#thebookofthesnowstorm

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 7

Framing Story (Scenes 16-18)

Did that just imply… Urizen was God. Like the ‘God’ mentioned by the Toymaker in the Giggle was actually Urizen (and thus Rassilon)? Also a Church on Ruby Road reference with the goblin. I like Rich’s little section, and in general I’m curious as to how the events in the 925 Universe tie to the Snowstorm in the library and how the mysterious-99-per-cent-sure-he’s-not-Auteur stranger factors into it, if they do at all.

The God Who Came For Christmas

Hello again FASA War Chief. The glimpse into the Archon’s perception of one another was fascinating and I think I get what it’s trying to do. Imply the FASA War Chief is a Self-Hypnotised Master trying to disguise. Either way, fun little piece even if (IIRC) it’s a sequel to a DW RPG story that I have not seen.

Presents

Interesting piece. The Fantastic Realm is an interesting setting and I like the use of comic book terminology alongside more DWEU concepts. As well as the general exploration of the infinitely variable constantly resetting characters of comic books. Captain America, or well… Captain Yank, was a good choice of character for that IMO and I appreciated the references to other suspiciously similar substitutes for Marvel’s other cast members.

The Cathedral of Winter

Ok so first of all, Abraytha is really fun, and I appreciate his general upbeat demeanour and sense of adventure and fun. Also his aesthetic is cool. The Archons of Winter were really funny, and have similarly funny implications for their temporal counterparts (In that a Multiversal visitor with the appropriate equipment could in theory bypass their defences almost as easily as Abraytha did to the Archons of Winter). The cultural differences between Xiantio and Abraytha were also really fun. Aesthetic was great too, just the general winter theming. (Also Lotto cameo?????)

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 1

Part 1

I will first clarify that I am not a great reviewer especially for something as passionate as this. I will endeavour to do my best though.

Foreword

Does this count? It’s an real life statement than a story but I did enjoy how it contextualises the anthology and I’m a fan of the light, but not mean spirited, jab at the 60th Anniversary’s more blatant and flamboyant celebrations and the general sentiment that the Third Universe is too big to be spanned by any one story or copyright or anything.

Previously on the Multiverse

Fun little rundown of just how big this little section of the wider multiverse really is. From the Archons, to the 10,000 Dawns to the Cupids and more. I admit I’m not familiar with a lot of it but this did a pretty good job making it seem like fun.

Scene 1

Nice intro, like the setting and this is pretty much my first intro to the characters besides brief readings of the wikis entry on the Cactus and the Corpse (I really need to get to Horrors of Arcbeatle at some point though quite frankly my wider knowledge of this part of the Universe needs a lot more filling in). Either way, nice little setup with Martisa and Callum trapped in a room with three unknown elements.

Magic Bird of Fire

To be honest, I find it difficult to reasonably review pieces that serve as simple little character pieces like this (Which may make the rest of this book a bunch of very similar short reviews like this tbh). SIGNET’s an interesting group to contrast with UNIT and Torchwood and PROBE and the like but this isn’t even really all that much about them, more about Aoife specifically. Fun characterisation and a neat little setting but not too much more I can say than that. I enjoyed it.

Scene 2

I do like the way the framing narration weaves the stories into its narrative. Linking the title of Magic Bird of Fire to the missing Rich and connecting Coloth’s presently missing circumstances to the following story.

The Dinosaur in the Snow

Ok so can’t review this one. For the potentially obvious implications that it was me who wrote it and that seems a little unfair. Best I can say is I enjoyed writing it and am proud of how it turned out, especially with Aristide’s editing work I cannot praise that enough.

If anyone has any questions about the story feel free to ask, though I cannot guarantee a meaningful answer especially in regards to statements of authorial intent, there are things I will not confirm nor deny.

Scene 3

We finally get to see what happened to Coloth and Rich, and there’s a little more on the nature of the books. I am really enjoying the library setting.

And that’s it for the moment, not too much to say but I did say I wasn’t that good at this.

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 8

Framing Story (Scenes 19-21)

Oh so Deadline didn’t cause the Snowstorm. Also nice implication that our world is just part of the Fantastical Realm invented by Coloth. So now the mystery really comes down to who the hell Guy-Who-Is-Not-Auteur really is, why he’s so desperate for a way out and what the Snowstorm itself actually is. It seems I’m getting pretty close to the ending but idk.  

Just Dropping In

Nice short Jenny Everywhere story. (She really does like popping up everywhere doesn’t she). Not too much to say about it tbh, was just fun.

Conspiracy-1263 and the Christmas Conspiracy

Ok so this is my first experience with the Crew of Copper Coloured Cupids (Other than Abstract Tales) and I must say it’s a very fun setting. A whole Tomato themed brainwashing plan and the way the Cupids are named and characterised make for a very whimsical setting. And the way the story encourages you to doubt Conspiracy because of… well, the name, and insist he’s being paranoid about the tomatoes only for it to turn out to be accurate is a nice ‘twist’ so to speak. Enjoyed this one.

Our Bleak Midwinter

Enjoyed this piece. Abby, a child dreaming of a better future, and three Time Lords, bring down a big business. Eos 6 was a nice setting for a story and I really liked Nardeth, Mrellin and Zerlan, they had a fun dynamic. Appreciated the few references to DW proper too like the sonic screwdriver, those were fun. The vague allusions to the Cosmic War and general descriptions of the Lightbringers were also done really well.

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 2

Framing Story (Scene 4-5)

Grouping these cause I feel like it’s a bit easier. I honestly wasn’t expecting it to get this involved, what with Coloth and Rich actually showing up at the MFS in The Nine-Two-Five Universe. I’m interested to see where it goes.

Neither Warrior Nor Thinker

Nice little piece about the main characters that connects to the framing narration. And gave me a bit more of a rundown on Coloth’s background for someone who’s never read any of his stuff before. Also it was just really sweet.

Jenny Over-There’s Wonderful Life

This was just funny. Not too much else to say, just It’s a Wonderful Life but if the person didn’t even want to die, the angel was incompetent and then they both say screw it and go get coffee. Do like the whole premise of an openly anti-copyright multiverse traveller too (And yeah ik Jenny Over-There isn’t the original one).

The Claus-Rosen Bridge

Ok this one’s chock full of lore, but let’s start with the story. Lotto and Mae are a fun duo from the get go, and I enjoyed their motivation to head to the library. Tying it to the library also directly ties it to the overall setting (And honestly I am growing to like the Library more and more). Gabriel was cool and I really enjoyed their convo with Mae at the end and them learning to trust. Story itself felt like a few short stories in one, the Jesus one, the Father Christmas one and then the Odin one. Auteur was a fun antagonist.

As for the lore, Universe 2 = Spiral Yssgaroth, a mention of Tecteun and the Division as the Mathematical Bureau. Lotto having only one heart to begin with only to have pulled it out and is just… living with no heart.

I do have a few questions lore wise there, like are the non-human animalian forms meant to be previous incarnations, or just Lotto VI (The current one from the story) altered in form externally by the Archons. But to me that kinda speculation adds to the fun of this kind of story. (Also I’m not the only one to allude to non-human Archon incarnations, nice)

Credit to the guts of directly having Jesus Christ appear too. Doctor Who proper’s been too afraid to ever do that.

The Santa stuff’s hilarious and I was not expecting the Church on Ruby Road to get inexplicably cancelled because of Auteur’s meddling.

Fun story, really enjoyed.

[thienvaldram]

Book of the Snowstorm Review Compendium

Part 1 - Foreword, Previously on the Multiverse, Magic Bird of Fire, Dinosaur in the Snow

Part 2 - Neither Warrior Nor Thinker, Jenny Over-There’s Wonderful Life, Claus Rosen Bridge

Part 3 - Still Proceeding, Abstract Tales,

Part 4 - The Ties that Bind, A Buggy Little Holiday, Two Auteurs

Part 5 - Trauma and Tinsel, Love & War,

Part 6 - The Goblin the Witch and the Kitchen Sink, Revelry of the Redacted

Part 7 - The God Who Came For Christmas, Presents, The Cathedral of Winter

Part 8 - Just Dropping In, Conspiracy-1263 and the Christmas Conspiracy, Our Bleak Midwinter

Part 9 - The Gift of the Renegades, The First Noël, Our Finest Gifts We Bring (1-10)

Part 10 - Our Finest Gifts We Bring (The Rest)

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 10 (Final Part)

Our Finest Gifts We Bring

Ok why are people talking about TBotSS in a story in TBotSS?

And yeah ok N-Space is Gerald.

And why is Aristide Lord President of the 507th Homeworld?

Anyway, nice little vignettes and a nice conclusion to the book.

Would do proper overall thoughts but quite frankly I’m very bad at those, I enjoyed the book quite a lot, love the ideas, love the sentiment and love what it represents and I’m proud to be a part of it. Good job to everyone else who worked on it, especially Aristide for editing and releasing it so quickly as well as writing as much content as they did.

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 3

I'd chain post but Idk how and I already did parts 1 and 2 seperately.

Anyway here we go...

Framing Story (Scene 6-8)

So Auteur may actually be here, which is concerning although I suspect it may not be that simple. Like how the snail tries to read something only to realise that it’s just… not relevant. Meanwhile Coloth’s still in the MFS and gets given a story from Starlight Endeavours which is a nice way to segue into that story when it’s so far outside the Third Universe. Also lmao 'The Doctor' reference.

Still Proceeding

If the other SIGNET piece was a character piece on Aoife, this was a full SIGNET story, albeit a short one. Xana for one thing was fun, as were the rest of the cast though I’m not as familiar with them as I would like (I’ll have to look into Night of the Yssgaroth at some point), the simple premise works effectively to justify Perkins’s seeming change of heart at the end and the references to Doctor Omega and Professor X were fun. I can see why this group got a series.

Abstract Tales

A story in a few parts, the framing of a party of conceptual entities in a fictional space is fun and using Remembrance as an excuse to tell smaller stories is a good idea.

Tale the First

So first of all this is about the Toymaker right? Like the Doctor Who Toymaker from Doctor Who, cause its said she vanished from her Workshop which aligns with the Toymaker escaping into the Third Universe in Wild Blue Yonder.

Edit: I have been informed that no this isn't and I'm reading too much into it, whoops.

Second of all, it was fun, simple but fun. I like the imagery of the various worlds and it evokes similar child-like world/genre hopping stories like Nightmare Before Christmas or the Lego Movie.

Tales the Second

Hello Auteur, long-time no see (not really). I must admit I didn’t see the ‘parallel Universes’ thing coming, even in spite of Auteur’s minor comment on the dream mark being a fracture in reality. Fascinating civilisation though, and Auteur’s being as manipulative as ever (he really did try a lot of plans to get back into the Third Universe didn’t he?) Moxx was a fun character too, prone to Auteur’s manipulations but not wholly subservient to them.

Tales the Third

Well now I know where the Mecharons are from, I was thinking they were another offbrand Cybermen created for this story (I see you Cyberons and raise you a Cryptopyre) but no apparently they’re an established thing (Well ok they’re from another story written by Lupan and Aristide but still). Simple story but it works, seems to at least thematically fit with what little I have seen of Jenny Everywhere from the earlier story.

[thienvaldram]

The Book of the Snowstorm – Readthrough/Review Part 5

Framing Story (Scenes 12)

David Tennant? And the TARDIS Data Core?

Only one scene this time so not much review but Coloth is still fun.

Trauma and Tinsel

Poor Miara, I’m glad they got through to her in the end. (Also fascinating condition, effectively perpetual regular forced regeneration but obviously not actually that). Dionus is a character I’m familiar with by name, because of BBV’s Dionus’s War audios, but this is my first actual experience with them as a character. They seem nice. Also saw references to ‘V-Time’ and ‘Ulysses’ in there too. But the main thing is the piece was sweet.

Love & War

Not to be confused with the VNA Love and War or the BF adaptation Love and War of the VNA Love and War.

Ok so this is literally an immediately pre-War Cult of Skaro Dalek story. How did you get away with this? Explain. Literally had the Genesis Ark and void ship in it and everything.

Also the citations, direct citations to real books (Including one to my work which I was not expecting).

Mathematical Bureau lore and FASA War Chief lore aside, this weighs in on literally everything from ‘which homeworld is the main one’ (Romana IIIs is the ‘First’ but War King’s is the ‘Prime’) to ‘When did the Doctor and River Song marry?’ (With this story implying Dionus and Susit got married after Dionus resurrected Susit using some of his regeneration cycle).

Short review session this time, but I got cut off, just under half way through the book now.