Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A shattering sound echoed out over the valley, but just as Young Master Providence’s mind realized that the sound was more along the lines of an ethereal mirror cracking rather than the sundering of the earth and stone, it was too late. Through the remnants of the spectacular special attack strode his opponent. Before the fog lifted from his mind, the trash- “His name was Kite something” -had stepped up to him, grabbed the voluminous front of his robe and struck his face with a gauntleted fist. Once-twice-thrice in quick succession. As the world blurred, he felt himself falling as his dazed mind wandered idly where the halberd had disappeared to. In the far reaches of the Autumn Lands, a young man named Kite takes his first steps on a journey into a wider world. Riding the winds of freedom, he searches for a path to call his own and the strength to take it to the heavens and beyond. Growing through the bonds he forge and tempered by the trials he endure, it will be up to him to find his place in a world where individual power is the ultimate measure of a person. Because there are monsters lurking the frontier lands, many even bearing the masks of men. The story takes place on Pallimustus, the alternate world from He Who Fights With Monsters, an original story written by Shirtaloon. While the characters, most of the locations and cultural aspects are fan-created along with the story, there are many references to the parts of the world and phenomena presented in the original work. What to expect from this story: - An original story within an established setting, from the perspective of a native of Pallimustus - A xianxia-inspired setting and local culture (With emphasis on inspired, as it still takes place in the setting of He Who Fights With Monsters) - A coming-of-age story - More essences and powers. (Some liberties have been taken in inventing or adding new ones, but I have tried keeping them in lines with the resources of the official Discord server) What to not expect from this story: - The wider cosmos - A loner MC only focusing on personal power -Harems (given the inspiration for the setting, I felt that this should be specified.) - Appearances of the cast of the original story (Details from the setting are referenced, but the story is imagined to take place a few decades before book one)

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Fivefold Hummingbird

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 882
Views: 881,042

What readers say about Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

“I have been reading this for the last 4 weeks and I have truly fallen in love. I have been reading HWFWM since book one first released and followed on RR since. When I started this I thought it could be a fun read but probably not something I would love as…”
Jayson BenedictRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“The author has taken the world of HWFWM, and made it their own. This is a cultivation story, with the merest touch of litrpg, that uses the original for its system and geography, and give a completely different kind of story.Our hero, Kite, is a delightfull…”
AdjRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

Jayson BenedictRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have been reading this for the last 4 weeks and I have truly fallen in love. I have been reading HWFWM since book one first released and followed on RR since. When I started this I thought it could be a fun read but probably not something I would love as much as the original and I really truly love this story. I feel like the storyline and the character development are so good and make story come to life. Where the whole story is set within such a known world, there is a risk of the story work feeling very derivative or like it isn’t truly original. But, I have never felt that way. The story is so fresh and the setting is so different with lower stakes (more country is at risk less world/universe is at risk). The progression through the ranks feels good and reasonable with the pacing of each arc and story feels right. I also love that even at the higher ranks it’s feels like he is progressing and improving. The story has great sect story with good vibes from all involved. There is a lot of loving family and just good vibes. I would highly recommend this to anyone, regardless of if you have read the original he who fights with monsters or not!
AdjRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The author has taken the world of HWFWM, and made it their own. This is a cultivation story, with the merest touch of litrpg, that uses the original for its system and geography, and give a completely different kind of story.Our hero, Kite, is a delightfully earnest young man, an orphan 'outcast' in a land dominated by prideful sects. The story, now thousands of pages long, charts his growth from the time he first awakens his powers. He grows alongside a steady cast, fighting eeeevvvviiiillll. It's really fun.This is an accomplished fiction. There are some grammatical errors, mostly missing words. They are easy to overlook when the other elements - characterisation, plot, setting, etc - are so strong.I found this fic by scrolling the top rated list, and hopefully this review will help bump it up a little higher, and get it the audience it deserves!
Akura GreedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
If you were a fan of He Who Fights With Monsters but fell off because it strayed from power progression to a bit too obnoxious monologues and moral grandstanding, this is for you. I still enjoy HWFWM, but what I originally liked the story for was the power system and adventures. In this series, Kite delves more into the power system and what stone combinations are possible similar to the first few books of HWFWM while also having great character development. I've always been a fan of Xianxia like A Thousand Li where you get the "dao" contemplation and how small actions and his abilities combine to make a path. It avoids the more cheesy/unrealistic attitudes in many Xianxia and gives even the obnoxious young masters realistic motivations to why they act the way they do. Even when it gets into the slice of life chapters that are necessary but less fun, I'm engaged in the story and genuinely care about the side characters and their interactions without the MC. In the end, this series has great character development, power progress, power explanation, and shows the reader the path the story will walk and follows through on characters motivations. One of the few series I read as the chapters release, highly recommend.
CelesteRaynRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am an avid fan of the HWFWM series and love the world that it is built around. This story may not be cannon, but I love the new perspective that it gives to Jason's story. There are new power combinations and new monsters to fight, with a main character that is likable and real. I am excited to read more!
Dracansi_tufaniluxRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is beautifully written and the characters are amazing. The powers works well together and you can tell that a lot of time was spent ensuring that the power sets are synergistic and make sense in there usage. The MC is a breath of fresh air and I really enjoy following his story.
ApexBirbRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The short:
IMHO, read this if you:
- Liked the world/system of He Who Fights with Monsters and want more
- Want more adventuring stuff in that world.
- (Added) Want a lot of it. This story is long now.
Don't read if you:
- Dislike good-guy MC's
- Expect a MC like Jason Asano
- Want the MC to be a hyper DPS.
The longer:
Stumbled onto this, tried it and was a bit doubtful at the beginning. But I'm glad I stuck with it. You can tell that the author is new.
Story: A new story in a familiar world. A bit like experiencing it again like the beginning of the first book of the original. Starts of slow and a bit slice-of-life, then finds its stride. Mostly character-driven, with overall plot sneaking into it as the time goes. I like the xianxia-vibe, even though its only cultural. Would hope that the author rewrites the first arc at some point, as it deserves a bit better pacing. But I found myself enjoying the adventure-focused plot. Smaller stakes are nice. And time actually passes.
Style: Like the xianxia style, with sects etc as a local alternatives to guilds. A bit of a cultural focus is also interesting. Struggles a bit with show vs. tell in the beginning, but it gets better. More and more dialogue as things progress. THey're a bit stilted at the start, but gets better too. Only minor changes of POV, which often adds to the story/scene, so I'd call that one of its strengths.
Characters: They are just that; characters. Simple, but fun. A bit more mature than late teenagers growing up should be, but decent. They aren't too complex or angsty. I like the MC as he is very reasonable and introspective. Thoughtful good guy is nice, as I'm a bit tired of the anti-heroes. There has been character growth, so I just hope it keeps the current trend. The supporting characters are nice and have their own things to do.
Grammar: No major mistakes as far as I could see, but I saw comments with corrections. Author is non-native english speaker, but I haven't seen any major mistakes. Seem
BowlOfRiceRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Fivefold Humming bird has created a unique addition to the HWFWM world--a setting and culture heavily inspired by cultivation fantasies seamlessly blended with the essence-magic of the source material.
The protagonist, Kite, is unique in that he is not from Earth, but rather a native of the nation fivefold has created. His personality is also rarely found in fiction--earnest and deeply introspective. Fivefold has crafted a unique fighting style for Kite--not a necromancer, not a druid, and not a swordmaster.
I had to stop to write my appreciation, but I'll definitely continue reading more.
GaiaOctaviaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is my favourite story on royal road, in some ways more than the original HWFWM. I am a massive fan of Xianxia, and of HWFWM, so had high hopes for this, but even so they were exceeded, the author mixes two wonderful things and somehow creates something more than the sum of the parts.
The setting within Pallimustus works wonderfully because it is a part of the world that is never explored in HWFWM, but feels entirely believable to the internal logic of the world, like somewhere that very easily could exist. And then it ingeniously uses the established magical and social systems of Pallimustus to provide a perfectly realistic explanation for why a typical Xianxia-type society might evolve naturally, and why all the strange cliches of arrogant young masters and sects make perfect sense in that context.
Style: It is absolutely beautifully written, with prose that will often describe things in a really poetically evocative way, but without being flowery or overblown. The use of alternative POVs is sparing but really nicely done to provide necessary context. I especially enjoy the timeskips, which in some stories are when I lose interest, but here they are accompanied by lovely little vignettes showing the time passing and are some of the best bits.
Characters: The greatest strength of the story is the characters, who are vivid, distinct individuals, who don't exist merely to serve the story, or to fill a role for the MC, but all feel as if they have their own stories and arcs of their own.
Story: Stepping into an existing world like Pallimustus, with Jason operating on a galactic scale so quickly it could be tempting to do the same, but a great strength is having the restraint to show a story operating on a smaller scale. Not to say there aren't stakes and drama, there very much is, but it feels more local and somewhat more personal. While there is lots of action and villains, the focus always return to the bonds between the characters and the importance of those re
JRizzaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a fun book- set in a world imagined by someone else, but bringing a surprisingly original approach. The characters are interesting, original, and my favorite- internally consistent. They don’t remind me of characters from the original book, which is a good thing. The setting stays consistent with the rules of the original world but the author’s choices about the setting are interesting and allow for space for new things to happen. It’s not perfect, no book is, but it’s damn solid and provides a fresh look at a world that many of us fell in love with in its original form that’s true to the spirit but still finds a way to feel new. I can’t wait to learn what Kite and crew do next.
LingeringLurkerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall, Rising Kite is an amazing story that takes inspiration from HWFWM, but uses that inspiration to tell it's own unique story.
Style: The Autumn Lands, and the kingdom it is part of, are steeped in character and personality. Sure it takes some cues from Xianxia tropes and other chinese literature, but that isn't a mark against it. The unique perspective serves as an excellent contrast to other parts of the world.
In regards to powers, the 'Blue box' callbacks to HWFWM might not be something that the characters within the story see, but they do an excellent job of conveying information to the reader, and contrasting with the intuitive knowledge that Kite gains of his own powers and abilities.
Characters: This I think is where Rising Kite shines most. All characters, even side characters have their own complex motivations and voices. Hummingbird also does an amazing job of keeping all characters consistent, while also leaving room for character growth.
Story: Kite's story, and the stories of the characters around him, are heavily intertwined with the world and culture around them, as good character driven stories should. It can be just as interesting at times to see how the world shapes the characters we are more familiar with, as how they shape the world.
Grammar: I haven't noticed any grammatical errors personally, which is certainly an excellent compliment when taking into account the wonderfully descriptive prose Hummingbird uses to describe the world and the characters that fill it.
Overall: Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM, is a fiction I would wholeheartedly recommend to all fans of HWFWM, and even to those who have never read the original work but enjoy the LitRPG and fantasy genre.