Line drawings by Anja Gruber which I don't particularly like.
Stories
Pastorale (A/B) -- Morgan/O'Cullane
Odd, very short, PGP. Sort of role-reversal: Blake has lost all faith in the rebellion & Avon is trying to convince him to take it up again.
Things like This (A/B) -- Derriny Dark
Short no-sex hurt/comfort: Avon has been raped and he & Blake have to confront their complicated feelings.
You Wouldn't Understand (A/B) -- R. Olivia Brown
I like this, although I find Jenna's sudden about-face unconvincing. =46airly daft premise: aliens who spend their lives mentally linked decide to "heal" Avon's mind by linking him to Blake. I like the interaction and the way Avon isn't too fragile or too soppy.
Traitor (A/B) -- Andrea Arat
Short hurt/comfort. Avon "betrays" the crew because Servalan shows him an extremely convincing fake of Blake under torture & he's convinced. Then he tells Blake what happened, Blake forgives him, and they fall into each other's arms. I find the half-page sex scene unconvincing (no lubricant and multiple orgasm).
Reflections (A/B) -- Morgan/O'Cullane
Another short PGP. Can they forgive themselves/each other?
Blake's Sin (A/B) -- Natasha Barry
Hey! What's a het story doing in here? Short PWP - Avon in bed with Cally, although they spend most of their time discussing how he'd rather be with Blake. Well, that's not enough for me to consider it slash, but YM May as always V.
The Angel, the Saint, the Rebel, the Dead Man and Me (A/B) -- Natasha Barry
I rather like the multiple images Avon has of Blake in this story - does a good job of showing how Avon might find him attractive. Nice sex scene.
Furtling Through Space (A/V) - Willa Shakespeare
No, I'm not going to explain "furtling": you'll need to read the story. Splendidly good-humoured, and affectionate without being soppy. I like this author's work, although I've only read two of her stories so far.
Twilight on Gauda Prime (A/B) -- Romilly Kerr
A very short (1 and a half pages) PGP. Avon & Blake meet, rather despairingly, for the first time since he shot Blake.
'You Wouldn't Understand' has a good idea (a mental link between Blake, Avon *and* Vila) but doesn't seem to go anywhere - the whole thing is a little flat, even the sex. 'Blake's Sin' - a nice if rather too sweet version of Cally, but Avon simply didn't work for me, and both talk rather too much (mostly about Blake, of course...)
The other stories are really only sketches - 'Pastorale' (PGP A/B, 'it was the clone' with the dialogue a bit overdone for my taste), 'Traitor' (good opening, then everyone's behaviour lurching around to fit the plot), 'Reflections' (well, I don't believe the premise, but the writing is good), and 'Twilight on Gauda Prime' (1 1/2 pages of pretty description but not much point - this one really could have been expanded to give it some punch).
All in all, I wouldn't pay a lot for it, but it's quite nice if you can pick it up second-hand, for the three stories I mentioned first.
Fiction:
Brendan O'Cullane & Adrian Morgan, "Pastorale" (A/B)
Derriny Dark, "Things Like This" (A/B)
R. Olivia Brown, "You Wouldn't Understand" (A/B)
Andrea Arat, "Traitor" (A/B)
Brendan O'Cullane & Adrian Morgan, "Reflections" (A/B)
Natasha Barry, "Blake's Sin" (A/B)
Natasha Solten, "The Angel, the Saint, the Rebel, the Dead Man,
and Me" (A/B)
Willa Shakespeare, "Furtling Through Space" (A/V)
Romilly Kerr, "Twilight on Gauda Prime" (A/B)
Poetry:
Natasha Solten, "The Seraph" (A/B)
Catherine, "Prometheus Bound" (A/B)
Andrea Arat, "Prison" (A/B)
Natasha Solten, "The Rebel" (A/B)
Catherine, "If You Love Someone" (A/B)
Andrea Arat, "Red Leather" (A/B)
Khylara, "Learning Process" (A/B)
Khylara, "A Woman's Touch" (C/J)
Andrea Arat, "In My Arms" (A/B)
Andrea Arat, "In the Dark" (A/B)
Khylara, "Idealist Flame" (A/B)
Art:
Alayne cover design
Anja Gruber p. 10 B & V
p. 18 B, A, V
p. 23 B & C
p. 41 B, J, V, C, A
p. 47 A
Willa Shakespeare p. 75 furtling picture (A)
Last updated on 17th of December 2000