Eternity (Beauty and the Beast zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Eternity |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | |
| Date(s): | 1993-1997 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Eternity is a het Beauty and the Beast anthology with fiction by Becky Bain.
Issue 1
Eternity 1 was published in July 1993 and contains 142 pages. Cover art by Shirley Leonard, inside art by Leonard and Phyllis Berwick.
- O Never Star (archived link) (1)
- No Greater Love (archived link) (71)
- Unrequited (archived link) (105)
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
Catherine escapes from Gabriel's prison, determined to save her unborn child even if it means fleeing New York and losing all contact with everyone she has ever known.
This is always the Beauty and the Beast story I remember best. I'm always fascinated with how resourceful Cathy is, desperate to save herself and her child, unable to leave any trace for Gabriel to follow. The story of her survival --the loneliness, the constant fear, the overwhelming love for her child and the longing for Vincent-- is really compelling. [1]
This remarkable, perfectly executed zine contains two longish stories and one shorter one by Bain, half of the zine writing team “Lee Kirkland” (of the Quantum Beast and Where the Rainbow Ends series). The stories are quiet but powerful.O Never Star,” the first novelette, has C taking advantage of the nurse's momentary carelessness to escape from Gabriel's custody. Part one is an account, first of her escape, then hiding, continually on the move, until the birth of her son. Part two dramatizes the years on the run, with frightening near-misses with Gabriel's agents-known or suspected-until C at last decides the time has come to return to the tunnels...and V.
Full of detail and vividness, showing C as courageous and resourceful.
In the second story, “No Greater Love,” V is Paracelsus' captive and on the edge of giving in to the Beast, as Paracelsus apparently intends. Captured too, C provides moral support and very practical help. A harrowing, powerful story. In the final story, “Unrequited,” C deals with the unwanted adoration of Josh McKenzie, new recruit to the DA's office, without letting Josh know anything about V.
This zine belongs on everyone's Must-Have list.
Also original poetry by Jeanne C. Peters. Other than cover art (Shirley Leonard), there's one drawing each from Leonard and Phyllis Berwick.[2]
Issue 2
Eternity 2 was published in July 1995 and contains 183 pages. Cover, interior art, and graphics by Shirley Leonard.
It is a novel called "I Shall Emerge."
It is archived online here.
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2
This novel is a continuation of the novelette "O Never Star" in Eternity I, in which Catherine fled Gabriel, bore her child alone, and stayed in hiding for three years before venturing back to the tunnels and Vincent. Now, after their rapturous but uneasy reunion, Catherine makes the difficult and grudged decision to become a witness against John Moreno who, in turn, may bring down Gabriel. The bulk of the novel is an account of her enduring a new captivity, that of a highly protected witness who need merely be silenced for her powerful adversaries to free themselves of threat. The regimented and closely-watched days in the hotel-like, yet prison-like high security facility are long and tedious, and she misses her son, Nicholas, and Vincent very much. But she's determined to do nothing to lead Gabriel to the tunnel community or those she loves. Eventually the expected murder attempt does materialize, and the trial turns out to be a slightly different ordeal than expected. But Catherine perseveres and eventually wins her own freedom to return home to her new life, her conscience now clear that she has faced her fears and forced her former abductors and captors to pay for their crimes against her.[3]
Issue 3
Eternity 3 was published in July 1997 and contains 132 pages. It is subtitled, "Collected Dreams."
- It's All Relative (1)
- Lost (5)
- Rivals (Now married to Vincent, Catherine is troubled when Lisa comes to town.) (39)
- Preconceptions (49)
- Flung Roses (Vincent suffers memory loss after sustaining a head injury in a tunnel cave-in. One of the things he can't quite remember is the identity of the woman who sits beside his bed, watching over him.) (75)
- Asunder (81)
- A Lamp Before Me (103)
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3
Seven Classic stories by always excellent writer Bain. In "Lost," after a highway accident while returning from a vacation, injured Vincent is helped and sheltered by a sympathetic rural teenager while Catherine and helpers search for him. In the strongest story among many, "Flung Roses," Vincent suffers selective amnesia after a head injury and one of the memories he loses utterly is that of wife Catherine. It's a story of perception, insight and rare power of how, stage by stage, Vincent and Catherine react to their dilemma. In "Asunder," Vincent and Catherine's honeymoon is disrupted by her abduction by yet another community Below, and Vincent has to assert his claim to her in a way neither of them would have wished. "Rivals," a tale of their married life, returns dancer Lisa for a visit. In "Preconceptions," Catherine's Chinese adopted daughter reacts badly to the prospect of Catherine's pregnancy with Vincent's child. In "A Lamp Before Me," Vincent has again been captured in the park, but this time by a wealthy man whose price for Vincent's freedom...is Catherine. For the night. There's also a slight tale of Vincent misinterpreting when he finds a semi clothed man in Catherine's bedroom. This writer's work is always fine reading. Highly recommended.[4]