I visited this site using Opera 9.6 and experienced no problems.  The color scheme is very nice, and the layout extremely simple and straightforward.  Every chapter is accompanied with beautiful artwork, and you can find information about the artists on the main page.  What I can appreciate most is the ease of navigation—some sites will have me hunting around to find chapters.  Thankfully, this site is nothing like that.

The writing itself is very well-informed and descriptive.  There are moments when paragraph breaks and spacing can get a little weird, but its a minor distraction.  Most of the chapters are short, and at my reading speed, I was able to finish each between 5-8 minutes.

Before I get onto the topic of story, I would just like to say that I am mostly a fantasy reader.  I am not a girl interested in the "how" so much as the "why" . . . basically meaning that overly intricate descriptions of process or method tend to bore me.  That is perhaps why I’m not so big on military or government conspiracy stories, or hardcore science fiction.  When dialogue or narration gets into "esoteric jargon mode", I tune out.  This is also true for your general, heavy exposition.

So when "The Lifting of the Veil" began, a lot of the writing was lost on me.  In one ear, out the other.  I literally had to go back before writing this review just to remember what went on exactly . . . and really, not much went on.  It feels THAT inconsequential.  The first few chapters are entirely dedicated to the introduction of characters I have no reason to care about and the positions they are currently in . . . which are largely concerned with government "blahdy-blah" or science "wakka wakka".

The good thing is, this does not go on forever, and things began to pick up around the fifth chapter when the first interesting and identifiable character enters the story:  Alan Kelly.  I took a liking to him because his introduction, unlike some of the others before him, seemed effortless and had a bit of humor mixed in.  Just as Alan’s intro, the rest of the story, too, becomes effortless and interesting—roping me in with its tragedy and intense, earth shattering events. 

All the previous introduced characters are like late bloomers.  No longer caught under the shadow of their own histories and internal thinking, they became interesting and relevant.  There are a few moments when they behave and act in a way that I find question mark worthy, but for the most part, characterization is spot on, and the drama that circles around the cast is fascinating.

The last thing I will have to point out is that despite being well written, the overall plot (so far) reminds me a lot of some of those blockbuster summer movies—like Indepedence Day, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and War of the Worlds.  At the time of this review there are currently 20 live chapters of "The Lifting of the Veil".  Therefor, it still has a chance to prove itself more inherently unique.

Final words:  "The Lifting of the Veil" is a great story that starts off slow.  Impatient readers, fantasy buffs, or anyone more concerned with the "why" vs. the "how" will have to work through the beginning to get anything out of it, but I really feel that its worth it in the end.

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