Objects in Motion (Book One Stubbing 4/24)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Objects in Motion Twenty years ago, the hero Glorybeam and the villain Blacktime fought. The aftermath leveled twenty city blocks, killed thousands, and orphaned hundreds. Neither of them have ever faced any consequences. Isaac Hartson was one of those orphans. As a nominal-class metahuman – a dreg – he knows that he’ll never be able to hold them accountable by force, but years as a janitor have taught him the value of simple plans and hard work. But once set in motion, events stay in motion, and in Star City there is always someone with an angle. Isaac will need more than just hard work and a simple plan to keep from being buried under the tide of consequences he’s created. Objects in Motion is a street-level superhero story with some light progression elements. The initial idea for it was "what if you give a thinker character a brawler power?" It has since moved beyond. There will be three books, each of somewhere in the realm of 20 chapters apiece. Chapters are ~5000 words, every Friday at 5PM EST. Join our Discord!

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: InadvisablyCompelled

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 4,863
Views: 525,570

Chapters(44 total)

What readers say about Objects in Motion (Book One Stubbing 4/24)

“It’s like someone read my mind and combined the setting of Worm and the misunderstandings of the Saga of Tanya the Evil to create the perfect story, just for me. I’d say more but that basically sums up my thoughts after binging it up to the most recent chap…”
SporiumCoriumRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“InadvisableCompelled did it again and we all are on the edge of our seats, waiting impatiently what will happen next.This is a unique twist to the standard Cape Punk about world of superheroes. I have never read about a system of powers like here, I couldn'…”
SviorRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

SporiumCoriumRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It’s like someone read my mind and combined the setting of Worm and the misunderstandings of the Saga of Tanya the Evil to create the perfect story, just for me. I’d say more but that basically sums up my thoughts after binging it up to the most recent chapter.
If either of those titles interest you at all, highly recommend this read.
SviorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
InadvisableCompelled did it again and we all are on the edge of our seats, waiting impatiently what will happen next.This is a unique twist to the standard Cape Punk about world of superheroes. I have never read about a system of powers like here, I couldn't even imagine stuff like that. I really can't tell you much about this universe without spoilers, you have to take my word and see for yourself: world-building and rules are mind-blowing.We have great cast of main and supporting characters. Isaac is great, a truly smart and good guy written right. He is in a nice company of loyal friends and scheming enemies, and dangerous neutrals. Natural dialogues, complex backbrounds, all the good stuff.Pacing is great. We have thrilling action sequences, clever plotting, banter and introspective exploration in just the right ratio. Something important is happening at every moment and plot never lingers. After all, once objects are in motion, they keep their momentum ;)And it's written so well! Hardcover-paper-book-bestseller quality! I can't believe I can read it for free, definitely will subscribe to author's patreon in the future.Definitely check this out if you like action, adventure, sci-fi and fantasy stuff.
NocturnaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've read a few of the author's other works, but this story is shaping up to be even more compelling. I'm a fan of the superhero genre, but there's definitely some subversion/deconstruction of the standard setup, giving it a fresh feeling.
Going through advanced review subcategories:
Style: Story is told from the Main character's perspective, who is clever and driven. We get lots of internal monologue/introspection/planning, which works well for this kind of story setup, where MC has a clear goal and is set against the obstacles the world has put in his path.
Grammar/spelling/etc. is on point, haven't noticed any mistakes.
Story: The plot is set up with a narrower scope than most superhero settings. MC has a specific goal he's trying to accomplish at the start of the book, and he has to overcome the challenge in front of him as he tries to accomplish it. Different from the vague "become a hero/do good" that a lot of the genre sets up as motivation for their characters. Author exposes the world building naturally, no big info dumps, which is good. It does come with a little bit of murkiness on the details of the setting (especially since the setting is not modern Earth), but it's still early and there's plenty of time for more development.
Character: Lots of visibility on different kinds of characters as the MC navigates between heroes and villains. And, without getting into spoilers, we get lots of different flavors from the MC himself depending on the situation. The interactions all feel natural and engaging.
CameroonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
It was very enthralling book and if it was a whole book i would read it in a day. Main characters has very compelling character and world building is superb. Domino effect he causes are funny and interesting watch play out in this superhero world. I like all different persona he does throughout story.
Dang thats a cute catRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a twist on a classic genre by one of my favorite authors. This novel, while I haven’t read much, seems to have similar elements to Compelled’s previous series. In particular, this novel is a refutal of a classic genre (like System Delenda Est) and of characters wielding their slice of power to their utmost extent in creative ways (Paranoid Mage). I’m excited to see where this novel will go, and until then, see y’all in the comments section!
MistbindRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
To begin, the hook is well done and quickly draws you into the world. Isaac is a believable reluctant hero—his power is solid but not overpowered, and the story gives a clear, convincing reason why he’d want to avoid being reclassified or attracting attention. The explanation for his lower rank, despite his ability, makes sense, and the varied ways he uses his power keep things interesting.
Super stories can be hit or miss, but this one definitely hits. Isaac feels real—intelligent without being unrealistically so—and his unusual “hobby” of making costumes plays into the plot often early on, giving it an unexpected and engaging twist.
The way his goal of staying under the radar constantly backfires is well handled, adding tension and humor without feeling forced. The worldbuilding is strong, and the setting feels lived-in. The dual nature of authority between heroes and villains is especially believable, with those who have less desirable powers often ending up as minions to villains.
Some descriptions do run a bit long, but overall, this is an engaging, well-crafted story with a grounded protagonist and a compelling world. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far and will go a few chapters deeper 😊.
BedborneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The author is the most productive among other author in RR. He had written at least 3 free published story so far here, and each one of them is good and engaging. Every story have quite different premise too, which is beyond good because we got flooded by gpt fresh meat so to speak. I wish author good health in physics and in finance. I am grateful to be able to read his story
HaveRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Ive been a fan of the author since chasing sunlight and so far Objects In Motion has been an absolute blast to read, and I dont even read superhero novels much. Definitely worth a try if unsure, only a bit confused by the choice of superhero and supervillain names. Other than that its a 5/5
KarfstonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Characters: Feel like real people doing real things. Each doing what they think is right, even though they have different ideas for 'what's right'
World: Feels alive.
People can and do make mistakes, this applies too to information - making bad guesses, and then running with them in the world.
Great author, great work, few modern authors I've read even compare, and this work is no exception. But of a WIP when I read it, to be fair, but I've seen enough of his finished works to expect a finishing pass to clean up any lingering cruff like broken grammar.
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The only nit I'd have of the authors style, if it could be called that, rather than a style choice...
Is things all happen for reasons.
Things seem to *only* happen for reasons.
Or to quote someone else: God (and the author) do not play dice with the universe.
That might be overstating things a bit, but when trying to tease out why something happened, with only few exceptions, there's a specific cause to it in-story. And the exceptions can have plausible narrative causes. That is 'the needs of the story required it'. So if you're wondering why someone is someplace, or why a thing did it's thing, ''pure random chance' can be left off the list.
This can be a conscious style choice by the author (random chance can feel like deus-ex-machina, which can be a strong sign of poor writing). I can respect it, I just find it curious I can depend on it when trying to feel out the plot.
The_bad_strategistRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
MINI REVIEW:
the story is gripping, well-written, with fantastic character work, world-building, and filled to the brim with intrigue. If you're looking for a solid superhero story, you found it. This, if it continues with the quality it has shown, will be put up there with works like Worm and Super Supporitve. That's how good it is.
FULL REVIEW:
This is my first time encountering the author, but from the first paragraph, I was hooked. Every chapter, while lengthy, more than earns its word count. Isaac, the MC, is wonderfully realized and fantastically complex, and a fantastic viewpoint to view the rest of this fascinating world through.
On worldbuilding, nothing feels like an info dump. If you pay attention, you'll get into the groove of what people are saying without one word of exposition. Everything the MC walks through feels lived in, and it's somehow managed to be described in a way that feels real.
On character, every single side character interacted with has a distinct character voice or tick, and you could often remove any dialogue tags and know exactly who was speaking. They all feel like they have their own lives outside of the Mc, and all have their own goals that they are working towards. SLIGHT SPOILER: At one point, two characters are described, and while they are trying to be secretive, I knew exactly who they were, despite not a word from either of them. Perhaps it was meant to be obvious, but i still thought it was quite fantastic writing.
On the main character's voice... let's just say that Isaac has very recognizable patterns of speech.
The only reason I gave a 4.5 rather than a full 5 stars for this is because there was a single relationship I would have liked to dwell more on, but it is the most minor of nitpicks and, if I were honest, probably more realistic than if it was focused on. (I just wanted to see more of it!)
The reason I referenced Worm and Super Supportive in my mini review is because the world feels inspired by those fantastic ser