You Might Like This Recs: July 2015 · 9:15am Aug 5th, 2015
Forever And Again And Again by Titanium Dragon
Titanium Dragon is a very meticulous author. Whatever you read by him, you can be sure that every word and sentence will have been carefully chosen and thought through - or at least it feels like that when you're reading it. In previous stories this has occasionally sapped some of the liveliness of the story, but in this case it not only adds to the quality of the writing but to the story itself as well. In quite a small space TD pulls off a thought provoking and emotional scene that feels like a scene - a snapshot out of these ponies lives, not just a sequence of events, built to fill a narrative. And yet this snapshot does tell a story, and a beautiful one at that. This is well worth reading.
The Faceless Pony by Thanqol
I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of this. I like the author, and he's written a number of stories I think pretty highly of, but this seemed like it would fall into that old grimdark cliche. Not so. Instead, I found a genuinely unsettling little horror story. Apparently it was inspired by a nightmare - it certainly reads that way. Go check it out.
NB: This story is rated M. I'm not entirely sure it deserves that label, but you have been warned.
Arrow 18 Mission Logs: Lone Ranger by AdmiralTigerclaw
While I most certainly did not start reading this story this month, I did re-read it and finally finish reading it, so I think it counts. For those of you that are unaware, Arrow 18 is one of the biggest sci-fi stories in the fandom, and easily the biggest "first contact" story. And, in my opinon, the best (and it's not the only good one I've read either). If you have even a passing interest in the premise, please take the time to look at this. From start to finish, this is a joy to read. The sheer wonder and joy in discovery, paired with the characters and world we all know and love, makes for something really special. I try to save my monthly spotlight for something a little bit more unknown usually, so this might not take that spot, but it's certainly worthy of it and much more besides.
Demons And Desires by Monochromatic.
WARNING. THIS IS AN M RATED STORY CENTRED AROUND EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT.
Now that the warning is out of the way - wow. Just, wow.
I've recommended stories by Monochromatic here before, but I never, never expected this. Because on her first try at writing NSFW content, she's written what is hands down one of the best examples of that genre I have ever read. Off the top of my head, I can think of only a couple of authors and a handful of stories that match this. As one of the commenters put it, this isn't just a depiction of sex - it's a depiction of lovemaking, and it's beautifully crafted and a bloody good read.
Of Age by Paleowriter
It's hard to explain why I like this story so much. Oh it's very competently written, the characters and the world-building are great, but it's something more than that. The closest I can come to it, is to say that this reminds me of the very best stories of my childhood - the books I would return to again and again, even as I supposedly outgrew them, because the stories and characters were so beloved to me. I cannot recommend it enough.
Spotlight Review is here.
yay more read laters for the read later king!
3296855
Heh, glad someone likes my recs!
Thanks for the review and recommendation!
I really liked weaving this story together, and I'm glad the whole thing pulled together and worked so well for people.
I agree with you recommendation and thoughts on Arrow 18 as well.
I'll have to look at the other three; they're all on my read it later list and I keep hearing good things about them.
3306785
No problem - thanks for writing a great story!
I'm glad you agree with me on Arrow 18 (as a die hard sci-fi fan, I always had a huge grin while reading it), and I'm rather flattered that you're paying attention to my recommendations. Hopefully they don't disappoint.
On a final note, I do hope you enjoy my story when you get around to reading it (although having followed your reviews for a while, I wouldn't exactly be surprised to get a Not Recommended
).