@pibara initially posted this contest as a writing contest, and at the time I was interested in participating as a writer. Sadly, I didn't get the time to enter myself, but I have made the time to read the three entries that were posted and review them.
Before I actually get to my review, I want to say that all of the entries were wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed them all for different reasons.
Now, let's start with 'Saviors of the Universe' by @wrestlingdesires:
Wrestlingdesires has brought us a fun little story with some great dialogue. It provides a fun little moral question (a subject that all three entries actually share) - an 'us vs them' debate with a bit of a twist in this case, and I think that twist makes this one's ending particularly enjoyable.
I found that this story had scene changes that were jarring, with very little detail to signify when one scene ended and a new one began, which had me re-reading sections a couple of times.
For this reason, I'm giving Saviors of the Universe three stars. The dialogue was great, the story was fairly well thought out, and the characters were fun to read. With some scene transitions and a bit more description of the locations and events, I think this would have been even better than it was.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
@litguru was my next read, with their story 'On the Eve of Decay'.
I was instantly drawn to this story when I realized it was rocking some serious Science-Fantasy vibes, which I'm just a huge sucker for (I mean, I'm still carrying a torch for a renewed Spelljammer 5e D&D setting).
This story is self-contained within a single scene involving two characters - a wizard, and their apprentice - but still touches on every element of the contest. The scenes are nicely written and the dialogue is well done. It conveys well the character's anger and sense of purpose and is a fantastic little take on the story.
I don't honestly have much to critique on this one. The most I can say is that it could have been longer, but, it certainly didn't need to be. It was a very well-written little story and had me interested in the world and the characters.
I have chosen to give On the Eve of Decay four out of five stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
@samsmith1971's story 'Echo' is our final entry to the contest.
This entry is the longest read of the three, and as is shared with all contestants, has some great dialogue. The scenes are great, and the story is fantastically put together. Samsmith1971 references articles and research papers throughout the body of the story, artfully weaving published theories and facts into the story while still holding onto the sci-fi core of the contest.
Like the other stories, the characters in this one are faced with a moral dilemma - to save themselves or doom themselves to save others.
I love the choice that was made in this one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending - which I didn't see coming. It was a wonderful read, and in the end, provided me personally with the most entertainment of the three entries.
Echo is my five-star pick.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
As I stated before though, all three entries are great and if you're reading this, I highly encourage you to read them yourself. You may find that your ratings are entirely different, and if so I suggest reviewing them!
I hadn't remembered this in the rules but, to be clear... I am not known to any of the contestants irl in any way, nor have I interacted with any of them prior to today. (The only folks I know on the chain are my wife, near-mrs, and lacking, both of whom I mention all the time in other work).
Thanks so much for the wonderful review and feedback :) I'm still learning and it helps a lot to know what was good and where it could be better :)
!PIZZA and !ALIVE
@oblivioncubed! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @wrestlingdesires.
Did you know PIZZA team has a curation trail with 29 followers? (9/10)
Absolutely! It was a great story and in my head I kind of treated it like a screenplay as it helped to understand where scenes changed. If you're not big into descriptive writing that could be an avenue to look at!
Great suggestion :) In the past my stories were descriptive, but lately I have been focusing on adding more dialogue. I haven't quite found a good balance yet :(
Thanks so much for helping :)
!PIZZA and !ALIVE
@oblivioncubed! I sent you a slice of $PIZZA on behalf of @wrestlingdesires.
Did you know PIZZA team has a curation trail with 29 followers? (2/10)
You Are Alive and have been rewarded with 0.1 ALIVE tokens from the We Are Alive Tribe, and it's paid for by the earnings on @alive.chat, swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Thank you for this well-written and thoughtful review. I enjoyed reading your impressions of all tales. I used to play D&D and still have an original dungeon master guide for advanced d&d rules. :)
Thanks for the story! You did great, I really enjoyed it!
Thank you for taking the time to read all of our stories @oblivioncubed. Your time and feedback are very much appreciated.
I have to reblog this so I have a copy myself. I hope you don't mind...it's just the first written review I have ever received of a story of mine :-)
Absolutely! Feel free!
I think you still need to do the following per the review contest rules:
Put a short declaration in your blog post stating that you aren't a close relation or an alter ego of any of the contestants, and link to your blog post in a comment on @pibara's review contest post ;-)
Oh good catch! Thanks for the heads up, I'll do that!
You're very welcome :-)
You Are Alive and have been rewarded with 0.1 ALIVE tokens from the We Are Alive Tribe, and it's paid for by the earnings on @alive.chat, swing by our daily chat any time you want.
