Dawn Trouble by Bowen Gillings: A Short Story Review

Drood and Rom journey through the desert at night. Eventually, they find themselves forced to swallow their fear as they confront a terrifying entity. However, the divine intervention they hoped for turns out to be not entirely desirable.

Amidst the increasing number of thrilling fantasy adventure tales, there are also writers who choose to highlight the comedic aspect, as seen in Bowen Gillings' short story "Dawn Trouble." With a fantasy setting and ambiance, Bowen Gillings intricately describes the characters and setting. The portrayal of the antagonist resembles a boss in RPG games, and the character at the end remind me of some figures like Goddess Aqua from "Konosuba."

Thus, while this short story might sound common and dull, I'm intrigued by the prequel and sequel because some parts still feel unclear. For those who enjoy fantasy comedy stories and beginner readers, it's worth giving this tale a try as a quick entertainment.

*This short story is available on Amazon.

Score: 6/10

[See the review in Indonesian version]

Drood dan Rom berkelana menyusuri padang pasir di malam hari. Mereka pun akhirnya terpaksa meneguk ludah karena harus berhadapan dengan entitas menakutkan. Namun, berkat ilahi yang diharapkan datang ternyata tak sepenuhnya diinginkan.

Di tengah semakin banyaknya cerita petualangan fantasi seru, ada juga para penulis yang memilih menonjolkan sisi komedi seperti Bowen Gillings dalam cerpen "Dawn Trouble" ini. Dengan latar dan nuansa fantasi pada umumnya, Bowen Gillings cukup detail mendeskripsikan penampilan tokoh dan latar. Pengambilan antagonis mirip dengan bos ala gim RPG dan karakter di akhir mengingatkan saya pada beberapa tokoh semisal Aqua dari serial Konosuba.

Sehingga, cerpen ini sudah terdengar lazim lagi membosankan, tapi saya tertarik dengan prekuel dan kelanjutannya karena terasa masih kurang jelas di beberapa bagian. Bagi yang menyukai cerita fantasi komedi dan pembaca pemula, maka patut mencoba kisah ini sebagai hiburan kilat.

Cerpen "Dawn Trouble" tersedia di Amazon.

Skor:6/10