Story Reviews » Round Robin Reviews # 11 · 8:56pm Jul 23rd, 2016
The Round Robin Reviews are written by different groups and reviewers taking turns each week. If you are a story reviewer or part of a group that reviews stories and would be interested in joining the Round Robin Reviews, feel free to PM Wanderer D, Professor Plum, or ElDorado to tell us about it.
Time for Rage Reviews’ turn at the Round Robin, part three. Onwards!
We here at Rage Reviews are known for our highly critical preferences when it comes to literature, but even jaded individuals like ourselves come across things we enjoy every now and then. Whenever a story presents strong, endearing characterizations, impeccable grammar, and memorable settings amongst other such qualities, we sigh in relief that good fiction does, in fact, exist. As such, every month a number of our reviewers get together to present a collection of stories that they feel did something right, something that other writers can learn from. We’re pleased to now be able to share our monthly spotlight with all the readers, rather than just those who happen to be a part of our group.
All the stories selected here were done so at the discretion of our official reviewers, meaning it’s their personal opinions on the matter. We hope you enjoy them!
A British Gentleman’s pick:
Genre Tags: Adventure, Drama, Alternate Universe
Orphaned as a filly, a young pegasus named Kaviyayu is raised by an adoptive Earth pony family in a secluded, peaceful village. When a strange unicorn drops by the village, Kaviyayu and the other foals are captivated by her tales of the world, as well as her various spells and illusions for their amusement. But there's something about the way she doesn't speak of her own family... how she never removes her traveller's cloak... how she seems to take a very strong interest in Kaviyayu…
Who is this mysterious mare, what does she seek, and just what is so special about that pendant she wears?
This is the tale of how a seemingly ordinary filly rose to become both a princess and a beacon of love to ponies all over Equestria. Based on the back-story of Princess Cadance, as given by G. M. Berrow's pony novella, Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. Also loosely inspired by symphonic metal band Nightwish's sixth studio album, Dark Passion Play.
Who among you, my good ladies and gentlemen, loves Princess Cadance? I will admit, at first I did not. When I first heard of the season two finale, I recall thinking:
"Twilight has a hitherto unmentioned brother? Who is Captain of the Royal Guard? And he is marrying a princess? A hitherto unmentioned princess? Who is a hitherto unmentioned alicorn? Is this the work of professionals, or has some twelve year old badfic writer gotten really lucky..."
Of course, my worst expectations were not realised: while the episodes ended with a near naked deus ex machina, the good far outweighed the bad; these are the favourite episodes of many in the fandom.
Candance herself has definitely grown on me.
So today, my good ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a rather lovely fic starring our rather lovely Princess of Love.
Essenza di Amore is an origin story for Cadance, based on the novel Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. Here, we see a young pegasus Cadance, called Kaviyayu here for reasons I shan't go into, and her adoptive earth pony family. And it is in that family, and the extended community they exist in, that this fic really shines.
The author, Cerulean Voice, has done an excellent job here with his / her world building, constructing a pleasant an unique earth pony community, and with his / her OC's populating said community with pleasant and well written ponies.
The antagonist of the piece, Lady Prismia, is particularly good value.
It is because the author took the time to set up the community, to establish the characters and to give the audience a chance to come to like them that the conflict said antagonist generates so effective.
The eight deadly words are: "I don't care what happens to these people."
Because of the auther's good work at the start, you will care. And that is good.
It is a wonderful fic, and well worth checking out.
Winter Solstice’s pick:
Genre Tags: Dark, Random, Slice of Life
Ooooooh, I know how I should start the story! I do I do! It should start with 'once upon a time'! Right?
No?
Awwww, I guess you're right, Cola. Everyone likes it the way it is now!
(Oh, and it's a story about when I was a little filly and my friends were all colored rocks! She said it needs that or else nobody'll know what it's about when they click it -- whatever that means!
Seems light-hearted and bubbly, doesn't it? But that's the deceptive beauty of this tale: it's pure Pinkie Pie, spot on, but with a disturbing undercurrent. This is the pony we know and love, but there's something very wrong with her here. NotCupcakes wrong, but very close to it.
One day a very young and miserable Pinkie finds a rock. It was rainbow colored, but still, just a rock. Until Pinkie gets an idea in her head and decides the rock needs some friends. Then our story begins.
This tale was unsettling for me for I am a parent, and I could easily imagine how I'd feel if I saw my daughter playing with and talking to rocks like this. It would scare the hell out of me, for that's the worst part: it seems so innocent on the surface, but it's far from that.
This tale is told in first person, entirely from the aspect of Pinkie, so we're given a trip inside her head. I leave it up to the reader to decide if that's someplace you'd want to be.
Rainedash’s pick:
Genre Tags: Drama
Some ponies never change. Prince Blueblood is one of them.
It's tough giving more characterization to a character like this. Too many go to an extreme really making their life sound awful and that they're just the victim. This story didn't do that. Blueblood is without a doubt a douche that needs to change. What it does is simply let people understand his mindset. It humanizes him in a way I haven't seen often.
Kamikakushi’s pick:
Genre Tags: Dark
Tirek has won, and Twilight's friends are gone. She and the other princesses have just one chance left. Maybe if one of them can go back, she can warn them right when he escapes and stop this all from happening.
It might be a long shot, but it's the only chance they have left.
Maybe it's just my love of hopelessness that's not apparent until the very end, or maybe it was just tickling my fancy for dramatic irony, but this story establishes some small semblance of hope in a hopeless situation only to rip it from the characters at the last moment in a chilling sense of déjà vu. It's just nice when a story lines up with canon so well in a way one wouldn't normally expect. This one in particular played off everything that drove me insane in the season four finale, and then did the impossible—made me enjoy it. While not the greatest story in the dark genre, it does its job very well, and is certainly worth a read.
Shrinky Frod’s pick:
Genre Tags: Horror
There's an old book that's falling apart. Twilight wants to copy it down to preserve it. But it needs to be as accurate and precise as possible, to preserve the state of the original. That shouldn't be too hard. After all, it's not like the text will change whenever she looks away.
Right?
Horror isn't the most popular subgenre in this fandom, and even when it does show up it's rarely done well. Most attempts at it are rehashes of Creepypastas, or along the lines of Multiple Nights of Baked Goods at the Spectromatic Liquid Manufacturing Facility.
There are some authors, particularly Horse Voice (who was a contender for this month's recommend from me) who do a better job of it, but it's even better when you can find something that delves into the realm of psychological horror.
Cant, by Rambling Writer, is precisely that story. I won't say too much, for fear of spoiling the story, but I'll say that as both a reviewer, an individual with an anxiety disorder, and as a part-time grammar Nazi, this story hits a very particular nerve for me, and deserves more attention than it has managed to get so far.
And so ends our third round of reviews. We hope to see you next time.
Fare thee well!
So, apparently there was a misshap when turning in out selections this time, and the wrong cover art went up for Can't. Sorry about that.
@shrinky frod's pick...
This is all well and good for a fictional story, but if someone proposes this question in real life it's like a test of some kind. Which also means they think there's something wrong with you or they're plotting something. This is especially ironic if they forgot they are in your home, at your discretion, and it's obvious that its the other way around. That is to say there is something wrong with them, which makes them incapable of processing conflicting information or admitting they might be confused.
No. The intention of the text and meaning do not change each time you reread a passage or review a book. I wouldn't care if it was angel scrolls from the magical book of mormon or the holy bible in its original greek (or whatever). People just have different perspectives (cultural or otherwise) of the same material at different times and stages of life with different motives, not necessarily the author's own. And, if your perspective is constantly changing without outside interference, an infusion of knowledge, or you are somehow incapable of understanding another point of view, then it isn't a flaw (childish or otherwise) in the other person's comprehension. (Which is ironic becasue I always assumed being objective was less childish than picking sides or more like 'checking facts before acts.')
That being said, there were places run by pragmatists (communist Russia for example) where they would go to great lengths to erase every trace of imagined failure, imperfection, or dissident voice from existence. Going so far as to remove people from photographs, and editing out their names, cause of death, destroying their work or eliminating their families and supporters, just so they could say that something bad never took place, nothing was wrong, or to prove their superiority. I imagine such a thing would be not only a horror, but a tragedy of unparalleled evil. Since, I assume most people want to be remembered at the very least, to remain and in the immediate if not conscious thoughts of others or their families is to have a taste of immortality.