Fate's Wide Wheel

Zine
Title:	Fate's Wide Wheel
Publisher:	Anna D
Editor(s):	Rebecca Smathers
Date(s):	1994-1995
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Quantum Leap
Language:	English
External Links:
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Fate's Wide Wheel is a gen Quantum Leap anthology.

cover of issue 1

Issue 1

Fate's Wide Wheel 1 was published in August 1994 and contains 200 pages.

From the flyer:

Sam finds himself in the life of his sister Katie's abusive husband, Chuck. Sam must decide if he should follow his heart and help set Katie free or follow the advice of Ziggy.

Sam leaps into the lives of two women, both infatuated with him. Could the choice he has to make between them lead to murder? When does love become obsession?

When a leap goes awry, and Sam is critically injured, it's up to Al to find a way to save him. When he finds a young resident named Dr. Sam Beckett, Al finds out the true purpose of Sam's leap. In order to survive in the future, Sam must save himself in the past.

The destination of Fate's Wide Wheel is unknown to all on the Project Quantum Leap Team. Sam has only Al to help him leap forward or backward, putting right what once went wrong.

These adventures and many more can be found in FATE'S WIDE WHEEL.

• Second Chances I Won’t Get (part one) (“Sam leaps back to the project as a member of the project team just as Donna is leaving.”) (21 pages)
• Obsessions (“Sam leaps into the lives of two women infatuated with him. Could the choice he makes between them lead to murder?”) (34 pages)
• The Other Dr. Beckett ("When a leap goes awry, Sam is critically injured and the only one who can help him is a young resident named Sam Beckett.”) (28 pages)
• One Life at a Time (20 pages)
• Triple Threat ("Sam, a medical student, leaps into the middle of a conspiracy which might result in the death of three people.”) (38 pages)
• Second Chances I Won’t Get (part two) From The Depths Of Despair to the Summit of Hope (“Sam leaps into himself days before his original leap. His rash decision not to leap causes a horrible chain of events.”) (56 pages)
• Putting Right What Once Went Wrong (3 pages)

• 

  first page of a flyer for issue #1

• 

  second page of a flyer for issue #1

Issue 2

Fate's Wide Wheel 2 was published in 1995 and contains 186 pages. It is a single story called "Burning Memories"

cover of issues #2, Anna Davidson

"Burning Memories" was by Mona Rowitz with special contributions by Rebecca Smathers

Summary: Sam Leaps into a fireman trapped in a building burning. Rescued, he ends up in a hospital with his memory completely gone. The nurse attending him is Al's wife Beth. As Sam's memory slowly comes back, aided by Al, he learns that he's there to save Beth from being killed.

Issue 3

Fate's Wide Wheel 3 was published in July 1995 and contains 200 pages.

• Tour of Duty by Mona Rowitz
• Split Moment in Time by Mona Rowitz (part 1, To See into the Future, part 2, Above Us Only Sky)
• Time to Heal by Rebecca Mathers
• Honesty is the Best Policy by Rebecca Smathers
• Rendezvous with Destiny by Mona Rowitz

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

I have to admit I bought this ‘zine at IndyLeap with some reservations. My personal philosophy is that one should not write and edit one's own ‘zine. And for those of you who know I’ve put my own stories in my own ‘zine, trust me... I usually got two or three other someones to edit them. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this ’zine was not bad. Not bad at all!

First off... the editorial. I have to laugh at it, because it explains exactly how I feel about preparing a ‘zine. (By the way, talking about typos, “Artwork must be in it's camera ready form?” Should be “its,” not “it’s.” I know, I know, I’m being picky. Since the editorial is almost always last, I think we can all excuse typos like that.)

“Tour of Duty,” by Mona Rowitz: Another spin focusing on Al's captivity in Vietnam, and Sam’s Leap into a young prisoner in the same camp whose life he needs to preserve. What makes this version truly interesting is that Sam Leaps into.... Well, I won’t ruin the story. But when Al becomes incapacitated in 1999 (he recovers, by the way), watch who becomes Observer.

The story was well paced, the dialogue was convincing, and the ending resolved more than saving that young man’s life... it preserved the future of the Project, as you may have guessed, in more ways than one. But I won’t tell you anymore to ruin your surprises in this story. Sorry.

“Split Moment in Time-Part 1-To See into the Future & Part 2-Above Us Only Sky,” by Mona Rowitz: This is a two-part story which starts with a shocker... the Leapee -- Evan Randall -- is shot by an overanxious guard, and Ziggy predicts death for both Sam and the Leapee at the end of the Leap unless a certain doctor can be brought to the complex to operate... who died in 1994. The situation seems hopeless, so Al makes the decision not to tell Sam that he's supposed to save the life of Evan's friend, Sara Tierney, on the theory that Sam will live on in Evan’s life. It’s a long story, running from page 51 to 154.

It’s not a bad story, but a couple of things didn't work for me. First off, I don't know medicine, but it seems like Evan Randall was incapacitated for an awful long time--a couple of days--with a bullet in his chest. If it were lodged in that badly that they had to wait for a specialist to fly in, wouldn’t he have died shortly after being shot? OK, maybe not. I’ll leave that to medical-type people.

Two... in a situation like this, it seems like Ziggy is being awfully cagey on the doctor's name. Admitted, there wouldn't be much of a story without this plot device; still, the reasoning didn't work for me. I could pass over that -- maybe the conditions changed later due to the end results of the Leap.

Three... the project staff seemed to be a bit loose-lipped around the visitor who operates on Evan Randall... something Al comments on. Ziggy is the worst offender in this. Then again, I've always had a bit of a problem with Ziggy, anyway, and that doesn't stem from this story. (A sentient computer in 1995? C'mon, now.)

There were a few spots where the dialogue went real flat, and a couple of places of talk, talk, talk where I kept saying, Get to the chase already!" Other than that, the story worked for me. It raised some important points, and I’m not sorry that I read it.

“Time To Heal,” by Rebecca Smathers: Sam Leaps into a mother accused of beating her own child. Did she, or was it her boyfriend, who was not as nice as the act he put on for the public? The story worked fairly well, until the very end... did I miss something? What was the mention about Trudy? I hadn’t heard that she had been abused in the orphanage. If I had known that, the rest of the story would have dropped into place. I think the story needed to be expanded a bit. And, once again, some of the dialogue went flat.

“Honesty Is The Best Policy,” by Rebecca Smathers: Sam must drive a potential wife away from him. I’m sorry. This story didn’t work for me at all. It's an interesting idea, though, one I would’ve like to seen expanded...

“Rendezvous With Destiny,” by Mona Rowitz: It’s after “Mirror Image,” and Sam leaps into himself to get Al to join the project. This is a bit of a different take than others I’ve seen, and one of the very, very few which admitted that maybe Al and Beth were not meant for each other. The only two problems I have with this story is 1) where are Al's and Beth’s daughters... the ones noted at the end of “Mirror Image?” Wouldn’t they have at least one daughter by this time? And 2)... well, this is personal. I just can’t imagine Sam allowing the Project Observer being someone he didn’t personally like, even if appointed by Weitzman. And besides, I like Roddy McDowall. But, getting beyond that, it is pretty funny what Gooshie, Verbena, and Ziggy did to St. John.

Attached to the end of the ‘zine is a postcard inviting us to send them our comments. I like this idea. It’s going to give me a guilt complex if I don’t send it back, and, quite frankly, it shows a desire for Mona and Rebecca to do better next time... something we can all stand to do, no matter how good we are. Hmmm... I wonder if they’ll mind if I steal that idea for my ‘zine?