HIgh King

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Come and read the tale of Desmond Murphy, as he recounts the story of how he went from a 25 year old office worker nobody, to the High King of Hell. Follow along as he is thrust against his will from his boring day to day office life into one of gods, magic and mystery. Stuck in a plot between Heaven and Hell, Desmond is forced to forge new relationships with demons and other unlikely mythological creatures while he struggles to understand the rules of this new world revealed to him.

Will he survive Heaven’s angels that pursue his bloody end?

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: Kapowne

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 10
Views: 8,869

What readers say about HIgh King

“I can't say much for this fic that hasn't already been said. Starts out by throwing us into a world of mystery, never saying enough to make us understand but saying the minimum for us to ask some very thought-provoking questions. Style is pretty great and…”
BullerRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Let me set the scene first: I don’t really like mythology-based stories. I don’t. They don’t hook me the same as some other ones. That said, I read up to the latest chapter and I’m almost hungrily awaiting the next one. You see my point? STORY: There is a l…”
NexileRoyal Road4.5 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(6)

BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I can't say much for this fic that hasn't already been said. Starts out by throwing us into a world of mystery, never saying enough to make us understand but saying the minimum for us to ask some very thought-provoking questions. Style is pretty great and the grammar is of simialir level. Personality? Yes.
5/5 from me
NexileRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Let me set the scene first: I don’t really like mythology-based stories. I don’t. They don’t hook me the same as some other ones. That said, I read up to the latest chapter and I’m almost hungrily awaiting the next one. You see my point?
STORY: There is a lot to unpack here, but the main theme present in this story is mythology. The author has managed to blend various religions into a single entity and encourage their coexistence, creating a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. There’s a lot of mystery and a lot of it is tied to the protagonist, making theories sprout with every chapter and leaving you to wait in anticipation for the reveal. There’s a good amount of worlbuilding and it only expands as the story progresses. Up to where I’ve read, we’ve only really scratched the surface of what will be a long (and extremely epic!) journey of our protagonist and his companions. One thing I have to mention though is that the start of the story is a little slow to get going and get you properly invested, but then you get past that point and it's smooth sailing. I'll be watching out for this point because it's the only reason I felt lowered the score.
STYLE: First person POV and it feels relaxed and conversational, very personalised, and just right in setting the tone. It helped a lot to define Desmond’s character, though more on that in the Character section. The only gripes I had with the style was that there were repetitions at times, though this didn’t happen consistently so I imagine it was just an oversight, and that the writing could have been more concise at times to improve clarity a little bit.
CHARACTER: The characters we meet in this story are all quite unique and their distinctions are shown right from when they’re introduced. Even after a chapter or two it was easy enough to imagine a conversation taking place between two characters, but that isn’t to say they lack complexity. Change is also no stranger to this story and it was great to observe it in
Roof MonsterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
High King is a myth soaked urban fantasy that has a promising start to its journey, with a few points that need a little polish.
Style:
Prose is clear and actions are conveyed well but there are hiccups and I feel like the narrative could be more immersive. Theres points where I felt like I had to make my own mood.
Grammar:
Some misspelled words or grammar mistakes but for the most part well written.
Story:
Once it finds it's footing there's moments that are fun and kinetic, though it feels paced a little closer to a traditional novel with quite a bit of setup before we start to get to the sections that feel like they are the journey so to speak. But those sections are solid fun and I want to read more passages that capture those glimpses of an esamble cast working together.
Characters:
The cast has personality, though the main character is still forming. The cast feels like they have mostly clear motivations scene per scene. There are points where I think characters could sharpen their distinctness where they fall back on what feels like standard responses but the lead has a real good mentor to bounce off of.
Overall:
This is a solid first effort that feels like its got ambition and some great moments where things move fast. Recommended for fans of mythology and urban fantasy.
The Grand CharismoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Solid. I don't know what to say besides that! The author is skilled, his descriptions are great, his dialogue is believable, his world is interestingly crafted. The pacing is good, not too fast, not too slow. My only criticism would be some stiffness in the narration and dialogue, Lucifer comes off a little pompous (and stiff), but I mean... He's Lucifer, so...
Synopsis
+-The voice is strong in the Synopsis, but not as concise as it could be. I think it's worth eliminating the voice in exchange for a more hooking, engaging synopsis. For example:
"From office worker nobody to the High King of Hell. Desmond Murphy is thrust against his will from his boring day-to-day office life into one of gods, magic and mystery.
Stuck in a battle between Heaven and Hell, Desmond forges new relationships with demons and other unlikely mythological creatures while he struggles to understand the rules of this new realm revealed to him.
Will he survive Heaven’s angels that pursue his bloody end?
Chapters released every Monday, Wednesday and Friday."
+The premise is great! How would a bored office worker react to suddenly having all this power? How would he react to the horrors of Hell?
Story
+First person perspective always gets a thumbs up from me!
+The narration is solid. Clear voice that is well reasoned. You feel the character, you feel his dead-end life, you feel the lifeless, empty world around him. It's an engaging voice describing a boring world in an entertaining way. That is surprisingly hard to do, but the author accomplishes it well.
+The descriptions are well done. The imagery is clear in your mind without droning on in the way purple prose can do. Good job!
-Writing feels a bit stiff in places, notably with dialogue. This isn't all that distracting, and I doubt many people would even notice this, but just something I observed. I think a bit more of a relaxed writing style would benefit the story.
Ellen TaylorRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This has quite the interesting premise. Desmond, an athiest, finds himself connected wtih Lucifer himself and is being hunt down by angels. There are times when the character narrates it like he is over five hundred years in the future and looking back at it, but there are times where it is in the present. I wish there was a little more consistancy between the two, or only just one. It's interesting to see Desmond and Lucifer interacting with each other, and have enjoyed what I've read so far.
JaKovianRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
High King is a story of a young man who encounters Lucifer. Once an unsatisfied office worker, Desmond Murphey's destiny is now inexplicably tied to a being who was forced to conceal himself in his body from his birth. The story is original, exploring a unique main protagonist who now has to adjust to his life lingering between heaven and hell. The writing is on point, it immerses you and never let's go. There are some errors here and there, and I think the opening letters take something away from the story that I can't quite explain. However it never destroys the overall quality. I haven't made it that far in, but the story is exceptional, and worth a look. Something much different than some of the other stories on this website. Overall I was invested enough to read some of the Herculian chapters that the author put his blood, sweat and tears into creating. Take a look at High King, it might just be up your alley.