9.3 KiB
Forging the Sword updated, Ch 15: First Steps [RT][HF]
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Author: u/_brightwing Feathered menace*
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URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3557725/15/Forging-the-Sword
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Score: 15
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Created: 2014-08-22T16:33:00
Post:
Comments:
u/alexanderwales [+4] Time flies like an arrow (17 minutes later)
I have seen this reccomended a few times - what are the reasons that I should be reading it? Awesome action scenes, heavy emotion, good characterization ... ? 150K words (and incomplete) is enough that I'd like someone's analysis of why I should read it rather than just being told I should read it.
Edit: Not to mention that the first chapter was apparently published in 2007, which means that it's probably never going to be completed.
u/PeridexisErrant [+10] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (9 hours later)
Good characterisation. Good worldbuilding. Near-canon competence porn. Best treatment of wandless magic I've ever read. Excellent treatment of magic generally, including obscure stuff like Occlumency and the cultural reasons not to require an unbreakable vow from every student never to harm another person.
The main points of divergence are subtle enough that it feels realistic, and the author feels no need to visit the stations of the canon - some similar things happen, but there's usually good reason.
It's a very strong rational fic, without being rationalist.
u/flame7926 [+2] The Lone Power (11 hours later)
The story had a two year hiatus at one point but has updated twice this year, so it doesn't seem too unlikely that it'll be finished to me.
u/_brightwing [+1] Feathered menace (4 hours later)
er, basically a bit like hpmor(..ish) only with canon!Harry, Ron and Hermione. The divergence point being in the second year where he fails to save Ginny. And it changes everything.
My memory is a bit scratchy from the two month of hiatus from the last time I read it though. So I’m afraid I’m not the best person to ask about this - not until I get the chance for a second read through at least.
From what I do remember though, it was pretty good. Devoured it in the first setting like I do most interesting things. The writing’s great, felt very much true to canon’s narrative. And I liked how the trio began to rationally approach everything. Lots of fantastic little deviations from canon too, the wizarding world depicted a bit more realistically.
You can give the reviews (from 1st ch) a look if you like, and then give the first few chapters a try.
u/blazinghand [+3] Chaos Undivided (11 hours later)
I feel like it's only like hpmor in that it is a fanfic about harry potter that is reasonably good. There are some changes and divergences, and you can tell the author is trying to write a better world than the canon harry potter world but still reasonably contained with in it.
I wouldn't consider it to be like hpmor because it focuses on three characters, not one, and other reasons. It will certainly seem like hpmor in some ways, but only because of the limitations inherent in writing good harry potter fanfic.
u/chaosmosis [+3] and with strange aeons, even death may die (a day later)
Seems irrational for Harry to pay for information that Dumbledore will soon be giving him for free. There's no real cost to Harry just assuming that he can't get out of the tournament, so even the slight delay doesn't provide much of a justification. Dumbledore would of course be much more thorough than any student in finding relevant information, as well.
Additionally, Harry maybe should have bargained harder. He paid much more money than he should have. It would have been easy for him to, for example, point out that if she forced him to pay the bounties individually, he would then refuse to use her as a source in the future. The good will or slight trust of the Boy Who Lived is worth a lot more than the galleons she gained, he should have pointed that out and used it while negotiating.
Wow, that test is really smart and sneaky, awesome.
As always, I'm very glad to see this update.
u/literal-hitler [+2] (7 hours later)
Man, I either need synopsis on these kinds of things or to stop reading so many works in progress at once. My memory on this story is foggy enough that I'm forgetting things, but I remember it enough that rereading it would be annoying considering it isn't even finished yet.
u/_brightwing [-1] Feathered menace (9 hours later)
Exactly, I had to skim through the last three chapters to get a sense of where the story was. Even then I forgot that Harry could do spoiler: now.
As a matter of public service we need to make a habit of updating tvtropes entries as we read.
I always cringe when monster of a reads updates once in a blue moon. For I know my schedule for the
dayweek is utterly ruined to accommodate the fat reread that I am like, honor bound to inevitably do. On top of my wonderfully obese backlogs. I think I’d still be struggling through the Dungeon Keeper Ami update weren’t for the trope summarizations.
u/chaosmosis [+1] and with strange aeons, even death may die (a day later)
Share us a list of your backlogged in progress fics?
u/_brightwing [+5] Feathered menace (a day later)
Sure thing. Hope we don’t derail the thread too much though.. And not all of them are exactly rational mind you. In a not necessarily particular order:
Missed a week of Pact The Two Year Emperor qntm, got to get started on Ra S.I. Dungeon Keeper Ami last chapters Free Radical Ted Chiang Accelerando Passages in the Void series by localroger Axiomatic - Greg Egan Finishing Song of Ice and Fire.. The Sea of Knowledge smthng spacebattles Korra Matter fanfic Naruto: Ouroboros - maneyan Ned Stark Lives fanfic New California Dreaming - Fallout Universe fic - Hotpoint Tiberium Wars - Peptuck fanfic Rationalising Death - Scientist's Thesis Genius is a Curse - Bloodshot Eyes ..40+ interesting looking titles that I have yet to start. Sigh City of Angles Unsounded - Ashley Kope Thermohalia Dark Science - dresdencodak Constantine Locke & Key Order of the Stick How to Argue - Jonathan Herring The Social Animal - Elliot Aronson How to Become a Straight-A Student, Cal Newport Methods of Persuasion -Nick Kolenda The Willpower Instinct - Kelly McGonigal Paul J. Silvia - How to Write a Lot Study Skills Strategies, Accelerate Your Learning Complications - A Surgeon's Notes, Atul Gawande Love's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy Permutation City Greg Egan The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman Sunshine, Robin McKinley A Natural History of Dragons Good Omens Boy - Roald Dahl The Help - Kathryn Stockett PeterWatts Blindsight Less Wrong Sequences Contact - Carl Sagan Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan The Demon-Haunted World - Carl Sagan Richard Dawkins Buddhism Without Beliefs - Stephen Batchelor..I really need come up with some kind of organizational process to systematically devour this.
And adding to this books I haven't been able to get yet. weeps
Edit: Formating hiccup - fixing..
u/chaosmosis [+3] and with strange aeons, even death may die (2 days later)
You could consider adding a book on speed reading. Might save time, overall.
Thanks!
u/chaosmosis [+2] and with strange aeons, even death may die (3 days later)
By the way, what's S.I.?
u/_brightwing [+5] Feathered menace (3 days later)
DataPacRat’s Self Insert in a post singularity future. Cannot recommend it badly enough. It’s best to read it as a Pdf. Can’t believe there’s a book 4 already, man I’m behind. Also beware: there be spolier.
Thanks for suggestion by the way. I read up on speed reading before but it just didn’t click in my head that I could just get a professional book and be done with it.
Speed reading really shines when tackling pages and pages of academics though. Don’t know if I want to rely on it all the time. On the main reasons I’m such dreadfully slow reader is because I’m guilty of playing out all the friggin scenes in my head. Complete with dramatic musical accompaniment and ^occasionally ^making ^fx ^sounds ^that ^has ^undoubtedly ^given ^onlookers ^concern ^for ^my ^sanity..
Peter Kump’s Breakthrough Rapid Reading is looking good.