Reviews by Ogre

This is nothing. I don't know why it's listed here. It is a web site that asks a few questions, and then it's over. Literally, that's everything. I guess whoever wrote this had a purpose, but that purpose is well hidden from anyone who "reads" this... thing.

The starting and setup for this story are more than enough to bring the reader into the story and want to read it. It sounds like a simple routine stop that’s clearly going to be more than routine. The reader is immediately grabbed by the story and they will want to read it simply to find out how. After all, it’s just a simple refueling stop, so what could go wrong? It’s an excellent hook and an invitation to the story.

The setting and writing on the first page set the scene nicely. There are good descriptions and details and enough information to feel like the reader is really in the story here. The only part that was slightly confusing (did you really think that wasn’t going to happen?) was the hero’s job. Maybe I missed it, but at one point Hinsman is keeping me away from the public. Then I’m supposed to protect people, but it’s not clear if it is protecting the public or Hinsman’s people. But also the hero destroyed a cruiser in the course of his job recently, too. But Hinsman has a badge and the hero has worked with a pilot before. But he’s headed to the outer rim for work, whatever that might be.

The arrival at The Last Outpost is fun. Well, maybe not for the hero, but reading the words and descriptions around it work very well. It is almost difficult to step out of the story to write this review because at that point the story is engaging and the reader really wants to stay in the story to find out what’s going on and what happened – and we’re not even in the meat of the story yet! The writing here is similar to that book you start to read just before bed and end up reading way past midnight because you just wanted to find out a little more about what was going to happen next.

There was some nicely woven-in backstory throughout the pages as it led through the story. I was hoping for a few more choices, like when the hero was asked whether they should move on or secure the station, but there wasn’t an option to just run away like a little girl and hide, so I didn’t get to choose to do that.

The story does continue with an excellent plot and tension. There were great options and logical choices throughout the story and often not a clear foreknowledge of which choice should be taken – which was a good thing because it really did create the idea that the reader was in control of the story and could really decide where the story would go. The discussions and dialogue were crisp and detailed – once again the reader is really taken into the story and feels like they are there in the room listening to the stories first-hand.

The story also had a number of twists and turns that were not expected. I could see connections from some of the decisions that I had made early in the story affect things much later in the story. And it really did keep me reading and want to read more in anticipation of what was going to happen next. I also really liked the sub-text and story that was happening in the background with the memories. Could that lead to another story? We can only hope and wait…with the hidden vial…

This is a nice and detailed story. While there are not a massive number of choices on every page, each choice is important and take you, and the story, in different directions. The story is well-written and the characters are well developed. It also differs from many on the site, as this one is more involved and actually takes some reading to get through -- not that that's a bad thing! For some nice entertained and an engrossing story, why not take a look at this one?

This is a short little story about you, as a toddler, trying to navigate your way through your day. This is a hilarious take on life as a toddler and trying to find your way through life. There are a few different situations and three different endings to this story, one that you just don't want to get (but it's still funny, but maybe not to some). If you need a quick laugh to brighten your day, head on over and read this one.

This is a nice, lighthearted story that matches the description. It's not super-long and isn't going to take you a day to read it, but there are a lot of choices and options with different outcomes. And if you scan the comments on the site, you will find that "fun" and "entertaining" show up more than a few times. I absolutely agree that this one is some light fun, so if you want a short jaunt into some light story entertainment, head on over and read this one.

Now wait, before you go blasting me for that title of this review, let me explain: those are the author's words. That's the comment the author put out for this story. I'm not saying I'm arguing with that opinion, either. This is a very, very short story (less than 800 words) and as you might imagine, there's not really any story in content that short. I don't know what it has to do with blackbirds, but on the very first page your only option is to rape someone. I'm really not sure what to do with that, that's not my idea of a story. If, for some reason, a story absolutely has to have that kind of content, I might suggest that a character in the story should be doing that instead of putting the reader in that kind of situation. Seriously, don't bother with this one.

Did you get that this is a puzzle? It's not a story, it's not fiction, it's a logic puzzle. That said, it's a fun logic puzzle encapsulated in a nice little story. You have to solve the puzzle for the king and if you lose, well, you have to do Jester Duty. It's not so bad, I've done it a few times myself. Anyway, if you like logic puzzles, head on over and step through this one, the way it is done in the story-like atmosphere and design is entertaining and fun.

This has been one of my most popular stories on the CYS web site. However, if you're expecting a nice wholesome story for the kids, please, I beg you, look somewhere else! This started as an entry for a succubus contest and just went downhill from there. I have heard a number of good things about the writing and the story, so that part is nice. But just realize that this takes a trip into some dark places. Oh, not evil, but just nasty. And heck, there's even bits of comedy in there, so if you like comedy and nasty, this is the story for you!

So this is for those who like to explore. You don't have to worry about guessing the correct words in a parser, since it is written with the CYS web site and there's links to help you find your way. However, most of the links are simply "Go East" or "Open Door," so it should remind you of the classic IF with a simple parser.

There are a number of objects scattered around the place as well -- some are required to find the end, some are not. It may take you some time to find your way through to the end, this wasn't meant to be a quick and easy run. In fact, there's even a timer so that if you take too long to explore, you get caught and lose. But feel free to map the place because if you get caught, you can always try again!

Okay, the entire story is just over 1,000 words. It would take me just a few minutes to actually post all the writing right here in this review. You can thank me later that I did not waste your time. And honestly, I can't suggest you bother taking the time to read this one, even though it will only take you a few minutes.

There's really nothing here. There's no character development, no real story, not even any characters, really. In fact, if you make the "wrong" choice on the first page, the entire story is over! So make sure you do what the author wants you to -- and that is the recipe for a story that I, for one, don't want to read.