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ci5hqOkay, for my first rec I thought I'd cover one of my old favourites...
Title: Nothing Left to Lose
Author: Jane & Madelaine Ingram
Circuit Archive Link: http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/4/nothingleft.html
Zine: Originally published in Leather and Blue Jeans
Permission to archive: Sure
Summary:
An AU set in a not-too-distant future where society has broken down after a meteor strike has devastated the planet. Bodie is a sheriff in a small English settlement; Doyle is a gunfighter arrives in time to warn him of a marauding motorcycle gang. The two of them end up being the town's only defenders when the gang attacks.
Review:
I've never been a huge fan of Jane's writing. I couldn't get past a chapter or two of The Hunting, and the Rainy Days universe bores me to tears with its overly domestic view of the lads. This story, however, has stuck with me for years and is one I regularly go back to re-read.
From a purely shallow perspective, this story offers plenty of mind's eye candy. Both the lads are clad in riding leathers and jeans throughout the story, and much time is spent on their proficiency with a motorcycle. If the visuals of Wild Justice are to your taste, you should get a kick out of this story.
Part of the satisfaction of an AU, I think, is how it can show that Bodie and Doyle are fated to be together, no matter the place or time. And this story is no different. The characters here haven't gone through the same experiences of our lads canonically, but the connection between them is immediate and obvious. That connection does not mean that they immediately become a team and a couple, however, and the struggles they go through toward realizing the strength of their connection makes the whole story even more satisfying.
The world that Jane and Madeline Ingram have built contains a gratifying amount of detail. There is a large amount of time spent with this Bodie's history and how he came to be in his current position. That history not only provides a feast for those who like their Bodie angsty, but it gives a broad understanding of how different the world of the story is from the one we know.
And then there's the sex. I know some reader's prefer their slash with a large helping of sex. I'm not necessarily one of them. Not that I don't like sex scenes. A well-written sex scene can not only be enjoyable unto itself, but provide an opportunity for really interesting, rewarding character development. And sometimes they're just darn fun. But a mediocre description of sex leaves me as cold as poorly handled exposition, and can feel just as mechanical. Fortunately, I think this story has just the right amount of sex. The attraction between the lads is set up early on and provides a satisfying amount of heat throughout the whole story. (Much as I enjoy fulfillment of sexual attraction, I think I might actually enjoy the lead up to it better.) And the final sex scene is entirely satisfying, not too drawn out but hard and hot and with a nice sense of anticipation leading up to it.
If I don't always feel the need for sex in a slash story, I'm a huge fan of hurt/comfort. (Hurt/comfort was pretty much my gateway drug to slash.) And there is a very nice amount of h/c in Nothing Left to Lose. I've already mentioned that Bodie has an angst-ridden history, and Doyle has one to match, though since the story is told from Bodie's POV, we don't get as much detail about Doyle's past. In the months preceding the start of the story, Bodie has been recovering from a gunshot wound delivered by the same biker gang that's about to make a return visit to the town, giving him a nice amount of vulnerability mixed in with his obvious toughness and competence. And there is full-blown hurt/comfort at the end, the details of which I won't give away, but which made my h/c loving heart very glad indeed.
Title: Nothing Left to Lose
Author: Jane & Madelaine Ingram
Circuit Archive Link: http://www.thecircuitarchive.com/tca/archive/4/nothingleft.html
Zine: Originally published in Leather and Blue Jeans
Permission to archive: Sure
Summary:
An AU set in a not-too-distant future where society has broken down after a meteor strike has devastated the planet. Bodie is a sheriff in a small English settlement; Doyle is a gunfighter arrives in time to warn him of a marauding motorcycle gang. The two of them end up being the town's only defenders when the gang attacks.
Review:
I've never been a huge fan of Jane's writing. I couldn't get past a chapter or two of The Hunting, and the Rainy Days universe bores me to tears with its overly domestic view of the lads. This story, however, has stuck with me for years and is one I regularly go back to re-read.
From a purely shallow perspective, this story offers plenty of mind's eye candy. Both the lads are clad in riding leathers and jeans throughout the story, and much time is spent on their proficiency with a motorcycle. If the visuals of Wild Justice are to your taste, you should get a kick out of this story.
Part of the satisfaction of an AU, I think, is how it can show that Bodie and Doyle are fated to be together, no matter the place or time. And this story is no different. The characters here haven't gone through the same experiences of our lads canonically, but the connection between them is immediate and obvious. That connection does not mean that they immediately become a team and a couple, however, and the struggles they go through toward realizing the strength of their connection makes the whole story even more satisfying.
The world that Jane and Madeline Ingram have built contains a gratifying amount of detail. There is a large amount of time spent with this Bodie's history and how he came to be in his current position. That history not only provides a feast for those who like their Bodie angsty, but it gives a broad understanding of how different the world of the story is from the one we know.
And then there's the sex. I know some reader's prefer their slash with a large helping of sex. I'm not necessarily one of them. Not that I don't like sex scenes. A well-written sex scene can not only be enjoyable unto itself, but provide an opportunity for really interesting, rewarding character development. And sometimes they're just darn fun. But a mediocre description of sex leaves me as cold as poorly handled exposition, and can feel just as mechanical. Fortunately, I think this story has just the right amount of sex. The attraction between the lads is set up early on and provides a satisfying amount of heat throughout the whole story. (Much as I enjoy fulfillment of sexual attraction, I think I might actually enjoy the lead up to it better.) And the final sex scene is entirely satisfying, not too drawn out but hard and hot and with a nice sense of anticipation leading up to it.
If I don't always feel the need for sex in a slash story, I'm a huge fan of hurt/comfort. (Hurt/comfort was pretty much my gateway drug to slash.) And there is a very nice amount of h/c in Nothing Left to Lose. I've already mentioned that Bodie has an angst-ridden history, and Doyle has one to match, though since the story is told from Bodie's POV, we don't get as much detail about Doyle's past. In the months preceding the start of the story, Bodie has been recovering from a gunshot wound delivered by the same biker gang that's about to make a return visit to the town, giving him a nice amount of vulnerability mixed in with his obvious toughness and competence. And there is full-blown hurt/comfort at the end, the details of which I won't give away, but which made my h/c loving heart very glad indeed.
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Date: 2006-06-28 02:09 pm (UTC)