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in reply to: General Discussions #15355
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in reply to: General Discussions #15354The Long Walk by Stephen King!
in reply to: Short Stories #15353Look out for spooky short stories coming soon… :p
in reply to: Book Reviews: Feedback/Discussions #15352Lights Out by Navessa Allen
The best book of all time…
Just kidding.
in reply to: Book Reviews: Feedback/Discussions #15018My Thoughts on: I Who Have Never Known Men
Read: 29th April 2025.
Wow, what a story and a concept. A very scary idea that made me think of the Handmaid’s Tale and as much as I’d love to say it’s all completely fictional dystopian world, it seems increasingly more —and terrifyingly— more realistic. I agree with Lily’s review that the character felt androgynous and childlike, their characterisation was so contrasting to the other women because they had never existed (or remembered existing) outside of the cave. All of the other women have memories of the life outside.
Considering their lack of outside world contact, they learn quickly and even adapt their own time-telling tool by using their own heartbeat (which is later adapted to the sun once they escape). I believe the main point of the text is: “What is the point of freedom if you don’t know what to do with it?” or something along those lines. A quote I found interesting around 78% mark was: ‘I was as much a prisoner outside this empty land as I had been inside the cage in my early years.’ Is it truly freedom if you’re alone and don’t have any knowledge of what this outside land entails? What it means? What are the boundaries? Inside the cage, their boundaries were explicit, they knew what they could and couldn’t do, even if they did not know the reasons behind them. Here, in the open world, what was the meaning? What is the point? I think that is the main reason as to why our main protagonist ends up alone because all of the women have lost their sense of meaning. Inside the cage, they clung onto this idea of escape and returning to the lives they had before the cage, but now they have escaped, there is no way back to the past and this is discouraging and depressing.
On a larger scale, perhaps the book is critiquing society’s role of purpose and how it can be limiting to only live for one purpose. On the feminist side, of course, women being trapped in cages and being abused by noncommunicative male guards is critiquing patriarchy and it’s never ending effects on society. I, like you, felt that it was a shame that the mystery is almost too mysterious because I would like some kind of answer as to why this has happened or what it is really about, but I found it really interesting nonetheless!
in reply to: Writing Guides #14993Wooowooo! Look out for my guide to beating Writer’s Block!
in reply to: Short Stories #14888Hehehehhe, revenge! (I just read Blood Money)
in reply to: Book Reviews: Feedback/Discussions #14886Becoming Superhuman by Joe Dispenza is a recommendation I’ve received for manifestation and meditation!
in reply to: Book Reviews: Feedback/Discussions #14836THE SCANDAL!! This is incredibly interesting . . .
in reply to: General Discussions #14833Yay to forums and literature discussions!
in reply to: Writing Guides #14832I think writing guides are so helpful. Especially when it comes to things like getting inspiration and how to construct characters. Maybe it would be fun to see how to incorporate prompts into your writing, or just prompts in general?
in reply to: Short Stories #14831My thoughts on I Miei Segreti Nascosti: The Underworld
I love the pacing and descriptions of this piece. How it starts with long, beautiful descriptions of waves and sand and how busy everything is before shifting into a deserted beach and a buried secret. This shift was so fun to uncover and unpack whilst reading it, it also just makes me wonder… what is your secret?
Do we ever find out? Do you know what it is?
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