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TRIUMVIRATE SE Reviews
By The Host
REVIEW #1
by JPJunkee
By now, most everybody who cares the least bit about fanfiction at this site, has heard of The Host's Triumvirate. And almost everything that you will hear about it, is that it's a great story. Many people say that it's incredible, many others say that they can't wait to get the chance to read it. Well, the story has been fully posted since the end of December, and only two people has finished reading it; myself, and Dark Hunter.
And honestly, I think that's a little sad, since in my opinion, this is one of the better original stories to have ever been posted at this site.
After reading the first chapter (or installment) you get the feeling, that this is just a big sci-fi story, one that borrows a lot from Star Wars and such. And I'll be honest, I thought it started out with a bang, but it felt like something I had already seen before. It changed very quickly, however.
This is not any normal science fiction story. In fact, I find it hard to even classify it as science fiction in some places. Triumvirate breaks what is considered to be the norm for sci-fi. It still holds the incredible action that one would come to expect from such a tale, but Triumvirate throws in a story that is worthy of recognition. There's just so many twists in this story, I couldn't possibly list them all (not that I would in the first place).
The story is kind of hard to explain, and I honestly don't know where to start. Perhaps that makes me a bad reviewer, but if you read the story, you might understand where I'm coming from. There's just too much to say about the story, because the story is so large.
Now, I will say that this is among my favorite stories to have ever read at this site, but as with all stories, Triumvirate is not without flaws. But as I think back, none of the flaws of Triumvirate are really anything to get upset about. Probably my only complaint about this story, would have to be the fact that it seemed too short and the ending could have been drawn out a little more to inform the reader more (but a Special Edition is coming soon, so maybe that could be changed). One flaw, would have to be the fact that it's written in script format. Now, I know you're wondering how that's a flaw -- because really it isn't one -- but if you're a reader at this site, it may be considered a flaw. Usually readers prefer the novel format over the script format, but please do not let that discourage you from reading this. The Host writes his scripts very well, in fact one could be tricked into believing Triumvirate was a script straight out of Hollywood, it's that good.
Now I understand I haven't really touched on what the story is about, and for that I do apologize. Perhaps when I read this again (which I do plan to do. . . . whether it's the SE or the current version, I'm not sure) I will write a more in depth and detailed review. But, until then, I remind you that there is a great story on this site, and only a few have decided to give it a chance, it deserves more. Check this story out, and after reading the first few installments, you'll get hooked I guarantee it, and then you'll see that Triumvirate is in fact one of the best of the best this site has to offer. And you’ll see that The Host is indeed a very talented writer.
Dialogue: The dialogue is superb. Every character is different. Every emotion is represented well through a characters words. Just some excellent work. Rating: A
Action: The action is top notch. Whether it be a battle in space, a shootout, or a car chase, it's all written very clearly. Everything is written with such skill, that you can picture it all happening flawlessly in your head. Rating: A+
Descriptions: It's a script. And in most all the scripts that I've read, descriptions are very thin. That is not the case with Triumvirate. The Host must have had this entire story planned out in his mind before he even wrote a single page. Very good details and descriptions. Rating: A
Plot: The plot of Triumvirate is constantly changing. One moment it seems like it's going to be a Star Wars story of sorts where two different factions battle it out in war. But then subplots are thrown in about a disease and a fight for power within the government, and the next thing you know, those subplots are the main plots. At times it can be hard to keep up, but if you give it your full attention, you're in for a treat. Rating: A
Overall: If there's one story you're going to read this month, read Triumvirate. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's just an awesome adrenaline pumped tale, full of suspense, drama, comedy (yes, some of it is funny), and genius writing. The Host is one of the best writers of this site, and this is by far his best work yet. Read it and enjoy it. Rating: A+
Ending Thoughts: This would make for one hell of a movie. . . . I can see it now. . . . .
REVIEW #2
by dark hunter
From the moment Triumvirate starts, you know that it’s going to be big.
“A bead of sweat slowly crawls down the left side of JACK DAVIES’s face, leaving a snail trail of moisture from jowl to brow”
What remains to be told is exactly how big it is going to be.
With Triumvirate, The Host has created a universe diverse and characters the likes of which I have never seen.
The diversity and complexity of the characters builds up throughout the entire story, slowly rising at its most climatic point. The character development is one of the major strengths of this story, from miniscule things such as the visible nervousness of Davies when he is first to meet
Dawson shows us that the author not only thought carefully about what each of his characters was going to be like but also that he felt for them and it’s almost as if he put a bit of himself inside each of the characters, making them seem all the more realistic.
The main character Davies goes through the most change in development but once read you can look back through the story and see exactly where he begins to change and develop, as you can also see with Dawson, who was a major impact on Davies development.
Another thing that makes the characters seem realistic is the dialogue, for example:
He stands as the door to his office opens and Jack Davies steps in. Davies comes to attention and salutes the Admiral as the door sweeps closed behind him.
COPLEY
Don’t bother with that, now, Jack. May I call you Jack?
DAVIES
Yes, sir.
COPLEY
Well, Jack, my boy, leave your formality outside. We have no room for insubordination here so I’ve decided that there’ll be no subordination. Come, come, sit down.
Copley indicates a seat across from his desk. Davies crosses the office floor and sits, glancing quickly at Copley’s desk. Copley then sits down and, looking at his desk himself, sees the fresh moisture ring. He tactfully places his arm over that spot and slowly moves it toward him as he speaks, pressing firmly. The moisture disappears.
COPLEY (CONT'D)
Now, then, why is it that you are here, Mr. Davies?
DAVIES
Sir, I received an order to report to you at eighteen-hundred. If you’ll allow me to say, sir, it is really an honor, but I haven’t the slightest idea why I have been called here.
COPLEY
You haven’t, have you . . . ? Well, I must say, Jack, the honor is mine. It is not often that I meet a prisoner of war who so quickly escapes from his captors.
There is a brief awkward pause.
DAVIES
Sir, I—
COPLEY
Now, now, I told you to leave your formality outside. You needn’t call me ‘sir.’ But I do know about your capture and I have no idea why you didn’t report it to anybody.
DAVIES
Sir, I really didn’t remember much from it. I was banged pretty hard on the head at some point.
Copley considers this. He eyes Davies suspiciously as he speaks.
COPLEY
Hmmm . . . You know, Jack, there are some intelligence specialists who can retrieve forgotten memories. Hypnosis, that sort of thing. The reason I’m interested, see, is that you might hold some very valuable intelligence information, whether you consciously remember it or not. Depending, of course, upon what you’ve seen.
~~~~~
As I am sure you can see this is just a hint at some of the dialogue that is featured in the rest of the tale, but this small piece gives us a glimpse at the complexity and the sheer brilliance of The Host’s writing.
So we’ve determined that The Host has brilliant character development and his dialogue is top notch, but these things do not make a story, so we’ll look at another element. Enjoyment.
Sure it’s not the immediate point people think of, but when you’ve finished reading a story you immediately think back and wonder, did I enjoy it? Usually there are two answers, yes or no, then there are other answers, not sure, I think so, it was interesting, er…
So what was Triumvirate’s enjoyment factor? Let’s simple put it as extremely high, if this was a fully-fledged book it would definitely be on my top ten list. It has everything a good book should have an more, great action scenes, brilliant characters, humour, fantastic description and a hundred other things, and best of all it was well thought out, there’s not many authors posting on the internet who stop and look ahead at their work and link things back to things that happened earlier. The Host is a rarity and a fantastic writer.
The action scenes and sequences are expertly done so well in fact that mental images rush to your head and straight away you see what is happening right in front of you. Often I judge a good book on whether or not the author can make me see what is happening, The ost has excelled in this area, you feel for the characters in the ituations, you actually grip your seat in suspense, not many authors can do this to me, and The Host did it with flying colours.
It is surprising that in this Sci-fi that humour stands out so much, especially when the wacky Leo, who had such a mall part but made such an impact that I felt I had to include him in the eview.
Without any of the other characters, this story would be nowhere as each character add his own to the tale, fleshing it ut and building it into something more then your average run of the mill tory, they transform it into something amazing.
Summing up, this story had everything going for it and nothing to stop and wait for or look for, it has suspense, humour, ction, twists and turns and possibly the best character development and dialogue I have ever seen in a story. Sure the original draft had its mistakes, ut I am sure that these will be cleared up by the next release.
Chapter by Chapter Ratings (out of 10):
1) 9.5
2) 9
3) 9
4) 9.5
5) 9
6) 10
7) 9.5
8) 9.5
9) 10
10) 9.5
11) 9.8
12) 9
13) 9.5
14) 9.7
15) 10
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TOTAL
RATING:
9.5
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~Dark Hunter
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4/12/2003 4:00:15 AM
(Updated: 4/12/2003 1:43:54 PM)
(Updated: 4/12/2003 6:20:39 PM)
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