A Child Was Born
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Child Was Born |
| Publisher: | Kimberwicke Enterprises/Haunted Medium Publications, Martin Enterprises, then reprinted by Creation |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Lisa Swope |
| Cover Artist(s): | Barbara Gipson |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | first in December 1988, then 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, seventh printing in April 1995 |
| Medium: | print zine |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast (TV) |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | WayBack Machine link to the online flyer, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
A Child Was Born is a gen Beauty and the Beast (TV) novel by Lisa Swope and K. Kimberly Prosser.
The first edition contains 82 pages and the second one contains 86 pages.
Neither edition contains interior art.
This story was nominated for Best Novel, 1990 TunnelCon Fan Quality Awards.
Summary
Joe assigns Catherine a case involving a research facility and, during her investigations there, she discovers the truth of Vincent's birth and his mother. Catherine reunites mother and son who then must work to establish a relationship with each other. Well-written.[1]
From the Editorial
Welcome to A Child Was Born. This novel grew out of our refusal to believe that Vincent's mother would willingly abandon or throw him away. You won't find genetic horrors of 1955 within these pages, nor a beast fashioned by science. A Child Was Born is a story of love, and one woman's determination to hang onto her baby; the fact that she failed is nothing against her, as we hope you'll see.
We've taken a risk with this zine...We've given body and soul to someone who doesn't exist in the annals of the show. Yet. Original characters in many fanzines aren't always loved...often times, they're despised.
One step out of the parameters set up by the Brotherhood of Pain and the reader can be offended or -- what's worse -- bored. But the holes left in Vincent's past cry out for revelation and completion. We couldn't resist that cry, anymore than the helper finding the baby behind St. Vincent's Hospital could resist his cries.
It's a tacit understanding that you, our readers, mayor may not agree with what we've done. We hope, however, that you aren't bored. We've written the best we could, within our own parameters -- the main one being that we would publish nothing that wasn't in character for Vincent, Catherine, Father, et. al. We've tried to make it easy to see the scenes and hear each voice as clearly as you do in the episodes themselves. Have we succeeded?
Beyond feeding your insatiable hunger for more Beauty and the Beast stories, we wanted to make you think -- brood, if you will -- as deeply as does Vincent. This isn't a light tale of love; it's highly detailed and we've taken care to keep it that way, because while Vincent is primal, he isn't simple -- neither is his world, nor is his past. Hopefully, we've succeeded in drawing you into his heart, his sensitivity, and his reasons for being the way he is.
Whatever way A Child Was Born affects you, please let us know. It's difficult to write in a vacuum, never knowing how your tales are taken. Please consider writing to us and telling us, in detail, what you liked and didn't like.
Excerpt
From a flyer:
Genetic research. Catherine was chilled to the bone by the words staring so boldly at her from the FBI report. "'Creation Concepts" was the name of the facility. Then she saw the address. She stared at the numbers...Then scrabbled for a phone book.She double-checked the address of the warehouse. Then she checked the address of St. Vincent's Hospital. They were on the same street, bordered the same alley, and were less than ten blocks apart. And Creation Concepts had been in business thirty-five years....
Colleen sank down to press her face against the glass of the bassinet. He was not normal; she hadn't thought he would be...But, oh, he was beautiful.
Slowly, carefully. Colleen raised the glass of the bassinet. "Please, please don't wake up...I don't know what to do if you wake up. And if you cry, they'll hear you. and if they hear you. everything is lost...."
"Colleen, I would like you to meet your son." He turned, seeing his son's pale face and astonished expression for the first time. Vincent's blue eyes reflected distress no less than that of the woman before him. Father reached out to capture one huge furred hand in reassurance. "Vincent, I would like to introduce you to Colleen Somerset." He tugged gently, and Vincent obediently moved a few paces forward. His eyes remained totally fixed on the tiny stranger before him. His head cocked to one side as he recorded every detail of this woman he had longed to see for so very long.
The object of his attention was not quite so pleased. Colleen stared in horror at the enormous soul before her. Even as the analytical part of her mind recorded details, her heart tried frantically to deny them.
This creature was massive. He had Leslie's build, only slightly exaggerated. This monstrous being had her mother's eyes, and a wild mane of red-gold hair not too unlike her own strawberry blonde...Her baby? It hesitantly held out one great furred paw-claw-tipped, she noted - and rumbled softly. "Colleen?"
No. This full-grown, adult creature couldn't be her baby. Not her sweet tiny newborn.... "Not" she gasped, backing away from the proffered hand. "No. NO!"
"Colleen." Catherine grabbed her arm, trying to contain this situation gone awry. "Colleen, wait! This is Vincent!"
"No!" she fairly screamed. "NONONO!"
Colleen surprised Catherine with sudden strength, and managed to wrench free of her grasp. She backed away slowly, staring at her son in absolute horror.
"No...." she whispered, then turned and bolted out of the study and into the tunnel.
Reactions and Reviews
A novel of Vincent's birth, entwining the past with the present, until mother meets son. No space aliens, test tubes, Paracelsus, or other weird plots. Just warmth, compassion and love. Artwork by Barbara Gipson.[2]
One of the first and still the best return of Vincent's mother stories, beautifully written. V & mom's discussion/dissection of “Cyrano” is particularly acute and appealing.[3]
A novel about Vincent's origins in which readers are introduced to his mother. Two reviewers found this character extremely unsympathetic and felt she damaged an otherwise good story.
- Print Quality - 1.0
- Proofreading - 4.7
- Sexual Content - 0.3
- Plot - 3.8
- Character Integrity - 3.7
- Believability - 3.8 [4]
References
- ^ The Beauty & the Beast Buyer's Guide to Fanzines
- ^ an unknown source
- ^ Helpers' Network Quality Fanzine Review -- 1997 Archived February 10, 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ from Beauty and the Beast Lifeline Review (October 1991)