Friday, June 07, 2002
Slices of Night by Zzelami.
X and G story -- not an Uber. A classic alt Xena fic in that it takes a third person to show X and G they should act on their feeling for each other.
posted by Helen Smith 6/7/2002 10:58:51 AM
Murder Most Foul by C Paradee and Lois Cloarec Hart. A satisfying murder mystery.
posted by Helen Smith 6/7/2002 10:42:27 AM
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
The Bluest Eyes in Texas
by Linda Crist
The Swollen Bud award committee called this an all nighter. They were right!
posted by Helen Smith 4/24/2002 05:08:33 PM
Saturday, April 13, 2002
Kiera Dellacroix's Engravings of Wraith, and another by the same author -- Icehole.
posted by Helen Smith 4/13/2002 08:42:15 PM
Friday, April 12, 2002
O.K. so maybe I do have a bit of a fondness for nuns, or maybe it's for the
Cathars -- after all it was learning about them in my first Sociology class
that turned me towards a Sociology Major. In either case, Angharad
Governal's Languedoc amply
rewards both my particular (peculiar) likings and any normal desires for a
tightly told, well researched, engaging bit of fan fic.
posted by Anne Vespry 4/12/2002 11:18:56 PM
Thursday, April 11, 2002
Snowbound: Just for Anne who likes hurt/comfort.
posted by Helen Smith 4/11/2002 10:20:57 PM
Friday, October 26, 2001
I have a new ambition. When (or, perhaps, "if" is better) I grow up, I want to be Xenalicious. Her reviews page is beautiful, and her reviews aren't to be sneezed at either <grin>. Even better, unlike Nancy and Ewok (who I aspire to being once I reconcile myself with never growing up), she's still reading and reviewing. So, for all my regular readers (yes, both of you) when I've not posted in a while, check out the recommendations of some of the (other) great reviewers!
posted by Anne Vespry 10/26/2001 04:38:08 PM
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
OK, I know, it's been so long since I blogged anything here that I've almost forgotten how... But, not quite. And I figure it's still a good place to keep a list of fiction I've enjoyed, and if anyone else is still reading this, well, chances are that if I'm recommending it the story has no huge grammatical or spelling errors, or at least it's hot enough that I could ignore them!
Destiny Conquered is today's tale ... a Conqueror story by Linda Crist who claims this to be completely different from her usual subject matter. All I can say to that is ... damn!
synopsis: Mezentius gives Gabrielle (and a bunch of amazons) to Xena as a gift. X&G fall in love and X promises to reform ... you know, same plot as all the other Conqueror stories...
anne say: It may be a familiar plot for Conqueror fans, but Crist throws in enough unique and interesesting distractions to make it all very much worthwhile. Even after revealing the answer to the mystery of how Gabs remained a virgin during five years slavery prior to meeting Xena...
P.S. Don't read it at work unless you've got a very private cubicle!
posted by Anne Vespry 10/23/2001 08:26:32 PM
Thursday, May 03, 2001
FanFiction.Net
Impressively huge archive of fiction (original and fan) on all kinds of topics in all kinds of fandoms.
posted by Anne Vespry 5/3/2001 09:40:45 PM
Tuesday, April 24, 2001
Anne say: Well the challenge was to nominate stories that might be similar to what Merwolf would write if/when she writes a Conqueror tale. IMHO Gin's Negotiations is one, and XWP Fanatic's Aftermath: The Tree of Life is another.
posted by Anne Vespry 4/24/2001 03:20:11 AM
Saturday, November 04, 2000
Three new tales by Nene Adams
Anne say: With long dark winter nights looming ahead, now is a good time to visit Nene's site to stock up on winter reading. A new Gaslight novel gives Halloween thrills as Lina works against time to solve a locked room murder apparently committed by an ancient Egyptian statue. If that isn't enough to make you want all the lights on over night, then check out her newest entry in the Xenaverse horror series: The Legend of Cassus Somnus -- also known as Sleepy Hollow.
I've always been partial to Russian fairy tales featuring Baba Yaga in her many incarnations. Nene has created a welcome addition to this genre with her "Bright Ribbons of Gold": a story that features Gabrielle, driven by her need to rescue Xena, as the challenger to Baba Yaga's power.
posted by Anne Vespry 11/4/2000 11:44:57 PM
Saturday, August 19, 2000
Something I Need -- by Rooks
The Story: Short, hot tale in which Gabrielle explains her need for Xena.
Anne say: It may be somewhat redundant to recommend this here as it's already won an Amazon Ice Co. Award and a Swolen Bud Award in the Instant Gratification category, but, hey, what's a bit of redundancy among friends? Rooks claims this story to be unlike his usual writing, all I can say to that is "What a pity there aren't more like this." Stop listening to me. Go. Read. Enjoy!
posted by Anne Vespry 8/19/2000 08:45:24 PM
Friday, August 18, 2000
Gygr: Black Rage - by Frances Spinella
The story: an alternate universe uber set in a time and culture similar to that of ancient Rome -- think the movie Gladiator meets Xena Conqueror on a world far far away...
Anne say: Oh. My. Freaking. Gods. ... Wow!
It's a little bit hard to be coherent after finishing this novel, not only are my hands cramped from clinging to my seat, but I have this strange feeling that my brain leaked out my ears several roller coaster turns ago and has not quite caught up to the rest of my body... and roller coaster rides do seem like the best analogy for the experience. Most Conqueror tales focus on the eventual taming (more or less) of Xena by Gabrielle. Spinella, instead, has chosen to look at what goes into making a Conqueror-like hero, and it's not an easy process. I highly recommend this story, with the unusual warning that those with weak hearts (or weak stomachs insofar as Chapter 15 is concerned) read it at their own risk...
Now all I need to do is wait for my pulse to fall under 300 so I can go back and re-read the bits I rushed through the first time in my hurry to find out what happens next!
posted by Anne Vespry 8/18/2000 05:41:32 PM
Thursday, August 17, 2000
The Legend of Isolde - by J. Falconer
The story: a re-telling of the classic tale...
Anne say: This light hearted fairy tale makes for good reading in between doses of real life. Falconer's characters are amusing and strangely endearing, at least to those of us who like gruff-but-loveable. Although Falconer's writing skills are not quite up to those of fairy tale artists like Domenica or Nene Adams, her (his?) writing is improving and Isolde is well worth a read.
posted by Anne Vespry 8/17/2000 04:54:28 PM
A Simple Matter Of Trust - by Pam Wilson
The Story a post-rift, pre-India exploration of Xena's relationship with those strange One god folk (among other things).
Anne say:An excellent story, beautifully written. Wilson levens this story's heart rending angst and numerous plot twists with brief, but satisfying, moments of luminescent humour. Despite that levening, I'd recommend not starting this story unless you've got time to read it in one sitting -- you may find yourself unable to stop reading no matter what other obligations you leave unmet. My only complaint, and it's a personal one, is that the tale contains too many bits of fourth and fifth season foreshadowing -- and, as one of the screwy folk who prefer to pretend those seasons never happened, I find this a bit disconcerting.
posted by Anne Vespry 8/17/2000 04:11:25 PM
Thursday, June 15, 2000
Exposure--Season One and Exposure--Season Two
Helen says:Here it is. How Fanatic and T Novan manage to write a high quality episode every week I have no idea.
posted by Helen Smith 6/15/2000 07:14:38 PM
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