Out of Dark Waters
Community Rating
Description
The hunter waits in silent waters, biding its time to rise and feed.
A band of companions, not so different from those you’ve met before. The stoic warrior, seeking vengeance. The priestess, struggling to believe. The elderly gnome, stumbling on spells from an ageless tome. And Vander, a failed soldier and a broken man, waking from nightmares of dragonfire.
Once it has your scent, it never stops hunting you.
Petty adventurers, in truth, bent on gold and good ale, barely hoping to make something of themselves. Until they find a danger crueler than their memories, an ancient and devouring spirit. With more luck than skill, they escape its hunger. But the hunter does not give up its prey so easily.
They will win battles. Sometimes, they will find happiness. Still, a pitiless and ravenous darkness follows them, and it knows their fears.
It knows you, and it will not rest until it consumes you.
Out of Dark Waterswas stubbed on June 12.Thank you, very sincerely, to everyone who readOut of Dark Watersas it developed on Royal Road.
The first few chapters will stay up as a sample for the foreseeable future. Thefull storyis now available on Amazon.com!
Information
- Status
- Ongoing
- Year
- 2024
- Author
- J. Stigliano
Royal Road Stats
- Rating
- 4.3/ 5.0
- Followers
- 15
- Views
- 4,280
Chapters(6 total)
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Community Reviews(3)
- Patwil0818Royal Road★★★★★ 5.0I'm reviewing this after Chapter The Isle of Menhir Part 3.
Despite only 4 chapters in, a lot has happened and been revealed to us. The story of a mercenary band on the way to a job is traditional fantasy fare because it works when done well, and the author has started out quite well.
Style: 5 stars so far. Things move quickly, but the author is able to provide us with enough backstory without just dumping information on us. Bit by bit we learn more of our characters. The writing is clean, without over-blown descriptions but enough to set the mood. Dialogue works well.
Story: 5 stars so far. I was quickly hooked and want to read more. The story is not anything unique, but often it doesn't need to be if well written and here the author has written a well crafted story.
Grammar: 5 stars so far. Honestly I didn't notice anything wrong here.
Character: 5 stars so far. We have 4 characters, although one is more of the main character. We learn a bit about the from the observation of the MC and each has an unique voice. There is a mystery with them that is tantalizing as the author slowly unveils more. And some of what we learn is incorrect. I won't spoil it for the reader but it has to do with how our MC sees the gnome member and what is revealed when he fights. Each one so far has their own path which makes them highly entertaining.
Overall: 5 stars. This is a great start. Can't wait to read more.
Any dislikes: Not really. I would probably have jettisoned the prologue as I don't think it adds anything other than scene setting, although I can see how it sets up events a bit further on. Anyway, it is only a half a page so not too distracting. The passage of time could be better called out than just having the season and dates at the top, but that is just nitpicking. Great job. - SummerRennaRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Great story so far! I like all the characters and their dynamic. The prose is solid. I'm particularly enjoying the mystery and horror elements in the story. The writer excels at crafting a creepy, foreboding atmosphere at certain scenes, and has the scenes gradually unfold in a way that keeps the reader at the edge of their seat.
- The Toad FamiliarRoyal Road★★★★★ 4.5NOTE: this review was written as part of a swap
Reading Dragonlance pretty much defined my childhood so when I saw The Sephis Cycle advertised in the forums as being a similar kind of story, I knew I had to check it out.
Style: 5/5
The prose is perfect for this type of story - full of whimsical vocabulary and luscious descriptions. When I read classic fantasy adventures, I want to be able to see, hear, and smell a place when the characters walk in; I’m looking for cozy details about food and drink; I want to know all the little “insignificant” things that make the world feel more alive. I was not disappointed!
Story: 4.5/5
There’s a good balance of action, exposition, downtime, and humor, about what I expect to see in a DnD-adjacent story. The pacing is good, there aren’t any scenes that feel too short or too long. But, although it has been hinted at and the characters are sort of dancing around it, I haven’t yet fully identified what the main conflict of the story is which feels a little strange going into part 2/7.
Grammar: 5/5
I noticed very few if any technical errors per chapter and the ones I did spot were very minor and had no effect on my enjoyment or comprehension.
Character: 4/5
The characters are charming, each with a mysterious backstory and varying degrees of trauma as is typical of party characters in TTRPGs. I am curious to see how they grow and change, but it must be said that they do feel a bit like standard fare at this point.
Overall, I am very much enjoying my time reading The Sephis Cycle and look forward to continuing on! I recommend giving it a try if you like Dungeons and Dragons, classic 80s/90s style fantasy novels, or just magical adventure stories.