The Lost Deaths
Self-Published
Community Rating
Description
In the City of Light, even Deaths can die. The year is 1889. As Eiffel and his iron tower herald a new age of science and industry, young Laurent Valmore learns a dead man’s secret: that Deaths great and small have preyed upon men since the dawn of civilization, and that mankind will only achieve immortality once they are all slain. This is his first hunt. It won’t be the last. Winner of the January 2025 Community Magazine Contest.
Information
- Status
- Completed
- Year
- 2025
Tags
Royal Road Stats
- Rating
- 4.8/ 5.0
- Followers
- 929
- Views
- 61,341
Chapters(6 total)
What readers say about The Lost Deaths
“Excellently written short story. It felt like a great introduction to a world I want to know more of and played with concepts of death and horror that felt reminiscent of Lovecraft. Given it's short nature, I have no concerns recommending it to fellow reade…”
dragonofatlRoyal Road5.0 / 5“This story is certainly not for everyone, as it focus on morbit themes (even though it touches somewhat lightly on them, as I see it). Still, it is well done, presents a very interesting concept as the Deaths, as is so short that it is worth the risk even i…”
DetrilRoyal Road5.0 / 5
Reviews
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Community Reviews(10)
- dragonofatlRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Excellently written short story. It felt like a great introduction to a world I want to know more of and played with concepts of death and horror that felt reminiscent of Lovecraft. Given it's short nature, I have no concerns recommending it to fellow readers and lovers of the unknown
- DetrilRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This story is certainly not for everyone, as it focus on morbit themes (even though it touches somewhat lightly on them, as I see it).
Still, it is well done, presents a very interesting concept as the Deaths, as is so short that it is worth the risk even if you are not sure you will like it.
The plot itself is very direct and don't waste your time, as must be with a story of this length. - JackercracksRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0This delightful short story asks the question: If death could be fought and ended, would you fight it? Would you scrape and grind and scrabble to end that which today comes for us all, but to tomorrow might not?
Its answer is in many ways self-evident, yet often missed. Of course the end must be fought. In a way it is the same logical conclusion of atheism in the modern day, when more and more each day death can be fought. Though the choices of a civilisation, the end can be ended.
Past philosophies focused on coming to terms with death, because technology at that time offered no hope of an alternative beyond the spiritual. Now, that is no longer true. Thus, our philosophy must change. Mortality can be ended, and it is down to each of us to join the fight towards its obliteration however we can. - WindmiesterRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0I love this because it perfectly mirrors my thoughts on death. I feel popular media frequently portrays death as inevitable. I hate this. its defeatisy. THIS work portrays a philosophy closer to my own. Fuck death and what it stands for.
my fav quote
I’ve met many people who thought death was an inevitable part of life, but I now knew otherwise. Death wasn’t a law of the universe; it was its undying enemy, a creeping cold that shepherded all things toward the silent oblivion which it craved. It offered no comfort, no promise of an after, only the end. Only when all worlds became silent, only when the last star was extinguished and the cosmos returned to eternal darkness, would it finally be satisfied. - AmateurHourRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0A very promising start that that asks 'what if Chainsaw Man, but instead of Fears it's every possible way someone could die, and instead of an irreverent teen in modern Tokyo it's an academic in gaslamp Paris?'
...why are you still here? It's rad, go read it. Will update the review once it's said and done, but see title - Nick writes BooksRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0I was looking for some short stories to read after I finished a rather lengthy book. Colored me surprised to find the Lost Deaths. 6 Chapters start to finish that introduces a mystery that I didn't want to put down.
It transported me into a living world full a Deaths and a built upon its own lore in tangible easy to understand ways. If you got some time I recommend reading this first chapter because you'll get so invested you'll want to read it all. - Nil BlueRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Story
The story is short but sweet. The hero of the story receives the legacy of an ancient order fighting a war as old as time, maybe older. The story explores mortality in a chilling and fascinating way that really resonated with me. It does not bore the reader with endless lamentations and philosophical allegories but still provides enough food for thought to ponder for a little while after you finish reading it.
But the story is lamentably too short to really dive into the deep end. We get a glimpse of how this war is fought but not too much more. The rest of the horrifying adventures our protagonist will go through are merely implied.
I would not exactly describe this story as horror because our protagonist does not feel like a helpless victim of his enemies. He has agency and is proactive in achieving his goals. The story still has grim and chilling undertones, so it is not the lightest of reads.
Character
Laurent, the protagonist, is a well-written and determined character. He has clear motivation and is interesting to follow after. The side character also make the most out of their allotted screen time. They all act logical, have subtle personality quirks and a distinct voice. They have a job to do, and they do it well.
Style
The author has over a dozen of stories under his belt. The style is of course stellar. The story is easy to read, sentences flow into each other and overall I can't find anything to complain about.
Grammar
No mistakes in writing were detected. - RznRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0The writing is very good and on point, giving this dark turn of the century vibe while having an interesting aspect of complicated worldbuilding. As for some parts of the worldbuilding, of the Deaths, I do have some issue with - it is based on logic which does not really apply here because this is a supernatural story at heart. Laurent is a good character with solid development and the setting has this macabre horror that works very well given the dark story. This is a short ride with the darkness that is not purely 'eldritch' in nature, but deals with the occult and Death in an original way.
It is quite bleak and brings up existential horror in mortality and such, but getting past that, this was a really wonderful and strong piece. There was no distraction to take away from the building tension and ultimate climax, while still being reasonable given the era and of practical considerations for Laurant's preparations. That is really what sells the piece, the emotional depth and fine details that allow the reader to get into Laurent's state of mind and know his fear. - SargasreqRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0It's a very well written handful of chapters. The world they build is very dark yet with faints of hope. It's a world close to ours, so it's easy to project. The main character is well written - as always with VoidHerald. It's quite different from the other novels he wrote, but it's refreshing in a good way.
- StealletRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0That was a quite short novella about mortality and all that cool stuff.
I wish it could have been a tad longer but it still works wonderfully as it is. You can read this in less than a hour so just do it and make your own opinion about this little story.
I personally loved it!
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