Metempsychosis, by Jacques H. Valentine
>> One in a lifetime <<
Title: Metempsychosis
Author: Jacques H. Valentine
Public: NC-17
Genre: Angst, Drama, Slashy, Medium Fic
Warning: Dark, Gore, Disturbing Content
Summary: Duncan received the unexpected visit of someone who is supposed to have died months ago. But how can this strange girl at his door be Methos?
Review:
Settings ==> Everything is done to create this oppressing almost suffocating atmosphere. The details are delivered in streak never getting in front, never taking more attention than what this story is about. Nonetheless, the environment is perfectly believable and stands firm.
Characters ==> They are totally in character, more than canon. Of course Methos is particularly sharp and edgy, so deeply human and inhuman at the same time, making him a real, 3-dimensional character with depth and volume who cries his existence as you've never seen it before. Duncan sticks to himself, a person who will always ponder, wonder about what life is, how humans are supposed to live, why and the limits. Most of the fics stereotype him as the brooding Scot, of course in a teasing tone, but nonetheless it is reducing the dimension of a deep character prone to doubt and question about oneself's worth and acts. The events seen by the eyes of one Duncan gives an impartial perspective to the story that never toes the line but on the contrary emphasizes the dimensions of its characters.
Plot ==> To tell the truth, it is far from being plotty but it is because it isn't an action oriented story. However even if it isn't, there is a tension, ever-present, a suspense about what will happen and always this awe, sometimes awsome sometimes aweful but always at the brink of your mind. In the end, it is mainly a contemplative story that worked by stage, each level enlightening your perceptions in a different but logic way. This thread the author strongly weaved as Ariadne's one will show you and lead you through a labyrinthic, horrific vision.
Style ==> What is blatant in this fic most than in all the fics I've read before is this, at the same time, talent but mainly this mastered will to never tell too much, in fact to never tell but to always show. And for a Angst story it is quite a challenge and the author has succeeded with brilliance. The writing stays quite coherent all along, balancing easily between introspection, action and dialogues, never altering this quite heavy prickling sensation.
Interest ==> Hooked from the first line till the last one, have to confess that it is some kind of morbid curiosity that got me the most stuck, also there's this highly intellectual quality about it. Essentially it is a Methos fic but it isn't really. It has more qualities, more depth than just an average character fic. It isn't compliant, indulgent and doesn't exactly pay tribute to Methos. It's a harsh painting with dark and vivid colors that hurts and confuses the eyes but then tempered by the spirit of one Duncan.
In conclusion ==> If you're looking for a nice, sweet Duncan/Methos slash story, you won't find it here. Of course, it can be interpreted as a slashy fic, there're lots of elements in that way. But truth is, it isn't. This story possesses what the tv show is about: Immortality, Immortals, Survival, Life, Death, Pain, Violence, Sanity, Questionning. I think it is the quintessence of what is Highlander The Series with a darker and more adult voice.
<< Go Read It >>
Title: Metempsychosis
Author: Jacques H. Valentine
Public: NC-17
Genre: Angst, Drama, Slashy, Medium Fic
Warning: Dark, Gore, Disturbing Content
Summary: Duncan received the unexpected visit of someone who is supposed to have died months ago. But how can this strange girl at his door be Methos?
Review:
Settings ==> Everything is done to create this oppressing almost suffocating atmosphere. The details are delivered in streak never getting in front, never taking more attention than what this story is about. Nonetheless, the environment is perfectly believable and stands firm.
Characters ==> They are totally in character, more than canon. Of course Methos is particularly sharp and edgy, so deeply human and inhuman at the same time, making him a real, 3-dimensional character with depth and volume who cries his existence as you've never seen it before. Duncan sticks to himself, a person who will always ponder, wonder about what life is, how humans are supposed to live, why and the limits. Most of the fics stereotype him as the brooding Scot, of course in a teasing tone, but nonetheless it is reducing the dimension of a deep character prone to doubt and question about oneself's worth and acts. The events seen by the eyes of one Duncan gives an impartial perspective to the story that never toes the line but on the contrary emphasizes the dimensions of its characters.
Plot ==> To tell the truth, it is far from being plotty but it is because it isn't an action oriented story. However even if it isn't, there is a tension, ever-present, a suspense about what will happen and always this awe, sometimes awsome sometimes aweful but always at the brink of your mind. In the end, it is mainly a contemplative story that worked by stage, each level enlightening your perceptions in a different but logic way. This thread the author strongly weaved as Ariadne's one will show you and lead you through a labyrinthic, horrific vision.
Style ==> What is blatant in this fic most than in all the fics I've read before is this, at the same time, talent but mainly this mastered will to never tell too much, in fact to never tell but to always show. And for a Angst story it is quite a challenge and the author has succeeded with brilliance. The writing stays quite coherent all along, balancing easily between introspection, action and dialogues, never altering this quite heavy prickling sensation.
Interest ==> Hooked from the first line till the last one, have to confess that it is some kind of morbid curiosity that got me the most stuck, also there's this highly intellectual quality about it. Essentially it is a Methos fic but it isn't really. It has more qualities, more depth than just an average character fic. It isn't compliant, indulgent and doesn't exactly pay tribute to Methos. It's a harsh painting with dark and vivid colors that hurts and confuses the eyes but then tempered by the spirit of one Duncan.
In conclusion ==> If you're looking for a nice, sweet Duncan/Methos slash story, you won't find it here. Of course, it can be interpreted as a slashy fic, there're lots of elements in that way. But truth is, it isn't. This story possesses what the tv show is about: Immortality, Immortals, Survival, Life, Death, Pain, Violence, Sanity, Questionning. I think it is the quintessence of what is Highlander The Series with a darker and more adult voice.
<< Go Read It >>