Well, that was long. I did stay for the entire ride, though.
Cons:
- Locomotives did not exist in the eighteenth century.
- Certain passages could have used more musical variation.
- If Maisie cares so much about Shakespearean grammar, why does she use the formal "you" instead of the informal "thou"?
- The political system does not make much sense. It's hard to figure out who is in charge, to what extent, and why.
- There were no well-developed villains or antagonists.
- The Relationship Ambiguity only gets deeper and denser as the plot progresses, never reaching a resolution. I don't know what to make of our leads and their dynamic at the end, since there is so much circumlocution between them.
- The Cat is the best character. Where did he go?
- I'd love to see at least one feral monster, please.
- So much cooking!!
- How come Cinder claims that she has not been "this warm" for days when she had just pushed her limits the day prior??
Pros:
- Mehru, the Mummy. Everything about him warrants a developed backstory and a stand-alone continuation.
- Maisie's vernacular is nostalgic. At times, I didn't buy it, but her own variation on the forms grew on me.
- The Cat is the best character. Where did he go?
- The Game acknowledges choices I've made earlier.
- So much cooking!!
- There's a lot of verifiable occult lore in this Game. I'd like to have seen more of it.
- What little music there is does stimulate the imagination, and its dynamic variations set a tone, albeit a redundant one by hour two.
- The pixel artistry is both impressive and expressive. There is always something in a shade of grey here.
- Scenes serve "functions" in the overall narrative, as do objects. Narrative fans will likely praise this as an example of structural writing. You are a "blacksmith".
- Thank you for the Grammar and Spelling. I know: it's spooky stuff, these days.
Overall: I gave this Five Stars. It's not an A+, but it's an A. I can tell that a lot of thought went into this, as well as quite a bit of Heart and cooperation. It feels believable.
Rinzai Gigen.
[({R.G.||S.M.G.)}]