Nine Steps To Godhood - An Epic Progression Fantasy

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In Ravnos faith drew power like a force in nature and a confluence of deities, beneath every revered Saint bound in legend by way of tragedy there laid innumerable unsung tales drowned beneath the unstable waves of grace—and so fortunate were the ones to stay in shadow, safe from divine quarrel and adorned with contentment.

Sheltered from the political intrigue and hidden from the nameless horrors that lurked beyond the Hollow Forest on the order of his overprotective Lord father, Jin grew as a naive and purist youth. However on his 16th birthday— he set on a journey to awaken his nucleus and ascend the Nine Steps through sweat and tears.

But when the time came, the Elemental Gods denied him patronage —Instead, a bewitching Ascendant with crimson eyes offered him an alternative— for what is this unquenchable craving for adventure if not the opportunity to forge an untrodden path?

***

This is a quest for godhood set in a medieval setting inspired by Cradle and Malazan.

Information

Status: Cancelled
Year: 2022
Author: s1ck

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 3.7/ 5.0
Followers: 88
Views: 38,571

Reviews

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Community Reviews(5)

Z.Z RugertRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There are a couple of smaller grammar mistakes that doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. I liked how the worldbuilding was structured throughout the first half of the story and led to a smoother transition towards the first person narrative. The main character isn't annoying by any means, which is a plus. I apprecate reading a non-LitRPG or Cultivation story once in a while and this story scratches my itch.
MudamoiselleRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Disclaimer: This is written with me having read up through chapter 19, depending on when you're reading this the story might have moved on significantly.
Style:
The writing style used here is light on the eyes, I believe the author made an effort to find a nice balance between prose and ease to steadily navigate each chapter, and it works.
Story:
I really like the story so far, starting small and then slowly expanding its horizons. We’ve gotten great glimpses into how this world functions so far, and I’m really enjoying the intrigue and settings teased. The power scale so far with the nine ranks is a breath of fresh air compared to novels compared to your typical litrpg with levels and xp.
Beyond the more general stuff, this fiction has just about everything you might want, story-wise. Lots of combat done to a very high standard, intrigue, politics, etc.
Grammar:
The grammar is very good, by and large. Some sentences come off as a little weird but very few errors, although maybe the odd one here or there. Nothing immersion breaking, and it is structured really nicely too.
Characters:
The characters here are actually very grounded. They all feel very genuine and natural, and stay true to themselves. The fact that they interact with one another even when the MC is absent is refreshing. Dialogue is natural and fits the characters, considering their ages and mannerisms of course.
So, to finish off the review, I wholly recommend trying this fiction out. It is a genuinely entertaining, well written progression novel, and I’ll certainly be keeping up with it myself!
OstensibleMammalRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall, the standard story of an underdog of some kind getting power and facing challenges is pretty common. There are aspects of that here with Jin, but so far, the characters are designed with more blended characteristics.
The driving factor that's interesting with him is the nature of his power is a good point of character, narrative, and setting conflict due to how his own interpersonal system works and who his patron is in comparison to how his peers function. Despite not liking some of the textual structure and noticing a few stylistic and language-related issues, the promise of the conflict being rooted in character development keeps me interested.
Style: A very mixed bag for me. Do not be confused, however: the author's prose is not abysmal. Not even close if we are to apply this across the spectrum. Indeed, some parts are quite evocative. There is high potential displayed here as well. Unfortunately, it is also mixed in with some weird formatting in certain places (larger issues in earlier chapters) and other editing-related errors. Their ability to channel dialogue through characters is good for some but very jarring for others. Overall, some parts still need tweaking and smoothing out, but the central core of each character isn't overly obfuscated by these problems.
Grammar: Some problems here. It could do with some more editing and cleaning mostly. There are awkward bits of language as well, but a far lesser issue, and their moments of flourish counter this quite well.
Story: What I find most interesting. Jin has any number of paths they can develop. This is tied with their patron, who is weaving a web of her own design, and also places them in conflict with some powers that be in the setting. It also helps to expand on some parts of the exposition through a more interesting technique: correcting mistaken assumptions about family and personal history.
So far, the setting is being fleshed out chapter by chapter and as the narrative develops, it will be i
JwaishRoyal Road
★★★ 2.5
Its quite average, to be honest. The prose doesn't really flow. Things that really should be explained more are just being glossed on. Not bad, but I personally dont find it interesting enough to keep reading.
I do like the premise though, and I feel like the book has a lot to offer. I do think the author should at least explain the progression levels earlier in the book of they're going to bandy words like saint, lord, ascendant, and gods around.
oxygen5011Royal Road
★★★ 2.5
The change of povs are random and sudden, confusing the reader, making it harder to understand who's talking to whom.
Things left unexplained, given little information about the world structure, power system etc. World building is essential to a successful story.
Some sentences feel forced and unnatural with a few words of explanation.