3 ms·

I'll be honest: I read a lot of fiction too. And this is awful. (Note: giving it up at chapter 3.) Everything so far has followed this pattern: * 1) Set-up. *

by crux_ 16y ago

I'll be honest: I read a lot of fiction too. And this is awful. (Note: giving it up at chapter 3.) Everything so far has followed this pattern: * 1) Set-up. * 2) Harry demonstrates his special, unique smarts. Of course, step two is the far more important of the two. Combine that with a ridiculously over-the-top amount of name-dropping (more citations than a doctorate!). (I admit, I did have a soft spot for the Flubber reference; it was instantly ruined by the AD&D one that followed -- and if "+6 thingamabobie" wasn't explicit enough for you, the entire next paragraph was about AD&D.) This is not storytelling: "And she told him of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Dark Lord, Voldemort." Bleargh. And following it up with an academic citation WRT the bystander effect: WTF? Anyway, everyone has opinions; that's just mine. Story should come first, and wish-fulfillment fantasies second. (Not that they can't add to a story!)

ronnoch 16y ago
Just to clarify, you're judging this story after only 3 chapters? Because if you want to get an accurate impression of the story, you should push past chapter 5 at least. The tone of the story evolves considerably, and you might find you like it after all. (Though to quote the author, "If you still don't like it after Chapter 10, give up.")
- crux_ 16y ago
  Yes: I set it aside very early on. I'm quite certain the story will change & evolve. However, I'm rather sceptical that the writing quality will. Part of why I gave it up so early is purely on me: I am a sucker for a page-turner -- once a plot picks up a certain amount of steam, I have a near-compulsion to finish. This is the case even if, upon reflection, I don't like the writing, characters, events, etc... Nothing less fun than coming out of a reading binge at 3am on a work night reading a book you didn't like! edit: Random sampling in future chapters reveals great heapings of soliloquy and dialectic. I don't feel too bad about setting it down.
  - MBlume 16y ago
    > Nothing less fun than coming out of a reading binge at 3am on a work night reading a book you didn't like! Oh this has happened to me far far too many times... If it helps, MoR's plot is fairly episodic and doesn't start to pick up steam until about chapter 16 I'd add an "I loved it" but honestly, I liked a lot of the things you disliked, so YMWPV.
  - rotw 16y ago
    I agree though, the writing is sub-par. It somehow sounds far too american to quite fit into the Harry Potter canon, in my opinion.
    - crux_ 16y ago
      Since the author wasn't interested in trying to fit into canon, that doesn't seem to be a fair basis for dismissing his/her writing. However, there are plenty of others (standard IMO disclaimer applies). ;) (As a very quick & somewhat quantitative example, look at how many words the author spent on the contrasting views & strained relationship of Ma Potter & Pa Potter WRT magic in the first chapter, vs. the approximately zero words spent on that same topic in the second chapter when magic is demonstrated directly for them.)

by crux_ 16y ago

ronnoch 16y ago

Just to clarify, you're judging this story after only 3 chapters? Because if you want to get an accurate impression of the story, you should push past chapter 5 at least. The tone of the story evolves considerably, and you might find you like it after all. (Though to quote the author, "If you still don't like it after Chapter 10, give up.")

crux_ 16y ago
Yes: I set it aside very early on. I'm quite certain the story will change & evolve. However, I'm rather sceptical that the writing quality will. Part of why I gave it up so early is purely on me: I am a sucker for a page-turner -- once a plot picks up a certain amount of steam, I have a near-compulsion to finish. This is the case even if, upon reflection, I don't like the writing, characters, events, etc... Nothing less fun than coming out of a reading binge at 3am on a work night reading a book you didn't like! edit: Random sampling in future chapters reveals great heapings of soliloquy and dialectic. I don't feel too bad about setting it down.
- MBlume 16y ago
  > Nothing less fun than coming out of a reading binge at 3am on a work night reading a book you didn't like! Oh this has happened to me far far too many times... If it helps, MoR's plot is fairly episodic and doesn't start to pick up steam until about chapter 16 I'd add an "I loved it" but honestly, I liked a lot of the things you disliked, so YMWPV.
- rotw 16y ago
  I agree though, the writing is sub-par. It somehow sounds far too american to quite fit into the Harry Potter canon, in my opinion.
  - crux_ 16y ago
    Since the author wasn't interested in trying to fit into canon, that doesn't seem to be a fair basis for dismissing his/her writing. However, there are plenty of others (standard IMO disclaimer applies). ;) (As a very quick & somewhat quantitative example, look at how many words the author spent on the contrasting views & strained relationship of Ma Potter & Pa Potter WRT magic in the first chapter, vs. the approximately zero words spent on that same topic in the second chapter when magic is demonstrated directly for them.)