Fruit of the Spirit

Zine
Title:	Fruit of the Spirit
Publisher:	Gryphon Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Cherilyn
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	May 2000
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Professionals
Language:	English
External Links:	Fruit of the Spirit
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Fruit of the Spirit is a 166-page slash Professionals novel by Cherilyn.

This zine sometimes appears on fans' Desert Island lists.

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

A solid tale that traces Bodie & Doyle's relationship from their initial meeting (they hate each other on sight, which I enjoyed thoroughly), through the course of the show (I liked her incorporation of the different episodes), to their post-series life together. It's an enjoyable tale with lots of banter, and the guys seemed very in character to me.

You're going to have to plop down some coin to read this one, as it's only available from Gryphon Press. Trust me when I tell you, it's well worth the investment. Not unlike Ringing in the Changes, this story begins during the early, early days of Bodie & Doyle's partnership, when it looks like the lads might quite literally kill each other, and ends when they've not only realized that together they're Cowley's finest, but that each is everything the other needs. The entire zine is wonderful, but I'm especially fond of the section dealing with their relationship going from friendship to romance. Doyle comes to terms first with his changing emotions, and Bodie, bless him, tries to do the noble, if misguided thing. Funny, sweet stuff.

2000

When I saw the snippet Sara chose to advertise this story, I wasn't going to either buy it or read it. Then KC told me the snippet wasn't the entire story and told me I'd like it, promptly putting it in the mail to me. (She also was responsible for getting me hooked on "The Hunting". ) I like stories by Ellis Ward, Pam Rose, HG, O Yardley, Jane/Kathy Keegan, which should give everyone a good idea of where I'm coming from.

I liked this novel very much. It had some typos which didn't bother me; I probably only noticed them because I am in the process of editing stories for my own zine. It's a first time story.

Begins at the beginning, with Bodie and Doyle meeting during training at CI5. Immediate animosity before they've even exchanged a word. The author has taken episodes from the first couple of series and mentioned them along the way to give us a time-line. These are not the emphasis for the novel though. This is a pure relationship story: Bodie and Doyle as they go from disliking each other to eventually falling in love. For those who like Murphy, he's got a large part in this story; Cherilyn shows a very good reason for the later Murphy being a solo agent. We also find out how Doyle got the framed photo of Cowley, how the tiny photo of the Old Man got onto the dialing pad of Bodie's phone, what really happened during Wild Justice ...

She got "my" scruffy, scrappy, ratty little Doyle down perfectly. He was obnoxious when he was supposed to be, and his amazement when he realised he was in love with Bodie was priceless. All the characters, including the unfortunate 'red shirts' who died, had distinctive personalities. Bodie was his usual tall, dark and beautiful self.

She has a nice way of phrasing things -- I spent a lot of time laughing out loud, which I haven't done in quite a while with a story. While helping Doyle pack up his flat as he prepared to move yet again:

".... Bodie ignored him, glad that his partner hadn't seen the kamikaze Chinese dragon figurine that had jumped out of Bodie's hands and smashed itself on the hearth ..."

"With seeming irrelevance and the subtlety of a frog during the mating season, Doyle remarked...."

"He could read Doyle at that moment like a book -- fully illustrated with notes in the margins."

I read the entire thing in one sitting last night, and liked it enough that I'll buy my own copy.

2007

This traces the evolution of Bodie and Doyle's relationship from early days, when it looked like they quite literally might kill each other to a successful partnership and beyond. The author weaves in various episodes and realistically traces the emotional growth between the pair. I loved her scene where Ray confesses his feelings and Bodie's reaction. It's a lovely, involving read I go back to time and again.

I always liked the way that the TV Series went straight into Bodie and Doyle as an experienced pairing, no exposition. It's a perfect opportunity for fan writers to devise their own, and this is Cherilyn's take. The opening sentence begins 'It was antipathy as first sight', and this nicely sets up the first part of the novel with Murphy playing peacemaker much to both Bodie and Doyle's irritation. Cowley, in his infinite wisdom, pairs then after the training with dire warning as to what will happen to them if they fail him or each other. The slow, and at times shaky, thawing of the mutual animosity makes for a enjoyable read as they become a true team and also true friends. Throughout this time there are occasional hints of an uneasy attraction to the other - Bodie lusts after a delicious bum and legs leaning over the bar at the pub until he realizes that they're attached to a man and, worse, to Doyle - but the emphasis is of the building of rapport and friendship. The middle section covers the ensuing three plus years of partnership with reference to certain episodes and a portrayal of the pair of them as best friends. At times, both men worry over becoming too involved and dependent upon each other and try and back away, but as soon as the other gets in trouble they are there for them. It is the final part that we see Doyle's growing love for his partner and his struggle with both understanding and accepting it, and finally in allowing Bodie to recognize it and choose to accept it or not. Throughout the novel there were delightful touches of humour plus a long running gag that involve Bodie and Doyle 'celebrating' Cowley's birthday in hilarious style. The fact that I sat and reread the zine when I just meant to dip into it to write this review is a good indication of my enjoyment. Bodie, Doyle and Cowley are all well characterised, and CI5 and its personnel used well. I recommend it.

... it is a wonderful read. Charts B&D's days back when they were first paired up and 'hated' each other on sight! The way they got over the many obstacles to become first friends and then lovers is excellent and it's the one zine I could read over and over and not become bored.

Cherilyn's Fruit of the Spirit is one I want to read again - but I have to admit that the first (and only) time I read it, I was less keen on it than I was expecting to be. I seem to remember that they got really sort of loving of each other towards the end, and I can't quite reconcile how overt they were with my idea of them (I have the same thing with O. Yardley's Injured Innocents, for some reason) (doesn't that sound mean of me, somehow?! I think it was to do with the language used though...). I'm not sorry that I read it at all, but... well, I want to read it again to see if I was right the first time!

2011

Fruit of the Spirit is one of my all-time favourite Pros stories and was one of the first zines I bought when I discovered Pros, fandom and slash nearly ten years ago. It's lovely to know that so many more people will be able to enjoy it now that you've posted it online.

Ooh, and I've just realised - if it's on AO3 I'll be able to download it to my Kindle and carry it with me all over the place!

Thank you so much for putting this on AO3!! Much better than posting it direct to LJ because AO3 does all the work of gathering the chapters together and offering e-reader formats!! This is so exciting because other people have recced the story but I rarely see zines and don't buy any. Now I can have the novel on my Kindle!! Wow!

I'm a relatively new fan who has not yet indulged in the joys of fics on paper, so this story was completely new to me. I'm so glad you posted it online! I really enjoyed it - and I have to say that it's very rare that I'll stick with a novel-length fic. But I was glued to this. The pacing of it was perfect; it was the right kind of angsty, ie not reaching annoying/unrealistic levels; it was great to follow how the lads' relationship evolved. I enjoyed the early, angry part of their relationship immensely. Then later - wow! The growth of their friendship was gorgeous, the romantic bits were lovely and the sex bits were hot. I loved how you painted the more minor characters, too, especially Murphy. And I thought Doyle's mother was a great character: it's rare to see him written with anything resembling a normal family, and that was done really well.

Perhaps most of all though, I liked the cows. I love a story that makes me laugh as well as everything else. :D :D

2012

Why this must be read: This story - all 94,000+ words of it - has been around since 2000 but previously only in zine form, from Gryphon Press. Last year Cherilyn put it online, to great squeeing and joy from Pros fans, because it really is a great Pros story. It follows the lads from their first meeting, its' well-written, it's in character, and it's beautifully, gorgeously long. Oh, and Doyle's mum makes an appearance too. What more could a B/D fan want?