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    | The Trials of Maria
    
    Author: Rocky. |   
    |  | (Added on Nov 5, 2008)
            (This month 57373 readers) (Total 68938 readers) |   
    |  | The prison system overburdened, a young girl accepts a plea agreement sentencing her to slavery instead. |  
 
   
    | Ratings and Reviews: |   
    | Number 
      of Ratings: 4 | 
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    | Weighed
      Average (?):  (7.5/10) |   
    | Average 
      Rating:  (8/10) |   
    | Highest 
      Rating:  (9/10) |   
    | Lowest 
      Rating:  (7/10) |  
 
 
   
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    | Reviewer: 
    JimmyJump
  (Edit) | Rating:  | Jun 17, 2010 |   
    |  | Story feels like the author wanted to cram as much situational punishments into too short a text. I also have the feeling that some of the ideas came when the story was well underway and were added on the go, giving the whole a bit of an unbalanced look.
 The narrative itself is a 'standard' set-up of an undetermined future where some form of slavery has been re-introduced.
 The problem is, by letting bystanders do all kinds of nasty stuff to the defendants --or indeed the convicts-- the story doesn't paint a strict society, rather one where there's no law at all and everybody does what they want. Too chaotic to come across as 'believable'.
 Characters are a tad shallow as well, being introduced only to give the author a canvas to unleash some of his fantasies upon, instead of creating a genuine feeling situation, in which the characters evolve and expand.
 Not bad, but "The Trials Of maria" are a missed opportunity, me thinks.
 JJ (7/10)
 
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        Replied by: 
Rocky
  (Edit)  (Jun 18, 2010)Again, my thanks for the comments.  They will serve only to make me a better writer...not that I intend to do this sort of thing for a living.Again, this was one of those short tales I wrote trying to get my interest in finishing my other stories going.  My intent with this one was to dehumanize Maria, to portray her as an object rather than as a person.  As you noted, I didn't spend as much time on character development as I have in other stories, but that wasn't what I was looking to do in this particular tale.  I wasn't all that happy with it myself; I was having problems figuring out how it would end, and finally used the old and tired spurned boyfriend track. Even with that, however, I figured it might provide some enjoyment for some readers.
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    | Reviewer: 
    ramses
  (Edit) | Rating:  | Nov 9, 2008 |   
    |  | Very nice start, but the description of her feelings could be more detailed.  (8/10) 
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    | Reviewer: 
    mstrger
  (Edit) | Rating:  | Nov 6, 2008 |   
    |  | Nice start and if future chapters up to usual standard, I will be up-grading Rating in the near future.  (8/10) 
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    | Reviewer: 
    skp2bear
  (Edit) | Rating:  | Nov 6, 2008 |   
    |  | Eagerly looking forward to the sequel. A little more to dxpress Maria's thoughts and feelings would help through the eyes of the sub. (9/10) 
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