The Iron Teeth: A Goblin's Tale

I love this story and I love the MC. But if I were you I’ll let the chapters pile up before reading as the pacing is slow. It’s great storytelling 10/10. Crammer 10/10.  Character 10/10. The story 9/10. The 1 is for the pacing, I feel like it needs to go a bit more faster, it’s too slow. I don’t mind slow pace, but when you have such small chapters it gets irritating.

Really enjoying your work.  

To sum it up, your pacing is good albeit a little slow compared to most of the fictions on rrl.  It does work though with the character and story line.

Story is unique, I haven't read anything quite like it.  

Grammar is almost 100%, only a few errors to be found

Character is pretty cool.  Not OP, not underpowered, just adept in his skill set.  I don't like how overconfident he is, and I'm surprised he hasn't been killed yet, but I guess that's just part of the character.

ALL IN ALL a very good read and much better than many recent litRPG reads that I've gone through with. 10/10 would buy it off amazon

Just finished all chapters so far and I keep finding the story very original and interesting. The characters and specially Blacknail are very well carved, they have personality, their own thoughts and wishes making it fun to learn more about them and how they develop around the story as a whole and with the other characters.

I highly recommend reading it, mainly because it doesnt have the typical structure as mostly all stories. There are unique classes, even the commonly used mage has his own unique touch to it regarding magic, and the vessels, are like supersoldiers that depend on a magical drink to boost themselves; Heck, even the mosnters are quite unique and different from the standard (besides the goblin so far).

Lastly, I tip my hat to you "Clear Madness" for an amazing time reading the story.

This is an awesome story. The MC is easy to understand and relate, as well as the rest of the characters.
The story is slow paced but thanks to that we get more character development. There are no
RPG elements, no (chosen one) crap. Just a good story with a good protagonist. I am really hooked up
and can't wait for more chapters, its just gets better and better :)
It's a must read and I recommend it to everyone.

The perfect goblin story. This story rewards your efforts for Empathizing with the main characters of this series. A realistic view of a fantasy world focused towards a mature audience. Not too gritty and dark in my opinion. A perfect balance of light-heartedness and reality. 

Style and story:

The world is presented in a natural,pure flow since it is through the experiences of the characters that we come to understand the situation of the fantasy world. It is rare to find this type of writing style as opposed to novels where information about the world is shoved down our throats through dreary dialogue or exposition. The world is built solidly and the monsters are accurately described with impressive details.

Our main protagonist Blacknail is seized by a band of bandits and is made to perform the duties with his master to collect food and data about various monsters that can present a threat to their fellow bandits. Determined to reach the highest ranks of his "tribe", he sets out to prove himself to his master and the bandit leader. 

The progression is slow but the world makes up for it with its detailed descriptions of the world and characters.  Docking some points for being especially slow in the beginning, but I didn't really mind. 

Characters:

We start out with our little adorable goblin that continues to entertain and grow through the series. The characters in this series are great since they are not only influenced by their ambitions, but also by their current surroundings. This keeps the characters fresh and interesting. You can see how each character is affected (albeit slightly but surely)  by the mc goblin and this can lead to some really interesting exchange in dialogue (Especially against the mc and his master). Not a perfect score because I noticed extremely small inconsistencies with characters and later in the chapters some character's development is put on a halt for future revelations. 

Grammar: 

Personally I was never really good noticing grammatical mistake and I never found any that broke the immersion. Full points. 

Overall verdict :

Obviously there are some moral conflictions towards killing and plundering. I wouldn't say there is a huge issue  since the characters openly acknowledge the weight of their actions, but some people may find this really off putting. I personally find it intriguing at how the mc develops his own convictions for killing and responsibilities. This is by far on another level of ingenious compared to other generic monster mc fanfics.  A few problems here and there, but is approaching the level of becoming a really epic fantasy story. The entertainment level is just too great to pass up and there is actual depth in the make-up of this story. Maybe give this story a try and if you like it, support the author for his hard work. 

This is a great story of goblin, Who just does what goboins ought to do. Kill, rescue stuff people have "forgoten" and being very sneeeaakyy... 

The Thing i like most about the story is that Even If magic exist it is not something everybody can use, and Even when they can it is not almighty and there is a lot of preperation to do - not just mumbling a string of words. While magic sure is powerful and feared in the world it doesn't make thr wielder immortal and unbeatable, whuch is a Nice change from most normal fantasy worlds. 

I also like how All of the monsters Ans animals, act very animal like or how you would suppose a minster would react. The monsters aren't just mindless killing machines, The are cunning and use thier strengts to Hunt and feed. The humans seem very weak in comparison and bad acting in comparison to the monsters. Because they act like how humans act, which apperently is very weak in the eyes of our dear author. But i like it, so it's All good.

The story have a Nice pacing, and is overall very Well thought out.  And ut feels like the author have abgiod idea where he/she wants it to go, Even though there isn't and ending in sight.

keep up the good work! finally some realistic plot with less luck involved gt some logic for every action and a backstory to explain things that happened without needing the author to describe them in words.. honestly im tired of all the stories in RR claiming to be realistic and logical when after. 10 or so chapter start getting way too many luck and well... i just cant stand lucky idiots who think they owned the world or is the strongest thing around. blacknail think he is the strongest but with the goblin background and all the backstory its believeble. good job dude honestly take your time, i personally will enjoy more of a chapter that has content and well not rushly made. no need for schedule, writer's block is normal. good job anyhow and gluck

This is one of the best stories on this site. The refined style, together with good grammar and character development creates a fun and well written story. While it has its negatives, the positives highly outweigh them.

The style is consistent and refined. The author doesn't fall many pitfalls that are common in web novels. The dialogue is written like it should be in a novel. Emotions and actions are described to the reader as they should be. Adjectives are aptly used to describe the environment and the situation.

You can feel it is written by someone who actually reads novels instead of just reading translated light novels. (While I have nothing against reading translated light novels, they generally have a terrible writing style).

Style can sometimes get boring because the author focuses too much on simple descriptions of inconsequential  and unimportant things. It doesn't detract too much from the reading experience though.

Story is very good. What really makes the story shine though is the execution of it. It is actually a story about a lowly goblin going up in the world among humans. Not a power fantasy, not a "ordinary" goblin bashing through evolutions... The story actually delivers what it promises, unlike many others. We see a goblin grow through work and hardships.

The pacing is steady. Story flows nicely, without jarringly changing the pacing. It can sometimes be a bit too slow. There were times I went into fast reading mode to move the story along especially after the first couple of arc and before the latest Queen of Swords arc.

The pacing has been spot on during the latest Queen of Swords arc.

The setting is still being set up. The world at large is pretty much nonexistent at the moment. With the grand ambitions Herad has, the setting is bound to expand, starting with the next arc I presume. It worries me a bit that I was pretty bored in the few moments that we have seen the rest of the world from other POVs. I am hoping the setting grows into something interesting when the story move on to a bigger scale as whole.

Grammar is top notch. Consistent tenses, correct use of phrases and commonly miswritten words... It is rare to find such good grammar in a web novel.

I love the characters. Well, to be more accurate, I love how they are developed and fleshed out which is actually what matters most when it comes to characters in a story in my opinion. I rarely even like characters in web novels, let alone love them. Though I dislike some — actually, now that I think about it, most — of the side characters, that is just my personal dislike for their character, which means it isn't marginally detrimental to my reading experience. We get to know the characters around Blacknail along with him as the story progresses. This is how it should be done. Web novel authors should really learn from this story when it comes to character development.

I like Blacknails' natural naivety. His view on things provide good humor at appropriate times without turning him into just a bundle of trope jokes.

Good writing style, nicely paced character development, well execution of the story, and first rate grammar combines into one of the best stories here in royalroadl. I definitely recommend everyone to read it. 

* This review is written with "Queen of Swords 17" being the latest chapter.

TL DR: While often slow-moving compared to some of the pulp on RRL, this is a very well written story with complex characters, a thorough cosmology and enough grimdark to make it serious. Absolutely must read.

Review

I've been reading this for a long time now. It's one of my favorites on the site, and that will bias my review to a degree, so I want that to be understood up front.

Five stars? Really? Is this really a five star story?

Fuck yes it is. Compared to the rest of the shit on this site, it's probably a seven or eight, but even compared to professionally published fantasy from some of the genre's mainstays, this is a work the author should be immensely proud of. The story is winding, but navigable, with epicycles of side-plot that bring out different characters with different motivations and new situations for our antihero to survive.

Yeah, antihero. Not like Deadpool or Jaime Lannister - a dude who's actual bad news and happens to work toward the greater good most of the time as a result of his actions rather than as an end-goal of his actions.

Blacknail is supremely selfish, and would be unlikable in most stories if it weren't for how well-crafted his persona turns out to be at every new juncture. He's terrified of things and also courageous; strong as hell but desperately weak; a peerless murderer but constantly in mortal danger.

Is the author going to kill him off? No. Do you always feel the safety of that narrative armor? No. The author is able to make him vulnerable within the understanding that it's Blacknail's story and he's not going to nope on out of it any time in the near future.

But man, just...there are so many things that the author is doing right here compared to most.

The scope of this journey is immense, but it comes across as meticulously planned-for. The narrative doesn't drag because of its length, but rather slithers all the faster with the added bulk. Six hojillion pages in and we're still, as readers, wary of the Green and desperate to know more about its dangerous and elusive denizens. The way the writer has crafted his world is top-notch, especially in this regard, allowing us to feel an omnipresent tension even as we tread familiar paths.

Monsters are monstrous. Magic is mysterious. There's a fragility to individual lives that is put on display again and again as people and goblins are hacked to bits. Characters never hit the escape velocity of being overpowered, as it's made painfully clear that there are creatures and beings in this world that will turn you into paste regardless of how big you think you are.

If you like Savage Divinity for its humor and tight writing, you'll like this. If you like The Wandering Inn for its rounded characters and ability to carry an incredibly intricate plot along a nigh-infinite path without degrading the content, you'll like this. If you enjoy well-written, traditional fantasy a la Greenwood, Salvatore, or Weiss, you will enjoy The Iron Teeth.

Read it. It's good. It's long. It's active.

Blacknail best boy.

Very well written story with a lovable character. Also a very interesting plot.