Rediscovered in a Graveyard

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Zine
Title: Rediscovered in a Graveyard
Publisher: Dog-House Press
Editor:
Author(s): HG
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s): 1982 and 1998
Series?: Yes
Medium: print
Size:
Genre: slash
Fandom: The Professionals
Language: English
External Links: at Circuit Archive
at Archive of Our Own
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Rediscovered in a Graveyard is a 154-page slash Professionals novel by HG. There are two versions of this zine's title, "Rediscovered in a Graveyard" and "Re-Discovered in a Graveyard." This novel was one of the first pieces of fan fiction HG wrote.

one cover, 1998 zine
another cover, 1998 zine

The title is a reference to the Pros episode "Discovered in a Graveyard".

The novel was first published in The Professionals Circuit in Jan - July 1982, then in 1998 as a zine.

It is a story on The 1985 Hatstand Express Top Ten Lists. And it was among the first "favorite Pros novels" mentioned on the Virgule-L mailing list when it launched in October 1992, along with Injured Innocents, Camera Shy, Of Tethered Goats and Tigers and Bear Necessity.[1]

From the Author

"The reason I wrote Re-Discovered In A Graveyard escapes me now. I know I couldn't stop. If memory serves it, was supposed to be a short, silly gothic piece with Cornish fret, mad butlers and falling gargoyles abounding."[2]

flyer from DIAL #6, click to read

Regarding the opinion that fans shouldn't write in fandoms where they hadn't seen sufficient aired canon:

"I couldn't agree more except... When I started to write Rediscovered in a Graveyard I'd only seen four or five episodes at most - it was the fiction I'd read which had sparked my imagination because it had given the characters a depth not seen on the screen. I didn't have copies of any episodes at that time and we were so new to the fandom we didn't have any pictures; I do remember having a crisis of confidence about which of them had the dark hair and blue eyes."[3]

Summary

The Hatstand's summary: "Intricate Bodie/Doyle novel that weaves together two timelines, one in the present with Bodie and Doyle in CI5, the other set during the French Revolution, with Bodie and Doyle meeting as prisoners in the Bastille."

The Archive of Our Own summary: "Part historical A/U, set in Georgian England and revolutionary France, and part CI5 set in 1983 - B/D in both worlds."

On Its Incarnation As A Circuit Story

Like many of the early Pros stories in the 1980s, Rediscovered was first released for free as part of the circuit.

In 2009, fellow fan writer and friend Sebastian commented on how the community would eagerly wait for new chapters:

"When we weren't watching, or sitting round OY's dining table eating something hot and delicious from a large casserole dish that seemed to be on the go from dawn till dusk, we were writing - passing scraps and notes around for comment - sometimes people would be sitting there waiting with barely-concealed impatience for HG's pen to reach the foot of a page of Rediscovered in a Graveyard - in longhand! at which moment they would snatch it and scan it and sigh with joy and beg her to write quicker and pass it on to the next in line."[4]

  • cover of a circuit version, artist is "MW"

  • sample page of a circuit version, 227 pages

  • sample page of a circuit version, 227 pages, artist is "MW"

  • sample page of a circuit version, 227 pages, artist is "MW"

  • another circuit version, 1998, 273 pages

Stories in the Universe

  • Sleeping Partners by HG - in Proslib ("Incidentally, the modern section of "Rediscovered In A Graveyard" began life as a sequel to "Sleeping Partners."" [5])
  • Re-Discovered in a Graveyard by HG - zine novel, that was also released on the circuit
  • There is a sequel by the author, Loose Change, which was published in the circuit in September 1982, and in 2000 published in the zine HG Collected, in Proslib
  • O. Yardley has written two further sequels, Some Things Never Change and Zoetrope, both circuit published.

Reviews

Unknown Date

A mix between present day CI5 Bodie and Doyle, and their 1790's incarnation. HG uses a similar device as in Rainbow Chasers to stop Doyle actually 'seeing' Bodie, in the 1780/90's,and of course complications and misunderstanding ensure. The story is quite fascinating and well written.[6]

A classic of the fandom. A mix of AU and present day that parallels two different sets of Bodies and Doyles, and has an engrossing plot in both time periods.[7]

1985

The best of the 'hysterical historicals.' The story is balanced somewhat unevenly, but it's a ripping good read.[8]

The two plots (yes, indeed, I do mean plots) were fascinating. I found I liked the modern B&D even better than their predecessors, which is unusual. Question is, how did the modern duo ever get together? [9]

The best of the 'hysterical historicals'. The story is balanced somewhat unevenly, but it's a ripping good read.[10]

On the subject of favourite hatstands, my two favourites are Rediscovered in a Graveyard and Masquerade...both two good LONG STORIES...I like a solid read...with the double bonus in Graveyard that you have two stories running concurrently and they are BOTH interesting. They also both have humour as well...which I Insist on if there's a lot of suffering along the way, and there's got to be some, after all.[11]

1986

What a satisfying read. I like the earlier B and D the best. [12]

1988

"Rediscovered In A Graveyard" was one of the first stories given to me by friends when I came into this fandom, i.e. because it is one of the creme de la creme; it gave me a bad case of eye strain because I couldn't put it down (I think I even took a mental health day off from work to finish it.); the interweaving of the historical and contemporary stories is skillful, and it is unrelenting in the building and sustaining of tension and mystery, but this is another place wherein I had difficulty fathoming Doyle sometimes; it remains, however, a superb story which has been read many, many times with much enjoyment.[13]

"Rediscovered" was one of the first long stories I read in this fandom, and it left a very definite impression. Both stories are so well done. The only thing I found frustrating was that I would become immersed in one time period and when the story switched back I would at first wait impatiently to get back to "that" Bodie and Doyle. All too soon, however, I would find myself lost in this alternate time and experience that same momentary impatience when the story once again switched locales. This is one story I always recommend to new fans who ask what stories they should first read out of the many available to them. [14]

1992

It was the first B/D I ever read. I love both the modern and historical sections. [15]

1993

I'm reluctant to read B&D historicals. If you REALLY want to see Bodie Doyle act unlike Bodie and Doyle, writing a historical is preferable to raping the characters in the CI5 universe. However, too many writers of historicals discard characterization, motivation and plot along with the CI5 universe. The best historicals bring in enough elements of B&D characters to at least make them recognizable. The worst historicals slap the names of Bodie and Doyle on stock bodice ripper characterizations that give no feeling for the originals. Oddly enough my favorite and least favorite historicals were written by the same person -- H.G. I LOVE Discovered in a Graveyard, but was DEEPLY disappointed in Peerless Pair (especially having waited years to read the follow-up to the tantalizing first chapters). In Graveyard, I loved the past and present storylines. Several times I've read each as a continuous story. The confrontation between Cowley and Doyle at the end of the present day storyline is one of my altime favorites. Best of all, the historical characters were still recognizable as Bodie and Doyle. Peerless Pair.... Started much better than it ended. Doyle's characer went from innocent, self-doubting boy to sophisticated man from just one roll in the hay. But the very worst thing was being told that Doyle's father wouldn't be objecting as he'd been having it off with his groom for 30 years. All the cliches, none of the good writing that makes Graveyard such a good read. [16]

Highly recommended: two story lines, one historical and the other contemporary. I can't remember the seducer in *either* storyline, nor the bottom man, assuming there was one. Suffering seemed pretty even handed, except for doyle's blindness... [17]

2000

"Hmm, another AU. There's definitely a trend developing here. My copy of this zine was printed way back in the day of Blue Jay Press and I am proud to have issue 29 produced in 1984. The duplicating is sometimes faint, the pages are a little shabby and I wouldn't swop it for the world. This is an excellent story (what else can we expect from HG?) and is set both now and also in 1799, where Doyle is literally washed up on Bodie's Cornish shore. Temporarily blind, he must put his trust in the man who rescued him, not aware that they met before. Meanwhile in the twentieth century, Bodie and Doyle find that their blossoming relationship forces them to make decisions about their future. Both stories are intertwined and are so beautifully written that the last page comes something of a disappointment. This is definitely a world I don't want to leave.[18]

2008

I'm just rereading this at the moment and although I'm still not a fan of historic fics, this one got me from the first line on.

To my surprise I was (and still am) more in love with the 18th century Bodie & Doyle.

B&D (who are already a pair) are on holiday and discover the tombstones of their 1780/90 incarnations and trying to find out more about them. In between the timeline changes to the past B&D, who are prisoned together in the Bastille during the French Revolution and who lose track of each other during the storm of the Bastille, but met again 10 years later (where the story starts) ...[19]

I enjoyed it very much and will definitely re-read it at some point. Keep in mind I do like historicals provided they're reasonably free of anachronisms. Lots of interesting plot elements to keep the story going. Occasionally the modern and historical sections seemed a little out of sync and the ending could have been just a wee bit more tightly written for impact. But I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes other stories by HG.[20]

...histroical AUs are really not my thing, but damnit if I didn't enjoy the historical tale more than the modern day one! I agree the juxtaposition jars a little towards the end, but it's full of the hallmarks of a classic HG novel: interesting plot elements, h/c to drown in, dialogue to relish and misundertsndings aplenty (especially in the AU part).[21]

I read this last summer, so my memory is a little hazy on details. But my issue with this, and I'm discovering this is an issue that has affected my enjoyment of several HG stories, is that she sets up wonderful emotional confrontations and then scrimps on the followthrough. She doesn't give me enough of the scene I, as a reader, have been waiting for. I really liked the worlds she set up, particularly the one set during the revolution, and she's not afraid to build in larger than life conflicts and emotions--Doyle is blind, they're both imprisoned, Doyle's virtue is at stake, Doyle is shipwrecked, etc. But while the set-up is strong, I don't get enough of a pay-off. So I get frustrated. :-( [22]

I don't think I've ever disliked a story of HGs, although the more you read of an author the more you see the plot devices, common themes and patterns coming through - I'd just read Rainbow Chasers and she uses a very similar plot device to create the misunderstandings etc. That said, I really enjoyed it.[23]

I don't think I've ever disliked a story of HGs, although the more you read of an author the more you see the plot devices, common themes and patterns coming through - I'd just read Rainbow Chasers and she uses a very similar plot device to create the misunderstandings etc. That said, I really enjoyed it.[24]

2011

[byslantedlight]
Because HG is a classic and much-loved Pros author, and I think the only reason she's not been more recced here at Crack_van is that until the last few years her stories haven't been archived online. Now even her novels are easily available to all though, and she's well worth exploring. She knows the lads, she knows England, and she knows the world in which Bodie/Doyle lived - both CI5 and the 1970s/1980s. Her characterisation and dialogue is spot on, even when her lads were born a few hundred years before ours.

Rediscovered in a Graveyard is a story within a story. The lads have been in Cornwall on a case, their car breaks down just as they're beginning their 72 hour leave, and they decide to spend some time in the sunny Cornish countryside - starting with a picnic in what turns out to be an old graveyard. Whilst there, they find something that catapults us back in time to 1799, where two men were to be found locked in the Bastille - another Bodie and Doyle. We follow the AU lads through a number of years, and our canon lads through a holiday that turns sour, until all is brought together again at the end. It's two novels in one, and I love the way that HG writes, so that both stories always keep me reading long after I should have turned out the light.[25]

References

  1. ^ Sandy Hereld's email "My god, it's working..." dated October 21, 1992, quoted with permission.
  2. ^ from DIAL #3
  3. ^ from DIAL #22
  4. ^ Sebastian (2009-10-20). "history". Archived from the original on 2012-12-20.
  5. ^ The Hatstand Express Interview with HG
  6. ^ from alicambs Professional Recs, Archived version
  7. ^ from This is Katya
  8. ^ In The Hatstand Express #6 from a fan listing what was supposed to be her top 10 Pros stories; the list turned out to be 50 stories long
  9. ^ from The Hatstand Express #7
  10. ^ review in The Hatstand Express #6 (1985).
  11. ^ review in The Hatstand Express #6 (1985).
  12. ^ from The Hatstand Express #8
  13. ^ from The Hatstand Express #18 (1988)
  14. ^ from The Hatstand Express #18 (1988)
  15. ^ from Be Gentle With Us #7
  16. ^ comments at Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (January 19, 1993)
  17. ^ Sandy Herrold posting to the Virgule-L mailing list February 26, 1993, quoted with permission.
  18. ^ Pillow Talk no.6
  19. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  20. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  21. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  22. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  23. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  24. ^ from CI5HQ in 2008.; WebCite.
  25. ^ byslantedlight (2011-07-04). "Rediscovered in a Graveyard by HG (NC-17)". LJ Community crack_van at LiveJournal. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03.
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