Zine Rec - Arabian Nights, by Pamela Rose

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Title: Arabian Nights
Author: Pamela Rose
Link to story: Circuit Archive
Zine: Arabian Nights
Review:

I just re-read this zine, and decided that I really should make more effort to avoid work write some zine reviews, especially when they're zines that I really like... *g*

I actually keep thinking that I shouldn't like this story, but... I do. If I tell you the premise of it, you'll no doubt think that you shouldn't like this story either, but the author does, I think, a fabulous job at keeping the lads in their B/D personas, even if they're playing completely different characters altogether - an Arabian sheik (Bodie) and an inexperienced, innocent young Englishman (Doyle). And yes I know, it sounds as though Doyle is going to be a wilting pathetic creature beside Bodie's strength and wisdom, doesn't it, but actually it's nothing like that at all.

Doyle is, indeed, relatively submissive at the start of the fic, giving in to the whim of his overbearing uncle despite an initial flash of temper and courage, but in showing us that one outburst, Pamela Rose alerts us almost straight away to the fact that this really is Ray Doyle - just one that's been brought up in a completely different world, with completely different experiences to CI5-Doyle - and thus a different way of dealing with some things. There's a strong feeling though that this young Doyle has still got his growing up to do, and that he's going to grow up into CI5-type-Doyle through the course of the story. Which he does. And after all, we've never seen CI5-type-Doyle at age 17 either, so we don't know that he didn't start out submissive... well, except for that whole "cutting up a kid when I was just a kid meself" thing... *g*

Anyway - Bodie is a dark, mysterious, and rather arrogant Arabian sheik, but we find out very quickly that he too is longing for something more than the desert, and I think it's these hints that help settle me in for what really is a very alternative-universe story! I know that they're going to end up very like "my" lads in the end, somehow, and that leaves me free to relax into the story.

And it's a gorgeous story! It may not be exactly historically accurate, and there may be one or two not-quite-Brit-isms there, but it's beautifully written - focussed in on the characters, but with some lovely descriptions of the desert and its inhabitants, a jolly good set of "baddies", and some nice supporting original characters! It sort of sweeps me up every time, and even though I have read it a few times now, the pleasure isn't dimming at all - a very good sign!

It is an AU story, but I kind of get the impression that everyone dips their toes in eventually (I used to swear I never would, but now... *g*) and I think this one will be a pleasant surprise to those who do!

It's all about the romance of the situation too - the lads, and the desert, and the tragedy of both their lives so far - but it's not a soppy romance by any means, the lads are nothing less than two men who happen to fancy other men. It's a brilliant cross between romance and adventure, and I really do recommend it... *g*


Go on then - anyone else out there read it?

Comments

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

All right, y'know I've avoided this one for ages, because even though I loved Professional Dreamer and Where The Worms Are, I just shake my head and think "nuh-uh" at the AU-ness of it all. Bodie as a Sheikh? In the desert with tents? But I'm in a what-the-hell kind of a place right now, so what the hell, I'll give it a go because it's you..*g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay! Score! *g* Okay, now I'm all nervous - hope you like it! (Is it your first AU? Surely not? You've read... I mean... haven't you?)

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Is it your first AU? Surely not? Oh no - Ellis Ward's And Memories Die is in my Top Ten, I love Rediscovered in a Graveyard, Professional Dreamer and a few others. It's the subject matter of this one I've been wary of. I'm not an easy person to persuade towards an AU fic.*g* Still, I shall give this one a go -tomorrow probably - and let you know!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - yes, I know what you mean! Shall look foward to hearing what you think!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Ahem. The dog is unwalked, the laundry is undone and my exams are unmarked.. and why? Because I'm a third of the way in and I can't stop reading, not for all the perfume in Arabia.

Just thought you might like to know..*g*

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm going to heartily second byslantedlight on this one, because you must read Arabian Nights. Especially since you like Professional Dreamer. Yeah, it's a potentially naff concept, and it really shouldn't work. But it totally does! It's a zine I pull out at regular intervals to re-read bits of, but I always end up reading the whole damn thing again.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

.. got absolutley nothing done yesterday afternoon as I ended up reaidng the whole thing from start to finish in one sitting! I loved it. Against my AU resistant gene, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bodie as a sheikh worked far better than I thought it would, Doyle just *grew* into being Doyle before our very eyes, and the setting was as exotic and enticing as you would expect. She did a marvellous job with it.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Yay! So glad you enjoyed it. You're AU averse, huh? Me, I've got an unnatural fondness for the things, but a distaste for delicate!Doyle stories that I thought might kill my enjoyment of this one. But you're absolutely right that Doyle grows into the man we know and love as the story progresses, and even in his younger, more naive incarnation at the beginning of the story, he's not the shrinking violet he is in certain stories.

And Bodie as a sheikh works brilliantly. Matches his arrogance nicely, I think.

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did enjoy this one a lot - despite its being very bodice-ripper-ey in places, with the long-lost grandson and all! - because it was very well written and above all because I absolutely could recognise Bodie and Doyle in this, the people they would have been in these circumstances - which I think is a remarkable achievement. Great desert, fantastic horses and horsemanship, great courage and honesty in the face of overwhelming adversity ... much wonderful characterisation here, which made it for me - not at the very top of my AU list, as it were, but a great sweeping story successfully showing their development across different countries and over time. In contrast, just thinking about what you said elsewhere recently about HG's Hunted by Devils (I think?) - I read the whole epic because it was well crafted (and because you'd recc'd it *g*), but in all honesty it never really grabbed me because in this case I couldn't really recognise them - well I couldn't recognise Doyle, especially; the Bodie-clone Kilroy was closer I felt, but Doyle was never really there for me and I didn't feel really engaged as a result. Goodness, how coherent I am this evening, not.

Many thanks for the recs, always interested to see what you've been enjoying and why!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Spoilers ahead...

This is the very first Pros zine I ever bought. I admit, I have problems with some of the things that happen but it doesn't stop me from reading this one. I've recently re-read it and still enjoyed it, even after reading many other AUs. In fact, this AU is much better than many I've attempted.

It's true we start out with a young Doyle who bows to the whims of his family, but we soon find out he's finding his feet in the world. Given the time and setting, I can accept this Doyle's differences. And I love Bodie most of the time. He was raised in a society where any weakness is not tolerated, so he also has a lot of changes to make.

I'm not crazy about the long separation, but I read through that and pretend it's just a few months! *g*

All in all, I like the story, the setting, the romance, and making love on horseback.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I had/have a bit of a problem with Doyle being younger than Bodie, because he isn't, but... turned out I could live with it! It's a great zine... and oh yes for the sex on horseback! *sighs happily*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, but Griffin and Kilroy weren't supposed to be Bodie and Doyle - they couldn't be really... I mean, I could sort of stretch them in my head, but I was really just imagining MS and LC playing the parts, which worked well for me too... *g*

Glad you liked Arabian Nights though - I don't suppose it's top of my AU list either, just because there are so many wonderful AUs out there (I'm restraining myself from re-reading Larton right now), but it really is up there for me... *g*

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean ... hmm, I tried to imagine MS as Griffin, but it just didn't gel for me - perhaps because I didn't feel engaged by the Griffin character, perhaps because it's the nature of the B&D relationship that gets me every time, and that depends on them being recognisably who they are. I do admire AUs that cast them imaginatively in other roles/other times/other circumstances and create a convincing extrapolation of who they would have been in those situations, though! Have never read Larton yet, though I keep seeing people's enthusiastic comments about it ... not sure if it would be my cup of tea or not really. How would you say it compares with the Guide to Cornish Ghosts series, say, or Sally Fell's Hazardous Fortune?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hmmn, it might help that I've seen the "Cassidy" mini-series, so I actually do know how MS played the character of Griffin, and how he was different to Doyle... or have you seen it too?! It's definitely not an AU though!

Now Larton is a complete and utter AU - so much so that I've heard people who don't like it complain that it's really original fiction. I find that I see enough of B/D in there that (like Arabian Nights) I can go with the "Well, if Doyle had never joined CI5, had retired from the force and not been able to do anything physical, if Bodie had been born an Anglo-Irish horse-mad posh bloke... yeah, that's exactly what they'd be like! *g*

It's very different to either Cornish Ghosts or Hazardous Fortune - very very different! It's not explicit at all, for a start, although there are moments that fade to black. Whereas I'd complain in any other fic though, it seems to fit in perfectly with the atmosphere/style of this one, and make their relationship that much more intense and poignant. It reads very Home Counties chuck-the-wellies-in-the-boot-with-the-dogs-and-the-ponies, which seems absolutely contrary to either B or D, but... there's such a warmth to it somehow that I don't mind that either, and again, they're them in that world!

I'm thinking that if you like Arabian Nights it might just warm your cockles, you know... *g*

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I had (and have) great resentments against AU. And I was somehow persuaded to try it.
(shooting2kill is to blame... ;-)) - and to my surprise I found it very enjoyable.
Although the circumstances have absolutely nothing to do with the CI5 world, I can find Bodie and Doyle in it.
And it's strange in an very romantic way!
- Bodie as a sheik is the ne plus ultra of romance...
Just look at that picture of Suzan Lovett, and you know what I mean!

(Btw: the next try with AU was "Rediscovered In A Graveyard" - and that one I found quite disappointing.)

But "Arabian Nights" is absolutely recommendable!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

You didn't like Rediscovered? Man, I loved every single sentence! It was amazingly well done. But then I'm a huge HG fan.

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"I loved every single sentence!"
I agree! For the beginning...
But then I missed the connection between the two stories! I finished it by reading each one separately...
And I think there are too many ups and downs in their partnership.
But that's another rec...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Very glad you liked it too - and yes, Bodie does work very well as a sheik, doesn't he?!

Sorry to hear you didn't like Rediscovered in a Graveyard - I adore it! In fact I might re-read that one next... *g*

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

Let's say - after that absolutely wonderful beginning I expected more!
And I was very disappointed that there were no interactions between the now and then!
I expected that they would discover - peace by peace - more of their former life, that there would be some connections.

Maybe just too many expectations!?! :-/

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ah... I quite liked that the connection was left quite slight and mysterious - it was there though, at the very end! Ah well - that's the fab thing about Pros - so many other fics to try, if you're less keen on one of them... *g*

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"so many other fics to try"
Yeah! But...
Well, "rediscovered..." was on it's way to become THE favorite..., but then...
What a bummer!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - there's alot of fic I feel like that about: oh, if only this had happened instead!. Ah well - one fan's perfect ending is another fan's bummer I guess! *g*

[runriggers.livejournal.com]

You know what the really funny thing is? I just read this story this weekend!! I liked it. Wasn't sure about Doyle's character at first ... but liked it overall.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee! We were reading at the same time - perfect. It took me a minute or two to get into Doyle's character, but as soon as I saw him lose his temper I knew it was really him... *g*

[runriggers.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Doyle grew into Doyle as the story progressed.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Well, I did think that he showed glimpses even at the beginning, and then his experiences proved him out... *g*

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Yes I adore Arabian Nights, it's so beautifully and vividly written. Like you, it sweeps me up; I'm transported to Arabia where I get completely immersed in this fantastic adventure story.
The part where Bodie and Doyle first meet in the market is *so* gorgeous, one of my favourites, and as for Bodie as a sheik...::fans self:: 'nuff said!
It's quite angsty too, I tend to sob my way through a lot of it, but that's probably just me! *g*

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Isn't it wonderful?! I'm so glad you like it too! She manages to capture an atmosphere - probably a very romanticised, non-existant one, but an atmosphere all the same... and it's not like we're here for a reality-fix now, is it?! *g*

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

I liked the story a lot. But I wondered what happened to the tribe after Bodie left them, especially since he kept talking about his responsibility.

Spoiler-y answer to a question...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely story, isn't it!

He left the tribe in the care of his nephew, the one that Cambridge had said loved to learn and showed great promise - I always thought they'd do much better under him. He was already married and with a child on the way, and Bodie of course would never have done that... not once he'd met Doyle... *g*

Re: Spoiler-y answer to a question...

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I must have skipped that part somehow.

Re: Spoiler-y answer to a question...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - I know how it is, you get to thinking about the lads... *g*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Definitely a sweeeeeping sage of sun, sea, sand and sex! I think it was the following quote from Sebastian's Wonderful Tonight which first prompted me to read Arabian Nights and once I'd read it I couldn't forget it - it stayed in my mind and I was hooked for several more readings...

Saying no was off. He was slipping hazily back into fantasy, the echoes of a dream still with him. Bodie a sheik, come to his tent in the middle of the night, to ravish him; yeah, that was a good one. The darkeyed, silent stranger would be merciless, despite his struggles. In the bed, he struggled.

I love the beginning, the setting in the desert, Doyle's struggles with his manly pride and his inability to resist Bodie, Bodie's struggles with nearly everything....east meets west and the inevitable clash of values, the other characters are strong and actually interesting in their own right and it's all so wonderfully escapist and a great story to read if you're fed up or it's raining....have I said enough?

Thanks for reminding me how good it is!

[ankaree.livejournal.com]

I read this one a while back and even though I found the beginning a little slow, once Bodie entered the picture, I fell in love with it! I love him as the dark, mysterious sheik. And it's wonderful to read about Ray as he grows from a submissive young man, into a strong, sure-of-himself adult.

This is now on my list of favorite stories, and I would defnitely rec it to anyone who hasn't read it yet!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I read this early on in my Pros reading and loved it. Looking back, yes, it's quite a different take on Bodie and Doyle but certainly one I didn't seem to have trouble accepting.