Good Timeloop Serials - Webnovel Recommendations

I've always enjoyed a good read, free from bad grammar, characterisation, and writing. One such popular genre in webnovels is the timeloop. Examples of timeloops in popular media include the indie game 12 Minutes, and the American film Groundhog Day (1993). Timeloops are especially popular in Japanese Pop Culture, with examples such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Edge Of Tomorrow, Steins;Gate, and the infamous Endless Eight arc of the Haruhi Suzumiya series. 

 There are dime a dozen timeloop webnovels (along with fanfictions, but that's a story for another day) out there, given its popularity. Of course, majority are badly written, characterized, and exist soely for the author's wish fulfilment. However, occasionally a diamond in the rough surfaces, shining brightly upon the mountain of trash. Most of these die, of course, as authors discontinue, disappear, or go on indefinite hiatus.

And that's why, here are three timeloop webnovels backed by good writing, characterisation, and overall execution. Best of all, they are completed works.

1. Mother of Learning

 As the saying goes, repetition is the mother of learning. Zorian, a teenage mage of humble birth is able to experience this first-hand, as he is forcefully thrust into timeloop not of his own making. Trapped within, with no clear end nor exit in sight, Zorian will have to puzzle out the mystery of the timeloop, all the while dealing with the dangers that his unknown enemies bring.

Most would agree with Mother of Learning being the poster child for the webnovel timeloop genre. Long before webnovels had its current popularity today, Mother of Learning was already popular.With well developed characters, phenomenal world building, and a compelling mystery, Mother of Learning's popularity is very well deserved. 

        Story - Good

The story flows from point to point without any jarring changes in pacing. Each point of the plot is properly addressed. The mystery aspects are well written and each revelation adds something meaningful to the overal progression of the story. The worldbuilding is also excellent and planned in fine detail. However, the story may start to drag out, which may hinder some readers from reading to completion.

        Prose - Average

Unfortunately, the prose itself is fairly uninspired. Simple and straight-forward, the author leans towards telling, rather than showing. The writing flow itself is excellent, but the lack of oomph in the writing keeps its prose from achieving greatness.

        Characters - Good

 As a webnovel in the rational genre, the author takes pride in keeping its characters rational. Zorian thinks clearly and smartly, but is also not immune to making mistakes due to a lack of information. He clearly grows and improves as a person throughout the story. One of the trappings of a timeloop story is the non-looping characters' inability to develop. However, the author continuously reveals bits and pieces of a character that we have yet to see. When each layer of the characters open up to the reader, it mimics the effects of character development.

        Overall Recommendation - Check it out

Overall, Mother of Learning is a very good, and well-written timeloop webnovel. Although the writing may be fairly uninspired, the author keeps the prose easy to read and error free, leading to a smooth reading experience. I recommend that you check it out, as it is still a very fine read, despite the simple prose and arguably daunting length. 

2. Reroll

In a world of superheroes and villains, Loren Parker is caught in an explosion. He wakes up two days before it happens, and has to struggle to uncover the mystery of the explosion, along with a superpower that changes whenever he resets.  

Reroll is a recently completed webnovel (as of time of writing). The characters in Reroll are flawed, and leave much to be desired, but they behave very much in character. The story, and mystery behind the bombings is tight, without glaring plot holes. Despite some of its flaws, it's still a decent read, and is one of the few timeloop stories that have been seen to conclusion by the author.

        Story - Good

The author runs a tight ship, with multiple, disconnected plot points that eventually tie-up into a nice bowtie. The mystery behind the bombings, as well as other mysteries that eventually show up, are all addressed by the conclusion of the story. However, much of the story's conflict resolution is hindered because of Loren being a dumbass, and the overall ending of the webnovel leaves much to be desired.

        Prose - Good

The writing is well done. The prose is written well, with nothing groundbreaking, yet also nothing boring. You can tell that the author has experience writing, and it shows.

        Characters - Good

As much as others would disagree, I personally feel that the characterisation is good. The characters behave very much in character, and despite being a timeloop webnovel, the author emulates character development by cloaking their characters in multiple layers, that are revealed as Loren interacts and gets closer to them. 

The one thing holding back the story is how often the main character Loren holds the idiot ball. To avoid going into the spoilers category, the main complaint about Loren is his lack of ability to learn from his mistakes, like a fairly stupid human.

        Overall Recommendation - Check it out

Reroll suffers from some glaring issues, namely, Loren being a dumbass, and the ending, but the experience itself is worth checking it out. The prose is vivid, and the powers are interesting. The mystery is well written, and the author does a good job in tying together the threads to wrap up the plot.

 

3.The Perfect Run

Ryan "Quicksave" Romano is an eccentric individual with the power to create a save-point in his life and to redo from that save-point whenever he dies. The story begins with Ryan's arrival in New Rome, a city torn by conflict. Soon, Ryan finds himself embedded deep within the players in the city, all in the search for his "perfect ending". 

The Perfect Run is one of the diamonds in the rough. It nears completion at the time of writing, and if the author keeps to his current standards, the conclusion will have nothing to disappoint. With excellent characterisation, humor, and writing, The Perfect Run drives a hard line to beat in terms of quality.

        Story - Good

Quicksave has a goal, his "Perfect Ending" and the plot is driven by his motivation, leaving it tight and focused. The timeloop is of the main character's own creation, and is used as a plot device, instead of a mystery to solve. However, the story mostly boils down to Quicksave figuring out how to achieve his perfect run. Yet, don't let that distract you from how well the characters tie into the story.

        Prose - Excellent

The writing is witty and very well done. Compared to other well written webnovels, The Perfect Run has its moments where I would stop "reading" and being "feeling" the story play out in my mind. The author has an excellent grasp on showing and not telling, and the overall flow of the writing is buttery smooth.

        Characters - Excellent

This is where The Perfect Run shines the most. Every character is characterised well. Smaller characters may show up again, or play a big part in a different arc, and yester-loop's enemies may become to-loop's allies. Quicksave's quirky and eccentric behavior may carry a lot of the character interactions, but everyone else still feels layered, unique, and most importantly, human.

        Overall Recommendation - Read it

One of the special webnovels that can truly suck in its readers. It gained its popularity not because of tropes, self-insert, and mass-appeal, but because of its solid writing, stellar cast, and phenomenal execution. I strongly recommend that you read this quality piece of work.