byslantedlight ([info]byslantedlight) wrote in [info]ci5hq,
@ 2008-03-22 15:31:00
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Angel in the Dark by Thomas
Title: Angel in the Dark
Author: Thomas
Link to story: Not online
Zine: Angel in the Dark

Short review: Please comment below if you've read this story, even if it's just a few lines to say you loved or hated it!

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[info]byslantedlight
2008-03-22 03:59 pm UTC (link)
I just re-read this story, and absolutely adored it. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, because it's quite angsty, but it's one that makes me feel the story very deeply, and leaves me with it echoing in my head and my heart - and I love that. Sometimes I want pure, happy-ending feel-good fluff, other times I want something a little deeper, and that's what this zine is, for me!

It's a Doyle-centric point of view, it's lovely and long, and... oh, it was good and read-able for me too, writing-wise!

Anyone else read this one..?

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[info]msmoat
2008-03-22 04:46 pm UTC (link)
Well, I like the cover... *g* I tend to read the end of this one, but that's it. It's a vision of the lads--particularly Bodie--that I can't see. Hard-edged killers when the job requires it, yes; totally dependent on each other, yes; psychotic, no. In the end this one doesn't work for me, but it is definitely worth reading once. And, er, it does trip a bit of a kink for me--but it also crosses the line into too unrealistic and too outside the characters for me.

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[info]byslantedlight
2008-03-22 06:20 pm UTC (link)
Oh, see I see the build-up to this version of them enough that I can believe in it (not all the time, but once in a while!) - I quite like the way that Thomas does the build-up throughout the story too, and shows us that reality is not quite the way each of them see the other, or even themselves, and that if only they could see things from the right place together it might be alright... Well, that's what I reckon, anyway... *g*

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[info]przed
2008-03-22 07:48 pm UTC (link)
This is one of my favourite zines, thought it's definitely not for everyone.

I read most of it at my very first Escapade. I'd borrowed it from the con zine library and every moment that I did not spend at panels or socializing was spent holed up in my room, devouring the zine. I then spent nearly six months trying to track down my own copy so I could read the stuff I hadn't had time for at the con. (Yes, I skipped to the ending right before I handed it back in so at least I wasn't left totally hanging.)

Thomas' view of the lads here is definitely not my own, but I find it a plausible one. They've both been worn and frayed by their experiences in CI5, and the cost they end up paying is a terrible one. The few moments of happiness that they find as the story progresses make the inevitable tragedy of the end so much more heartrending. Which is possibly why I adore it so much. Happy endings are all well and good, but there are times when I can't resist a glorious tragedy.

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[info]probodie
2008-03-22 11:38 pm UTC (link)
From what I remember about this, I was disappointed in it, particularly the ending. However, it was a while ago I read it and again shall have to have another re-read.

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[info]kiwisue
2008-03-23 01:02 pm UTC (link)
I finished reading my borrowed copy of this 'zine today, and wanted to read it again, immediately. I adored it, and it is now at the top of my Must Have Own Copy list.

Bodie and Doyle have been in CI5 for several years, and they're suffering from combat fatigue. Doyle is pulled up for carelessness, Bodie for being a little too wild. They're both effectively under review. It's a kind of 'Wild Justice' scenario, the dark side of their characters brought to the fore, but not outside the bounds of interpretative possibility.

There are some aspects of the story that are similar to Thomas' short story, 'Ambush', which I love but a lot of people feel is very out of character. However I think that in 'Angel in the Dark', these scenes are placed in a much more fully developed context. There's a case story which is central to the plot, and politics, and both of these intrude with devastating and ultimately tragic effect. The physical side of their relationship develops far more quickly than the emotional (there are very many hot sex scenes) – both partners have huge blind spots. Doyle doesn't read Bodie well, and Bodie won't communicate what he's feeling directly. The author does a brilliant job of charting the emotional depths and heights, never going over the top, and producing some of the most heart-stoppingly gorgeous intimate scenes I've ever read.

Alas, if there are certain types of story that you NEVER want to read, you could check out this Hatstand Story List HERE.

There are some style issues, POV particularly, but I didn't find these irritating.

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[info]ancastar
2008-03-23 03:59 pm UTC (link)
I've heard about this story for ages, largely from Pauline, but have not tracked down a copy of the zine. I'd like to, though, because I've enjoyed the work Thomas has online.

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