Clemmie Judges

NOW THAT THE WORLD IS OVER

BOOK INFO

Title: Now That the World is Over

Author: Ghost_in_the_Hella

Word count: 50.000 (ongoing)

Publication date: September 22nd 2018

Description: In the wake of the storm, Max and Chloe attempt to pick up the pieces and live with the consequences of their actions. But Arcadia Bay isn't quite done with them.

Small note: Like Eternal Return, this is also a Life is Strange fan fiction.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

"Um, Clem," you might be wondering, "why are you reviewing fan fictions instead of, well, actual books? And non-complete fan fictions at that?"

And to that I say, shut the f up. This is my review thingie. And what I say goes. If I want to review a fan fiction? I'll review a fan fiction. If I want to review a plant, then you bet your pretty butt I'll review the heck out of that plant.

Besides, like I said before, reviewing and analysing and judging—they make me understand things better. They make me understand why I like the things I like, and why I hate the things I hate. It makes me understand what I want in a story. It makes me understand what good writing is.

Breaking down components of things I like makes me able to replicate these components and add them into my own story.

So, yeah. I'm gonna review fan fictions. And actual fiction. And whatever else I want to review. Because I'm obsessive. I can't just let things go. If I like/hate something, I need to understand why I like/hate it.

Deal with it.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK

1. The plot

People who think simple = bad are idiots, because this book has a very simple plot, and that's part of the charm. Heck, it's so simple it shouldn't even be a plot. (Yes, I know this isn't actually a book, but it's less awkward, okay?) The main conflict is Max and Chloe trying to survive after the storm, doing things like ration their food and fixing their truck.

Simple, right?

Look, plots are the barebones of good storytelling. Sure, they're needed. Mandatory, even. But they're not the story themselves. This is why I've never really liked plot-driven stories. I'm not saying they're bad, or anything; I'm just saying these types of stories put the characters themselves on the backseat. And to me, characters are what matter most in stories.

There's also this underlying tension, too. This feeling that nothing is quite right, and they can't rest yet. It keeps building, the more the story progresses.

2. The characters

Characters. They're, essentially, people. And people are different from one another.

This book focuses on 2 characters, and boy, does it go all out. There's no real character arc, from what I can tell. There doesn't have to be. Both Max and Chloe are so fleshed out, so detailed, and so, so amazing in their own rights that I just...

They have different voices. Different styles of POV. Different everything. They react to situations in different ways—opposite ways, in fact. There's one scene where Chloe freaked out over something she did, deeming it as a horrible, horrible thing. Meanwhile, Max was happy that it happened. She was giddy. Proud, even.

It's genius! Subtle and genius.

3. The relationship

Ah, yes. Pricefield. It's half of the reason why everyone likes Life is Strange so much. And this story takes the remnants of their relationship from the game and builds on it.

What I like most about it is how we know how much they love each other without them having to kiss. Their love for each other is not just romantic. They were best friends, as a kid. And it shows. They know each other intimately. Hugs, smiles, tickles; all of them are as intimate as a kiss. More intimate, in some sense.

A good rule of thumb when it comes to romance is that if you have to show them kissing to let the audience know your characters are in love with each other, then you're doing things wrong.

Max and Chloe know each other. They know how to handle one another. Not always, but still. Even when they think they're not helping the other person, they are.

And they influence each other. Chloe is calmer with Max around, and Max, braver. They're better people together. They're better together, period. Nothing is more beautiful than that.

4. The dialogues

I won't say this book has the most realistic dialogue, but it's leagues better than, say, Where The Forest Meets The Stars. And may I remind you that that book is actually published, whereas this is a fan project. Something made for free.

What I like about the dialogues are that the characters have a hard time expressing themselves. Sometimes they choose not to express themselves out of embarrassment or fear or something else. Sometimes the things they say comes out wrong. Sometimes they stutter and mumble and the things they say don't always make sense, and it's all so damn good!

OVERALL

"Um, Clem," you might be wondering, "why aren't you rating this book?"

The answer to that question is:

1. This book isn't complete yet, so I don't think it's fair to judge it yet.

2. My answer might be biased since I really, really like this book.

3. I made this to analyse reasons why I like this book, not to judge it.

This book has its flaws. I can't deny that. But I keep going back over and over again to read it. And every time I check my AO3 account, I keep expecting this book to be updated.

And that says something.