Recommended Read: Dead by Sunset · 12:39am Mar 16th, 2021
I’ve been meaning to do this for a few days now.
Like thrilling horror stories? If your answer is “yes,” consider this is one...
Dead by Sunset by I-A-M
This story is a crossover with the multiplayer horror video game Dead by Daylight. Rereading this story, one of the biggest things that stands out to me is how information about Dead by Daylight is implemented into the narrative. Because Sunset Shimmer is a brand new Survivor, the other Survivors have perfect reason to explain how the Trials work, both to her, and to readers who aren’t familiar with the game.
I-A-M deserves a lot of credit in that regard: Their succinct descriptions of Dead by Daylight’s mechanics and lore satisfy those who are fairly knowledgeable about the game, but at the same time don’t alienate unfamiliar readers.
Now for the “thrilling” and “horror” portions.
Not spoil too much, but Anon-A-Miss is what ends up landing Sunset in DbD. If you feel that AAM is a dead horse at this point, rest assured, this is not your normal AAM story. Once the narrative gets ahold of you, it holds on tight and never lets go.
The state of Sunset’s mind is brilliantly written via the first-person perspective; you really see—and worry about—her mental health throughout the story. Her quips also feel very in-character; she is a teenager, after all. All of the other Survivors feel really fleshed out, and the author does a tremendous job giving them unique personalities.
The Killers are surprisingly fleshed out, too; every one of them are portrayed as posing unique threats that require a specific playstyle to be successful against. My personal favorite Killer portrayal: The Shape. Every other Killer is written like their actions are motivated by spite, rage, insanity, or a mix of the above.
Not The Shape; it’s written as just... being. And that’s what makes it so scary.
Things get a little complicated regarding the order of the sequels. Dead by Midnight (the only incomplete one at this time) takes place after the epilogue of Dead by Sunset, but eventually spoils the endings of Please Don’t See Me and After Sunset. Regardless of whether you read those two before or after diving into Dead by Midnight, there are going to be unavoidable spoilers...
So, maybe read through “1.18” of Dead by Midnight, then read the two aforementioned sequels. The other two sequels don’t spoil anything for Dead by Midnight, but instead provide some context for it.
A word of warning: the violence and gore in Dead by Sunset and its sequels are pretty intense (though not to the level of the Saw movies), so if that’s something you actively avoid, then maybe don’t read them.
Otherwise, if these fics sound interesting, be ready to hold on tight, because the overarching story is one hell of a roller coaster ride!
