Fanfiction Spotlight #44 · 9:01pm May 7th, 2016
Fanfiction Review #44
5/7/2016
Good afternoon My Little Readers and Writers! This is it! The final fanfiction review post before Everfree NW! I hope to see all of you at the convention! We’ve got a tonne of awesome events planned by the writing track, and you’ll be able to meet many of our reviewers and guest reviewers. We’ve also got some interactive panels planned, and the convention is all around good fun. Hope to see you there!
This week we have a special guest review by Grand_Moff_Pony! So Special thanks to Grand Moff Pony for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help us out with a review! Grand Moff Pony has for us a lovely story about a road trip with the girls from Equestria High, and it’s written from the perspective of the human world Twilight. Check it out!
Silver Flare has a murder mystery for us to check out, and I have a cute slice of life story of why Luna is no longer allowed to sing the “Matchmaker” song from Fiddler on the Roof.
As always, hope you enjoy! And remember, Everfree NW starts on Friday, May 13th!
---- Guest Review by Grand_Moff_Pony ----
The Last Vacation
by Noble Thought
Words: 91,638 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Grand_Moff_Pony
Spring break. An oasis in the middle of what is usually the longest stretch of a school year, and a very welcome break for the body and the mind. For many of us, it also means vacation time, and this story from Noble Thought is quite the trip.
The story begins with Twilight trying to calm her nerves as she prepares to join the other girls on a spring break road trip. She's not nervous about the trip itself, or their destination; what she's really worried about is how she'll get along with the others, and why they were so insistent that she came along with them.
After all, she isn't her - the Twilight from the other side. The pony princess who popped in a few months back to retrieve her crown and save the world while she was at it. No, this Twilight is a recent transfer from Crystal Prep, and still very much a stranger to everyone around her. Or at least she thinks so, which makes it all the more puzzling why the other girls were welcomed her and invited them on their trip. Of course, she could think more about that, if she wasn't so focused on the only person who didn't join them - Sunset Shimmer.
What follows from here is a treasure trove of introspection, world building, and character development, all expertly woven into a tapestry that compels you to follow along as the girls journey to find a lot of fun, and a bit of themselves too. Real, authentic slice of life moments mix with natural drama and tension points, as well as heartwarming spots that are as smoothly worded as they are placed to maintain reader’s emotional investment.
Like the real spring break, time – and the story's 90K words – seem to fly by, making you wish it didn't have to end at all. But, whether your next vacation is a day long or a week, bring this story along with you. Like Twilight and her journal, you'll be glad that you did.
---- Review by Silver Flare ----
Under A Luminous Sky
by Jake The Army Guy
Words: 99,866 Complete: Yes
Recommended by Silver Flare
Like many of you fine readers out there, I enjoy exploring the dark tag now and then. The sunrise is never quite so vivid as when it arises from the depths of the darkest of nights. Should you find the dark tag distasteful, this story, perhaps, is not for you. For the rest of you, I suggest you buckle up for the ride.
There’s been a murder in Ponyville, something that hasn’t happened in the entire recorded history of the peaceful hamlet. The citizens, along with the terrified sheriff, are all too eager to write the tragedy off as a timberwolf attack. Cue Agent Bentgrass, of Her Majesty’s Royal Investigative Service; a tall, slender, altogether enigmatic pony whose zeal is matched only by the eccentricity of his methods. As flaws begin to appear in the facade and the horrible truth emerges, Twilight Sparkle must decide if she trusts this Agent as they work together against time and dark magic to prevent another tragedy.
This story is an excellent example of a gritty detective novel done right. The tension mounts steadily, the stakes rise with each passing chapter, and the pool of suspects only seems to grow as the evidence piles up. However, what strikes me as this story’s most impressive quality is how well each character is written. Everyone, from the protagonists to passing OCs, feels like the center of their own story. Each one is clearly making choices based on their own perspective, and their own take on the facts. That’s an impressive feat in and of itself.
Again, this one might not be for the squeamish. While uncommon, Under A Luminous Sky does contain blood and guts and foul language in equal measure. For those not yet in their teens, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere for something to read. Disclaimer now dually in place, fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (or fans of detective novels in general) should absolutely open this particular cabinet of curiosities. Author Jake The Army Guy has done an exquisite job bringing this genre to the pony world.
---- Review by Heartshine ----
Luna Attempts to Find Tiberius a Very Special Somepossum
By Semaj
Words: 5,392 Complete:Yes
Recommended By: Heartshine
Does anyone really, really hate Hearts and Hooves day? Ever feel like it would be better if the day was filled with less schmoopy-doo and more discount chocolate?
Apparently Luna does, and being completely fed up with the standard love notes that accompany the day, she decides that she needs to play matchmaker for Tiberius, her pet opossum. Ignorning the fact that she’s just received a declaration of romantic intent (in a manner of speaking), Luna flies off into the night, feeling that, clearly, Tiberius needs somepossum to love. Shenanigans abound.
Honestly, this story is really cute, and it made me laugh out loud at several occasions. Semaj wrote in a small aesop about looking for love in all the wrong places, but what I got most out of the story is that knocking softly when visiting friends at small hours of the morning is a good idea. Especially if one’s knocks tend to break doors. It’s a nice, sweet, feel good story that makes you smile, and it’s worth the read if only for that.
Sheesh, wish one of my stories could be featured in the spotlight, then again I'm guessing this is for completed stories isn't it?