Nostos
by Durrendal
The lost souls may or may not find the north star to guide them home.
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This is a series of one-shots that I wrote when I was in High School, which wasn't that far back. The stories each are self-contained. The writings here are experiments. So expect the style to be eclectic and oddball. Finally, the stories are short. Each one of them is like a Haiku, precisely worded.
Do let me know how you guys liked the stuff. This is a off-project so updates will be infrequent. Let me know since the things are one-shots, each story is not gonna continue after 1 chapter.
(Cover art: Random starry sky img search. Credit to whoever took the photo)
- Overall Score
- Style Score
- Story Score
- Grammar Score
- Character Score
- Total Views :
- 2,371
- Average Views :
- 1,186
- Followers :
- 5
- Favorites :
- 2
- Ratings :
- 4
- Pages :
- 8
| Chapter Name | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Story 1 : Existence | ago |
| Story 2 : Narcissus | ago |
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Two short shorts
This review is part of a review swap.
A collection of two short short stories (yes that means they're both short) doesn't count as a collection.
Two stories based on feelings more than narration. If you hate this kind of skit then my overall rating is way off. I loved it. Reviews are subjective, and moreso when what you review borders on the poetic; in this case crossing that border from time to time.
So for the partial ratings.
Style is a solid four stars. There are a few non-standard constructions in the existing dialogue that can't be attributed to poetic ambition. My guess would be a non-native English writer.
Story is a perfect five stars. Observe that if you define 'story' as narrative progression, then this should be three stars, because there is very little story. Shorts are funny that way.
Grammar is a perfect five stars. Perfect spelling, zero formal grammar errors, and good vocabulary. Notably the grammar score is the easiest to drive to perfection in a short.
Character is an OK three stars. Time to slug the reviewer? Well, I enjoyed the poetry. There is extremely little room for character, and the little there is was spent on either emotions (first story) or expressive poetry (second story).
When you write something as short as this you have to make a choice. I respect the one made here (and enjoyed it fully), but character wasn't the choice made.
Fun Experiments, in Need of Polish
At the writing of this review, Nostos features just two stories: 01 Existence and 02 Narcissus. This review only covers these stories.
First off, the good. Grammar is top-notch with only a few minor typos. The style is very crisp and highly descriptive, almost what I would classify as poetic but not quite there. These stories are both concept pieces which is very unique for RRL and is the sign of a good writer. The concepts on their own are very interesting and there is loads of potential for either of these ideas.
The bad (and this is relative- nothing in these stories is what I would call awful, it's just less than good.) is that these ideas are not fleshed out in a really meaningful way. The first story's arc barely exists, and the second story's handling of exposition and twists feels extremely clumsy and rushed.
These stories are fun, but flawed. They get high marks for the well-defined style and risk-taking on the part of the author, who isn't afraid to try more experimental techniques.