Odyssey of the Ethereal [Stubbed]

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2023

Author

Jamie Kojola

• Series Completed on Audible, Kindle, and new series from me.
  May 12, 2025
• Chapter 233: The Warp and Weft of the Fates Weave [Book 4]
  May 27, 2024
• Chapter 167: Good Grief [Book 3 Start]
  Dec 22, 2023
• (Book 2: Beyond the Aetherial Veil) Chapter 83: The Story So Far
  Jun 12, 2023
• Book 1: The Tower of Aetherius, Chapter 1: Waking Up Sucks
  Jan 4, 2023

What readers say about Odyssey of the Ethereal [Stubbed]

• “This is a very solid entry to the gene. 1: Great characterization and voice. 2: Quick, but seamless, entry into the world 3: Just a lil dash of sexy, which is fun. I'm a newcomer here to Royal Road, but as the first thing I've read on the site, it's a great…”

  AaronRRoyal Road5.0 / 5

• “While I consider the story generally well written (characterization, natural plot progression, etc) and you should just go try it out rather than bothering to finish reading this review, which will be much less well written. That said, if you insist on cont…”

  AzrageRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• AaronRRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This is a very solid entry to the gene.
  1: Great characterization and voice.
  2: Quick, but seamless, entry into the world
  3: Just a lil dash of sexy, which is fun.
  I'm a newcomer here to Royal Road, but as the first thing I've read on the site, it's a great start. I highly recommend checking it out!
• AzrageRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  While I consider the story generally well written (characterization, natural plot progression, etc) and you should just go try it out rather than bothering to finish reading this review, which will be much less well written.
  That said, if you insist on continuing, there are a few specific things that I want to talk about, mostly about how this story handles being a western cultivation progression fantasy. To put it simply, I think it's done masterfully. What I'm most impressed with is that Jamie Kojola has a cultivation power system without just ripping off the most popular Xianxia stories and all the tropes and cliches and weird artifacts of translation that English readers tend to latch on to when they want to make a cultivation story. Instead, they built their own power system that draws from xianxia and wuxia while still being independent of it, and they actually use their own writing style instead of just ripping common plot elements off other stories, which I am grateful for because it greatly improves the quality of the work.
• PlumParrotRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I'm really enjoying the prose and voice. Aesca seems like a lot of fun, and I'm interested to see how things go for her in, what sounds like, some epic tower climbs. I think the running narrative of what's happening in the MC's head in conjunction with the activities in the world she wakes up in are done really smoothly. In just two chapters I have a really good idea of her personality.
  What the author does well is to add colorful descriptions to things as mundane as the character being injured, for example: "Pain hit her like a truck, backed over her, then ran her over again for good measure."
  I'll be following!
• ShadoCat2Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I've enjoyed this story enough to power read all the chapters I can.  Now I have to wait for an update.
  The character is good.  She may be a bit overpowered but that just means that the challenges get beefed up and sometimes the rewards are, to her, only so so.
  The interaction with other characters is variable.  That is because of the nature of the story as she ends up in differnt environments often and may or may not have people to interact with; except for a telepathic cat like creature of dubious value in conversations (according to the main character).  The author doesn't overplay the cat to the point it becomes tiresome to the reader, just the MC.
  There are a good mix of side characters.  Not everyone is a jerk and not everyone is falling all over themselves to be nice to her either.  Often those helping her are looking to gain something from it but that is as expected.
  I rate based on my enjoyment and it gets 5 stars because I look forward to reading more.
• TrufflezzRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you liked Azarinth healer, you will probably like this. I at least get the same feeling. Good quips so far. Author is handling progression well. IMO could go into a little more detail on some of the quest/floors but they could be like they are right now because the main character is on the early floors. Overall has my main points of a great story, stays on track to the main the plot, has character growth(power type hasn't gone too in-depth into the mental? Type), romance ;), and a good old companion. Looking forward to more chapters!
• elyielRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  It's a great tower climb story. The premise is interesting, though it's mostly just a short prelude to get her into the tower. The tower itself is great; somehow even 50 floors in the floors remain interesting and different enough to not feel like they are being repeated. This is helped by the fact that not every floor gets shown in perfect detail - which wouldn't be great for 1000 floors.
  Most importantly, as with all stories in which the MC spends a significant amount of time by themselves, the MC is fun - not the over top kind of gag character, but amusing while still being able to stay serious if needed.
  Overall I definitely recommend everyone give the story a try
  The characters are greatare interesting
• kwerteRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I've been following this story for a while... it's about time I put down a review! The story starts off as a pretty classic Isekai/portal fantasy, and quickly puts the main character (Aetheria/Aesca) on a quest to kill a god (which is a trope that I've gotten to know from JRPGs, but that's not a complaint).
  Going by categories, I’ll start with style. I think the style works most of the time, but at points, the writing does get a little awkward (as expected from an early draft). But that’s gotta be one of my few complaints. And lots of the tonal choices do work very well. Just when things are starting to get a little too light, Jamie throws in some gore or other dark stuff to keep it from going off the rails.
  When it comes to the story, I really love the story here. It’s fast-paced and engaging, and brings some interesting worldbuilding to tower climbers. The cat dragons were what did it for me, really. Million-year-old beings with incredible power and the attitude of a house cat? Yes, please! (That’s if they live long enough to become powerful… and with their attitude, it seems that many of them don’t.)
  Grammar mistakes are few and far between. There’s nothing to complain about here.
  Aetheria/Aesca is pretty well characterized as a snarky, introspective gamer. She can get a bit snarky, but it’s balanced out by a general likeability. However, most of the interactions with other characters are pretty limited, and the others don’t have much depth. (At least, at the time of the review.) If you’re looking for every character to have incredible depth, this might not be the read for you. But if you’re okay with that, then this is a good story for you!
  That’s all for now! It’s a good story. Read it.
• BentSporkRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  There are a lot of litrpg, progression, and system fantasy stories out there that almost seem cookie cutter. I can enjoy those, but when you find a story with a unique spin on the lore and mechanics of a fantasy world combined with a likeable and entertaining MC that is something special.
• DatDatRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Librarian becomes overpowered champion of a god and has to defeat evil. Sounds like a simplistic formula, but is an amazingly fun read. It's enjoyable all around. MC starts from not knowing and has to learn and grow along the way.
  Only minor grammar and spelling errors, good work. I am looking forward to see how this story works out.
• FlossinduneRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  While it's absolutely not my first, this story is among a handful of isekais I have read on Royal Road, and it does not disappoint. From start to Chapter 24, there is a clear and consistent tone from the author that this story is clearly a coming from a position of passion.
  The worldbuilding is immaculate and the prose is evocative, spending a lot of time on the setting the story takes place without feeling overdone. The descriptions of not just the people but also the enemies, the places, and the powers makes it seem like it's not just some fantasy world, but a place you can really see in your mind.
  Following Ria on her path has been a genuine delight, though it's best when she has people to bounce her personality off of. Dialogue and interactions are my bread and butter, and I was just floored by how natural everything felt. It's also great to have people pause when they don't understand things the MC is saying or think she needs to be called out for things but have to look at her from a position they perceive as lower, so it's all body language. Top notch.
  Overall, this is a hard recommendation and, if you're reading these reviews, you should just read the story. You're missing out by not giving it a chance.