The Blunderbuss Chronicles: Jon The Farmer

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The Blunderbuss Chronicles: An Comedic Action Adventure Fantasy

Meet Jon. He's a misfit with not much to say who lives in a farming community and has no aptitude for farming. After taking the farmer's test a third time in a row, he is bestowed a magical blunderbuss that seems keen on making him its next wielder. Next thing he knows, he's fighting alongside ninjas, sorcerers, mercenaries, and even his own farmers.  Can Jon come into his own while keeping both himself and his friends on the right track?

Wait, what is the right track? Guess he'll have to figure that out too.

First story on Royal Road, let me know what you think! Or just check it out.

Information

Status
Hiatus
Year
2021
Author
trianman67

Tags

ACTIONFANTASYADVENTUREMAGICMALE LEADHIGH FANTASY

Royal Road Stats

Rating
3.7/ 5.0
Followers
92
Views
111,878

Chapters(166 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(8)

  • HexenblumeRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Style: The style reminds me of light-novels, and in a good way. It has good form and structure and the pacing is definitely fast but still enjoyable and understandable. I love the word choice, simple and easy to understand without being monotonous and boring. Honestly I can't find anything wrong with the style to be honest, a nitpick I do have is that sometimes it moves just a tad too fast and makes you crave for more info, normally this would be a good thing but the way it just shuffles onto the next topic feels unsatisfying. That's definitely just me though, so still 5/5.
    Grammar: I'm not born in an English-speaking country nor did I grow up in one, so with what knowledge of English I have, I would say it's pretty perfect. 5/5 it's super easy to understand for people like me who didn't have much exposure to English media and therefore struggles with the language, and I think that's super neat and I would actually like to really thank the author for that.
    Story: Maybe I just don't read enough, but the plot is super unique! I have honestly never read anything like it. It starts off generically enough with the MC being the black sheep of the town yada yada, disappointed parents (just one parent), and not being very outstanding overall. But it all takes a flip and just, wow. I mainly read litrpgs, light-novels, romance books, and some sci-fi (I say as I intensely stare down the lonely Warcross imprisoned alone in what I call the sci-fi corner of my mind), and if I personally liked the genre I would be an active reader. Alas even if the story is unique and the writing is good, I'm a super picky person with plots and character archetypes so I just couldn't get into it. But that's just a me problem, it's just amazing 5/5, honestly I hate how picky my mind is cause I would love to finish this book.
    Characters: I would have definitely liked to see MC have daddy issues honestly I think that would be so funny. Jokes aside, I liked the portrayal of the strained father-son rel
  • Edge ValmondRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    This story actually starts off a bit nice, by this I mean. It does good enough to set a certain tone. The son of a farmer, who fails his test. Someone that doesn’t like to go out, being the oldest, and a loving mother that knows his concerns. Right off the bat though, I just have one complaint. Which is, the story needs more descriptions. When writing a Fantasy, it is about the details more often. Then mix that with the dialogue, and you have an amazing experience.
    The story gives off a more familial conflict feel. Which, given that Jon and his father does not see eye to eye, this is more in direction of two points. That the guy keeps failing the farming test, and something about a council. I suppose, this is an interesting way to go about a story, I will give it that.
    This tale takes more natural approach, I believe that is the better way to state it. How Jon does not want to be a burden, but others are cruel to him. While this is something I see all too well in works, I think this is a strange occurrence where it does work. That is my personal take on it. Logically speaking, given the genre. It is difficult to say how it will appeal to readers.
    From what can be seen, Jon is on the slower side. Which others are more inclined to insult him on it, rather than working with it. I will note, this is a very sensitive topic, and I am not sure if it is being progressed correctly. One of the reasons for enough details, since it will help to identify if this is being done correctly. On one hand, it is completely okay to have this character. On the other side, depending how it is done can deter or bring in readers.
    Alright, so what is given. Jon is definitely one of the more likeable characters, well…not in story-wise. Anyway, he isn’t a person that likes violence, but tends to find himself in trouble. This is typical I guess I can say, and works out with the story itself really.
    Overall, this is a solid enough read. I believe this is supposed to be cultivation. Which, it doe
  • world_wandererRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    I will start with the grammar. It is good. I didn't find any spelling mistakes and everything is clear. Author made a big job in editing.
    Style - it is a clear 3rd narrative which I like. Besides such style reminded me of few light novels which I read in the past. If u ever read them, you will get what I mean.
    Story - for me this is the weakest part of the novel. I don't know about others, but even though it's very original to read about Farmer MC, I am not used to such type of heroes. That's why it was a bit hard for me to read it and I needed some time to get used to it. Anyway, as I said the story is original and author really knows what he is writing about. Details which he showed prove how much work he put in establishing setting. It was interesting for me to read about them.
    Characters - in short author made a good job on them. They are not fake and each of them have a personality which is very rare in novels today. That's why it's the strongest part of the story for me.
    Overall, the story is good and if you have any free time I would reccoment giving it a try. I am sure tha most of you haven't read such an original story of the farmer that keeps failing before.
  • _Fowl_Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 4.5
    The Infamous Farmer's Test
    The novel starts with a very angsty "Russian" attitude. It gave me "The Idiot" vibes at first.
    The first thing we notice is the pacing: it's masterfully done. The author does not rush to get to the blunderbuss; the weapon is presented without spoiling too much for the future. There's always a little foreshadowing and the overall sensation that something is going to happen.
    Style: 5/5 pacing is well done. The dialogues are prominent and make the narration smooth. The exchange between characters is lifelike and well-written. It's rare to see a novel over here with this quality; usually, amateur writers can't manage the flow of their novels well. It's probably the hardest part about writing, the how-to compose an even novel.
    Characters:
    Mercy, our MC and Hector are extremely lifelike thanks to a smooth style. We can feel their inner voice, same for Graves and all the others. They are easy to distinguish from each other. Probably the second strongest point of this story.
    Grammar:
    Nothing to comment on. Just good.
    Story:
    The pace is slow but deliberate. There is nothing we are left wanting. The story proceeds exactly as it should. I'm just at the beginning, but if the author managed to keep this rhythm, this could be top 20 material.
    The novel is overall original and the style is reminiscent of more classic novels, in a good way.
    This is the second novel in a matter of days where there is a gun. I have a soft spot for firearms and never see enough of them in web novels.
    Overall: a nice read. Probably not everyone's cup of tea.
  • Blind SerpentRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    Overall:
    I was contemplating between 3.5 and 4, but decided on 4 because I felt the story just isn't my plot of land. It is slow paced which I like, but it starts off a bit...uneventful. the entire buildup to what happens in chapter 8 or so could be 1 or 2 chapters.
    Style,
    I think the pacing was too slow. The dialogue goes from fine to somewhat awkward. I can't quite get whether it is comedy or serious, it straddles both and not quite skillfully enough to pull it off.
    There is a lot of repetition, which is my pet peeve, three paragraphs started with "Jon" one after the other.
    I think there is a lot of room for improvement there.
    Story:
    The story itself is interesting, but the author is playing to the story's strengths I think. Some progression is confusing. Didjon pass the test? Some people congratulated him but then he didn't. I think too much setup. Once we get to the meat and potatoes it's good. Though from chapter one it was clear where it went, so maybe that's why I wanted the pace to go faster? Premise is quite juicy.
    Grammar
    It's fine. Some editing could be good. There are free tools like grammarly which flag a lot of things.
    Characters
    I liked this part. Even though the dialogue and pacing weren't to my liking, Jon is great. Very clear profile of who he is. The other characters were distinctive enough.
    I would suggest to try and improve dialogue, as well as settle on comedy, serious, formal, informal, etc.
  • fknmzRoyal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    I'm not sure what to make of The Blunderbuss Chronicles. It reads easily, it reads cleanly, and things move at a pretty breakneck speed.
    The story feels like a dye-in-the-wool Light Novel, and given trianman's self-professed interest in anime; it makes sense. This feels like a Light Novel: one-sentence descriptions, action-oriented work, characters with clear quips and over-emphasized voices to give a clear, sharp punch to who they are.
    It works pretty well.
    The conceit of The Blunderbuss Chronicles is a discussion about someone's role in society. For Jon, he isn't cut out to be a farmer. No matter what he tries to do, it never helps; he keeps failing. That is, of course, until he runs into a magic blunderbuss and finds himself at ease handling this weapon.
    In this sense, the story is as much about dealing with failure as it is about finding out where you belong. This is particularly interesting considering that The Blunderbuss Chronicles somewhat subverts a lot of the usual narrative starters. I'll use Star Wars as an example. Jon's failings as a farmer are not because of his disinterest (ala Luke Skywalker) but rather because of his inability to pass the bureaucratic nightmare that seems to be the farmer's test. Of all the rote, normal, menial jobs saddling the protagonist, Jon seems to be the lowest of the low, the failed farmboy, the job that every protagonist wants to leave.
    In this sense, the foisting of the blunderbuss is not a rejection of the role of the farmer but a reclamation of Jon's own subjectivity. He is, it seems, no longer a slave to narrative convention - he doesn't cast away the imagery or trappings of a farmer. Rather, he embraces parts of it, reinforced by his encounters.
    And we can see how some of these encounters are subverted elsewhere. Mercy, who shows up as a rather mysterious figure. In some stories, she'd be a girl who would set him on his path (the Leia analogue). She is instead always there, playing the role of both pathfinder and prin
  • horizon108Royal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    Disclaimer: I have read till Chapter 10 at the time of writing this review.
    Style score: 4/5 - brief paragraphs, terse responses, and a good flow lends itself well to the quiet Jon who just wants to sleep and not be a Farmer. He wants to be left alone, happy in his quiet life as long as he has a blunderbuss. Which is like a tiny, really powerful gun. Did I mention that he's also an ace gunslinger?
    I would say that overall, the style of the author is carried forth by his voice quite adequately.
    Story score: 4/5 - It's a story that's held up by its premise, which is one that I truly have not come across so far. It's got a good pace to it, and the world is being built up slowly. The story has not reached very far at the point till where I read, so I cannot in good faith give a higher rating than this. But so far, I like the concept and I really like swords and guns existing together in the same timeline.
    Character score: 3.5/5 - Some people might not like how quiet Jon is, or how he reacts to situations, but I find that it's all part of his charm before he explodes out. The other characters are also quite likeable, though a little gung-ho in the wrong situations, which is why I deducted a star from my rating.
    Grammar score: 3.5/5 - I'm not a grammatical expert and I focus on readability for the most part. But there were some issues with the grammar that I found and readability was a little stilted because of them. Issues such as not knowing who was speaking what (chapter 9), and a few missed commas and quotations. Nothing that can't be fixed with another edit and a quick vocal readthrough.
    Overall score: 4/5 - It's an interesting story, written in digestible prose that is brief and to the point. It is held up by Jon and the supporting cast, mostly.
    Its main issues are a lack of focus on the urgency of what is happening alongside inappropriate conversation for the moment. (lots of dialogue during action detracts from the intensity of the emotions of the scene)
    Which is
  • Genuine55Royal Road
    ★★★★ 4.0
    Right off the bat, the author is a very, very firm believer in "show not tell". Honestly it almost becomes a flaw - there are a few portions in the story where I can't quite decide if I failed to understand something properly or if the information I need to make a connection just hasn't been revealed by proper action yet.
    This style choice is enabled by a fairly ignorant main character. He's a farmer kid who lives somewhere that requires a written exam to be a farmer, but he's failed the exam several times, despite nearly having it memorized. So when the plot begins to move, he spends most of his time in confusion while his supporting cast will, at most, give him the name of something he's exposed to. But of course they never actually explain it.
    So while the characters are well fleshed out, we as readers tend to spend almost as much time confused as the main character. I have to be honest - I appreciate that this is a choice by the author, but personally I'd like to spend less time confused.
    Grammar is mostly good, however I think the work is ripe for a rewrite or two. There's a few places where the author clearly did some copy-pasting already - missing or extra quotation marks where paragraphs got grafted or separated, for example. I'd be willing to bet a careful read by the author would clean up some holes or problems in the text. Maybe this is a style issue more than grammar, but it was kinda distracting in a number of places.