Harlequin, Harlequin
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Harlequin, Harlequin |
| Author(s): | Kitty Fisher |
| Date(s): | completed 1995 |
| Length: | 8450 words |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | The Professionals, crossover with Facelift and other fandoms |
| External Links: | Harlequin, Harlequin (The Hatstand) Harlequin, Harlequin (Kitty's House of Pleasure... and Pain) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Harlequin, Harlequin is a The Professionals story by Kitty Fisher. It is a slash story with the pairing of Zax/Bodie-clone. It was published in No Holds Barred #10.
Summary: A re–telling of Chimera...with a subtle twist.
Reactions and Reviews
This story puts a Bodie-clone into the world of Facelift, a strange futuristic Brit TV movie musical (!) about a world populated with two kinds of people, Names and Numbers. These two types have little contact with or understanding of each other. Martin Shaw starred as Zax, a magician who is a lure to some of the Numbers. The movie's bizarre, and interesting only for the charismatic Zax; I enjoy the way fan writers have done far more fascinating things with the basic world than the film managed.This one's a dark Zax story, moody and atmospheric. In a world where unauthorised sexual congress between Names and Numbers is illegal, Zax has an intense but tender affair with dark-haired, white-skinned Number M-6251. The scene-setting is excellent and the characters beguiling; on one level, the story can be read as a kind of bildungsroman for M-6251 as he learns about love and acquires a name and independent identity.
Kitty Fisher does "dark" very well. Some of her dark is darker than others; this story is quite dark. Not my favourite Zax story, but I love the writing in this take on Zax's world, the grittiness and danger, yet the human emotion at its heart. Kitty Fisher is a beautifully erotic writer, giving us an evocative mix of pain and pleasure. Her style is a perfect fit to the subject matter. [1]
One word: ZAX. Okay, more words: Another LL/AT&P story in which the attraction between the current timeline characters is unexplained except as a physical thing, until we find out at the end about the "other time and place" device. Only has the barest relation to Pros/B&D. An attempt at tragedy that just comes off as a PWP with pretensions. [2]
A dark Zax story, moody and atmospheric. In a world where unauthorised sexual congress between Names and Numbers is illegal, Zax has an intense but tender affair with dark-haired, white-skinned Number M-6251. The scene-setting is excellent, the characters beguiling, the story compelling. This story can on one level be read as a kind of bildungsroman for M-6251 as he learns about love and acquires a name and independent identity. Kitty Fisher does "dark" very well. Some of her dark is darker than others; this story is quite dark. I had heard that a sequel was being written, but also that it might never appear; I'd love to see one because I'm a wuss who pines for happier endings. :-) But even as a standalone, this story allows for the projection of an optimistic outcome. Or perhaps I'm twisting the ending to suit my own need for that glimmer of hope. Either way, it's an engrossing read. [3]
Why this must be read:A distinctive characteristic of Pros fiction is the many crossovers with other shows in which one of the actors starred. Most involve roles Martin Shaw (Doyle) played as he's had a more active career than Lewis Collins (Bodie). A popular approach is to put a Bodie-clone into the other universe: a character modelled on Bodie with his looks and temperament, but not his Pros background. This story puts a Bodie-clone into the world of Facelift, a strange futuristic Brit TV movie musical about a world populated with two kinds of people: Names and Numbers. These two types have little contact with or understanding of each other. MS starred as Zax, a magician who is a lure to some of the Numbers.
Kitty Fisher is a beautifully erotic writer. This story is on the dark side, with a dark ending, but the trip to get there is an evocative mix of pain and pleasure. Her style is a perfect fit to the subject matter. [4]
References
- ^ 2010 comments from istia, prosrecs, Archived version
- ^ In 1995 Alexfandra posted this review to the Virgule-L mailing lit. It is reposted here with permission.
- ^ review by istia at No Holds Barred at The Hatstand, Archived version
- ^ Crack Van (March 15, 2004)