Pyre Of Gears: A Tale of Dragons and Thrones [Epic Dark Progression Fantasy, Arc 4 Ongoing]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In a world on the brink of annihilation, power is a choice—and every choice has a cost. Who will rise from the ashes, and who will fall into ruin?

Greenhaven burns. The once-thriving town crumbles under the onslaught of monstrous creatures, their roars mingling with the desperate cries of the dying. Across the fractured lands, humans and orcs wage a brutal war fueled by dwindling resources and ancient grudges. The elves watch from the shadows, silent and calculating, while goblins seize the chaos to forge machines of war and grasp for dominance.

In this maelstrom, Lady Lyanna Mirrorguard yearns to outshine her older sister, Karina—the celebrated Champion Dragon Rider. Driven by ambition and a need for recognition, Lyanna vows to claim a dragon egg, the ultimate symbol of power. But the rivalry between sisters threatens to splinter their family and upend the fragile alliances holding their people together.

Kael, a young outcast scarred by a tormented past and his father’s scorn, discovers a secret that could reshape his destiny—and the world’s. In the ruins of war, he unearths not one, but two dragon eggs. The power they promise could redeem him or destroy everything he holds dear.

As war consumes the land and ancient forces stir, choices made in desperation will ignite rivalries, forge unlikely alliances, and reveal the true cost of ambition.Will heroes rise to bring light to the shadows, or will the world be swallowed by fire and blood?

Important Information:

1.This is an epic dark fantasy and has multiple POV. The first three chapters are all from different POVs before the POVs start repeating. The world is broken and suffering; the characters are suffering so do not expect a cozy fantasy but there will be happy moments.

2.The magic system does havecultivationthemes andprogression, but the magic system is semi-hard.No stats or gamelit elements.

3.A chapter a week!

4.The story will have a lot of action in starting. But there will be slower placed moments, character growth [Both positive and negative]. Characters will die, be broken and forged anew.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: cosmic_lonewolf

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 190
Views: 38,767

Chapters(47 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(7)

August O'DabbasRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Calling all high fantasy enthusiasts, this story is for you! As a beta reader, I couldn't stick to my usual pace of reading five chapter a week; instead, I devoured multiple chapters in a single day. The story flows effortlessly, pulling you in from the very start.
With well-crafted characters and a captivating world, this tale has everything you’re looking for. While the beginning includes a few POV changes, don’t let that discourage you. The author masterfully weaves each character’s narrative, leaving you eager to learn more about all of them.
In short, if you’re ready for a well-written high fantasy in a war-thorn world, don’t miss out on this story!
FauxPraetorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
{Disclosure: This review was part of a review swap}
STYLE
It’s eloquent but clear. The interplay between the prose and characters’ thoughts is something I believe is executed fairly well and aids in immersion. The action scenes are well-written and easy to follow, despite not lacking in depth.
Descriptions are good and well-placed. You get a decent idea of what characters and places are like without any of it feeling forced. The high fantasy world is also well developed, and nothing comes off as needless exposition.
STORY
The story’s told from multiple perspectives and is action-packed from the start. It’s gripping in the sense that it draws you in with some strong inciting events and keeps you hooked. There are ups and downs, and you stay at the edge of your seat.
The pacing is good and the transition between fights and downtime is smooth. You also never feel like it’s being bugged down by any unnecessary material.
GRAMMAR
The only issue I noticed was how some chapters have italics (or what I assume should be italics) marked by asterisks or underscores. I can only presume it’s some sort of carryover from whichever format the text was typed in, but it is a bit jarring. Granted, it did not happen often.
The language itself is well-structured and the grammar looks fine.
CHARACTERS
Oh, the characters. The main ones certainly fit the definition of anti-heroes, and are at times a bit unlikeable. They’re prone to egoism and a degree of narrow-mindedness, but the character development is set up well.
People have disagreements, and some don’t get along, but you get to see them interact as they learn and grow as people. They have some heavy responsibilities on their shoulders and you can see how it affects them as the story goes on.
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Overall: I’m normally not fond of war stories, but this one is fairly palatable. It helps that the focus on characters is fairly strong, and the style is superb, so it’s quite enjoyable.
Inkwell RabbitRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a first impression review. Although I only read the Prologue and the first 4 chapters, I couldn't put this story down. However, the author asked me for my first impression, so here it is.
Style:
The author's voice oozes throughout the fabulous prose. Seriously, from the first paragraph and onwards, you'll be knocked on your ass by the incredibly skillful prose. Every use of word. Every punctuation. Every direction of narration is perfectly put to weave into this fantastic style of writing
My only concern with purple prose is that it tends to slow down the pacing both for a story and action. some people dont mind that, though
Grammar:
Honestly the only thing that I noticed was the word territory with the overuse of "ashes" and "jagged" other than that there was nothing glaring that broke the immersion of reading, id say that's better than most!
Story:
So originally this gave me massive dragon prince vibes, but upon further reading, especially with the setting of a huge span of jagged canyons and crevices and the valuable weaponry taken as prizes to war over, i got the sense of a stormlight archives vibe. Once i remembered the precense of the kaelos being a allpowerful deity...i was definitly getting sanderson vibes from cosmic lonewolf. And come on, if you want any vibes to get when you are reading, its brandon sanderson. Whether that sticks with the other chapters, i dont know, but for the first 5 entries, thats what i got from it
Story structure wise. Im in the royal road minority, the use of multi pov's is welcomed by me, and switching between then in any order chapter by chapter is in no way jarring. i find both main characters interesting for different reason.
Character:
Both main pov's I have met so far are interesting in their own right. Whether it be kael's quest to become strong via magic or Lyanna's quest through power via influence, both are set up in the direction to seek that and eneviably meet up and clash through goal and personality.
Overall:
KingkelzRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Holy f**k !!
How is this not popular yet ??
I don't really know how to give reviews but all I can say is that the novel is very good. From character development to world building to the story line itself, everything was beautifully written.
High fantasy, progressive, immensive.
Nothing feels forced
Highly recommended
Stepan ChizhovRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Talking about orcs, I should probably mention that I'm at the sixth chapter right now, and it is my understanding that there will be more of them a bit later in the story (I hope that's not too much of a spoiler 🤣)
Anyway, I like how relatable and well-shaped the characters are. No matter their race or affiliation. It is really hard to create egoistic, self-centered characters that wouldn't become cringeworthy. Especially when out of their narcissism, these characters start to do stupid things.
And the author succeeded in this task perfectly. It's always a tricky balance, and there definitely are some authors, I'll say no more to not give any names, who can't keep that balance.
But here, I believe the depiction 100%. Even if I may not like what these characters represent. But that may be my childhood trauma speaking.
I loved the introductory chapters. The inner conflict of the characters is relatable. The text is well written. I'm definitely continuing to read that story! And I can't wait to see where the paths of the characters begin to intersect. That should be something!
Thanks for writing, cosmic_lonewolf!
And, yes, more orcs, please! (but no pressure! 🤣)
SupahSeppeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
What a delightful surprise this story has turned out to be! As someone who's grown up devouring classic fantasy novels, I was immediately drawn into this world of dragons, orcs, and complex political machinations.
The way the story handles the different perspectives of the conflict is particularly impressive. It's refreshing to see such nuanced characterization, especially in how the author portrays the supposedly "antagonistic" characters without falling into tired tropes or stereotypes.
Style: The prose flows naturally and keeps you engaged without getting bogged down in unnecessary details. The battle scenes are particularly well-crafted, striking that perfect balance between tactical description and emotional impact.
Story: While we're still in the early stages, the groundwork being laid is fascinating. The multiple POVs might seem challenging at first, but they're handled with skill.
Done well, as it is here, each perspective adds new layers to our understanding of this world and its conflicts.
Grammar: Nothing to comment on here. It's solid.
Characters: This is where the story shines. Each character feels distinct and three-dimensional, with their own motivations and internal conflicts that feel genuine rather than forced. The character development is subtle but effective, especially in showing how their perspectives are shaped by their experiences.
I particularly appreciate how the author handles the dragon elements - they feel both magical and grounded in the world's reality, which is no small feat. Another commenter has said it feels like reading Eragon again for the first time, and I can't argue with that assessment.
Looking forward to seeing how these various plot threads come together. This is definitely a story to watch!
ThisIsFictionRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Pyre Of Gears is a true high fantasy. Dragons galore, Orcs, Humans, Wars.
We begin by being introduced to a conflict that is occurring between humans and orcs and how both sides greatly value Dragon Raiders.
However, this is just one of the introductions. Throughout the first three chapters, we observe the same world and conflict from different points of view.
So far, my favorite is one of the MCs named Kael, who appears a little after the battle and ends up discovering some spoils of war. Not just one dragon egg, but two!
Overall, I felt like I had gone back to being a teenager and was reading a new, different version of Eragon—something even more high fantasy.
Style: I liked the style; it's easy to read and very well described. I quickly understood where I was immersed and the conflict that was happening.
Grammar: Impeccable. I didn't find any problems or challenges in reading.
Story: We're still at the beginning of the conflicts, but it's interesting to see the three different perspectives unfold.
Characters: For now, there are still too few chapters for me to get really attached to any of the characters. However, they are well-developed and distinct from each other.
I would just be careful with the number of characters; as in any good high fantasy book, we are introduced to many of them in a short period of time.