Story 225: "College Street" by Vaznetti

[lyryk]

College Street, 924 words, Alex Krycek.

Author's summary: Krycek forgets himself, but only for a moment.This short fic feels longer than it actually is, focusing tightly on a familiar character, paced in 'real time', so to speak, and full of small, vivid details that complement the idea of Krycek both as a sharp-eyed observer and as an outsider

Comments

[infinitlight]

Very effective short story. It's very clear in its images and tells a lot about the character in a short space of time: I especially liked "He'd never figured out people who couldn't blend in wherever they were.", which says a couple of different things about him in a few words.

I usually dislike stories about Krycek (Ratboy!) and find him generally uninteresting as a character, so I was surprised I liked this as much as I did. I liked the subtlety and that the writer didn't try to overexplain Krycek's character.

[lyryk]

I thought this was a lovely short story, really. Something that can almost stand on its own, even if one doesn't know the fandom. But of course it's so much more compelling when you're familiar with the character. :-)

I loved the subtlety in this story, too. It's awesome when 'villainous' characters are given shades of grey.

[mogster495]

This is a great vignette of Krycek. The author establishes his character with the paragraph of him ordering coffee and blending in. The story puts Krycek among young hopefuls on a crowded street, and this contrasts Krycek's cynicism and practical evil.
The moment when he loses himself is clear. He almost makes a move to help someone. He realizes his folly and retreats back into the shadows. The line "winter is coming, they're all going to die" echos in him mind, and reminds him that shouldn't care.
The long sentences established an okay rhythm. It seemed like we were reading someone's unbroken thoughts.

On a side note, "winter is coming" seems eerie since I have been reading Game of Thrones. I don't like the books, but that is another subject all together....

[lyryk]

I love the phrase 'practical evil'. :-D

It's brilliant how that moment is crafted so carefully. And yes, the rhythm completely felt like someone's thoughts to me, too.

Ugh, Game of Thrones. I checked out the author's LJ way back when, didn't like his opinions much, and decided I wasn't going to read the books. From what I hear, there's a lot of misogyny in there.

[mogster495]

So much woman hate in those books. I think the author has issues. I mean, there are over 300 rapes in GoT!

[lyryk]

Yikes, that's horrible. Thanks for the heads-up. Now I don't have to feel as if I'm missing out on something that may be good. :-/

[bmerb]

This was short and vivid. Thanks for the rec!