Seventeen Seconds to Eternity

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Virillius Augustus, bound by fate, confronts sixteen duels before the war goddess' throne. With each victory comes a vision. But as past and future are weaved as one, as his heart yearns for his beloved, he finds himself entangled in a web of schemes and lies.

This is a standalone prequel toMisadventures Incorporated. No knowledge of the series required.

What to expect:- Gamelit; system exists but works largely in the background- Strong but imperfect MC- Heavily character-focused- Rich worldbuilding and lore with mostly non-human characters- An out of order story that pieces itself together by the end

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: Spicy Space Squid

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 85
Views: 17,434

Chapters(18 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(8)

Yheres D.TRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A journey through the memories of one Virilius Augustus, as well as the soft bellies of some of his world's once biggest monsters.
And what a difficult novel to criticize. All in all, I think it does most everything extremely well.
The setting feels very creative and well realized, from its mythos to its cultures, and the variety of races is much larger than just the cookie cutter batch: Lamias, cervitaurs, talking bunnies, moth people, wasp ogres! Its frankly staggering, amazing, that they all seem so distinct makes the worldbuilding all that more memorable.
And the main character is a non-human too? In fact, all characters shown so far are?! A quick way to my heart, if there's any.
Speaking of characters, I have to start with Virilius. The novel does a solid job at fleshing his character, from his dauntless exterior to his more romantic, cautious, yet resolute interior. Even if he isn't my usual cup of tea, I have to recognize good work when I see it. Other characters are also done well, all unique in their own ways and fun to follow along; on another novel I might complain how little time some of them get, but considering Seventeen Seconds' format they get more than a fair stretch of their muscles, so I won't rag too much.
The way these characters are build might not be for some, anachronistic storytelling generally isn't, but I feel Seventeen Seconds' particular use of anachronism is kind of light, with very explicit delineation between points in time. Now, speaking as somebody who does enjoy the anachronism: I was a big fan of the way the out of order flashbacks are building up to key points in Virilius life, revealing just enough to keep you wondering "how did things end up like this?"
Sometimes, the mess only adds to the taste, you know?
And the Grammar is fine. The prose, too, is very enjoyable.
There is one element I found a bit awkward, but before I speak I need to clarify: I have not read Misadventures Incorporated, and this might not be a problem at all
BT.curioRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Now there are power fantasies and then there is 'Seventeen Seconds to Eternity'.
This journey through the enigmatic trials of a goddess really takes the reader for a spin that is intriguing, bizarre and epic in scope.
For any fan of the hyper fantastical, of worlds beyond high fantasy, this is a thrilling must-read.
Style: The notion that a trillion volts would be seen as insignificant might knock some off their feet, it certainly did me,
yet it perfectly fits the grandiose and imaginative, fantastic and vividly epic world this novel presents.
Unique and colorful, elegant yet brutal when needed, this is a read that does not pull its punches.
Story: Even with the chaotic, dreamy looks into future and past, even when only partly explored, the story tells you what you need to know.
Well thought through, detailed and rich, I never felt like I was missing something.
With just a smidge of info-dumping sprinkled throughout, it could be seen as completely necessary considering just how striking some creatures are both visually and in character.
Grammar: The language is beautiful, stellar and lures you to read further.
Words are noticeably picked by great care, and almost poetic the language aids the story on every level.
While a nip aristocratic (read 'complex') at times, every paragraph flow wonderfully through the page and make for an airy read.
Character: Intricately woven, the barely humanoid creatures inhabiting the realm, carry with them a depth that one would perhaps not expect within the genre.
No matter the amount of legs, wings, horns or otherwise - thoughts, reflections and memories bring with them clear signs of insight and brimming with personality.
I was initially caught off-guard by the angle of this novel, yet even with some confusion I was lured along into the authors mystical universe.
Even as a not so avid reader of the highest fantasy, I find myself baffled at the sheer creativity of the work.
Buckle up and be ready to forget normality, a necessity when
JD HopkinsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is pretty great read that left me feeling like I've missed out on reading the author's previous works. I'm going to at least add those to my 'to read' list as soon as my life affords me the time, because I need to know more about this world.
I'll get to the simple cut and dried stuff at the end, but let me give some huge kudos first.
The composition of this is not only interesting and super hard to pull off, but this author nailed it. I typically don't care for the overuse of flashforwards or flashbacks, but the narrative here hinges on it. I went into this very skeptical after the second chapter, but the writing was so solid and well considered, I thought it was worth reading to see how the author handled it.
Nailed it. I mean, better than I've personally ever seen before.
First, any narrative that relies heavily on flashforwards and flashbacks usually feels disjointed to me, but this was clear and coherent to the point that it becomes something you look forward to when you begin a new chapter.
And the biggest reason it holds up so well underneath the difficulty of pulling it off is due the thematic way the story unfolds. The central plot helps, but even that central plot pivots on these themes. Each chapter, each flash forward or backward, has a smaller theme and life lesson that builds upon the overall theme, lesson, and arc of the story.
It works and builds upon itself so well that it makes you, as a reader, feel more invested and more compelled at the end of each and every chapter.
On top of that, it is all built into a thoroughly thoughtout world that feels as if it should house whimsical tales of friendly adventure, yet is harsh, gritty, and dark. And that probably sounds like it doesn't work, and I'd almost agree with that prior to reading this work. But it does work. The world is well fleshed out and the author leaves you always wanting more.
Grammar is top notch. Sure, you'll catch the odd error here and there, but this is as polished as you could exp
Apollo149Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Seventeen Seconds to Eternity is a mind-bending odyssey through a universe of cosmic proportions. This novel defies genre conventions, blending high fantasy with a unique blend of philosophical and scientific concepts.
Overall!? The story follows a young goddess as she undergoes a series of trials that will determine her fate. Tied by fate, Virillius Augustus faces sixteen duels in front of the throne of the war goddess. Every triumph is accompanied by a vision. However, he becomes involved in a web of lies and machinations as his heart longs for his beloved and past and future are interwoven as one.
Interesting: The author’s vivid imagination brings to life a universe teeming with bizarre and awe-inspiring creatures, each with their own complex motivations and backstories. The writing style is both elegant and powerful, effortlessly weaving together intricate plotlines and philosophical musings. The prose is rich and evocative, transporting the reader to a world that is both familiar and utterly alien.
While the novel may initially seem daunting, the author’s skillful storytelling draws the reader in, page by page. The characters are complex and multifaceted, their struggles and triumphs resonating deeply.
If you’re seeking a truly original and thought-provoking reading experience, Seventeen Seconds to Eternity is a must-read.
Lack of PoochlineRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
What a delightful read Seventeen seconds to eternity has been so far. The only general complaint I have is that seven chapters took way more than seventeen seconds to get through.
The Style is the best thing here. One can notice that this squid makes good use of his ten arms to write. Well, nine arms to write and one to browse salacious lamia pictures for inspiration. It's an extremely rich narration, which could use less description of Violet's fucking scales (But we wont get it because we ride on the head of the snake-laying Virrilius, whose name I wont spell the same twice out of spite for his sexual preference. That's right, i am Anthrophidiophobe, anti-lamiasexual. I am the Homophobic dachshund of snakebedders. It just ain't natural. I am pushing laws to make it illegal for their kind to do anything that includes breathing our valuable oxygen. Including marriage.) and more of the snow. The snow is nice. It doesn't seduce lamias.
I digress.
The narration flows extremely well and rarely has hiccups. The syntactic structure is varied, the sentences wind down pleasantly, the correct words are used in the right places. Then violet appears in scene and we have to witness Virgilio going all cartoon wolf for her. The fact the cervitaur (because the mc is half moose) is built like fucking Johnny bravo doesn't help.
That's it, I ruined the story for myself. I cannot ever imagine Bergoglius as anything but Half-moose Johnny Bravo. Or maybe I improved it hundredfold. Time will tell.
The narration is a non linear deal with a linear framing device: Verrihondus has visited the abode of the goddess of war, a sort of church for this mechanic spiderwoman, and he's advancing through her test: walk up to her through a hall full of undead challengers, which he so far ahs dispatched without major difficulty, as these battles are not narratively important: they last at most a few paragraph, and what matters is what happens once the battles end. When his enemies meet their demise
PowerFoolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I haven't read anything quite like Seventeen Seconds to Eternity, which, for all of its formal experimentation, is eminently readable, brimming with action and atmospheric mystique, and fully displays Spicy Space Squid's experience as an established author--though I haven't read the series to which this may be read as a prequel, it's apparent that this is the work of a thoughtful and practiced writer.
What strikes me most is what a unique and rich world the author has prepared beyond the scope of the released chapters or explicit narrative. This is a deep setting with great breadth and internal consistency, and the author has crafted a powerful vehicle for its exploration and for that of the story's protagonist, Virillius, in a time-bending adventure that integrates broad exploration of the setting into a well-paced narrative. The epigraphs that begin each chapter are not only beautifully crafted vignettes in themselves but serve to further enrich the setting beyond the specific contents of even the wide-ranging narrative.
Stylistically and grammatically, the story shows its author's fastidious care in composition and probably also in outlining beforehand, and I found myself rereading particularly inspired passages throughout. I'll reiterate that it's mildly experimental, in the temporal structure of its plot and the formal employment of epigraphs, without being at all jarring, and this serves to give it a distinctive character that I think will nonetheless satisfy anyone interested in a dark, mysterious, and rich fantasy world with GameLit elements.
I'm interested to see where the story takes Virillius, whose gradual characterization amid extensive description of the world means that readers explore both simultaneously. Much of the sense of mystery the setting has elicited for me has likewise been elicited by the protagonist, which I take to be a good thing at this early stage.
One of the best things I've read on here, frankly, and I look forward to reading more. K
R. C. VettaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I call this Tarantino because of the overall narrative style. The chronology of events in the story bounces around through flashbacks and memories of the main character who is undergoing a series of trials. It reminded me of "reservoir dogs"
This method of slowly revealing more and more information about the character gradually through their memories is truly remarkable. Resulting in an every changing perspective on who the main character actually is and how they got so powerful.
The text lives by the throughly developed main character and their internal monolog with the world being filled in from clues and lore mentioned by said main character.
The author has truly developed a rich world capable of spanning multiple stories with no problem. Having read this I am fascinated by what the main story holds!
Overall the story is an incredibly unique and well produced original high fantasy. If you are looking for a story full of mystery, an expansive world, an overpowered main character, and a narrative that emphasizes action and dialog this story is perfect for you!
I would definitely recommend this to readers of fantasy especially if you are looking for something fresh and unlike anything you've seen before!
Kaiser72Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Reading this as a reader of Misadventure Incorp I'm quite a fan. Being able to see more inside the head of Augustus, and perhaps eventually being able to see why, he does what he does at the start of the other novel is interesting. It also has an interesting style outside of this fact, and there is nothing quite like it (at least that I've seen), I would definitely recommend just giving it a read, at least the first 2 chapters to see if its for you or not.
However, its uniqueness is also one of the main problems I have with it. I just can't see myself particularly caring about the events that came to shape Augustus if I weren't a reader of Misadventures Incorp.
So, I would strongly recommend reading it if you have read Misadventures. However, as a standalone, I think you should probably give the first chapter a shot just to see how much you enjoy it. Overall 5/5 as a misadventures sidestory, 4~4.5/5 as a standalone.