The Machine God

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

The world’s evolving. The System is waking up. And it already sees Alexander as a threat. Alexander died and woke up in a world not so different from his own. Except for the aliens. And the superhumans. He's looking forward to meeting an alien. Supes? Not so much. See, somehow he’s become a villain. Worse, he’s put together a supervillain team. And now every superhero and bounty hunter in the country is after him. But at least he’s made some damn good friends along the way. Besides, what’s the point of having superpowers if you don’t intend to do something with them? It’s a world where the rich and powerful get away with murder, and heroes cause as much destruction as the bad guys. Alexander’s going to change that, no matter the cost. And at the center of all the madness is something no one truly understands: A System, still being born. Shaped by humanity's hopes and dreams. Greed and ambition. Not to mention the desperation. And it doesn't just want this world. It wants all of them. What to expect: From weak to strong to godlike; a relentless climb in power and mastery An antagonistic System slowly expanding its reach, seeking to control all things Slow-burn reveals with Multiversal stakes, and layers of mystery to unravel Gritty, character-driven progression fantasy in a soft sci-fi universe A sharp, tactical protagonist growing into his role while bending the System to his will Superpowers, cybernetics, starships, and magic Found family, morally grey decisions, and the cost of ambition Frequent updates: Monday to Friday

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2025
Author: Xiphias

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.6/ 5.0
Followers: 3,291
Views: 1,070,188

Chapters(216 total)

What readers say about The Machine God

“Wow, this is good. Story-wise, The Machine God is a perfect, enjoyable blend of corporate cyberpunk dystopia and subversive super-powered villainy, with a nice touch of System Apocalypse that hints at the later trajectory of the novel. The ‘stats’ window is…”
CatharticRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I'm a sucker for iceberg stories. Epics that have growing scales, perspectives and stakes. And this story is promising exactly that, both in writing and from the author's summary. It reads easy. I haven't been brought out from the story by weird wording or…”
Costly HornetRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

CatharticRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Wow, this is good. Story-wise, The Machine God is a perfect, enjoyable blend of corporate cyberpunk dystopia and subversive super-powered villainy, with a nice touch of System Apocalypse that hints at the later trajectory of the novel. The ‘stats’ window is fairly unique in my opinion, and doesn’t overshadow the main plot or characters, both of which are thought-out and executed well. The world and conflicts are balanced as well, and nothing feels too cliche or rushed. If you can’t tell, I really like reading this novel. 5/5.
Costly HornetRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm a sucker for iceberg stories. Epics that have growing scales, perspectives and stakes.
And this story is promising exactly that, both in writing and from the author's summary.
It reads easy. I haven't been brought out from the story by weird wording or grammar at any point, nor any typos.
The character cast is interesting and I want to see how they'll turn out, there's been some character development, but it's still early to tell how it'll go.
There is a minor gripe I have with the blind trust people have in the MC it feels like? Don't want to spoil anything, but I feel like some of the characters lack some healthy skepticism given their background.
The prose itself is enjoyable to read, it's the right level of complexity for me to have an easy time reading all the while still allowing complex expressions.
Now I'm not saying this is a fault with the story, just my own personal experience. At the start, when the action kicks into gear, it doesn't stop for a dozen or two chapters, causing me mental fatigue.
Feels like having a minor pause somewhere in the middle might balance it out and allow more character interaction? Then again, I'm not a writer so what do I know.
Overall though, thoroughly enjoyable read so far, keep up the good work and I cannot wait to see how the story will play out from this point on.
To those who saw the flaws and are having second doubts, don't, it's a good story, the gripes are incredibly minor.
FudgeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm not one to normally review, but thought this story warranted one.This is very well written with a well thought out universe (multiverse) and really solid characters. I have been thoroughly enjoying the way the system is implemented as well as the powers. The main character is smart, almost/practically a tech savant, observant, physically weak. Powers:His powers wind up being technopathy, electrokinesis, with possibly more to be revealed?MC starts with B-1 ranked power with extreme potential for improvement.Power scaling e to s rank with tiers for each. Explained well in story. Universe has other sapient races but none on earth at the moment.First ally is female and seems to be a potential bruiser that complements him well.If you're looking for something to tickle your litrpg needs , this might be it. The System doesn't pick up until like 13 chapters in, if I remember correctly, and winds up being cooler than what is shown at first. All in all, this is definitely a step above most of what is on royal road, so far. I hope the quality keeps up and I can't wait to keep reading. Favorited and followed. Best of luck to the author!
GenPowerEveryNightRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great twist on the classic superhero and system based story types. Characters are all impactful, having real weight and emotion behind their actions accompanied by witty dialogue.Hits every box for what you'd want from a superhero type of novel. Great writing brings out the most of the genre, with a unique plotline that gives it extra oomph. Found myself binging to the most recent chapter in a day or two. Amazing setup for the future story.
JohnDoesBigToeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Let’s go! Just caught up and 50 and feel like everything was just setting up this moment. Great story so far!
The characters are well thought out. It feels exciting when they power up and the power system is unique and different. Superhero powers but with progression. Good stuff man.
Pedro AndradeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This is a book that initially requires persistence to read, with confusing, disjointed, and disconnected chapters; this lasts for the first five chapters. After that, it becomes a work of art, the characters... It has depth, it has its own personality, and it has a lightness that you don't expect from villains, and the growth in their abilities is very gradual, which is good; the powers are interesting, everything about world-building pleases me.
RhonosRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love this! No, for real, it reads like an epic novel, and it's soooo good!
The characterisation is awesome, I love the dynamic in the team, but also what is building with their new rivals. I love how your characters 'break the mold' a bit, as Augustus is a buff older space marine wizard (in all my years of reading, I have not seen this before), Talia is an intelligent character, but for all that she's professional, she's not cold. Annie might be a bit more usual, but I really love her powerset and her motivation. And Alex... what a setup for an absolute epic character! There's hints, but honestly, I love the way it's going!
And the story... Idk what the hell is going on, as I left at an cliffhanger, but man am I looking forward to seeing more of it. Taking on corporate assholes, getting stronger through conflict.
And now the multiverse?!
Argh, I cannot wait!!!
Overall grammar is good! I'm not native english myself, so in general I just give people 4.5 if I don't see any mistakes.
And style... It might just be the beginning, but you've got something great set up here. In your bio it said you are a forever-DM of tabletop games, and I see that in reading this. Which is a good thing!! It gives it a way more original flavour, and fleshes out the story and the characters. I give it a 4.5, mostly because I'm waiting for the more... gritty? flavour. Considering the shitty things happening to Alex, I thought it would have that feel a bit more than it has. But otherwise, awesome! Great! Absolutely Epic!!!
Thank you so much for writing this! I'm looking forward to seeing more of this!
classified39Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Somewhere between the grimdarkness of Worm and the inexplicable blandness of nu-Marvel, I honestly stopped considering myself a fan of super-heroics in general. I only read this story, not because it had superheroes, but in spite of it. I mostly just was curious about the approach to tech-centric abilities.
But man... this story is GOOD. Not just the main character, but in general, from top to bottom. His friends, his enemies, and the many groups that fit somewhere in between are all really interesting in their own right. The comedy beats are there, but are funny and not forced. The cyberpunk-esque aspects of going against the established gov-corp power structures are all really well put together. And the action scenes are genuinely fun to read!
There's also aspects that get at the core of what it means to be super-powered, in terms of forcing your will upon reality, that are legitimately pretty rad. It deconstructs and then reconstructs the tropes that most stories take for granted.
Oh, and it's also worth noting that the grammar is really spot on, which most definitely helps.
All in all, I found myself truly, genuinely, pleasantly, surprised at how fun a read this story is.
hellnhavocRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Incredible start I haven’t been this excited to read a novel in a while. The beginning is excellent. I can’t wait to see what happens. I really Like the writing. The prose is excellent. The whole premise is excellent. I will write more on this review as I continue to go on. I’m really curious to see how the progression works and how his powers develop. It is a really interesting idea to have a technology superpower.
Haz3Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An utterly fantastic take on the very oversaturated system genre. The range of power systems and their interoperability are clearly well thought out and articulated, the characters are driven and have emotional breadth, their bonds and dynamics once again being clearly planned. It's a grounded yet over the top action fantasy, with a uniquely kitted out mc who isn't just unbeatable. Tactic, a battery of planning and teamwork, and cooperation of powers are persistent drivers, no one man armies (though that certainly still applies). The characters are stroke but not infallible, with the only real overseer being the system itself. The spattering of romance adds a nice depth to the mc, and the specific obstacles presented are novel, and this of course isn't limited to other dynamics but it's most present here.
The world building is sound. It's not LOTR level of scale, but the passive scenery and development make the world feel both advanced and alien, but still perfectly tangible. And acceptable frame for the future, if you will. The story in general is realistic, and constantly maintains this edge of realism and groundedness that really flesh the world out and make it relatable. It's a very, very well thought out story, with few plot holes or grammatical hiccups.
Minor markdown in style. It's good, it's just not inherently special. It's fitting to the story, it's cohesive, but it's not 10/10 prose or "seductive" in its language (Jay Kristoff, to give an example)