Before the month of September comes to a close, I figured I would do a review on this little piece of writing. For those of you who may have any concerns about this story being in bad taste, I can assure you that this is not the case.
Author: BaroqueNexus
September 11, 2001. A date hardly any of us can forget, or want to forget. So many lives were suddenly forfeit by the hand of a great evil.
And from a far away land, a creature has come, and like so many others, she only wants to help.Catch the review after the break!
When Towers Fall
Now, as I previously stated, in no way is this story in bad taste... not in any way that I could find. It's actually rather heartwarming. The story is told from the perspective a 9/11 firefighter who lost his brother and best friend in the attack. This man has every reason in the world to be in complete shock and despair after what he's been through and what he's seen.
It's been about a week since the tragedy and, as you would guess, he's in a lot of hurt. He comes home one day to find Ditzy Doo (aka Derpy) sitting there waiting for him. She came to our world via a portal (not the most original idea, but it works), though we aren't told how said portal has come to exist. This really isn't a problem though considering it's not really important to the story. Honestly, it's better having no information than only partial information. One of those "if you're not going to explain it fully, then don't explain it at all" deals... yes that's a bit of a jab at the previous story we reviewed.
Before you all start jumping to conclusions, no, this is not a story about ponies coming to our world after 9/11 to go take out terrorists or bring harmony to the world or any of that jazz. Doing my best to avoid spoilers, I will say that it's simply about finding comfort in the midst of a horrible situation. It's one of those stories that makes you realize that sometimes a small gesture can go a long way.
The imagery is slightly graphic, but nothing too hard to read. I think The Pony in my Pocket had far more intense imagery so I won't put a disclaimer on this one. This story gives the necessary information, which is partially what makes it a good story. There are certainly stories that get a little too involved in describing every detail of every scene to the point where it distracts the reader from the story being told. This isn't one of those stories.
Now, despite the portal thing, the story is rather original. How many FIMFictions focus on 9/11 and a single human encounter with a pony? This is the only one that I've read, seen, or heard about. It's short, but has enough substance and closure to where you finish reading the story and you're satisfied with what you've read. Sure, there's limited character development, but they are developed enough for what the story is trying to accomplish. And while it does have a few errors in grammar and format, they're certainly not significant enough to take anything away from this story. All in all? It's a good read that won't take much of your time.
Well, I suppose all that's left is the ratings, huh? Here you go:
| Originality: | 5 out of 5 rounds. |
| Composition: | 3 out of 5 rounds. |
| Characters: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Imagery: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Plot: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
| Relatability: | Not Touching This |
| Overall: | 4 out of 5 rounds. |
Do you agree or disagree with my review? Tell me why in the comments below! I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this story considering it revolves around such a sensitive subject. Until then...
SEMPER FILLY!
