Fields of the Heart
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fields of the Heart |
| Publisher: | Orion Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Gail J. Christison |
| Cover Artist(s): | M.J. Millard |
| Illustrator(s): | no interior art |
| Date(s): | 1993 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TNG |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | flyer here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fields of the Heart is a het 114-page Star Trek: TNG novel by Gail J. Christison.
It was edited by Ann Zewen.
This zine contains no interior illustration.
The Editorial
Approximately two years ago, I received a story submission from Australia by a writer named Gall J. Christison. It was a story like many others found in fanzines everywhere. Focusing on Captain Jean-Luc Picard, that story featured elements of action-adventure, hurt/comfort and romance. But first and foremost it was about Jean-Luc Picard and his relationships. That story, titled "Rozah," appeared in Idylls 7. It was a pretty good story, but it didn’t prepare me for what was to follow.
What followed was a host of other submissions from this writer I soon came to realize was both prolific and talented. We published her second submission, "A Fine Line," as a novella released in January of this year. Her third, "Echoes of the Mind," is being released this month in Idylls 9. And then came "Fields of the Heart."
Like many of Gail’s other works, this one focuses on Picard (Riker is her other character of choice.), but it’s an entirely different look at Picard from that Gail's written for us before. This is a Picard both strong and vulnerable, a Picard who can be both a commander and a friend to a child. It's a Picard who learns to lean a little on his friends and associates — without ever losing either his dignity or his ability to command.
"Fields of the Heart" reveals a writer who continues to grow with each submission. Already we have additional stories scheduled for publication in upcoming Orion Press fanzines. And I expect we’ll get even more in the future. I hope so. I always look forward to her stories.
You will, too.
Excerpt
Excerpt from the publisher:
As they turned to climb back onto the restless animals there was a sudden, intense explosion. The ground trembled. The horses leaped and bucked. Troi gasped and collapsed. The sky lit up and the world suddenly went awry.Picard looked back. "NO-O-O! II he screamed, in a voice that splintered, and tore his eyes away. Then: "Down, get down, and don't look up!"
He moved quickly, ripping blankets from the pack horse with a frightening ferocity, throwing one over Troi and grabbing Benii. He pushed her to the ground beneath him and pulled the other blanket over himself to cover both of them even as the air seemed suddenly to sweep over them like a tidal wave of force.
The nightmare seemed endless, but in reality it was over in a few minutes. Picard emerged first into the subsequent silence. He touched Troi's throat and found a strong pulse. Benii appeared at his side and they both turned to the animals.
He turned slowly, reluctantly, agonizingly back to the sprawling table-land. He stared, hollow eyed and physically sick with shock and disbelief as the giant mushroom horror drew itself upward, reaching toward the stratosphere. It straddled a city devastated, smothered, ablaze, dying.
Benii instinctively moved closer to her companion, as if proximity could somehow keep them safe.
Briefly Picard touched her shoulder, then moved to Troi's side. The counselor had not moved since the detonation.