Zine Rec - Sorcerer's Web, by Liz Bradford

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Title: Sorcerer's Web
Author: Liz Bradford
Link to story: Not online, I'm afraid
Zine: Sorcerer's Web, available from Gryphon Press

Just read this zine for the second time, and thought I'd take a moment to say how much I liked it! It's an AU story, which put me off for a while, until I realised that Pros AUs were absolutely brilliant, and there's magic involved, which put me off even more until I realised that the author was nothing like Jane and her ilk (i.e. - no elves!) but I'm so glad I ended up reading it, because it's great.

Bodie is thoroughly Bodie - mean and moody about the secrets from his past, full of himself and joyful when he's able to forget them, and Doyle is totally Doyle - self-confident as life, moody and quick-tempered on occasion, but ultimately sure of the part he plays in the world. And they're beautifully, instantly together, from the moment they meet. Even if Bodie has been sent by an evil sorcerer to... well, I'm not going to spoiler it. *g*

Anyone else read this one? I have a feeling it's not so well known, and it deserves to be!

Now go and order it from Gryphon Press! (Well, maybe wait until around the 20th, when the Press is back from holiday, but then! Then go and order it from Gryphon Press!)

Comments

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have but it's years ago and I can't remember very much about it - only that I absolutely loved it. And no... it ain't *anything* like Jane. ;-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh yeay - it's wonderful, isn't it! And I liked it just as much the second time around as I did the first - possibily even more so - which is always a good sign!

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you for this, it sounds exactly my cup of tea!

Now go and order it from Gryphon Press!
I'm going, I'm going! *g* ok, I probably will wait 'til the 20th actually, but then I deffo will!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Now there's an icon... *g*

Yes! Order it! Read it! Adore it!

And if you hate it then, um... um?

But you won't. *g*

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Order it! Read it! Adore it!

Got it, started it, loving it! *g*
Just wanted to let you know, and now I've got to get back to it! :-)
::is hooked::

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Wheee! So glad you're liking it. Isn't it fab! *vbg*

*lets you get back to reading*

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

I've actually only ever read the Wayward Books version, and in those days I didn't even know there was a Pros connection. Come to think about it, back when I read the book, I'd never even heard of slash, or Pros fic, or fandom, or... well, about five zillion other things...

I do know that I enjoyed the story very much indeed - and now that you've put it in my mind, I think it's time to dig out the zine version and reread it.

Yep, that's definitely what I'm gonna do...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've still not read any of the Waywards - so hard when I know that they were originally our lads to see them under other names... Strangely I don't have a problem the other way, if I know they've been written as other people, but they're like our lads, like the Pointsman books, or something like Facelift or Cassidy fic, then I'm perfectly happy to morph them into B/D in my own little mind...

Plus I do rather like this zine version, of course... *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've read anything by this writer and certainly not this story. I think I was put off by the subject matter but maybe I should think again and give it a try...thanks.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's interesting, I've just found something she's written in UnPro6,Hiding the Truth - maybe I should give that a go, first?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ooh, well done you! And if you fancied writing a review of it when you've read it... *g* Actually I say that cos I went away and re-read it too, last night - I knew I'd read that one, and I remembered it when I was reading it, but...

Anyway, you also inspired me to go and find other Liz Bradford fic, which I did via palelyloitering.com (www.palelyloitering.com), and I filled in her author page! Plus also there are a few other Liz Bradford fics that I can look out now... I'm too lazy to list them here, but here's a link to the palelyloitering author page, if you're interested (http://www.palelyloitering.com/Authors/LizBradford.htm) *g*

Ooh, I wonder if people would be interested in sort of reccing by author - choosing an author (like Liz Bradford, for example) and then reading and reccing her fic as a kind of rec challenge? Might be a bit discuss-y too? What d'you think..?

[londonronnie.livejournal.com]

Just went to PalelyLoitering to remind myself of Liz Bradford's other fic, and thought you'd like to know that there's a bad link for 'Sweet Nothings'.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh cheers - should be fixed now! *g*

Hmmn - I think I need a palelyloitering icon!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Ooh, well done you! And if you fancied writing a review of it when you've read it... *g*

Who, me? Looks around the rest of the room, eyes narrowed...

Oh, alright, then, twist my arm....I'm not too sure how to do a review but I'll give it a go..

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yes I was at first too, but I'm so glad I decided I'd try and struggle through it! *g*

[izzie7.livejournal.com]

I love this one too - the characters, as you say, are spot on, & the AU setting works really well. It's nicely balanced with angst for both & Cowley is terrific too. Definitely a good rec *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hello! Not seen you around for ages!

It's a lovely story isn't it? And so deliciously novel-length! *g*

[izzie7.livejournal.com]

Yep - RL just gets in the way sometimes. I don't approve, but there you go! In fact, I am palely loitering in both senses at the moment - languishing with a really horrid summer cold & off to look at your Liz Bradford recs right now.

[ancastar.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this too. It took me a bit of time to get a feel for that universe. But once I did, she had me. It's an excellent AU.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I think I actually enjoyed it even more the second time around, and maybe that was why, because I could virtually go straight into the universe rather than having to feel my way first (which I often do with that sort of fantasy fic, much though I like it) That was one reason I liked the Pointsmen stories though, I felt like I was immediately comfortable in the authors' universe, even though it was actually a very unusual fantasy universe...

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I was sooo afraid it was going to be like Jane's AU's - but you're right, it's not. Heaps of pain & trouble for both of them, thanks to evil sorcerers, though it's all resolved happily.

I think I'll have to pull it out of the cupboard and read it again.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I've got to say, I think Liz Bradford is a far better writer - or at least she's certainly more about the lads being the lads than anything else! And yes, lots of lovely h/c, but not at all overwrought, just... the h needing the c... *sighs happily*

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

Yup, I like it too and am going t have to dig it out for a re-read, now you've reminded me.
Hmm, now I think I have UnPro 6, Ishall have to have a look at that, too! Thanks for reminding me about this one.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I love that so many people are going back to re-read this one, because it really is wonderful!

I actually went through palelyloitering last night to find other Liz Bradford stories, and linked them up on her author page (hmmn, now I'm thinking about it, maybe I should list where the stories can be found on the author page too, maybe it's a bit of a pain having to click extra links to find out... hmmn..!). Anyway I've put a link to Liz Bradford's page up above in my reply to shooting2kill, if you might be interested - they're all Gryphon Press zines, so you may well have others too... *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Okay, another Pros zine I need to pull out and read. The pile on my night stand is getting a bit high. ;-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - that's a good thing! *vbg*

Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[mungo-jerrie.livejournal.com]

Um, not so much AU as a sort of AU 'crossover' with The Web of Wizardry by Juanita Coulson. Large bits of character and plot from W of W turn up. Good, though. I've noticed a lot of early Pros AU tends to feature plots or worlds from 70s and 80s fantasy and sci fi, and that authors in one genre have gone on to write in the other-Melissa Scott and Lisa A. Barnett's Point of Dreams, for example. Fantasy's not all elves. :) Though I do like elves.

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[mungo-jerrie.livejournal.com]

And "Jane and her ilk"?:) Jane wrote in Pros for over thirty years, along with the other founder members who yes, also wrote about elves and magic. That's some pretty classy "ilk" to be standing next to...but then the secondary meaning of "ilk" is "family." :)

Seriously, though, if you automatically turn off at the thought of anything that's not usually your cuppa, then you're going to miss a *lot* of good stuff; Pros is one of the most varied fandoms there is for writing. That's one of the delights of the archives: choose your flavour and it's there...along with one or two flavours you might sample. Try it, you might like it. :)

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

These replies are in a very strange order since I didn't think to reply to both at once in a single post! Ah well...

What I said above (in fewer words) was that "Jane and her ilk" write in a very specific style that's not at all comparable with Liz Bradford's style in this zine - but "ilk" isn't a rude word! You really don't need to defend Jane from my comment above! That said, writing for thirty years doesn't necessarily show anything more than longevity, you know...

And erm... I have read massive and varied amounts in the archives, zines and paper circuit libraries, and will continue to do so - I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that I haven't?

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[mungo-jerrie.livejournal.com]

"Ilk" (meaning 'sort' or 'family') struck me as hilarious, actually. I love the word, but it's not something you tend to trip over in everyday discourse. (Last read it in a rather melodramatic old-fashioned bodice ripper.)

I read your comment aloud to my S.O.(a Coulson fan), who promptly started chanting "ilk, ilk, ilk" and collapsed in giggles. Then the S.O. started singing bits from "Pirates" and "The Mikado" and we both got the giggles. (Do you like Gilbert & Sullivan at all?)

And the idea I got from your comments was that you didn't *like* a lot of what you read, (particularly Jane and elves)...and felt compelled to tell people "oooh, icky," even when reccing work you *do* like.

And your take on Jane (here, on paleyloitering, and from previous lj comments) seems a bit like Cousin Mabel in Charlotte MacLeod's The Plain Old Man:

"Mabel would be at the perfomance, no doubt. She'd never missed one yet, nor had she ever said a kind word about it afterward."

If I took your comments and reviews as a rule of thumb (and many fans do, vis a vis your excellent zine site paleyloitering) I'd never have read Jane...and missed out on something I quite enjoy.

And thirty years may indicate "only" longevity (which is quite an accomplishment) but I noticed...that even reccing someone else's work, you felt it necessary to compare it to Jane's.

"I have read massive and varied amounts":

*Do* you like anything else with elves or magic? I mean, there's Ellis Ward's "Legacy of Temptation" and Anne Carr's stories, and Lily's,and HG's "Master of the Revels", and well, ad infinitum...elves and magic and AUs seemed to be quite the theme for a while. Currently, humour and "hard-boiled realism" seem to be fan favourites.

And I also read "massive and varied amounts", and try to give any story a better than even chance. For example, I don't dig bondage, but if I'd let that put me off, I'd have missed The Hag's most excellent "Safety".

Some of *your* stories were recc'd to me as hitting a couple of the reviewers' "squicks", and if I'd been put off by those "reviews", I'd have really missed out on something good. :)

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - there are definitely stories with elves and/or magic and/or supernatural elements that I like and in fact have recced, either in specific posts or in comments to people. Legacy of Temptation and Master of the Revels are just two of them!

Interesting point about trends in fan favourites, and I think there seems to be all sorts of things that affect it. I've recently had conversations with people about fannish origins and how they relate to apparent favourites - fascinating stuff. Perhaps we could have a discussion post about it here at ci5hq, actually...

Speaking of which, if you're worried about balance in reviews, maybe you could write one or two of your own to add to the list? It takes contributions from as many people as possible to make a good review site! *g*

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[mungo-jerrie.livejournal.com]

"Speaking of which, if you're worried about balance in reviews, maybe you could write one or two of your own to add to the list? It takes contributions from as many people as possible to make a good review site! *g*"

Thanks, I'd love to. :)

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh that's interesting - I don't know the Coulson books, I might have to look them up. Or at least I should say I don't remember the Coulson books, I did actually read so much sci fi/fantasy back then that most of it's a bit of a blur now (blissful days though!) I do love the Pointsmen books, and have recced them before now - so sad that (I'm presuming) there won't be any more...

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[(Anonymous)]

Actually I never read The Web of Wizardry.
I don't know if anyone comes back to read comments so long after the fact, but if anyone does, I would like to say thank you for the comments. It is appreciated.

Liz Bradford

Re: Sorcerer's Web or The Web of Wizardry? :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I most definitely come back to read comments, no matter when they're posted (notification comes via email to the person who wrote the post). I hope that you're able to see this reply since I don't suppose you'll get a notification.

Three years after I wrote this original review Sorcerer's Web is still one of my favourite zines and Pros stories - thank you so much for writing it!

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

I have a bit of a problem with scifi and fantasy Pros AUs. I love the genres themselves, but for some reason I just can't get on with them as settings for Pros fic. I really don't see Bodie and Doyle in most of them. (The one where they end up on a trip to Mars is an exception - I liked that.)

Sorceror's Web, though, I loved. I have just this evening lent it to a friend and was thinking "I really ought to recommend this zine on LJ, after making such a run of 'this zine was so-so'" posts. So I had a quick search and someone has beaten me to it. But it's three and a half years ago, so maybe I'll do it again. As soon as she brings it back!

I liked everything from the very distinctive writing style to the background world. And, above all, yes, I believed that they were Bodie and Doyle, the same characters, simply formed by entirely different circumstances.

I had great difficulty letting myself lend the damn thing to my friend - but she will love it, so... :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I have a bit of a problem with scifi and fantasy Pros AUs...I really don't see Bodie and Doyle in most of them.
Ha - that's exactly what I said at first... *g* But I think there are deeper things to the lads that sort of grow on you over time, so that you do start to see where the AU/SF authors are coming from with their characterisation. Well - often: like any other fanfic story, there are authors who don't seem to have been watching the same show I've seen at all... weak, flimsy Doyle, overly-macho Bodie... But that would be true of those authors no matter what the genre, I think...

But yeay that you enjoyed Sorcerer's Web, it's a goodun, isn't it! *g*