Star Focus: Find your night spot and begin to focus on your star. [ Prologue, Section 3: “Star Focus Calendar”: “April ██: Epsilon Sagittarii. If you can’t find it in your star chart, it’s the base of the hunter’s bow and the brightest star in the constellation.”] As you stare up into it, use your mind-clearing word. Your meditation is: “████, ████. Now is our time. Here is our space. We take your star. We hold your bonds. Repay your debt. ████, ████, ████.” Don’t worry about memorization; any time you use your mind-clearing word, you’ll remember them, even if you only read them once. If you do it right, your star will disappear. You’ll feel it resonating with the others in your void.

Let me get a few things straight. I like the SCP foundation, I also like (some) light novels. So when I saw this book in Barnes & Noble, you could say I was pretty hyped. Unfortunately, this book, while pretty light and cute, was a total let down. Whether it pertains a mysterious dark staircase which descends to physically impossible depths or a benign figure who offers a last cigarette to the ones who have been left alone on their deathbed, the foundation must document, study, secure, contain these strange phenomenons.The premise of the book intrigued me so I went into it with high hopes and did enjoy the beginning. I found the redacted names a bit distracting but understand the feel the author is going for and why it was done.

Cowell: [Simon Cowell, another talent judge on the program, is sitting to Paula’s left.] No, no, we want to hear about this. Interviewer: You know, there are some people out there who believe that, if we wish something didn’t happen hard enough, it really didn’t happen. The [REDACTED] publishing company is determined to be a front for the Fifth Church, and is seized. MTF Theta-11 “Wranglers”, MTF Gamma-4 “Money Lenders”, and MTF Lambda-21 “Cave-Dwellers” are sent to the Texas, Maine, and England printing facilities, respectively. All MTFs are met with armed resistance, and engage with no friendly casualties. Publication of SCP-1425 is ended. The publisher’s headquarters in [REDACTED], California is commandeered by MTF Phi-1 “Hostile Takeover”.The story was confusing. For one, in the beginning of The Carnival Of Horrors (SCP-823) chapter we meet these three soldiers and when the main character mentions the name Dr Bright they start to treat the main character with kindness or sympathy. Because he was tangled up in Bright’s mess. Later on the female soldier in the group reveals that she has a family and a younger brother. Which was revealed later on by Bright that he was her brother. Which makes no sense! Either Bright was joking or something but that made no sense! If they were siblings and the soldier knew the name of Bright before this she wouldn’t be fighting there to begin with because her brother would be a researcher and scientist! (She only worked there to give her family a better life) But Bright would be a lot younger and the soldier said that he was probably around the same age as the main character! And Bright is like a lot older than that when he was working in the foundation, yet they still recognized the name Bright even though Dr Bright as a young teenager, wouldn’t be working at the foundation in that time! SCP-3464 - Olive Garden regularly communes with DEMONIC ENTITIES to summon their SATANIC sempiternal garlic bread Seacrest: This? [The host tugs at his cheek with his left hand.] This is real. They’ll have to rip it off me. You’re alive with the words, right? Yes, sort of. Asian writers love to appropriate culture and refer to works from other lands. And, of course, like many authors Alice in Wonderland is a favorite in Asia too. Our boy coming through the photograph is much like Alice through the mirror. And many of the odd characters and creepy situations refer to things from the book too. It isn’t so obvious that you feel you know what’s going to happen but it’s fun when you see a parallel. Broadcast intercepted by Protocol Ophiuchus: The May 9th episode of popular talent show American Idol is removed from air in its entirety. After approximately ten minutes of advertisements and preliminary introduction, the host, Ryan Seacrest, stops when introducing the first contestant. Transcript follows.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the SCP Foundation, but I feel like the setting was horribly underutilized. The events of the book take place before and during the SCP-1048 incident, but it's completely glossed over. I think that could have made for a good overarching plot. Whatever the reasons for their connection, whatever possible utilization of implementation of their joint skill might have occurred, it isn't explored or revealed. The majority of the book chronicles their lives as roommates, without ever really delving into any of the circumstances that brought them together. Was this trip really necessary? Broadcast intercepted by Protocol Ophiuchus: ███ 24-hour news network, an interview between pundit ████████ ██████ and Parliament member [REDACTED] began to cover events which have never actually occurred. The MP, for example, considers the consequences of a revolution in India in 1921, which he describes as “shorter than the Boston Massacre and ten times as bloody”. A transcript of the end of the interview is provided here. Instead, we got the daily life of what I suppose was a reader insert? The protagonist is described as a normal high school boy, but to be honest, with the name being redacted, I just changed the pronouns and pretended I was reading about a girl instead. The protagonist is basically spirited away to the SCP Foundation, is labeled SCP-105-C, having been discovered to be able to enter and leave photos. They become an important asset in researching past events, attract the attention of Dr. Bright, etc. It all feels very escapism and wish-fulfillment. I can respect that, because I think people are just afraid to be self-indulgent these days.With a basic premise like that, there is hypothetically a lot of wiggle room to make a fun story. You can try and balance drama, horror, and levity, which would likely be the best recipe for the subject matter. This is good. It’s a blank slot waiting for you to fill it up with your deepest desire until your deepest desire is pushing up into your throat. You will gag on your need. And until you do, it is a resonation space, for you to build your will like organ music in a cathedral. Hear the music now. This is not a metaphor. If your will is strong enough, there will be music now. Remember now that nothing in this book is a metaphor. Dr. Bright is included as a sexy older woman (oft remarked on), seemingly for the sole purpose of increasing the attractive female count. The good thing with this novel is that it made SCPs more known since I got this in my local comic shop in the mall and the art illustrated in this novel was beautiful I loved Iris and Dr. Bright shown in this anime art style! I hope if a new volume is to ever be published that they fix the problem with the characters and write stories on more fun SCPs rather than just all SAFE classes.