The Land-Bridge Saga

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Zine
Title: The Land-Bridge Saga
Publisher:
Editor:
Author(s): Jane Mailander
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s): 1994
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Professionals
Language: English
External Links: online versions
Land-Bridge, Migration, Settlement, Exploration, Commemoration
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Landbridgesaga.jpg

The Land-Bridge Saga is a slash 38-page AU by Jane Mailander. The pairings are Bodie/Doyle and Doyle/Murphy. It is a collection of the first four Land-Bridge stories, comprising 38 pages and pieces of clip art as a break between each story. The author has included information for each story about the zine in which the story first appeared, as well as its place within the series.

Series

The included stories are:

Author's Comments: 2017

In July 2017, Mailander commented on this series in Media Fandom Oral History Project Interview with Jane Mailander.

I loved the fact that [Land-Bridge] started because I wanted a free zine, period. There was a Professionals zine coming out, and I said, “Okay, let me write something real fast so I can get a contributor’s copy.” I think it took me about a week to whack out “Land-Bridge,” and possibly it’s probably a good lesson in listening to your subconscious. I just let things happen because things happen that you don’t realize are going to happen; but actually, what I wanted was to write a death story that was not all groan and despair and Romeo and Juliet and suicide and everything else that shows up in a lot of these death stories, especially The Professionals. There was like a whole series of death stories that were pretty much like three pages — he dies and then the other one goes into despair and then he kills himself. You know, he doesn’t get down in the middle of a gunfight, and I said, “I want to find a way to keep these guys alive after one of them has lost his partner,” and a little bit of realization of actual grief was very helpful for being able to write about it.

Oddly enough, what helped at the time, because I was kind of young and hadn’t had a lot of personal tragedy, was that I had been devastated by the explosion of the Challenger in 1986. It was just heartbreaking because back then, NASA was, like, infallible. All of their ships always ran perfectly. We didn’t hear all of this Apollo 13 stuff about the problems. We always thought that NASA did everything so nicely, that nothing bad ever happened, and then Bam! The Challenger literally blew that out of the air. I was heartbroken. I was devastated. I wrote a poem about it that wound up in the Los Angeles Space Museum as part of their Challenger Memorial, and I noticed that after a few years that I was just sort of taking a tragedy in stride. When people would talk about The Challenger disaster, I’d nod and say, “Oh yeah, the bad stuff, and here’s the good stuff that came out of it, and here’s the committee, and I realized that this was my way of processing the grief.

I thought “Let’s try that with a personal loss, a fan fiction loss.” So, I did the first story where Murphy is told to go home with Doyle and keep him from doing anything stupid and he never gets that order rescinded. He saves Doyle, and it actually turns into the story about Murphy learning how to open himself up to other people rather than, you know, comforting someone after the death of his friend is almost the MacGuffin in the room about this emotionally closed-off person learning to open himself up and accept the fact that he is a human being and make connections and not fear losing them. That’s how the story became. He thought of himself as an island, and of course, there’s the island turning into a peninsula, or to a land-bridge, that joins him to the rest of humanity.

Then there are other stories like “Migration”and “Settlement,’ which are about him, you know, becoming a little braver, dealing with his first possible loss, and everything else, realizing he’s still scared, but he’s not going to give this up. Then, just for fun, I did the story about them hiking in Yosemite because I love Yosemite. I actually did deal with one of the incidents in that story, which was the idiot with the guitar who kept playing late into the night when you couldn’t sleep, and we watched raccoons clean out the schmuck’s tent, little by little, and we didn’t say a thing. We just busted up with laughter. I threw that incident into the story, and that was fun.

I wrote Land-Bridge, and then people wanted more stories about Land-Bridge, so I said, “Okay, all right, what’s the next thing that happens?” It was Theodore Sturgeon who said, “Ask the next question,” which is good for pretty much anything you’re writing, but especially for science fiction and fantasy. Come up with a weird idea, and then you have to ask the next question. “Okay, Murphy has spent the night with Doyle,” and I mention casually that they become partners in six months and lovers in eight. Okay, how do they become lovers? What’s the incident? Then, what’s the big thing that going to make Murphy, you know, say, “Here’s the day that I was always dreading?” coming. Then I said, “You know, I’ve done enough angst. Let’s give them a vacation in Yosemite.” That’s pretty much my process, just coming up with weird ideas and just writing wherever it goes.

Reactions and Reviews

Regarding the Series

The turning point is Cowley telling Murphy that he's got to be like the Lone Ranger -- that was an Americanism that would have ruined a weaker story. As it is, I grit my teeth every time I re-read the story, because the hinge of the plot is an Americanism shoved into a British context where it doesn't fit -- and the hinge creaks. In the same way, it can not matter very much that the author thinks the two men are straight -- even if they're fucking like bunnies - providing the author's opinion is kept right at the edge of the story, and used only as a silver of background detail. But if the whole point of the story is that these two mend are straight, that is bound to jar and irritate, because it's a creaky hinge.[1]

Why this must be read: the same writer can bring you rabbits, and then this. One of the most heartbreaking stories I have ever read. One of the important issues in Pros fanfiction is what expectancy of life CI5 agents have. Not a long one, most of us think. So...what if something happens? Something terrible, something devastating, like losing your partner? This story, in five parts, explore this dramatic scenario, the nightmare of all slash fans. [2]

[Jane Mailander] continues the Landbridge series. (Murphy/Doyle) This one is a little too repetitive and obvious compared to the deft touch of the first couple of stories in the series, but I did like it. [3]

...normally, i hate stories that mess with my OTP, especially when someone dies. but this story is worth reading regardless, because it contains one of the most detailed, true, resonant, heart-wrenching depictions of grief i've ever encountered. i guarantee you'll remember this story for a long time.

the fact that it's well-written, insightful, and shows the growth, changes and acceptance of the characters is just icing on the cake. jane has sent it up as five short stories, but really, it's just one long one, and you should read it that way, all of them straight through. so go: read! [4]

It's a great example of Jane's amazing characterisation work, and I *still* get shivers at CI5's annual New Year's Eve midnight tradition. [5]

You know, I resisted reading this the first time it was recced because of the death warning. But this time I read them all through, and I am so happy I did so. What a wonderfully wrought, rich story arc. [6]

Although I adore Jane Mailander's TS fics, I have difficulties with her Pros' stories. This series is very well written and the above mentioned new year's tradition at CI5 will be unforgettable for me. However, I'm sorry to say I cannot really care for her Murphy. He remains strangely two-dimensional and lifeless, and I simply cannot see Ray partnered with such a pale shadow after the vibrant and deeply beloved Bodie. [7]

Land-Bridge

Bodie has been killed in a shoot-out and Murphy is assigned to look after a devastated Doyle - he's the only one apart from Cowley who knows that Doyle has lost not only his friend and partner, but his lover.....Excellent metaphor of the land-bridge is explored with fine writing in this story from Murphy's POV. This series is my absolute favourite Professionals fanfiction.[8]

Migration

Murphy and Doyle are now partners and the former lone wolf has now begun to care about someone else - but Ray Doyle is angry at everyone in his grief.....This is probably the hardest of the 5 stories to read in that it deals with a grief-stricken Doyle and Murphy's attempts to reach him in the months following Bodie's death.[9]

Settlement

Murphy and Doyle become lovers 8 months after Bodie's death.... Their positions are reversed - and Murphy now faces the long wait at the hospital to see if his partner will survive. This story is more hopeful, though, as Doyle works his way through his grief over Bodie and claws his way back to life with Murphy's help.[10]

[Jane Mailander] continues the Landbridge series]]. (Murphy/Doyle) This one is a little too repetitive and obvious compared to the deft touch of the first couple of stories in the series, but I did like it." [11]

I'm not adverse to death stories, but I feel as if I keep reading the same story over and over again, with slightly different "dress" in reading the recent ones by Jane Mailander. I'd like for Jane M. to move to other themes, as she is an incredibly original and talented writer- [12]

Exploration

Murphy and Doyle go rock-climbing in the US...This is a wonderful story. Doyle and Murphy are lovers and Murphy introduces Doyle to the pleasures of rock-climbing.[13]

Commemoration

Both Murphy and Doyle commemorate the anniversary of Bodie's death.....This is a wonderful conclusion to the Land-Bridge series - I love the whole thing absolutely and can't recommend them highly enough."[14]

References

  1. ^ from Strange Bedfellows #9 (1995)
  2. ^ from a fan at Crack Van (2003)
  3. ^ In 1993, Sandy Herrold posted a brief review as part of her Zcon convention report. It is reposted here with permission.
  4. ^ from a 2004 comment at Crack Van
  5. ^ from a 2004 comment at Crack Van
  6. ^ from a 2004 comment at Crack Van
  7. ^ from a 2004 comment at Crack Van
  8. ^ Madrigal's FanFiction Recs.
  9. ^ Madrigal's FanFiction Recs.
  10. ^ Madrigal's FanFiction Recs.
  11. ^ In 1993, Sandy Herrold posted a brief review as part of her Zcon convention report. It is reposted here with permission.
  12. ^ comment in Strange Bedfellows APA #3 (November 1993
  13. ^ Madrigal's FanFiction Recs.
  14. ^ Madrigal's FanFiction Recs.
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