The Merchant of Shadows [ISEKAI, PROGRESSION FANTASY]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

After dying as a retired professional, John Evigeni wakes up in a new magical world where fight and death are common occurrences.

As a Merchant, he's determined to navigate this realm facing daunting challenges with unexpected allies by his side.

Will he discover the path to true fulfillment or remain shackled by his past?

Can this second chance truly be his fresh start?

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2024
Author: GodOfZap

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.7/ 5.0
Followers: 57
Views: 21,194

Chapters(49 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

AlphonsoFRRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
First of all , I will try not to give any spoilers as much as I can. In any case if I did give some forgive me for that.
The story is good for now with some twist between chapters and I hope that there are more twists like that. There are not many characters at the moment of this review because it is made at the beginning of the chapters only. I will change the review when there are additional chapters.
Requires some other genre blend in the story this is one of my personal opinions. Hope it comes with some comedy mix in later chapters.
I will not speak about the grammar for know as I am not that much keen on those things. But for characters that require some more interaction between them. Also the way each chapter ends is something pretty decent and makes me to expect what had happened ?
While I expect more things from it. It definitely needs some clear clarification of the characters and there info in a separate chapter.
What to expect: Great story and idea , with twists between the chapters with some emotional moments from the beginning itself.
Important spoiler don't see this and stop scrolling
AlucardTheRealOneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This narrative perfectly aligns with my personal preferences. The language is simple yet sophisticated, avoiding any unnecessary complexity that could detract from the enjoyment of the story. The pacing of the plot is ideally balanced, maintaining an engaging flow without being too slow to induce boredom or too fast to become confusing. The main character (MC) is particularly relatable and easier to sympathize with.
The plot is straightforward, free from unnecessary complications, yet it ensures that the critical moments receive the attention they deserve, enhancing the overall experience.
Overall, this promises to be a captivating read, characterized by a perfect blend of simplicity and depth. The straightforward style, moderate pace, relatable main character, and the heartwarming family aspect come together to create an engaging and enjoyable narrative. The careful progression, nuanced character development, and emotional undercurrents ensure that readers remain engrossed from start. This story stands out as both compelling and enjoyable, with its balanced approach to storytelling, realistic portrayal of family dynamics, and the right mix of action and emotion. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing how the characters evolve and how the plot unfolds, promising a narrative that is as rich in character development as it is in plot progression.
BalbaritoRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel has made a strong impression on me! Here are a few things I appreciate:
- The main character is relatable.
- The story draws me in and keeps my interest.
- The writing is well-organized and easy to follow.
- There are minimal grammatical errors.
Looking ahead (I'm currently on chapter 3), I hope to see:
- More expansive world-building.
- Greater depth in the secondary characters, so they feel more like individuals rather than mere placeholders.
Overall, I'm quite pleased with what I've read so far and would definitely recommend giving this story a try!
LightChaserRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Alright, so let’s talk about The Merchant of Shadows. Overall, it’s a pretty solid read, but there are definitely some things to unpack.
What Works:
Engaging Characters: John and Vincent are compelling characters with rich backstories. You really feel for John as he navigates his new life in Melch’s body. His internal struggle is relatable, and you can’t help but root for him. Vincent’s mysterious past adds a nice layer of intrigue, too.
Cool World-Building: The setting is well-crafted, and the magical elements are interesting. The idea of mana being tied to the soul is a neat concept that opens up a lot of possibilities for the story. You can visualize the Vasti estate and the academy, which is always a plus.
Strong Themes: The themes of identity, trust, and resilience are woven throughout the story. John’s determination to take control of his life is inspiring, and it gives the narrative a deeper meaning beyond just fantasy.
What Could Use Some Work:
Pacing Issues: At times, the pacing feels a bit uneven. Some chapters drag on with too much introspection, while others rush through important plot points. Finding a better balance would help keep the momentum going.
Clarity in Magic System: The magic system is intriguing, but it could use a bit more explanation. Sometimes it feels like there are rules that aren’t fully laid out, which can leave readers a bit confused. A clearer understanding of how magic works in this world would enhance the overall experience.
Dialogue: While the dialogue is mostly natural, there are moments where it feels a bit stilted or overly formal. A more casual tone in certain conversations could help the characters feel more relatable and real.
Final Thoughts:
All in all, The Merchant of Shadows is a fun and engaging fantasy read with a lot of potential. It has strong characters and a captivating world, but it could benefit from some tightening in pacing and character development. If you’re into fantasy that explores identity and resilience,
Nyko ShadeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
From the start, you're pulled into a narrative that feels familiar, yet ominous, and that's all due to the crafted narration of the author. The Merchant of Shadows comes with your usual reincarnation tropes, but the slow burn approach to its storytelling magically turns those tropes into something that’s refreshing while maintaining the core identity of the genre. The characters (yes, even the lesser side characters) all feel organic for the story and setting, each being fleshed out to build intrigue without overstaying their presence in different scenes. The plot moves at a reasonable pace with just enough detail to get clear visuals of various locations, each area feeling like something we can picture in our minds with ease while still carrying a sense of fantasy. That's always a plus for me to feel like I'm in the world of the story, and this novel does an excellent job at that with its superb worldbuilding in the early moments of this interesting tale.
Overall, this novel looks to be a great meal to sink your teeth into, and I'm honestly excited for more of the dish to come. Side Note: John is an excellent MC with realistic thoughts and emotions; I'm rooting for him!
Silvia WoodRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story has great potential and an engaging plot but it is still in the early chapters. The pacing feels slow and I find myself wishing for more frequent updates, ideally two chapter per day—to maintain the momentum and excitement. Overall, it's a promising read just in need of quicker progression.
IhieteRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Not often do I enjoy this type of stories, but I gotta say that "The Merchant of Shadows" is definitely a welcome anomaly.
The narrative is full of mystery.
Seemingly effortlessly it manages to hook the reader with something in almost every other paragraph. The way the perspective shifts from one character to another is done masterfully. Never have I caught myself confused about who the narrator is speaking about and whose thoughts I'm getting to know.
The style is almost perfect. Sentences smoothly flow into each other, and very competently balance in the middle of the spectrum between "easy to understand" and "artistic". One thing that I feel like holds the style back is an occasional grammar mistake (though I will say that even when they happen, they tend to be so small it's not really a big deal (at least for me))
It's hard to say much about the story itself since the first 8 chapters are just the beginning. Still, the way it is going now it seems promising. One thing that I especially love is the tempo. A little on the slower side, but not nearly slow enough to become boring. It uses the breathing room to build up new questions and pull the reader in even more.
My main criticism for now would be the characters. John/Melch is fine, he is interesting and serves as a good protagonist. The other characters we meet however seem a little flat for now.
I feel like Vincent was too well-written to be cast out so quickly.
John's "new family" on the other hand is in my opinion put together rather poorly. We get introduced to many characters at once and for some reason, they all feel unimportant. Like an NPC waiting patiently for the player to speak with them so that they can vanish forever in the next moment.
All in all, "The Merchant of Shadows" delivers a really good opening to what I hope will be an even better story. I looking forward to piling up some more fresh chapters and binge-reading them again.
MeansonRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
If you're looking for a fun mystery novel to enjoy I think this would be a great choice for you.
The novel brings forward moral questions, relatable characters, and plenty of reasons to keep you coming back to read the next chapter.
There's no noticeable grammatical errors that take away from the reading experience.
One thing I've noticed personally is that the writing is very punctual and the abrupt sentence structure sometimes causes me to avert my attention.
Overall I think this is a well-written mystery/fantasy.
Felix MagnusRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
The story has a truly captivating start, immediately establishing a mysterious and intriguing atmosphere. The progression into the reincarnation element is quite different from what you typically encounter in this genre. The author masterfully builds suspense with a well-paced lead-up, gradually revealing key details and creating a sense of anticipation for this pivotal turning point in the narrative.
Ian_Scott_WritingRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Grammar: The grammar is the strongest element of this story for me. It's very consistent throughout, save for a few instances where an extra comma could be included to induce separation and rhythm. You clearly have a good feel for rhythm -- how to interweave shorter and longer sentences -- and the action descriptions are vivid and concise.
Style: I really like your use of rhythm and sentence length variation. You know how to make the text flow with the momentum and tension, and that's a great skill to have. I do think you can cut down on the use of exclamation points in exposition. Sometimes it felt as if you were trying too hard to tell things -- particularly when discussing a character's past. More show and less tell could really be of benefit, and you have the skill with prose and imagery to implement that.
Story: The beginning did feel a little all-over-the-place to me. I didn't fully understand John's character motivation for leaping in front of the truck (and was also surprised the truck was even there because John was rushing to save the cat before the threat of the oncoming truck was established), and between the truck, the lightning, and Vincent unexpectedly being John's long-lost dad, it was a lot of detail thrown at me that didn't fully click. "Boy" and "man" were also used interchangeably to describe John in Chapter 2, which confused me since there was another boy present.
The reason I pile on the beginning a little bit is because I think the story takes a massive step in the right direction after the reincarnation. The world you've crafted is rich and well-developed, with authentic characters, a complex magic system, and a great sense of scale. Narrow the focus on the characters and the character-driven element early on, and I think the story will have better roots to build off of with the high-quality world-building.
Character: I will be honest, I was going to give a pretty low character score before the reincarnation. The new world boosted the charact