofRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story so far is great, even though I know that I've only read what could be considered the opening chapters, yet even just those were enough for me to realise how many thoughts and preparations went into it.
With that aside let's get into this~
1- Style: basically it's one of the best that I've read in a while it draws you in and gets you immersed really fast, I was a bit confused at first but by the end of the first chapter "the one after the prologue" It drew me in and I found myself going on with it slowly, so if you find it a bit hard to follow or weird at first I would recommend you give it a chance and not to judge it too fast.
2- Story: as I said I m still in the opening chapters of the novel but even that is enough to tell me what to expect, especially the first chapter, even though I'm not a fan of prologues like that where we're shown what might happen in the future I found it acceptable here and the events in the present "as in with us following the mc" are done so well and show a glimpse of what to expect, especially in terms of the fights, that was one of the best parts I loved about the novel, the fight was just great.
3 Grammar: welp, grammar is my weak point and I don't have any strong opinions about it, still I can tell that there was nothing wrong with the chapters and that it read smoothly and easily so that's a win from me.
4- Characters: the character we had the most interaction with is the mc, and we still didn't get a lot from him "in the chapter I'm at" as he had barely spoken, yet we still have a distinct impression of him, for someone to be able to do that with barely any words or interaction with other characters, I think that we should trust the author in this point.
Anyway, that was it, I highly recommend the novel and wish the author the best in completing it~~
BellwetherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
At some point of my life I was curious about Eastern literature. They were producing a lot of stories with games and virtual reality kind of stuff. There was a point to them though. A good deal of them felt lacking, be it immersion, translation or something else.
This hits different. A cruel pitiless world through which our protagonist trudges, his final destination unknown. A lot of vivid descriptions allow reader to imagine the events clearly as if it happened in the real game.
The author shows an expansive knowledge when it comes to guns and miscellaneous stuff. His author's notes deserve a separate mention.
English isn't author's first language but they have done a good work in putting everything together. There are some errors but most of them were weeded out by keen-eyed readers.
Characters are well-thought, distinct and generally I found them appealing. The story has a good deal of conversations through which we get to know our characters better.
Also, the protagonist has shown a good attitude. He's resolute, ready to risk when he sees something is wrong. Ready to stand up for those weaker than he is.
Overall I recommend this story to those who want to read a good story with a strong indomitable protagonist, guns, magic and virtual reality teeming with monsters, plots and gunshots.
D.M. Rhodes (Razzmatazz)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Guns & Magic is a pretty unique story in the litRPG field as far as I’m familiar with other works. The story features Blake, a retired, traumatized soldier as he spends his days playing ‘Guns and Magic’ a futuristic VRMMO game (For the sake of future reference, he’s Blake, but his character is called Ronnie) taking place in the fantasy’ish world of Thalack. It’s all in all a pretty hardcore game, so Blake seems to fit in very well here.
The primary focus of the story is Ronnie and his interactions and explorations of the world as he powers his way through, though things start getting sticky along the way, as you can well imagine with this kind of backstory. A huge flavor of the writing is guns and military/technical jargon, so if you like that kind of stuff, you’ll find something here for yourself for sure. I also enjoyed that the author makes little trivias showcasing different weapons and explaining them and their historical context. I suppose if you’re ‘gun-sensitive’, for a lack of a better term, you might not feel at home here. But with the title being what it is, I think you know what you’re signing up for when you click the story.
The writing is solid and I found no spelling or grammar mistakes. Anything that had been found by other readers in the comments, the author took in good grace and then amended the issues, which is of course always a great sign.
If you’re looking for a vrmmo story with a military or a gun context, or even something just a little deeper and darker than the usual litrpg fare, I think you’ll find exactly what you’re seeking here. Please give it a fair shot! =)
JMMatheisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
*A no spoiler review*
Guns and Magic… What a surprise it is! LitRPGs are not my strong point, but lately I have been exposed to quite a few really decent ones, this falls into the same category. A VR, LitRPG, smorgasbord of gun love. Well planned and executed. Anyone with a passing interest in military or the history of firearms will be happy to see this one. It is well thought out and has a great theme that does not fail to impress.
Style + Story
The story focuses on the main character and his struggles. His background is set the future after a military engagement gone wrong. The main premise is his therapy, the VR game Guns and Magic. So not to get to any spoilers here, but this tale is well driven, with a tight focus on the main character Ronnie (in game) and Blake (real world).
The authors use a heavy descriptive style that really suits the framework of the story well! Action is well thought out and demonstrates a great awareness and knowledge of tactics, hardware and survival techniques demonstrated.
Also I really like those facts placed at the end of each chapter, it really lends itself well to the details.
Character
The main character, Ronnie/Blake is well thought out and he has a distinct personality. You really get an inside eye into his life, both in-game and in real-life. He is ex-combat and damaged, a lone wolf. This is a big part of where the story shines, his decisions never feel out of place and the situations he gets caught in have to be read to be believed.
Grammar
Grammar is decent, there are areas where work is needed, but it must be taken into account that the authors have English as a second language and they have a really awesome attitude to working through the errors as they are pointed out!
Overall this tale is something different. It is gritty, full of descriptive elements on the hardware, and a clear passion for guns and gaming. But on top of it, it is an addictive read that pulls you in and keeps you reading. If you are looking for somethi
MethuselahRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The only real criticisms I have are with the inconsistency of provided descriptions (see below for specifics), minor grammatical quirks, and the immense exposition in the first two “Chapters.”
Chapter 0: I’ve heard and read the Chinese characters referred to as pictographs, rather than hieroglyphs, although they are effectively synonymous, so take this only as a mild suggestion. I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to try and clearly write out the detailed descriptions of tattoos and other symbols. I, personally, love stories with mountains of detail. What are Matafaire? I was expecting something different with the demon, I too appreciate the uniqueness of your description of her. As well, perhaps expand the description of the Sarcalohte plant? With the skipped dialogue sections, “X said Y”, perhaps instead write out the dialogue? Perhaps include a brief description of how the ancient dialect sounds? Is it rough? Does it have unique inflections? Etc. Deer have antlers, which are distinct from horns in that they are true bone, growing out of existing bone structures. I like the unique names you’ve created for the various facets of your world. It adds freshness to your story that is likable and distinct, especially from those others that re-use tropes and cliche naming conventions.
Chapter 1.1: The progression of Chapter 2 is reminiscent of poetry or that certain kind of prose that carries poetic elements in it. In other words, it’s sort of high and worldly in the way that it’s written. This is a good thing, in my opinion. However, this chapter also carries with it expository elements which seem out of place as we move from the Prologue to the main Chapters–due to having a Prologue, that is. I’d recommend not starting a sentence with ‘And’ unless it serves some special literary purpose, as it is grammatically irregular. Further from Chapter 1, the detailed environmental descriptions add depth to my mental image of the story, putting the character in a place that fe
SR FauthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let me just preface this review by saying that I read it to its current interaction. And I loved it.
With that being said ... let us begin:
STYLE SCORE: 5/5 Throw Down at the OK Corral, The Good The Bad and the Ugly, Ren and Stimpy. All classics. All well known. Guns and Magic falls squarely into the same vibe. We have a game-like world, trapped players, homicidal opponents, and some seriously dark content. With .50 Cals. This is going to be a seriously wild ride and I cant wait to see what happens next.
STORY SCORE: 5/5 Yes. Again, western theme, an MC that doesn't take any shit and owns what he does. A world that isn't real, but is far too real. You cant help but engage with the story and immerse yourself into the events that the author lays out.
GRAMMAR SCORE: I didn't see anything that detracted from the story itself. There were a few small errors and a run-on or two. But those are personal jives, nothing that prevented me from thoroughly enjoying what I was reading.
CHARACTER SCORE: 4.5/5 I love the characters so far. They are rough around the edges, dark, gritty, and don't really give two cents about anyone around them. My only gripe, and its personal one, is that Ronnie tossed this expectation right out the window and saved the damsel. It's a trip as old as time, and don't hat I never really enjoyed. Outside of that, the characters are solid, believable, and relatable.
OVERALL SCORE: 5/5 Would read about bandit rapists getting blown away with a .50 Cal again. Hands down.
Cant wait to see what comes next.
The God Of BoredomRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Guns and magic.
Why didn't I think of that?
Style:
This is a seriously fucked up world with guns and magic. Inside this game-like world is a system, where they trap the players. Everyone seems to want to kill everyone else. Trapped homicidal players. With guns. It's pretty interesting so far. 9/10.
Story:
So far, the author has done a good job with the story. I think it really makes readers get immersed in the events that the author lays out, namely, a guy going around and shooting people to death. 10 out of 10.
Grammar:
Though I couldn't find anything that was technically wrong, I think that the paragraphs are a little too big. They're really easy to skim, easier to just skip altogether, and it just feels like some useless words to help with the word count. I had to force myself not to skim through them. Overall, 4 out of 5.
Character:
I think that the author did a good job so far with the characters; They're dark and gritty, and really fit in with everything else in the book. The MC goes around shooting people to death. Sure, sure.
Overall, I think this book is definately worth the read. 5 out of 5.
dadaskaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well, I like it so far, I like it because it combines 2 things I like, guns and fantasy! I believe that nothing can beat this combination! When it comes to the characters, well, it’s too early to say, there was only one character but I like the fact that he acts like a soldier which he’s supposed to be. I’ll keep an eye on this book.
UnoriginalPervertRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
First of all; I'll say this isn't my usual genre. In fact; aside from the litRPG-aspect, I haven't really read anything like it. I'm not sure whether other stories like it go into the same detail in regards to the system updates and the 'locked-in'-syndrome part. But it's got a dark premise that I absolutely love.
If you're on the fence about reading this story; I'd like you to imagine being out in the ol' west with advanced military equipment- hunting a fortune, glory or whatever the hell else you'd be doing out in the desert. Out there; you hear the muffled footsteps of boots against sun-scorched sand and because you're so focused on what you're doing; you fail to turn around in time. Next thing you know; you're ass-up in the desert at the mercy of three hooligans- locked in place by a system as cold as the laws of physics.
That's the feeling I held onto when reading the story. I recommend giving it a go.
LyrcanrolfRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Howdy-do, just had a read of your story and damn, was the prologue such a hook!
By enumerating his companions, of which they were comprised of many races, you provided a bit of groundwork for worldbuilding by confirming the existence of fantasy races, and that there are many you've yet to show us.
There's no problem with grammar whatsoever, from what I've seenof your chappies but uh, it can be a bit hard to read the blobs of text since they're too tightly grouped? I believe that's the sole problem I have over your work, as everything else seems well-made.
Oh, and dragons exist too via the 'dragonbone helmet' thingie, so that's awesome since I'm a sucker for them. Dragons are neat, through and through.
I guess that's all I have to say atm, since there's little else content to read. I love what I've seen of it.