Title: The Return of the Marauders
Author: TheLastZion
Rating: M
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure
Status: Complete (56 chapters, 370,000 words)
Library Category: The Alternates
Pairings: Harry/Ginny
Summary: James sacrificed himself to save his wife and son. Sirius took them into hiding and trained Harry the Marauders way. Neville became the BWL. That doesn't mean that he's the Chosen One.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5856625/1/The-Return-of-the-Marauders

I find this story to be quite a work of art. The detail that went into the characters of this story is almost unprecedented. While it is a Harry/Ginny story the author approaches it in such a way that the pairing can actually be enjoyed. Mostly due to the fact that Harry was not the BWL, so Ginny doesn't grow up obsessing over him.

The take on the plot is one I rather enjoy and that I feel would fit well. There are several graphic sex scenes and a lot of blood and gore. The author also has a sort of prelude story that gives a little bit of background to events that aren't detailed in the story.

There are times when the writing is mediocre though, and everynow and then there are moments of confusion where the author forgot to write something in, or deleted a scene that had significance.

Overall I give the story a 4/5.

 

Read it, meh. Couldn't even finish it. While the writing in the technical aspect is kinda good, but the story is so bipolar and confusing, it isn't worth the hassle. And then there are the clichés.

2/5 for the grammar.

 

Guess I should have put it in 'Almost Recommended' then. I do agree that it can be confusing at times, but the farther in you get, if you can get past the confusion, the better the story gets. I feel like the author goes back and explains things later in the story in an attempt to clear up the confusion.

Much later there is a lot of action as well which to me made the story worth reading.

 

Im feeling a strong sense of déjà vu about this thread/fic.. Weird. Was it posted before?

Regardless, I tried reading this story a while ago. Couldn't get past the first few chapters, so much cringe-worthy material. But it has been a while, so I will refrain from rating it.

 

I checked both the Library list and the rejected list and it wasn't listed on either. Guess I'm going to have to refrain from posting anything like these on here. I must admit I haven't been on here long, so in all honesty I probably shouldn't even be recommending stories. I'll definitley be refraining from recommending anymore stories until I've got a real grasp of what DLP wants.

 

I started reading this a while ago, and I think it'd be a stretch even for almost recommended. For the first dozen or so chapters it doesn't get noticably better than the first two, which is just cringe worthy. 2/5

 

I did the same thing when I joined here, a few posts ago and I came to the same conclusion as you.

Ginny is hated by a lot of people here probably because in canon she gets cool points on a platter instead of having to earn them like most of the other characters.

As soon as everyone in a story wants to shag one or more characters (in this story Ginny, Harry, Tonks and maybe Lily) there is a M(G)ary S(t)ue problem. Ginny is a total Mary Sue so far. Everyone loves her, wants to shag her, or is trying to use her to shag her to complete a dark ritual.

I read up to chapter 6. Beyond some of the more ridiculous elements and cliches there is some smooth writing and humor (and I enjoyed the little bit where Bellatrix bashes Molly to Ginny). 2/5 for the unintentional crack factor.

 

I don't think many people here care about Ginny one way or other these days. As no-one even mentioned it, I'd say the pairing is the least of this story's problems.

 

Oh I tried reading this one before, I dropped it as soon as I saw the term wizard/life debt Ginny owed to Neville. 2/5 for technical aspect.

 

I jumped around a bit, and this is . . . not the work of a mature mind. The author's treatment of issues like psychological trauma and gender range from poor to offensive.* Character interactions alternate haphazardly between acts of aggression and acts of flirtation -- and despite the author's clear intentions, these all come off as creepy rather than smooth. Everyone is bizarrely over-sexed, from Tracy Davis to Dean Thomas to Lily Potter. It's all anyone ever talks about, and even the adults do it crudely and without sophistication.

If the author is anyone but a particularly literate middle school student, I hope he quickly manages to redefine his perspective on the world.

* "He flirts with her to remind her that she is still a beautiful woman. All women need to reminded of that." Oh boy. :facepalm

 

One of the fics I truly despise. 1/5 because of the sheer annoyance factor.

 

Blasphemy?

I should clarify, I found the attempt to throw Harry and Ginny together within five seconds of them meeting each other to be an unfortunate choice that doesn't bode well for the pairing.

 

I remember this fic. Its pretty damn terrible. And not even because of Harry/Ginny.

Remember children, riding a motorcycle into an entrance hall of a building is only something a douchebag does.

 

Fair point to all. Is there away to kill this before it goes any further? Terrible error in judgement on my part. I've read a few that are good, and won't lie, I've read my fair share of awful ones as well. I lack judgement to see beyond humor sometimes. If an author manages to strike my funny bones a few times I tend to read it. I agree 100 percent that their entrance to the Great Hall was ridiculous and that is one aspect that I really hated. Harry and Ginny getting together so soon was also not my favorite. But actually giving a personality to Ginny was what made me like this story.

I am really ready to just kill it where it stands now however after going back and reading it from the view of others.

 

First chapter is awful, completely awful.

1/5

 

I sort of thought the same thing about DLP not liking Hermione, but from what I've seen the only relationships that get blasted on the Review Board these days are slash. Some people are sick of certain pairings, but they just tend not to review stories that contain those.

Eh, you gotta keep these reviewers honest. Now would be the time to squeeze a pretty good story in, since it'll look better in comparison (especially if the mods would finally move the five star story to the library).

It's kind of odd this isn't labeled as humor or parody, though. Maybe it's just my current mood, but as I sit here skimming through it, the only parts I care to read are the crack!fic parts, which it has in abundance.

 

I actually managed to get through about half of it, and it just keeps getting worse. Save yourself the headache and just don't read it. 1/5

 

Very bad, very cliche. I gave it 2/5 because I save 1/5 for atrocious writing and poor story. This merely had below average writing and a poor story.