Not sure it works, certainly an horrible story could be akin to diving into shit but a good one would like diving into what?

 

An oasis in a desert of shitty stories?

 

I wasn't aware that it was a strange expression. What I meant was that when you dive into a story, whether characters, plot, world, dialogue or intrigue you get a sense of it amazement and wonder of where it is leading to, and possible branches that could lead to entirely different situations. And then you read something that loses that internal consistency within the very first chapter and just groan.

I would also use the expression in other ways such as submersing yourself in work, writing, painting or as I did myself reading. I now feel strange you that find it strange. Meh.

 

What Is: Immersion

 

Has anyone here read On the Other Side by offdreaming? It's really good

 

Why I should read it? Use of caps lock in summary is on my list of "skip this story as it is likely to be below my limit of acceptable quality".

 

Do you have a link?

 

THAR YOU GO but I have to warn you its Draco-centric.

 

Fixed.

You used the tag wrong. Only paste the stuff after the /s/ in the original url.

Which would be, at minimum, 6593210 or as much as 6593210/1/On-The-Other-Side.

 

Thanks, that was really bothering me.

 

Doesn't work as well, greatness should be a trait in and of itself not just a lack of horribleness.

 

Starnlicht by Marquis Carabas
In the year 1590, new threats have arisen against wizarding Britain. After a series of murders of magic-users at the hands of muggles, one witch, Judith Fairweather, must discover the cause of the attacks and the reason behind their success for the government of wizarding Britain - all while keeping her own hide intact. Collecting a generous fee would be an entirely welcome bonus.
Harry Potter - Rated: T - English - Adventure/Mystery - Chapters: 17 - Words: 100,234 - Reviews: 31 - Updated: 10-12-13 - Published: 10-9-12

Summary says all, really. There's some action, and some mystery. The protagonist is half mercenary, half private investigator. If you haven't guessed by now, it's not Harry Potter-centric, though set in HP universe, somewhat original.

It's set somewhere during King James' the First reign, scarce on historical details (if indeed there are any). There is the attempt by the author to style speech patterns to that historical period (I'm not native to English so can't really judge); well if the attempt carries not to the letter, at least it carries to the mood.

I think the protagonist lives in sin with another character of same gender, though I neither care, nor want to find out.

The story keeps me entertained, though I started skipping large chunks after the seventh chapter. Haven't finished reading yet, so I didn't put it in for review. I rate it as somewhere from three, three and a half out of five, well make it 4/5 for originality.

Edit: story characters are well-drawn, descriptions are nice. All in all, the story is written by an able writer.

 

While I haven't read it yet, so I can't judge this individual fic, I like the idea of fics set in the past, exploring magical history is an interesting concept and I'd have no problem with it not being Harry-centric.

 

I've put 2 chapters in and I'm already hooked. The start of the second chapter really sold it to me, I rather wish it had been part of the first chapter. Review to follow once I actually get into it.

 

"I think the protagonist lives in sin with another character of same gender, though I neither care, nor want to find out."

Uh... Lives in sin? Wanna clarify that, hombre?

 

Alexeyy's homophobia never fails to disappoint.

 

Pretty sure the bible is just as hostile towards witches. xD

 

They bed together without the benefit of a societal-applied blessing. They're shacking up. They kiss and talk about career choices.

Judith and Rebecca,
cooking in the oven.
Don't bug 'em now
'cause they're gettin' a little lovin'

Sorry- it's Friday and I've eaten too much sugar.

I'm only a few chapters in and the language is extra-flowery but the scenes are well-described, the characters are interesting and the setting is believable. I can't quite nail down the period, though it seems ~16th century. Their dialogue isn't quite period-appropriate but it's better than most TV writers can manage. I like the use of magic- known canon spells mixed with reasonable extrapolations.

Names are dropped everywhere- Gryffindor's bakery, working for the Greengrasses, etc. and Hogsmeade breathes like a real village.

Give it a read.

 

Starnlicht is fantastic, the romance parts are relatively minor and written well in any event, and it's certainly unique and original. The writing style is a bit flowery in the first few chapters (the first one is particularly bad), but it only improves and it's a stylistic choice that pans out in any event.

I'd give it a solid 4.5/5, and that's only because it's not completed yet. If no one objects, I'd say it could easily go in the library.

 

Just finished catching up with Starnlicht, and I whole-heartedly recommend it. The cast of characters feel unique and non-derivative in a way that is pretty unusual in fanfiction. I like it, and I really like the protagonist--she's not what you expect from an OC, and the author does a good job of balancing her talents with shortcomings, and her status in society provides plenty of obstacles.

I did experience some irritation in the first chapter--she's presented as being a little bit too much of a badass, but following chapters paint her in a more tempered light. It's just an interesting story, and I like the mix of elements a lot. A witch (or wizard) who makes their living going around solving problems is pretty much what I want to read about in the HP world, and setting it so far before the events of Harry Potter lets the story stand on its own while still giving the occasional nod to people and events yet to come.

Definitely give it a try.