The Gnome Barbarian (the old version)

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Nanoc the gnome thought his only class option wasclerk… but the gods had bigger plans for him.

Note: A newer and hopefully better version of this work is now available at https://www.royalroad.com/author-dashboard/dashboard/135819.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: Col

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 161
Views: 34,062

What readers say about The Gnome Barbarian (the old version)

“Great light reading with good banter, humorous characters and entertaining combat. I found it easy to read and it made me laugh out loud at several points, the berry saga has stuck with me in particular. Just like the main character the chapters are bite si…”
AventurRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Every once in a while you run across a story that's just a joy to read. Story tellers are often times emotional manipulators. We try to get readers invested, try to make them feel. Sometimes this is by making you feel sad, or angry. Other authors have a tal…”
L.R. Monroe (Emrys)Royal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(4)

AventurRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great light reading with good banter, humorous characters and entertaining combat. I found it easy to read and it made me laugh out loud at several points, the berry saga has stuck with me in particular. Just like the main character the chapters are bite sized and pack a punch, and there are plenty of interesting twists on the typical "pantheon of gods within a fantasy world".
L.R. Monroe (Emrys)Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Every once in a while you run across a story that's just a joy to read. Story tellers are often times emotional manipulators. We try to get readers invested, try to make them feel. Sometimes this is by making you feel sad, or angry.
Other authors have a talent in the other direction. They are comedians with their words.
This author is very good at that. Not only do I have the nursery rhyme Mary's Little Lamb stuck in my head, but I'm also wondering a lot about berries.
This story is refreshing. You're not reading it for an OP protagonist, or one that is building a faction. You're reading it for the humor that flows from the page.
The characters are well crafted, the dialogue really shines, and so far the world building is good. This story does not take itself seriously. Rather it seeks to make the reader laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
Seriously, you will laugh reading this. It was a genuine treat, not at all hard to get through. Really enjoyed reading this. Banana's are dangerous!
Nanoc is a great MC. The kind of funny barbarian you hear about that you can't help but smile at.
Mister HandRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Looking for a good time? Call Nanoc the Gnome.
This is a funny story. Not just the events of the story itself, which are hilarious, but the writing, dialogue, narrative voice, characterizations, descriptions, tone, all of it also screams comedy. The author plays with classic fantasy tropes all the way through, spinning a fresh take on the usual.
It's not a fast-paced story, but it's a good one. The comedy comes first, and even in the middle of a fight the characters never stop quipping with one another. This might slow things down a bit, but that's totally okay. This isn't a story about the fights, although there are lots of them and they're all good, it's about humor.
You can't pull off a satire like this without a firm foundation. The author is clearly well versed in the genre, and brings in a wealth of fun from outside the fantasy/LitRPG world as well. With generous nods to classic comedy bits from Abbott and Costello, Shrek, and probably loads more I missed the references to, the fun wordplay and witty dialogue exchanges really make this story sing. If you're into that kind of thing, which I am.
If you are too, you're gonna love this one.
cszahnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Chapter one charged into an action scene that at first I wasn’t sure about, but quickly the characters grew on me. I love the dynamic between the heroes (Rotcel ‘Loc may be my favorite).
The occasional references to gods with niche powers (like unnecessary complications) got a chuckle from me, as a fan of Greek mythology. I also love the fast and loose reimagining of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. There’s a particularly ‘grim’ retelling of the nursery rhyme that took me by complete surprise. Very clever.
It is HARD to find a way to write a litRPG with a unique twist. I say this as a fan of the genre. Usually, one format becomes popular and there are dozens of slight tweaks on the formula that are still fun, but remind you of the original story that inspired them. (This can also be said for other genres as well, but litRPG is a beast all its own).
For style, there’s a lot of it here. For story? I was gripped. For grammar, I didn’t notice many errors, and the author was receptive to input in their comments from other readers. Finally, character. I loved each and every character in this story, and in fact I’d say it is my favorite part. Overall an excellent read.