Fermata
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| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fermata |
| Publisher: | ankar press |
| Editor(s): | Karen Bates & Kate Birkel |
| Date(s): | July 1981 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | print zine |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
front cover, Ann Crouch
Fermata is a het 104-page anthology of Spock/Chapel fiction. It was edited by Karen Bates. It was printed offset, stapled, digest-sized. The art is by Ann M. Crouch.
Contents
- Point of View by Karen Bates (3)
- Lady Chapelle by Kate Birkel (7)
- Alone by Ann Crouch (16)
- Memories by Karen Bates (17)
- Enterprise by Ann Crouch (26)
- Wish Me Luck by Kate Birkel (27) (Spock has taken the shuttlecraft into the space Amoeba and McCoy believes the Vulcan is doomed. We learn of McCoy's thoughts about Spock and the relationship he has with Spock and we learn of McCoy's fervent wish that Spock knew he had wished him luck.)
- Dream/Reality & Aftermath by Karen Bates (29)
- Reflected Light by Kate Birkel (35)
- art portfolio by Ann Crouch (45)
- Suicide by Karen Bates (59)
- Research Project by Kate Birkel (Spock comes face to face with the subject of a graveyard's shift's research into ancient Terran games.) (66)
- Guardian (After death, war and sorrow, can Spock salvage his life using the Guardian of Forever?) (73)
- Glimpses by Karen Bates (92)
- Imagine by Carmen Dexter (Thoughts on John Lennon) (99)
Sample Interior
interior art by Ann Crouch
interior art, John Lennon by Carmen Dexter
interior art by Ann Crouch
interior art by Ann Crouch
Reactions and Reviews
FERMATA is a neat looking zine in a reduced, 7"x8V' format, copiously illoed by Ann Crouch, and bound with a removable spine so that illoes may be taken out for framing. Its layout allows full pages for story titles, generally with borders or graphics, but these are pages which, to the frugal, will be seen as not used to the fullest, and hence, perhaps as only so much wasted space. Aside from a short piece on John Lennon, FERMATA deals with Spock, Christine, and Spock and Christine, as seen by Karen Bates and Kate Birkel (individually). Of the Christine stories, 'Memories' is an almost poignant story of failed communication, but the gem is 'Lady Chappelle', wherein an halucinating Christine falls into a gothie fantasy of the evil Roger Coeurbe (Ruk makes a cameo appearance at the end) plotting to steal the lands and sarily in that order—of the helpless Christine de la Chappelle, friendless in all the world but for her dead father's faithful Valcainian retainer, Vlarik. Coeurbe is a wonderful villian, Vlarik a fine hero, and Christine properly dithering. I was extremely annoyed when Christine woke up ... but then, she probably was too. Of the Spock stories, 'Suicide', was an interesting idea, and 'Research Project' had a memorable encounter (if you can accept the establishing premise of the story, which I can't). 'Reflected Light1 bothered me, as a Mirror story in which, after rummaging around our Dr. McCoy's mind, the Mirror Spock wishes—aw shucks—that he had good buddies like his mirror counterpart, and that people cared about him, too. The author seems to overlook the entire mirror universe, and continues to do so as Mirror Spock gives Mirror Kirk a most paltry con-vincint before the captain decides—what the hell— let's overthrow the Empire! Mirror Kirk falls to with all the enthusiasm of—gee whiz—Andy Hardy! Many people think that, vis a vis Spock, Christine wasn't given a fair shake on ST, and that she continues to be maligned in fan fiction. There's plenty of evidence for that in FERMATA. In 'Dream/ Reality/Aftermath' we see Spock rape her (he's in pon farr; she's made to believe it was a dream), and when she finds that she's pregnant, and that the father of the child is Vulcan, she does nothing. She tells McCoy once that it's impossible, then seems to decide it's not, goes off to pack, and yells at Spock when he comes to say he'll marry her. Something about her reactions doesn't ring true; she doesn't get played out fully, instead one thread of a thought process is followed through, leaving you waiting for more, not giving a full picture of a functional human being. So too in 'Guardian', the first installment of a story with potential for complex relationships for everyone but Christine, a Spock from the future, whom she barely recognizes, tells her to come with him into his time because she is about to die, and, more importantly, because he wants her. That's all she needs to hear to dash off into what doesn't seem to be a very appetizing present. The problem with these stories is that I think they mean to be pro-Christine, and in this way FERMATA is a funny kind of zine. It reminds me of the joke about the Jewish resort: One patron complains, 'The food in this place is awful.' The other concurs, adding, 'And the portions are so small.' It's somewhat entertaining, has somewhat interesting ideas, but they seem always to be marred by something not entirely thought out, as though the characters were going where the author has forced them to, instead of where they damned well please. This kind of constraint leaves open to question whether the fact that the stories are all so short is FERMATA's blessing or its curse. FERMATA, also, seems to have lacked an editor. None is listed on the title page, and the lack of editing is apparent, introducing us to the use of such new words as 'censorisn' and 'exchangement', as well as offering a sprinkling of verbs that don't agree with their subjects, and pronouns which don't know what they refer back to. FERMATA did have a proofreader, though, who was kind enough to underline all the misspelled words she caught, just so you wouldn't miss 'em. All in all, if you're dying for Spock/Christine, you'll want this zine. Of course, if you're only mildly hungry , FERMATA is one of those things that just goes to show ... having is not such a thing as wanting. [1]
Approx. 100 pages, reduced to 7x8, offset, illustrated by Ann Crouch, including a separate portfolio. 10 stories centering mostly on Spock, a few with a lighter touch. A very tidy publication, neatly done, marred only by a noticeable amount of typos/spelling errors. The stories are all well-thought out, with some fascinating themes. A must for Spock and Dragons-and-Dungeons fen (the latter should look for "Research Project.") Also included is 'Imagine,' thoughts of John Lennon, written and illoed by Carmen Dexter. [2]
Short C/S and Spock stories/some fantasy and alternate stuff, **1/2 [out of five stars] strong Chris. [3]