I will admit that when I first started this fic, I wasn't too impressed. It didn't seem to stand out much, as far as Modern Day!AU LOZ fics go. But then I reached the part where the shooting starts and things really pick up after that.
From what I've gathered from the author's notes, he went on hiatus while writing this fic and had a chance to improve his writing when he finished it. I can definitely see that. The first few chapters were rather weak. The characters come across as pretty cliched and one-note (Ruto's the airhead cheerleader! Link's the kinda-awkward everyman! Zelda's the new girl who he falls for! Etc.) and the writing itself wasn't particularly memorable.
As the story goes on, that really changes. The characters are fleshed out a lot more. More thought is put into how magic and nonhuman races fit in a modern-day Hyrule, as opposed to having it just be a high school setting that happens to share the names of canon characters. The writing also improves a lot, especially in terms of description and pacing. Zesty keeps track of where everyone is, which is not an easy feat considering how many characters we end up following.
The strongest point of the fic, I'd argue, is the suspense. Often when I see stories with this sort of premise, my immediate reaction is, "Well of course THEY aren't going to die, they're the protagonists!" That was not the case here. There are many, many scenes of the characters sneaking through hallways or trying to figure out how to escape undetected, and I was genuinely scared for them. There were moments that were truly frightening and Ganondorf as the villain was VERY well-written, albeit in a way where his cruelty and ruthlessness outweigh motives that are particularly deep.
This story is pretty lengthy so reading it in one sitting isn't likely, but I do recommend giving it a go. The chapters are pretty meaty, so plenty does happen in each one.
Finally, the author has written a sequel for this fic, which I wholeheartedly recommend as well. There's more emphasis on the magical history of Hyrule as well as many characters and plot elements not fit into Hit List. Give it a look!
Bit weak at the start, but picks up like woah!
I will admit that when I first started this fic, I wasn't too impressed. It didn't seem to stand out much, as far as Modern Day!AU LOZ fics go. But then I reached the part where the shooting starts and things really pick up after that.
From what I've gathered from the author's notes, he went on hiatus while writing this fic and had a chance to improve his writing when he finished it. I can definitely see that. The first few chapters were rather weak. The characters come across as pretty cliched and one-note (Ruto's the airhead cheerleader! Link's the kinda-awkward everyman! Zelda's the new girl who he falls for! Etc.) and the writing itself wasn't particularly memorable.
As the story goes on, that really changes. The characters are fleshed out a lot more. More thought is put into how magic and nonhuman races fit in a modern-day Hyrule, as opposed to having it just be a high school setting that happens to share the names of canon characters. The writing also improves a lot, especially in terms of description and pacing. Zesty keeps track of where everyone is, which is not an easy feat considering how many characters we end up following.
The strongest point of the fic, I'd argue, is the suspense. Often when I see stories with this sort of premise, my immediate reaction is, "Well of course THEY aren't going to die, they're the protagonists!" That was not the case here. There are many, many scenes of the characters sneaking through hallways or trying to figure out how to escape undetected, and I was genuinely scared for them. There were moments that were truly frightening and Ganondorf as the villain was VERY well-written, albeit in a way where his cruelty and ruthlessness outweigh motives that are particularly deep.
This story is pretty lengthy so reading it in one sitting isn't likely, but I do recommend giving it a go. The chapters are pretty meaty, so plenty does happen in each one.
Finally, the author has written a sequel for this fic, which I wholeheartedly recommend as well. There's more emphasis on the magical history of Hyrule as well as many characters and plot elements not fit into Hit List. Give it a look!