The Penumbral Conundrum

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Jason, a weary security guard, awakens from a drunken stupor to find himself entangled in a mystery involving the disappearance of an item of great importance. Joined by his “trusty” coworker and friend, Lexington, he embarks on a journey through the inexplicable, the unorthodox, and the secretive underbelly of a world at war.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: Penwarrior335

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 2
Views: 3,738

Chapters(26 total)

What readers say about The Penumbral Conundrum

“From the first chapter, The Penumbral Conundrum throws you straight into the head of a grumpy, hungover security guard named Jason—and somehow, it works. The story mixes dry humor, existential weirdness, and just enough tension to keep things feeling off in…”
QTKPRoyal Road4.5 / 5
“This is a very natural example of world building. We are thrust into a strange dystopian world with a rich history - following a character (Jason) who is jaded but likeable - if a bit of a potential unreliable narrator. Self professed as drinking a bit too…”
SK_PaydeRoyal Road4.5 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(2)

QTKPRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
From the first chapter, The Penumbral Conundrum throws you straight into the head of a grumpy, hungover security guard named Jason—and somehow, it works. The story mixes dry humor, existential weirdness, and just enough tension to keep things feeling off in a good way. There’s this constant sense that something’s wrong beneath the surface, but the book never rushes to spell it out, which adds to the intrigue.
Jason’s sarcastic, kind of jaded perspective gives the narrative a grounded, gritty feel, even as strange things start creeping in: faceless soldiers, mysterious artifacts, and what may or may not be alternate realities. His dynamic with Lexington, the overly eager partner, adds levity at the perfect moments. Their back-and-forth banter is sharp and surprisingly heartfelt in spots—it’s got that tired-worker energy that makes them feel real.
The pacing leans on the slower side, but it’s deliberate, and it works for a story like this. You’re not just reading for plot, you’re reading to unravel what’s happening with Jason—and maybe with the world itself. There are hints of something deeper at play, and the way the story slowly peels that back is satisfying.
If you're into character-driven sci-fi with a noir edge and just enough surreal horror to keep you uneasy, this one’s definitely worth following. Solid start so far—and I’m looking forward to what’s next.
SK_PaydeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This is a very natural example of world building. We are thrust into a strange dystopian world with a rich history - following a character (Jason) who is jaded but likeable - if a bit of a potential unreliable narrator. Self professed as drinking a bit too much, it adds a level to this where the reader has to figure out if they believe his POV. It's intriguing and pretty layered.
Each chapter slowly builds on the last and you really get a sense of the hellish bureaucracy and strange state/church control over their world - without it being in your face or too on the nose. This is a slowburn read, with multiple layers being revealed in satisfying ways, but still there are new questions to ask.
I like his relationship with Lex - it adds both a bit of humour and tension to a very surreal film noir style world. In fact, for some weird reason - whilst reading it - I was reminded of playing Psychonauts - which is not a bad thing at all!
Think dystopian, think a tone that is slightly off, with dry humour and you've got the style down. The tense shifts between past tense and present tense mostly work really well, but it was a little jarring at points for me and brought me out of it slightly. Grammar is mostly good, with only a few typos here and there - mostly things like missing fullstops which doesn't really impact the readability of it.
I'd recommend if you like slower, suspenseful, intrigue-filled sci fi that is brimming with mystery.