The Forerunner Initiative - Completed - Stubbed

Information

Status

Ongoing

Year

2023

Author

Draith

• ANNOUNCEMENT - NEW STORY - Mage Lord Isekai
  Mar 7, 2025
• The Final Message: Start Playback.
  Jan 14, 2024
• Not-A-Chapter Art, Thanks & Upcoming Audiobook release, free epubs and stubbing for zon
  Jul 18, 2023
• The Story Continues
  Mar 20, 2023
• 1.01 Loading Please Wait
  Mar 20, 2023
• 1.00 One of those Days
  Mar 20, 2023
• 0.00 The Forerunner Initiative
  Mar 19, 2023

Reviews

Community Reviews(10)

• wanderervRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The Forerunner Initiative is an incredibly intriguing story that strikes a great balance between adventure, exploration, and a ticking timer to stop an incoming apocalypse that will ravage Earth. It is the rewrite of a TPWM, which I already considered a great piece of fiction, to add some extra polish. I had read TPWM in the past, and to my memory, most of the changes in the rewrite are relatively minor.
  For my personal taste, the story hits a great pace with high stakes motivating the cast of main characters, but without falling into a suffocating rhythm of danger without respite. So many other works show a protagonist going from challenge to danger without any pause, which ends up in an exhausting experience after a while. In TFI, the character interactions and Lexi's exploration of the magic system provide uplifting moments that make the explosive action that much more enjoyable.
  The main character, Lexi, is where the work truly shines for me. She feels extremely lifelike in her insatiable curiosity, whimsical humour, and reflection on her own irrational moments. The rest of the cast is sufficiently fleshed out to make sure the story holds up as well.
  The style of writing is great, keeping the reader curious about the story and presenting a compelling exploration of a wider universe. The grammar presents the occasional mistake (like the use of it's as possessive), but not enough to detract from the enjoyment.
  The Forerunner initiative is clearly a work of love, and the passion of the author is evident in the wonderful story that results. I would be happy to find a book like TFI in any bookstore!
• KristroffRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Let me just preface this by saying that i havent read the original, so this review will only be based on this story alone.
  Well i don't  write reviews unless  i really like the story, and after having binged this in like 3days all i can say is that i really REALLY like this story. Lemme just fastfire the best things about this story:
  The characters are amazing and have a real sense of logical progression throughout the story. This for me is the major selling point of the story.
  The litrpg/system is well thought out and having the statblocks hidden as default is a  nice touch since they are a bit dense. Some of the math behind it is convoluted as heck but its also very skippable as the exact numbers rarely matters.
  The overall plot is a little confusing but in the sense that the author is purposely hidding information untill later. Otherwise  the pacing is good and the mc and gang have tangible goals, so while they sometimes get derailed there isnt that pesky sense of aimless wandering that tend to plaugue the genre.
  Now for the negatives:
  mc is a total pushover at the beginning, this gets better trust me on this, the payoff is huge and well earned.
  Dont love the villains in the story. The have depth but its kinda shallow and not super interesting. (Speaking here mostly about the 1st major antagonist)
  Tl;dr go read it, one of my favorites in the genre.
• MDWRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The ability to stop time is nothing compared to the power of the onesie.
  I enjoyed very much the first run. I believe this rewrite is well worth the time to read again and comparing them side-by-side shows how much love and dedication went to this masterwork.
  A unique magical theory. Oppressive Alien overlords. A progression system that makes sense. The ability to stop time. But a gal tossed on another world needs her magical onesie. Ask Yuna and she'll tell you why.
  If this story wasn't narrated in the first person, I would have trouble telling who the MC was. All the main characters have a deep and relatable personality. They have a unique skillset and develpment. The support cast and antagonists have clear and understandable motivations. You'll find no third-rate mustache-twirling villains here.
  The worldbuilding is superb. Everything makes sense when put into perspective. The cultures of the new world have depth and solid foundations. It's not just cardboard cutouts that won't support the first deep analysis.
  The blend of magic and technology makes sense. Arthur C. Clarke quotes aside, there's still mistery and wonder to the magic to make them distinct.
  Let's play with magic. And maybe save the world.
• Plus1Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Let me preface this by saying that this is a rewrite, and I have not read the original. However, it can be clealy felt that this story has been graced by the touch of a thorough editing pass. The grammar is close to flawless, the style is crisp and concise yet flows naturally, the conversations feel natural, too--excuse my redundancy--and the plot is rich and interesting, though sometimes just a tad complicated.
  The System is fresh, somehow complex and simple at the same time, managing to seem powerful yet possessing clear boundaries and limitations, (smallish spoiler):
  which makes sense, given it was made by an advanced race, seemingly, instead of some all-powerful god.
  The characters are all fleshed out and three dimensional, and behave consistently to their personalities. The MC is especially fascinating--beyond her rather monstruous magical talent, that is.
  I can't say much about the plot without spoilers, but reading a couple chapters should be enough to decide whetherr to keep going or not. Just keep in mind--the cast is not limited to the initial party.
  I am also rather fond of the story's... realism, for lack of a better words. There are no random, out-of-the-blue life or death scenarios that feel contrived and written just for the sake of creating tension. Every fight makes sense, and they're not all just on the limit of what the MC and her party can defeat. Sometimes there are easy fights, and sometimes their only option is to run away. And I love that.
  I do have some very small gripes here and there, but they're just personal preference and kinda spoilery besides, so I'll keep them to myself. Scoll down to the comments if you're curious haha.
• TheLuminaireRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  There are many things about the story that I enjoyed, including all of the standards (good writing quality, interesting characters, compelling story, world, and magic), but there's one thing that stands out above the rest for me: Its ability to continuously interest me with a new angle on the story, always keeping it fresh.
  What do I mean by that? Many other (high-quality) stories I've read have a single plot running from beginning to end, plus some obligatory subplots. The main story will continuously share the same general theme / world / characters throughout the telling of the plot. This story doesn't; while it continuously tells the same story, it changes up the surroundings enough that it is always engaging and new. New environment, new characters, new relationships and challenges, all without straight up murdering all of our previously beloved side characters in the process.
  Props to the author, and I look forward to the next installments ASAP!
• Youngish OldsterRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The Forerunner Initiative is a real treat to read.  It's 'V2' of To Play with Magic, which was already a lot of fun. Everything in the story has been polished, streamlined, and taken up a notch.
  The story is a system apocalypse tale that features Lex as a main character.  She's a typical game-loving, smart-ass, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may recent high school graduate trying to become an adult, but with a seriously messed up family situation holding her back.  So, when she gets an invite to be a play tester for a new magical fantasy VR game, she's all in.
  Little does she know that an apocalyptic system integration event is bearing down on earth, and that becoming a play tester means she's one of a small team who may be able to hold it off.  Or at least make it a little less apocalyptic.  But wait.  There's more.  Which becomes clear as the story unfolds.
  Style.  Super tight, mostly character-driven story telling.  Largely narrated by Lex, but with plenty of mini-scenes from the rest of the character ensemble.  Occasional world-building & back-story expositions make the story pacing breathe organically, and usually add darker, bittersweet but relatable tones to the story.  Gotta remind us that some serious stuff is at stake behind all the adventuring, progression, mysteries, snark & shenanigans that move the story forward.
  Story. Lex & team end up transmigrated to a system-dominated world where they must puzzle out how to gain enough knowledge & power to return to earth & prevent the looming apocalypse.  Crisp, fast-moving, narration-driven adventuring, magical experimentation, mystery solving, and character growth & progression is complemented with plenty of moments where things slow down to let the story consolidate in the reader's mind.
  The story features litRPG elements that are used effectively and don't get in the way.  Eventually, the litRPG gets at least as snarky as Lex, which is fun.
  Grammar.  Yes.
  Characters.  Lex is a great MC and narrator.  She's a b
• jasonofwolvesRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Waited for a long time before this end. Been here since before the rewrite and have loved it. Alexis is a great mc with an interesting powerset, the supporting cast is great as well. It really captures the wonder of magic superbly. Loved this one, and I remember the excitement when it was started up.
• max_mustermannRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  The story completly bound me, I binged the the first arc before doing anything else. A really nice spin of the system apocalypse (even if the apocalypse not yet happend)
  I really like elementalists so bonus points for that class and the way the first arc introduced the class.
  The MC is not too perfect to be inhuman, is not to naive to destroy immersion and generally a relatable character.
  I am def exited for the coming arcs!
• misssaturnRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Amazing series. I have read all the books released and super recommend it. Interesting MC, but not overpowered. All kinds of different plots but they have a clear objective. A new way of seeing a system build. Struggles galore. The side characters are also very engaging. Made me laugh and cry.
• unnatural20Royal Road

  ★★★★★ 4.5

  Surprisingly good, has some interesting ideas, entertaining characters, a novel setting and some unique plot points and a lot of fuckery with magic, overall a good read so far binged then kept up, very much worth the read especially for anyone else who loves all things fantasy,  though it does go a bit science fantasy