Words read this week: 53,100
It's not my usual practice to have a PR straight after Christmas, but I thought what the hay? Binky Pie is that rare thing, a crossover I can actually understand properly, and so I'd been wanting to read it off and on for ages. At last I had both the inclination and the time! As ever, spoiler-free potted review up top, spoilery details below the page break. Here be footnotes!
Binky Pie by Miyajama
Pinkie Pie
G4; Comedy/Crossover; 53k words; Aug 2011–Jan 2017; Everyone
[no short description]
First things first: you do need to have at least a passing acquaintance with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, specifically the Death books, to get the best out of Binky Pie. I mean, reading Discworld is a good idea anyway, but even more so here. The setup could be described as "Pinkie agrees to replace Binky as Death's horse, but ends up being Death. Sort of." While inevitably the prose isn't quite up to Pterry himself, it's a pretty readable and entertaining piece, fitting nicely with the mid-period Discworld I like.¹ "Bill Door" is given an unexpected but surprisingly successful romantic subplot, while Ridcully and the Unseen University wizards are much their usual selves. Applejack does well in a smaller role. Twilight's part is perhaps slightly obvious and overwritten, and not enough use is made of there being Mrs Cakes in both worlds. Still, considering the challenge, I was pleasantly surprised. As such, a very high three. I could see some readers making it a four. ★★★ Edit: now including me! I had missed (because my phone didn't render it) that Death's SMALL CAPS speech formatting was included. This really added something, and that pushes it over the three/four line. Upgraded! ★★★★
¹ After the essentials were firmly established, before it all got a little too world-weary and cynical for my liking.
As you will doubtless already know, spoilers lurk below!
