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colbyjackcheese's reviews
21 reviews
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Gun violence
Homestuck by Andrew Hussie
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Homestuck is, in my opinion, the most important work of fiction so far this century. It's a deeply flawed masterpiece which could never have come to exist in anything other than the exact cultural moment it did. It's a massive work of collaborative fiction, a D&D campaign which the entire internet was playing for seven years. And despite its frequent claims to irony, it's full of earnestness and heart.
I just finished a complete reread of Homestuck, my first in about four years, and I enjoyed almost every one of its 8130 pages more than ever. Visually, many panels are breathtaking, with stunning use of color throughout, and a lot of key plot and worldbuilding taking place exclusively through the images (meaning that a lot of them need to be scrutinized in depth in addition to reading over 800,000 words of text.)
But he true soul of Homestuck is in its characters. The story introduces us to over a hundred characters across at least six different species, and manages to give each one unique interests and a unique style of talking and typing. Even throwaway characters are memorable and have a dedicated fanbase, while the constantly shifting dynamics between the main characters as they grow up together, share interplanetary culture, stabilize reality and build universes, always feel realistic for weird, outcast internet kids. Their character arcs aren't neat and definitely aren't linear, but they're always compelling, with Dave, Vriska, Terezi, Roxy, WV & PM being my personal favorite characters as well as ones that I think are particularly well-written.
Homestuck's conclusion has received a fair amount of criticism, and I'll agree it's underwhelming. I think it'd be hard not to be. To take a work which had spent six years becoming increasingly more sprawling, exploring different timelines, universes, and versions of a character, stable time loops, subtle in-universe retcons, and other parallel storylines, and bring them all to a satisfying conclusion, is near impossible. There isn't a sudden twist or huge revelation at the end which gives a whole new perspective on the story. The threads simply converge, and the story completes - which felt hollow on my first read, but far more satisfying this time knowing what to expect in advance.
Another often-criticized aspect of Homestuck is its pacing - many readers feel it has a slow beginning and an overly complex and meandering second half (with pages ~1000-4000 being the most universally loved). This is fair - it's not a polished product, it was written in real time, begun without even a clear idea of how Act 1 was going to finish, with plotlines invented on the fly and causality reverse engineered. For me, the weird pacing adds to the charm of the story, I like the spontaneity of it all, and the rough, on-the-fly aspects of the story only make it more impressive how SO many story threads end up linking together and having meaningful resolutions. There are so many aspects of this story that end up fitting together so perfectly that it blows my mind that they weren't planned out in advance; the attention to detail is masterful.
Homestuck is a thoughtful exploration of what the 'true self' is, the extent to which we can make different decisions and still be ourselves, what it means to have free will in a reality where linear time doesn't exist, what happens if we do or don't follow the narrative path set out for us and, even more importantly, what isn't included in that path but is still crucial to growing up and developing as a person. It's the most impossibly high stakes coming of age story I can imagine.
And, of course, it's completely ridiculous. It constantly flips back and forth between acknowledging the deeply emotional and fulfilling nature of the story it's trying to tell, and being painfully self-aware and derisive towards itself and its readers from behind a fourth, fifth, or sixth wall. More often than not, it somehow works.
I would give Homestuck more than five stars if I could. Highly recommended to anyone who grew up on the 2000s internet and/or who is really willing to commit themselves.
I just finished a complete reread of Homestuck, my first in about four years, and I enjoyed almost every one of its 8130 pages more than ever. Visually, many panels are breathtaking, with stunning use of color throughout, and a lot of key plot and worldbuilding taking place exclusively through the images (meaning that a lot of them need to be scrutinized in depth in addition to reading over 800,000 words of text.)
But he true soul of Homestuck is in its characters. The story introduces us to over a hundred characters across at least six different species, and manages to give each one unique interests and a unique style of talking and typing. Even throwaway characters are memorable and have a dedicated fanbase, while the constantly shifting dynamics between the main characters as they grow up together, share interplanetary culture, stabilize reality and build universes, always feel realistic for weird, outcast internet kids. Their character arcs aren't neat and definitely aren't linear, but they're always compelling, with Dave, Vriska, Terezi, Roxy, WV & PM being my personal favorite characters as well as ones that I think are particularly well-written.
Homestuck's conclusion has received a fair amount of criticism, and I'll agree it's underwhelming. I think it'd be hard not to be. To take a work which had spent six years becoming increasingly more sprawling, exploring different timelines, universes, and versions of a character, stable time loops, subtle in-universe retcons, and other parallel storylines, and bring them all to a satisfying conclusion, is near impossible. There isn't a sudden twist or huge revelation at the end which gives a whole new perspective on the story. The threads simply converge, and the story completes - which felt hollow on my first read, but far more satisfying this time knowing what to expect in advance.
Another often-criticized aspect of Homestuck is its pacing - many readers feel it has a slow beginning and an overly complex and meandering second half (with pages ~1000-4000 being the most universally loved). This is fair - it's not a polished product, it was written in real time, begun without even a clear idea of how Act 1 was going to finish, with plotlines invented on the fly and causality reverse engineered. For me, the weird pacing adds to the charm of the story, I like the spontaneity of it all, and the rough, on-the-fly aspects of the story only make it more impressive how SO many story threads end up linking together and having meaningful resolutions. There are so many aspects of this story that end up fitting together so perfectly that it blows my mind that they weren't planned out in advance; the attention to detail is masterful.
Homestuck is a thoughtful exploration of what the 'true self' is, the extent to which we can make different decisions and still be ourselves, what it means to have free will in a reality where linear time doesn't exist, what happens if we do or don't follow the narrative path set out for us and, even more importantly, what isn't included in that path but is still crucial to growing up and developing as a person. It's the most impossibly high stakes coming of age story I can imagine.
And, of course, it's completely ridiculous. It constantly flips back and forth between acknowledging the deeply emotional and fulfilling nature of the story it's trying to tell, and being painfully self-aware and derisive towards itself and its readers from behind a fourth, fifth, or sixth wall. More often than not, it somehow works.
I would give Homestuck more than five stars if I could. Highly recommended to anyone who grew up on the 2000s internet and/or who is really willing to commit themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Cursing, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Fatphobia
The Fifth Ward: First Watch by Dale Lucas
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Police brutality, Murder, Racial slurs, Torture, Slavery, Racism, Misogyny, Death, Kidnapping, Blood, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol