Terra Flexibilis

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Following the likes of a catastrophe previously unseen before in Flexibilis, Olly Briggs finds himself thrust down an unexpected path in life. Gaining admission to the coveted Elite Academy of Higher Principles, where magic meets science, had never been within his realm of possibility. Still, unexpected developments suddenly turn this uncertain dream into a forced reality. Unseen ambitions and motives collide in a tenuous political landscape and he finds himself at the center of events that have implications for the world at large… and beyond.

Winner of the November 2023 Royal Road Writathon challenge.

This story features characters who identify as LGBTQ+ and is LGBTQ+ friendly.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: LAScott

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 173
Views: 44,518

What readers say about Terra Flexibilis

“Now that it looks like daily chapters are over and we are dropping into the main plot; I think it is time for a review. Terra Flexibilus so far revolves around three main characters, all of whom are immediately interesting and eminently believable. This is…”
AesahattrRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This was an interesting story from the get-go and grabbed my attention. Style: Fairly smooth. This is a style that, with a little more polishing, would make you forget you’re reading and really get totally immersed in the story. Even with that, I would give…”
BattleSteelTrueRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

AesahattrRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Now that it looks like daily chapters are over and we are dropping into the main plot; I think it is time for a review.
Terra Flexibilus so far revolves around three main characters, all of whom are immediately interesting and eminently believable. This is the story's strongest aspect with character dialogue and relationships feeling real. We do not know the motivations or histories of some of our characters but we have been drip-fed information through the chapters. This makes for a great hook and a very natural development.
This story itself is very well written and flows smoothly. We do not get hung up on inane details for paragraphs on end while also taking some time to inspect pertinent details that help define the setting. The one comment is that between chapters there is sometimes a time skip (a day, a week, a month) that takes a minute or two to figure out. But that is never serious. After re-reading the updated prologue chapter I am even more enthralled with the idea of "tunnels".
The grammar and style are quite good. There is an appropriate amount of writing dedicated to plot, setting, and character development without one getting pushed aside. I found almost no issues with grammar or spelling and none that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. One comment that I will direct to the author, in direct contrast with another reviewer who said there were not enough commas, was that there were some cases of too many commas creating a run-on sentence. While this can often be used for dramatic effect, I felt that this was not the case here.
All in all, this is a very fun read with an interesting premise, fantastic characters, and a story that keeps you hooked.
BattleSteelTrueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This was an interesting story from the get-go and grabbed my attention.
Style: Fairly smooth. This is a style that, with a little more polishing, would make you forget you’re reading and really get totally immersed in the story. Even with that, I would give it a solid five stars. It’s hard to have a perfectly polished story without a beta reader or editor, and in my opinion this is one of the closest I’ve read in a while.
Story: This story definitely has an interesting premise. There is some info dumping in several of the chapters, which I would have preferred to have seen delivered in a more organic way. POV switches often at first, but the switch is always clear and didn’t leave me confused with what was going on. The story also takes time to develop, but there are promises of a potentially quicker pace in future chapters. Even so, I wouldn’t let that deter someone from giving this story a try.
Grammar: Some issues here and there, but overall is very clean. There weren’t any glaring mistakes and the mistakes that were there were fairly infrequent.
Characters: Sketched well. Each felt distinct and like they had their own unique reactions to situations and personalities that were integrated into the story in what felt like natural ways. There’s a nice combination of different types of people with clearly different priorities and goals, which comes out in a fairly organic way throughout the story.
I would definitely recommend trying out this story!
FeynixRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The premise of this story is incredible. I love how masterfully the worldbuilding is done and the care and love the Author has put into it truly shines on the paper.
I was a little bit confused when I first started. This isn't a bad thing though, because it sets the story up nicely. At first, we get to see some pieces of the world, then the scene shifts and we see whole different pieces. At first I was wondering if I missed something and then I continued and got to see everything knit together. It was like one of those movies where you start with so many questions and the director masterfully answers them within the movie as you make your way through. And as you discover the answers you nod to yourself and think "ahh clever, you had me there"
The worldbuilding is awesome. I know I mentioned it once and I need to mention it again because it sets the stage for the characters to thrive.
I love the prose. I find it hard to get into overly flowery prose and I think the way this is crafted makes it such an easy read. It's a page turner for sure.
DON'T SKIP THE PROLOGUE. Do...not...skip.
The grammar is really good. There were a few minor typos and inconsistencies, which I will provide suggestions for in the comments, but everything is incredibly well done.
I will be following this for sure and I am excited to see how everything turns out.
LifeWisherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Terra Flexibilis is a slow-burn that doesn’t feel like one, because a lot is happening, despite the lack of action for the first ten or so chapters.
The world as much as I have seen of it up to the chapter of this review is very well-thought-out and unique. I would be surprised if the author doesn’t have a binder worth of worldbuilding prepared for this story.
The prologue itself was something that few first chapters of amateur novels have done throughout my career as a reader – it left me confused, but not in the way that makes you go, ‘Ah, this doesn’t make sense.’ It left me confused in a way that makes the parts of the brain that want to learn more tingle with anticipation for the knowledge that can only be acquired by reading further. I have to commend the author for that. It is an achievement in itself.
And the story continues being good from there as we are served a plate of interesting characters with their flaws, strengths, and uniqueness. My favorite is the relationship between Eli and Olly, which feels organic and natural, and has its own different ups and downs. Don’t even get me started on them as individuals. Great work.
Then there’s Tarry, the mayor, who (without spoiling) is suddenly given depth that surprised me and even caught me a bit off guard after I didn't particularly enjoy his POV at the start. It is hard talking about it without giving anything off; I generally don’t discuss the plot in reviews.
The only small nitpick I will allow myself is that there have been a few paragraphs of info-dumping that have felt a bit heavier compared to everything else. The setting and story are too interesting to skip through them, though.
I can type more but this got too long. Do yourself a favor and give Terra Flexibilis a try.
The Wild WitchRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is an amazing original story in a world not yet done to oblivion. The whole set up with the tunnels, the politics, social conflicts, the coming of age of Olly, it all fits together well. The blending of science and magic is often awkward, not so here.
There are a few issues with the flow of the story here and there, like when Olly wakes up in the hospital after his aptitude test, and then the story jumps ahead, but it does not happen too often.
I'll keep reading but I thought it high time to leave a review. I am very curious as to where the story is going.
VyarkXRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
[Edited at chapter 35]
Terra Flexibilis tells a story of magic and science, identity and purpose. It follows the story of Olly Briggs, caught in the middle of an unprecedented crisis following the collapse of a "tunnel". Filled with mystery and conflict, the story twists and turns as Olly struggles to come to terms with his newfound magic, and to get to the bottom of whatever powers act behind the scenes.
The writing overall flows very well. There are vibrant and poetic descriptions, compelling action, and lively dialogue, all of which read very smoothly. Character dialogues are natural, and the balance between exposition and dialogue is always done well. I must say I loved reading the almost flamboyant descriptions of the world, and will (possibly) be copying some of the techniques and words for my own stories :)
The characters are a major strong point in this story. Characters have their own unique voice and mannerisms, their own challenges and goals, and their own "history". Though the story switches between many perspectives, it does so in an un-confusing and intriguing way, working to give more life to characters while revealing more mystery.
The story so far has been great. It has a simple primary plot (Olly at the academy), but an intricate network of subplots and mystery, all helping to drive the story forward without a moment of boredom. The reveal of a small plot point only marks the beginning of an even larger one. Everything seems to be linked to something else, each small detail contributing to part of a grander idea; an overarching mystery of the world that keeps the reader hooked.
Lastly, I found only slight inconsistencies in the otherwise flawless grammar, just the occasional typo here and there. Though I'm not a grammar expert, so small mistakes (especially with semi-colons and stuff) might have gone unnoticed.
Definitely worth a read!
VioletMoonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this so far and am looking forward to seeing more chapters!
I gave the style felt that although it flowed smoothly most of the time, there were a few hiccups were the writing felt awkward. It wasn't incredibly distracting, just enough to warrant a slight eyebrow raise for a second as I figured out what was going on.
Grammar definitely took the biggest hit, there were just a lot of areas that were missing commas or semicolons. Pretty easy fix on a second draft through though! Nothing to warrant serious concern or detract from the story.
I gave story four stars because I wanted just a bit more. I know your story is a slow burn, and I imagine everything is going to make more sense a bit later, but there just wasn't enough right away to get me incredibly invested in the story. I would suggest maybe slightly more background on Olly, or maybe give him some more definitive goals and dreams? It's hard to put my finger on exactly what's keeping it from catching my attention right away.
Characters got five out of five because in general, they felt quite real. I'm sold on the exhausted mayor, cool uncle, and lost teenager. Good job on this part, seriously.
I look forward to reading more!
Ink & TomeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Disclaimer: this review is based off of everything I have read so far, up through the end of Chapter 10. Do with that information as you will.
Terra Flexibilis feels like a fresh, truly unique fic for Royal Road. While it's not perfect, its flaws are so minor as to be almost... ignorable? Maybe you'll get what I mean in a moment, as I begin to break things down.
Style: This is a fic wherein I truly believe the author's writing style plays an important part in the reader's enjoyment; in this case, it was a massive reason why I thoroughly enjoyed the read. For whatever reason, the style feels like a perfect fit for the story the author is trying to tell. The pacing is just right, and the chapters are structured in a way that pulls the reader in without repeatedly walking us into a wall as some writers are apt to do. Simply put, it's written well and fully engages the reader from a purely stylistic perspective.
Story: This is where a lot of the unique flavoring of Terra Flexibilis comes in. I feel like the story is truly something fresh in comparison to a lot of other fiction released here, a fact that resulted in my rapt attention where, with stories that either don't interest me as much or remind me too much of other things I've been reading, other fictions can sometimes lost my attention, forcing me to pause in my reading to take breaks rather than sucking me into the 'binge state.'
That doesn't mean things were perfect, of course. Namely, my one real problem with the story as I was reading was that it felt like things were moving fairly slowly. Now that wasn't the case for my entire read, but it WAS often enough that I felt a need to mention it here and mark down the story rating a little bit as a result.
Grammar: This fic is super clean technically, with little to no tech-based issues to disrupt the reading experience. Not much else to say here, full marks!
Character: For the most part, I really enjoy our cast of characters. Our supporting cast is strong and helps
shallrenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
"Science is just explained magic." ~me (or maybe Marvel...I prefer me, instead)
This is my favorite quote. So much so, that I'm always tempted to add sci-fi to my story...but this isn't about me. This is about:
Terra Flexibilis, The Punchers of Wormholes!
(I added that last bit, it's just Terra Flexibilis)...it's like Flexible Earth, or something? People punch through spacetime to connect different places of the world(?) and/or space, resulting in a vast setting where we (as readers) can literally enjoy drastic changes in the environment by simply passing through a magical wormhole tunnel.
So, the tl;dr before everything else:
If you're into explained magic, hard magic, magical science, or scientific magic, wtvr term you use, you need to get in here. Enjoy the slow burn then reap the rewards.
Now, the breakdown:
Style - There are evidences that the author is yet to perfect their style. This is actually a good thing since the story is already well-crafted and is only bound to get better as both the story and the writer mature and reach ever closer to perfection.
There's also this weird debate about a multi-POV story indicating whose POV we're in at the start of the chapter/section. I'm personally fine with either having it there or not, really, it's not a turn-off. In fact, it makes it easier to follow a story. I should also add that a lot of successful books do add the character POV in the beginning of their chapter/section. So, I'm glad that our author is adamant in keeping this style. Not all advice are gospel or should be followed without question.
Grammar - This is actually pretty weird. There are a bunch of noticeable flaws (to the scrutinizing eye) during the early chapters, but they gradually lessen as the chapters continue. Maybe our good friend, LAScott, here just caught a wave somewhere down the line.
Story - Our story is mysterious with a straightforward premise. A (magical) system that has existed long enough to literally change the way people live sudde
the_Enn_GeeRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Style: There is nothing to complain about except for a significant lack of evocative language or descriptions of surroundings. Knowing where the current action is taking place is largely impossible. The author takes very long paragraphs to explain things rather than showing or telling through dialogue, even when the opportunity is there. Jumps in location and time are sudden and not explained.
Story: Very little is happening, but it isn’t boring. Things move at a leisurely pace and not too fast. None of the plot details seem contrived or overly fortuitous on the character’s behalf. The world is interesting to see, sadly, the style shows or tells very little of what it actually looks like. It seems to make sense for the most part and shows some similarities to what one knows, but isn’t typical or cliché in the least. It’s hard what to imagine, so I imagined late Victorian feeling, maybe later, based on what I've seen so far.
Grammar: The language is mostly spotless with only a few errors, pertaining to tense usage. The author’s vocabulary is large and is drawn on in some instances too much when simpler, more accessible words would have done, especially in regards to the many adjectives used. The made-up names are interesting and not too contrived.
Character: The characters are easy enough to oversee and act expectedly. There is little characterisation going on outside of what we are explicitly told by the narrator. None of them seem overbearing to read of or about, so there is no fatigue. The dialogue flows somewhat naturally for most but sometimes seems to serve too much of a purpose.
Overall: A nice story so far (the first 10k words) and worth a look just to see what the world is like.