490: Insta!rec [big bang]
title. A Wolf of the Deserts
author. sylvanwitch
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. NC-17
words. 53,621
summary. A devil's wind blows all the time across the plains of southwestern Kansas. It's 1898, and Dean Winchester is fixing to become the next minister of the Sweetbranch Irregular Baptist Church as soon as his grandfather, the Reverend John Winchester, passes away of the lingering illness that's slowly taking his strength. Sam, sixteen and sullen, resents the small town he grew up in, rejects his grandfather's preaching ways, and yearns for something Dean isn't sure he can give his little brother--not without sacrificing their immortal souls. When Sam rescues the mysterious boy, Lucas Volkov, from enslavement to a traveling medicine show, he thinks he's welcoming a worldly new friend. But like his namesake, the wolf, Volkov stalks Sweetbranch with patience and grace, taking what he wants and leaving behind only sorrow. Can Dean resist temptation and save his brother and himself, or will they both be destroyed by the wolf and the desires the wolf raises in them?
read this. If you love a good tragedy in the tradition of Flannery O' Conner or Tennessee Williams, then this is a not-to-be-missed read. This author certainly does the genre justice, by creating flawed characters, a sense of mystery, and an overwhelming atmosphere while addressing moral dilemmas. I was drawn into a hard plains existence during the dust bowl and could feel the endless horizons, the whip of the wind and the inevitable fight for hope such an existence accompanies. Never for an instant does the writer forget where this story is set, and the atmosphere swallowed me. The elements of the supernatural are part and parcel of the story and yet at the end you may wonder what was real and what wasn't. The cast of minor characters are rich and human and as full of flaws as our boys. Mostly, I loved both Sam and Dean in this. I felt their misery and hope, their joys and their love and my heart broke for them both. This is not a happy ending, but it is powerful, beautifully written and a story that will stay with me for a very long time.
author. sylvanwitch
characters. Sam/Dean
rating. NC-17
words. 53,621
summary. A devil's wind blows all the time across the plains of southwestern Kansas. It's 1898, and Dean Winchester is fixing to become the next minister of the Sweetbranch Irregular Baptist Church as soon as his grandfather, the Reverend John Winchester, passes away of the lingering illness that's slowly taking his strength. Sam, sixteen and sullen, resents the small town he grew up in, rejects his grandfather's preaching ways, and yearns for something Dean isn't sure he can give his little brother--not without sacrificing their immortal souls. When Sam rescues the mysterious boy, Lucas Volkov, from enslavement to a traveling medicine show, he thinks he's welcoming a worldly new friend. But like his namesake, the wolf, Volkov stalks Sweetbranch with patience and grace, taking what he wants and leaving behind only sorrow. Can Dean resist temptation and save his brother and himself, or will they both be destroyed by the wolf and the desires the wolf raises in them?
read this. If you love a good tragedy in the tradition of Flannery O' Conner or Tennessee Williams, then this is a not-to-be-missed read. This author certainly does the genre justice, by creating flawed characters, a sense of mystery, and an overwhelming atmosphere while addressing moral dilemmas. I was drawn into a hard plains existence during the dust bowl and could feel the endless horizons, the whip of the wind and the inevitable fight for hope such an existence accompanies. Never for an instant does the writer forget where this story is set, and the atmosphere swallowed me. The elements of the supernatural are part and parcel of the story and yet at the end you may wonder what was real and what wasn't. The cast of minor characters are rich and human and as full of flaws as our boys. Mostly, I loved both Sam and Dean in this. I felt their misery and hope, their joys and their love and my heart broke for them both. This is not a happy ending, but it is powerful, beautifully written and a story that will stay with me for a very long time.