AVON THE TERRIBLE

Review by Sarah Thompson

The stories I found the most interesting and memorable in this zine were "Puppeteer" (not to be confused with xBryn Lantry's A/B slash novella of the same title) and "Embers to Ashes." "Puppeteer" is a semi-humorous story featuring the puppeteer Carnell as a private investigator. Early in Series 4, various people come to him for help finding Avon. He gives them a questionnaire on Avon, which each of them answers completely differently! Very amusing.

"Embers to Ashes," by an author who also did slash stories under various names in early issues of Oblaque, is the story with Avon's cross-sex clone, Ekho. She's working with Blake PGP. It turns out that the "Avon" of the 4th series was an imposter, and the real Avon is in the hands of Servalan, who intends to punish him for the death of her lover many years ago.

FWIW, Servalan's first name in this story is Mhairi.

I also especially liked Anne Collins Smith's poem "The Plaxton Principle," which IMO fit the theme of the zine better than any of the stories.

Another story with sex: in "Allegiance," Servalan seduces Avon both literally and metaphorically, but Vila saves the day.

Contents

"A fanzine devoted to Avon's darker side."
Editors/publishers: Jean Lorrah (Empire Books, Murray, KY) and Wendy Rathbone (Poway, CA)
Available from: MKASHEF Enterprises
Date: 1990

Fiction:
Jean Graham, "Allegiance" (S1?; A/Se)
Aya Katz, "Puppeteer" (S4; Carnell; A/C)
Jean Lorrah, "Promises" (S5; A-V)
Leigh Graham, "Embers to Ashes" (S0-S5; Se/ocm; female A clone; A-hc)
Jean B. Hubb, "The Weapons Fair" (S5; Liberation series, story 3; also in Liberation #1)
Jeff Morris, "Finale" (S5; A-Se)

Poetry:
Ann K. Schwader, "Wolf Logic"
Tyndara Meffe, "Scorpion Man"
Anne Collins Smith, "The Plaxton Principle of Double Effect"
Ann K. Schwader, "Rumors of Vengeance"
Alyns Lawchilde, "The One You Love"
Marie Logan, "Haiku: Star One"
Ann K. Schwader, "Space Fall in Solitary"
Ann K. Schwader, "Last Reflections"

Art:
Linda C. Fairbanks front c. A, B, etc.; various scenes
back c. A
Mariann Howarth p. 2 wet, angry A
p. 9 Se
Kathryn Anderson p. 16 A
p. 29 Se
p. 51 A-V
p. 91 A
p. 107 A
Anne Hamilton p. 78 A

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