The Unmaker

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In a world overrun with giant, mutated bugs, what must a trinket-maker do to reach the top of the food chain?

Nearly a century ago, rifts opened and giant magic-blooded bugs descended upon humanity. They were named the ‘Swarm’ for their fierce, insatiable hunger for human flesh—but born and raised as a trinket-maker’s daughter, fourteen-year-old Dahlia Sina wants nothing to do with the fighting. If she could just spend every day coasting through her classes and become the best trinket-maker in town, she would be more than happy enough.

That is, until one night, a cocoon falls through the ceiling and a horde of giant insects flood into the town.

Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. To survive the Swarm and make a new home for herself, Dahlia must make do with what she has—and unmakeeverythingstanding in her way.

Update Schedule:Every Friday

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2024
Author: Maradina

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 3,435
Views: 973,765

What readers say about The Unmaker

“I don't do reviews as I feel I am not qualified to leave an honest, non-biased opinion critique of most written media beyond merely mentioning how tasty or bland it was on a 1 to 5 scale. So instead I will simply say the following and let deeper Shakespeari…”
TheUnderdogRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“I just stumbled across this story, and I'm happy as a kid turning over a wet log in the forest and finding a swarm of worms, beetles and millipedes underneath! I can't wait to see how insect integration works and the journey our little Maker takes! I'm favo…”
AzsunaRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

TheUnderdogRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't do reviews as I feel I am not qualified to leave an honest, non-biased opinion critique of most written media beyond merely mentioning how tasty or bland it was on a 1 to 5 scale.
So instead I will simply say the following and let deeper Shakespearian level analysis to my fellow review peers.
"You didn't waste my time,
"And then you made me cry...
"DAMN YOU!... five outa five. "
Review done.
Message for the author with an embedded early story spoiler because my ego demands it, below:
Genuinely great read that I honestly did not expect gripping me so tight mate.
Towards the end I genuinely considered that maybe... the worst of the grimdark passed and some hope could still be held onto.
But then you crushed that hope and sunk all my ships with utmost, heart-rending, opression. I liked that a lot.
Idk where you drew inspiration for it, but at least all throughout Arc 1, your natural ability to write descriptively while pushing the plot along without loosing pacing is something you need to be made aware is praiseworthy.
Anyone can say how much descriptions of moments and feelings can add to a story. In spirit, yes, I agree.
But as for execution, there is a noticeable difference between organically describing the moment lived by a character while the character is on it's way to perform a story relevant action; and doing the complete opposite.
I am not good enough at explaining to pinpoint where within that spectrum I subjectively believe, that you may be; or were, based on what I read throughout Arc 1.
But, I am versed enough to say that your story succeeded in not wasting my time. It delivered action and exposition that felt like it mattered, in a world that felt real and immersive, using an easy to read and follow writing style that was easy to digest.
There is more I want to say but I am not paid to say it nor can I be bothered write a literary dissertation.
Instead, all im'ma say is that I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your planned material. If you
AzsunaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I just stumbled across this story, and I'm happy as a kid turning over a wet log in the forest and finding a swarm of worms, beetles and millipedes underneath!
I can't wait to see how insect integration works and the journey our little Maker takes!
I'm favouriting this story right at chapter 1! I'll stick with this till the end, since it's already completed!
dechair3Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
And I'm not talking about your local forest or marsh.
Volume one of "The Unmaker" does a beautiful job of building up its world and the sheer terror of its apocalypse. The dark, isolated caverns that Dahlia calls home being the perfect place for an invasion of massive, deadly insects. If you happened to be on the invading side, of course. Not only that, but Dahlia, despite her crafting proficiency, is practically an average humans when it comes to combat. But even with no weapons and barely any resources, she survives anyway through ingenuity, strategizing and the indomitable determination of the human spirit.
Unmaker isn't a popcorn fic, and Dahlia isn't an OP MC in the making though. The stakes are entirely real and absolutely overwhelming, but in turn the brief moments of victory are that much more impactful.
The technical writing ability that Maradina displays also serves to enhance those moments. Everything, from the worldbuilding, to the fight scenes to the downtime and character interactions is perfectly executed and seamlessly integrated in a way that could give traditional publishing a run for their money. It's insane how immersive this world is and I can't wait for the next couple of volumes to release.
CarelessProtagonistRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Have just binge read all 39 chapters of volume 1, primarily because of the engaging storyline, but also because I really wanted to find out what type of insect Dahlia would turn out to be.
No, I'm not telling!
I thought the storytelling was excellent and encourage anyone reading this to at least try the first couple of chapters. If you're anything like me, you'll quickly be hooked.
MammonDPRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The worldbuilding is on track to be really neat and there are some mysterious aspects that are gonna be fun to explore. The protagonist's development is on track to be amazing and the power system is really cool. I really like the little bits of lore and worldbuilding at the beginning of each chapter.
I'm not great at describing why I like things so all I can say is give it a shot because it's really good. I'm sure a lot of people will like it, especially if they enjoy progression fantasy, insect-based powers, and crafting.
aceyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The Unmaker is a breath of fresh air for all the people out there sick of the same old litrpgs, tropes, or premises. This story takes everything mainstream and spins it into something grand and unique. Yes, it's an apocalyptic world--but it's overrun by giant, world-dominating insects rather than your usual goblins / monsters / aliens. Yes, it's a system--granted to only select people and induces progression by recycling giant insects. Yes, it's a crafter MC--with a heart-wrenching backstory and a tentative courage that makes us all root for her! The storytelling is amazing, characterization of the different squad members (and their character development) is logical and well-thought-out, and the worldbuilding so far has been thrilling and ambitious. The author has really set up a unique, grand world, and I eagerly anticipate the MC's further exploration of it!
Don’t be put off by the bugs. They add an interesting twist to the progression of the story, are no more disgusting than the USUAL monsters in litrpgs, and also it’s been really interesting learning about the different insects the author takes inspiration from. Give this story a chance. It's worth it.
Silv3rtongueRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm loving this work already! A clear and intense knowledge of insectile biomechanics is a great start, but a complex system of modifications, hints at a truly vast and interesting world, and a complex, fascinating character with a lot of baggage yet to be unpacked make this story a really solid contender for one of the best starts I've seen in a while. I'm a bit of a whore for biomodification and cybernetics as is, so all the other great stuff in the work is just a bundle of cherries on top. Check it out if you get a chance, this one has some truly unique stuff! The grammar, I admit, is just the teensiest bit rough at times, mostly in some of the character's interiority, but please, let me be clear that "rough" to me is a standard I set stupidly high sometimes, and 9/10 times it's just good writing over here, I just wanted to highlight why I did the 4.5 stars on that front. There's still a lot of room for the story to grow and a lot of directions it can take but it clearly expresses a really passionate author and a really engaging set of concepts!
Arts&LovecraftsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
Smol sad bean becomes brave bean becomes sadder bean becomes stronger bean..........
A tale of a precious, quiet (genius) girl learning to survive in a dark, dark world and find her place in it. Assuming you have functioning tear ducts, you will cry at least 2 or 3 times. Friendship, loss, mystery, action, heroism, this has it all.
Also, very interesting power/crafting system with hidden depths and extremely creative application in combat. Some of the fight scenes played out in my head just like some of the best anime fights and had me cranking up the One Punch Man and Metal Gear Rising soundtracks while reading. It was awesome!
If I had to sum the setting's aesthetic thus far, it's be a unique combination of Bloodborne, Monster Hunter, and Tsukihime (maybe a bit of Hollow Knight, too).
Also, bugs are Frickin terrifying on their level, especially when they have an unnatural taste for muman flesh.
The only real criticism I have is a minor grammatical nitpick. In conversation between two people and one person stops talking for a while, the other person's lines get split into new paragraphs every time they paide for moment, which takes me a few seconds to puzzle out when ch of them is speaking. Normally, you only open a new paragraph if the speaker changes, or else you should name them as in:
"..." Dahria said, or some such.
Also, if you have little patience for interludes and backstory blurbs, you may find yourself frequently annoyed. As for myself, I thought they gave TONS of needed emotional connection to the characters as well as drip-feeding us the world's secrets and mysteries.
Ive noticed many readers on this sight expect every story here to be an easily digestible junkfood LITRPG. I can relate, but I'm an enjoyer of long-form high fantasy with hundreds of named characters and thousands of pages (I ALMOST finished Wheel of Time).
I intend to keep reading for quite a while, and I'm curious to check out their other bugworld works.
NoobRageRoyal Road
★★★★ 4.0
It's really a fun and interesting read, with novel concepts that keep the reader engaged. However, when every chapter starts with a short backstory of the MC it breaks the flow of the narrative. A lot. To some extent, it feels shoehorned in. As a result, even if something more pressing is happening in the story, it feels like you're forced to take a break each chapter to read about Dahlia's backstory and understand her character, and then go back to the present story.
Blackjackdj21Royal Road
★★★ 2.5
Character: Now I'm going to be honest, this is more personal than anything else, so to each their own. However, I really disliked the MC. Primarily, because I dislike reluctant protagonists. She is the only one who received the system, but refuses to fully utilize it. Despite the ick of what she needs to do. People are dead or dying and she has a means to help them. That's that. Writing RP can be difficult because you're trying to write an active MC, who by their very nature is reluctant to do something. So there's a balance to strike. She's a bit of coward, but she's a child so I get it. Issam really annoys me as well, but that mostly because of how he interacts with the MC. He's very forceful, and belittling. I really doesn't understand their dynamic. Sure, it's obvious he likes her, but then he pets her head like a child, he inserts himself into her life and drags her around. Maybe this is meant to come off as endearing and protective, but as I said, it's kinda belitting and overbearing. The other main characters are...weird. Again mainly that's the MC's fault. Because she doesn't see them as friends, which is why I don't either. She repeatedly questions why they're helping her. Like...idk what I'm suppose to feel about them. Even, being caught up, she mentions multiple times that she feels like she is not fit to stand beside them. Heavy sigh.
Mystery: So the main mystery of the story is kinda a mixed bag. A mystery plot in the simpliest terms is a unanswered question, one in which the reader desires to know the answer. Now normally, the MC also doesn't know the answer to the question and the plot is about the MC actively pursuing clues to find the answer & the audience is along for the ride. However, in this case, the main mystery of the story is a meta mystery, which is when the question that opens, the MC knows the answer & the reader doesn't. This causes a bit of a break in immersion since the MC is actively avoiding telling the reader(& other characters) th