Reading already - Prosfic recs!

[byslantedlight]

I have other things that I should be doing, but I fancied some comfort reading when the house was a mess, and as I flicked through all my zines again, my finger fell on the folder marked Gil Hale - and I started reading. *g* I got to these two just after New Year. *g* These are odd Pros stories for me to be reading because they're a cross-over with The Sentinel, which I'd never seen when I read this for the first time. Actually I have seen the first few episodes now, and thanks to a lovely fan I have more to watch - and now that I have a house and a tv again, I can get back to watching them. *g* In the meanwhile - these are also Pros stories. *g* They're technically also gen, which again makes them an odd read for me - but they're so on the edge of gen, that they completely work for me. If you've not read them - they're ace! Rather than linking to the specific stories, I'll link to Gil Hale's website where you can find these, and some shorter stories too.

You Watch the Hippy, I'll take Goldilocks
by Gil Hale
(110,000+ words)
Pretty AU, melding our lads into The Sentinel story, and it even starts off with them in Cascade (Washington state, US) completely separately - so we get a first-meeting fic from it too. It's CI5, but again working with the police department in Cascade, and of course we meet Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg too - and find out what a Sentinel is. Although of course CI5 has certainly heard of them...

Bodie turns up at the top of page 3 (oh, you wish!) and Doyle a few pages later, and then they're with us all the way. And it's a lovely long way, too. *g* No spoilers, but it's a good un. *g*


In A Land of Shadow
by Gil Hale
(76,000+ words)
This story starts in 1968 in England and then zooms up to 1999 and all the consequences of the earlier year. We set off from 1999 in Cascade, but we end up back in the UK - this time it's our lads who are on their home territory. Thing is, there's been alot of changes - CI5 is no more, and it's been fifteen years since our lads saw each other, way back when it didn't end well. Now there's the added complication of Sentinels and Guides and much excitement to be dealt with.

And both stories are full of the best kind of hurt/comfort and partner-worry, which is another reason that although they're not officially slash... well. *g*

Comments

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love these two. Land of Shadows is so detailed and satisfying. And the fate of Alex/Alicia always brings a lump to my throat.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

They're brilliant, aren't they - and yes, satisfying is a good word for them!

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

I remember I loved them very much, back when I read them the first time. And I have to agree, even if it's technically gen, it works so well!
Thanks for the reminder!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

You're welcome - I'd forgotten how much I liked them!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I actually don't think I've read these, so thanks for the links.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, they're so good - and you deserve to read them! *g* You'll have to let me know what you think, Sentinel-wise.

Months later....

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

So I took your advice and have just finished You Watch the Hippy, I'll Take Goldilocks and I did enjoy it, although being used to reading slash it threw me when Blair for instance went off to get a girl's phone number *g*. All the same it was so borderline slash at the end (even with the slow burn building up!) that it was easy enough to imagine.
Jim and Blair both came across well, I thought. As did Bodie. It was Doyle that I struggled with; somehow he didn't ring true to me. I did like Bodie's thoughts about him, though, smelling of "gun oil and blood".

Will definitely give a few more a try. Thanks for the rec.

RE: Months later....

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

... also she really captured Simon Banks' air of exasperation-bordering-on-pissed-off, I liked that!

RE: Months later....

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hiya! I'm replying now so that I don't do my usual trick of leaving it in my inbox to reply to later, and then never doing it and having an inbox with nearly a thousand emails still in it... *headdesk*

I'm really glad you liked this! I know what you mean about Doyle - I thought that too, I think (it already seems to long ago that I read this again!) Doyle often seems a bit "off" in fics, to me - people seem to make him much less than he is, as if there's got to be an all-experienced one (Bodie, presumably because of Africa etc.) and an unsure one (Doyle then, presumably by default because i wouldn't have thought that London policing and the drug squad etc. left anyone terribly innocent)

I know what you mean about the non-slash bits too - just weird, but what I like about this author is that she sort of catches the slash vibe anyway, so I feel like the lads are just about to get together in some way, just like in the show.

Anyway - thanks so much for coming back about it - so cool! *g*

[mab-browne.livejournal.com]

You Watch the Hippy, I'll take Goldilocks is, ironically, the story that got me started in Sentinel fandom, which has been a very long-lasting fanfic affair. Sorry, B and D. :-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - I'll try and take up some of the long-term slack you've left... *vbg*

It's a great story, I'm not surprised it caught you!