Whatcha Reading? -FO:E Project Horizons by Somber-

Hello, thar. Meinos Kaen here!

Well... Seems like I'm done for. I mean, I give up. This new fandom has taken me. It demands my attention, it demands my talent. I'm talking about Fallout Equestria, of course. And since it has successfully made me start my very own fanfic, I thought it would be nice to give you some background. My fic considers as Canon two particular stories that give it its background: the first is obviously Fallout Equestria by Kkat, which I already reviewed on this blog; the second one is the dark Project Horizons by Somber, and when I say dark, I mean dark.

The story follows, still by a first person perspective, the unicorn mare Blackjack, and her eventual coterie of companions, most of which shot or injure her in some way at least once. It takes place at roughly the same time as the original Fallout Equestria, in the smaller region of Hoofington, which I could dub as the dark side of the wasteland. The wasteland isn't a nice place to begin with, but Hoofington seems to be a receptacle, a melting pot for the worst of it. Anything dreadful and terrible that can happen in the wasteland, it has happened in Hoofington, and it will happen again. Add to it the local brand of death called the Enervation, and you have the kind of location where the plot develops. A plot that earns a 9/10 from yours truly.

What did I like?

Hoofington is a smaller region than the main one where the original Fallout Equestria takes place, which although full of locations, leaves a difficult to fill blank space inbetween them. Hoofington feels more compact and regarding topography, nothing is left to the reader's imagination. For that I'm grateful.

The narration is strong, wonderfully paced. The insights in the past of Equestria, the missing pieces from the original story's exposition which spur further mysteries, the characters (with many delicious references to things also not Fallout coughStronghoofcough), everything contributes to a great story. The Magnus Opus are the scene were a boat sails through a building (no, seriously) and the final confrontation arc with the pony who forces Blackjack out of her Stable in the first place.

What I didn't like

Well, the grimness of the story makes it unique, but gets tiring after a while, especially since Blackjack tends to put the blame of everything bad that happens interest world on her shoulders. Also, after you get that everything that can go bad will go bad, it stops having the same impact, like a slasher movie aficionado who's become desensitivized to gore. There are so few and small bright spots that they're not enough to break the dark monotony, especially since Blackjack herself never cheers up or feels happy.

Also, I said before that the author really tries his hand at topography, but there are some indications that are confused or imprecise when compared to the rest of Equestria. For example, Somber places the whole of Hoofington to the east of the main region, but states that there's not that much distance between it and Manehattan and as such, Tenpony tower. But according to the original Fallout Equestria, if Hoofington really is in the East, Hoofington would be very far from Manhattan, which is in the core region's Southwest. Barring Ponyville, she would be closer to any other location but Manehattan, including Canterlot and Fillydelphia. But this gives you trouble only if you, like me, are trying to make a precise map of the whole wasteland to not step on already beaten turfs. Hoofington's local geography is perfect.

My tips to the author

I - Try to not make the story that dark and depressing, or to make the effects of the mote of lights be really felt. If something happens so much to the point of becoming the normality, it loses in impact.

II - This goes double for Blackjack and her actions, unwilling or not. While the dreamscape chapter was interesting, was it really necessary, especially considering what happened to one of the computer programs? Wasn't she walking on the edge enough? Unless it's all part of a big plan. In that case, my sombrero tips off to you.

The story isn't complete, but it's heading for its final arc. It will probably force me to modify my own story in media res, but I knew what I was getting into, making Project Horizons canon. I regret nothing, this story is awesome.

Meinos Kaen out!