log(book)

List: fanfic

Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part III.

Of a Linear Circle - Part III

by Flamethrower · read 2021-12-27
★★★★☆
This is where the series starts to come into its own: It provides the backstory of the protagonist, Nizar, back during the founding of Hogwarts around 980. It's extremely well-researched regarding the realities of the British Isles back then, including the multitude of languages and kingdoms, their squabbling relations, the international nature of Europe, and much more. (To be clear: this is my version of a glowing review. I live for this shit.)
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part IV.

Of a Linear Circle - Part IV

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-01
★★★★☆
Back to the present timeline, this (long) part of the ongoing series proves fun, and dazzles with payoff. Plus, a new (mature, unexcited, beautiful) romance side-story. And then there's the extremely slow-building (4th long ) power gradient involving the British monarchy ffs (Elizabeth turns to Nizar. “Now then. What are your intentions regarding my kingdom, Lord Nizar?”).
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part II.

Of a Linear Circle - Part II

by Flamethrower · read 2021-12-25
★★★★☆
Second part of a delightful fic. The rapid setup continues – it doesn't obviously lead anywhere yet, except into romance, but the romance is grown-up and delightful and so I won't complain. Continues the general competency porn.
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part V - Ravenclaw.

Of a Linear Circle - Part V - Ravenclaw

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-01
★★★★☆
This part of the series goes all in on historical fiction: It follows the backdrop of Rowena Ravenclaw, who is really called Hrodwunn of Hrabanklawa, Bavaria. We get some alright character building, and more importantly, some really fun historical fiction: Hrodwunn is friends with Theophanu, the wife of Otto II, and so her fate ist connected to the complex fate of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. It's well-researched and all kinds of fun (plus, part of it takes place in Quedlinburg).
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part I.

Of a Linear Circle - Part I

by Flamethrower · read 2021-12-24
★★★★☆
Really decent fanfic: The brother of Salazar Slytherin mysteriously falls from his portrait, while Harry Potter has gone missing after is 4th year at school. Nizar, the protrait, continues to oust Umbridge, be a teacher, correct everybody about history, and be pretty badass – with the help of a Severus Snape, whose backstory is kinda neat.
Cover of A Study in Emerald.

A Study in Emerald

by Neil Gaiman · published 2003 · read 2017-11-28
★★★★☆
Sherlock + Cthulhu is a very Gaimanishly Gothic mix.
Cover of No Mouth But Some Serpent's.

No Mouth But Some Serpent’s

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · read 2018-01-14
★★★★☆
More like the first, but Harry is nearing his breaking point.
Cover of I Am Also Thy Brother.

I Am Also Thy Brother

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2007 · read 2018-02-10
★★★★☆
This was a really rewarding (and terribly long) series. I liked the constant self-improvement and evolution the characters had. Even if the plot was predictable at times, and people didn't change much beyond their morality, I liked it, since they evolved in their understanding and behaviour. I even think I learned some things about myself, and have come to think of other things about myself differently – and what more can you ask of any book?
Cover of Saving Connor.

Saving Connor

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · read 2018-01-12
★★★★☆
Harry, well, lives for saving Connor. Slow burn, very much focussed on character development, but still sees lots of action and lore.
Cover of Wind That Shakes the Seas and Stars.

Wind That Shakes the Seas and Stars

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · read 2018-01-20
★★★★☆
Second War starting up.
Cover of Freedom And Not Peace.

Freedom And Not Peace

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · read 2018-01-18
★★★★☆
Harry trains his brother.
Cover of Comes Out of Darkness Morn.

Comes Out of Darkness Morn

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · read 2018-01-16
★★★★☆
More hurt/comfort arcs.
Cover of Sansûkh.

Sansûkh

by determamfidd · published 2017 · last read 2021-01-27
★★★★☆
Sansûkh is an incredibly well-researched, detailed, well-written Lord of the Rings fanfiction, telling the whole story from the perspective of the dead dwarves keeping watch over their relatives. Its protagonist is Thorin Oakenshield, and in addition to all the plots told by the primary books, it also features Erebor and Mirkwood. The writing is very appropriate and well-done, and I enjoyed every part of it tremendously. It's funny, and it's epic, and it's very much as it should be.
Cover of The Student Prince.

The Student Prince

by FayJay · published 2010 · read 2019-11-15
★★★★☆
The Student Prince is very well-written Merlin (the TV show) fanfiction. You don't need to know the show to enjoy it: It transplants the characters of Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Lancelot et al into pre-Brexit UK, where they go to college and deal with school and magic. Also national security. Also LGBT issues. I liked it a lot.
Cover of A Marauder's Plan.

A Marauder’s Plan

by CatsAreCool · published 2016 · read 2019-02-17
★★★★☆
Good fanfic, in which Sirius is not an idiot.
Cover of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

by Eliezer Yudkowsky · published 2015 · read 2014-11-01
★★★☆☆
HPMOR is both the best and the worst of rationalist fiction. Terrible, terrible writing, in a physically painful stilted style, and oh-so-fucking superior. There aren't even characters in this story, only symbols.
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle Part VI.

Of a Linear Circle Part VI

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-04
★★★☆☆
More side characters come in to get a role, which is oddly satisfying. The Latin manages to get worse somehow, and for a while, everything looks pretty repetetive, but then we get open war, so I won't complain too much.
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part VIII - The Second Wizarding War.

Of a Linear Circle - Part VIII - The Second Wizarding War

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-05
★★★☆☆
Series continues to be good, with a few caveats: Tons of side characters being treated well means massively slower story progress. General competency porn continues, but the Latin somehow got worse (while the complaints about bad Latin, in-text, remained), which is mildly infuriating. Somebody explain to the author what a Vocative is, please.
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part VII - Exile.

Of a Linear Circle - Part VII - Exile

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-04
★★★☆☆
Novella, filling in some more backstory stuff. I'm not super well-versed in 14th-15th century Spain and France, so I spent half the time on Wikipedia. Generally entertaining, but too much is already known through previous and later story elements; and the author does not share Vonnegut's skill at telling you the ending, then making you care about how you get there. (Unsurprising and completely fair – asking for Vonnegut when reading fanfics is stupid).
Cover placeholder for Just a Random Tuesday….

Just a Random Tuesday…

by Twisted Biscuit · published 2006 · read 2021-01-09
★★★☆☆
Delightfully snarky fanfic, in which we get a mostly canon-compliant inner monologue of McGonagall, mostly about Umbridge, ridiculous students and absurd colleagues. Good length, good general writing style, but lots of fluctuations in quality: Inner monologue good, storytelling mediocre, I think.
Cover of Maze of Light.

Maze of Light

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · read 2018-02-11
★★★☆☆
Interlude.
Cover of A Song In Time of Revolution.

A Song In Time of Revolution

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · read 2018-02-01
★★★☆☆
More Harry and more Draco.
Cover placeholder for Comes Around Again.

Comes Around Again

by scarletjedi · published 2016 · read 2021-01-31
★★★☆☆
Sansukh-variation, with travelling back to the past to fix things. Not as well-written as Sansukh, but then again, what is? Decent and entertaining, but might have done more with the added knowledge – "some moments in time are fixed" is such a cope.
Cover of The Serpentine Subterfuge.

The Serpentine Subterfuge

by murkybluematter · published 2013 · read 2019-02-01
★★★☆☆
The subterfuge works somewhat too well.
Cover of The Futile Facade.

The Futile Facade

by murkybluematter · read 2019-02-08
★★★☆☆
More place-switching, but with people growing up and increasingly high stakes.
Cover of The Ambiguous Artifice.

The Ambiguous Artifice

by murkybluematter · published 2016 · read 2019-02-02
★★★☆☆
Stakes rise further.
Cover of The Pureblood Pretense.

The Pureblood Pretense

by murkybluematter · published 2012 · read 2019-02-02
★★★☆☆
Despite the Lemony Snickety naming, an interesting series. Female-Harry has grown up with both parents and her godfather and his son. Due to pureblood idiocy, the two decide to switch places.
Cover of Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories.

Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories

by Eoin Colfer · published 2013 · read 2018-01-24
★★★☆☆
An alright collection of Doctor Who stories, but missable for the most part. Neil Gaiman's Thatcher story was unsurprisingly the highlight of the collection.
Cover of The Metropolitan Man.

The Metropolitan Man

by Alexander Wales · published 2014 · read 2018-03-06
★★★☆☆
HPMOR, only for superman. Makes Lex Luthor out as a semi-sensible person.
Cover of The Arithmancer.

The Arithmancer

by White Squirrel · published 2015 · read 2021-01-03
★★★☆☆
Honestly decent Harry Potter fanfic: Hermione starts out a math genius and things escalate. Good writing, a bunch of very thoughtful world-building. Close to canon without being stupid or pretentious. Delightfully nerdy, good research. Overdoing the canon in places, I think, and also the meta fandom commentary (but not often and not obnoxiously).
Cover of A Study in Winning.

A Study in Winning

by Jupiter_Ash · published 2012 · read 2020-02-24
★★★☆☆
Too much steam, too much tennis puns, but undeniably good pacing. Follows a formula but follows it well.
Cover placeholder for Of a Linear Circle - Part IX - Serpent in the Grass.

Of a Linear Circle - Part IX - Serpent in the Grass

by Flamethrower · read 2022-01-07
★★☆☆☆
The rest of this series was so good, but the last part just wasn't. It's backstory, in a way, but more importantly it sees itself as just backstory. Nobody gets any depth, everything is narrated as if this was the Silmarillion, family histories are recited as if we're in competition with the Old Testament … and then, emotionally important moments are skipped and mentioned in passing. Yikes.
Cover of Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals.

Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals

by BitterKarella · read 2021-09-26
★★☆☆☆
Midnight Society is a Twitter account that I really and honestly enjoy reading, so when the recent Kickstarter came out, I backed it and got both the new and the old book – but I shouldn't have bothered. It's not that the production quality is bad (it's A4 print-on-demand, you get what you expect), it's that there was no care taken with the presentation at all.
Cover of Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals II.

Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals II

by BitterKarella · read 2021-09-28
★★☆☆☆
More of the same: Good ideas, but go read them on Twitter, as the print version takes zero care with the layouting. Still glad I supported the account, but man, what a wasted chance.
Cover placeholder for Digging for the Bones.

Digging for the Bones

by paganaidd · published 2011 · read 2020-02-25
★★☆☆☆
Decent enough hurt/comfort Severitus. Nothing special, but nothing stupid either.
Cover of Bloodlust & Bonnets.

Bloodlust & Bonnets

by Emily McGovern · published 2019 · read 2021-10-24
★★☆☆☆
A sweet comic book by the author of "My life as a background Slytherin", following the trio consisting of an inconsistent annoying protagonist, a mysterious silent annoying side character and an Extremely Annoying Lord Byron on their, uh, "adventures". It's funny, but I'm sure it works much better as single episodes, because the plot just … isn't. I'm always down to make fun of Byron, though.
Cover of The Just City.

The Just City

by Jo Walton · published 2015 · read 2020-03-10
★★☆☆☆
A very cerebral, nearly clinical book, and I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it. I'm very here for the character of Socrates, and … not much else, to be quite honest. It's a fun concept, but I felt that even where it tried to go past the clinical, detached nature, it remained off. High quality, but not for me.
Cover of A Year Like None Other.

A Year Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · published 2006 · read 2020-02-28
★★☆☆☆
Decent Severitus, I suppose – okay writing, absurd amounts of processing, and follows the hurt/comfort rules to a t.
Cover of FINDING HIMSELF.

FINDING HIMSELF

by Minisinoo · published 2008 · read 2020-02-25
★★☆☆☆
Decent for fanfic, better representation of minorities than the original books.
Cover of Annals of Arithmancy.

Annals of Arithmancy

by White Squirrel · read 2021-01-05
★★☆☆☆
Last part of the trilogy. Not bad per se, but far from good. A collection of "look where I could take this" stories, loosely connected. No urgency or impact, really. Better than the original epilogue, but what isn't.
Cover of Lady Archimedes.

Lady Archimedes

by White Squirrel · published 2018 · read 2021-01-04
★★☆☆☆
Second part of a Harry Potter fanfic. Better plot elements, maybe, but worse writing – started being a drag at some point. Still good execution on the theme of "what if science nerd, but Hermione" – several leagues more plausible and readable than HPMOR. I still like how it quotes extensively from pop and less-pop culture, and how it integrates then-current events.
Cover of A Study in Doubles.

A Study in Doubles

by Jupiter_Ash · read 2020-02-24
★★☆☆☆
Bit less inspired than the first part, but still solid writing. Thankfully less of the tennis puns.
Cover of Vita Brevis.

Vita Brevis

by Jostein Gaarder, Anne Born · published 1996 · read 2020-11-02
★☆☆☆☆ (did not finish)
Jostein Gaarder is hit-and-miss for me at the best of times, and this wasn't the best of times. Vita Brevis is the fictional letter (complete with frame plot about finding it in an old book store blah blah) of St Augustine's wife to the man himself after he became famous. It's St Augustine fanfiction. Not my genre.
Cover of A Summer Like None Other.

A Summer Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · published 2008 · read 2020-02-28
★☆☆☆☆
Doubles down on the weaknesses of the first part: excessive processing, repetitive and predictable. Okay writing, occasionally humorous dialogue, bug still little action spread out by virtue of extreme blathering.
Cover placeholder for A Family Like None Other.

A Family Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · read 2020-02-29
★☆☆☆☆
Look, this is still farly decent in writing (though it continues the big fault of spending 90% of time on telling, not showing, and processing). But the "problems" posed are so contrived, so frustrating, that I really fail to see the point. An author is supposed to chase the protagonist up the tree and pelt them with coconuts, yes, but making the floor magically vanish, have them fall onto a tree, and have it rain coconuts is a bit much.
Cover of Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle.

Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle

by Inverarity · published 2007 · read 2019-02-09
★☆☆☆☆
American Harry Potter spin-off.