Fan fiction is a new area to me. Therefore finding the 10 candidates for this entry that genuinely interested me was not an easy task. After scratching my head for a few hours I headed for the obvious - the fanfiction.net, browsing through the titles in available genres. Please allow me to share with you my final selection:
1. The Bartimaeus Trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud.It doesn't come as a surprise that Jonathan Stroud's captivating mythical-magical trilogy a la Harry Potter, only better in my personal view, attracted quite a few followers. At least that's what the numbers of fan fiction follow-ups suggest. Literarily inclined fans take the cheeky, sarcastic and arrogant, in an endearing way, djinni and his master Nathaniel, as well as some others, on a variety of new adventures. Most are set in a familiar parallel dimension of modern Britain, created by the author in the original. It is also hardly surprising that the topic of "resurrection" is a popular one with Barti's fans. Nobody likes to see their loved ones lost forever. Even if they are only the loved characters from a much-loved book. I'll leave you hanging here. Read the book to find out who died, or the fan fiction to learn who resurrected :)
27.07.2010 update:
Ok, I know I got it all wrong. But now that I know I am meant to review one particular piece of fanfic at a time rather than writing a general review of a collection of stories on the same topic, I promise to improve. Starting tomorrow.
Based on Tom Burton's darkly romantic animated stop-motion feature, the story in "Bright Blue Butterflies" picks up a few years after Victor's and Victoria's wedding. They are happily married and bringing up a lively teenage daughter , endowed with rebellious spirit and sarcastic wit. Valeria resents her grandparent's attempts to bring her up in a reserved Victorian style and yearns to break away from the cold grey shades of her home village. She seizes every opportunity that promises some variety in her monotonous days and it leads her to an adventure she've always wanted to have. An interesting short read, with well-placed humour and an intriguing ending.
3. A.I. - "Alive"
A.I. is an Academy Award nominated science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells a touching story of David, an android boy who longed to become a real child and regain the love of his mother. His wish was never granted, and alternative endings were explored by several A.I. fanfic writers, including Bryan Harrison. "Alive" is a well-written ongoing project, unfinished story of David turning into a real human boy and experiencing the complexity of real human emotions and physical tribulations of human life for the first time. Will he ever get his happily-ever-after and reunite with his mother? Only time will tell.
4. Madagascar - "The Tower Fortress"
An excellent well-written piece of fan-fiction which is as fun, fast-paced and entertaining as the conan itself. The story begins several days after the point at which the original movie ended, and the four New York Central Park Zoo escapees are still stranded on the island of Madagascar. Alex the lion is overcome with feelings of guilt and depression, putting his friends into anxiety over his well-being and triggering a chain of comical events. Soon after first chapter the author steps away from the children-oriented direction of the conan and masterfully adds a mix of humour, drama and suspense into his creation, making it a gripping read.
5. Becoming Jane - "Never Wanted to Say Goodbye"
The author of this fanfiction admitted to feeling disappointed with the outcome of Jane Austen's romance with Tom Lefroy, as pictured in "Becoming Jane" - a historical film inspired by the life of a young Jane Austen before she became famous. Writing her own continuation of the story told in the movie, the author introduced a new character, set to capture Jane's heart and save her from the doom of a short lonely life. The author being "simply a modern teenager", as she describes herself, I welcome the helpful adaptation of a flowery aristocratic language of 18th century to a moderate version of contemporary English.
6. Wall-E - "Awakening"
The plot of this Wall-E fanfic is filled with potential, however I found the language to be a little bit too much which broke the flow of the story and made it difficult to read. Fiction is meant to be entertaining and no one wants to have to focus hard and have to reread sentences to make sense of them. Nonetheless, this story provided me with a desire to read more. What happens? Does this android find his purpose in life?
7. Harry Potter - "Permanent Sticking Charm"
A travel back in time to the senior years at Hogwarts of young Lily Evans and her three friends, known as the Maradeurs. The author experimented with changing POVs. It might seem a little distracting at first, but soon the chapters connect into one flowing story and watching the plot unfold through the eyes of different characters provides the reader with a different perspective and allows to develop a closer bond with each one of them.
8. Hobbit - "Hobbit Poems"
This one is written in a form of a ballad describing events from J.R.R.Tolkien's "Hobbit", the predecessor of a more famous The Lord of The Rings trilogy. For someone who is not a renowned poet, this is very good. It is easy to read and the words paint a clear picture in my mind. I think the writer has talent and good imagination.
9. Coraline - "Beloved"
The author explored Coraline's feelings in an interesting twist to the original plot, putting her on the other side of the little door leading to the "boring" parallel reality. This very short yet moving story is very well-written and makes the reader want to save Caroline from the wrath of her oppressive mother. Dark and tragic, it stirs reader's imagination and leaves us wanting more.
10. Second Life - "Second Life with Sookie Sahara"
I was surprised at the difficulty of finding fan fiction dedicated to the wondrous world of Second Life. With hundreds thousands of active users surely some of them must be literarily inclined. However fictional writings with accounts of their virtual adventures are virtually non-existent. After some searching I stumbled upon Sookie Sahara's memoir of her first day in Second life. Being familiar with SL myself, I could certainly relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed and somewhat confused, while trying to figure out how the whole thing works. The author captured it well. But I did find the storyline wasn't very well defined. I also felt a little cheated when two new characters were introduced, intrigued me, but nothing happened and they were just thrown away, leaving me with unanswered questions. This needs a little bit more work.
An excellent well-written piece of fan-fiction which is as fun, fast-paced and entertaining as the conan itself. The story begins several days after the point at which the original movie ended, and the four New York Central Park Zoo escapees are still stranded on the island of Madagascar. Alex the lion is overcome with feelings of guilt and depression, putting his friends into anxiety over his well-being and triggering a chain of comical events. Soon after first chapter the author steps away from the children-oriented direction of the conan and masterfully adds a mix of humour, drama and suspense into his creation, making it a gripping read.
The author of this fanfiction admitted to feeling disappointed with the outcome of Jane Austen's romance with Tom Lefroy, as pictured in "Becoming Jane" - a historical film inspired by the life of a young Jane Austen before she became famous. Writing her own continuation of the story told in the movie, the author introduced a new character, set to capture Jane's heart and save her from the doom of a short lonely life. The author being "simply a modern teenager", as she describes herself, I welcome the helpful adaptation of a flowery aristocratic language of 18th century to a moderate version of contemporary English.
The plot of this Wall-E fanfic is filled with potential, however I found the language to be a little bit too much which broke the flow of the story and made it difficult to read. Fiction is meant to be entertaining and no one wants to have to focus hard and have to reread sentences to make sense of them. Nonetheless, this story provided me with a desire to read more. What happens? Does this android find his purpose in life?
A travel back in time to the senior years at Hogwarts of young Lily Evans and her three friends, known as the Maradeurs. The author experimented with changing POVs. It might seem a little distracting at first, but soon the chapters connect into one flowing story and watching the plot unfold through the eyes of different characters provides the reader with a different perspective and allows to develop a closer bond with each one of them.
This one is written in a form of a ballad describing events from J.R.R.Tolkien's "Hobbit", the predecessor of a more famous The Lord of The Rings trilogy. For someone who is not a renowned poet, this is very good. It is easy to read and the words paint a clear picture in my mind. I think the writer has talent and good imagination.
The author explored Coraline's feelings in an interesting twist to the original plot, putting her on the other side of the little door leading to the "boring" parallel reality. This very short yet moving story is very well-written and makes the reader want to save Caroline from the wrath of her oppressive mother. Dark and tragic, it stirs reader's imagination and leaves us wanting more.
I was surprised at the difficulty of finding fan fiction dedicated to the wondrous world of Second Life. With hundreds thousands of active users surely some of them must be literarily inclined. However fictional writings with accounts of their virtual adventures are virtually non-existent. After some searching I stumbled upon Sookie Sahara's memoir of her first day in Second life. Being familiar with SL myself, I could certainly relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed and somewhat confused, while trying to figure out how the whole thing works. The author captured it well. But I did find the storyline wasn't very well defined. I also felt a little cheated when two new characters were introduced, intrigued me, but nothing happened and they were just thrown away, leaving me with unanswered questions. This needs a little bit more work.
Hi Elena
ReplyDeleteWhat you did also falls within what is required. It is just a bit harder to review a number of stories at once - that's all
Frank
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think you summaried the fanfiction well, but you should give your opinion, such as critique, about the fanfic as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you Frank and Katie for your comments. All comments are taken into consideration and weak points worked upon :)
ReplyDeleteHi , Elena
ReplyDeleteI just read your 10 fanfic, I think you have given out a lot good personal opinion of your fanfic . One thing makes me confused, should we need to summarise all the fanfiction from fanfic site? Oh,no .. I realise i made a big mistake.