A unique premise for a novel, I haven't seen the concept explored before outside of the "struggling writer" backstory. This book brings that idea to the forefront, making it THE story. It also makes for an interesting community dialog, with a very interactive comment section; Half of the fun of reading was seeing what other people thought about the prompts!

I'd rather be known as the guy who somehow knew what the future would end up like, like the Simpsons writers hahaha

Yes, time dilation. A Shroud walking 1 mile will get there in 20 minutes, walking 3 mph, and will have aged 20 minutes. A Crimson walking 1 mile will get there in 10 minutes relative to the shroud, but 20 minutes relative to themselves, walking 3 mph, and will have aged 20 minutes. From the shroud's perspective, the crimson aged 20 minutes in a 10 minute timespan. From the crimson's perspective, the shroud aged 10 minutes in a 20 minute time span. Unlike black holes dilating time to make you age slower than someone further away, sunlight makes you age faster than someone in the shade. Hope this clears things up! I tackle this exact phenomenon in the sidewalk observation, but maybe I could specifically mention dilation somewhere in the chapter 🤔

Not quite! It's not that crimsons move twice as fast; they don't. Time itself travels faster, and the crimsons are just caught in that current of spacetime. Light itself is crimson as well, breaking the speed limit of "c" in E=mc², which is what the first line of the book is referring to mostly. Obviously that's physically impossible in the real world, though, that's why it's scifi, but that's also what makes the whole "time is faster, not only the observer" theoretically possible 🙂

Author here! Though this is technically sci-fi, it's not about futuristic spaceships or alien terrorism. Crimson Riptide is modern-day, and uses science and science fiction to allow a resemblance of magical powers in a realistic, modern setting. Basing the "magic" off of science, I'm able to pick at the brains of the reader AND the characters, and hopefully lead them to ask questions about the magic, or what its role is going to play in the rest of the story. Enjoy!

The synopsis alone was an eye-opener. Chapter 1's use of "the man" or "the woman" was a welcome surprise, as the "he/she" description that most authors use when withholding character names can depersonalize the actions of characters, in my opinion. I felt like I got to know them by a nickname, instead of just by gender alone. Reading further, the writing is articulate and intriguing enough to make you want to keep reading!

Was pleasantly surprised about the amount of character description right out of the gate. Most books I've read take way too long to describe what their characters look like, giving me enough time to create an image of my own in my head. Then BAM, they're described later in the chapter only to be nothing that I thought they were. The author also seems to enjoy ripping off the band-aid, quickly revealing story in sudden, short bursts, which is something I can get behind. Chapter 3's opening was not what I expected after the explosion, and that's the best way to keep a reader like me continually interested. Great work!

Obligatory author review! Between researching formatting/editing techniques, devouring countless video essays that discuss pacing/themes/cliches, and hundreds of hours of dabbling in quantum mechanics and archeological study... Crimson Riptide is something I've put a lot of work into. I'm pleased with the balance of realistic character development, and intriguing thought puzzles that support world building. I plan on accomplishing great things within this story, so add it to your collection if you want to occasionally add comments that'll help me along the way!

Genuinely the most well-written novel I've seen on this site. I'm not an avid reader of Romance, but the royalty dynamic makes it less of a barrier. I also respect the stunted character development, where the MC doesn't immediately return to the battlefield in chapter 1. A slow burn so far that reads like a breeze!

I've reread the sentence a dozen times and can't quite see the error you're referring to, reads well to me :O

Feeling awkward purchasing a silly game hits too close to home. The transition of reality was in depth and imaginable. The description of the MC's senses were realistic and relevant. Ren (possibly sarcastically) mistaking getting knocked out for being summoned was particularly enjoyable, and a great way to transfer chapters! Great work.

Thanks for your review! The paragraphs look more daunting on mobile I've noticed, and chapters 3-5 break them up more seamlessly, but I could do more work on the formatting of the earlier chapters for sure :)

If you mean the riptide sword from PJ, that's just a coincidence haha. Crimson Riptide is also the name of a sword in Dota 2, but neither relate to my title in the slightest, nor had I heard about them until googling my book 😄

I'm trash, but whirlwind barb or crusader makes me feel less trash lol

Like others said, the opening bit was hard to follow because of the excessive use of pronouns. It wasn't until reaching Chapter 1 that I realized it was a stylistic choice to hide the identities of those involved! What started as confusion led to a yearning to uncover which characters the story opens with. Using a readers own stubbornness against them by challenging the form should be done in more ways, imo, not less. great work!

Petition to change Chapter 1 to "Neverything I Wanted" Jokes aside, I will never not read a book that breaks the 4th wall, or exercises the freedom to use semicolons. The facetiousness of the protagonist made for a good read, too. For anyone reading this review, demon chants being compared to Despacito in the heat of the moment should be everything you need to be motivated to bite the bullet and click "read"

Narration: Decent and immersive Worldbuilding: Vast and detailed Character development: Nice and steady Character design: Outstanding Dialogues: Realistic and Lifelike ;) I love that Diablo inspires your writing. The concept of reoccurring lives makes for a great foundation for a long-running story. For whoever reads this; if this story isn't your cup of tea, Mel here has numerous original works to chose from that would fit nicely alongside the rest of your webnovel collection.