I'm Not The Hero

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Orrin is NOT the hero of the story. That would be his best friend, Daniel. Somehow they stumbled into this new world with magic. While Daniel is the Hero, Orrin gained a new class Utility Warder. Who brought them here? Why does Orrin seem to have powers even the Hero doesn't? And where can Orrin find a good cup of coffee?

Book One Through Four Complete and on Amazon/Audible/Kindle.

Book Five is Releasing on Wed/Fri/Sat, as long as I have the extra chapters ;)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2022
Author: SourpatchHero

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.4/ 5.0
Followers: 2,260
Views: 206,867

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

Brian9171Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is literally the best story ever. It has the perfect amount of boxes, maths, and numbers. The characters feel real and have actual personalities and developments.
The story pops in some world-building here and there, it looks pretty great so far. The grammar is good, and I barely see any grammatical mistakes.
The style of the writing is perfect for me!
DrCoZRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’m really enjoying this series. Can’t wait for the next audiobook, but I enjoy reading it too. I found it on amazon, but finished book 3, so I’m on here to keep reading. I don’t know why I like litRPG so much, but I do and this is one of my favorites.
John Doe 123Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Written at chapter 39
“I’m Not The Hero” gives you just what you want from a Fantasy style Isekai/LitRPG;
* A likeable MC with a powerful ability that scales - weak at first but gets stronger.
* A classic fantasy world with magic and monsters which the MC explores.
* A cool system with stats, spells, skills, and abilities, with a lot of potential for getting creative both for the author and for the readers.
* Monster fighting, dungeon crawling, meaningful and exciting levelling, intrigue and politics, and a Hero with a quest to save the world.
All of the above gives a solid skeletal structure to build a story on and, in my opinion, “I’m Not The Hero” uses it fully to deliver a solid piece of fiction.
We follow Orrin from a third person view when he and his childhood friend Daniel end up in another world. Daniel becomes a Hero with a quest to save the world, while Orrin seems to have been a ‘happy little accident’ and he ends up with a new unique class and some form of influence on the system that governs classes, levels, skills, abilities, spells, stats, and quests. (I.e., the full system package, don’t come here and say something is missing in that department!)
Orrin and Daniel struggle with the stress of this new existence and do what you do: explore the world, try not to get taken as slaves by power-hungry nobles, and grind so they become strong enough to accomplish their task.
Style 5/5: The author is great at showing the world from Orrin’s p-o-w and the system (which I consider part of Style in a LitRPG) is top-notch. It is largely based on an ability shop, which lets you buy and upgrade abilities, skills, and spells. It is done very well and allows for a lot of considerations from the characters and lets them choose meaningful upgrades every time they level, which makes it exciting to follow their progress.
Grammar 4.5/5: If you begin reading the story after this review is written, you will likely not notice any flaws in the grammar. The earlier chapters had m
KaynayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Pretty great novel this far didn't have any major issues as far as I can tell. Bingeworthy as all great novel are.
And the cherry on top; there aren't any cringy and wholly unnecessary fantasy gods until now and my hope is that there never will.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone on Royalroad.
M. WokiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The premise sounds familiar at first glance, a Hero, a prophecy, dangerous powers, but the twist of following someone beside the Hero instead of the chosen one himself gives the story a refreshingly different feel. Orrin isn’t the main spotlight, but he’s not a background character either. That in-between space makes his growth and perspective genuinely interesting, and sometimes surprisingly emotional.
My favorite part, though, is the friendship at the core of the story. Daniel and Orrin feel like real people who trust each other, annoy each other, and actually care. No forced romance, no betrayal tropes, just two people dealing with overwhelming situations the best they can. It’s honestly refreshing to see a story that leans into genuine companionship without complication.
The other characters feels human, too. They make mistakes, they learn (sometimes slowly), and they feel like actual teenagers facing things far bigger than themselves. It adds a layer of realism I really appreciated. I do wish we can learn more
If I had one personal wish, it’s that we’d get a few more POV shifts. The world is interesting, and there are hints of things happening outside Orrin's immediate perspective that I’d love to see explored more directly. Not a flaw, just something I’d enjoy even more.
Overall, this has become one of the more enjoyable reads I’ve picked up recently. Great character dynamics, intriguing worldbuilding, and a story that balances heart and adventure beautifully.
It now one of my favorite series to date!
The Real MorningstarRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
STORY
I started reading and was leery. The story seemed overly basic although well written so initially i only gave 3 stars. However, the story rapidly pulled me in and the next thing i knew it was 3am. Author initially makes you feel that the MC is going to be just another overpowered isikai type with personal issues, not the case. Real limits with serious complications when crossed are introduced and the MC has already inadvertently crossed them before he was even aware of them and when the shit hits the fan he is forced to exceed them again.
CHARACTER
The MC as well as his friend are both a little cliche, one the ever popular JOCK the other being the stereotypical loner. That being said, the interaction between the two makes the characters more than just the sum of their wholes. The development of the MCs powers and skills is well thought out, although not always in a direction I would have chosen in his place. His development really adds to the story, making you want to know and read more.
GRAMMAR
Being an older reader and having devoured thousands of books over my lifetime, I am picky about grammar, and often leave kindle reviews about books with errors. I am very happy with the grammar found in yhis story. Even the choice of words flows well. Nothing has jarred me out of the flow of reading yet. A smoothe and comfortable read that you can immerse yourself in.
STYLE
The style is a very comfortable 3rd person, used refreshingly and well as opposed to the 1st person POV style that has become so popular lately. While the author gives you hints as to the MCs thought processes, the only aspects of other characters are what they outwardly say, do, or express through body language, emotional outbursts, etc. A style that takes me back to my early love of reading and Robert E Howard.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND, and anxiously waiting for the next installment.
TheOldLord10256Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Story has very good word flow and I haven't seen any error in words.
The characters are both lovable and weird at times.
It feels like how things would be in a traditionalist world of magic where the people kinda act like actual people with slight overarcing things that present themselves in the perfect ways.
It is a good read and I wish you to read it for yourself.
Tom TaiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great story with believable characters aka not a long series of plot armor. There's at least a clear underlying system even if it's not been revealed yet.
I enjoy the story and have purchased the audiobooks as well since Nick podehl is one of my favorite narrator.
If there is any criticism it would be that the romance for O is slightly weird. It doesn't seem that he has a preference or is attracted to anyone who is giving him attention? This goes get addressed with one character. Maybe I missed something but what is O's type? Does he have a type? Very minor gripe.
Zom_auRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I’ve been absolutely hooked on I'm Not The Hero by SourpatchHero from book 1 through book 4, which I devoured on audio, and now I’m diving into book 5 on Royal Road! This series has been an amazing ride from start to finish, and I can’t get enough of it.
Orrin is such a fantastic, well-developed character—he’s not the typical hero, and that’s exactly what makes him so refreshing. While his best friend, Daniel, takes on the hero’s role in this new world filled with magic, Orrin ends up with the somewhat less glamorous class of Utility Warder. But here’s the thing: Orrin somehow has powers that even the so-called "Hero" doesn’t have, and that mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The writing is superb, the world-building is immersive, and the humor and character dynamics are spot on. I love the slow-burn unfolding of the story, with tons of twists and turns that keep me coming back for more. And yes, I do feel Orrin's pain—why can’t he find a good cup of coffee in this new world?
Now that I’m reading book 5 on Royal Road, I’m even more excited to see where this story goes. The mix of fantasy, magic, and adventure paired with Orrin’s snarky yet relatable perspective makes this series truly stand out. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, engaging fantasy series with a unique twist!
Definitely 5 stars from me! Keep it up, SourpatchHero!
drezuxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love the writing. Each person is clear and distinct with different motivations. I also really like that they make mistakes and can’t always control the powers and skills they come across. Flaws… amirite? But, my favorite bit is the ability to find loopholes in powers. Anyway, it’s good story that sucked me in from Chapter 1.