And Seven For A Secret (R) by Aeshna
Title: And Seven For A Secret
Fandom: Torchwood (Dr Who)
Categories: gen, historical, action/adventure, war story, science fiction
Length: Epic (58,000 words)
Warnings: Character death (it is Jack), secondary character death (it is a war story), violence and coarse language (ditto).
Author on LJ: aeshna-uk
Author on AO3:
Aeshna
Summary:
If you are reading this then I am dead, and with my death dies a promise I made a long, long time ago... When Ben Haldane is left a cryptic note in his grandfather's will, it leads him to a story far stranger than he could ever have imagined.
Review:
Somehow it seemed fitting for that my review for Epistolary/Historical week is a WW2 story that commences with a letter.
This story would have made an excellent Torchwood special. It involves Jack Harkness on a mission to a Nazi PoW camp, a castle that conceals more than just bored prisoners, and the men who get caught up in events. It's not a pretty sight; this Jack is not infallible, and his small screw-ups do cost lives. The main threat is credible, particularly in being a threat to Jack that he might not recover from, and the finale is suitably action-packed and bloody.
It goes without saying that the writing and pacing are excellent. (Disclaimer: I've known aeshna-uk since her first con, and she is responsible for getting me writing, so I would say that.) A particular grace, and one of the reasons it would make an excellent episode, is that the story is told from the point of view of a third party, Private Bert Fletcher. This helps the pacing by removing any strain in not knowing the details of Jack's mission until as late as possible. Bert is also an amiable viewpoint character, as much as anyone could be under the circumstances, and I found it quite easy to identify with his reactions.
Eminently readable, and highly recommended.
And Seven For A Secret (multi-part)
Fandom: Torchwood (Dr Who)
Categories: gen, historical, action/adventure, war story, science fiction
Length: Epic (58,000 words)
Warnings: Character death (it is Jack), secondary character death (it is a war story), violence and coarse language (ditto).
Author on LJ: aeshna-uk
Author on AO3:
Aeshna
Summary:
If you are reading this then I am dead, and with my death dies a promise I made a long, long time ago... When Ben Haldane is left a cryptic note in his grandfather's will, it leads him to a story far stranger than he could ever have imagined.
Review:
Somehow it seemed fitting for that my review for Epistolary/Historical week is a WW2 story that commences with a letter.
This story would have made an excellent Torchwood special. It involves Jack Harkness on a mission to a Nazi PoW camp, a castle that conceals more than just bored prisoners, and the men who get caught up in events. It's not a pretty sight; this Jack is not infallible, and his small screw-ups do cost lives. The main threat is credible, particularly in being a threat to Jack that he might not recover from, and the finale is suitably action-packed and bloody.
It goes without saying that the writing and pacing are excellent. (Disclaimer: I've known aeshna-uk since her first con, and she is responsible for getting me writing, so I would say that.) A particular grace, and one of the reasons it would make an excellent episode, is that the story is told from the point of view of a third party, Private Bert Fletcher. This helps the pacing by removing any strain in not knowing the details of Jack's mission until as late as possible. Bert is also an amiable viewpoint character, as much as anyone could be under the circumstances, and I found it quite easy to identify with his reactions.
Eminently readable, and highly recommended.
And Seven For A Secret (multi-part)