Under a Silver Moon (Story Review #2) · 6:45pm Sep 27th, 2015
Publish Date: 10th May 2015
Genre(s) Mystery, Dark
Status: Incomplete
Heh. Story Review Number Two. That rhymes. I won't be able to make this joke again until Story Review #22, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyways, I had fun doing this last time and I'm sick of looking at the last (mostly completed) three chapters of Dusk Falls, so here's another completely unprompted review, so that I can flaunt my clearly superior taste in ponyfics take a break from the mess that is the final act of Dusk Falls.
I present unto you Under A Silver Moon by Danger Beans. This is a murder mystery story starring Luna, Discord, and to a somewhat lesser extent thus-far, Princess Celestia. Now, by default, if a story has a dark premise, stars Celestia and/or Luna, and has a neat, macabre atmosphere, I’m all over it like Sherlock Holmes on a cocaine needle, and Under a Silver Moon most certainly is no disappointment in this regard.
So what’s the premise? Without spoiling too much of the suspenseful set-up, a brutal murder in Canterlot prompts the Royal Guard to ask Princess Luna for help, since she is more or less the only pony with experience in extremely gruesome affairs. Equestria, having the extremely low murder-rate as it does, requires the touch of a pro, and the most suited for the job is everyone’s favourite Moon Princess. And what happens after that? God, where do I begin? This story is as much Agatha Christie as it is H.P. Lovecraft, and reads very much so. The author’s prose is unique enough to be very engaging, but evocative enough of early to mid-century horror/murder mystery writers to also be very familiar. Other than a few extremely minor and forgettable blips, the grammar is perfect, and the descriptions are rich and fulfilling without bombarding you with information. But that's kinda to be expected from a writer who I just three seconds ago called "pretty damn good." Or maybe I didn't say that...well, I said it now. And that’s to say nothing of the dialogue. Writer Danger Beans is very good at writing quick, snappy dialogue that flows naturally and perfectly matches the uneasy, suspenseful pacing of the story. Luna is written exactly as you’d expect from any competent writer (no abundance of Ye Olde English, thank heavens) and the same goes for every other character.
Which reminds me…and I know this maaaay be an unpopular opinion but…here goes;
I don’t really like Discord that much. Now, hold on God dammit and let me explain. Discord is a novelty character best enjoyed in small doses, like…I dunno, Q from Star Trek. What a random comparison, right? If Discord is written in a way that is obviously trying to stretch his random factor to ridiculous extremes, with him doing pointless stupid shit because it’s apparently necessary for him to do so in every sentence, I quickly loose my patience. But here, he’s written in a way that I like! In serious moments, he’s not over-the-top silly, and acts somewhat accordingly to the situation! He’s not making jokes over a bloodied corpse or something, which believe it or not is incredibly refreshing to see. This might be my favourite depiction of Discord to date, and yes, that includes canon Discord.
As far as the main story goes, the story is only starting to pick up, so it’s difficult to say how everything will shake out in the end, but if it continues at the near-perfect rate it’s been going, this story will easily be one of the best on this site in my humble opinion. So far, clues have been presented slowly and accordingly…if you’ve ever read Agatha Christie then you know what I mean. It’s hard to really put into words how the pacing of a mystery story is supposed to work, but trust me when I say it definitely works here. Every chapter is preceded by a short little vignette, which perfectly sets the tone for the longer section that follows.
My only wish for the story is for Princess Celestia to come into play further, but eh, that could just be my whole favourite character mentality seeing her in the tags and overreacting. You be the judge, whoever you are. Why are you in my house?
Wrapping things up, all I can say is that if you haven’t checked out this story and want something unique, intriguing, dark, and just damn good, drop what you’re doing and get reading. I’m serious, this story’s current popularity is a freaking joke.
I cannot express how happy this review has made me. Particularly the part about Discord. Trying to strike the right balance of tone with his character has been the hardest part of writing every scene he's in. Celestia's character tag may have been a bit premature as yet, but her role is greatly expanded in Act 2.
Other than that, I can't really go into greater detail, but I'm pleased as punch you're enjoying the story as much as you are! Thank you for the review!