(Disclaimer: Due to timing and writing purposes, I have only read through the first ten pages of this novel. Nothing I have written below is in any way related to the story after these particular pages.) 

Today’s review is The End of All Things by Blundering Albatross, and may I say I love their name, every single time I see it, it brings me joy. The End of All Things is a dystopian novel based after an event that destroyed modern civilization. This event is known as The End of All Things. This novel is entertaining, both in concept and in follow-through. Blundering Albatross has done a fantastic job in writing this story, and I cannot wait to read more of this novel.

The thing that struck me with awe immediately when I began reading this story was the well-made prologue. The prologue was a flashback to The End of All Things. Whereas many flashbacks are subpar and not very well made, Blundering Albatross did this with such grace and ease, I was thoroughly astounded at the literary magnitude which they evoked through their writing. This prologue fueled me to read much farther into this story than I had thought I could read in one day. However, there was one part which I had wished was not apart of this prologue which was the first line, in which the author wrote, “It began with screaming,” This line not only took my attention away from the story, but it seemed out of place and unnecessary. Otherwise, the prologue was fully formed and enjoyable. To me, the most impactful part of the prologue was the ending; I am astounded at the way Albatross caused their readers to emote sadness at the death of a character who the readers only met one episode ago. This prologue is a good representation of the power of a hook, but it also the incredible writing ability of Blundering Albatross.

When I read this story, I noticed a few inconsistencies in the quality of writing throughout the piece. There were several times when I realized that a few sentences seemed awkward and out of place, while the lines succeeding those were well-written. One of the more extreme examples would be when Albatross wrote, “It was far too easy to go far too far.” That was then followed by “Recent experience had proven that their tenuous existent could be cut short at any moment.” It is vital to keep up the quality of the writing throughout the piece. Too many awkward sentences and confusing wordings can completely derail the reader's understanding of the novel and can make a reader less interested. Keeping a story consistent in its quality of writing is essential. All authors must try their hardest to write at their best throughout their story, and if they do so, their piece will be much better off and more fascinating to the reader.

Blundering Albatross paced the introduction of their story's setting and history very well. They allowed their characters to develop while at the same time showing the readers the culture and backdrop of this dystopian-esque world. I find it difficult to bounce from the characters' present moment to explaining the world around the characters, but, Albatross does this with ease. A vital part of any piece of writing is the explanation of the characters' past and the world around them; This gives the readers context, allows them to infer and investigate the story, and create an understanding of it. Blundering Albatross is excellent at pacing, and I hope that one day that I will be able to pace as well as them.

A part of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed was the old English-like sound of the writing, though, it sometimes felt as if the “old English” was leading the story and not the other way around. As much as I dislike clichés, to explain the issue most faced when trying to make writing sound aged, I must use one. Writing in an *aged* way is like a double-bladed sword: In one hand, it gives off an aura of fantasy and magic, while on the other hand, if not controlled well, it can cause an author to make many mistakes related to trying to give off that particular aura. When people try to create writing that has that aged feel to it, it can be quite a challenge as we, of course, live in the modern era, and not many people speak that way. In stories that have this sound of writing, that it directs the piece and the sentences, many times, creating a sentence that is not grammatically correct. I find that the best way to write in this style is to write as you normally would, but adding more proper and advanced wording. Most of the time, Albatross aged their writing well but, there were a few times when the double-bladed sword stabbed back, causing a few incorrect or awkward sentences.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Blundering Albatross is an incredible author. It is evident that they work very hard to create this quality of writing and that they love what they are doing. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves high fantasy or dystopias.

Link in the description.