Read it Later (499) + Notes on Remembrance Day · 3:17am Nov 12th, 2014
Before we get to my inaugural review, a few notes on Remembrance Day. It was quiet here. Usually some soldiers do a 21-gun salute with cannons on campus, but this year, it seems they forwent it. I guess it scared a bunch of people who were studying last year, and then the complaints rolled in.
I always thought of Remembrance day as a day to recognize those who serve our country. And -- well -- there's more than one way of doing that (serving your country, that is). Besides the obvious (Army, Navy, Air Force), did you know there’s also the Health Service corps and Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences corps, if you live in the United States? But that’s not what I really mean. Lots of people think that the only way to serve is through a military establishment, but consider that, if you think about it economically, any occupation that makes money necessarily benefits the nation. No really, think about it. It might not be in the direct way the some people serve as politicians and members of the military – and I do applaud them for their decision to serve that way – but every job you hold benefits your country. Fancy that. Me? Who knows, but I think I’ll be content just paying my taxes.
Anyway, my review of Past Sins, by Pen Stroke and Batty Gloom.
This story is considered one of the most popular fics in the fandom: just look at the number of likes and views. Whoa. And this isn't including the years it spent only on EQD. So how did I enjoy it?
Conventions: ✓. Reading for pleasure, I was only bothered by a couple of misplaced commas.
Style: 0. Narration is what I would say is the story’s biggest issue. As a rule, this story tends to be a bit on the “telly” side. The voice almost seems to be defensive, as though to pre-empt “but why didn’t Nyx do this?!?!?1” comments by means of in-text justification. This makes it impossible to be really immersed and causes the narration to be as transparent as the Soviet government.
The style, though, really picks up and shines in the last chapters of the story, where I could put myself in Nyx’s horseshoes and live the scenes. The first chapters really needed some of this.
Theme: 0. Unfortunately, the theme in the story has been dissected, beaten to death, and (quite literally) psychoanalyzed; if we count non-fiction works, I think this is the most common theme in literature. This story adds nothing new. The narration directs the reader's attention to the important components of the theme, but instead of the invisible hand of the free market, it, again like the Soviet government, has the tact of a not-so-invisible blue whale.
Overall: While Past Sins was a worthwhile read, I was never quite engaged until the last couple of chapters. However, I will be checking out some of Pen Stroke's other work, since his style has obviously improved through the course of writing this story.
Next up:
I wasn't a big fan of the story either. Those final chapters kicked flank though!