Review: The Laughing Shadow · 9:05pm Sep 23rd, 2017
The Laughing Shadow, is a story by long time fan of punching things repeatedly, Merc the Jerk, and sets out to prove the timeless tale that hitting things until they die is sometimes a very viable solution to problems, also that magic is trumped by not giving a fuck as evidenced by William and Jack in the story. Proving another timeless lesson: the average person gives too much of a fuck and therefore is like a wet sponge taking on 10,000 volts when it comes to taking on magic.
Naturally this review includes the spoilers, so if you're not into that you may want to stop reading because Snape kills Dumbledore.
So The Laughing Shadow take place in an alternate version of the human world with humanized versions of the characters split into three races of Soul-folk, Sky-folk and earth folk to take the place of the three pony races. We also have All-folk to take the roles of Luna and uselessCelestia. There is also a few other races such as the griffon-folk and the badass-folknorfolk.
The world is kind of like Final Fantasy without the hallway simulation sort of. A mixture of future/modern technology with older tech and swords beating the ever living fuck out of guns because guns are for total pussies. It's also mixed with the story of King Arthur Pendragon as the lore of that world kind of blends with the world they live in and it actually creates a pretty interesting and enthralling effect. There's a sense of wonder the more you learn about their world and elements within it. I especially like how little details like the drug called Stairway is introduced and then we get a sort of understanding of what it does. There's a really cool level of getting lost in wondering how this universe works and what it entails that will suck you in.
When it comes to the world building, Merc definitely shows a tremendous amount of skill. The universe is fed to you in pieces that are just perfect size to bite, chew and swallow. It leaves you ready for the next serving and not full from being overdone (is this food analogy drawn out or can I get away with more?). You're never starved for the next morsel of detail to sink your teeth in, and you're never stuffed from too many helpings (pushing it yet?). You're instead given a healthy diet of good quality world building at a pace that is ideal for such a complex endeavor (probably past the limit now). Everything from explaining the complexities of magic, its effects and the science behind it to the little things like how a sword can suddenly change to weigh a metric ton is interesting, done skillfully and executed well.
Now you can't talk about The Laughing Shadow without talking about Will shipping. The ship between Jack and Rarity feels very natural. It's progressed elegantly, it's executed with the patience of a writer that wants to feed it to you properly and not just rush into the fun parts. We're given a perfect explanation of their chemistry and we can feel that chemistry so well. Jack and Rarity fit so well together that I realistically couldn't see them being with anyone else.
Talking about the biggest surprise of The Laughing Shadow though is actually Badass McBadassington William, or Iron Will. A character from the show that most of us probably didn't care for. The Laughing Shadow somehow... Actually makes him not only likable but very interesting. Will and his norfolk heritage is the source of many laughs, emotions and even a few approving head nods. Will takes the role of mentor so seriously and well that you can't help but love the big muscle bag of muscles. It's a very welcome surprise to see people capable of making Iron Will a character you actually cheer for and get excited for when he enters the stage. Even his serious sexual tensionrivalry with Luna is fun.
Now the story is far from flawless as there were a few points that I felt not necessarily could have been "better" but definitely demand further explanation or a sequel.
A good first example is Isabelle Ritter. Shy of her overusage of the word "bro", I did feel the mystery surrounding her family definitely warrants further divulging in a sequel. Though again shy of her overusage of the word "bro", this isn't really a criticism, but more of a "definitely need more".
Another point that I felt just... Didn't work was the relationship thrown in at the end with Diane and Spike. It felt... Kind of thrown in as a cop out to do away with his crush on Rarity and any flirting on Diane's part from earlier points in the story felt... Too subtle to where most wouldn't even catch that as "foreshadowing". Also doesn't help that additional attention was drawn to their age difference. I don't know, may just be a personal preference, but I felt it just didn't work and wasn't needed. Take it with a grain of salt as your mileage may vary.
Finally the last point isn't even really a criticism entirely either. The action of the story really seemed to pile together at the end there. A lot of action in the last few chapters made them very intense. Though the action we got was insanely good, perhaps spacing it out more would have helped a tad. Overall great ending sequence though.
There's definitely room for a sequel (such as explaining the voice on the phone at the end) and I will definitely be one of the people in line to read it.
Merc's story holds up so well even after 3 years.
Thank you very much for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the story and you considered Will to be a really stand out part of it. Considering how little they touched on the Minotaur race in the canon proper, it was fun kind of working out a race and Will's place within it. While I hate to promise the world and moon itself, that sequel you touched on should hopefully touch down soon™, I'm just having to struggle through the editing process.