Resolutions in Time
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| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Resolutions in Time |
| Publisher: | Old House Publishing/Pentagram Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Dale Clark |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | Judi Boguslawski and Barbara Fister-Liltz. |
| Date(s): | 1980, reprinted June 1983 |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Dark Shadows |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Resolutions in Time is a gen 66-page Dark Shadows novel by Dale Clark.
It is illustrated by Judi Boguslawski and Barbara Fister-Liltz.
About
From an ad in The World of Dark Shadows #71/72: "1840, all was calm. Then a mysterious stranger came to town, and their peace was shattered in a reign of terror such as Collinwood has never known. And when they learned the stranger's identity, they realized his intent was not only to destroy the Collins family in the present, but in every generation that has ever existed. Thus began a desperate race back through time until they reached the heart of the mystery, the curse which has plagued the Collins family for centuries."
From an ad in Universal Translator #21: "... concerns a desperate chase through time to save the Collins family from its final destruction."
Its Beginnings as a Serial
This novel began in 1978 as a planned serial in Inside the Old House. It was to have been printed over a period of two years. After a few chapters were printed in that zine, Dale Clark asked fans if they liked this format. Most said they did not, and would prefer to read the story as a finished, standalone zine.
From Inside the Old House #5:
Well, here we are at last. It's been rough folks but finally we got this issue out, and I think I know why these past three issues have been missing the deadline somewhat. As you may or may not have noticed "A Taste of the Past" is missing from this issue. Now before you all start sticking pins into your ITOH editor voodoo dolls,let me explain. The last three issues have been increasingly difficult to work on; oh, we got the ads all typed up and the transcripts transcribed, and the short stories written but every issues hold up was "A Taste of the Past"! What had originally been planned as a five part continued story suddenly exploded into at least a twelve part epic! Now the obvious problem is that ITOH comes out every two months, more or less, now it would take a twelve parter TWO YEARS to run it's course. By the time I got to the end, no one would care. As if this wasn't enough, your's truly got the biggest case of writers block in history. For days at a time I'd sit and stare at the blank paper, wondering what had happened. Then it hit me; you see to offer variety in the zine each chapter of the story could be no longer than ten pages. Well, the story had become too involved and too many things were happening at once to adequately cover in a mere ten pages. Frankly the zine was suffocating the story. What to do? Write a crummy chapter for two years and see what, happened or what? Then it hit me. Why not move the story out of the zine and make a special project out of it; a novel in effect, with all the room to play around with that I want, and have the zine for just short stories. Well, it sounded like the answer I'd been looking for all along. So now I put the question before you the readers. Would you go along with this, having a zine full of short stories each issue and a special projeot that would probably be ready sometime this late summer or early fall! The novellete would be at least 130 pages long, probably more and would be available as cheaply as possible, probably about $3.00 dollars. Enclosed is a post card for each of you to let me know what you think. If you feel you'd rather have the story back in the zine then it will be there next issue. It is up to you.
From Inside the Old House #9/10, Clark wrote:
Speaking of novels, yes folks, its finally finished. "A Taste of the Past" is now a reality, er, except it'll not called "A Taste ot the Past" anymore. You see, the story has grown and changed to such an extent that ATOTP really doesn't fit the novel anymore, so we've come up with a new one. "RESOLUTIONS IN TIME" should be at the printers by the time you read this so the time to order is finally at hand. You'll find more information on how to order on page 19.
Pages from a Rough Draft
From a rough draft dated May 29, 1980:
Series
Sample Gallery of Interior Art
Judith Boguslawski
Barbara Fister-Liltz
Judith Boguslawski
Barbara Fister-Liltz
The June 1983 Printing
It's been three years since RESOLUTIONS IN TIME first saw print, and two years since the last copy of the first printing was mailed out. Since that time, I've received many requests for the book, which have, out of necessity, had to be refused. Since the day I first saw the finished product, thoughts of reprinting were running through my head.
But in this case, reprinting is a rather misleading term. This copy of RESOLUTIONS IN TIME that you are holding is, in fact, the first printing of the original manuscript as it was originally written. This was the major consideration in the decision of reprinting. There was, however, another.
DARK SHADOWs has been experiencing a rapid growth in recent months. A quick glance at any mailing list shows dozens of new names of individuals who have only recently found organized DS fandom. Naturally, there must be a demand, or at least the potential for demand, before someone can reasonably expect their product to be received. I believe that DS fandom has grown enough in size to warrant the printng of this, the original version of RESOLUTIONS. I hope you enjoy it.
Reactions and Reviews
RESOLUTIONS IN TIME, by Dale Clark, is a novel that directly confronts the question: 'Why is the Collins family plagued by supernatural encounters and ongoing tragedies that make Hamlet look like Mary Poppins?' The witch Angelique is usually blamed for the Collins family misfortunes, since her obsessive love for Barnabas precipitated most of the subsequent tragedies, including the vampire curse laid on Barnabas. But Clark goes beyond Angelique, to the even-more-powerful Judah Zachary, of whose coven Angelique was a member. Zachary's disembodied head in the 20th century caused mayhem and a sequence of bizarre episodes that deeply unnerved my (and many of my friends') active imagination. Clark presents us with a typical DS situation: Zachary, thought to have been destroyed by Barnabas and Julia Hoffman (whom I shall forever remember as gasping for air in the middle of her lines), returns to wreak vengeance on the Collinses in each time period — late 18th century, mid-19th century, and early and mid-late 20th century — by killing each Collins and those associated intimately with them. Apparently the warlock Zachary is the actual instigator of the Collins' curse. When the magistrate, Amadeus Collins, condemned and executed him during the witch trials of the 17th century, Zachary vowed to destroy Amadeus' descendants. The novel has taut action and suspense, all the entertainment values of the series, and then some. Clark manages to evoke real fright as Zachary's hideous crimes succeed, one by one. If you have a susceptible imagination, like me, don't read this novel too far into the night. There were a few scenes that had me looking up from the page nervously to check out my environs. His murder of the children, Hallie and David, in the playroom; his resumption of Barnabas' vampirism (who's in the last stages of being cured) in a cruelly sudden fashion; and his horrific murder of his old love, Daphne (married to the original Quentin), during childbirth all make for powerfully disturbing scenes. Clark successfully walks the fine line between graphic sensationalism and imageless, sterile description. The result is effective, subtle, gradual terror: 'His eyes devoured their identity and showed them the cool beauty of hell. Their condemned souls screamed out in agony as Judah slew them.' The characters are all pretty much themselves, although there's not enough characterization, since everyone is usually trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. Some of the dialogue is a bit wooden and trite, but much of it is fine, and sometimes even thought-provoking: '... to think that mankind is doomed to destruction is far too pessimistic thinking for me. I prefer to believe that the past was just as gruesome and that there were just as many 'madmen' then as there are now. It only appears less frightening because we didn't experience it as we are having to deal with the present.' This, from Barnabas Collins, a tormented, ever-solemn, 200-year old vampire. In other instances, the dialogue can be quite poetic, as in this incantation of Zachary's, used to switch Maggie Evans and Josette duPres into each other's centuries (18th and 20th): 'Twin daughters of different mothers, exchange your lives and know the other's, death will bind you to one another.' There's a satisfying dialogue/summary in the beginning for neos. The writing is very clear and nicely descriptive, but frequent switches in point of view in the middle of a scene are an annoying lapse. The progression of this novel is a shocker, as each murder is committed almost effortlessly, and one begins to feel that there is indeed no way out for the Collins family. The solution that Barnabas, Julia, and Quentin finally reach in desperation is the only visible answer, but a difficult moral dilemma, which Clark really doesn't delve into as much as he should have. It was a fine opportunity for characterization. Still, the scene in which Barnabas finally destroys Zachary's career is done with such grace, yet such simple raw power, that I had to reread it just to savor the impact. And the ending is deeply satisfying for any DS fan, particularly for all Barnabas fen. The graphics are quite good, with few typos and a readable typeface. Illustrators Judith Boguslawski and Barbara Fister-Liltz sprinkle the novel with true, full, frequent illos that are reminiscent of Victorian illustrators. Recommended. [1]
I want to tell you what a marvelous job you did on "RESOLUTIONS IN TIME. The writing was well handled and polished and I adored Judi Bogualawaki's illustrations! No one can capture Grayson the way that Judi can - I think she's one of the finest artists working in DS fandom today. I have heard of unhappy endings, but my God, yours had me depressed for days. The last paragraph alone was enough to send me in a pound ot Kleenex tissue. Poor, Julia, alone again… [2]
[I can't tell you] ....how much I enjoyed "Resolutions", I couldn't put It down after I started It. I liked the ending, It was one of the most reasonable one I have read. However, I wished you would have told us exactly what Quentln read In the family history. [3]
I really liked "Resolutions In Time". You seen to have a great flair for all the time periods. Unfortunately, I didn't even start watching "Dark Shadows" until the summer of 1970, so I missed a great deal of it. I really enjoyed seeing the early shows in syndication, but I still prefer the later episodes, especially around the 1840's. I liked the fast pace of "Resolutions". You handled the plot and characterisations very well from what I could tell — it seems you covered so much time. But I really enjoyed the story. I also loved Barbara and Judi's artwork. I've only recently been able to see some of Judi's work and she really is good. I like her ability to draw the characters just as the actors portrayed them in their roles. [4]
The earl y chapters of this book were originally published in his zine "Inside the Old House" under a different title. The book was revised and is now available as a separate novel...This is another book I highly recommend. To quote from the flyer: "The ages of time spin by with nearly gasping speed as Judah Zachary whirlwinds his evil throughout the long history of Collinwood--from the present to the past and back again, a dizzying journey into black magic, vengeance and final retribution". This novel is an intricate, tightly plotted story which fully captures the true DS mood of the frantic race against impending doom. The characters are realistically portrayed; their relationships are believable, and there are a couple of really shocking twists in the plot . The language is concise and poetic all at once. The book is a pure pleasure to read...hope to see more from Dale. Fully illustrated by Judi Boguslawski and Barbara Fister-Liltz. Get this book. You're in for a definite reading treat. [5]
I really enjoyed Dale's novel. It .....as so tightly woven, so compact and complete. I guess if there's one thing that amazes me about DS fandom, it's the unending stream of superb fiction and artwork that comes out, each person looking into the universal givens the series presented us "with, yet always coming up with something totally, different, totally unique and valid. [6]
References
- ^ from Universal Translator #25
- ^ from Inside the Old House #11
- ^ from Inside the Old House #11
- ^ from Inside the Old House #11
- ^ from The World of Dark Shadows #27
- ^ from The World of Dark Shadows #36