Dedication and And The South Shall Fall Again

Zine
Title:	Dedication and And The South Shall Fall Again
Publisher:	Sasashar Press
Editor(s):
Date(s):	1980 (as two-story zine), though the second story ("The South Shall Fall Again") was first published in Guardian #1 in 1978 as well as a standalone zine in 1978).
Series?:
Medium:	fanzine, print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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cover by P.S. Nim

cover of other part

Dedication and And The South Shall Fall Again is a 52-page gen Star Trek: TOS two-story anthology.

It is a continuation of the Sahaj series, one for which Lilker won a 1978 Fan Q. Other stories in this series can be found in Dagger of the Mind, The Best of..., IDIC #5 (The Forging) and Sahaj Collected.

It was published in 1980.

The second part, "And the South Shall Fall Again" is dated 1978, as it is reprinted from an earlier zine, Guardian #1.

"And the South Shall Fall Again" was also printed as a standalone zine in 1978.

The cover is by P.S. Nim. It contains no interior art.

Summaries

"Dedication" is a novella in the Sahaj universe that puts a slightly different slant to the "Sarek meets Amanda" story that is so popular within Trek fandom. It is a logical love story... and Sahaj doesn't believe a word of it!... 'And the South Shall Fall Again'... this story skips forth years from the time of 'Dedication,' and takes a light look at what happens when three generations of the Xtmprsqzntwlfb clan take on two generations of McCoys on the Terran's home ground. Instant cardiac arrest for the elderly, and that's just the beginning. While the adults 'play,' Sahaj is anxious to return to the peace and tranquility of Vulcan. The story climaxes in a family reunion of Graysons, after which Sahaj decides to send his entire family to the Healers.

Regarding "The South Shall Fall Again" standalone in 1978:

With editorial suggestions and scene incepts by Trinette Kern.... This is a quasi-Sahaj universe story, conceded out of a minor plot point in The Forging. In the chapter entitled "Reunion, Rebel Style" where Sahaj meets Doctor Leonard McCoy's family for the first time, he frees Jackie Lee's canaries, and she never gets her revenge. Originally, "And the South..." was intended to be pure and simple fun, but who's to say that, given the circumstances, the events depicted within this story wouldn't or couldn't happen? There is, however, imperative for reading "And the South...": place tongue firmly in cheek, and enjoy...

Format

From Boldly Writing: "The format of this issue reminded me of an "Ace double." Ace books used to publish paperback books containing two novel-length stories, back to back, one upside-down relative to the other."

The 1978 Standalone

"And the South Shall Fall Again..." was printed as a 135-page standalone zine. It has no interior illos.

• 

  cover of the 1978 standalone edition

• 

  last page of the 1978 standalone edition

From the Editorial

From the editorial, by Leslye Lilker:

An anguished mental debate with myself occurred before I placed this sheet of paper into the typewriter. Self, said I, the last time you made an editorial comment you said that you were taking much-needed rest from publishing fanzine. What in the name of the stars are you doing, just one year later, if not that? But, said the other I, you said you were not publishing any more IDICs, and you did promise to continue the 'Sahaj' series. Therefore, it is perfectly logical for this issue to appear.

From the editorial, by Leslye Lilker:

A word about what you're about to read... Although Dedication comes before And the South... chronologically, it was written two years later. Thus you will notice a change in the style of writing. I am especially proud of this story because for the first time in my short writing career I took a woman's point of view and maintained it. The Amanda in Dedication is the Amanda from the 'Sahaj' universe -- a different Amanda than perhaps you see. Before you condemn me for character assassination, please remember that I am writing my own interpretation of the character -- a point of view that might not necessarily agree with yours. And, as an aside, may I encourage more of you writers out there to consider strengthening your female characters? Very few of us are the wishy-washy women we sometimes portray. Why do we insist upon sketching them that way? And the South Shall Fall Again was conceived several years ago when both Juanita Salicrup and I were asked to contribute stories to GUARDIAN. 'Wouldn't it be fun if .... ' was the question that prompted the creative juices that brought forth the second novella (novelette, whatever) in this issue. Instructions for reading And the South... are as follows: place tongue firmly in cheek and enjoy.

From the editorial, by Leslye Lilker:

I'm considering an idea for a way to get the rest of the Sahaj stories out to you as soon as they're completed. How do you feel about buying yourself a thick, three ring binder and collecting the stories as they are published, chronologically, complete with covers, artwork, poetry, filks -- the usual stuff? The one advantage I see to this is that you won't have to wait until I finish writing enough stories to make up a 'zine -- you'd get it a section at a time. Please let me know what you think of this idea. If enough of you are interested, I'll go ahead and do it that way.

Also from the editorial, by Leslye Lilker:

One last thing, and I am hesitant to mention is, but am forced to do so. Please, if you publish a K/S zine, or one that is borderline K/S, do not ask me to contribute to it. I respect your right to publish stories of that genre; please return the consideration by allowing me to disassociate myself entirely from that subject.

Contents

• Dedication by Leslye Lilker (25 pages)
• Alien Love Song, a song by Lilker and Jean L. Stevenson (1 page)
• And the South Shall Rise Again by Leslie Lilker and Juanita Salicrup (25 pages)

Reactions and Reviews

Like the old Ace Double editions and the infamous Binary Star series, this is a two-for-one containing two novelettes, "Dedication" by Leslye Lilker, "And the South Shall Fall Again" by Leslye Liker and Jua-nita Salicrup, and one poem/song by Jean L. Stevenson and Ms. Lilker. Both the stories deal with the Sahaj Universe and some knowledge of the Sahaj Universe is necessary to catch all the jokes. However, "Dedication," once past the into, is enjoyable by itself, presenting what I feel is the most rational explanation for Sarek and Amanda's marriage, while at the same time explaining many of the contradictions we saw in her personality on television. This is a commendable accomplishment. "And the South Shall Fall Again" relies heavily on a previous story in this universe. It moves quickly, at an allegro presto as opposed to "Dedication's" slightly rushed andantino, requiring a firmer grip on the characters. It is also an earlier effort and does not hold up as well when compared to "Dedication." I recommend reading "And the South" first. While I can't quite believe the circumstances for collecting the characters in one locale, I find the humor and characterizations delightful. But then the major strength of the Sahaj Universe is the characterizations and the ability to integrate information about Vulcan from the TV episodes. Not for Kirk fans, but the whole series is a must for Vulcan advocates.

[And the South Shall Fall Again]: A Sahaj story. McCoy's sister Jackie Lee sends a stargram that their father is dying and he hurries home; Kirk, worried about his reaction, sends Spock along for support. When McCoy and Spock arrive at Rev. Alan McCoy's home, Laurel Hollow, they find him quite well and also find Amanda, Sarek and Sahaj there visiting as they have come to attend a Grayson family reunion in the vicinity. The rest of the story is a delightful little romp of family dynamics as Jackie sets her cap first for Sarek, then for Spock, who dumps her in a stream. It all wraps up with a family ball game in which the three Vulcans conspire to cheat for Amanda. I didn't get the last bit - Sarek has apparently released all of Jackie's canaries (which Sahaj had done once before), and Sahaj's explanation of Sarek's "final duty" before they could leave is to sing "The Bonny Blue Flag."

[And the South Shall Fall Again]: McCoy receives a message from his sister saying that their father is dying and he rushes to Earth accompanied by Mr. Spock. They find a hardy Rev. McCoy and to their surprise, Amanda, Sarek and Spock's son Sahaj. A real family reunion takes place when Amanda's family joins the gathering. A thoroughly enjoyable mixing of two cultures.