I just reread too, from needing to catch up on Dead Bang! One thing I noticed:
DWII, 7 Wrote:"Weird..."
I shrugged. "Not really. It all makes sense on a quantum physics level.
"Makes sense" and "quantum physics" do not really belong in the same sentence, where "weird" definitely does belong. What sort of loon would say that?
The neat part of the story is that every single character is working on partial information and makes mistakes based on it. Even Quincy -- especially Quincy. The reader gets a little thrill because we know vastly more than anyone else, but we're still pretty clueless until the end.
But really the plot is very tight, and the choices of all the characters matter. One of the best compliments I got from a prereader was that it was like reading Bob's writing. Which made me feel all warm and fuzzy, followed by the thought, "lol nope." I can poke plenty of holes in my own writing, but not this. The only holes here are assumptions about the future that didn't pan out, which aren't even that big of a deal in a world that is becoming more and more like BGC every day.
I go back and forth as to whether or not DW II or
Dance of Shiva is my favorite BGC fic. Technically, the writing in the
Drunkard's Walk is far superior, and Biles has so many characters you end up losing track of why you should care about a few of them. But the ending is so strong and emotional, you know? It's like, how do I put this… the Holy Spirit is a muse, too.
It's just kind of a shame that Doug couldn't carry an extra Frequent Binger card into DW5, or his bike would have gotten even more awesome.
Only other comment is that I now have a opinionated Russian coworker named Ilya, which greatly improved my enjoyment of the IDEC sections.
