Austraeoh Review

I thought I'd give it one now in my usually indepth manner rather than wait till the 12th book gets finished. Giving my current Review on the Austraeoh Series. Since I've caught up with the fic.

Now this series starts with http://www.fimfiction.net/story/25966/austraeoh, and goes into the current story http://www.fimfiction.net/story/290208/utaan. And OMC! The series is an much of an endurance run and epic journey as the Titular Hero goes through, and there isn't enough praise for it. So without further ado.

The Good: When commenting, or reviewing a story. I do a pros and cons bit. And this story has tons of good.

- Epic Saga: And how! Each fic has a minimum of over slightly over 200 K. With 8 books, and someone counted at 2.5 millions words. While it sounds big. A fun part of the journey is traveling at your own pace. And most of the first books chapters are piecemeal sized.

- World Building: From the very first chapter, all the way up to the current part of the series. The scenery, the back drops, the settings, and every part of the world basically jumps out at you. You can practically sense the world that Dash is going through and it's almost as if you were there.

I've rarely had a story with as deep world building in it as this fic. And as one commentor stated in a later book. It's Scenery Porn. In the best possible sense.

- Culture: There are several continents past Equestria that we see. With more beliefs, cultural biases, and customs than you can shake a planet at. But all of them meld into each other beautifully. It's a part of the World Building that's as awesome as the Scenery Porn.

-Character Development: This entire story is rich with it. Especially through Rainbow Dash. Now we don't get the reason she's flying east until Eljunbryo via Animus-esque retellings of Dash pre-Austraeoh. But we see just how much she grows, how much she changes, and how the journey not only shapes her, but the world around her.

And it's an intense experience, but one that is utterly unforgettable. Especially once we get The Noble Jury.

- Memorable Characters: This story is chalk full of characters that for good or bad you'll never forget. Both heroes, villains, and everything in between, there's characters that will resonate and etch themselves into your very soul. And everyone as their personal tops and favorites, but nonetheless the series is full of unforgettables.

- Shout Outs: One of the most amazing things Imploding Colon does is shout outs to commentors. Adding them as characters, places, and things. It's a huge honor to get placed in there, and a majority of the time those given the shout out to are pretty freaking awesome. Not just as characters / place settings, but IRL as well. Although a few do get used as some pretty memorable villains.

Some examples are: Pilate [Hero / supporting character]; JustAnotherTimeLord as the character Theanim Mane [Supporting character]; Seraphimus [Anti-Hero]; and Digif [Villain].

Although those names don't show up for much later, other than Pilate who shows up in book 2. Regardless the entire series has little shoutouts, and really gives the story an additional bit of awesomeness.

- The Noble Jury: Starting in the fic Innavadr (technically), and growing till Odrsjot. The Noble Jury are friends you never knew you had. The characters, the interactions, the raw everything about them are beyond compare. Very rarely will you ever meet a character, or a group that will touch you as deeply, or as fully as the Noble Jury. Once you see them, you'll never forget them. Especially through all that they go through together, that we get to see and be part of as readers.

- The Journey: The entire series is addictive. It's one of those stories that once you start, you'll find yourself dragged into it. And pulled deeper, and deeper into the series as time goes on.

Artistic Growth: The first book started as a challenge for IC. And each book, we see him as an artist grow and develop. It's kind of like reading Elgoonishshive from the beginning. Seeing it get steadily better, and more and more powerful as each book progresses. And it was an amazing story to begin with, something that has only gotten better the more that IC's progressed as a writer.

and

- A Secret World: Freaking A! There's a secret world that everything is built around in the series. It shows up twice in the first story, and quickly becomes integral to the entire series. It’s beyond amazing. The lore, how it shapes and effects the AU, how the world itself is worked around this secret machine and the challenges RD goes through. Is beyond description on how amazing it is.

The Bad: For a fic that measures over 2.5 millions words over 8 stories and growing. There's actually very little bad about it. And the very few cons, are outweighed by the amazing piece IC has made.

- Short Descriptions: Now I'll state this isn't actually a bad. To me personally.But is a turn off for some. Let me assure you that it's short since anything longer would spoil the story. It's so tightly written, the tapestry of the tale so expertly woven. That any long description of any particular story would ruin it. So ignore how short they are. You'll not regret it.

- Prime Enforcer Shell: It's not that he's badly written, or that he's poorly done that he gets into the bad spot. Neigh, it's that he's such a well written villain. So expertly done. That even now people don't think he's dead. He's like Evil Within * A Hollywood Monster franchise^ Your worst fears.

So in a way. He's the best thing villain ever written. The most amazing antagonist ever developed. And after him, all villains in this series (and before) no matter how powerful, pale in comparison to him. For he's literally the Voldemort of Austraeoh. A He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

- Foreign Language: Now this is a common problem with commentors. Is the fact that the Xonan Language, and later on the Snow Pony Language. Has nothing it translates into. Although this problem only exists for a infinitesimally small chunk of the series.

It's something that needs trudging through, but is worth it. Especially since in the scheme of things, it takes up a small arc in the story. Much less in the series.

and

- OC Descriptors: The last real problem, with so many amazing OCs. We have no idea what most of them look like a majority of the time. And even those who are with the characters for quite a while only get a throw away line, or get a description books after their introduction.

And while the series would benefit from a who's who section / chapter. The fact that it's their personalities, presence, and personas that draw you into the characters and that you fall in love with. More than outweighs this negative.

After all not many people can write a truly good character who's believable, that you can connect to, and touch your heart / fear centers. With nothing more than their personality / character interactions. Much less multiple times, with tons of characters throughout the series.
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So all in all. Give Austraeoh a go. It's a journey you'll never forget. And an epic saga that you won't regret following.