Detour (Sentinel zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Detour |
| Publisher: | Almost Foolproof Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Emily Brunson |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | 1999 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | The Sentinel |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | WBM link to story |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Detour is a 114-page slash Sentinel novel by Emily Brunson.
Summary:
Five months after meeting Detective Jim Ellison at the hospital, Blair Sandburg has finally gotten a chance to explain to him what these enhanced senses mean—but is it too late?
Author's Notes
My thanks and love to the Magnificent Five, for betas and brainstorming above and beyond the call. This story was a hell of a lot bigger project than I *ever* anticipated when I started it. Thank you guys so much for supporting it. Additional hugs and smooches to Adele, who doesn't even read this fandom and *still* once again has provided consulting and research help in psychology; and to Susan, and my boss Mitch, for legal details and counseling. Any lingering errors of psychology or law are entirely my own. Also: the legal procedures outlined in this story are according to Texas state law. I don't have the resources at the moment to be certain of Washington state procedures, so -- well, that's the way it goes. I tried, but hey.
Reactions and Reviews
Great 'zine. Previously 'net published. But well worth the bucks as it's compiled in a nice, easy to transport size. I love these little, um, 'zinelets, because I can stuff them in a bag to take wherever and usually the covers are innocuous so I don't have to worry about "peepers"! A well, written story worth reading more than once. It's one of those "good ol' standby" types, where you know you can read it again and again and always be assured of an enjoyable read. I personally have no recommendations for which agent to buy from. I've dealt with both and they were great.[1]
This story is an AU, based on the assumption that Jim Ellison *didn't* go visit Professor Sandburg during the Switchman case, and five months after meeting Detective Jim Ellison at the hospital, Blair Sandburg finally gets a chance to explain to him what these senses mean -- but is it too late? This story is just amazing, and though it would completely negate the series, while reading it you find yourself wishing that 'The Sentinel' had been a TV movie based on *this* story. Yep, it's that. Good. {reverent pause} Goodness knows I love AUs, and this one is beautiful - a hurt/comfort story (sort of), a relationship story (definitely!) and one heck of a good piece of 'What If'... I'm thrilled to have a zine of this story, finally. Definitely a 'cherish-and-re-read-frequently' zine. ;-)[2]
This is an AU of the What if variety. What if Jim never went to meet Blair at the University.It's a long, detailed story about friendship, trust and the power of being able to still be amazed. Most of the pieces and characters that we love or hate are there. They are just shifted a little to make a new puzzle.
I fell in love with this story enough to buy it in zine format (digest). It's one of the few I kept from the fire sale Idid two years ago.
If you haven't read this one go; if you have, it's fun to reread something well written and entertaining.[3]
I love everything I've read by Emily in the CSI and Sentinel fandoms. I can count on one hand the number of times I've read fanfiction without prior experience with the original source material. I made an exception for this story because I loved Emily's CSI stories so much. This story made me fall in This story was the 1st TS story I ever read and was the reason I started watching the show. Her Jim made me want to hug him.[4]
Her Jim sounds, acts like he's been thru 6 months of hell. One of the images I remember clearly from the story is when Blair watches Jim going to the bus stop after spending the first day with him. I also like the humor that the author put thru out the story. The poor mouse at the cabin. LOL[5]
I love that image of Jim walking to the bus stop. By describing that, Emily told me so much about what Jim's emotional state was and a lot about who he was as a person (proud, suffering.) That's a story that deserves to be read and reread.[6]
This is one of Emily's most mature and emotionally resonant stories. Her characters are excellent, the plot rocks, and the writing is superb. An Em gem! [7]
I'm the first to admit I'm not much of an Emily Brunson fan. *Waits til gasps of horror die.* But her Detour is a wonderful, wonderful story along the lines of: what if Jim had not gone to Blair's office in "Switchman"? [8]
You probably have read this one already, it is the classic TS AU, so even if everybody knows it, I would never skip it on an AU rec page. It explores what would have happened, if Jim hadn't gone to visit Blair during the pilot, and is simply awesome.[9]
I don't normally dig into AUs so early after entering a fandom, but this once caught my attention. It's kind of a 'What if' scenario. What if Jim hadn't gone to see Blair in the pilot of the show? What could have been different? Answer? A lot of things and this one's definitely one of the better AUs I've read. Good Jim-voice too, and I can't say no to something like that *g*
What if Carolyn had Jim committed before Blair managed to tell him about the Sentinel stuff?First things first: this is a fantastic story and while I won't be reccing it on epic_recs(see below), if you don't have my particular squick, I recommend this fic.
That said, I have a *huge* squick when it comes to people committed for mental illnesses that they don't actually have. Part of the problem is that once you're committed, it's nearly impossible to get you out (and while Jim obviously isn't stuck in this hospital forever, my subconscious keeps pointing out how freaking lucky he was to get free and it just makes me eight kinds of uncomfortable). Part of my problem is my opinion of how most mental hospitals (even the good ones) are run (having a psych nurse for a mother apparently gives one issues).
At any rate, while I managed to read this fic all the way through the first time, I've completely stalled in the re-read, due to the fact that I *know* the hospital bit is coming up and I know the hospital bit is going to last for 10,000 words and I know that Jim going to the hospital is going to be the result of betrayal of a character I don't like to see as a betrayer and I. Just. Can't. Read. Another. Word. Grr.
(Also, there's the issue of Carolyn -- at first she sounds reasonable in her arguments, but by the end of the fic she's basically become irrational, refusing to see any possibility other than that Jim's insane, despite vast amounts of evidence (not to mention expert opinions) to the contrary. It may not quite be in character bashing territory, but it's pretty damn close.)
End result: I just can't manage to complete the re-read required for me to rec the story at Epic Recs. Still a good fic for those interested in what-if stories.[11]
This is a brilliant example of what can be done with the AU genre. The characterisation, despite the different circumstances, are spot-on and this story is just so sweet and lovely to read, I can't recommend it highly enough.[12]
References
- ^ from Destinies Entwined Detour, Archived version
- ^ "Raonaid's Zine Recommendations". 2004-02-27. Archived from the original on 2013-01-12.
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ Dominique Elize's Sentinel Alternate Universe Recs
- ^ Rat Creature's Alternate Universe Recs for The Sentinel
- ^ Ximeria’s Lair
- ^ Epic Rants, August 2009
- ^ Madrigal's Fanfiction Recommendations, January 3, 2004