The Godtrail (The Dark Tower meets The Last of Us)

Information

Status

Hiatus

Year

2024

Author

RobinGSparrow

• Chapter Six: Bargains
  Aug 2, 2024
• Chapter Five: What Lies Beneath
  Aug 1, 2024
• Chapter Four: A Reason to Laugh
  Jul 30, 2024
• Chapter Three: In the Company of the Enemy
  Jul 27, 2024
• Chapter Two: A Split Second Decision
  Jul 27, 2024
• Chapter One: The Goldeneye
  Jul 26, 2024

Reviews

Community Reviews(7)

• BardLyreRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  This story is a rollicking mix of gritty action and unexpected charm, set in a post-apocalyptic world where danger lurks beneath every shifting sand dune. The style is punchy and direct, with a refreshing dose of dark humour that makes the bleakness of the setting feel oddly palatable. It's as if someone tossed a Spaghetti Western into a blender with high fantasy, added a dash of steampunk, and then hit "puree."
  The characters are the heart of this tale, with Jace "Quickshot" Leál leading the charge as a laconic, weary gunslinger who’s seen too much. He’s the kind of man who’s just as likely to shoot a monster in the face as he is to share a quiet, introspective moment—usually while covered in gore. Ayla, the elven foil to Jace, brings a simmering intensity that contrasts beautifully with his stoic exterior. Their dynamic is a slow burn, filled with tension, mutual distrust, and the occasional, surprisingly tender moment.
  The story so far is a compelling blend of survival, revenge, and reluctant camaraderie, with enough twists to keep things lively. It doesn't shy away from the brutal realities of its world, yet it also offers glimpses of hope and humanity, even in the most hardened souls. Overall, it's a fun, fast-paced read that balances its darker themes with just the right amount of levity, making it a thoroughly enjoyable romp through a broken world.
• Cynthia DawnRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall: what a great story! This got my attention from the first chapter with the author’s great use of words, the stunning world building, and the great action. I’m on the edge of my seat at the end of each chapter, wondering what will happen next!
  Style: the author’s style is unique and engaging and beautifully descriptive. I can plainly see what’s going on and feel the beat of the story and characters. It’s a truly magically story in more ways than one.
  Story: it’s a gripping tale of a gunslinger who meets or rescues an elf, and she’s not very grateful, at least not at first. The world building is truly fantastic. It’s like I’m really there in this desert, shattered world full of desolation, hunger, blood, and savagery. And all I can say is… watch out for the local wild life. Yikes!
  Character: I’m totally loving Jace. He’s this man of mystery, who’s good with a gun and can do more than the average human. He’s haunted, fed up with life, and yet, has this glimmer of hope that he secretly clings to. But is that hope for himself or maybe just for others? He’s lived hard and he’s not afraid of death, and that gives him his greatest edge. And then there is Ayla, and she’s a firecracker. She has a lot of hate and mistrust for those who have ravaged her people, but she’s not sure what to think about Jace. He should be her enemy, and yet, he’s not. I love how these two characters are playing off each other. It’s so rich, deep, and addictive to read. If I could give the character category 6 stars, I would.
  Grammar: so far, everything looks clean and crisp!
• RavensFantasyRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style/Story:
  The style - the style of the story is set in first person and remains consistent throughout the chapters. Even between the POV switches we get the consistent first person. The writing of the story remains consistent and is easy to follow and read.
  The world - the world is crafted well and is laid out in front of us nicely. The story uses some great descriptions to help captivate the world. The history of the world is laid out throughout the chapters, so we don’t get everything all at once.
  Dialogue - the dialogue flows nicely between characters and shows their personality. Especially with the whole Alya hating Jace bit. There were a few good quotes and sentences that stuck out to me as I read them.
  The story - the story itself is interesting as it draws you in with the bits of history of the world we get. We get mentions of mana and history with Elves and Humans. The history between the two races interests me and makes me curious to learn more as it shows in the characters. The story was quick to draw me in and keep me reading more.
  Overall - the story and style are done well. My only complaint would be possibly a missing section in chapter 2. Nothing but a bit of lookover can’t fix, if it is missing something that is.
  Grammar: I didn’t see any grammar issues on my end. Overall, pretty good job here!
  Characters: The characters are one of my favorite parts in the story. As you are able to distinguish between the two main characters of Alya and Jace quite well. What I enjoyed of both characters was Jace’s willingness to help Alya despite her being an elf. What I liked about Alya was her attitude and how it remained consistent over the course of the chapters. Her hatred towards Jace showed loud and clear despite his kind gestures towards her.
  There are some POV switches in the story, which I didn’t mind at all. These were done well and showed each character nicely.
  In Summary: In summary the story is a great read with its interesting set of characters, an
• RavicensRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Overall
  I don’t usually read in the “westerns” genre. I liked The Dark Tower, which is what pulled me in when I saw it in the title. I was a little apprehensive because Stephen King is a tall horse to ride off. I wasn’t disappointed.
  This story is more than just a western. Action sequences are fast paced, gritty, and surprisingly realistic despite being in a fantasy setting. The characters feel real and I got invested. I definitely want to know what happens next after every chapter.
  Story
  The story has a simple premise but is executed perfectly. There’s a lot of world building, but not in a word dumpy way. More like, subtly revealed around the actions, setting, and dialogue. It’s somewhat post apocalyptic as advertised, and the scenery reflects that, and you see a lot of evidence of the world that was before “the Shattering” happened. As of chapter ten, I’m not sure the details of that event have been fully fleshed out, but revealing the world bit by bit is something I think this story does really well.
  Grammar
  Way above the norm on Royal Road. It’s very polished. I felt like I was reading something I picked up off the shelf in a bookstore. Some of the sentences can get a bit long, but it didn’t really bother me since they flowed well. To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention to grammar or spelling but the fact that nothing ever jumped out at me shows that grammar and spelling were good.
  Characters
  In my opinion, here is where the author really shines. It’s not just the two main characters (Jace and Ayla) who get attention. The main characters evolve and change a lot, even in the ten chapters I’ve read so far. But more than that, the side characters, even the ones who don’t ever get named because they’re “not important” are fleshed out and feel real. There’s this gnome early in the story with a scarred face. I won’t spoil anything, but I thought he was really cool. Also, the author did really interesting things with the goblin tropes that are so common, and, frankly,
• SamonElseRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Fantasy and guns. ‘Nuff said.
  This is an action packed story with interesting world-building. It changes from perspectives of two MCs which is different.
  There’s good style. Very smooth and buttery. It’s mood is dark but not too much. Very cool descriptions of things and very rich with sensory details. I didn’t notice at first but the chapters with the male MC are in past tense and the female is in present tense. I thought that was clever since it gives them both a very different flavor.
  You get a lot of the world building through the inner monologues and the environment. I thought that was new. Usually people just info dump. It felt naturally here.
  The story is very action packed with overarching goals being clear. Jace wants to go to a place called Hope’s End and help an elf named Ayla go home. But that’s like the background. So far it’s mostly about surviving in the wastelands (literally called the Wastes). Theres the slowly developing relationship between the two MCs which is the most interesting. I wish I could hear more about Jace’s thoughts. Despite it being in his first person POV, he sometimes doesn’t say what he’s thinking? But he’s still very interesting, and it might be intentional.
  The grammar is top notch. I noticed one mistake which was a repeated word. I came back to start reading today where I left off and it was gone, so this writer is going back and fixing things which is great.
  The characters were my favorite. All the side characters, even the ones that don’t get a name are interesting.  They are all uniquely described and they give me a sense of the world they live in. The character growth is slow, but each chapter has its own arc and by chapter 12 they come a long way. I loved the fire and dancing scene in chapter 10 or 11. I can’t remember which and I’m too lazy to look.
  Kudos for the Parabellum reference in chapter one. If you shoot, you get it. If you don’t, you don’t.
  To begin, 8.2 Parabellum are not real bullets. But they could be? As an A
• W.J.R.PollardRoyal Road

  ★★★★★ 5.0

  Style: The style is crisp. It slows when it should and quickens with the adrenaline dumping action scenes. I love how his... ugh, dammit. Almost dropped a spoiler. The world building is achieved through vivid language that paints a picture in the minds eye that I am certain matches the author's intent. Pictures/concept art provided reinforces that, as they matched in my mind what the words described. The half star penalty is for switching between past and present tense narrative. I prefer one or the other (But that's a personal thing). I'm not certain if it is intentional or not, but it is no great detraction from the story.
  Grammar: Another half star penalty for minor errors and oversights that are easily fixed, which I am sure they will be. Aside from those, which really were very minor, this is written beautifully, demonstrating a mastery of post-Norman Anglo-Saxon I rarely see these days. (I didn't actually deduct this one, because no doubt the errors I pointed to would be fixed, so...)
  Story: The story is written very well, and as I previously mentioned, the pacing and descriptions keep you engaged and well oriented in the world the author is aiming to present.
  Character: The characters are vivid, sympathetic, and relatable. So much so that (and this is a difficult thing for an author) even the villainous characters elicit that human response. They aren't cardboard cutouts designed to be 'bad guy' / 'good guy'. They are nuanced and very real in their depiction.
  Overall: Overall it is a wonderfully well-written story. I thought 'hmm seems interesting, I'll give it a looksy', similar to the feeling I had in the DVD store when I picked up 'Ideocracy' as it seemed there was nothing better to watch. Glad I did. Because, akin to my anecdotal example, I was oh-so pleasantly surprised by how good I had no idea it would be.
• keiraxstarRoyal Road

  ★★★★ 3.5

  This story is very much trying to capture the essence of the old western with the strong, cool male protagonist. From a style perspective, it carries this throughout the story, even though it brings in the very non-western magical elements. If that is the style you want, you will always be receiving it here and it is well-written from a technical perspective.
  However, this also means you don't get a lot of plot from the characters as it takes a backseat to style and exposition. Chapters have very lengthy fight sequences with stand-offs, set up, explanations of certain shots, speed, bullets, powers, have multiple paragraphs of choreography, all very flashy and fun. But they're usually not contributing to or moving forward a plot, nor are they giving insight into the characters who remain "scarred man who is scarred" and "elf who is attractive." There isn't a compelling motivation given for why this man has decided to keep this elf or liberate her in the first place. Yes, there is allusion to him having rough memories of things being bad (and as per the summary, him killing elves) but he doesn't express guilt at all the other elves he also passes in scenes, in some cases he remarks on how fine they seem to be (as slaves). The elf who he does decide to steal is specifically called out for being attractive. And beyond randomly encountering an elf and randomly freeing her from bondage, it's not clear why he's putting up with all the risk when his character comments on all the risk and how much he doesn't like it.
  As I mentioned, there's a lot of exposition as well. It is woven into the plot moments, so it's not like it pauses the narrative to tell you things, which is a plus, but it often isn't actually relevant to the moment or scene. A great example is when he first mentions his goldeneye, which he doesn't stop to explain but the context is all there and makes it very cool, you'll get to see it unravel and reveal itself. Compared against many other times where you'll h