MrNobodyisHome (E. Anderson)

Yes, the title of this review is lame, but it perfectly illustrates what this story is to me. A good freakin’ time in space.

First up, is style.

The style of writing, specifically the narration (which is done in 1^st person), is simplistic, but that is in no way a derogatory comment about how the story is delivered. It’s a weird phenomenon where the descriptions and overall stylistic choices aren’t anything too special although that simplicity makes the tale easy to read and follow and more importantly, extremely fun, which is skillful in itself.

It doesn’t feel pretentious and feels kind of like hearing a good friend of yours tell a story during lunchtime or maybe a long walk from school, which I think is a naturally fantastic feeling that many authors should seek after in readers. It’s quite endearing.

Next, let’s look at grammar.

Nothing here that’ll invoke the unyielding rage of the grammar police. No need to stay alert for annoying typos or horrific grammar that’ll force you to try to puzzle together what the intent of the sentence was.

Characters is next.

Aaron, the main. Is great. Clearly molded to be a fan favorite, which you don’t usually see with main characters. He has a caustic and amusing personality (plus all the cool perks that come with being a cyborg). His companion is not too bad either. This is a duo that I believe to be entertaining to spend your precious time with. The extended cast may seem a bit underwhelming, but this is a neglectable comment for two reasons: I’ve only read till chapter 10, and it doesn’t need a fully developed cast. Although some of the supporting characters did interest me to an extent.

Lastly, the story.

Excellent pacing, and once again, I must say, a lot of fun to read. Excruciatingly delicious cliffhangers that’ll force you to read the next chapter as if you are at the mercy of the author themself. This is a story about bounty hunters collecting bounties, but as you read it is evident that there is so much more going on in the background to be explored.

The world’s interesting, too. How interesting? Well, let’s just say I want a spaceship and a small beastly companion, too, and soar through the never-ending vastness of this space world.

I don’t know the status of Sci-fi stories on RR, but I’ll definitely recommend this to as many people as possible who are interested in the genre. It is a worthwhile read.

It is a great premise. Following this author for a while, I can attest that they show promise and improvement.

It is a casual read with maybe some stale and odd descriptions that may confound you for a moment, but I say once you look past it, you'll find charm in this short story.

Unfortunately, the premise itself is promising, but the execution slows down its momentum for greatness. The grammar is fine and the use of the right words in the right places. It has been proofread for grammatical errors, I believe, but everything else was probably ignored.

The style is what needs work.

If the author could just hone his characterization skills, as characters are the biggest problem, and get a little more creativity with stringing together sentences and work on better details with their descriptions. This could be something great.

Short stories tend to be overlooked, but there are those short stories that rival even the longest of epic tales. Am I saying that this could be one of them? This could have the potential for that.

All I'm saying is, have a read, and maybe return to see how the final product will look after the author polishes it.

For starters, I like it. I want to be as candid as possible, so yeah, I was reading hoping for the moment to come where I was consuming the story not out of some weird internal obligation, but out of genuine joy. And that time did come! I started having a blast reading due to the author's good pacing, although simultaneously it is also a problem that I have with the fiction.

Things seem to pop out of virtually nowhere without any hints whatsoever leading up to it, and it makes it feel as though it had been improvised on the fly, which I know isn’t the case because many elements the author introduces in the story have been clearly thought out. I think it could benefit from just a little more foreshadowing. The reveals are cool and all, but seriously, they come out of nowhere without any noticeable build up towards it. Maybe, it is just me and my dense brain that isn’t good at picking up on subtle hints.

As for the characters. I think they are good from what I’ve seen so far, but I find the main to be a little stale. Avalel is a bit bland to me. I'd say he needs the most work to avoid being compared to a JRPG protagonist, or worse... a visual novel protagonist. Gasp!

I think this is the one story I've read off RR so far without any glaring grammar mistakes. There's even a suspicious lack of typos (I literally found one, or maybe it is just me being bad at reading...). So great job to the author on that!

I think the author's biggest strength that is carrying the story and prompting me to continue reading is the world building, although it is a bit bothersome when they introduce a concept or a creature without much elaboration on it. The author's imaginative capabilities show in their pose, which I think is good. They are good at describing and using sentences to pull you into the story, but maybe they overuse the word “suddenly” just like how I am overusing the word “maybe”. In all fairness, this is just the beginning of the story. I still think that 10 chapters are not enough to judge a story as a whole. I believe Avalel will get more characterization and the plot will develop more naturally, instead of feeling like improvisation. Nonetheless, it is a competently written story that has reeled me in to see more!

I end this review saying you will have a good time if you can look past the issues, and allow yourself some good ol' gory and bloody fun. I am leaving a provisionary 4-star rating for this one out of an instinct that the story will get better. As of now, it is in a weird nexus between a 3.5 and 4. Will update review in the future, but for now, I am going to read some more! I wanna see more traumatized children cut up some adults! Woo-hoo!

Oh, wow, this is my first review. How exciting.

4 chapters in may be a little too early to judge a story as a whole (that's like giving a final grade to someone halfway through the test), but so far I think it's intriguing! And I just had to share my thoughts on it.

What this story really has going for it is the world. I'm a sucker of gritty settings where everybody is a shithead, but these shitheads have depth to them, and it's noticeable that the author cares about what they're crafting. I admire that greatly. 

Minor grammar issues hold it back from absolute greatness, but nothing that disrupts the flow of reading. The adrenaline-filled scenes that read smoothly amend those pesky mistakes. 

But the potential it has is so evident that it is almost palpable, therefore, I say that this is definitely something that deserves following to see the moment when the story reaches a point where you go and say, "Wow, this is just freaking awesome."

A fascinating mystery looming over the story, rounded badass characters, and good pacing. Keep an eye on this one. 

As I continue reading, I might update this review. Be aware this it is subject to changes, but I refuse to believe there will be a dip in quality from the way the story is currently developing.

That is all.