The Shop Of Souls [Book 3 posting!]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

James leads a pretty ordinary life, even if a bit overworked. He is, by all means, considered normal. At least, that is until he is stabbed to death. Luckily for him, dying is not the end for him. Instead, he is chosen by the representative of the shop of souls, a shop that runs using the energy and lifespan of souls, to become the next representative.

Read as the shop's sheer presence leads kingdoms into chaos, allows people into paths they couldn't have imagined even in their wildest dreams, and launches every world it enters into chaos.

What to expect:

→ Fluffy background plot line as James explores the shop, relaxes, and lives an overworked salary man's wet dream.

→ Characters acting absolutely depraved for power.

→ Kings and kingdoms, magic and mages, lots of murder.

→ Farming lifespan has never been more efficient.

→ Lots and lots of chaos.

Volume 1 and 2 available on KU:The Prince of Iastlan&The Cultivators of Aiguo

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2024
Author: Chris Ford Writes

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.2/ 5.0
Followers: 882
Views: 115,409

What readers say about The Shop Of Souls [Book 3 posting!]

“I love this it always feels great to read, the characters are well made, the worlds are complex with out bogging down the plot with specifics. I also love how it is constantly changing genre and setting. It's a good read:) P.S i hate how there is a minimum…”
Jane SheddenRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Okay, before going in, i never really understood how unhinged this was going to be. But before i expand on to that. Style : Very easy read. The prose is simple, efficient and to the point. I appreciate it, makes it easier to sink your teeth into the story c…”
Red_OceanRoyal Road4.5 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

Jane SheddenRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love this it always feels great to read, the characters are well made, the worlds are complex with out bogging down the plot with specifics. I also love how it is constantly changing genre and setting. It's a good read:)
P.S i hate how there is a minimum word count for these reviews
Red_OceanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Okay, before going in, i never really understood how unhinged this was going to be. But before i expand on to that.
Style :
Very easy read. The prose is simple, efficient and to the point. I appreciate it, makes it easier to sink your teeth into the story content.
Story :
It's pretty simple. Man dies, man gets a store of souls(which is basically the devil itsellf), and the man grants wishes in exchange for
Lifespan
And that always takes a dark turn. Always. Just when you did not think it would get any darker, it turns pitch black.
If you enjoy stories that focus on the darker side of the world, this is it.
Characters :
So far, the main character's motivation is clear. He wants to ensure a good life for his sister, even after death. He for most part does not drive the story forward, other than dishing out the wishes. One small gripe is the fact that he does not seem to care much about the consequences of his action, seemingly oblivious to it all.
As a result, side characters are the ones that suffer, and death count just goes brrr
Grammar :
I have not seen any grammatical mistakes throughout the story.
Overall though. This is not your regular RR story. But it draws you in the moment you start reading, taking you into the spiraling madness.
AlleireRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
It got me hooked and intrigued. Similar and maybe inspired from 2 chinese light novels. One titled "Eternal Club" where the main character could see and take time off people's lifespans, in which he creates an organization in dealing with said lifespan. Another chinese light novel called "I'm really not the demon god's lackey" where the main character is chosen as the representative of a bookshop in another world, essentially making devilish deals without his knowledge.
Fity0208Royal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I expected something bad from the description but this isn't bad, it's horrifying and I'm loving it.
Particularly the 1st customer. How he goes from kind but desperate person gritting his teeth and barely justifying the soul harvest to himself, to complete corruption and butchering entire cities in greed.
All while MC drinks tea and enjoy the souls that keep coming
randominspirationRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
Checked this out on a friend's recommendation, and man, looks pretty promising! Already we can see the makings of a proper RoyalRoad story. A fun mechanic, an interesting world, and of course; our MC whose had to contend with being thrown into a completely new setting with no idea of what he's doing.
A family to save, a shop to run, a magical being to guide you and a whole world to explore. What's not to love? If you enjoy seeing a twist on more conventional power systems and having something that goes beyond 'big punch go clunk' you may find it interesting.
The style of the story is fairly simple, very easy to understand. It doesn't throw curveballs or meander, it just gets to the point. Overall, seems like a neat idea executed in a competent way. Mechanics and grammar are solid, I didn't catch much in the way of notable mistakes. If you're looking for a good spin on a time tested trope, this may be for you!
Suffice it to say, I'll have to read more to add more to the review, but so far, looks promising! I've enjoyed it so far, and looking forwards to seeing where this goes.
rumstewRoyal Road
★★★★ 3.5
It went from a 4.5 star to closer of a 3 star. Good writing, and the idea of being the entity behind trading souls/life span for power is interesting. The shop owner appears briefly with it mostly focused on the characters that made the deal. A core issue popped up when instead of doing singular deals, the MC gave the contractee infinite use of the soul-for-power, ie contractee can now teleport, clone, whatever by trading lifespan with no hard limits and bypassing the MC altogether.
It lost even more of it's luster when it just went into massacre/genocide mode. What's the most effective way to gather life span? Mass torture and then genocide. So far the author has made the shop only appear to psychopathic villain types. Would have been far better to balance it out with a hero also utilizing the shop.
PrimalShadowRoyal Road
★★★ 3.0
There are a few things one might expect from a story like this.
Maybe you expect progression for the MC. Building up resources, consolidating wealth, scaling up. If so, you will be disappointed. It takes basically a single trade for the MC to get enough lifespan for all of his immediate needs and more. There is absolutely no element of development or building towards a goal.
Maybe you expect a focus on voluntary exchanges. Faustian bargains of all sorts - what are you willing to give up for your ambitions? If so, you will be disappointed. There is a small amount of this, but in actuality most of the trade that happens looks roughly like the customer going out and draining other people to pay for wishes. And targeting your enemies is fine too.
Or perhaps you expected a good villain story - one where the MC has rich motivations and interesting plans for what they are doing. Nope! The MC facilitates the torture and murder of thousands of people, and for what? Does he have an overarching goal he is working towards? Not at all. His main motivation is saving his sister, but that is basically accomplished in the first dozen chapters. Past that, he seems to just be collecting energy in order to sit on it. That and craft a world in his backyard for entertainment.
That is the bit that disappoints me most. He doesn't commit atrocities out or malice or bloodlust. Nor does he commit them as a means to an end. From what I can tell, he mostly does it because, hey, a larger stockpile of points is better to have. And that is it. No grand plans, no ambitious goals, no nothing. Just... why NOT slaughter untold number of people for their lifespan? And then, mind you, in the next scene the MC will have some poor villager walk into his shop, take pity on them, and pay to grant their wishes from his own pocket. Make of that what you will.
EDIT: Ch48 adds a goal, somewhat addressing the last issue, so I'm slightly increasing my review score.
Antyl3214Royal Road
★★ 2.0
The premise is good, the execution is lacking, the author excludes the protagonist from most of the story, he makes deals and doesn't watch the consequences or interactions, he doesn't interact with customers, like the third prince, his first customer, the store does not honor the agreement with said prince, after all the prince only survives to use his power due to the saint's medical assistance, that is, "third party" assistance, if he were alone, he would die, and the agreement implicitly changed his fate death and granted him power, and what saved him was not the store's interference, but the boy's status, so the way the author applied it was absurd, the author also skips the scenes to introduce new characters at the worst moments, when the reader is not willing to include new characters, because they are too excited about the previous ones and at the moment the reader wants the continuation of what has already been developed, leaving the reader with little motivation to continue reading, but in the present story there is space to make the inclusion before.
Also, but more importantly for me, the protagonist having a sister to motivate him to return home doesn't please me, it leaves him unfocused on his new reality and makes it more difficult for the reader to sink into the new world of the story, because the reader is influenced by the protagonist's thought that that world is just something temporary that he needs to go through to return to his old life and we shouldn't focus too much on this world since it will change, which by the way, is not Interesting for those who read it, it coming from the earth is just a cloth in the background to make it easier for the reader to connect with the protagonist, since he will have some of the most generic moral values of our society and makes it easier to accept him, that's what he's for being from here and alone, don't include more things about the past, makes it boring.
Everything I said is to help the author, who made
Anita JuliaRoyal Road
★★ 2.0
The concept of a shop that deals in life time could have been the foundation for a captivating and thought-provoking narrative, but unfortunately, the plot of The Shop of Souls falls flat, lacking depth and nuance. What could have been an exploration of complex themes—mortality, sacrifice, and the boundaries of human experience—ends up feeling shallow, without the emotional or philosophical layers the subject deserves.
The storyline is so basic that it feels bland, like a dish without seasoning—a story that ironically lacks soul. There’s no depth to explore, no characters to genuinely care about or empathize with. The shop, which should have been a focal point of mystery and intrigue, turns into nothing more than a narrative tool, a deus ex machina that resolves conflicts without real substance.
As a result, the plot becomes predictable, with characters making decisions that feel forced, as though the sole purpose is to push the story forward with little regard for coherence or emotional impact. The absence of surprise or meaningful twists makes it difficult to stay invested, and the story quickly loses its spark.
It’s disappointing to see an idea with so much potential treated so superficially. In the end, The Shop of Souls is a forgettable read, one that could have been much more if it had dared to go beyond the basic, delving deeper into the themes it presents.
WierdweblurkerRoyal Road
★★ 1.5
All right. I got through two major arcs, and I think this is where I get off. Final thoughts:
This story suffers from a complete and utter lack of stakes, centering entirely around the "lifespan" mechanic. See, getting a wish granted requires the use of lifespan, a general (and seemingly fate-backed rather than biology-backed) measure of when a person is going to die. More powerful wishes require more lifespan, with most having a price tag beyond what any human could pay. And this is a great plot device that will create many a tragic hero! The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and there will be massive conflict as the customers either go all-in to achieve their goals and die or try to figure out the smallest-scale wish they need to win... until the next problem comes up and they have to make another transaction.
...Except it turns out you don't have to use your own lifespan for the wish, and that shatters any hope the story had of making the reader care. Sure, it technically has to be given consensually, but that just means two lines of "and then the customer tortured a million peasants with their shop-granted powers until they all agreed to give their full lifespan to the shop." For all the talk about sacrificing lifespan, all the customers who've gone into the shop walk out of it with longer lifespans than they started out with... and a mountain of corpses in their wake.
What's worse? Whatever plans they made go off without a hitch. The plan to murder multiple kingdoms worth of people to get one guy more magical power?
He did it, it was easy, and anybody who could have stopped him died believing he was a hero. The greatest adversity he faced was his wife and child dying of old age, whereupon he slaughtered more people for the power to follow their souls across dimensions.
The evil plot by the demons to kill the Human Sect and genocide humanity?
Not only were they never detected, the Sect practically self-destructed after the deaths of a few Eld