Metaworld Chronicles
By David J. Wuto
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Metaworld Chronicles
Gwen Song awoke in a world that was not her own, in which everything she was familiar with had been replaced. Instead of airplanes and electricity, this 21st-century Earth is ruled by magic and dragons; humanity survives in a land of magical beasts and otherworldly beings, protected by shielded enclaves and magical constructs. Follow Gwen across the world as she struggles to rebuild her life in this strange new reality. Behold a tale of adventure, friendship, and (of course), magic! Witness as she grows from a simple grade school student to a fully-fledged Mage, through university and beyond, discovering the secrets of a world made unreal by magic and mysticism.
This is a non-spoiler review of the Metaworld Chronicles web series that stands at over 1.4 million words to date - and is still ongoing. As a comparison the 14-book series The Wheel of Time written by Robert Jordan (and for the latter books by Brandon Sanderson) is 4,410,036 words long; which means Metaworld Chronicles is currently about a third of the length of The Wheel of Time series, or the equivalent of 10 to 15 standard-sized books.
At the time I write this review I've read 268 chapters out of the 347 chapters currently available, so I am three quarters of the way there; I should catch up fairly soon (-:
This serial is available for free on Royal Road, although you may want to support the author by buying the first volume on Amazon (chapters 1 to 47) .
You might also be interested in the free audio version released by agrosquerrils on YouTube. The narrator has a "storyteller" voice, you might want to check it out. 261 chapters are currently available.
Let's dive into the review proper!
A worldly main character with a big supporting cast
This story is first and foremost a character story. We follow Gwen Song - a 30 year old consultant - as she is reincarnated into a 14 year old version of herself, in an alternate world where magic exists. She retains all memories from her past life.
Characters have depth, especially the main protagonist. I like the way she is able to navigate awkward teenage circumstances easily considering she is in her thirties. Although sometimes she not only behaves but also feels angst like a teenager; it can be somewhat explained by the fact she used to be a loner (in her past life) and thus she now craves approval from family and friends. But still.
It's fun reading how Gwen uses her mindset and skills as a consultant to solve problems the smart way instead of relying on brute force as seems to be the norm in this magical alternate reality.
And I find refreshing that 268 chapters into this story no attempt has been made at romance, as is too often the case in many serials and book series for no good purpose.
Secondary characters are also well flushed out; they have clear personalities, believable motives and differentiating traits. Some of them are a bit "basic" at times, but that's to be expected considering the sheer number of characters.
Here is a character summary provided by the author if you are interested.
Now to the "bad" part: Gwen tends to deliver speeches about this and that, and for reasons I cannot fathom, people around her like it. They are drawn to her, admire her even. It feels so jarring, it's so unnatural. Nobody - or at least nobody I know - talks like that (thank God...).
She even spews out quotes from long-dead philosophers, plagiarizing famous thinkers from our world to get attention from her entourage. I like the depth of thoughts we encounter within this story, but Gwen's grasp of philosophy sounds unrealistic. Nobody would be able to regurgitate so much poetry, speeches or whatever, word for word, years later.
Apart from that though: solid character work. 14/20.
A meandering plot with compelling story arcs and powerful themes
The plot is where it could get tricky for some readers, especially readers not used to the serial format. The plot is meandering quite a bit.
Don't get me wrong, there is an initial premise and we definitely see where the story is going; but the author takes his time, putting Gwen into many situations that probably aren't essential to the main revenge-seeking plot.
If like me you enjoy character-focused storylines like The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss or many serials out there, then you'll feel right at home. If not, then this might not be the right series for you.
By "meandering" I don't mean the story doesn't progress. It's quite the opposite, really. It's a slow buildup with many steps along the way giving us a clear sense of progress throughout. We follow Gwen has she grows into her power; hopefully one day she'll be powerful enough to confront her enemy.
David J. Wuto has a plan and nothing feels out of place. That being said the author manages to subvert expectations fairly regularly, which is great - especially when opening new plot arcs.
This web series touches on many themes, among which economics, politics, social inequality (mages vs. non-mages) but it is above all else a fantasy adventure, with a few secondary genres such as horror, coming of age, family drama or alternate history.
Okay plot overall, although it might not appeal to everyone. 12/20.
A well crafted world and sophisticated magic system
Without going into too many details - because I don't want to spoil it for you! - the worldbuilding is very well handled by David J. Wuto.
Other readers have said the complex magic system is very similar to D&D. I don't know much about Dungeons & Dragons so I can't confirm.
Several distinct magic abilities exist and mages are more or less powerful depending on both innate talent and training.
There is a clear ranking system, which means we are able to see the heroine progress through the ranks - or I should say "tiers" - of magic.
The author introduces many concepts, but thankfully the author is thoughtful and regularly sum up concepts introduced to date so we don't forget, such as this spellcraft summary and glossary. Go check it out if you wish to know more about Metaworld Chronicles' magic system.
On a side note: early on I was confused by some abbreviations; for example "oom" means "out of mana" (meaning an empty well of magic energy); I don't actually know how many times the author explains it but I remember staring several times at the page wondering "what does that mean?!". I got used to it after a while though.
The world itself is very similar to our own, with interesting magical twists. It turns out Jesus, Buddha and other famous figures throughout history were actually mages who made their mark on the world with magic. So that's fun (-:
I would say the biggest difference lies with geopolitics: in this alternate history series magical creatures have taken over the world (during the "beast tide"); humans now live in city-enclaves, with a society composed of a minority of privileged mages ruling over (and protecting) the majority of people who don't possess any magic ability (called "noms").
The world makes a lot of sense and discovering new aspects of society as we read along is captivating. A good example would be the "Beggar Chicken" that Gwen likes to eat so much. I wish I could taste it!
One thing bothered me at the very beginning of the story: I had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. The first 3 to 5 chapters were difficult for me to dive into at first because Gwen took to her reincarnation like a fish to water. It just felt... very hard to believe that anyone would take it half as well as she did. But that's a small thing I overcame fast.
Another negative note (and that's probably very subjective): David J. Wuto constantly describes the way the main character dresses or how beautiful everybody thinks she is, which I find annoying because it comes up so often. Maybe that's just me but I don't need to know how Gwen dresses every day. The author even provides a pinterest board with Gwen's outfits. I can understand why some of you may like it though, it makes for a very immersive story with vivid character depictions. I personally don't like it though.
Impressive worldbuilding. Nothing very original per say but the sheer complexity is enthralling. 15/20.
A consistently well-written story
There are surprisingly few typos in this web series. The writing style is very direct with short sentences, both descriptive and action-packed.
It is easy and fun to read, and the writing - although good from the start - only gets better as the story progresses. If and when I publish my first novel or serial, I hope my prose will be as polished as accomplished here by David J. Wuto.
It is written in third person limited, with Gwen as the main POV character (90-95% of chapters I would say) and a few secondary POV. It is really well done: we sometimes get to see the world through the eyes of secondary characters, which always brings something more to the story.
There is some head-hopping however, with the POV character changing several times within a scene from time to time. But it is handled well so I wouldn't call it a flaw. I got used to it and now enjoy it but it might be a turn off for some readers.
There is a warning notice on Royal Road: the serial supposedly contains "Profanity" and "Sexual Content", but if there is any I have yet to read it.
The author maintains a good pace and is very consistent. 15/20.
Epic entertainment value for this fantasy adventure
Metaworld Chronicles is a very entertaining adventure, and that's where the story really shines in my opinion. I was never bored while reading this serial.
I endured some reading fatigue a few times, when there are small lulls in the plot or when the stakes aren't that high. But it is to be expected with such a long series.
And the author always manages to revive the story very fast; I may disconnect from the story here and there but if I push through 1 chapter I am hooked again.
It is almost silly how enjoyable I find combat scenes or other dramatic circumstances the main character is thrown into. It is highly satisfying to see morally-ambiguous characters put in their place by the protagonist.
A very entertaining read. 18/20.
Conclusion: Metaworld Chronicles is a well-balanced serial
74/100 rating.
I can't recommend enough this very strong web series. Especially if you are already used to the serial format. Highly recommended!
I can't wait to pick up the next chapter.
What about you? Have you read this serial? What did you think? What parts of my review do you agree / disagree with? Let me know in the comments section (-:
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