This is a megazine loaded with stories, poetry and art.
Deeta Tarrant meets Soolin in S. Laurence's "Intersection"; Avon's reverie upon searching Terminal's ruins for Cally comprises "Moonlight and Necrophilia" by S. Basham; J. Graham's "Sorceror" posits Avon, Vila and Gan trying to survive on Cygnus Alpha. Avon and Servalan compare homicidal notes in J. Mailander's tongue-in-cheek "The Date"; C. McCoy's "Carefully Taught" gives Tarrant a vengefully plausible reason for stalking Klegg's death squad; Avon's "Nightmare" in R. Ray's story of the same name will be strangely... familiar to ST fans. Not long after Malodaar, a sleep-walking Vila shoots Avon in P. McClellan's "Fools and Children".
P.R. Zed's "Fear" gives us a Vila reasonably electing to desert Avon after Malodaar; in "Pilot Program" by M. Mendez, a mind-wiped Tarrant & Dayna begin to recall their pasts after GP; A. Moravian's "Principles" delivers a humorous but insightful lesson on class discrimination; "Final Theft" by J. Mailander is a gory 2-pager set minutes after the GP massacre; "The Choice" is its sequel, an after death/reincarnation yarn with an end twist Tanith Lee fans will appreciate.
A pleasant re-read is the reprint of J. Hubb's "Alarms & Excursions," in which a teleport malfunction puts Vila in touch with the missing Blake; J. Small wood gives us an amusing outing with "A Terrible Case of C.U.T.E." (Tarrant's sex appeal explained at last!); P. Patera's "Bounty" is a smooth, suspenseful account of the Scorpio crew abandoning Avon; a rare tender moment between Avon & Soolin is the focus of M. Alexander's short "In Theory"; C. Steward parodies Dr. Suess with "The Blake Comes Back"; and Sondra Sweigman's revealing "Other People's Hearts: A Gauda Prime What-if' allows Orac the chance to psychoanalyze Avon - with rather surprising results. (See 'Beloved Adversary' for a sequel to this story)
"Reviewing the Situation" by Rebecca Ann Brothers is a short what-if with Vila jumping ship after Malodaar (can you blame him?), and from the same author's pen (er, word processor) comes "Instant Karma," a sequel to the above with a well-plotted alternate Gauda Prime scenario. Jane Mailander's 'Terminal Conscience" wrenches a biologically bizarre twist from Cally's death in 'Terminal.' "Roj Blake" by Daisy Loung is a one-page conversation between Avon and Vila, apparently as both are awaiting execution for Blake's murder. On the heels of Auron's destruction, Avon comforts Cally - and reveals a secret - in Carol Mel Ambassador's "The Unexpected."
Lorna Breshears sends up all those profligate progeny zine stories (you know, the ones where everyone not only survived Gauda Prime but married and lived happily ever after in a nice house with a pretty picket fence, a flower garden and at least 12 insufferably darling children apiece???) with her hilarious story "Prolific Propensities." Avon calls Blake to task for planting that bomb in the Ortega's hatch in Patti E. McClellan's "A Difficult Mentor."
"Reaching the Wall" by Karla Taylor outlines Servalan's cruelly macabre plans for Avon after the Gauda Prime massacre. Rebecca L. Donahue's novella "Crisis of Conscience" puts together a credible alternate storyline from the end of "Warlord," saves Zeeona and a few others who originally died, then sets off on a number of missions - including catching up with Blake - and Servalan. The final short entry is Alicia Ann Fox' "Don't Pay the Ferryman," in which Orac has a little surprise in store for Servalan. Whew! There's a lot packed into this zine.
My favorite thing in #1 is the Shakespearean-style sonnets by Jane Mailander. Highly recommended! I also especially like the sexy picture illustrating Carol's Tarrant story, showing him taking off the Fed uniform after the events of "Powerplay." There are a number of good stories for various tastes. The one by Sondra Sweigman is a kind of prequel to her gen A-B novel, Beloved Adversary.
The oddest story is Karla Taylor's "Reaching the Wall," which IMO should really have been considered an adult story-- it's pretty graphic. Not that anyone has sex in any conventional way, but Avon and Servalan literally get off on torturing each other. Very strange.
There's no explicit sex, but lots of pairing off, in Rebecca Donahue's novel-length story. Lorna pokes good-natured fun at the "B7, the Next Generation" variety of fan story in "Prolific Propensities," set on the ship Perambulator.
Fiction:
Shayney Laurence, "Intersection" (S2; Deeta-So)
Sandra Basham, "Moonlight and Necrophilia" (S4; Rescue; A-C death)
Jean Graham, "Sorceror" (alt-S1, alt-Cygnus Alpha)
Jane Mailander, "The Date" (S4; A/Se)
Jennifer Smallwood, "Understanding" (S4; Blake; A)
Cami, "Carefully Taught" (S2-3; Ta)
Roxie Ray, "The Nightmare" (S?; A-C; ST movie crossover; humor)
Patti E. McClellan, "Fools and Children" (S4; A-V)
P. R. Zed, "Fear" (S4-5; A-V)
Marian Mendez, "Pilot Program" (S5; Ta-D)
Alan Moravian, "Principles" (S4; Ta-V)
Jane Mailander, "Final Theft" (S5; A-V)
Jane Mailander, "The Choice" (S5; A-V; sequel to "Final
Theft;" KTD crossover)
Jean B. Hubb, "Alarms and Excursions" (S3; reprinted from
Eleventh Sector #2)
Jennifer Smallwood, "The Terrible Case of C.U.T.E." (S3,
uc D/Ta, uc C/Ta; humor)
Pat Patera, "Bounty" (alt-S4, alt-Warlord)
Maggie Alexander, "In Theory" (S4; D-So, A-So)
Catherine Stewart, "The Blake Comes Back" (narrative
poem; parody, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back)
Sondra Sweigman, "Other People's Hearts: A Gauda Prime
'What If...?'" (S4, alt-Blake)
Rebecca Ann Brothers, "Reviewing the Situation" (S4; alt-
Blake; V-B)
Rebecca Ann Brothers, "Instant Karma" (alt-S4; sequel to
"Reviewing the Situation")
Jane Mailander, "Terminal Conception" (S4; Rescue; A-C
death)
Daisy Leung, "Roj Blake" (dialogue; S5; A-V)
CarolMel Ambassador, "The Unexpected" (S3; post-Children; A/C)
Lorna Breshears, "Prolific Propensities" (S4; D/Ta,
V/Kerril, A/Anna, So/V, B/J; AU humor)
Patti E. McClellan, "A Difficult Mentor" (S1; post-
Mission to Destiny; A-B)
Karla Taylor, "Reaching the Wall" (S5; A/Se)
Rebecca Donahue, "Crisis of Conscience" (alt S4-5;
Ta/Zeeona, So/V, D/ocm, A/C, A/Meegat, A/Se)
Alicia Ann Fox, "Don't Pay the Ferryman" (S5; Se-O)
Nonfiction:
Peg Kennedy, "Editor's Comment"
Poetry:
Alicia Ann Fox, "Listen to the Madman" (f, King Herod's
Song, from Jesus Christ Superstar)
Jane Mailander, "Shake's Seven: A Sonnet Apiece"
Jacqui Topp, "Friendship's End" (A-V)
Melissa Mastoris, "Cross of Gold" (B)
[Catherine Stewart see under fiction]
Alicia Ann Fox, "That Little Voice in My Mind"
Roxie Ray, "Behind the Mask" (f, Behind the Mask, by
Christine McVie)
Melissa Mastoris, "Dead Man" (Tr-Se)
Jacqui Topp, "Where Rumours End" (A)
Melissa Mastoris, "Black Angel" (A)
Art:
TACS front c. A (color)
Todd Parrish p. 4 B
p. 11 So
p. 33 Se
p. 97 V
p. 119 D
p. 201 A
p. 337 Se
J. M. McClure p. 15 A-C
p. 100 A-V
p. 175 B, A, Se, Arlen
Val Westall p. 18 G-V; illo for "Sorceror"
p. 24 A; illo for "Sorceror"
p. 54 A-V; illo for "Fear"
p. 153 D-So
p. 195 A
p. 212 A
Leigh Moto'oka p. 40 Ta; illo for "Carefully"
p. 124 cartoon illo for "C.U.T.E."
Jane Mailander p. 48 cartoon
p. 94 cartoon
Marian Mendez p. 74 Ta-D
Pam Whitelark p. 203 C
Leah Rosenthal p. 220 carton illo for "Prolific"
Karla Taylor p. 225 tp for "Reaching the Wall"
Anne Hamilton p. 339 A
back c. A, red dragon (color)
Last updated on 16th of April 2001.