Fic Rec/Review

[lls_mutant]

I really, really, really need a Mutant Reviewers icon. But my banner doesn't go into icon format nicely.

I've been meaning to review/rec this for a long time, but with the effort that goes into the actual story, it seems to merit a review that's more coherent than "This is cool! Go read it!"

The review format makes much more sense if you've ever checked out Mutant Reviewers From Hell, which is the movie site I write for. But regardless, I think you can manage following along!

So, in true Mutant style....



The Prankster's Guide to Life
"This stuff," he said, "is fucking incredible."
Nigel the Skeletal Crocodile grinned. "Amen, brother."

Tagline: "On a shelf in his sitting room was a handwritten book entitled, A Prankster's Guide to Life, by Padfoot and Prongs, edited by Moony Lupin, and illustrated by Peter 'Why did I have to be a Rat?' Pettigrew. It was the only copy still in existence, the first having been lost to the fury of an enraged mother, Peter's accidentally dropped into the lake seventh year, and James' buried in the wreckage of the house in Godric's Hollow."

Summary Capsule: The exploits of Mssrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are related in snippets in between excerpts from their book. Found at prankstersguide


Mutant Meter (adapted):
Shippiness: 3
Quotes: 5
Offensiveness: 1
Bizarre: 3
Rereadability: 5

Lissa's Rating: Asparagus, crocodiles, Hey Jude, and actual Peter. What more could you want in a fic?
Lissa's Review:

Okay, ladies (since most of you reading are ladies, and my apologies to the few gents who aren't), it's secret time. Ready for this? Shhh... come in and I'll whisper it.

I'm not a fan of the Shoebox Project.

It's not that The Shoebox Project is badly written. It's not. I just never cared for a.) the overwhelming use of present tense, and b.) the characterization of Remus Lupin. But when you look at that nice, sweet, grammatically obsessed version of Remus and compare him to my boxing, Queen-loving, collar-wearing Remus, and maybe there's a reason for that there, I guess. But I've always kind of missed out on the excitement that sweeps the R/S fandom when The Shoebox Project is updated.

Not anymore.

The Prankster's Guide to Life (found at prankstersguide tells the backstories of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, but does it in a way that really appeals to me, with a sophistication that I really enjoy. Well, some level of sophistication. These are the marauders, after all.

A plot summary is kind of useless, in a way, because we all know the overall plot- and this is a work in progress. It's the story of four boys who became best friends, formed a group so tight-knit and so close that they would die for each other (erm, in theory), and turned Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry on its head. They left a record for future generations (or at least themselves!) entitled The Prankster's Guide for Life.

The Guide isn't given to us in the order it would appear in the pages of Remus Lupin's copy, but that really doesn't matter, because the stories of the boys' lives aren't given to us in chronological order. And they don't need to be. We all know that James, Sirius, and Peter became Animagi for Remus, that Peter betrayed them all, that James married Lily, et cetera. What the Prankster's Guide girls do is fill in the details, with interconnected vignettes. Each vignette is prefaced by a relavent section of the Guide, written in a voice that sounds exactly like the marauders on the Map.

What's interesting to me is that prankstersguide is written by four seperate writers. lacylu42 writes James, sheafrotherden writes Sirius, ignipes writes Remus, and krislaughs writes Peter. However- and having done the cowriter thing I find this VERY impressive- I challenge you to figure out without peaking who writes what. The voices all blend together very well, and the style is such that having four writers on the project is not remotely distracting. Instead, you might be tempted to think it was one writer because there isn't a hugely noticable break in style. I can vouch that this is quite challenging to do. I'm not saying that it's perfect, but because of the manner the story is told in, it's close enough.

Characterizations are wonderful. James rarely gets a fair treatment in R/S fics, tending to get boiled down to a clueless Lily-chasing idiot, or Sirius's best friend only, Sirius is often a simple-minded playboy, Remus a chocolate eating, book reading whiner, and Peter non-existant or thinly veiled evil. Not here. All four boys are complex and three-dimensional, and most of the fandom cliches are eschewed, although the canon characterizations are still kept. The relationships between them are also not simply "bestest friends James and Sirius, true love forever Remus and Sirius, and tag-along Peter." Instead, the dynamic is fluid depending on the situation, as is appropriate. And they're geeks, in their marauderish way.

And that's what really appeals to me. I've liked certain vignettes better than others. For instance, I wasn't as much a fan of the "Hey Jude" prank as most people were. Don't ask me why- it's not the quality of writing. (I think it's betrayed by the lack of pranks in my own fics, to be honest. I'm just not a prank person.) But I LOVED Peter-the-traitor scenes, and the most recent Animagus arc was beautifully done. But even in the vingettes I haven't been as fond of, I'm not repelled by the writing or anything- it's all personal preference. There's a certain amount of balance here between angst and humor and everything in between that scale, and that makes it appealing.

R/S fans looking for sex will be highly disappointed. There's certainly shippyness between Remus and Sirius here, but it's not explicit physical stuff. No graphic descriptions of sex, no incessent silencing charms, and no threesomes with James. However, R/S fans looking for plot will be over the moon, because that's what here in abundance. Me, I feel that there are VERY few stories out there that have explicit sex and plot, because it's harder to do and quite frankly, you need to write a LONG story for it to really work. (The two examples I can think of are my own Accidentally In Love (yes, I'm a bit of an egoist), and thistlerose's Three Weeks Outside Time arc.) But if you want the R/S dynamic beyond the typical subject matter such as sex, getting found out, and the final fight, this is an R/S fic you can't miss. On the same note, marauder fans who aren't sure how they feel about R/S should check this out, because it won't squick you or ram the cuteness of Remmie and Siri's love (excuse me as I (and the ladies who wrote this, I'm positive!) gag) down your throat.

This is definitely a can't-miss fic for anyone who likes this generation of the Harry Potter crew, and I can't recommend it highly enough!

Yes, I skipped the Intermission, Didja Notice, and Groovy Quotes. These work great for movies- not so well for lit.

If You Liked This Fic, Try:
-Other works by all four authors!
-thistlerose's "Three Weeks Outside Time" arc
-miraminx's "Redeeming Time"

Comments

[wickedevra.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec, I've been meaning to check this out...it sounds really fun :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Hope you enjoy it! Definitely a lot of fun, and also heart-breaking at times. I think you're one of those that will really, really like it, given what I know of your fic tastes!

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU!!! :)

We really do have a lot of fun writing this thing, and it's great to know that you're enjoying it. And I'm especially happy to hear that you think the balance of humour and sadness works. That's tricky (as you well know), writing a story that everybody knows ends in tragedy without either ignoring the tragedy or having an angst-ridden melodrama. The boys do need to have fun, after all. *g*




Pssst. I'm not a Shoebox fan, either. Am I allowed to say that? Very well. I've said it. That makes two of us. We should start a club. But I should give them credit: they are largely responsible for the way I write Remus. Or, rather, for the way I deliberately don't write Remus. Heh.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

You're welcome- it's well deserved!

And I'm especially happy to hear that you think the balance of humour and sadness works.

That's what I like best- and also what attracts me to this pair. But so few fics really have the balance- it's hard to find one that really does. After all, the first reason I had for shipping R/S was it gave them SOMETHING to be happy about in OotP!

Pssst. I'm not a Shoebox fan, either. Am I allowed to say that? Very well. I've said it. That makes two of us. We should start a club. But I should give them credit: they are largely responsible for the way I write Remus. Or, rather, for the way I deliberately don't write Remus. Heh.

Actually, same here on the Remus aspect :) What sucks for the Shoebox girls is that I don't think they're a response to the cliche as much as the generators of it, and that's not something they can help. Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's also really annoying. That's one of the appeals of PGtL for me- a much more kick-ass Remus. It's not so much that your Remus stands out from Shoebox, but that he stands out from the fandom generated around Shoebox. So I don't blame Shoebox itself.... But I get REALLY tired of that characterization!

[maglors-finch.livejournal.com]

Here's another potential member of the not-all-that-impressed-by-SBP club! I'm so glad I'm not alone! Though parts of it are hilarious to read, other parts are downright boring - I'm still reading, but I skip a great deal - or hugely irritating (the characterisation of Dumbledore, for instance).

What sucks for the Shoebox girls is that I don't think they're a response to the cliche as much as the generators of it, and that's not something they can help.

My impression is that the cliche arose after OotP, Pensieve scene; SBP merely added a lot of new fuel. My main complaints are that parts of it are immature, that much of the time the boys act like girls with c***s, and that some elements are just too derivative (the Prewett brothers on flying motorcycles... so Sirius was just an uncreative imitator?). Plus that I hate the "Snape was a spoiled rich pureblood" cliche.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I honestly haven't read too much of it- I read a bit, didn't really like it, and gave up. I know it's inordinately popular, and I think it tends to be a lot fluffier than I like- at least, that's my impression. But I wonder how much is personal taste- by most accounts, Accidentally In Love is VERY different from Shoebox, not only in characterization but in plot elements. (Or more accurately, Deny Thy Father is. AIL takes place long after Shoebox.)

I'm not fond of the Snape as a spoiled rich pureblood cliche, either. One of the reasons I don't write much Snape is because I find him a very, very difficult character to write. I DON'T fully understand him, and I know we'll find out more about him. The only place where I really felt that was a lack was in Deny Thy Father- but I justified that by saying it was entirely from Sirius's pov and Snape was just not important enough for him to think about unless he was under Sirius's nose. (I don't think that's a bad justification, honestly ;) ). And in AIL... it doesn't surprise me that Sirius didn't know Snape was a Death Eater, because all those kids I hated in high school? Yeah, I just never bothered to think about them again once I was gone. But anyway, yeah. My original point is that Snape- especially young Snape- is an incredibly difficult character to write, and I find very few people that do it well.

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

Pssst! Make that three! Actually four because I know another, though I won't "out" her ;)

When I first came into the R/S side of fandom, everyone told me I had to read Stealing Harry and SBP. I loved Stealing Harry. I really do. Sam isn't the greatest writer, style-wise, but he tells a hell of a story. So then I started reading SBP and... I fell asleep. At my computer. I thought the notes and things were adorable and clever, but the story bored me, to be honest. I don't think I made it through three of the chapters there.

And as you well know, I LOVE prankster's guide to pieces, and I fervently hope that you four continue to awe and amaze me with it for a long time to come! :)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

We do plan to tell the story until it's complete, but we'll probably do it veeeery sloooowly... ;)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Yeah- Stealing Harry and the SBP are the two big recs, and I feel the same way. I always wonder a bit when a story is SO recced- is it really THAT good? Stealing Harry I can understand- it's extremely creative and overall, I think Sirius and Remus are perfectly in character. (I really don't like Secret Werewolf Powers, but aside from that...) Shoebox- like I said, I don't bash it, but I do think it has a younger audience. Ah well. :)

But I'm glad I'm not alone on this one!

[lacylu42.livejournal.com]

Wow! This is so generous and lovely -- I'm absolutely flattered.

I have to concur wholeheartedly that James and Peter tend to get overlooked in most R/S Marauders Era fic. Having each of us "play" a character, however, ensures equal screen time for all, and James and I couldn't be happier about it.

=D

Thank you!!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :) I'm a huge believer in reccing stories that are underappreciated, and the Prankster's Guide IS. Probably because it doesn't have much sex, but there you go. :P (Not that I'm cynical or anything.)

I have to admit, writing alone, it's HARD to get James and Peter into a fic sometimes. It's not that I try to neglect them (quite the reverse), but when you want to keep a fic a (ahem) reasonable length, the dynamics of four can get difficult. (Also, when you limit yourself to two points of view, it gets even harder.) I can appreciate why it's rare for all four boys to get equal screentime in R/S fics- or even the importance or whatever. But this makes a really, really nice change. So thank YOU :)

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

Nice review, Lissa! PG is a favorite of mine!

I also love thistle's Midnight Conversations universe (of thich Three Weeks is a part) to pieces. I don't always agree with how she handles certain aspects, but it works fabulously for her story arc, and really: footpad is love :) *g*

I haven't read Minx's stories in (what feels like) ages, but I'm sure I read Redeeming Time.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

I LOVE Three Weeks, but for some reason I've never been a huge Midnight Conversations fan, either. I think it has a lot to do with the order I've read some of Thistlerose's stuff in. If I'd read MC earlier, I'd probably have liked it better. But I read some of her later stuff first, and you can see the differences just in experience and all that. My favorite-est piece of hers is actually The Secret Language of Cats.

I haven't read a lot of Minx's other stuff, but I really liked Redeeming Time, especially the way she handled Sirius coming out to James. That was really well done. Plus, there's just not enough good James appreciation!

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Wandered over here from ignipes' journal, and I completely agree. Prankster's Guide hooked me from the start, and while I liked SBP reasonably well, I never actually managed to get up to date on it. Remus was...prissy, for lack of a better word. And Remus simply isn't prissy.

Every time I run across a very good MWPP fic, I tend to hide out for a few days before working on mine, just to make sure nothing gets randomly assimilated.

Having four writers, one for each character, really is a great way to write MWPP stories. I know I rec Prankster's Guide every time I possibly can. These ladies deserve all the recs they can get!

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

Oh, good, so I'm not the only one who thought SBP!Remus was a total priss. Granted, I've only read one chapter (the "Career Advice" one that everybody gushes about), and parts of it were hilarious, but the characterization just seemed off in so many ways that I wasn't tempted to read the rest.

Prankster's Guide, though, really is excellent -- one of the few R/S fics good enough to make me want to put aside my dislike for the pairing long enough to read more. (I hope this doesn't come across as a backhanded compliment, because it isn't meant to be. If you've won over a dedicated non-shipper, you're doing really, really well.)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

(I hope this doesn't come across as a backhanded compliment, because it isn't meant to be. If you've won over a dedicated non-shipper, you're doing really, really well.)

I don't think it does (although I'm not the one you need to worry about ;) ). I've managed to get non-R/S-ers to read my stuff as well, and actually, I consider it MORE a compliment when a non-shipper says "okay, I still don't believe in this ship in canon, but in your version, I can read it and understand where you're coming from."

I do feel for non-R/S-ers who've gotten caught in the crossfire or been on the recieving end of some of the more viscious shipping wars. Aside from it being annoying to have a trait ascribed to you that you're not, the point about a lot of R/S fics not being in character or flat-out sucking is valid. If you want a good fic that has a lot of plot, a lot of Peter and James, and a lot of other issues besides sex and sexuality, they can be really, really hard to come by. This one doesn't dwell on the R/S but focuses on the marauders as a group, and the R/S relationship becomes one more dynamic. (It also stays in its proper place, with Sirius and James still best friends and Sirius and Remus having a different sort of relationship altogether.)

I complain about R/T because too often I find it "cute", which doesn't work at all for me in that particular relationship. I see a LOT of the identical complaint about R/S, and I think it's even more appropriate there. Again, that's the thing I like about PG- the R/S relationship isn't meant to be all cute and cuddly and The Only True Love Foreverandeverandever. (I can't even take that in my Lily/James fic. It's the 30-year-old cynical woman in me that says even in a happy, stable marriage people aren't THAT nauseating.)

Heh. Sorry I keep rhapsodizing at you, but it's infinitely more fun than reviewing the paper I'm meant to be reading :P

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Shipping wars frighten me. They really, truly do. I try to write with little to no emphasis on shipping if that's possible, but the characters keep slipping in and out of relationships precisely the way I remember my group of friends doing so in school and university.

Fluff has its place, and I've read some fun fluff, but I definitely do reach my saturation point rather quickly.

I also completely see what you mean about getting shippers who don't like the ship to read your writing. One of the problems with a story where the ships change is that it leaves you open for flaming from both sides. I've been lucky so far. ::knocks on wood::

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

I, for one, definitely don't take that as a backhanded compliment. As far as I'm concerned, if we can get somebody who dislikes R/S to read it, we're doing something right. Same for any other aspect of it, really. We've gotten a few reviews from people who say that they don't normally read anything with Peter playing a large part, but they like what we've done with him. That makes me quite happy. :)

So, thanks!

(And I solemnly swear that I will never, ever, ever, ever write a prissy!Remus.)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

They do! It kind of appalls me how few readers there are at PG, compared to something like Shoebox. Maybe in time.... Interestingly, I've noticed that none of the four ladies seem to have a HUGE following, even though I consider them some of the more talented writers in the fandom, much less the R/S area of fandom.

And I do the same thing too- I have to watch out for ideas sneaking into my fics. Fortunately, I'm into post-Hogwarts now, so I'm pretty much safe.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

My guess is that PG is newer, and therefore hasn't had the time to develop a giant fan following. It does amaze me that most of my favourite writers--the PG girls among them--are fairly obscure. Although I'm certainly doing my best to rec them, and I know quite a few others are as well.

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

Alas, we just don't belong in the Cool Kids Club. ;)

But thanks. *hugs*

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

And you don't write explicit sex. How do you expect to be part of the Cool Kids Club if you stick with the PG-13 rating? ;)

[yma2.livejournal.com]

I've never got round to reading the entirity of Pranksters Guide to Life, but I will try to at some point. It's working out the time, you know? But thanks for your rec, anyway.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can understand the time thing- totally. It IS hard to get the time sometimes. That's actually one of the reasons I like Prankster's Guide. It's long, but although there's generally some thematic connection between parts, you don't have to remember little details in each part because they might be crucially important later when you're trying to figure out a mystery or something. It's a relaxed long read, if that makes sense.