LUNACY'S FAN FICTION REVIEWS
Mark Alger
Reviewer can be reached at
Last modified: November 03 2012 12:33:02

Please make sure to read the EXPLANATORY NOTES before reading these reviews.

Alternative stories are designated as such with an [Alt] at the end of the title line.

This file features reviews of stories written by Mark Alger. For any other fiction by this bard please visit any of the Xena fan fiction indexes.

BOOK ONE: THE BLUE SCROLLS
BOOK TWO: THE POISON GLEN

BLUE SCROLLS (THE) by Mark Alger - [Alt]
Set 25 yrs. after Xena and Gabrielle's first meeting, this emotionally intense story finds the warrior and bard older, wiser, still very much in love but struggling with the psychological repercusions of the life they've led and the uphevals of the heart they both experienced. Although phsycially unscathed from those dark years, the bard emerged with her art forever altered - unable since that time to tell the types of stories that once fulfilled her the most - tales of herself and her beloved soulmate. When an invitation comes for the bard to perform at the 119th Olympiad, it's an opportunity for her to revisit some of her older tales, see old friends and perhaps finally find a way for the story of those darker years to be told. Mark mixes a unique interpretation of the series canon in terms of the timeline with more mature characterizations that nevertheless incorporate many of the qualities of Xena and Gab and their relationship we love. Poignant at times and playful at others, this is an entertaining read with a fresh perspective. DO NOT MISS! [Book I in the AND IN THE END SERIES] - 67 pgs., 4/9/99
FANFIC ART: Contained within the story
http://www.1freespace.com/women/alexiares/AltEndings/bluescrolls1.html

IDES OF MARCH (THE) by Mark Alger
Set a decade after Xena and Gabrielle first meet, this intense story has the warrior still haunted by the vision of her partner dying on a cross when a new vision calls her to Rome demanding that she be there before the Ides of March comes to pass. Unable to shake the determined bard, Xena heads for the center of the Roman Empire and toward a meeting with destiny as the two become pawns in a deadly political struggle fated to change the very course of history. Mark does a nice job incorporating the events of the TV series and of history itself into his storyline delivering a very solid, riveting tale that could play out well as an episode. [note: story contains some subtextual references]. - 37 pgs., 1/13/99
http://www.xenafan.com/fiction/content4/idesofmarch.html

POISON GLEN (THE) by Mark Alger - [Alt]
Book two of the AND IN THE END SERIES begins on the coast of the Aegean Sea where a ship waits while its crew delivers a mysterious cargo to a remote stretch of beach. Miles away in the city of Olympia, the now legendary Warrior Princess and her Amazon bard continue their visit with Sappho as the Tenth Muse endeavors to write down the incredible story of these two extraordinary women. For Xena and Gabrielle both it is a difficult journey back into a past they at times feared they would not survive - a journey which brings back old fears and regrets even as it reaffirms a love for the ages. Unbeknownst to them, they are about to face yet another test as they are forced into the middle of a heinous plot to change not only the future of Greece but of a world yet to be. Mark continues to do a nice job here exploring the dynamics of a more mature relationship between warrior and bard. There's a solid sense of realism in his treatment of heroes and the changes they face as time passes. Featuring a suspenseful storyline - 236 pgs., 7/12/99
http://www.1freespace.com/women/alexiares/AltEndings/poisonglen1.html

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