Oakthorn [a Heist-Driven Cultivation Comedy]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

EMBRACE THE CHAOS

The power of the apocalypse burns in Cade Stormhollow's veins.

Cade is a master thief about to pull off the perfect heist—until a gutting betrayal unravels everything. When the dust settles, he ends up fused to a fragment of Destruction magic that can level cities and set the world ablaze.

…oops.

He has the gods’ full attention, and that’s never a good thing. To survive, Cade must do what he does best: charm his way out of trouble, and then orchestrate an even bigger heist. With his fiercely loyal crew, he enters the notorious Tournament of Life—a bloody competition where few survive, but the rewards could save his life. As the deadly trials claim more and more competitors, Cade's evolving power grows dangerously unstable, threatening to consume him entirely.

The gods think he's just a lucky thief who stumbled into power, but they have no idea what happens when you back a master criminal into a corner.

Between high-stakes heists, lethal challenges, and a crew that’s equal parts chaos and camaraderie, Cade must learn to control his devastating abilities while unraveling divine conspiracies centuries in the making.

Oh, boy.

This is going to be aride.

OAKTHORN is a pulse-pounding epic that blends cultivation progression with high-stakes heists and bloody tournament action. Join reluctant hero Cade Stormhollow and his crew of morally gray misfits as they battle their inner darkness, wield evolving magical powers, and challenge corrupt gods in a quest that blurs the lines between what’s legal and what’s right. With a powerful warrior love interest, action-packed fight scenes, witty banter, and a conspiracy that threatens to unleash 5,000 years of pent up goddess-rage, this found-family adventure delivers the perfect mix of Will Wight's magical progression, Michael J. Sullivan's heist brilliance, and the humor and camaraderie of Critical Role and Dungeons & Dragons. Perfect for readers who crave revolution against powerful forces, leadership journeys, and characters who choose chaos for all the right reasons.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

- Heists & comedic mayhem

- Power progression with stakes

- Clever thief MC

- Tournament survival arc

- Realistic magic system

- Competent MC with flaws

- Intricate worldbuilding

- No romance focus

- Action-packed fight scenes

- Weak to overpowered MC

Patreon has up to 40 advanced chapters!

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: smboyce

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 975
Views: 131,957

Chapters(134 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(4)

Jesse_GerlachRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Sweet lawdy have I stumbled upon an absolute gem here.
This story, which follows Cade, is so effortlessly good I read all 12 available chapters in a single sitting. The humor Boyce demonstrates, in addition to these truly spectacular moments of what I can only describe as cinematic, have hooked me in.
That said, this tale is a bit of a new take on cultivation and progression fantasy. From what I can tell, this is a core-cultivation tale, so no grindy numbers like in LitRPGs, but just good old OP MC learning to wield his powers of incredible destruction.
Also, I am in absolute LOVE with the other characters. Evie has my freaking heart. Her poetic prophecies, matched with the wonderful and refreshing combination of her free-spirited nature and pinpoint commentary has me rolling. Also, I am so team Orro right now, you don't even know. I mean, I am in love with a witty MC, don't get me wrong, but a brooding assassin that's so clearly an introvert that needs to deal with his energetic best friend is one of my all time favorite tropes. It's like watching Zuko and Aang, but they start out as friends, you know?
In terms of prose and style, I love Boyce's rhythm to these chapters. Nothing feels too bogged down or super expository. The pacing is wildly good, and it goes to show once again that high quality RR books do exist.
So, if you're looking for a 10/10 read about found family, ridiculous antics, and all the chaos you could possibly need, this is the book for you. If you want what feels like some sort of cosmic conspiracy and an OP MC in the makings, this books is also for you. If you need some excellent writing to refresh your soul...
THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.
Redtotheneck673Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I like the theme and flow of this story so far. I just started reading it and I am already 6 chapters in and don't want to stop reading it to go make supper.lol . But I also hate deadlines so please give us a reference as to how long they have to complete the mission.
alfyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
i'm genuinely confused - the writing shown in this story is some of the best i've seen on this site, and yet so few have read it. yes, the story isn't even two weeks old, but damn is it good enough that that shouldn't matter.
the characters are full of life, the plot is interesting, the protagonist is charming, and i haven't seen a single grammatical error in any of the chapters i've read (which is all of them at the time of this review.)
i don't normally do reviews of stories on this site, even ones i like, but i think this one deserves it.
NAKATTACKRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
UPDATE as of Chapter 76:
My initial thoughts on Oakthorn are pretty much the same. Chapter 76 feels like an epilogue to the first major arc of the story. Boyce delievered on what was advertised as a fun light-hearted adventure with minor litrpg elements thrown in. My only complaint is with the lack of character development for some of the main crew, Jer and Elena still just feel like they are just there, Orro got a few moments to shine, but he still feels a little shallow as a character. Hopefully the next adventure will flesh the main crew out more.
(Original review as of chapter 23 below)
******************
Oakthorn is a fun, lighthearted adventure story that follows two groups of protagonists. The first is a group of misfit theives led by wisecracker Cade that inadvertantly get involved in the plottings of the gods. The second group follows Nora, a paladin, and her best friend Evie, a siren of the goddess Destiny. Both group's destinies are on a collision course, and the world may never be the same because of it.
Oakthorn is very well written, smboyce does a great job of describing settings, writing dialog, and combat. The lighter tone is a fun read, and I found myself getting a genuine chuckle throughout the story. The pacing is spot on, each chapter feels like it's just the right length, and progressign the story with each entry.
The setting is interesting, their are a lot of moving parts, and the story thus far hints at bigger happenings beyond our protagonists.
The only negative I have is with the character development of the side characters. While Cade, Nora, and Evie feel like genuine characters, everyone else at the point feels interchangeable, but it is still early on in the story, so this may improve, and based on Boyce's other works I'm confident it will.
Oakthorn is worth a read, and I finish every chapter wondering what's going to happen next.