The Ashwalker

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A sheltered flame does not grow. Peace and stability are commendable goals to strive for, yet humanity has only ever grown by overcoming adversity. None embody this trait better than mages. Born with the burden of magic, they are driven to pursue ever-greater heights of power as their blood demands it. Some falter and abandon the difficult path, resigning themselves to mediocrity and obscurity. Others dash madly along it with no disregard for the harm they cause themselves or others, and often find themselves stepping into Hell before long. Straddling the line between these extremes is a delicate balance, though not necessarily the best option. There are as many paths to ultimate power as there are wizards, and one particular practitioner leaves naught but dust and cinders in their wake.

A sheltered flame does not grow, and none are as ravenous or insatiable as an ash mage.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: Exterminatus

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 632
Views: 79,446

Reviews

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Community Reviews(6)

1Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
For such a short length, the worldbuilding and premise are exceptionally good. It's a magical fantasy, with a main character whose recklessness is only matched by the heat of her fire spells. I'd love to know more about the setting, and this odd mage, both her past and future. Whether this stays a snippet or is developed further, I thank the author for sharing this work with us, for I enjoyed it.
KrakensilverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I really enjoy Ash Walker. The protagonist Fifteen is overpowered but she still uses fine control. I enjoy the short story formatting, definitely something that reminds me of the beginning of the serial genre. The world feels lived in, the characters fleshed out, and every story has me wanting more. Obviously that’s how any reader would feel but I feel that way at the end of each short story segment- I want more, a deeper look into this world, or the complexities of the magic system, or a deeper dive into any one of the characters. The magic system and world are both intertwined, and no part of either feels unnecessary- it is important that Fifteen is a “feyblood” that ties into her magic, her interactions with the world, and her thoughts and feelings. Likewise it is important that Fifteen is a fire mage, she wouldn’t be Fifteen without a good explosion, nor would she form opinions about other characters without her inner flame guiding her path.
Characters, even one off guards, feel complex, they have connections to other characters and none of them feel wasted. No character, even “joke” ones have deeper layers.
Grammar is something I don’t always feel qualified to speak about, but I didn’t notice any particular issues, which means that it’s competently written at the bare minimum, and if that’s the case I have no doubt that overall grammar is superb.
Every aspect of this work I enjoyed.
NahvisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Glad to see a new Exterminatus novel.
I haven't been able to get into one since Everyone Loves Larges Chests, but this one seems promising so far.
Looks like this turned out to be more of a mini-novel or short story. Definitely a fun little adventure in a magic world.
From a purely world building stance, I'm not sure how I feel about inner-fire as a source of magic.
TehWandererRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Loving the story so far, excellent world-building I've come to expect from the author, and the magic system is seemingly simple at first glance, but upon more in-depth examination appears quite complex and deep.
The characters introduced are well fleshed-out, even those with little 'screen time' so to speak. Give it a read and see for yourself!
pfmattoonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
So far the story has been a great and I truly hope that is continued. I enjoy the short story style format. The grammar is solid and I did not notice any issues. I have so far enjoyed all the characters and believe that will continue. Overall, another fantastic work that is currently too short.
eric_riverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Right from the beginning it’s hard not to like this book
I guarantee, for fantasy fans, this is worth a look
The action starts up right away, but my favourite part
Is the character writing, which has a lot of heart
The style is pretty solid, though the paragraphs are dense
The exposition’s casual but it’s clean and makes sense
Past tense third person narration works well in this case
Although the text walls look scary, they move at a good pace
Often, dense paragraphs make me turn away and cringe
But I found these pleasant, and they will be worth a binge
It’s a well established style, consistent and well done
Most importantly to me, the style makes it feel fun
It's a short story that left me wanting more, it's good
It’s traditional and uses tropes the way it should
Magic is explained without a single status screen
And it’s among the better that I have recently seen
The main character is a mage, quite full of mystery
Early on, we don’t learn much about her history
But she’s cool as hell, and I find her entertaining
She’s written to be icy but also engaging
The side characters are well written, most are quite funny
Dialogue with them is written quite comedically
They help the plot progress in a more interesting way
Which helps because the main character has little to say
No problems with grammar here, it’s simple and it flows
I think it hits the genre’s expectations on the nose
Like I said, the paragraphs are pretty dense for sure
But they’re filled up with a fast action packed adventure
In conclusion, you’ll enjoy reading about this mage
She’ll draw you in every time you turn the burning page
It’s a good balance of fun an intense action scenes
I might go as far as to say this book is cool beans