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In the dreamtime, all life
is created... in the dreamscape, all things are possible...
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What are the three essential ingredients
for a really good uber? Romance, adventure and mystery? Ghosts, criminals
and dodgy sheep farmers? No. For a really good uber, you need a cute
but mischievous Dorothy, a tall, dark and grumpy Cowardly Lion and
a gangling, Abba obsessed Tin Man. Our three intrepid heroes (two
of whom hate each other on first sight - guess which two?) are dumped
in the middle of a small Welsh coastal town, with strict instructions
to "make your way back here - without using maps or money - in
three days time." What could possibly go wrong??
Barbara Davies tells us as the story unfolds,
through believable characterisation, great dialogue and solid plotting.
Starting off their journey rattling around blindfolded in the back
of a transit van, our trial bound threesome painfully make their way
through three days of gently humourous adventure as they cut across
Snowdonia National Park in full fledged Wizard of Oz costumes. You
will have to read the story to find out how they manage to spend a
night in a police cell/get squashed three-in-a-bed in a haunted house/end
up at hospital with a near fatal case of wasp sting.
And if that wasn't enough, you've got the hesitantly
blossoming romance between Charlie (Dorothy) and Jen (the Cowardly
Lion) as they fight mutual antagonism, their own libidos, three-in-a-bed
romps and communal showers. And not even a kiss in sight..........<g>
A lone horsewoman crests the brow of a hill, and rides
recklessly into danger, intent on stopping the massacre she sees happening
before her. And when she falls off her horse and knocks Gabrielle onto
her ass, Xena gets really pissed: yes, it's Najara, high on Gin and ogling
the bard...
Baffled by the unusual but undeniable fighting
skills of the strange woman, Xena and Gabrielle join the Light and go
off to fight Marrat and his slavetraders. Unfortunately, the Light in
this story is a little worse for wear - several hipflasks the worse for
wear actually, and after mumbling about "fags, curries, sing-songs
and last night's kebab" Najara welcomes "me new best mates"
into her fold. Especially Gabrielle, whom she folds with relish. Discovering
the source of Najara's "powers" - her Gin hipflask - Xena hatches
the perfect plan to stop her, using the perfect bait...
Not for the faint hearted (it's filled with filthy
language), this story is a raucous parody of "Crusader" and
if you like your comedy naughty, tasteless and ripe - this one's for you.
Personally, I loved it <g>
The third entry in a series begun in "Chattel"and
continued in "Thrall", Dark Angel in "Ever After"
shows us the final years of the Conqueror and her slave Gabrielle. In
each installment of this trilogy, she has given us a dark, sometimes desperate
and always moving account of the emotionally frozen Xena the Conqueror
and the hopeless slave girl Gabrielle, whose voice we hear in "Chattel".
It's a matter-of-fact one which narrates the story dispassionately, the
voice of a girl who has had all her dreams strangled at birth, her body
abused and her soul drained. Dark Angel has managed to strip the bard
of everything we know and love about her, yet she still remains somehow
the same person, just about recognisable through her dreams and her writing.
And what of the Conqueror? In "Thrall", Xena tells us how she
feels about Gabrielle, and why she treats her the way she does. Dark Angel
cleverly gives Xena's voice as counterpoint to Gabrielle's narrative in
"Chattel". A Conqueror who is frozen and afraid of her own potential
for good, more unpredictable and much crueler than the Warrior Princess.
In "Ever After", Xena's child gives us another view of the Conqueror
and her slave. Xena loves Gabrielle, but she can't allow herself to ever
admit that. And Gabrielle can never allow herself to hope for it. Two
people, caught in darkness, and too afraid to catch the light in each
other.
These stories aren't pretty, but they are powerful
and they will leave you with such a strong impression, such a feeling
of grief over lives and love wasted and happiness denied. You'll hate
them for all the right reasons and you'll love them for all the right
ones too. I still catch my breath at the closing line of "Chattel",
mourning at the bard who never had a chance at life, and I cried at the
end of "Ever After", mourning for Xena who never gave herself
a chance to enjoy the best thing in her life. Read them - but be prepared
to see things that you might not want to see, and feel things that you
don't want to feel. And then when you've done that, write and tell Dark
Angel what a moving, powerful and thought provoking series of stories
she's written.
Click here to read Chattel | Click here to read Thrall | Click here to read Ever After
I was sent this story by a friend who raved at me to
‘read it, read it!' I did, a little hesitantly at first as it seemed
like it was going to be yet another PWP. A well written one, but a PWP
nevertheless - not my cup of tea usually.
I was proved wrong. Anna has written an intriguing story about heroes
who have become slaves to their adorers and it hits close to home. It
really made me sit up and think long and hard about what I've done to
Xena and Gabrielle in my own fiction, and what I've read in others and
I have to say - she's dead on. Sometimes, it seems we delight in abusing
our heroines. It's just as well they're not real.
Well, in this story, they are, and Xena's narration is poignant and touching,
as she reflects on what she and Gabrielle are put through on a regular
basis by both fans and producers (yes, maybe in some cases we're just
as guilty as TPTB for the way we mistreat them - I've read stories which
are ten times worse than FIN). Her depiction of what they both go through
- an the changes it has wrought in Gabrielle in particular - are quite
heartbreaking.
And yet amidst all the pain, there is home and
togetherness and peace for these two as they snatch a rare moment of privacy
before their next ‘assignments'. It's a lovely story which somehow
manages to convey all that has been best and worst in the show and fanfic
of Xena: Warrior Princess.
Eliza is a girl born with a special gift; one that makes
her different, one that makes her dangerous. She has a natural affinity
to fire, and, like her mother, is constantly asked by her neighbours to
deal with small outbreaks which threaten their tiny villages and livelihoods,
even thought they are in awe and more than a little afraid of this girl
who's gift they do not understand. Like all wild, unpredictable things
in nature, they seek to tame her, to shackle her down with a husband and
children, and breed the fire out of her. But this story isn't about breaking
and moulding nature - it's about daring to leap high, and touch the stars
and have hope and hunger in your heart, passion and fire in your blood.
Filled with wonderfully rich descriptions of fire in all its forms, it's
a subtle and deceptively simple story which kindles and then bursts into
flaming life as Eliza struggles to return fire to the skies from whence
it came. We watch her risk her safety to save the dying fire, and we cheer
as she finally embraces those parts of herself which only come alive as
she is cloaked in flame - and then loses them as her mission is accomplished.
The ending is marvellously bittersweet. We don't know whether to feel
sorry for her for what she has lost; warmth, passion and - of course -
the fire inside, or whether to celebrate with her the fact that she experienced
much more than most of us ever could, even if only for a moment.
A horror story in the best tradition, with ghouls, witches, monsters and the undead all featuring, and containing the requisite amount of gore and suspense, this is a solid addition to Nene's 'Chamber of Horrors' series. Expertly written as ever, she successfully marries together mystery, horror and love with a wonderfully imaginative storyline and beautifully descriptive style to create something that will leave you wondering how far you'd go to recapture a lost love. With a true flair for the genre, Nene is one of my favourite authors when it comes to this type of story and this is another great one she's written. Although I guessed the ending about halfway through, this is still well worth checking out for the imaginative storyline, the gamut of emotions and the wonderfully gory descriptions. Great stuff.
I first read this about 2 years ago. I was still new to the Xenaverse and slavishly reading everything I could find. This stood out even then as one of those rare gems, a first time story which was poignant, sweet and emotional. I still read it now; together with Zealander's "And I Think Of Her", it's a wonderful example of how to be erotic without being graphic. Beautifully written, with descriptive words which soar to the heavens, this is a very short mood piece from Gabrielle's perspective on her first time making love with Xena. It's a memory which will never leave her. I re-read it again recently, and found it's even more truthful now that we have seen the Warrior and Bard's story come full circle.
The first alternative universe story that
I really liked, this one is based around that wonderful second season
episode "Remember Nothing", only this time, Xena didn't shed
blood. However, she has managed to rescue Gabrielle and this two part
story deals with her efforts to rehabilitate the former slave, and to
find again the best friend whom she left behind when she chose the path
that the Fates had allowed her.
Both characters are drawn beautifully; we have our Xena, continually struggling
against her violent nature, forced to try for a life of peace and desperate
to reaffirm the relationship that she had with ‘her' Gabrielle, yet
astonished and almost reluctant to find the feelings she is having for
this particular Gabrielle are very different to what she was used to.
And we have Gabrielle. Just like the girl in the episode, she is fearful,
subdued and subjugated; afraid to stand up for herself, mistrusting Xena's
motives, cynical and hopeless. Yet somehow, Xena manages to break through
her shell, and the two begin to build a deep and trusting relationship.
It is interesting to see the switch in roles in this story; it is Gabrielle
who becomes the warrior as a way of dealing with the psychological damage
done to her. She flies into uncontrollable rages or crying fits, and can
only purge them through physical exertion and violence. Xena, on the other
hand, must keep to her path of peace if she is to stay with this Gabrielle,
and it is the former warrior who helps Gabrielle to at last find happiness
within herself.
Beautifully written, joyful and tragic by turns,
this is one of the most moving pieces of fanfic I have ever read.
Another great tale from Temora has Xena
and Gabrielle facing the very realistic prospect of a slow death as they
are trapped under a rockslide on a deserted mountain. Only one person
stands between them and a painful, lingering death - a very disturbed
young girl, Tai.
A fascinating story in its premise, Temora successfully injects pathos,
humour and a very real sense of helplessness, fear and anger in her characters
as the story unfolds. As if the prospect of dying slowly on a mountainside
whilst a young child plays mental and emotional games for fun with Xena
and Gabrielle wasn't chilling enough, Temora keeps the pace, the suspense
and the emotions right at the forefront with some excellent characterisations.
Her Xena and Gabrielle are true to type, Xena being especially interesting
as we see her in an atypical situation; helpless and dependant upon another
for help, but it is Tai who is the real star of this story. You'll want
to hug, slap, kiss and kill this child by turns. And you'll be asking
yourself right up till the end - will Tai let them die?
Regret, loss, goodbye... the flavours
of a lost soul as it stands at the edge of the world, saying its farewells
to the life and the love that it once knew. This is a beautifully crafted
and poignantly written story, one that will make your heart weep at
the lost love that seeps from every aching memory that the narrator
relives. What else can a splintered soul do, but take to the highway
on a bike and run from its past, its memories, its pain?
But what happens when the journey is finally
over? Jordan sets a scene for us that has us assuming we know the answer
here - its obvious, the narrator is missing a lost love. Suicide seems
their only option. And just when we think we have it straight, the whole
premise of this story is turned upside down, and we realise how wrong
we've been. And then it comes - the anger, the resentment... the sacrifice...
of lovers wrenched from each others arms for the greater good.
Not your typical uber by any means - it's
really original and an excellent read, especially if you like them dark,
disturbing and psychologically taut. What starts out as a "they meet
on a desert island when shipwrecked" tale soon becomes something
much more, as real life forces drastic action and desperate measures to
ensure that Laura and Charlie's relationship sustains. And halfway through
this story, you'll suddenly realise that what you thought was a romantic
love story has gone off the rails somewhere and you're reading something
much different...
I can't give the plot away. But I can tell you
that you'll find this story compelling, shocking and extremely disturbing.
Don't read it if you like the sugar and hearts type of story, but if you
like a bit more bite to your fiction, go for it.
An evocative tale of soulmates, of chances
not taken and regretted. But above all, it's the story of two women who
lock eyes on a subway, feel something shift inside themselves and know
that this is it. The decision made whether to follow an impulse or not
will affect the rest of their lives. And if one of those characters is
already near emotional breaking point, how long will she wait for her
soulmate to battle her own fears and realise that this is their one chance?
The two lovers' voices are clear, poignant and
strike right at the heart. To hear Stash talking of her fears, to hear
Lariel talking of giving up... this is poignant writing at its best, and
is counterpointed with the most evocative choice of song lyrics.
The central image of the candle, representing the
brief flickering hope of love, is strongly held through the piece and
lends to the mood of half life and half hope that pervades the story.
As the candle burns, the light will begin to die in these people's lives
unless they grasp the flame that is flickering in and for each other.
A beautifully soulful story, tender and hopeful
and ultimately uplifting. Makes us wonder who our subway soulmate is,
and whether we would take the risks that true love demands to be with
them.
A young mother struggles to birth her first born, a child that lays languid in her womb. After a battle, a baby is born that is not expected to survive the night. Told from the exhausted and grief stricken mother's perspective, this is an intensely haunting story. Brigid Doyle is always at her most eloquent when writing about children, and in this story she captures the pain, hope and mystery of childbirth. But the child is fated to survive, and her safekeeping is gifted to the mother until another comes along to claim her. An intriguing take on Gabrielle's very first moments, and a fascinating forecast of her future role. A beautiful, evocatively written story.
Yee-har!! A rootinest, shootinest, chewin-tobaccyest tale o' the wildest westest adventures ya'll ever did read in a long time! The little frontier town of Hangman's Gulch is in peril! What with Tex Maverick the Scourge of the Sagebrush, Rowdy Roscoe Ringo and his Hole In The Outhouse gang, and corrupt cattle baron Major Fuller Bull... just who is man enough to clean up the town? Cue Belinda Bonanza - the name is apt - the mysterious stranger who is packing... packing everything you can possibly think of, and boy does she know how to use it. But has the tough gunslinger met her match, with the sweet, innocent ways of Miz Connie Lingus? And just how CAN a prim schoolmarm from Philadelphia tame the wild lusts of frontier life? And should a virginal Miz really be reading THOSE kinds of trashy dime store romance novelettas anyway?? Read on, and find out!!
Vivian Darkbloom is well known for her excellent and wickedly funny "White Trash" series, but don't be fooled by her way with a witty phrase - she can make your heart bleed with her beautifully evocative stories, as she so adeptly proves here. The story is set several years after Janice's death. Melinda is revisiting Venice, the place where they honeymooned, and finds the ghost of Jan waiting for her on every street, on every bridge, and echoed in the face of everyone she meets. Particularly in the face and form of one young Italian prostitute, whom Mel "buys" for the night. In a truly heart wrenching tale which has me crying every time I read it, Vivian makes us feel what it's like to love the irascible archaeologist, and I really felt Mel's emptiness as she describes life without Jan. This is one of the most moving stories I have read - anyone who has loved deeply, and lost will empathise with Mel, and I defy anyone with a heart to finish this without a lump in the throat.
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