SophieJackson21

Gripping Sci-Fi Epic in the Making

Science fiction stories have to grab me early on to appeal to me. I am looking for a good story, intriguing and complex characters, and a universe I can believe in. All these things I have found in The Ursaverse Volume I. I have just begun reading this story and I am already hooked.

The writing is intelligent and not simply generic sci-fi or filled with the usual clichés. Though the story moves between timelines, this does not break its flow and it builds into the drama. The two brothers at the centre of things are initially shown to us in the midst of their struggles, torn apart by their pasts and now rivals rather than siblings. Even in the prelude, we see a glimpse of who they were, who they are and get a sense of the tension between them. It will be interesting to see how these characters develop further in the story.

I also enjoyed the initial introduction and the asides by the Fatescribe. I know, it sounds strange to rave about an introduction, but I loved this little touch and how it subtly introduced us to the following adventure.

I look forward to reading more from the Ursaverse and discovering its many stories!

Fan Fiction at its Finest

I have loved Resident Evil since I came across the original game on the PlayStation. I have never read any fan fiction before, so I was not sure what to expect.

I felt the author really nailed the atmosphere of Res Evil, from the first paragraph it felt very authentic and just like a Res Evil game.

The plot drags you in straight away and you know swiftly that the bad guys are up to their genetics/virus trouble once again. You feel sorry for the victims and hope they can be rescued in time.

It’s great to have Leon Kennedy as the lead, he is one of my favourite characters from the series and he has been captured well by the author.

The writing is smooth, well composed and with a spike of humour that keeps it following. Overall it is a very well written and cool story, and I look forward to more from this writer.

A spooky tale with lots of promise

It’s nice to come across a classic style of horror that is not dependent on guts and gore to convey a sense of dread and unease.

The author has clearly spend time trying to set the piece correctly in its time frame and to get the right feel for the story.

There is a lot left unanswered as the story unfolds, which is always good in a horror. It leaves you wondering just what was really occurring, and how it all began in the first place.

I did feel this story could have been expanded into a full novel, and it was slightly limited by the short story format, it would benefit from a longer word count to give it a chance to really fly and develop all the elements.

One of the short falls of short stories is the need to keep everything very tight, each nugget of information has to be relevant to the story. There were some elements in this tale that could be considered background information and could probably be removed to tighten up the story. However, if the story was expanded, those elements could be explored further and bring more depth to the overall plot.

On a purely practical note, the last chapter would benefit from some further proof reading. Due to this I did have to drop a star for the grammar/punctuation. But it is an easy fix.

I consider this a confident, bold and intriguing work, that shows great potential in the writer. I hope to see further stories, as it will be exciting to see how they develop and I am sure there are a lot of good things to come.

A Dramatic Fantasy Epic

I was hooked by the second paragraph. I love fantasy fiction and this ticked so many boxes - the varied characters, the battle of good against evil (but with that grey area where you are not so sure where the evil ends and good begins) and a well-paced plot that keeps things moving.

The characters were introduced smoothly and in a way that instantly allowed you to understand their varying personalities, and considering how many there were, it was good to see how they are all different in subtle ways (I like Luca because he is good-hearted but impulsive and quick to speak his mind).

The story swiftly unfolds with dramatic tension and it is plain that jealousy and petty revenge are going to destroy what is good in the world, but that the heroes are going to do all they can to prevent that. Of course, they cannot prevent it and as they find themselves falling under a curse it seems the world of humans is going to be doomed without them.

Grammar, spelling and punctuation were all high-quality and I have not spotted any errors so far. The story flows well and keeps you interested. I am looking forward to reading more and highly recommend if you like action-packed fantasy.

Bringing the past to life

I enjoy historical novels, especially those set in the war years and this story hits the right tone at once. It is obvious Sofia has spent time researching the period and the little details within the story help to take you back to another era.

I like that one of the characters is Austrian, bringing a new dimension to the plot and added tension. The friendship between Sarah and Max is nicely introduced and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

I look forward to following the journey of Max and Sarah as evacuees, I am already wondering what twists lie await for them!