LUNACY'S FAN FICTION REVIEWS
Scout
Reviewer can be reached at
Last modified: November 03 2012 12:33:04

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 Scout. For any other fiction by this bard please visit any of the Xena fan fiction indexes.

**JUST AN ORDINARY DAY by Scout
This beautiful story has Xena trying to save her beloved bard after an accident. Short but highly emotional hurt/comfort tale. One of my favorites. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!. - 6 pgs., 10/96
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/day.htm
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

**LONG WAY HOME (THE) by Scout
With stories like JUST AN ORDINARY DAY and THE CYPRESS GROVE Scout has delivered some of the most moving and beautifully written tales in XWP fan fiction. It is a reputation she more than lives up to with this newest effort - a novel which is her longest story to date and arguably her finest. This is a tale about two friendships separated by eons, but forged by the same fierce love, loyalty and trust. It is a story about slavery and courage, cruelty and hope. It is a story that will touch the deepest recesses of your heart and leave you believing in the ability of the human spirit to pass on the best parts of itself to the generations yet to come. This begins as a Mel/Janice story with Mel's niece Carrie going to visit her aunt. The young girl is delighted when the two women decide to take her along on a trip to the Mediterranean where they are going to investigate a new archeological find - a find which could give them more clues about the lives of their legendary ancestors. Most Mel/Janice stories to date have featured Xena and Gabrielle as well but mostly in secondary roles where they are seen briefly through flashbacks or in dreams. In THE LONG WAY HOME, by contrast, they are EVERY bit as important as their descendants with a story of their own which is truly at the heart of this novel. As we read about Mel and Janice uncovering the past - we also SEE that past - one of Xena and Gabrielle's most trying and emotionally draining adventures as they join the crew of Xena's old ship, now run by slavers, intent on making sure they don't continue using it for that purpose. On board they find a young boy who is regularly subjected to the worse of cruelties - a boy who Gabrielle becomes determined to save at any cost. The struggle of these two women to give back freedom and hope to those from whom it has been stripped parallels the dogged determination of an archeologist and her partner millenniums later to uncover that story and reaffirm the legend of a warrior and her bard. Similar also is the impact the friends will have on the young lives they come in contact with - with Xena and Gabrielle giving a child hope in the ancient past and Janice and Mel inspiring the soul of another in the present. Scout uses a different perspective for the present-day and ancient parts of the novel with Carrie telling the story about her trip with Mel and Janice while the tale involving Xena and Gabrielle unfolds on its own. It is an effective technique which gives a distinctive flavor to the two separate plots. This is a poignant, marvelously crafted story guaranteed to put a tear in your eye one moment and a smile on your face the next. A wonderful read which receives my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! - 58 pgs., 11/24/97
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/longwayhome.html
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

Copyright © 1997-2010 - All rights reserved. The contents of this Web document may not be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, or stored in a public database retrieval system, without prior written or electronic permission of the author.