Cowley's Irregulars
| The Professionals Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cowley's Irregulars |
| Author(s): | Gil Hale |
| Date(s): | July 2000 (print), 07 November 2001 (online) |
| Length: | 57 K |
| Genre: | gen, AU |
| Fandom: | The Professionals |
| External Links: | Cowley’s Irregulars at the author's website |
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Cowley's Irregulars is a gen Professionals story by Gil Hale.
It was published in Priority A-3 #2 and is online.
Author's summary: "Set in an alternative timeline: Bodie and Doyle fight corruption in a very different London."
Reactions and Reviews
2002
This Professionals AU has an intriguing opening; a different and darker London, where cynics fears are true, and this AU version of Bodie is put in a position where he's going to betray someone, no matter what he does. It's good watching the partnership between Bodie and Doyle develop; unfortunately there were points where I would have preferred not to get the narrative summary of events, but be shown the events themselves.[1]
2004
Although the Hatstand and the Circuit Archive are the best and most fruitful sources of Professionals fic online, the fact remains that many great stories are out there, waiting, lurking in cyberspace, unattached to any Professionals archive and unknown by the vast majority of readers. Obviously, Crackvan is the place to rectify this as much as possible!As my tastes are eclectic and highly eccentric, I wager I've stumbled over more of these than most. Thus I have taken upon myself to do my level best this month to ensure that as many of the recs as possible originate outside of the well known archives of Pros fandom.
Why this must be read:
I love Cowley's Irregulars for managing to skillfully draw an original AU for the boys to fight for, while at the same time getting the voices and emotions of all three protagonists pitch perfect.
Here's an AU where Ray and Bodie aren't indolent sex fiends or possessed of Curious Social Rituals! Not that that type of AU is bad... but variety is the spice of life. Gil Hale brings that in this fic, and does it well.
Cowley's Irregulars is set in an alternate history where modern day society, while not quite fascistic, has even less in the way of civil rights, rule of law or social conscience than the nation that CI-5 strove to clean up in the television show. Yet deeply flawed as their world may be, Cowley and Doyle are just as ready to make things better, and their situation is hardly hopeless.
This story covers a lot of emotional ground, but because it's written from Bodie's matter of fact point of view, the depth of feeling expressed sneaks up on you. Gil Hale has a light touch on a story that could easily have turned to pruple prose, and that makes all the difference.
I like the plot, I like the style, and I like the very language of the thing.
Is this a novel-length epic? No, worse luck. I could certainly do with more tales of Cowley's Irregulars, but this is a story of average length and it stands entirely alone.
True, this story isn't slash. Much like some of the best episodes of the show, however, I hardly noticed that until five or ten very satisfied minutes later. Don't miss this story, it won't disappoint.[2]
2012
Summary: Though they use horses and carriages, the streets still need cleaning up...
Reccer's Notes: This is a "CI5" which is set in the past; a different and darker London, where cynics' fears are true. This AU version of Bodie is put in a position where he's going to betray someone, no matter what he does. It's good watching the partnership between Bodie and Doyle develop, too. [3]