Midas: Salutaris Divus
Self-Published
Community Rating
Description
[Entry for the February Magazine contest]
[Uses the þ symbol for /th/ sounds]
A young girl tries to resurrect her sister. A man tries to unlock the secrets of immortality. They endeavor to create an elixir that can confer life immortal and retroactive, so that her sister can be revived and so that the man can become immortal. But they will soon learn that such powers are beyond their grasp and learn they will in the worse possible way.
Information
- Status
- Completed
- Year
- 2024
- Author
- Black Rose.
Royal Road Stats
- Rating
- 4.3/ 5.0
- Followers
- 2
- Views
- 346
Chapters(1 total)
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Community Reviews(2)
- JinseiRoyal Road★★★★★ 4.5Urban fantasy usually unfolds gradually, but *Midas: Salutaris Divus* hits hard and fast. This story crashes in like grim strokes, unapologetic, deliberate, and raw with loss. Altora's ritualistic act in the sewer is drenched in myth, while the Gordian Knot becomes a powerful metaphor for confinement, science, secrets, and sisterhood.
Altora dives into bioalchemy to bring back her sister, entering a dangerous immortality pact with a man seeking godhood. The narrative addresses loss, myth, and lab-created penance with striking efficiency.
While some pacing issues arise and side characters may lack depth, the central story remains impactful. Think of a blend between *Black Mirror* and *Prometheus*, all distilled into an unforgettable experience.
Short. Powerful. Worth it. - Little RacoonRoyal Road★★★★ 4.0Midas: Salutaris Divus is a short story about the desperation of a young girl to revive her sister combined with the ambitions of a mad scientist. Using references to the Hellenic world and Greek mythology, the author creates a cautionary tale of the dangers of seeking immortality.
Style: 4/5. Though the stylistic choice of þ instead of 'th' may come as off-putting at first, it doesn't detract much from the story beyond a minor distraction, and barely even that past the first couple of sections. The writing style in general is simple but understandable, the author not going for overly purple prose just to buffer up the story's word count.
Story: 4.5/5. As the prompt is 'immortality is a myth', the author twists this into a story of a futile attempt to seek immortality and utilises myths as a way to convey the story. Though details early on can seem unnecessary at times, all of that is forgiven with the twist near the end of the story when things stack up together.
Grammar: 3.5/5. The writing mostly flows smoothly, but there are quite a few minor spelling and punctuation mistakes that pose small distractions to the overall enjoyment of the story.
Character: 4/5. Due to the limited length of the story, the characters are utilised more like tools to the plot than having unique, vibrant personalities. However, they are utilised well, and in particular, the motivation and desperation of the main character Altora evokes much sympathy from the reader as the story moves towards a heart-wrenching end.
Overall, a story that may give off confusion to the reader at first, but as the plot builds on, things begin to make more sense, with everything eventually culminating in a twist that brings the reader to a grim sense of epiphany.