The Protect and Survive Series by RowenaR (PG-13)
Rec Category: Major Evan Lorne
Pairing: Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne (past Laura Cadman/Carson Beckett)
Category: Major Evan Lorne, Laura Cadman, Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne, Het, Original characters, John Sheppard, Action/Adventure, Angst, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Drama, Episode related, Alternate universe
Warning: offscreen preseries death of a major character as occurred in canon, torture, violence in parts
Author on LJ: http://gelbes-gilatier.livejournal.com/ (non-fandom entries in German)
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/33876/RowenaR
Link: The Protect and Survive series in order (should be read sequentially): (1) Out Of Reach; (2) Seize The Day; (3) Where It All Began; (4) Protect and Survive I: Might Just Save Your Life; (5) Protect and Survive II: Raising The Stakes; (6) Protect and Survive III: No Sleep Tonight; (7) Protect and Survive IV: Wouldn't Hurt To Tell The Truth; (8) Protect and Survive V: Draw Blood Tonight; (9) Protect and Survive VI: Building Bridges; (10) Protect and Survive VII: Show The World; and the AU Last Man verse connecting series Defining Moments: (1) Defining Moments: The Faith That Cleans Your Wound; (2) Defining Moments: Like A Song Without A Melody; (3) Defining Moments: You And I Will Meet Again; (4) Defining Moments: If It Kills Me; and sister series Minor Characters in which Lorne appears (whose characters also appear in this series) and which I've previously rec'd: (1) Minor Characters: Odd Man Out; (2) Minor Characters II: A Little Change; (3) Minor Characters III: Take Charge.
Why This Must Be Read: RowenaR aka gelbes_gilatier writes what's become my canon for the pairing of Major Evan Lorne and Lieutenant Laura Cadman in the funny, angsty, exciting and engrossing Protect and Survive series. [which also has a few prequels and a spinoff series set in the alternate future from the season four episode, "The Last Man."] The creaky Moonlighting truism dictates that all romantic and dramatic tension will end if a couple is brought together and so resolution should be avoided at all costs. Thankfully RowenaR never got the memo and disproves this maxim quite early on. She continuously and vividly demonstrates that bringing characters together can be the starting point for rich romantic tension, drama and excitement for a creative and talented author. The whole ongoing series is a remarkable achievement, a carefully conceived universe where every event has realistic, lasting and sometimes surprising consequences. The world building is meticulous; the characters and their relationships grow and evolve from each story to the next but are never inconsistent, down to the smallest detail. Through tragedy, hardship, the nitty gritty of mundane life for the military in Atlantis (which she is particularly excellent at), good times and bad, the author so gracefully and gradually transitions Evan and Laura from friends to more that the relationship feels like it evolved organically and was meant to be.
The series opens as Laura grieves Carson's death; Evan stays in touch when Laura leaves Atlantis for the SGC and manages through his persistence and wry humor to deepen their bond until they are almost best friends. When he visits to tell her about the CarsonClone and intrigue her into coming back, she thinks he's helping her snag a spot on the Atlantis roster so she can see if any feelings remain between she and Carson. Of course, he has his own reasons for wanting her in Pegasus. As she settles back into the craziness of life on Atlantis, Laura fails (or chooses not) to notice that Evan's feelings have changed and her feelings for him may have too. Taken unaware, she reacts badly when she is finally forced to see what is going on, mostly by the ever so classy Carson. She attempts to fix it by ignoring the whole mess, which works as well as that ever does. At the same time there are the usual unpredictable missions, with wonderfully fast-paced and suspenseful action sequences (some truly scary), kidnappings, rituals-gone-wrong, Ancient technology, team captures and rescues, hybrids, biological weapons, Wraith, injuries, deaths and sacrifices as life in Pegasus remains eventful, to put it mildly. The relationship continues to evolve after external events force her to face her feelings for Evan. The new secret couple struggle not to dishonor themselves by breaking the fraternization regs and deal with the many problems that come from working and living so closely together. Once the generous Sheppard helps push through new regulations to reflect how Atlantis is evolving from an FOB (Forward Operating Base) into a true community of families on a military base, those problems include some of what a female officer who becomes involved with her superior officer might expect to deal with. (Sheppard's memo on the code of conduct of change and his marines' and airmens' reaction is hysterical and very him.)
So what makes this author and this series stand-out? It's probably the gold standard for the pairing, always note-perfect, creative and emotionally true. Her Evan POV is as good as the legendary miss_porcupine, (this coming from one of miss_porcupine's biggest fans). His dialogue is exceptional with fabulous zingers, sarcasm and dry wit that feels completely in character. He is movingly vulnerable, brave, honorable, and stoic. When he suffers because of Laura's willful blindness to his feelings, your heart will break for him. Her Laura is tough, spirited, damaged, strong and lovable. She's just as smart, brave and witty as Evan and never fails to give as good as she gets. I believe that this Laura could succeed and thrive in the mostly male Marine Corps and that she would crave the challenge and risk of working with live ordnance. She's also realistically flawed, impulsive, quick tempered and stubborn. The chemistry between she and the equally stubborn, reserved and complicated Lorne is palpable and hot enough to make this strictly g-rated romance quite sexy. The closest comparison would be to a 30s screwball film in which nothing risque happens or is mentioned onscreen but in which it's obvious just how fiery and passionate the characters' sex life is; Nick and Nora have nothing on these two as written by RowenaR.
RowenaR also writes incredible original characters that the reader falls in love with, especially Lorne's loyal Sergeant Meyers. I was quite crushed when he was revealed to have a wife (who turned out to be as sly and charming as her husband). Even her villains are memorable, dark and multi-dimensional. Oh, did I mention how funny this series is? It's hilarious, bone dry and sarcastic with the characters' trademark humor throughout. Even so, I probably wouldn't love this series so insanely much if she wasn't just as deft at writing all the other canon characters, especially John Sheppard (his friendship with Lorne and skill as a leader are phenomenally handled) and Teyla, whose tortured and ambiguous non-relationship (or is it? she keeps me guessing) crackles in the background throughout the series as possibly the best and most agonizingly subtle secondary pairing ever in terms of how slowly and sparingly she has spooled it out (so subtly that if you object to the idea, you will likely never even notice). She also gives incredible angst that makes my chest hurt in the best way as she tortures the characters (and the reader) deliciously. Bonus? She features The Princess Bride as a key prop in the couple's relationship; they give each other nicknames from the book.
All this is made all the more amazing when you find out that English is not the author's first language (as she cautions at the beginning of each story) and that she seems to be cursed with the worst luck with computers EVER (I haven't kept a running tally but I think she's killed four or five PCs and at least as many external and thumb drives over the course of the series). I'm just grateful she's persevered to share her wonderful stories with the world.
Pairing: Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne (past Laura Cadman/Carson Beckett)
Category: Major Evan Lorne, Laura Cadman, Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne, Het, Original characters, John Sheppard, Action/Adventure, Angst, Teyla Emmagan, Carson Beckett, Drama, Episode related, Alternate universe
Warning: offscreen preseries death of a major character as occurred in canon, torture, violence in parts
Author on LJ: http://gelbes-gilatier.livejournal.com/ (non-fandom entries in German)
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/33876/RowenaR
Link: The Protect and Survive series in order (should be read sequentially): (1) Out Of Reach; (2) Seize The Day; (3) Where It All Began; (4) Protect and Survive I: Might Just Save Your Life; (5) Protect and Survive II: Raising The Stakes; (6) Protect and Survive III: No Sleep Tonight; (7) Protect and Survive IV: Wouldn't Hurt To Tell The Truth; (8) Protect and Survive V: Draw Blood Tonight; (9) Protect and Survive VI: Building Bridges; (10) Protect and Survive VII: Show The World; and the AU Last Man verse connecting series Defining Moments: (1) Defining Moments: The Faith That Cleans Your Wound; (2) Defining Moments: Like A Song Without A Melody; (3) Defining Moments: You And I Will Meet Again; (4) Defining Moments: If It Kills Me; and sister series Minor Characters in which Lorne appears (whose characters also appear in this series) and which I've previously rec'd: (1) Minor Characters: Odd Man Out; (2) Minor Characters II: A Little Change; (3) Minor Characters III: Take Charge.
Why This Must Be Read: RowenaR aka gelbes_gilatier writes what's become my canon for the pairing of Major Evan Lorne and Lieutenant Laura Cadman in the funny, angsty, exciting and engrossing Protect and Survive series. [which also has a few prequels and a spinoff series set in the alternate future from the season four episode, "The Last Man."] The creaky Moonlighting truism dictates that all romantic and dramatic tension will end if a couple is brought together and so resolution should be avoided at all costs. Thankfully RowenaR never got the memo and disproves this maxim quite early on. She continuously and vividly demonstrates that bringing characters together can be the starting point for rich romantic tension, drama and excitement for a creative and talented author. The whole ongoing series is a remarkable achievement, a carefully conceived universe where every event has realistic, lasting and sometimes surprising consequences. The world building is meticulous; the characters and their relationships grow and evolve from each story to the next but are never inconsistent, down to the smallest detail. Through tragedy, hardship, the nitty gritty of mundane life for the military in Atlantis (which she is particularly excellent at), good times and bad, the author so gracefully and gradually transitions Evan and Laura from friends to more that the relationship feels like it evolved organically and was meant to be.
The series opens as Laura grieves Carson's death; Evan stays in touch when Laura leaves Atlantis for the SGC and manages through his persistence and wry humor to deepen their bond until they are almost best friends. When he visits to tell her about the CarsonClone and intrigue her into coming back, she thinks he's helping her snag a spot on the Atlantis roster so she can see if any feelings remain between she and Carson. Of course, he has his own reasons for wanting her in Pegasus. As she settles back into the craziness of life on Atlantis, Laura fails (or chooses not) to notice that Evan's feelings have changed and her feelings for him may have too. Taken unaware, she reacts badly when she is finally forced to see what is going on, mostly by the ever so classy Carson. She attempts to fix it by ignoring the whole mess, which works as well as that ever does. At the same time there are the usual unpredictable missions, with wonderfully fast-paced and suspenseful action sequences (some truly scary), kidnappings, rituals-gone-wrong, Ancient technology, team captures and rescues, hybrids, biological weapons, Wraith, injuries, deaths and sacrifices as life in Pegasus remains eventful, to put it mildly. The relationship continues to evolve after external events force her to face her feelings for Evan. The new secret couple struggle not to dishonor themselves by breaking the fraternization regs and deal with the many problems that come from working and living so closely together. Once the generous Sheppard helps push through new regulations to reflect how Atlantis is evolving from an FOB (Forward Operating Base) into a true community of families on a military base, those problems include some of what a female officer who becomes involved with her superior officer might expect to deal with. (Sheppard's memo on the code of conduct of change and his marines' and airmens' reaction is hysterical and very him.)
So what makes this author and this series stand-out? It's probably the gold standard for the pairing, always note-perfect, creative and emotionally true. Her Evan POV is as good as the legendary miss_porcupine, (this coming from one of miss_porcupine's biggest fans). His dialogue is exceptional with fabulous zingers, sarcasm and dry wit that feels completely in character. He is movingly vulnerable, brave, honorable, and stoic. When he suffers because of Laura's willful blindness to his feelings, your heart will break for him. Her Laura is tough, spirited, damaged, strong and lovable. She's just as smart, brave and witty as Evan and never fails to give as good as she gets. I believe that this Laura could succeed and thrive in the mostly male Marine Corps and that she would crave the challenge and risk of working with live ordnance. She's also realistically flawed, impulsive, quick tempered and stubborn. The chemistry between she and the equally stubborn, reserved and complicated Lorne is palpable and hot enough to make this strictly g-rated romance quite sexy. The closest comparison would be to a 30s screwball film in which nothing risque happens or is mentioned onscreen but in which it's obvious just how fiery and passionate the characters' sex life is; Nick and Nora have nothing on these two as written by RowenaR.
RowenaR also writes incredible original characters that the reader falls in love with, especially Lorne's loyal Sergeant Meyers. I was quite crushed when he was revealed to have a wife (who turned out to be as sly and charming as her husband). Even her villains are memorable, dark and multi-dimensional. Oh, did I mention how funny this series is? It's hilarious, bone dry and sarcastic with the characters' trademark humor throughout. Even so, I probably wouldn't love this series so insanely much if she wasn't just as deft at writing all the other canon characters, especially John Sheppard (his friendship with Lorne and skill as a leader are phenomenally handled) and Teyla, whose tortured and ambiguous non-relationship (or is it? she keeps me guessing) crackles in the background throughout the series as possibly the best and most agonizingly subtle secondary pairing ever in terms of how slowly and sparingly she has spooled it out (so subtly that if you object to the idea, you will likely never even notice). She also gives incredible angst that makes my chest hurt in the best way as she tortures the characters (and the reader) deliciously. Bonus? She features The Princess Bride as a key prop in the couple's relationship; they give each other nicknames from the book.
All this is made all the more amazing when you find out that English is not the author's first language (as she cautions at the beginning of each story) and that she seems to be cursed with the worst luck with computers EVER (I haven't kept a running tally but I think she's killed four or five PCs and at least as many external and thumb drives over the course of the series). I'm just grateful she's persevered to share her wonderful stories with the world.