Partners (Man from UNCLE story)
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| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Partners |
| Author(s): | Pat Foley |
| Date(s): | 1998 |
| Length: | 53 pages, 270KB |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Man from UNCLE |
| External Links: | part one part two, also File 40 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Partners is a gen Man from UNCLE story by Pat Foley.
It was published in The U.N.C.L.E. Chronicles and is also online.
This story won a 1998 STIFfie Award for best MUNCLE novella.
Reactions and Reviews
It is a long, meaty story about what happens to their partnership and friendship post-series, and is definitely one of my favourites. Some people find Pat Foley's characterization of the Soviet Union off-putting, but since the CIA can be just as much an enemy as the KGB or the GRU in her stories, it doesn't bother me. I figure no organization dedicated to a single nation's security is going to have a heck of a lot of love for an international organization like the U.N.C.L.E. Regardless, I feel that Partners is the one story of hers everyone should try.[1]
Pat Foley is one of those rare writers whose talent extends to weaving a fantastic tale. Sitting down to one of her stories means that no matter how long it is (and her stories are deliciously sizeable), you'll wail in frustration that the story is over. Partners is 270KB, split amongst three interweaving timelines. The story manages plot and drama while still remaining character-driven, with the focus on the relationship between Napoleon and Illya and their loyalty, love and devotion without limits.[2]
Oh, yes, this is a powerful story. It may be gen, but the strength of it is in the friendship between the two men, who will do anything for each other.[3]
...my God, such a very intelligent, subtle reasoned story. Plotwise, everything made so much sense, there were no holes, all of the motivations and actions were so logical or, in keeping with the subtle, shaded, nuanced characterisations. The three timelines were all so consistent, each could have been read cumulatively and yet they interwove and highlighted aspects of each other so well. There wasn't even any sex to speak of and yet I was gripped the whole read...[4]
"Partners"—now online!—the two men are so close that I choose to see their relationship as barely pre-slash; the trust and intimacy between them are all-encompassing. A favorite of mine.[5]
With Man from Uncle, I am normally very much a slash fan, as I think that the love and intensity of the partnership between Illya and Napoleon is best expressed in that genre. And then I stumbled across this fic - and was enthralled. This gen story tells of how Napoleon, having taken over from Waverley at his retirement, fights tooth and nail against the Soviet state to try and keep Illya by his side, while dealing with the changes that his promotion inevitably has on their partnership.[6]