The Gods are Bastards

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

It was a world of sword and sorcery, but that was a thousand years ago.

The last elves live on reservations. Dwarven forges have turned to clockwork and steam. Drow emerge from their underground city not to raid, but for trade and diplomacy. New technologies and advanced magics have made the world smaller, safer, richer, and more polluted; dungeon delving can only be done with the proper permits. Paladins, the great warriors endowed by the gods themselves with power to drive back evil, have not been seen in decades. The Age of Adventures is over.

Until it suddenly begins again.

Without warning, the gods call forth two new paladins...into a world at peace where there are no demons to slay, and the bureaucrats and industrialists who run the world are less happy to see them than the kings and queens of old. In a cramped landscape of complicated politics where adventurers are no longer welcome, what are the mighty warriors of the gods even supposed to do?

Well, first, they're sent to school. And it all goes downhill from there.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2023
Author: Webbonomicon

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 3,490
Views: 4,184,080

What readers say about The Gods are Bastards

“I just caught up with all 8200 pages and counting. What an incredible series this is. I can't recommend it highly enough. When I first began reading it, I found the author's tendency to jump back and forth between a wide variety of character storylines fru…”
Amargo ScribeRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“This story hops from steampunk to political intrigue to fantasy to western, and still manages to weave a cohesive whole out of the parts. It is worth spending a good chunk of your time on. It is well-written, with characters you can root for and others that…”
BetaProjectRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

Amargo ScribeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just caught up with all 8200 pages and counting. What an incredible series this is. I can't recommend it highly enough.
When I first began reading it, I found the author's tendency to jump back and forth between a wide variety of character storylines frustrating, and I saw in the comments at the time that I was not alone. One commenter asked if it was possible to skip Sweet's chapters (one particular character as you might have surmised) and still follow the story; the author replied that it was not. At the time I sympathized with the commenter. Every time it seemed I was about to get sucked into the storyline with the school kids, Sweet's story would interrupt it! But now, Sweet is one of my very favorite characters, and I enjoy every chapter we get with him, including when he turns up in other characters' stories. Again and again, this happened as I read through the work; it took some patience when new character storylines were introduced, when I was already invested in other ones. But every single time the author turned out to be right and I was wrong; those characters and their stories absolutely enriched the work.
That said, if you are not ready for a gigantic work with an absolutely sprawling cast, each of whom will get developed very deeply and patiently, then you might want to save this for a moment when you will be.
It's not just the characters, though. It's the world, and it's the politics. The world is very well thought out speculative fiction system and history wise. But the politics is just exceptionally well thought out. There's real wisdom about human nature baked into the assumptions undergirding these storylines. This is honestly a work that will make you think, not just entertain you. I love that it is set at the outset of an industrial revolution equivalent in a magic world, and I love that the focus is on the most important effect of that from our own world: the way transit and communication speeds suddenly connected everyone to everyo
BetaProjectRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story hops from steampunk to political intrigue to fantasy to western, and still manages to weave a cohesive whole out of the parts. It is worth spending a good chunk of your time on. It is well-written, with characters you can root for and others that really gets under your skin. The characters have distinct personalities, and even when they change and grow, each one is still recognizable.
Some characters I find really interesting and others are really irritating, and the great thing is that they were written that way. Just because someone is one of the main characters, or even one of the antagonists, doesn't mean they have to fall into the tired old tropes. A main character can get on your last nerve, while shady characters can be fun and interesting.
The people living in this world are not one-dimensional but have good and bad traits. It is a real treat to read a story with such a complex world and history, and I hope we can look forward to many, many more chapters!
CedocoreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This was one of the first webfictions I ever read, so I'm definitely biased here, but as I re-read it for the first time in many years, I find myself enjoying it even more than I remember. Nearly everything about it is excellent - the characters are vibrant and stand out as unique, the dialogue is interesting and not dry, the writing is complex but not verbose. My only complaint is that sometimes, in brief moments, the writing is a bit crude when it comes to some female characters - but if you can look past that, you won't regret it.
FicWaderRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is of an epic scope, if you want a comparison, Sanderson's Cosmere.
The setting is relatively comparable to the setting in Mother of Learning - "magi-punk".
The characters are engaging, the character growth shown in this story is amazing. Most growth is of course done by our cadre of young adult students that wield powers they aren't ready for, when our cranky ancient elven Archmage Headmistress collected them for her "outdated" Adventuring Academy.
Main villains are competent, some extremely so.
As a deeply entrenched, continent-spanning conspiracy to usurp or kill gods, should be.
End spoiler.
The setting is actually not "it" for me, as I enjoy pure high-fantasy setting instead of magi-punk much more, but the series really is worth it.
The books are amazing, and the only book series ever that made me enjoy reading with changing POVs.
GarrdorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is one of my favorite webseries, and I'm currently in the process of rereading the whole thing on their website because new chapters started being released.
I'm very happy to see this story on Royal road, cuz hopefully that means a whole new audience will find and enjoy it.
JTTBearRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I had never considered the combination of magic-steam-punk with the old west and political machinations. Now it is one of my favorite sub-genres, even though this is the only example I know of.
Great characters, great pacing, great plotting, good twists with out excessive cliff hangers. I was glad to see it start posting here, I am hoping it will continue past where it was when Webb started to Evil Overlord book. Which now that there is more of it I'll give another chance. I'm not a fan of serialization but I put up with it because there are great stories that are released that way.
JjamesjamesonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The most important thing to know about The Gods are Bastards is that the experience of reading it is regularly punctuated by awe at the author’s foresight, worldbuilding, and sense of humor. It is, simply put, a cleverly-written work that respects the reader’s intelligence and rewards them with some of the best-executed witty banter, lovable characters, loathsome villains, and incredible plot twists I’ve ever seen.
The Gods are Bastards expertly toes a very fine line: it is a story that is completely saturated with with genre and storytelling tropes from fantasy, westerns, and science fiction, but the way it calls attention to those tropes in-universe doesn’t stray into breaking the fourth wall, and indeed there are actual, sensible reasons that things are the way they are. It is simultaneously a way to keep the reader’s immersion while also advancing the major themes of the book, namely individuals (the characters) struggling against the artificial constraints of society and its institutions (which reinforces those story tropes). Very little of this world is as straightforward it first seems, which gives an incredible depth of nuance and complexity to otherwise shallow tropes and genre conventions.
The Gods are Bastards is one of those stories that is so immersive, inventive, and emotionally evocative, it will never stray far from your thoughts even years after you read it. Though this story may not be for everyone, due to its sheer length if nothing else, acknowledging that staying power is the highest praise I can give it.
Jules VerneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
TGAB is one of three web novels I started with, and it still has a special place in my heart after all these years.
Featuring a pretty sizable cast, you'll enjoy a plethora of perspectives and all sorts of adventures depending on who the spotlight is currently shining on. Despite this, you won't have difficulty in getting to know who's who, which I think is one of this novels strongest points personally.
KikanoloRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Gods Are Bastards is one of my favorite ever web serials. I have been following it on its site for years now, and it has an incredible world, a great magic system, and amazing characters. Right now only the first 3 books are on RR, but there's 16 total so far and hopefully more to come. The characters are really what carry the story, both the main characters and the supporting characters, but the world, plot and setting really allow them to shine. The story strikes a great balance between lighthearted elements and heavier aspects, and does a great job with both. The story expands significantly in scope and scale from the beginning to where it ends up, but it does so well and without feeling bloated.
It is definitely a slow burn kind of story, so don't expect fast power or personality progression. The characters develop and grow naturally through the arcs of the story, and it feels very organic and natural.
For new readers, I'll mention that while some of the main characters absolutely start out close to insufferable, they all have wonderful character arcs and a few grow into some of my favorite characters in fantasy. So if you find yourself considering dropping because you can't stand a main character, stick with it and you won't regret it.
I would very strongly recommend this story, its long but absolutely worth it.
AaradurRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Webb's work is deep, complex and well worth reading. The world is complex and expansive. The characters are intricate, and watching their development is amazing. The multitude of societies, politics and philosophies portrayed are deeply thought provoking. I am happy to see this amazing work on Royalroad now, where I hope it gets the exposure it deserves. Read it. This is an epic adventure as good as Mother of Learning or The Wandering Inn