Fic recs, February 3rd! · 4:49pm Feb 3rd, 2018
I've got a conundrum: where do new or struggling authors on this site go for help? Times past, I'd recommend groups like Authors Helping Authors, but it's been so long, I don't know what might be active anymore. And in a community this size, the best editors are going to be in high demand, meaning there's never enough people available to help the ever-burgeoning numbers of needy writers, those editors get swamped or burnt out, and the options and opportunities continue to shrink. Help a guy out!
Super Trampoline has done a reading of Monochromatic's The Choices We Make! (Part Two) Scribbler's newest reading is Gulheru's Interview With a Batpony, with Aques Levaro and Gina M!
My, err, I mean, ShadowOfCygnus's newest reading is of his story, Come Down from Yonder Bookshelf! Yeah, totally got him to guest read on my channel, that's what happened. :V
Underrated site author Compendium of Steve has done some original fiction, some of which is fanfic with the edges filed off, and asked me to take a look. So the first two reviews of this set will be a compare contrast between two of his ponyfics and their original counterparts. Because, yes, there are reviews in here! Kinda been saving up for a long one, but this has gone on long enough. There's a big review at the end, and all of this is good!
H: 3 R: 3 C: 1 V: 0 N: 0
Beyond Boundaries by Compendium of Steve
Genre: Sad
There's nothing Winona wouldn't do to protect her family.
I like the way this is structured, cutting back and forth between the present events and those in the future. It's confusing, especially since the future involves a lot of indistinct shapes and quick action, but it keeps the excitement at a level pace throughout the piece. That said, damn, sad dog fics always get me. D: This one's pretty epic, all things considered, but the ending just tugs at the heartstrings. I will mention it could use a bit of an editing pass, which seems to have happened for the original version, with the same name. As for that, it's mostly a find-replace on the character names. The CMCs, for instance, are Annabelle, Serena and Samantha, but a few other things are changed. But for all that it's the same story, it's interesting how a change of setting really transforms the central event. I mean, in Equestria, it's just another aspect of magic one could potentially find in the Everfree Forest; not so when you're on the Texas/Oklahoma border. So the original fiction version might actually be the stronger piece here!
Recommended If You Like Sad Stuff
For the Craft by Compendium of Steve
Genre: Dark
There is such a thing as going too far for one's music.
I have to say, this was posted just a month after Breaking Boundaries, and the uptick in the writing quality is astonishing. If there's a problem with it, it's that it doesn't bury its lede quite deeply enough. Between the description and tags, I knew exactly how it was going to go, and I was right. It certainly doesn't hurt that once things take a turn for the creepy, the scene is written perfectly. That said, this actually works better as original fiction, between the actual music pieces and composers referenced in the text and the "deal with the Devil" setup more familiar to Earth-based fiction than ponyfic. Still, however you slice it, this is pretty good, just don't think too much about it before you get into it, I guess?
Recommended
Wither by -TGM-
Reading by Crafty Arts
Reading by immunetogravity57
Genre: Dark/Tragedy
Chrysalis' loss to the ponies of Canterlot may have been a major setback, but the changeling hive still thrives.
I was afraid at first this would be yet another "boo-hoo, poor changelings" fic, but my fears were quickly put to rest by the fact that there are no changelings left to evoke sympathy for. Like Tracks in the Sand, this is a story about a lone character wandering a waste, pretending everything's okay. And while it lacks that story's nuance, there's a good eye for detail here, giving us the gist before anything confirms it. I was even surprised by a cameo near the end. There are elements to this that I've seen in other stories, but as a whole? Worth the read.
Recommended
A Requiem for Lost Libraries by Mitch H
Genre: World-Building
It is a most unusual ghost which haunts Friendship Castle.
Finally, a story that does #savetree justice, through focused world-building and some excellently crafted ghost story-style atmospheric writing. This is a really original concept, and I can't say I've ever seen its like. And if you think I'm not playing coy about the identity of the aforementioned ghost, well, that's not the only surprise to be found in this piece.
Highly Recommended
Lost by OleGrayMane
Proofread by Me
Genre: Pre-Historic
Fluttershy makes an impossible connection with Twilight latest — macabre — discovery.
This is quite a lovely piece, of a sort I've only seen reflected once, in A Drop of Sunlight. It's got something very powerful to say about Fluttershy while treating us to some pony history long forgotten, before there was history, and possibly even ponies. It's rather a treat, so check it out!
Recommended
Coming in from the Cold by Timaeus
Genre: Romance
Bon Bon begins her new life in the middle of Ponyville's worst blizzard ever.
It's been a while since I last read a good LyraBon, and oh boy, this is warm and satisfying like a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day. It plays off of Slice of Life in subtle ways, giving Bon Bon a bit of melancholy and a severe dearth of confidence as she arrives in Ponyville. She of course meets Lyra right off the bat, and Lyra is her irrepressible self. There is tons of flirting. But mostly, this is about Ponyville and the ponies who live there. About friendship and the warmth that comes from just being close to someone, physically or otherwise. It does maybe veer a little too into the romance by the end, but Iunno, I didn't mind. :V Shup, fool.
Highly Recommended
The Unicorn and the Crow by Foxmane Vulpequus
Read by Fimfiction
Genre: Murder Mystery
Currycape: a luxurious tropical getaway for Equestrian vacationers in the heart of deer country. Not exactly a hotbed for murder.
Where to even begin with this? The very first note I made for myself was "WOW THIS IS DENSE". And to be sure, the writing style in this story is one you don't see much in fanfic. I would say it's because most fanfic writers don't try to be this deliberate in their wording. It's slow-paced but not plodding, dense but not unreadable. The lengths of the four story parts are daunting, but given that we have a bookmarking feature on Fimfiction now, you really shouldn't be letting those kinds of things deter you from reading something. :)
And if you make that choice with this story, what will you find? Great characters. I do wish the story had started with the second chapter (not part, I want to make very clear the difference between those), because the first doesn't give quite as good a first impression of Rubyk and his grandmother as the second, which comes from Madeleine's POV. But to back up, our cast includes: Rubyk of Trotheim, at once a fantastic detective and stolid bastion of justice for his people, and also a browbeaten grandmama's boy, quiet and introspective. To his Holmes is Madeleine Crumpet (a madeleine is a kind of pastry, lest you think she has an unpony name) as a very competent Watson; she's outgoing, funny, lascivious to an extent, and gets along with other ponies and especially the inhabitants of Currycape, where Rubyk is rather poor with interpersonal skills. Rubyk's grandmother, Frost Pane, Frei of Trotheim (no, I don't know what that is), has come to the tropics to help with her magical ice cancer, and once she starts recovering, she goes from doddering and overbearing to literally the best character in the story, a feisty grande dame who steals every scene she's in. Then there's the cast of would-be whodunits, from the stuffy Manehattan Oranges (not those Oranges, but related) to the absolutely rotten Calvados Apple and his beleaguered nephew Pome. Largo, the hotel proprietress, cuts a strong figure with her undying love and support for the Clavia deer, while the mysterious Jett Black never fails to surprise. Even the supporting characters — mostly deer like Doctor Leaf and the twins, but also ponies like Chai, Hodgepodge and poor, adorable Rock Skipper — jump off the page. The character work in this story is phenomenal.
The setting then might be a tad harder to swallow. Almost everything is created whole cloth, from the city (?) of Trotheim to Currycape itself and the deer society. We get maybe a couple of early infodumps about either, but things do unfold of their own accord rather naturally after that. You get a good feel for this somewhat lazy town in the tropic sun, and what the hotel on which the story centers means to it. The deer are interesting — their magic involves use of literal tiny stars — and as they come up to regular ponies' withers when full grown, so too to regular ponies compare to those of Trotheim.
Now, I want to say, Trotheim, for all that it's more legend than focus in this story, did make me think of criticisms I've levelled at other stories, specifically The Immortal Game and Upheaval. I mean, the ponies have sharp teeth and eat meat! I called out a similar character from Upheaval as being "worse than a red and black alicorn"! But I kind of didn't care? I mean, it was worth it for the scene where Frost Pane intimidated a group of deer by threatening to eat them; neither they nor you can't be sure how much she's joking. Also along the lines of things that don't fit, a certain thread to the central mystery revolves around a gun. A gun. It's just kind of dropped in there, and I had to wonder why something more canonical wasn't used. But given that I think it was all to make a Watson joke near the end, I can kind of forgive it. It never feels out of place in the story, at least.
As for the story itself, I'm not too good at evaluating mysteries (the nuts and bolts of how to craft one have long eluded me), but I thought it was pretty damned good. Sure, it's not the kind of mystery the reader will be able to figure out for themselves, but I was impressed at both the number of red herrings and the number of initial suspicions that eventually played themselves out. Also the double-red herring. If you like piecing puzzles together, this might then be a bit of a letdown. At least there's a good thriller in the last half! I actually read the final part-and-a-half all in one go, because I couldn't put it down. It makes me wish this were less embroiled in canon than even it is, because it would be great gateway fic for fans of murder mysteries.
Two small things I wanted to mention before we go. First, there are some foibles in the writing. The author is fond of certain pet phrases to describe his characters (you too will tire of seeing "the Aktur of Trotheim" in short order). There are some POV shifts that I had to wonder about. Moreover, there's a certain penchant for using "an" before any word beginning with "h", silent or not. I died inside with each "an hoof". D: (Then again, it's also the story that introduced me to the word "hoplicure".) And speaking of dying inside, Madeleine both has a little pony in her head and often has itchy mane, elements central to the characters of Littlepip and Blackjack from Fallout: Equestria, et. al., and I just had to wonder about that. c.c
The Unicorn and Crow, though, is a real awesome undertaking of a fanfic. Don't get bothered by the dense writing or the lengthy parts or even that Ponymaker cover art; it's worth giving this story a chance.
Highly Recommended
I loved Coming In From The Cold too. I'll have to take a look at The Unicorn and the Crow now. Darned shortage of Real World time.
Whoah, lots of hidden gems here
"Requiem" was just plain beautiful, and that was before the whole second twist, too. I'm surprised at how well some pretty snide swipes at the new castle were incorporated, considering the general tone, but yeah, that was great.
When I clicked through to "Coming in From the Cold" I was amazed to see it was published this year. Then I realized I was thinking about Baal Bunny's "In From The Cold," which isn't the same thing. :V
I'll need to check out "The Unicorn and the Crow." It sounds like something special.
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Frankly, I'm amazed Unicorn and the Crow even came across my dash. Less than 200 views, the only story by an author with five (six now!) followers? I have no idea how horizon found it. c.c
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horizon is maaaagiiiiic.
It certainly has nothing to do with being a member of a gigantic, nefarious hive-mind. <.<
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Oh, absolutely. That's entirely out of the question.
Well, so much for getting my RiL down. A Requiem for Lost Libraries is going on the list instantly. The Unicorn and the Crow isn't going to get read for ages given its length, but a writer who only joined this place in 2017 doing something great? We need more of that, and so that's going on the list as well.
Oh, what a pleasant surprise!
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed it!
Seems like the author of The Unicorn and the Crow has unfortunately gone the way of titanrising. Shame. Then again, perhaps they went on to rewrite the story as an original fiction, to great success, and you simply have yet to find it?
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I know. I'm kind of upset about this. You have to wonder if maybe the story didn't garner enough attention to keep them around. :/ It's a shame, given the short period of time.
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Like all normal ponies, I have infiltrators everywhere. In this particular case, in the Mystery group, where the author posted it when the story went live (the entire thing at once, which made me wince a bit).
I really appreciate you for mentioning some of my stories. It means a lot you'd do a comparison of both versions, and that you think the more original edits are better! :D