Runt of the Litter - Tales from Alirast

Information

Status

Completed

Year

2023

Author

RegalKain

• Chapter 12 Victory?
  Apr 10, 2023
• Chapter 11 Battle!
  Apr 8, 2023
• Chapter 10 Warband
  Apr 7, 2023
• Chapter 9 Naptime
  Apr 6, 2023
• Chapter 8 A Weapon of my Own
  Apr 5, 2023
• Chapter 7 Information Overload
  Apr 3, 2023
• Chapter 6 Purpose Obtained!
  Mar 31, 2023
• Chapter 5 Permission Slip
  Mar 27, 2023
• Chapter 4 Cathartic
  Mar 24, 2023
• Chapter 3 Breakfast
  Mar 20, 2023
• Chapter 2 A New Enemy?
  Mar 20, 2023
• Chapter 1 Orc-ish
  Mar 20, 2023
• Prologue - Cataclysm
  Mar 20, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(5)

• AxionnRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  I just binged this and it quickly became one of my favorites. I would explain in great detail what makes this story so good but hate to spoil anything so I'll be a bit vague. The plot is well paced and focused but doesn't shy away from the occasional downtimes to develop interpersonal relationships. Said relationships are really touching and believable since every character is fleshed out and have lives outside of Trillia's view. The mc has realistic emotions for the kind of shit she goes through and is allowed to actually express them instead of being a joking sociopath like in other litrpg stories. The only real complaints I could have is that the [System] mechanics can be a bit inconsistent if you're nitpicky like me but thats a problem with all litrpgs and so I don't count it.
• CeruboisRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  I originally meant to review this as it reached ~chapter 15 or so, to give it a chance to warm up and get going. I was hooked from the start, with an excellent introduction to the world, and a cosmic mystery to explore. There were some small grammar and style blips here and there, but I could see the author improve not by the month or week, but by the chapter, which is nearly daily. An incredible feat.
  Since then, I've been asking questions, such as:
  - "Hm, I wonder where it'll go from here with this new development?", or
  - "Are you going to kill that character? You better not!", and
  - "Wait, I'm already at chapter 50?"
  There's a certain magic to this story that keeps me on my toes as its direction changes with the world itself. A chaotic mess that keeps presenting new obstacles and goals for the characters and tests their resolve constantly. Trillia gives us the perspective of a child forced to grow up far too soon, how she handles her trauma, and how the world moves on despite it all. Luckily, she has a community of orcs and friends more wholesome than a Ghibli movie.
  When it comes to a story's pacing and narrative, there's a fine balance to be struck. Runt of the Litter just barely manages that, with some small side-tracks that feel odd at times but have the purpose of fleshing out characters and their motivations. A compromise I'll happily accept.
  All in all, this story is far above average and feels so alive. I look forward to the future of it.
• Scrapheap class NHPRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  A little off-the-path of standard LITRPG, close enough to feel familiar but far enough to feel distinct.
  Details and unique qualities are very rarely simply there for more detail, as each of those aspects tends to have a reason, purpose, or consequence to them. There is nuance to the world that can be hard to find elsewhere.
  You can tell that these are people. There are goals, ambitious and otherwise. There are secrets, surprises, character faults. Sometimes people are just wrong, but in a way that feels real.
  The story pacing is rather fluid so far as well, in my opinion, with the majority of 'side-quests' (not actually called that, but I'm using the term) furthering either the plot or characters involved.
  Grammar is nearly spot on, with a healthy blend of simple and complex words as well as sentence lengths to keep you engaged. It's very rare to be confused on who is speaking, what they are speaking about, or where they are. Descriptions are effecient, drawn out only when they make an impression on our main character.
  I dropped half a point due to two things. The first is that in the beginning 10-20 chapters or so, the point of view encompasses too broad and we learn the emotions of people we otherwise shouldn't. Things like exactly how a father reacts emotionally to words and some of his mental thoughts around it, when he isn't exactly a part of our 'main band'.
  The second reason is that 'main band' thing. Though I know it is due to the story needing to move forward and people having our lives, important side characters often get dropped at the end of an 'arc' to go and do their own thing, though to counter this they do tend to get spoken about by others when it comes to how they are moving through their life. There isn't really a fix to this and it's mostly just a personal opinion, which is why between the two I only ticked half a star.
  TL;DR - Very good li'l story that stays true to the blurb and does it well. I hope it gets the attention it deserves soon.
• Rexiboi93Royal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  Grammar and punctuation. Periods are sentence enders, not sentence pausers. There are many times where the wrong phrasing is used, or the wording is confusing. But, as I said, punctuation—mainly periods and commas—is the biggest issue.
  The story at this point is intriguing. It's definitely unique in the setting, but not so much in its execution. Still, exceedingly enjoyable so far.
• WatcherGrimmRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 4.0

  Overall a promising start for a new story that has potential to cover a lot of ground with what seem to be fairly interesting characters and a growing plot.  System is....balanced.  Heavy sytem but used sparingly as it were so it doesn't bog down the story.
  Style:  In my opinion the weakest point because the author seems rather new but does stick to a defined viewpoint, doesn't seem to go on tangents for excessive details, and in general has a fairly clear and concise writing style.  Will likely improve as they get comfortable in the setting or just writing in general.
  Story:  Lots to potentially see here but for now we have a primary line following the MC as they grow up in a brutal world and seek to belong with their kin and loved ones with a over-arching story line of world cataclysm that will need action from MC and others to survive let alone triumph against.  Not a slow burn story it seems but certainly going to be a longer read.  Enjoying how the author keeps these story lines interwoven.
  Grammar:  Given how often my own writing is more akin to warcrimes than writing I can't judge harshly here but so far editing has looked very solid with very few errors and sentences that tend to read well.  Any minor mistakes that slip through that I have noticed are fixed relatively soon after so author clearly does some extra checking or responds well to mistakes that are pointed out and fixes them quickly.
  Character:  So far not a large list of major actors but each is a clearly defined character, effort is placed into defining both who they are and what they do, and for a few the details are really good.  They could use some more work for shaping motivations and preferences for character depth but it is still very early and so far have greatly enjoyed the ups and downs already shown and how characters react/handle these things.
  TLDR:  It's not terrible give it a dozen chapters and you will probably keep reading.  Promising start to a story that looks to be gearing up fo