Recent reading - truth, illusion, and Star Trek proslash
Letters from the Inside by John Marsden
Tracey and Mandy are two teenage girls who become penpals through a magazine ad. Their lives seem to be very different - Tracey has rich parents, a horse, a gorgeous boyfriend; Mandy lives in the suburbs with her parents and her brother and a dog with no name. But nothing is as simple as it seems. As their lives unfold through their letters, secrets are revealed and the limits of their friendship are tested.
This is a short book, very easy to get through, but there's a lot of emotion packed into its pages. John Marsden's books for teenagers are raw and honest and not always comfortable. I've liked most of his stuff, especially the very intense Tomorrow series, and I found Letters from the Inside to be another decent read.
The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
This classic Star Trek novel apparently has quite a reputation in slash circles, which is why I picked it up. And it didn't disappoint. The Price of the Phoenix is the story of Kirk's death and resurrection at the hands of the brilliant but corrupt tyrant Omne, and Spock's efforts to save his friend and captain. It's a desperate battle, and the prize is no less than Kirk's soul.
It's a well-written enough story, especially for a tie-in novel, but what makes it stand out is the UST that drips from every page. The bond between Kirk and Spock, the tension between Kirk and Omne, plus all the angst, hurt/comfort, and Naked!Kirk you could expect from a good old-fashioned K/S fic. I'm kind of surprised that a Star Trek novel with this level of homoeroticism could get published - yeah, it's all still subtext, but in the same way that Xena had subtext. And Omne! - he's the alpha male to beat all alpha males, but in a totally disturbing way. (Think Witchblade.) Also noteable is the kickarse female Romulan commander, whose name is not revealed.
Recommended for the curiosity value at least. This book apparently has a sequel, The Fate of the Phoenix.
The Messenger by Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy is a nineteen year old taxi driver and an ordinary guy - maybe even a bit of a loser. That is, until the day he accidentally stops a bank robbery. That's the day his life changes.
Appointed as a messenger by forces unknown, Ed starts to receive playing cards in the mail with cryptic clues scrawled on them. Each one leads him to an individual whose life he must intervene in, like an angel of mercy - or justice. In the process, Ed is forced to dig deep inside himself and learn about who he really is.
I found The Messenger readable enough, but for some reason it failed to completely engage me. Maybe it was the style of writing, plain and unvarnished, or maybe it was the sense of detachment I got from Ed, his emotions more described than conveyed. There were individual scenes that shone out, but the story as a whole lacked drive. Another flaw was the ending, which tried to be too clever, and ended up feeling artificial and unsatisfying.
An interesting concept and some nice bits of storytelling, but could have been done better.
Tracey and Mandy are two teenage girls who become penpals through a magazine ad. Their lives seem to be very different - Tracey has rich parents, a horse, a gorgeous boyfriend; Mandy lives in the suburbs with her parents and her brother and a dog with no name. But nothing is as simple as it seems. As their lives unfold through their letters, secrets are revealed and the limits of their friendship are tested.
This is a short book, very easy to get through, but there's a lot of emotion packed into its pages. John Marsden's books for teenagers are raw and honest and not always comfortable. I've liked most of his stuff, especially the very intense Tomorrow series, and I found Letters from the Inside to be another decent read.
The Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath
This classic Star Trek novel apparently has quite a reputation in slash circles, which is why I picked it up. And it didn't disappoint. The Price of the Phoenix is the story of Kirk's death and resurrection at the hands of the brilliant but corrupt tyrant Omne, and Spock's efforts to save his friend and captain. It's a desperate battle, and the prize is no less than Kirk's soul.
It's a well-written enough story, especially for a tie-in novel, but what makes it stand out is the UST that drips from every page. The bond between Kirk and Spock, the tension between Kirk and Omne, plus all the angst, hurt/comfort, and Naked!Kirk you could expect from a good old-fashioned K/S fic. I'm kind of surprised that a Star Trek novel with this level of homoeroticism could get published - yeah, it's all still subtext, but in the same way that Xena had subtext. And Omne! - he's the alpha male to beat all alpha males, but in a totally disturbing way. (Think Witchblade.) Also noteable is the kickarse female Romulan commander, whose name is not revealed.
Recommended for the curiosity value at least. This book apparently has a sequel, The Fate of the Phoenix.
The Messenger by Markus Zusak
Ed Kennedy is a nineteen year old taxi driver and an ordinary guy - maybe even a bit of a loser. That is, until the day he accidentally stops a bank robbery. That's the day his life changes.
Appointed as a messenger by forces unknown, Ed starts to receive playing cards in the mail with cryptic clues scrawled on them. Each one leads him to an individual whose life he must intervene in, like an angel of mercy - or justice. In the process, Ed is forced to dig deep inside himself and learn about who he really is.
I found The Messenger readable enough, but for some reason it failed to completely engage me. Maybe it was the style of writing, plain and unvarnished, or maybe it was the sense of detachment I got from Ed, his emotions more described than conveyed. There were individual scenes that shone out, but the story as a whole lacked drive. Another flaw was the ending, which tried to be too clever, and ended up feeling artificial and unsatisfying.
An interesting concept and some nice bits of storytelling, but could have been done better.