On Virgin Moors

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The Unity holds dominion over the breadth of space. Now, they've set their sights on the final prize. That prize? Essegena - a planet at the farthest edge of the universe, ripe for human habitation and yet so far completely untouched.

But all is not well on Essegena. Three of the colony's pioneers have vanished without a trace, and in their place a man has appeared who - according to all the records - simply does not exist. Worse still, the infant colony is beset with concerning reports of mysterious lights in the distant trees, shadowy phantoms haunting the edges of their nascent home, strange noises from high up on the cliffs.

The colonists need to stay united if they're to make Essegena a success story - but with ambitious vipers around every corner, they've never been more divided.

Once they dreamed of a fresh start, far away from their former lives. Now that dream is fast becoming a nightmare.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: MissAlexandrina

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 5.0/ 5.0
Followers: 14
Views: 18,632

What readers say about On Virgin Moors

“On Virgin Moors doesn’t belong on Royal Road, because, frankly, it belongs in-between hard leather pages shelved in the sci-fi section of book shops. I mean that completely sincerely, this story, from what I’ve read, is of genuinely professional quality fro…”
AppleJuicerRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“A land situated at the edge of the universe. Filled with mysteries and actual realistic characters. I felt drawn in by the prologue alone, and the narrative has been unfolding authentically ever since. The grammar/style is top-notch. It's clear, at least to…”
Bab66Royal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(3)

AppleJuicerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
On Virgin Moors doesn’t belong on Royal Road, because, frankly, it belongs in-between hard leather pages shelved in the sci-fi section of book shops. I mean that completely sincerely, this story, from what I’ve read, is of genuinely professional quality from character-writing to prose to grammar to story-structure.
It follows a variety of people, from differing walks of life, each with their own perspectives on the rich world they live in. Several have shared histories, others distinct, and all feel at least somewhat like real people. Whenever a character in On Virgin Moors recalls something about their life, you know for a fact it’s going to tell you just as much about the world as a whole as it does about them.
That might make it sound like the appeal here is in the minutiae, but in my opinion it’s actually the story that stands out. A very captivating narrative that brings all of these people together and simultaneously captures the reader’s interest in a mystery that would’ve been eerie enough even without the frankly haunting glimpses of a certain something we get in early chapters.
Overall, On Virgin Moors is something I’d recommend to everyone here, and most especially to the writers of Royal Road. It serves as a model for improvement in almost everything it does, and I’m sure plenty of others will take as much away from reading it as I have.
Bab66Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A land situated at the edge of the universe. Filled with mysteries and actual realistic characters. I felt drawn in by the prologue alone, and the narrative has been unfolding authentically ever since.
The grammar/style is top-notch. It's clear, at least to me, that the author has spent time polishing and conceptualizing the type of words this story is written in. It has its own "style" to it which I greatly appreciate. It fits this sort of narrative perfectly. You have stories of various genres that all just feel the same in the way they are written. There is no distinction in between them. It just feels bland, and not unique. This story is certainly not one of them. It's a well written story, clearly outlined story, judging from a few factors while traversing the chapters.
The characters, as well as their dynamics and dialogues, are well written. It is written in a multi pov format, and is done gracefully well. You won't feel overwhelmed by it because of how natural the story flows. Really well done.
In short, I'd recommend this story to anyone who loves political dilemmas, a mystery filled story set within a vast, obscuring world. If the characters, grammar, or even the style won't make up for one taste, the story definitely will.
prissiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The synopsis says SF. But so far, it is almost pure fantasy; the people settling a virgin planet could have been also settlers who arrived with their ships at a new continent. It would even better explain the familiar trees and so on.
However, this does not matter. The story is so densely woven, with so many slice-of-life intertwined and a mystery plot looming in the background which forces you to read on. Even more, as it is with a positive feeling, full of raw life. The story is contagious like a fair maiden smile at the dance.
I like the style. It is straight but still descriptive enough with the flashbacks masterly integrated. Each chapter has a different POV and the cast is growing. Thus, there are many characters and they interact so convincingly.
The overall story goes slowly, so I am not fully able to judge it but am very hopeful given the development so far.
I agree with the previous reviewer that this is a masterpiece, and a badly overlooked one. Maybe because the chapters are quite long, and thus it gains only little front page exposure. And the featured main tag is SF even though fantasy goes better on RR.
If you are happy with real stories without a system and epic battles, this is exactly what you are looking for.