Unbound

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A Tale of betrayal, espionage & onions...

Author's Note:

I wanted to challenge myself and write present tense in the pantser style, (Writing by the seat of your pants). I'm a mad plotter but think I've found my true inner voice. Unbound is light hearted, fun and was effortless to write.

This will be a short, three part story with a closed ending. It may become an expanded hardcover novella later, depending on where it leads. Plus it would look great on my shelf.

My unrelated titles can be foundhere.

Synopsis:

The idea of space excites me. Yet, as history tells us, has always been difficult for humans to reach. Myself included.

So why not experience that adventure by talking my way onto a pirate crew…

… And trying to abduct its notorious captain?

Little did I know who I was dealing with.

My name is Simon Fox and I’m fresh out of flunking freighter school. Don’t tell anyone that by the way because I lied on my resume.

No one does that, right?

The pirate ship in question is called theUnbound. It’s that piece of scrap metal on the cover and it goes from zero to sarcasm faster than mag travel. The crew are smelly, crazy and annoying. I also hope they can’t read.

Anyway, you might be wondering why a space flunky is attempting this crazy mission.

I have a good reason, and it starts with a master plan and an entry hatch…

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: DarrylJWTemple

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 5.0/ 5.0
Followers: 4
Views: 1,418

Chapters(186 total)

Reviews

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

Community Reviews(10)

StyruseRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I've been keeping up with updates for the past couple months, and I just have to say this is a deeply underrated gem.
Firstly, the concept is awesome. Isekai is a typical convention of RR that I always enjoy, but "reverse isekai"— though it's not even quite that, since its taking a wizard novice protaganist from a dnd-esque world and plops him right in the center of a modern super hero metropolis.
However, things aren't as cut as dry as one might expect, and chaos ensues.
What I really have to give Unbound the most props for is character writing. Each character within the book is a fully fledged person in their own right, with complexes, insecurities, beliefs, preconceptions, and personalities that are hinted at from deeper causes in the world and setting.
Everyone is doing something for a reason.
Nothing is one note or exists in a vacuum. Everything the protaganists do, as well as the other characters, have subtle ripple effects throughout the whole narrative that either build up or blow up in their faces.
The writing is great. There were a couple stumbling points earlier on, but the author quickly finds their stride and has a vivid and bright style. But knows when to change and adapt their style to fit the tone, purpose, and intention of the scene.
The story is still in the preliminary stages with lots of plot hooks and clues set up for a greater narrative, and I'm excited to see where things go. I'm still really liking the lower stakes and interpersonal, and also criminal and dangerous elements slowly amping up.
Going back to the isekai, it is really well done. Silas is from a completely different world, and that is clearly shown in his mannerisms and worldview. His anachronisms repeatedly pop up and cause him trouble in a really fun way, and I enjoy seeing him adapt and change because of it.
The female lead, the friend he makes is also fun, and we've only scratched her surface, and I'm eager to see how she will develop. She and Silas have a great rapport.
All in
cthakur92Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I don't really get all the negative reviews. The story is not perfect and the point about the plot armor etc are not without basis, but it's not nearly as bad as I thought after reading some top reviews.
Give it a shot. It gets better over time - IMHO.
Becca105Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Really fun read! I can't wait to see where it goes.
Cleverly written with wonderfully vivid world and character building. I was so invested in the world of the prologue that the rest of the story had me reeling. The author definitely takes his time properly exploring the story and delights in the little details that bring this fantasy world to life.
Good size chapters, original concepts and absolutely addictive plot line.
Dc0599Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
One of my favourite stories in royal road. It's well written and I truly do enjoy it. Felixs' travels have been entertaining and the system, skills and the tiers are well thought out. The side charcaters have been well fleshed out and aren't just mindless drones. All this said bring on more chapters, can't wait for more!
chimmihcRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Good story.
Pretty much all of the top reviews can be summarized as "I formed a strong opinion of this without actually reading it at all" so you should take them with a grain of salt.
The MC surviving the first chapter is not plot armor, the scene is explained later on.
While the MC does randomly act like an empty headed moron when interacting with people that doesn't encompass his personality.
I honestly have no idea what Mhiayon is talking about in their review, I have read the entire story available at the time of writing this and I don't feel that any of the content so far could be described by what they wrote. Maybe the story was rewritten between when they reviewed and when I read the story? I don't know.
cbwRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Spoiler: Spoiler
Plot armor check
adventure check.
This is what im here for and to compare it to something that is not in this genre is like comparing about your Volkswagen to a printer and really highlighting how the printing quality is so bloody shit. Apples and oranges boys.
I like the story, its the kind im looking for, i like op ish mc and im a casual reader so sure there could be some flaw in the logic of the power ups or too many 1 hp survivals but its engrossing enough that I did not notice it untill i read reviews.
In. My opinion when reviewing we should just list some of the general themes in the story and them maybe give an opinion along the lines of ... I read others that were going for the same genre and this specific story fits somewhere between the best and the worst in this genre. And give it a number of stars based on that.
If you liked this one try Delve as well.
LansdolliRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Awesome short story.
There's so much depth brought into the world with just a line or two throughout the story. The dialogue is punchy, the characters are fun and distinct, while the main character's inner thoughts paint a real human who is easy to relate with (even if I wish I couldn't).
I'd love to see the author continue writing either with another short story or really just anything!
This writing style is something I really can't get enough of. Excellent work!
AdquinnRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Great story, with excellent world building and pacing. The characters are distinct and the setting is one that is genuinely interesting.
The dialogue and writing is straightforward without being overly simplistic. It isn't a story that tries to outfox the reader, but it doesn't try to be. The whole story so far has been easy to follow and a real page turner.
The litrpg aspect (stats, skills and level ups) are well managed, and I especially enjoy that the character can rapidly gain skills in a manageable way, without edging into being overpowered. The author handles this very well in particular. The character power growth is satisfying while staying believable within the story.
I would buy this book series for my shelf.
SpartanstorytellerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The protag gets himself wrapped up in constant battles with a steady and constant increase to his abilities while the story begins touching on other characters and worldbuilding that is intentionally lacks some context as we know only a little more than Felix does it's really fun seeing him grow stronger before even he realizes it and I binged all twenty four available chapters in a matter of hours (the chapters are both long and well edited) this story more than deserves it's trending position
LostAncillaRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This was an overall decent way to pass the time. Enough that I went and actually purchased the books out so far and haven't regretted it. The grammar and style are of higher quality than is usual for this site, making momentum compelling and engagement easy to maintain as things progress.
Our main character Felix is a fair audience expy in being a down on his luck guy with decent morals and an unexceptional understanding of the world. His having to against impossible odds seemingly on a whim is relatively well explained by his having no ideal what's going on and being essentially tethered to the friends he makes early on in this new world. His eventual aesthetic is that of a defender of the little people while also possessing a brooding, inteimidating presence to those who don't know him and an awkward goof to those who do.
As a standard for most LitRPGs, the world itself is far more concerned with building and developing System mechanics than a truly cohesive socioeconomic setting. Additionally, the people in power are basically cartoon supervillains while managing a group of people who range from everyman-good to crusader-nazis. There's also a postapocalyptic setting present between the first and third arcs which is interesting but by nature depressing.
The cast itself is diverse in the sense of there being a larger than standard variety of races and with some emphasis placed on variety across sexualities. The combat styles presented are also somewhat adjacent to the norm with a heavily armored barbarian being the least unusual (but still badass) member of the primary cast. Unfortunately, this variety in both combat styles and natures does not include compelling dialogue or relationships so it loses out there.
Additionally, the morality systems at play are extremely polarized with Good and Evil characters being easily distinguished - a preference that differs between readers.
Plot maintains fair momentum and most time is spent in a state of heightened tension or a