Worth the Candle

Worth the Candle is the epitome of the LitRpg Genre, speaking as someone who has been reading it on AO3 for months now. This story takes the genre in directions that I haven't seen any other even try. All the while having some of the best character writing in any webfiction ever.

If you enjoy LitRpgs, if you enjoy table top roleplaying, if you enjoy fantasy, or if you enjoy deep characters and complex character progression, then you simply cannot pass over this story.

Read it now.

Probably the best fiction available on RR, as you'll soon learn. An interesting world combined with realistic and rational goals and characters make for a very enjoyable read.

I don't really have words to effectively describe my chemical soup at this time. There is so much about this story that appeals directly or indirectly to myriad aspects of who I am, at such a deep level that I quite literally can't describe it. I guess that would explain the rating I've given.

This story is introspective and meta by nature. Read it if that's your interest.

I decided to come back and finish this after I saw it start to stub.  For the longest time I was dithering over the last few chapters of 

I'm glad I gave it another shot.  It feels really good to clear this off my proverbial to-do list, even three years after the fact.  It's like indulging in the nostalgia that's characterized WtC, since the opening chapters.  The book's not perfect - there's bits and pieces that I think could have been elaborated on in the final arc - yet at the same time, I'm not sure I'd have the patience for those details if I reread it from the beginning.

So, final thoughts:  I really like how you described it yourself.  'Warts and all,' is a good summary of my own feelings on the matter.  I truly enjoyed this, warts and all.  Thanks, fam, it has been a legitimately wild trip.

I have always been a big fan of mainstream nerdy stuff and pop culture but it does get to the point where everything seems to be repetitive and derivative. Yet this book breaks so many tropes and is so completely orginal and entertaining. I can't state how great this book is and I would definitely recommend it. 

What would you do if you found yourself transported to another world? What if being in this world gave you access to strangely game-like super powers? What if this world spent most of its time trying to kill you, and only your quick thinking, analytical strategy, and a handful of stalwart companions was the only thing keeping you alive as you attempt to fulfill a series of quests in the hopes of gaining answers, and perhaps a way home? And, strangest of all, what if this world seemed eerily familiar, because so much of it was based on the roleplaying campaigns you yourself had designed?

Recently, I had come to the conclusion that so-called LitRPG, or Progression Fantasy, or Gamified Portal Fantasy, was a genre I did not enjoy. While the idea can be fascinating, and some of them could be decently written, all too often, I mostly felt like I was just following some nerd oggling stats and brushing over descriptions of generic fantasy tropes for pages and pages, explaining to me how something as bog-standard as a potion worked as though I'd never heard of a video game before, trying to impress me with how cool their magic system is when it really just boiled down to the standard White Mage/Black Mage set I've seen in literally every JRPG since Dragon Warrior. Rarely did the tropey characters hook me, and rarely did their adventures feel like anything more exciting than reading a slightly more narrative take on a strategy guide.

Worth the Candle manages to take this premise and elevate it. It is by far the best-written example of the genre I've read, not only from the quality of the writing, but in the sheer creativity of the world and the depth of the character exploration.

The teen protagonist finds himself quickly teaming up with two gorgeous women early on, but their relationships are not anywhere close to the typical harem shenanigans. They feel like actual developing relationships between somewhat sketchy individuals who are trying to work together for common interests, but don't just immediately fall into their stereotypical roles, and have to learn how to trust one another, organically over time.

The world building is great. I have always had a fascination with stories about authors interacting with the worlds of their own creation in a more grounded way, and this is an interesting take on it, where Jun recognizes some aspects of the world, but the world is different enough he's still thrown for a loop. Three books in, the world feels large and a live, and definitely distinct from the Standard Fantasy Setting I've long gotten tired of. Moreover, their are numerous magic systems at play throughout the setting, and its always interesting to see a new kind of magic, and all the clever magical items that get revealed throughout the adventure.

Another nice touch is Juniper's frequent recollections of his time with his friends, their DnD sessions, and the tragic death of his best friend months before his sudden fall into this fantasy adventure. These flashbacks act as both a way to expand on Jun's backstory, but also ruminate on the nature of storytelling, dungeon mastering, and campaign building, and literary symbolism.

I'm having a hard time thinking of anything to complain about. The first Book of the story, about 14 chapters, did actually turn me off a little at first, because it does start off as a pretty straightforward "dungeon crawly" trek through an interesting, but kind of gamey arc. Even here, though, this was about the time I was realizing I didn't like LitRPGs very much, so that bias was probably sinking in. I'm glad I pushed through and kept reading, because Book Two is where the good stuff really starts to hit.

Otherwise, some people might not enjoy how much the main character spends the story analyzing his situation, and characters discussing how to min-max his gamey level-up powers. I admit that was part of the tough sell for me at first, but after the first Book, I feel like it doesn't come up nearly as much as in other LitRPG stories, and certainly doesn't feel as intrusive.

This combination of great worldbuilding, rich characters, and ruminations on storytelling, all written with a literary quality above the usual LitRPG/Light Novel fair I've read previously, has elevated this to my top three web serials. Check it out if you like a good fantasy story, and definitely check it out if LitRPGs are your thing.

This might contain some spoilers. Please read at your own risk.

This would be my first ever review on a story so it may be sloppy for the standard of regular readers.

First of all, before I delve into my review, I want to thank the Author A.W for this incredible and mind-opening story, for me. 

The premise is the adventure of isekai'd Juniper Smith to a hexal plane called Aerb, consisting of eclectic elemental planes, species, and entads that Joon's D&D group campaigns have ever been played and some concepts of his that never come to the tabletop in a quest to find his deceased friend from Earth, which caused him depression and guilt, that is deemed to also appear in Aerb.

What I like the most in WtC is the characters, they are not perfect, they make mistakes when in time-pressured situation, they have problems of their own, and I can see that I might have done the same without hindsight.

So, the meta-analysis type of writing is new to me, and in the earlier chapters can be seem a bit taxing but I think that is part of the worldbuilding because it creates an incredible detailed explanation for a clearer view of what Aerb is, I find enjoyable to visualize, and it shows the author's attention in details and planning.

The story is reflective in a lot of conflicts and helped me to understand some of my circumstances in a better light that are just ineffable for me. Also it introduces me to a glimpse, maybe, in some social problem that a human would naturally encounter in life like romantic relationship, fornication, and some that makes me question my upbringing. One of it is Joon's view on women like how they are viewed as more sympathetic when abused compared to men, there's a history ofc, and how unfair that is for the both sexes IMO. Also how Fenn's glum backstory but it made me admire her more,

 though others are not happy for her playful attitude. But I believe it comes with a reason.

The plot and the characters are great and all but this is more about reading the thoughts of a narcissistic mc than the story.

It is the SUPERHOT of web serials. It's the most innovative LITRPG I've read in years.

The story has new settings, new monsters, races, classes, and concepts.  Things that maybe started off with someone reading a  DnD manual, but deciding to take some of the concepts and create everything else as new. I can't stress how nice that is - to be surprised at and appreciate the new way a story does something.  The story also left me wondering about paths that the characters could have taken but didn't  It's a messy imperfect world with a corresponding plot.

My gripes are few.  1) some of the conversations between male and female lead were repeated too much.  Rehashing old ground, and though it may make sense to show how characters change in their thinking, it becomes tiresome as a reader.  2) the story gets a bit self indulgent at the mid end to end - though that is somewhat expected in a web novel.  Both of the criticisms could be dealt with through editing.  

Overall, not something I would read more than once, but I did really enjoy my time with it.