Reading Room XVI: Stories with Sequels - Firewalls by Elspeth Leigh

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Title: Firewalls

Author: Elspeth Leigh

Pairing: Bodie/Doyle

Link to story: Circuit Archive

This is the first of two in this series and a pair of old favourites of mine. I can't help it, but that when I read one, I have to read the other.

Elspeth Leigh has written many stories, both thought provoking and disturbing, but these are my favourites by far. Bodie and Doyle suit my picture of them, in their behaviour and their relationships.

Both stories are a great combination of present and past, with the present being Bodie and Doyle older and wiser matured into their current roles in CI5 (trying not to give too much away), yet still together as only our lads can be. The humour, their dedication to each other, their street smarts and their life-time of learning are beautifully presented and totally believable.

Firewalls beautifully incorporates flashbacks to an important case in their earlier partnership, whose events ultimately helps lead them to where they are in the present in their relationship. Elspeth Leigh uses the firewall analogy well, incorporating it into the storyline through CI5's IT department, ruled well and truly in present time by Susan, and in their personal lives.

One of the moments which sums the feel of the story up nicely for me:

"Piss off, yourself. You think I trust them? You think I like them poking around in our business? Fer chrissake, Ray, we're going to have

our security so tight we'll be able to tell how much and what colour when one of them takes a shit."

A smile quirked at Doyle's lips. He couldn't maintain his anger.   "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Bodie was still glaring, but his anger was receding. Their jobs were high stress, high tension. An occasional blow-up was inevitable,

but they could never stay angry with the other--never had.........

Doyle collected the drying cloth while Bodie turned back to the sink and the cooking pan. After a few seconds, Doyle looked up at his mate.

"I think colour would be enough," he deadpanned.

Bodie slung the wet dishcloth at him.

(edited some parts out to maintain some mystery).

So now for the questions:

1. Did you enjoy Firewalls?




2. Do the lads here fit your picture of Bodie and Doyle, in the present and in the past?




3. Does the computer analogy work for you?




4. Do the flashbacks work for you?




5. Does this first story make you want to go on and read the follow-up? Like, immediately?

Comments

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

For some reason I thought I knew this one, but then realized I haven't read it before - yay!

I really enjoyed it, though some things threw me a little, but overall I can picture the lads this way - and I love the idea of them carrying on in CI5 in those roles. That part especially works for me, plus their personal relationship. I got a wee bit bogged down in the computer stuff, and the analogy didn't particularly strike me - nothing wrong with it, but the story didn't really need it. But I'm wondering if that's because it's an older fic and we're so used to computers and electronic surveillance now that it doesn't seem as clever as it probably was when it was first published?

I enjoyed the writing style too - the flashbacks are well placed and not too long. I've read some stories where the flashback is so long I've lost the plot and the will to go on *g* And the cunning twist with Bodie at the end - now that had me grinning, and absolutely wanting more... :D

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Love it when you find a new story and so glad you enjoyed it.

I think you may be right about the proliferation of computers making a difference to the underlying theme, it was probably more effective at the time it was written, but doesn't detract from it now.

And I totally agree about Bodie's sneakiness and the lengths he will go to, to protect.....

And more you shall have - Firestorm next week! Enjoy!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Fly-by comment to say I read it, I have comments, and I have no time! Probably after the weekend, sorry! But I shall!

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Thanks for dropping by, looking forward to your comments when you have the time. :)

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

- Did you enjoy Firewalls?

I'm sorry, but the story could never reach me deep inside. There is the message that Bodie and Doyle are absolutely in sync, and that they belong together, and that both can't live without the other. That's fine. We all want that, I think. But the story deals with that message again and again, even in two timelines, and sometimes it's very exaggerated and a bit boring.
"Trust is one thing, implicit faith is another. You believe he will be where he is supposed to be and do what he is supposed to do. There is no doubt. He is an extension of you and you of he. It is a commitment beyond most marriages."

- Do the lads here fit your picture of Bodie and Doyle, in the present and in the past?

You mean with Bodie as the brain and Doyle the brawn? ;-)
That brought a laugh from Doyle. "Who'd have thought, eh? Big, bad Bodie the desk man, while the golly Doyle works the agents."

Normally it's vice versa.

No honestly, how they do their job works for me, and it's very nice to see that Doyle stands behind his partner even when Bodie has done some 'lonely decisions'.
And their private life is how it should be, I think.

- Does the computer analogy work for you?

You mean this?
" But in truth, neither had been an easy tumble. Each had barriers the other had to cross, walls erected to withstand both firestorms and hacking, walls that would not be easily breached."

Not really! For me the story deals more with 'being in sync'.

- Do the flashbacks work for you?

I like flashbacks! And to be true the summarizing beginning should have been revealed in flashbacks as well. The way it is, it's more 'tell, not show'. ;-)

- Does this first story make you want to go on and read the follow-up? Like, immediately?

Maybe I have a look. Maybe for you and the reading room. ;-)
(The logical continuation would be to show how one of them deals with the loss of the other... I must read the end first!)



Thank you! :-)

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your comments. Its interesting to see how a story can work for one person and not another and how what we get out of them is totally different. I wonder if that also comes down to our own ages and experiences.....

I differ on the flashbacks, I think they give more background to the now and they do show me a lot.

Although I love Firewalls, I think I love Firestorms more, so I think its worth the read.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"Although I love Firewalls, I think I love Firestorms more, so I think its worth the read."
Yes? Well, I'm a very curious woman. ;-)

"I wonder if that also comes down to our own ages and experiences....."
This is a new point of view. You mean when you're older, resp.if you're also in such a dreamlike relationship, you like the story better?

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I think its more about your experiences. I have worked with computers for a long time so the theme there reaches me maybe more than it does other.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I work with computers since ages. And this aspect of the story is no problem for me. In fact it is very much likely that they are very important for this kind of business.

But some descriptions of that deep, deep connection between them are just too 'much' for my taste.
"...reserved for those who honour love above duty or country... stronger than basic instinct..."

There are many more - but I hate writing comments with my Kindle... ;-)

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.

You've done well to do this much on the Kindle. :)

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

Can I join in? :)

I think I may have read this story before, a while ago. It's very interesting to see how different people see things, and how different taste works.

1. I think I should say I *quite* enjoyed it. It's a good, solid read. But like another comment here, I rather felt the analogy with the other couple a bit overdone as are the other iterations of how they couldnt live without each other. I much prefer "show, don't tell" , and for that reason found myself skipping quite a lot of the text.

2. I like the versions of B and D here, and think the characters are well-presented as older men.

3. A little forced as a relationship analogy maybe, but I enjoyed the computer and security aspect of the story.

4. I quite like flashbacks in general, and I think these were fine in the context.

5. It would have me rushing, but I would certainly see the writer a someone whose work I would be pleased to explore further. Having already a skimmed the sequel, I kind of think I would almost see them as standalones with a common theme, rather than one being the essential sequel of the other.

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the response and for your insights.

I agree with you about the sequel, although I see it more as another story within the same universe rather than complete stand alones. A series instead of sequels.

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's a much better way of putting it, and what I was grappling for, but couldn't find the right word!

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I know that feeling - but its usually when I'm writing a story, lol.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Can I join in? :)
Ooh, more peoples! Always nice to see more people joining in. Hello!

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

And hello again to you, my dear! It's not that the spirit isn't wiling, it just takes so much time to keep up with all the discussions in the various fandoms one would like to participate in!
;)

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I'm a one fandom girl myself, but I struggle to keep pace with this one, so have to admire you keeping in up in more.

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

"Keeping up" is a term I can't *really* use.
;)

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Okay, I made it back. Thanks for the rec!

Did you enjoy Firewalls?
I did, but there are a few 'buts' in this one for me. I initially wasn't sure when it was set, either the present or the past they think back to. I wasn't sure the computer technology fitted the times. And while I know tons of people slid sideways from other occupations into systems and network administration, I am really not sure that a CI5 agent can just slip into becoming a computer whizz to the extent that Susan does. And the tone at the start, with its 'There were some who said...' and 'transferred his very soul', jarred a bit. In AUs, maybe, but I can't imagine CI5 agents thinking like that, let alone saying it. There were other things, too, but those are the sort of things I mean.

On the other hand, I did like the two different plots, present and past, and I loved the tying of the two together at the end. And - Americanisms aside - I really liked the dialogue between the two of them, all rough affection.

Also, Ali and Romy: I like this pair, and waah!

Do the lads here fit your picture of Bodie and Doyle, in the present and in the past?
They do. I love the scene with the first kiss, and "Didn't know you had the curry," "Changed my mind last minute," "So what do you think?" "About the curry?" And the bit you quote, too - great.

Does the computer analogy work for you?
Analogy? The idea of firewalls and walls and blasting walls down? I'm afraid it didn't really impinge until the end of the story and the last few lines.

Do the flashbacks work for you?
They didn't not work for me. I had to work hard to keep on top of things, but that's to do with the way I read. (I'm a fast reader anyway, but on a computer, I read far too fast, and miss things.)

Does this first story make you want to go on and read the follow-up? Like, immediately?
Without the 'first in the series' note before the story, I would never have realised there was more. It felt self-contained and complete to me.

[tango65.livejournal.com]

They are pretty much self-contained, they are more like two stories in the same universe.

I love them both, but I do enjoy Firestorms more.

I totally agree with you on the dialogue, apart from the fact of their relationship, its the part of the story I enjoy most.

Thanks for commenting. :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Fiiiiinally, the day before the next story in the series is due.... sorry to be so late - better than never?

Did you enjoy Firewalls?
I do, with a few buts these days. I used to think I liked it unreservedly, but...

Do the lads here fit your picture of Bodie and Doyle, in the present and in the past?
Yes, I think so - I like that they seem to have mellowed as they aged, but they're obviously still just as competent and on top of things as they always were. Interesting turn-around to have Bodie good at figures - I can't imagine why he wouldn't be from the eps, but perhaps it never seems as if he'd care enough to be such a whizz at CI5 budgeting. But that's part of growing up and maturing, I guess, so perhaps it does fit perfectly well...

The one bit of dialogue that niggled at me was the bit you quote up above! It's cute, and I like Doyle's rejoinder, but maybe it's because I know it's an American saying rather than a Brit one, and I still don't think I've heard anyone use it over here, whereas I heard it a fair bit in the US, so I'm really aware of it as an American thing. Not that Bodie couldn't have picked it up, obviously, it's more to do about awareness as reader - but it makes me think about the question of who we're writing for, ourselves or readers, and how much attention we need to pay to that...

Does the computer analogy work for you?
Yes, it does. It reflects the new age they're moving into (as we all did), so even now when everything's moved so much further I think it works. Interesting that Susan was picked as the agent who got into computers - it sort of fits, we did see her basing her research on a computer (so it doesn't not fit) but on the other hand she was so very active and physical in her job too - maybe she's one of these people who's just good at everything, and eventually slid into computers!

Do the flashbacks work for you?
Well now... remember that but...? *g* Originally they did, and they sort of do now (I don't mind the flashbacks themselves, as such, and the extra story, and I like Ali and Romy. But... I kept thinking they didn't work as well as the flashbacks in the Cards stories I reviewed last week, and I was trying to figure out why. Finally I realised - they make the story the wrong way around! They actually take away the dramatic tension, rather than adding to it. We start off knowing the lads are safe and together, and then we go back in time to see how they ended up being safe and together. There's no dramatic tension, they're purely a way of telling the back-story to the fact that the lads are now safe and happy and together. It's almost as if there's no reason to read them except to fill your mind with stuff that's nice. Which is fine, in and of itself, but I tend to get bored quite quickly in that situation - I need a story to engage me, to have me wondering in some way what's going to happen. In Cards, for example, the flashbacks are used to build the dramatic tension of the story - we gradually find out that the lads have got closer and closer, and we're wondering all the time if that means the modern-day storyline is going to work out, but we know it still might not, so we're reading on and on in hope and wanting more... Whereas in Firewalls we already know...

Does this first story make you want to go on and read the follow-up? Like, immediately?
It did when I first read it and found out there was a sequel, because I liked the lads in that setting, but I think it also reads as a story that's complete in itself.

[tango65.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, even if there are buts.......

Its funny about the American thing. I never pick them when they are very British or very American, probably because I am Australian and very used to both. :)

I kind of like the idea of Susan in computers - after all, they can't be on the streets forever......

You're right about the lack of dramatic tension, which is possibly another reason why Firestorms works better for me. This story I think is not seeking the tension, but trying to reveal the mystery, the back story of how they came to be where they are now.

Thanks for your perspective.

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

maybe it's because I know it's an American saying rather than a Brit one, and I still don't think I've heard anyone use it over here, whereas I heard it a fair bit in the US, so I'm really aware of it as an American thing.

Are we talking about the 'how much and what colour when one of them takes a shit' comment? If so, ohhh! Do you know, I didn't know that, and I thought Bodie was saying something original and thought it was funny. And now I know, and waah, I think I wish I didn't!

(I have never in my life heard that expression over here, you're quite right.)