"Quillspawn" Reviews
Good evening to you all!
I should introduce myself-- In her last post, Valencia made mention of having Madam hypnotically turn Erika into Quillspawn for the purpose of reviewing stories.
Unfortunately, neither Erika nor I really have the capacity to become a writer of Quillspawn's caliber, so you have the lovely me instead.
Who am I? Well, to make a long story short, I'm a hypnotic personification of Erika's creative and artistic impulses. Though, at the risk of being pretentious, I like to think of myself as her Muse. I'm one of a few aspects of Erika's personality who have the privelege of being manifested and allowed to temporarily borrow her body. Valencia has nicknamed me Quillspawn because I share Erika's fondness for the character, and have.. imprinted on the her, if you will.
So while I am not Quillspawn, I am a fan of hers, and perhaps even a spiritual sister.
If you're curious about technicalities, I'll try to elaborate a little bit... As I write this, Erika isn't conscious of what's happening-- while I share her memories, she doesn't share mine. She will, however, see and approve this post before it goes up on the Kistublot. She will, of course, be able to respond independently of me, and if I reply, I will try to make especially clear that I am Erika's "Quillspawn". Even though I'm a manifestation of Madam's control of Erika, I have no wish to see her embarrassed!
Anyhow, I was brought out to review stories, and review stories I shall! I'll start with a short review of Trilby Else's Legacy, and as a warning, I do spoil certain elements of the plot within. Since the Kistublot doesn't have something equivalent to Livejournal's cuts, I've posted the review in white text... selecting it should hopefully make it readable!
*** Beginning of Spoilers ***
Legacy follows Robin Weyler and her mother Christine and their experiences in a secluded, and hypnotically driven academy known only as The Abbey. Robin's story is punctuated by flashbacks of her mother's experience. Trilby accomplishes the split narrative beautifully-- the reader is never left confused which time the story is in. And the glimpses into the past also offer a view of our protagonist's future. The eventual fall of Robin is well written, and despite not sitting well with my alter-ego in a purely emotional way, searingly hot.
Unfortunately, this story is not without its blemishes. Robin's descent is scorching, but too easily anticipated. Glimmers of foreshadowing in the beginning of the story quickly gave it away, and not halfway through the first chapter, I had already anticipated the ending-- This is forgivable, given the nature of the story, but I personally believe the reader isn't allowed enough uncertainty. From nearly the moment she confronts her rival, Robin's fate is obviously sealed--we aren't allowed a moment in which we could root for her-- or believe she might have a chance. And on that note, I also need to add that the Abbey's apparently negligence stretches believability, unless we are to believe in a farther reaching conspiracy than what we're shown in the story.
*** End of Spoilers ***
But, despite these flaws, Legacy is certainly above-average, and worth the hour or two it takes to read.
~Erika's QS
As a post script, I'll just note that that signature feels a little awkward. Should anyone have any suggestions as to how I should refer to myself, please feel free to let me know.
I should introduce myself-- In her last post, Valencia made mention of having Madam hypnotically turn Erika into Quillspawn for the purpose of reviewing stories.
Unfortunately, neither Erika nor I really have the capacity to become a writer of Quillspawn's caliber, so you have the lovely me instead.
Who am I? Well, to make a long story short, I'm a hypnotic personification of Erika's creative and artistic impulses. Though, at the risk of being pretentious, I like to think of myself as her Muse. I'm one of a few aspects of Erika's personality who have the privelege of being manifested and allowed to temporarily borrow her body. Valencia has nicknamed me Quillspawn because I share Erika's fondness for the character, and have.. imprinted on the her, if you will.
So while I am not Quillspawn, I am a fan of hers, and perhaps even a spiritual sister.
If you're curious about technicalities, I'll try to elaborate a little bit... As I write this, Erika isn't conscious of what's happening-- while I share her memories, she doesn't share mine. She will, however, see and approve this post before it goes up on the Kistublot. She will, of course, be able to respond independently of me, and if I reply, I will try to make especially clear that I am Erika's "Quillspawn". Even though I'm a manifestation of Madam's control of Erika, I have no wish to see her embarrassed!
Anyhow, I was brought out to review stories, and review stories I shall! I'll start with a short review of Trilby Else's Legacy, and as a warning, I do spoil certain elements of the plot within. Since the Kistublot doesn't have something equivalent to Livejournal's cuts, I've posted the review in white text... selecting it should hopefully make it readable!
*** Beginning of Spoilers ***
Legacy follows Robin Weyler and her mother Christine and their experiences in a secluded, and hypnotically driven academy known only as The Abbey. Robin's story is punctuated by flashbacks of her mother's experience. Trilby accomplishes the split narrative beautifully-- the reader is never left confused which time the story is in. And the glimpses into the past also offer a view of our protagonist's future. The eventual fall of Robin is well written, and despite not sitting well with my alter-ego in a purely emotional way, searingly hot.
Unfortunately, this story is not without its blemishes. Robin's descent is scorching, but too easily anticipated. Glimmers of foreshadowing in the beginning of the story quickly gave it away, and not halfway through the first chapter, I had already anticipated the ending-- This is forgivable, given the nature of the story, but I personally believe the reader isn't allowed enough uncertainty. From nearly the moment she confronts her rival, Robin's fate is obviously sealed--we aren't allowed a moment in which we could root for her-- or believe she might have a chance. And on that note, I also need to add that the Abbey's apparently negligence stretches believability, unless we are to believe in a farther reaching conspiracy than what we're shown in the story.
*** End of Spoilers ***
But, despite these flaws, Legacy is certainly above-average, and worth the hour or two it takes to read.
~Erika's QS
As a post script, I'll just note that that signature feels a little awkward. Should anyone have any suggestions as to how I should refer to myself, please feel free to let me know.
posted by erislave at
11:33 PM
9 Comments
