byslantedlight | Reading Pros fic - Harlequin Airs by Ellis Ward (Reply)

I said I was going to keep up with book reviews better, and I meant it - and novel-length Pros fic counts as books, I reckon!

Harlequin Airs by Ellis Ward Bodie and Doyle run away to join the circus... well, not quite, but as the blurb at Palelyloitering says, this is an "~~alternate universe~~* novel in which Doyle is undercover for CI5, working at a circus where Bodie is one of the trapeze artists. For his role, Doyle must return to his first profession, and join Bodie on the highwire." This story was originally an illustrated zine, published in 1993 (here's a question - what were you doing in 1993? I was still teaching, of all things, living with Chap, and hadn't thought about Pros for years. Hmmn, unless that was the year I got to cruise Manchester in the back of a police car, looking for a villain. *g*) Anyway - you can see the illustrations (by Suzan Lovett) on the Circuit Archive online version via the link above too.

I've read this zine before of course, many times, and I do like it. Doyle is pretty much Doyle - albeit a rather hurting Doyle - and Bodie is pretty much Bodie, and together they're quite them, albeit in leotards. *g* The story works nicely - it goes from one end to the other, with enough pace in between to keep you reading - and it's all pretty believable to me. Well, you know, in a running-off-to-join-the-circus kind of way. *g*

If I had to niggle, I could wish the beta-reader had caught a few of the not-quite correct Britisms (being beaten up is being done over, not done up, which is what you are when you put on your best gear and make-up!) But they were little enough that they made me blink rather than wince. And perhaps the characters were all a bit too understanding of each other, and some difficulties a little too easily overcome (Doyle beats up someone for calling him a poof, and the someone just says "oh okay then" and they're friends after? Hmmn!) but maybe that's just being being more cynical about the world than the author.

In general - a good fun read, about the lads and CI5, and with the magic of the circus thrown in, and definitely worth it! If you can get hold of a paper zine copy, it's even more worth it to turn the pages and see Lovett's drawings of our lads throughout.

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