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Legendary Shadow Blacksmith: The Otherworld
Born blind in a war-torn world, an autistic savant's only solace was blacksmithing—until even that was overshadowed by loss and despair. But when he joins the Otherworld Project, a chance to live as a powerful clone on a distant planet, he uncovers an astonishing secret.
With newfound abilities, Julian’s rise to fame begins. Will he become a hero across two worlds, or let darkness consume them both?
With newfound abilities, Julian’s rise to fame begins. Will he become a hero across two worlds, or let darkness consume them both?
674 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2025
64 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 14, 2025
Somewhat interesting story but toxic characters
The Pandora inspiration was interesting. The whole mind/soul link to a clone to send it to another world yet his world is magic is fun. The blind character who gets sight was interesting. The sci-fi galaxies spanning civilization at war with monstrous Daemons was unique. The romance was ...a disaster.
I get people like to read about flawed characters. Some times living with those flaws some times getting over them. But reading about a toxic and emotionally abusive relationship was not fun.
It was like if the main character beat his wife on the side of all this. There are some flaws that just are too wrong to enjoy even in a story.
The whole flaw that put me off is the MC's girlfriend. She's sick and twisted. Emotionally manipulative and obsessed. I get the MC had his own problems and obsessions with blacksmithing but that doesn't dismiss the GF.
This is a girl who since they were children when she lost her parents clung onto the MC and used him as her emotional base. Someone to look after, to keep dependent on her and make him feel like a child and useless to do anything. She bought him an AI that seems more to be loyal to her than to him. She paid for everything and made it so he never had to go out and grow. Never invited friends or tried to get him to socialize, never taught him about how to be independent just kept him in his cage for 20 years.
Then when they 'break up' and he finally starts to expand she shows up to start yelling at him and berating him and telling him how he needs to move back in with her so she can take care of him. Making him feel guilty all the whole and like he needs to feel bad that he's making her worry. When all he is doing is starting to live his life and made an investment into a future for himself.
It seemed like it would be a whole, growing without her story but the author throws her back in and makes him even more co-dependent on her later for mental health and more obsessed with eachother.
It's also not like the author doesn't realize how sick it is because the A.I. Even comments that they are a toxic couple, many times. I can enjoy a book with a flawed character but that flaw being a fully mature adult woman taking advantage of a blind person with seeming mental health issues is just wrong.
She treats him like a child, even tells him she does it and that he agrees he has mental issues that make him not as smart as others and many other things. If she wanted to mother him and watch out for him in a platonic way, that would be less messed up but still so that she holds him back instead of trying to help him grow. The fact she has sex with and a relationship with the mentally disabled and physically disabled person while keeping him cut off from the world just seems so wrong that it might as well be a crime. Going so far to make it so he sees her and his A.I as his sanctuary and the only important things to him in the whole world and nothing matters but them.
Maybe it's just me that thinks a fully developed mature adult having sex and relationship with someone who mentally is more child than adult is wrong. That she takes advantage of this to make him emotionally, financially and mentally dependent on her. It's like if a therapist has sex with their patient. She is his caregiver looking after him, not using him to satisfy her need to be needed.
She even admits to being obsessed and needing to be needed yet the story goes on as if that's fine to just have this twisted relationship as a main point of the book.
Perhaps thats the point that the author enjoys having a sick and twisted GF who abuses the MC and takes advantage of him. Constantly doubting him and holding him back, telling him what he needs to do. Some unique hook for the audience. However just one should be aware if they dislike such abusive relationships, this might not be a book for you. It is a big plot point of the book that he MC does it all for his own need to please his GF who has groomed him since childhood to need to please her.
If you are one turned off liking something do to abusive partnerships. This really won't be for you. Be that physical abuse , mental or emotional. It's all abuse. So take warning that this book isn't some happy book where the characters are good people and should be liked.
Even the A.I is constantly arguing and putting the M.C down in all his ideas instead of supporting him. From GF to A.I everyone seems to be constantly putting the M.C's ideas down and telling him he cant' do this or can't do that. It can get quite annoying.
Now all that aside, the world they got to is fun, the adventures are interesting. A bit disturbing when the MC gets all erotic with knives and combat. Like near arousal from killing sorta creepy. I can get the whole moral thing that it's fine to kill to protect but enjoying killing and arousal from it, is a bit far.
I might stick with it due to the unique whole two worlds, clones, and story line. Just teetering myself if it gets too creepy in arousal about killing and blacksmithing and if the GF gets worst with her whole dependent stifling of the MC to make him lesser.
All in All , Im willing to give the next book a chance. Honestly wish the GF would just die in a Daemon attack and give the MC reason to want to slaughter Daemons and grow stronger.
The Pandora inspiration was interesting. The whole mind/soul link to a clone to send it to another world yet his world is magic is fun. The blind character who gets sight was interesting. The sci-fi galaxies spanning civilization at war with monstrous Daemons was unique. The romance was ...a disaster.
I get people like to read about flawed characters. Some times living with those flaws some times getting over them. But reading about a toxic and emotionally abusive relationship was not fun.
It was like if the main character beat his wife on the side of all this. There are some flaws that just are too wrong to enjoy even in a story.
The whole flaw that put me off is the MC's girlfriend. She's sick and twisted. Emotionally manipulative and obsessed. I get the MC had his own problems and obsessions with blacksmithing but that doesn't dismiss the GF.
This is a girl who since they were children when she lost her parents clung onto the MC and used him as her emotional base. Someone to look after, to keep dependent on her and make him feel like a child and useless to do anything. She bought him an AI that seems more to be loyal to her than to him. She paid for everything and made it so he never had to go out and grow. Never invited friends or tried to get him to socialize, never taught him about how to be independent just kept him in his cage for 20 years.
Then when they 'break up' and he finally starts to expand she shows up to start yelling at him and berating him and telling him how he needs to move back in with her so she can take care of him. Making him feel guilty all the whole and like he needs to feel bad that he's making her worry. When all he is doing is starting to live his life and made an investment into a future for himself.
It seemed like it would be a whole, growing without her story but the author throws her back in and makes him even more co-dependent on her later for mental health and more obsessed with eachother.
It's also not like the author doesn't realize how sick it is because the A.I. Even comments that they are a toxic couple, many times. I can enjoy a book with a flawed character but that flaw being a fully mature adult woman taking advantage of a blind person with seeming mental health issues is just wrong.
She treats him like a child, even tells him she does it and that he agrees he has mental issues that make him not as smart as others and many other things. If she wanted to mother him and watch out for him in a platonic way, that would be less messed up but still so that she holds him back instead of trying to help him grow. The fact she has sex with and a relationship with the mentally disabled and physically disabled person while keeping him cut off from the world just seems so wrong that it might as well be a crime. Going so far to make it so he sees her and his A.I as his sanctuary and the only important things to him in the whole world and nothing matters but them.
Maybe it's just me that thinks a fully developed mature adult having sex and relationship with someone who mentally is more child than adult is wrong. That she takes advantage of this to make him emotionally, financially and mentally dependent on her. It's like if a therapist has sex with their patient. She is his caregiver looking after him, not using him to satisfy her need to be needed.
She even admits to being obsessed and needing to be needed yet the story goes on as if that's fine to just have this twisted relationship as a main point of the book.
Perhaps thats the point that the author enjoys having a sick and twisted GF who abuses the MC and takes advantage of him. Constantly doubting him and holding him back, telling him what he needs to do. Some unique hook for the audience. However just one should be aware if they dislike such abusive relationships, this might not be a book for you. It is a big plot point of the book that he MC does it all for his own need to please his GF who has groomed him since childhood to need to please her.
If you are one turned off liking something do to abusive partnerships. This really won't be for you. Be that physical abuse , mental or emotional. It's all abuse. So take warning that this book isn't some happy book where the characters are good people and should be liked.
Even the A.I is constantly arguing and putting the M.C down in all his ideas instead of supporting him. From GF to A.I everyone seems to be constantly putting the M.C's ideas down and telling him he cant' do this or can't do that. It can get quite annoying.
Now all that aside, the world they got to is fun, the adventures are interesting. A bit disturbing when the MC gets all erotic with knives and combat. Like near arousal from killing sorta creepy. I can get the whole moral thing that it's fine to kill to protect but enjoying killing and arousal from it, is a bit far.
I might stick with it due to the unique whole two worlds, clones, and story line. Just teetering myself if it gets too creepy in arousal about killing and blacksmithing and if the GF gets worst with her whole dependent stifling of the MC to make him lesser.
All in All , Im willing to give the next book a chance. Honestly wish the GF would just die in a Daemon attack and give the MC reason to want to slaughter Daemons and grow stronger.
June 24, 2025
Highly Entertaining
I read this originally on Royal Road, and I found the story to be highly entertaining personally. I like that the main character is a bit odd, and has a unique perspective on the world. Since he’s blind, he basically has some cyberpunk AI eyes that let him Navigate the world around him. But I have to say my favorite aspect is his connection to forging, and his incredible skill in this area.
The game mechanics that come up in the other world are also really enjoyable, since I feel like they blend well with the new concepts introduced on the other planet. And he certainly adapts to this world like a fish and water, and it allows him to grow as a person.
The side characters are also written very well, since they are multidimensional, and they have a life of their own as you read. I don’t feel like they are easily forgotten, like some side characters and other stories, and you care about what happens to them.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving the first book a try at least, since everyone has their own cup of tea, but I would say this is definitely a book worth giving a read.
I read this originally on Royal Road, and I found the story to be highly entertaining personally. I like that the main character is a bit odd, and has a unique perspective on the world. Since he’s blind, he basically has some cyberpunk AI eyes that let him Navigate the world around him. But I have to say my favorite aspect is his connection to forging, and his incredible skill in this area.
The game mechanics that come up in the other world are also really enjoyable, since I feel like they blend well with the new concepts introduced on the other planet. And he certainly adapts to this world like a fish and water, and it allows him to grow as a person.
The side characters are also written very well, since they are multidimensional, and they have a life of their own as you read. I don’t feel like they are easily forgotten, like some side characters and other stories, and you care about what happens to them.
Overall, I would definitely recommend giving the first book a try at least, since everyone has their own cup of tea, but I would say this is definitely a book worth giving a read.
August 22, 2025
Fantastic story.
Instantly one of my favorites. Now get onto the rest. I hate that I am going to have to wait for the next one. Love the two separate worlds the combination, great pacing, great characters, great blend. Please keep up the quality and just increase the pace the books come out
Instantly one of my favorites. Now get onto the rest. I hate that I am going to have to wait for the next one. Love the two separate worlds the combination, great pacing, great characters, great blend. Please keep up the quality and just increase the pace the books come out
June 25, 2025
Great dual world story
This story has many elements that are similar to other LitRPG stories. What is different from the rest and what makes this story so good is that what happens in one world carries over to the other world. Really well done
This story has many elements that are similar to other LitRPG stories. What is different from the rest and what makes this story so good is that what happens in one world carries over to the other world. Really well done
August 11, 2025
Could not finish
It's ok but the AI is annoying and so is his girlfriend, she tries to help way too much and it's like an addiction plus the mc is useless most blind and deaf people will fight tooth and nail to be independent but he lets others decide what's best for him!!
It's ok but the AI is annoying and so is his girlfriend, she tries to help way too much and it's like an addiction plus the mc is useless most blind and deaf people will fight tooth and nail to be independent but he lets others decide what's best for him!!
September 12, 2025
Quite good
I really liked this book. In parts it was standard LitRPG. In others it was progression fantasy. They actually work well together. Do yourself a favor and give this book a shot..
Highly. Recommended.
I really liked this book. In parts it was standard LitRPG. In others it was progression fantasy. They actually work well together. Do yourself a favor and give this book a shot..
Highly. Recommended.
July 4, 2025
Recently got on my radar. I listened to the audiobook while puzzling. Really enjoyable and worth a read. Narration is solid.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews