Tale of the last Herald

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

When the people of the land needed Them the most, the Gods went silent

Benjamin awakens malnourished with amnesia. Fragmented memories of lives he could not have possibly lived surface sporadically from his subconscious, yet they do not allude to his identity or his current whereabouts. He soon discovers that his new world,Aetheria, is teeming with horrifying creatures, magic, and unnaturally powerful beings who would sooner snuff out his life than tolerate his existence. Ben must fight to get strongerif he hopes to discover the fate of his people;—or die to the terrors lurking in the shadows.

He grapples with an ancient, enigmatic entity inside him—anAvatarof old—that promises limitless strength or the inevitability of being consumed by it, should he not master the power.

He learns that the ever-expanding sickly, black Scars in the sky are tears in the weave that separate the world from the divine realm and heralds the coming of theBetrayer. Aggravating his situation, a psychotically obsessivePriestessprophesizes that he is theHarbingerof the impending era of conflict.

Will he be the savior that the world needs, or will he be the very doom that seals its fate?

And so begins the Tale of the last Herald.

What to expect:Slow-burn plot, Character-focused (deep supporting cast and slow-growing —relatively speaking—protagonist),Epic Fantasywith elements of mystery and deep lore. Profanity, Violence, and unhinged characters. Innuendos with a splash of crude, dry humor.

What NOT to expect:OP MC, 24/7 Action, Smut, Fluffy story.

3 days a weekMon - Wed - Friat around09:00 JST / 20:00 EST.(2.3k avg. word chapters)

Note:Thanks for swinging by. Tale of the Last Herald started as a project that I've had kicking around in my head for the past few years.It began as a story that I wrote for fun but soon found myself obsessed with.

I'd describe the story as an epic, large-scale fantasy with a protagonist that slowly develops (reluctantly) into an anti-hero over the course of his adventure. There are 'train-wreck-in-slow-motion' moments where the reader will experience the morbid realities of living in a ruthless and unforgiving world. Where misplaced trust or just plain bad luck could lead to death.I aimed for gritty, dirty, and real without being too vulgar (if that's even possible) yet light-hearted and heart-warming at the same time.I'm not sure whether or not I've ticked those boxes appropriately, but I'll do my best to be true to the vision.

There's some light humor sprinkled here and there, and overall, I think it's a pretty good read.Constructive criticism is welcome.

**Increased average word count after chapter 20 to 2.3k.**

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: CoffeeInMyDreams

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 801
Views: 350,243

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

yesblueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I like the character dynamic alot.haven't seen much of the story yet so besides big sword guy and ann, I've only seen how MC interacts with each other character and those interactions alone were already quite interesting.
Despite not reading alot of chapters, I've already been impressed by the quality of this story, I am expecting more adventures as I read more chapters.overall amazing isekai.
RizeruRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let me see. I'll give this a proper go since I've been binging and thoroughly enjoying TOtLH.
I must say, the writing style of TOtLH is truly impressive. Having read only a few fantasy novels, I was pleasantly surprised by how this book managed to evoke a range of emotions in me, while also transporting me to a world that was both new and familiar. The author has done a great job of describing the natural environment, the creatures inhabiting it, the dynamics of magic and power, and the characters themselves. Always leaving the reader pondering what the next chapter holds.
The story is well-written, with a skilled use of language. How refreshing to see that the author takes suggestions from readers, supposing that it aligns with the author's vision.
As I delved into the diverse cast of characters, I found myself experiencing a range of intriguing emotions. Whether it was feeling irritated with the MC or empathizing with a certain sharp-tongued individual, each character was introduced in great detail. As the story progresses, their backgrounds are intricately woven into the narrative, as their fates intertwine with the MC sooner or later.
Side note: I find it baffling how some readers are quick to dole out harsh or hurtful remarks. The authors have put in thousands of hours to share their beautiful stories for everyone to enjoy. I mean, free speech is free, but so are the stories on this site. And the bonus...? you get to choose WHICH tales you invest your time in. Wow, lucky us!
T B CarterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel is something a bit different from your usual Royal Road fare. A proper work of high quality fantasy that's not afraid to do things its own way.
The author has managed to make a group of four diverse characters, all well rounded and all with their separate motivations. The male Main Character manages to convincingly portray weakness and fear without being a useless, annoying idiot.
The other three main female characters have their strengths and weaknesses and, while romance is hinted at, mostly in jest, it is not really at the forethought of anyone's mind. A harem novel this definitely isn't.
Style wise the novel reminds me of the better quality fantasy I devoured in the 1990s and it is not without its shocks and surprises.
The story is well written and definitely has enough grammar in it for me to give it a full five stars. I've seen worse in properly published novels.
As this is an advanced review I've got to waffle on until I hit 200 words. Ummm... did I say this book was brilliant? Well it is.
Does anyone but the author read this far?
Still not reached 200 words. Stop reading this review and go and read the book...
W.Z. LeeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Tales of the Last Herald is a portal fantasy in the traditional sense. Unlike modern isekais, it’s not a competence porn where knowledge of science, technology, economics, etc. somehow make the MC very OP in the fantasy world.
Instead, the MC–let’s call him Ben–has a fractured memory and feels overwhelmed by this new world he finds himself in. In other words, the self-insert, encouraged by a limited 3rd POV, is meant to give readers a sense of tension and bewilderment. So far in the story, Ben is still recovering his health from the “isekai”. But as the “chosen one”, I’m sure he’ll grow and start having more agency.
CoffeeInMyDreams dribbles in the world building, letting us learn of it along with Ben, instead of just doing an infodump. It works well at keeping the suspense high, along with the central questions of what’s going on with all the walking dead and what’s the last herald. The magic system shows a lot of promise, too.
I really like the style of the story, with sarcasm used to really highlight the WTF moments. It’s much better than the “all snark, all the time” that some stories use as a shortcut for a character’s personality. Speaking of WTF moments, the synopsis calls them 'train-wreck-in-slow-motion', but some of these come fairly fast.
The grammar is not bad, with some minor punctuation or awkward phrasing. It does not detract from the story and the author is very fast in performing edits.
The synopsis has trigger warnings. I won’t spoil these, except to say that these darker scenes are realistic and do not seem gratuitous.
BananaDragonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The story follows Ben who suffers from amnesia. After waking up in a mysterious world, he's forced to quickly adapt despite the many mysteries that he brings. This is a fantastic story that was very well done by the author. Not only does the world building feel incredibly realistic, but so do all the characters.
Style: The style was clear, efficient, and detailed all in one. I was able to easily envision everything going on without feeling like the style was dragging; additionally, the author shows a clear talent when it comes to more significant descriptions. There is a clear mastery of prose, and it's displayed obviously throughout the story.
Story: The story is incredibly captivating predominantly because of the mystery involved. There are many things that Ben and us as readers simply do not know. Instead of throwing out a random term, they are simply left blank, as if they cannot be heard or understood. This adds a real air of mystery that encourages me to keep turning the page. Additionally, this society has been incredibly kind to Ben, which may or may not be related to his identity...gotta read to find out :) The story knows when to give and pull back, and it's one that flies by
Grammar: Perfect. No complaints.
Character: The dialogue between Ben, Ann, Jor, and everyone in general is very natural and realistic. I had no issue picturing them as actual characters, and the mix of comedy and more serious moments really adds to the realistic tone. Ben seems intelligent, perceptive, but he is also deeply relatable in how he views the world and the people around him. All in all, this is a compelling piece that I absolutely recommend.
KeeperAbraRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A common trouble for stories is to have irrelevant—and therefore ultimately meaningless—fight scenes.
This one, however, does not have that issue.
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Grammar. No issue.
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Story. The entire world is built on a foundation and history of conflict. The main character, to no one's surprise, is someone who is central to it. The direction of the story is clearly laid out, and there is a suggested destination. There is also enough allowance that even though there's a suggested destination, it's not set in stone that MC will actually go there, nor will he necessarily take the obvious path.
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Style. Lots of people died in the making of this story, and the body count just keeps going up. It's that kind of story where there's always something happening; there have only been a few locations explored so far, and the author essentially squeezes out as much they can out of each location, with so many things happening in each one, before finally moving on.
Like I said, I admire the fact that each fight scene does something other than boom-pow-slash. They don't feel like "violence for the sake of violence," and I hope that when MC gets more powerful, this fact doesn't change.
The only gripe I have is about formatting. I'm not used to such a style of presentation, so it's a little distracting, but not so much.
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Character. This is a weak-to-strong type of story. I don't normally read such types, so I'm not sure how well MC was executed in that regard.
That said, what I really like about this one is that, for the first time, I don't feel annoyed about this MC's
amnesia. I can only guess that it's because his disorientation was handled so smoothly during the first few chapters, that it simply didn't feel out of place; it's not a cheap plot device at all.
All characters feel alive. Their backstories are slowly unraveled as the MC spends more time with them, and they really feel like they have their own agency in the story.
If there's a wee nick in the MC's presentation, t
Lack of PoochlineRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Okay, the title doesn't do justice to what this story is, and the kiss of the cougar is more like a dream encounter with a cute, head eating kitty. But you get what i mean.
So... what's the story about?
Basically, this is more traditional portal fantasy. A guy appears in a beach of a fantasy word while suffering from amnesia, wakes up in a hospital and then, surprisingly, doesn't steal a gun nor goes to visit his sister, where he finds a deck of trumps... wait, that is Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. Let's try again.
Tale of the Last Herald is , as i said, a portal fantasy devoid of the progression elements people are so used to in this platform. While there is a zero to hero narrative element, it doesn't seem to be the focus or that important at all. The current objectives of the protagonist as of chapter 22 are "survive" and "Find more about your people." Only the first one requires any sort of martial prowess to attain so far (as Aetheria is a dangerous land full of magical monsters, including eye-eating roadkill, hillbillies with nuke-swords and garden-variety undead.) . There is some training with a sword and talk about how to control the "Avatars" (part of the magic system, people have edgy spirits inside them that require to embody an ideal) but it takes a backseat to the discovery of the setting and characters.
Now, let's go over each category:
Style: I like it, it flows well. The environments and battles are adequately described. I think choosing third limited instead of first person was the right choice, because i find Benjamin's (the protagonist) thoughts insufferable sometimes. His dialogue is fine but being inside his head has been forbidden by several international treaties, as it is considered torture.
Grammar: not much to say, a few typos and extra commas here and there, a stray odd sentence. Nothing major to point out.
Story: At the 35k words mark we have the seeds planted and a few motivations for each character, plus a few things i won
M.H. KadifichiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Author has done a great job. The quality of writing is to a really high standard so definitely recommend this!
The style was great, the writing flowed, and there was no jarring use of words. It was easy to keep reading! The paragraphs were well structured. The Dialogue felt natural and each character had a distinct voice. Not easy to accomplish by any means, but expertly done here.
The story starts strong, Ben wakes up in a whole new world with no memories. As we see this world through his eyes we learn more about him, and his internal struggles. There is an element of depth to the story, that doesn't just take you to the destination but rather takes you on a journey.
The grammar was impeccable, nothing detracted from the reading.
I've already touched upon this slightly as it intertwines with the style of the series, but I wanted to add that the other supporting characters were really well done too! They add to the story and that's what you want from a supporting cast!
Overall, all these elements create a strong start to the series, I'm honestly surprised that not more people are on this series! so for all those contemplating whether to give it a read or not, you definitely should!
CT JohnsonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
So right at the beginning cast and characters are introduced in a way that paints a clear picture of how the interpersonal relationships of the roster plays out. Each character has a unique trait that brings life to the story immediately.
The setting is vague and bleak but in a way that lets your mind paint a picture which seems thematic of how the story is going to play out which is a creative use of the readers own imagination. But still excited to watch as the world continues to grow.
The thing that I personally liked the least is the sexually related content and repeated genitalia based innuendo. It is quite prevalent, but also because of the setting it's acceptable. As someone who has spent time in a military camp, I can fully appreciate this for what it's worth.
The fact the thing I like the least is more for personal taste. I have seen a lot of authors use it as a crutch for their stories or it carries all the way through and I start to wonder if in certain situations it's called for. Like "right time and place" for it.
I feel like when done right ,like sprinkling it over what happens, it can add flavor, but if it seems too direct it could potentially overwhelm the taste buds, making it harder to see the story underneath. But it in this case it hasn't started to detract from the story. It's just something that's not as much up my alley.
I'm still looking forward to continuing to read it and see where it goes!
Phil_SydneyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story is very well written, with a plot that is developing in complexity. The characters are interesting and sympathetic.
I started a couple of days ago and have caught up at Chapter 47. Couldn't stop reading :-). I'm looking forward to further chapters as they are published.
The author is responsive to feedback and corrects grammatical and spelling mistakes straight away, so new readers have the best experience.