Orc And The Lastborn [Progression, Gunpowder Sword & Sorcery]

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2025

Author

CorneliusClem

• NOT A CHAPTER: What's Next?
  Sep 16, 2025

Reviews

Community Reviews(6)

• James GhoulRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The prose is decadent. That’s the right word. It’s decadent like sherry, and like sherry it is fluid yet viscous.
  The dialogue thickens the story. How fantastic it is to read dialogue which has purpose, and which reveals deep character, and wherein a great many things may be inferred.
  The world-building gives this sherry its musk. The world is a curious place which is revealed only as the characters know or discover it.
  I will be distraught when my reading outpaces the writing and when I have to wait for another chapter to chew on.
  On another note, the dwarf lore is super cool and the orcs are simply awesome. I’ll always be team orc (and goblin) but Mym is probably the best dwarf character I’ve ever encountered.
• KanecaRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This book draws on the bleak existentialism reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian, and Red Dead Redemption video game, weaving together themes of survival, identity, and the unrelenting violence of both man and nature. The novel balances a mythic quality with intimate moments, grounded in the harsh realities of a world spiraling into madness, yet still echoing the lost grandeur of ancient civilizations.
  Violence, as in Blood Meridian, is not an exception but a constant force of nature, shaping the world as much as any river or mountain range. The landscapes are described with visceral, haunting beauty—each desolate plain or jagged peak reinforcing the brutality of the setting. The world feels hostile and indifferent, with every inch of terrain reflecting the hard lives of the characters.
  Dialogue between the characters is laconic but weighted with meaning. Every word carries a history, shaped by the burdens each character bears. There is a sense that nothing is spoken unless absolutely necessary, and even then, the words are charged with layers of unspoken emotion and conflict.
  The characters’ struggles are more about survival than salvation, with little hope of escape from the violence that defines their existence.
  Both protagonists—an ex-slave orc and a female dwarf, the last of her kind—grapple with the fading legacies of their peoples. Their personal journeys, marked by loss and an ever-present sense of cultural extinction, are central to the novel’s emotional weight. Each step they take through the brutal landscape mirrors their internal struggles with identity and purpose in a world that has no place for them.
• ZorastoratorRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  So far it’s pretty good. I’ve never read something with chapters going back and forth like this. I could see it leading to some interesting interactions.
  The two MCs feel more like real people than most new fics. They’ve got shortcomings and aren’t just interested in murdering mobs for loot and xp. In fact I’m not sure whether xp is even a thing in this system. Seems like loot is.
  The MCs have got some side characters that have their own interests and personalities so far. I like Mym’s dad. I liked Booky too but it looks like she’s out of the picture already. I think the other reviewer is right and it could be cool to see them getting their own chapters. Guess we’ll just have to see. If Booky doesn’t come back then I think you should do a side story or something about her running her arena.
  The writing is top notch. No typos or anything that I’ve seen so far. It’s different to not know everything the MCs are thinking. I kind of enjoy it. It makes them a bit riskier if that makes sense. Like they could do anything at any time without us knowing ahead of time. I kind of miss some internal dialog but if I have to read between the lines some to understand the characters motivations and decisions that just makes me more engaged in a way. And there’s the plus side of not having to slog through info dumps to get the plot moving forward. I think it might make it harder to feel for the characters. But maybe not?
  chapters are short. I like them that way so long as the author can keep up the daily releases lol… will come back in a few weeks and update this review if not!
• khal02Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This seems like my style of fantasy. The characters seem to have depth and the dialogue is great. I'll be following along. I'm excited to see how these paths cross either as enemies or allies? Is there going to be a larger cast of characters as the stories unfold or will it stay narrowed to the two main lines?
  Edit as of chapter 43:
  I'm totally hooked. The story has built to new revelations and I'm very much looking forward to more.
• thewarmupRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  If you’ve read the other comments and reviews you know this author’s prose is exceptional. That alone makes this book a pleasure to read even though it falls outside my normal genre preferences. Let me share more about why I’m excited to read more, so much more, from this author.
  Mym’s story hooked me first. She’s complex, she’s a fighter, she’s smart. I don’t want to spoil anything but I’m so invested in her happiness. I love dwarves so she was an easy sell for me as a reader.
  This is the first book I’ve read where an Orc isn’t some grotesque, evil villain. I love Orc, his story, his plight. I want him to find happiness and find himself. I’m curious to see where he finds his “home” to be. Is nature or nurture going to be the predominant force in Orc’s identity? Will the orcs find a home? Their story is heart wrenching.
  I love a dual point of view book and the author is masterfully weaving this story from two points of view.
  I LOVE that the characters feel like real, complex beings. They have to make hard choices, their relationships are messy, their families are dysfunctional.
  The only required item I haven’t referenced is grammar. You’ll be hard pressed to find a typo in this story. I haven’t yet, but I suspect that with how engaged the author is, they would fix it and thank you. :)
• wrybill_writesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Brutally, savagely, beautifully, viscerally written. Hooked me immediately like a carcass at an abattoir. Characters that feel like a punch in the teeth and worldbuilding you can smell.
  I’d never heard of progression fantasy in my life and I’ve never been find of LitRPG stuff, but the system this story is built on feels so natural and right, and each little postscript adds interesting insight into how the characters are seen.
  The treatment of conflict is also incredibly compelling. The two main characters are on opposing sides of a conflict made worse by the civilisation surrounding them,  and they are written in such a way that you don’t want to pick sides. A fantastic representation of the complexities of revolution, war, loyalty, struggles for independence, and freedom from oppression.
  I’m just really fond of both Orc and Mym and their very distinct narrative voices (both heartbreaking in their own unique ways!) and I’m very eager to see where their paths lead. The scene where they crossed each other briefly was GORY!
  Unyielding, evocative imagery is another strength of this story. What the characters see and do is not only witnessed by you, the reader, but also heard, touched, tasted, and smelled, which is pretty rough when the characters are going through violent, disgusting, nasty shit. I’m a huge fan of this type of story — good writing creates huge reactions. And I’ve been reacting hugely to every single chapter. Be prepared to put this story down and walk around the room for a bit to process, you’ll need it.