LUNACY'S FAN FICTION REVIEWS
Wishes (Judith K. Parker)
Reviewer can be reached at
Last modified: November 03 2012 12:33:01

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

For reviews of the author's commercial titles check the Reviews Of Commercial Titles.

CITY OF PEACE by the NetForum bards
A fascinating cooperative story by several NetForum bards (Stradivarius, JayBird, XenaAddict, Raye Dene, and Wishes) which has Xena trapped in a strange world, thinking of herself as a warlord once again, while a desperate Gabrielle works to help her return to reality, finding some ulikely allies in the process. - 62 pgs., 8/17/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/cityofpeace.html

**DEDICATION by Wishes
This is a short little tale but as they say, it carries a "big stick"! It is the story of an innocent soul sacrificed in a moment of desperation by a promise to an unforgiving god. Authored by one of the premier bards in the Xenaverse, this is NOT TO BE MISSED!! - 2 pgs., 3/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/dedication.html
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/dedication.html

**DREAMER AND THE DREAM (THE) by Wishes - [Alt]
Wishes and 3 pages - all the necessary ingredients for yet another brilliant exercise in storytelling by one of the masters in this fanfic. It's the future - it's a world in which some human beings have the ability to make their dreams seem very real - it's a dangerous ability so these mutants have been deemed a threat to society and they're hunted like rabid animals. On this night Officer Washington and her partner Palmer are on patrol. The dreamer they're hunting is different from others - the manifestations far from deadly, at times...cute - and as Officer Washington is about to discover, even rather personal. AWESOME guys - don't even hesitate on this one. Delightful and marvelously effective! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 3 pgs., 11/18/99
http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/d/dreameranddream.html

**EDGE OF THE WORLD (THE) by Wishes
One of the most prolific and brightest talents in XWP fanfic, Wishes never fails to deliver fiction which challenges the mind and the soul. Set sometime in the nineteenth century, this new uber story chronicles the experience of a group of women and their children after a storm separates them from their husbands, leaving them stranded on an island somewhere in the Pacific. As told by one of these women, the story follows the group as they finally make their way back to civilization to await the reunion with their husbands - but much has changed in three years and for some of those women there is no going back... Based on a very deliberate economy of words, Wishes' writing style here is one that has always served her well - turning deceptively simple stories into fiction with tremendous impact. This is one more gem in a portfolio that should be required reading for anyone who likes quality fanfic. DO NOT MISS!! [Note: story contains some very subtle subtext] - 3 pgs., 10/5/98
http://ausxip.com/fanfic4/theedge.html

**FRIENDS OF THE GODDESS by Wishes - [See the SERPENT/TEMPLE TRILOGY]

FURTHER ADVENTURES OF JANICE AND MEL SERIES (THE) - Two different authors have written stories using this series designation. The stories by Wishes are all general fiction and listed below. The ones by Rachel2 can be found in the Alternative Fan Fiction Reviews under this same series title. These stories are best read in the order listed here.

**GABRIELLE STELE (THE) by Wishes
**XENA CORE (THE) by Wishes
**PRIZE (THE) by Wishes

**GABRIELLE STELE (THE) by Wishes
Action-packed Mel/Janice story that has the spunky anthropologist and her Southern belle companion running around Egypt, dodging Nazis, the British authorities, and a slew of ruthless sorts in a quest to locate the pieces of a tablet they believe tells a lost tale about the Warrior Princess and the Amazon bard. As is usually the case with a Wishes tale - the writing is excellent with wonderful characterizations and an intriguing storyline. This was the first general fiction Mel/Janice story released on the Web. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [Do not miss the sequel THE XENA CORE] - 67 pgs., 7/25/97
FANFIC ART: "Janice Covington Doll" by Barbara Maclay
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/furtheradvent.html
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/gabstel1.htm
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/furtheradvent.html

GREECE by Wishes -- [Alt]
This should particularly be a thrill for those Xenites who've seen Lucy in GREASE - a somewhat "different" version of the musical. Cute! - 5 pgs., 10/8/97
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/greece.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010606234709/http://xwp-altfic.simplenet.com/wishes-greece.txt

HOME FIRES by Wishes
In a departure for Wishes, she brings us a wonderfully suspenseful horror story that has Xena and Gabrielle helping villagers fight a deadly new enemy - a growing evil in the shape of humans that has been around for time immemorial and will likely outlive the Warrior and Bard themselves. Nicely written. Particularly recommended for fans of the horror genre. - 30 pgs., 6/10/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/homefires.html
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/homefires.html

**PRIZE (THE) by Wishes
Wishes has become known for producing among other things some exceptional Mel/Janice stories. This newest one is very likely her best one to date! I haven't had this much fun reading a story in a long time! It is a FANTASTIC blend of those good old fashion WWII war/spy movies with a horror motif and of course - Mel and Janice!! Just be warned that you may not have any nails left at the end of this tale! The story has our intrepid archeologist and her tall, blue-eyed partner accepting a mission, with Janice posing as one of Hitler's deadliest interrogators, that will take them into Nazi-controlled Transylvania where rumors abound of a deadly, new German secret weapon. It is a mission that will bring them face to face with horrors both ancient and new and which once again will reinforce the link between them and a warrior and bard long-dead. The story is chock full of action and intrigue but it is the loyalty between the two friends, their love and concern for one another that stands out. A GREAT read that comes VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Note: The story contains subtext. - 97 pgs., 11/23/97
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/theprize.html
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/prize1.htm

**SATISFACTION GUARANTEED by Wishes -- [Alt]
Having already shared with us some of the most original fiction in the Xenaverse, Wishes brings us yet another clever entry - this one an uber tale set in a future where finding one's soulmate is no longer such a difficult prospect...if one has the money ;-) This is storytelling that makes you think - about love, about science, and about what exactly is it that makes us who we are. A definite MUST READ! DO NOT MISS! - 5 pgs., 1/18/99
http://ausxip.com/fanfic6/satisfaction.html

**SERPENT/TEMPLE TRILOGY by Wishes: [Read in the order listed here]
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

I. **LAIR OF THE SERPENT by Wishes
Mysterious adventure story that has Xena going up against a giant serpent and Gabrielle against some of her worse fears. This is the first part of what became a trilogy. - 16 pgs., 12/96
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/lairofserpent.html
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

II. **VALLEY OF REGRET by Wishes
Second part of the Serpent/Temple trilogy, this story has Xena seeking help from a secretive sect devoted to the goddess Demeter. Still suffering the aftereffects of the battle with the Serpent, Xena must participate in a mysterious purification ceremony to try to calm her soul and comes to terms with her past. - 16 pgs., 1/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/valleyofregret.html
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

III. **FRIENDS OF THE GODDESS by Wishes
Last entry in the Serpent/Temple trilogy, this story offers MAGNIFICENT imagery of Xena in her element once again at the head of a great army as she goes to war to protect the followers of Demeter now being threatened by a deadly enemy. - 20 pgs., 1/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/friendsofgoddess.html
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

**SIGNALS by Wishes -- [Alt]
A WONDERFUL gem of a story by a bard well-known for producing gems. This is a tale full of intrigue and action and suspense but it is the underlying emotions that make it truly outstanding. Some weeks after their encounter with the Horde, Xena and Gabrielle are heading to meet with a young king who is requesting the warrior's presence. Xena is still troubled by her behavior back at the Athenian Fort and suffering from nightmares. It is after waking from one of these nightmares that she reveals a truth to Gabrielle that can no longer be kept hidden - a truth which lays the warrior's heart bare and confuses the young bard. With little time to waist, the two move on to the kingdom Xena first visited as a warlord - there to learn that old ideas and hatreds have given way to the new. Hope is alive in the people - hope for peace with a neighboring kingdom - but hatred is not so easily conquered and when threatened it sometimes turns into treachery. This is an EXTREMELY well-written, very sophisticated, and well-thought out story that looks at the birth of a new way of thinking for a people...and for two best friends. This story is NOT explicit. It receives my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!! - 17 pgs., 6/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/signals.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010606234709/http://xwp-altfic.simplenet.com/wishes20.txt
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/signals.html

SIMULACRUM by Wishes
Wishes takes a dab at script-writing with this latest offering, producing a tale that would make one heck of an episode. When Xena goes off to help an old friend, Gabrielle stays behind in a village where a fateful encounter awaits her with a face from the past and a woman who has already touched her life without the bard ever knowing it. This is a mystery story that weaves what has gone before with the intriguing possibilities of what may be. Another in the long line of winners by Wishes. - 19 pgs., 6/7/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/simul.html
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/simul.html

SOLEMN INDUSTRY by Wishes
A short piece - this one set after Xena's death in DESTINY which looks at Gabrielle's heartbreak immediately after the warrior's death. [Originally posted on the NetForum] - 3 pgs., 5/15/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/solemn.html
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/solemn.html

**TIME CHANGES by Wishes
Heart-wrenching "what if" tale by one of the best bards in the Xenaverse which has the gods entering into a conspiracy that changes the timeline, creating a world in which the warlord Xena never reformed and Gabrielle was indeed forced into slavery on that long-ago day when her village was attacked by Draco's men. The Warrior Princess and would-be bard are reunited in this world but under very different circumstances...as master and slave. This is an EXCEPTIONAL warlord/slave tale by a truly exceptional writer. It gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!!- 19 pgs., 4/23/97
http://xenafan.com/fiction/content/timechanges.html
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/timechg.htm
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/timechanges.html

**VALLEY OF REGRET by Wishes - [See the SERPENT/TEMPLE TRILOGY by Wishes]

**WOUND (THE) by Wishes
Fantastic new story that has this talented bard returning to her roots - once again writing a tale about the warrior and bard she first wrote about on the NetForum long ago :) This latest effort has Xena and Gabrielle dealing with a serious injury to the former warlord - an injury which leaves the two suddenly very vulnerable and facing some difficult choices. This is a mystical story that captures beautifully the two things that are at the core of what many of us like best about XWP - we get a terrific depiction of Xena the warrior - what makes her who she is - the reality of her life - her solid determination to endure against the greatest of odds. We also see the strength of that relationship between warrior and bard - what they mean to one another and what they are both willing to give up for the other. BEAUTIFUL storytelling! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 19 pgs., 12/10/97
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/7473/thewound.html
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/thewound.html
[Palm Pilot version available at XENA FAN FICTION FOR THE PALM PILOT]

**XENA CORE (THE) by Wishes
The spunky archeologist and her devoted Southern belle of a partner are back in this intriguing mystery which begins as a simple effort to reunite a daughter with her long-lost mother. After Janice receives a letter from the mother she hasn't seen in over a decade, Mel puts aside some personal needs of her own to accompany her friend to England intent on encouraging a reconciliation between mother and daughter. Janice's suspicion that she was summoned for more than just a family reunion soon prove correct, however, as the two find themselves right in the middle of a complicated mystery involving photographs, stolen artifacts, extortion and secrets dating back to Janice's painful childhood. Through it all the two women's friendship acts as a source of strength and security much as it did for their ancestors - keeping them steadfastedly by each others' side in the face of both known and unknown dangers. Featuring Wishes' distinctive combination of great writing and well-developed characters, this is a worthy sequel to Wishes' first Mel/Janice story, THE GABRIELLE STELE. [Previously posted on the NetForum] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 126 pgs., 7/25/97
http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/xenakore.htm
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/judy/xenacore.html

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.