Contest April-May 2021 Short Story Contest Voting Thread

Well, what a stories!!!

I am halfway story 4 in a heartbeat, have to slow myself down to write reviews for the first 3 before continuing.
Else I will mix reviews of the stories in my head

Grrr, Imrahil

 

I decided to split my reviews in three sets of three.
The first set is completed and I will share them with you below.

Spoiler: Story #1 – A Fish out of water

What an amazing storytelling in this story. I was wondering how many of the stories would be a literal take on the theme well you have delivered very well.
I love the fact that the span of the story is just a couple of hours or even just minutes and it doesn’t go anywhere other than the spawning grounds. The author made a good effort to take me into the emotions of the Star Priest and made me feel sad for losing his companion.
Interesting take on the flipside of the spawning pool, to see that there still is a direct connection to the Old Ones. The willingness of the great Itzl to grand the fish life outside of the water gives a me a warm feeling. The fish becoming some monstrous Fishgor almost feels like a work of the chaos gods, but in the end it still is a lovely and harmless creature.

A very much feel good story in the end.

Spoiler: Story #2 – An old friend

A transition story between the world-that-was and the Age of Sigmar. I like those a lot.
For this story we are plunged into what looks like the End Times of Fantasy. The battle swings back and forth but eventually is lost. Good to see Nakai at work to protect the Slann with his life. In the process his brain is ignited and he starts to develop thoughts, something Kroxigor are famous for not having any. This is the first take on the theme and a rather subtle one.
His saving form annihilation and appearing in the Age of Sigmar is the second, more obvious, take on the theme. I like how we are taken along his senses and thoughts about all his surroundings and the conclusion that neither the Stormcasts or Seraphon are really lifeforms in that day and age. It takes strongly on the first edition of AoS for the Lizards only be de remembrance of the Slann formed from starlight.

The little point of comment I have is how much you described the protection and transition of Nakai through the destruction of the World-that-was into the Age of Sigmar. You could have left that part out and it would still be very clear what happened. That small piece felt somewhat of a narrator interrupting the storyline.

Otherwise very good story and pleasant to read.

Spoiler: Story #3 – The Fate of Haernost

This transcript of a diary reads quickly and with much joy. It has a good build up in both action and despair. We do not learn much about the protagonist than that he likes puzzles and unraveling mysteries.
At first the appearance of Lizardfish mutations looks like a daunting sign of chaos manifesting in new ways to bring down the realms and it’s inhabitants. In the end it is more of a infestation that evolves humans into these hybrid creatures.

I am not sure what the bigger picture is once all humans in Haernost are infected and turned. The creatures it self do not seem to be out for causing harm or havoc, they merely become a different being and that’s it. The only hostility they show at the end is to prevent exposure of their existence to other cities.

If this question is left open intended than well portrayed.

The other sets will take some time, so just be patience

Grrr, Imrahil

 

+1

 

+1

I think this contest is one of the best that I have seen in terms of consistent quality.

 

I only just got this part now. This is very good! It means that (hopefully) all authors have voted and 2 non-authors have voted!

This part is great because we want to expand the number of authors participating and also get the existing authors some more publicity!

 

Alright time to get around to writing some reviews, I'm doing them in batches of three. All of the stories were fantastic.

Spoiler: Fish out of Water

I really liked the literal interpretation of the theme, and the author did a good job conveying the emotions of the skink priest. I felt the entire Itzl thing was a little bit confusing, but overall the author did an amazing job. I loved the ending, which really felt like a perfect place to end the short story

Spoiler: An Old Friend

Ahh, an Fantasy-AOS transition story! I loved the fact that the author brought a Fantasy character into AOS, although I didn't really understand a lot of the references to the old Sigmarines and FEC. I liked the dialuogue, but I felt the whole 'aura of Quetzl' thing protecting Nakai from space was a bit hard to believe. Overall a decent story

Spoiler: The Fate of Haernost

A classic diary-style narrative, with some interesting stuff going on with some underwater LM. I felt like some of the transitions were a bit jarring, and I was a bit confused by some parts of the story. However I think the Fish LM was an interesting take on the theme and the author did a really good job of making the narrator sound paranoid. To me this story duffered a bit from the diary format, but overalll an interesting take on the theme and a nice story.

 

13 voters!!!! Awesome!

 

Holy Huargerdons Batman!!!!

I think we have 15 voters!!!!!!!!!!



(@Scalenex, I assumed that the voting period was until end of May, but when I checked it doesn't actually say... What do you reckon?)

 

Will probably drop my thoughts on the stories in a week or two. Everyone did an amazing job

 

I have not come around to voting yet, so the counter will keep rising
Certainly a great competition round this time!

My second set of reviews is almost complete

Grrr, Imrahil

 

Here we go:

Spoiler: Story #4 – The Raiders

At the start of this story I was thrown off to see a skink riding a Cold one. When I read about Tichi-Huichi it all fell in place, since I remembered him being the named hero of Skink ‘knights’. The communication barrier between the Lizardmen and warmbloods does not seem to bother them. Somehow they work to a common goal without getting clear what this particular goal is. The ambush of the Tomb Kings units both of them to fight this surprising enemy.

It seems like the take on the theme is the Skinks outside of the Jungle, feeling like ‘fish out of water’. On the other hand: the Tichi-Huichi Raiders are, conform the lore, moving to roam the Southlands.

Spoiler: Story #5 – Out of the Air

A great story about one of the battles between Dark Elves and Lizardmen. This story is written very cinematic. This draws me very much into it. At the start I was a little confused about the main character, he is a Skink riding a Terradon or Razordon, but it seems that he has wings of his own, how. I read it a couple of times before it hit me. His magical cloak provided him with wings and the ability to fly.
This in itself is a good take on the theme. Then the story gets more interesting seeing the Siege of the Temple City. The Druchii mage vaporizing the water and leaving the fish on dry riverbeds. The second take on the theme. From here on out the story gets me emotional.
The sacrifice that Tanxi makes to save the city and its remaining inhabitants. The Magic of the Slann is very specific but very much in line with the powers of the sacrificed artifact. The third take on the theme is given to us by flying fish.

Spoiler: Story #6 – Incomplete

At the start this entry looks like a diary given the specific notation of dates. Eventually it is seems to be a guideline to notice the time past between the fragments told about. In every passing we find our protagonist being dismissed from his duty or tasks because of not fitting in properly. This is a repeating take on theme of feeling out of place.
For me the real take on the theme is in the last part of the story, in which our protagonist is being selected to become the first Saurus priest in Lizardmen history.

Grrr, Imrahil