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Interim review of: Very long HP fic
May. 29th, 2010 06:56 pmI am reading a long, chaptered Harry Potter fic by someone called ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
j_k_rowling. The fic is called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I've not finished it yet but here are some interim notes.
Canon
The fic is very close to film canon. At times, it almost feels like a transferral from film to fic with extra names taken from fandom thrown in at random. Indeed, there is some cross-over as well (e.g. Abraxas from Die kleine Hexe who here appears not as a raven but as a wizard).
Characterisation
Very OOC, especially regarding Draco Malfoy. He only appears now and again but is not treated in a sustained or complex fashion. He is cardboard cut-out and not very nuanced. Mostly, he seems mean and spiteful; very odd: there is very little angst, no passionate loyalty; indeed, no passion; no UST; and, most oddly of all, no descriptions of his droolsome beauty. All that the author says is that he is pointy-faced and has grey eyes and white-blond hair (well, duh), and half of that is not even film!canon.
Characterisation on the whole leaves much to be desired. Who was the beta for this thing?? The characters hop all over the shop: one minute they're angsting about mortal perils, the next they're annoyed because they're not getting enough house points. Also, the endless dialogues, going over and over the same topics, don't do anything to a) further character or b) further sexual deliciousness.
Magic
The author is quite good at inventing magic spells and devices although a lot of this is taken straight from fanon. Still, she mixes in some clever details. I would say this is the strength of this fic.
Format
Very bizarre. Not posted to comm, blog or AO3 but pre-bound as a print-out with someone's fanart on the cover (a pic byjason_cockcroft -- could this be a MAN?). The pic shows Harry/Dumbledore which would imply that these two are the pairing of the fic but it's taking the author a long time to work up to this, and the UST is too subtle to be noticed. So far. Although the fanart does show each of them clasping a red-tinged tumescent phallus so I live in hope of a little NC-17.
Link to the fanart: Here.
Verdict
I'll keep you posted on my progress through this very long fic (no word count given but I'm estimating 170,000 words (!!!). There is no Header so one is left guessing as to pairing, rating, or warnings (character death? twincest? buggery with a senior citizen? Who knows -- and this may well cause much rant and wank as it could be mega-triggery!). However, the fic was written for someone: To Mackenzie, my beautiful daughter. I wonder was this for a yuletide or prompt fest...?
j_k_rowling. The fic is called Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I've not finished it yet but here are some interim notes.Canon
The fic is very close to film canon. At times, it almost feels like a transferral from film to fic with extra names taken from fandom thrown in at random. Indeed, there is some cross-over as well (e.g. Abraxas from Die kleine Hexe who here appears not as a raven but as a wizard).
Characterisation
Very OOC, especially regarding Draco Malfoy. He only appears now and again but is not treated in a sustained or complex fashion. He is cardboard cut-out and not very nuanced. Mostly, he seems mean and spiteful; very odd: there is very little angst, no passionate loyalty; indeed, no passion; no UST; and, most oddly of all, no descriptions of his droolsome beauty. All that the author says is that he is pointy-faced and has grey eyes and white-blond hair (well, duh), and half of that is not even film!canon.
Characterisation on the whole leaves much to be desired. Who was the beta for this thing?? The characters hop all over the shop: one minute they're angsting about mortal perils, the next they're annoyed because they're not getting enough house points. Also, the endless dialogues, going over and over the same topics, don't do anything to a) further character or b) further sexual deliciousness.
Magic
The author is quite good at inventing magic spells and devices although a lot of this is taken straight from fanon. Still, she mixes in some clever details. I would say this is the strength of this fic.
Format
Very bizarre. Not posted to comm, blog or AO3 but pre-bound as a print-out with someone's fanart on the cover (a pic by
jason_cockcroft -- could this be a MAN?). The pic shows Harry/Dumbledore which would imply that these two are the pairing of the fic but it's taking the author a long time to work up to this, and the UST is too subtle to be noticed. So far. Although the fanart does show each of them clasping a red-tinged tumescent phallus so I live in hope of a little NC-17.Link to the fanart: Here.
Verdict
I'll keep you posted on my progress through this very long fic (no word count given but I'm estimating 170,000 words (!!!). There is no Header so one is left guessing as to pairing, rating, or warnings (character death? twincest? buggery with a senior citizen? Who knows -- and this may well cause much rant and wank as it could be mega-triggery!). However, the fic was written for someone: To Mackenzie, my beautiful daughter. I wonder was this for a yuletide or prompt fest...?