Hellhound Universe

Synonyms:
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Hellhound Universe is a gen Blake's 7 AU universe with stories written by Katarina Larkin (nee Synder) and Susanne Tilley (nee McGhin).

The stories were spread across numerous different zines roughly 1988-1993. Most of the stories were reprinted in the zine series The Log of the Hellhound.

Books I and II of The Log of the Hellhound were re-printed as separate zines (having been previously available as part of anthology zines), and book XIII was also published as a standalone zine. The other books were only ever available as part of other Ashton Press zines, largely Southern Seven).

Descriptions

SallyMn describes Hellhound as being "sort of post-series Blakes 7 written in Dallas/Disney style, with a cast unblushingly based on half the popstars and TV stars of the eighties (yes, it is very eighties :)."

A fan on Lysator (1992) described the series thus:

This is very long, not yet finished, and distributed over a number of zines published by Ashton Press. B7 for the eighties, with a lot of style and many original characters, some, I'm told, based on other TV shows. There are many incredible plot devices and coincidences, but I don't notice them while I'm reading. The writing is very high quality, with excellent dialogue and just enough description to set a scene. In Log of the Hellhound books 1 and 2, Southern Seven 3, Blakes Doubles 2, Southern Seven 5, Southern Seven 7 and more to come. There are related stories in other Ashton Press zines. All are available from Bill Hupe.

Where Is the Fiction?

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Prequels

The following stories are listed on the 'where to find Hellhound stories' list as being prequels to the ten Hellhound books. They are published in several different zines. It is not clear whether the stories listed here without authors or zines were ever written, or if they were only planned.

• Katrina Snyder & Susanne McGhin, "I Was So Young..." (published in Southern Lights #3.5)
• "Just Like Heaven" (published in Southern Lights #3.5)
• "Hit by Lightning"
• Katrina Snyder & Susanne McGhin, "The Weight of a Feather" (published in Southern Lights #2.5)
• Katrina Snyder & Susanne McGhin, "The Blood Red Thread" (published in Hellhound Book I (reprint issue)
• Katrina Larkin & Susanne Tilley, "In the Dark" (published in Southern Seven #4)
• "The Cold Light of Day"
• Katrina Larkin & Susanne Tilley, "The Fool's Tale" (published in Southern Seven #4)

The Log of the Hellhound

See The Log of the Hellhound.

From the Creators

Casting

Author Katarina Larkin commented on the Hellhound website:

It should be obvious, given the illustrations and the inside jokes, that we aren't just pulling these faces out of our fevered imaginations, and are instead indulging ourselves by casting all our favorite raves and, in some cases, ughs, as characters in the so-called on-going saga. I don't see any reason to apologize for this, as I'm sure professionals do it all the time, right? Hellhound is, essentially, character-driven, the plot ("hey! let's all fight a revolution!") being secondary to all the twisted, insane, and hopefully entertaining things Servalan and her minions do to our beleaguered and not always completely admirable heroes. It's been that way from the beginning.

Also see Who's Who in Hellhound Books I-III.

Original Characters, Steffany, and Slash

In 1994, Larkin responded to fans' comments in a letter of comment in Southern Seven #8:

Yes, Brody does have a bit of Han Solo, my first fan writing interest, under his vest, and we do like The Professionals... the show and the stars. Dafydd is my personal favorite of the original characters, in fact. Thorn and Jim return later on, and they fare better than some. I liked the way that you warned people about "knowing" what's going to happen next in Hellhound, Annie, particularly in regards to Steffany. Perhaps they need to reread the introduction to Book I, ehh?

I think that Sally Flanagan's comments are worthy of an answer, too. She has an excellent point: friendships do tend to change when one friend marries another person. They can't be the same, in fact, they shouldn't be. Sometimes the marriage wrecks the friendship, or affects it adversely, as when the spouse is too possessive, but this doesn't always have to be the case, and I don't think it is between Blake and Avon. In Hellhound we are not interested in leaving the Avon-Blake relationship static, we are trying to show how it changes over the years. To my mind, at least, the "triangle" (if you want to call it that) between Blake, Avon and Steffany serves to add depth to the interaction--now Avon has two people sincerely interested in him, his best male friend and his lover. They are also friends with each other, which leads them to understand him better by seeing him through another "lens," so to speak, when they discuss him. (I think that seeing him through these two viewpoints gives the reader a better understanding of him, also.) The relationship between Blake and Avon is, indeed, central to the plot line of Hellhound, but this relationship is not the only one that either of them engage in, nor should it be. I'm afraid I don't quite understand the-I was going to say animosity, but that isn't the right word-mistrust toward heterosexual relationships in fan fiction that some fans seem to exhibit. It can't be that we don't like women. Most of us are women. We're (Susanne and I--we're sisters, if you haven't guessed from the rude stuff I say about her sometimes!) romantic enough (or perhaps interested enough in sex?) to want our characters to enjoy the fulfillment that such a relationship adds to life, and since we're both straight we find it easier to write straight stuff Blake and Avon slash does not appeal to us. (It doesn't bother us if it appeals to you, though. We're not into censorship or The Log of the Heckhound... very funny, guys!) A consummated sexual relationship between Blake and Avon would ruin the tension that is essential to Hellhound. There. Now you know one thing that isn't going to happen in Hellhound.

Fan Comments

1986

There's nothing explicit in any of them, but they do deal with adult situations and in some cases contain strong language. HELLHOUND is very definitely rated 'R'.

The HELLHOUND series was quite good, and could stand as strong characters and series on its own, with original names, etc. Using B7 brought B7 to the level of a cartoon series (albeit very good one) and I think the ship should've been named Arcadia anyway. Once I accepted the idea of a cartoon, I quite liked it, and look forward to more installments of it.

These Snyder & McGhin people are geniuses — HELLHOUND was unutterably fabulous. Hope it goes on forever.

LOG OF THE HELLHOUND is one of the most original of that kind that I've read in the last two years. Wasn't sure I was going to like it at first, but by the end I was absolutely hooked and eager to find out what happens next. And how nice to hear that you’ve got an exclusive on the series.

"The Log of the Hellhound” poses some fascinating questions to Kerr Avon’s background, such as who was his mother and, more importantly, who was his father? Also, from this series, I have the distinct impression that Snyder & McGhin have Avon as something other than Alpha class; however, they give no clue as to what class he belongs (or has been classified as). They do, however, imply that Vila is actually an Alpha and not a Delta. Having only seen each episode once (with the exception of missing the introduction of Sleer), I am not familiar with the name of each episode, the plots, etc. However, Snyder & McGhin's portrayal of Avon reminds me of one of the characters in the episode that showed the Clonemasters. This guy had been deliberately misclassified and was going crazy as a result — but that didn’t stop him from developing a powerful new weapon

The HELLHOUND series is very interesting, despite the Miami-Viceish overtones in the middle. (OK, yes, I'm the last living Miama Vice apathetic, but they can't get me if I don't stop moving...) I really don't care what three shades everyone's silk shirts are, but the characters are intense and coherent in their own framework.

I also greatly enjoyed the HELLHOUND series. I like the look of the 'new wave' Avon, but then he wears

anything well. I sincerely hope Katrina and Susanne will continue the story, and not just because I'm dying to know what Blake would make of the nude painting of Avon! Mention of the time traveller Weaver presupposes an earlier story in the HELLHOUND series; if this is true, do you know where that story was published, as I'd like to read it?

I loved it. I gotta say, too, that I am surprised by HELLHOUND. I know that Katrina and Susanne are good writers, but I know that they usually have quite a few original characters. Even though they do a good job with them, I was a little hesitant to start HELLHOUND, because of that. And I was a bit unnerved by the changed Avon. Well, it was all for naught since I enjoyed it all very much. Avon was still Avon, no matter that he was rather punked. Oh and part of the fun was trying to put faces to their original characters, too. I find that they seem to have Avon's emotions concerning Blake and his search for him in a recognizable frame of reference. I don't agree with it being anything so basic as asexual fascination, but I think that they were ambiguous enough about the fact that the reader can read as much into it as they

want to.

About HELLHOUND — I wonder what Avon finally did with Jeanine. How long before he got rid of her? He seemed so hard and cruel, not that you can blame him after everything he went through, but even after

he finally found Blake. Avon's going to make him remember who he is even if he has to beat it into him. Will there be anymore HELLHOUND stories? I WANT MORE! I've gotta find out what happens next. I'm hoping Avon does get rid of Jeanine—Blake does not belong to her and never did. Please, would you ask Katrina Snyder &Susanne McGhin. I want more, more, more!

Hope the HELLHOUND series goes over well. It helps to have some acquaintance with Time Lords and Tardis- like devices. (I've read other B7 fan fic with such). I do not think the language or situations are 'too strong', given the treatment Avon had received—and besides B7 is not a kiddie show, anyway. The "HH" premise sounds fascinating and the stories are well written.

Always do enjoy BIZARRO stories. With my quirky mind, I kept getting an itch to have someone try the BIZARRO ritual used to unmindwipe Blake in HELLHOUND (though it would be a "bloody big black ship" there.)

As for the HELLHOUND series. . I don't think I like her Avon. He's very believable; I just don't think I like him. And I'm glad to see she's bringing Del into the series. I quite like Tarrant! And it was nice to see Bruce Canton again. Real nice!

I do have one complaint to make about unfinished stories, especially 5th series, especially good 5th series (an unfortunately rare species), especially LOG OF THE HELLHOUND: I am crazy about it! It's the most penetrating, bizarre, and convincing series I have read. I found it absolutely gut wrenching. My admiration and envy of the authors is boundless. Not just for the way they catch Avon's own thoughts and feelings, the self-hatred and contempt under the pride, the torture of hopelessly longing for a salvation he doesn't believe in; but also for succeeding in what is far more difficult, an entirely believable, and Blake-like, Blake. In fact, all the characterization is uniquely and vividly alive. So where's the rest of it? If the authors are just going to call it quits and let us

all sit there on the ship contemplating amnesiac Blake and poor tormented Avon, I'm going to go insane, I am passionately hoping that a continuation is in the works somewhere.

THE LOG OF THE HELLHOUND was curious. I read the entire thing and was somewhat interested in the characters, but quite quickly into the story it became apparent that these people have nothing in common with the

BLAKES 7 characters of the same name. Even the art, while it was not bad, did not look anything like who they were supposed to be. Strange. Very strange this story.

The HELLHOUND series is also fascinating for its extensive portrait of Avon, as well as a lot of good background detail spread over an extensive area of time and space. That the series is patently unfinished is perhaps only a minor disappointment... The alternating viewpoints, and time changes, are intermittently confusing, but the kind of multi¬ strand story this is almost requires them. The most striking element

is the writers' colorful and well-integrated use of the characters' personalities (and of their own created characters) in 20th-century Earth setting, and in other stable settings very unlike the Liberator or Scorpio. I'd really like to know how it works out..

THE LOG OF THE HELLHOUND by Katrina Snyder and Susanne McGhin — Interesting. The poetry (songs, really) in the front of each story and the titles were well-chosen, appropriate (perfect?). I think, if I'd read this a couple of years ago, I might have cried 'character assassination!' for making Avon a nasty, obsessed bastard, but a) I think I have grown more tolerant recently since I saw the three BBC tapes of excerpts from the first season, and I was writing a poem, trying to get a handle on Avon's attitude to Blake in those early days and realized that there was some basis for saying that Avon resented Blake. b) The authors here have bothered to explain why he's like that, which enables one to understand him better, and understanding leads to acceptance. I resent it more when authors declare Avon to be nasty/cruel/ruthless/hateful/insane/evil without defending their point of view: I can but disagree with them.

They're brilliantly written; the subsidiary characters (i.e., the non-series ones) are real, not just backdrop; and the whole is chillingly good. In fact, the only thing I didn't like was the 'letters' at the start; OK, so they were supposed to add realism but I thought they were pointless. After Gauda Prime, Avon was taken by Servalan and interrogated, tortured, psychoprobed and drugged. A concentrated dose of aphrodisiac. This is partly why I don't object to the constant references to women as 'bitches' throughout this series; it's clear that it's part of more than slightly twisted character, and one can see why. He's rescued, by a man called Weaver (who evidently appeared earlier in this series) wish I could find more of these stories) who can travel in both time and space, who takes Avon back to his own Universe. After Avon has recovered, he steals a ship and escapes... to Earth, 1996.

There he meets a man, Jules Greggory, a several times millionaire, the second richest man in his world. Jules hires Avon as slightly illegal computer genius... and later (about page 299) as lover. This fails, and Avon runs, with Weaver's son. On Danyg, in another Universe, and a thousand years in the future, a man crashes in a life capsule. He cannot remember his name, or anything of his past. The head teacher (the only teacher in the only school in the only town on the planet) gives him a job, first as cleaner, then, as he appears to be educated, as subteacher. The other assistant teacher Jeannine, is attracted , despite not knowing anything of the strange man's past. Oh hell, this makes It sound like a Mills and Boon, and it's not. I even didn't mind it being heterosexual. Back on Earth, Avon and Phelan Dagonrath, Weaver's son, are crashing. It's about twenty years in the future. A team of scientists/business folk/just plain/terrorists/sf fans (most of them appear to be all of them) are working on building a spaceship. Avon agrees to assist) and steals it, once built. Also a pair of leather boots. And now, back in his own time and space, Avon is searching for Blake. There's rumours of him on a rather unsavory planet including cannibals and remarkably nasty locals, but ... find out. (I refuse to spoil the cliffhanger - the only one in all these stories.) And back to Dayg. Two years later; and the ship Avon stole, called the Hellhound, is landing at the port. And right at the end, the last cartoon; a Bizarro version of from the log of the Hellhound;

"So you've gone 'new wave' In the Hellhound series, eh, Avon?'

"Yes. Why don't you seem very surprised, Blake?"

"You obviously haven't seen the Hellhound Vila..."

1987

I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed Southern Seven #2. Nearly all the stories were very good; the Bizarro 7 ones especially, I've been hearing about this series for some time; it lived up (down?) to my wildest dreams. I was fascinated, also, by the Log of the Hellhound. I'd seen it slammed in fan reviews, and I was looking forward to finding out what all the controversy was about. To be honest, I had real trouble swallowing sane of it; little details like Avon with an earring and dyed hair simply don’t match my conception of the character. [Dyed hair? His hair isn't dyed in Hellhound. He shot himself in the head, ed.) But I've seen neither the 4th series nor the first few Log stories, and I'm willing to accept that I simply haven't seen the transition between what I know and the characters as they are in these stories. Although they aren't quite the Avon, Tarrant, Vila and so on that I know, they are well- drawn characters in interesting plots.

I don't know why but LOG OF THE HELLHOUND did not impress me much in SS #1. This time around it was a different story. Maybe it was my frame of mind, but I really enjoyed this second installment and it left me wanting more. I did see the ending come a mile off having devoured many a romance novel.

Considering the "sneak preview" I had at NecronomiCon, I haven't run out of wows yet. I devoured HELLHOUND immediately, Susanne and Katrina create probably the best defined original sub-characters in B7 fan fiction.

As for those fans who claim that HELLHOUND "isn't B7" well, nothing of "Blake" is B7 anymore. In fact, B7 isn't Blakes 7 after “Star One", For those fans who "can't read" HH because Avon is bi/gay: have any of you bothered to read the authors' explanation of why he acts that way? As in all good literature, there is a sound, plausible reason. I love the HH Tarrant. I've always suspected that Tarrant—had he survived GP—would have become much harder and circumspect. Certainly less bombastic, but perhaps meaner. Because of his FSA training and subsequent time as a renegade smuggler, I've never considered Tarrant one to dismiss lightly. He was always dangerous. But the HH Tarrant is dangerous and a match for the HH Avon. I wonder why fans always seem to "forget" that Tarrant has enough training behind him to qualify him as a lethal weapon'.

HH again has proven itself to be among the best extrapolations of the post-GP characters in B7 fandom. Please Sir, I'd like some more.

I just finished Part 2 of HELLHOUND and I literally couldn't put it down! I found myself reading it while blow drying my hair, while brushing my teeth, in the elevator, in the car at red lights, every time I had a free second.

I liked parts of the PHOENIX PROJECT, but I think the concept of using song lyrics as lead-ins, while appropriate in places, can be overdone and lose their effectiveness, as I think happened here. I found myself skipping over the songs to get to the story.

I always enjoy BIZARRO, though I think this one went on a little long. Still, I loved the tub scene and the exploding pfeffemeusse. Leah’s cartoons are second to none—all of them, not just the BIZARRO illos. I think Dani Lane is the finest illustrator in B7 fandom, but I’ve already told her that—some of her illos are pure genius. I like HELLHOUND more the more I read of it and can't wait to see it continue. It's nice that someone's actually letting Tarrant have a brain instead of being a hot-headed idiot.

It may sound strange, but I hope I have as much fun with the rest of S72 as I did with the LoC section. It was very entertaining by itself! And, it made me realize I wanted to go back and reread #1. I'd intended to reread the first segment of HELLHOUND anyway to refresh my memory. I do like the direction it's going, and they brought Tarrant back!!! As one of the founding members of the Del Tarrant Anti-Defamation League, I highly approve. Bev is great fun and Dr. White is good, although I hope she doesn't get too mushy over Avon. I don't want her to back down an inch. She's been brutally honest with him, which is great. Just because she's in love with the bozo, don't ease up on his case.

I personally consider the HELLHOUND saga to be one of the best fifth season series in print. It shares the title with THE PHOENIX PROJECT. Although very different, they are both terrific stories. I find myself waiting impatiently for the next installments and constantly re-reading the old ones. In HELLHOUND, I love the character of Steffany, and Avon himself. I can't wait for the confrontation with Servalan. With PHOENIX, I love the character of Bram Drew. He is so malevolent, you can't help it. I hope Avon retains his bounty hunter skills and persona. When Bram Drew and Kerr Avon meet again, someone is going to be in a lot of pain. So I'm sadistic, what can I say. That must explain why I like BIZARRO.

I have only one quibble with Snyder and McGhin's series: Avon is just a shade too maniacal. To read HELLHOUND one would think that Avon had always been a homicidal maniac. Remember, before he met Blake, Avon had only killed once—and even then it was self-defense. It was only after Cally's death that he began to change so radically. The "old" Avon hasn't been obliterated; with some careful encouragement they could get him back. Unfortunately, Dr. White has never met the "old" Avon and the others don't care. It's almost pathetic to see how desperately Avon needs Blake's approval and affection—how much he needs his attention—and Blake not only can't, but won't give it. He can't give it because he doesn't remember. He won't give it because he holds Avon responsible for Jeanine's death. The way that the others feel about Avon, even Vila, I'm dreading the re-appearance of Dayna. Dr. White had better stick close. Her presence is the only bright and encouraging one that Avon seems to have. Avon's background for this series has been interesting, but I still want to know who his parents were. [Read "The Blood Red Thread" in the HELLHOUND, BOOK I reprint. Ed.] As for Vila, maybe he really is a Delta grade. If Avon was downgraded from Alpha to Beta because of emotional instability, perhaps Vila was downgraded from Alpha to Delta because of his incurable thievery. And why hasn't anyone picked up on the fact that Vila used to be Alpha grade? He's admitted to being in school with Avon who is "obviously" an Alpha.

I suppose some people will continue to insist that LOG OF THE HELLHOUND "isn't really B7", but this reader thinks it doesn't get much more B7 than this. Once again it was nice to see Tarrant, and I think Katrina and Susanne are quite right in having him just as changed by what happened on GP as are Avon and Vila. No one could go through all of that and come out pretty much the same, and a lot of the changes aren't going to be for the better; that sort of healing takes a long time, and even after they were better, they surely wouldn't be the same. I like stories that nostalgically return things to what they were in the first year, but they aren't really too realistic. Anyway, there is much to like in Book II of HELLHOUND. (Although I do think Katrina and Susanne are very sadistic to have ended it where they did, unless SS#3 is going to be out very soon.) Steffany and Bev are good additions to the crew, though I halfway feel sorry for Steffany, now she's involved with our favorite looney. One thing I like about her and Bev is that they aren't obvious clones of Jenna and Cally, but actual original characters. I was kind of sorry to see Jeanine go, though did kind of expect that, as she really didn't fit in with the others. It's nice to see Blake coming back more and more, even if he still doesn't knew who he is. And I think Avon is handled very well; I particularly like the scenes where he admits, to himself, that he needs someone. That's always been the main appeal of Avon, that dichotomy of a hardshelled marshmallow. My favorite chapter is probably the last one; it's a change to see them having a night on the town, or shopping (especially for someone who wonders where they get all their snazzy clothes, or where Cally bought her false eyelashes.) And I am very much looking forward to Book III, and to Blake getting his memory back, and what happens with Steffany and Avon, and when Avon finds out that Servalan's had his child.

Now I'm gonna get real nasty. HELLHOUND. I read the first series in SS#1, and while I didn't care for the bisexual angle, I thought the stories were very well paced, very well thought out, and very well done. I especially liked Blake's chapter. The second series, tho...what happened? Too much time is spent on informing the reader on what everyone is wearing and what the setting lodes like. Avon is written inconsistently—at first you think that the only reason he's dragging Blake around is because he's in love with him, then it's "no, I owe him and he owes me", then it's...what the hell is Avon's motivation?

Then there's Steffi, Oh God, You do not create a viable, thinking character and then have her decide to not only cure Blake's amnesia, but also cure Avon of his psychosis, mend Tarrant's leg, and as a topper fall in love with 01' Nutso!!! I was expecting her to repair HELLHOUND with a bobby-pin as an encore. There is a word for this type of character., .the M-S word! Tarrant has no value in this story other than to limp around, act suspicious, and play lovey-dovey with his squeeze. Vila does a good imitation of tacking up space. Morten learns how to take up space from him. Blake's lady gets killed off early—all the better to get Avon and Blake together! ARRRGGGH! [Are you reading the same story I'm editing and publishing? Blake and Avon do not "end up together". In fact, Avon ends up with Steffany, no? Ed.]

And what about the Federation? If they think Avon's running HELLHOUND, there would be a hell of a lot more pursuit than what we've seen. Let's face it, a ship like that would be hard to miss! I'd also suspect that Federation computer systems would trigger alarms whenever HELLHOUND was logged into a docking area. What we have here is a failure to restrain ourselves. HELLHOUND has too many characters, inconsistent characterization, and serious Mary-Sue blues. This storyline has too much potential to wallow around like this. I like HELLHOUND'S potential. I don't care for Avon's sexual tendencies, but I can live with it — so long as it isn't gratuitous. Tarrant's relationship with Bev works, it is key to understanding them. But if Avon and Blake suddenly wind up locked in a passionate embrace, there had damn well better be a good reason for it...

Demanding, ain't I?

I didn't care for... LOG OF THE HELLHOUND. I just don't like "adult" stories.

The HELLHOUND series is starting to shape up now that the gang is back together; the characterizations seem more in line. Tarrant, I thought, came across very well. Bev is great and Steffany White shows promise, although I think most women would be a tad more hysterical at finding themselves kidnapped by a group of terrorists, ah...excuse me, "freedom fighters". As for falling in love with that sweet little bundle of studs and leather—what's not to love?

Ah, yes. And then there's HELLHOUND. McGhin & Snyder spent all of Part I turning Avon into a mean, nasty, unlikeable, uncaring and unfeeling, woman-hating, unspeakable bastard. Literally. Then Part II starts out with more of the same, but by the end Avon is mellowing? Is that it? All it takes is the love of a good woman? Oh boy. Don't get me wrong. It's written so well, it all hangs together while you're reading it, and to be honest I'm looking forward to the next installment—after all, Blake doesn't quite have his memory back yet. And what about poor, bad, mad, sad Avon? Will Steffany make it all better? Will Dayna turn up and make mincemeat out of her, in the pursuit of scientific curiosity? And Avon: will he finally make the grade? Or will finding out about Sleer's little bundle of joy and revenge send him completely around the twist? Stay tuned, er, keep reading the next exciting installment of "Days of Our-I mean, THE LOG OF THE HELLHOUND!

In response to the question about there being more HELLHOUND. Yes, there is more, uh...lots more, HELLHOUND has ten "books" and a total of 44 stories. Over half of them have already been written, the other half will be unless one of us dies or goes insane. (A likely proposition, it sometimes seems.) It's all plotted down to very exacting detail, and includes smugglers, mutoids (and ex-mutoids). Federation deserters, rival rebel enclaves, Raldeeni pirates. Terra Nostra "goons", werewolves, royalty, double-crossers, Aurons, crazy scientists, good soldiers, Jenna's son, Blake's nephew, Servalan's ex-husband, and more complications than you can shake a stick at. And by the way... it's supposed to be strange!

HELLHOUND is rapidly developing into an addiction. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it after reading the first few installments. You certainly can't accuse Katrina and Susanne of sentimentalizing the characters, thank goodness. I could see Avon becoming the man in HELLHOUND after the horrific experiences he'd lived through. Vila put it best when he said that it was a wonder that Avon survived. The psychology is particularly well-done—very good point about arrogance and genius combined with a lack of self-worth. That's my personal theory of why he stayed with Blake. Blake valued him and trusted him as a person, not just a mind and a pair of hands good with computers. At Star One, Blake simply gave his trust and Avon fought a hopeless battle to keep from betraying that trust. Liked the original characters: Steffany, Bev, etc. they have real foibles, are confused about their motives and are capable of making realistic mistakes. In other words, they're real, well rounded people. The details are as well worked out as the characters; the hallmark of good quality fiction: re: characters existing within the framework of a real, detailed and fully realized culture.

HELLHOUND: What can I say? Beyond the obvious WGW and MORE! MORE!, I'd just be repeating what everyone knows. This isn't just fantastic B7 writing; it's damn good professional level fiction, period. In fact, it's some of the best plain fiction I've ever encountered, anywhere. Yeah, I know it isn't strict B7 in the style presented in the show, and not necessarily even a B7 universe everyone might agree with...but dammit, it's just so well told that we really don't care. My only regret is knowing something of how it ends, but I'm not about to allow something as petty and pollyanna as that keep me from reading these delightful 'logs'. If Terry Nation had been writing the series for the '80's (or even the 90's), I think this might have even been more the way it would have gone...or perhaps we should just call it Michael Mann meets the BBC...

[zine]:

HELLHOUND is rapidly becoming my favorite series in B7 fan fiction. I am puzzled why people go on about it not being B7-ish. It's just another person(s) view of the characters. And the texture of the characters is so real. I too considered the character of Morten Hendricks as so much cannon fodder at first but now see him developing into a more rounded personality. Too many characters was one complaint I read— felgercarb! The HELLHOUND now has a crew of only ten plus one child. The other people that move in and out of the story are necessary for the development of the plot and background for the characters.

I worried about how Avon's child would eventually be introduced but no more. The authors have a real handle on how a child would act. Sevran insisting that Blake listen to him as he read brought back memories of other small munchkins. I thought age four was a little too old until I sat down and figured it out.

Avon had maybe a month or two at Weaver's, perhaps two years with Jules, at least another year to a year and a half building the HELLHOUND, and then six months to a year finding Blake and curing him of his amnesia. It works. But why is the child too young to be considered Tarrant's? There couldn't have been more than six months between "Sand" and "Blake.” It was after "Blake" that the child was conceived. With the exact age of the child not known (or I don't remember the boy saying he was only four), why the immediate assumption that it was Avon's? I would have liked to see Tarrant sweat out possible parentage however briefly. Also really looking forward to Servalan's reaction to losing her child. Comparisons to a lioness whose cub is threatened come to mind.

Other impressions and questions on Book III of HELLHOUND in no particular ordering (in other words— ramblings): Why refer to Tarrant's taking too many pills as poisoning rather than an overdose? (Not a complaint, just curious.) Why does Blake assume that Jenna didn't get away? Was there only one life capsule on the ship they were on? And Avan's reaction when confronted by the brother who molested him was chilling in its accuracy. The skillful way the author's handled this is to be oomended. The characters in HH cure people you can identify with—whether you like or hate them—they exist as complete, three-dimensional personalities. Seven more books in the HH series? Terrific!

Ex-mutoid (Soolin?), werewolves, Aurons (Franton & Patar?) in future HELLHOUNDS? Looking forward to it. Frankly. I'm curious about what happened to the one mutoid that used an escape pod to get away during the Intergalatic War. I sense a story there.

Laura's cover art (HH's Lost Boys) was superb. I was one of those bidding on the original at SCORPIO VI (along with two other HH pieces). Thank you so much for making it available to the public at large.

LOG OF THE HELLHOUND seems to be generally adored, some with reservations and a few hate it. All those comments make me rethink about what I thought of it. Because it is a 5th season story, the authors can take the characters where they want, provided their stepping-off is valid. And theirs is. I don’t like their Avon as a person, though by the end of Book II, I can see some redeeming features peeping out; but the point is that he doesn’t have to be made to fit the surroundings of the Actual Series, since he is one step beyond them. LoH is a story by itself, with its roots in B7, but taking its own way. And it is a story I enjoy reading.

On the other characters the Tarrant is a good development — but let us remember that his relationship with Bev is not (should not be) a static thing. There is one thing about troubles, and that is that they either make you or break you — you can grow or die from them. And that goes for relationships, too.

A number of people were complaining about Steffany White's character — "Mary-Sue" being one ward that was dropped. Now, is that true, or is it because she is so easy to identify with? In the midst of all these cold-blooded killers, with a sprinkling of young idealists, isn’t a "normal" person a bit of a relief? She is a professional whose life up to now had been placid and shallow, who is suddenly snatched away by these terrorists. The last thing she should do is get hysterical, and she doesn't. As for [Carol M's] complaint [in a letter of comment in the previous issue] that she isn’t good enough for Avon — get real! If she had been a revolutionary, she would probably be dead, or otherwise unlikely to be a psychotherapist (which is what Avon kidnapped her for, remember?).

And those people [Carol M] cites -— well, they weren’t born that way, were they? They grew through trouble -- and Steffany will grow or break from it (unless Snyder & McGhin are worse authors than I think). Avon has withered from his troubles, but who knows, Katrina & Susanne my allow him healing. And if that is so — what a marvel! The thing that I like about Avon is his intelligent strength and potential — the flashes one sees of all that could be, if he would let go his bitterness.

I agree that having Steffany fall in love with Avon is dangerous: she could see that herself. It is a knife-edge: much good could come of it as well as much bad. There is always a potential for abuse in a relationship — on both sides. It is not Steffany I am afraid of abusing her power — it is Avon. I must assume that Steffany is competent and responsible adult.

Back to [Carol M's] comments: I don’t think Steffany is looking for a relationship to give her life meaning—she just happens to love the guy!

I don't think this is a case of victim-rescuer? though I see the danger if it were so. Steffany does not want Avon to be dependent on her — and I can't see Avon allowing himself to be a "victim." He is too strong. This affair could be the best thing that happened to him — or the last straw. Not that I approve of affairs, anyway.

[...]

FROM THE LOG OF THE HELLHOUND — BOOK 3 by Katrina Snyder & Susanne MoGhin: Da, Gut, Or,..yes, I like it but..,(uh,oh). In a way, I am tired of this going on and on and on, like a soap opera; and likely to go on and on and on (ten books, wasn't it?) [Yes, much like the aired show went on and on for 52 episodes. Ed.] I know Bryn Lantry wanted it to go on forever, but there is also a wish for resolution, instead of endless more complications and characters to get lost over. It is time I read it all again, but my copy of Book 2 is still being borrowed! I am a fish jerking on the line, resenting the hook caught in my mouth: now could they hurry up and do something instead of just introducing more characters?

The authors are so good, one starts to judge them by professional standards, and they just don't measure up to what a good book (as distinct from a published book) is. The minute descriptions of places and clothing have finally gotten to me. It just feels like a boring waste of time, and totally lacks atmosphere. Now I see why people were calling this a comic strip! I don't mean they shouldn't be described, but please try to do it with more feeling than a store catalogue!

I congratulate the authors for planning their plot so all-enocmpassingly — some people stare at blank paper and think plots get inspired...but now I think the authors have been striving so much to get the plot right, the characters right, the dialogue right—they just didn't get everything right. Congrats for what they did get right. They should take a break now and then, or they will get utterly sick and tired of the whole thing—that that will reflect in their writing, which will make us unhappy. [I'll tell you a secret: the HELLHOUND stories are not written in the order they are published in. They are written as the authors feel inspired to do them and many of the stories for later Books are already finished. Ed.]

I feel sorry for Sevran — if he ever finds out Avon is his father, oh dear! Sevran adores his mother, and his father is determined to kill her. Both Sevran's parents are terrible people — so whether he loses his parents or finds them, it is tragic. No wonder Avon called him doomed. Could Avon ever give up his revenge for the sake of his son? Certainly not at this point in time.

I guessed Fen Payne was one of those victims of the Federation. People tend to forget about that phase of Blake's existence — there would certainly have to be people who believed the propaganda — and the "victims" would be the most certain of all. This could make things interesting — as if things weren't interesting enough already! The coincidence level is getting rather high, though. No matter. I don't believe in coincidence anyway.

it really is in a class by itself. As a continuing series it is setting out to do something quite different from what the rest of the contributions are about.

The first two stories seemed to be a little lacking in the lush descriptions so prevalent in the earlier books. I began to fear that Katrina and Susanne were paying too much attention to (ill-considered, in my opinion) accusations of MIAMI VICE-ness. Personally, I am impressed with their skill at creating a mood by creating a setting, and some of my own writing reflects how much I've learned from them. I was glad to see the lavish detail return in the later stories.

The two successive flashbacks got the book off to a slow start; though they did fill in some blank background, there was nothing we couldn't have guessed pretty well already. I'm glad that Vila's story was not included too; it would have been just too much. But once everybody got caught up again, I was on the edge of my seat. And Blake's and Avon's confrontation? re-acquaintance? at the end of "Weeping for the Memory" was riveting. Katrina and Susanne have such a needle-sharp skill at selecting exactly the words, the overtones, which will most reveal a character, which fill him out to solid, living, flawed humanity. I stand in awe.

It certainly was child-abuse week in HELLHOUND, though. Having Avon molested by his brother is a powerful idea, adding yet another angle from which to see this tortured man. I anticipate quite a confrontation when Payne makes whatever move he finally works up the guts for.

And my God, the homophobia of the society they paint! Marc's having made a pass at an adult, if young, man is immediately accepted as grounds for his summary killing (Morten said nothing about rape, just "he went for my arse!"), and not only that, but the mere revelation that Marc was bi/gay sends Chloe into panic for her children (as if every man oriented toward men is a child molester)! No wonder Avon has always been so closely barriered! "Weight of a Feather" established that the society was homophobic, but nothing this blood-chilling. Brrr.

And there are seven books yet to come — I am dead and gone to heaven.

HELLHOUND: it's kind of depressing to know that I could never write anything this good, but I'm having a wonderful time being depressed!

HH is still my overall favorite but I oust admit I'm becoming mildly annoyed with Steffany. Her lack of "professionalism" (i.e. going to bed with a maniac) just doesn't ring true. She seems to spend a good deal of time watching Avon with 1. detached curiosity and 2. just analyzing him — she knows he's dangerously on the edge and she's probably the only one qualified enough to help him — so she falls in love with him. It's my personal view here that Avon needs some purely objective help and Steffany is much too close to his forest to see any falling trees. [Everybody seems to have totally lost sight of the fact that. Steffany was brought on board the ship to help Blake not Avon. Avon became her "patient" much later and not really of his own free will. At which point she was already falling in love with him. And it's not like they have any other psychotherapists around who could take over the job, is it? Just a thought. Sorry, Linda. Ed.]

Psychoanalyzing someone "close" just doesn't work because 1. you're too apt to overlook too much and 2. loved ones don't take you seriously or get incensed because 3. they're not in a paid session with a "professional."

I mean, I just can't see Steffany "analyzing" Avon after a night in bed. How would you react to that?

And now — Avon's son!?! Again!?! Sigh. What is this fascination in fandom with giving Avon a 1. child and 2. most always a son? (I mean, goodness, doesn't poor Blake ever get any nookie? Or is he just more "careful" when he does?). [Your own biases are showing here, Linda. How quickly they forget. Didn't Blake have nookie with Jeanine? Multiple times? Spread out over two books? Didn't Blake, for God's sake, have an affair with Chloe in Book 3? (Okay, a tryst—it was still nookie). I could just as easily scream how come Vila doesn't get any nookie — I mean, Vila hasn't even had a girlfriend. And what have you got against people having sons? There are only two sexes to choose from, y'know. If you want to see a story about Blake having a son so badly why don't you sit down and write it? (And you know where to send it, too, right? Smile.) Ed.] Personally, I don't enjoy children (I don't dislike them, I just don't enjoy their company. I don't mind them in a playground or across the room). And I don't particularly like them showing up in fan stories — not unless they are presented extremely well, realistically, and for damn good solid reasons which will advance the plot.

As the HH authors are damn good solid writers, and as this installment of HH reads much like the middle of a trilogy in which there is lots of character development but little plot And how many more stories are we going to get in which Avon is 1. forgiven for his actions in [the episode] ORBIT, 2. Orac is blamed and/or 3, it never happened? I fully blame Avon for his actions. Orac merely answered a question. [Right. And if you'd been on that shuttle you would have selflessly thrown yourself out the airlock. Be real. I love Vila but I wouldn't be overjoyed to die for him. Ed.]

So far the best version of this hasn't been written/published yet and was proposed during the Angst Panel at SCORPIO: Orac is leading Avon during most of 4th series as an experiment to see how he'll react. But Orac doesn't seriously believe (think?) that Avon will really go after Vila or really shoot Blake, then Orac has to deal with it—that he's broken all three Laws of Robotics. Computer angst! Wow. I told him to send [this proposed story] to Annie....

I used to claim B7 was addictive — HELLHOUND is more so. Yes, Avon is bisexual in HELLHOUND. Yes, it has a depressing view of the world. Yes, it is B7 goes punk. HELLHOUND is also some of the best writing I've seen, with new characters who are truly alive, old characters obviously emotionally affected by events, foreshadowing, etc. Why aren't you two writing professionally??? When you start your names alone will be sufficient to get me to buy the book. Anyway, just keep doing what you're doing and I'll keep going off the deep end when the next LOG reaches me. (Addictions are a terrible thing. I skipped Physics 331 to read HELLHOUND. Have you ever tried to understand someone else's physics notes?!) ...Keep up the good work. You produce excellent zines.

And now, a short position paper entitled "Steffany White: Mary Sue, Wimp, Weinie, or What?" I've always understood that a Mary Sue occurs when a female writer writes herself into a story as the hero's sweetheart usually a woman too wonderful for words. Well, the bitter truth is: there is a HELLHOUND character with elements of this affliction, in the respect that same of her experiences have paralleled that of one of the authors, and her name is...Bev Hastings! But that's as far as it goes. As far Steffany "fixing the Liberator with a bobby pin," she does nothing outside her stated abilities as a physician, and by now Jeff Morris (gee, you seemed so nice at DSV, guy!) knows she didn't fix Tarrant's leg, and that Avon and Blake aren't going to "get it on,” much less get it together.

[Carol M] seems critical of the fact that Steffany is not the perfect mate for Avon. No, she's not, and that's the point. Would a fully mature, self-actualized woman go for a man like Kerr Avon in the first place? Not on a bet. The whole idea behind Steffany and Avon's relationship is that "a casual, short term relationship with Steffany White might be beneficial to Avon's emotional health." Couldn't have said it better myself! [Besides, if she was perfect for Avon, not to mention not having all those faults, she would be a Mary Sue! Real, live, functioning people have faults and what makes a "Mary Sue" is a character (male or female) who is not made to seem real because they are unbelievably perfect! ed.) Likewise, the Jeanine Orly character was designed to be a serious hindrance in Blake joining up with Avon again, although I question whether a woman who drives a loader into a gun battle can be called a "wimp ." As for Steffany's knowledge of Federation abuses: remember, she was in private practice on a Federation colony, not Earth, and she did have some knowledge of said abuses, to the point of turning down a posting to Omega Three.

If a Federation lawyer (Blake's council in THE WAY BACK) can be ignorant of the true nature of the Federation, why can't Steffany? What about Docholli and Lurgen?... but that's another story. No, Steffany's not perfect, not in [Carol M's] book, or in ours, but a fictional character doesn't have to perfectly embody our own individual value systems in order to be human and believable. To tell the truth, we find Steffany hard to write because she gives in too much to Avon; we'd tell him to get off! One more thing, before I leave Steffany to her fate, and that's her "philosophy." Ironically enough, it was published in SOUTHERN SEVEN 3, page 226: "It's not professional to inject your personal beliefs. But what I believe in, Roj, is that there should be a world where people have a chance to be all they can be, to be healthy in mind and soul. To be appreciated far what they are. To be loved. I'm an idealist, you see." And earlier: "You can blame your past, your genes, and the Federation all you want. With reason, yes. But in the end, your life is your own. Your decisions are your own." Then to Avon's claim of being "king of pain": "Then abdicate. Don't wait for a successor or a coup. Abdicate. That's the only way out." Sounds like Steffany's trying to get Avon to rescue himself, instead of doing the dirty deed for him. True, her falling in love with a patient is questionable (part of her imperfection) but "who zoomed who?"

Ah, yes, HELLHOUND—Part One I didn't quite know what to make of it. Part Two I got mildly sarcastic, and now here's Part Three and at last I know how to deal with this Magnum Opus (short flightless waterfowl in Hawaiian shirt and Ferrari!)— It's a soap opera!! And soap operas I can handle. Which means that any strange, warped, twisted, sick, sadistic, unbelievable, off-the-wall behavior and/or events are not only tolerable but completely acceptable within the defined parameters! And I can sit back and enjoy the unfolding saga... The only criticism I can offer regarding Part Three is in the pacing. Too many important events occur too quickly. Especially Avon's brother. We meet him, discover Avon hates him, discover why Avon hates him, and Avon blows him away! All inside maybe ten pages! I mean, really! What's-Her-Name lasted through most of Part 1 and part of Part 2 —and she wasn't really essential to the plot! Yet the prime betrayer of Avon's trust only gets one chapter? Arrrgghhh!

Speaking of ongoing conclusions and trusting an author without knowing the ending, there is Hellhound. Wow. Snyder and McGhin have set up a new wave cosmos that inexplicably contains too many points of similarity to our own sad world, and every one of them works. Every time some character did something too much like the 20th-century norm (like shop far make-up), it tied into something in the series, or something already set up in the HH series. (Where did Dayna get all that pink eyeshadow, in the show? She sure didn't bring it with her from Sarran.) Elements like women being relegated to the kitchen and resenting it, psychological therapist being a normal civilian profession, and a society full of homophobic attitudes, are each shown in enough self-conscious detail to indicate that the authors chose them deliberately (rather than picking up their own default social values) to exist in the same universe with space pirates, galactic revolutionaries, and a diet in which meat is a luxury, not a staple. The background varies with the locale, another good point, but the ongoing characters' assumptions are consistent enough, despite their different origins, to show the society as a whole. This never lets up, and the series overall is incredibly rich-textured because of it.

If the series is as long as we're premised, it has time to develop the Blake vs. Avon theme which, in the scope Hellhound likes to use, is just beginning to show up as more than a character quirk of Avon's.

Each character (and we do seem to run into an inordinate amount of Blake's and Avon's past) is so well detailed, and this is accomplished without obvious stops for exposition in the narrative, that there's no way of knowing who'll become a major part of the storyline and who has a brief role, however essential it may be. This skill on the authors' part has more advantages than the obvious one of keeping the reader interested in the whole story, minute by minute. The major characters revolving around the two centerpieces are well enough developed to illustrate aspects of those two's dilemmas. Most notable is Steffany White: she is aware, in far more detail than any layperson, how hopeless and stupid her falling in love with Avon is. Yet knowing and being able to trace the emotional process does not halt it, any more than Avon's self-knowledge eases his own emotions and how they run his life, in spite of his intellectual brilliance. I'm fascinated. I want to read the rest of it.

SS#3 was pretty good. HH seems to be turning into a soap, and boy do I dislike those! Still, I'll probably keep reading it (curiosity, mostly).

LOG OF THE HELLHOUND continues to be incredibly insightful and refreshing, and I look forward to future installments. I am one who believes Katrina and Susanne should go pro. A word about Katrina's much-maligned artwork, from one artist to another: keep up the fabulous work, Katrina!

Everyone is, of course, entitled to their own opinions concerning HELLHOUND, or anything else for that matter, but why don't the people who are so opposed to the premises, story lines and relationships involved in HELLHOUND do us all a cosmic favor and incite their own Pulitzer Prize winning versions? In case any of the complainers are missing the point, this is Susanne and Katrina's universe and they can write it any damned way they please </ref>, regardless of who does and doesn't read it - or like it, for that matter.

[...]

I agree wholeheartedly that people who have not read the HELLHOUND series (or any other for that matter) shouldn't make comments about it (or them). It's silly to ignore a story because you've heard it's bad. These people should read the stories themselves and then make up their own minds and not let someone else rake up their minds for them. If you were to listen to every film critic on the face of the earth and trusted their opinions implicitly, you'd never see a film because there's always going to be a critic somewhere who doesn't like a film. I have to admit that it took three readings of the original HELLHOUND stories before I ever came to like it, but I do like it now. Ignore the critics in fandom, open your minds and try something a little different. There aren't any laws that say you can't enjoy an alternate universe. And if there are, no one has bothered to inform me.

1989

...it's hard-edged, complex, well-written; it develops the characters -- old and new -- considerably; and it contains concepts and material suitable for the mature, not to say fortified mind. This is an extrapolation of B7 for the 80's, and may dismay those looking for a familiar or sentimental read. (Incidentally, I mean 'mature' in its dictionary sense here; look outside SOUTHERN SEVEN for explicitly detailed sex. Not that I, the authors, or the characters, have anything against sex)......

I haven't worked my way completely through SOUTHERN SEVEN #3 yet, but it is great so far. And I'd like to retract my earlier statement about HELLHOUND), The first part I didn't care for, but I've since become very hooked on it, I won't go into all the current arguments about whether it's B7 or not. It's good writing the characters are done very well, especially the new ones. I usually don't like new faces, but these fit in very well. Most of all, I like the HH Tarrant — he's Tarrant the way he should be and I can't wait for more! Thanks for one of the very few zines I'm continuing to get on a regular basis.

I borrowed SOUTHERN SEVEN #3 from a friend mainly because I wanted to read Book III of LOG OP THE HELLHOUND, Instead, I found myself sitting up all night reading the whole thing. In one word, it was FANTASTIC! I laughed at the funny parts, cried at the sad ones, and couldn't put it down.

I do not believe its premises: Avon's unrequited lust for Blake and the suicide attempt, but there's this neat Sf/fantasy thingie called "willing suspension of disbelief” that seems to be handling things...so far. (Actually, with 4th season Avon, suicide would have resulted if he'd blown Servalan away — the troopers would have obliged. As for his being bi, the HH character's written as not really sexually interested either way. He just goes with the flow really, and Steffi's his current bedtime teddy bear as far as we can tell.) The thing that has become a problem for me is Avon's increasing mushy-mindedness and willingness to just follow Blake and accept his plans rather than criticize and improve them. In HH 5, he doesn't force Blake to decide about destroying the hospital ahead of time, AND doesn't point out later that if Blake doesn't, Servalan will, and leave a bigger, nastier mess, and blame it on Blake besides. (And she does! She, at least, is just what 4th season led us to expect.)

The other real problem is one HELLHOUND shares with B7 episodes — when you've got intelligent main characters, you have to give them "idiot attacks" to cover weak points in the plot. Like f'rinstance, Jamial Blair... Super-cautious Avon brought his casual pick-up on board the ship??? Why? So Vila could see them together. Why? Because the gay bar scene is not anyplace Vila would be interested in going. Or Dafydd's terribly-convenient-for-Servalan homing device... Neither doctor noticed the scar? Neither doctor noticed the lump on the X-ray? Orac never noticed the homing "bleep"? Nobody asked Orac far a hard copy of the Mutoid Modification Manual? (Somebody's got to train the surgeons...) COME ON PEOPLE...but seriously, all will be forgiven if somebody (Avon? you still awake in there?) shifts his brain out of neutral long enough to consult Orac, request a list of homing device frequencies, and which mutoids they're attached to, and who owns/employs those mutoids. WHY? well, that somebody might just turn the trick and track down Servalan through her Controller, mightn't he??! Please?

Seriously — for real, if I didn't like it, I wouldn't criticize, and I did love "In The Dark" and Katrina's cartoons and "Writhing Lawn Sprinklers." Also I did like/still like the original illos style, and also most of the "other" illos, especially Leah's, Adrian Morgan's b/w cut-out style, and Theresa Buffaloe's. (The only below standard one was [Gayle F's] in HH 4.)

1991

Well, it's sort of in a category all by itself, isn't it? I keep thinking it's about peaked, that there won't be any more surprises...and wouldn't you know it, each book is a little better than the one before, spinning out just enough to sustain interest, but leave you a little hungry for more when it's over. Katrina and Susanne have woven a very tangled web (and I sometimes feel in need of a scorecard to keep track of everyone and how they relate to each other) but I love stories like that. Heck, I write stories like that, favorite kind of pro SF is of the world building sort, where you can see and hear and touch and taste and smell the story; the richness and complexity; and that's what HELLHOUND is. If you can't take HELLHOUND as B7, take it as world building space opera; either way, I've never come across anything else that assures I'll buy the zine it's in, no matter what else cones with it.

LOG OF THE HELLHOUND continues to be a highly visual and addictive experience. And I was pleased to discover my suspicions were correct about the identity of Vila's "rescuer" on GP; it was Lew Brody. Brody is so over the top, I could really fall in love with him. (Garden variety? Not bloody likely, sweetheart!!) And Karl Deca gives me chills all up and down the spine.

I'm beginning to think that I can't cope with HELLHOUND. This is probably because I seem to have missed a couple of episodes. Still, it's brilliantly written; maybe I can catch up on it when it all comes out in one magazine, sometime in the possible future.

I've reread all of HELLHOUND so far. There's a lot of detail that I missed on the first read-throughs. I'm thinking particularly of the way Avon flinches or twitches at the word "bastard" even when it's not directed at him or meant in an insulting way. These characters breathe.

I'm not sure how I felt about the Raldeeni in the last installment. They seemed a bit wimpy because they were disposed of so easily. The crew of the HELLHOUND had more trouble with Vashti, and she wasn'tsupposed to be the scourge of the universe. Undoubtedly Rackan Gant will be meaner and tougher.

Although the wardrobe has settled down lately and I too found the descriptions distracting in the first few books, it creates a lasting image. This has no doubt been helped by the HELLHOUND art, most particularly Theresa Buffaloe's. Considering the totally "blah" clothing worn in the Domes in "The way Back," I can see rebels and social misfits adopting the loudest, flashiest clothes they could find.

What to say about LOG OF THE HELLHOUND? As of now, as I write this letter, I've not read the stories in BLAKES DOUBLES #2, so I came into the series in SS #5 a little lost on what's happened, but it is still fascinating. Doyle as Blake's nephew?! Well, they both do have sorta untamed hair...is Tarrant perhaps related, too? Just kidding, I think.

To those who wrote to offer their impressions of HELLHOUND. ..thanks far your support! (There's an idea for a commercial there...) Jeff, if you throw any issue of SOUTHERN SEVEN on that letter bomb, the size of the zine should protect you from the blast...a pillow will do just as well, since you probably wouldn't want to destroy the zine. Sorry about Stevie Nicks, but Jeanine Had to Go. Everyone seems to have an idea on who will go next...heh, heh, I ain't telling, but of course I'm serious about those future HELLHOUND scenarios! I'm writing choice "D" right now, and Susanne's handling (very carefully!) the werewolves, because they were her idea.

Since the "Avon's kids" debate seems to be heating up. I'll say that I have mixed feelings about it. I do feel that it "always being a boy" (although it isn't, is it? How about LAST STAND?) could be thought to be a sexist statement, as if boys were the more desirable sex. Also, it stretches credibility, because it ought to be a girl at least half of the time! As one of three daughters and the mother of a daughter, I don't think boys are superior to girls and resent people who do, but as a writer I much prefer to write male characters and find the father/son conflict much more interesting than the mother/daughter one. Also,

there's that "Mary Sue" syndrome to contend with, and the fact that fan readers seem to much prefer male characters themselves. Compare the number of Jenna or Cally stories to the number of Avon stories, for an example. As for HELLHOUND, there will be daughters coming along, but no sex-change for Sevran.

1992

This is very long, not yet finished, and distributed over a number of zines published by Ashton Press. B7 for the eighties, with a lot of style and many original characters, some, I'm told, based on other TV shows. There are many incredible plot devices and coincidences, but I don't notice them while I'm reading. The writing is very high quality, with excellent dialogue and just enough description to set a scene. In Log of the Hellhound books 1 and 2, Southern Seven 3, Blakes Doubles 2, Southern Seven 5, Southern Seven 7 and more to come. There are related stories in other Ashton Press zines. All are available from Bill Hupe.

I'm certainly not unusual here, but I've got to say for pure writing, including well-thought-out plots, characterization that's fair to all the men/women involved, and pure enjoyment, Hellhound is _it_. This is perhaps the only series in B7 fanfic that actually shows us _why_ the Federation is evil and gives us a look at how and for what reasons people in this universe are turning to resistance. Also, it features what are probably the best-realized created characters in B7 fanfic.

Ah, now to HELLHOUND. You knew, I was going to complain that Katrina and Susanne were slighting Vila... then I recalled he had his moment last time. Then it was Morten...no, he's been cropping up here and there... then Servalan... no, she's in this issue... to my shock I realized just how subtly they've been mixing their characters in and out of the plot, making sure no one gets left out. I was hanging onto every word of this chapter of the saga from beginning to end -- I have a sneaking admriation for Lew Brody, who reminds me of a Han Solo without Lucasfilm Guidelines, and his crew mate Zara. Nice to see they've pissed the Raldeeni off as well - nothing like having two sets of enemies coming after you, is there?

The different art styles added a lot of contrast in peoples' perspectives of the HELLHOUND characters -- personally, I favor Katrina's if for no other reason than she's most likely got the best idea of what they look like, etc. But Theresa, Laura, Leah, and Adrian all knocked themselves out on this book. Can't wait to see what happens next.

What a great read! And the HELLHOUND series just gets better and better. I loved the vampire story; I, for one, would love to bite Avon's neck!

I'm not sure why some people insist that HELLHOUND isn't "real" Blake's 7 — if we're being tiresomely Prime is 'real.' HELLHOUND is an intricate and fascinating nitpicking, nothing that's set post-Gauda universe and when I reach the end of the segment I'm reading reaction is usually "You can't stop THERE!" I liked Jeanine and was sorry when she was killed (I like Stevie Nicks, so there!), but the fact that, as in real life and on the show, people do get killed makes this universe stronger, realer (is this an English word?) perhaps than a number of others I've read. Stephanie is an interesting person; I don't see all the hoohah about how terrible it is that she's involved with Avon. Technically, she's Blake's shrink, and living with these people rather than just seeing him occasionally would tend to blur the lines of patient/physician more than just a little anyway; the daily life under battlefield conditions are not the norm and these people are definitely living an intense, dangerous existence.

I love Lew Brody — the illos are great, as is the Lovett portrait of Dafydd and Brody standing together. Both are interesting characters, people that I'd be willing to read more about no matter who they look like. Why do I think that Vila's brother isn't slated to come to a good end? I like the fact that the HELLHOUND Servalan is as cold, twisted and perverse as I always pictured her. Her tears and sad tales in "Sand" always struck me as simply more of her lies, if a lie that she's told enough that she believes it herself. Most people suffer a broken heart or two in their life, but it doesn't turn the majority of folks into power-hungry maniacs who consider torture, murder and genocide simply useful techniques to get done whatever is wanted at the moment. If her cloning scheme had succeeded, can you imagine the Federation (or whatever goes up in its place should the rebels succeed...) in 20 years when there are about a dozen Servalans, all just itching to get their fingers in the pie?

HELLHOUND, Book V by Larkin & Tilley — It just keeps getting better and better. I just meant to skim through the story to refresh my memory and ended up reading all three stories all over again. I find Blake's nephew Dafydd (Davith?) to be a fascinating character. He not only has to overcome what was done to him physically but mentally, as well. If he comes out of this series both some and able to eat solid food, he's a better man them we all are, Gunga Din, I also like the friendship that is growing between Dafydd and Morten, the piano.

Getting Dafydd to play the guitar had to be a major breakthrough. Now, to get him to play Then there's "the" illo on page 339, William Andrew Phillip Brody and Sunshine the Wonder Mutoid. Brody is a good strong character with more than a little Han Solo to him. Fen Payne is another good character. I like the way he was strong enough to see through a programmed in hatred to the truth and how he tries to make up for the damage he did before he knew the truth. The counterpoint between Blake and Servalan is very well done — his unwillingness to kill innocent people in the hospital and her willingness to murder those same innocent people simply to make Blake look bad. To Blake, people are individual human beings with rights; to Servalan, people individually or in groups are fodder to be used for her own ends only. Getting back to Dafydd, the homing device idea was excellent—a good tie-in for all the characters.

I also think that Dafydd's reaction (after the fact) to killing the Raldeeni woman was well handled. The affair between Servalan and the controller gives me the crawls, but it shows the levels she will sink to to get what she wants. I was glad to see Jamial Blair and Thom escape. It just goes to show how repressive governments lose their best people through the government's own blind intolerant stupidity. The illo on page 374 is great! Aside from being a beautiful drawing, the expression of near jealousy on Avon's face is priceless. Blake is just relaxing and spending some time with the kid and Avon looks like he's ready to boot his own son across the room. I suppose the pose and expression could also be defined as "my sweat smells the best," too. I hope that things work out between Dayna and Morten. Poor Dayna. Then again, I want things to eventually work out between Blake and Avon, too. Sigh. They could both use a little Southern Comfort.

I appreciate the HELLHOUND index. Maybe in the far future, when all is written, someone will be courageous enough to publish all the HELLHOUND Stuff in several telephone-book-sized volumes. Then we can show them to our grandchildren and say, "I collected HELLHOUND piece by piece, and it wasn't easy, but it sure was worth it." Reading it all at once might cause burnout, but oh, what a way to go!!!!!

HELLHOUND: This is the reason I bought the zine. And I was greatly gratified to find the rest of the stories were also well worth the cost. But still HELLHOUND... HELLHOUND is spectacular, great, wonderful, superlative...etc. As you might suspect, I love it! In a way, this series of interlocking stories reminds me of an epic Leslie Fish wrote. THE WEIGHT was a monster when it was finished, or at least almost finished. She also tied in the separate events to music.

I like the illos by the author, they fit with the stories quite well. Of course, some of the ones being created by others are also very good. I rather expected Doyle to show up as the physical model for Dafydd, but Bodie as Captain Brody came as a bit of a surprise. However, after thinking about it, it fits quite well. Especially, Brody's attitude toward the femle half of the species, which echoes Bodie's quite well. However, if I hadn't been the recipient of several B/D zines lately, I would have no idea who those guys on page 339 were supposed to be. (Ain't tight jeans wonderful?) However, your artists need to talk to one another, page 341 shows the earring on the opposite ear. Sounds like Dayna may be getting herself ready to return to sexual relationships. Glad to hear she wasn't completely turned off. I was afraid her experiences would make her limit her life emotionally, and that is not healthy. I hope we have not seen the last of Thom and Jamial. I like both these young men and they have great potential. One thing, traveling with Brody, they won't be bored. Back to illos, Suzan's on page 374 is lovely too.

1994

One key to enjoying Hellhound, I find, is to simply look at it as an SF serial in which some of the protagonists bear a resemblance to some of the 7ers. Unfortunately, the authors don't get any pre-publication feedback because Ann Wortham has forbidden them to pass around copies to friends to preview. I suspect that might have made quite a lot of difference in some areas. (And Annie's editing style probably accounts for errors in chronology and so on. Once she gets a copy of a story, you never see it again -- and may even have to beg for your tribber copy.) I know the authors never set out to aggravate anyone with the story, and only have the best intentions with it. A new editor/publisher might make all the difference.

1995

Oh yes, HELLHOUND'S been vilified in some fannish quarters: for not really being B7, for changing things, for having too much originality, for being immoral... Me, I think a lot of it's sour grapes and jealousy as HH is so much better than some of the stuff out there. I mean, I like JABBERWOCKY, but it's just the same story over and over again. HH always surprises me. You may as well plunge into now: every HH that has been written is currently available. That list of HH stories in some SOUTHERN SEVEN is kinda deceptive, as some of the stories are only projected, and some of the titles have been changed.

I hope you won't be disappointed in the Hellhound Blake. I read the first few installments, but eventually found the landscape becoming so cluttered with extraneous original characters that the people I knew and cared about were getting lost in the shuffle. So I gave it up--right when the ubiquitous Martin Shaw clone turned up, now that I think of it.

1996

Hellhound is well worth reading, but try and read it in the right order, because the plot develops over the zines.

2006

Each issue [of Southern Seven] was eagerly awaited and never disappointed. This zine introduced to fandom the amazing "Hellhound" saga, by Katrina Larkin and Susanne (McGhin) Katz—a complex vision of What Happened Next; so damned good that it makes me glad I'm a fan.

2013

Never finished, and it was a pain chasing them up."

(Sex? Gen-ish) Epic (and unfinished) space opera/soap opera ensemble series, very much driven by the B-A relationship. It's PGP and Avon 'rescues' Blake from amnesia in order to set him up as the head of the revolution again. They acquire other ships, other crew-members (who all have their own adventures and romantic plot-lines) and try and defeat Servalan. Avon canonically fancies Blake in-series but ends up with someone else; Blake is probably straight, but mostly that doesn't matter. Lots of fun.

2014

Basically, Hellhound is a PGP 'Avon shot the clone' fic. The first book is complicated by the fact that the way Avon escapes from Servalan is that he's rescued by a time-travelling thief from another universe (whom he apparently met before around series 2) and he spends most of book 1 in an AU of the 1990s/2020s (the fic was written in 1986). Whether this plot thread will come back is a mystery to me. I wouldn't like to guess as it has become clear that all I know is that I don't know anything about Hellhound except what I have actually read. I would hope so otherwise I don't know why it was there.

The fact is that at some point he returns to our universe with a new ship (the Hellhound), which he basically built to spec and which has time-travel capabilities (although these are not used in book 2) and most stuff the Liberator had. He finds Blake, who has amnesia and isn't that keen on coming with him, and puts together a rag-tag team of people amnesiac!Blake knew, other OCs, and some canon characters (I'll say who they are in the spoilery bit). Together they rumble around the universe trying to escape the Federation for long enough to get Blake back to normal and start fighting the Federation again.

Hellhound was originally published in a gen zine and has no descriptions of sex scenes. However - Avon sleeps with a man (repeatedly) in the first book, Blake sleeps with a woman (repeatedly), and it's strongly implied that Avon sleeps with another reoccurring OFC. One of the things I'll talk about later in the spoilery section is whether this is B/A or not, and how it handles that. I think it's worth mentioning though that it is explicit that Avon lusts/lusted? after Blake. If that ain't your bag then be warned. And if it is your bag... well, I'll say more below.