Meek

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

After failing as an apprentice cooper and a town guard, Eli finds his place at the Rockbridge archives. Sure, he's the oldest 'junior scribe,' but he likes the job. And he's good at it, too. Then he completes an apparently-insignificant project, and the brutal reaction shocks him--with consequences that eventually shake the world.

Eli gains powers. Rare and inhuman abilities. He progresses slowly, steadily, and not without setbacks. He changes, too. Is he a hero, a villain, a human, a monster? Depends who you ask.

Meekis an epic fantasy with elements of progression. The basic magic is simple: five Paths, each with a different powerset. However, complexity arises from combinations, and the protagonist wields a magic all his own.Meekis set in the Valley, the only (as far as anyone knows) human empire that survived a Final Battle against a terrible foe. The Valley is warded against infiltration, but the enemy learned how to warp human souls, to foment discord within.

However, another soul is also ... changed. Perhaps even 'warped.' Andthatsoul is starting on a long (long, long) path that might, one day, prove that the Final Battle wasn't so final after all.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: IanFlat

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 2,643
Views: 986,164

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

swamp turtleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well written and paced.
Compelling characters and an entriguing story.
My favourite story on RR for a long time and i've read probably hundreds of stories on here across many years and accounts.
Hopefully it will receive a proper patreon with advance chapters and the like soon which will hopefully guarentee this impressive story will continue well into the future. :)
L1zar9Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Very well written, interesting world, compelling characters etc
The story gets all the basics right and I'm genuinely interested in seeing where it leads. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in darker fantasy stories but it's a little gory. This isn't really a problem for me, nor would it likely be one for other fans of the genre, but the MC's ability favors fights and strategies that tend towards himself or others being wounded quite frequently so sqeamish readers beware.
MrPooveyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of the cleanest stories i've ever come accross, no fluff, or meandering.
It's still full of tension and engaging, relatable characters. it's brilliant, in a sea of stories that sometimes managed to be wrong in all the same ways, this one is different, and fun.
I love it to bits, and the writer needs a patreon so I can give them money.
NeruRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: the writing's style has a great balance between too much and not enough details (like enough details we know what's going on and a bit more but not too lengthy descriptions of places or whatever). The story is easy to read and there is a wide range of vocabulary.
Story: the first "arc" is pretty good and the story really is interesting. The world-building is developed with some bits of history here and there which smoothly introduce how the world functions. Events corroborate well with each other. However, some events are I think a bit stretched, especially with the meeting with the sidekick or when they arrive just in time during the second arc.
Grammar: small mistakes were often spotted (at some parts more than one per chap and sometimes 2+ a chap or none, or at least the ones I caught). Those mistakes don't impede readability.
Character: the characters are all given quite some depth, even some characters that don't bring much to the story, if only physically or even mentioned. Those tertiary characters bring the story in itself more depth. We can easily follow the development of the character and the MC's relationship with the sidekick is well-written.
TheOldLord10256Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is good with characters that you learn about over time. They have actual depth as you learn about their history with most things not being told instead shown.
The grammar is spot on and I have not any issues.
The flow of the sentences is great and the sentences don't clash providing a decent reading time.
The world building is at least halfway decent but can't really say much because there hasn't been much exploration.
The pacing might feel pretty quick to some in comparison to what is trying to be demonstrated so that might be a detraction from the story but I don't mind so its a 5 for me
UnderenthusiasticRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
After reading to chapter 90, Meek is really, really good. It does some things really well. The MC doesn't just win every fight, and he doesn't progress steadily. Some of his victories are hollow, some of his choices are bad, sometimes he needs help or loses a fight, and as a reader you always feel there's a lot at stake. Still, when he does succeed, the risk makes the success more rewarding.
The biggest problem is, the first 40 chapters are three different episodes of backstory and setup, and parts of them are unnecessarily muddled. Further details in the spoiler below:
We start off seeing a scribe collating documents with an ally and an authority figure who hates him, so maybe we're setting up for drama with his boss.
Psych, his boss dies! He's arrested and tortured, so maybe it's a revenge fantasy. Now he's learning the finer points of troll culture and diet, including a bunch of named trolls. Can't wait to see how they're all tied together.
Psych, the trolls don't reappear! Now we're back to revenge.
Psych! He successfully kills his main target by chapter 40. It's not about revenge at all, and the trolls were mostly irrelevant.
This is where the actual main story starts.
Beyond chapter 35 to 40ish, new characters are connected to the rest of the plot and the setting has finally taken shape. I think a lot of the negative reviews quit before this point, or just after it. This is a valid criticism, but the story does eventually set up a single playing board and stick to it.
Technically, the writing is great. Free from obvious grammar problems, good imagery, pacing is good, action is exciting easy to follow.
There's some gore and traumatising content, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it grimdark. The world is in many ways teetering on the brink, and bad things happen to some of its inhabitants, but the rest of them live realistic and moderately happy lives. The world is dangerous and imperiled rather than bleak.
CapwallcroftRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A fast-paced fantasy novel teeming with emotion, humour and intrigue, Meek seems to be an exciting tale. The story has promise and is very well written in general. Eli's character the marquis, etc offers an insight into the future peril and the fascinating world built around them. Overall there is a lot of potential. The magic system and paths is a familiar yet refreshing take and one can see the future development of the character. The stage is being set essentially for an epic fantasy series. In terms of style, I can say this is professional writing, descriptions introductions of characters, and the pacing are all tuned to perfection. The story seems relatively straightforward, yet likeable, good worldbuilding techniques are utilized when setting the stage and describing the human world around Eli. The plot is full of numerous twists and turns enhancing the reader in suspense. Combat descriptions are also quite good along with the humorous undertones. Grammar appears to be flawless. Seems to be a great fantasy fiction that is just starting out! I read every chapter posted so far in one sitting so it's safe to say it is quite immersive!
Give it a try!
Some people I have heard, call the story gory, I think this is absolute nonsense and is all subject to interpretation and imagination.
Clover LuiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This an initial review to help people get an idea of how much potential this story has.
I've only read up to 10 chapters so far, but I think the story with regards to its quality warrants a high rating. Chapter 1 has been well written in through the protagonist's limited world view. There were no story debilitating typos, and the pacing feels smooth.
It is the classic fantasy setting, with sword and magic, also with monsters and I'd suppose other things that comes along in the package of the genre. One point that stands out is that the characters, albeit small in number, are already showcasing well fleshed out personalities. And when I say characters, it also includes monsters as well.
Yes. Fleshed out monster characters. It is yet to be seen how much their roles extends into the plot, but regardless, it has made the story more compelling to read.
The over all feel the story left me is that it is done by someone who has ample experience in regards to writing fictions, and that the author already has the direction of the story in mind.
With that, I hope that other readers find the story as interesting as I did.
Chaos JesterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Meek has a well paced beginning, sticking you with the main character just barely before plot starts developing.
Between the writing and the ideas, this story can go somewhere great as long as the author keeps putting in the effort and passion that they have thus far.
Also, got to love the whole "Honesty is rewarded" gambit as you force someone to tell you sweet, sweet lies
drajitshRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
A really nice story so far (only read the 1st Arc). The pacing is good and you really empathize with the protagonist. There is also a budding romance too.
I also like that this story is well labelled. There is traumatizing contact but it is well marked and you can skip it easily. More importantly, it makes sense, jives with the real world and contributes to the story.
The only drawback is that the story is unfinished. But at least it does not end with a cliffhanger so only-1/2 star