Strange Aeons

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Zed Thorne is a Loser, capital L.

Stagnant and self-loathing, Zed is trapped in a self destructive spiral. One fateful day, Zed is injured on the job and quits. He returns home to escape into a video game, if only to numb himself for the night. However, he awakens in an unfamiliar new world filled with high magic, Lovecraftian secrets, and a system eerily reminiscent of a video game.

Zed is given a set of three quests and sets about completing them... perhaps a bit too easily. Almost as if the world is bending to his will. He meets up with a high priestess who introduces him to the world and the monastic order's way of life.

On planet Jita, he quickly discovers that morality here is just a little bit twisted. Dark is light and heavenly beings have horns, not wings. And... he's supposed to be the hero? His actions soon garner the attention of an enigmatic eldritch horror, and things are about to take a turn.

Strange Aeons – In which immortality does not equal invulnerability.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2021
Author: Anthony and Leisel Volski

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 124
Views: 39,176

Chapters(26 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

Evelyn AdelbergRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Stylistically speaking, this story flows exceptionally well. The action scenes are clear and well spread-out, and there isn't a moment where nothing is going on. However, I did find that at times, even if the characters were doing things (training, eating together, exploring their magical abilities,...) overall there wasn't much in terms general tension, or any immediate or distant threats. That being said, I wouldn’t put this story in the slice of life category, since (as mentioned above), there is a lot of action and a fair bit of fighting.
The other thing that stood out to me in terms of style is the way System windows and notifications were presented. Unlike what RR has gotten us used to, there were no blue boxes or [ ] backets. I think it's a valid stylistic choice, but also a doble edged sword, as these System notifications blend into the narrative quite easily that way.
Now, onto the good stuff.
One of the things I most enjoyed about this story is its protagonist. Unlike so many in this genre, he isn't simply a vessel for some OP vengeance or escapisms fantasy, but a well-intentioned and somewhat incompetent nerdy guy. Very American as well. There's just something about his mannerisms, the way he speaks and certain things he does (coffee (those who know, know)) that makes it so he couldn't be from anywhere else in the world. The other main character is also well written, although I’m not that big of a fan of her archetype (cult fanatic). Chapters from her POV really do help flesh out her motivations and reasons behind her peculiar views of the MC.
Last but not least, the story itself is one as old as whenever it was that the first isekai came out in the west. Our MC has a shite, sad, life, and suddenly finds himself in a world of sword and magic. Good thing his reincarnation pack came with the 'easy mode' booster, as he begins levelling his magic and other (spoilery) stuff. The System mechanics did remind me of the Rune Factory 5 game where literally every sk
SR FauthRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
First off let me just say that my little review contains spoilers. So If you don't want to read spoilers go read the damn fiction. If not, then don't complain.
I read this to its most current chapter before leaving a review. I consumed this like a starving rat ate a wheel of high quality gouda.
With that being said, let us begin:
STYLE SCORE 5/5: The style is gritty, funny, chaotic, and leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat. You never know what is going to happen next, even if you can hazard a guess. I am still waiting for the big betrayal myself.
STORY SCORE 5/5: The story is well written, the pacing is amazing, and the plot flows well. I found myself downing chapter after chapter like it was going out of style. It draws you in, makes you laugh, ticks you off a bit, then slaps you in the face wit a big wet gooey trope or two. Overall its a great read for story alone.
GRAMMAR SCORE 4.5/5: Very, very minor grammatical issues. Some missed punctuation. Absolutely nothing that detracts from the story.
CHARCTER SCORE 5/5: Look, the MC is a bit ditzy hen he starts carving up bitches with a magical flaming garrote wire. Yeah. A Garrote Wire. The authors must be professional assassins or something, cause that is a damn unique weapon to give an MC. And to top it off, its a spell. A magical garrote wire that's on magical fire that can magically carve stuff up.
*throws out review* don't even need this here.
OVERALL SCORE 5/5: I loved it. Everything from the pacing to the MC development is a great ride. Stay tuned cause this is something you definitely want to follow and keep an eye on.
Seriously, if you don't the MC will get you with his magical flaming assassin wire.
Or turn you into a meat puppet.
StrungboundRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I am not too big a fan of isekai stories, they're not usually my cup of tea. But this story caught my eye, for a couple of reasons. Number 1 is the quality of writing. Right as you read the first chapter, you're drawn in by the author's unique style. The sentence construction and stylistic choices of description are better compared to 99% of other works on RoyalRoad. It's a very mature style that's usually not found in serial fiction.
It might be because the author is two people, one who does the ideas and big picture and one who pretties things up.
The next thing I like is the LitRPG system. I quite enjoy the flavor of the system and the names of the skills and progression. One thing I don't like is when a LitRPG swarms you with skills for every concept known to man. Reading, cooking, walking, jumping, running, etc. This strikes a balance between having skill for things like Swagger, which is cool, and not having way too many so that we're inundated with "Running skill is level 5!" every sentence.
For the characters, it's nothing extremely special, but they're still good nonetheless. I enjoy the way Zed and Emi have interacted so far, and the chemistry the author has written between them is believable and interesting.
I recommend and fan of isekai or litrpg check out this story.
JD GLASSCOCKRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
so happy for you, keep going and putting words to page....i have every shred of faith you will footsteps leading to success and fruition.....widh you nothing but blessings and beautiful things.....tight prose and impactful emotives..a literal splash of images painting a myriad of characters in a dip of imagination....people will love it and love you for slipping it into their consciousness.......again best to your road and steps and success
JD Glasscock
cerise fangRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story is exciting the characters are interesting it's well balanced and fast paced excellent world building great and fun characters non stop action and excitement complex world . Makes you wish you got transported to another world a lot of attention to detail great edition to the fantasy rpg genre.you can tell the writers really know there subject matter and care about the story they are telling it is very cinematic and can easily see this as a movie tv series or anime The main character zed is very relatable it's nice bringing our world and that world together I wonder if later in the story they will have him go back to our world or maybe have characters or creatures end up in our world that would be fun
drifter265Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'll be honest, this is not my genre, so I'm not the best to ask for an opinion on these stories. I don't know all the tropes, but I have an idea of what to expect from observing a few, and this one is up there in quality. We're given a fully-formed character in a developed world with a style that bleeds confidence.
Style: This story refuses to bother us with just one sentence description of things. No, we're given the full package. The author doesn't hold back with what they want us to know. We explore both the main character's internal thoughts and external world. It's a perfect blend and doesn't weigh toward one or the other. It's a breath of fresh air between the narratives. Most stories don't possess such expertise.
Grammar: As far as I can tell, there were few errors. However, with such a verbose narrative, it's easy to perhaps slip a comma or puncuation here and there. But the story is engaging enough that you forgive the author for any such possible discrepancies. Most stories here aren't allowed such mercy.
Story: We're thrust into a video-game-like world, popular to the genre (again, I'm new to these stories). There are goblins to fight, many skills to learn, and interesting items to learn about. You trust the author to have even more up their sleeve, given how much is already introduced early on. Despite its one-dimensional storytelling without much for the main character to have their beliefs and story goals tested, there are enough surprising twists at the end of each chapter that leave us wanting more. The author knows what to do with their cliffhangers!
Character: Given how few main characters are introduced and how little they interact with anyone significant until the later stages when the story picks up, the story needs to shine with its characters while on their own. It would be beneficial for our lone hero to explore more of the world with an ally, mentor, or potential love interest, not only for the world to be revealed more intimately but also
AnehaliaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Disclaimer: This story is an isekai with all that being in that genre entails. If you do not like isekais, then maybe this story can change your mind. This review is evaluating the story as an example of it genre and NOT against any other genre (except for docking half a point in story).
As stated in my disclaimer at the start of the review, I try to review stories per the genre they are in, and not against any other standard. I had fun reading this story, and therefore I felt it was a five star story. It includes your typical MC somehow ends up in another world where he is overpowered for the world start that is common to this genre. Where this story excels is the writing. The prose in this story are smooth and include tiny details (without info dumping) that make the story a very visual experience for the reader.
Style Score: The writing is awesome. It sucked me in and lead me along. I enjoyed reading every chapter of this story.
Grammar Score: I did notice anything that made my eyes bleed. Writers can't always have perfect grammar. Therefore this is a 5 out 5.
Story Score: As I mentioned at the beggining, this story has your typical MC transported to fantasy world. The beginning of the story is propped up by the writing quality. Later on, I can see where we have some new interesting things being introduced, and where this story is defining itself. I don't want to say what they are, but I can now say I am hooked on this story for its story and not just for the prose. I did dock half a star on story for the typical start to an isekai, but overall I am enjoying the story and look forward to reading more.
Character Score: The characters are interesting, and I am having fun getting to know them.
MavTechRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall: A highly recommendable read
I found the prologue all the way through chapter 8 were so finely crafted as to be hard to criticize. I tried to be helpful and find things to be constructive, but I was instead sucked into the story. The work is polished, witty, and very much entertaining.
I would love to see the authors publish this story when they are ready. Everyone should give this a few chapters to see that the authors are spinning a great tale.
Grammar: Immaculate
I simply didn't find the kind of mistakes that many writers leave in their posted stories. Free from distractions.
Story: Concisely Descriptive & Witty with classes and MC development.
I wanted to know more about how the MC fit into the new world. The authors kept me engaged and entertained without explaining everything.
Style: Polished and Sharp
The authors are either very seasoned or take painstaking time and detail to form their chapters. I see both some genius and maybe some OCD. I jest in that everything is just really well done and clean.
Character: Entrance and Runway
I reallyed like the MC
SPOILER: MC's entrance in this story is an encounter with a Karen. I love his emotional response. I could feel and relate to the situation. Then the runway for the MC to grow in a world where he has advantages, but as a reader, you are along for the ride.
EndersGamerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really enjoying the story so far. It sometimes rambles a bit but I believe that was due to external issues. The story has great world building, great lore, and an interesting magic dynamic that will be cool to see how all the MC is able to utilize it to the full extent. Possible romantic element that is beginning to develop and lots of various plot lines that are building in the background to show that the story has a long way to go before the author is done with it. Very enjoyable I hope you keep it up and I am glad to hear that you are in better health now.
vorlefanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall: If you enjoy a lot of RPG-style anime and stories, then you know what it's like to watch or read something, which makes you desire to be there. Of course, the world could be chaotic, and dangerous, but tell me, it sparks in you that thing, no? For me, this story did it. This story would create an amazing webcomic.
Grammar: Excellent! In fact, you can use this story to learn and improve your own writing. I recommend it, especially for a non-English writer.
Style: The only missing point here would be the lack of better styling for the system. I'd suggest using a colored table, it'll improve the reading experience.
Story: There is a little bit of info-dumping, but considering the things, it's okay, and even more, info-dumping in a controlled manner, it's good for the story. The best part of this point is that the author remembered bouncing back to the previous life of the MC, creating a more immersive experience. I mean, others I had read before, didn't even bother to do it. In overall, it's a cliche story, nothing new so far. But it's written well and created in the right way, it evokes the feeling of wishing to be in that world, blasting some globins to level up. The interludes are a great addition as well, it kind of reminds me of The Name of the Wind xD.
Character: Zed of course would be my favorite character. He's like every day "nerd" falling into a world like this, i.e, prompting to do justice to the desire of each one that likes RPG. Kind of reminds me of Bartolomeu from One Piece in the sense of his reason to be created xD. And Emi is lovely in her way. Good work here.
Suggestions: Two suggestions. The first is the game called Rogue Galaxy from PS2. The second is the anime called Log Horizon.
Tone: It would be this song here:
'Rogue Galaxy OST Disc 2 - 11 Wandering Way'