Novelty's DOR Review - Chapter 19

[Novelty]

The review can be found after the spoiler. Skip over the spoiler if you're only interested in the review.

 

 

When I sat down to write the review for Chapter 18, I realised something. I was beginning to sound like a broken record going on and on about the same things in my review. That prompted me to take a step back and to take a look at the bigger picture - are my reviews required in this day and age?

 

I have to confess that there are better reviews out there - read what Trebs said in Dan's blog, for instance, or what Bocian posted in Dan's forums. Those are really good stuff and definately well above the quality of reviews that I could ever hope to write. Perhaps it's time for me to take my retirement.

 

When I first stated reviews - was it only a couple of months ago? Seems like ages now - I had three goals

 

1. To encourage Dan to be a better writer by giving constructive criticisms

2. To facilitate the discussion of the story, and

3. To show to the world that the readers and posters on this forums aren't just airheads who can only post things like "I like it", "It was good", "I want more", but actual people with intellect who could analyze the story and respond to it.

 

Have those goals been met?

 

I believe Dan's writing has improved leaps and bounds since I started the reviews. That's not to say that I'm responsible for it, but I do hope I did play a tiny minute part in that. I believe his writing has improved beyond my scope to suggest further improvements.

 

When I first started posting reviews, discussion about Do Over Redux was only confined to one solitary thread in the Cafe. These days, discussion about Do Over is rife, and because of demand it has its own subforums in addition to Dan's Blog, various private chatrooms and even the java enabled chatroom attached to this forum. Some of it has even spilled over to the Dom forums apparently.

 

Also, a cursory glance at the threads reveal that the topics being discussed shows that the discussion have moved beyond the story. "God and Time Travel", "Ex Gays, To Tolerate or Not", etc. demonstrate that the posters here are cerebral and learned (and is highly opinionated as well, but that's besides the point), and can hold a decent intelligent discussion about controversial topics.

 

Besides, when a parody is made of my reviews, it goes to show that my goals has been accomplished.

 

So where does that leaves my reviews? I had no idea and was hoping they could quietly sneak off into the sunset. Unfortunately, that's not to be the case since everyone from Dan downwards have been, if not outrightly saying that my reviews are expected, hinting that I should be writing a review soonish.

 

*sigh*

 

I will write my reviews if and when I'm ready and if and when I feel like it. If that's a bit too aristocratic for anyone's taste, that's not my problem.

 

I want to express my gratitute to Dan for supporting the reviews, and sticking up for me even when it seems others wouldn't. Is this the final review swansong? Most probably not.

 

This review is dedicated to the Canadian-wannabe Economics Professor. I'm glad he's not a virgin anymore.

 

 

DOR Review - Chapter 19

 

I had originally intended for this review to be done as part of the review of Chapter 18, since both chapters are, realistically one long chapter. However, after reading Chapter 19, I realised that there were too many things in Chapter 19 that needs to be reviewed on their own merits and not lumped together with Chapter 18, hence the separate review.

 

I'm half tempted to copy some of the reviews out there, after all, why do the hard work when others have already done it before? The chapter has three parts - the continuation of the interaction with the Eureka families, the scene (in more than one sense of the word) with Susan (aka Sandy) in the corridor and finally Sean to close the chapter.

 

Personally, I was rather dissatisfied about how Chapter 18 ended. Dan seems to be going for a cliffhanger again and to me it failed big time. Not only did I not look forward to Brian in Chapter 19, because we've been told by Dan that Brian only shows up in 20, but the ending was very abrupt. The chapter ended in the middle of a scene. I don't think that's a good place to end the chapter. However, having said that, Chapters 18 and 19 together would have made an extra long chapter and that is unfavourable as well. I hope that Dan would not attempt to create cliffhangers in future because they only break the flow of the narration. Cliffhangers, in my opinion, should be organic, very much the way the product of the structure and plotline of the story (which Dom takes advantage of and uses to a devastatingly good effect).

 

I used a meteorogical metaphor in the review of Chapter 18 and I'll use one here as well. It is little known that the monsoon rains affect northern Australia (not to be confused with Australia's Northern Territories - northern Australia extends from the area around Broome in Western Australia to the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, and includes the northern portion of the Northern Territories, including the Arnhem Land/Peninsula). During "The Wet" as the locals term it, one could literally feel the rains building up in the atmosphere as the humidity reaches saturation point and the air seems tense and charged up, ready for a lightning discharge. Likewise, the situation between Davey and his mother has been building up for a long while now. Reading through the chapters, one could literally feel the tension building up, until this point in chapter 19 where "all hell broke lose", or to use my metaphor, the lightning bolt discharged. But will it be as deadly as a lightning bolt? We shall have to see.

 

I'll include the review for the third part of the story with Chapter 20, to ensure that the Sean storyline gets a integrated review.

 

One final thing I'd like to mention in this review though. Usually, if the writing is good, the reader can often "see through the eyes" of the story-teller, and by that I mean to experience the story almost as a participant - to be able to see, hear, smell, taste and touch - almost as if the experience was an interactive one. That's one of the reason why the shower-room fight with the bully was one of my favourites, or the blindfolded scene with the CIA thugs. The past few chapters though, exciting as the plotline seems to be, seems to me to almost be like the scenery flashing through the window of a train - yes, one can see the beauty, but sight is the only sense that is evoked. The other senses are detached and muted and perhaps even denied in the storyline and although visually it might be stunning and impelling, I walk away after reading in a state almost akin to awaking after an intense dream - I know I dreamt of something, but the memory of which escapes me. Was the last few chapters surreal? To me, definately. Were they forgettable? I am surprised to find that my answer is an affirmative on that. Character development, plotline and good writing are all essential to any form of creative writing, but at the end of the day, if there's no emotional connection with the reader, the story might as well been a daydream.

 

PS. I know how hard it is to be a writer and this is by no means an attempt to diss Dan. Dan, as always, if and when my reviews stop being useful and starts getting on your nerves, let me know publicly or privately, but unambigiously please, and I'll stop writing the reviews.