I would like some recommendations for long stories/books that has the MC building a fortune from scratch. Should be at least somewhat realistic not just one idea = instant fortune in an absurdly short time. Stories similar to the Robledo Mountain series by Kraken, Emend By Eclipse by Lazlo Zalezac, etc are what I am talking about. A slow building from nothing to immense fortune in a realistic way. Thanks for any recommendations.
There are quite a few stories where the MC inherited their wealth, sometimes from third parties. I take it that is not what you are looking for.
https://storiesonline.net/series/1604/country-roads by Lumpy is in progress, and apparently the MC is on his way to fame (which he has just achieved) and Fortune (still working on that).
https://storiesonline.net/s/68384/a-fresh-start (by rlfj) is a Do-Over but qualifies.
https://storiesonline.net/s/30059/doing-it-all-over (Al Steiner) - the same applies.
https://storiesonline.net/s/40992/the-fountain-of-youth (lazlong) - the same applies, has a sequel.
https://storiesonline.net/s/56290/path-to-glory (Brendan Buckley) is the story of a Quarterback who gets to the NFL.
Jay Cantrell has a couple of stories which fail your "one idea" stipulation, https://storiesonline.net/s/73779/a-flawed-diamond (a baseball player who previously won a massive lawsuit) and https://storiesonline.net/s/65463/daze-in-the-valley (he and his friends sold an invention for a very large sum).
A Fresh Start and Doing It All Over are both stories I have already read, but have added the others to my reading list. Thanks! :-)
An old dead tree novel, by Cordwainer Smith. "NORSTRILLIA". IIRC, the MC gains access to an old (and somewhat illegal) military computer and uses it to play the commodities market. Becomes massively wealthy.
Obvious expansion of that idea is using a computer, or a new program, or MC is a statistical genius, magic,etc. Stock market, commodities market, money markets. Bets on sports.
Another old story is probably more along your line. "The Cosmic Computer" by James Schmitz. A poor community on a frontier world scrapes up enough cash to send MC to Earth to research the location of a supposed abandoned sector HQ that they believe to be on their world. It was supposedly built for the final campaign during the past interstellar war. Then, the war went a different direction.
Mc doesn't find that info, but develops a plan to bootstrap the economy. However, since everyone is expecting the base, he has to deceive them, while still getting their cooperation.
Is "The Cosmic Computer" a novel or a short story?
Assuming the author James Schmitz is James H. Schmitz, I looked at my 5 e-books – all collections of Schmitz's stories collected and republished by Baen Books about 25 years ago – but this title isn't in any of these books.
So I googled it, but got only hits for "the Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper". This I already own (Project Gutenberg eBook) but I don't remember the story. Guessing from the short info provided in the Google hits it could be the story you mentioned.
Question: did you err about the author?
HM.
I also remember the old Clint Eastwood movie,"The Gauntlet". He is trying to get a witness to trial with the entire LAPD trying to stop him. They (Eastwood and Sandra Locke, the witness) place a bet with Las Vegas bookies. If they die, they lose. If they make it to the trial, they win, at something like 100 to 1.
https://storiesonline.net/a/gruinard
One very long story broken over 25 books. Kid survived cancer and starts a business networking computers in the Z80 CPU days.
By the time he graduates from uni he is independently wealthy.
https://storiesonline.net/a/gruinard
One very long story broken over 25 books. Kid survived cancer and starts a business networking computers in the Z80 CPU days.
By the time he graduates from uni he is independently wealthy.
I would say the MC is independently wealthy before he goes to college.
Smokin' driver's 17th Birthday is about a teenager who finds His niche as a salesman. His Hindsight 20/20 series is a do-over that goes from child to business mogul.
https://storiesonline.net/a/SmokinDriver
Yeah, SmokinDriver's stories are good reads... Detailed, borderline realistic scenarios, and good slice-of-life progression.
My own 'Variation on a Theme' (https://storiesonline.net/series/1583/variation-on-a-theme) counts. It's a do-over, and the wealth creation is slow, deliberate, and very much ongoing, with 'moderate wealth' (in the 1-2 million range) currently (over a roughly 5-year time period), but much larger wealth on the horizon (in a variety of ways). Definitely more than one idea, and the number of ideas are increasing, I would say. Later (as yet unpublished) parts of the current book will add to wealth creation, and it'll be an obvious ongoing theme since some long-term plans started in early books have likely completion dates in the not-too-distant future.
It would be reasonable to include G Younger's 'Stupid Boy' (and 'Better Man') series. The protagonist is definitely quite well off in later stories. https://storiesonline.net/series/1080/stupid-boy
Most Do-Over stories have a certain element of wealth accumulation—typically from betting on their knowledge of future events, however the degree of wealth tends to vary widely from on story to another.
However, for many, incredible wealth is yet another 'Mary Sue', wish fulfillment element, which often takes away from the story, especially if it occurs too rapidly. As many of us prefer the protagonist struggling to succeed (overcoming adversity, rather than coasting through life).
Again, the question of usually, how fast is too fast, as decent stories are given a bigger 'creative license' than others.
I agree that your VoaT fits the requirements I laid out... Unfortunately you still havent finished it. I read the 1st 4 books, thinking that it was just a High School period story for the coming of age transition in a Do-Over scenario... then I got to the end of the 4th book just as you announced and started the 5th book continuing the story into their college years... ARGH!!!...lol.. I read WAAAAAAAY too fast to try and read ongoing serials. I would be driven nuts waiting on new chapter releases, lol. So unfortunately will be holding off on reading the rest until the story concludes. But I am looking forward to that! :-)
It's going to be a long time before it concludes - just warning you! After college, we'll get to post-college, and so forth.
I certainly understand not reading it as a serial, though. It helps me that some readers want to, because I wind up with additional feedback, but I generally can't follow serials either.
Ayup, he's already lining out many issues which will only occur post college. I doubt he'll continue long after college (i.e. past those specific points, yet with the character's future plans, he's got more than enough material to work with. Yet, as he also notes, while the character's themselves entering as a group to pamper their grandkids, that's still a long ways off, and likely well beyond the scope of the series.
Though where he'll draw the line is an open question, as I doubt whether even he knows. Yet, I keep urging him not to dedicate his entire life to the story, but to expand his writing, as each new project tends to advance your overall skills (i.e. each tends to be as limiting as it advances one's skills).
Still, I plan to continue reading it, as long as I'm still able, and yet, despite my age and poor health overall, I seem to be destined to live a long life, despite myself. ;)
We all do, yet when reading it regularly, you're not as eager to read it straight through, only reading a single chapter at a time. However, even in that case, his single chapters also can be a tad long—often consuming much of multiple single days each week.
Not suggesting you ease back, GW, just a recognition that there's a LOT of material to cover, either way. However, comparing the numbers, my own chapter lengths are worse than yours, though I work to keep the total story lengths down.
The Richard Jackson Saga .17 books, starts as high school freshman by book 17 he is the richest man in the world.
I have the collection go back for a re read from time to time. He doesnt win any lotteries .But there is some luck involved,
started the RJ series by reading the starter the author has here on SOL (think it is the first 3 books) and while it definitely doesnt fall very far into the realistic category, it was very enjoyable. Unfortunately, by the time I was aware of the existence of the books, they had been removed from SOL (with exception of the starter) and are now being sold for anywhere from $15 to $25 EACH on the big river...umm...no... cant afford that. So I ended up not being able to continue reading the story past the 3rd book.
Trust me, having read many of them, his later books in the series aren't nearly as good as his earlier ones. Some authors are able to continue writing and maintain their stories lines, others aren't nearly as good at it.
I followed him for a while, yet like many SOL authors, after a while, it's just not worth reading "yet another one". It's incredibly difficult keeping a series running in perpetuity.
A New Past (a common theme in do-overs) by Charlie Foxtrot.
"Living Next Door to Heaven" by Aroslav.
"Dark Days" by Reluctant_Sir.
"Vacation" series and most of the Florid Friends universe by Dual Writer.
"Kenny the Kansan" by Openbook.
Ernest Bywater has several, generally a boy/adolescent becomes a successful man.
A New Past is on my constant read over list. :-)
Will add the others to my reading list to check them out. Thanks!
The Stupid Boy/Better Man series was a much better story, told consistently, despite the ever changing circumstances. I'm still awaiting a new volume, though now doubting it'll ever occur after so long.
At the risk of tooting my own horn, my story https://storiesonline.net/s/30692/a-charmed-life-by-the-outsider/i has the MC using a court judgment in his favor to invest in a company building a home fusion device. He winds up owning about 1/5 of the company, which funds things he wants to do later...
Andthe associated thread about his Daughter Sabrina is turning into a good story as well!
Kind of you to say that, thank you. And thanks to everyone else who has taken the time to write to me!
My Climbing the Ladder series is a rags-to-riches storyline.
Awesome series and waiting impatiently for the next book! :D
SunSeeker
Took me a while to realise it fits as the MC is female, but Wes Boyd's Magic Carpet meets the stated criteria (not here, try his spearfishlaketales site) - starts destitute and grows to multimillionaire national hero. Another female MC but here is aroslav's Not this time, a do-over - also starts destitute and grows to at least comfortably rich (it's a while since I've read it)
I would like some recommendations for long stories/books that has the MC building a fortune from scratch.
I think almost all do-over stories would meet your desire. As the no-longer naiive and hapless MC uses his done-over-ness to invest in Microsoft, Google, Amazon, whatever as soon as the stocks hit the market. Not to mention getting gramps to put $100 of saved pocket money on the unexpected winner of the Superbowl/WorldSeries/Stanley Cup - you name it.
RLFJ has a PG13 version of A Fresh Start on Bookapy. The original on SOL will be deleted along with most classic do-over stories due to under 18 sexual content.
Seriously, a PG13 version wouldn't be nearly as good of a read. It had decent elements which he could build on, yet that drastic of a change would require a complete rewrite, at least in my opinion.
Even so, I wish him well, but would be much happier if he restored the original!