Title: The Human Condition
Author: C.K. Talons
Rating: T
Genre: Mystery/Drama
DLP Category: General
Pairing: Harry/OC
Chapters: 15
Words: 263,457
Updated: October 3, 2004
Published: April 19, 2003
Status: Complete
Summary: He never had it easy. But now Harry Potter is faced with a new challenge an enemy he cannot see. But before Harry can consider battling his new foe, he must first control the demons within his mind. Written before publication of HBP.

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1312532/1/

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. It starts out post-Voldemort as a seemingly "delusional/crazy!Harry" story with him being locked in confinement and being analyzed by a shrink because he is seeing and talking to someone only he can see. Harry has become an Auror and has been on the trail of a new evil called the Dark Order and the person he sees is apparently their leader; an ethereal woman known as Leucosia. She is seemingly far more powerful and cunning then Voldemort ever was as her minions are able to phase themselves through the Hogwarts wards with no resistance whatsoever and she can apparently predict and know every move Harry and his allies will make. The first quarter of the story is done mostly in flashback and leads up to the present time when Harry manages to escape and the story continues from there.
There are a few things about the story that rub a bit and others probably will pick at. Harry is nearly super-powered, there is a fair amount of angst at everyone because of his circumstances, and the story takes quite a while (it's over 224,000 words). However, overall I thought it a very solid and enjoyable.


The author posted some sidestories:

Title: Auror Progression
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,088
Updated: February 25, 2005
Published: October 21, 2003
Summary: A set of stories from Harry's three years of Auror training. These should be read with my current story, The Human Condition. Ratings will vary with each chapter, as will content.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1569186/1/Auror-Progression



Checked by Minion, July 28, 2013

 

I tried reading this a long time ago. But even then, this story rubbed me the wrong way. I think it was during some action scene where Harry gets his ass kicked that I got pissed off enough to drop this. Never tried reading it again.

 

I remembering reading this one before. Like ip82, this story rubbed me in the wrong way but I finished it. It might be important to note that this story ends in H/Hr.


For me, 2/5. It's long and well-written but I never did like it.

 

I personally liked this fic- though not as much as I would have liked to.

It features the Aurors in a cubicle-style work space, which I find iffy- but, as a canonical Post-Hogwarts fic, it ranks in my top three.

...though the genre isn't much appreciated by most here...

As a DLP member, I'd rank it 3/5.

Privately, I'd say 3.5.

 

I read this a while ago but didnt rate it enough to put up here, i think that says a lot. Its not a bad fic, well written and does very well following canon. A good fic if you like the type but i didnt find it particularly good.

 

I'm going to disagree here.

This is an epic work. There is simply nothing to say about this other than 'epic'. This should be on everyone's mandatory reading list, and I'm only on chapter 8 -- this should give you a small idea about how strongly it is written. There are a few minor grammatical mistakes, and Delacour was spelled wrong, but other than this, it's flawless, breathtaking, and absolutely draws you in. Harry is a pussy in the first few chapters - not by choice, of course, but because he's sedated. As far as post-Hogwarts fics go, this is easily the best, as far as I've read. It encorporates some non-canon aspects such as mythology, but they're done believably and tastefully.

Highly, highly, highly recommended. 5/5.

 

nah i dont like it that much to say its epic work

 

It was interesting I'll give it that much.

Spoiler

I was really enjoying the whole thing right up until his secret life is discovered. Then the whole story went flat big-time. The entire "zomg you're the evil one Harry!" plot point was weak on an unimaginable scale imo. We won't even mention the "Oh he's mentally broken from years of a bad life that's why he started a secret evil organization" bit.

Spoiler

Plot: 2.5/5
Powerful!Harry: 3/5
Insane!Harry: 1/5
Crybaby!Harry: 0/5
SecretLife!Harry: 0/5
Idiot!Friends: 1/5
Overpowered!BadGuys: 0/5

Overall Score: 2/5

 

Well, I'm sure the people who read this will appreciate you giving away the main plot twist. Ever thought of using the spoiler tags?

 

Eh I've read this a while ago. Back then I thought it was good and refreshing. Now... eh not so much

3.5/5

 

4/5.

The last two chapters just pissed me off, but the rest of the plot and characterization is pretty interesting.

 

Or even worse, who'd ever thought you could spoil something simply by quoting it when the OP has been spoiler'd?

Could someone fix that in IP82's quote box so his reminder doesn't do the very thing he was reminding him NOT to do?

--bornagainpenguin

 

I was just about to post this, having read it a year ago and remembering it just now.

It's by far one of my favorite Harry Potter fanfics, and is heads over shoulders above most stories in terms of plot, depth, and quality. The twist came out of nowhere, though I had suspected it in some form. The ending is disappointing but in a satisfying manner, and you sort of understand it. Much like you wish for the evil character to win in a movie (but he doesn't, the good prevails) I felt for the main antagonist.

Some elements were weak, but honestly, most of the stories we give 5 stars to suck more in some way.

5/5

 

The story has the airs of real literature. It loses a lot of it once you get past the cryptic Greek mythology that's incoporated. The language used is very conventional, and the writing style is professional but not engrossing. Some outstanding moments: mainly Harry's arrival at Ithaca, admittedly clever symbolism with the lion's heart, of course the main twist and his imprisonment in the super-Azkaban prison, which really conveyed the deadened isolated feeling Harry must have felt.

I liked the main twist, but I disapprove of what the author did to the romance. I'm going to spoil something:

Spoiler

Harry's complex love-interest dies and is replaced by Hermione. Unfortunately, she's something of a whiny and needy bitch. I tolerated her, comforted by the thought that Harry was already attached - but then Hermione takes over without warning. It is severe enough that it will drastically affect the reading experience if you dislike her.

Frustratingly static characters, like Ron. There is a disproportionate amount of lip service paid to him relying on Harry, and the author dangles the expectation that he grows into self-sufficiency, but what do you know, Ron ends up literally handing the reigns to Harry at the climax.

The number of characters that you absolutely hate is extraordinary. Imagine Dimitri Kemester and Kingsley Shacklebolt from Renegade Cause by Silens and having him populate the entire cast of The Human Condition. I hated every single major character wholesale with the exception of Harry and the main antagonist. I hated every instance where he chose to devote scenes to their insipid lives (Hermione exercising obsessively due to lack of self-esteem, an unexplained OC taken from another of his stories being a kleptomaniac). The most positive reaction was neutrality.

It's greater than your average fanfiction and the author is very talented, but reading it is an infuriating experience, and it doesn't justify its pretension. Don't fall for it, like Rob. The primary failing is how the author makes so many decisions that make significant components of the story pointless. If that's all the human condition amounts to, he can fuck right off.

3/5.

A beautifully-executed exercise in pissing off readers while still managing to keep them reading with false expectations.

 

There were some strong points - the prison, Ithaca, what was inside the cache of weapons, hostages scene at Hogwarts, the main twist.

But attempted murder during trial without any consequences would be hard to present even with Fudge, Umbridge and Malfoy as authority. Here trial was quite normal so it was completely absurd. Fully idealised child was irritating, it was like author never had contact with toddler for longer than two hours. Wizards discarding even possibility of ghost/vision as impossible was ridiculous. Dumbledore is alive, apparently he likes Harry but appeared only as token visitor at hospital. Villain with the most lame and basic set of goals. Significant part of story would benefit from significant trimming (the absurdly repetitive interaction with psychologist at the start is only beginning). Really innovative typography problems and misspellings. And describing what is happening in the war card game (yes, this game).

It was the worst type of story - good enough just to not stop reading, I completely agree with:

At least I was not hating characters, and except Dumbledore and The Perfect Child they were done OK (but it was also nothing special). I have no opinion about romance at the end as I managed to stop reading at chapter 14.