The Runesmith

I really like the world the author has created. Its differences to our own are are reflected in the plot and the attitudes of the characters, other than the main (presumably from our world). There is some interesting creativity in the reflection of scrolls and runes to circuitry and programming. I want to see how these ideas are used. Furthermore, the story is a fair balance between action and crafting, which is probably difficult to pull off.

Most of the characters have complexity, or if undeveloped, there are suggestions of development to come. A few are common tropes, but I don't think it detracts much, and serves more as a shorthand for the reader.

However, the writing could do with a great deal of editing and refinement. When in action or conversation it's generally fine, but exposition is poor. A certain person somehow does something in a certain place far too often. That's exaggerated, but it doesn't only happen from the perspective of a character, which would be more understandable. The phrasing also appears for the omniscient narrator (not personified). Sentences are not infrequently repetitive or oddly constructed, with no obvious grammar or spell check run.

These stylistic and mechanical problems really detract from what could be an interesting story. I was interested enough to read to the current point, and maybe even to check out more of it later. However, without an editor there is much better content available.

As I said it's a decent start but drops into mediocre for me. It's the same old isekai story with little to nothing unique about it. I’ll be giving this one a pass for now.

I'll also say that it needs a lot of editing. Beyond simple grammatical errors and misspelling that could be fixed by pasting the story in a google doc the author sometimes uses odd stilted sentences.

• "He and the girls were supposed to head into the lower floors of the dungeon this day, but from his standpoint that would have to wait till the next day." Chapter 12
• "He closed his eyes and rubbed the space between the eyebrows and his nose that was called the glabella." Chapter 13

It’s a no from me dawg.

In the absence of better crafting stories, this one is quite eye-catching. It is not a pure crafting story, but it has elements of one. The 'game' system is unique and interesting. The worldbuilding coherent and detailed enough. Characters are very well constructed and vibrant.

The best-selling point of this story, in my opinion, is a good pace. The system is forcing the protagonist to level up multiple classes in succession and the story is presenting it in good detail, using time-skips at good moments. There is no sense of stagnation, boredom or repetitive routine. Also, despite the problems the MC is encountering, they resolve in a very satisfying way, without any sense of stupidity, improbability or unfairness.

I like the protagonist. He is a no-nonsense type and quite intelligent. It is good to see a somewhat cautious person, that still makes some mistakes along the way. Quite refreshing.

The crafting side of the story is a little lacking in complexity. Only recently the need arose for more detailed descriptions of crafting - for blacksmithing, so it is yet to be seen. The enchanting process is simplified, as is the description of internal structure of runes. This actually may be a good decision, especially if the author has little knowledge of how electronic circuits (to which the runes are compared) work.

My only woe is that the descriptions of the system are somewhat confusing. They are all over the place, sometimes vague, making it hard to form an easy-to-understand model when reading. I think it would be better to condense information included in multiple chapters and describe it without internal monologue interrupting.

Ignore chapter reviewed at, I'm actually at 102 on their patreon which I'm dropping after this month.

It is with a heavy heart I write this review. This story started off well but has since been getting worse and worse as time goes on. It has an interesting system of classes and level and a good origin story. Even had some good crafting segments. But as time has gone on the story and characters have gotten more and more ridiculous and unbelievable, and not in the good way. As of late each chapter is just drawing out the arc more and more for no good reason, with the characters making stupid unrealistic decisions, and the same points being reiterated over and over without adding anything new to the story. And with this the grammar has started to deteriorate as well. Overall its the type of drop in quality of content that is a sign of a books demise. Would not recommend reading it as it is now as you will be more and more disappointed the more you read it. Sad really, as like I said, it had a good start. It could have gone the distance but I have a feeling its gonna crash and burn soon enough.

Extra words to meet minimum word count. 

I'm digging it.  It reads like a japanese isekai.  Not like a crappy isekai, but one of the more decent ones.  The MC is OP, but has a built in defect.  This makes the character much nicer to read about than your typical super powered, i can crush everything, protagonist seen in many other stories.

Only 15 chapters available at the time of writing this quick review.  I will update once more chapters are available.  Keep up the good work.

I must say, beginning life in a magical universe as an adult in a five-year-old's body is a difficult challenge for most isekai. Many will only remember the main character was an adult when in need of some adult-like behavior or knowledge. The author seems to be mostly avoiding those pitfalls with a system and environment which allows ten-year-olds to act like full-grown adults. The system lockdowns preventing some of that sort of over-powered advantage are definitely interesting.

Grammar is an issue, and some editing polish here could really elevate the story. Better character interactions would go even further.

This is a promising story I am enjoying and will continue to read. The crafting instead of or in addition to combat is nice, and the interaction with the main character's previous skillset is particularly well done. If you can overlook some grammar and stiff character development, you can probably enjoy it also!

This is a story that is currently readable, and could become publishable with some rewriting to strengthen portrayl of the main character's emotions and motivations, and clear up the usual minor inconsistencies, issues of worldbuilding logic, and typos (there aren't too many of those).

The only thing I'm not sure how it should be approached in a rewrite is the apparent theme that paranoia damages your personality and lack of human interaction means you are never really happy.  Maybe the upcoming arc will have the main character realize this is actually a problem and start to change, who knows.  Even getting a pet would be better than nothing.  A minor plot issue is that his family are kind of a failed Chekov's gun.  In a rewrite I'd suggest inserting a mini arc to either keep them a relevant source of tension or resolve them as a problem the main character has basically outgrown.  Maybe put that after the mine clearing expedition.

The writing quality has definitely improved from the authors other novel, Unfathomable Senior. This story is less comedic than his other novel, but is still an easy going read. The Runesmith has a nice pace and a good feeling of character progression as Roland continues to improve his skills and his income. The story seems rational and the characters believable; the MC is likeable. I will definitely continue reading the story. I hope as the MC progresses he will be able to use more of his knowledge from Earth and make some cool stuff to smite his enemies!

I binged this book over the past 2 days and i was very entertained. The crafting goes into lengthy detail so it fits the book theme of being a crafter well. There is enough time skipping for things not to become stale, and outside of clear miss typing some words the grammer is good.

Honestly there is no reason to dislike this book. The MC is just an introvert, and other than a abillity to scan runes to know how they work I wouldn't even call him that OP. He uses his head rather than 'honorable' fighting so ofcourse he is going to win. 

Really looking forward to more of this book!

The Isekai/Reincarnation Fantasy world tropes are well used on RR. As such, it is imo, the character development and visual imagery invoked that makes one stand out over others. After that, it's plot.

This author drifts at various points in the story, but does come back to the main thrust. The MC does not lack in character development, but some of the minor characters do. The invoked imagery is subtle but effective.

I believe that while the story lacks polish, it has the distinct potential to be a gem upon editing and cleaning up in general.