Localforeigner

Fixture in Fate is a slow-burn story with a deep world setting and detailed characters. Supers exist, but their impact on the normal world has been anything but four color. Much has been implied about the depredations of 'powered' individuals, and very little of it is nice or heroic.

But we have the government attempting to organize super teams, ostensibly to help with this. Though most of our main characters are unfamiliar with their powers, some exhibit truely potent abilities. It will be interesting seeing how they develop and grow these abilities.

Style-Style is good. We have multiple POVs and the author juggles them quite well.

Grammar-Few wobbles here and there, but nothing that really threw me out of the story.

Story-My only real complaint is that no one mentions the elephant in the room. From context, we know that suprs can be bad news, but no one comes out and says why. I am sure this is building for a big reveal, but I tend to hate when the audience is denied things the POV characters clearly know. Otherwise though, I like the set up and where the story is going.

Character-The characters are diverse and distinct. They all have distinct voices and I really like that. 

Iruedim is a different kind of story for Royal Road. A mix of fantasy elements (vampires, dhampirs) and science fiction (wormholes, space ships, and androids) grabs the reader from the get-go. Unlike many stories, the main character is not some magical or martial bad-ass but instead is an anthropologist, studying ancient lore from the time when the world was higher-tech than it is now.

Grammar: The writer has a great handle on grammar and there was nothing that distracted me or pulled me out of the story.

Characters: The characters are interesting and distinct. Even when I might get confused by a name, I never lost who was talking because their personalities were quite different. 

Style: The style is fine. The story is told from 3rd person and we stay with a single character's POV, which works just fine. However, there was an issue that is a personal pet peeve of mine where there readers are denied some knowledge or insight that our POV character has. This was the only thing that really frustrated me about the story.

Story: The story is interesting and different. Because of the casual inclusion and acceptance of things like vampires and dhampir, I really want to learn more about the world. There are flying ships piloted by mages (though magic doesn't seem to be a requirement), automatons, and maybe some steampunk. If anything, I think we get too few details of the world, which is a bummer as I would love to know more. 

This is a traditional fantasy story that plays with the tropes common in roleplaying games and video games, but makes them feel like part of the setting. As an avid nerd, I find this pleasing.

The MC is a ranger who was trained by an elf so if far and above the talents of their human compatriots. After avoiding death from a strange monster and an assassination attempt, mysteries abound!

I found this story an engaging and enjoyable read. There are a few issues here and there, as with any, but nothing that wouldn't keep me sticking with it.

Style: In general the style is clear and evocative, with well-described scenes and characters. However, there are a few places where the author made some mistakes that made it hard to follow the action. 

Grammar: There were a few errors here and there, but nothing major.

Story: The story is what I like the best about this. The setting is engaging. I am very curious about the world and the Towers that figure so prominently. I like characters having minor magic items and it just being no big deal. The way people receive 'Blessings' makes it feel like a world of NPCs versus those few 'blessed' PCs, and I like that element of seeing it from the perspective of the 'little guys'. Though, the MC...

Character: While we do meet some other characters briefly, the MC is the one we learn the most about. He is a bit OP, to be honest. At only 16, he's stronger and more skilled than anyone in the town he's from. Yes, he was trained by an elf, which in a Tolkein sort of vibe, seems to carry a lot of weight. But still, he seems too capable for someone so young, even with a superlative teacher. I imagine that as the story progresses we will learn he has secret powers he didn't know about, but at the moment he seems too capable and mentally self-aware for a 16-year-old. That said, he's still an interesting character and he's not too OP that I feel like he's a Gary Stu or anything. He's likable and has a past with enough meat on it to make him feel real. In my mind's eye, I couldn't help but adjust his age up by about 10 years, at which point I didn't have any issue with his capabilities. 

I was hooked on the first chapter. Superheroes fighting alien invaders? With magical powers? And the aliens are elves? Sign me the heck up!

So, I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised this story doesn't have a higher rating than it does. I have been gobbling it up. I am writing this review as part of a review exchange, but I've been too busy reading the next chapter and the next to write the review! 

The story reminds me a bit of Worm, and I mean that in a good way. 

Style: There are a few wobbles where the author changes POV, but this gets better and better sign-posted as the chapters go.

Grammar: I noticed no major grammar errors or issues that took me out of the story.

Story: Some reviewers have compared this to other offerings on RR. Maybe that's true, I don't know. The closest comparison I can make is something a bit like Worm, but more direct to the action. The nature of powers is well explained and broadly expansive. I would love to play a game set in this world. 

Character: The characters are great. I really enjoy the elven friend and the idea that there are secular elves who aren't religious zealots. We do suffer a bit from being introduced to so many characters that not all of them get as deep a description as they could, but as the chapters have come we get more insight into the world and the characters so I think this is simply a matter of time before it will be sorted.

What?

You are still here?

Go READ THE STORY!

This is an extremely well-written piece of speculative fiction. The story sings, the characters are well written, and the plot is intriguing. If you like science fiction and mysteries, you'll like this story!

First off, I want to talk about how good the author is at description. The setting, the characters, the scenes all have an extremely visceral and grounded feel to them. You have no problems visualizing anything, and I personally really appreciate that in a story.   

Style: The style is clear and consistent, for the most part. There is a little bit of changing back and forth, depending on which character we are with. There was one chapter where I was a little thrown by the transition, but that could just be me. 

Grammar: Out of the 8 chapters I've read so far, I've noticed less than one hand's worth of grammar mistakes so that's definitely well done!

Story: The story is excellent. We have many mysteries to unravel. Where did women go? Why is there constant war? Has really only two generations gone by? Where did the woman come from? I agree with another reviewer that I had serious questions about homosexuality within this world (that are answered). I think this information should occur earlier in the story however, or at least some hints dropped for the reader.

Character: All the characters are well described and feel like real people. You can understand their motivations and personality and they seem grounded and reasonable. The woman is, at least at the moment, a bit blank, but I'm sure we will come to understand why that is the case as the story progresses. 

I didn't think I would enjoy this story as much as I did. As the MC is a 'pet class' in a world where rpg tropes are real and followed through to their logical conclusions, I was expecting...something different, honestly. What I got was a well written, well-conceived world, with interesting, detailed characters.

Style: Style is excellent with no mistakes in tense or POV.

Grammar: Grammar is excellent. I think I only noticed a few in the 9 chapters I have read so far.

Story: The story is excellent. We have a world that operates with the usual tropes of a fantasy RPG. Their are routine and regular world-threatening events, and heroes must stand ready to face them. Consequently, the world has dealt with this issue by formalizing a training system for people to gain 'classes' to go out and deal with monsters and dark cults. I love it! Our MC is one of the most underpowered classes, but I am sure that she will grow to be a Poke-Master before the end.

Character: The characters are detailed and have enough depth to feel real and justified in their actions. We get to see the psychological toll that being a 'chosen one' would take on someone, which is fantastic and honestly a breath of fresh air for an otherwise tired trope. My only quibble is in the final chapter of the first arc one of our MC's pets' powers seems to stop working as they were earlier established, which was a bit offputting. But it's the only misstep.

You like D&D? Get over here. You like Murder Mysteries? Get over here!

Style: 3.5/5
Unfortunately, there are several places where the tense changes and point of view shifts in the early chapters. This, combined with overstuffed paragraphs, can leave the reader confused as to what is happening and who is doing what.

That said, this is very much a D&D world, with all the tropes and expectations you would want from that. If you like D&D, D&D fiction, or settings that adhere to that aesthetic, you will like this one.

Grammar: 3/5
Unfortunately, there are many grammar errors. It's not the worst, by any means, but it could definitely use another pass by the author or maybe Grammarly. However, they are receptive to comments about this and to making changes, which is great.

Story: 4/5
The story begins as a murder mystery, where the characters are trapped by circumstance and forced to follow leads that take them from one adventure to the next. If you've ever played rpgs, you know the gist. Unfortunately, I didn't buy that the characters would be the main suspects in the situation, so the initial hook felt weak. They also occasionally seem to make bad choices that further the plot rather than seeming like something an experienced adventurer would do, but that just could be characterization we've not delved into all the way yet.

Character: 4/5
The story has a diverse cast of characters. They are instantly recognizable by their rpg tropes. Some of them have a very strong 'voice' and characterization, others could use some beefing up. A few of the female characters are described in a cringingly 'male-gaze' fashion. But the interactions between the characters is interesting and pops.

The Atropos Scheme is a delightful, character driven adventure story. Told from the first person POV, we are introduced to Jarek Novak as he awakens in what appears to be a strange world adhering to video game logic. He must choose equipment, fight monsters, loot corpses, and level up. All the while, Samantha the AI guides him despite his best efforts.

I'm not the biggest fan of the litRPG genre, though I've read my fair share. This story gripped me however and held my attention. It's well-written and engaging, and makes you want to discover more, just like the main character. The big pay off comes when you hit chapter 5 and some of the big secrets are revealed.

Style

The story is first person and maintains itself throughout. The actions are well described and clearly detailed, leaving the reader easily able to visualize the scenes. My only quibble is some of the fight scenes are a bit repetative (lots of throat stabbing).

Grammar

No issues I saw in grammar.

Story

The story is engaging and entertaining. It moves quickly and it doesn't drag. Good mix of exposition and action.

Character

This is the only place I could fault the story so far. The main character is pretty much a blank slate. We have no physical description and no real details of his past life. We know he has played RPGs and Video Games, but that's about it. Samantha on the other hand is well detailed and we get a very good sense of who she is. In chapter 5 we begin to get more insight into the main character, and I imagine we will learn more as the story progresses. But I would encourage the author to consider adding some more details earlier just so we have a handle on who our POV is.

Definitly adding this to my Favorites. You should read it now!

A litRPG/Reincarnation story with a difference! Unlike many stories in this vein, the main character is not some ultra bad ass leveling and gaining increasingly ridiculous powers. 

No, our main character is a bug!

Some powerful entity, a sorceress of some sort, is banished for...reasons? The Prologue eludes to the fate of the main character, but I'll be honest that it was hard to follow and not my favorite part of the story. But after that, we wake up in the body of a caterpiller, and the main character has to come to grips not only with losing their ultimate power, but also with living as an insect in a kill or be killed environment!

In addition, there is a second story being woven into the main story of a Indian style mystic, with religious and philosophical leanings. How these two things will finally come together is going to be interesting!
Style
The style is good, though at times a bit loquacious. For an insect, there are often words that just seem out of place alongside it's relatively crud vocabulary. I think this is supposed to represent the spirit's original nature, but I'm not sure.
Grammer
In general very good, though there were a few errors here and there.

Character
The main character is intriguing. What's it like to have all your power taken away and be stuffed into the body of a bug? I think that the main character's reactions to their predicament is the most interesting element of the story.

I wouldn't normally be interested in a story about a pick-up artist or their efforts to get laid. However, I decided to take a try on the bizarre premise and see how the author handled it.

Much to my surprise, I found myself not only hooked to the MC's dilema, but laughing out loud in several places. 

As with any comedy, not all of the jokes land, but that's subjective. There were enough laughs and giggles to keep me going. The subtle revealing of the pick-up master's 'loser nature' really got me.

My only quibble with the story is I think the MC's dialogue could use another pass or two. His verbal reaction to his situation often feels a bit wooden, or robotic. 

I hope the story continues to light-heartedly focus on the failures and trials of attempting to treat others as objects or means-to-an-ends. For now, I'm definitely interested in seeing where it goes and having some laughs along the way.