What a disapointment. Usually Aaron's fanfic reviews are a pleasure
to read, but this time it was a chore. Not only did Aaron not even do
a complete review(he only added comments after everything Bobbi
Carothers previously injected), but Aaron didn't even take his subject
material seriously. For those reasons and more, my grading pen will
lean towards the harsh side when I evaluate Aaron's review.

>Argh. I was going to do this, really I was . . .

But you didn't Aaron. You didn't. Already you are letting the
audience know that you're not a reliable critic. This is not a good
way to start a fanfic review and you should be aware of that.

>So I'll just intersperse my own comments in with yours.
>>Dave Van Domelen's "Skyjack Trilogy"
>>First off, Dave has provided us with a fine example of fanfic in this
>>little collection.
>Stellar peices of *fiction*, not just of the fan- variety.

This was a needless comment that does nothing but fill space that your
insuperior mind doesn't know what to fill it with.

>I always look forward to the Tales of The Intermezzo, DVD always
>manages to make me look at TFs in new ways, and my mind embarks
>down new roads towards inspiration. What's great is that they stand
>together, and except for a few glitches, could stand together pretty
>well, too.

This particular paragraph disagrees with past Aaron Bourque fanfic
review continuity.

>Every six months or so, I go back to his webpage and read 'em all
together.

But why? The statement right here is devoid of logic. Does your web
browser MAKE you go back to his web page every six months? Do your
parents insist that you return to it every six months? Or do you go
back just out of sheer enjoyment? The audience, including myself, is
left unsure.

>They are always excellent and brilliant.

Another needless comment.

>>Night Watchman
>>The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is a cool choice for a venue,
>>making the setting one that is instantly recognizable to a large number
>>of people.
>And it's a cool setting anyway.

I think Bobbi already pointed that out.

>>"Next thing you'll be telling me that the F-117 up there is actually a
>>Decepticon in disguise..." Heh heh heh...
>Y'see, I found that kind of forced and awkward. But the rest of the story is
>so well done, I didn't mind.

That's true in a sense.

>>Dave followed the cardinal rule of writing with expertise: he *showed*
>>rather than *told.*
>Yes, many people could read the Tales as "how-to-write" vignettes.

Does that mean they do though? Your tone almost makes it seems like
many people HAVE to.

>Are you a proffessional, Dave? Cause you should be.

You pose the answer to Dave's question even before he has a chance to
answer. Subtract two points for my final grade.

>>Soul of the City
>Metroplex is cool, even when he can't move.

Perhaps.

>>And here we come to one of the very few things that rubbed me the wrong
>>way. "He wasn't Slammer anymore, he was a trans-sonic bomber. No...
>>he was Sonic Bomber!" Guh... sounds like a "buy me!"
>Actually, I was laughing at that. Sure, it felt forced, but it also felt like
>such a "I'm a cheetah! No; I'm Cheetor!" reference I found it funny.

There is no period after the word "reference". A good critic does not
take his audience for granted. I remember the old Aaron reviews when
they were actually nice to read for the whole family, rather than a
pain.

>>Dave's author notes at the end are quite helpful here
>They're always helpful or informative; it's always great to see insight into
>the creative mind.

I supose that explains why you didn't leave any notes at the end of
your message, Aaron. Fresh out of ideas, I supose.

>>Full Circle
>This one I like and dislike for the same reasons. It's got an "origin" for
>Primus
>and Unicron, which is sort of cool and sort of fanfic cheesey. If it weren't
>DVD, I wouldn't've liked it. But he managed to pull it off without too much
>wincing from the reader. Plus, it "feels" like the END of TIME, which I
>find too often in sub-par SF fiction; which doesn't mean it can't be good,
>which Dave does, I'm just so used to it that it doesn't feel all that special
>to
>me.

I think this is the best paragraph in your whole review, but if it
were a stand alone paragraph then it wouldn't do much for the
individual reader.

>>Did Skyjack's transwarp explosion send Prime and
>>Unicron back in time to their original conceptions, setting up a never-
>>ending cycle for their lives, thus the title "Full Circle?" Or is
>>there something in the story (or perhaps Dave's larger Intermezzo
>>universe) that I missed?
>I got the impression that these were the new Primus and Unicrons, for the
>end of *this* universe.

This universe as opposed to what other universe? Questions like these
leave me feeling uneasy after reading your average Aaron fanfic
review(compared to your other reviews).

>As I said earlier, I really liked the Tales of The Intermezzo. The era lends
>itself to great stories, and Dave's a great storyteller, so it's a match made
>in
>heaven.

What heaven? We need details here Aaron. There is more than one
religion, you know, and most of the primary religions deal with a
heaven sort of place. It's as if you lumped all the various religions
together just to fit your needs. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

>Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque

I strongly disagree.

>--
>"If you don't know concentration, which gives you peculiar pleasure, your life
>looks like hell."--Hiroyuki Nishigaki

That's not based on factual informaton. Overall, a very poor Aaron
review. I expect better next time. Okay guys, when should we plan
the next FanFic Review of a FanFic Review? :)