Blood Debt

Star Trek TOS Fanfiction
Title:	Blood Debt
Author(s):	Djinn
Date(s):	2002
Length:
Genre:	het
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:
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Blood Debt is a Star Trek: TOS story by Djinn.

It was nominated for a 2002 ASC Award.

It is a sequel to Blood Ties.

Reactions and Reviews

This is a subtlety and delicately constructed fairy tale. It's all there for the reader to construct in Rise's altered experience and magical mirrors. This is "Beauty and the Beast" Trek style. It's also something else--a sequel to Djinn's "Blood Ties" a wonderfully constructed tale that I'd recommend reading before tackling this her sequel, though I believe "Blood Debt" could stand on it's own. That first tale has its share of twists and probably still stands as my favorite Djinn story (although she has provided some formidable competition for that distinction this year). It also serves as a sort of sequel to TNG's "Unification" and movingly tells of Spock's fate on Romulus. It also does nicely by Perrin, a character who often is treated unsympathetically in fanfic but who I think can be plausibly read as just a woman very protective of the man she loves. The way the two connect here--the way Spock comes to terms with family in general in this story--is moving and satisfying. But then Djinn does justice to a lot of familiar characters here and does a good job in showing how they relate and intertwine. Saavik is a real presence in this story and is depicted in a way that is both fresh and true to the character. The story is intense (with one scene at the end very disturbing) and a good read from beginning to end. Lush and gorgeous.

This was an awesome story. In "Blood Ties" I was impressed how Djinn managed to make Valeris such a sympathetic character. This time the stakes were even higher, because of the physical changes Rise had undergone and the fact that her actions were even more heinous than they'd been in the first story. But I found myself caring about her all over again, even as Spock and especially Saavik were won over. Some truly striking images abound in this story, such as the birds of prey (and their bond with Rise). The 'wild thing' and taming themes, and the parallels to Rise's own feral aspects (and not just her physical description) were very, very good.

First of, I love this fic. The interactions, the dialogue, the intensity, cruelty - all of it is so beautifully written. In terms of character, this story doesn't hold back when it comes to Valeris or Saavik. It was also nice to see Sela again here - though 'nice' is not exactly the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Djinn's Sela. This is a meaty story that continues to haunt, long after the last paragraph is read. It's definitely a fic to add to a "must read" list.

Another wonderful Djinn story that I can't summarize here without totally blowing her plotline. This story is a sequel to last year's amazing "Blood Ties", which I strongly suggest reading before "Blood Debt" since it turns cannon on it's ear. Many old friends and not-so-friendly acquaintences return in this engaging sequel and once again, Djinn changes all the rules and shakes everything up!