The Book of the Chosen (Hiatus)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Watchers, Dreamers, and Chosen.

The real world needs attention, and, unfortunately, this means I will be pausing publishing for the rest of 2023 at minimum.

I hope to be back in 2024 with more of the journey. Whether on RR or somewhere else entirely, the story is not done, and will continue.

Be safe, be well, be happy.

The Scribe will return.

Cal is being hunted.Stranded at the edge of the world, apprenticed to a madman, he spends his days training. Always training. When strangers appear in the remote mountain village asking questions, violence and danger follows. Can he use his skills to make safe those around him? Can he save himself?

Ren is marked by Death.Everyone on the farm agrees, and they won’t let him forget it. But murderous cultists with a penchant for kidnapping young men are abroad, and the boy the farmers blame for their troubles might be the only one who can help them.

Sara is in danger.Recently arrived in the ancient city of Uldoroth to enter the service of the Queen, she is beset on all sides by the scheming ambitions of the court. War criminals, murderers, cultists, even her own family; nothing is as it seems, and she must learn to play their game, and play it well, if she is to survive.

Each of them struggle to survive this vast fantasy world, as yet unaware that their stories are bound by a common thread; the abilities, schemes, and bloodlines of the almost mythical Chosen...

... And someone is watching, in the deepest of darks. Who is the Scribe, and what will they see, before his story is told?

The Book of the Chosen is something new for Royal Road. It's an epic fantasy series; light on exposition, heavy on experience, cinematic action, and patient storytelling. If you like traditional, rich, literary fantasy with vast worlds and deep characters, and want to make a home for stories like this online, this is the place for you.

Book I is already written, and will run from Chapters 1 - 57, in two parts (Part I, Chapters 1-33). It's structured like a traditional novel; expect the chapters to be longer than typical Royal Road stories. It's a slow burn, with multiple threads, but the wait will be well worth it.

New chapters every Monday, with the occasional bonus, and you can reada full 10 chapters ahead on Patreon.

The Scribe has begun. Join the journey.

‘The Blackbird lifts its head,

As it sings,

Then disappears,

Forever.’

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2023
Author: TheScribe

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 831
Views: 114,128

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

shazzanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Come on, you can tell me the truth. Patrick Rothfuss can't finish his series because he decided to write this under a pseudonym on RR. Robert Jordan faked his death and is writing this from his secret compound in Argentina. I know these sound like crazy theories, but it's the only thing that makes sense. Only an old master could put this kind of amazing work out. It makes me feel like I did when I first started reading WoT or TNoTW. This is written like the best epic fantasy and I'm blown away. Bravo Patri...I mean "TheScribe"...bravo!
D.M. Rhodes (Razzmatazz)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Book of the Chosen (An Epic Fantasy Journey), written by author TheScribe, is a darkly themed progression fantasy story following a trio of three separate protagonists, each challenged by unusual circumstances that are seemingly, and unbeknownst to them, linked in the deep background. True to the title, it really does read more like an actual finished epic-fantasy book than an in-progress web serial. You’ll see what I mean.
The grammar and spelling are both excellent, and I found nothing to note (After some adjustment with the lack of quotation marks, which appears to be intentional). The author makes use of deeply unique prose — their writing style is packed full of metaphors and contextualizations. The prose and flow are both extremely eloquent, on a level I haven’t seen yet here. It really is something else.
There are many characters, as mentioned above, as the main protagonists who we follow, all of them, of course, have their own pieces of the world that they’re interacting with — casts, crews, families, etc etc. Everyone is well followable.
If you’re looking for a heavy bite to read, something with strong substance instead of the usual web novel surface reading, then give this one a fair shot! =)
EleshisRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
OVERALL: Just like the title states, it feels like I'm reading a REAL BOOK and that's a good thing!
STYLE: To be frank, the prose is just outright better than just about anything else I've read on RR so far. It might not be everyone's cup of tea since its so different style from the usual RR fare, but if you're looking for something with a lot of MEAT to it, this is your story.
To get into more detail, this novel has a lot of DETAIL in it. Not the kind of detail where you spend a whole chapter idly talking about what a sword looks like, mind you, but rather the kind of detail that seeps into every nook and crany of the narrative and forms a tapestry of words that gives you a real PICTURE of whats going on. Be it the character descriptions littered througout a chapter, the subtle building of a character's personality through their interactions, offhand mentions of places, things, or events that contribute to the worldbuilding, or even just talking about what kind of clothes the passersby wear. It all meshes together in a wonderful way that I just love.
STORY: Notice how the novel's description uses the word patient. That's a key word as the narrative hops from place to place, focus character to focus character, building up different parts of the world and introducing new elements. I've not yet seen how it all pans out, but each chapter so far has been a treat and I expect it all to crossover into some kind of EPIC like the author promises.
GRAMMAR: I noticed some funky commas and minor flubs a couple of times, but its the sort of small errors anyone without a dedicated hawk-eyed proofreader would make, so no harm done.
CHARACTER: As I said previously, the narrative up to where I've read has been jumping from POV to POV. Despite this, TheScribe does an excellent job establishing characters in a flash. The characters so far fall into well-established and recognizable archetypes without feeling like they're generic or "by the numbers." I'm looking forward to seeing more
Eli FreyssonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The style and store are both great. The prose uses descriptions well, and the plot does a good job of building curiosity about the overall setting and what lies ahead. There’s weird magic, a spooky, dangerous waste, an impossible monument that looms over a glorious city, a backstory featuring a massive war and great heroes and villains. All the good stuff. The standout hints so far, to me, are the ones about ancient, immortal champions, and the complex, unknowable games they play. That’s basically how I would expect such a being to behave.
Like any good SFF setting, this one has its own terminology, and does well with it. The whole thing feels like a place with a lot of history. If I have a complaint it's that the first four entries all switch between places and POV's; personally, I prefer going into a story getting gripped by a single character. But that's just me.
The grammar is flawless. No complaints.
The characters are vivid and feel real, although the shifting POV's mean I haven't gotten to spend much time with each one yet. My favourite so far are the grumpy old hillbillies in Chapter One, chatting and grumbling over drinks at the end of a workday. That all felt VERY real.
Overall, The Book of the Chosen is off to an interesting start.
GLBertrandRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The first thing that strikes you when reading the Book of the Chosen is its deft prose. This is very good writing, competent and poetic. This is written by someone who has read many stories and may have already written some of their own. I was particularly impressed with how this story lingered on descriptions, painting a great visual of the world we are gradually being introduced to. What is especially impressive about this is how they are able to do this while holding back on exposition, though not to the point where it hinders the writing. There is a clear sense of pieces being set up that will eventually pay off in future chapters. The author seems confident in where their story will go and from what I've read so far I have no doubt they have a plan that will tie these separate threads together.
Additionally, the characters are another strength. The author isn't afraid to use different POVs early on in the story. While normally difficult for me to grasp, I was particularly enthralled seeing how a character was introduced and what traits the author used to make them standout. The dialogue is also a strength, with characters being funny or tense when the story needs to be. I particularly liked the early interaction between the men in chapter one, each showing off their in-world brand of crass humor.
I consider all RR stories relatively first draft so I never put too much stock in grading grammar. However, what is here is crisp. The author does use single quotations for dialogue if that bothers you, but it did not affect my reading.
My only major complaint so far is really in regards to the story and some of the worldbuilding. While the concepts and major players/locations are unique, there are several names that took me out of the story mostly by association of my reading other fantasy stories. Seeing places like "The Vale," characters worship the "Nine Gods", and with an emphasis on Houses, it's easy to see what major fantasy series inspired the author. I will sa
KagenaoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
That was an exceptional world and plot, though I haven't dived deeper into it yet.
The style is just wow! It is like you're truly reading an old fantasy story book. Even the vibe of the way its written and narrated is really traditional. I have not read these kinds of book in a long time, it's really nostalgic. I'll give it a 5 out of 5 stars!
As for the story, it's amazing. Every chapter I read so far is a pov of different characters, but it's interesting. It never made me bored. They have a unique thing about them at every chapter. There's also world building going on and it's fantastic. There's so many interesting places here with interesting names like The City kf the Moon. It looks really cool.
Talking about grammar, it's perfect. I can't find any flaws in here. I can assume the author is really proficient in literature because of how he has written the book. I'm speechless.
Now for the characters, every chapter so far has a different character's pov from one another. The characters feels very real and their personalities are remarkable. Like that old guy that's telling a story, or Sara. Even the father feels like a very real perv lol. I can feel my skin crawl reading the scene where he is involved. Yknow, fhe scene where he comes to take a look at Sara ewww..
Overall, this book is the real deal. If you're interested in fantasy or traditional books, I really recommend you reading this one. I will give it a 5/5 review.
KonstanceKayRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This epic fantasy by TheScribe definitely sets off the feeling that you need to sit down and get ready for it. Roll up your sleeves, prepare your tea, and make sure you’re not going to be bothered for the next few hours as you immerse yourself in beautiful prose, captivating landscapes, and realistic characters.
Honestly, that was my biggest problem with this: finding the time to read it!
When it comes to style, TheScribe definitely has some amazing skills because the writing style changes based on the POV we’re in! The transitions are so smooth as well, so it’s not jarring between chapters, but it mostly works really well on letting us get to know each character on a deeper level.
The story itself is a slow build with a familiar tension and the lore coming in between the dialogue and all of that patterned with the descriptive prose - and this is why you want to sit down and take your time with this story. There are some tropes and concepts that I, personally, am not a fan of and that’s the only reason why it didn’t get full stars here.
The grammar is amazing. Absolutely nothing distracted me here.
The characters are so real - there are some that I already know I’m going to love and some I’m going to love to hate. The multiple POVs mean I haven’t gotten to know just one very well yet, but - as mentioned before - the writing style changing between POVs definitely helps in giving me more insights into the characters as well!
Overall, I am looking for the time to dedicate to this piece because it deserves it!
MOROSERoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Style: This novel has a dense, cinematic writing style that immerses the reader in its world. It uses vivid descriptions to create a sense of setting, in a way which grounds the action and gives the reader a panoramic view of it. The author avoids excessive exposition and instead lets the reader discover the lore and history of his world through the experiences and perspectives of his multiple lead characters. The dialogue is pulled off very well, drawing effectively on several traditional fantasy archetypes.
Story: So far, the story is building up organically, as each character begins their journey. This is done gradually, but where the story excels is at building an effective world to ground the epic fantasy story to come. The sense of scale and mysterious places to explore lays the foundation for an impressive adventure to come.
Grammar: The writing quality here is good, and I rarely had issues with the grammar. The author has a good command of vocabulary and word choice that suit the genre and style.
Character: The novel has a diverse cast of characters that make the story come alive. I felt like the frequent transitions between characters and perspectives could be a bit jarring initially, but the characters do have distinct identities and the way that their stories interconnect is interesting. Traditional fantasy archetypes, such as the down-to-earth residents of an inn, are pulled off very well.
Summary: A good book, especially recommended for fans of epic fantasy and dense, fluid prose.
Northern BadgerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
After reading the first few pages, I was struck by the sheer amount of exquisite detail the author has crafted for this world. Not only does it feel like a living and breathing place, but the history and politics are instantly intriguing. I can't wait to learn more about this place as the author slow spins it out.
And while it's still early in the story, it's already clear it's well on its way to becoming epic—and I have an inkling there will be more than a few anatagonist a reader will love to hate.
Style - The author's words bring sweeping vistas of a ruined land and fantasical locations to life. The descriptions are truly a level above what is usually found on Royal Road. And the way conversations play out showcase the author's other strength of character interactions.
Grammar - The grammar is impeccable, and I didn't spot any issues during my reading.
Story - It's still early yet in the novel, which makes it difficult to rate the story. But from the disparate parts, and the tales told by the characters, the story seem like has a solid foundation to become something truly special.
Charater Score - As with the story, it's once again hard to make a judgement so early in the journey. However, all the characters encountered so far have been fleshed out, with unique speech patterns, and interesting mannerisms. As the story progresses, the wonderful character development will likely become one of the story's main strengths.
OffskiRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The writing in this book is so sumptuous, silky and smooth. In fact it's so rich in meaning and nuance that I am not even sure it's to my general liking. Having said that I was unable to stop reading.
I have in recent years steared away from fantasy to litrpg, but I thought I'd give this a go.
For all 19 chapters it has kept me engrossed even though not a lot has happened. In fact this is the brilliance of the book it has drawn me in and all I want is to find out more about the world and how the burgeoning characters fit into it.
I cannot wait for more.