Captain’s Log:
Star Date: November 26, 2012

The search for underappreciated fics continues here aboard the Seattle’s Angels cruiser, The Rainbow Mare. It seems like just yesterday that we were given our mission by the Admiral, but it’s been nearly 5 weeks since then. Much has happened in that short time. Fics have been read; reviews have been given; and ponies have ponied. And now, we have returned, with a new set of reports on the indigenous lifeforms of planet FiMFic. Please find enclosed:

Action! Boy, do I like action. Action is fun. Action is intense. Action is The Sixth Age.

Do you like good stories? No? Well, too bad, because you’re reading this one. Not often will you find a story that does action well, but if you’re like me, you’ll agree that this story does it right. From the get go, The Sixth Age stuffs action down your throat and then follows it up with a side of intrigue to keep you wanting more. I won’t spoil any details, just go read it.

There are some things this story has problems with, namely telliness and digression where unnecessary (Daybreak’s thought tangents in the action-y bits of the prologue, specifically), but the vivid imagery counterbalances. Often, it felt as though the actions were taking place before my eyes rather than my computer screen. Not many stories can claim that. Add to it a developing storyline that has more potential than you could shake a stick at, and you’ve got everything you need to enjoy colorful ponies shooting and diving and yelling and conspiring and being all-around awesome.

That said, there’s no reason not to give this story a shot. Because I like action, and so should you.

I remember reviewing and enjoying this story back in the day. I was pretty new to ponyfic, so my advice couldn't have been much help, but Sixth Age is even better now than I remember it being back then.

In my opinion, this story has a lot of good elements, but has yet to fully realize any of them. The action scenes are fun, yet hover just out of the range of being gripping; the story universe is large and unique, but hasn't been explored; characters are quirky, but not lovable. When I read Sixth Age, I enjoy myself, but when I stop and think about what I've read, I can't recall much about it standing out in an incredible way. Perhaps the pacing is a bit slow...or fast? Whatever the case, I think this story has more potential than it's letting on.

There was a sizable plot behind the story's events and I never felt that the world was flat or that the characters only existed to serve the author's intentions. I especially enjoyed the hints of lore and mystery sprinkled through the text. The story is incomplete, so there’s a chance that I’ll get to see some of the elements that have been hinted at so far come into full blossom. That’d be great.

Whatever. Eight K for an easy job was worth taking a bullet straight to the flank.

You know, I’ve noticed a distinct lack of action in most of the fics we’ve reviewed thus far. Good thing then that The Sixth Age is here to change that. Some of you may remember what I said about Mantles a few weeks ago:

“[Mantles] will grab you by the testicles and never let go.”

Well, TSA takes that to a whole new level. Where Mantles had an engrossing story and delightful characters living in a deceptively bleak Canterlot, The Sixth Age gives us a slightly less engaging narrative, but makes up for it with balls-to-the-wall action. Tactical!Rainboom may not always have the best characters, or the most interesting dialogue, but what he does have are intensely detailed action scenes that make it feel more like you’re watching a movie than reading a fanfic about pretty ponies.

But besides all that action-y goodness, The Sixth Age has a genuinely interesting underlying plot. Alternate Universe fics about a dystopian Canterlot are hardly new fair, but Tactical manages to spin it in a direction I’ve never seen. This is honestly the most curious I’ve been to see where an AU world will go. And, what’s more, I can’t wait to see how he handles the introduction of the last few cast members. Knowing him, and knowing how this fic has gone thus far, I can only assume that it’s going to be like watching a Jason Statham movie while driving a Ferrari and doing cocaine. In short... it’s gonna be awesome.

Much could be said about this story. On one hand, the descriptions are complete and paint a full picture in one’s mind, but on the other, said descriptions tend to flow on. And on. And on. More on that later.

The strongest thing this story has going for it is, well, its story. We begin with our standard idyllic introductory scene, and things go rapidly out of hand from there. A strong suit of the author is definitely his imagination. The storyline and descriptions speak for themselves on that level.

However, descriptions are also his not-so-strong suit. Oftentimes, sentences become so long-winded that it becomes hard to process all the information and keep straight who’s doing what. It makes immersion more like diving into molasses rather than water.

If you like purple and long but extraordinarily distinct descriptions, have at it. If not, you should still give this story a go for the sake of the story—as it is very interesting—but if you find yourself being dragged by the prose, don’t push it.

Okay, so let's get this out in the open right now. Eclipse's biggest problem is its descriptions. It really gets bogged down in details that aren't relevant to the theme and detract from the flow and pacing. I think my colleagues and I are agreement about this point, so I'll move on.

Beneath the overdone descriptions lies a good story. The author's vivid imagination is apparent. There are a lot of innovations and unexpected occurrences to keep you on your toes. I might have liked the characters more if I had seen more of them interacting with one another; what was there was quite good. However, the current action scene, which lasts two and a half chapters, overshadows a lot of that characterization. And for me, the characters' names, along with a lot else, were blurred in the haze of crossfire.

It wasn't all bad. There were some moments in the fight that had very 'pony' sensibilities, and for those I respect the author immensely. Still, I shouldn't get dizzy from reading a story, no matter how interesting the plot is. (And I did enjoy the plot here.) I approved this story for review because it has an interesting premise and a promising storyline, and I think it deserves more views than it has, but it's not for everybody.

There must always be Heroes.

Hmm, where do I start?

Well, I have a few problems with Eclipse that I will note in just a second, but for now, I’ll talk about what I did like about it: the plot. Reading Eclipse is like eating a day-old eclair. The outside may be a little crusty and hard to get through, but when you bite past the overly-descriptive scenes and general wordiness, you’ll find the rich, creamy center that is the underlying plot of Eclipse. It’s an adventure tale that, while not entirely original, is nonetheless an enjoyable read.

Now, as for my problems. As I noted with my colorful metaphor, the narrative can sometimes bog itself down with meaningless description. However, that being said, on the flip-side it occasionally delivers powerfully evocative images through its lengthy descriptions. Just don’t be too surprised when those are rather few and far between. My other complaint is that Eclipse doesn’t feel very pony at times. It almost feels like the ponies could be replaced with humans, the dragons could stay, and the story wouldn’t be any worse for it. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it did color my opinion of it somewhat.

All in all, Eclipse is at least worth a look. Who knows? Maybe it’ll be exactly what you’re looking for.

I find it funny that Chris reviews MLP fanfiction on his blog and just so happened to have recently reviewed one my my stories. Time to turn the tables! Or... letters, in this case. Also, Chris is my name, too. How about that?

To begin, what sticks out most about this story is its mechanics. Not many stories can boast writing quality of this caliber, whether it be effective variation of sentence structure or a simple matter of comma placement. I could go on about how well done it is, but I have limited space here, so go see for yourself.

Characterization is brilliant; every word beats with the life of the in-story writer from start to finish. And that’s important to a story like this. It must be told entirely through the written word of Aunt Maxilla, and it does so extraordinarily well. It makes the story itself active and engaging, the desire to know what will happen next never leaving until the final word has been read.

It is fun to look inside a mastermind’s head and see what makes them tick. And after reading this, I’d like to see what makes Chris tick.

A.K.A. "The Screwtape Letters, Abridged and Ponified".

I really adore C. S. Lewis, and The Screwtape Letters is one of my favorite works of his. This fic, which borrows its style and general structure from Screwtape, absolutely nails the imitation. In fact, the only substantive complaint I can imagine being leveled against this story is that it's too close to its source. However, that wasn't a negative for me—I loved every minute of the ponified experience, and watching how close the parallels between the two stories got was great fun.

And despite the similarities, the story never (well... rarely) became tedious or predictable, largely because of the adaptations the author made to fit the pony universe. The plot was different enough to keep me guessing, and the parallels, while remarkable, weren't shoehorned in. Perhaps the characters were the least unique and most archetypally similar to their counterparts in Screwtape. But given the format, messing with the characters would have meant messing with the narrator's voice, which would have rendered the story much weaker.

Overall, Letters just wowed me. If you've read and enjoyed The Screwtape Letters, this will not disappoint. And, I wager, it will stand on its own for you even if you haven't read the original.

For that is all honesty is, in truth: the mark of a mind too feeble to conjure up a narrative more useful to oneself than the bare facts.

Chris is the kind of writer that I want to be. Letters From a Senior to a Junior Changeling oozes with philosophical poignancy and some of the best characterization of I’ve ever seen with regards to original characters. Maxilla is cold, cruel, calculating, manipulative, and wonderfully entertaining all at the same time. The way she speaks of love and friendship as if they were alien, and wholly incomprehensible ideas, makes for interesting and thought-provoking reading. To us, Maxilla herself may seem wholly cruel and incomprehensible, but I’m willing to bet that all of us have known at least one Maxilla in our lifetimes. I know I have.

I think what strikes me most about LFAJTASC (man that’s a dumb acronym), is the way it’s written, and I’m not just talking about its immaculate grammar, or its beautiful prose. No, I’m referring to the style. Epistolary novels can be quite difficult, as characterization and descriptions become less accessible, but, even in ponyfics, it can and has been done well. According to Chris, Letters apes (in a loving way) the style of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Now, having never read that book I can’t comment on how closely it resembles it, but I can say that, if nothing else, Chris has certainly managed to make this story his own as I did not need to have read, or even known of, The Screwtape Letters.

Well, my time is running out and, though I could gush for pages about how much I loved Letters From a Senior to a Junior Changeling, I must stop here. Really though, Chris’ writing speaks for itself. I don’t think, even with unlimited space, I could really do it the justice it deserves. Welp, I guess that’s it for this week’s reviews. I’ll see you guys later. Right now, I’m gonna go re-read Letters.

We must be off now. FiMfic is the last great frontier of our time, and, like many before us, we have given ourselves to its depths in the hopes of uncovering a few lost treasures.

Until next week,

Seattle’s Angels, signing off...

*** Please note: The reviews are done by a group of individuals whose only relation to fimfiction is that they have proven themselves to be dedicated and honest members of the community and are providing the reviews for the post—because that’s what this is about: the fimfiction community. None of the Fimfiction Staff members are endorsing or promoting the particular authors, reviewers, or the stories reviewed; we are just providing a means for others to find good stories they might have missed.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT PM the reviewers asking them to review your story. There are lots of them, so have faith in them and in your story, they'll get there.

In the meantime, you can find the Reviews in the Seattle's Angel's Group!

~WD & Seattle_lite