MM Reviews: Bus

Title: Bus
Author: hawker!
Type: Original Fiction
Genre: Comedy | Drama
Rating: PG-13

"Bus drivers are unsung heroes. Nobody really thinks about them having lives outside of school or doing things that normal human beings do - they're just there to drive you to school and drop you off. They're up there in their special seat, piloting it with such precision that it seems like they've been doing it their entire lives."

Bus drivers are insignificant people in our everyday lives. They drive us to our destination, put up with obscene amounts of school children confined in small spaces for hours, and endure the occasional rude passenger that never knows quite when to shut their mouth. But despite being inconsequential in our lives, they're actually the ones that make the day go smoother with the bus they drive and the route they travel.

In Bus we meet Mr. Doug, the bus driver of middle schoolers, who outright despises his job. The story follows his through the journey he endures when it comes to taking the children to school and picking them back up again. Although the premise seems fairly simple, hawker! draws in the reader with the way she gives Doug a life beyond the job and explores how the job affects his personal life.

The kids on the bus are constant characters in most chapters, allowing them to come to life through the actions and words that are written. Each character has an opinion slapped on them by Mr. Doug, and most of the opinions are comedic at worst. Mr. Doug's character is one that people experience every day, whether it be in a bus driver or some other public service member who dedicates their life to making our lives easier.

Currently 18 chapters long, Bus is a refreshingly original kind of story; of the likes that I have never come across before. Although the concept of the bus driver isn't original, the idea of a story being focused on the life and job of the bus driver is, and that's probably what makes this story as brilliant as it is. hawker! has done a fantastic job so far and I would recommend this to everyone. The writing compliments the idea greatly, making the story a strangely enjoyable read.

Special thanks to ElegantFalcon and Fandango for editing.