FimFiction Link - Short ID: 222657/guide-them
Published: Oct '14
Guide Them is a 15,3k word Sad Horror fic, and the last chronological entry in the "...Them" series.
Babs Seed and Coco Pommel are unlikely partners and possibly last two survivors in Manehattan. They make supply runs and fight the zombies that make their way to the Statue of Liberty, trying to keep alive the hope that things may turn out to be okay. Then, one morning, a ship appears at the harbor.
Babs and Coco's side of the story is pretty good. I like how Coco tries really hard to remain optimistic for Babs's sake. Babs is pretty good, too. She's very reserved and seems to be the most fatalistic of the duo, but the moment that ship appears, her attitude flips to a bright cheerfulness because maybe there really is hope.
So, about that ship. It's led by Blueblood, who has removed his horn as to not succumb to the magical plague. I have to say, though, his whole crew and him feel as if they came from a different story. And they did! But more about that later.
While my impression of this story is still a positive, there're too many negatives in it. The whole Blueblood plot really feels like a speeding car run over someone walking down the street, minding their own business. I exaggerate, but I feel the last act has too many reveals in too short of a span to really feel like anything more than just gunning for a downer ending.
And that's probably because Blueblood's story never got written. It may, at some point, according to Paul, but I won't hold my breath. He's talked about what the plan was, and I would've loved to read that story. Alas, it doesn't exist, so we've got to judge "Guide Them" on its own merits.
I will admit... This is probably not the best of the series. I like them all, I really do, but this feels like two stories in one, told in a way that doesn't fully satisfy one side.
Again, while Babs and Coco's side is good, Blueblood's comes out of nowhere. I feel the events that take place do constitute a logical progression for the arcs established early into the story (though, in Paul's words, the Happy End Crusaders won't be satisfied), they were not developed enough to feel earned. Too many plot points are brought up and left unexplored so that, as cool as they were, I just can't rate this story too high compared to its peers.
And that's all of the "...Them" stories for now. At least the canon ones. I'm happy with this series. As bleak and hopeless as it may feel at times, I think it's the seriousness with which it tackles the zombie apocalypse, and the heavy focus on the inner turmoil of the involved characters. The moments of gore and violence never felt gratuitous, or there for shock value. I'm very happy with it, and it's probably the only horror series on FiMFiction with this consistent level of quality.
I think that, even at their lowest, they're some of the best horror/zombie fics you'll find on the site. Definitely give them a read if drama and horror are your thing.